Standing in the Time Episode 36
Mr. Yunzhi wants to explain himself
and makes things right,
but have you ever given him a chance?
We should separate.
There's no need to be emotional.
Are you that scared of accepting
your father's apology?
Are you that scared of dealing with
our relationship?
So you came here today
to resign?
It doesn't matter
whether you agree or not.
I'm not who you think I am.
I'm selfish.
Everyone who loves me…
who cares about me…
I can't return those feelings.
Even you Wu Yu.
Don't be so good to me.
I don't deserve it.
Open this file,
and click start.
Open this file,
and click start.
It's so fast!
Does it actually work?
I can't even make out the letters.
Editor-in-Chief,
just wait until this bar
gets to the end
and you'll see for yourself!
How can I tell
if it's been edited properly or not?
Don't worry about it.
In a moment it'll show us the results
and give us all the details.
Editor-in-Chief,
what is this?
Haven't you heard?
Automated Proofreading.
Automated Proofreading…
White Crystal
Proofreading Software
White Crystal…
Here.
Come with me.
The new Deputy Editor-in-Chief
wants to start using this software.
According to him,
it's going to help boost
our proofreading speeds.
No need for any IT staff either.
All we need to do is help all the editors
install the program
onto their computers
and train them on how to use it.
If this program turns out to be any good,
it could be used in the future
as a replacement for the entire Proofreading Section.
Editor-in-Chief,
you don't really believe
that this software could replace
the entire Proofreading Section do you?
Regardless, you should try it
out in the meantime.
We shouldn't be so dismissive
of new technologies.
Editor-in-Chief,
have a seat.
Sit.
In a moment,
I want you to head down to the Proofreading Section.
Lu Wenfeng just rang me.
He wants to have a talk with you
about the current state of the department.
We're bringing back Liang temporarily.
Editor-in-Chief…
It's the same as when
we originally transferred
him here.
We're simply asking him to come back for a while.
Then what about the
staffing situation in
HR?
We'll figure that out later.
Let's focus on getting him here first.
You've seen that software yourself.
The Proofreading Section
is hanging on by a thread.
Lu Wenfeng
has been calling me constantly.
He never saw this coming.
Alright. I understand.
Go and bring him here.
Yes sir.
Make sure to touch up the photos
for the special feature.
Stay sharp and pay attention to the details.
Li Xiao.
Amanda.
All finished?
The supplement for this month's issue.
Have you thought about what
Xia Fan said with RESA
being short staffed?
She's been busy with personal matters the past two days
I'd rather not trouble her.
Your performance the past few days has been impressive.
I've noticed your attitude
is much different
from what it was in the past.
Thank you for saying that,
but I can't make such a big
decision on my own.
Also, the Proofreading Section has
also been short-staffed.
Would it be alright
if I talk it over with my director first
and give you an answer then?
That's fine, think it over.
If you think you're up to it,
let me know as soon as you can.
After all, there's a lot of shifting going
on inside the Publishing Press,
so I'll have to be meeting a lot of different people.
Got it?
Yes, thank you.
I…
I'll head in,
you go take care of the special feature.
Li Xiao.
Can't wait till you come back!
Bye bye.
Director,
you need to understand that
after I take him from your department,
you can't blame me if you
get swamped.
Yes.
Come in.
Liang.
Come in.
You asked for me director?
Congratulations Liang.
The Literature Editorial Department approved
your job application.
It's official.
Our Editor-in-Chief
has formally approved for your
transfer to The Literature Editorial Department.
Of course,
there are still some formalities to be dealt with,
but I've discussed it with the Director
and we've decided to go ahead and
transfer you to our department
in the meantime.
Director, Editor Wu…
Thank you.
Alright then,
go ahead and collect your things.
You'll be leaving with Editor Wu shortly.
Go ahead.
Go.
Director,
it's all a bit sudden,
having to leave just like that.
Let me put it this way Liang.
You have two choices.
One.
You pack up your things and go. Today.
Two.
