Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

A few days later.

Everything was back to normal.

The window panes at his rental apartment in Jiaomen were replaced. After the police had finished investigating, they connected it to an official and a few corporations. In the process, Lu Yuhu had intervened and helped to expedite the investigations after Rao Aimin called him. Afterwards, the involved personnel were all either taken away or locked up. In the following days, no one else came to seek revenge against Zhang Ye. They could have been waiting for the right opportunity, or perhaps it was the brazenness of the "Deathbed Poem" that shocked them into inaction, or it might even be due to the attention from the media and citizens regarding the case that made them take a backseat for now and not dare to get on the bad side of Zhang Ye at this sensitive time.

In any case, incidents as a result of the air pollution doc.u.mentary gradually subsided.

No subject could be heatedly discussed forever.

The criticism lessened.

The controversy lessened.

The topicality dropped.

The news no longer reported on it.

Zhang Ye and that sensational Doc.u.mentary on Air Pollution in China was not seen on the Weibo trending page anymore, while the video of the doc.u.mentary's press conference also disappeared from the Internet. It was as if it had never existed before.

But a lot of people knew that even though the footage was gone, the legacy of Zhang Ye and his doc.u.mentary would forever stay with the citizens. Everyone's environmental awareness and their attention to the smog could no longer be compared to before. Before going out on the streets every day, whether it was going to school or going to work, the first thing that a lot of people would do was to open their windows to have a look at the skies. They would check their cell phones for the day's PM2.5 index before deciding on how they would get to work, if they should go to the park, or whether to wear a face mask—all of this were a testament to Zhang Ye's legacy.

Some people might not feel grateful for Zhang Ye.

Some might even scold him.

But Zhang Ye did not care. To him, this outcome was good enough.

...

At home.

Zhang Ye was still living his daily life as normal. These days were the most relaxing he had had so far this year. He would go out for a jog after waking up, take a leisurely stroll in the neighborhood, and then come back home for breakfast. Sometimes when he felt like it, he would brew a pot of Da Hong Pao and enjoy the tea, watch television, go online, or water the plants. It couldn't get any more comfortable and relaxing than this. He was a free man right now without a job to hold him down, so of course he could do whatever he wanted.

While he was enjoying his freedom, his mother was having none of it.

His mother criticized, "Hurry up and find a job already."

"There's no rush." Zhang Ye lowered his head and sipped some tea, even smacking his lips in satisfaction.

His mother said, "It's no rush for you, but I'm worried."

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "And why are you worried?"

His mother angrily took away the open Da Hong Pao tea box and locked it away in a drawer. She said in annoyance, "If you don't go back to work soon, whatever tea leaves we have left at home will be used up by you! Do you know how much that cup of tea you're drinking costs? Do you?"

His father rolled his eyes.

Zhang Ye was floored. "Oh, so you're just worried about the tea leaves?"

His mother said, "Enough with the drinking and get back to working."

"Alright, alright, I know what to do," Zhang Ye said in a speechless manner.

Look for a job?

That was easier said than done!

The situation that Zhang Ye was currently facing was quite similar to the previous time, yet a little different. Back when Zhang Ye had been banned, it was just like now. No companies dared to hire him and no television stations dared to employ him either. But the circ.u.mstances now had one difference. The att.i.tude that the entertainment circle adopted toward Zhang Ye was very strange and ambiguous. A lot of the television stations wished to have him in their ranks and a lot of films wanted to have him in their casts, but no one dared to take this risk because none of them could grasp how the higher-ups viewed Zhang Ye. At this moment, there was no clear indication from any of the agencies or officials that they wanted to ban Zhang Ye. Even the SARFT did not say a word about it, yet Zhang Ye's doc.u.mentary was taken down and the news about him was controlled. These actions could not help but convey a certain att.i.tude that left even the entertainment industry unable to comprehend things, much less Zhang Ye himself. As a result, everyone just stuck to observing the situation for the moment.

Zhang Ye called Rao Aimin. As his agent, she was now basically in charge of all work affairs relating to him.

"h.e.l.lo, Old Rao."

"What?"

"Has anyone contacted me about a job yet?"

"There's not a lot."

"Isn't that still a few then?"

"A TV station was looking for you to take a behind-the-scenes role, but will not allow you to get onscreen. Are you willing to take that job?"

"Why would I want to take that job!"

"An animated film wants you to voice act for them, and the money is good too, though there's one requirement. If there are going to be any problems or if the higher-ups disagree with your partic.i.p.ation in the film, they will get someone to replace you and only pay you 10% of the agreed pay. Do you want to take that job?"

"Take, my a.s.s!"

"Therefore, there are no offers."

"It's only these two?"

"What did you think? There aren't even any businesses looking for you!"

"d.a.m.n, can I really be that unpopular?"

"You've torn a hole in the sky this time. Even if there are people cheering and saluting you, do you think that those people from the film companies and TV stations would be convinced? Do you think they're stupid? Right now, everyone is still trying to get a read on the ambiguous att.i.tude from the higher-ups toward you."

After hanging up, Zhang Ye felt very helpless about the entire situation.

