41: Chapter 41 Accountability and Negotiation

Xiushan Park, Tongan Television Station.

Zhao Yang walked over to the rockery in the courtyard and called Jiang Nan.

After the call connected, Jiang Nan's crisp voice came through:

"Zhao Yang, are you okay?"

She was delighted that Zhao Yang had taken the initiative to call, though her voice was laced with worry.

"Jiang Nan, you were right. The leadership did come looking for me," Zhao Yang said in a calm tone.

She had called early in the morning to show her concern; it would seem dismissive if he didn't give her timely feedback.

In truth, this was just an excuse Zhao Yang had made for himself.

Ever since he returned from Li Hongyi's office, a voice had been lingering in his heart.

Jiang Nan had called him the moment she got the news—what did she consider him to be?

Just thinking about it made him a little excited.

So, would she be very worried right now? Afraid that something had happened to him?

He had to call her to put her mind at ease.

Sure enough, Jiang Nan's voice on the other end was full of concern:

"How did it go? You won't be disciplined, will you?"

Zhao Yang smiled slightly. "Don't worry, the leadership has reviewed my script again. There are no issues."

"What do I have to be worried about!" Jiang Nan's pretty face flushed red.

Damn it, he actually guessed what she was thinking.

To hide her flustered state, Jiang Nan continued:

"I'm not talking to you anymore, I have things to do here."

With that, Jiang Nan immediately hung up.

At least this guy had a bit of a conscience, knowing to call and let her know he was safe.

In reality, Zhao Yang had become a bit uncertain about whether he could truly pass this hurdle safely.

Because he saw a black Santana 2000 pull up in front of the Television Station's office building just as Jiang Nan hung up.

The man who got out was Director Xiong Bo's father, Xiong Dajiang.

Yuan Gang and Li Hongyi had already received notice and were waiting at the bottom of the entrance steps.

Seeing Xiong Dajiang step out of the car, Yuan Gang hurried forward to shake hands and greet him.

Li Hongyi approached Xiong Dajiang, stood ramrod straight, and snapped a military salute.

In an instant, his body bent ninety degrees as he grasped Xiong Dajiang's right hand with both of his own:

"Minister Xiong, you've finally arrived! If I don't see you for a day, my heart feels like it's being scratched by a cat!"

Xiong Dajiang originally had a stern face, but he almost broke character at this monkey-like banter.

He raised his left hand and feigned a tap on Li Hongyi's forehead:

"Director Li, you're trying to play tricks with me again, aren't you? If you don't carry out proper rectifications this time, no one's getting away with it!"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" Li Hongyi knew the outside was no place for talk and quickly made a gesture inviting him inside.

In Tongan City, although the Television Station was under the dual leadership of the Municipal Committee's Publicity Department and the Municipal Bureau of Radio and Television, it was a department-level unit.

Yuan Gang was at the same rank as the Executive Deputy Minister of the Municipal Committee's Publicity Department—both were full department-level officials.

As a deputy department-level official, Xiong Dajiang did not dare to be too presumptuous with Yuan Gang.

However, he had no such scruples toward Li Hongyi, who was also at the deputy department level.

When they reached the small meeting room on the second floor, Xiong Dajiang and Yuan Gang exchanged a few polite refusals before Xiong Dajiang ultimately took the head seat.

Following protocol, Yuan Gang and Li Hongyi sat in the reporting section.

There was no other way; the man was here representing the governing authority.

Li Hongyi presented the newly printed rectification plan with both hands and said with a grin:

"Minister Xiong, this is the rectification plan that Director Yuan and I produced after deep reflection and tireless work. Please have a look!"

As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face. Li Hongyi's attitude truly made it hard for Xiong Dajiang to maintain his stern expression.

If he didn't suppress him with momentum, he would surely be led astray by this fellow.

Picking up the reporting materials that still held the warmth of the printer, Xiong Dajiang didn't rush to read them.

Instead, he remained humorless, quietly scrutinizing Yuan Gang and Li Hongyi.

This expression made Li Hongyi lose his nerve for further banter.

The office suddenly fell silent, and the hum of the air conditioner's vent was clearly audible.

Yuan Gang looked at Xiong Dajiang's posturing and felt extremely displeased.

What was your face like when you were arranging for your son to enter the Television Station back then?

Now that you've become a Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department, you come here to throw your weight around in front of me!

Half a minute later, Xiong Dajiang flipped to the first page.

His gaze moved across the paper, and his brow gradually furrowed.

"Due to limitations in staffing..." he read aloud, then looked up, his gaze sweeping over Yuan Gang and Li Hongyi's faces. "Is this an attempt to ask the city for more staff positions?"

"It's not asking for positions, it's stating objective difficulties," Li Hongyi quickly explained with a smile.

"Your Director Xiong Bo is also in our unit, so you know a thing or two. It's very difficult for the station!"

Li Hongyi's smiling face instantly transformed into a bitter one as he complained incessantly.

At the same time, he didn't forget to remind Xiong Dajiang not to go too far—your son is still in our hands.

Yuan Gang chimed in at the right moment, further reinforcing Li Hongyi's reminder:

"Director Xiong Bo has made rapid progress over the past few years with the help of the leadership and his colleagues. With a bit more seasoning, he'll be able to handle things on his own."

These words were very subtle.

The real meaning was: If not for your sake, that spoiled brat of yours would have been kicked out long ago.

Naturally, Xiong Dajiang couldn't openly acknowledge the favor, or his momentum would weaken.

He pretended not to hear and continued reading the rectification report.

A minute later, he suddenly looked up:

"Having the various Secretaries-General and department leaders review the footage? What were you thinking? You want the leaders to revolve around you?"

"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare," Li Hongyi continued to play it off. "The Secretaries-General spend a lot of time with the top leaders, so they naturally know what the main leaders want to say and what they don't, which prevents the reporting from going off track."

"Ha! You guys certainly made it easy for yourselves!" Xiong Dajiang slapped the rectification plan onto the table.

"How is this a rectification? You're negotiating terms with the city!

"When reporters follow along for interviews, how are they supposed to grasp the leaders' intentions?

"How did you handle the quality control during the review? How did you grasp the spirit of the city's documents?"

Hearing this, Li Hongyi's pupils couldn't help but contract.

Every word Xiong Dajiang said was twisted logic, yet every word was impossible to refute.

It truly was a case of finding a quarrel where none existed.

However, Zhao Yang was his cash cow; he had to support him at this critical moment.

Helpless, Li Hongyi had no choice but to pull out his trump card.

He placed the newspaper and Zhao Yang's script together in front of Xiong Dajiang.

"Minister Xiong, look. The newspaper draft and our reporter's script are basically the same. The only difference is that one is a written article while the other is in spoken language.

"The newspaper publication was signed off by Secretary-General Cao!"

Xiong Dajiang had come specifically to find fault; there was no way he would look at these things.

He raised an eyebrow. "Director Li, are you saying that what I just said was wrong?"

Seeing that Xiong Dajiang's tone was unfavorable, Yuan Gang quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

"Everything Minister Xiong said is correct, and we accept it with an open mind. Director Li is also just giving you feedback on the results of our self-inspection."

Xiong Dajiang had once begged Yuan Gang to arrange for his son to enter the Television Station, so he had to give him some face.

Thus, his tone softened slightly: "Regardless, the station must provide a disciplinary opinion regarding the responsible parties.

"Otherwise, forget about Secretary Ji; you won't even get past Minister Jiang!"