I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 99 Fire!
After the phrase "enduring hardship without suffering" went viral, the resulting public opinion still attracted attention. When Zhang Da'an was interviewed, he was busy with the autumn and winter exams for this year's "Zhang An Certification".

Han Tieguai is now a certified reviewer for the Chinese language group. He receives a basic salary of level 11, which is the maximum salary of 150,000 yuan per year.

Currently, "Zhang An Education" divides lecturer salaries into assistant, level 1, 2, and 3 teaching assistants, level 1, 2, and 3 associate lecturers, and level 1, 2, and 3 main lecturers.

Above the main speaker are the lecturer trainers, who are usually the group leaders of each subject group.

Han Tieguai is the head of the Chinese language group and the training director. Reaching his level means receiving a basic salary of 150,000 yuan per year, which is the highest salary.

The top salary is adjusted annually, so next year Han Tieguai's basic salary will not only be 150,000 yuan a year, but will be increased by 20%, which is 180,000 yuan a year.

Basically, it matches the increase in enrollment fees. Don't be fooled by the fact that it went from 58,000 last year to 60,000 this year, which seems like only 2,000. But when you add in food, drink, and other necessities, it all adds up to money.

It must be understood that for-profit institutions are fundamentally different from regular schools. First of all, they do not receive subsidies for meals. Normal middle school cafeterias receive government subsidies, while "Zhang An Education" charges only the market price and has a reasonable profit margin.

Therefore, judging solely from the operations of Xindongweigang Middle School, it truly embodies the head coach's philosophy of not intending to "force hardship without effort."

The pressure is immense to openly unleash such a cannon.

"Mr. Zhang, can you please give us a break? We're under a lot of pressure from public opinion; you're really putting more pressure on us."

"I said a few words on Luzhou TV, and other TV stations in Luzhou didn't get agitated, but you guys are the first to come and interrogate me?"

"No... Mr. Zhang, can't you be a little more reasonable?"

"What kind of reasoning is it for a young man who isn't even twenty years old? Have I broken the law?"

"..."

He wanted to fight this young man one-on-one!
But seeing the young man's two thick arms and his increasingly fierce appearance, he immediately gave up the idea.

Fear of school violence.

Because there are people on this campus who look very violent.

"This has sparked widespread discussion in society; there has to be a resolution, right?"

"Ask me for the results? Are you kidding me? Besides, I don't think I need to pay attention to someone who gets upset just because they're not suffering. Unless he hangs himself in front of your workplace, what business is it of mine?"

"If you blame me for 'speaking out,' then don't put me on TV. Is that so hard?"

"..."

The two sides parted on bad terms over the matter, but that didn't stop them from having a simple meal together at "Zhuangyuanlou".

There was no extravagance or waste; it was truly just ordinary home-cooked food. Everyone continued chatting while eating.

Previously it was a business-to-business relationship, but now it's just a personal one.

"Anyway, we inquired with the higher-ups before we came, and it seems that the situation in Luzhou will be handled first. If Luzhou TV is okay, then there's no problem. After all, the public should be allowed to speak out boldly. Also, the comrades from the former Ministry of Electronics Industry are quite happy to see influential voices from society being heard. The province has defined video games as a component of the electronic software industry, so if nothing unexpected happens, the relevant industrial departments will definitely share this view. Therefore, there are quite a few units supporting General Manager Zhang's voice."

"Just saying you support us isn't enough; do you have any promises or policies to offer?"

"..."

What left them speechless was that they found it hard to believe that this was the behavior of a young man not yet twenty years old.

With a body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, the words he spoke sounded exactly like 137 degrees Celsius.

"We haven't inquired about the specific policies or support measures."

"You didn't ask when you came, so go back and ask. Logically speaking, you 'old hands' wouldn't make this kind of mistake, would you? Do you still want the 'top scorer in the college entrance exam' title to bring good luck?"

"Didn't you take the college entrance exam at the Ma Zhou branch campus...?"

"Can't you promote 'Zhang An Education'? You lack even this much flexibility in your promotional work, no wonder you're afraid of this and that."

