Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 426 Once Bitten by a Snake
"Lin, your operation this time was as precise as a surgeon performing an operation!" In a booth in a coffee shop in Yangcheng, Morgan pushed the steaming Blue Mountain coffee to Lin Chusheng and praised him enthusiastically.

Maybe Morgan's voice was a little loud, which scared Lin Chusheng. He leaned his head out of the seat and looked around. He was relieved to find that no one noticed this place.

But he still said with a mixture of pride and complaint: "Morgan, you'd better keep a low profile. There are too many people here... My colleagues come here occasionally."

What Lin Chusheng didn't say was that he wasn't actually worried about his colleagues seeing him and Morgan together - on the contrary, it would give him more authority in the society.

Morgan nodded to show that he understood, and then carefully examined the middle-aged man in front of him——

His carefully planned work "The Darkest Day of China's Scientific and Technological Development in the 21st Century" successfully portrayed Zhang Chao as a stumbling block to China's scientific and technological development. At the same time, a larger plan is also being rolled out.

From interpreting the specific threats posed by Zhang Chao's novels to Internet companies to questioning whether Zhang Chao was "laying the red carpet for Western technological hegemony," Lin Chusheng demonstrated a profound understanding of the direction of Chinese public opinion, which made Morgan take a new look at him.

Morgan was pleasantly surprised to find that this man could accurately grasp the pulse of the times of "developing the country through science and technology". When he saw the article in front of him, his hands were shaking with excitement and he spilled coffee all over Southern Metropolis Daily.

With a "ding" sound of a silver spoon hitting the wall, Lin Chusheng dipped the sugar cube into the Blue Mountain coffee, and then stirred it with a small silver spoon. The brown vortex that was stirred out reflected the brilliance behind his glasses: "Look at this article. Not only did Southern Weekend reprint it, but it also added a long editorial..."

As he spoke, he pushed another newspaper to Morgan.

Morgan took the newspaper, which still smelled of ink. Below the Chinese title "Beware of Literary Violence Hindering Technological Innovation", the signature of "Xiaochuan", a special commentator for "Nanfang Weekend", was clearly printed.

The article also questioned Zhang Chao sharply:
[Zhang Chao declared in October magazine that “literature should prove that human beings deserve crises”, but refused to admit that it was countless “Luo Zhis” who protected the spark of science and technology in the economic winter of 2008. When the media around the world are lamenting the “global financial crisis”, we should see more clearly:
What really hinders the development of China's science and technology is precisely this kind of literary violence that replaces real challenges with fictitious crises and replaces technological breakthroughs with moral judgments. 】

"Xiaochuan" is also a famous commentator of the "Southern Country School". Many of his published articles are very influential. His follow-up is undoubtedly a weather vane.

The former Beijing-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal stroked the newsprint with his fingertips and suddenly laughed out loud: "Lin, you really understand China's 'political correctness' better than we do."

Lin Chusheng stirred his coffee slowly and said, "More than ten years ago, when I was doing public opinion research in the sociology department of the university, I discovered an interesting phenomenon -

When you say someone is unpatriotic, people will scold you for making random accusations; but if you say someone doesn’t love science, it’s hindering development…”

He paused deliberately, looking out the window at the Zhujiang New Town construction site, where the tower crane was outlining the city skyline in the morning light, and then continued, "This is the most sacred flag in the past 30 years, and no one is allowed to desecrate it.

The Chinese people have too deep memories of poverty and backwardness. As long as they can live the life they have today, they will never want to go back.

Zhang Chao does not need to become a 'traitor'. As long as he is proven to be hindering the development of science and technology, he will gradually become obsolete."

Morgan took off his glasses, wiped them with a handkerchief, and said with a smile: "Zhang Chao's novel did cause panic about the algorithm. Last week, Penguin's stock price fell by 3.2%, and Qiandu also fell.

He created all this panic himself.”

"So we need to get these Internet companies to take the initiative to join the fight." Lin Chusheng pulled out three bound documents from his briefcase. "This is the public opinion analysis of the novel alluding to Baidu's paid ranking, the collective complaint record of Alibaba Credit Pass merchants, and..."

