After working hours.
People packed up their things and left the office.
Dong Shanshan picked up her bag and stood up. She smiled at Zhang Ye and whispered, “I’ll go buy some groceries first. You can work late, so that you can return to a ready meal. What do you want to eat?”
The moment food was mentioned, Zhang Ye became hungry, “Aren’t you eating with the other hosts?”
“They aren’t free today. We’ve decided on me treating them tomorrow.” Dong Shanshan smiled.
Zhang Ye gave it some thought and said, “Anything is fine. Just cook whatever you are good at…”
Just as they were chatting, Ah Qian came over, “Teacher Shanshan, I drove today. Do you need a lift?”
Dong Shanshan did not reject him and stopped talking about dinner with Zhang Ye, “Oh, then thanks a lot. You just need to send me to the supermarket’s entrance. I’m cooking for my maternal elder cousin today.”
Ah Qian exclaimed, “I thought you previously said she was your paternal elder cousin?”
Dong Shanshan blinked her sexy eyelashes, “Did I?”
Ah Qian said in wonder, “Yeah, I was under the impression you said paternal elder cousin?”
“You must have remembered wrong. Alright, let’s go.” Dong Shanshan said.
“Hai, I’ve recently been busy with work. My mind is in a mess.” Ah Qian really believed that he had mixed up things in his memories. He didn’t say anything further and went downstairs with Dong Shanshan.
Zhang Ye also wanted to go home, but the moment that he lifted his butt, the female host he had met today came over. Zhang Ye had an inkling that her name was Wang Bei. She was a young host that was about his age. She looked pretty good, but her figure was far worse than Dong Shanshan’s.
“Teacher Zhang,” Wang Bei smiled as she approached.
“Teacher Wang, what’s the matter?” Zhang Ye looked at her.
Previously, they had met when Wang Bei helped endorse Dong Shanshan in the recording studio. However, they had not spoken. This was the first time that they were having a direct exchange.
Wang Bei invited him, “Are you free tonight? Let’s have a meal?”
Zhang Ye exclaimed, “Sorry about that. I already have an appointment.”
“It’s alright. We can have it another day, since there’s plenty of opportunity.” After they exchanged a few words, she went to the point, “Teacher Zhang, your planning and artistic skills have broadened my horizons. I really admire you. Next time, when it’s my turn to promote the company, can you write a promotional tagline for me?”
Zhang Ye vaguely exclaimed, “Ah? Alright, alright. We’ll talk when the time comes.”
Although Wang Bei noticed that he did not give her a direct promise, she was still very pleased. After all, when Dong Shanshan had sought their help to endorse Zhang Ye, she had hesitated and did not rise up to the request. Instead, her request was somewhat abrupt. However, she was a woman, so she had the qualification to be a bit more abrupt than males. They could slowly develop their relationship as they got familiar over a few meals.
There were many colleagues who had not left at this moment. After hearing what Teacher Wang Bei said, everyone looked at each other. Although Teacher Wang Bei wasn’t very old, she had been a web host for quite a few years. She actually sought a newcomer, Teacher Zhang Ye, for a promotional phrase?
“It can’t be?”
“Teacher Wang Bei looks up to him that much?”
“Could Zhang Ye’s promotional phrase be so good?”
“I’m getting more puzzled about this. No way, I must watch it tonight. It’s just a promotional phrase. I heard no one helped Zhang Ye in his endorsement. What can he come up with alone? How good can such a promotion be? Teacher Wang Bei is being way too dramatic, right?”
“We’ll know tonight!”
“Right, I sure want to see what it is!”
At home.
It was almost 7 P.M.
It was not easy to get a taxi, so Zhang Ye took public transport home. Upon opening the door, the fragrance of a hot pot came surging at him. The smell resembled his world’s “Kawasaki hot sauce”.
“You are back?” Dong Shanshan had already changed into silk pajamas with long sleeves and pants. She was busying herself in the living room, peeling apart a cabbage.
Zhang Ye rubbed his hands, “Yo, we are having hot pot?”
