Chapter 969, No Regrets

Nowadays, Hope Media looked like they had gone to the opposite side of Wang in everyone’s eyes, as if they were deliberately targeting Wang.

Although they themselves upheld the principle of documenting the truth, during this period of time, Hope Media had indeed reported too many negative news about Wang.

Moreover, those articles had caused a huge repercussion throughout the society, and it was said that even Wang’s inner circle had seen some different voices, with many people staging a sit-in in front of the Wang Consortium’s office organization to protest against Wang’s disunity in the war.

At this time Wang’s team always stayed in Luo City, hoping to meet Jiang Xu, and many reporters from other media outlets also came here, hoping to capture images of Jiang Xu’s contact with Wang.

Hope Media had always been the leader of the media world, and many media outlets wanted to grab hold of it and then push this behemoth of the industry off the pedestal.

In fact, those media outlets could have risen just as quickly and gained the trust of the people in this day and age as long as they adhered to the same principles of telling the truth and recording the truth as Hope Media.

But in the end, they chose to push down Hope Media as a faster and more effective way, as long as they could catch the footage of Jiang Xu’s private meeting with Wang, then the first reporter and newspaper to publish the news would be able to make a name for themselves in no time.

This is the real world.

Now that the war was about to end, Hope Media would definitely report some truthful news in favor of Wang in the future, because this war did end up being a victory for Wang.

Hope Media’s responsibility was to record the truth, they could not erase Wang’s credit, even if everyone was very dissatisfied with Wang.

However, the more this kind of time, the more Jiang Xu couldn’t meet Wang’s people, in case he had just finished meeting Wang’s people on his side, and then turned around and started to report Wang’s good news, those people who were waiting to see Hope Media’s collapse would immediately make a big fuss about it.

At this moment, Jiang Xu walked out from Hope Media’s building, and although he was on crutches, his back was straight.

Such a clean and principled person, even if he was crippled, it didn’t hinder his demeanor.

Most of the time, Jiang Xu has a special car to take him to Qinghe University, but the people of Hope Media know that Jiang Xu also has a small fetish, that is, when he is in a very happy mood, he will walk slowly by himself, without a car to send.

Someone secretly asked him why, Jiang Xue’s answer is, when a person is in a good mood, the eyes of the world will be extraordinarily clear and beautiful, people in this life is very short, the mood is not a lot of time, so such a good view to cherish.

Walking down the street, many pedestrians will smile when they see Jiang Xu.

Many years ago, when Jiang Xu’s leg was broken, he became the most respected person in Luo City, at that time, many people would take the initiative to greet Jiang Xu when they saw him.

After that, Hope Media’s adherence to principles became more and more common, and Jiang Xu became more and more respected, so much so that everyone could not help but greet Jiang Xu when they saw him.

Then everyone realized that whether Jiang Xu knew someone or not, he would return the greeting.

Then everyone realized that Jiang Xu’s voice was muffled.

I hope that the colleagues in the media feel sorry for him, so they secretly told everyone not to say hello in the future, with Jiang Xu’s character of the editor-in-chief, other people to give him greetings, he could not possibly turn a blind eye, if every day is like this, no one can stand it ah, Jiang Xu’s time all the time delayed to say hello to.

As a result, the people of Luocheng slowly stopped greeting each other and smiled after meeting each other.

However, today is different, the news of the stage victory of the front war somehow also spread to Luo City, some people saw Jiang Xu’s smiling appearance and couldn’t help but come up to ask: “Editor-in-chief, look at you in a good mood today, is it that you also got the news of the front line’s great victory?”

Jiang Xu looked at the pedestrian who asked the question, he smiled and said, “Yes.”

“So when will the war end, and will we achieve the final victory?”

“I can’t be sure about that,” Jiang Xu answered rigorously, “Everything is subject to the news published in the newspapers, but I personally hope the war ends soon.”

The pedestrians jumped up, “Did you hear that, the chief editor also received the news, the frontline did win a big battle!”

