Chapter 71: You Really Think I’m a Pushover!?
At the celebratory lunch, everyone was in good spirits.
Zhang Ye had not felt this relaxed in a long time. Because he was due for a live broadcast soon, he did not drink any alcohol, but instead only ate the food.
Ring, ring, ring. Zhao Guozhou received a phone call. Shortly after he answered, he suddenly did not look too good. He hung up and then took a look at everyone, saying, “I will head back first; there’s a short meeting. You guys head back early after you are done. I’ve settled the bill already; enjoy yourselves.”
“Ah?”
“Why are you leaving now?”
“Then we should head back, too.”
“That’s right; we are almost done anyway.”
Everyone left, one after the other. They decided that they might as well return to the unit together.
Zhang Ye was also wondering about Director Zhao’s expression. But he couldn’t care about it for now. After he went back, he sat in front of his computer to think about the story for his broadcast. Which should he choose? “The Wizard of Oz” had finished, and it had been received quite well, too. Should he choose another serialized fairy tale, again?
His colleagues were also treating it as if it were any other day and were chatting during the lunch break.
But at this time, an alarming piece of news had reached them!
It was from an old editor from the Literature Channel, “Teacher Zhang Ye, your ‘Old and Young Story Club’ has been replaced. The notice has just been passed down by the station. Jia Yan’s ‘Soaring Youth’ will be taking over. You don’t need to do your broadcasting today… Little Jia’s pre-recorded program will be broadcasted instead!”
“What?” Big Sis Zhou got anxious.
Auntie Sun asked, “Why? Why so?”
Wang Xiaomei was also stunned, “With the listenership ratings of ‘Old and Young Story Club’, why would it be taken off the air?”
The old editor explained, “The management said that ‘Soaring Youth’ was a planned program and would certainly be implemented. Because ‘Old and Young Story Club’’s listenership ratings soared during the weekend, the station plans to move Little Zhang’s program to a weekend broadcast. It will be shortened from 7 days to 2 days, but the program duration will be increased. If that plan is executed, then ‘Weekend Laughing Forest’ will be axed, but all this is still being worked out and is not fixed, so Little Zhang temporarily does not have a segment for now. At least on the notice, ‘Old and Young Story Club’ has been taken off-air.”
Zhang Ye’s face sunk!
Wang Xiaomei was acutely aware, saying, “He has no program now? Then what about Teacher Little Zhang’s Silver Microphone Awards nomination? The rules for the nomination states that if a host has no program duties, they are not eligible to be nominated. Today is the deadline for the nominations, right?”
The old editor paused for a moment, “That’s why he wasn’t nominated for the Silver Microphone Awards.”
Once that was said, everyone became silent. The atmosphere was heavy inside the office!
The station was too harsh! They were ruthless! Are they not trying to play Zhang Ye to death!?
“Old and Young Story Club” would definitely not be canceled. No one would dare to cancel such an outstanding program. Not only would the station not agree to it, even the audience would not agree to it. That was why the station had only put the program on temporary hiatus and pushed the segment of Deputy Station Head Jia’s relative, Jia Yan, up, and then told everyone that Story Club would be shifted to a weekend broadcast.
However, they did not pass down a document to drag things out. With the procedures coming to a halt, it was only empty talk. Zhang Ye, who had been removed as the “Late-night Ghost Stories” anchor now no longer had any anchor duties.. at least before Friday! Why was it done this way? The answer was already very clear! Someone in the higher-ups obviously wanted to fix Zhang Ye! They just didn’t want him to be up for the Silver Microphone Awards! In fact, they didn’t even want him to be nominated! They even went to the extent of putting a cap onto Zhang Ye’s program duration and influence! They had changed Jia Yan’s program so that it could take over their Literature Channel’s number one listening segment without directly informing the audience. By forcefully switching, a large number of Zhang Ye’s listeners would end up supporting Jia Yan. This gave Jia Yan a flying start in his ratings!
They had repressed Zhang Ye and let Jia Yan take advantage of the situation, killing two birds with one stone!
This move made Zhang Ye’s colleagues heart palpitate!
This was really pushing Zhang Ye to his death! They even resorted to such venomous trickery? Did they need to push it so far with a rookie? To treat someone who had contributed so much to the station and brought pride to them, did they have to go so far? This had really made everyone’s heart go cold!
At this moment, even Tian Bin felt uncomfortable. Given that he had several conflicts with Zhang Ye, he wanted to see Zhang Ye embarrass himself. But no matter how much he disliked Zhang Ye, he also acknowledged Zhang Ye’s abilities. His opponent had used his abilities to move up step by step, so even if Tian Bin could not accept it, he had to accept it. He was indeed inferior to his opponent. But what about you, Jia Yan? Just because you have a Station Leader as a relative, just because of that, you can come in and take up our resources? Get favored over every one of us? Even push a colleague off a cliff like that? This has really gone too far! Isn’t the Station Leader going too far? Tian Bin may be quite close to Jia Yan, but that didn’t mean he liked him!
This time, Tian Bin did not kick Zhang Ye while he was down.
Wu Datao glanced at Zhang Ye, but on this rare occasion, he did not gloat. He only shook his head helplessly and mourned silently for Zhang Ye’s future and the current system. This was such a place that if the leaders wanted to fix you, there was no way of escaping it. You just sat idly and were fixed!
There was always a benevolent side to the human mind. The station’s treatment towards Zhang Ye was too much. It was also unreasonable and unfair. This had affected many of the staff in the unit and had left them inclined towards Zhang Ye’s plight!