"..."

I was scolded for no reason, but it didn't have much of an impact. After all, I was already familiar with Zhang Da'an's terrible personality. Everyone gathered around because they wanted to improve. What's wrong with being criticized?
It won't peel off your skin or flesh.

Furthermore, they always provide meals when I come over, so they're quite considerate.

Of course, this has no direct connection to the fact that the children of these comrades are already in their respective "top student tutoring classes".

This year, the Wudu City Junior High School Entrance Examination question-setting team invited Zhang Da'an to participate in the question-setting process, but Zhang Da'an declined. However, the head of the subject group of the Junior High School Entrance Examination retake class did go to Wudu City to participate in a symposium on assisting with question-setting.

There's no way around it; Xindongweigang Middle School is now so powerful and aggressive that it's giving a lot of established prestigious schools a real headache.

Given Zhang Da'an's status within Wudu City, even if he puts his feet on the table while speaking at a meeting of the education management department, it's considered perfectly reasonable of him.

Maybe this is the most comfortable way for them to sit.

Long live understanding.

The propaganda department and the education management department are separated by only a wall. Young people represent the future. Now that young people are all studying under them, will they still need to retire in ten years?

It's not appropriate to have heroes investigate heroes, or good men investigate good men.

"Mr. Zhang, will you continue to 'fire shots' at the media in the future?"

"So what if I do? So what if I don't?"

"I'd welcome it if not, but if you are, we can make contingency plans. If we put you on the priority watch list, and you bring up sensitive issues, we can be prepared. As long as you don't put us in a passive position, everything else is negotiable."

"That depends on how far my business has progressed."

What if we only focus on repeating a grade?

"This is nothing more than society, schools, and families offering their comments back and forth."

"Does this mean you want to expand your business further?"

Those who work in publicity immediately understood that Zhang Da'an was definitely not limited to just tutoring students who repeat a grade.

The previous "Zhang An Health" company was located in Jiangning City, so that was none of their business. But "Zhang An Food" was located in Shazhou, so that's a different story.

Do we have to bark twice more in the area of ​​food safety?
Isn't it?

But it's alright, a little barking in the food safety field isn't a big problem.

"You mentioned someone from the former Ministry of Electronics Industry... I'm happy to hear your voices from the public. Could you help me find out about specific policies supporting industrial development?"

"Generally, they're probably 'star companies' or something like that, right?"

"Don't be so casual. There's nothing like this. I originally planned to start a new business, hoping to take advantage of joining the World Trade Organization to boost service trade exports. If it works out, I'll take care of the publicity for this part. I have my own media company, and I'll give you the prepared promotional materials directly."

"Is it true? Is it really a trade agreement?"

"It's not impossible that it's all talk and no action, but it will definitely be a new industry or project, and it will fall within the scope of high-tech development."

"No... Mr. Zhang, high technology?"

"What? You think I can't do it?"

"Could you give me a little hint?" "What do you think?"

"..."

Looking at the other person with eyes that seemed to regard them as idiots, a look of disdain from two years' top scorers in the college entrance examination.

Actually, the Education Bureau knew beforehand that Zhang Da'an wanted to do vocational training, and even had Uncle Zhang practice "Kou Ni Ji Wa". Now, the only person in the Education Bureau who can speak a few words of English and Japanese is Zhang Zhengdong.

Two and a half years have passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Zhengdong has been "pouring chickens" for so long, but not a single Japanese chicken has made an appearance.

It's practically the same as the "Dragon-Slaying Technique".

Then this year, in order to prepare for the Ma Zhou branch school, a lot of resources were allocated. Uncle Zhang's practice of spoken English was no different from singing, dancing and rapping. It was purely for his own amusement.

Now that Zhang Da'an brought it up again, the "old hand" from the propaganda department with a good memory immediately remembered it. After the dinner party ended, on the way back to the city, the "old hand" talked about it.

"What does Zhang Zhengdong learning a foreign language have to do with high-tech industries?"

