Chapter 279 An Intriguing Interview
At this moment, Mr. and Mrs. Shen, along with Mr. and Mrs. Shen Dong, were talking at the entrance of the newspaper office. The family was dressed neatly, and it seemed that they were also there for an interview.
The group was momentarily surprised when they saw Jiang Si get out of the car.
"Why are they here too?" He Lin asked, looking surprised.
"Why are you meddling in other people's business?" Mother Shen said in a nonchalant tone.
If it weren't for what happened at the Beijing Grand Hotel that day, perhaps she would have humbled herself and taken the initiative to greet them.
But the second son's wife had already offended the Huo family to the core, so there was no need for her to go there and humiliate herself.
The Huo family is currently at the height of its power, but the Shen family is not far behind.
No matter what, Shen's father was a deputy commander, and unless he made a fundamental mistake, the Huo family couldn't do anything about him.
What makes her most gratified is her eldest son.
I heard that the person who did the exclusive interview with him this time was the editor-in-chief of the National Daily!
Thinking about all this, Mother Shen took her son's hand, her face filled with undisguised pride and smugness.
Jiang Si obviously saw it too, but she only glanced at it before calmly looking away.
Just then, Huo Tinghuai strode out of the newspaper office to greet them.
"I'm sorry, I had a short meeting this morning, that's why I'm keeping you all in the way."
Since it was at work, Huo Tinghuai did not address his cousin and cousin's wife as such, but instead adopted a businesslike attitude.
"It's alright, we just arrived too." Jiang Si smiled.
Just then, Shen's mother stepped forward and interrupted their conversation.
"Comrade, we are also among the interviewees for this interview. We are being coordinated by the Ministry of Construction. Has Editor-in-Chief Wen arrived yet?"
"Editor-in-Chief Wen was transferred to the Great Hall of the People early this morning and may not be back by then."
Huo Tinghuai gave a concise explanation before saying, "I will be taking over Comrade Shen's interview today."
"I see."
Although Chen's mother was somewhat dissatisfied after hearing this, she ultimately said nothing.
He Lin, standing to the side, sounded somewhat impatient, saying, "How can things that have been agreed upon be changed? If we had known this would happen, we wouldn't have come today."
Editor-in-Chief Wen is the editor-in-chief of the National Daily News, and the value of his interview articles is self-evident.
"I'm fine with anything, it's up to you. If Comrade Shen is not available today, or if this interview must be conducted by Editor-in-Chief Wen, we can reschedule for another day."
Huo Tinghuai maintained a respectful yet assertive attitude.
In fact, he was also present at the family reunion dinner.
There were many people present at the time, and he was standing in the last row, so the Shen family didn't notice him.
After saying that, without looking at them, he turned to his cousin and his wife and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to register first."
Huo Tingzhou nodded slightly and led Jiang Si to the gate.
"What... what's wrong with this person?" He Lin said angrily, "What kind of attitude is that?"
"Alright, that's enough," Mr. Shen said, worried that things might get complicated. "Since we're already here, let's go inside and talk first."
In the end, they were all exclusive interviews with the National Daily News. As long as the page was big enough, it didn't matter whether the article was written by Editor-in-Chief Wen or not.
Mr. Shen, having been through similar experiences, knew the ins and outs: "Don't worry, no matter who writes the manuscript, the final author will still be Editor-in-Chief Wen."
The mother of Shen meant the same thing.
When the group arrived, Mr. Li, the gatekeeper, was checking the list.
Once everything was confirmed to be in order, Mr. Li took out the visitor registration book and had Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou sign it.
"Alright, you can go in now."
Seeing this, Shen Dong took the initiative to bring up the matter of agreeing to change the interviewer.
Huo Tinghuai maintained the same indifferent and aloof attitude as before. After Shen Dong finished signing, he led the three of them to enter the newspaper office through a side path.
Just then, Mr. Li suddenly stopped the three people behind him.
He stopped none other than Shen's father, Shen's mother, and He Lin.
"What do you mean?" Shen Dong was already very dissatisfied, and his tone was quite aggressive.
"Excuse me, Comrade Shen Dong, you have a reservation record here, you can go in without any problem."
"But according to the newspaper's regulations, only the person being interviewed is allowed in; all other unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering..."
Before Master Li could finish speaking, He Lin interrupted him, "Who are you calling 'unauthorized personnel'? We are his family, why can't we come in?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she pointed to Jiang Si and the other person walking in front.
Her face was full of resentment at being treated differently. "They are a couple too, and both are being interviewed. Why can her family members go in, but we can't? Isn't your newspaper engaging in discriminatory treatment?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Tinghuai, who had already walked a few steps away, stopped in his tracks.
"Comrade, please be careful with your words."
"The topic of Comrade Jiang's interview was 'Patriotic Supporter of the Military Model,' and her husband is an active-duty soldier, which is an indispensable part of this interview."
"Furthermore, the fact that Comrade Huo, as a family member, was interviewed had been reported to the newspaper in advance, and there are corresponding records at the gate."
Then, he changed the subject, saying, "Comrade Shen's interview was entirely about architecture; it was a personal professional interview."
"According to regulations, only the person in question can enter. If family members want to accompany them, they need to inform us in advance."
"Excuse me, Comrade Shen, have you reported this to the authorities?"
Shen Dong: "This..."
Seeing that he stammered for a long time without being able to give a coherent answer, Huo Tinghuai spoke directly.
"The newspaper has its own rules and regulations. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. We hope you can understand and support our work."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the Shen family members turned pale and then red.
He Lin opened her mouth to refute, but found that she had no valid reason at all.
She could only look to her father-in-law.