Big Sis Zhou was nearly tearing, “They are such bullies! Bullies! Who has Little Zhang offended? How could they do this! The Silver Microphone Awards event only happens annually; if he misses this opportunity, it is over!”
Auntie Sun also did not hold back and said, “Deputy Station Head Jia, does he think that he can behave so lawlessly?”
At the side, a youth quickly said, “Auntie, lower your voice; don’t let people hear that.”
Auntie Sun was outraged, “Little Jia is not around; I’m only saying a few more words. I really don’t get it. What is the Station Head doing? Why is he not managing this? How can he just stay still, while watching some of these Leaders do the wrong things?”
The old editor that had led the conversation hesitated for a moment, before saying softly, “There are no outsiders here today, and we have been old colleagues for decades. There might be some conflicts amongst our people, but we have stayed together over all sorts of hardships. Even through the friction, we are war comrades in the trenches, so let’s just keep this amongst us and not spread this outside.”
“Don’t worry.”
“We won’t.”
“Old Zhou, you think too little of us.”
Everyone could see that he had something to say. They looked over at him in a serious manner.
Having made sure that everyone was on common ground, the old editor explained, “Actually, Director Zhao tried very hard earlier in the meeting when he was notified of this matter. Director Zhao was in a rage and strongly disagreed about letting ‘Soaring Youth’ take over, but since it was already decided by the higher-ups, Director Zhao was also helpless.” Looking at Auntie Sun, he said, “Just now, Sis Sun asked why the Station Head is not doing anything about it. I shouldn’t say too much, but I’ve heard of some talk. I know of this from a friend from the News Channel. The other person that was nominated for the Silver Microphone Awards, Zhāng Yě… His father is an old comrade-in-arms of our Station Head.”
No wonder!
No wonder Deputy Station Head Jia had nothing to fear!
That was killing two birds with one stone? No! This was killing three birds with one stone! Fixing Zhang Ye, assisting Jia Yan, and promoting Zhāng Yě!
If Zhang Ye had been nominated, be it his literary standard or his broadcasting standard or his accomplishments, Zhang Ye would no doubt have gotten the only spot for the Silver Microphone Awards given to the Beijing Radio Station. There was no way that Zhāng Yě would have a chance at it. But now that the person in charge of the Literature Channel, Deputy Station Head Jia, had used an extremely ruthless method to trample down upon Zhang Ye, leaving Zhāng Yě as the only nominee, then was there any need to decide on who would win the Silver Microphone Award? It would definitely go to him! With this, Deputy Station Head Jia would not need to be worried about other Station Leaders accusing him of abusing his powers. From a certain viewpoint, he could be considered as following the instructions of the Station Head. Who would dare question him then?
At this moment, Jia Yan came back.
The old editor and the others saw him and they did not mention the issue again, afraid that the Leader would hear of this.
At the celebratory lunch, Jia Yan was still feeling a little down. But after he came back and disappeared for half an hour, he came back in high spirits. “Editor Chen, my two broadcast recordings are still around, right?”
A female editor replied, “They’re in the small room.”
“Good. Help me to prepare them; in the future, from Monday to Friday, the afternoon segment will be changed to be mine.” Jia Yan commanded, “Hurry up; it’s almost 12 P.M.!”
The female editor was unwilling, but could only go.
Zhang Ye’s heart felt cold. He also felt disgusted. When he had wanted to job-hop, he initially felt sorry, as the unit and organization had groomed him well. But now, Zhang Ye’s decision was firm. With such a Leader in the station, he did not want to stay here for one second longer!
Haven’t you guys have gone too far?
First, it was the Jia’s, one old and one young!
Now, even the Station Head wanted to trample on him a few times?
Zhang Ye did not know what wrong he had done. You all had offered that little amount of money and tried to buy my copyright to “Ghost Blows Out the Light” for your own profits. When I refused, you removed me from my program. That’s fine, so I abandoned “Late-night Ghost Stories”. Then, I worked hard on my new program. Now that the program has reached the summit and set a trail of outstanding results for the station, you all f***ing coming at me again? And you even want to compress and repress my segment? You’re even resorting to such underhand means to not let me get the Silver Microphone Awards nomination! Just to let Deputy Station Head Jia’s relative step over me to gain his place? Just because of helping the Station Head’s old war comrade’s son win the Silver Microphone Award?
I’ve worked so hard to fight for such a result for the station and even helped a program from Beijing Radio Station break a record previously set by the Central Radio Station! And in the end? In the end, this is what I get?
F*** your grandpa!
Do you take me, Zhang Ye, to be a pushover?
Beside him, a youth about the age of Zhang Ye advised in whispers, “Forget it, Teacher Zhang. You can’t beat them. Just endure it. The station has purposely dragged to Friday before announcing the resumption of your segment, so as to stop your Silver Microphone Award nomination. Without an anchor position, you cannot be given the nomination, no matter who recommends you.” He added on casually, “That is, unless one of the five judges for the Silver Microphone Awards give one of their additional nomination spots to you directly. Every year, there are three other additional nominations for the Golden Microphone Awards, while there are two for the Silver Microphone Awards. Only these spots do not need to gain the nomination through the stations, and can be put on the list of nominees through an exception.”
Additional?
There were additional spots?
Zhang Ye’s mind began churning. He recalled that Zhang Yuanqi was one of the judges this time!