At the same moment.
Weiwo Company.
The WebTV department was still filled with people who were working overtime. Dong Shanshan had come back to discuss how to handle the halted “Online Talents” and deal with it’s fallout.
As everyone was busy discussing.
Somewhere at the back office.
A logistic staff member suddenly looked straight dumbfounded. Then he pointed at the computer screen and shouted out to everyone, “Everyone, quick, take a look! Quickly look at this video online!”
“What?”
“What video?”
“We’re having a small meeting right now.”
“Yea, we’re already in this situation, what’s there still worth watching?”
Everyone was speechless. Feng Guiqin and Wang Xiong also frowned.
But that person was still extremely anxious. He kept saying, “Director Feng, Director Wang, something big just happened!”
Only then did everyone get the graveness of the situation. Feng Guiqin walked over and said, “What’s the matter? What’s the video about?”
“You’ll understand when you watch it.” That person immediately replayed the video. Everyone else in the office also came over to watch as Li Tao’s words were delivered into everyone’s ears!
“For crying out loud!” Feng Guiqin exclaimed after watching the video!
Wang Xiong was also furious as he slammed on the table, “This bullying is outrageous! This is pushing it too far!”
An old man in the office said, “I had thought the crackdown this time was just being stricter, but who knew there was such a conspiracy! They were intentionally coming after us!”
A young girl, who was working as an assistant, said angrily, “He said it clearly that our Talk Show and Talent Show had no problems, and even instructed his subordinates not to deal too harshly to those pirated programs! What the hell does that Li Tao want?! Does he still have regards for the law!”
Dong Shanshan asked, “How reliable is the video?”
A moment later, Sister Four, who had already knocked off and left the office building, was called back. She sat in front of the computer momentarily to investigate the video, then turned around and nodded to everyone, “Although I am not a professional, but I’ve spent more than 10 years shooting and making videos. This video is definitely real. The movement of the mouth and audio is synchronized perfectly. This was definitely not edited. A very skilled hacker probably hacked into Li Tao’s home computer and recorded this video. Chief Li is…done for this time!”
Feng Guiqin did not say a second word. She immediately grabbed her cellphone and made a call. She did not look for her friend, nor any contact. She called in directly to Shanghai SARFT’s mainline and questioned them furiously!
……
On the other side.
At a certain hotel in Shanghai.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLi Tao had just finished his bath and was comfortably lying in the bed. He had a cigarette in his mouth as he quietly hummed a melody, probably a melody from his home city.
A woman’s figure could be seen behind the frosted glass in the bathroom.
“Are you done?” Li Tao urged on.
“What are you in a rush for? Isn’t your wife at work?” The woman said.
Li Tao flicked the ash off his cigarette, “She went in for overtime.”
The woman said, “I was wondering why you’d be so free today. Are you going back tonight?”
Li Tao laughed loudly, “I’m not going back. I said I was going in for overtime too. Anyway, I’d be going to the office from here tomorrow. It’s not too far away from here. My baby, I missed you so much!”
“Naughty jerk,” the woman scolded him with a smile.
The cellphone suddenly rang!
Li Tao frowned. He did not want to answer it at first, but seeing that the call was from a Leader at work, he reluctantly said to the person in the bathroom, “Don’t speak. I need to answer a call!”
“It’s already this late, who is it?” the woman complained.
“My leader, don’t speak anymore!” Li Tao then answered the call.
On the other side was a middle-aged man who said in an angry voice, “Li Tao, I don’t care where you are at now! Come to the office in 10 minutes!”
“Ah? Leader….”
Du, du. The line was already cut!
Li Tao was stunned, what’s going on? What had happened?
The bathroom door opened and a woman wrapped in a towel came out, “What’s the matter?”
Li Tao hesitated for a moment before putting on his clothes, “I’m going out for a while, something came up at the office.” Then ignoring her complaints, he rushed back to the office in his car. As he had a guilty conscience, his heart was drumming all the way back to the office. He did not know why his leader was in such a rage.
……
Shanghai SARFT unit.
Today was a rest day and it was also past 8 in the evening. There weren’t many people around, except for two guards on duty outside. A few cars were parked in the yard outside. They were the cars of several Leaders of Shanghai SARFT and other team leaders. Li Tao was feeling curious. Why were so many Leaders back here tonight? Did something major happen?
Upstairs, in a small conference room.
Li Tao was the last to arrive. He pushed open the door and went inside. There were 7-8 other people and almost all of the Shanghai SARFT’s leaders were there. Noticing that everyone had arrived before him, Li Tao understood something. According to his estimates, he had arrived at the office within five minutes after being instructed to do so, but the others had arrived even faster than him? Clearly, the Leader had informed them before himself!
This turnout.
Did something bad happen?
Li Tao was getting uncomfortable and nervous, “Leader.”
At once, everyone looked over at Li Tao.
Amongst them was a Leader of Li Tao and another of Li Tao’s same ranked colleague. They had good relations with him and this made Li Tao glance at the two of them. He thought to himself that they were really too unworthy as friends. Something had happened and yet you guys didn’t give me a heads up first? At least let me be prepared! Even if you can’t call to notify me, at least drop me a message? However when Li Tao looked over, the two of them were sitting uncomfortably too. They did not even look at Li Tao in the eye. Li Tao had been working for so many years, he naturally knew that in official matters, there was no such thing as friendship, so he felt something was amiss!