“That’s right. It’s easy. Wash your hands.” Dong Shanshan switched on the induction cooker.
“Alright.” Zhang Ye washed his hands and did not even bother changing his footwear and walked up to have a bite. He first scorched a piece of mutton and placed it in the seasoning sauce before putting it into his mouth. His face was full of pleasure. “Hu, nice. It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten Shabu-shabu!”
Instead, Dong Shanshan asked him something else, “Hur hur. How did you think of the tagline today?”
Zhang Ye waved it off, “It just popped up in my mind.”
“Back in college, you weren’t that good.” Dong Shanshan’s glanced at him charmingly. “That tagline made a woman like me feel my blood rush. You even received the sponsorship of the company to have wide-scale promotions for it. It will at least be on seven or eight video websites. The starting point is already higher than mine!”
Zhang Ye said, “It’s not that different. It’s about the same.”
Dong Shanshan ate a mouthful of Shabu-shabu, “What a pity. Your program is too dangerous.”
“You aren’t optimistic about it, too?” Zhang Ye did not turn upset but laughed instead.
Dong Shanshan said frankly, “I think it’s average. The selling point isn’t clear. There has been no precedent, so I can’t see what’s good about it, no matter what aspect it is. If we were just ordinary colleagues, I would definitely support and cheer you on, but we are old classmates for so many years, so I will definitely suggest that you change programs. But with your personality, you will definitely not heed my advice. Pretend I didn’t say it.”
Zhang Ye laughed, “I’ll not change it even if you killed me. I’m even hoping for the talk show format to go overseas.” The overseas market for talk shows was even bigger than the domestic market. If after his program was released, foreign countries wanted to emulated his program to produce a talk show, they would have to give Zhang Ye royalties. When that happened, he would be truly the founder of talk shows in this world, as well as a pioneer!
How could he not want such a big slice of the pie? Was he an idiot!?
Dong Shanshan curled her lips, “You are even talking about overseas? Keep bragging then.”
Zhang Ye smirked, “You don’t believe? Then let’s have a bet. What happens if my first episode exceeds 500,000 hits? If you lose, what do I get?”
Dong Shanshan leered at him, “You won a bet against me once, and you still want to patronize my business? Hur hur. I won’t fall for it, unless your first episode exceeds a million hits.”
Zhang Ye said without hesitation, “Sure, let’s make it a million.”
Dong Shanshan gazed at him with her watery eyes, “If you can’t exceed it, what happens?”
Zhang Ye blinked, “If I can’t exceed a million, the next time when you need a promotional phrase, I’ll write you one. I’ll ensure that it is of high quality.”
Dong Shanshan ran her fingers through her smooth, wavy hair, “Alright, then if you exceed it, eh… I’ll give you another kiss. Is that fair?”
“Sure. Let’s settle on it.” Zhang Ye agreed to it.
Dong Shanshan laughed, “I didn’t notice it in the first place. When were you so perverted?”
Zhang Ye was speechless, “You were the one who suggested it! You were the first to say it on the plane, too!”
Dong Shanshan was confused, “I was the one who first suggested it?”
“Can that be false?” Zhang Ye said.
“You must have remembered wrongly. Come, let’s tuck in!” Dong Shanshan began scooping the food.
Zhang Ye, “…” Look at your mouth, lying every day with your eyes wide open. When this bro’s talk show succeeds, see how I’ll kiss you so strongly. Right, this time, I must send my tongue in. The last time, your kiss was too damn fast. This bro didn’t even have the time to react. This time I have the experience, alright!?
After the meal.
Dong Shanshan began clearing the dishes.
Zhang Ye knew his place and volunteered, “You’ve been busy all day. Let me do the washing.”
“We’ve agreed on this previously.” Dong Shanshan was adamant on this matter. “I’ll buy the groceries, wash the dishes and do the laundry. It’s in replacement of the rent.”
Zhang Ye said, “Aiyah, it’s fine if I wash every now and then.”
“That won’t do. If not, I can’t stay here with my mind at ease.” Dong Shanshan held the utensils and used her perky hips to push Zhang Ye away, “Leave me alone.”