He deliberately pushed the Penguin report to the bottom, and finally pulled it out and said, "This is the vulnerability investigation report on the online game youth anti-addiction system that Mr. Ma is most concerned about."

Outside the glass curtain wall, the hustle and bustle of the morning rush hour rang out. Morgan was flipping through Lin Chusheng's files. When he saw the internal speech record of the CTO of a certain Internet company, he suddenly pressed the file and asked, "Where did you get these materials?"

Lin Chusheng took a sip of coffee - he liked the bitter-sweet taste - and then said, "When I attended the Internet Conference in Nanjing this year, there was a deputy chief engineer who was drunk.

You know, China’s Internet upstarts haven’t learned to hire professional PR teams yet… Engineers also lack some basic confidentiality awareness.”

Morgan turned to page 7 of the Penguin document, and his pupils suddenly contracted. The table listed in detail the statistics of sensitive terms in the spread of "The Man in the Case" on QQ Space, among which "algorithm manipulation of emotions" was a hot word in recent days.

He suddenly remembered something and said, "In 1999, The New Yorker said that China had no real entrepreneurs. Now it seems that they are becoming more and more like their American counterparts."

"But they also have a weak spot." Lin Chusheng interrupted, his finger making a dent under the line of "Qiandu Medical Advertisement". "Zhang Chao said these companies are 'monsters'; but in my opinion, they are like Achilles in Greek mythology, and I happen to know where their heel is."

At this time, he suddenly said with some disdain: "Zhang Chao must know it too, and it can even be said that he knows it better than me. But he would rather write these into those stupid novels.

If he could communicate well with these Internet giants in advance, haha..." Lin Chusheng said with a strange expression, which seemed to be both envious and proud.

The gloomy expression made Morgan, who was sitting opposite him, frown.

Lin Chusheng finished his coffee, and Morgan asked the waiter to refill it. At the same time, he noticed that several white-collar workers who were having breakfast nearby were also reading Southern Weekend and whispering to each other - maybe they were discussing the report about Zhang Chao.

After the waiter walked away, Morgan lowered his voice and asked, "How are you going to convince these 'Achilles'?"

"It's not persuasion, it's handing them a knife." Lin Chusheng took out a USB flash drive from his suit pocket. "It contains a customized public opinion analysis report for most of the affected Internet companies.

For example, the version for Xiao Ma Ge emphasized that the novel caused parents to boycott QQ, and the version for Robin focused on the regulatory risks that the novel may cause to medical advertisements..."

Morgan stared at the USB flash drive in Lin Chusheng's hand, and suddenly laughed out loud, "You remind me of Roy Cohn during the McCarthy era, but..." He leaned forward and got closer, with an inexplicable light dancing in his blue eyes, "This time we are standing on the moral high ground of 'revitalizing the country through science and technology.'

I believe Zhang Chao won’t be able to fight back this time!"

A sprinkler truck drove past the window, playing the music of "Into the New Era". Lin Chusheng waited until the sprinkler truck got farther away before he spoke: "Next week, the government's Development Research Center will hold a digital economy seminar.

I have communicated with the reporter from New Century Economic News who asked about the "boundaries of literary creation" and asked people to pay close attention to the fact that Zhang Chao used novels to hinder the development of China's science and technology.

If we can get people to say the four words "be careful with your words and actions", then Zhang Chao's guilt will be proven!"

Morgan hesitated for a moment, but finally expressed his doubts: "But Zhang Chao has the support of the cultural community... and his influence is so great, it may not be so easy to bring him down in one go."

"So we need more powerful firepower." Lin Chusheng knocked the coffee cup on the table, making a "bang" sound.

He said in a serious tone: "Zhang Chao's ability to manipulate public opinion is too strong. This is our best chance. If we miss it, he may slip away again.

Zhang Chao has a huge influence on young people in China. As long as he continues to stand firm at the forefront of the storm and use his rhetoric to deceive young people, correct ideas cannot be spread and the Chinese people's wisdom cannot be enlightened!

He is the biggest "nail house" on the road to Chinese people's awakening. We must take this good opportunity to "demolish" him! "

Listening to Lin Chusheng's sonorous words, Morgan's rhythm of stirring the coffee with the silver spoon was disrupted. Although he had known him for several years and knew the character of this "old friend", he was indeed not expecting such piety and fanaticism.

