Chapter 94

At the entrance of the TV station.

Today is National Day, and not many people are at work, but even with fewer people, there are still several times more people on duty here than in other industries or units. This is a TV station, similar to a mall or supermarket, where it gets busier during such times. Not far from Zhang Ye, several people on duty were looking at him.

"What was that sound just now?"

"I heard it too, creaking."

"Is that young man here for an interview? What was he doing just now?"

"Yeah, why so much noise? Is he shedding his skin or something?"

Several people pointed and discussed Zhang Ye, feeling that he was a bit strange.

In a sense, Zhang Ye was indeed "shedding his skin." He was 171 cm tall, and with the height-increasing shoes he just bought, he could estimate his height by the length of his pants. With the shoes, he should be around 178 cm tall, but he was still 2 cm short of the minimum height requirement set by Wang Shuixin, which he couldn't meet.

Zhang Ye wanted to try padding some paper inside his shoes, but he knew it wouldn't work. While padding would make him taller, it wouldn't look natural. The shoes already had a high heel, and adding paper would likely make his feet come out of the shoes. This wouldn't look good on camera, and he wouldn't be able to walk properly, as the shoes would fall off. There were some high-heeled boots that could add more height, but it was autumn, and it wasn't cold yet, sometimes even hot. Wearing boots on camera wasn't practical, and the interviewers wouldn't agree to it either!

...

On the other side.

In the office.

Wang Shuixin kept checking his watch. "Old Hu, don't be anxious. I'm not doubting your judgment or professional skills. The station values your experience and ability in this area, but a host relies on a comprehensive set of skills, not just literary talent. Even if Zhang Ye were a guest, he wouldn't be qualified. A host and a guest are both crucial to a show, and you should understand this better than I do. If the audience feels uncomfortable, even the best program will suffer and lose a lot of viewers. I can't take that risk."

"It's too bad to exclude Zhang Ye just because of his height!" Hu Fei frowned. "It's not fair to him!"

Wang Shuixin said calmly, "The entertainment industry isn't about fairness. Zhang Ye's height doesn't meet the requirements, and I can't make an exception for him."

Hu Fei countered, "There have been hosts who were only 160 cm tall before."

"Did they become famous?" Wang Shuixin retorted. "How many hosts of that height have succeeded? And the ones you mentioned are from small local TV stations in second- or third-tier cities. This is the capital's TV station!" He stood up. "Alright, Old Hu, let's not talk about this anymore. It's already this late, and we have a meeting soon!"

"Director!" Hu Fei persisted.

Wang Shuixin interrupted, "I can lower the final requirement a bit. He doesn't need to be 180 cm. If he can reach 178 cm with height-increasing shoes, he can start immediately! I won't say another word!"

"Hu Ge, let it go," another interviewer said.

"Yeah, Director Hu, there are plenty of good candidates," another added.

But Hu Fei thought, what's the difference between 180 cm and 178 cm? Zhang Ye is only 165 cm tall. No shoes can make him that tall! Unless he walks on stilts!

...

Outside.

Because they were close to the door during their final conversation, Zhang Ye overheard the last sentence. 178 cm is enough? Ha! I've been waiting for you to say that! It seems the twenty minutes Hu Fei spent arguing for me weren't in vain. He really helped a lot!

The door opened, and Wang Shuixin came out first, looking at Zhang Ye in the waiting area. "Zhang Ye, you can go home." This meant the interview was unsuccessful.

Hu Fei glanced at Zhang Ye and shook his head apologetically.

Zhang Ye gave Hu Fei a "no problem" look and then said to Wang Shuixin, "Director Wang, I think I meet the conditions you mentioned."

"Meet what? Height?" A young interviewer laughed. "Don't talk anymore, just go home."

Zhang Ye didn't say anything more and slowly stood up from his seat.

The interviewers were about to leave, as they had already spent too much time here, and there were many programs to prepare for National Day. However, when they saw Zhang Ye stand up, one of them, who was about to turn and leave, froze and turned back in shock!

The others also stared in disbelief!

What the hell! How did you get so... so...

Zhang Ye walked closer to let them see clearly. "Is this height enough?"

Wang Shuixin was stunned. He rubbed his forehead and eyes, thinking he might be seeing things, then looked at Zhang Ye again. "You... you..."

Taller!

This guy was actually taller!

During the interview, Wang Shuixin and the other interviewers clearly remembered that Zhang Ye was half a head shorter than many of them. Although they weren't tall, they were around 170 cm. But now, just twenty minutes later, this guy wasn't just not shorter; he was even half a head taller!

From half a head shorter to half a head taller?

Are you performing magic?

They couldn't believe their eyes!

Hu Fei, after his initial shock, quickly said, "Xiao Sun, get a ruler!"

A young man looked at Wang Shuixin, who nodded, and then quickly fetched a retractable measuring tape.

"Hao, Zhang Ye, stand still," Hu Fei instructed.

Zhang Ye stood straight against the wall.

Hu Fei measured him personally and then, holding the ruler, turned to the others in surprise. "178 cm! Exactly 178 cm!"

Some didn't believe it and measured Zhang Ye again, but the result was the same!

A female interviewer almost fainted!

Wang Shuixin didn't expect this either!

A young interviewer asked in shock, "How did you do that?"

Zhang Ye pointed to his feet. "I changed my shoes, just bought them!"

Wang Shuixin: "..."

"How is that possible! Where can you find such high height-increasing shoes?" The young man was stunned.

"Can they add over 10 cm and look completely natural? What kind of shoes are these?" Another interviewer was almost cursing.

What the hell!

You didn't just change your shoes;

You changed into a different person!

But Hu Fei didn't care about that. He believed in the advanced technology and focused on Wang Shuixin. "Zhang Ye is 178 cm with shoes. What did you say earlier?"

The others also looked at the director.

Wang Shuixin was in a bind, trapped by his own words. He wished he could slap himself for mentioning the height requirement. He just needed a reason to reject this troublemaker, but the result was completely unexpected! What should he do now? Words spoken are like water spilled, and he said it in front of so many people. He was the leader...

After a long silence, Wang Shuixin looked at Zhang Ye. "Come in next week." He then turned and left with the others.

Into the TV station!

Finally, he could join the TV station!

Zhang Ye felt that all his hard work was worth it!