Chapter 405: Because "I love this land"!
It was a mess!
A fight had broken out at the scene!
More than twenty youths and a few older guys and girls had surrounded Lee Anson and his two bodyguards to beat them up. The Central TV staff and security team were desperately trying to break it up while other celebrities and artistes were also persuading the attackers not to do it. Some hardcore fans of Lee Anson had rushed forward to try to protect Lee Anson as well. As they were all young girls, the others did not dare to lay a finger on them and only avoided hitting them. Someone was hindered by one of Lee Anson's brain-dead fans and couldn't do anything, so after a while, he could only give up.
"He's trying to escape!"
"Beat up Lee Anson!"
"Stop right there!"
"Anson-oppa!"
"Ah! Who's scratching at me!"
"They've insulted us as a backward nation! Why are you still on his side?"
"We like Anson-oppa, so!? He can insult us as much he likes and we'll still like him!"
That scene was indescribably messy. A hundred people had set themselves on them and no one wanted out!
At this moment, some noise could be heard coming from two directions. It was the sound of chatting and laughter. A crowd came out from the special tunnel exit and at the other side, a number of audiences and reporters had also begun exiting the gala venue. The incident over here had gone on for too long as the Spring Festival Gala had also come to an end!
A slightly more well known male host was walking out and laughing with a few friends. He was attending as a guest tonight and was enjoying the company of his friends, "I still preferred Sister Zhang and Auntie Zhang's 'Woman Flower'. That song is simply too....." Suddenly, he turned his head and saw the fight, causing him to stand and stare with his mouth opened!
"What's the matter?"
"What is this?"
"Aiyo, there's a fight going on!"
"It's the new year, what is this!"
All of those who had exited the gala venue were stunned by this, with no exception. No one could possibly have expected it since they were still in a celebratory mood inside while all of this violence was happening outside!
"Quickly go and take a look at what's happening!"
"Call for help! Call for someone to help first!"
The Central TV supervisor, who was trying to control the incident earlier, turned pale. He had wanted to resolve it before it became a big issue, but who would have known that the gala had already ended. Everyone began streaming out of the venue. The people who came out were no ordinary people either. They included the organization’s leaders, some influential public figures, and their families, all people of importance. He couldn't keep it under wraps anymore even if he wanted to! It was impossible!
Sure enough, quite a number of Central TV's leaders had stepped out at this time. They had been busy with the gala's broadcast earlier and no one dared to disturb them. As their phones were switched off, they only learned of the news now. All of them rushed over anxiously only to be angered by what they saw!
"Stop!"
"What's going on!"
"Quickly, pull them apart!"
"Stop fighting! I am the Deputy Station Head of Central TV! Come to me if there's an issue!"
However, no one was listening to him. No matter how much they shouted for them to stop from the outside, or if they were the Deputy Station Head or the security guards, none of them were able to get those who had surrounded Lee Anson to list or do as they were told!
When Zhang Ye saw this, he too was worried that they would hurt Lee Anson badly. It was fine if they just gave him a punch or two. In the event that they injured him heavily, that would be bad. He squeezed himself over into the crowd and said, "Everyone, stop fighting. That's enough!" It seemed like there was no need for Lee Anson to apologize anymore. His face was bruised all over, so he probably couldn't say sorry even if he wanted to. The two bodyguards were the same and had their faces all messed up, but their injuries did not seem too bad and just looked mostly to be superficial wounds. At most, they would have suffered a dislocation. The commoners did not go for heavy blows, nor did they use any weapons. They used nothing more than just their fists and legs to vent their frustrations.
No one's words made a difference.
Only when Zhang Ye said something did everyone stop fighting.
"Stop!"
"No more fighting!"
"Listen to Teacher Zhang Ye!"
"Yea, listen to Teacher Zhang!"
The commoners dispersed backwards. A big sister, who still looked angry even spat at them as she accompanied the rest to finally move back 10 meters.
The Central TV leader stood there stunned. He shouted for so long and no one bothered about him, but when this person shouted?
