Chapter 19: The Reporter
Honest?
No, she wasn’t honest at all. She used those deceptions to cling to Zhou Tianzui, because she knew it was her only way, the only way she could stay by Zhou Tianzui’s side.
You Ruxu tilted her head back slightly, looking at the crystal chandelier above. She held Zhou Tianzui tightly.
In moments like these.
She felt the most at peace.
You Ruxu silently held Zhou Tianzui, then actively clung to her again. Zhou Tianzui pursed her lips, weathering the storm, entangled with her once more.
Late at night.
You Ruxu fell asleep, lying beside Zhou Tianzui, her hand still clutching the corner of Zhou Tianzui’s pajamas. Zhou Tianzui, getting up for water, looked down and paused, then lifted the blanket and got back into bed, not leaving You Ruxu’s side.
They slept like this until morning.
As sunlight streamed into the room, You Ruxu opened her eyes. She looked at Zhou Tianzui beside her. The light sleeper frowned slightly, a sign of waking. Before she could fully wake, You Ruxu reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhou Tianzui’s waist, smelling the familiar scent, and closed her eyes.
Zhou Tianzui shielded her forehead with her hand, turned off her phone before the alarm went off, released You Ruxu’s hand, and left the room. The ticking of the clock in the living room echoed. She stood still for a few minutes. Her phone vibrated.
It was her mother.
“Xiao Tian, are you at work yet?” Yu Qiao was outside. Zhou Tianzui knew she liked to exercise in the residential complex’s park in the morning, and she was probably there already. Zhou Tianzui said, “No, I just woke up.”
“Then let me tell you something. Your Uncle Zhou’s nephew is back from abroad. He’s quite eligible. When are you free for dinner?” Yu Qiao said, “How about this weekend? It’s been a while since you’ve been home. Come home for dinner this weekend.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Didn’t I just go home recently?”
“But you didn’t have dinner at home.” Yu Qiao said, “You rarely come back, and you didn’t even have dinner at home. It makes me feel bad.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “I understand.”
“Then it’s settled, this weekend, come home early for dinner.” Yu Qiao laughed. “I’ll buy you some of your favorite food.”
Zhou Tianzui held the phone: “Okay.”
Turning around, she saw that You Ruxu was already awake, looking at her. Zhou Tianzui said, “Go wash up first.”
She went to the kitchen.
You Ruxu went into the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth, her movements the same as usual, yet slightly slower. When she came out, Zhou Tianzui was halfway through preparing breakfast. She walked in and said, “Let me do it.”
Zhou Tianzui brushed past her and went to the bathroom.
Neither of them spoke.
When Zhou Tianzui came out, she said, “I’m going home this weekend.”
You Ruxu said, “I understand.”
She didn’t ask why. Zhou Tianzui lowered her head and peeled an egg. In the quiet living room, they sat facing each other, listening to the morning news anchor say, “Zhang Xiaojie is still unconscious…”
Zhang Xiaojie hadn’t woken up, yet the rumors outside were almost claiming he was dead. Some even said: [He might as well just die.]
[Good people don’t live long, but scourges last a thousand years!]
[When is Zhang Xiaojie going to die? I’ll do a grave dance.]
You Ruxu looked at the extreme comments online and remained silent. After Chen Mo’s parents’ live broadcast yesterday, netizens had dug up more “dirt” on Zhang Xiaojie, such as disrespecting women at work, liking certain comments on a Weibo alt account. Now, everyone was judging him with prejudice, grasping at every little detail, trying to stir up another storm.
The online buzz around Zhang Xiaojie remained high, instantly overshadowing the news about the interview with the fireworks factory owner.
It was the midday news that released the news about the interview, but netizens weren’t very interested, even marketing accounts barely reposted it, a stark contrast to the morning news report about Zhang Xiaojie.
Chen Xiang pondered, “Teacher You, why are they like this?”
“It’s normal.” You Ruxu said, “Emotions accumulate before they erupt.”
Their previous report about Zhang Xiaojie’s child had calmed some people down, making them start to think about the incident. It served as a buffer, but Chen Mo’s parents’ live broadcast was the trigger.
Presumably, those who watched the live broadcast would direct even more anger towards Zhang Xiaojie.
People could be driven by emotions, especially anger. Their focus was now entirely on Zhang Xiaojie, which was wrong. What she needed to do was shift the focus back, make them pay attention to the incident itself.
After all, this was a fireworks explosion.
The person responsible was the owner of the fireworks factory, Mr. Zhao, not Zhang Xiaojie.
But why did Chen Mo’s parents hate Zhang Xiaojie so much, even going live at this juncture, willing to tear open their own wounds to push Zhang Xiaojie into the spotlight? You Ruxu couldn’t understand it. She asked Chen Xiang, “Did you look into what I asked you yesterday?”
Chen Xiang said, “Yes, they didn’t know each other before, but Zhang Xiaojie and Chen Mo became quite close in the past two years.”
Of course, this wasn’t something Chen Xiang found out herself, but what netizens had dug up.
