Chapter 71

Chu Tianshu analyzed, "First, how do your enthusiastic colleagues and bosses view you? You proposed the topic, designed the details, and the filming was very successful. Just as it’s about to be broadcast, you tell them you were deceived by me, and with one sentence, you negate everyone’s hard work over several days. Do you think this is appropriate? Will they still support you when you propose new topics in the future?"

Clearly, Xiang Wanqing had already considered this and said without hesitation, "I don’t care about that."

"Good. The station has a rule that no news programs related to the instrument factory can be made. You follow the rules, and you believe your bosses and colleagues will understand your actions." Chu Tianshu paused for a moment and continued, "Second, if the program is not broadcast, how will you explain it to Zheng Xiaomin and his parents? Life and survival are more important than anything else; this is a basic human common sense and moral bottom line. You wouldn’t say you don’t care, right?"

"..."

"I believe you wouldn’t say that. Third, if the program is pulled, how will you explain it to Mr. Wu from Lingyun Group? When you persuaded her to donate in advance, you promised that the program would definitely be broadcast the next day. Suddenly, you tell her it won’t be broadcast. How will she explain it to her employees? Is this not a form of deception?"

"..."

Xiang Wanqing was left speechless, feeling that Chu Tianshu was exaggerating and even making fallacious arguments, but she couldn’t find a way to refute him.

He noticed the hesitation in her eyes and decided to press his advantage. With a sincere look, he said, "A few days ago, I watched a variety show where a little girl with a terminal illness performed on the CCTV stage. The host called on the audience to put away their tears and applaud her performance. If such a benevolent lie can be performed on CCTV, can’t you do the same on Qingyuan TV?"

"But I know there are rules..."

"I know that too, but did your program mention the instrument factory? No! So, you haven’t violated any rules."

"The problem is, once the program is broadcast, it will cause a huge stir, and Zheng’s parents’ identities will inevitably be revealed. How will I explain this to the station? You know, the life of news lies in its truth, and giving the public the truth is a basic quality of a journalist."

"You don’t need to explain. Your program didn’t fabricate news, and the information you conveyed didn’t deceive the audience. At most, you overlooked a detail. If the program does cause a huge stir, as you say, it shows that as a journalist, you not only ensured the program’s ratings but also dug deeper into the human aspects, promoting love and conscience."

"But I didn’t just overlook a detail; I deliberately concealed it, which goes against my principles."

"In life, we all conceal things. If our motives are noble, if we are doing good and helping others, those who benefit will always be grateful to you, just as patients are grateful to their doctors. Don’t you think doing something that benefits many people is more meaningful than stubbornly adhering to a rule?"

Xiang Wanqing was still not convinced and said, "Before I came to Qingyuan TV, my uncle told me that the media is the mouthpiece of the government, and he advised me to always adhere to the political principles of propaganda."

Chu Tianshu smiled slightly and asked teasingly, "What kind of person is your uncle? An old Bolshevik?"

Xiang Wanqing glared at him and said, "What are you talking about? He’s just an old political worker."

"Does an old political worker not need to care about the people’s suffering?"

"..."

Xiang Wanqing sighed deeply, unable to find any more reasons to argue, and had to admit that she had been convinced by this smooth-talking man.

Seeing that Xiang Wanqing had given up the idea of pulling the program, Chu Tianshu decided to lay out his thoughts.

"Wanqing, I understand your concerns. Once Zheng’s parents’ identities are exposed, the problems of the laid-off workers from the instrument factory will also come to light. But, Wanqing, do you see? The Zheng family is just a microcosm of the larger issue. Who would go to the streets to block traffic if they weren’t at the point of despair?"

Xiang Wanqing looked at Chu Tianshu and asked, "So, your idea is... to use this program to draw the attention of the whole society to the laid-off workers from the instrument factory?"

"Yes. The restructuring plan for the instrument factory did not consider their rights, but their voices have been suppressed by a gag order. The restructuring of the instrument factory is their only chance to change their fate. If this opportunity is missed, they will only sink deeper into the困境 of not being able to afford medical care, education, or housing. Wanqing, I don’t have many thoughts, I just hope they can live with dignity."

Bai Yunduo was secretly wiping her eyes.

Xiang Wanqing also lowered her head.

"I know that this small oversight of yours might leave a bad impression with the station’s leadership, but your persistence could change the fate of thousands of people. Giving the public the truth, making the truth draw attention, and using that attention to benefit the people— isn’t this the responsibility and duty of a journalist?"

Chu Tianshu’s words deeply moved Xiang Wanqing and Bai Yunduo.

"Wanqing, you’ve fallen into a misconception. Think carefully, is the issuance of this gag order really just about maintaining social harmony and stability? No, I don’t dare to make too many guesses, but one thing is certain: the overall transfer of the instrument factory will bring even more instability. Wanqing, you can face dangerous criminals without hesitation, and I believe you won’t be overly concerned with personal gains and losses in the face of power."