In the past, Zhang Ye had planned not to do doc.u.mentaries anymore after leaving Central TV or take any hosting jobs in the interim. Having done so for such a long time, he was beginning to get tired of it. Besides, it would be difficult to continue progressing as a host. From a purely popular point of view, he had already reached the pinnacle of his field. There would be limited developmental opportunities in it and the audiences probably preferred to see something new too, so Zhang Ye knew that he urgently needed to change. He wanted to try out something that he had never done in the past so that it could help him further his popularity. At the level of the listers, every step was filled with difficulty. If he were to solely rely on making shows and being a host, even if every one of the shows he hosted were extremely well-received, it wouldn't make much of a difference to his popularity. As the entertainment industry of this world was quite similar to his previous world, he knew that there wasn't a place for a host among the Heavenly Kings and Queens. That level was not a place that a host could just work hard towards, moreover, an average-looking celebrity like him?

He had a bigger goal. He knew that he couldn't stay in the same spot and rest on his laurels!

He needed a change.

But right now, more than needing to change, he needed to sustain himself first. If there wasn't even a single job looking for him to be a host, whatever talk of changing or breaking out would just be empty talk!

Ring, ring, ring.

It was a call from Xiaodong.

When Zhang Ye answered the call, he heard a few people laughing happily. It was likely that all three members of the famous idol group of the country, Spring Garden, were on the line.

Xiaodong said: "Teacher Zhang, thanks!"

Zhang Ye wondered: "For what?"

One of the other members of the group, Li Xiaoxian, said: "The demo of our new song has been released. It's the one that you wrote and composed for us, 'Super Star.' It was just released yesterday but has already been heard by over 10 million listeners! It's at least two times more listeners than our last alb.u.m's t.i.tle track!"

Amy giggled: "Heehee, the full version will be out in a few days."

Zhang Ye laughed and said: "Congratulations to you girls then."

Xiaodong took the phone. "Teacher Zhang, when the full version gets released, we might need you to record a short video to support us. It could be you offering us a congratulatory message or perhaps you talking about your inspiration when writing the song. You must help us when the time comes, OK?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said: "I can definitely do that for you girls, but I think it's best not to use my video clip to promote you. I'm in big trouble at the moment, so I don't want it to spill over to you."

Xiaodong asked in worry: "About your air pollution doc.u.mentary, is it really that serious?"

Zhang Ye said: "I have yet to get a job offer still, so what do you think?"

Xiaodong squeaked: "Uh…"

Li Xiaoxian said: "If there's anything we can help you with, just let us know."

Zhang Ye replied: "No one can help me with this problem, hur hur. But I appreciate your kind thoughts."

Online.

Spring Garden's new song had attracted quite a good response!

"It sounds so nice!"

"Xiaodong is too cute!"

"I like Li Xiaoxian! She's so graceful!"

"The song is really good!"

"When will the full version be released! I can't wait anymore!"

"This song's melody is fantastic! Although there isn't any intension, it sounds really vibrant! It matches up great with the style of Spring Garden! Who wrote the song? Was it by their exclusive songwriter, Qi Hailong? It doesn't sound like it. This great a song does not sound like Qi Hailong's work!"

"Ah, it's Zhang Ye!"

"What Zhang Ye?"

"Lyricist and composer!"

"d.a.m.n, it was Zhang Ye who wrote the song for them?"

"How unexpected! Teacher Zhang doesn't usually write songs for just anyone. His songs are usually reserved and meant for people like the Heavenly Queen, Zhang Yuanqi! And he might not necessarily give her his songs either!"

"But this song doesn't sound like Teacher Zhang's style?"

"What kinds of styles do Teacher Zhang's works not cover? Haha!"

"True that. Zhang Ye is really a very awesome person!"

"I heard that Zhang Ye has not found a job yet?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen any news regarding him for a few days already."

"Hai, the incident with the air pollution doc.u.mentary this time has really affected him greatly!"

"Hehe. Actually, with Zhang Ye's talent, he can think about getting into singing. What do you guys think of my suggestion? Shall we drag Teacher Zhang into the music industry!?"

"Your idea is good, but I think you're overthinking things."

"Pfft, with Zhang Ye's lousy voice, how do you reckon that he'll be able to sing?"

"But he still managed to get onto the Top Chinese Music Charts once."

"Wasn't that owing to the special circ.u.mstances of Beijing TV's Spring Festival Gala? That 'A Letter to Home' depended on its emotional factor, lyrics, and the crosstalk to gain a place on the charts. But if you really a.n.a.lyze Zhang Ye's singing and voice, that song is really impossible to listen to. Moreover, Teacher Zhang isn't really handsome either, so it's definitely a no-no."

"Yep. I can still accept a host with the looks of Teacher Zhang, but if he were to be a singer? I doubt that would work. The people won't accept it, that's for sure. And besides, Zhang Ye has always been a comedic celebrity. Scolding others and talking nonsense are his trademarks. Can he stand on a stage quietly and finish singing a song? He definitely can't!"

"Stop talking about the impossible. Zhang Ye will never join the music industry as a singer."

"Haha, I was just tossing the idea around, that's all. Of course I know that Teacher Zhang won't come to the music industry as a singer!"

"But if Zhang Ye were to really come, the music industry would certainly become a very lively place!"

"Yeah! Wherever Teacher Zhang goes, trouble ensues! Everything that happened in the past can tell us one thing—no industry can stand up to Zhang Ye's antics!"

Just because of a new song by Spring Garden, the netizens were all happily conversing!