Chapter 308: Chapter 216: Reporters Chasing Breaking News! [4/4]

April 20th.

In the provincial capital of Lanshan Province, Qingshi City, the Intermediate People’s Court was holding a routine civil second trial.

Generally, not many people pay attention to such cases...

No!

Or rather, almost none!

Civil cases are mainly focused on disputes, mostly trivial matters, some even less attention-grabbing than those mediation shows!

Of course.

It’s not that civil cases receive no attention at all; a very few cases are even more captivating than criminal ones!

For example, cases between men and women, such as the infamous engagement rape case, which garnered far more interest than criminal cases.

But this is mainly due to social conflicts and public opinion.

In 2005, Eastern Country had hardly any interest in this regard; the biggest conflict was the ’admiring foreign dogs’ on the internet.

Therefore, not many people paid attention to the Jiang City civil case.

But that being said.

As they say, a man’s name casts a long shadow!

The case may not attract people, but those handling the case attracted some reporters instead!

"Hey, Zhang Tao, can we really catch any breaking news here? Why do I feel skeptical..."

"Let me tell you, these train tickets are expensive, and I broke a lens on the way here; my heart is aching!"

"..."

Noon on April 20th.

In front of the Qingshi City Intermediate People’s Court, a few people were gathered here and there.

Among them, a somewhat chubby photographer was grumbling incessantly at the tall and skinny man beside him.

Unfortunately, the man named Zhang Tao hadn’t responded at all.

They were reporters.

The few figures around them were also reporters!

It’s just that the other reporters...

Watching the scene of Zhang Tao and Li Ye, the local reporters in Qingshi City felt a bit unfamiliar with them, but didn’t pay much attention.

Indeed, that was the case.

Zhang Tao and Li Ye were reporters from out of town... reporters from Hanhai City’s Zulang Media Culture Co., Ltd.!

They had even conducted an exclusive interview with Xu Liang during the Duan Feipeng case!

At this time, Li Ye was holding his scratched lens, wailing at Zhang Tao.

"Zhang Tao, say something, why are you ignoring me, please acknowledge me..."

Hearing this, Zhang Tao’s mouth twitched.

"Stop the nonsense!"

"Trust me this time; we’ll definitely catch some breaking news!"

With that, Zhang Tao paused, lowered his voice, and covered his mouth with his hand.

He whispered to Li Ye, as if discussing a business secret.

"Though it’s just a civil case... remember, last time in Sunzhou, Lawyer Xu also started with a civil case, but you know how that ended!"

"Moreover..."

"Have you forgotten how we’ve come this far!?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ye instinctively recalled.

Honestly, Li Ye still found his life somewhat surreal.

He graduated in 2004 and joined the company with Zhang Tao as an intern in late May.

He thought it would take three or four months to decide whether he could become a full-time employee.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Tao took him to cover a case with dwindling attention...

It was the Chen Dong case!

The Chen Dong case initially dimmed in public opinion due to the swift solving, followed by a first trial verdict that led to decreased interest in the second trial.

Who would have thought, Zhang Tao and he just went to try their luck and practice reporting, but...

The second trial, in just a few hours, turned the tables dramatically!

This extremely explosive topic was seized by the two interns, Zhang Tao and Li Ye!

Even...

Zhang Tao’s keen sense detected something unusual, and after most people had left, he stumbled upon another case.

The Liu Mingbo Corpse Carrying Complaint case!

This news directly ignited national news!!!

Moreover, Zhang Tao was the first to report it, with the complete coverage to himself.

"In June, for a case with no interest, Brother Pian helped us directly transition to full-time, with bonuses pouring in!"

"But afterward!?"

Zhang Tao lowered his voice, his eyes showing determination, and whispered:

"Afterward, even though we seized the opportunity with the Sun Quan case, the traffic wasn’t much; it was just following the trend, sharing a piece of the pie."

"Then came Duan Feipeng, and we got even less traffic."

Two explosive cases, peaking at the start, yet they couldn’t write as fast as the veterans, and their content wasn’t as captivating.

"In March, what did I say about the Sunzhou case?"

Zhang Tao suddenly criticized harshly, his words full of heartache.

"I noticed Brother Pian went to Sunzhou and was sure the case was extraordinary, and if we went, we’d definitely hit it big!"

"But when requesting funds, the manager with short-sightedness saw it was a civil case and didn’t even approve tickets or accommodation, causing us to miss it!"

"And then!?"

Later, the Sunzhou case first trial led to a shocking reversal.

First, Sunzhou’s severe pollution was exposed, comparable to arsenic underground water contamination!

Thinking it was already shocking enough, who would have thought...

A case called the Steel Case directly became a national headline, exploding to an unprecedented degree!!!

"Do you know how much traffic we missed!?"

With a handsome face, the twenty-something Zhang Tao was filled with regret.

Because of this, the company missed a development opportunity, the manager was almost demoted, and Zhang Tao was promoted to group leader due to his keen journalistic instincts!

He was now a team leader in the company.

Less than a year after joining, with no resources or connections, he went from intern to group leader; though he didn’t have many people under him, his benefits and authority were genuinely at a team leader level!

Meanwhile, his peers from back then...

They were still facing the crossroads of either becoming full-time employees or being dismissed!

"Old Li, Brother Pian may not say much, but he can definitely bring you surprises!"