Volume 4: White Devil Chapter 204 It's up to you
Wolfe didn't get around to calling Tommy back that afternoon because he was too busy to take care of this little thing.
AFP, EFE, ANSA, Canadian Press, EUROPE, DPCA, Reuters, Jiji, etc., these news agencies in overseas countries and regions, after discovering that VOX had first-hand information about the conflict, immediately called VOX's Washington headquarters and subscribed to VOX in the name of their companies.
It is not that VOX does nothing after receiving the money and only needs to tell the other party to watch its own news channel. Instead, it needs to help prepare some information that meets the other party's requirements as much as possible based on the angle raised by the other party. For example, all news agencies will specifically point out that they hope to obtain some exclusive photos or exclusive information that other news agencies do not have.
Subscription contracts also need to be drawn up individually for each news agency.
Some news agencies would also like to have a serious discussion with the president about ways of cooperation. In short, it seems that Wolfe needs to deal with everything personally, which makes him feel overwhelmed.
Wolf felt great at being overwhelmed by the need to deal with countless heads of large news agencies who he had never had the chance to meet before.
He was busy until late at night before he finally found time to soothe his hungry stomach. He bought two hamburgers at a fast food restaurant not far away, then sat on a bench outside the gate of VOX headquarters, put his briefcase on the empty space next to him, and began to eat with big mouthfuls.
"It tastes like happiness and satisfaction, right?" A voice sounded from not far away, attracting Wolfe's attention. He looked up and saw Earl Rush, CEO of BT Television, walking out of the door of VOX headquarters with a smile.
Wolf swallowed the food in his mouth and said with some surprise: "Earl? Why are you here?"
"I came to Washington to attend a television industry conference. I wanted to come and congratulate you after the dinner, but... considering that you should be very busy today, I didn't bother you. I have been sitting in the front office until now. I have to say that VOX's coffee tastes better than BT's coffee." Earl came over with a cigarette in his mouth and sat down next to Wolfe:
“It feels great to be able to fill your entire mouth with food when you’re hungry.”
Wolfe picked up the hamburger box next to him, took out another burger and handed it to Earl: "I just bought one more."
Earl threw away his cigarette butt and took the burger. The two middle-aged men were sitting on a bench late at night, silently taking big bites of the burgers. They had the same dark skin and ate in the same voracious manner.
When all the burgers were finished, Earl wiped his fingers with a tissue and let out a sigh of relief: "I haven't congratulated you yet. Although this is a free TV industry conference, many people at the dinner today are not interested in discussing free TV industry topics. Instead, they mentioned VOX several times. Everyone in the industry knows that you will probably gain at least 10 million subscribers this time."
"To be honest, when I went to the bathroom to wash my face with cold water before leaving the company, I couldn't help but silently thank Gaddafi. No one thought that after seeing the US aircraft carrier fleet, he would dare to launch two fighter jets to intercept. Our reporter on the Kennedy said that the officers on the fleet were all surprised." Wolf wiped the corner of his mouth, then carefully threw the tissue back into the box, and then carefully threw the box and the paper bag into the trash can, then smiled and sat back.
"Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters... Even though VOX was founded by me personally, I never imagined that the world's three major news agencies would one day become our corporate subscribers and use the news materials we provide. It's like a dream. Television has been invented for so long, but there has never been a news agency that subscribes to a TV channel specifically to get news."
Earl looked off into the distance with a smile on his face: "That means you're a genius."
"No, Tommy is a genius. BT TV and VOX TV were all his ideas. In fact, when he first wanted VOX to spread reporters all over the world map like dandelions, I was opposed to it. After all, the personnel cost was too high. I argued with him twice for this. But now it seems that he is right. Without his insistence, there would be no reporters of ours on the Kennedy." Wolfe said happily:
"By the way, do me a favor, Earl."
"FOX?" Earl seemed to guess what Wolfe wanted to say.
Wolf nodded. "Yes, I will severely ridicule FOX. Damn it. It humiliates our hosts and reporters every day on its own shows. You have to help me vent my anger."
