1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 647 Doing the opposite

“My parents want to see you. They said they can only make a decision after they see you!”

In the living room, Gong Xue leaned on Li Changhe's shoulder and whispered.

"Yes, we definitely need to meet and have a serious talk!"

"They do know my real identity, so it's understandable that they have reservations."

Li Changhe had said before that Gong Xue was too confident and always thought she could convince her parents, but in reality, the final result would still fall on him.

"Changhe, is it really okay for you to tell my parents your identity?"

Gong Xue then asked worriedly.

Li Changhe smiled and shook his head: "Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

"In fact, what we should do now is to let Bao Zeyang's identity appear more often."

"The more he appears in public, the larger his social network becomes, and the more he cuts ties with Li Changhe."

"It's like a balance scale. Originally, Li Changhe's identity had the most weight. His status, his social network, and his family's influence far exceeded Bao Zeyang's identity."

"Therefore, before that, we must forcibly suppress Li Changhe's identity in order to protect Bao Zeyang."

“But now, the authorities have frozen Li Changhe’s account, which has immediately eliminated the official weight of his identity, while Bao Zeyang’s weight is getting heavier and heavier. At this point, the two are no longer comparable. So what we need to do is to fill in the loopholes in Bao Zeyang’s identity and make this identity more and more real.”

"In this way, even if someone finds out the connection, one side is a top international billionaire, and the other side is an ordinary writer in mainland China. Which identity do you think is more authentic?"

Li Changhe asked with a smile, while Gong Xue fell into deep thought.

"Changhe, what do you mean?"

"It's very simple. Do you believe that an ordinary writer from mainland China can become one of the world's top billionaires in just a few years, or do you believe that a scion of a world-class wealthy family can simply acquire the title of writer in mainland China?"

Li Changhe said softly, and Gong Xue was stunned for a moment after hearing it.

"The latter should be more logical!"

Gong Xue said hesitantly.

"Yes, that's it!"

This is what makes Li Changhe's identity so special. Even if someone were to actually find out about his resume, they probably wouldn't believe it because the contrast is too great.

Li Changhe's experiences from 77 to the present are completely different from his previous experiences.

Even if someone actually finds out about Li Changhe's background, they'll probably be completely baffled after reading it!
A young man who grew up as a troublemaker, fighting every day, and later went to the countryside to do manual labor, a person who hardly went to school, suddenly became the top scorer in the college entrance examination, and then became one of the world's top investors, controlling billions of dollars in assets, and repeatedly making accurate predictions about major international events.

Is such a contrast even possible? How many people would believe it?

Or, to put it another way, a wealthy family carefully nurtures the next generation from childhood, who then uses a false identity to study in the capital, and subsequently makes a name for themselves in the global market, using their family's influence to become a super-rich person.

Which version is more logical?
Without a doubt, it's the latter.

Because knowledge doesn't come from nothing. Take the conversation between Li Changhe and Rockefeller, for example. Without a profound understanding of the world situation, it would be impossible to make such detailed judgments.

How can an ordinary young man named "Li Changhe," who has spent more than a decade in China with little education and has never even seriously studied, possibly demonstrate a global perspective?

Is it all based on imagination?
This identity-related approach was also the hidden strategy that Liao Lao finally devised with Li Changhe. He used the contrast in Li Changhe's past experiences to create such an obvious loophole, thereby misleading the investigators at the time.

The idea was to make the investigators believe that it wasn't Li Changhe who impersonated Bao Zeyang, but rather that Bao Zeyang impersonated Li Changhe in 1977 and was the earliest family member sent by the Bao family to make contact with the mainland.

After all, even Liao Lao and the others would find it hard to believe in Li Changhe's extreme transformation if they hadn't watched him grow step by step, and if the people around him, even those who went to the countryside, hadn't sworn that Li Changhe hadn't changed at all.

It's amazing, and it's unbelievable.

So, at this crucial juncture in 1977, Liao and his colleagues made a change of identity for Li Changhe, allowing Bao Zeyang to insert himself into the mix, creating a subtle cover-up.

As for this so-called "tail," as Liao Lao has already said, the higher-ups have already filled in the gaps for Li Changhe.

However, given Li Changhe's outstanding performance, the higher-ups have been hesitant about whether to let him return to China for steady development, so they have been waiting for Li Changhe to return and express his opinion.

Now that Li Changhe has made his final choice, the evidence has naturally been "completed," which leads to another conclusion: Li Changhe was not given important responsibilities after graduation!

