Chapter 36

The next morning.

A superstition was being passed around the office.

"Hey, do you know Zhang Ye?"

"The one who writes poetry and gets it published in the newspaper? The one who curses people online?"

"Right, that's him. Now everyone is saying he's sinister, as if he really knows some dark and twisted magic!"

"Haha, what era are we in? You still believe in superstitions? How could that be possible? Even if his *Ghost Blows Out the Light* is very realistic, it's still just a novel."

"Don't you know what happened to the cultural frequency? Everyone who offended Zhang Ye has had bad luck. They got scalded by hot water, electrocuted by air conditioners, hit by bouncy balls from outside the window, twisted their ankles on high heels, had light tubes explode, and fell down repeatedly. How do you explain that? Why did those who didn't offend him have nothing happen to them?"

"Ah? Is that true?"

"Why would I lie to you? Everyone is talking about it. Old Sun, you should stay away from Zhang Ye in the future. This guy is really quite strange!"

Two people in the music frequency were whispering to each other.

The same scene was happening in many places in the radio station.

Zhang Ye arrived a bit late today, and he was running late. When he went upstairs, everyone had already started working, and the hallway was empty. When Zhang Ye reached the entrance of the cultural broadcasting office, he heard Zhao Guozhou's voice. He pushed the door open and said, "Sorry, there was traffic." Clearly, it wasn't traffic; he took the subway to work every day. Today, he had slept in and was a bit消极怠工 (lackadaisical) in his attitude. He was very upset about how his superiors and colleagues were treating him. His show had been canceled, and he no longer had the same enthusiasm for work.

As soon as he appeared, the office became completely silent!

Everyone's eyes were immediately fixed on him!

Zhang Ye felt a bit uneasy under their gazes, coughed, and returned to his seat. Only then did he notice that there was a young man next to Zhao Guozhou, about the same age as Zhang Ye, in his early twenties. He was very handsome, a standard good-looking guy with short hair, 1.8 meters tall, and a bit slim.

Zhao Guozhou, pretending not to see Zhang Ye, continued, "I've said what I needed to say. Today, I want to introduce a new colleague, Jia Yan. He is a recent graduate with outstanding broadcasting skills. From now on, we are all colleagues. After *The Old and Young Storytelling* ends next week, this time slot will be replaced by the new show *Soaring Youth*. This is a heavily funded program that has been planned for a long time. The broadcasting and hosting position will be handled by Jia Yan. The senior colleagues should also guide him to help him adapt quickly."

Everyone immediately applauded in welcome.

Jia Yan also said at the right moment, "Seniors, please correct me if I do anything wrong in the future."

"Your office position..." Zhao Guozhou looked around and then at Zhang Ye, "Xiao Zhang, you can sit with Teacher Feng. Teacher Feng's desk is big enough, so we can add a chair for you. Jia Yan, this will be your desk from now on. Work hard and don't let us down."

"I will, Director Zhao," Jia Yan replied.

With no desk in the office, Zhang Ye was kicked out.

Zhang Ye found it amusing and, surprisingly, didn't say anything. He just picked up his things and stood up.

As he passed by Tian Bin, Zhang Ye had a lot of things in his hands and accidentally swayed, almost touching Tian Bin's arm. Tian Bin, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, seemed to bristle with sweat, hurriedly backing away, and the chair under him made a loud screeching sound.

Zhang Ye: "..." and continued walking.

As he passed by Li Si, who had a bandage on his head, Li Si quickly moved to the side, as if he felt unsafe within one meter of Zhang Ye, retreating to a distance of two meters.

Zhang Ye's journey was quite lively. Wherever he went, his colleagues all avoided him, as if they were trying to avoid a plague!

Damn!

Do you really have to go this far?

Zhang Ye was the most speechless of all!

Similarly speechless was the new colleague, Jia Yan. He had just joined the unit and didn't know anything. Seeing how everyone treated Zhang Ye, he was instantly taken aback. He thought, "Who is this guy? I've seen people with bad relationships, but I've never seen someone with such a bad relationship! How unpopular can you be?"

The introduction of the new colleague continued.

Zhang Ye wasn't interested in listening and quietly said to Teacher Feng, "Sorry, Teacher Feng, we'll have to share a desk. Who is this guy? It seems the leadership values him a lot?"

Teacher Feng whispered, "I heard he's Deputy Director Jia's relative."

"Both surnamed Jia? No wonder." Zhang Ye suddenly understood. His current situation was all due to Deputy Director Jia, so he naturally didn't have a good impression of Jia Yan.

