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

She suppressed her excitement!
He adopted a reserved expression that suggested, "Since you asked, I'll reluctantly mention it," and even deliberately hesitated for a moment, as if considering a suitable bet.

“Cheng Sang is right. A gambling game should have a prize to make it seem more formal.”

Nako Tsuchino adjusted her glasses, her tone becoming serious, and said, "We in Japan have absolute confidence in 'Kagemusha' winning the Palme d'Or!"

"This confidence stems from Akira Kurosawa's artistic achievements, the film's exceptional quality, and the unanimous acclaim from international film critics!"

She abruptly changed the subject, her gaze becoming sharp and aggressive: "And Cheng Sang, you seem to have extraordinary confidence in 'Redemption' as well!"

"Whether this confidence stems from a firm belief in the film's quality, or... something else, I cannot speculate!"

"But since we're going to gamble, let's gamble on something substantial, something that truly reflects our confidence in the value of our respective works!"

She paused deliberately, observing Cheng Xuemin's reaction. Cheng Xuemin simply looked at her calmly, signaling her to continue.

Naoko Tsuchimiya took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision, and said clearly and deliberately, word by word:
"I propose that we use the technology transfer contract for heavy hot rolling mills and related engineering machinery, which we have already reached a preliminary agreement on in Shanghai and will be finalized in Hong Kong in late July, as a benchmark for our bet!"

boom!
Despite having a premonition, when I actually heard the words "technology transfer contract" clearly from the mouths of those Japanese women!

Apart from Cheng Xuemin, everyone around them—Feng Jiayou, Huang Jianzhong, Feng Jiazhao, Gong Xue, Zhu Lin, and Li Lianjie—were shocked and gasped in shock!
Because they knew that the technology transfer contract in Shanghai was worth hundreds of millions of US dollars!
Fu Qi and Shi Hui, their aunt Gu Qiuna, and the foreign filmmakers who could understand Chinese were all bewildered and surprised.

I don't understand how a perfectly good film culture suddenly got dragged into heavy hot rolling mills?
That's completely irrelevant!
However, judging from the tone of these Japanese women, this technology transfer agreement is probably not simple!
Cheng Xuemin thought to himself, "Just as I expected!"
So that's exactly what they came for!

This Japanese devil actually dared to use a contract worth two hundred million US dollars as a stake in a movie gambling game?!

This is crazy!

Feng Jiayou felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and almost fainted. She managed to stand up by tightly gripping Cheng Xuemin's arm.

Huang Jianzhong and Feng Jiazhao were both shocked and furious, their fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Zhu Lin and Gong Xue's brows were also tightly furrowed.

The Japanese devils and their women were very satisfied with the shocking effect of their words!
This is exactly the effect she wanted!
You must completely overwhelm your opponent with your presence, causing them to lose their composure amidst shock and anger!

She pressed her advantage, quickening her pace and speaking with an undeniable air of authority:

"The specific bet is as follows: If, at this Cannes Film Festival, our film 'Shadow Warrior' ultimately wins awards of a higher caliber and greater prestige, and receives overwhelmingly higher overall reviews from mainstream international media after the festival than your film 'Redemption'..."

She deliberately emphasized the words "completely and overwhelmingly surpass," staring intently at Cheng Xuemin, and continued:

"Therefore, the technology transfer agreement previously negotiated in Shanghai is hereby void!"

"Your company must unconditionally, free of charge, and permanently transfer all core technical data, design drawings, process parameters, quality control standards, and other complete technical documents involved in the contract to Hitachi Heavy Industries!" "Furthermore, your company shall not disclose or transfer the relevant technology to any third party in any form!"

hiss!
This time, even the gasps seemed faint!

Even those who are unaware of the details of the so-called technology transfer realize that this gamble is no small matter!
Especially the way those Japanese devils and their wives phrased it: "Unconditionally, free of charge, and permanently giving away the entire set of core technologies?"

This is no longer a bet, this is outright robbery!

The team members behind Cheng Xuemin all had red eyes.

Because they know exactly what this bet means!
This is no bet; it's humiliation and plunder!
The Japanese women looked at Cheng Xuemin's still excessively calm face and sneered inwardly. He was just putting on a brave face!
She then continued to offer bait that she believed the other party absolutely could not refuse, or rather, could not morally refuse:
"Of course, the bet must be fair. If we lose, meaning your film 'Redemption' surpasses our 'Shadow Warrior' in both awards and influence..."

She paused deliberately, a look of pained yet generous expression on her face, as if she had made a huge concession, and said:

"So, Hitachi Heavy Industries is willing to pay... double the $200 million technology transfer fee stipulated in the previous Shanghai contract! $400 million! In one lump sum!"

"Four hundred million US dollars! Double the amount!"

These two words, like two bombshells, exploded once again in the already silent rest area!

Although, they don't know what kind of technology transfer contract it is!
But the information revealed by the Japanese women afterwards shocked and bewildered all the foreign filmmakers present who could understand Chinese!

Four hundred million US dollars! Paid in full at once!
The stakes have escalated from technological plunder to an astronomical cash wager!
Moreover, the stakes have soared to a staggering $400 million!
Everyone was stunned by this incredible gamble, their hearts pounding!

On one hand, there's the possibility of giving away core technology worth $200 million for free; on the other hand, there's the possibility of winning a huge sum of cash worth $400 million!
This betting game is insane!
The risks are sky-high, and the rewards are also incredibly high!

This has completely transcended the realm of film competition and become a super gamble involving national interests, corporate reputation, and huge sums of money!

All eyes were once again fixed on Cheng Xuemin's face!
Waiting for his answer!

Should one angrily denounce the other party as shameless and storm off?

Or were they lured by the $400 million offer and provoked by the other party's arrogance, losing their minds and recklessly accepting this obviously unequal bet?

Tsuchiya Naoko also held her breath and stared intently at Cheng Xuemin!
She was betting that Cheng Xuemin was young and impetuous and couldn't be provoked!
The gamble was that the Chinese side might be greedy for the $400 million, because she felt the other side had no chance of winning!
The gamble lies in the fact that in such a public setting, the other party, for the sake of face, will find it difficult to decisively refuse a seemingly fair betting proposal!

Time seems to have stopped!
Only the faint sounds of music and voices from the banquet hall in the distance, and the heavy breathing of people nearby!

Cheng Xuemin also fell silent!
...(End of chapter)