At this time, someone else asked, “Editor-in-chief, it is now rumored that during the war, the Wang Clan sent someone to destroy the Qing Clan’s nuclear test base, is this true? It’s rumored that Qing Clan’s side is about to hold a press conference.”

Jiang Xu froze for a moment, he didn’t expect this matter to spread so quickly, but he wasn’t going to answer this question, “I can’t express my opinion until everything is proven conclusively that it was Wang’s doing. Well, I still have to rush to teach my students.”

After saying that, Jiang Xu smiled and bid farewell to everyone.

As a result, he hadn’t taken two steps yet, when a young man in a suit suddenly bumped into him head-on, the young man was walking so fast that when he bumped into Jiang Xu, he almost made Jiang Xu, who was on crutches, fall to the ground without standing still.

Jiang Xu barely stood steady after the surprise to look at the young man hurriedly passed, the young man whispered an apology and then lowered his head quickly disappeared in the street corner.

However, when the young man disappeared for a moment, Jiang Xu not far away from a large neon billboard suddenly fell to the ground, sending out a huge roar.

Jiang Xu suddenly turned back to look at the billboard on the ground, if it wasn’t for that young man bumping into him just now, according to his walking speed, I’m afraid that he would have been smashed to death underneath the billboard by now.

At this moment, Jiang Xu looked at the broken billboard on the ground, the shopkeeper of the store rushed out, the other party glanced at the billboard on the ground, and then took a look at his own billboard actually almost smashed Jiang Xu, rushed to apologize to Jiang Xu, and asked Jiang Xu if he was alright.

Jiang Xu waved his hand and said he was fine, then looked at the billboard thoughtfully.

Suddenly, he stopped walking towards Qinghe University and turned around to walk towards another street.

Jiang Xu walked through the long streets of Luo City, the paulownia trees on the side of the road had just sprouted new buds, the sunlight penetrated through the branches and leaves and fell on the ground, everything was mottled.

He returned to his home, and just as he opened the door with the key, the family’s little Garfield rushed to his feet, hugging his ankle and refusing to leave.

Jiang Xu froze for a moment then spread his face and smiled, “Luna, did you feel something too?”

Saying that, Jiang Xu sat on the walnut stool used to change shoes at the doorway and held the tiny Garfield in his arms, gently scratching it.

Instantly, the cat comfortably stretched its paws out, looking very cute.

Jiang Xu carried the cat towards the house, briefly tidied up the cat’s litter, and the cat’s toys, then picked them up together and headed outside.

He came to the door of the neighbor’s house and knocked on the door, the one who opened the door was a seven or eight year old little girl, Jiang Xu smiled and greeted, “Little Yue’er, are you home alone.”

The little girl called Li Yue’er looked up and saw Jiang Xu and said in surprise: “Grandpa Jiang Xu! Mom and dad have gone to work, I’m home alone!”

Jiang Xu crouched down with difficulty and placed the cat’s nest on the ground, then handed the cat to Lai Yue’er, he smiled and said, “You used to always like playing with Luna the most, now I’ll give her to you, okay?”

Lai Yue’er’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

“Really,” Jiang Xu smiled and rubbed Ri Yue’er’s little head, the little girl’s watermelon head was all messed up, but the little girl’s attention was all focused on Luna.

It seemed that Luna and Li Yue’er were also very familiar with each other, so she didn’t resist at all when being hugged by the little girl.

Jiang Xu stood up, “Take good care of her.”

Seeing that Jiang Xu was leaving, Li Yue’er hurriedly asked, “Grandpa Jiang Xu, where are you going?”

Jiang Xu looked at Li Yue’er and smiled, “To do something more important, I always feel that there are still so many things left to do.”

Saying that, Jiang Xu left.

In the end, he looked back at the house he had lived in for decades, in the yard were freshly sprouted garlic seedlings, and the sunlight was just right.

……

At 10:20 a.m., Zhang Chentong was reviewing manuscripts in his office, and he ended up seeing Jiang Xu’s figure through the glass.

Zhang Chentong got up and asked, “Chief Editor, didn’t you go to class?”

