Chapter 44 - Will it really not be axed? (1/2)
Holy sh*t!
Second place?
“Old and Young Story Club”‘s rating actually managed to get second place?
The entire Literature Channel’s office exploded into an uproar! Impossible! Absolutely impossible. This was what everyone thought by default! What sort of segment was “Old and Young Story Club”? This was a pathetic segment that had been lining the bottom or the second from the bottom of the rankings over the years. Even “Late-night Ghost Stories”, which was even worse, could jump up to a ranking of around ten on the first day of a new novel. However, “Old and Young Story Club” had never managed to do so before. It’s best result was 18th place! This was also because of an “explosive” special program on Children’s Day five years ago!
Second? Listeners.h.i.+p rates of 2.40%? And it had even exceeded a news-related program like “Entertainment Daily”? No one believed what they had just heard!
Wu Datao got angry for no reason, “Did you read it wrongly?”
Jia Yan also wished he had wrongly, “It’s written…like this.”
“Impossible.” Tian Bin also did not believe. “Going from last place to second? It’s obvious that such a thing is impossible!”
Jia Yan nodded. He looked at the ratings report and said, “I’m sure Statistics made a mistake. There’s no point announcing further. The rankings after this would all not be accurate. I’ll go up and find someone from Statistics!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ye exploded, “What do you mean by this? Eh? When my listeners.h.i.+p rating is at the bottom, you think it’s normal and take it for granted. Now that my listeners.h.i.+p rating has turned for the better, you say Statistics made a mistake? Everything follows what you say? Everything you say must be the truth?” Zhang Ye coldly stared at everyone who doubted him, “I want to ask you! When has the station ever made a mistake with the statistics? Has there ever been once? Oh, so you having good results is justified? While me having good results is an error? What sort of people are you!”
Jia Yan knew his words were a bit over the top, but he insisted, “Everyone is questioning the statistics. We must first check it. After all, the jump is too great of an exaggeration!”
Zhang Ye quipped, “Sure, you can check. Then… what will happen if there’s nothing wrong? Will you take responsibility for the words you just said?”
Jia Yan looked at him and was sure that there was a mistake, so he said, “If the statistics are free of errors, I can apologize to you.”
“Alright, go check it.” Zhang Ye was confident. This confidence came from trusting his story. Although he, too, did not know how the rating had suddenly jumped up by so much, he knew that this story was an impeccable cla.s.sical masterpiece from his world. It could not be bad!
Jia Yan left, while others began to whisper.
“Is that true?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a mistake.”
“I think so, too. If not, it would be too great of an exaggeration.”
“Right. Teacher Feng has been at it for so many years, yet his ratings have always been at the bottom. How could the rating explode in just three days’ time when in Zhang Ye’s hands?”
“Wait and see. Little Jia should be back soon.”
Teacher Feng quickly pulled Zhang Ye over, “What’s going on?”
Zhang Ye said, “Don’t worry. The rating is definitely normal.”
Teacher Feng rolled his eyes, “You can still call this normal? This is too abnormal. If you got 19th or 20th, I could definitely believe it, but 2nd? It’s not that I don’t believe you, Little Zhang. It’s just that… Do you think our unpopular program can get a better listeners.h.i.+p rating than a news-related program like ‘Entertainment Daily’?”
Zhang Ye blinked, “Why not?”
Teacher Feng said, “What do you mean, ‘why not?’ It’s like on television… Have you seen a program have higher ratings than the Central TV’s news broadcast?”
Actually, for this, Zhang Ye had actually seen such a case in his world!
“Forget it. Let’s wait for the outcome, before we speak further.” Teacher Feng’s mind was in a mess, too.
Over there, Jia Yan came back. Checking such a thing could be done very quickly.
Tian Bin and Wu Datao asked, “Was it written wrongly? The names were messed up, right?”
Jia Yan remained silent as he looked with an ashen face at Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye also smiled back at him. He stretched out his right hand and, with a snap of his fingers, he did a very complicated motion.
Jia Yan blinked his eyes, before holding in his temper, “Sorry, Teacher Zhang, for doubting your results. Statistics had counted it once again… There was no mistake!”
What?
It was the real listeners.h.i.+p rating?
Wu Datao and Tian Bin stared, agape!
Zhang Ye accepted his apology and said with an educative tone, “There is no program that can’t do well forever. In the future, your first reaction to a person’s program having a good rating should not be of doubts and rejection!” Following that, he looked towards Wu Datao and Tian Bin, who had been the first to point out the error in the statistics. “Do you have nothing to say?”
Tian Bin naturally would not apologize. He pretended not to hear.
Wu Datao also did his own things, having lost all of his momentum.
Zhang Ye did not spare them as he said to them, “By my own efforts, I made the program do better and better. I did everything in an orthodox fas.h.i.+on. Based on what did you say that my listeners.h.i.+p rating was fake? Or wrong?”
An elder in the station tried to smooth things over, “Forget it, Teacher Little Zhang. It is not that everyone is targeting you.”
At this moment, Li Si suddenly shouted, “Quick, look at the news! Beijing’s Education Ministry had issued a doc.u.ment earlier this morning! It required every junior kindergarten and all elementary schools in Beijing to have access to the children’s fairy tale, ‘Little Bunnies Be Good’. They have even sent a ‘Letter to the Parents’ to let the story, ‘Little Bunnies Be Good’ be completely immersed in both school and family. They have suggested that parents learn and teach it to their children, so as to strengthen the educative need to never open the door to strangers!”
Jia Yan was somewhat aware of this. He had also heard about the Essay Compet.i.tion on the news, “It’s that Essay Compet.i.tion event held by the Education Ministry? So what about it?”
An editor said, “What’s the fuss?”
Li Si smiled bitterly and did not say a word.