1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

Upon hearing this, Feng Jiayou's eyes lit up, and she pressed him for details about who she could possibly meet!

Is he an old acquaintance?

Cheng Xuemin was also thinking of nodding to his wife, since they were old acquaintances who knew each other very well!
As for who it is?

Cheng Xuemin kept his secret from his wife, Feng Jiayou, and didn't tell her directly. She'd find out when they got to Cannes!

Then came another short flight of just over an hour.

When the plane landed again and set foot on the land of Nice Côte d'Azur Airport!

The bright, almost scorching sunshine unique to the South of France, and the warm air carrying the salty smell of the sea and the fragrance of plants, instantly dispelled most of the fatigue from the long journey!
Feng Jiayou took a deep breath, feeling as if her lungs had been cleansed by the fresh and unfamiliar air!
Nice Airport is small and has a relaxed, resort-like atmosphere!
Palm trees sway in the breeze, and the buildings are bright, light-colored!
Cheng Xuemin and his group successfully retrieved their luggage and walked out of the arrival hall. At the entrance, a crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers held up all sorts of signs, and various languages ​​were being spoken.

Feng Jiayou followed closely behind Cheng Xuemin, her eyes scanning the crowd of people waiting at the airport!
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widened, and an expression of unbelievable surprise appeared on her face!
Immediately afterward, the surprise turned into immense excitement, and she almost ran towards one of the groups of people waiting to greet people at the airport!
"Auntie! Auntie! Is it really you?!" Feng Jiayou's voice was trembling with excitement, tinged with tears and filled with ecstatic joy!
Cheng Xuemin followed her gaze and saw a lady in a beige linen suit and a wide-brimmed straw hat standing in front of the crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers. She had an elegant figure.
She looked to be in her forties, well-maintained, with a gentle and surprised smile on her face, and was opening her arms to Feng Jiayou!

It was none other than Feng Jiayou's aunt, Gu Qiuna!
"Jiayou! My little girl!" Gu Qiuna hugged Feng Jiayou tightly as she rushed over, patting her back forcefully, her voice choked with emotion, "You must be exhausted from the journey! Let me take a good look at you!"

"Auntie, what are you doing here? How did you know we were coming today?"

Feng Jiayou lifted her head from Gu Qiuna's arms, tears still on her face, laughing and crying at the same time, hardly believing her eyes.

In this completely unfamiliar country, seeing her loved ones as soon as she got off the plane was a shock and joy that instantly overwhelmed all her fatigue and homesickness!
Gu Qiuna took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her niece's tears, smiling as she said:

“Your mother sent me a telegram a while ago, saying that you were coming to France to attend a film festival. The specific itinerary was told to me by Mr. Fu Qi through Xue Min.”

"I calculated the time; you're transferring in Paris, so you'll arrive in Nice around this time. I flew in from New York a few days ago, arriving just one day earlier than you, just to pick you up! Surprised?

"Surprise! What a surprise!" Feng Jiayou nodded vigorously, tears welling up again, but this time they were pure joy.

At this moment, Cheng Xuemin and the others also came over!
Cheng Xuemin smiled and nodded to Gu Qiuna, saying, "Auntie, thank you for making this special trip!"

"Xuemin!" Gu Qiuna released Feng Jiayou, looked Cheng Xuemin up and down, her eyes full of admiration and satisfaction. "Good, good! You look great! Jiazhao is here too? Old friend Director Huang, and these comrades..."

Her gaze swept over the team behind Cheng Xuemin. Although some of the faces were unfamiliar, they all greeted her with friendly smiles!

Feng Jiazhao also stepped forward and called her "Auntie," and Huang Jianzhong and others greeted her politely!
Gong Xue and Zhu Lin also recognized the elegant lady as Feng Jiayou's aunt, whom they had met before at the Bolin Film Festival!
"We're all on the same side, don't be shy!"

Gu Qiuna smiled and said that she was fluent in French and familiar with the local area, so she quickly made the arrangements!
She had rented a small bus in advance that could accommodate everyone, and the driver was a kind-hearted French man!
Luggage loaded onto the vehicle, everyone boarded!
The car drove out of the airport and headed along the picturesque French Riviera highway!
To the right lies the jewel-like blue Mediterranean Sea, shimmering with tiny golden rays in the afternoon sun; to the left are rolling hills dotted with brightly colored villas, ancient castle ruins, and lush palm and olive trees!
The salty, warm sea breeze blew in through the car window, carrying the lazy atmosphere of a resort!
Feng Jiayou practically pressed her face against the car window, greedily gazing at the beautiful scenery rushing past outside, constantly exclaiming in amazement:

"So beautiful! The sea...the houses...they're just like in a painting!"