You stay here in this department,
remain a proofreader,
and never make a fuss
about wanting to go to
the Literature Editorial Department again.
The choice is yours.
Um…I…
I'm going to work
in the Literature Editorial Department.
They told me just now.
I…I find it all a bit sudden myself.
Ms. Shi.
Director Lu,
Why don't you explain
what's really going on here?
Go on!
I want to tell everyone here today
something you all most likely
have been expecting to hear,
and should be ready for.
It's true.
The Proofreading Section could be dismantled.
The new Deputy Editor-in-Chief
has proposed that we use a new proofreading software,
White Crystal.
It's in the testing phase now.
If the results are satisfactory,
the entire Proofreading Section could be dismantled,
or some of you laid off.
Everyone,
they still need to
see the actual results
of the program,
so none of this is
set in stone yet.
Director,
if that's the case,
what does it mean if I leave?
Liang,
you won't be going to the Literature Editorial Department
for only a day
or two.
I took the chance to do
some negotiating and arranged it so
you could leave straightaway.
As for everyone else here,
I'm still thinking
of what I can do.
Regardless,
I need to see the whole picture first.
I need to find out
what exactly is going on.
Whether the entire department will be scrapped
or if only some of us will be laid off.
If it's lay-offs, how many?
After that, I'll come back
reassess the situation,
and think of something.
Liang, you can't
be indecisive about this.
Director,
I don't care!
I should have retired by now anyway.
Don't worry about me.
Don't talk like that
Niu.
You've worked hard your entire life.
I know it hasn't been easy.
Well, I've already filed
an application.
There's no need for you to fight so hard
for a mid-level employee like me.
Director,
Don't worry, just let Niu retire!
You can help him get his affairs in order.
It's no skin off my back either.
If you're going to fire anyone, fire me!
If it comes down to it,
I'll just go to my husband's company
and pester him until he
let me go home and take care of our kid.
Director,
if anyone has to be let go,
it should be me!
First of all,
I'm not editing anything right now,
and most importantly
my heart was never in it.
It'd be best if I go.
Liu Haochen, what are you saying?!
If your mom hears you talking like this
she'll be devastated!
You're not
a young go-getter anymore,
don't think it'll be so easy to get a job elsewhere.
I don't want to hear another word out of you.
Why are you all
acting like this?
I'm simply telling you there's some rough weather ahead
and you're acting like there's going to be a flood.
It's not as bad as you think.
Director Lu,
don't be so downtrodden then.
I'm not questioning your authority,
but as our director,
you need to come up
with a plan now,
not after the fact.
Li Xiao.
Wha…what are you doing here?
I'm done with my assignment at RESA,
so I'm back.
They didn't want to keep you?
Let's not talk about it,
I'm back anyways.
What's going on here?
Everyone, I'll say it again.
There isn't a final conclusion
in regards
to the software.
I only understand it at
a surface level myself.
The only thing I know for sure is that
the speed of this software is remarkable.
It can run three separate readings simultaneously.
About 200,000 characters
every hour.
I can only do 50,000 a day,
and that's if I really put my nose to the grindstone!
What software?
Proofreading software
it's intended to replace human proofreaders.
Replace?
That's right.
That can't…
Proofreading isn't a race.
It's not just about speed.
What matters is
who makes the least amount
of mistakes.
Director, how about we do a comparison?
A comparison?
It's not the most elaborate idea,
but…
there may be something to it.
So we find a manuscript,
let the software proofread it,
and then we have a go at it.
Is that what you mean?
Hello Everyone,
allow me to introduce you to someone.
This is Liang.
Liang
used to work in proofreading,
but asked
to be transferred to our
Literature Editorial Department.
You probably recognize these old vets
from back in the day,
am I right?
Liang,
The Proofreading Section hasn't even been dissolved yet
and you've found a new nest to roost in!
I see you still haven't
become an editor yet!
Seems like you're surrounded by
too many brown nosers and your ego
is the only thing that's gotten a raise!
Well now that you're here Liang,
Thank you.
