Chapter 77

The poem was finished!

Zhang Ye, holding the award cup, didn't stay a moment longer and walked straight to the backstage, leaving behind only his back and a thousand stunned audience members, guests, and judges!

Damn!

What kind of modern poem is this!

Could it be that you mean the Beijing Radio Station is stagnant water? The station leaders are ugly? No, it doesn't even need to start with Mo Fei; he clearly means it! This poem isn't some obscure one; "Stagnant Water" is very straightforward and easy to understand. It's just cursing!

"My goodness!"

"Is this guy too overbearing?"

"Is this guy crazy? How can he say such things?"

"Didn't he say he wanted to thank his unit and leaders?"

"Yes, I believed it too. Haha, this is going to be a big mess!"

"Even though it's not live, this is still the Silver Microphone Award. Is he sure there won't be any problems? Can he really do this? He has offended his leaders to the extreme, even the station director. He mentioned Deputy Director Jia in his speech, right? He named them directly. Oh my, I didn't come here for nothing today. Our unit only had ten tickets, and I managed to get one. It was worth it. Where else can you hear such a bold modern poem? This poem is truly classic, cursing so fiercely!"

"Is there such a fierce person in the radio and television system?"

"Zhang Ye? I'll remember this name. Haha, impressive!"

"I have to apologize. I even called Zhang Ye a flatterer, but I didn't expect this kind of 'thanks'!"

This is the perspective of the audience and onlookers. Since it doesn't directly affect their interests, everyone is just here for the spectacle.

But some people are different.

Big Sister Zhou's jaw almost dropped, then she slapped her forehead and shouted, "I told you! I told you! What kind of thanks to the leaders and unit? This isn't something Little Zhang would say! He isn't the kind of person to flatter! Look! I was right, wasn't I?"

Zhao Guozhou: "..." He was speechless.

Tian Bin and his wife were also stunned. When Zhang Ye was about to give his speech, they thought he was compromising with the leaders, showing restraint and tolerance. But the next moment, Zhang Ye recited such a poem, and they couldn't understand where he got the nerve!

Xiao Fang was stomping her feet in distress, "What can we do! Teacher Zhang has caused a huge mess!"

"Not just a huge mess," Wang Xiaomei said, "Little Zhang has offended too many people this time!"

Aunt Sun whispered, "But it feels so satisfying to curse! To be honest, I couldn't understand Zhang Ye's other poems, like 'The Bird and the Fish' or 'The Seagull.' I don't have that level of cultural literacy, but today's 'Stagnant Water,' I really understood it. It's written so well, cursing so thoroughly. Throwing more broken copper and iron? Pouring your leftover food and scraps? Zhang Ye must be thoroughly disappointed with the station. For him, it really is a stagnant water!"

The old editor was speechless, "But you can't say that here. This is the Silver Microphone Award. There are the most prestigious seniors in the industry, divas, staff from other radio and TV stations, and many audience members who aren't in the industry. Zhang Ye has cursed to his heart's content, but what will he do next? Does he still want to work at the station? A mistake in the award ceremony, making the best of a bad situation, is already a big issue. An additional nomination for the award? This is unprecedented! Alright, he even cursed the unit and leaders in his acceptance speech with a microphone in front of everyone? This isn't just unprecedented; it will never happen again! This is the only case!"

Yes, this is absolutely a first and last, and the old editor is confident about it. Because if it were anyone else, they wouldn't dare to do such a thing!

Xiao Fang smiled bitterly, "Teacher Zhang has always been like this."

Big Sister Zhou said, "That's true. Only Little Zhang would dare to do this. Sometimes I really envy him. I like this young man more and more. He's straightforward, and when he's unhappy, he curses. It's comfortable to be around him; you never have to worry about him scheming against you. Zhang Ye always puts everything on the table and doesn't play tricks behind your back."

The old editor said helplessly, "You feel comfortable, but others don't."

...

Hu Fei was one of those who felt uncomfortable. After listening to Zhang Ye's poem, Hu Fei almost fainted. Just a few minutes ago, he was praising Zhang Ye to the channel director and strongly recommending him for his new program. He didn't expect Zhang Ye to do this just a few minutes later!

The director glanced at him, "Teacher Hu, this is the person you recommended?"

Hu Fei coughed and said, "Let's not talk about his temper. Just this poem, it's absolutely flawless, true literature."

The director also laughed, "You can smooth things over, but I know this is a troublemaker! Whether it's pure literature or not, I don't know, but I know he's a troublemaker!"

Hu Fei said, "Talented people always have some character."

The director said, "But his character is too fiery. The Silver Microphone Award is a lifetime award, and there's no cancellation. Otherwise, just for this modern poem in his acceptance speech, his award could be revoked. And the Beijing Radio Station is part of the Beijing TV Station, already merged. By cursing the radio station, he indirectly cursed us too. Old Hu, I'll have to reconsider your recommendation. I can assure you, after this, Zhang Ye will be known throughout the radio and TV system. Some might admire his courage to speak out, but more will ostracize him. Almost no one in the industry will dare to hire him. It's almost like a blacklist. Who would want a time bomb they can't control? It would be unbearable in a critical moment!"

Hu Fei said firmly, "Even if he's a troublemaker, I still want him. His literary talent shouldn't be buried; it would be a great loss!"

