Chapter 38

Thursday morning.

The ratings for the previous day's programs were out.

Today, it wasn't Director Zhao Guozhou who announced the ratings, but the new guy, Jia Yan. It was clear that Director Zhao was intentionally grooming him.

Jia Yan, holding the list, said to everyone, "The leadership assigned this task to me, and I'm actually quite nervous because I've always thought that announcing the ratings is a thankless job. Hehe." Tian Bin and Wu Datao both chuckled kindly, playing along with him.

What's so funny?

Zhang Ye snorted, thinking to himself that they had such a low threshold for laughter, finding amusement in anything.

"First place, 'Words of the World.'"

"Second place, 'Daily Entertainment.'"

"Third place, 'Midnight Ghost Stories.'"

The rankings at the top hadn't changed much; they were already fixed.

Zhang Ye was concerned about the ratings for 'Old and Young Story Time' because it was the only program he had now. Not just him, but also Teacher Feng, who had hosted 'Old and Young Story Time' for many years, was equally concerned. He didn't believe Zhang Ye's grandiose promises at all, doubting that he could achieve what he had failed to do for so many years. However, Zhang Ye's passionate words had indeed moved Teacher Feng, and he was very eager to see the results.

Tenth place...

Twentieth place...

When Jia Yan finally reached the end of the list, Zhang Ye's program finally appeared. Whether intentionally or not, he subtly curled his lip, "Last place, 'Old and Young Story Time,' with a rating of 0.28%!" Another last place! Another bottom of the list! This wasn't just the lowest in the cultural frequency; it was likely in the bottom three of all programs in the entire Beijing Radio Station!

Teacher Feng sighed, knowing this would be the result.

Zhang Ye almost swore, "Damn! Is it that bad? This is 'Snow White'! The most famous fairy tale in my world! How can it be so off? The ratings are still a pitiful few percentage points? No change at all? That's not right! The story of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' and the poems I recited have already proven that the cultures of the two worlds can connect. Why isn't this working?"

Tian Bin glanced sideways at Zhang Ye.

Li Si and Wu Datao also looked at Zhang Ye's expression.

Then they, along with the others, didn't say anything, not even mocking him, because they thought it was to be expected. No one took Zhang Ye's "grand promises" from yesterday seriously. Fairy tales had been told to death, and there were only so many. Even adults could recite them by heart. In this environment, how could you think of reviving 'Old and Young Story Time'? They could only chuckle.

After the ratings were announced, everyone started working.

Zhang Ye had scheduled the 4th recording studio for 10 o'clock and was about to head over.

Teacher Feng called out to him from behind, hesitating for a long time before saying, "Forget it, Xiao Zhang. This might be your last few episodes. If you've done your best, there's no regret."

Zhang Ye didn't respond, silently entering the recording studio.

Forget it? Impossible! Those words didn't exist in his dictionary! Even if the whole world didn't believe in him, even if everyone thought he couldn't do it, Zhang Ye would stick to his beliefs and principles. He would do his best to make his work the best it could be!

Recording begins!

Zhang Ye was very professional. No matter how much his mood fluctuated, the moment he put on the headphones, he would put on a suitable expression, smiling warmly, "Hello, children, welcome to today's 'Old and Young Story Time.' I wonder if you found yesterday's 'Snow White' story interesting, or if it made you think about what kind of person you want to be when you grow up. Today, I'll bring you another story."

'Old and Young Story Time,' like the previous 'Midnight Ghost Stories,' was a program without any advertising sponsors due to its low ratings. So, unlike the last few dozen episodes of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light,' where he had to record ads every day, Zhang Ye could just tell the story.

"Many years ago, there was an emperor who, to look beautiful, would spend all his money on clothes. He didn't care about his army, didn't like to watch plays, and didn't enjoy riding in his carriage through the park—unless it was to show off his new clothes. He changed his clothes every hour of every day. People would say, 'The emperor is in the dressing room.'"

Someone guessed it!

Yes, this was the famous fairy tale from Zhang Ye's world, even appearing in Chinese textbooks—'The Emperor's New Clothes'!

Alright, no more jokes like that, never again!

Yes, the fairy tale is called 'The Emperor's New Clothes'!

"'He isn't wearing anything at all!' the people finally said. The emperor shivered, for he felt that what the people were saying was true. But he thought, 'I must finish this parade.' So he held his head high, and his courtiers followed behind, holding up a non-existent train." The story ended.

...

After leaving the recording studio, he went to the restroom.

Teacher Feng was smoking in the toilet, "Done?"

"Done." Zhang Ye went to use the restroom.

As soon as he approached, several colleagues from the cultural radio station scattered, and Tian Bin, who was at the urinal, quickly moved away, pulling up his pants and zipper before walking around Zhang Ye out of the toilet. The others did the same.

The toilet was suddenly empty!

Teacher Feng laughed, "Look at your popularity."

Zhang Ye, feeling very innocent, "Am I that scary?"

"What do you think? That day in the office was eerie enough. I know it was a coincidence, but it was too coincidental, happening once, three times, five times. Who wouldn't be scared? Hehe, it's just that we're good friends. Otherwise, anyone who offended you would have to think twice." After a few jokes, Teacher Feng, seeing that the surroundings were quiet, said, "I know you've done your best. It's fine about the program. I was prepared for this. I knew this program wouldn't last long. Jia Yan is a relative of the station's leadership, and his program has to go on. No one can stop it!"

Zhang Ye, however, was very firm, "Teacher Feng, I don't believe anything is impossible. All these reasons and factors are just excuses. I don't believe I can't fix this! I don't believe our program's ratings will never improve! I brought 'Midnight Ghost Stories' up, remember? What did people say about that program before? They all said it wouldn't work, and its ratings were even worse than 'Old and Young Story Time.' But look at it now! I used my efforts to bring it up! I turned the worst-rated program into one of the top three. I can do the same for 'Old and Young Story Time'!"