Chapter 5

Listen!

It turns out no one was speaking!

Zhang Ye noticed that everyone had fallen silent, but he was not surprised.

Li Honglian didn't know what to say, "You... this poem..."

Zhao Guozhou didn't understand, "Old Li, translate it for me, how is this poem?"

Li Honglian coughed, "Well, I... I didn't quite understand it either, cough, I only caught a small part."

What? Even you, who studied Russian, didn't understand? The interviewers were taken aback!

"Prose poetry is like this, it's also quite obscure in Russian, plus Zhang Ye spoke quite fast..." Li Honglian added to cover herself.

Zhang Ye then said, "Then I'll read it again in Chinese."

Seeing that Director Li was embarrassed, a young interviewer, not believing in the injustice, wanted to take a shot for the boss. The richness and diversity of Chinese vocabulary were vastly different from Russian, and Chinese was the true test of skill. If you couldn't understand Russian, the Chinese translation would definitely reveal something! Even one word used poorly would count as a failure! He wouldn't let you pass! This person was still thinking about the boss's hint. So what if you know Russian? The poem has to be good too! Do you think you can fool everyone with a few Russian words? There's no such easy thing!

Everyone had different thoughts, all focusing on the Chinese version Zhang Ye was about to recite!

Zhang Ye noticed the prejudice in some people's eyes and knew they still doubted him. He gave a cold laugh, which suited his mood for the recitation, "On the vast sea, the gale gathers the clouds. Between the clouds and the sea, the seagull, like a black lightning bolt, flies proudly. Sometimes its wings touch the waves, sometimes it darts straight into the clouds, calling out— in this brave call, the clouds hear joy. In this call— there is a longing for the storm! In this call, the clouds hear the power of anger, the fire of passion, and the confidence of victory. The seagulls moan before the storm— moaning, they fly over the sea, trying to hide their fear of the storm deep in the sea..."

It started out relatively calm!

But as the poem reached its climax, Zhang Ye's tone became more urgent, and his voice rose an octave, "The gale roars... the thunder rumbles... piles of clouds, like black flames, burn on the bottomless sea. The sea grabs the lightning's arrows and extinguishes them in its depths. These shadows of lightning, like snakes of fire, twist and turn in the sea, vanishing in a flash— the storm! The storm is coming! This is the brave seagull, flying proudly over the raging sea, amidst the lightning; this is the prophet of victory, calling out..."

Why do difficulties always fall on me?

Why is there always so much injustice in the world?

But! Even so, what does it matter! Even if I am shattered to pieces, what does it matter! This is the path I have chosen! I will not back down! I am not afraid!

Zhang Ye took a deep breath and loudly declared, "—Let the storm come more fiercely!"

The last line of the poem had once touched many people in his world, making them feel passionate. Now, in this world, it had the same effect, piercing into people's blood!

Zhao Guozhou was entranced!

Li Honglian got goosebumps all over!

The young interviewer who had been thinking about finding faults with Zhang Ye's poem was now speechless, unable to even mutter a word!

Silence!

Seeing that everyone was stunned by his poem, Zhang Ye felt vindicated. He gradually detached himself from the emotional state of the poem, returning to calm. This society often judged people by their appearance, and he had long been used to it, so he didn't hold a grudge. As long as he was accepted, "Teachers, I have completed the second interview question!"

"Ah... oh." Li Honglian's spirit returned, her thoughts had been following the seagull into the storm.

Zhao Guozhou exclaimed, "What is the name of this poem?"

Zhang Ye answered, "This poem is called 'The Seagull,' which also means 'the prophet of the storm' in Russian."

"Good seagull!" Zhao Guozhou didn't understand Russian, but he understood Chinese clearly, "A soaring seagull, a proud seagull, a fearless seagull, it's talking about yourself, isn't it? The power of poetry is sometimes really amazing, young man, you've given us all a lesson today!"

"Can't take that, can't take that," Zhang Ye said.

The way everyone looked at Zhang Ye had really changed. The thousand words he had recited off the cuff had already surprised them, and now a Russian prose poem could reach such a masterful level. Zhang Ye's performance had won over everyone present and had also slapped the faces of all the interviewers. Li Honglian had set this question to prevent Zhang Ye from passing the interview, clearly trying to trip him up, but she never expected him to give such a perfect answer, which burst with his indomitable spirit and anger, making the interviewers feel ashamed.

What kind of tough guy had just emerged from nowhere?

Li Honglian, with an unreadable expression, said, "That's it for today, go home and wait for the news."

Was he accepted or not? Zhang Ye wasn't sure, so he could only say, "Okay, thank you, teachers."

