99: Red Daily News, Li Zhenni and Gong Ruibin

Li Zhenni wrote a press release overnight and immediately sent it to the Editor-in-chief.

“Editor-in-chief, what do you think of this article about the food stall owner acting heroically and saving someone from the water?”

However, the Editor-in-chief never replied.

Li Zhenni, disappointed, pulled the covers over her head and went to sleep.

The next morning, she nervously opened her phone and found that the Editor-in-chief still hadn't messaged back.

This made Li Zhenni sigh inwardly.

“Newcomers at the Red Daily Newspaper are just not taken seriously.”

She hesitated for a while, then finally mustered the courage to make a call.

“Editor-in-chief, I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen the article I wrote?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then an old voice coldly said:

“I've seen it. It doesn't conform to the principles of factual reporting. A fish monster dragging someone into the water, and a food stall owner setting up shop at a wild fishing spot late at night? What a mess. Don't make up stories just to meet a deadline next time.”

Beep beep beep... Li Zhenni heard the phone hang up, first looking bewildered, then her face turned pale with anger.

“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! You're the one making up stories! I have pictures and the truth, and you still say I'm making up stories! Old geezer, old stubborn fool, no wonder the Red Daily Newspaper is getting worse and worse!”

Unable to suppress her anger, Li Zhenni simply opened her personal account and uploaded her article along with the photos she took at the time.

Although she was a newcomer at the Red Daily Newspaper, she understood that the top traffic nowadays was still concentrated in short videos.

So, she edited the article into a short video and posted it on several short video platforms.

“Hmph! Done!”

She clapped her hands, then went back to sleep with the covers over her head.

It was a rare day off, and she couldn't afford not to get enough sleep.

However, she had no idea what kind of trouble her actions would bring her next.

---

Gong Ruibin, Editor-in-chief of the Red Daily Newspaper, was bent over his desk, occasionally sipping hot tea to refresh himself.

After a while, he stretched his neck to relax his stiff muscles, then waved his hand, signaling for someone to take away the revised manuscript, preparing to include it in the next issue of the newspaper.

At this moment, Xiao Bowen, the Deputy Editor, turned his chair and handed Gong Ruibin several manuscripts.

“Brother Bin, most of the new recruits' manuscripts are here. Would you like to take a look?”

Gong Ruibin immediately took them and began reading them one by one.

After a moment, he nodded with satisfaction.

“Although the initial drafts are a bit raw, their nose for trending topics is quite good, and they also respect the facts themselves, without subjective conjecture.”

As he spoke, he let out another cold snort.

“That's very good, unlike Li Zhenni. Hmph, that newcomer is truly out of line.”

Xiao Bowen was somewhat surprised to hear this.

“Li Zhenni? The newcomer with good writing skills? What happened to her? Didn't you used to admire her quite a bit?”

Seeing Xiao Bowen's curiosity, Gong Ruibin simply sent a copy of Li Zhenni's manuscript to Xiao Bowen.

“You'll know when you see it. With her talent for fabricating stories, I really don't know if she learned it from those unscrupulous media outlets.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bowen immediately started reading the manuscript. The more he read, the tighter his brow furrowed. Finally, he shook his head and sighed, saying:

“This newcomer's heart isn't in the right place.”

Gong Ruibin got up and left, not delving deeper into this topic with Xiao Bowen.

Time quickly reached lunchtime.

Gong Ruibin walked into the cafeteria and queued to order food, with people constantly greeting him along the way.

“Hello, Editor-in-chief!”

“Hello!”

Gong Ruibin would always nod back in greeting seriously.

A few minutes later, he sat down in a secluded corner and began to eat.

The lunch dishes were abundant, but due to his age, the portions of each dish were small and all on the lighter side.

However, Gong Ruibin still ate with relish.

Each mouthful of rice was chewed repeatedly several times before being swallowed.

Then he picked up a small piece of tender steamed egg, without any sauce, and put it into his mouth.

A mild flavor spread through his mouth, mixed with a slight eggy smell.

Gong Ruibin didn't mind at all; after savoring it, he swallowed it down.

He picked up another mouthful of rice and continued to chew slowly.

Repeating this, a simple lunch was finished.

A satisfied smile appeared on Gong Ruibin's face.

At his age, whether the food tasted good was no longer very important.

Being able to eat the food was the key.

After all, if one couldn't even eat, it meant that one was truly old.

Just like an old machine that still belched black smoke even after being oiled, it was no longer useful.

“Every grain is hard-earned.”

Gong Ruibin straightened the warning sign on the table that read “Cherish Food,” then, satisfied, he was about to get up and leave.

At this moment, he suddenly heard people talking in the back row.

Not intending to eavesdrop, he was about to leave.

However, those few people were indeed speaking quite loudly.

“Hey, look at this video up-host, she seems to be the newcomer who just joined our Red Daily Newspaper!”

“It really is her, the name and photo match up. But what's so strange about that? In modern society, as long as you have a phone, anyone can become an up-host.”

“That's not the point. The point is a video she posted today, it's already trending.”

“It really is! Let me see... Hmm, the theme is heroic action. That's strange, why wouldn't she push such good material to the Editor-in-chief and them, to get a chance for publication in the newspaper?”

“I don't think it's good. Haven't you seen how polarized the comments section is? There are compliments, but there are more people cursing.”

“Why? Heroic acts are truly rare these days, and people are still cursing? What kind of mindset do these people have? If everyone is like this, who will act heroically in the future?”

“You still haven't found the key point. Look closely at the video content.”

“Oh, oh, okay. Hmm... My goodness, that fish is really ugly, and it has hands and feet. Was it made by AI? And this person acting heroically, is he a food stall owner? Setting up a stall at a wild fishing spot late at night?”

“Hahaha, how is this so funny? This story is really well-made! No wonder she didn't dare send it to the Editor-in-chief...”

“Editor-in-chief...”

“Editor-in-chief!”

Hearing the greetings of “Editor-in-chief,” the people who were laughing loudly realized what was happening, quickly turned around, and respectfully greeted him.

Gong Ruibin frowned, glanced at the phone on the table, then nodded to the group of people and left.

Seeing Gong Ruibin leave like that, those few people's suspended hearts immediately dropped, then they looked at each other, all with confused expressions.

Back in the office, Gong Ruibin's face was covered in frost.

He thought for a moment and then dialed Li Zhenni's number.

Soon, the other party picked up.

Gong Ruibin immediately launched into a scolding, his words tinged with both heartache and a sense of disappointment in her.

Unexpectedly reprimanded, Li Zhenni was a bit indignant, repeatedly insisting that she had not fabricated false news.

“Hmph, incorrigible. If that's the case, then don't come back. The Red Daily Newspaper has no place for a black sheep like you.”

Gong Ruibin, seeing Li Zhenni's lack of remorse, was both angry and anxious, and ultimately said harsh words.

But after saying them, he regretted it.

To be fair, he still quite liked this young girl, Li Zhenni; her spirited personality was especially similar to his own granddaughter.

“If you can admit your mistake, then...”

However, before Gong Ruibin could finish his sentence, the other party had already hung up the phone.

“...”