Chapter 21

Xiaoming finished reciting the poem.

Zhang Ye saw that the female college student on the other side of the line had not responded for a long time and continued, "This poem is called 'The Most Distant Distance in the World,' also known as 'The Bird and the Fish.' Today, I dedicate it to you. Is Beijing far from New York? I don't think so at all. You can still meet, still understand each other, still fall in love, and still reunite. How can a little geographical distance defeat you? If it does, then your feelings are not that strong. Girl, don't use distance as an excuse, don't use distance to avoid reality. In my view, the distance between you is not that far. Think about that bird, think about that fish. If you still insist on your own opinion, I won't say a word when you cut yourself!"

"..."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Then, gradually, the sound of the girl sobbing could be heard, "The bird... and the fish... sob... the bird... and the fish..."

Hearing her cry, everyone in the live studio was very moved. The girl had been so calm and composed before, but now that she was crying, it showed that she was deeply moved!

The female college student sobbed, "Teacher, what... should I... do?"

Zhang Ye thought for a moment, "I don't know what to do either. This is your own path, and you have to walk it yourself."

"But I... sob... I don't know how to walk it..." the female college student pleaded.

Zhao Guozhou, behind the glass, exaggeratedly gestured to Zhang Ye! The other staff members of the cultural station were also secretly anxious. Why not just tell her what to do? Save her first! What does it mean to walk your own path? What if she can't get through it?

Wang Xiaomei kicked Zhang Ye from below.

Zhang Ye seemed to feel nothing.

The female college student cried, "Teacher, tell me... what to do... I believe you... sob... I can't sleep every day... What should I do... I'm always... dazed... I can't see any future at night..."

Seeing her cry, Zhang Ye became calm, "Girl, I have no way and no right to decide your path for you. Even if we say something, you won't really listen. You need to think and understand it yourself. I'll give you another poem, I hope it will make you think."

Another poem?

Everyone outside held their breath.

Zhang Ye said deeply, "The night gave me black eyes, but I use them to seek light."

This poem did not exist in this world, but in Zhang Ye's world, it was very famous, "A Generation" by Gu Cheng. The whole poem was just one sentence, very short, but the power it contained was not short at all, and it was difficult to analyze and dissect the meaning within. Different people would see different things. Zhang Ye gave her this poem hoping she would gain some insight. At least when Zhang Ye was once lost, this poem accompanied him for a long time.

"The night... gave me black eyes, but I use them... to seek light." The female college student repeated it, gradually stopping her crying.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

The female college student suddenly spoke, "Teacher Zhang Ye, thank you. I think I know what to do. I will wait for him, I want to wait for him. No matter what the final result is, I won't take my own life anymore. Thank you, your two poems... I will remember them for my whole life!"

Zhang Ye said, "I wish you happiness, and I believe a good girl like you will be happy."

On the computer screen in front, the comments from the online listeners were explosive, breaking historical records, and the page was almost too slow to refresh!

"Heaven!"

"Teacher Zhang Ye is amazing!"

"Yes, I've never seen such a talkative broadcaster before!"

"The Most Distant Distance in the World? This poem is so touching!"

"I think the last one is the best, 'The night gave me black eyes, but I use them to seek light.' It's a masterpiece, a timeless masterpiece!"

"No wonder he could write a masterpiece like 'Ghost Blows Out the Light.' I now understand Teacher Zhang Ye's artistic level. Two poems are enough to show it!"

"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I've decided, I'll support and listen to 'Midnight Ghost Stories' every day!"

The alarm was finally lifted. Wang Xiaomei let out a long sigh of relief and quickly said to the listeners, "Thank you for listening to today's 'Words of the World.' See you at the same time tomorrow."

The equipment was turned off, and the live broadcast ended!

Wang Xiaomei leaned back in her chair, feeling a bit drained.

Zhang Ye smiled bitterly and touched the back of his neck, which was soaked with sweat. Damn, the first time as a guest, and he encountered a live suicide. Does this even let people live? Fortunately, he had the wisdom of his predecessors, and he managed to talk the girl through it!

The door to the outer room opened, and everyone rushed in.

Deputy Director Jia was already gone, and Zhao Guozhou was the first to enter. He loudly said, "Good job, Xiao Zhang! Well done!"

"Really thrilling!"

"Our Teacher Zhang is so talented!"

Everyone was quite impressed and praised him!

Zhang Ye's phone editor, Xiao Fang, also gave a thumbs up from the back of the crowd, "Teacher Zhang, your two poems are amazing!"

Words can kill, and words can save—today's live broadcast gave everyone a real insight. They saw it all and were deeply moved.

Wang Xiaomei stood up and took responsibility, "Leader, it's all my fault today. I accept the station's punishment. My words were too harsh."

Zhao Guozhou looked at her and didn't want to criticize her too much, "Write a self-criticism and give it to me tomorrow. Actually, it's not entirely your fault. The female college student was already prepared to commit suicide. Even if she hadn't made this call, she would have taken her own life. From another perspective, this is a good thing. We guided her, and we saved a life. Yes, but in the future, we need to pay more attention to the listeners' emotions and acceptance. This live broadcast is a lesson and an experience for everyone."

The matter was settled.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Wang Xiaomei looked at Zhang Ye, "Did you write these two poems?"

Zhang Ye couldn't say no, after all, these poems had never existed in this world, "Yes."

"Can you write poems?" Wang Xiaomei was still unsure.

Zhao Guozhou, who was about to leave, heard this and turned back with a smile, "You might not know how Xiao Zhang was hired, right? It was because of a prose poem called 'The Seagull.' Zhang Ye's artistic appreciation of poetry is probably better than all of us in the cultural station combined." He recalled for a moment and began to recite from the beginning. Zhang Ye didn't expect Zhao Guozhou to almost recite the poem verbatim, showing how much he loved this prose poem, "... This is the brave seagull, flying proudly over the raging sea, amidst the lightning. This is the prophet of victory, shouting: Let the storm come more fiercely!"

Everyone listened, and many were amazed by the masterpiece!

"Great poem!"

"Written so passionately!"

"Was this also written on the spot?"

The poems were truly one more impressive than the last. At this moment, everyone thought back to what had just happened and couldn't help but have an interesting thought. Being a literary youth is a kind of illness, and being a female literary youth is an even more serious illness. Who can cure this illness? The answer is simple—only a male literary youth who is even more literary can cure it!