After the formalities, Jia Yan was officially hired and quickly integrated with his colleagues, especially the young girls in the station, who immediately gathered around him, asking all sorts of questions and enjoying talking to him. The male colleagues also chatted with him well. They all knew he was Deputy Director Jia's relative, so they couldn't afford to offend him. If he said a bad word to the leadership, they would be in trouble.

"Jia Yan, if you have any questions, just ask me."

"Sure, Teacher Wu, I'll have to trouble you."

"Why be so formal? Once we're in the same office, we're family."

Only Zhang Ye and a few others ignored Jia Yan, doing their own things.

Jia Yan was initially very humble and chatted warmly with his colleagues for a while. But after a bit of conversation, he looked around and found Teacher Feng. "Are you Teacher Feng?"

Teacher Feng nodded and shook his hand, "Yes, I am."

"Hello, this time the leadership has assigned me to take over your show. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll have to ask you for guidance," Jia Yan said with a smile.

Teacher Feng smiled, "Sure, no problem."

But Jia Yan's next words changed the tone, "I've already recorded two episodes of my show, *Soaring Youth*, which focuses on current social events and stories related to young people. I've run into a bit of a problem because my show emphasizes timeliness. You know, the heat of an event is limited, and it will fade if it's delayed. I heard you're close to retirement, so I was thinking of getting your opinion. I want to start my show next Monday. If we wait another ten days, the current topics might no longer be relevant."

Teacher Feng's hand stiffened, "You want to end *The Old and Young Storytelling* early?"

"That's what I'm thinking. Whether it ends after a few episodes or a dozen, it doesn't make much difference. We need to look forward. I want to improve the ratings for this time slot," Jia Yan said formally.

Teacher Feng's face fell, "No way!"

Teacher Feng was the most senior person in the office, a good-natured person with excellent relationships. A few colleagues who were close to him couldn't stand it.

"Jia Yan, what do you mean by this?"

"Trying to intimidate the old-timers as soon as you arrive?"

"The end date of the show was set by the leadership. You can't just change it?"

Jia Yan quickly said, "Teachers, you might have misunderstood me. I have no other intentions. I just want to do a good job with the show. I've already discussed my ideas with the leadership, and they asked me to talk to Teacher Feng. My first two episodes are really urgent."

Wang Xiaomei frowned and said, "Urgent? Then adjust your own show. If the old topics are outdated, can't you use new ones? Why adjust someone else's show?"

Some people supported Jia Yan.

Tian Bin said, "It doesn't matter whether it ends early or late."

Wu Datao also said, "Jia Yan is new, and we should give him more opportunities. The future belongs to the young. Don't be so picky."

Footsteps came from outside.

"What's going on? So much noise?" It was the leadership inspection team, which came down from time to time, depending on the leadership's mood.

"Deputy Director Jia."

"Deputy Director Jia."

"Director Zhang."

Everyone stood up.

Deputy Director Jia asked, "What's happening?"

Jia Yan saw his uncle and pretended not to recognize him, explaining the situation.

Deputy Director Jia nodded, "The end date of the show was just a preliminary decision. It can be adjusted at any time. Since your show has this need, you can start next Monday." He looked at Teacher Feng, "Old Feng, can you make way for the new colleague?"

What could Teacher Feng say? He was so angry his face turned white! As he had told Zhang Ye, he always saw his show as his child. Even though it had the lowest ratings and was canceled, he accepted it. But now, the agreed-upon date was being changed again just because the person was a relative of the leadership? He wasn't even retired yet! Was this how it was going to be?

The matter was settled.

The inspection team left.

Jia Yan was satisfied, "Sorry, Teacher Feng, my show is really urgent. Don't take it personally. We still need to handle the handover..."

Zhang Ye rudely interrupted him. He was so angry, and his words were shocking, "Starting today, *The Old and Young Storytelling* will be my last stand. You can talk to me, but you don't need to say much. There won't be any handover. I can clearly tell you that *The Old and Young Storytelling* won't be canceled. I will take this show to greater heights. You, on the other hand, will have to wait your turn. It's not your time yet! And it never will be! Don't be so eager!"

What?

*The Old and Young Storytelling* won't be canceled?

Tian Bin almost laughed out loud. How could you change what the leadership has decided?

Jia Yan also found it amusing, "I just heard that you used to be the host of *Ghost Stories at Midnight*. I really don't know what you're talking about!"

He didn't know, and neither did anyone else!

No handover? No cancellation? Are you dreaming?

This is already a done deal! How can you change it? Can you turn the lowest-rated show into the highest-rated one in just five days? It's Wednesday today! Only five days until Sunday! You really talk big!

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