A widower's entertainment

Lin Youcheng hasn't figured out the issues that follow "Our Millionaire" yet.

Lin Youcheng was well aware that the movie "Our Millionaire" was completely different from the four foreshadowing elements hidden in "Human Tales". Lin Qi was just like a passerby who met the protagonists of those four stories and then passed by them.

However, "Our Millionaire" is different. Now, he plans to make the protagonist, Xu Qingshan, a witness or experiencer in several other stories. In the story of "Our Millionaire," Xu Qingshan's life experiences are used to connect the ups and downs of fate, the twists and turns, and the experience and despair of human nature.

To be honest, whether it's the strange selling of women or the darkness inside the mine, it would be difficult for the higher-level review departments to approve it, since some of the plots are too dark and negative. Xiao Yu in "A Touch of Sin" is alright, although it is a bit straightforward, it is just excessive self-defense and attempted murder. However, the original versions of "Blind Mountain" and "Blind Shaft" face different outcomes.

"Blind Mountain" touches on the real-life issue of women being forced into prostitution. Although the original version went through some twists and turns, it was still released in China. The ending of the film was modified: in the original ending, the female protagonist's father was beaten by villagers, and the film ended abruptly after the female protagonist fought back with a knife. The modified version changed the ending to the police successfully rescuing the female protagonist and bringing all the criminals to justice, in order to strengthen the positive message. It obtained a public screening license and was released in mainland China in 2007.

However, the film's release was limited, only showing briefly in some cinemas across the country for about four days, resulting in very low box office revenue. This short-term, small-scale release also reflects the censorship authorities' restrictions on the film's dissemination, aiming to balance artistic expression with social impact.

As for "Blind Shaft," it was not released because it was submitted to an overseas film festival for judging in violation of regulations, and because the plot was too dark and negative.

Lin Youcheng knew very well that filming "Our Millionaire" without censorship would not be allowed, and it would be best to edit different parts of the script for filming.

It's worth noting that after Zhang Yimou's film "To Live" was completed, it was blocked after being submitted to the Film Bureau for review. Because "To Live" contained some upright content in its theme of life, it did not pass the review and has never been released in China.

Lin Youcheng was also well aware that although the plot of the movie "Our Millionaire" did not involve integrity, it still contained such dark and negative events, making it difficult to film in Hong Kong, as Hong Kong did not fit the setting of "Blind Shaft".

However, Lin Youcheng believes that some things should be brought to the forefront and made public to draw attention to them, because this is a criminal matter in itself.

It doesn't matter if this movie can't be released in China, since there are many places where the influence and status of a movie are not affected even if it is not released in China.

Of course, Lin Youcheng still needs to think carefully about how to better connect the story, especially how to design the problems at the end of the story.

In Lin Youcheng’s view, there are similar stories in China, such as Yu Hua’s book “The Seventh Day” written much later, which connects different events.

"The Seventh Day" tells the story of Yang Fei, who is already dead, receiving a phone call from the underworld urging him to be cremated—he knows he's dead, but doesn't know how. When he arrives at the funeral home to get a number, he has to give up cremation because he hasn't bought a burial plot, becoming a lonely ghost "without a burial place." He was crushed to death when a restaurant fire occurred; at that moment, he was shocked by the newspaper news of his ex-wife, now the mistress of a high-ranking executive, committing suicide.

In the underworld, Yang Fei begins his search for his adoptive father. He was the adopted son of railway worker Yang Jinbiao. Deeply bonded, Yang Jinbiao, in his old age and ailing, left silently, fearing he would be a burden. Along the way, Yang Fei encounters various spirits of the dead. These passersby in the mortal world are often the protagonists of various news events—demolition, underreporting of death tolls, abandoned stillborn infants, the lives of "rat tribes," the Yang family murder case, underground trials…

These painful aspects of our time are brought together in "The Seventh Day." In Yu Hua's writing, there is "no place to bury the dead," but people love and help each other, food is safe, and everyone dies equally. The story continues Yu Hua's previous narratives of suffering. What is commendable is that in this increasingly indifferent social atmosphere, we still find the kinship, love, and friendship among the people at the bottom of society that have not been extinguished.

