National Tide 1980.

Ning Weimin noticed the pager vibrating and casually took it out of his bag to take a look.

The number flashing on the screen, along with the signal indicating five calls, made his heart sink.

He knew perfectly well that this was the main switchboard number for the Maxim's Hotel, and he also knew that the other party wouldn't be calling him so frantically unless there was an emergency.

So he immediately stood up and apologized to everyone at the table.

"Excuse me, everyone, there's been an emergency at the company, I need to make a call back first."

Before the others could even respond, he quickly walked to the corridor outside the private room, found a quiet corner, and used his mobile phone to call the hotel's switchboard to inquire about what was going on.

And just like that, very quickly, Zou Guodong's assistant's anxious voice came through the receiver.

He spoke rapidly, briefly outlining the current crisis facing the model competition, and concluded with an urgent plea.

"President Ning, President Zou needs you to make a decision quickly! The situation is getting out of control! Oh, right, I'll go get President Zou right now and have him speak to you personally..."

Two minutes later, Zou Guodong's rapid breathing and urgent plea for help came through the cell phone.

"Weimin, Weimin, is that you? Oh dear, I've finally found you! The model competition is in complete chaos today! It's on fire..."

Next, after Ning Weimin's detailed questioning, Zou Guodong gave a more comprehensive account of the details of Ellen Ford's extreme scoring, the confrontation on the judges' panel, the audience's loss of control, and the contestants' agitation.

He concluded with a pleading tone, "The live broadcast has been suspended, and the TV stations have started airing commercials. But the whole nation and the audience here are waiting for the results. If this drags on any longer, Pierre Cardin's brand will be completely ruined! What should we do? Please give me some advice!"

However, despite his eagerness, Ning Weimin did not give an answer immediately.

After all, this was a matter of great importance, so he listened quietly, his brows furrowing more and more, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table beside him.

The relaxed and comfortable atmosphere at the dinner table vanished instantly, replaced by calm reflection.

To be honest, at this moment, besides considering how to handle this matter in the best way for Pierre Cardin, he was also weighing some information he knew from his previous life.

In the era he once lived in, the international fashion industry seemed to have always suffered from structural injustice against Chinese models due to racial discrimination.

In terms of appearance and image, they rely on a prejudiced Orientalist imagination.

In selecting models, they also have a particular preference for Eastern faces that fit the malicious imagination of Westerners, while deliberately being indifferent to and maliciously rejecting models that conform to the mainstream Chinese aesthetic.

As for the Splendid Oriental Model Competition, Ning Weimin was well aware that Zou Guodong's original intention was to showcase the fashionable style of Chinese women in the new era, connect with international standards, and incidentally convey confidence in Eastern aesthetics.

But now this plan has hit a snag because of Ellen Ford.

Heaven knows who invited this woman. She seems to have no intention of helping others achieve their goals. She has turned this event held in China into a stage for her personal will, treating her standards as the only truth.

Her domineering and condescending attitude inevitably made Ning Weimin think twice.

He couldn't help but connect this incident with what he knew from his previous life, and regard it as the beginning of the international fashion industry's attempt to hijack Chinese aesthetics.

Therefore, he certainly could not allow such a thing to happen and for the other party to succeed.

Once he understood this, Ning Weimin's eyes instantly hardened.

His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable authority as he spoke to Zou Guodong on the other end of the phone, “Mr. Zou, in my opinion, this matter is not so simple. On the surface, it seems to be a dispute between us and this American judge due to our differing views, but in essence, it is a struggle for cultural discourse power.”

Ning Weimin said, word by word, “Forgive me for speaking frankly, but this is probably not a ‘professional debate’ at all, nor is it simply a ‘difference between Eastern and Western aesthetics’.”

These words struck Zou Guodong on the other end of the phone like a thunderbolt.

To be honest, he was only thinking about how to quell the chaos and protect the company's reputation, but he didn't consider the matter from the perspective of "cultural discourse power".

Only when Ning Weimin pointed it out did he suddenly realize the truth.

"So you mean..." Zou Guodong continued to ask.

Now that the problem is clear, he still doesn't know what to do.

