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墨書 Inktalez
On April 24th, a Sunday, I had made plans to meet Mao Na during the May Day holiday, so I didn’t need to visit her this week.
In the morning, I was playing basketball on the playground with Cui Shuigen, Lao Er, and Lao Si when someone shouted, "Quick, go take a look! There's a fight at the north gate involving a reporter from Jiangcheng Evening News!"
The playground was relatively close to the north gate, so Hu Ruoyun dropped the ball and ran over with us.
Across from Jiangbei University was the underground parking lot of Jiangcheng Grand Hotel. A crowd had gathered there, and when Hu Ruoyun squeezed through, she was shocked to see that the bloodied female reporter was Lai Wen!
A Mercedes-Benz Sedan with the last three digits being six was blocking the entrance of the underground parking lot. A sharply dressed man in a suit and sunglasses was angrily shouting at the parking attendant, "Didn’t you see? This is a City Government Special Pass! Why are you charging me for parking?" He continued to curse, "Damn it, can’t you see? You must be blind if you want to keep your job!"
There were also two women with him who seemed to be companions; they were pointing at Reporter Lai's face and yelling, "What’s wrong with you reporters? Just because you're a reporter doesn’t mean we won’t hit you!"
Hu Ruoyun pulled Lai Wen aside to ask what had happened. Before Lai Wen could respond, those in the crowd who knew what was going on started to chime in.
The story went that in accordance with regulations, the parking attendant had asked for a five-yuan parking fee from the driver of the Mercedes-Benz. The driver, annoyed, shouted back at the attendant, "Didn’t you see? This is a City Government Special Pass!"
The attendant insisted on checking his credentials to confirm whether he was a government employee using an official vehicle, but both the driver and his passengers refused to show any identification.
As tensions escalated, the driver parked his car sideways at the entrance of the garage, blocking all incoming and outgoing traffic.
What followed was chaotic: the driver and his two female passengers began physically assaulting the attendant. Despite their high heels and polished appearances, they showed no mercy. The young attendant ended up bloodied and crouched on the ground in tears, too scared to retaliate.
Bystanders rushed forward to intervene, but the driver brandished a large wrench he pulled from the trunk and threatened everyone, shouting, "I dare anyone to interfere!"
Reporter Lai Wen arrived on-site after receiving reports about the incident. When the two female passengers saw her taking photos, they cursed and attacked her: "Damn it! If you take another picture, I'll tear your face apart!" As a result, Reporter Lai's face was scratched.
Even though Reporter Lai had seen her fair share of chaos before, she found herself completely overwhelmed by these three individuals. The pain from several cuts on her face was excruciating, causing her hands to tremble as she held her camera.
In Jiangcheng, a Special Pass is issued by the Jiangcheng Municipal People's Government for official government vehicles. With this pass, vehicles can go anywhere and park anywhere without paying fees. The intent behind issuing this pass was good—to facilitate official duties—but for some reason, those in the car refused to cooperate when asked for verification by parking staff.
Moreover, the driver in sunglasses boldly declared that since it was a government vehicle, he wouldn’t pay anything and challenged anyone to do something about it.
As things escalated further out of control, staff members had no choice but to call the police.
With police intervention, they finally managed to move the car from its blocking position at the exit; however, an astonishing scene unfolded next: dissatisfied with being filmed by reporters from Jiangcheng Television Station, the driver charged directly at their camera in front of police officers. He began hitting and cursing while attempting to snatch away their camera; when a female reporter tried to intervene, he yanked her hair and pulled her aside.
During this altercation, their camera sustained damage.
Under normal circumstances, the actions of these individuals would have provoked outrage from both the public and the divine.
In subsequent reports, at the police station, the driver maintained an arrogant demeanor. He covered the camera lens with one hand while making a phone call, clearly trying to convey that he had powerful connections. During the questioning that followed, he displayed an uncooperative attitude. When the officers asked him where he obtained the "Special Pass," he replied, "I don't talk to monkeys. I don't know any monkeys, and I can't understand bird language."