For Morgan, it was just a job; for Lin Chusheng, it seemed to have become a belief.

After a long while, Morgan said, "But Zhang Chao has a deep foundation in traditional media. You know, people still believe in print media and television, and it is difficult to make a final decision on information on the Internet."

Lin Chusheng took out a piece of paper with a list of media outlets on it. From Youth Daily to Computer World, each name was followed by the person in charge and the release period.

The small print at the bottom made him breathe faster: "When the timing is right, you can also make an appointment to be a commentator for Seeking Truth magazine."

Morgan finally made up his mind and asked, "This time... the budget will be sufficient. How much do you need?"

Lin Chusheng smiled. This was the first time he heard such straightforward words from Morgan instead of repeated excuses.

Although he had firm beliefs and even considered himself a martyr, the thickness and emptiness of his wallet was an objective, materialistic existence that he could not ignore.

Lin Chusheng said, "I will tell you the specific amount. I am confident that Zhang Chao will not be able to pass this test!" In order to make the last sentence more effective, he paused and added meaningfully, "Sometimes, the boomerang of patriotism comes faster than expected."

A long whistle sounded from the other side of the Pearl River. Under the sky where the morning mist had dissipated, the sunlight reflected from the glass curtain wall of the commercial plaza made Morgan squint his eyes.

Looking at the solemn and sinister man in front of him, he suddenly remembered the proverb his father often said: When you fight with the enemy's weapons, be careful not to be hurt by unfamiliar blades.

He felt vaguely uneasy - but "victory" was right in front of him, how could he give up?
……

While Lin Chusheng was busy preparing for the "encirclement and suppression" of Zhang Chao, Zhang Chao was also preparing for the "counter-encirclement and suppression".

This matter not only concerns his own reputation, but also the development of "Tide Culture", so he must be cautious.

He called together Huang Jiefu, Ma Boyong, Shuang Xuetao and other veterans, circulated the article to everyone, and then asked: "What should we do?"

Huang Jiefu's eyes widened with anger, and he slammed the newspapers on the table, saying, "Slander! Rumors! Boss clearly provided a rare reference for the future development of China's Internet technology, and also predicted the crisis.

Whether it is a business or an individual user, you should thank Boss! This article is completely misleading! "

Zhang Chao said helplessly: "I am asking you what to do, not what you think! Things have already happened, and they will definitely get worse, so how we think about it is not important, what is important is what we do."

Huang Jiefu calmed down and said after a while: "I think we should immediately organize a press conference, or arrange a TV interview - at least an interview with a major newspaper.

With Boss's eloquence and insight, as long as he confronts this article head-on, he will definitely be able to refute the other party squarely!"

Zhang Chao did not respond directly after hearing this. Instead, he turned to look at the others and asked, "What about you? Do you agree with Jeff's opinion?"

Ma Boyong and others looked at each other in bewilderment, and Shuang Xuetao was the first to answer: "For such irresponsible and obviously slanderous reports, we can send a lawyer's letter to Southern Metropolis Daily.

We can even sue this "Ding Fengbo" and make him apologize in the newspaper."

Zhang Chao was startled, knowing that this was the "Law Version" of Shuang Xuetao online, and quickly said, "Not really, not really!"

At this time, Ma Boyong also said, "Why not organize a series of rebuttal articles in magazines such as "Youth" and "Germination" with which we have a good relationship, as well as newspapers, and strive to overwhelm the other party in the battle for the basic basis of public opinion."

After a while, Zhang Chao asked, "Any other suggestions?"

Everyone looked at each other again, and then shook their heads in tacit understanding.

Zhang Chao sighed and said, "When I encountered this kind of thing before, I was the one at the center and I solved it myself. This time I am still the one at the center, but you must also learn how to solve it.

The article by Ding Fengbo is very well written, and it will surely win over a considerable number of people in the public opinion to criticize me and Tide Culture. The situation this time is very different, and they have grasped the point very accurately——

"Science and technology" and "development" are both very sensitive areas for Chinese people, especially in this environment.

