A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

On Monday morning, Ji Tinglan carried her bag and went straight into the editorial department building of Popular Cinema, going up to the fifth floor.

She stopped in front of an office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a man's voice came from inside.

Ji Tinglan pushed open the door and went in. A man in his forties, wearing glasses, was sitting inside. He smiled slightly when he saw her.

"You usually don't come when I ask you to, so why did you suddenly come this time?"

Ji Tinglan placed her bag next to the chair, pulled out the chair, and sat down: "Of course it's a good thing."

She opened her bag and took out the stack of documents.

The supplementary materials, drafts of the project, and related photos sent by the garment company, along with some letters and materials from the mutual aid society, were pushed onto the table.

The man's name was Shen Zhuang, the deputy editor-in-chief of Popular Cinema, and he had known Ji Tinglan for more than ten years.

It was he who recommended Ji Tinglan to become the editor-in-chief of the Harbin branch back then, and the two have always had a good personal relationship.

Today, Ji Tinglan didn't go directly to the editor-in-chief, but went to him first.

Ji Tinglan stood up, picked up the kettle, poured herself a glass of water, and sat back down: "Take your time reading."

He picked up the stack of materials, glanced at the cover first, then looked up and his gaze fell on Ji Tinglan's face, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

Ji Tinglan clicked her tongue; she knew what he was laughing at. He was laughing at her for wanting to be on the cover.

"Don't laugh yet, keep reading."

Shen Zhuang withdrew his gaze and began to turn the pages one by one.

He flipped through the movie-related content quickly, but when he got to the section on Ye Wenxi's clothing company and mutual aid society, especially the part about Ding Jiahe's deeds, he read with particular focus, his brows gradually furrowing and his fingers pausing on the paper several times.

Ji Tinglan sat opposite him, watching his changing expressions without saying a word.

A dozen minutes later, Shen Zhuang closed the materials, looked up at Ji Tinglan, and his eyes held a complex meaning, as if he finally understood why she had insisted on coming here.

"Is there any hope?" Ji Tinglan asked.

Shen Zhuang leaned back, and the chair creaked.

"Half and half."

"A fifty percent chance of success?" Ji Tinglan raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a good chance."

Shen Zhuang's lips curled up slightly, then he shook his head: "Not half of this."

He pointed with his finger: "Ding Jiahe's deeds. Combat hero, first-class meritorious service, shedding blood for the country, absolutely no problem, I can guarantee that."

He paused, his voice turning somber, "When I said 'half and half,' I meant Ding Jiahe is a possibility, but the other half... is hopeless."

Ji Tinglan's eyes darkened instantly, and her face turned grim.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Shen Zhuang raised his hand and made a pause gesture.

"I know what you want to say." He leaned forward. "I've seen it all. To be honest, I was deeply shocked and moved."

"I know why you insisted on coming to Beijing to promote this. For you, this is not an ordinary topic; it's something you've been holding back for many years and have always wanted to express."

"This is probably the topic you've encountered in recent years that resonates most with you, the content that best reflects your true inner thoughts. Am I right?"

Ji Tinglan didn't speak; Shen Zhuang was right.

Shen Zhuang stood up, picked up the kettle, and refilled her cup: "But being touched is one thing, rules are another. Do you want to hear the truth?"

"Go ahead," Ji Tinglan said calmly.

"Ding Jiahe is a perfect example of propaganda. Her bloodshed, sacrifice, and dedication to the country are without any impurities, and she would stand up to scrutiny in any publication or any era."

"But Ye Wenxi..." Shen Zhuang put down the kettle and sat back down. "She is the founder of the clothing company and the initiator of the mutual aid society. That much is true."

"But she is also a beneficiary. She has indeed brought very good social benefits, I admit that. But what is the essence of her behavior? It is business, it is revenue generation, it is social behavior with commercial attributes."

"So what?" Ji Tinglan's voice turned cold. "Just because it brings social benefits doesn't mean it's not worth praising?"

"He deserves praise, but not as a 'pure hero'." Shen Zhuang looked at her. "Tinglan, you've been in the propaganda field for over a decade. Don't you know the rules here? What kind of heroes have we been promoting in our propaganda system?"

Shen Zhuang looked into Ji Tinglan's eyes, and Ji Tinglan did not look away, clearly knowing what the answer was.

Selfless, sacrificial, and completely without seeking personal gain.

Therefore, Ding Jiahe fits the criteria, while Ye Wenxi does not.

Because Ye Wenxi was a beneficiary of it all; she gained both the profits from the clothing company and the prestige that the mutual aid society brought her.

Shen Zhuang continued:

"Once Ye Wenxi benefits from this, she will no longer be a 'pure' devotee, but..."

"But what?" Ji Tinglan suddenly raised her head and looked into Shen Zhuang's eyes.

"She's a person who gets things done." Shen Zhuang shrugged. "People who get things done can be reported on, but they can't be promoted as key role models. You want to use her to break the old mold and establish a new role model of 'relying on hard work and management to benefit the public.'"

Shen Zhuang shook his head: "I know all that... but at this time, in this environment, we're not ready yet."

Ji Tinglan leaned closer, tapping her fingers on the materials on the table: "So you mean, because she didn't drain herself dry, didn't lose everything, and didn't go hungry while doing good deeds, she doesn't deserve to be praised?"

"I didn't say I wasn't good enough."

"Is that what you mean!" Ji Tinglan's voice suddenly rose. "Shen Zhuang, we've known each other for over ten years, tell me."

"A soldier who bleeds and sacrifices on the battlefield deserves praise; but a woman who supports her family and children in the rear, relying on her own hands to change her destiny without state aid or a man's support, doesn't deserve praise?"

"Just because she made money in the process? What kind of logic is that? Does being a good person mean you have to be poor? Does doing good deeds mean you have to suffer?"

Ji Tinglan almost stood up as she spoke.

Shen Zhuang wasn't taken aback by her words. Instead, he looked at her calmly and said, "This isn't my logic; it's the logic of this era. You understand it better than I do."

"Times are changing!" Ji Tinglan said, word by word.

Shen Zhuang sighed and said softly, "But the propaganda system hasn't changed."

"Do you think I don't understand Ye Wenxi's value? What she's doing is groundbreaking, unprecedented."

"But 'unprecedented' means risk. No one can guarantee how public opinion will react if she is used as a typical example."

Ji Tinglan sneered: "So you'd rather choose safety? You'd rather continue to sing the praises of those 'perfect sacrifices' than dare to admit that there is another kind of greatness in this world?"

"I dare not." Shen Zhuang looked directly into her eyes. "Because in my position, I cannot gamble with the political life of a publication. But I can tell you that today."

"If this mindset changes one day, Ye Wenxi will be the first person to be brought up and reported on again. But right now... the time is not right."

Ji Tinglan stared at Shen Zhuang, her eyes gleaming: "That's why I came to find you. We must dare to create, dare to break through."

"Changes in mindset are inevitable, but they only happen when someone steps forward to lead the way!"

"Shen Zhuang! Aren't we writers here to lead people to change these ideas?"

"Isn't this our mission as journalists?"

Shen Zhuang stared at her blankly; he had never seen Ji Tinglan like this before.

She, who was always calm and reserved, seemed like a completely different person at this moment.

All those things that had been accumulating for over a decade, the obsessions that had been weighing on his throat and buried deep in his heart, finally burst forth at this moment.