Jiang Xu said to Zhang Chentong, “Let’s make a meal of pickled fish in the cafeteria for lunch, you ask the master who delivers the ingredients to send some over.”

Zhang Chentong froze for a moment, “Okay, okay.”

Jiang Xu returned to his office and surveyed the place silently, then fetched a pile of letter paper and sat down at the table, he sucked his on fountain pen full of ink, then put pen to paper and wrote, “Xiaosu, first of all, congratulations to the Northwest Army for achieving a great victory in Zuoyun Mountain, I was doubly inspired in my heart when I heard about this news. Before this I always thought that 178 Fortress might stay out of it, but the facts proved me wrong, but after learning that I had misjudged the situation, I was very happy ……”

“The first time we met, you sat in the conference room like an ordinary teenager, and when you wrote about not letting the sadness of the times be your sadness, something touched me inside, but I always felt that it shouldn’t be something you could say at your age. But at this moment I’m happy because I’m sure you’re a practitioner of those words, and I thank you for guarding Hope Media that day, which lets us know that Hope Media is not alone on this road of upholding principles and truth ……”

“This path of upholding principles and truth is hard and dangerous, I knew that from the beginning. But if this road needs founders, I, Jiang Xu, am not the first and will not be the last ……”

“Nice to meet you, good luck and take care.”

Jiang Xu wrote four letters in a row, each to a different person.

Zhang Chentong knocked on the door and whispered, “Chief Editor, the master who delivered the ingredients is here.”

Jiang Xu got up and shoved the four letters into Zhang Chentong’s hands, “Hand them over.”

After saying this, he turned around and opened the safe in the office, took out a kraft paper file bag from it and walked towards the back door of the cafeteria downstairs.

There has been a chubby driver waiting early, Jiang Xu smiled and greeted: “You ate fat again.”

“Living conditions are good,” said the chubby driver with a smile, “how do you suddenly ……”

Jiang Xu interrupted him, then shoved the file bag to him, “Send it to the old place, this information is very important, can not fall into the hands of people who have a heart, you must wait for fifty years of confidentiality before it can be publicized.”

“Okay I understand,” the chubby driver nodded seriously, he hesitated for a while and suddenly asked, “Chief Editor, is something going to happen?”

On weekdays, this kind of secret information is moved away on time, but today Jiang Xu uncharacteristically asked for transportation in advance, something must have happened.

Jiang Xu patted his shoulder and said calmly, “It’s fine, don’t think too much.”

The chubby driver saw that Jiang Xu really didn’t have much of a panicked look on his face, so he let go of his heart.

He hid the dossier bag in a hidden compartment underneath a cargo box, then turned around and got into the car, when he turned back, he saw Jiang Xu sizing himself up seriously, as if he wanted to memorize himself.

Again, it was like a silent farewell.

Jiang Xu looked at the van getting farther and farther away, he said to Zhang Chentong, “Drive me to Qinghe University, please give a word to the side of Qinghe University, I’ll change my class time today and take up everyone’s lunch break.”

Zhang Chentong went to arrange all this with a calm face, while Jiang Xu stood in Hope Media’s building, looking at the several names on the wall, which were the names of the pioneers on their path.

Li Xiang, investigating the current situation of the use of gutter oil in the Barrier Alliance, was stabbed dozens of times by thugs on his way home from the newspaper office and perished on the spot.

Jiang Weilock, investigating the Zhou’s Kong’s Dairy counterfeiting incident, was beaten in retaliation and died.

Jian Guangzhou.

Le Qian.

Yang Wei.

Gao Qinrong.

These names are engraved on the walls of Hope Media, reminding all journalists of the path they have to take.

In fact, many people thought that the reporters of Hope Media were brave, bold and fearless, but in fact, Jiang Xu knew very well that these people he said he knew were no different from ordinary people.

They would also be afraid and panicked.

The word responsibility is not as beautiful as imagined, but rather as cold as a rock, but even so, these people still fearfully chose this most difficult road.

Moreover, there would be more people who would take this path.

