Chapter 68

Saturday.

Only a few people came to work.

Zhang Ye was one of them, as he had taken a day off on Wednesday, which was rescheduled to today, so he definitely had to come in to work overtime. However, his colleagues had all worked overtime continuously the previous week, so they were on leave.

The office phone rang.

Seeing that a few editors and clerks were busy, Zhang Ye picked up the phone, "Hello, this is the Cultural Radio."

"Is this Xiao Zhang? This is Zhao Guozhou," the call was from Director Zhao, "I was just looking for you. Come to my office."

"Sure," Zhang Ye hung up the phone and went over, knocking on the door of the director's office. Zhao Guozhou was inside, reading the listenership ratings, "I need you."

"Come in, sit down," Zhao Guozhou gestured, "Take a look yourself."

Zhang Ye sat down and saw that Zhao Guozhou handed him a sheet of paper, which was the listenership ranking for Friday. "Midnight Ghost Stories" had dropped back to a 1.9 listenership, clearly lacking the momentum to rise further. After all, it was just a late-night program with a limited audience, which was not surprising. However, the listenership of "Old and Young Story Time" surprised Zhang Ye again, as it had surged once more!

3.31% listenership!

And the top-ranked "Words of the World" had only 3.63%!

One dropped while the other rose, and the gap between the two programs narrowed again!

This was unprecedented; no one had ever pushed Wang Xiaomei's program to such a close position!

Zhao Guozhou said, "Perhaps many schools were on holiday on Friday afternoon, which significantly boosted the data for your program. Even the station leadership was impressed. Well done, Xiao Zhang. I knew I didn't misjudge you." He then continued, "I just checked today's program schedule. Your program after 1 PM is 'Weekend Laughter.' You should be familiar with it. It usually doesn't have a host; it just plays some sketches and crosstalks that we've bought the rights to. However, due to the scarcity of good works, 'Weekend Laughter' has been replaying old sketches for several weeks, losing many listeners and receiving a lot of criticism. So this weekend, I want to pause 'Weekend Laughter' and give you the 1 PM to 2 PM time slot."

Zhang Ye exclaimed, "Is that appropriate?"

"Just for this weekend. Can you keep up with the story?" Zhao Guozhou asked.

"I have no problem. If I get four hours of airtime over the next two days, 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' will definitely be finished by the weekend," Zhang Ye said.

Zhao Guozhou tapped the table and thought for a moment, "Alright, it's settled. I've given you the opportunity; it's up to you to seize it."

Zhang Ye promised, "Thank you, Director. I'll do my best!"

Zhao Guozhou said, "Go to the recording studio and get it done as soon as possible."

...

Entering Studio 4, Zhang Ye felt a surge of energy, feeling invigorated. He hurried to record the weekend program. This was a great opportunity, and for the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope to surpass Wang Xiaomei, even though he knew it was still very difficult and almost unrealistic. Nevertheless, Zhang Ye was determined to give it a try, for his career, for the Silver Microphone Award, and to get into the station!

The recording began.

"Hello everyone, there has been a temporary adjustment to today's and tomorrow's programs. From 12 PM to 2 PM, 'Old and Young Story Time' will be broadcast. So please don't change the frequency. After 1 PM, there will be a short advertisement, followed by the continuation of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' This weekend, 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' will come to an end. Please tune in on time."

After adding this announcement, Zhang Ye started recording.

By the afternoon, he had finally finished recording the entire "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

1000

After coming out, he wanted to ask Zhao Guozhou about the listenership, but he didn't see him. The leadership seemed to have left for the day, so he had no choice but to wait until Monday.

...

Sunday was a day off.

The listenership ratings were delayed and not announced.

...

Monday.

Today seemed destined to be a historic day for the Cultural Frequency.

After getting off the subway, Zhang Ye ran into Wang Xiaomei on the platform, who was being recognized by two male fans and was signing autographs.

"Thank you, Teacher Xiaomei."

"You're welcome, is that okay?"

"Can we take a photo together? I really like your 'Words of the World'!"

"Next time. I'm late for work today, I'm about to be late."

Seeing Wang Xiaomei cross the road, Zhang Ye quickly approached, "Teacher Wang."

Wang Xiaomei turned and saw him, nodding, "I heard your program on Friday had a listenership of 3.31%. That's very good."

Zhang Ye said, "More children were on holiday on Friday, so the numbers went up."

Wang Xiaomei said, "But more people were on holiday on Saturday, and parents weren't working."

"Uh, I don't know. It would be great if it increased a bit more," Zhang Ye said casually.

Wang Xiaomei said, "You try your best. It's not easy to surpass my listenership." Her tone was a bit sharp, and then she walked away.

Zhang Ye smiled bitterly.