Because the identity of "Li Changhe" was used by Bao Zeyang from Hong Kong, he will not be given important responsibilities no matter how well he performs at Peking University!

Li Changhe explained the logic behind this to Gong Xue, who was stunned after listening.

This relationship is really convoluted, but it sounds like it makes perfect sense.

"Changhe, so in that case, even if someone identifies you as Li Changhe in the future, it doesn't really matter, right?"

"After all, compared to you being Li Changhe, all the evidence actually points more to you as [Bao Zeyang]."

"And people overseas trust Bao Zeyang more, right?"

Gong Xue asked in surprise.

Li Changhe smiled and nodded: "Pretty much. Unless they can find solid evidence to prove that I am Li Changhe impersonating Bao Zeyang, they will most likely believe that I am Bao Zeyang."

"Most importantly, when I have conflicts of interest with them, those who share the same interests will take the initiative to speak up for me and defend my position."

"So what I need to do now is to gradually and openly use Bao Zeyang's identity to operate here."

"Of course, it can't be completely public either. After all, it's normal to have a mix of truth and falsehood, and to keep one's whereabouts secret."

One flaw in Li Changhe's identity is that his behavior before and after time travel is completely different, showing two entirely different personalities. The authorities used this contrast to devise an unconventional method of concealment, going against the grain.

“Now I feel relieved. I was worried that my parents wouldn’t be able to keep the secret, so I hesitated for a long time before telling them.”

Gong Xue said softly at this moment.

"No need. We'll have to tell them about this sooner or later. Otherwise, how can they be my parents-in-law?"

"Okay, I'll arrange a place to eat tonight. You can bring your parents along!"

"What do you mean 'our dad' and 'our mom'? Those are my real dad and mom! You wish!"

Hearing Li Changhe referring to his parents as "our dad and mom," Gong Xue couldn't help but retort.

They're not even married yet; Changhe changed his mind so quickly.

"Jingle Bell!"

Just as the two were arguing, the phone on the table rang.

Li Changhe walked over and then answered the phone.

"Is that Factory Director Xu?"

"Okay, okay, I'll be there this afternoon!"

Li Changhe then hung up the phone.

"Perfect timing. Director Xu called us to the Shanghai Film Studio this afternoon, saying that the director has been decided. Let's go and meet with him, discuss the script, and also help you with the procedures for joining the studio."

Although Gong Xue's transfer has not yet been completed, that does not affect the fact that the Shanghai Film Studio is processing her onboarding procedures.

After all, their paperwork with Shanghai Film Studio has nothing to do with Beijing Film Studio. "Hmm, so I'll stay in Shanghai from now on?"

Gong Xue asked with some reluctance.

She felt a little reluctant to leave Shanghai alone in the future.

"You won't be staying for too long. I think you'll be transferred to Hong Kong Island around next year. Once your status there is settled, you can stay in Shanghai if you want, or go to Beijing if you want, it's up to you."

Li Changhe estimated that with this process, everything would be settled around 83.

Although 83 was followed by the crackdown in later years, that was a period of social order. In reality, by 83, all the ideas from above had basically been unified, and real reforms were about to begin. Some controls on foreigners also began to be gradually relaxed.

As a Hong Kong businesswoman, Gong Xue will no longer face such strict restrictions.

In the afternoon, Li Changhe drove Gong Xue to the Shanghai Film Studio.

Soon, in the reception room of the Shanghai Film Studio, they met Xu Sangchu and director Bai Chen.

"Come, Comrade Changhe, let me introduce you. This is Director Bai Chen, who was selected by our Shanghai Film Studio to direct 'Mom, Love Me Again'."

"Director Bai Chen is a veteran in our arts and culture field. He has a wealth of directing experience, especially in making films with female themes. We entrusted this story to him after a meeting and discussion."

"Old Bai, this is Comrade Li Changhe, our famous writer Ling Jue."

Xu Sangchu introduced the two to each other, and Li Changhe understood Xu Sangchu's implication at this moment.

Veteran comrades on the literary and artistic front are those with long service records.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Most of the fourth-generation directors of this era came from the war, and those who were able to enter the Beijing Film Studio and the Shanghai Film Studio were the best of the best.

"Director Bai, hello, I'm Li Changhe!"

"Hello, Comrade Changhe!"

The two greeted each other and then took their seats in the conference room.