The other celebrities and audiences who had just made their way out and saw this could neither make heads or tails of what just happened either. Why did this young man's words seem so effective? He was simply being obeyed by everyone! Teacher Zhang Ye? Who was that? Damn! Could it be that rumored Zhang Ye? The numero uno of the SARFT's blacklist?
Heh!
It's really him!
Someone recognized him!
Actually, the reason why the commoners had listened to Zhang Ye and no one else, was simply because Zhang Ye was the leader of this commotion. The weak little girl, who had been bullied earlier, had no one to stand up for her until Zhang Ye stood up to demand for an apology on her behalf. He even did so without caring for his loss of reputation by blocking the exit. Just based on this action, everyone was convinced to follow him!
Over on the side, the person-in-charge, who was first at the scene, went over to explain to the Central TV leaders. he spoke objectively and relayed the incident to them from the beginning. Around them, many people heard his explanation and finally understood what was going on!
There were huge crowds of people, forming layer after layer.
Many of those who had exited the venue joined in to see what was going on, but a portion of those also had to rush off to other schedules.
Suddenly, the sound of police sirens rang out!
Two police vehicles had arrived and came in directly to the grounds of Central TV!
Yang Jie got out of the car and brought a few policemen along with him. When he had received the call regarding the fight, he was at home preparing to pass the new year with his family. The person reporting the incident did not make it clear over the phone, but mentioned that someone was about to be beaten to death at the Broadcasting Studio 1 of Central TV. Yang Jie was confused by the mention of the Central TV Broadcasting Studio 1! Wasn't that the Spring Festival Gala's venue? How would something like that happen over there, but after receiving several more calls, he understood that something must have happened and so activated several policemen to rush over here with him. When he saw the situation before them, 3 men were lying on the ground all bruised up. It was really a fight!
Two big sized men wore stifled expressions.
While Lee Anson was covering his face with his hands, with a rage-filled expression!
Eh, wait!
Isn't this person Lee Anson?
Didn't he just perform on the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala?
Yang Jie was dumbfounded. He had watched the Spring Festival Gala too and his daughter really liked this singer. She had been talking about him over and over while watching the gala!
"Superintendent Yang!"
"Yo, Director Sun, what's the matter?"
"Let me tell you....."
The two of them had known each other for a long time.
After a few minutes, when Yang Jie and the other policemen were aware of the situation, all of them looked in unison towards Zhang Ye. The name of Zhang Ye was already notorious within the police system in Beijing. Previously, when he had beaten the son of the Beijing Television Station's leader, he was detained at the police station. He had created a big mess while he was there and in the end, they had bow to public pressure and released him. This was how Yang Jie and the other policemen knew about Zhang Ye. Their first reaction was that this would be a headache to handle!
When Lee Anson saw the police, he shouted loudly at them, "……￥##@@!"
The thin bodyguard helped him up and translate his words. It was nothing more than words of protest and complaints. The bodyguard was also enraged, as they had been to China many times in the past, but they had never encountered something like this before. Getting beaten up? To others, it might be nothing, but to a trending celebrity who was enjoy his moment of fame? This was a big issue! It might even affect the career development of Lee Anson in China!
Kaka!
Kacha!
Many people had begun taking photographs!
Lee Anson roared, "가!"
The bodyguard stood in front of him to block the photographing crowd!
Right now, the situation was clear to Yang Jie and he had his own judgment of what happened. He walked over to Zhang Ye and asked, "Did you beat them up?"
Zhang Ye graciously acknowledged this fact, "Yes."
Yang Jie said helplessly, "Then I need you to come with us."
Ci Xiufang rushed forward at this moment, "It's the new year, can't you do anything about it?"
Yang Jie saw her and realized that he knew her, but only from television. In those skits, he would always see her, but he couldn't remember her name. He said, "We are just doing our job. It's the new year and I'm sure nobody wanted this to happen, but we still need to address and solve the issue at hand here."
Nearby, some commoners tried to put in a word for Zhang Ye.
"Why are you arresting him?"
"It's that Lee Anson and his bodyguards who started it!"
