Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

7 o'clock in the morning.

At Central TV.

The other channels and departments were not at work yet. Many of their offices were still empty, but Department 14's office was already working at full capacity!

Every staff member was present!

"Where's the script?"

"We're making copies of it now! It'll be ready immediately!"

"Get the Ministry of Environmental Protection's number!"

"I have it here!"

"Who's going to interview Chief Xu?"

"Me! I'll go!"

"Director Zhang? You're going to handle it yourself?"

"Yes!"

"Then I'll get it arranged for you immediately!"

"Director Ha, the animated short is ready. Can you take a look to see if it's OK?"

An hour later.

The Central TV employees gradually arrived for work. When those who pa.s.sed by Department 14's office saw what was going on inside, all of them, without an exception, froze in their tracks. They discovered that the people of the Doc.u.mentary Channel were all seemingly different today. They were all busy working. No one was playing games or idly chitchatting. Each person seemed like a sharp sword, looking very persistent, tough, and angry!

What was going on?

Just what was going on?

A curious person from Department 13 went over and asked, "Old Wu, what are you guys…"

Someone who knew what had happened quickly pulled that person back. "Don't bother asking. Something happened to their department's Huang Dandan!"

"What happened to her?"

"Lung cancer."

"What did you just say? How could that happen?"

"Yeah, she's still so young!"

"How'd you know?"

"I heard it from someone this morning. Apparently, it was caused by the smog!"

"This…"

"No wonder! No wonder the people of Department 14 are working so hard!"

"Smog? Is the smog really that harmful?"

"It can even cause lung cancer?"

"Why didn't I know about this? They didn't report it on the news either?"

"I know that the smog is pretty bad, but no one has ever told me that it could cause lung cancer? And how could the chances of it developing be so high? I saw Huang Dandan just yesterday!"

"I don't know."

"Is the smog really that harmful?"

In just one afternoon, the news had spread all around Central TV!

Several heads of other departments came looking for Yan Tianfei to show their support.

Some of the channels even suggested to hold a fundraiser for Huang Dandan out of goodwill, but were rejected by Yan Tianfei and Tong Fu. Huang Dandan traveling around the country to the regions most affected by the smog was an aggravating factor in the lung cancer developing. As a result, Huang Dandan's case was considered a workplace injury. Yan Tianfei had already gone to the relevant departments to check out the procedures to take. The medical expenses were all submitted so that Huang Dandan and her family wouldn't need to have any additional burdens. Yan Tianfei had taken care of all this already.

...

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

The staff of Department 14 were all working harder than the other. Under this high intensity work pace, in only three days, they had finished the latter half of the doc.u.mentary that spanned four episodes. Together with the work done in the previous month, the entire doc.u.mentary was completed!

In the end, it was Zhang Ye who took on the responsibility of editing the show. He had edited out the parts which were most controversial and did not follow his previous world's version of Chai Jing's Doc.u.mentary on Air Pollution in China. He also chose a different way of presentation for the broadcast and added in some of his own content. The overall edit made it quite different from the original as he was afraid that it would not pa.s.s for broadcast, which was why he had taken out the most controversial parts of it in the first place, although not all of it could be edited out and had to remain in the final cut.

On this day, the doc.u.mentary was completed!

Ha Qiqi heaved a sigh of relief. "It's finally done!"

"I'm gonna pa.s.s out from exhaustion!" Zhang Zuo had nearly collapsed.

Little w.a.n.g said excitedly, "This is great. I'll call Dandan and tell her!"

Tong Fu asked anxiously, "Director Zhang, when can it get broadcast?"

Zhang Ye asked, "What's the matter?"

Tong Fu said, "Dandan's surgery is scheduled for next week, so I hope that she can get to watch it before then!"

Zhang Ye immediately said, "Alright, let me speak to Director Yan about this."

Zhang Ye went to Yan Tianfei's office and discussed the doc.u.mentary with him. After Yan Tianfei finished watching the final cut of the doc.u.mentary, he was extremely satisfied with it. He immediately submitted for approval in the hopes that they would be able get it out for broadcast by next week while they concentrated on the promotions this week!

However, what no one expected was that the next day, the decision of Central TV was announced abruptly: Department 14's The Pollution Problem does not pa.s.s muster and has been barred from broadcast. All related work and promotions of the doc.u.mentary would be stopped with immediate effect as well!

Department 14 reacted explosively!

Ha Qiqi slammed her hands on the table. "How could they make a decision like that!"

Zhang Zuo glared into the distance and said, "Why are they barring it from broadcast? Why?"

Little w.a.n.g said, "What on earth happened?"

Everyone was in disbelief. The many days of their efforts to rush out the doc.u.mentary before Huang Dandan's surgery was now met with Central TV's decision to bar it from broadcast? There wasn't even an option to make changes to it and was instead shut down upon submission?

A decision like this was an extremely rare occurrence!

It had occurred just a handful of times at Central TV!

Yan Tianfei was furious and went to find the station head. When the people of Department 14 learned about this, they all followed Yan Tianfei!

The Station Head's office was packed with a lot of people!

"Why?"

"What regulations did we violate?"

"This is a public service doc.u.mentary!"

"Station Head, why aren't we allowed to broadcast the doc.u.mentary?"

n.o.body could accept this!

The station head who oversaw the approval board looked at them, frowned, and said, "I watched the doc.u.mentary. If you people only mentioned that the smog was harmful, no one would have batted an eyelid. But why must the source of the smog be brought into it as well? Pollution caused by the burning of coal? Pollution caused by steel making? That isn't going to be acceptable!"

Yan Tianfei said in annoyance, "Why not?"

