Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

"President Han," Jiang Shi took off his glasses, "your case isn't that big to begin with. For illegal publications of this level, and with such solid evidence, there's no need for our bureau to get involved directly. One phone call from the anti-pornography and anti-illegal publications office, and the local cultural law enforcement team goes down to investigate, arrests the people, seals off the equipment, and confiscates the goods, and that's it."

Jiang Shi's tone was nonchalant, but Han Fei knew what it meant. This incident involved illegal publishing, violent distribution, cross-regional crimes, and possibly even an organized crime chain behind it; it was far beyond what a local cultural enforcement team could handle with a single visit. Jiang Shi wasn't unaware of the case's complexity; rather, he didn't want to take on that complexity himself, so he verbally labeled it a "routine case" and passed it on to the next level. This way, if it was resolved, it would be attributed to the competence of the lower-level staff; if it failed, it wouldn't be his responsibility.

Jiang Shi frowned, his expression turning serious: "But you just mentioned China Mobile. That changes the nature of the matter a bit. An illegal magazine, if it only circulates in a small circle, is a matter of public order. But if it conflicts with legitimate publications like yours, which are officially endorsed by China Mobile, it's no longer just simple piracy; it could affect market order and even China Mobile's brand reputation. Now they're using the buzz you've generated to exploit the lower-tier market with even more underhanded methods. If something serious happens, readers won't be able to tell the real deal from the fake, and the dirty water could end up splashing onto China Mobile. If China Mobile gets involved, it won't look good for our publishing industry either."

Han Fei smiled and said, "Section Chief Jiang, you're right. I'm here today not only to protect Qingniao's rights, but also to report a potential risk to you in advance on behalf of China Mobile. We cooperate with China Mobile, and they trust us, so we have to live up to that trust. That's why I'm in such a hurry, even resorting to such a clumsy method as refusing to accept receipts. It's not that I don't trust our bureau, but I'm afraid that if the process takes half a month, they'll have already taken over all the channels in the townships, and it will be much more difficult to clear them out then."

"Yes, I understand." Jiang Shi nodded, then put his glasses back on. "President Han, your materials are very detailed; it's clear you've put in a lot of effort. But we're not the direct enforcement agency here. The Publishing Bureau handles content approval and publishing licenses; enforcement is handled by the Cultural Enforcement Bureau. How about this, I'll forward the materials to them and send a copy to the Anti-Pornography and Anti-Illegal Publications Office so they can process it as soon as possible. Is that alright?"

Han Fei nodded slowly. In response, he reached into his pocket, took out the receipt and the black pen, and handed them to Jiang Shi.

"Section Chief Jiang, I understand you need to follow the procedures. However, according to the 'Regulations on Letters and Visits,' receiving reports is your legal obligation. You don't need to promise a result; you just need to prove that you received it by checking the box in the 'Accepted by this agency' section, signing the date and your name. I'll follow your instructions regarding the rest of the procedures."

"Are you setting a test for me?" Jiang Shi looked at Han Fei and smiled slightly, but the smile was quickly swallowed by silence. He coughed and said, "President Han, I believe you understand that I must consider this carefully."

"Section Chief Jiang, you're right, this matter certainly needs to be handled with caution. I also hope you will be cautious."

Jiang Shi sighed, "President Han, I admit this case is significant, but I can't take it lightly. If you can cooperate and avoid going through this process..."

"I'm asking you to sign this not so you can take the blame for me," Han Fei interjected, "but just to be my witness. But think about it, if you don't sign, I'll have to go to the next place. What will people say about the publishing bureau then? I can only say that Section Chief Jiang is carefully considering it. If that gets out, how will people interpret 'careful'? Will they think our bureau is meticulous, or that we're just passing the buck? If you're being careful, I have to be careful too. Let's all follow the rules, so no one makes things difficult for anyone else."

Han Fei thought to himself that he had used such fluent and exaggerated words on various occasions countless times.

Jiang Shi blinked, his face darkening.

"You only need to lift a pen," Han Fei said.

Jiang Shi accepted the receipt and pen.

This method worked again.

"Thank you." Han Fei stood up and carefully put away the receipt signed and dated by Jiang Shi. "Section Chief Jiang, thank you for your hard work today. I'll leave the materials with you. Please feel free to call me if you need any further assistance. Although Qingniao is small, we always keep the rules in mind. We hope that with the help of the bureau, we can get rid of those bad apples who disrupt market order and restore a clean environment for legitimate publishing."

Jiang Shi nodded again, a smile appearing on his face. Han Fei leaned forward and shook hands with him.

"I will keep this receipt safe. Section Chief Jiang, rest assured, it will only be used where it is needed."

Before leaving, Han Fei took one last look and saw Jiang Shi sitting in a chair with his shoulders slumped, as if someone had slapped him.

......

Han Fei walked out of the Press and Publication Bureau, closed his eyes, and let the sunlight warm his cheeks. The good weather had come at just the right time. He called Zhang Ruiyi to tell her that things were settled.

"I knew it," Zhang Ruiyi said. "I also made sure Lu Hai successfully sent out all the copied documents."

"Okay, now you can start preparing the materials for the media briefing and establishing a unified message."

"Okay. There's one more thing. The Morning Post published another report about us, written by that same reporter named Yang Zheng."

"Oh?" Han Fei asked, "What did you write?"

"It mainly concerns our impact on the traditional publishing industry, and part of it analyzes the Guangdong bidding process. There's nothing sensitive or exaggerated. It's just the part about the traditional publishing industry that might spark some public discussion."

Han Fei pondered for a moment.

"Then you should take some time to prepare a contingency plan for public opinion," he said. "The 'Stories of the People' incident, the bidding in Guangdong, and voices from the traditional publishing industry have all converged. It seems we're about to be caught in a media storm in the next few days."

Han Fei hung up the phone and walked down the steps. He hadn't slept well all night and hadn't eaten breakfast. He needed something. He thought for a moment, then went into a restaurant near the Press and Publication Bureau, ordered a triple espresso, downed it in one gulp at the bar, and then ordered another. He heard laughter behind him, but didn't turn around. He slowly drank his second cup, picked up a copy of the *Xinmin Evening News* from the bar, glanced at the headline on the front page, and then flipped through the pages.