"Comrade Changhe, I'll take Comrade Gong Xue to get an employee certificate first. We can take our time with the transfer procedures. We can get the employee onboarding done first, so she can still receive her salary."

"I also arranged a dormitory room for Comrade Gong Xue. Although the environment is so-so, it is a single room, which is quiet. I'll let Comrade Gong Xue tidy it up first."

Xu Sangchu wasn't in a hurry to discuss the cooperation at this time. He wanted to get Gong Xue hired first, since once she was hired, Li Changhe's script would definitely be on the way.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Director Xu."

Li Changhe didn't say anything polite, after all, he knew that Shanghai Film Studio would definitely not suffer any losses in the future when he was in Shanghai.

The location in Shanghai meant that they would actually receive more resource support from Li Changhe than the Beijing Film Studio.

"Alright, Comrade Gong Xue, come with me. Lao Bai, you and Comrade Changhe can talk about the script first!"

Xu Sangchu beckoned Gong Xue to leave.

Then, Bai Chen took the script and came to Li Changhe's side.

"Comrade Changhe, let's get started. Let me first express my doubts!"

“I see that there are too few male characters in your script, which makes the female lead seem somewhat hollow.”

“I noticed you added scenes of blind dates, but there weren’t enough. I think we could add more, and use the male lead’s blind date to highlight the female lead’s qualities.”

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent. When Bai Chen and Li Changhe discussed the script, they immediately got to the heart of the matter.

"Director Bai, this is what I'm thinking. Our film has two main elements: maternal love and independence, and these two feminine traits complement each other."

At this moment, Li Changhe also began to seriously discuss with Bai Chen.

The two chatted until four o'clock in the afternoon, and Xu Sangchu then brought Gong Xue back to the conference room.

"How are things? You two seem to be having a great chat!"

After entering, Xu Sangchu said with a smile.

"Director Xu, I now believe in the strength of our Shanghai Film Studio. Director Bai is indeed the most suitable director to direct this script; his understanding is too profound."

Li Changhe then sincerely praised her.

He also knew about the discussion earlier. Bai Chen was not only a director, but also a screenwriter. Therefore, in terms of story structure, the new script that the two of them came up with was indeed much more exciting than the original script written by Li Changhe alone.

Especially in the design of some mother-son storylines, Li Changhe felt that the other party's design was indeed more brilliant.

"Comrade Changhe, you are too modest. These ideas of mine actually came to me after reading your script. Without your excellent script, I would be like a skilled cook without rice to cook!"

Bai Chen smiled and said this at this moment.

Upon seeing this, Xu Sangchu laughed heartily.

"In that case, I think we can continue tonight. I've arranged for a guesthouse to be ready, and we can eat and chat then."

He was worried that Li Changhe and Bai Chen would get into a fight, since there was a big age difference between them, and if their ideas didn't align, they might have a conflict.

It seems to be going well now; the two had a harmonious discussion.

"I'm afraid that won't work, Director Xu. I have dinner plans for tonight, and I've already made reservations. I can't break my promise. I'm really sorry!"

Li Changhe hurriedly spoke up at this moment.

"Oh, is that so? That's really unfortunate. I was thinking we could have dinner and chat tonight."

"If it's someone from the arts and culture department, we can go together. We're all acquaintances, so it's no problem."

Xu Sangchu said regretfully at this moment.

Li Changhe shook his head: "They're not colleagues from the arts and culture department, they're my own relatives. I'm really sorry, Director Xu."

"Alright then, we'll have plenty of time later anyway, so one more meal won't make a difference."

Xu Sangchu didn't force him; it wasn't a big deal.

"That's right. When I get back, I'll adjust the script again according to the ideas we discussed this afternoon. I'll have to go over it with Changhe again before we eat it."

Bai Chen also tried to smooth things over.

Li Changhe was helpless; there was nothing he could do. After all, he had to meet his new in-laws tonight!
After leaving the Shanghai Film Studio, Li Changhe pulled Gong Xue into the car.

"You really don't want me to pick you up?"

After getting into the car, Li Changhe was somewhat surprised to hear Gong Xue say that Li Changhe didn't need to pick her up.

"Forget it, your car is too conspicuous, and a lot of people over there know you. If they treat you badly, my parents definitely won't want to ride in it."

"I'll go back to find them, and we'll go together by bicycle. You can wait at the restaurant."

Gong Xue felt it was better not to let Li Changhe pick her up now, as it would make her parents uncomfortable. She suggested waiting until after dinner to discuss it further.

(End of this chapter)