Chapter 014: The Invasion of the Journalists
(Apologies for the late update. I had something to attend to in the afternoon. Please continue to support Cavalry, which currently ranks 40th in the New Book Chart with 558 favorites!)
Li Ziran glanced at the buxom blonde, then at her own chest. A blush immediately crept up her face. By comparison, she felt quite flat-chested. She wasn't sure why, but her first reaction was to glance at Liu Shiqing. Finding that he hadn't revealed any lustful or lecherous expressions, she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, I've finally found the place. Hey, do you guys know a student named Zhou Yupeng? I heard he's in the second-year class, same as you guys?" The blonde's captivating eyes blinked.
A suspicion sparked in Liu Shiqing's mind. Could this foreign girl have been drawn here by the essay he had written? Showing no surprise, Liu asked, "Who are you? What do you want with Zhou Yupeng?"
Recalling the safety lectures her teachers usually gave them in class, Li Ziran immediately put on a cautious face, "State your identity quickly, otherwise, I'm calling security."
"Don't be angry, students. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jennifer Fox from the United States. I'm a CNN correspondent in Huaxia, and my superiors sent me here to specifically interview Zhou Yupeng about an essay he wrote. Here are my business card, foreign journalist's ID, passport, foreigner's residence permit, and the introduction letter from Wuling City Foreign Affairs Office." Jennifer Fox explained with a small smile as she extracted a pile of credentials from her bag.
Li Ziran accepted the credentials. They were all beautifully made, displaying the global dominance of CNN with every detail. Some bore Jennifer's photo while others - though photo-less - had Jennifer's name on them. Overwhelmed, Li Ziran was at a loss for what to do. CNN was a big name, an unchallenged global news heavyweight. "Liu Shiqing, what should we do?"
Liu Shiqing thought for a moment, "Let's call Class Director? Let him make the decision."
Frantically, Li Ziran pulled out her cellphone and dialed the Class Director's number, quickly describing the situation. Ban Zhengping instructed Li Ziran and Liu Shiqing to treat the foreign guests properly and not to be neglectful. He promised to immediately report the matter to the principal.
Just as she hung up the call, another luxury car rolled up at the school gate. Liu Shiqing did not recognize the brand of the car, but Li Ziran's eyes widened; apparently, this car was even more luxurious than Jennifer's Ferrari.
A blonde beauty stepped out of the new car, but unlike Jennifer, her elegance encapsulated both Eastern and Western elements. She had a distinctly European and American look.
"Excuse me, is this Wuling County No.1 Middle School?" She asked in fluent Chinese with an exotic accent.
Having dealt with Jennifer, Li Ziran was somewhat calmer this time, "You are...?"
The newly–arrived blonde introduced herself, "I am Caroline Castle, an editor for the 'Nature' Magazine in Huaxia, dispatched by the magazine headquarters. I'm here for an interview with Zhou Yupeng. Here's my business card."
Li Ziran accepted the card and glanced at it. The logo of "Nature" Magazine was printed on the back, and the front displayed her name -- Caroline Castle -- and her position.
Just as Li Ziran was about to strike up a conversation with Caroline, two more cars zoomed in. One bearing the signage of the Huaxia News Agency and the other that of Huaxia Central Television. Both were the most influential media outlets in Huaxia, one being the leader in TV coverage and the other in news reporting.
What relieved Li Ziran was that the people who got out of these two cars, though some were female, were much more formal in their appearances. At least they were dressed traditionally, not as sexy and seductive as Jennifer Fox and Caroline Castle.
The journalists from Huaxia Central Television and Huaxia News Agency immediately got to work as soon as they got out of their cars. The Huaxia Central Television crew hoisted their filming equipment, and the journalists from the Huaxia News Agency reached for their cameras, snapping a series of photos featuring the school name and external environment of Wuling County No.1 Middle School.
At this point, the doorman was completely flustered. He might not know what CNN and the "Nature" Magazine were, but Huaxia Central Television and Huaxia News Agency were household names to him. Regardless of whether these two media outlets that even the local government dared not offend were here bearing bad news or good, he simply couldn't turn a blind eye to them.
The doorman quickly made a call to the principal, reporting the situation. Principal Zhou Yiliang, on the other end of the call, was so scared that he broke out in a sweaty panic. He feared that the school had caused some issue that caught the attention of the prime time "Focus Moment" show on Huaxia Central Television, which would expose Wuling County No.1 Middle School in front of the whole country. In that case, he would probably need to resign to calm the public uproar.
Zhou Yiliang, in record-breaking time, dashed out of the office building. His plump body surprisingly reached a speed comparable to a rabbit's. By the time he arrived, panting heavily at the school gates, there were already more than a dozen carriages gathered outside the school gate. The leadership of Wuling City and Wuling County had all been summoned, completely unaware of what had happened. They had all dropped their work and rushed to Wuling County No.1 Middle School, ready to dismiss Zhou Yiliang on the spot and pledge to the journalists that they would severely rectify Wuling County No.1 Middle School, aiming to neutralize the impact before the issue reached the national level.
"Esteemed leaders, County Chief Wu, Director Jiang, Director Li, I'm glad you all came," Zhou Yiliang greeted, bending and bowing to his superiors.
Zhang Guoji, the big shot of Wuling City, addressed, "Principal Zhou, we are here this time for an on-site meeting at your Wuling County No.1 Middle School. If there's any problem in Wuling County, we will handle it right here. You should go and entertain our fellow journalists, including the foreign ones. Ignore us for the time being."
Zhang Guoji had just assumed office recently and was eager to establish a vigorous and decisive style in front of the city's people. Otherwise, why would a person in his position as a major member of the city government come rushing over because of Huaxia Central Television and Huaxia News Agency's joint raid? Even if there were any problems at Wuling County No.1 Middle School, he could handle them later without tarnishing his image.
Zhou Yiliang's smile was on the brink of turning rigid. He didn't know the precise reason that brought the two national media to his school. Regardless of his willingness, he had to put up a big smile and walked over to the Huaxia Central Television and Huaxia News Agency reporters. As for Jennifer from CNN and reporters from local stations, radio stations, and newspaper offices who rushed here over the news, he ignored them completely. He was not ignorant of CNN's worldwide reputation, which was even bigger than Huaxia Central Television and Huaxia News Agency. However, he also recognized that immediate threats are the most dangerous. He'd rather offend CNN than neglect Huaxia Central Television and Huaxia News Agency.