Just like what Jiang Xu wrote in the letter to Ren Xiaosu, the founder of this road, he Jiang Xu is not the first, nor will he be the last.

Jiang Xu leaned on his crutches and walked to the wall engraved with names, and gently wiped away the dust for “everyone” with his own sleeve.

Zhang Chentong came behind him: “Chief editor, the car is ready, and the students from Qinghe University are waiting.”

Jiang Xu resolutely turned around and walked out of the building, getting into the car.

When he arrived at the classroom, the classroom was already full of students, Jiang Xu smiled, “I’m sorry for the delay due to something, so I didn’t make it to the morning class, and now I’m very sorry for taking up everyone’s lunch break.”

The students under the stage didn’t think much about it, everyone just said, “It’s fine Mr. Jiang Xu, you speak, we don’t have the habit of taking a nap anyway.”

Jiang Xu smiled, “I teach social humanities and politics, but today I want to talk about something different. Everyone here, do you want to know what I was doing when I was your age?”

The students were instantly interested, Chief Editor Jiang Xu could rarely mention his past ah, this lesson was worth it!

Jiang Xu looked at a female student, “Guess what I was doing when I was your age?”

“You must have been investigating some injustice,” the female student said in a loud voice, “Maybe you were lurking inside some consortium, investigating first-hand information.”

This answer was probably the answer in every student’s heart.

However, Jiang Xu shook his head, “No, when I was as old as you guys I was still thinking of becoming a knight, at that time I was not doing my job, I ate, drank and played every day, I even got caught in the order division once for smashing the glass of other people’s houses, it was only until I was thirty-one years old that I suddenly felt that I couldn’t just keep on playing like this.”

The students froze for a moment, they didn’t expect Jiang Xu’s past to be so plain.

In their opinion, Jiang Xu should be the kind of person who was a third-rate student when he went to school, and became the president of the student council when he was in college, but they didn’t expect Jiang Xu to be like a punk before he turned thirty-one, which was out of everyone’s expectation.

Jiang Xu calmly said: “I tell you all this thing, is to let you understand, when you want to try to change yourself the moment, when is not too late. To put it in a rather clichéd way, the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, followed by now.”

“This war made me realize that QingHo University still protected you guys too well in the past, you guys really should go outside more and see what changes have happened in the world today, so that you can become a bit more pragmatic,” Jiang Xiu said, “I believe in your potential, so the moment you start to growing the moment, you will definitely change by leaps and bounds.”

The students under the podium suddenly felt that today’s Chief Editor Jiang Xu seemed a bit different, not only the content of the lecture.

However, they heard Jiang Xu’s words turn at this moment, “But at the time when you are about to change, I hope that you can remember every word that I say below.

When you begin to see the many faces of society, I hope you still believe that rules can overcome subterfuge.

I hope you will still believe that the academic world is different from the official world.

I still believe that academia is not the same as power.

Still believe that style is far better than charm.

Nowadays, there are more and more people pursuing rank and less and less people pursuing truth; more and more people talking about treatment and less and less people talking about ideals. Therefore, as you are heading towards the society, what I want to say is just, please take care of the passion and ideal you once had. In this age of skepticism, we still need faith.”

Jiang Xu looked at the silent students under the podium as he continued to speak, “In Hope Media, there is an archive that holds many secrets and truths, I may have seen a bit more of the darkness of this world than you have, but I’ve seen so many truths and darkness, and yet I still love this world. Don’t let the sadness of the times become your sadness.”

After saying that, Jiang Xu turned around and walked out of the classroom, this was the last class he taught at Qinghe University.

Zhang Chentong waited outside the classroom, ready to drive Jiang Xu away when the class ended, but Jiang Xu said to him, “You go back to Hope Media first, I want to take a walk alone.”

After Zhang Chentong also left, Jiang Xu walked on his crutches through Qinghe University’s Hongde Plaza, the shaded path by the tennis courts, and the sculpture of a dripping spring in the center of the school.

He looked back at all of this, this was the path he had traveled every week for the past twenty years, and today was no different from the past.