"Of course, I promise that tomorrow's Black News Today will have a sharp and incisive counterattack, but... Wolfe..., I am not here just to eat your burger and congratulate you." Earl put his hand on Wolfe's shoulder:
"I received a message."
"What news?" Wolfe turned his head to look at Earl: "Your free TV network's industry terms have little impact on cable TV networks."
"Tommy has found a group of people to replace you." The smile on Earl's face gradually disappeared, and he stared at Wolfe sharply: "VOX is different from BT. He can't hand over such a company that is likely to have influence worldwide to a black man. He is a member of the SSD Brotherhood and he is a white supremacist."
Wolfe stared at Earl for a few seconds, then came to his senses: "Tommy called me in the afternoon and asked me to call him back after I was done with my work, so that I could prepare to suffocate for my dream again."
"I think you should learn to say no. When VOX became famous overnight, if you say no to him, he will have no reason to refute. There is no reason to ask the marshal to resign just after the war is won." Earl took out a cigarette case from his suit pocket, shook out a cigarette and put it in his mouth:
"He has been using you. You helped him complete the tedious preparatory work for BT TV. Where did you go? Is BT TV related to you now? VOX, you rented satellite channels, built a team, recruited reporters, and did all the hard work. Now, the dawn is coming, and you are going to be replaced again. He has never been a friend of black people. He is a white slave owner who knows how to use black slaves efficiently."
Wolfe looked at Earl in shock and asked, "If Tommy is a white supremacist, why are you still working for him?"
"He and I used each other, my nigger brother. He used me to sit there like a sharp-tongued statue, telling everyone, hey, the president of this TV network is a nigger, we are all black from top to bottom, all niggers, you must understand that this is the only TV network in the United States that is one family with you!" Earl lit a cigarette, opened his arms and laughed exaggeratedly:
"But in fact, he can use the TV network to influence the minds of black people and decide who they will vote for, understand? It's the same for me. I can use BT to gain more support from black people and increase my influence. I have now joined the New World Foundation and established the Rainbow Organization. Because of the existence of BT TV network, my status in the California Democratic Party has been continuously improved. Everyone takes the initiative to greet me because I can decide whether black people will vote for them."
"Why are you telling me this?" Wolfe asked .
Earl sighed and said, "VOX, what black people need is not BT, but VOX. Brother, we should take it into our own hands instead of the hands of a white trash who discriminates against black people."
"So, you think if I reject Tommy's decision to let me leave VOX and do other work, I can continue to sit comfortably in the position of President and CEO of VOX?" Wolf looked at Earl with an idiotic look:
"Tommy is the boss of VOX and the chairman of the board. I am just a senior employee who holds a small amount of shares."
"If you reject Tommy, he can only use the board of directors to push you to leave. By then, I can cooperate with you and find an opportunity to expose his past discrimination against black people, and even prove that those BT programs were all decided by Tommy. The anger of black viewers will definitely be enough to force him to forcibly sell BT TV to a real black entrepreneur, so that it can truly belong to black people. If it works well, VOX may be forced to sell." Earl exhaled heavily:
"This is our best chance, Wolf. If you leave VOX, it will be immediately filled with a large number of white senior managers that Tommy brought from Wall Street in New York. The blacks will never have the chance to fight for the opportunity to hold this tool of speech in their hands to face the world. But now you have a chance to fight for it. The only price you pay is to give up your friendship with Tommy, the liar. He is just using you. You can't leave VOX. If Tommy pushes it by force, you can make VOX chaotic. Even if you fail, I can give BT to you. I can, Wolf."
After listening to Earl's words, Wolfe crossed his hands on his knees, looked at the night sky, and was silent for a long time before he spoke: "Earl, for me, a hamburger is enough to fill my stomach."
After saying that, he picked up his briefcase, stood up, and walked away along the street.
"Are you really willing to be used by a white man again and again? Do you know what VOX means?" Earl asked Wolfe from behind with a voice full of anger and unwillingness.