...

At the judges' table.

Zhang Yuanqi watched Zhang Ye leave with a smile, without commenting.

The young judge was speechless and finally said, "This poem... is really something." He hesitated and didn't dare to criticize too harshly, knowing that Zhang Ye was recommended by Zhang Yuanqi. Although he didn't think Zhang Ye could know the diva, Zhang Ye was still nominated by Zhang Yuanqi, and he had to give the diva some face. He wasn't as senior as the other judges, so he couldn't act rashly in front of Zhang Yuanqi, who was his senior and mentor.

Teacher Zheng closed his eyes and remained silent.

"Teacher Zheng? How should we handle this?" A female judge asked, "Isn't this too disrespectful to our award stage and the judging committee?"

Teacher Zheng opened his eyes, "Let's not talk about whether this poem is appropriate for the occasion. Just this 'Stagnant Water' has broadened my horizons. I didn't plan to join the judging committee this year; I'm getting old and should retire. But now, I feel very fortunate to be here. Haha, do you believe me? Just this modern poem alone, I can say this young man will definitely make a name for himself in the industry! Let the ugly cultivate! See what world he creates! I'm very interested in what world this young man will create!"

...

At this moment, the most furious were the leaders of the radio station!

The station director, who had already promised the Silver Microphone Award to his old comrade's child, was already furious when the award was unexpectedly given to someone else. Now, Zhang Ye's bold move wasn't just a slap in the face; it was a kick in the face, a direct and brutal kick! With so many peers and seniors present, including leaders from the radio and television administration and the Beijing TV Station, the station director felt utterly humiliated, with no dignity left! After today, no, not even until tomorrow, by noon, this incident would spread throughout all the radio and TV stations. How could he hold his head up in the future? Being cursed by a subordinate, a new broadcaster at the bottom, and not being able to respond—Zhang Ye had the microphone, and the director's words couldn't be heard.

But the station director was relatively better off.

The most notable was Deputy Director Jia. Zhang Ye worked under his jurisdiction in the cultural frequency, and the conflict over copyright was with him. It was Deputy Director Jia who made the final decision to sideline Zhang Ye and make things difficult for him. So, Zhang Ye's counterattack was clearly mainly aimed at him!

"Damn it!" Deputy Director Jia's face turned green, literally green. He couldn't control his anger and cursed, being so furious that his lungs almost burst. Perhaps due to extreme anger, Deputy Director Jia couldn't catch his breath, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted!

Another deputy director of the radio station, quick to react, saw Jia's head tilt back in his seat and hurriedly supported him, "Old Jia! Old Jia!"

"Oh!"

"Deputy Director Jia!"

"Quick, someone! Quick, someone!"

"Call an ambulance! Someone has fainted!"

"Pin the philtrum, quickly check if he's breathing!"

The scene immediately turned chaotic, with seven or eight people rushing to help!

In the end, it wasn't a big issue. After pinning the philtrum, Deputy Director Jia regained consciousness. The staff backstage checked his blood pressure, and he was fine.

This incident made everyone even more speechless.

Deputy Director Jia felt utterly humiliated, being fainted by a subordinate he always looked down upon. His face was certainly not pleasant!

Zhang!

You wait!

Taking advantage of this incident, the station director immediately said to the five judges, "Teachers, I suggest revoking Zhang Ye's Silver Microphone Award. This person is talking nonsense and defaming the organization. He must be punished severely!"

The most senior judge, Teacher Zheng, looked at him, then briefly discussed with the other judges and said, "I'm afraid that's not possible. The award has already been presented, whether it's the Golden Microphone or the Silver Microphone, it is a lifetime award, and there is no procedure or regulation for revocation." He added, "This young man's way of speaking does have some issues, but your unit can handle the criticism and education internally."

"But the Silver Microphone..." Deputy Director Jia also stood up in anger.

Another young judge firmly said, "The award cannot be revoked. Rules are rules. Let's start the next award presentation, and we need to be quick. We can't delay the live broadcast of the Golden Microphone Award; there's not much time left!"

The announcement of the awards below the Silver Microphone continued, but no one was paying attention anymore, not even to the Golden Microphone Award!

Zhang Ye had taken all the attention!

Zhang Ye's "Stagnant Water" had captured everyone's focus!

Several quick-witted reporters didn't even listen to the names of the next awards or care who won the Silver Microphone. They sat down and started typing furiously, preparing to report the incident to their units. Teacher Zhang, you're really something! The reporters were extremely excited. Their profession made them a group that thrived on chaos, and they were never afraid of a big mess, only that it wasn't big enough!

What is a topic?

This is a topic!

What could be more interesting and attention-grabbing than cursing leaders in an acceptance speech?

And this wasn't just any cursing; it wasn't the kind of low-level profanity!

Cursing is usually a negative term, giving the impression of low quality, but today's Zhang Ye showed everyone a new level. Cursing so boldly and elegantly, they had never seen anything like it before!

This is a man of letters!

Killing without a knife—using words!

Cursing without a mouth—using poetry!

Today, Zhang Ye used "Stagnant Water" to showcase the noble character of a man of letters, inheriting the fine tradition of a poet, and his poem shook the audience!