Moreover, his logic is very deceptive - equating the review of the business models of domestic Internet companies with paving the way for foreign Internet giants - which can easily arouse the public's "patriotic enthusiasm".

Even if people do not believe that I am a "traitor", they will think that I have "accidentally hurt" domestic Internet companies.

This emotion is simple, naturally just, and very strong. All the methods you just mentioned are useless..."

Everyone was stunned. Huang Jiefu asked, "Then...what should we do? Pretend we didn't see it? Wait until the storm is over?"

Zhang Chao shook his head and said, "Of course not, they won't let us go - they will just take our silence as guilt.

You must know that when a person faces accusations from public opinion, the more he wants to defend himself and the more he presents facts and reason, the more he will trigger further denials or even attacks from the other party.

Because when the public encounters opinions or evidence that contradict their own beliefs, unless the opinions or evidence are sufficient to completely destroy the original beliefs, people will ignore or refute them and strengthen their original beliefs.

No matter how powerful our rebuttal is, can it destroy the public's 'patriotic enthusiasm' and their faith in 'technology' and 'development' that are related to their lives? "

Zhang Chao's words left everyone speechless.

Zhang Chao continued: "As the saying goes, 'It takes only a few words to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of effort to refute it.' It is essentially because of this human psychology. People often misunderstand the motives of refuting rumors, thinking that the rumor refuter is trying hard to cover up some unspeakable 'facts' in the rumor, which makes them believe the rumor even more.

Therefore, the methods you just used will not only have little effect, but may even arouse greater doubts from the public. By then, we will be standing against the majority of people."

Shuang Xuetao couldn't help but ask, "You can't even dispel the rumor?"

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "Don't be so depressed. In this case, instead of expressing opinions that conflict with public sentiment, it is better to follow the public sentiment..."

The lights in the office of "Tide Culture" were on until late at night.

……

“What, you don’t even write down the price? Old Huang, what’s wrong with you, what’s wrong with you…” Before Lin Chusheng could finish his words, he heard a busy tone from the microphone.

Is this the first person to reject him?
Lin Chusheng couldn't remember either.

He has been in the media industry for half his life, but the number of times he has been rejected for writing assignments is not as many as in the past two days combined.

After breaking up with Morgan, he devoted himself to his "big plan", mobilizing almost all of his connections to find commentators, columnists and media reporters who he thought might join the campaign against Zhang Chao.

But almost without exception they were rejected - and their attitudes were somewhat strange, as if Lin Chusheng was not telling them the truth.

Not only was it difficult for the print media to commission his articles, his public opinion analysis reports were also coldly received by the public relations departments of Internet companies such as Penguin and Baidu.

Especially Penguin, whose headquarters is in Shenzhen, a city just across the street. He still went there in person, used his connections, and found the head of their public relations department. In the end, he got a reply: "Thank you very much for your concern for our company. We will carefully consider your report and notify you when we have any news."

How is this different from rejection?

Lin Chusheng was going crazy! He had asked Morgan for a large sum of money to do this, but he couldn't write every article himself, right? That would definitely make him a laughing stock.

Unable to hold back, he found a columnist living in Guangzhou who had refused his invitation to write an article. He treated him to a big meal and a big drink. Then, drunkenly, he asked, "Old Li, tell me the truth, why don't you want to write an article criticizing Zhang Chao? Such a good opportunity..."

Upon hearing this, "Old Li" smiled inexplicably, and after a while he said, "Are you really not in the same group as Zhang Chao?"

"Huh?" Lin Chusheng was stunned when he heard the answer.

"Old Li" looked at his expression carefully and found that it didn't seem fake, so he said: "I...we all think that the author of "The Darkest Day" "Ding Fengbo" is Zhang Chao. Just like the last time "Damn Zhang Chao", he is preparing to go fishing again!
Damn Zhang Chao, he wants to come a second time! I won't be fooled! "Ding Fengbo", haha, doesn't he just want to "determine" all of us, so that he can show how capable he is! Bah!
Lao Lin, don’t be fooled by this…”

When Lin Chusheng heard this, blood almost spurted out of his mouth!

(End of this chapter)