I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 96 Defying the Heavens

Since having edamame and beer with Secretary Liu, Uncle Zhang has deeply reflected on his lack of knowledge. He used to know that his good nephew was old and stupid, but he didn't know he was this old and stupid.

So, while Zhang Da'an was giving intensive training to new employees at the Mazhou campus, Uncle Zhang took a jar of local yellow wine, along with some incense, candles, and paper money, and went to his cousin and his wife's grave to drink half a jin of it.

The main thing is to ask my cousin to bless me. Although both my cousin and I are staunch materialists, we are more of a warrior than a materialist.

There's nothing we can do; that's just how it is with the older generation.

Zhang Da'an was completely unaware that his uncle was undergoing a self-"baptism," and was happily marking new locations on the Mazhou campus while walking his dog.

The little black dog "Zhang Xiaobai" is very clever. He never hesitates to give stern criticism to students who are so engrossed in studying during breaks.

You should relax when you need to. How can you be efficient if you keep scrolling through papers until your brain is numb?

Let's play a game of Red Alert together!

Playing "Red Alert" is just for fun; if you really want a competitive experience, you have to watch "StarCraft." Zhang Da'an even organized a parent invitational tournament, inviting the students' parents to come and watch their children demonstrate how to use the "double barracks speedrun" strategy. Some parents expressed their dissatisfaction at the time.

What's the point of having two barracks?

You're already in a field battalion? Do you think your entire 3rd battalion will die?!

Can you play?

I won't be the one to perform.

Parents in Hongwen District have now learned to be patient. But is being pressured effective? Are complaints effective? Are suggestions effective?
It's useless.

Zhang An, a two-time top scorer in the National College Entrance Examination and head coach of Xindongweigang Middle School, does not accept any positive opinions or suggestions that are beneficial to social development.

As I said before, you can raise your opinions, but that's all; we won't accept them otherwise.

Of course, the red glow of parents is nothing compared to the red glow storm of education experts during the back-to-school season.

Throughout the summer vacation, "Top Scorer Theory" was either arguing with education experts or engaging in online flame wars.

As a "special guest," Zhang Da'an's witty remarks have repeatedly made at least twenty experts want to meet with him in person.

However, Zhang Da'an wore a slightly tight T-shirt in one episode, and his sturdy physique indicated that this young man was imitating the old man Confucius. If reasoning doesn't work, then his physical persuasiveness is somewhat effective.

In July, August, and September, Zhang Da'an appeared in major media outlets across Jiangkou Province, criticizing and condemning whatever he felt he should, showing no leniency towards experts from all directions.

Anyway, I always stick to one indestructible approach: whenever someone comes to me to talk about educational equity, I'll launch into a tirade against Beijing and Shanghai.

It's like everyone knows how to "expand" this kind of tactic.

His fierce fighting ability almost made people forget that he was the top scorer in the college entrance examination in Jiangkou Province this year. However, the local education system in Jiangkou Province is hard to say about at the provincial level, but the local counties and cities all support Zhang Da'an.

The reason is simple: they have the right approach and are willing to share.

Taking Yangtai City as an example, all the old men and women in the education school at Yangtai University openly or secretly support Zhang Da'an's actions, and for the sake of the "big picture," they lie and say that Zhang Da'an has objectively promoted the healthy development of social education.

Don't ask. The answer is that they're the ones in charge of the big picture. They're just retired old men; what do they know about the development of education?

Their fighting power was extremely ferocious, and their battle record was outstanding. Parents in Jiangkou Province and Jianghuai Province naturally felt that the battlefield environment was completely different.

In the realm of Beijing TV and Bao'an TV, Zhang Da'an is already considered a "perpetual sinner," a "born bad seed" who rebels against the Heavenly Gang, and the culprit who, despite his talent, lacks virtue and is destroying the current excellent education cause.

The key issue is that this kind of criticism... is somewhat of a brainwashing.

The reason is that two years ago, they were the very people who loudly promoted the "industrialization of education." While Luzhou was only advocating "internationalization," they dared to advocate "privatization." Now that Zhang Da'an is actually doing it, they are unhappy about it.

Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that thirty or forty groups of people in Beijing and Bao'an District respectively failed to invest in or acquire "Zhang'an Education".

Not only were they unsuccessful, but they were also quite humiliated. Zhang Da'an treated them like monkeys, and this was only a matter of capital, which falls under the category of business.

The education bureaus of Shazhou City and Mazhou City treat them like dogs, throwing them a bone and kicking them or slapping them. That's not just commercial fraud, it's a complete insult to their dignity.

The people from Mazhou City were actually quite polite. It was mainly the people from Shazhou City who, upon hearing about the potential investment, spoke very positively, stating that their city was well-known in the Yangtze River Delta region for its efforts in attracting investment.

