Chapter 79

The next day was Saturday.

It was early autumn, and the weather was refreshingly pleasant.

Today was a day off, but even if it weren't the weekend, Zhang Ye would still be on a "long leave" since he had left the radio station and was now a free man.

The phone rang.

The first time, Zhang Ye didn't answer, still groggily sleeping in.

But the phone kept ringing, and it was so noisy that Zhang Ye's head was about to explode.

He had no choice but to yawn and grab the phone from the table, "Hello, who is it?"

"Who do you think?" It was his mother's voice, "How can you still be sleeping? It's past nine! And I want to ask you, what's going on with the newspaper? Why did you offend the leadership again, you naughty boy? You got the Silver Microphone, so what? It's a great thing! Even I, who don't understand your circle, know how prestigious that award is! But what did you say in your acceptance speech? Do you still want to work for the company?"

Zhang Ye, still sleepy, replied, "I don't want to."

"What did you say?" His mother was alarmed.

"I resigned yesterday, and my salary has been settled," Zhang Ye finally told his mother.

His mother was furious, "You finally found a good job and did well! Why did you resign? Are you crazy? That's the Beijing Radio Station! A public institution! Where will you find such a good place again? With your looks, who would want you?"

Zhang Ye laughed helplessly, "Mom, I've already resigned. There's no future for me here. Let me rest for a few days, and then I'll look for another job."

His mother wouldn't agree, "No, you must take back your resignation letter!"

"Mom..." Zhang Ye was at a loss, "Don't worry, my next job will definitely be better, much better. I promise you."

"That's not acceptable!" His mother was angry.

But then his father's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Our son has grown up and has his own plans. Don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry? Everyone in the family knows that my son is a little star at the radio station. If he doesn't work there anymore, where will I go to brag?" His mother was very honest.

Zhang Ye was amused, "Alright, Mom, I'll hang up now."

Putting down the phone, he couldn't sleep anymore. He got up and glanced at the computer to check the news.

Sure enough, many forums online were discussing yesterday's Silver Microphone award ceremony. Zhang Ye's Weibo was also flooded with mentions, a sea of comments!

"I love this poem 'Dead Water' so much!"

"Every work by Teacher Zhang Ye is earth-shattering!"

"Haha, it's great to see! Teacher Zhang Ye is on fire again! It's so satisfying!"

"Good job! The current system has too many flaws! Only Teacher Zhang Ye dares to speak out!"

"Did you notice, Teacher Zhang's Weibo verification has changed to 'Former Famous Host of Beijing People's Radio Station's Cultural Channel.' Was Teacher Zhang fired?"

"It's not a firing. I heard from a friend in the industry that he resigned."

"Resignation is fine. This dead water of a unit isn't worth missing. Teacher Zhang, we still support you, no matter where you go!"

"Well said! Support Zhang Ye!"

"Support with all my heart!"

"The poem 'Dead Water' speaks for many of us. Yes, it's a pool of leftover food and broken metal, yet it pretends to be elegant. This is the state of many units, lifeless and full of ugliness. When I go to work on Monday, I really want to say to the leadership, 'Why not let the ugliness cultivate and see what world it creates,' but I can't. I have to support my family, and I can't give up my job. I don't have Teacher Zhang Ye's courage and bravery. So after listening to this poem, I made a decision. From today, I will be Teacher Zhang Ye's loyal fan, forever and ever!"

"Forever and ever +1!"

"Forever and ever +28!"

This work brought Zhang Ye many new fans among white-collar workers and office workers!

"Dead Water" had become a sensation online, not just because the poem was well-written, but also because of the special background and additional impact. It was the Silver Microphone award ceremony, which added a legendary touch to "Dead Water," making it a topic of endless discussion!

Weibo retweets!

Forum views!

Newspaper publications!

Award ceremony video spreads!

Zhang Ye's popularity saw a small boost. While the impact on outsiders might not be significant, it was shocking in the industry, and many people already knew Zhang Ye's name!

Many of the comments and replies he saw were from yesterday.

Suddenly, "Zhang Ye Fan 1," who had been supporting Zhang Ye tirelessly, @ed him, refreshing a new Weibo post with an image.

"Wow, quick, look at the celebrity ratings!"

"1, what's up?"

"Didn't I post the image? Can't you see it?"

"Ah, I see it! Holy cow! Teacher Zhang Ye has been promoted to a fifth-tier celebrity artist!"