“I definitely don’t know, and neither do you. Zhang Zhengdong probably doesn’t know either, but who is Zhang An? Everyone in the city knows he’s brilliant. There must be something going on here, otherwise why would this ‘God of Literature’ act like a ‘God of Wealth’ every day?”

"That's true. But I really can't think of any way to link Zhang Zhengdong's learning of foreign languages ​​with high-tech industries."

This year, the city has attached great importance to "Zhang An Education," mainly because there are many more visible aspects to it.

The municipal education bureau renovated school buildings, added teaching tools, and compensated nearly 500 teachers for their salaries and bonuses in several rural primary schools.

Based on this, three more central primary schools have added synthetic running tracks.

Part of this money comes from the revenue sharing of Zhuangyuan Street, and a large part comes from the profit sharing of the main campus of Xindongwei Port Middle School.

Because it was included in special funds, the audit was quite strict, and it was supervised by the Wudu City Education Bureau. During the supervision process, the Wudu City Education Bureau was already envious. If they had acted faster back then, the Shazhou City Education Bureau wouldn't have had a chance.

This year's big hits also include "Zhang An's Secret Exam Papers," "The Top Scholar's Treasure Trove," and "The Top Scholar's Secret Exam Papers," which have become the second largest source of profit for "Zhang An Education."

The municipal bureau also receives special funds from the municipal education investment company. The city isn't actually greedy for these funds; of course, who doesn't like money? It's just a matter of making a steady, long-term flow.

The city originally planned to relocate the high schools in the industrial zone to the city center, but there was a lack of funds. Now that the municipal bureau has a stable source of funds for renovating the facilities of primary schools in towns and villages throughout the city, there is a surplus in this area.

It can be said that Zhang Da'an single-handedly changed the development pattern of the entire education sector in Shazhou City.

This is why, no matter how much the "veterans" had their doubts, they still chose to believe that Zhang Zhengdong's learning of foreign languages ​​was related to high-tech industries.

Path dependence means that successful people deserve to be believed in forever.

After the closed-door meeting with Zhang Da'an, a plan was established, and all that was needed was to know was where Zhang Da'an would "fire his guns".

"Firing a cannon" is no big deal; their job is to respond promptly and then mitigate the negative impact.

However, because Zhang Da'an frequently made outrageous statements in the media, he attracted a lot of attention, including both good and bad things.

It's only natural that they would exchange barbs from a distance.

Zhang Da'an had already clashed with people from Beijing TV in this kind of "verbal battle," so it wasn't a big deal. It's just that this time it was Bao'an TV that jumped out. As an open and advanced window, Bao'an is not a typical Lingdong city, but a unique "enclave" of Beijing.

Economic, political, cultural, and worldly matters...

"...Of course he can say whatever he wants since he got the top score in the exam. My child still has to take the college entrance exam. If he doesn't pass, is he supposed to sell offal on the street? What's so great about video games? To support them is heartless! Supporting kids playing video games is a crime and should be severely punished!"

"How could anyone support kids playing video games? And even bringing them into schools? Are you kidding me? Why do we parents work so hard? Isn't it so our children don't have to work as hard as we do? Playing video games? Haven't you heard of 'playing games leads to the loss of one's ambition'? People like this should be banned! How can the government allow people like this to appear on TV? Can they just say whatever they want?"

"...I don't know anything about top scorers in the college entrance exam, I only know my child isn't one. Playing video games...can you put food on the table? What's the difference between playing video games and gambling? Can I make money by buying lottery tickets every day? Working is hard enough, okay? Please, some people shouldn't talk nonsense on TV, you're setting a bad example for children!"

"Is it okay to speak so casually in public? Who will be responsible for the consequences? This will give children even more excuses to misbehave in the future. They'll say that even a top scorer in the college entrance exam can become a top scorer by playing video games. How are we parents supposed to manage them?"

……

The attack was quite fierce, and Bao'an TV was quite clever, specifically choosing a social and livelihood-related program and conducting street interviews, focusing on parents.

Zhang Da'an was already a "hot topic," and now he's even hotter, making things a bit tense in Shazhou City.

Nervous, but not much.