In the office, the atmosphere was particularly strange today.

"Did you hear? 'Old and Young Story Time' had a 3.31% listenership on Friday!"

"I knew that the day before. It's really impressive!"

"Do you think Teacher Xiao Zhang can really top our frequency?"

"It's probably a fluke. I don't think so. Teacher Xiaomei has been the top for years, and her program has a deep foundation. She won't be knocked off."

"But Teacher Xiao Zhang is really aggressive. He's only 0.3 percentage points behind, and I heard he got an extra hour of airtime on the weekend, with 'Weekend Laughter' being paused for two episodes. More people were on holiday, and the afternoon slot can rival the prime evening slot!"

"That's impossible."

"Right, Teacher Xiaomei isn't someone to be underestimated."

Everyone was discussing this. When Wang Xiaomei arrived, they stopped talking. Zhang Ye, who arrived shortly after, also received everyone's attention. For about half an hour, the office was extremely quiet, with few people speaking. Everyone was a bit distracted, as today was the showdown between the top male and female hosts of the Cultural Frequency. Even those who had no stake in it couldn't resist their curiosity.

Suddenly, everyone put down their work.

"Director."

"Leader."

Zhao Guozhou arrived, "Hmm."

This time, no one continued working. They all looked at him.

On the contrary, Wang Xiaomei and Zhang Ye, the main characters of the day, showed no significant change in their expressions, appearing very calm.

Zhao Guozhou looked at the listenership ratings, his expression very complex, "I'll read the listenership for Saturday's programs. There are many things today, so I'll just read the top three." He looked up at everyone, "First place, 'Words of the World,' with a 3.81% listenership!"

3.81%?

Teacher Xiaomei is really tough!

Originally, the listenership of 'Words of the World' had been declining, and Zhang Ye had caught up a lot, causing concern for Wang Xiaomei. But when the results came out today, everyone understood that Zhang Ye had no chance. Teacher Xiaomei was serious!

"Second place, 'Old and Young Story Time,' with a 3.55% listenership!"

What the hell! Many people gasped! Another increase of more than 0.2 percentage points?

Teacher Xiaomei had a burst, and Teacher Xiao Zhang wasn't far behind? But he was still a bit behind. 'Old and Young Story Time' definitely couldn't catch up!

Sure enough, Zhao Guozhou said, "Now, I'll read the listenership for Sunday's programs." He looked at Wang Xiaomei and Zhang Ye, "Teacher Xiaomei's 'Words of the World' still has a 3.81% listenership!"

Sister Zhou sighed, whispering, "Xiao Zhang, there will be other opportunities."

Aunt Sun also comforted Zhang Ye, "Don't be discouraged. Being second is already impressive. Don't compare yourself to 'Words of the World.' It's not embarrassing to be second."

Zhang Ye smiled, "It's fine." He hadn't given up, as he noticed that although Zhao Guozhou mentioned Wang Xiaomei's listenership first, he didn't say if she was first. On Sunday, the last word of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' marked a major climax of the entire story, and it was a two-hour program. Zhang Ye believed that even if he didn't get first place, the listenership should be significantly higher than on Saturday!

It's not over yet!

He still had a chance!

Zhang Ye wasn't confident in himself; he was confident in his story. This was 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,' one of the greatest fairy tales in his world!

Tian Bin looked at Zhang Ye with amusement, thinking, "You really want to be first? You really want to surpass 'Words of the World'? You're really amusing!"

The expressions of Jia Yan and Wu Datao beside him also showed that they thought Zhang Ye was dreaming.

Alright!

The game is over!

Everyone should get back to work!

With the results out, no one was interested in listening anymore.

But Zhao Guozhou's next words stunned everyone. He looked at everyone and said, "But the first place on Sunday was not 'Words of the World.'" As everyone's eyes widened and mouths opened, Zhao Guozhou continued, "First place, Zhang Ye's 'Old and Young Story Time,' with a 3.82% listenership!"

What?

0.01 percentage points higher than 'Words of the World'?

With a whoosh, the entire office area seemed to be hit by a bomb! It exploded!

Tian Bin was stunned! Jia Yan's eyes were as big as bulls! Sister Zhou let out a long, shocked scream! The other colleagues had even more shocked expressions!

Zhang Ye had topped the charts!

Zhang Ye had actually topped the charts!

Although the gap was minimal, first place was still first place!

No one understood how Zhang Ye did it! No one understood why 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was so magical! But the facts were clear! Zhang Ye, a newcomer, had indeed used a program that was always at the bottom to dethrone Wang Xiaomei's star program!

From the bottom to the top!

Zhang Ye did it in less than two weeks!

What the hell! Where did this Zhang Ye come from? What a freak!