He was young when he first came here, when he wrote in his notebook, riding the wind and looking down at the mountains and rivers with such grandiose words, but now he is old.

Thinking of the names of those pioneers on the wall of Hope Media, he felt more grateful that he had never stepped on the wrong foot for a single day on this rugged road.

Jiang Xu kept all of this in his mind and then walked openly to the outside of the school.

The moment he stepped out of the school gate, a huge fire suddenly erupted from the next street, as if someone was fighting over there.

In an instant, an amber and gold dragon flew up into the sky before swooping downward to fall into the next street.

Luo City’s peace had once again been shattered since that previous melee.

The residents of Luo City began to run for cover, and huge black smoke rose into the sky as fires burned.

Gunshots, explosions, Jiang Xu walked calmly through this noisy world, he stood still at an intersection and looked at a young man in black standing on the opposite street.

The surging tide of people ran away from the street, only Jiang Xu and this young man stood without moving.

Jiang Xu no longer looked at the other party but at this huge Luo City, this was the place where he had lived all his life, before this he knew that this day would come sooner or later, and had even feared for it.

But when it came to this moment, he was not afraid.

Jiang Xu seemed to see a silhouette appear beside him in a trance, there is Jane Guangzhou, there is Li Xiang, there is Le Qian, there is Yang Wei, they are all smiling at themselves.

There was also the young self.

That young self asked softly, “Regret.”

Jiang Xu smiled, “No regrets.”

After saying that, the illusory lights and shadows all dissipated in his mind, Jiang Xu turned his head to the young man in black and said, “Do it, don’t hurt any more innocents.”

The young man quietly raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

The bullet felt like it had cut through the crowd and the sea, and also cut through lives.

Blood stains imprinted from the gray suit on Jiang Xu’s chest, and Jiang Xu slowly sat on the ground and gently put his crutches aside as well, just like treating an old friend.

At this time on the street a young man in a suit came running wildly, the young man’s face was covered in blood.

The black-clothed gunman originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to escape, but when he saw the young man in the suit, he even raised his gun directly to his own chin and pulled the trigger.

Immediately, the black-clothed gunman’s head was pierced by a bullet.

The young man in the suit looked at Jiang Xiu’s corpse from afar as he said in his headset, ”Mission failed, evacuate. Repeat, mission failed, Lao Tang, evacuate as soon as possible.”

……

Thirty years ago, a gangly young man walked in outside a tiny newspaper office and pushed his way in shouting, “Is it you who’s hiring reporters here?”

The door to the newspaper office was shattered, as if it had just been smashed, and there was only one old editor left in the office.

That old editor held up his glasses, “We don’t recruit social loafers here.”

“Hey, old man watch what you say, what do you mean by social loiterers,” the young man was not happy.

The old editor silently sized him up, “What’s your name?”

The young man said, “Jiang Syu, I don’t change my name when I walk, I don’t change my name when I sit, Jiang Syu, West Street, Luo Cheng! Have you heard of me?”

The old editor was happy: “I’ve heard of you, then tell me why you suddenly want to be a reporter?”

Young Jiang Xu thought for a moment and said: “I just don’t want to mix with life anymore, my mom said before she died that if I continue to mix like this, she won’t be able to die a solid death, and also, I always feel that the world shouldn’t be like this, you understand, right? The day before yesterday I saw ……”

The old editor asked, “Why did you come to our newspaper?”

“The other day I heard that you this was smashed because of the report of the factory blackmail,” young Jiang Xueluo laughed: “Don’t worry, when I come I will see who dares to come over to smash the door?”

The old editor handed him a form: “Have you heard of the profession of investigative reporter?”

“Investigative reporter? Is there a classification for journalists?” Young Jiang Xu was puzzled.

“Of course there is,” the old editor smiled, “It’s the most dangerous profession in journalism, and one of the most difficult paths in the world.”

Young Jiang Xu became smug, “The old man understands me, I like the hardest!”

The old editor was sure again: “You won’t turn back until you hit the south wall?”

Young Jiang Xu smiled brightly: “Don’t worry, I won’t turn back even if I hit the south wall.”