Because this kind of indirect "verbal battle" doesn't directly target them, it depends on Zhang Da'an himself and the propaganda units in the provincial capital's ability to withstand pressure.

Communication won't stop at the Shazhou City level; it needs to be escalated upwards.

Instead of being nervous, Zhang Da'an was overjoyed and seized the opportunity to appear on a talk show called "Dangyang Talk," where he launched a new round of heated debate on social hot topics, especially the "astonishing remarks of top scorers in the college entrance examination" made by parents in many places.

"Good afternoon, viewers at home. Welcome to the latest episode of 'Dangyang Talks.' I'm your host, Dangyang."

“Recently, many parents across the country have been quite upset. Why? Because the ‘electronic heroin’ that they so vehemently hate has actually been praised by some people and introduced into schools.”

"What's even more surprising is that the person who did this has a rather special identity. What makes him special? Next, please welcome our special guest for this episode of 'Dangyang Talk,' a two-time top scorer in the college entrance examination and the founder of 'Zhang An Education'... Zhang An."

Like many satellite TV stations, Jiangkou Satellite TV is also preparing to launch an independent education channel and a children's channel, but whether the two channels will be merged into one is still undecided.

Regardless, the competition among multiple programs vying for prime time slots has become exceptionally fierce.

You can't get by without some special skills. "Dangyang Says" now focuses on hot topics related to social welfare and people's livelihoods, and has already occupied a fairly strong niche.

The selling points of "Dangyang Says" are three: quick commentary, sharp commentary, and interesting commentary.

Behind them is a sizable copywriting team. "Zhang An Education" and "Zhang An Media" share resources and expertise. If the first, second, or third-level assistants have spare time, they can work part-time at "Zhang An Media".

Zhang Dangyang's persona as a host can't be built without a certain level of cultural knowledge. He can use all sorts of idioms, proverbs, and allegorical sayings with ease. Behind him is a large group of "teaching experts," "teaching vanguards," and "subject leaders" in the fields of literature and history.

Not to mention that no one within the provincial TV station can compete with Zhang Dangyang, even the TV stations ranked higher than Jiangkou TV cannot put together the extraordinary lineup of "Zhang An Media".

In particular, Zhang Da'an is also infiltrating into universities, such as "Shanghu Teachers College" in Shanghu City and "Yangtai Normal School" in Yangtai City. They now also have dedicated content production teams. In exchange, these two normal schools have signed cooperation agreements with "Zhang An Education".

Every year, some recent graduates come to "Zhang An Education" for internships, and "Zhang An Certification" exam preparation qualifications are also provided.

It should be noted that "Zhang An Certification" is an internal qualification certification for employees within the company, and external recognition is not actually important. However, starting this year, because everyone knows about "Zhang An Certification," all educational and training institutions in several county-level cities around Shazhou City want to open this breakthrough, even at the cost of high salaries to poach certified coaches and lecturers from "Zhang An Education."

Zhang Da'an himself did not market it, but the Shazhou City Education Bureau has already marketed the strength of "Zhang Da'an Certification", so it has a very high value in this small market.

Others in the industry aren't blind; they'll see how skilled they are and put them to the test. In the end, they'll have no choice but to admit their worth.

It is precisely because of this intellectual resource that "Zhang An Media" has successfully created a persona for Zhang Dangyang, and "Dangyang Says" has now perfectly followed the ratings of "Top Scholar Says".

The station originally wanted to adjust it to a better time slot, but in the end it was still the afternoon slot.

However, one thing is certain: if Jiangkou TV really does separate its education or children's channel, "Dangyang Talk" will at least occupy a prime time slot.

Despite appearing calm and composed on the show, Zhang Dangyang, who was fully aware of the situation, was actually a little nervous about doing a show with his boss again.

Especially considering the boss's previous outburst on Luzhou TV's "Dialogue with Talented People," this time it's undoubtedly a counterattack against Bao'an TV's "Street Parent Interviews."

Even with the script in hand, Zhang Dangyang still hoped his boss wouldn't be too violent.

(End of this chapter)