Wolfe stopped and said without turning his head: "I won't tell Tommy that you came to congratulate me. And if you don't have enough to eat, the fast food restaurant is right there. Good night, Earl, I have to go back to accompany my wife, so that she won't always find an opportunity to go to BT TV to participate in the "Wife Swapping Game"."
…
After taking a taxi back home, Wolfe took off his coat, put down his briefcase, tiptoed to his daughter's bedroom, kissed her goodnight on the cheek, and then walked back to the living room.
The wife came over in her nightgown and thoughtfully handed him a glass of red wine to help him sleep. Her eyes were full of admiration for her husband: "When I called VOX to ask how long you would have to work overtime, your secretary said that you might not be able to go home until very late because today is an important moment for Wolfe and VOX to become famous around the world."
"Indeed, VOX has obtained corporate subscriptions from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. This is enough for me to list it as the second most important moment in my life in my future memoirs." Wolf took the red wine, then kissed his wife's lips and said with a smile:
“Number one is our wedding.”
"You're becoming more and more vigilant, Wolfe. You give me the answer I want right away, without me even asking." The wife smiled gently.
"Tommy once said that you should always be more careful when facing your wife or girlfriend than when facing your enemy," Wolfe said while drinking red wine. "I always thought this was wrong, but later I found it very reasonable."
The wife rolled her eyes and analyzed this statement, then said in disagreement, "That makes no sense, okay? Always being on guard against your girlfriend or wife like you would an enemy? Only a bad husband would do that."
"Because men don't know if they say something wrong that can turn their wives into something more terrifying than their enemies, so they can only take precautions before it happens." Wolfe said with a smile.
"I think he is harming you, Wolfe." His wife said, staring at Wolfe with her smile gone.
Wolfe asked in confusion: "Why?"
"Because he has no wife, he doesn't worry about his wife scolding him, but you are different. I originally wanted to let you go because you came back very late today, but now, come back to the bedroom with me. I want to teach you a special lesson. Now!" The wife leaned against the door frame of the bedroom, tilted her head inside, and said in a serious tone.
"I need to make a phone call. Can you teach me a lesson after I'm done, honey?" Wolfe drank the red wine in his glass, then picked up his mobile phone and waved it at his wife: "At least let me scold Tommy for framing me first."
His wife winked at him and then went back to the bedroom. Wolfe went to the balcony and sat down, looking at the lights in the distance quietly for a few minutes before taking out his phone and dialing Tommy's number. He didn't know if Tommy was asleep, but normally he would wait for his call back.
"I guess you just got home?" Tommy's voice rang out when the phone was connected: "You'll tire yourself out like this, Wolfe. There's no need to do everything yourself. For example, let the legal department handle things like drafting contracts, and you just need to review them."
"The secretary said you called me this afternoon and wanted me to suffocate for my dream once again." Wolf looked at the night sky of Washington and said with a smile:
"Do I understand that when the time comes for me to part ways with VOX, please, I can't enjoy the fruits of victory for once?"
Tommy also laughed on the other end of the phone: "Almost. You will retain your position on the VOX board of directors, but you should be prepared to hand over other work because there are more important tasks waiting for you."
"This is the tone you use when a boss fires a worker," Wolfe said with a wry smile.
Tommy said seriously, "I'm not the kind of self-willed capitalist who would kick his subordinates out at any time. I'm not that kind of person, so I want you to never think of yourself as being forced to leave VOX by me. I want you to ...
"I'm listening." Wolfe stopped smiling when he heard that Tommy didn't seem to be joking.
The next second, he heard Tommy say on the phone: "Wolf, I want to start another news TV network."
Even though Wolfe had expected Tommy to find an excuse to fool him, he didn't expect this guy to find such a random excuse:
"How high are you, Tommy? You already own BT TV and VOX News. Now you tell me you want to start a new news TV network? And then let the new news network fight with VOX? If you like this kind of gimmick, you might as well hire me and Earl to fight in the octagon. That way you can save a lot of unnecessary expenses."