Mr. Shen's expression was not much better at this moment.
Although he felt extremely embarrassed, how could a deputy commander ask someone to intercede for him in front of everyone?
If that got out, it would truly become a joke.
At this point, Mr. Shen could only feign magnanimity and understanding, saying, "Alright, Xiaolin, since it's the newspaper's rule, we should abide by it."
"You were wrong just now. You should apologize to your comrades right away and don't do that again."
What?
Do I still need to apologize?
He Lin felt incredibly frustrated.
Ever since she married into the Shen family, others have always fawned over her. When has she ever suffered such humiliation?
But after her father-in-law spoke, her mother-in-law kept giving her meaningful glances.
He Lin could only swallow back all her grievances and resentment.
This little incident finally came to an end with He Lin's reluctant apology.
Seeing that it was getting late, Huo Tinghuai didn't linger with them.
He led the group directly into the heart of the newspaper office.
This was Jiang Si's first time entering the National Daily, so she was naturally curious. Seeing this, Huo Tinghuai gave her a thorough introduction.
Shen Dong lagged a few steps behind the three of them.
Seeing Huo Tinghuai's attentive and considerate manner towards Jiang Si and her husband, and then comparing it with the neglect he was currently experiencing, Shen Dong's eyes were filled with malice.
As they were talking, the group went up to the interview building.
Afterwards, the two were led to different meeting rooms.
The print journalists, photographers, and column editors are all in place.
Upon seeing Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou enter, the group stood up and greeted them.
"Comrade Jiang, Commander Huo, hello."
"Hello everyone, thank you for your hard work today," Jiang Si replied gracefully.
After a few pleasantries, the interview officially began.
With her previous interview experience and thorough preparation, the interview went very smoothly.
Although Huo Tingzhou didn't say much, every word he uttered was met with a response.
When he talked about his family and two children, the warm and understanding exchange between him and Jiang Si touched everyone present.
The happiest person at this moment was the photographer, who hadn't encountered such an evenly matched pair of faces in a long time!
It's truly beautiful from every angle; every shot looks good.
In contrast to the harmonious atmosphere in this conference room, the interview with Shen Dong in another conference room fell into an awkward silence from the very beginning.
The questions were all prepared in advance.
Most of the posts focus on the design concepts and innovative aspects of this international hotel.
And what new technologies were used in this process, including what bold attempts were made in the design aspect.
But Shen Dong either beats around the bush with technical jargon or gives ambiguous answers.
Even when it came to questions about design inspiration, there were obvious pauses and hesitations.
The print reporter tried to guide the conversation several times, but with little effect.
Unfortunately, after communicating with their supervisors, they had to temporarily adjust their strategy and remove some overly complex issues.
Even so, Shen Dong's answers always missed the mark.
The interview, which was originally planned to last two and a half hours, ended because the other party could only provide a very limited number of effective answers.
In the end, both sides fell silent, and the meeting had to end abruptly.
Shen Dongren is gone, but they still have to clean up the mess he left behind.
As soon as they stepped out of the conference room, the people in charge of the interview looked at each other for a moment, and finally couldn't help but sigh.
At this point, Jiang Si's interview was nearing its end.
I glanced at the time; it was only a little past 11:30.
Jiang Si was in a good mood and said to Huo Tinghuai, "I said I would treat you to dinner last time, but I haven't found the opportunity yet. How about we have dinner together today?"
Huo Tinghuai checked the afternoon's schedule and, after confirming that there was nothing important,...
He smiled and nodded slightly: "Alright, then I'll respectfully comply."
The group left the meeting room while talking; it was almost time to get off work.
Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I ran into another interview team.
Although Huo Tinghuai took over the work of Chief Editor Wen, the specific interview content was still handled by other teams, and he was only responsible for the final proofreading of the manuscript.
Seeing the melancholy looks on their faces, he casually asked a question.
"Sister Li, what happened?"
"Ugh, don't even mention it."
The journalist, known as Sister Li, sighed, "I'm worried about how I'm going to write this article when I get back."
Huo Tinghuai didn't quite understand at first. "Didn't we already prepare an outline and even draft the headlines for the news?"
"Yes, but we can't use any of them."
With a troubled expression, Sister Li said, "I prepared more than fifty questions, but he only answered less than half of them, and they were all invalid answers."
"When asked for specific details, he just recites concepts from the book; when asked about design inspiration, he stammers for ages. I really can't write this draft!"
Normally, Editor Wang, the supervisor, would definitely say something after hearing this.
Even if you can't write it, you have to bite the bullet and write it, otherwise what can you do?
But after watching the entire interview today, he simply couldn't bring himself to say those words.
The photographer, however, was outspoken and muttered something in front of everyone.
"To be frank, I feel that Comrade Shen knows less about this winning bid than we did beforehand."
When this was said, everyone just laughed and didn't comment.
Jiang Si listened thoughtfully.
Before she could even sort things out, the group had already arrived at the newspaper office.
Just then, a few people hurried towards us.
Upon seeing the person in the lead, Huo Tinghuai greeted him, "President."
Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou greeted them politely upon seeing this.
The president nodded.
Just as the group was about to take their leave, the club president suddenly called out to Huo Tinghuai, "Tinghuai, wait a moment—"
[My little ones, today is the last day of August, and my little monster is starting school tomorrow.]
I spent the afternoon playing with her and then had dinner with her. By the time we got back, it was already quite late.
There are 600 words short of two chapters, so I won't split them into chapters. I'm taking a day off today, and will update normally tomorrow.
The design plan will be written tomorrow, so please don't worry.
Finally, wishing all the readers a happy new moon and a bright future, with everything going smoothly! Love you all!
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