"Tianshu, you don’t need to say more. The program will be broadcast as scheduled," Xiang Wanqing said firmly.

Chu Tianshu smiled, poured tea into Xiang Wanqing’s cup, and said, "Wanqing, thank you!"

Bai Yunduo encouraged, "Wanqing, if it comes to it, you can quit and focus on running Yunqing Beauty. You can still live a colorful life."

Chu Tianshu said, "Yunduo, Wanqing loves her job and won’t back down or give up in the face of any setbacks. I’m more worried about you. After today’s incident, Zhu Wangcai will find a way to retaliate against you."

"Hmph, I’m not afraid of him," Bai Yunduo said with a cold laugh. "This scum learned medicine in a foreign country but also learned to be shameless and perverted. He uses his connections with some city leaders to act recklessly in the hospital, abusing many young nurses. If he dares to touch me, I’ll tear him apart so he can never abuse women again."

As she spoke, Bai Yunduo’s small hand slashed through the air, as if it were a sharp blade, cutting toward Zhu Wangcai’s crotch.

Chu Tianshu felt that Bai Yunduo was acting out of anger and said with a smile, "Yunduo, it’s not worth it to get into a fight with this scum. If you disable him, you’ll also be disabled, and that’s not worth it."

Xiang Wanqing took off her watch and said, "Yunduo, don’t stoop to his level. I’ll download the footage to my laptop. Take this watch. If he dares to harm you, just record his crimes. No matter what connections he has, I’ll make sure he meets a terrible end."

Xiang Wanqing opened her laptop, downloaded the footage from the watch camera, and handed the watch to Bai Yunduo.

"Wanqing, can I see it?" Chu Tianshu asked, a bit embarrassed.

Xiang Wanqing handed the watch to Chu Tianshu.

The watch was still warm in his hand. Chu Tianshu brought it close to his nose and smelled a faint fragrance, which was Xiang Wanqing’s body scent.

From the outside, the watch looked no different from a regular one, just a bit heavier. With Xiang Wanqing’s guidance, Chu Tianshu and Bai Yunduo both learned how to operate the watch camera.

"Ha ha, what a great gadget, where did you get it?" Chu Tianshu said, holding up the watch and laughing.

"An American war correspondent gave it to me. We met in Iraq," Xiang Wanqing glanced at him and asked with a smile, "What do you mean?"

Seeing the playful look in Xiang Wanqing’s eyes, Chu Tianshu still said with a thick face, "Hehe, can you get one for me too?"

Xiang Wanqing reluctantly said, "Okay, he gave me a pair, and there’s a men’s version. If you behave well, I can consider giving it to you."

Bai Yunduo snatched the watch from Chu Tianshu’s hand, put it on, and showed it to Xiang Wanqing, suddenly asking, "Wanqing, this is a pair of lovers’ watches. You’re giving them to us, what does that mean?"

Xiang Wanqing tapped Bai Yunduo’s head and scolded, "You little brat, are you trying to say, ‘I wish you a long and happy life and many children’?"

Bai Yunduo dramatically hugged her head, pretending to be in pain, and said, "Ouch, you little miser. I know you don’t want to part with it. I’ll wear it for a few days and return it. I wish you a long and happy life and many children, okay?"

Xiang Wanqing blushed and spat, "Pah, you little brat with bad intentions. I need to go back and edit the footage. I don’t have time to argue with you. Wait until I have time, and I’ll deal with you."

The next day, the "First Scene" program on Qingyuan TV was broadcast as scheduled, and it indeed achieved the expected effect, causing a huge stir.

At the end of the program, Xiang Wanqing said with deep emotion, "The tragic story of the Zheng family has received widespread attention from the public. In just thirty minutes, the donation hotline was ringing non-stop. The well-known Lingyun Group in our province donated 100,000 yuan for the surgery... We sincerely wish Zheng’s mother a speedy recovery and hope that the story of the ‘girl selling herself to save her mother’ will not happen again."

The program caused a huge wave of public reaction.

After the program was broadcast, the girl who sold herself, whose face was blurred, was hailed by the public as the "most beautiful daughter of Qingyuan." A campaign to find the most beautiful daughter was launched on the "Qingyuan Hotline" website.

Soon, Zheng Xiaomin and his parents’ identities were revealed through online searches.

Following Chu Tianshu’s arrangements, Zheng Xiaomin took a long leave to care for his mother and refused all interviews, citing her serious condition.

Thus, the journalists turned their attention to their neighbors, colleagues, and fellow patients. As various interviews delved deeper, the difficult situation of the laid-off workers from the instrument factory, the street protests, and the problems with the overall transfer of the factory were exposed in detail by the journalists.

The gag order issued by the city’s propaganda department became a dead letter.

Xiang Wanqing was transferred from her journalist position and assigned to a program similar to "Golden Years" as a text editor.