Sure enough, the middle aged man, who was the leader and also the head of the Shanghai SARFT, said something that left Li Tao dumbfounded, “Did you know that you were secretly filmed today!?”
Many of those present looked at Li Tao as if they were looking at a corpse. They knew he was done for.
The deputy head, a middle-aged woman smacked the table and said coldly, “It would have been easy to handle if this was an internal issue, but we can’t even suppress it anymore! It has been posted all over the internet! The whole world knows about it now!”
This matter was, after all, a disreputable deed and harmed their reputation as the SARFT. If it was possible, they would have tried their best to prevent others from knowing about it. However, the person targeting Li Tao was too wicked. He did not even report it through the official channels nor did he even make a petition. He had directly posted on the internet, and before posting the video, he had even f**king worked up some momentum such as an old granny dying naked! What sows screaming out daily at midnight! Things like condoms from stores being ineffective! All of this had f**king nothing to do with the video content, but it was in this way that it attracted thousands of curious people’s attention! His tactic was ingenious!
He had invaded Li Tao’s computer without any detection!
He had even used such a brilliant promotional tactic to absorb the people’s attention!
Against such an expert, anyone would have a headache just encountering him. Everyone present knew that Li Tao had met his match. With that person targeting him, no one could save him!
Upon hearing his Leader’s words, Li Tao was stunned, “This.. No!”
The big boss coldly said, “The video is already on the internet! What do you mean no!? Ah?”
Secretly filmed?
He had been a victim of voyeurism?
Li Tao knew that it had to be true. With so many Leaders gathered here for a meeting, they clearly won’t be so free as to tease him. Li Tao’s face went pale as he stuttered, “Leader, I…am just…friends with that girl…We went to the hotel because…I needed to settle her housing. We did not do anything!”
The moment he said that, all the Leaders present were immediately dumbfounded!
Ah?
Girl?
There was even a f**king girl?
Are you rearing someone outside your marriage!?
A colleague, who did not have good relations with Li Tao, lowered his head, trying to hide his expressions. In fact, he had nearly burst out laughing!
The number-two-in-charge was a woman, and she was nearly infuriated to death when he heard Li Tao’s words. “Chief Li! How many things are you hiding from us!? You are way too bold!”
Li Tao was completely stumped, “Ah?” It was not about this? Holy sh*t! Then why did you talk about being secretly filmed!?” He was mistaken!
The big boss waved his hands, no longer willing to speak another word with Li Tao, “Enough, the reason why you came, is for us to notify you that you don’t have to return home in the next two days. The headquarters has sent an inspection team here! If you have anything to explain, say it to the people from headquarters tomorrow!”
……
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm9 P.M.
The activity surrounding the broadcasting halt exploded!
Many people began to question the SARFT!
At this moment, the SARFT posted an article. First, it thanked the supervision and reports from the people. Secondly, they strongly protested the method of invading a civil servant’s personal computer to obtain information. It did not indicate if it would pursue legal proceedings against this matter, but it posted a large heap of official-sounding terms. Finally, it announced that the headquarters were already aware of this matter and had begun investigations against Li Tao. The results of the investigation would be made known to the public as a way to answer the people. If it was proven that the halted programs were due to malfeasance, then they would provide an explanation to the companies, television stations, as well as the program team employees who were affected.
In general, this was what it said. The SARFT’s attitude was made known clearly. Their intervention was timely and the response they gave satisfied the public temporarily!
“Li Tao is going down!”
“Haha, I couldn’t stand him long ago!”
“Halting so many programs that shouldn’t be halted, yet allowing so many programs that should be halted to carry on. He really thinks he is above the law! Now, he has received his punishment!”
“The evil will be rewarded with evil!”
“Thank you to God KM! Thank you for helping Zhang Ye, Dong Shanshan, as well as those Teachers who had their programs wrongly halted! You have removed an evil for the people!”
“God KM is too powerful!”
“Hereby honoring godly KM the title, ‘Guard of the People’!”
“Those programs that have been wronged have redressed the situation! I wonder when ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’ will be restored! I really want to watch it!”
“That’s right! It was so difficult for our country to produce such an awesome new program. We can’t just let it end like that!”
“I also can’t wait to see ‘Online Talents’! The guy who ate glass last episode was pretty awesome!”
“Ai, with such a serious matter happening, why isn’t Teacher Zhang Ye out yet? I want to hear what Zhang Ye has to say! @ZhangYe!”
……
At home.
Zhang Ye was naturally paying full attention to this matter. He had also seen the notice put out by the SARFT.
He chuckled and noticed someone @ him to say something, Zhang Ye did not stand on ceremony. Back at the Beijing couplet competition, when the Beijing Writer’s Association provoked him and said things like they would not want a person like Zhang Ye, he had used a limerick from his world that was written by Guo Degang, “It’s not like I’ll come”. Guo Degang only had two famous limericks. This time, Zhang Ye was planning to use the second one!
Zhang Ye posted a large red lettering on Weibo, with the character ‘Happy’!
Then he added the following words, “Gone in the late winter is like the sunset, three cups of wine poured to the sky. Where is the small-minded one? Believing that retribution in the human world works!”
The moment the netizens saw this, they were excited by it!
“Haha! Teacher Zhang Ye has finally appeared!”
“Yet another poem! Is this a limerick?”
“Teacher Zhang is still that coquettish! As coquettish as ever!”
“Where is the small-minded one? Believing that retribution in the human world works! Well said!”