Chapter 1309: Returning to Central TV!
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
The next day.
At around 9 in the morning.
In the compound of Central TV.
When the car drove up to the entrance, the barrier gate was in the down position. But when gate security saw the car, they shivered and quickly raised it without asking who was in the car or for any identification to be produced. Then they watched the BMW X5 drove off into the distance with a complex expression and a bitter smile on their faces.
It was this car again!
That jinx was back again!
In the car.
Dong Shanshan wondered, "Don't you need a pass to get in?"
Yao Jiancai said, "Zhang'er already made an appointment with the production team."
Dong Shanshan said, "But shouldn't he still have to produce identification even if he has an appointment?"
However, Zhang Ye just laughed and said, "My license plate is the identification."
Dong Shanshan laughed and said, "Don't get too cocky."
In fact, Zhang Ye was not bragging.
At Central TV, no one did not know of Zhang Ye's car!
How long had it been?
Half a year?
A year?
Or perhaps longer?
Looking at the television tower, Zhang Ye gave a small sigh.
Hello, Central TV. I, Hu Hansan, am back again![1.]
After he parked the car, the trio of Zhang Ye, Yao Jiancai, and Dong Shanshan got out and walked upstairs to the office of the Spring Festival Gala's production team. Zhang Ye and the others had come here today for a face-to-face meeting with Li Ke, as well as have an initial meeting with the language performances production team to seek a general direction and requirements for their performance. This would help them to make a proper selection of their scripts. As for the first approval session of the Spring Festival Gala, there were still some days to go before that would happen.
The initial meeting.
The first approval session.
The second approval session.
This was the basic flow of the Central TV Spring Festival Gala's selection process.
Of course, there could also be a third approval session sometimes, but that was not always the case.
The office space was quite the mess.
The Spring Festival Gala's production team had only been set up a short while ago. This year's executive director role needed Li Ke to come save the day, while the language performances director was a famous screenwriter. The remaining members of the production team were generally the same old people as before, with most of them being staff members picked from the several departments of Central TV, and mostly chosen from those at Central TV Department 1.
"Old Xu!"
"I'm here!"
"Where's Director Li?"
"The leaders from the organizing committee are here and Director Li is speaking with them."
"There's something urgent that I have to ask regarding my team's work. Can I check if the stage plans have been confirmed yet?"
"The higher-ups are not in agreement. They said that it was too extravagant and did not approve it."
"Aiya, then what do we do?"
"Let's see how Director Li's discussion with them goes."
"It's always the same every year. They want us to make the Spring Festival Gala a good one, yet they don't agree to this or don't approve of that. They aren't willing to let us make our own decisions, so how can we do anything?"
"Enough, don't speak about such things unnecessarily."
Then Zhang Ye and the other two came in.
The entire office fell silent.
One person.
Ten people.
Twenty people.
Everyone turned to look at Zhang Ye.
Yao Jiancai whispered to Dong Shanshan, "See what a domineering presence Little Zhang has?"
Dong Shanshan giggled. "That's not presence, it's notoriety."
Zhang Ye asked graciously, "Is Director Li here?"
A female employee answered, "Director Li is not around."
Zhang Ye asked, "When will he be back?"
Another person from the Spring Festival Gala's production team said, "We're not sure either."
Zhang Ye nodded. "Alright, we'll wait for him."
When he turned around, he immediately looked for a place to sit down. He even reached out his hand to beckon for Yao Jiancai and Dong Shanshan to come over to have a seat. He was behaving as though he was at home and didn't feel the slightest bit awkward.
The people on the Spring Festival Gala's production team were a little angry. They were too familiar with this person. He had fought a lawsuit against them, scolded their leaders, created trouble at the television station, and most importantly, led the flaming of last year's Spring Festival Gala. At that time, those on the Spring Festival Gala's production team had been called out so badly that they received a terrible scolding from the public. They were not sure about the attitudes of the other Central TV departments for him, but to the majority of those on the Spring Festival Gala's production team, they despised him, loathed him. As such, now that Zhang Ye was at the office, they couldn't be bothered with him at all and would rather avoid him.
As for giving him attitude?
Well, forget that. They really didn't dare to do so. This guy's spouse was even higher ranking than their Central TV's Station Head on the SARFT's Party Committee!
They couldn't afford to offend him, but that didn't mean they couldn't choose to avoid him!
Hai, why did Director Li have to invite him! He could have invited anyone else, but why did he have to ask this scourge of a person to come?
So an awkward atmosphere descended upon the entire office.
But even if they did not say a word, Zhang Ye turned out to be rather talkative. He sat there and poured himself a cup of tea, calling out to some people at times, and also making small talk with others.
"Eh, aren't you Central TV Department 1's Little He?"
"Mhm."
"How have things been?"
"Ah, pretty good."
"That's great to hear. I see that you've lost some weight. Is it because you've been suffering under Director Jiang's leadership?"
"Director Jiang has been transferred!"
"What? Surely not, right?"
"It's true."
"But Director Jiang is such a 'loyal' person."
"…"
"Why did he get transferred?"
"…"
"Eh, you are Little Liu from Sing!'s program team, aren't you?"
"Uh, that's me."
"The show was done pretty well."
"Uh…"
"What were the viewership ratings at the end of it? I didn't really follow it to the end."
"Not that much."
"That can't be!"
"It really was not much."
"Don't be so modest. Speak proudly!"
"It really was…not much!"
Zhang Ye drank tea and chitchatted with everyone.
Dong Shanshan was "impressed" by him.
Yao Jiancai was also rolling his eyes from nearby.
Quite a few of those who were on the Spring Festival Gala's production team were close to tears. Your sister! Aren't you spiting us on purpose?! Can you not bring up a matter as sensitive as that? After the leadership change, how could you not know that Central TV Department 1's Deputy Director Jiang Yuan had been transferred away? Don't bullshit! Director Jiang had more than enough run-ins with you back then, so how could you not know about something as important as this? And you dare ask what the viewership ratings for Sing! were? As if you didn't know? Didn't it recently get battered by your show, I Am a Singer?!
Heavens!
Please hurry up and make this fellow go away!
They finally understood why Zhang Ye could so easily offend people. This fellow was born with the innate ability to taunt others. He could say anything and it would be enough to anger anyone to death!
Finally, one of the Spring Festival Gala's assistant directors appeared.
Everyone cried out.
"Director Wang!"
"Director Wang, you're here at last!"
"Teacher Zhang is here, so about the initial meeting arrangements…"
Someone had finally come to save them!
They almost couldn't bear Zhang Ye's sarcasm!
But when he heard them, the assistant director stopped in his tracks, stunned. Before he even stepped into the office, he was already turning around to leave. "I forgot, I still have something to attend to. Let's wait for Director Li to come back to handle the initial meeting."
"Ah?"
"Director Wang?"
The production team's members were all dumbfounded!
Yao Jiancai was speechless.
Dong Shanshan was speechless.
Zhang Ye also felt a little speechless. "What's this about?"
Yao Jiancai laughed and said, "Just how many people have you offended?"
Zhang Ye had probably worked at Central TV for a longer time than he had been at Beijing Television. So how could he know how many people he had offended? There were probably some of them that he couldn't even remember. But what was certain was that in all of Central TV, there weren't too many who would want to have any dealings with Zhang Ye. As such, even though Spring Festival Gala Executive Director Li Ke had invited Zhang Ye to take part in this year's show selection, most of those on the production team were still trying to avoid him at all costs.
Whoever wishes to receive him can do it!
Just don't count on us doing so!
—This attitude of those on the Spring Festival Gala's production team was surprisingly consistent throughout!