Lin Youcheng was well aware that his novel, "Our Millionaire," was also about the same kind of story. The quiz show was about millionaires, but whether it was a strange sale, a mine, a robbery on bus route 44, or a customer at a bathhouse throwing money at Xiaoyu's face, these were all about money and full of satire.

Xie Shuhua noticed that Lin Youcheng was also flipping through some newspapers and couldn't help but ask, "You seem to be trying to learn about something."

"Yes."

Lin Youcheng had been discussing literary creation with Xie Shuhua, so he naturally told her the general plot of "Our Millionaire." Xie Shuhua was astonished as she listened to Lin Youcheng's narration.

Yes, it really was shocking.

Although it was just a general account of the story, Xie Shuhua was very unsettled. Her gaze involuntarily fell on the newspaper on the table. As she flipped through the news articles, she said with great distress, "Are these things really true?"

"Of course, there are also artistic creations, like this quiz show."

However, Lin Youcheng knew very well that such a program was not unusual. Every two years, CCTV would launch a program called "Lucky 52". It premiered on CCTV in 1998 and aired every Sunday night. Later, it was named the annual TV program of the year in the domestic TV rankings and became a nationwide hit.

At that time, Li Yong was the only CCTV host who dared to dye her hair.

In an era when entertainment programs were scarce, the popularity of these prize-winning quiz shows was nationwide. Everyone could sign up to participate. At the end of the opening VCR for "Lucky 52," the host held up a large snail, pointed at the screen, and said to the audience, "Everyone has a chance."

This program made every Sunday night a regular family night for many people, with the whole family excitedly spending that hour together in front of the TV. It was truly a nationwide participation, and some elderly people even watched "Lucky 52" every Sunday, memorizing the answers in a notebook, hoping to participate someday.

Of course, the format of this show is different from that of "Our Millionaire". Although it is also a quiz show, there are many differences. Also, the prizes are not millions, but some prizes, some of which are valuable, such as diamond bracelets.

Besides "Lucky 52", there's also CCTV's "Happy Dictionary". If "Lucky 52" is a game for everyone, then "Happy Dictionary" is more like a knowledge competition.

One characteristic is that it's tense the whole time.

Viewers had to answer questions online or by phone to have a chance to enter the studio to participate. Back then, some people bought clothes to participate in "Happy Dictionary", and the store gave them a special discount. Eight contestants were selected each round. The host would ask a question, and the person who answered correctly the fastest would have the qualification to answer questions one-on-one with the host.

This one-on-one question-and-answer format is like a scene from a movie; you actually sit face-to-face with a screen in front of you to answer the questions. The types of questions are also diverse, including visual memory, auditory memory, sequencing, and more, requiring constant reasoning, judgment, elimination, and self-doubt. After completing each level, participants can choose whether to continue answering questions, which is quite a test of their mental fortitude.

What's most exciting is the tension; many segments are timed down to the second, and the contestants' "lifeline" is displayed. Every time the countdown beeps, your heart races, especially when the host repeatedly asks: Are you sure? Are you sure you won't change it? Really not? Are you really sure you won't change it?

Of course, in reality, the quiz show in "Our Millionaire" is also quite tense, after all, it's about a million-dollar prize that can really change a person's destiny.

Xie Shuhua looked at Lin Youcheng, then at the news report, and shook her head, saying, "Your story is good, but seeing news like this is really upsetting."

Although Xie Shuhua knew that Lin Youcheng had also fabricated some of the stories, just that Lin Youcheng had other plans to include in the story, he hadn't figured out how to design the later questions so that they wouldn't seem so forced.