Sun here will
show you the ropes.
Sun.
Liang,
We all use computers to
do our proofreading now.
This is the White Crystal Software
I mentioned before.
Let me show you.
All you have to do is click here,
and it will start proofreading.
Wait until it's done processing,
and the proofreading is finished.
What if there are any mistakes?
Don't worry,
it's all automated,
so there won't be any errors.
So one, two, three passes
done just like that.
Tell me,
how exactly does this program work?
Well, you click here,
and it just…proofreads automatically.
So you'll take those results
straight to publishing?
Liang,
aren't you overlooking something?
If it weren't for this software,
the Proofreading Section wouldn't have to cut any staff.
If they didn't have to cut any staff,
you wouldn't be able
to come work in the Literature Editorial Department.
Wang,
whether I work for this department
or not
is one thing,
and whether or not this program
can replace human proofreaders,
is another.
Don't confuse the two.
Everyone,
I want to ask you all a question.
Even if this program
can proofread a manuscript in its entirety,
shouldn't you
look it over once it's finished?
If not,
who is going to be the one willing
to sign off on the manuscripts
this software produces and have their name associated with them?
Who?
Proofreading
isn't just about fixing errors.
You spend a lot of time discussing possible
additions and offering suggestions with other editors.
Who will do that for this?
This thing…
can it speak with you?
Can it offer advice?
Can it have a discussion at all?
The Proofreading Section
is the last hope
for your entire Editorial Department.
Can't you see that?
You know something strange…
Ever since my Mother passed away,
I feel like she's still here.
Whether it's that she's right beside me,
or that she's still in the hospital
getting treatment.
If I couldn't come see her,
she would refuse to eat
and bicker with me
until I was done working
and drove all the way over
just to see her again.
Actually, I had prepared myself
for this beforehand.
I used
to think I was stretching myself too thin, that my life was so hard.
But now,
I can see that
I was just being selfish
She probably knew that.
So she left me here
on my own,
so that I can start over.
So I can start a new life.
Xia Fan,
This is the best way to think about it.
If
you want to begin a new life,
you need to start with yourself.
How about…you give
Wu Yu a chance?
I don't know what do about Wu Yu.
He's so good to me,
but there's no way he and I could have a connection.
You're
overthinking this.
It's so simple.
How can you know that you won't
get along with him
if you don't even try?
Look at Emmy.
When she was with Haochen,
in her mind
they were the epitome
of the perfect relationship.
And now?
Splitsville.
Then there's me.
I don't know
what's going on between
me and Zimo right now.
But I do believe
that our story
won't end here.
Never.
As for Wu Yu,
he's not perfect by any means,
but he's worth your attention.
Let's not talk about it.
You've got the competition tomorrow right?
Yep, the battle between man and machine!
We'll win for sure,
I just know it.
It's vital to the Proofreading Section
whether you win or not,
but not to you.
If we're being honest,
if the Proofreading Section really is dismantled,
you still have a home to come back to
with RESA.
C'mon, don't jinx us!
Actually, I want
to think it over first
and then make a decision.
I just don't want to sit passively and let things happen.
I don't understand.
You've always wanted to come back to RESA,
why aren't you following through with it?
The fashion team is short staffed,
and you have a knack for the work,
so what's making you so hesitant?
The main thing is that
the Proofreading Section is rough shape now.
They've got a lot on their plate.
If I leave now,
I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.
I've heard rumors about
the Proofreading Section,
but that's not something
you have any influence over.
You need to think
about your own future.
RESA is what you've been aspiring for
since the very beginning.
You can't get distracted
and forget why you
started all of this in the first place.
Once we open this new media platform,
RESA will only get better and better.
I know that.
I also know
what it is I want the most.
I just feel
now isn't the right time
to leave.
Once there's a final decision
about the Proofreading Section,
I can decide whether I want to stay
or leave.
I think it'll be better
that way.
Right,
it wouldn't be like you
to leave now anyway.
Has he reached out recently?
A lot has happened since you left.
