Zhang Ye asked, “What’s the matter?”
She gestured with her chin towards the television, “Are you watching? I think it’s about you.”
“Let’s watch it. Who’s talking about me again?” Zhang Ye turned his head towards the television.
The volume was very low. Dong Shanshan adjusted the volume with the remote control as the sound became louder bit by bit.
This was a Shanghai provincial channel. Its signal covered the nearby regions. On the screen, there was a caption of “Television Station Deputy Director” under a middle-aged man being interviewed. He said , “This matter’s effect is quite terrible. As a member of this industry, I strongly condemn Zhang Ye’s unethical behavior. If everyone disobeys the instructions from superiors, then won’t the entertainment industry be in chaos?”
It seemed like a discussion program.
Another guest added, “I agree with Director Qian’s view. A person like Zhang Ye should be forced out of the entertainment industry as soon as possible. I’ve seen his ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’ before. It’s full of nonsense. It is indeed a very bad influence. The investigation team of the the Shanghai SARFT’s Chief Li did not make any mistakes. Such a program should be axed as soon as possible to prevent undue influence. Also, I want to urge those industry insiders and netizens who joined in Zhang Ye’s revolt. Do you know what you are doing? Do you all still know how to tell right from wrong?”
A few guests castigated Zhang Ye, and scolded him in all sorts of ways!
Only one guest proposed a different view. The guest was a middle-aged woman. She had a common face, and looked like a mass media reporter. “Whether ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’ violates regulations, I will first not talk about it. Actually, the reason why this matter caused such a huge controversy has to do with a few pirated WebTV programs that plagiarized ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’ without being halted. They were not even punished. Everyone’s content was more or less the same. Some of the joke segments from a few talk show programs were even copied directly from Zhang Ye, but ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’ was halted. Zhang Ye was used as a classic example, and then forced to apologize and reflect, while those programs that plagiarized his program did not pay a single cent in copyright fees, and still remained fine. I believe this is the reason behind Zhang Ye’s rage. It is also the reason why some people in the industry are speaking for Zhang Ye, and also the reason why the netizens are mad. All of this resulted in the Shanghai SARFT’s website’s denial of service.”
The middle-aged guest from before looked coldly at him, “Just because he was angry, he could speak gibberish on a live broadcast to incite the crowd? Because of anger, the netizens can disrupt a website belonging to the nation?”
The middle aged woman frowned, “You are taking my words out of context! My main point is….Why weren’t those copy-cat programs not halted?”
The youth guest said, “I heard that Chief Li’s team is currently investigating those programs, the problem at hand will be resolved very soon.”
The middle-aged woman shook her head, “Since a press conference was held, then it means this round of investigations has come to an end. Why didn’t they stop the pirated programs from the beginning? Instead they investigate after the press conference? And the investigation results have not been revealed and there are no updates on it.”
The middle-aged guest said coldly, “The officials definitely have their plans as to how to handle the issue!”
The middle-aged woman looked at him and said, “Then I would like to ask, is a pirated and plagiarized program’s influence more dangerous, or an original program’s influence that someone produced with their heart and soul more dangerous?”
The middle-aged man laughed, “Do you still need to ask? Of course it’s the original program’s influence! Just like ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’. With that many views, its bad influence is the most widespread! That is why the investigations started with Zhang Ye first!”
The middle-aged woman fell silent before she said, “I have nothing else to say. Some people’s views really make me speechless!”
……
The program ended.
Seeing Zhang Ye looking gloomy, Dong Shanshan switched off the television.
Zhang Ye got up from her lap. He coldly took a sip of red wine and then leaned forward to take control of the mouse. He started browsing the internet and Weibo.
Dong Shanshan comforted him, “Don’t worry about it. Some people just like to bootlick. There’s no point bearing a grudge against them.”
“That won’t do.” Zhang Ye said, “It’s fine if I didn’t see it, but since I’ve seen it, then I shall not stand for it!”
At this moment, the denouncing and condemnation at Zhang Ye was increasing. There were still many supporting him, but at the same time, there were also more people scolding him!
“With Zhang Ye gone, the entertainment industry is clean and quiet!”
“The Shanghai SARFT did the right thing. There was no problem in the