"This news network was created specifically for my black friend Wolfe Tucker. That idiot was originally from the financial channel." Tommy ignored the sarcasm and anger in Wolfe's words and said seriously, "I'm here to help you find the most suitable position. Wolfe, don't even think about having another job in your life. This news network is your only career for the rest of your life."
Wolfe said dully, "There's no shortage of financial and business channels in America, Tommy."
He thought Tommy was going to use money to support him and start a financial and business channel. Such business channels were everywhere, and several major TV networks had their own financial channels. He used to be the vice president of a financial and business channel.
Tommy said, "But the world lacks a financial news network like VOX. Imagine how troublesome it would be if I, an ordinary American, wanted to learn about changes in the London stock market. I would need to call those brokerage firms on Wall Street in New York, wait for the stockbrokers there to help me call the London branch, and then the stock list would be faxed back to Wall Street in New York, and my broker would read it to me according to the fax."
"I think the emergence of satellite TV has given us a simpler method. For example, people who care about the world's financial markets can keep up with the latest news from Dow Jones and Nasdaq by simply turning on the TV. Financial data changes from all over the world are always scrolling below, including London, Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, New Delhi, Paris... 24 hours a day. When the Eastern Hemisphere falls asleep, we and the money pay attention to the Western Hemisphere. When the Western Hemisphere falls asleep, the financial markets in the Eastern Hemisphere are open for business to welcome us. Our channel, like the money in this world, never sleeps."
Wolfe was stunned.
"When it starts to work, those economic experts who had shown disdain for your invitation to the show will kneel down and beg you to give them a chance to appear on TV. If it works well, all the brokerage firms in the world will line up to beg you to arrange their economists to come to our channel to brag about their own stocks and trick investors into paying out money. The world's famous economists will become your friends, and the world's famous brokerage journalists will be willing to work for you. Your wife will never have to worry about Wall Street brokerage firms daring to sell her junk stocks, because if they do that, you can prevent them from appearing on our channel for a year. And I promise that this time, you will own 20% of the shares of the new financial news network. You are worth so much. I never hesitate to treat my friends well."
Wolfe continued to be stunned.
"Isn't this enough to suffocate you, again?" Tommy asked with a smile: "If you don't find this financial news network interesting, I will let the person who is going to take over your VOX job take charge. He actually wants to prepare it himself..."
"You have successfully convinced me, Tommy. You are like a pimp who always lures women into falling into the fire pit!" Wolfe exhaled heavily to regain his senses, then cursed with a smile:
"The only question is, do I have to move again? I've only been in Washington for less than a year."
Tommy smiled and said, "I will personally cover your moving expenses, Wolfe, but you have to be faster this time."
"Why?" Wolfe asked.
Tommy said, "Because I learned from the Wall Street brokerage firm that manages my assets that a guy named Mike Bloomberg is planning to start a Bloomberg Financial News TV Network. What I mean is, if you stand up to compete with him, with your experience of successfully preparing two large TV networks, Wall Street is more willing to look at you as a professional with successful experience, rather than a guy who crosses over from the computer industry. And you can't lose, because whether I can defeat the FOX TV Network depends on you."
"If I didn't disappoint you before, I believe I won't disappoint you this time either." Wolfe said calmly, "That's it, Tommy. Good night. I'm going to bed. By the way, thank you for giving me an excuse."
"What's the excuse?" Tommy asked curiously.
Wolff laughed, "I'll go back to the bedroom and tell my wife that Tommy kicked me out of VOX and I'm heartbroken and can't lift my club. I don't think she'll force me to do that."
"I'll call your home phone right now and explain everything to your wife. You're welcome. Good night, Wolfe." Tommy hung up the phone immediately.
Before Wolfe could get up, the landline at his residence rang.
Thinking that Wolfe was still talking to Tommy, his wife walked out of the bedroom, smiled and picked up the phone under Wolfe's desperate gaze.
"Fuck You! Tommy!" Wolfe, the always gentle and polite black gentleman, finally couldn't help but swear.