Faced with questioning, the driver either rambled nonsensically about monkeys and birds or simply laughed it off, exuding an air of indifference as if to say they couldn't do anything to him.
Meanwhile, the police began investigating his vehicle and the "Special Pass." It turned out that this car indeed possessed a pass that exempted it from parking fees; however, it was a private vehicle.
Later, several media outlets, including Jiangbei Television Station, Jiangcheng Television Station, Jiangcheng Evening News, and Jiangcheng Urban Daily reported on the incident: "The driver paid a parking fee of five yuan, repaired the damaged camera, and compensated the parking lot staff for their medical expenses." However, their coverage ended there.
Hu Ruoyun took a deeper look into the issues surrounding this incident: According to regulations, private cars were not allowed to use "Special Passes." Where did his credentials come from? Who were these people?
Hu Ruoyun subsequently wrote an opinion piece titled "Who Gave the Privilege? How Did a Private Car Obtain the Special Pass?" The article was submitted to Provincial Newspaper and later published prominently in its social section.
Had it not been for this article, the "Special Pass" incident might have faded away. However, with its publication, interest surged once again. The leaders in charge of discipline inspection in Jiangbei Province issued directives for relevant departments to investigate!
A joint investigation team was formed by various departments within the Jiang City government and municipal discipline inspection.
With media attention and departmental focus on the matter, it was only a matter of time before the truth came to light.
After investigation, it was revealed that the "Special Pass" for this vehicle had been issued by a leader at the Jiangcheng City Procuratorate under its name. While the pass was genuine, it had been given to a relative of a certain leader within the City Government who owned a private car.
The hotline for Provincial Newspaper's social section was nearly overwhelmed with calls from citizens. There were condemnations directed at those responsible, criticisms of policy loopholes, insults aimed at those who abused power or acted with impunity, and ample praise for Provincial Newspaper's courage in speaking truthfully against authority and unspoken rules.
Ultimately, not only did Jiang City impose disciplinary actions against those involved—resulting in penalties for over ten individuals—but they also revoked the "Special Pass."
Hu Ruoyun's article "Who Gave the Privilege? How Did a Private Car Obtain the Special Pass?" became a catalyst for policy change!
Later on, during a conversation with Chen Jiahe, an editor from Provincial Newspaper's social section, Chen pointed at Hu Ruoyun and said, "Xiao Hu, do you think you're the only one aware of these sordid affairs behind the scenes? Many journalists within the system often find themselves powerless... Once things come to light, those on 'the beat' have usually been warned off. Even reporters who face backlash find it difficult to dig deeper!
You know what? You've touched a nerve. But as a student now, no one can really touch you! If you ever enter this system in the future, I hope you can maintain this sense of integrity and responsibility."
"Ah, forget it, why am I even telling you this..."
Hu Ruoyun asked him in confusion, "Teacher Chen, you said our reporters on the ground can't dig deep, but why do you dare to publish what I've written?"
Chen Jiahe also looked stern. "Kid, it's one thing if no one writes; it's another if someone does and whether it gets published!"
As his shoes hit the ground, Lai Wen first went to Jiangbei Postal and Telecommunications School to meet Mao Na, and then they both headed to Jiangbei University to find Hu Ruoyun. He treated them to a hearty meal. "I wrote an article, and at first, the leaders suppressed its publication. Later, they did publish it, but the content was so altered that I barely recognized it... Brother, do you know how frustrated your sister feels?
Often it's not that we don't want to do something or are afraid to do it; it's that we're being held back from above... You really helped me vent some frustration!
Once you graduate, come join us at Evening News. With your news sensitivity and writing skills, it would be a waste not to be a reporter... You have no idea; the head of the prosecutor's office handling the permits and the relatives of the Mercedes-Benz at City Government probably won't get away with it!"
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