"Yea, if you want to arrest anyone, then arrest the three of them!"
"Teacher Zhang was just being a good Samaritan and was seeking justice! What reason do you have to take him away?!"
A policeman standing at the back said, "He still shouldn't have kicked others like this."
Yang Jie stopped that policemen from saying anymore. He told everyone, "We are not arresting anyone. We are just asking him to come with us to assist in the investigation. Zhang Ye has to come with us, and so does Lee Anson. Please everyone, let us through!"
Central TV's leaders discussed for a while, also deciding not to step forward. They did not say anything else, but just allowed the police to handle the matters.
Zhang Ye was feeling great. He did not resist and even sauntered along with the policemen to the police vehicle.
Meanwhile, Lee Anson looked very unhappy and kept nagging at the police and pointing at Zhang Ye. He clearly did not want to waste his time by going to the police station.
The thin bodyguard translated everything that he said.
Yang Jie also kept explaining to Lee Anson.
By now, everything seemed to have ended, but the fallout of the incident was definitely going to be explosive. There was no need to ask as such a big incident had happened, the newspapers and internet would definitely have it as a headline!
The onlookers did not disperse. Even the celebrities, Central TV staff, and audiences all stayed to discuss about this matter.
"Eh, what was the point?"
"That Zhang Ye is really amazing."
"No wonder he was ranked top of the SARFT's blacklist. He's really different!"
"I find him to have a rather true disposition. I previously heard that he went broke just to save the life life of a fan to the point that he needed to sell his car to save them. His character is rather good."
"Even so, he doesn't have a sense of propriety. What kind of occasion is today? Where are we at now? This is the Spring Festival Gala's venue. He shouldn't have caused such a mess!"
"The way he handles issues is indeed problematic. No matter what, he shouldn't have fought. The other party is even a celebrity, a Korean celebrity! If it gets serious, it will affect foreign relations too."
They began commenting all about Zhang Ye!
Lee Anson's hardcore fans were also wiping their tears as they cursed Zhang Ye. They were all heartbroken that Lee Anson had been beaten so badly!
"Zhang Ye! I'm at odds with you!"
"How dare you hit our Anson-oppa! Who do you think you are!"
"You still dare to say that you are seeking justice for us? That girl, who was knocked down by Anson-oppa, that's her blessing! We also wish we could be knocked down by him! What has it got to do with you? Why should you bother about it!"
"A dog trying to catch rats, what a nosy parker!"
"Anson-oppa! Wuwuwu, are you alright?"
"You won't get disfigured, will you?"
"Anson-oppa! We have to sue him! We can't let the matter rest just like this!"
"Zhang Ye! You're a jerk!"
Even at this time, there were still so many of Lee Anson's hardcore fans standing up for him. A bunch of girls kept making noises and the venue was filled with their scoldings or crying voices. One fat girl even squeezed her way towards Lee Anson to hand a band aid to him, offering it to him politely with both hands outstretched.
Lee Anson took the band aid and said, "#@#￥."
The fat girl nearly fainted from the excitement. She exclaimed happily, "Anson-oppa spoke to me! He spoke to me!" In actual fact, she did not understand a word that he said at all.
When Zhang Ye saw this, he felt hurt.
Suddenly, more than 20 reporters squeezed their way through, some were even carrying video cameras. Some were from other broadcasting stations and were also reporters from Central TV. Since it happened so close to where they worked, they had rushed over to take a look. It was the day of the Spring Festival Gala broadcast and there was no lack of television station staff or reporters on site. They were initially not here to cover the societal news or entertainment news, but were here just for the Spring Festival Gala, but who'd have expected that there would be such an incident. As news workers, they couldn't miss out on reporting on something like that!
About eight reporters had gone over to Lee Anson.
About five reporters were interviewing some celebrities or audiences who had witnessed the incident.
Around ten reporters had surrounded the police vehicle to ask Zhang Ye questions!
"Teacher Zhang, what are you doing here?"
"Did you hit Lee Anson?"
"Why did you kick him?"
