Song Baiyan took the host’s interview and answered many questions, most of which were about the economy, and even when the election was mentioned, he did not verbally attack the other candidate.
After watching the 45-minute live broadcast, Tang Li’s cellphone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, she immediately sat up in bed.
Then, she put the cellphone to her ear.
Tang Li spoke with a softened voice, "Hello?"
The man’s voice was deep and rich, laced with a barely perceptible weariness.
"No night scenes today," Tang Li grabbed a pillow and placed it on her lap, propping her arm on it, and asked curiously, "Are you still at the TV station?"
Song Baiyan didn’t answer, instead, he asked her, "How did you know I was at the TV station?"
"..." The villages around the Mihesha River were on the border of the Three Kingdoms, and even with a TV, one couldn’t tune into the channel broadcasting that program.
Realizing she had slipped up, Tang Li felt her ears warm up and then explained, "Someone from our crew follows the news. They mentioned that you had an interview at 9 p.m. tonight. I just caught wind of it. It’s ten now, so I thought you would have finished recording the show."
A light chuckle seemed to come from the other end of the phone.
Tang Li pursed her lips and then heard him ask, "Been busy with the drama crew lately?"
"...Not too bad," Tang Li responded, but suddenly felt that this wasn’t the answer Song Baiyan was looking for. Realizing they hadn’t been in touch for a long time, she continued, "Aren’t you running for election? You must be busy. I was actually planning to send you a congratulatory message once you’re elected."
"You’ve already decided I will win?"
From Song Baiyan’s tone, Tang Li judged that he was in a good mood today, and the corners of her lips curled upwards, "I’ve said before, I trust my instincts. You’re more suitable than that Mr. Huang. He has blown up so many scandals and had journalists write messy reports. The public’s eyes are bright. They definitely wouldn’t want such a person to get elected."
Having just settled into his car, Song Baiyan smiled as he loosened his tie upon hearing Tang Li’s "flattery". His reply, however, was more educational, "One should still approach matters with an objective attitude."
"I am being objective." Tang Li insisted, "He’s been so messy outside. At the very least, you don’t have such negative reports, do you?"
Exposing a political opponent’s scandals, though not the most honorable tactic, is an essential part of political strategizing, and Tang Li didn’t find it despicable. She wasn’t fabricating or spreading made-up facts, just bringing to light what was already there.
After all, it boiled down to not being upright oneself.
If one conducts themselves properly, the other side naturally has no avenue for attack.
Tang Li added, "Just now, Wu Xuehan sent me a message to go vote for you. Your voting rate on V-blog is 78%, a landslide victory!"
Even though such polls wouldn’t affect the actual election, the voice through the earpiece was still filled with joy. Song Baiyan leaned back in his seat, his lips thinning into a smile, "You even keep up with gossip news. It seems you have more downtime in the crew than I initially thought."
"It’s not actually downtime." Tang Li blushed being spoken to in such a manner, "It’s just... I’ve been following the election these past few days. Actually, it’s not just me, even the director has been watching the news. After all, it’s a major national event. As citizens, we’re definitely very concerned about who gets elected. If the elected person isn’t good, it’s ultimately the interests of us common folk that get harmed."
Song Baiyan asked her, "Since when have you become so eloquent?"
"..." Tang Li mumbled vaguely, "That’s what our director said. Now, I’m conveying to you the voice of the people."