Satisfaction guaranteed.

Make yourself at home!

Since you've made yourselves feel at home, it means that my home is your home and your home is your home. My city's TV station building is also very magnificent, but it lacks prestige. I'd like to build a satellite to play around with, and borrow the shell of your Bao'an Special Economic Zone. I wonder if that's acceptable?

I can do it... I can do it, you motherfucker!
The investment delegation from Bao'an was stunned, especially the media people. They had never seen such a stinky county town with such a huge appetite.

The Mazhou City Education Bureau is now completely convinced. They really should have learned from Shazhou City and raised their standards.

How can we develop if our appetite is too small?!
The entire Shazhou City Education Bureau displayed the same spirit of "I'm poor, so I'm right" and "You're a special economic zone now, what's wrong with helping me out?" from back then, before completely breaking ties in Jiangning City.

Don't ask why the falling out happened in Jiangning City. There's nothing I can do; the flight from Bao'an City goes to Jiangning, not Wudu.

Besides, the people of Shazhou aren't very familiar with Wudu City and are prone to getting lost.

The war of words surrounding the top scholar in Jiangkou Province continued until National Day, but the authorities never intervened because it was simply not convenient for them to.

Is rejecting Zhang Da'an simply rejecting one candidate?

There are countless things to criticize: the college entrance examination, education, educational equity, allocation of educational resources, the commercialization of education...

Some are foundations, some are national policies, and some are the "three-point agreement" of the past. If we really mess around with Zhang Da'an, there will be endless troubles in the future.

It's easy for you to dismiss Zhang Da'an, but the local authorities won't listen to you about what happens next.

If you can do the first day of the month, I can do the fifteenth.

Since Zhang Da'an's approach is flawed, don't blame me for not only ushering in an era of intense competition in education-rich provinces like Jiangkou and Jianghuai, but also for constantly banging the "petition drum" and relentlessly criticizing the Beijing and Shanghai officials.

Because it was so disgusting for everyone involved, Zhang Da'an was indeed perfectly fine and nothing happened to him. However, the "top scholar theory" gradually cooled down, while the "Dangyang theory" slowly gained momentum.

It seems like the patriarch intervened, or maybe not, but it didn't stop Zhang Da'an from openly barking in the media during the start of the school year: "Video games entering schools is a sign of social progress!"
This was a huge surprise, giving Zhang Da'an's "friends" a real fright.

But for those in the news industry, this is no big deal; they're the first to run away with it!
They believe everything they hear.

[Top-scoring student in the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) Zhang An makes a startling statement: Video games entering schools is a sign of social progress!] [Two-time top-scoring student in the NCEE: If video games are "electronic heroin," then the Four Great Classical Novels are "outdated opium."]

In response to recent comments from numerous education experts and scholars regarding video games, Zhang An, a two-time top scorer in the national college entrance examination, announced plans to open a professional video game interest class.

……

As the saying goes, "press down one gourd and another floats up," although the previous discussion on the fairness of the right to take exams and the right to education has subsided, Zhang Da'an has turned around and started to go on a rampage in video games, engaging in a war of words with Beijing TV, Bao'an TV and related print media, with whom he had a previous falling out.

Originally, the media in Luzhou didn't want to get involved in this matter, but "Zhang An Media" paid 80,000 yuan, which was not a small amount.

Business is all about getting to know each other first. Once you have the initial 80,000 yuan, you can easily sponsor a TV series or program for 180,000 or 800,000 yuan later.

Many media reports are biased, completely believing rumors about Zhang Da'an and seizing any opportunity to criticize him harshly, regardless of whether the information is true or false.

For example, regarding the statement that the Four Great Classical Novels are "outdated opium," could Zhang Da'an, the top liberal arts student in the Jiangkou Province college entrance examination in 1946-1997, really say such a thing?
This is completely fabricated.

But Zhang Da'an didn't care at all. If the authorities asked him to rectify and reform without verifying the facts, then he shouldn't be surprised if he actually said that.

You can also sue the relevant management units for inaction.

They were all things that came easily to me.

During the last two days of the National Day holiday, Zhang Da'an made a brief appearance on the comprehensive channel of Luzhou TV's "Dialogue with Talented People".

This program has always been lukewarm, and it's practically on the verge of being canceled.

It is precisely because it is a mediocre and unremarkable program that one can jump the queue for only 80,000 yuan.

The original plan was for a well-known female volleyball player to talk about her family, career, and future.

Zhang Da'an cut in line, and not only that, he was also picky about the content of the "conversation." What's the point of talking about things that don't have any newsworthy highlights?
Finally, after some discussion, both sides brought up recent hot topics in the conversation.

