Chapter 823: Donation Fraud
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The female journalist stretched her arms wide open and obstructed the pathway at the door. When Zhang Zian moved to the left, she also moved to the left, and when Zhang Zian moved to the right, she also moved to the right. She made it clear that she was not going to let him leave; she was not going to give up until he was done with the interview.
If it was a journalist from a big media company, she wouldn’t be acting in such a manner. Journalists from media companies that were run illegally did not have any concerns about their own image. After all, the name and benefits brought by a single successful report was not to be underestimated.
The most annoying thing was that she was not tall, but she would raise her chest up, and whichever direction Zhang Zian went, she would greet him with her chest. Since there was a camera rolling in the back, she was sure that he would not dare to forcibly break through… If he really decided to push his away onto her chest, his nickname of the s.e.xual Hara.s.sment Shop Manager would be made true and he would never be able to rise up again.
Zhang Zian was really impressed with his encounter of such a persistent person. It would have been easy to handle during normal times––he could easily leave the store and go for a walk on the beach––but that day, he was unable to just leave his customers alone.
“What do you want?” Zian asked bluntly.
“I would like to interview you, Mr. Zhang. I will leave after I ask you a few questions. If you cooperate, we will be done in ten minutes, so please do us the honor,” she said with a stylized smile. Although her tone was polite, she did not allow Zhang Zian to refuse.
“Interview me? Is it about Famous? You can ask me the questions, and I will consider whether or not I want to answer them,” Zhang Zian said, glancing at the onlookers. Recently, he had endured countless dealings with media outlets and journalists, so he was calm.
With a faint smile on her face, like she was trying to hint something, she said, “It’s related to Famous, but we’re mainly interested to ask you. Mr. Zhang, if I remember correctly, when you received the award at the Berlin Film Festival, you claimed that you would be donating Famous’ earnings to the United Nations World Food Programme. Is that correct?”
So that was what she wanted to ask…
When Zhang Zian received the award, he had mentioned that in his speech. The guests and the online audience had also witnessed the speech, so he was unable to deny it.
“That is true.” Zian nodded.
“Okay, then I would like to ask––has the donation been made yet? Have you already donated Famous’ earnings to the UN World Food Programme as planned?” She blinked and stared at Zhang Zian’s eyes as if she was exploring the secrets of his heart.
There had been frequent reports of incidents of donation fraud by local celebrities, where the local celebrities had promised to make donations, but after earning the reputation of being charitable and attracting the intended attention, the promised donation funds were never donated. Once such incidents were reported, great repercussions were caused, and even the celebrity’s character was questioned.
Moreover, it wasn’t only a question of morality and credibility, but also a matter that involved the law. The relevant laws clearly stipulated that promising a charitable donation cannot be revoked. If one had the courage to pose in front of the public, then they must abide by the promise they made; otherwise, they’d just be making a fool out of themselves.
As a new actor, Famous’ commision for signing its first performance contract was not very high, but even so, it was from the film circle that was showered with luxuriousness. So even if it was not very high, it definitely was not a small figure, either.
She keenly grasped the key issue. According to her observation and understanding, before Zhang Zian became famous overnight, he was just an ordinary pet shop owner. His income was very limited, and he was also known for being a cheapskate, so why would any ordinary person like him be willing to donate a large sum of money in exchange for nothing?
In addition, local celebrities always made their donations to local charity organizations. Although it was complicated, people were still able to perform checks or an investigation about the said funds. But Zhang Zian had unexpectedly decided to donate to the United Nations World Food Program… because of that, it was really impossible for them to verify it…
She seriously doubted that Zhang Zian donated the money; she thought that he had only said that in order to make a good name for himself.
Now, Famous was the talk of the town, and no one was able to challenge the reputation of the new Best Actor Dog of the Berlin Film Festival––anyone who had seen the preview of Dog Warrior had affirmed its acting skills. Various spoof works had also been created, like Super Dog Warrior, Return of the Dog Warrior, Matchless Dog Warrior, King of Dog Warriors, Dog Warriors King of Kings, and so on. Some were even produced in just half a month, then hurriedly released online––of course, they all had bad reviews.
Not only that, but retired police dogs that had significant meritorious performance during their service were also in high demand, even to the point where it was hard to find one dog.
In a wave of support and cheers, the best way to stand out was to do the opposite. The usual way was to enlarge the private life of the target, and pick out scandals or improper actions. But to find scandals of a dog… obviously it was not realistic. Even if there were any, people would only laugh.
Therefore, she had her eyes set on Zhang Zian’s donation statement. If the donation fraud was affirmed, the major scandal would be enough to discredit Zhang Zian, and she would become famous for the exclusive report.
Onlookers and friends looked at Zhang Zian with concern. Some people were resentful of incidents like donation fraud, so they decided to watch how things rolled out, while there were also those who voiced their discontent about her intentions.
Zhao Qi said loudly from the crowd, “Even if he’s donating the money, he didn’t mention that he’d make the donation immediately, right? They just opened their aquarium… Isn’t it fine to put it off for two days? Who doesn’t have times when they’re strapped for cash?”
