Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Abroad.

At the table tennis team's hotel.

The fatigue and gloom were suddenly wiped off everyone's faces. They were all looking lively again. This was without a doubt due to the appearance of the Sports Administration chief who gave them a calming effect. After the chief had mentioned the relevant SARFT departments and personnel, they knew what they had to do now. This was their chance to fight back!

Not as many people on our side?

We can't outscold you?

But we can certainly report you!

As they said, entertainment and sports really fell under the same family. It was clear now that there were dealings between the Sports Administration and the SARFT all along. Chief Qian being an executive would surely know a few of the people in the leaders.h.i.+p roles within the SARFT!

The situation would be reversed soon!

Zhang! This time, we'll make sure you apologize!

"Let's do it!"

"Let's follow Chief Qian's lead!"

"Yeah, let's report that Zhang Ye!"

"Let's make an official complaint about him!"

"Haha, I don't believe this won't set him straight!"

"With so many people complaining about him, the SARFT will definitely have no choice but to handle him!"

Very soon, quite a number of people from the sporting world started typing out their complaints, keeping up with Chief Qian's pace!

Han Li: "Making an official complaint about Zhang Ye's Spring Festival Gala skit, 'Playing it Up'!"

Li Qi: "Making an official complaint about Zhang Ye's Spring Festival Gala skit, 'Playing it Up.' The link to the video is here…." He posted together with an URL address.

Liu Yifeng left a complaint right on the SARFT's official feedback channel. "Zhang Ye publicly insulted table tennis as a sport, using his popularity and fame to purposely sway the opinion of the public and discrediting the sporting spirit. Shouldn't there be someone to put him in his place? We suggest that Zhang Ye receive a comprehensive ban from performing at all outlets!"

That tennis player also left a complaint!

That former badminton champion also sent in a complaint!

Ten people!

Twenty people!

Thirty people!

Seeing that the situation had reversed, more and more people from the sporting world joined the denouncing army, sending in their official complaints regarding Zhang Ye's skit, "Playing it Up," which they viewed as a serious violation! A deliberate persecution of the national sporting spirit!

The sporting world was gathering momentum!

When the netizens saw this, they raised their objections in condemning voices!

"f.u.c.k! What is this!"

"What is this name-calling! You guys didn't discredit the sporting spirit when you accused Teacher Zhang's song as being bad and the reason for the table tennis team's loss in their match. But when Teacher Zhang retorted, you people are saying that he is persecuting the sporting spirit? What do you define as sporting spirit? It's just something that's designated for your own convenience, right? So that you all can say anything you want?"

"Bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!"

"This is infuriating! What kind of people are they!"

"I was just going to say! Is this the d.a.m.n culture of the sporting world these days?"

"They can't outscold and outfight us, so they start roping in reinforcements? And started complaining?"

"What an ugly side the sporting world has!"

"f.u.c.k, let's continue scolding them!"

"Wait a little while longer. It's getting a little troublesome now!"

"Yeah, they're all making official complaints one by one. Teacher Zhang is going to be in big trouble from now on!"

"Right, there's even a complaint from a Sports Administration chief? This…"

"The people from the SARFT that the Sports Administration chief mentioned must be people he knows personally. Together with so many people from the sporting world complaining, even including some sports champions and coaches, how can the SARFT ignore this? They will definitely deal with Teacher Zhang Ye in some big way!"

"What kind of punishment will they mete out?"

"I don't know, but could they really issue a comprehensive ban on Zhang Ye from performing at all outlets?"

"Surely this doesn't call for such drastic punishment, right?"

"Will they order Zhang Ye to apologize to the sporting world instead?"

"d.a.m.n! That bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!"

The expressions of Ha Qiqi, Zhang Zuo, and the others all changed!

The couple, Chen Guang and Fan Wenli, were also anxious and worried for Zhang Ye!

At that moment, the scolding voices of Zhang Ye's fans all stopped. They did not know whether they should continue or not. If they were to continue the fighting like this, they were worried that it would bring more trouble to Zhang Ye and cause him to receive greater punishment. What if the people from the SARFT were to investigate and noticed that it was really just as the sporting world had accused—that Zhang Ye used his popularity and fame to sway public opinion?

Seeing the weakening of the netizens' momentum, the sporting world's people were all laughing at them!

