What gave China's Hua Guofeng the confidence to idolize himself?

In Chinese history, there have been only two people referred to as the "Leader of the People."
Mao Zedong and Hua Guofeng.
After ascending to the position of Chairman, Hua Guofeng engaged in self-idolization, declaring, "Let us overthrow the Gang of Four following the great leadership of Comrade Hua!" The problem was that he was only in his 50s and had a very bland, unremarkable personality, making it quite embarrassing for him to say such things as a leader. This was because the party was filled with veteran officials in their 70s who had written the legends of the Long March.
Ultimately, after just a few years, he handed over the leadership position to Deng Xiaoping.
Deng Xiaoping was a legendary Communist Party hero who advocated for Reform and Opening-up, which halted Mao Zedong's class struggle and promoted economic development. The people, who were tired of decades of class struggle, did not support Hua Guofeng and instead viewed Deng Xiaoping as the leader of the future.
In fact, as Deng Xiaoping became the leader, China—which had an atmosphere similar to North Korea—began to transform into its current state almost instantly.
Hua Guofeng stepped down from his position and served as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party until 2002, living a long life until his passing in 2008. By stepping down obediently without defying Deng Xiaoping, he was able to enjoy a peaceful remainder of his life.