Rebirth 09: Starting from taking charge of Running Man on CCTV

May 18th, Monday.

The sky over Beijing was overcast, and the air was so stuffy it felt like it was about to rain.

Chen Yang arrived at the station at 8:40.

He had a black file bag tucked under his arm, containing a 32-page paper copy of the project proposal, a 12-page supplementary budget detail sheet, and a Kingston USB drive with a 47-page PowerPoint presentation on it, every single one of which he could recite from memory.

a week.

While others might still be agonizing over which PPT template to use or how to phrase their opening remarks, he devoted all seven days to one thing.

Block all avenues that could be questioned.

The safety plan is precise, down to the protection measures for each game segment and the response time of the medical team.

The budget details are accurate, down to the destination and reimbursement basis of every single travel expense.

Technical feasibility, down to the model, quantity, and control logic of each unit.

Chen Yang twirled the USB drive in his hand twice, then put it in his pocket.

In his mind, images of hundreds of proposal meetings, defense meetings, and film review meetings he had attended in the past fifteen years flashed by like a revolving lantern. Every tricky question and every coping strategy was laid out there, ready to be used at any time.

enough.

He doesn't intend to win this battle by a narrow margin.

He wanted to win in a way that left no room for anyone to even think of arguing.

……

Nine thirty-five.

The entrance to the main conference room of the variety channel.

As Chen Yang turned the corner of the corridor, he could see a group of fifteen or sixteen people gathered at the entrance from afar.

They were all familiar faces from the station.

A veteran director and producer, one of those who worked at CCTV for 15 years or more.

Today's final review seminar was attended by the six shortlisted proposal teams, and senior directors who were not shortlisted were also eligible to attend as observers.

These people arrived quite early.

The person standing in the center is a man in his early fifties.

He was overweight, with thinning hair, wearing a dark blue jacket, and holding a thermos with the lid unscrewed, steam escaping from it.

Zhao Guisheng.

He is a veteran director on CCTV's variety channel, having worked at the station for nearly twenty years. He has overseen several cultural and special programs and even won an award for outstanding program at his peak.

But that was a few years ago.

Last year, the cultural interview program he led aired for half a season, but its ratings plummeted from 0.6% to 0.3%, and it was directly canceled and taken off the air by the station.

His proposal was not shortlisted for this year's annual innovation proposal.

Of the 108 submissions rejected, his was among the 102.

When Chen Yang walked over, Zhao Guisheng was talking to two directors of similar age next to him, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for people passing by in the corridor to hear.

"...I'm just baffled. How dare an executive deputy director, who was transferred from a local station and has been with our station for less than a year, submit an annual innovation proposal?"

"What kind of proposal is this? Having celebrities run around the streets, playing games, and tearing name tags? What's the difference between this and kids playing house in the park?"

Zhao Guisheng took a sip of the goji berry tea in his thermos and shook his head.

"I've worked at this station for almost twenty years. What kind of cases haven't I seen? How could something so sensationalist get nominated?"

A director next to him lowered his voice and echoed.

"I heard it was Sun Bin who pushed it."

"Alright, so it's just a back door."

Zhao Guisheng raised his chin, his tone full of disdain as someone who had been there before.

"Sun Bin has a lot of influence, so he forced someone onto the preliminary review list to give his own people a boost, just to go through the motions. Anyway, it won't pass the final review, and it'll be blocked by Director Zhou."

Several people laughed along.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it carried clearly in the empty corridor.

Chen Yang didn't stop.

He walked straight toward the door, his sneakers making a moderate sound on the marble floor.

Zhao Guisheng's gaze swept over and he saw him.

The sound was silenced.

Instead, he deliberately raised his voice by half a notch.

"...Young people like that, they don't know their own limitations. They think that after two years of small-time work at a local TV station, they can use the same methods to get by at CCTV?"

He spoke to the person next to him, but his eyes were glancing at Chen Yang.

"Once we're on stage, if Director Zhou asks us a couple of questions about the execution details, we're guaranteed to be exposed right there. We'll be embarrassed and it won't just be our own face that we lose."

