That afternoon.
Beijing Television Station.
In an office on a particular floor, Zhang Ye was brought up by a staff member at the front desk. He did not even look at which floor the elevator had stopped at, as he was a little worried. He knew that this was his last chance to enter the television station, so he placed great importance on it. He wanted to grasp it in his hands.
The office was empty.
"Teacher Zhang, please wait a moment." The staff member said.
"Alright." Zhang Ye sat on a chair by the side.
The staff member said, "The Leader should be here soon."
Zhang Ye said, "Alright, do what you need to do. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll be leaving first." The staff member closed the door and left.
About a few minutes later, a chubby middle-aged man pushed the door open and entered. When he saw Zhang Ye, he sighed, "Teacher Little Zhang, you're here?"
"You are?" Zhang Ye found the voice familiar.
The middle-aged fatty said, "I'm Hu Fei. We've spoken on the phone twice."
Zhang Ye hurriedly went up to shake his hand, "Aiyo, Teacher Hu, nice to meet you."
Hu Fei had already met Zhang Ye at the Silver Microphone Awards, but Zhang Ye had not met him yet. This was the first time the two of them had officially interacted, so they exchanged a lot of pleasantries.
Finally, Hu Fei returned to the main topic, "Teacher Little Zhang, you should be mentally prepared for today's interview. There might not be much hope."
Zhang Ye was stunned, "… I got it."
Hu Fei revealed everything to him, "I've already repeatedly communicated with the Leader. When I called you this morning, I thought I could convince them, but no matter what, they still feel that you are not up to the task. It was because of what you said about 'Dead Water' that made them apprehensive. It's not … I've tried my best. In a while, I'll try my best to help you fight for it, but I can tell that they do not want you to come to Beijing Television Station. Even if you pass the interview perfectly, they might not hire you, so I'm letting you know first. It's also my fault for not doing my job well."
Zhang Ye immediately said, "It's not your fault. You have already helped me a lot. It's my own problem. Since I said 'Dead Water' and scolded the unit and the Leader, I was already prepared to bear the consequences. It's alright."
Suddenly, there were footsteps coming from outside.
Hu Fei did not communicate much with Zhang Ye. He sat behind the table at the interview area.
Zhang Ye grumbled in his heart. This was really a rollercoaster ride. A few hours ago, Hu Fei's words had given him hope, but in the blink of an eye, the situation had changed. From having hope to having no hope at all. He had not even gone through the interview and he already knew that he would not pass the interview? What's the point no matter how well I answer? Zhang Ye's heart dropped to a freezing point, but he could not complain. Just as he had said, since he had done something, he naturally had to bear the consequences. Life had always been fair, so he had nothing to complain about!
I'm lucky to have it!
If I lose it, it's my fate!
Zhang Ye was silent for a moment. His state of mind instantly became more balanced, but of course, he did not completely give up. Although he knew that the chances were slim or even impossible, he still wanted to give it a try!
The interviewers came in one after another.
There were a lot of people, about eight or nine of them. They were probably the heads and staff of the channel or station.
"Even Old Hu is here?" A middle-aged man in his forties asked.
"I just came in too," Hu Fei answered.
The middle-aged man looked at Zhang Ye. "This is Zhang Ye? Then let's begin. "
"Alright, then let Little Zhang prepare first?" Hu Fei suggested.
Zhang Ye said calmly, "I'm fine. I can accept the interview at any time."
Everyone sat down. Sitting right in the middle was the middle-aged man who had spoken. His name was Wang Shuixin. It was a slightly feminine name. He was also a rather refined middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses. Before Zhang Ye came, he had checked the public information on the television station's website. He knew that this person was the Beijing Television Station's Arts Channel's Director. He was probably the leader of everyone present, the head of the Arts Channel. There was not much public information available on the internet, but this Wang Shuixin was rather informative. This was because Zhang Ye had coincidentally found out that Director Wang was a poet in the past. In the early years, he had published a few works and anthologies. He was best at modern poetry. Although he did not have any works in recent times, he was still famous. Everyone in the circle should know him.
Thinking about it, the head of the Arts Channel would not be qualified if he did not have some skills. He must have quite a bit of literary attainment.
"Introduce yourself first?" Director Wang Shuixin said.
"My name is Zhang Ye. I'm 23 years old this year. I graduated from …" Zhang Ye began introducing himself.
Along the way, a few interviewing judges were whispering to each other. Some of them frowned, while others shook their heads. It was as if they did not wish for Zhang Ye to join their Arts Channel.
Wang Shuixin was one of them. Back at the Silver Microphone Awards, he and Hu Fei had been present. They had heard Zhang Ye's angry "Dead Water" with their own ears. The atmosphere at the venue had exploded, but Wang Shuixin was secretly shaking his head. He knew that Zhang Ye was a thorn. He was not easy to deal with. His literary attainment was passable, but his temper was terrible. No Leader wanted such a person. Leaders all hoped that their subordinates would listen to them. By letting such an unconventional person in, he was too unsociable. They even had to worry every day that he would cause trouble! Hence, even when Teacher Hu, whom he had always thought highly of, recommended him, Wang Shuixin was not moved!