Gu Qiuna sat down next to her and introduced with a smile, "This is Nice, the French call it the 'Pearl of the French Riviera'!"

"The Promenade des Anglais is just ahead, and Castle Hill is over there... You're short on time this time, and the film festival is in Cannes, so you probably won't have much time to explore Nice. If you still have time after the festival, Auntie will show you around properly!"

"Yes!" Feng Jiayou nodded vigorously, feeling as happy as if she could fly!
With her aunt around, she felt much more at ease!

Instead of heading towards the tall hotels in downtown Nice, the car turned onto a relatively quiet, tree-lined street and finally stopped in front of a three-story building with pale yellow walls, a red tiled roof, and covered with green vines.

There's a small garden in front of the building, planted with lavender and roses, and the air is filled with their fragrance!

"We're here!" Gu Qiuna got out of the car first. "This is a family-run guesthouse run by a friend of mine. It's clean, quiet, and close to the beach."

"I booked several rooms upstairs in advance, enough for you. It's more welcoming and convenient here than in a big hotel!"

Everyone got off the bus and looked around at the small hotel full of southern French charm, finding it all quite novel!

Compared to the extreme luxury of the Peninsula Hotel, this place feels more like a warm home!
The hotel owner was a plump, smiling French lady named Marie. She could speak a few simple English words and warmly came out to greet us!

With Gu Qiuna's translation, everyone was led upstairs and arranged to their rooms!
The room wasn't large, but it was decorated elegantly and warmly, with white curtains, wooden furniture, and a soft and clean bed. Opening the window, you could see the azure sea in the distance and pedestrians strolling leisurely on the street!

As soon as Feng Jiayou entered the room, she collapsed onto the bed and let out a long sigh of relief: "Finally, I can lie down..."

Cheng Xuemin put down his luggage, walked over and ruffled her hair: "You must be exhausted. Take a rest and adjust to the time difference!"

After everything was arranged, everyone rested briefly in their respective rooms!

Cheng Xuemin, Huang Jianzhong, and Feng Jiazhao gathered in their room, and Gu Qiuna followed them in, carrying a thick brown paper document bag!

"Xuemin, here is some of the latest information about your film festival, as well as the event schedule. I asked a friend to get it from the film festival organizing committee, and it should be more complete and up-to-date than what Fu Qi gave me before."

Gu Qiuna handed the file bag to Cheng Xuemin and said, "Thank you, Auntie, you've gone to so much trouble!" Cheng Xuemin took it, immediately opened it, and pulled out a thick stack of printed documents.

Huang Jianzhong and Feng Jiazhao also gathered around!

The documents were in French and English, but Cheng Xuemin understood them without any difficulty!
He flipped through the pages quickly, his eyes sharp, while Huang Jianzhong and Feng Jiazhao could only watch helplessly from the side, because they neither spoke English nor could they understand French!

"Today is July 5th..." Cheng Xuemin murmured, "The film festival officially opens on July 7th, which is the day after tomorrow!"

"Our 'Shaolin Temple'..." His finger slid across the schedule, "...is scheduled for the afternoon of July 9th, in the Debussy Hall next to the Cinematheque, as part of the Un Certain Regard section!"

“Redemption…” His finger continued downwards, stopping at another date, his gaze sharpening. “July 10th, morning, main competition, Lumière Hall.”

The main competition is held in the Lumière Hall, one of the most central and important screening venues and time slots at the Cannes Film Festival!

This arrangement undoubtedly shows that the organizing committee attaches great importance to this film from China, or at least is curious about it!

Cheng Xuemin continued reading, his gaze sweeping over unfamiliar film titles and directors and production countries from all over the world!
Suddenly, his fingers stopped, and his fingertip gently tapped on a name!
“Kagemusha…Japan, directed by Akira Kurosawa.” He read it slowly, his voice calm.
But Huang Jianzhong and Feng Jiazhao, who were standing next to him, both felt as if the air had frozen for a moment!
Gu Qiuna noticed this too and said softly, "This Japanese film is highly anticipated. It's Akira Kurosawa's latest work, and I heard it's a grand production about shadow puppeteers in the Sengoku period. It's been scheduled for..."

She leaned closer to look at the schedule. "July 12th, afternoon, also in the Lumière Hall, the main competition!"

Cheng Xuemin hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more, but his gaze lingered on that line of text for a longer period of time!

He knew, no, he "remembered" that, in the original historical trajectory, the Palme d'Or at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival was awarded to Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha"!
This is an undisputed masterpiece, magnificent in scale, and full of Eastern philosophical reflections and human nature portrayals!
This time, he brought us a modified version of "The Shawshank Redemption," set in a Japanese concentration camp in Hong Kong during World War II!
Although the core themes remain hope, redemption, and institutional reflection, the specific historical context, characters' experiences, and methods of resistance have been greatly adapted to better reflect the suffering of modern Hong Kong!
In a sense, this is not just a competition between two films, but a collision of two cultural narratives and two historical memories on the international stage of Cannes!
Fighting the Japanese invaders...

