Restart life

Chapter 537 0525 [Environmental Issues?]

The first representative to ask a question sat down awkwardly. Instead of inviting the second representative to speak, Sabinenin introduced the program: "We also have a short note segment. All the students here can pass me short notes before recording. I will draw some of these notes to ask questions."

Chen Guiliang said, "If you were to draw the answer, it would definitely be an outrageous question."

Sabine opened a note: "Hello Mr. Chen, I'm a seasoned gamer. When are you planning to acquire Blizzard?"

The whole audience burst into laughter; it was indeed outrageous.

Chen Guiliang was amused: "I'd like to know, does this student have any complaints about Blizzard?"

A student in the audience stood up: "Diablo 3 was released globally, but not in mainland China. I can only wait to download a cracked version, but cracked versions take time and future updates are troublesome. If Mr. Chen acquires Blizzard, I'll definitely be able to play Diablo 3 immediately."

"You're overthinking it, that's impossible," Chen Guiliang said.

The student asked, "Is it because You Ke's abilities are not good enough?"

Chen Guiliang said, "What I mean is that even if Youke acquires Blizzard, it's impossible for you to play Diablo 3 right away. Every game needs to apply for a license, and Diablo 3 will take two or three years to be approved, during which sensitive content will inevitably be repeatedly deleted and modified."

The student asked, "Don't you think there's a problem with the approval process in China? Who would have their mental state or real life affected just because there are skeletons or corpses in a game? Children might be affected, but we could implement a game rating system, such as prohibiting children under a certain age from playing."

Chen Guiliang said, "Actually, it's not just the gaming industry; the film industry has also been advocating for a rating system. Game ratings have been attempted before; a green game standard was proposed in 2004. However, due to a lack of enforcement and unified regulation, game developers arbitrarily adjust content, rendering the green game standard ineffective. If even a simple green game rating system is like this, how can a more complex rating system be promoted and maintained?"

"Because of the license issue for World of Warcraft, isn't the regulatory authority now more clear about it?" The student clearly had some knowledge of the gaming industry.

Instead of answering directly, Chen Guiliang asked in return, "Do you think Spider-Man is suitable for children?"

The student said, "It should be fine."

Chen Guiliang said, "There is a Japanese tokusatsu film called 'Spider-Man,' which is filmed in the same way as Ultraman and is specifically made for children. Is that healthy enough? It was banned when it was broadcast in Hong Kong in 1978."

"Huh? How could that be?" the student exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Guiliang said, "Because several children imitated Spider-Man by jumping from a high place. You never know what kids are capable of. If one day Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf is reported and taken down, I won't be surprised at all, because kids might imitate Big Big Wolf and roast their friends, mistaking them for Pleasant Goat."

"Hahahaha!"

The audience laughed, mainly because it was outrageous that "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" was reported and taken down.

But it will actually happen next year!
The student thought for a moment: "Does this have anything to do with the grading system?"

Chen Guiliang shook his head: "It's related. The internet is so developed now, children can easily access all kinds of information. If a game rating system is established, even 12-year-olds can play 18+ games. And parents aren't pushovers; they can bombard the regulatory authorities with complaints. You've played Plants vs. Zombies, right?"

The student said, "I've played it."

Chen Guiliang said, "Plants vs. Zombies is reported by parents at least dozens of times every year, and the reasons for the reports are all kinds of strange. We are under a lot of pressure, so after the version update, we try to make the zombies cuter. Then last year we were reported again, saying that we made a female zombie too beautiful, and his child kissed the computer screen in front of the female zombie."

"Hahahaha!"

This not only caused the audience to burst into laughter, but even Sa Beining couldn't hold back and chuckled as he stood to the side.

Chen Guiliang said, "China is too big, and there are many different ethnic groups and religions, making it difficult to formulate a clear rating standard. A rating system must take into account all groups. Let me tell you, a rating system established in this way will definitely have stricter review requirements than it does now. You will be able to play fewer games, because who knows who will come out and report you."

The student seemed to be deep in thought, then handed the microphone to a staff member and sat back down.

Sabine asked, "This isn't a made-up joke, is it? The one about reporting the female zombie."

Chen Guiliang said, "In the updated Plants vs. Zombies, you can no longer find female zombies. Do you think Youke is doing this out of boredom? 'Wulin Gaiden' has also been reported because players can listen to music in brothels. Some people think it's unhealthy. Do you know what brothels are?"