"A girl was pushed and Lee Anson just walked away, but no one stopped him. Why did you stop him?"
"Do you think that your actions are justifiable?"
"I can see that a lot of people are cursing you right now. What do you think of that?"
"Teacher Zhang, don't stay quiet. Please answer us, why did you hit others? What is your purpose and motive for hitting them? Do you not understand that this does not look good on you? Your reputation will be at stake and you could get implicated. You might even be detained at the police station. I don't understand. Why did you do it?"
The reporters asked without a pause!
But this was exactly what was on everyone's minds too. Yes, why!? What were you thinking?
Zhang Ye looked at Lee Anson who was about to get into the car with the policemen. He looked at those other celebrities and people who were pointing fingers at him. Then he listened to the cursing of those young girls......
Why?
Why?
Zhang Ye had a calm expression. He turned his head towards those cameras pointed at him and reporters and suddenly said, "If I were a bird."
Everyone paused! If? He was a bird? What did that even mean? What are you talking about? They managed to react after a momentary pause. It was a modern poem. Zhang Ye did not just use plain words to answer them. He was using a poem to speak! What did he want to say? What was he trying to express? At this time, everyone became silent. This was becayse everyone knew that Zhang Ye was most famous, not for his TV programs and not for his songwriting talents, but for his poems! Even those hardcore fans of Lee Anson had stopped scolding to listen to what he had to say!
Zhang Yuanqi looked over!
Ci Xiufang was slightly stunned, but also looked over to Zhang Ye!
Central TV's Deputy Station Head and many other celebrities, as well as Yang Jie and his police team, were the same. They all subconsciously gave Zhang Ye a look!
Zhang Ye's expression was calm. It was plain like water, but his voice was full of emotion. It was as if his voice was suppressing an unlimited amount of anger, about to explode, but had no power to do so!
"If I were a bird."
"I should sing with my hoarse voice."
"Of this land buffeted by storms."
"Of this river turbulent with our grief."
"Of these angry winds ceaselessly blowing."
"And of the dawn, infinitely gentle over the woods."
Closing his eyes, Zhang Ye held up his fists but his eyes still so calm:
"—Then I died!"
"And even my feathers would rot in the soil."
"Why are my eyes always brimming with tears?"
"Because I love this land so.....deeply!"
This was from Zhang Ye's previous world. It was Ai Qing's famous "I love this land" that was featured in language textbooks. Today, on this occasion, during this new year's night, Zhang Ye presented it to everyone who was here!
After that, Zhang Ye looked at those who were Chinese nationals, but spent their efforts so crazily adoring a Korean celebrity who did not care for them, to the point of feeling disdain towards them. Zhang Ye opened the door and did not look back at them anymore as he got into the vehicle. He did not know what he was feeling at this moment. Was it disappointment? Sadness? Anger? Or peace? Perhaps, only "I love this land" could portray what he was truly feeling now!
Ci Xiufang took a deep breath. She was in disbelief. She could not imagine a poem like that could come from the mouth of a young person who had never been through war torn times!
The Central TV Deputy Station Head was also frozen on the spot!
Many older people, who were at the venue, were all moved!
The reporters did not say anything and no one continued to chase after Zhang Ye with questions!
Those surrounding celebrities and audiences also stopped criticizing and commenting about Zhang Ye!
After this poem, it felt like the thousands of people had all become silent. It had left all of them speechless, not knowing how to continue on from there. All they could do was stand there as they saw Yang Jie and the policemen drive Zhang Ye and Lee Anson away. The poem still reverberated in their heads as they were overcome with a slew of emotions . All that they wanted to say could not be said as the words were stuck in their throats!
Why did Zhang Ye hit others?
Why did Zhang Ye step forward and resort to violence to stop Lee Anson even if he knew that it would bring him a great deal of trouble?
Was he stupid? He wasn't stupid!
Was he dumb? He wasn't dumb!
Even when he knew of the consequences, he still did it! Without the slightest hesitation!
Before this, many were wondering why, but perhaps there was no reason at all! Because deep down to the bone....Zhang Ye loved this land!