A somewhat playful yet incredibly serious thought flashed through Cheng Xuemin's mind!
In the arena of cinematic art, we will use light and shadow and story to compete with "Kagemusha," a film depicting the spirit of Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period, and vie for the Palme d'Or, the highest honor...

Isn't this another form of resistance against Japan?

If we could win, if we could snatch back the glory that rightfully belonged to Shadow Warrior, that feeling...

Cheng Xuemin's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile. That must be incredibly, incredibly exciting!

But the thought only flashed through his mind, and he quickly calmed down!

The selection process for the Palme d'Or is complex, taking into account factors such as artistry, directing skill, contemporary issues, the tastes of the judges, and even political trends.
No matter how successful the adaptation of "Redemption" is, or how superb the actors' performances are, it's really hard to predict the outcome when facing a cinematic emperor like Akira Kurosawa and his masterpiece!

Cheng Xuemin has the advantage of being a prophet, knowing the original fate of "Shadow Warrior," but it is precisely because he knows this that he is even more aware of its significance!
"Do your best, and have a clear conscience!" Cheng Xuemin said to Huang Jianzhong and Feng Jiazhao as he closed his schedule, seemingly also saying to himself:
"Our films are of high quality, that's the foundation. The point of being here is to present what we want to express to the world!"

"How far we go depends on the judges and luck. But at least we've come, we've stepped onto this stage. Not letting the Japanese... not letting any opponent easily take away the honor—that's our first step to success!"

Huang Jianzhong nodded vigorously, and Feng Jiazhao's eyes were also firm!

They all understood what Cheng Xuemin meant!
The trip to Cannes is not just about the honor of a film, but also about the attitude and voice of Chinese films to re-enter the world!

Gu Qiuna looked at her niece's husband's calm yet powerful profile, her eyes filled with admiration!

Although she doesn't directly participate in film creation, she has lived in North America, a region with a strong film culture, for many years. She has been influenced by her surroundings and can sense that Cheng Xuemin possesses qualities that are different from ordinary people, a combination of an artist's keenness and a strategist's composure!

Just then, a chattering voice and light footsteps came from outside the door!

It's Gong Xue, Zhu Lin, and... Feng Jiayou?

Shouldn't they be resting?

There was a knock on the door, and then Feng Jiayou poked her head in, her face flushed from just waking up, but her eyes were bright and sparkling, clearly she had rested well!

Behind her, Gong Xue and Zhu Lin also looked excited and eager to try!
"Xuemin, Auntie, Director Huang, Brother!" Feng Jiayou said in a clear voice.
"We've rested well! We've been on the plane all day, and our bones are stiff. We want to go out for a walk and explore! Nice looks so beautiful! Shall we just stroll around the area? Auntie, will you take us for a walk?"

Gu Qiuna smiled and looked at Cheng Xuemin!
Cheng Xuemin rubbed his temples. Sure enough, women's interest in shopping is ingrained in their bones, even after a long flight and jet lag!
He glanced at Huang Jianzhong and Feng Jiazhao, and the two of them showed some interest. After all, they were new to a foreign country and were still excited!
"Alright, just wander around nearby, don't go too far, and be careful!" Cheng Xuemin relented, then added, "Let Li Lianjie and the others come along too, it'll be good to have more people looking out for each other, and also..."

He looked at Old Chen, the head of the Zhonghai security team, who was standing silently guarding the door. "Team Leader Chen, could you please send one of your comrades to accompany them and ensure their safety?"

"Yes, Director Cheng." Old Chen nodded and immediately arranged for a nimble young guard who knew some basic English to accompany him!
"That's great!" Feng Jiayou cheered, and Gong Xue and Zhu Lin also smiled!

When Li Lianjie heard that they could go out for a stroll, she immediately perked up and said she wanted to go!

Soon, led by Gu Qiuna, Feng Jiayou, Gong Xue, Zhu Lin, Li Lianjie, and the young guards, a small sightseeing group left the hotel with great interest and immersed themselves in the warm and bright afternoon sun and the streets of Nice!
The room fell silent again!
Cheng Xuemin, Huang Jianzhong, and Feng Jiazhao sat down again and began to study the film festival schedule, media interview arrangements, possible cocktail party invitations, and... in more detail.

How to adjust the promotional strategy and focus of "Redemption" in response to the strong competitor "Shadow Warrior"?
...(End of chapter)