At this moment, that chief from the Sports Administration made another Weibo post directed right at Zhang Ye. "@ZhangYe You have half an hour to make an apology!"

Very quickly, Zhang Ye replied on Weibo: "Hur hur, and if I don't?"

The Sports Administration chief: "Go ahead and try."

Zhang Ye laughed: "Alright then, I'll f.u.c.king go ahead and try!"

With these words, the netizens were shocked!

"Holy f.u.c.k!"

"Teacher Zhang is so bold!"

"Standing firm against a chief of the sporting world?"

"f.u.c.k me!"

"Heavens! Teacher Zhang, calm down! Calm down!"

"Yeah, be careful of what you say!"

However, Zhang Ye was seemingly oblivious to it all. At home, he looked at this watch and then proceeded to post on Weibo: "It's 11:20 PM now, so it's 30 minutes right? Starting from now, there's just 29 minutes and 30 seconds left!"

The netizens were bubbling with excitement!

"Awesome!"

"How domineering!"

"This is the Zhang Ye I like!"

"What an animal!"

"I'm getting excited! Teacher Zhang is so awesome!"

"Teacher Zhang! You're so cool!"

Seeing this, the Sports Administration chief was stunned!

Ha Qiqi and Zhang Zuo broke into cold sweats!

Ning Lan was shocked!

Fan Wenli drew in a sharp gasp!

Many of Zhang Ye's friends were so shocked that they nearly suffered a heart attack. Dammit, what are you trying to do!

Elsewhere, those people from the sporting world blew up in anger. They had never expected Zhang Ye to be such a hooligan! Even with Chief Qian personally attending to this matter, this fellow still dared to continue fighting?! Zhang! Did you take a f.u.c.king dose of gunpowder today?

The Sports Administration chief said in anger: "Alright! Alright! Alright!" He said that three times in a row!

But at the next moment, he was left with no chance to say anymore as the troll army's scolding suddenly flooded Chief Qian's Weibo account. The scolding from tens of thousands of people was so ma.s.sive that it could be described as having blotted out the entire comments section!

"Scram!"

"Is the sporting world ganging up to bully our Teacher Zhang now? f.u.c.k off!"

"Who cares if you're an exec! Go f.u.c.k yourself!"

"What are you trying to do acting all high and mighty! Get lost!"

"Threatening Teacher Zhang? Who do you think you are!"

"This is not the sporting world or your backyard, not everyone cares who you are! Your posturing this time around deserves a score of 0!"

That moment of oppression they felt from before had all turned into rage now and they were pouring that rage back onto Chief Qian! Initially, the troll army was worried that this bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds' complaints would bring trouble to Zhang Ye, so they did not dare say anything or scold anyone. But the moment they saw Zhang Ye standing up so firmly to the Sports Administration chief, the troll army felt the blood in their entire body starting to boil! If Teacher Zhang wasn't afraid, then why should they be afraid?

f.u.c.k!

f.u.c.k them!

Countless netizens surged forward!

Some of the neutral onlooking netizens who saw this also let out a curse before stepping forward as well: "f.u.c.k, I can't watch any longer! I'm going to help Zhang Ye!"

"I'm going too!"

"Count me in!"

"d.a.m.n, they're even making official complaints?"

"I can't stand idly by any longer! You people were the ones who criticized Zhang Ye first, but did Zhang Ye complain? He didn't say a single thing! He simply scolded back and that's it! You people could have just scolded him back, but look at what you're doing instead. Since you can't outscold him, you begin hara.s.sing him? Start calling for reinforcements? Starting to gather people together to make complaints? You bunch of G.o.dd.a.m.n sporting world members are just creating a disturbance! Blaming Zhang Ye for not singing well after losing a match. Complaining to the SARFT when you can't outscold others. I despise people like you the most!

"Let's go! Help Zhang Ye!"

...

At home.

Zhang Ye's cell phone immediately rang!

Zhang Ye answered: "h.e.l.lo, Old Yao."

Yao Jiancai's voice was trembling with fright. "Why are you messing around with a chief from the Sports Administration!"

"What's the matter?" Zhang Ye laughed and said: "I don't care who he is!"

