Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 14: Wang Meng, chairman of the jury, took action!

Pang Yun, immersed in his own world, did not notice the two teachers who were blocking the reporter and their desperate eyes after seeing him walk out of the door.

One of the reporters was quick-witted and got in from under Editor-in-Chief Zhao Changtian's armpit, thrust the microphone to Pang Yun's lips, and asked the first question:
"My dear student, today, Southern Weekend published an article saying that the 'New Concept Essay Contest' has become a 'New Exam Essay Contest'. As a contestant, what do you think?"

Pang Yun: “…” His brain completely froze, his mouth half open, and he seemed unable to understand this pure modern Chinese sentence.

At this time, another reporter squeezed in and asked a second question:

"My dear student, what is your purpose in participating in this competition? Is it your literary dream that drives you to participate, or is it just for the special recruitment and direct admission to a prestigious university?"

The situation was completely out of control. Reporters squeezed past teachers Zhao and Li and rushed to Pang Yun. Twenty or thirty colorful microphones seemed to give the young man a pair of Shamatte-style beard.

"My dear student, there is a public opinion that the 'New Concept Essay Contest' has endangered educational equality. What do you think?"

"Student, you handed in the paper so early, is it because you were well prepared?"

"My classmate, it is said that all the contestants who can pass the preliminary selection and participate in the semi-finals have experts behind them. Do you have any?"

……

Besides the buzzing sound, there were only three question marks in Pang Yun's mind:

"who am I?"

"Where am I?"

"What am I doing?"

It was Pang Yun's mother who first woke up. Seeing her son about to faint, her protective instinct as a mother instantly erupted, and she screamed sharply, "Let go of my son!"

Then he rushed into the crowd, pulled his son out with all his might, and stuffed him into a Mercedes-Benz sedan that had been arranged to pick them up, still shouting at the driver: "What are you standing there for! Drive!"

The driver stepped on the accelerator quickly, and the Mercedes-Benz sped away, belching smoke.

There was no way the photographer brought by the reporter would miss such material, so he shot the whole time close up, and the Mercedes-Benz logo was captured particularly clearly.

Then a reporter asked Zhao Changtian a question:
"Editor Zhao, may I ask if all the contestants of the 'New Concept Essay Contest' come from families like this?"

Zhao Changtian was so shocked by this extremely sinister question that he barely managed to avoid falling to the ground. He forced himself to turn around and said to Li Qigang, "Hurry up and tell them not to come down. I'll handle this."

Then he turned around and said to all the reporters: "If you have any questions, please come to me. Don't affect the children. They are all good children and they are innocent."

As a veteran writer and editor, he still has great reputation in the media industry. After hearing what he said, the reporters stopped making noise, but at the same time they also began to raise more pointed questions.

Before Li Qigang went upstairs, he looked back at Editor Zhao and found that he had become much more hunched over in just a short while. He sighed inwardly. They had never expected that the three blog posts signed by "Midnight Tide" that they thought had been basically suppressed would be published by the influential "Southern Weekend" in the form of a special supplement, occupying two full pages.

Early this morning, when the latest issue of "Southern Weekend" was delivered to major newsstands, units, companies and thousands of households, public opinion was immediately ignited.

A storm quickly formed as to whether the "New Concept Essay Competition" held by "New Sprout" magazine supported new literary talents or harmed the future of Chinese literature; whether it opened up a new talent admission mechanism or created new educational inequalities; and whether "New Sprout" magazine was suspected of using media influence to suppress unfavorable public opinion. In just half a day, it had swept the entire media.

The operation of the semi-finals of the "New Concept Essay Contest" was already very mature, and the media coverage of this part followed the usual practice:
On the first day of the semi-finals, a few media outlets were arranged to report on the scene and interview several participating students.

The day after the results were announced and the awards were presented, several more media outlets would be organized to report the results and interview the award-winning students, but all of this would be conducted in a pre-prepared meeting room or small auditorium. The media outlets that came were all those that had a good relationship with New Sprouts magazine.

The competition itself has been held for the sixth time, and there have been no writing stars like Han Han and Xiao Si emerging in recent years, so most media are waiting for press releases and will not send reporters.

But as soon as the Southern Weekend published a special report on "whether the 'New Concept Essay Contest' violates educational fairness and whether there is any behind-the-scenes manipulation", media outlets large and small heard the news and pounced on it like wolves smelling blood.

In fact, the phone of New Sprouts magazine was already flooded with calls this morning, and Zhao Changtian and Li Qigang had to turn off their phones. The morning meeting was also held for the participating students.

Fortunately, the Internet is not so developed now, so the contestants and parents who came to the hotel early in the morning and had lunch in the hotel buffet restaurant at noon did not know that the outside world had changed.

The most important thing now is to ensure that this competition can be completed!
Editor-in-Chief Zhao Changtian took reporters to the media conference room that had been rented in advance. Facing the cameras of nearly forty media outlets on the scene, he had the spirit of "I will go even if there are tens of thousands of people against me."

Just as the reporters were about to ask tricky questions, the door of the conference room was pushed open, and a tall and dignified old man walked in. He came to Zhao Changtian and said to the reporters:
"I am Wang Meng, the chairman of the jury for this competition. You can ask me any questions you have!"

The reporters all recognized who this was, and their momentum immediately diminished.

Wang Meng became famous for her writing in her youth. Her book "Long Live Youth" made her famous in the literary world. In her middle age, she became an official in charge of the cultural field. In her old age, she continued to write and was keen to participate in social affairs, and she still maintained a huge influence.

The special report of "Nan Guo Weekend" and the public opinion trend it triggered may be hidden from students and parents, but it certainly cannot be hidden from the judges.

Not long after the afternoon competition began, the "Southern Weekend" purchased for the jury was placed in front of all the judges for the semi-finals. After reading the content, the judges frowned.

Among these judges are not only famous writers, but many of them are also representatives of various universities involved in organizing the competition, so the questions raised in the "Midnight Tide" article are particularly sharp for them.

However, Wang Meng, the chairman of the jury, was a person who had experienced many ups and downs and had held a high position before. She quickly stabilized the morale of the troops and said with a smile: "It seems that it is not easy to be a judge in this session. It's like 'it's easy to get on a pirate ship, but it's hard to get off', haha!"

The relaxed attitude also affected the others, and everyone smiled. Wang Meng continued: "They can argue as they please, and we can criticize as we please. We will do our best, fulfill our duties, and live up to our profession and the children's efforts. What are you afraid of? Even if the sky falls, I will hold it up."

Wang Meng is 1 meters tall, which is considered tall among writers. His words gave all the judges a reassurance and made them laugh.

After hearing that her old friend Zhao Changtian was "besieged" by reporters, Wang Meng showed her responsibility and courage. She put on her coat and walked out: "Tell Changtian not to worry, I will go meet them!"

(End of this chapter)