For the sake of her cheaper imported cat food, she had to help Zhang Zian by saying a few words of fairness.
s.h.i.+ s.h.i.+ pulled her back, telling her not to get involved.
Someone echoed along. “That’s right, he didn’t mention when he was going to donate the money, so why are you here to chase after him? And doing it today of all days?”
In the midst of the chaos, Zhang Zian was particularly calm. He said calmly, “I’ve already made the donation. I have donated all of Famous’ earnings to the United Nations World Food Program, and part of the funds will be going to Southern Sudan, where they are suffering from famine. The funds will be used to provide nutritional school meals for the children, and the rest will be used in areas where they are most needed.”
The noisy crowd gradually calmed down, and countless eyes stared at the female journalist, waiting to see what she was going to say.
There was no change in the female journalist’s face, as if she had already expected Zhang Zian to say that. She immediately asked, “In this case, can you show me the proof of your donation?”
“Why should he?” someone asked.
“Who are you to demand that?” The onlookers were finally enraged. If her question earlier was made out of the public welfare purposes, then her second question clearly exceeded her authority. She was stretching her hands too far.
Even s.h.i.+ s.h.i.+ was unable to endure it. She used to study law, and although she wasn’t good at it, she still remembered some things.
She said loudly said, “Have you ever heard of ‘the burden of proof?’ If you’re suspecting him, then you can check it yourself and find the evidence to prove your claim. Everyone respects you as a woman, but what right do you have to make others bring out the evidence?”
After she was done with what she wanted to say, as if she was afraid of being seen by the female journalist, she quickly hid behind Zhao Qi.
s.h.i.+ s.h.i.+’s words gained the support of all the onlookers.
There is a principle of the “presumption of innocence” in a trial. If one was suspecting that Zhang Zian was guilty, they should find the evidence to prove that Zhang Zian was guilty. But now, they were the one that suspected that Zhang Zian was guilty, yet they were also telling him to come up with evidence to prove that he was not guilty. Obviously, it was unfair.
The female journalist was aware that she had evoked the public anger, and under no circ.u.mstances were her current actions acceptable. She had no other choice, however; she would not be able to find any donation records from the United Nations, so she could only use her method to force Zhang Zian.
In the face of the accusations of everyone, she did not waver. She ignored all of them and looked directly at Zhang Zian.
She believed that she was holding the advantage––she thought that she had taken ahold of the advantage the moment she appeared.
Zhang Zian had three options: One was to submit to her request and produce his evidence; the second was to ignore her; the third was to be tough and to refuse to produce the evidence on his end.
If he chose the latter two, it may seem like he had a guilty conscience. If he went with the first option, she would not lose anything, either. Either way, she would be able to get a good, exclusive interview.
The people present were not fools––everyone was able to guess her intentions, but there was nothing they could do. When a person was shameless, the world was theirs; now, the world was hers.
w.a.n.g Qian squeezed out from the crowd and whispered into Zhang Zian’s ear. “Master, should we call the police? She’s obstructing us in our business operations. Didn’t Captain Sheng just leave? While he has yet to arrive back at the police station, we can call him back…”
Zhang Zian shook his head. Calling the police was a bad idea, and involving Sheng Ke was also a very bad idea. If she were to make an issue out of it, Sheng Ke could get implicated.
He thought about it and decided that he could only take out the automatic reply he had received from the United Nations World Food Program through email. If she was going to question that, then there was nothing more he could do.
There were still customers coming into the pet store one after another. Some had walked there on foot, some came by bus, and some took taxis. More and more people were gathering by the door.
Another taxi stopped at the door of the store, but it did not attract anyone’s attention.
However, the person who got off the car was not a black-haired, yellow-skinned Chinese person. He was also not any other East Asian descent, but he was a tall, bald-headed, African American man. He had probably just shaved his head, as it was s.h.i.+mmering under the spring sunlight, which attracted the curious eyes of some customers.
The bald, African American man wore a pair of gla.s.ses, held a briefcase under his arm, and a piece of paper in his hand. He struggled with comparing the words on the paper with the signboard at the door of the pet shop.
He was a little surprised to see so many people around the door of the shop. He did not know what they were doing, or whether it was some strange custom or an important ritual. He did not dare to intrude or cause a disturbance, so he stood there by the side of the road.
After he had foolishly waited for a while, he felt that he might have thought too much. It was only two people arguing, while others seemed to be watching the show.
He would often drive through San Francisco’s Chinatown, so he knew that Chinese people had a thing for watching shows. Of course, most people in the world liked to watch shows, too, but for the Chinese, they enjoyed it more.
The new customers walked by him; the customers who had bought their items and were leaving also walked by him. They all paid attention to the African American electricity pole that was obstructing their way.
The man and woman who were in dispute were both young people, and he was not interested in the woman. He took out a picture from his pocket and looked at the young man carefully.
To him, all Eastern Asians looked almost the same. After comparing them for a very long time, it was still impossible for him to determine whether the person in the photo was the same person he was looking at…
Taking the opportunity while the dispute came to a rest, he stepped up and said, “I’m sorry to bother you… Are you Mr. Zhang Zian?”