Of course, there was another reason.
Wang Shuixin actually believed that Zhang Ye's literary attainment, which Hu Fei had praised, was just that. He never believed that Zhang Ye could be compared to him. He felt that Zhang Ye was still far from it! "Dead Water"? "A Generation"? Wang Shuixin believed that he could also write such a poem. He also believed that his previous works were much better than Zhang Ye's.
Scholars despised each other!
No one would think that they were inferior to others!
Actually, the other judges also thought so. Although Zhang Ye was being praised highly on the internet, they still did not believe that Zhang Ye could be compared to a master like Wang Shuixin. In the literary world, Wang Shuixin was not the most famous, but he was a veteran who had created for many years. He had many excellent works, and there were a few poems that were very popular. Zhang Ye was just a kid who had just debuted. No matter how good he was, could he be better than Director Wang? In fact, none of them paid much attention to this interview. This was because Director Wang's attitude was very clear. He would definitely not hire Zhang Ye!
Zhang Ye finished his introduction.
Hu Fei interjected, "Director, Teacher Little Zhang is really someone with extremely high literary attainment in this generation. Among his peers, he is one of the best, and …"
Wang Shuixin interrupted him, "Among his peers, he is considered not bad, but compared to the other seniors who dabble in the arts, he is still far too lacking."
Hu Fei argued for Zhang Ye, "With Little Zhang's literary foundation, he might not be worse than the seniors."
Wang Shuixin was amused, "You are too absolute, Old Hu. I know you think highly of Little Zhang, but maybe it's because Little Zhang's literary points are to your liking. He might have moved you, but it doesn't mean others will be moved. It doesn't mean that his literary standards are impeccable. I know about the Mid-Autumn Poetry Meet. I also know Big Thunder, Old Zheng, and the others. You see, Little Zhang overshadowed them. Does that mean he has really surpassed the previous generation? Actually, the poems that Big Thunder and the others wrote are only a little famous in the Beijing circle. They can't even be ranked in the country. I've also heard their Mid-Autumn poems. They were all very average. Little Zhang being able to overshadow them doesn't mean anything. "
This Director looked like he was really a scholar deep down. He had a strong temperament and was very headstrong. He did not hold back when he said these words. He even said it in front of Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye glanced at him, but did not comment.
Hu Fei still wanted to say, "But Teacher Little Zhang's …"
"Then let's give it a try." Wang Shuixin said confidently, "I can tell you, Old Hu. Don't even talk about the other seniors and masters. Even he is far inferior to me." After saying that, Wang Shuixin glanced at Zhang Ye, "Little Zhang, we are just a few old comrades casually chatting. We didn't say anything bad about you, so don't take it to heart. Actually, for you to be able to write a poem like 'Dead Water' at your age is already not bad."
This was not bad?
Zhang Ye laughed in his heart. He was thinking that you were being too arrogant!
"Let's do it this way. Let's not talk about your other external qualities first. I'll give you a question. Today's interview only has this question. I actually want to see how much ability and skill a young man like Old Hu has recommended has." Wang Shuixin said.
Zhang Ye said, "Please speak."
Wang Shuixin seemed to have made up his mind to discuss a thesis with Zhang Ye, "I have a poem that I'm not sure if you have heard of. It's called 'Everything'."
He began reciting:
"Everything is fate."
"Everything is an illusion."
"Everything has no result."
"Everything has no home."
"Every joy has no smile."
"Every suffering has no tear stains."
"Every past is in a dream."
"Every faith has a moan."
"Every explosion has a moment of peace."
"Every death has a long echo!"
When the judges heard this, they began to exclaim in admiration.
"Good poem!" A middle-aged woman said.
A youth said, "This must be Director Wang's most famous poem. I find it interesting every time I hear it!"
Hu Fei could not help but admit that this poem was excellent. This was probably written by Wang Shuixin when he was at his lowest point four or five years ago. It was very powerful. It called out to the hearts of the people and warned the world!
Wang Shuixin said calmly, "Little Zhang, this is the interview question. This is one of my rather famous works. It is also the modern poem that I am most satisfied with. Teacher Hu has always said that your poems are excellent and that you have a deep literary foundation. Then, can you compose a poem for us on the spot and show us your literary standards?"
If it was a poem without any scope, it wouldn't be much!
However, Wang Shuixin had first mentioned his own poem. He wanted to compete with Zhang Ye. This was called a "Poetry Competition", or "Poetry Discussion". If Zhang Ye were to compose another poem, he would definitely have to do something specific. Furthermore, he had to surpass Director Wang's poem to pass the interview, but was this possible?
Even Hu Fei knew it was impossible!
Not to mention the other judges!
What kind of poem was "Everything"? It was a poem that had been included in high school textbooks a few years ago! Although it was in the form of an appendix and was not very eye-catching, and was later removed due to it being too gloomy and lacking in artistic value, it was still a sample essay that had been included in textbooks!
What could Zhang Ye use to compete with it?
He could not compete with anything!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