When Dong Shanshan was wearing slippers, she was shorter than Zhang Ye by a tiny bit. When her hips slammed into Zhang Ye’s thigh, he felt a huge amount of squishy pressure pressing on him. It intoxicated Zhang Ye.
“Alright then.”
“Go online and take a look. See if the promotions have been released.”
“Sure, but it shouldn’t be that fast, right?”
Zhang Ye took out a notebook computer from his room. Flipping it open, he used an internet browser to check every video website. It still wasn’t up, so he constantly had to refresh it.
After washing the dishes, Dong Shanshan dried her hands and walked over, “Is it out?”
“Not yet.” Zhang Ye said.
With a glance, Dong Shanshan said, “It’s useless to refresh the main site. Open any random video. The first ten or so seconds are the commercials. Let me do it.” She took over the mouse and clicked on an updated anime’s video. Then she waited for the commercial.
The first commercial was a shampoo commercial.
The second one was 15-second car commercial.
When the first scene of the third commercial appeared, Zhang Ye suddenly said, “It’s this. Heh, it’s really out. Watch the effect!’
Dong Shanshan was also pretty looking forward to it.
At the same time.
After many people, who had their attention on Zhang Ye, saw the commercial that appeared on various video websites, they began to criticize!
“What? He is even being promoted?”
“Isn’t this Qi Yu Video? Why is there Zhang Ye’s commercial here?”
“Does he not feel enough shame already? This idiot! The company even dares to help promote him?”
“That whatever talk show really makes people speechless. How much hatred does Weiwo company hate Zhang Ye for them to give him such large-scale promotions? Are they afraid people are not cursing him enough!?”
“A youngster is indeed young!”
“Zhang Ye, I think it’s best you keep to your poems. Don’t make programs. You aren’t cut out for it!”
The criticism remained!
Then, Zhang Ye appeared onscreen!
There were many people in the background, as if they were pointing at Zhang Ye. They seemed to be cursing and swearing with their mouths. It looked like a replica of what was happening on the internet!
A man’s voice, “Have you ever worked hard? All you have relied on is luck!”
Another youth’s voice, “Rules are meant to be followed! They’re not meant to be broken!”
Following that, a middle-aged woman’s voice, “You are nothing! You are nothing at all! Give up! You will never succeed!”
The focus changed as Zhang Ye appeared clearly in the foreground who was facing the dozens of people. He looked calmly at the crowd and softly said, “You only smelled my cologne, but didn’t see my sweat…” The scenes kept changing, to Zhang Ye working hard at work throughout the night, to a scene of him standing in the rain while looking towards the sky!
“You have your rules, I have my choices!”
“You deny my existence, I decide my future!”
“You mock at me having nothing, I pity how you always keep yearning!”
“You show contempt for my young age, I will prove whose era this is!”
“Dreams are paths destined to be forged alone, filled with doubts and mockery, but so what?” Even if I’m all black and blue all over, I will also want to live beautifully!”
At this very moment, all the criticism stopped!
The netizens watching the commercial stared blankly at the on-screen Zhang Ye!
Many colleagues of the Weiwo WebTV department were in front of their computers. They all saw it the moment the promotional clip was released.
“Hehe, it’s here!”
“There was really no one who endorsed him?”
“Just him alone? What a joke! Then…”
Immediately, Zhang Ye’s advertisement appeared!
He adjusted his necktie.
“I am Zhang Ye!”
“I’ll speak for myself!”
When his colleagues at Weiwo company heard his last line, they were all completely dumbfounded. They felt like a mouthful of warm blood was about to spew out from their mouths as the blood shot straight to their heads!
Once upon a time, they were young, too!
Once upon a time, they were also hot-blooded!
Dreams? They had mostly forgotten them, nor did they know when they had lost their drive to forge for their dreams. When Zhang Ye’s passage was spoken, everyone suddenly seemed to see themselves, their young selves!
Endorsement?
I’ll speak for myself?
Many people subconsciously began clenching their fists!