"Comrades, the plane is about to land. Everyone please check your luggage to make sure nothing is left behind!" As the flight attendant's announcement in Italian echoed through the cabin, Old Wang, the head of the film crew, said to his two team members.
The CCTV crew sent to Italy this time consisted of three people. Although small in number, they were well-equipped.
The team leader was named Wang Dafu. He was formerly the head of CCTV's Rome bureau and spoke fluent Italian, naturally making him the leader of the entire crew.
Given Wang Dafu's status, he wouldn't normally have been assigned to this kind of investigative journalism. However, CCTV couldn't find anyone else who was not only familiar with Italy but could also speak fluent Italian and was a skilled photographer.
That's right, Wang Dafu also served as the crew's cinematographer.
Wang Dafu was nearing retirement and felt quite emotional about revisiting Italy in his late sixties. He didn't mind the leaders assigning him a task that was somewhat beneath his usual station.
The second member of the crew was Li Sisi, a host who had just joined CCTV this year. It wouldn't have been her turn to go to Italy for an interview as a complete newcomer, especially since overseas assignments were rare and precious.
But the problem was that Li Sisi was the only host among all available CCTV hosts who knew Italian. Since the process involved extensive interviews with Italians, a host who didn't speak Italian wouldn't do. Thus, the newcomer Li Sisi was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to go to Italy, making many hosts who had been working there for five or six years envious.
The last member of the crew was Liu Xiang. He was the one with the most diverse responsibilities, handling lighting, sound, on-site operations, recording, props, and even some post-production work. While these tasks might not seem important individually, he was an indispensable member of the crew.
Honestly, a three-person crew was quite insufficient. Not only was there too much work, but they were also all abroad, making the work pressure immense.
However, CCTV's budget was much stricter than that of local stations. And overseas shoots, due to foreign exchange considerations, were handled with extreme caution. Therefore, almost every crew sent to different countries had a three-person configuration, which was the limit the CCTV leadership could afford.
But the issue of personnel wasn't the most serious. More critically, due to visa issues, they had already been delayed by 10 days and now only had 11 days left.
So, after checking their personal belongings, Wang Dafu said to the others, "Let's work a bit harder. After we land today, we won't go to the hotel to rest. We'll take the train directly to Florence."
"Understood!" The other two nodded. They had actually discussed this before boarding the plane.
After all, time was extremely tight, and they had to make the most of every minute.
"But Director, is it alright for us to go directly to Florence? What if those Italian masters from Jiangnan Group aren't in Florence?" Li Sisi asked worriedly. This was also a concern for the entire crew, as they couldn't find any information about these Italian masters.
The internet had developed by then, and Jiangnan Group was one of the few companies in the country with a corporate website exceeding 300,000 characters, offering a vast array of online products.
However, information about the master-crafted Italian leather shoes was scarce. The only news available online was from when Jiangnan Group first launched its official website, which introduced the master-crafted leather shoes in their blind box products.
It mentioned the names of eight masters and praised their craftsmanship. But if you tried to find detailed information about these masters, such as which city in Italy they lived in, what their previous works were, or what awards they had won, you found nothing.
They had also tried to gather intelligence through unofficial channels, but the results were even more frustrating.
It wasn't that there was no intelligence; there was just too much of it. Some said these eight masters were national treasures of Italy, others that they had connections with European dignitaries, and some claimed they had won various awards.
Some articles even detailed the lineage of these masters and their shoemaking processes. The information looked very comprehensive.
But the problem was that none of this information was officially released by Jiangnan Group, nor was it from legitimate media interviews with Jiangnan Group. Most of it was from posts written by netizens or from hearsay and boasting. In short, while the information looked detailed, none of it was true.
Of course, when they tried to find information about the masters based on this data, it all failed. None of it matched.
The only information they could consider as officially certified true data was the names of these eight masters.
Therefore, when they went to Italy, they didn't even have the address of a single master, nor did they know which city they lived in... It was truly commendable that these three people were able to set off with such uncertainty.