Sabinen said, "It would have been better if you hadn't asked. Now that you've asked, I feel like I'm being inappropriate."

Chen Guiliang explained: "Washe, also known as Wazi, was a comprehensive commercial and entertainment area in ancient times. It had everything from singing and dancing to magic tricks. Inside the entertainment venues called Washe, there were separate areas called Goulan, which were separated by railings. For example, a Washe might contain several Goulan. Most Goulan Washe were open to ordinary people, and women in ancient times could bring their children to watch the excitement."

“That makes it much more serious,” Sabinen said.

Chen Guiliang said, "But some people thought it was improper and kept reporting brothels for a month, insisting that brothels were the kind of places from ancient times. The higher-ups got annoyed and told us to change the name however we wanted."

"Has it been changed?" Sabinenin asked.

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "I'd rather die than change."

Sabinen then invited another youth representative to speak.

A female student stood up: "Hello, Mr. Chen, I am Lin Xiaoyue from Communication University of China. I deeply understand what you said in your speech. Students at Communication University of China are very fashionable, and many of us use Weibo and WeChat. I remember when we were freshmen, we would chat when we had dinner together. But now everyone is playing on their phones around the table, and there is no atmosphere of gathering at all."

"You're playing too, aren't you?" Sabinen asked with a smile.

"Play."

"Then stop criticizing others."

The girl said, "Sometimes I feel like I'm addicted to the internet. I feel uncomfortable if I don't post one or two Weibo posts a day."

Chen Guiliang said, "Don't panic. Your symptoms are mild."

Sabine added, "It's not in the late stage yet, there's still hope."

"Hahaha!"

Amid laughter, Chen Guiliang said, "The 'King of Fairy Tales,' Zheng Yuanjie, once posted more than 20 Weibo posts a day. That doesn't even include his comments and replies on Weibo."

Sabinen said, "I suggest you add Professor Zheng Yuanjie as a friend on Weibo. You can discuss your condition with him."

The girl replied, "As a student at the Communication University of China, I have some understanding of communication studies. I believe that Mr. Chen has changed the lifestyle and social habits of Chinese people. I admire you very much and am your loyal fan!"

"Thank you," Chen Guiliang said.

“So you’re a fan of celebrities,” Sa Beining asked the audience. “Are there any other students who are fans of Mr. Chen? Please raise your hands.”

A large number of hands were raised in a flash; more than 80% of the people raised their hands.

Sabinen remarked, "He truly deserves to be called a youth idol."

Up until this point, the recording atmosphere was still normal.

The next youth representative to speak abruptly brought up environmental protection. She went from talking about stinky ditches to sandstorms, from environmental issues abroad to the PM2.5 issue that was all the rage last winter. She even went on to say things like garbage sorting abroad, how children in other countries receive environmental education from a young age, and how China is doing very poorly in this regard.

Because he was talking too much and was wasting a lot of time, Sabinenin tried to interrupt him several times but to no avail.

In the end, Sabine gave up and let the girl launch into a long rant, which he could then cut out during post-production editing.

The girl spoke for two or three minutes before finally asking, "Does Mr. Chen usually pay attention to environmental protection?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I live in Beijing and am a carbon-based organism, so I can't help but pay attention to environmental protection. Last winter, the smog in Beijing was quite severe."

"What initiatives do you have to support environmental protection?" the girl asked.

Chen Guiliang said, "My companies comply with national environmental protection standards."

The girl then asked, "When you wash your face at home, do you use the tap or a basin?"

Chen Guiliang said, "Yes, I do. I usually wash with hot water in a basin, but sometimes when I'm in a hurry, I just rinse my face under the tap."

"The groundwater level in Beijing has dropped drastically. We should wash our faces with basins instead of directly washing them under the tap, which is such a waste," the girl said.

Chen Guiliang said, "I've learned my lesson. I'll try to use a basin from now on. After I'm done, I'll wait for the water to cool down before using it to water the flowers."

Sabinen laughed and said, "President Chen has already learned to apply what he has learned to other situations."

The girl continued, "What temperature do you usually set your air conditioner to?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I rarely turn on the air conditioner because I find it stuffy."

The girl then asked, "When you go to buy coffee, do you bring your own cup?"

"I don't drink coffee." Chen Guiliang was already a little annoyed.

Sabinen seemed to sense this emotion, so he deliberately pretended to be "fainted" from the answer, which amused the entire audience.

