530 Harmony Firs (2/2)

For the second time, three U.S. flags were raised in Maracana Stadium..

Downey, standing next to Dai Li, began singing The Star-Spangled Banner along with the music. It hurt Dai Li's ears, but Dai Li could feel Downey's excitement.

The U.S. athletes and coaches were much like Downey, watching the flag raising with great joy.

This reminded Dai Li of the Asian Games he had went to several years ago. When the Chinese team won the championship, Dai Li had been exactly like Downey was now.

This is what Olympics are for! It's not only high-level competition, nor only about victory and passion. It's about the honor of the country. In times of peace, nothing can give people honor like this. Dai Li couldn't help but sigh.

…

The reporter Ran Liu wrote a report and sent it to China immediately after she finished the interview with Dai Li. She didn't even have time for supper.

The ringing of her phone woke Ran Liu up from her dream. She checked the time, finding that it was a little past two o'clock in the morning. The caller was her section chief back in China.

Ran Liu was a little annoyed at waking up in the middle of the night. She knew, however, it was a normal time for her section chief, as it was afternoon in China. He called her for work.

This is what journalism was like. She took up the phone and said, ”Hello chief. This is Ran Liu.”

”Ran, I've read your article on the interview of Coach Li,” her section chief said.

”Ok. Is there anything that should be revised?” Ran Liu asked, resisting her sleepiness.

”No need for revision now.” He paused, and then said, ”It won't be published now.”

Hearing that her hard work was rejected, Ran Liu didn't feel sleepy anymore. She asked immediately, ”Why?”

”There is a problem with your article. You wrote that Dai Li was transferred to the Intangible Application Committee for Taijiquan after the strike and then he resigned. This will cause a misunderstanding among the readers and they may think Dai Li was transferred to the committee because he was oppressed by someone,” Ran Liu's section chief said.

”Chief, you really think that is misunderstanding?” Ran Liu snorted and then said, ”Our best coach was transferred to a committee to apply for the intangible heritage status for Taijiquan. Isn't that deliberate oppression? What I have written is the unbiased truth. The readers will think as their reasoning tells them.”

”Ran, it is for your own good that I reject this article. You should know that those things are really complicated. If your article was published, you would offend a lot of people. I did this to protect you,” the section chief said.

You are protecting yourself, nothing more! Ran Liu thought to herself. She despised what her section chief was doing, but she didn't say it. There was nothing she could do about the article's rejection. Her hard work had been in vein.

On the telephone, her section chief continued, ”Ran, we are in pursuit of harmony everywhere. We, as the media, should remember this and stop writing anything that would affect this harmony. Harmony first, right?”