129 Freedom And Honesty

"Is this Wei Feng? Please come to my office." The lead editor hung up immediately after finishing her short sentence.

Delighted, Wei Feng thought, 'The lead editor is going to praise me in person!'

His footsteps were brisk and light, as if the goddess of luck was welcoming him with open arms and granting him boons.

The path to success,

Was right in front of him.

He lifted his foot and,

Stepped forward,

Like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate and,

Transformed into a dragon!

As for the bones and flesh buried beneath him,

Who cared anyway?!

"Knock-knock-knock!" He regained his composure upon reaching the lead editor's office and rapped on the door.

"Please come in." The lead editor's voice traveled from the other side of the door.

'A girl who uses her family background to act superior to me,' Wei Feng thought contemptuously, but his emotions were well-concealed as he entered the room with a polite smile on his face.

A smart-looking, short-haired woman in her late twenties sat behind the desk, reading a printed copy of the article in her hands.

She was Tang Xiu, a lead editor of the news and information department.

"Wei Feng, good work on your article," said Lead Editor Tang plainly.

The smile on Wei Feng's face deepened, but he maintained a certain degree of formality without putting on a smug look.

"I'm just a newcomer doing my internship in journalism. This is all thanks to your guidance," Wei Feng reluctantly complimented the lead editor, but kept the slightest hint of disinclination out of his tone.

"However, this news will impact society greatly, so forget about it," said the lead editor indifferently as she put the article down and pushed up her black-framed spectacles.

What?

What!

What…

Lead Editor Tang's words exploded violently in Wei Feng's ears with a thunderous boom.

Something was wrong! This had to be a shady deal!

Wei Feng was instantly infuriated.

There had to be a backroom deal! Someone must have persuaded this f*cking b*tch under the table to suppress this news!

His heart began to race at an incredible speed. His brain instantly went into overdrive as multiple thoughts whizzed past his mind like bullet trains.

"You can go back now. Keep up the good work. I have faith in you," said Lead Editor Tang coldly.

Enraged, Wei Feng lost his composure and remained rooted to the spot.

It was undeniably a good article. He had spent most of his already-low salary to obtain an informant. In order to produce a detailed and accurate article, he had also visited Sea City General Hospital, a godforsaken place, in the middle of the night, and had even dealt with a group of people who smelled heavily of booze and tobacco.

All that hard work, and for what?!

His sole purpose was to publish news that could send everyone into shock!

Who the hell did she think she was to disallow that?!

Wei Feng quickly calmed down, sorted out his emotions and suppressed his rage. "Lead Editor Tang, may I ask why?"

"The risks are too huge and the content isn't suitable. Once it's published, it'll bring lots of trouble to the company."

"As a free and honest journalist, I perform my duty with a clear conscience," replied Wei Feng loudly with a straight face, almost impressed by his own words.

"I know this article will offend some people, but no matter what kind of resistance or pressure awaits me, even if I'm physically threatened or—"

"That's enough!" Lead Editor Tang raised her head and stared at Wei Feng coldly. "Are you sure what you said is true?"

"I'm sure!" answered Wei Feng energetically.

He was under overwhelming stress; at that moment, he even considered resigning and exchanging his article for a job in a major newspaper firm in the South.

That firm loved this type of news.

Lead Editor Tang picked up her cell phone, seemingly sending messages via WeChat.

This very sight irritated Wei Feng even further. To him, she was giving him the cold shoulder.

Lead Editor Tang's unspoken words were clear. "This matter ends here. Your draft won't be published so that the newspaper stays out of trouble."

'Choosing pieces over controversy?! No wonder this remained a small newspaper in a remote city.' Wei Feng sneered.

"Lead Editor Tang, I understand your concerns." Wei Feng decided to argue the matter.

The article was simply too good. Once it was published on the right platform, he was certain that a bright future would await him.

He would regret this for life if he backed off now.

Wei Feng had seen what he could become and was unwilling to spend the rest of his life rotting in Sea City.

"If the newspaper office gets into unnecessary trouble because of my article, I will owe you a sincere apology," Wei Feng said coldly, "But the ownership of this article belongs to me, and I think it deserves a better place. I won't let society—"

His phone rang all of a sudden, interrupting his speech.

"This isn't a university presentation and no one will listen to your lecture. Please be quiet and take a look at these photographs." Lead Editor Tang gave Wei Feng a cold, piercing gaze.

Wei Feng was taken aback. Photographs? Had someone taken a photograph of him paying off the informant or receiving cash from the professional troublemakers?

A shiver ran down his spine as he unlocked his cell phone.

In the first photo, the patient's family members were holding a silk banner high in the air at the main entrance of Sea City General Hospital, surrounded by a huge crowd.

The second photo, taken from a different angle and much closer than the first, showed a man holding the silk banner with densely embroidered words clearly visible on it.

'They…' Wei Feng's heart sank immediately.

'Please, let this be the last picture,' he desperately prayed in his heart. However, when his finger swiped left, a picture of a dark corner appeared before his eyes.

It was a photo of him and the yellow-toothed, tattooed man.

The man was stuffing a stack of red banknotes into his hands.

Seeing Wei Feng frozen on the spot, Lead Editor Tang picked up the printed article and threw it into his face.

"Aren't you going to resign? Take your article and get lost!

"F*cking idiot, not only had you received money, but you also left evidence behind!

"It's a good article, and I was prepared to endure all kinds of pressure to publish it, but you've been blackmailed! You dare to lecture me on fairness and freedom?!

"Don't you want the article in a place it deserves to be in? Get out, now! Right away! Immediately! It belongs to the trash can, so throw yourself into the garbage along with it!

"Scumbag!"

The smart and competent Lead Editor Tang cursed out loud, unable to control her anger.

Blood drained from Wei Feng's face as the papers floated weightlessly down to the ground like snowflakes.

…

…

In the Sea City General Hospital emergency ward, Zheng Ren was reading a book, Chang Yue was documenting medical records, and Su Yun was engrossed in his phone behind Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren would check on the patient with tetanus every half hour.

Even though there was no significant improvement in the patient's symptoms following the infusion of tetanus toxoid, there was no further deterioration, either.

This proved that the drug had worked, which was a good sign.

Half an hour later, Zheng Ren once again stood up to check on the patient.

"Chief Zheng, are you not going to wear a mask?" asked Su Yun as he trailed behind Zheng Ren.

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