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

Cheng Xuemin suddenly fell silent!

To Tsuchimino Naoko, this appearance was a clear sign of inner turmoil and indecision!
She could hardly contain herself and urged him on, her face already showing a faint smile that was a mixture of composure and triumph, as if victory was in sight!

The atmosphere around us was as oppressive as the sea before a storm!

Feng Jiayou's heart clenched, and her fingernails almost dug into Cheng Xuemin's flesh!
Huang Jianzhong had sweat on his forehead and his lips were tightly pressed together.

Feng Jiazhao tried to speak several times, but he was intimidated by the heavy aura surrounding Cheng Xuemin, and the words stuck in his throat!

Fu Qi and Shi Hui exchanged extremely uneasy glances, while Aunt Gu Qiuna frowned, her gaze shifting between Cheng Xuemin and Tsuchino Naoko, seemingly quickly analyzing the pros and cons!
Cheng Xuemin's silence, which appeared to others as a difficult choice, was, in his own mind, a fierce clash between two forces!
A surge of boiling blood, boundless passion stirred by provocation, and the urge to go all out!
The stakes were indeed astronomical, but he sacrificed the technology beforehand, it was plagiarized, and he uncovered the hidden dangers. In a sense, he created this wealth with his own hands!

If you gamble with what you've discovered and win, you'll have four hundred million US dollars!

This is enough to instantly boost the country's foreign exchange reserves significantly, providing ammunition for a huge amount of infrastructure construction and technology imports.
I lost... No, I can't think about losing!
That pride belonging to a time traveler, a prophet, and a trace of defiant rage surged within his chest:
Isn't it just "Kagemusha"?

With my radically modified version of the core of "The Shawshank Redemption" and the backdrop of the hardships of World War II, I'm sure I can move those judges!
What if?
What if history was swayed by the flapping of a butterfly's wings?

But another force is reason and responsibility, like ice water poured over one's head!

He did discover the technology, but once it was reported, it wouldn't just be his anymore!

It has reached the national level and become a major technology import project of concern to the State Economic and Trade Commission and Haizili!
Two hundred million US dollars is real foreign exchange earnings that the country is about to receive, and it is the hope for the future of countless workers and technicians!

He has no right to use this enormous interest, which belongs to the country and the collective, to indulge in a personal whim.

Or rather, a gamble based on the odds!
This is no longer just a personal matter for him; it is a major issue concerning the country's reputation and actual interests!
More importantly, he knew the outcome clearly!

The Palme d'Or at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival went to Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha"!
This is an epic masterpiece that has left an indelible mark on film history!

Although he is full of confidence in the modified version of "Redemption", believing that its intellectual depth, emotional power and universal values ​​are in no way inferior, and may even be more impactful in some aspects!
But faced with the masterpiece of a film emperor, and with the established awards in history, can he really come from behind and win with certainty?
This is no longer just a contest of cinematic art itself, but also involves the judges' tastes, political trends, cultural differences, and even off-site factors!

He wasn't 100% sure!

To gamble two hundred million US dollars of national interest on a possibility that is not even certain is a huge responsibility!
Just as this suffocating silence was about to reach its peak!
Standing next to Cheng Xuemin, his brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao could no longer contain himself and suddenly took half a step forward.

He tugged hard at Cheng Xuemin's elbow, his voice trembling with anxiety and worry, carrying an undeniable air of dissuasion:
"Xuemin! Calm down! This concerns the highest national interests, it's not child's play! This technology transfer agreement has been registered by both the Economic Commission and Haizili!"

"Two hundred million US dollars, that's the country's money, it's foreign exchange!"

"You mustn't act impulsively and fall into their trap! They clearly planned this all along, using the film to provoke you and tempting us with huge bets! We're here to attend the film festival; we'll talk about everything else when we get back!"

Huang Jianzhong quickly stepped forward, nodding solemnly in agreement: "Yes, Xuemin! Jiazhao is right! We don't have that authority!"

"This bet, let alone signing it, we can't even agree to it verbally! If this gets back to China, and if... I mean, if anything goes wrong, we'll be criminals against the country!"

"We'll do our best with the film festival stuff, but we absolutely cannot confuse it with technical matters, much less gamble on it!"

