Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 4 For Whom the Bell Tolls

"What are you looking at! Don't you have any work to do?!"

Alex snapped out of his daze and slapped the partition.

He stared at the red CNN banner, his eye twitching involuntarily, but he immediately covered up his unease with an even louder voice.

"Given the medical capabilities in the United States, the chances of saving him are very high."

He himself didn't believe it when he said it, but he had no choice but to say it.

He made the decision three months ago, and he absolutely cannot shed tears until he sees the coffin.

"Sister Zhao, organize the materials we've collected and have them ready to be deployed at any time."

"Old Zhou, keep a close eye on Reuters and the Associated Press, and share any news as soon as it becomes available."

"Xiao Lin, monitor the public opinion trends on major domestic forums and summarize them every half hour."

"I want to emphasize again that any conclusions drawn before official confirmation are irresponsible, and Sohu does not publish unverified reports."

After assigning tasks, Alex glanced at Ren Pingsheng but didn't give him any assignments.

At 9:11 a.m., CNN did not update the news, but TMZ issued a brief report.

"sources say efforts to resuscitate Jackson have been unsuccessful"

Xiaolin read it aloud, and then he was stunned.

unsuccessful — rescue failed

Alex leaned against the partition, his phone screen lighting up and off repeatedly, in rhythm with his expression.

"TMZ is nothing, just a tabloid."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his office.

At 9:14 AM, a well-known American gossip blogger posted the same message on Facebook and Twitter.

At 9:17, the Los Angeles Times followed up.

At 9:23, Alex came out of the office again, his expression even more unpleasant than before.

"Everyone stay put."

He was on the phone. Although the content was unclear, from the few words that drifted over, it seemed he was confirming a message.

After hanging up the phone, he stood in the hallway without moving.

Sister Zhao was organizing folders with her head down when Xiao Lin quietly turned her chair so that her back was facing Alex.

Throughout the entire office area, not a single person made eye contact with Alex.

It wasn't awe, it was embarrassment.

The image of him slamming his fist on the table and shouting in the conference room three months ago is still vivid in my mind. Now, his judgment, which he denounced as a conspiracy theory, is being confirmed by the global media.

Is this evidence extraordinary enough?

9:26.

The Associated Press, Reuters, and The New York Times issued obituaries at almost the same time.

【Michael Jackson pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center. He was 50】

Michael Jackson has been confirmed dead at the age of 50.

Old Zhou stood up. "It's confirmed."

He finished speaking those three words and sat back down.

Alex froze on the spot, took it out of his pocket, and then put it back.

He wasn't looking at anyone, but this time everyone was looking at him.

To be precise, everyone's gaze was oscillating back and forth between the two points.

On one end was the supervisor standing helplessly in the aisle, and on the other end was the intern sitting calmly at his workstation.

The phone rang suddenly, startling Alex, who frantically pulled it out.

"President Deng...yes...we've been paying attention to this since this morning..."

Ren Pingsheng listened intently, not to eavesdrop, but to assess the situation.

"Do a special feature?" Alex paused for a moment, "Okay... I understand... I'll arrange it right away."

He hung up the phone and looked at everyone.

His mouth opened and closed, closed and opened again, half a minute passed, but he couldn't utter a single word.

No one dared to break the silence.

In the end, it was Lao Zhou who spoke first.

He's older and more senior in the group; if he doesn't step in and lend a hand at a time like this, the situation will just stay deadlocked.

"Alex, what does the boss mean?"

Alex swallowed hard. "What does President Deng mean...?"

"They want us to produce an in-depth feature on MJ's unexpected death as soon as possible."

"Which direction?" Old Zhou asked again.

"The direction...the direction hasn't been decided yet, let's all think about it first."

Let's all think about it first.

Well, everyone should think about this first.

In the usual planning meetings, Alex is the one who picks the topics, sets the tone, and makes the final decisions.

Now, let everyone think about it?

Sister Zhao subconsciously looked at Ren Pingsheng, and Xiao Lin was the second, looking like a thief.

Then came Lao Zhou, and one after another...

Their eyes held hesitation and embarrassment, yet they had no choice but to look.

