Chapter 24

Zhang Ye sat in front of the computer, looking at the praise on the internet for a long time. Around ten in the morning, a noisy commotion came from outside the cultural broadcasting building, and it was quite a disturbance!

"Let us in! I want to see Teacher Zhang Ye!"

"This is an office area, non-staff members are not allowed to enter!"

"We'll just say a few words and leave, we won't cause any trouble!"

"That's not possible. You should go to the front desk and wait, and make an appointment first!"

Amidst the pushing and shoving, a man and a woman squeezed in. A security guard tried to stop them but failed. Many people looked over. It seemed a small meeting in the nearby conference room had just ended, and the staff from the music and traffic frequencies also stopped, not knowing what was happening. Finally, Zhao Guozhou was alerted and came out of his office.

"What's going on?" Zhao Guozhou frowned.

"They insisted on coming in! They wouldn't listen!" the security guard explained.

"We're looking for Teacher Zhang Ye! Just let us see him! Just for a moment!" the man and woman shouted.

Seeing this, Zhang Ye had no choice but to stand up from his desk and push through the crowd. "I'm Zhang Ye. Who are you?"

The man was not much older than Zhang Ye, probably around the same age. Upon hearing Zhang Ye confirm his identity, he became extremely excited and firmly grasped Zhang Ye's hand. "Teacher Zhang! Thank you! Thank you! You are the savior of Xiao Li and me! Thank you! Thank you!" As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, a rare sight for a man, making the scene quite peculiar.

Zhang Ye was confused. "What savior?"

The quiet girl beside him, seeing her boyfriend cry, also shed tears. "Teacher Zhang, I'm Xiao Li. If it weren't for your two poems yesterday, I might have..."

Everyone finally understood!

Zhang Ye also figured it out. "It's you. This is the boyfriend you mentioned, right? Don't cry, don't cry!"

The man's tears were filled with regret. "I only found out last night. If you hadn't talked Xiao Li out of it, we would have been separated forever! You are our family's savior!"

Xiao Li suddenly opened her backpack and pulled out a long red banner. "This was made by my parents overnight." Her boyfriend quickly stepped forward and helped her unfold it!

Swish!

The banner was spread out before everyone!

— "A Word of Grace, Remembered for Life"!

Then, the young couple stood at attention and deeply bowed to Zhang Ye!

This scene deeply moved Zhang Ye, and he hurriedly helped them up. "You didn't have to go to such trouble. I really didn't do much. As long as you're both healthy and safe, that's all that matters. Haha, are you not fighting anymore? Have you made a decision?"

The man bit his lip. "I've thought it through. I won't go abroad!"

Xiao Li was shocked. "No! Your parents have already arranged everything for you!"

"Who says you have to go abroad to succeed? I can develop my career here in China. I'll explain to my parents. Even if they disagree, I'll persuade them. I'll stay with you, and we'll get married after you graduate!" the man said firmly.

But Xiao Li was even more resolute. "Absolutely not! You have to go! Whether you want to or not! I've thought it through. I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes!"

"Xiao Li!" The man's eyes welled up again!

Xiao Li gently hugged him. "As long as you're doing well, I'll be fine!"

Seeing this moment, many people in the office clapped from the heart, moved by the power of love.

"This is wonderful," Zhang Ye smiled.

Zhao Guozhou also said, "Take care of each other and don't do anything foolish again."

Xiao Li blushed. "I won't. As long as he's doing well, I don't care about anything else. I won't make him worry anymore."

Suddenly, someone suggested, "Teacher Zhang, why don't you give them another poem?"

"Right, right," Assistant Xiaofang said. "Let Teacher Zhang give you another poem."

Zhao Guozhou also found it interesting. "That's a good idea. When you get married, you must invite Teacher Zhang to be your witness."

Xiao Li was flattered. "That's too much. Teacher Zhang's words are priceless. You've already given me two poems. I can't ask for more!"

Zhang Ye rubbed his nose. Since the leader had spoken, he couldn't refuse. "Alright, I'll think of something."

The Beijing Times had highly praised and published Zhang Ye's modern poetry, proving his artistic level. Now, hearing that Zhang Ye was going to write another poem, many people gathered around, eager to listen. Some staff from other departments also joined in, eager to hear!

"Move aside."

"A little to the side, I can't see."

"Chen, come quickly, there's another poem."

"What poem? Who has a poem?"

"It's the one from the cultural frequency in the Beijing Times. The poem is very popular online."

"The author of 'The Bird and the Fish'? Wow, I have to listen. Let me in."

The large office area was soon filled with people, and nearly a hundred eyes were fixed on Zhang Ye!

Xiao Li and her boyfriend were also very excited, their eyes wide open!

Zhang Ye hadn't expected such a large crowd. Seeing everyone eagerly looking at him, he became more cautious. He didn't want to embarrass himself. Hmm, which poem should I recite? Which one is appropriate? Zhang Ye thought for a moment. "As long as you're doing well, I'll be fine"? Got it! He slowly spoke. "Xiao Li, I think your words just now were very good. I'll use them as the basis for a poem for you."

The room fell silent!

Zhang Ye took a deep breath and began reciting.

"Time flows like water, always silent."

"If you are well, it is a sunny day."

Zhao Guozhou immediately praised, "What a beautiful poem!"

Her boyfriend quickly took out a piece of paper and wrote it down, afraid of forgetting it!

Xiao Li didn't move, but closed her eyes, seemingly lost in the poem. After a moment, she bowed deeply to Zhang Ye again. "Thank you! You will always be my teacher!"

"If you are well... it is a sunny day?" A female staff member's eyes misted over, moved by something.

Wang Xiaomei and Xiaofang also murmured the lines to themselves. Their looks at Zhang Ye changed, and women seemed to be more touched by the poem. The simple two lines conveyed a deep emotion that surpassed a thousand words. It was hard to imagine that the same man who wrote "The Bird and the Fish" could create such a poem on the spot!

What a talent!

Zhang Ye's poem once again left everyone in awe!

Even Tian Bin, who was not far away, couldn't say anything. If people had previously doubted that the two poems given to Xiao Li on the radio were not written on the spot but were pre-written, this spontaneous poem today shattered many doubts!

Actually, these few lines were very famous in Zhang Ye's previous world, widely spread online, especially the last line. The origin and author were debated, with some attributing it to Lin Huiyin, others to her father, and others to the internet. It even appeared in "Empresses in the Palace." Like "The Bird and the Fish," Zhang Ye considered them collective works of his predecessors. Since no one in this world had heard them, they were his poems, with no controversy!

He says it's his?

She says it's her father's?

He says it's her aunt's?

Hey, that's too much trouble. To do a good deed thoroughly, Zhang Ye decided to unify it—this poem is mine. No need to thank me, just call me Lei Feng!