"Is that true? It really is! Congratulations to Teacher Zhang Ye, well-deserved!"

"Congratulations from the people of Beihexian, wishing Teacher Zhang to reach new heights!"

"Few people can become fifth-tier artists just by writing poems and hosting radio programs. You can count them on one hand, no more than twenty!"

"Awesome!"

"Teacher Zhang, you're awesome!"

They were very excited and enthusiastic.

But Zhang Ye was at a loss, fifth-tier artist? Celebrity ratings? What's this all about? Zhang Ye knew that many things in this world were still unfamiliar to him, like the Silver Microphone, which didn't exist in his previous world. So he was very cautious and clicked on the links provided by everyone, entering the official website of the celebrity ratings. He was shocked when he saw it. He thought it was just a personal website or forum, but when he saw the hosting organization, he was stunned—it was the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television!

Is this an official authoritative website?

Are celebrity ratings officially announced?

He thought it was fake, so he quickly checked the website's partner organizations, such as the China Writers Association, the Directors Guild, the Editors Association, the China Film Group, and so on. Zhang Ye knew it wasn't fake. After a series of searches and inquiries, Zhang Ye finally understood what the celebrity ratings were about. This rating system was internationally standardized, not just effective domestically but also internationally authoritative. The rating criteria and selection process had a certain degree of human involvement, but most of it was based on statistical formulas, effective worldwide, and used a single formula to rate the overall strength and influence of celebrities, the most authoritative, with no other!

In Zhang Ye's world, celebrities also had levels.

For example, international second-tier celebrities, domestic super-first-tier celebrities.

But in his world, such ratings didn't have fixed formulas or conclusions, and it was subjective, or mostly recognized by the public, somewhat vague. For example, some celebrities, industry experts might comment that they are first-tier, but many viewers only recognize them as second-tier. Some viewers might comment that they are second-tier, but professionals or some other people might only consider them third-tier. Who do you listen to? What level is this person? There was no clear standard, as the divisions weren't that clear!

But this world was different!

Various scores and rating rules, after years of refinement, had developed a nearly perfect rating system, recognized by the government, the public, and the celebrities themselves! To understand a celebrity's status, it was no longer so complicated; just check the celebrity rating, and you would know!

In this country, the ratings were divided into seven levels.

Super-first-tier, first-tier, second-tier, third-tier, fourth-tier, fifth-tier.

The seventh level was not called sixth-tier but was collectively referred to as "public figures."

Zhang Ye spent a long time researching and understanding before he finally grasped the differences between the two worlds. The ratings for artists were similar but had distinctions. For example, in his world, mentioning fifth-tier artists was more of a descriptive term, and there wasn't a true fifth-tier. The term "fifth-tier" meant very low-end and unknown, and the levels were mostly divided into first, second, third, and fourth, with the fourth tier being highly disputed. However, in this world, the levels were clearly defined: first-tier was first-tier, and fifth-tier was fifth-tier, with no disputes!

There was another difference.

Perhaps because the entertainment industry in this world was more developed and had many cross-industry figures, the rating system was a comprehensive one.

It considered fame.

It considered influence.

It considered fan cohesion.

It considered the quality of works.

It also considered whether the artist consistently produced good works and whether they were still relevant.

In short, regardless of the industry, the rating system looked at overall strength!

For example, Han Han and Guo Jingming, in Zhang Ye's world, would you consider them celebrities? Definitely! Are they famous? Definitely! But what level are they? Probably no one could say. In his world, there was no definitive rating for the publishing and literary world. At most, people would generally agree that they were top authors in the publishing industry. But in this world, the ratings were unified. Whether it was novelists, fairy tale writers, poets, even famous university professors, or prominent business tycoons, their overall strength and influence could be statistically calculated using a formula to determine their ratings, creating the most perfect ranking!

This was the celebrity rating system in this world!

Through the poem "Dead Water," Zhang Ye had moved from a public figure to a fifth-tier celebrity, a significant step. It could also be said that he had truly entered the entertainment industry. It's worth noting that even Xiao Hong Mushroom, the vice-chairman of Beijing, and Da Lei, among others, were only considered public figures. Even Tian Bin and Zhang Ye, in the public figure ratings, were ranked in the tens of thousands, not even making the list.

Zhang Ye had now surpassed them!

Although a fifth-tier celebrity was low, it was still a celebrity!

But he still had a long way to go; this was just the beginning!