Chen Yang stopped.

He turned around and looked at Zhao Guisheng.

His expression was indifferent, as if he were looking at a trivial notice or announcement.

"Director Zhao, when you said it was just some small-scale local TV program, were you referring to Anhui TV's 'Super Winner'?"

Zhao Guisheng was taken aback when he heard him speak so directly. He paused for a moment, then adopted the airs of a senior.

"What, did I say something wrong?"

"no."

Chen Yang nodded.

"Director Zhao, how many episodes did that cultural interview program you led last year air? Eight episodes? The ratings dropped from 0.6 to 0.3, so the station probably canceled it outright, right?"

Zhao Guisheng paused for a moment at his lips with his thermos.

Chen Yang spoke slowly and softly, but everyone in the corridor heard him perfectly.

"My local TV station's small-scale program had a 1.2 rating for its last episode before it was canceled."

The corridor was silent for two seconds.

Zhao Guisheng's face visibly darkened.

Chen Yang didn't give him a chance to respond.

"Director Zhao, you have worked at the station for twenty years. You are experienced and highly qualified. I acknowledge all of that."

He tilted his head slightly, his tone polite, but every word was like a knife to the heart.

"But your proposal wasn't shortlisted this time either. Like me, you're just standing outside. The only difference is that I'm standing outside waiting to go in and speak, while you're standing outside waiting to go in and listen."

"Let's not make fun of each other, okay?"

Zhao Guisheng's face turned a deep liver color.

His knuckles turned white from gripping the thermos so tightly, and his lips trembled twice, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The directors who had been agreeing with him just moments before were now all silent, each one quieter than the last.

Footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

Sun Bin strode over and immediately noticed the tense atmosphere.

"Chen Yang".

He shouted, his tone not loud, but with a clear intention to stop him.

Chen Yang turned his head, immediately concealing his sharp edge, and walked over with a grin.

"Director Sun, I'm just saying hello to Director Zhao and the others."

Zhao Guisheng gave a heavy "humph" behind him, then turned and walked into the conference room.

Sun Bin pulled Chen Yang to the corner of the corridor and lowered his voice.

"What did I tell you? What kind of occasion is this? You got into an argument with someone at the door. If word gets back inside, what will Director Zhou think of you?"

"Director Sun, he first made sarcastic remarks about how you used connections to get me a proposal, and I can't tolerate that."

Sun Bin choked.

He knew Zhao Guisheng had a silver tongue and could say anything, but arguing with him at this crucial moment was pointless.

"Alright, that's enough."

Sun Bin patted him on the shoulder, his tone softening.

"Once you're inside today, Director Zhou will definitely test you personally. He'll ask about everything—safety plans, artist management, budget execution. He's even more ruthless when it comes to execution details than an auditor; he won't tolerate any ambiguity."

"Control your temper, prioritize the bigger picture, you hear me?"

"I heard you, brother."

Chen Yang nodded repeatedly, behaving so obediently that he was nothing like the person who had been arguing with people in the corridor just moments before.

"I promise I won't put you in a difficult position."

Sun Bin looked him over and felt that something was not quite right.

It's too peaceful.

It wasn't the kind of calm that comes from suppressing anger; it was a calm that came from... a calm that showed confidence.

"Big brother."

Chen Yang suddenly lowered his voice and took half a step forward.

"I'm not just here to go through the motions today."

Sun Bin frowned.

"I'm here to get the results."

Chen Yang's eyes were bright, and his voice was soft, but the certainty in his tone was like a bullet stuck in a gun barrel.

"This plan must be approved today."

Sun Bin opened his mouth, as if to say, "Take it easy."

But looking into Chen Yang's eyes, he swallowed those words.

Having worked at CCTV for nearly twenty years, he has seen too many young people spouting grand pronouncements, nine and a half out of ten of which are just empty boasting.

But Chen Yang's statement was different.

It's not about showing off.

It's a notification.

A chill ran down Sun Bin's spine for no apparent reason; he couldn't tell if it was from nervousness or something else.

"Okay." He patted Chen Yang on the shoulder and didn't say anything more.

"Go in."