Even though the story wasn't perfectly conceived, Xie Shuhua was already completely moved because she already knew what kind of story the theme and plot were.

"Youcheng, the stories you told are even more distressing when put together."

Lin Youcheng naturally knew that some of the events in this story were extremely impactful, like the No. 44 bus, in which everyone on board died. Even with just a few simple sentences, one could feel the impact of the story.

Of course, Xie Shuhua hopes that such a story will not appear in the news, but is merely an artistic creation.

"This person's life has been full of twists and turns, with many unimaginable things happening. However, you have used a quiz show to connect his life experiences, interweaving memories of the past and present. This design is really good."

As Lin Youcheng listened to Xie Shuhua's words, he naturally understood that the most special thing about the story of "Our Millionaire" was that the male protagonist of the quiz show unexpectedly answered the final million-dollar prize.

"This story seems like it was destined."

Lin Youcheng looked at Xie Shuhua and couldn't help but say, "It's like if this were made into a movie, the question given at the beginning: that young man was just one question away from winning the million-dollar prize. How did he do it? A: He cheated; B: He was lucky; C: He was a genius; D: It was all destined."

"The answer is that everything is predestined."

Xie Shuhua nodded in agreement as she listened to Lin Youcheng's words.

She wholeheartedly agreed, because under Lin Youcheng's conception, the whole story seemed predestined. After all, no one knows what kind of questions the quiz show will give, and the questions just happen to be about the unforgettable things the protagonist has experienced. That's what makes this story amazing. No one expected such a coincidence, or rather, it was a destiny-like arrangement.

"It is precisely because of this kind of destiny that this story is so legendary. In particular, the protagonist's kindness is also very humane. After all, when he was a child, he was willing to send letters to his family for that woman because of his kindness. Later, in the mine, it was his kindness and honesty that swayed one of the people's evil intentions, which is why he survived by chance. Even though he saw such darkness, he still stood up on that No. 44 bus in the end."

"Yes!"

Xie Shuhua felt that the protagonist had experienced a life-or-death ordeal, witnessed the darkness of humanity, and survived. Even though no one else on the bus stood up, he, a young man, bravely did. Even though he didn't help the female driver, she ultimately chose to take all the indifferent passengers to their deaths while letting the protagonist live. This was because of the protagonist's kindness.

Xie Shuhua could only feel sorrow for the female driver's decision, but she also knew that the greatest sorrow was not the arrogance of the bad guys, but the excessive silence of the good guys. This silence was terrifying, even making one wonder: under such silence, could those people still be considered good people?
Xie Shuhua dared not think too much about this question; this one question alone was enough to give her a thousand thoughts.

Because she knew very well that it was a very brief experience that happened on the protagonist's life journey, but it revealed a very impactful aspect of humanity.

She desperately didn't want such a story to happen in real life, but for some reason, she also felt that even if such a story did happen in reality, most people wouldn't stand up like the protagonist.

"If the protagonist hadn't stood up, the female driver probably wouldn't have kicked him out of the car, and he would have died in that car too."

Lin Youcheng nodded upon hearing Xie Shuhua's words.

Hearing this, Xie Shuhua felt even more terrified upon closer examination.

Although it was astonishing, or even horrifying, Xie Shuhua's willingness to stand up for that boy was truly a testament to his enduring kindness, allowing him to survive, as if it were all predestined.

That kindness was truly like a light in the darkness.

Although faint, it truly illuminated the protagonist's path, allowing him to survive.

Xie Shuhua even wondered how many people would still choose to stand up after experiencing the darkest aspects of humanity underground, given the circumstances. The darkness and preciousness of humanity seemed to be laid bare at that moment.

Because that kindness was so precious, and because of the fate he chose with that kindness, he was able to get on and off that bus heading towards his death and survive.

He survived and ultimately won the grand prize of a million dollars—a million-dollar prize that was destined for him. (End of Chapter)