"My thinking is very clear. We are holding this model competition not to please Western judges, nor to blindly follow international standards and lose our own roots. We want to use this competition to showcase the potential and charm of our local models and let the world see the unique value of Eastern aesthetics. This American judge wants to impose her standards on us and decide the winner based on her personal subjective will, thus negating the scores of other judges. This is disrespectful to others, disrespectful to the competition, and even more so, disrespectful to our culture."

At this point, Ning Weimin gave his advice decisively.

“We should immediately abolish this American’s scoring! This competition is not her sole decision-making process. There is never a clause in the scoring rules that allows ‘one judge to disqualify all contestants.’ Her scoring itself violates the principles of fairness and impartiality and has no validity whatsoever.”

He paused, then continued, “Mr. Zou, next, we need to eliminate the negative impact she caused and recalculate the scores. You should have the host explain the situation to the live audience and television viewers nationwide. Emphasize the principles of fairness and impartiality in the competition, pointing out that the delay in the final results and the dispute within the judging panel were caused by an irresponsible judge. Due to obvious subjective bias and irregularities in that judge's scoring, in order to ensure the fairness of the competition, the organizing committee, after emergency discussion, decided to abolish that judge's score and calculate the results according to the original fair rules. Then, you can announce the true winners publicly and award the prizes to the contestants according to the original scores!” “But…won’t doing this completely offend Eileen Ford?”

Zou Guodong clearly still had some concerns.

"She's the owner of Ford Models in the US, and I've heard she has abundant resources in the Western fashion industry. The winner of this competition will even go to the US to participate in a modeling competition. She's the one who's guiding us. I'm worried that if we don't give her face, it will affect our future international cooperation and even our brand image. And this woman is very stubborn, constantly saying we're unprofessional. I'm worried that afterwards, she'll definitely find fault with us, spread negative rumors about us everywhere, and ruin our company's reputation, saying that we Chinese don't understand fashion at all and don't even know what a model is."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Mr. Zou, this isn't our fault, and we have no room for compromise. Moreover, our Pierre Cardin China is based in the Chinese market, and our foundation is the recognition of Chinese consumers. Without local dignity and the support of the people, even the strongest international resources are useless."

Ning Weimin had a very clear understanding of the problem.

"As for professionalism, I admit that perhaps Eileen Ford's judgment of people and her views do have some merit. If she weren't so domineering, we could have calmly negotiated this matter today. But the problem lies precisely in the fact that she puts her personal will above the rules of the competition, using a score of zero to negate the entire competition and everyone's efforts. That completely changes the nature of the matter. She is using so-called professionalism to hold us hostage and try to humiliate us."

"Mr. Zou, you might want to think about this: if we kneel down today for the sake of so-called 'international reputation,' won't we become spiritual slaves to foreigners in the future? Our fellow countrymen will despise us because of our weakness. What's even more terrifying is that we won't even be able to judge the merits and ugliness of models ourselves anymore. Instead, we'll have to abide by international standards 100% and let foreigners define us."

"You know, the champion she designated was also selected by us using our own methods, and their basic qualifications were equally excellent. But what if those foreigners then find an ugly girl and tell you that their idea of ​​Eastern beauty is single eyelids, squinty eyes, and high cheekbones, and that the beautiful girls we selected don't meet their aesthetic standards? Would you have to hold your nose and accept it? Would you have to lie through your teeth? And would you have to treat this stereotype as 'high-class' and pursue it? How would the national audience view us then?"

"To be honest, I really don't think our models are bad. Western model selection focuses too much on bone structure and a cold, hard temperament, which makes them all look the same and very limiting. Our competition incorporates beauty pageant elements, which allows each contestant to have their own unique charm and be highly recognizable. This diverse beauty is far more vibrant and perfect than the single Western standard. I'm worried that if we compromise this time, it will be difficult to continue this high-quality local selection process, and our models will only be able to fit into Western stereotypes."

"President Zou, I'm not exaggerating. Our country has never lacked those who fawn over foreign things. Some people worship everything foreign to the bone, willing to betray their own ancestors. If we weaken and compromise on this matter, the consequences will be far beyond what we can predict. Some people are truly capable of doing such absurd and rebellious things. If it really comes to that, someone will definitely trace the origins back to us. Then we will be seen as the first fools willing to humiliate ourselves, and our own compatriots will criticize us for the rest of our lives..."