The girl laughed, but wouldn't let it go: "Do you bring your own bags when you shop?"

Worried that Chen Guiliang might get impatient, Sabining jokingly answered for Chen Guiliang, "I don't shop."

Chen Guiliang chuckled, and the audience laughed along.

The girl then asked, "Do you usually unplug the charger after you've finished charging your phone?"

Sabinenin was still joking around: "I don't need to recharge."

This made the laughter even louder, masking any potential embarrassment or impatience.

The girl said, "I'm saying all this to call on everyone to pay attention to environmental protection through some small, everyday details. Setting a good example is how we support environmental protection. Actually, I have even more questions..."

“You asked me,” Sabinen said, “I’ll answer you in the way President Chen speaks.”

The girl actually asked again, "Do you bring your own cup when you buy coffee?"

“I don’t drink coffee,” Sabinen said.

"Then you go shopping..."

"I don't shop."

Sabine's tone and actions became increasingly comical, and he deliberately imitated Chen Guiliang's expressions and mannerisms, causing the students present to laugh so hard they were almost falling over.

The girl grew a little impatient and asked resentfully, "Then are you going to wash your face?"

Sabinen said in a serious tone, "I don't wash my face."

Chen Guiliang couldn't help but laugh as he stood to the side.

Sabine seemed to have suddenly unlocked his comedic potential, exclaiming in an exaggerated tone and gesture, "I wipe my face with wet wipes every day, and then let them air dry. The next day, when I need to wipe my face again, I wet them again drop by drop, reusing the wet wipes. It's very environmentally friendly and eliminates waste!"

“Okay,” the environmentalist girl was speechless, and finally gave a concluding speech, “I think Teacher Sa can be considered a national role model for green environmental protection…blah blah.” (Separate this from the first word of the next paragraph to avoid censorship. It’s a bit awkward.)

Sabine also put away his goofy demeanor: "Actually, what you mentioned are details that we usually overlook. Including the air conditioning temperature... blah blah blah."

Chen Guiliang picked up the microphone and said, "Of course I support environmental protection. I was studying at Peking University when the sandstorms were at their worst, and I live in Beijing now that the smog is so severe. I've experienced it all firsthand. But we are making changes little by little, steadily improving our environmental protection measures..."

"I think we shouldn't underestimate ourselves, and there are more than just China and other countries in the world. As you just mentioned, foreign countries emphasize environmental education from a young age. But the United States has the highest per capita waste volume, followed by developed Western European countries..."

Do you know how the US and Europe handle their waste?

The environmentally conscious girl said, "They generate electricity from waste, which is both environmentally friendly and energy-saving."

Chen Guiliang said, "They ship most of their garbage to other countries for processing. And China is the country that receives the most garbage from Europe and the United States, without exception."

"Approximately 40% of the waste generated in the United States is shipped to China, including hazardous waste such as medical waste..."

"How do I know? Because I talked to the CEO of an environmental company. If you're concerned about environmental protection, you should delve deeper into it. Don't just keep saying that Chinese people don't care about the environment; look how much foreigners value it..."

"The details of daily life you mentioned are indeed important, but the real solution lies in technological advancement. With technological progress, factories can reduce energy consumption and emissions. Even waste can only be processed by improving technology..."

"Since you've brought this up, I plan to allocate some funds to support the research and development of environmental protection technologies. We'll invest 5 million yuan over the first three years to test the waters, and if there are any successes, I'll continue to increase the investment..."

The environmentalist girl was speechless after hearing these words, and finally said, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Chen, and thank you for your contributions to the cause of environmental protection."

Sabinen tried to ease the tension again: "Listen to this, investing 5 million yuan over three years to test the waters. That's what you call having deep pockets!"

After the audience laughed, Sabinen said, "I hope that China will have more wealthy entrepreneurs like him who support environmental protection."

A youth representative asked, "Mr. Chen invested 5 million yuan over three years. In which areas did he invest? How many years do you estimate it will take to break even?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I plan to invest in the waste-to-energy sector. If we achieve a technological breakthrough, I can break even; if we don't, it'll be a complete waste. I'm not going to boast about any entrepreneurial sense of responsibility; I just trust the hardworking scientists in China. I believe they won't let me lose money."

"Perhaps one day, with a breakthrough in technology, China won't even have enough garbage to burn for power generation, and we'll have to dig up the garbage that was buried underground to burn."

(End of this chapter)