Ye Guang took out his domestically produced Orange smartphone and called Li Delong, his father's old comrade-in-arms who worked at the radio station.
"Hello, Uncle Li, it's me, Ye Guang. I've already arrived at the entrance of the radio station. Yeah, okay, okay, got it. I'm wearing a black suit and carrying a brown messenger bag. Yeah, alright, I'll wait for you at the entrance."
After hanging up the phone, it wasn't long before a man in his fifties walked out of the radio station. The man had a strong build and walked with a confident stride. His hair was slightly gray, but well-groomed.
Li Delong greeted Ye Guang from afar. "Xiaoye! Over here."
Ye Guang walked up to him and greeted, "Uncle Li."
Li Delong walked up to Ye Guang and warmly patted his shoulder. "Hey, Xiaoye, it's been a while since I last saw you. You've grown stronger. Haha."
"It's all thanks to my mom's good care. Uncle Li, you're still so strong, making us young people feel ashamed," Ye Guang said.
"Haha, I'm getting old, I'm getting old," Li Delong laughed. "Don't just stand here, let's go inside." With that, Li Delong led Ye Guang into the radio station.
Li Delong brought Ye Guang to the ninth floor. Along the way, many staff members greeted Li Delong, calling him "Director Li". When they entered Li Delong's office, Ye Guang saw the sign on his desk: Director of the Radio Station - Li Delong.
"Oh, so Uncle Li, you're the director of the radio station. My dad told me you work at the radio station, but he didn't tell me what you specifically do here. It turns out my dad found me a big backer," Ye Guang said with a smile.
Li Delong personally poured a glass of water for Ye Guang and gestured for him to sit down. He smiled and said, "Your dad, that kind of person. He and I have been in the same city for so many years, but he has never asked me for anything or helped me with anything. I occasionally ask him out for a drink, but he always says your mom is watching over him. Yesterday, when your dad called me, he really surprised me. Your dad never asks for help, but he made an exception this time."
"Heh, who knew," Ye Guang said with a wry smile. "Uncle Li, I hope you're not facing any difficulties. If you have any troubles, just tell me directly. I don't want to trouble you."
"Hey, kid, what are you talking about?" Li Delong feigned anger. "I have no troubles at all! Your dad and I have been comrades-in-arms for so many years, and I've watched you grow up since you were young. Your dad and I fought side by side and shared a bunk bed in the army. This is the first time your dad has asked me for help, so I will definitely help you in a grand way!"
"Alright, thank you, Uncle Li," Ye Guang said with a smile. Ye Guang wasn't being overly hesitant. Li Delong and his family have had a lot of interactions over the years, and they were quite familiar with each other. Since he had already asked for help, being too hesitant and indecisive would only complicate matters.
Li Delong and Ye Guang chatted about personal matters in the office for almost half an hour before finally discussing Ye Guang's work arrangements.
Li Delong asked Ye Guang what kind of work he wanted to do.
Ye Guang said it didn't matter, as he didn't know how to do anything and would have to learn everything from scratch. He let Li Delong decide.
His casual response made Li Delong somewhat hesitant. After thinking for a while, he said, "Xiaoye, you're new here and don't know anything yet. It's not easy for me to assign you to a high-profile department or position. How about this, I have a late-night channel here. The current radio host for that slot is an older brother named Liu Bayi. He'll be retiring in about two weeks. He's an experienced senior, so you can learn from him and give it your all. If you can become familiar with the work before he retires, I'll let you take over his program!"
Indeed, having connections makes things easier.
"Uncle Li, you want me to host a show so soon? Isn't that a bit..." Ye Guang was somewhat surprised. He was a newcomer, just arrived, and didn't know anything yet. Now he was being assigned to host a show? They say becoming a radio host requires three years of backstage experience. Even though Li Delong was the station director, he wouldn't really let him wait for three years. However, it still seemed too quick. Li Delong's arrangement was difficult to explain.
"No problem, it's a late-night slot with low listenership. The young people at the station look down on it. I was just worried that there wouldn't be anyone to take over from Old Liu. You coming here is perfect!" Li Delong said with a smile. "Could it be that you lack confidence, kid? You graduated from a prestigious university, even though your major isn't directly related, it's no problem to get some practice. Just work hard!"
Ye Guang didn't refuse. He did need an opportunity, and he didn't have much time. So he nodded and agreed, "Okay, I have confidence. Thank you, Uncle Li."
"That's good to hear," Li Delong nodded. "By the way, Xiaoye, for the next few days, you should learn from Old Liu, observe, and also find some training materials and books on hosting. There's a hosting certificate too. There will be a centralized exam in ten days. I'll find someone I know to help you get the certificate. Although it's just for radio hosting, not having a certificate is like leaving your tail out for someone to grab."
Upon hearing this, Ye Guang admired Li Delong. This robust man was meticulous and considerate. No wonder he became the station director.