Before we knew it, the topic had become so heavy.

Zou Guodong remained silent on the other end of the phone.

Ning Weimin's words struck him like a hammer blow, waking him up.

He had previously only focused on "professionalism" and "international reputation," but failed to realize that the so-called cultural debate actually had such important practical significance.

"Alright! I understand! So be it! We'll do as you say! I'll make the arrangements right now! No matter what, I can't be a traitor to the nation."

However, despite this, Zou Guodong still hopes to preserve some dignity for both parties and avoid a complete breakdown in relations.

“Weimin, how about… we create a special award for Chen Juanhong? It would appease Ellen Ford and reduce some controversy.”

However, he did not expect that Ning Weimin would refuse without even thinking about it, and his reaction was quite strong.

"Absolutely not! You don't understand Westerners enough. Not everyone is as kind and sincere as our Master Pierre Carton. Their society follows the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak. People who consider themselves strong are generally arrogant. Don't expect to compromise or stop there; that's the Chinese way of thinking. To be honest, Americans aren't even as good as the French; they have no class whatsoever. In Eileen Ford's eyes, your choice is a sign of weakness and will only embolden her. Moreover, it's unfair to the other contestants. It will make them think, 'As long as I please the international judges, I can win an award even if my score isn't high enough.' They'll inevitably develop a sycophantic and opportunistic attitude towards foreign things, which will only make things worse and cause endless trouble."

At this point, he used a common analogy to explain.

"It's like the imperial examination system in ancient China. You have to respect the system and there can't be any 'favored officials' who get promoted by chance. No matter how capable someone is or how much the emperor favors them, they still have to follow the rules and be promoted step by step. They can't be promoted out of turn, otherwise it will cause controversy and the rules will become meaningless. Heshen is the best example in history. Looking at the present, I'm the same. Master Pierre Carton was very kind to me, which was good for me personally, and I'm grateful to him. But it also caused instability within Huaxia Company for a period of time. Even I have to admit that this is a lesson from the past. If we want the 'Splendid Orient' competition to continue for a long time and to have credibility, we must prevent such rule-breaking."

Ning Weimin even used himself as a negative example in these words, which shows his sincerity.

Upon reflection, Zou Guodong realized that this was indeed the case.

Taking a deep breath, Zou Guodong's previously anxious mood became much more resolute.

Although he hadn't fully grasped some of Ning Weimin's words, he understood the core meaning—there was absolutely no room for compromise on this matter.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, I'll do it this way. No matter what that Ellen Ford is like, I'm going to deal with her today."

"You don't need to be so aggressive. She's just an old American lady, why are you taking her so seriously? You're giving her too much credit."

To reassure Zou Guodong, Ning Weimin offered him further assurances: "I know she's the owner of a modeling agency. She thinks she's something special. But our company isn't weak either. Don't forget we have a master backer, headquartered in Paris, France. We're a mainstream force in the international fashion world. We don't have the right to let her talk nonsense. She needs to understand that she relies on us for her livelihood in this industry, and if she goes against our brand, she'll suffer the consequences. Of course, you're a grown man, so it's not appropriate for you to personally argue with a woman. Here's what you'll do: have Xilin convey our message. Say I'm asking her for help, and she'll agree. Xilin was my coach back then, and she hosted me when I went to France later. She knows my situation well and knows what we can do. I think she'll make sure she understands that it's best to stop there."

Finally, Ning Weimin added.

"That's settled then. Just do as I say and keep things calm. I'll finish my engagement right away and head over within ten minutes to handle the aftermath."

Upon hearing that Ning Weimin would be coming in person, Zou Guodong finally felt relieved.

Without further hesitation, he said firmly, "Okay! Weimin, I trust you! I'll make the arrangements right now!"

After hanging up the phone, Zou Guodong took a deep breath, and all his previous anxiety and concerns vanished.

His eyes sharpened, and he strode towards the main entrance of the banquet hall.

A clash between Chinese and Western aesthetics and a contest for cultural discourse power is about to reach its final conclusion. (End of Chapter)