As soon as he left and closed the door, Zhao Guozhou, who had been critical of Zhang Ye, immediately made a decision, "We want this person for our cultural radio!"

Li Honglian disagreed, "Old Zhao, didn't you like that little Xu? I'll let you have that little Xu, but Zhang Ye must come to our frequency!"

Zhao Guozhou insisted, "I can let you have little Xu, but I absolutely can't let you have this person!"

"You're being unreasonable!" Li Honglian argued, "I want Zhang Ye first!"

"I said I want him first! Your foreign language frequency isn't suitable for him. With his cultural background, he should come to our cultural radio. Don't argue, Old Li, it's settled. If you see any good candidates later, you can take as many as you want, I won't compete with you!" Zhao Guozhou didn't back down.

"I want him, no one else!" Li Honglian said coldly.

Zhao Guozhou said, "Last year, I let you have a good candidate for your foreign language frequency. This year, I can't let you have this one. Don't argue, I'll treat you to a meal, and I'll owe you a favor!"

...

Midday.

Jiaomen East.

After the interview, Zhang Ye didn't go to his parents' place but returned to his rented apartment, a small studio of about thirty to forty square meters. He liked it here, as it was his first independent life after graduation. He couldn't rely on his parents for everything and planned to make some achievements before returning home.

Lunch was quite rich—shrimp and seafood noodles, of course, the noodles were Kangshifu brand.

Out of money, Zhang Ye could only make do with instant noodles. Struggling towards his ideals, he didn't really feel the hardship, finding joy in it.

Suddenly, the door was opened without warning by someone with a key.

Rao Aimin, dressed in a summer dress, floated into the room, "How was the interview?"

Zhang Ye, bare-chested, hurriedly put on a tank top, "Landlady, can you knock next time? I have my privacy too."

Rao Aimin sat down with her legs crossed, "What privacy does a little kid like you have? You didn't pass the broadcasting interview, did you? I told you, just stick to the behind-the-scenes work. With your looks, who would hire you for a front-of-house job? Unless they're blind!"

Coincidentally, the phone rang.

Zhang Ye answered, "Hello, is this Zhang Ye?"

"Yes, who is this?" Zhang Ye had a premonition but wasn't sure.

The young man said, "I'm from the Beijing Radio Station. You've been accepted. You will be notified to come to the cultural radio for your onboarding procedures the day after tomorrow. Congratulations."

"Wow, thank you, thank you!" Putting down the phone, Zhang Ye suddenly pounded his thigh, "Great! I made it!"

The phone call was loud enough for Rao Aimin to hear. She was surprised, "What? You really got the job? Even a dead fish can turn over, and a rotten egg can have a lucky day!"

Her tongue was so sharp, "You can be a host now? Hey, it just goes to show that humans are full of infinite possibilities. I didn't believe in miracles before, but seeing you, I finally believe in the miracle of life!"

What a miracle of life, my sister!

Can you not be so mean!

Zhang Ye was in a good mood and didn't bother with her, immediately calling his parents to report the good news. He was no longer unemployed; he was going to be a broadcasting host!

Fame, stardom, this was his long-held aspiration. Today, he had taken the first step in his life. Although it was just a small position, and he lacked both looks and height, it seemed that with the help of the game ring, his dreams might really come true. He remembered that after the game was installed in the dream, it showed that the game was meant to help him achieve his dream—becoming the greatest star in the world. Now, the effects were evident. The saved game from the lottery had helped him reverse the situation, and the new player reward of changing cultural background had also played a significant role. In the future, he could use the cultural information disparity to build his fame, and through accumulating reputation, he could draw items from the treasure chest to help him achieve his dream of stardom!

He was going to make it big!

Bro, I'm going to make it big!

For a moment, Zhang Ye felt that the Earth couldn't stop him!

Fame? House? Girlfriend? What's the problem with these? High-rise? Have you seen the world? Can that place even be lived in? Is it suitable for a world-famous person? If you're going to live, live in a big villa! Several tens of thousands of square meters! As for a girlfriend? At least a beauty like Rao Aimin! One girlfriend? Just one for me? Are you kidding me? Can I go out without three or five beauties? I need at least five! That's the starting number! A Rolls-Royce? Can you not be so humorous! Can you not be so humorous! If I don't ride in an armored car, what if someone tries to assassinate me? What do you do then?

In short, he would step by step stand at the pinnacle of world entertainment. People would remember him, and the world would remember his loud and great name—Zhang Jingkong!

Wait, wrong, wrong!

It's Zhang Ye!

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