Who could have imagined that, under the guidance of an intern, they could have surpassed all their competitors and seized the high ground in public opinion regarding this incident?

Old Zhou rubbed his hands together and chuckled dryly, "Pingsheng, you're quick-witted and have unique ideas. Although that proposal didn't pass the review last time, it was still quite remarkable."

His voice trailed off, his eyes constantly darting towards Alex. "What do you think we should do this time...?"

Ren Pingsheng didn't rush to answer; he glanced around the room.

Old Zhou is waiting, Sister Zhao is waiting, and everyone else is waiting.

Alex turned to the side and didn't look at him, but his immobile legs betrayed everything.

This is the workplace.

There are no permanent enemies, only absolute interests.

"Let's go into the meeting room."

Ren Pingsheng picked up his notebook and suddenly stood up.

"Time is running out."

Without asking for permission or showing any courtesy, he went straight to the meeting room.

Now that the script is going according to plan, he has no choice but to take the stage.

Everything in the conference room was the same as before, the only difference being that Alex was sitting at the end of the long table, which was Ren Pingsheng's seat.

Ren Pingsheng took the lead and wrote two large characters on the whiteboard—Emotions.

"The whole internet is in shock and mourning right now, but the emotions won't last long, so we need to help the public's emotions continue to ferment."

He drew two arrows to the right of the word "emotion," one pointing upwards to indicate anger, and the other downwards to indicate curiosity.

"Fans need an outlet for their grief, and they will definitely be angry and look for the reasons."

"Ordinary netizens don't follow celebrities, but they enjoy gossip, and the bigger the gossip, the more people enjoy it."

Ren Pingsheng held up one finger. "The first step is to remove the previous nostalgia review content from the primary entry point. Everyone is doing those things, and now that someone is dead, even more will be doing them. We can't compete with Xinlang, and there's no need for us to compete with them."

"Following the logic of my plan from three months ago, create a set of graphic and text-based features and put it on the homepage."

"But we must be careful about the degree of judgment. We are a search engine; we only present the facts and raise questions without drawing any qualitative conclusions. We let the readers think for themselves and guess for themselves."

Sister Zhao quickly took notes in her notebook, nodding repeatedly.

"Second step, Lao Zhou, you know a lot of people in the industry. Contact a few musicians and filmmakers who have overseas experience. Don't talk about MJ, just talk about their stories and North American entertainment capital. Just chat casually."

Old Zhou replied, "I'll make the appointment tomorrow."

"Let's make it today," Ren Pingsheng corrected him. "Once the international media coverage picks up, Xinlang will realize what's going on."

Old Zhou paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, today it is."

"Xiaolin, go and collect information on the American medical system, focusing on social issues such as drug dependence and medical disputes."

"Sister Zhao, compile the information that Xiao Lin has collected into a case study. You don't need to write it in too much depth; just make sure the basic concepts are clear to the average reader."

Sister Zhao nodded, and Xiao Lin quickly replied, "Okay."

"We need to steer the discussion about MJ's unexpected death to other topics. We shouldn't release the special feature all at once, but in batches, and add fuel to the fire once the hype has died down."

……

He says one thing, and Sister Zhao remembers it.

Clear organization, well-defined division of labor, and rapid implementation.

There are no empty promises, only actionable plans.

Xiaolin gasped in shock.

This is not the kind of reaction a newcomer to the industry, who graduated from a third-tier university, would make.

Xiaolin couldn't understand it, but he didn't dare to ask.

After finishing his presentation, Ren Pingsheng threw the marker on the table and looked into the corner.

"Alex".

Alex looked up, his eyes filled with an extremely complex expression.

From the moment Ren Pingsheng uttered his first words until now, he has not interrupted once.

It's not because of approval, nor because of disapproval.

He needs to come up with a better solution if he's going to speak, but he can't.

"That's the plan," Ren Pingsheng said calmly. "You decide whether to do it or not."

The ball was kicked, drawing everyone's attention.

Alex clenched and unclenched his fists, which were hidden under the table.

He stood up after a full half minute, meeting Ren Pingsheng's gaze, and said, "Do as you say."

"From now on, you will be the producer of this special feature on MJ."