To be honest, Ye Guang hadn't even considered the hosting certificate. After all, he didn't expect to be on air so quickly. In fact, many well-known hosts started without a certificate, not to mention broadcasting hosts. Many hosts were unlicensed, but as Li Delong said, not having a certificate is like leaving your tail out for someone to grab. There is a program called "Tonight's Post-80s Stand-up Comedy" hosted by Wang Zijian, a born comedian. Although the program is quite good and he calls himself the top comedian in China, he was caught by someone for not having a hosting certificate. As a result, he was replaced by a host who was deemed unnecessary, and Wang Zijian became a guest on his own show.
"Alright, Uncle Li, I understand. You don't need to worry about the hosting certificate. I'll take care of it myself. When I finish work today, I'll go home and register online. If I don't want others to grab onto my tail in the future, I should make sure everything is clean and clear," Ye Guang said firmly.
Li Delong took a sip of his water and said, "Hmm? Ten days, are you confident? It may not be difficult to get the certificate, but it's not easy either."
Ye Guang nodded, "No problem, Uncle Li, you can rest assured. I have confidence."
"Good! Confidence is key!" Li Delong patted Ye Guang on the shoulder. "Come, let me take you to your department."
The eighth floor was the centralized office area of the radio station, which was quite spacious and divided into seven or eight areas by wooden partitions.
With a quick glance, Ye Guang noticed that most of the staff members were actually quite idle. Some were playing with their phones, some were reading newspapers, some were playing games, and some were chatting. Very few were actually doing their jobs. When they saw Li Delong, they quickly stopped what they were doing.
"Director Li."
"Hello, Director Li."
"Greetings, leader."
The staff members greeted Li Delong one by one.
Li Delong nodded and led Ye Guang to the central area. He clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, stop for a moment."
Everyone stopped their supposed work and looked towards Li Delong.
"I want to introduce a new colleague to you all," Li Delong said, pointing to Ye Guang beside him.
"This is our new colleague, Ye Guang. He just graduated from university not long ago and will be working together with you all from now on. You are all his seniors, so please take care of him."
Ye Guang smiled and nodded, greeting the others.
"Let's give him a round of applause to welcome him," Li Delong led the applause.
Everyone also joined in, the applause wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but it was decent and almost all the employees present joined in.
Well, the person personally brought in by the director should definitely have some connections. Just because of the director's position, giving a little face was expected.
"Xiao Zhao, later you take Ye Guang to complete the onboarding procedures," Li Delong said to a woman named Zhao Rui who was in her thirties and had short shoulder-length hair.
Zhao Rui smiled and nodded. She smiled and greeted Ye Guang, and they exchanged greetings.
"Old Liu, you're here too," Li Delong said to Liu Bayi, a man with half-gray hair, a square face, and round-framed glasses.
Liu Bayi nodded, "Hmm, I came for some retirement procedures. I'll be leaving soon."
Li Delong smiled and nodded. "Perfect, that saves me from looking for you later. Old Liu, you're retiring in a few days. Before you go, give the newcomer, Xiaoye, some guidance."
Liu Bayi looked at Ye Guang with some surprise and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Hmm."
Ye Guang could clearly feel many people's gazes suddenly focused on him. Some were surprised, some were envious, and some held a trace of dissatisfaction. He even noticed a hint of resentment in the eyes of a young man in the corner who wore black-framed glasses.
Ye Guang wasn't a fool and had already guessed roughly what was going on. It seemed that what Li Delong said about the late-night slot having low listenership and no one wanting to accept it was just to reassure him. Li Delong's words in front of so many people were basically equivalent to making the final decision for Ye Guang to take over Old Liu's program. Ye Guang was new, had no experience, and was immediately being assigned to host a show. Even though Li Delong was backing him up, it was likely to cause some trouble.
Now that the situation was set, Ye Guang couldn't say anything. He could only silently thank Li Delong. He would repay this favor in the future. He remembered this favor!
Afterward, Zhao Rui led Ye Guang to complete the onboarding procedures, going up and down the building. Zhao Rui was a friendly and talkative woman, thirty-two years old, married, and had a seven-year-old child. Perhaps due to Li Delong's relationship, Zhao Rui was quite welcoming to Ye Guang. They chatted along the way, and they quickly became familiar with each other.
Ye Guang affectionately called Zhao Rui "Zhaojie" (Sister Zhao), and Zhao Rui warmly introduced Ye Guang to various aspects of the radio station.
Finally, after a busy morning, they had completed all the onboarding procedures by a little after eleven o'clock.
The labor contract was signed for one year, with a two-month probation period. The salary and benefits during the probation period were the same as the formal salary and benefits. The salary was a base salary of 3500 yuan per month, plus a perfect attendance bonus of 500 yuan, a meal subsidy of 500 yuan, and a transportation allowance of 200 yuan. Adding it all up, he would earn 4700 yuan per month. For a recent university graduate, it wasn't low, and Ye Guang estimated that Li Delong had something to do with it.
It was almost lunchtime, so Ye Guang suggested treating Zhao Rui to a meal since she had been running around with him all morning. Zhao Rui politely declined at first but eventually didn't refuse. She suggested having lunch at the cafeteria in the television station.