We're going to have a competition
between the proofreaders and the program
tomorrow.
The manuscript we're using
is Mr. Yunzhi's
Too Late to Turn Back, My Son.
How the competition ends will
determine the fate of
the Proofreading Section.
I'm so nervous.
You've got this!
You and the proofreaders will win for sure.
Alright.
All good.
Start it.
Mr. Wu, it's finished.
Alright.
The speed is incredible!
50,000 characters…
Even if we had three proofreaders
working around the clock
doing three separate readings,
it would still take all day!
Well,
let's get three proofreaders
to have a go at it then.
Shi Lei, Niu,
and…
Director…
Alright then. Li Xiao as well.
The three of you will be our team.
Give it three passes
before 10am tomorrow.
During the new year, in 1993, I had a son.
I gave him the name Zimo.
My wish was for my son to grow up and be a man of words.
This volume is a collection of various letters
I have written to my son over the years,
none of which I could find the courage
to ever send to him.
Letter 1
Dear Zimo,
First of all, I want to apologize.
Your mother and I never considered
whether or not you were willing
to enter this world.
Although it was never our intention, your mother and I unceremoniously
brought you into this world without asking.
However, you are the materialization
of the love between your mother and I,
a wonderful miracle created by me
and the woman
I have loved
my whole life.
It is an experience
that fills me with both joy and terror,
as well as gratitude.
There are so many things in one's own life
that you cannot control.
Birth is the very first.
The last
is death.
Your life has only just begun.
Your Father wishes you well.
I hope that you can go on and
become someone you are
proud of being.
People ask me,
when I look back,
what is the moment that I'm proudest of?
Unquestionably,
it was when you, for the first time
said with a stammer and falter,
"Da..da…Daddy"
Zimo,
many years have passed
since the first letter.
You're much taller than before.
You've grown.
What's more important is that
you now have your own way of thinking,
and your own personality.
Even though you can be despondent sometimes,
from what I can see,
you are easygoing and comfortable with yourself.
You have started to pay attention
to how your words and actions
affect others,
and that is to be expected.
You now have your own unique
point of view.
I can see
that you have
a strong sense of confidence in yourself.
Zimo,
your Father is proud of you.
Put the water down there Haochen.
Alright.
Let's break for lunch everyone.
We'll eat once we're finished.
Li Xiao,
I'm finished
with my draft,
how much do you have left?
I still have two letters left.
Give me one then.
After I'm done,
we can take turns having a look at them.
Come on.
Thanks Ms. Shi
Hello Zimo,
You've become a man. How time flies.
In your adulthood,
you will have to face challenges and hardships
very different from those you had as a child.
You will have to face
the instability that comes with desire.
You will have to face loss.
Anger and heartbreak.
Once you become an adult,
there are more and more things
you can never get back.
A child cries
when they cannot have
the toy that they have
always desired.
But my dear son,
once you grow up,
you cannot be broken-hearted for long.
Time will not stop and wait
for you.
Love those who are around you.
Do not hold any resentments against them.
Love will give you a limitless strength
that you never thought was possible.
Hate will twist and deform
you beyond all recognition.
As I write down these words,
even though I have already been a father
for many years,
I find myself feeling
that I was never
qualified to be one.
When I look back at the past,
I find it
full of regrets.
I hope to take the time that I have left in this life
and become
a better father.
For you and I.
For the time that remains.
I still don't have your number!
I think this will bring you good luck,
so it belongs to you.
I love you,
so I want to be the best I can be
for you.
I want to be together by your side,
no matter where you go.
So you prefer Zimo the model
over Leiyang
the writer.
You know what
I want the most right now?
I don't know.
I don't know
what you want now either.
I'll take you to
the most beautiful
and romantic places.
The most beautiful
and romantic place
is wherever we're together.
We're growing
further and further apart,
We should separate.
Hey.
I was just doing some overtime.
Come on in.
I forgot to get my things.
You go ahead.
Morning, Li Xiao.
We've done the comparison,
and gotten the results.