"I really take my hat off to you!" Yao Jiancai said: "You're too audacious! The Sports Administration may not be able to do anything to you, but the SARFT can. Aren't you afraid of being banned again by them?!"

Zhang Ye said: "I'm really not afraid of that at all."

Yao Jiancai: "…"

Zhang Ye added: "Even if they really ban me, with that Qian fella acting all high and mighty toward me, I would still have shot him down for it!"

Suddenly, Yao Jiancai exclaimed: "s.h.i.+t! Look at Weibo!"

"What's up?"

"That person from the SARFT who was mentioned has responded!"

Zhang Ye went to take a look and it was indeed as Yao Jiancai said.

The official Weibo of the SARFT's Feedback Department: "Received and pending."

That deputy division head of a certain SARFT department: "We will investigate. If it is true, this matter will be dealt with severely! Such insulting behavior toward the sporting spirit will not be tolerated!"

A supervisor from a SARFT department: "I've already seen the complaints and will push this up the chain for further action! A response will be issued to our comrades from the sporting world and this matter will certainly be dealt with properly!"

The netizens were utterly exasperated!

"s.h.i.+t!"

"Zhang Ye's in big trouble!"

"The complaints have been accepted and are pending review? f.u.c.k!"

"Bulls.h.i.+t! I should be f.u.c.king complaining about those people from the sporting world instead! For insulting the spirit of music in a live post-match interview!"

"Those involved clearly know each other!"

"Yeah, they're in cahoots! The decision will surely be in favor of the sporting world!"

"This is really bad!"

"Stop scolding already, we should not add to the troubles of Teacher Zhang Ye!"

"They're such b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! If you want a battle, then you should fight proudly. If you scold us, then we'll scold you back. That's how it should be, but you're resorting to underhanded tricks now?!"

"Is this the conduct of the sporting world? Is this what you call sporting spirit? I'm laughing so hard!"

"Bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!"

Zhang Ye's parents' house.

Yao Jiancai was getting anxious over the phone. "Just look at that! You've gotten yourself into big trouble again!"

Zhang Ye said calmly: "It's going to be fine. I'll make a call to check on things. I'll have to hang up first."

After the call ended, Zhang Ye scrolled through his contacts and called Wu Zeqing right away.

Du, du, du, click.

Zhang Ye said while blinking: "Old Wu, were you sleeping?"

On the other end, Wu Zeqing said: "I was sleeping, but was woken by a call from the office."

Zhang Ye said: "You know about it then?"

Wu Zeqing acknowledged: "I've just heard about it, that you have a conflict with the sporting world?"

"Yeah." Zhang Ye answered: "Those people from the sporting world are now lodging complaints about me and even some chief from the Sports Administration surnamed Qian appeared on Weibo, acting all high and mighty toward me, so I chased him back to where he came from. Oh, then I saw the SARFT's Weibo saying that the complaints have already been processed?"

Wu Zeqing said: "Yes."

Zhang Ye probed: "Then I?"

Wu Zeqing asked: "What about you?"

Zhang Ye explained: "What I mean is, what do you think I should do?" He wasn't sure about Old Wu's att.i.tude on this matter, nor if this matter would be escalated within the SARFT, so he wanted to seek Wu Zeqing's views on it.

But Old Wu's answer made Zhang Ye very happy!

Wu Zeqing said without hesitation: "It's fine, carry on scolding."

It's fine?

Carry on scolding?

These words made Zhang Ye feel elated. "Alright then, I understand!"

Wu Zeqing laughed and said: "After you're done scolding, rest early. Don't go to bed too late."

"OK," Zhang Ye answered.

It's still my Old Wu who is the most understanding!

This was what he liked most about Old Wu. Regarding some matters, Wu Zeqing would never nag him. Whether it was about him scolding and offending people, or getting along with his peers, Wu Zeqing would never chide him for any of that. It seemed like whatever Zhang Ye did, Old Wu was always supportive of him, even if it was getting into a quarrel. For example, this situation right in front of them. If it were anyone else, they would surely nag a little and say things like "why are you getting into another fight with the sporting world," "why did you scold a chief from the Sports Administration," or similar words. But Wu Zeqing did not say any of that and just told him in a direct and calm manner, "It's fine, carry on scolding!"

This is Wu Zeqing!

The G.o.ddess chief of the SARFT who he loved to the bone!