The host was actually quite excited; since the show was going to be canceled anyway, he figured he might as well make it as lively as possible.

As a "Shanghai drifter," Zhuo Yang, a host from his hometown of Chengdu, has quite a fighting spirit, but he's mostly just looking for fun and plans to have a good chat with this strange young man, Zhang Da'an.

Zhuo Yang's parents both went to the Ninth People's Hospital during the "Third Front Construction" period. Their ancestral home is Lin'an, the capital of Zhejiang Province. Because the salary for clerical work in Chengdu was too low, they became "Shanghai drifters". The fact that they were able to become a program host after so many years of hard work is mainly due to their parents' connections...

It had nothing to do with his abilities. The deputy director was his father's college classmate, and another retired deputy director was his mother's college classmate.

It's all about strength, not ability.

Because of his abilities, Zhuo Yang is quite excited about "stirring things up".

I arranged a time with Zhang Da'an, and we ate a bowl of "fried fish noodles" together, and ordered a pot of "Biluochun" tea. While listening to the opera, we talked about the specific content and direction of the program.

The teahouses in Luzhou are similar to those in Jiangkou and Zheshui, all with old-fashioned storefronts. They mainly sell xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and noodles with toppings, and also sell breakfast. However, the "Four Heavenly Kings" (a group of four famous teahouses) do not make their own food; they are all supplied wholesale from outside.

The teahouse also has a stage where you can listen to Pingtan, Yue Opera, Kunqu Opera, and Xiju Opera. Occasionally there are "comic plays," but they are not popular with the older generation. They are more popular with middle-aged people. As for young people... they are all in coffee shops. It is rare to see them spending a morning in a teahouse or noodle shop.

Zhuo Yang is an anomaly, probably because he grew up in Chengdu.

"The key point is to refute the previous arguments about video games, is that alright, Mr. Zhang?"

"We can be bolder and go deeper. It's okay to criticize a segment of parents along the way."

"Huh? Isn't this going a bit too far? We might get a lot of complaints later."

"What does it matter? I'll just apologize later, it won't implicate you."

"Isn't Mr. Zhang afraid at all?"

"What am I afraid of? Am I afraid of the media backlash burning my company down? My school has over a hundred security guards, why would I be afraid of that?"

"..."

Zhang Da'an wasn't flustered at all.

Unlike schools, management departments, and the media, Zhang Da'an faced no pressure whatsoever when he criticized parents.

You say you're a qualified parent, so show me your "Parent Qualification Certificate"?
No?

You have nothing to say.

The most hardcore part is that Zhang Da'an lost his parents at a young age and relied entirely on his own abilities to get into the top university, so he enjoys a certain degree of the right to bark like a dog.

The kind of dog that barks wherever you go.

Zhang Da'an had set up a trap for Zhuo Yang here. It wasn't even a trap; it was more like a calculated move, because even if the subsequent media interviews had nothing to do with "Dialogue with Talented People," they would definitely be related.

After all, it all started with him.

"Let's proofread the script and dialogue one last time, and then improvise on the show. Does Mr. Zhang have anything to add?"

"Could you bring a few parent representatives to the scene? They are the ones with the strongest opposition."

"You're trying to kill me, Mr. Zhang..."

If Zhuo Yang still couldn't see that Zhang Da'an was a beast at this point, he might as well give up. He immediately looked troubled.

Zhang Da'an smiled, picked up his teacup, and clinked it against Zhuo Yang's from a distance.

The broadcast of "Dialogue with Talented People" on the last day of the National Day holiday was incredibly successful, comparable to the impact of "Top Scholar's Talk" on Jiangkou TV's education channel every Sunday.

At the time, "The Top Scholar's Talk" crushed the ratings of Jiangkou TV's variety shows during the summer season, leaving the person in charge of variety shows at Jiangkou TV feeling humiliated. Zhang Dangyang's rise to fame was, to some extent, achieved by stepping on his colleagues' heads.

"Dangyang Talk" isn't as popular as "Top Scholar Talk" right now, but because it always invites industry insiders to talk about hot topics, its viewership has remained quite good. It has also secured a new title sponsorship, with one of the top three liquor brands in the province paying nearly ten million yuan to sponsor "Dangyang Talk" for the next year. In addition, host Zhang Dangyang will be present at some offline events.

Because of the two successful cases, "Zhuangyuan Shuo" and "Dangyang Shuo", Zhang An Media, even though it is not a traditional program producer, is considered to be on the table, and Luzhou TV may have considered a deeper cooperation.

"Dialogue with Talented People" is both a business opportunity and a talent recruitment drive; its success will depend on the subsequent response during the National Day holiday.

The reaction was explosive, leaving Luzhou TV somewhat at a loss.

(End of this chapter)