Chen Mo and Zhang Xiaojie had a good relationship. Chen Mo often visited Zhang Xiaojie’s home. But judging by the parents’ attitude, it was most likely extreme hatred. Netizens could understand this. Chen Xiang said, “Teacher You, should we ask Zeng Jing again?”
You Ruxu said, “Let’s wait until after this is over.”
She said, “Were there any changes to today’s interview script?”
Chen Xiang said, “No.”
However, the level of interest had dropped significantly. Although it was a CCTV program, airing at this juncture, it was predictable that the viewership would be much lower. You Ruxu said, “Proceed as planned.”
Her expression remained unchanged, a smile curving her eyes when she saw the interviewee, softening the inherent nobility and coldness she exuded. On set, You Ruxu and the elderly teacher sat face to face, exchanging greetings with a smile.
Chen Xiang admired her ability to switch from deep thought to work mode instantly.
“She could be an actress.” The PD beside them whispered, “Teacher You is in excellent form.”
Withstanding the pressure from the station, everyone in the three teams knew that You Ruxu had chosen the topic with the least attention. Teams 1 and 3 had exceptionally high ratings every day, while the midday news team’s ratings were mediocre. Not only were they mediocre, even their Weibo posts had no interaction, utterly embarrassing.
They had posted the news about the interview with Mr. Zhao this morning, and it was immediately buried by Team 1’s news about Zhang Xiaojie.
The other two teams were mocking her behind her back: [Is You Jiaoyue going to fail this time?]
They were even betting in their private group chat whether the midday news team would be the first to receive all C’s in the year-end evaluation. The PD had heard these rumors, and if she could hear them, You Ruxu definitely could too.
So, she was very worried about You Ruxu’s work state this morning, but unexpectedly, she was as perfect as ever.
Hearing the PD’s words, Chen Xiang said, “Acting?”
Thinking about it, Teacher You really was quite suitable.
You Ruxu lowered her head, ignoring the others’ gazes, and focused on communicating with the teacher on stage, exchanging words. It wasn’t so much an interview as it was listening. Her smiling eyes were gentle, making him feel comfortable and respected, even leading the teacher to share many stories that weren’t in the script. The PD, hearing this, was overjoyed and extremely satisfied.
After the interview ended, the teacher called out to her, “Teacher You.”
You Ruxu paused.
The teacher smiled: “What? Feel unworthy of the title?”
You Ruxu said, “In front of you, I certainly do.”
The teacher said, “Do you know why I agreed to your interview?”
Over the years, many people had wanted to interview him, new media outlets, self-media, and even some investors who wanted to package him as an “internet celebrity,” under the guise of helping him gain fame and reach more students.
He just laughed it off. He didn’t even know how many desks were in his room, or how many students came on weekends, and they wanted to help him gain fame?
It was a joke.
So, he usually wasn’t very welcoming towards the media, but his first meeting with You Ruxu was different.
She sat in his classroom, his small room, along with sixteen students. With You Ruxu, there were seventeen. You Ruxu didn’t say anything, just quietly sat there and listened to the lesson, just like all his other students, even more attentively than some.
She listened like this for over half a month, coming every day, even becoming friends with his students, truly integrating herself.
He had never met a reporter like this before.
Very—very different.
But he didn’t immediately agree to the interview. He observed her. While You Ruxu was observing him, he was also observing her. This reporter was very tenacious and independent-minded. He liked her.
Later, You Ruxu went back to submit the topic proposal and returned to film him for ten days. She didn’t give any grand pronouncements about him, but focused more on the children, the conditions, and the equipment. He knew then that he hadn’t chosen wrong.
You Ruxu looked at the teacher and heard him say, “I believe you will be an excellent reporter.”
“Ruxu, what do you want to do in the future?”
“Mom, I want to be a reporter.”
“A reporter?”
“Yes, a good reporter.”
“Teacher You?” Chen Xiang called out softly, “What’s wrong?”
You Ruxu snapped back to reality and saw the teacher talking to the PD. She said, “It’s nothing.”
Chen Xiang said, “The interview is over. The boss asked if we’re going to the police station.”
You Ruxu said, “I’ll say goodbye to them, you go wait for me outside.”
Chen Xiang agreed.
Outside, it was drizzling, the wind cold against her skin. Chen Xiang frowned, just as she was about to go back to get an umbrella, she saw You Ruxu holding an umbrella, a black one in her other hand, offering it to her.
Chen Xiang said, “Teacher You, you’re so kind!”
You Ruxu smiled.
In the car, Chen Xiang looked outside and said, “It’s been raining these past few days, and they say there’s a heavy downpour tomorrow, and the temperature will drop after that. Teacher You, you should wear more clothes when you go out.”
You Ruxu agreed, turned to look out the window. The rain was drizzling, continuous, falling on the car window, forming winding curves. She watched for a few minutes. Her phone vibrated; it was a reminder she had set.
The reminder didn’t have any notes for this day, only a time.
She looked down at it for a while and said, “Is it the 23rd today?”
Chen Xiang glanced at the time on the dashboard and said, “Yes, October 23rd. What’s wrong, Teacher You?”
You Ruxu was silent for a few seconds, then said, “It’s nothing.”
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