The station head said, "You're asking me why not? Can the country not burn coal? Can the country not produce steel? What's the point of bringing up those things? It will just create a very negative impact all around! If this actually triggers a societal upheaval or conflict, who will be responsible for it? You? Can you bear that responsibility? Even Central TV couldn't bear this responsibility, much less you!"

Zhang Ye came into the office from outside. "If we don't mention the source of the air pollution, what is the point of making the doc.u.mentary? What should we tell the audience? Tell them that the smog is harmful! That it is very harmful! That it is extremely harmful! But we have to keep the source of the pollution a secret, we can't tell you about it. So don't bother with taking measures against this. Even if the smog is heavy, you still have to breathe it in. Even if the smog is heavy, there's nothing you can do about it! Is that how it goes?"

The station head said in displeasure, "In your doc.u.mentary, you claimed that the smog was the cause of lung cancer. But do you have any scientific grounds for saying that? Do you? If you do, show it to me!"

Zhang Ye looked at him. "A lot of the organizations that investigated this found that there is a correlation between the degree of air pollution and the number of lung cancer cases!"

The station head shook his head. "I'm asking you now, do you have any scientific grounds for saying that? What grounds do you have? A national report? Where is the report then? You said that the smog was the cause of lung cancer and a variety of other respiratory diseases, and could even cause pathological changes? You're fearmongering! Everything these days has to be based on science!"

Yan Tianfei shouted, "So many people died in the past in other countries due to smog. Tell me then, how did those people die?"

The station head said, "I don't know how they died, and neither do I care. All I know is that you people are fearmongering. There are some topics that people like you should never touch, even if it's for a doc.u.mentary that you're doing! If it isn't handled well, things will boil over!"

Zhang Ye could not take this anymore. "Due to the smog, a lot of people have already died. Everyone can see this, yet you're asking me to f.u.c.king provide you with evidence? Asking if we have any scientific grounds for our claims? Have you gone blind? Do I look like a scientist to you? Then let me ask you! Does traditional Chinese medicine have any scientific basis to it? Explain to me the scientific principles behind it! Explain to me the scientific purpose of taking someone's pulse! Explain all of that to me!"

The station head clearly had no answers to his questions, but he did not approve the broadcast of the doc.u.mentary either!

Further, the station issued direct punishment an hour later!

The leaders of Department 14 have led others to cause trouble!

Zhang Ye is suspended for a month!

Yan Tianfei is suspended for a month!

The entire Department 14 staff shall have their monthly bonuses deducted!

A large-scale punishment like this almost never happened at Central TV, but it seemed like the station was very determined in their way of handling things this time!

Yan Tianfei slammed his hands on the table and cursed!

The entire Department 14 also cursed!

"f.u.c.k!"

"How could they bar the doc.u.mentary from broadcast just like that?"

"The statistics that we collected were all from professional inst.i.tutes!"

"Right, how did it become fearmongering?"

Zhang Ye was exasperated!

He had already taken great care dealing with this problem!

Others might not know it, but he did. In his previous world, Chai Jing's Doc.u.mentary on Air Pollution in China had stirred up a lot of trouble, causing turmoil at almost every level of the country's hierarchy. A lot of people had been shocked by the doc.u.mentary and become afraid of the smog for the first time in their lives. But there were also a lot of people who had questioned it and relentlessly found ways to raise doubts against Chai Jing and her doc.u.mentary!

That was why Zhang Ye had been treading so carefully!

Calling for capital reform? He did not include that!

Calling for reduced coal usage? He did not include that!

Statistics from foreign inst.i.tutes? He did not include that!

Above all, he did not call for any urgent economic restructuring of the nation!

He had removed all of the controversial points of Chai Jing's doc.u.mentary so that he could make a purely public service doc.u.mentary that would inform the citizens of the harmfulness of the smog and where the smog originated! Zhang Ye was careful, cautious, and on guard at every turn, but he never thought that the doc.u.mentary would still get barred from broadcast!

Little w.a.n.g said anxiously, "I told Dandan over the phone that the doc.u.mentary has been completed. But now, what are we going to tell her? We won't be allowed to broadcast it? We can't get it out for broadcast?

Tong Fu said angrily, "During the past few days that Dandan's been hospitalized, she's kept asking about the progress of the doc.u.mentary. She…She…"

Everyone fell silent. With Central TV issuing the ban, Department 14 had no way to broadcast it. This was the ironclad truth!

What should they do?

There was no way out!

Director Yan was suspended!

"Director Zhang!"

"Director Zhang, what should we do?"

Ha Qiqi looked at him.

Zhang Zuo looked at him.

Everyone from Department 14 looked at him.

Zhang Ye did not say anything. He walked back into his own office and called Wu Zeqing. After explaining everything to her, he wanted to listen to her opinion.

"You want my opinion?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll tell you that it's best not to broach this subject. It's very sensitive so it'd be best to stay as far away from it as possible."

"Alright, I understand."

"But if you insist on it, you have my support."

"Thank you."

Old Wu's words revealed a lot to him. At her level of work, she definitely came into contact with many people and knew many things!

This was a minefield!

Whoever touched it would be done for!

Whoever touched it would die!

The strong reaction from Central TV said it all!

But!

Zhang Ye had always believed that in the long pa.s.sage of history, such matters could not stay hidden for long. No one might talk about it this year or next year, but what about a hundred years later? Two hundred years?

Someone would definitely have to be the first to do it!

Someone would definitely have to make the sacrifice!

Zhang Ye poured some tea he'd brewed for himself and took a sip of it before closing his eyes to think. He thought about it for a long time.

He…was willing to be that someone!