"Eighty percent of Italy's handmade shoemaking industry is concentrated in Florence, the capital of Italian craftsmanship!" Wang Dafu sighed. "So, Florence is the most likely place to find these eight masters. We can only go to Florence first."
"Actually," Li Sisi pouted, "I think we can already conclude that the eight masters are fabricated. Director, you lived in Italy for over five years and asked so many Italian friends, yet you couldn't find the address of even one master, and it was difficult to even find corresponding names."
"This indicates that all this information is fake and fabricated by Jiangnan Group. We don't even need to investigate further. By presenting this unsubstantiated information to the audience, we can prove that Jiangnan Group is faking it!"
"Comrade Li Sisi, I must criticize this line of thinking," Wang Dafu's expression immediately turned cold. "As media professionals, we prioritize truthful reporting and must not broadcast news based on any speculation."
"You say that because you can't find the information, it proves Jiangnan Group is faking it. But what if Jiangnan Group responds by saying that the eight masters are reclusive individuals who dislike interacting with outsiders and are solely dedicated to their work?"
"How is that possible? If they are masters, how can they not interact with the outside world?" Li Sisi countered.
"Yes, you have a point, but this cannot be considered evidence. Jiangnan Group can come up with a thousand ways to explain it. After the program is broadcast, they can immediately forge information about these masters or even have them appear before you. In that case, who would lose credibility? Us?"
"And you must not underestimate Jiangnan Group. This company becoming a nationally renowned enterprise in just two years indicates they have powerful backing. If we can present concrete evidence, Jiangnan Group will have nothing to say. But if we can't, Jiangnan Group might not be able to do anything to CCTV, but retaliating against the three of us would be easy."
"I'm an old man about to retire. At worst, I can resign, and they won't be able to do anything to me. Liu Xiang is a technician with excellent skills; he can find work anywhere. But you, Li Sisi, have just joined. If you get fired, your future will be ruined! No television station would dare to risk offending Jiangnan Group to rehire you, as it would mean they wouldn't receive any marketing resources from Jiangnan Group. Do you understand?" Wang Dafu's words sent a shiver down Li Sisi's spine. She nodded obediently and thanked Wang Dafu for his guidance.
"However, I am also worried. What should we do if we can't find any information about these eight masters in Florence?" Liu Xiang asked.
"It's not 'if.' It's highly probable that we won't find any information. Jiangnan Group's eight masters are likely non-existent!" Wang Dafu snorted. "Therefore, we need to work a little harder. Once we get to Florence, we will visit every handmade leather shoe workshop in Florence and ask everyone about these eight names, making sure to record detailed video footage."
"Additionally, we will visit the Italian Shoemakers Federation. As far as I know, all Italian shoemakers join this association. If the names of these eight masters are not found within this association, it will be even more interesting."
"Once we broadcast this video footage during the evening news, without drawing any conclusions ourselves, the audience will naturally understand whether Jiangnan Group is faking it."
"In short, by providing the audience with detailed footage from on-site investigations, even without a complete chain of evidence, the public's eyes are sharp, and the facts will speak for themselves. This is very persuasive. Otherwise, making a few phone calls in the country to gather some information and then declaring Jiangnan Group as a fraud would just be asking for trouble!"
"Alright, do you understand the significance of our trip to Florence now?" Wang Dafu asked finally. The other two puffed out their chests and answered loudly, filled with determination.
Unbeknownst to them, in front of their seats, an ordinary middle-aged man held a small recording device and recorded all their words.
"They're going to Florence!" Hu Jing said to Huang He in first class.
"Just as I guessed!" Huang He nodded. "Are our friends in Florence already making preparations?"
"Yes, I spoke with Mr. Ricci two hours ago. He has already arrived in Florence and is making arrangements. However, the time is severely insufficient. He needs at least one more day to complete all the preparations. But these reporters are going directly to Florence as soon as they get off the plane, so we are still very short on time!" Hu Jing said.
"No need to rush. I've already made arrangements for that. They won't reach Florence today!" Huang He revealed a slight smile.