The two men's words were like a bucket of cold water, temporarily extinguishing the raging fire in Cheng Xuemin's chest!
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his clenched fist slowly loosening!
My brother-in-law and Lao Huang are right. For both public and private reasons, he cannot and should not accept this bet now!
Personal feelings must give way to national interests!
He raised his head, looking at Tsuchimiya Naoko, whose smile had frozen and whose eyes had turned sinister. His expression returned to calm, even with a hint of apology, and he slowly spoke, his voice clear and firm:
"I'm sorry, Ms. Naoko! I'm afraid I can't agree to this bet right away."

The smile on Tsuchino Naoko's face vanished instantly, her eyes suddenly turning incredibly sharp, like two ice spikes piercing Cheng Xuemin:

"Oh? Cheng-san, are you... scared? Weren't you just so confident about your movie?"

"Or is it that the two hundred million US dollars worth of technology is not as important to Cheng Sang as you seem, or that you simply do not have the authority to dispose of it?"

These words were even more scathing, carrying a blatant provocation and divisive intent, implying that Cheng Xuemin was either a coward or an empty shell!
Cheng Xuemin remained unmoved and calmly explained, "Miss Naoko, you've misunderstood. My confidence in my film is a separate matter from whether or not I'm betting on a major national technological cooperation project!"

"The technology transfer contract in Shanghai involves national-level industrial cooperation, with a huge amount of money involved and far-reaching impact!"

"I personally have no right, nor could I possibly use such national interests as a gamble in a film competition. This would be irresponsible to the country and a desecration of the art of film itself!"

He paused, his tone softening slightly, but his stance remained clear: "If Ms. Nako really wants to add some fun to our film competition, why not try some other prizes?"

"For example, the winning party can demand that the losing party place a full-page advertisement for the other party's film in its local mainstream media, or hold a special film festival for it?"

"It promotes the film without compromising manners. As for the bet you just mentioned... I'm sorry I can't accept it."

Cheng Xuemin's reasoned, well-founded, and neither humble nor arrogant response made Tsuchiya Naoko's face even more unpleasant!

She never expected that Cheng Xuemin could remain so calm and principled under such enormous temptation and provocation.

Her carefully laid trap was about to fail!
"Cheng-san is really... cautious!" Tsuchiya Naoko squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, her expression turning completely cold.

The feigned regret and generosity he had shown earlier vanished, and he said, "However, I still have to remind Cheng Sang that this is a rare opportunity!"

"This bet is valid at any time before the film festival awards are officially announced. If Cheng-san... or the person who truly holds the reins behind Cheng-san changes their mind, they can contact Nai-ko at any time!"

"Nako believes that using the outcome of a film to determine ownership of the technology is a very... creative way of collaborating. Perhaps your country's higher-ups will have a different opinion on this!"

Her words were a blatant threat and implication, meaning that just because Cheng Xuemin couldn't make the decision didn't mean no one in his country dared to gamble, and that she would find a way to pass the pressure up the chain of command!
Cheng Xuemin's eyes turned cold, but his tone remained calm:
"I appreciate Ms. Naoko's kindness. As for the opinions of our country's higher-ups, there's no need for you to worry about it!"

"If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave now. There's still a lot of preparation work to do for the premiere of 'Redemption' tomorrow!"

After saying that, he didn't give Tsuchino Naoko any more chances to pester him. He nodded slightly to her, then put his arm around the still somewhat dazed Feng Jiayou, turned around and led the team members out of the rest area.

Huang Jianzhong, Feng Jiazhao, Zhu Lin, Gong Xue, Fu Qi, Shi Hui, Gu Qiuna and others immediately followed!

Naoko Tsuchino was left standing there, her face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water, her eyes fixed on Cheng Xuemin's back until they disappeared around the corner!

On the way back to the hotel, the atmosphere in the car was unusually heavy!
No one spoke; only the roar of the engine and the sound of the sea breeze blowing through the car windows could be heard!
Feng Jiayou clung tightly to Cheng Xuemin, holding his hand tightly, feeling the coolness of his palm. She recalled the harrowing scene from just moments before, especially the feeling of her heart nearly stopping when the Japanese woman offered a four-hundred-million-dollar wager; she was still terrified.

She was really afraid that her man would act impulsively and...

"Xuemin!" she finally couldn't help but whisper, her voice trembling slightly, "Just now... just now I was really scared to death!"

"That Japanese woman is wicked! She was just trying to provoke you and trick us out of our technology! Luckily... luckily you didn't agree."

Cheng Xuemin squeezed her hand in return, gave a soft "hmm," and didn't say much. His gaze was fixed on the Cannes night view flashing past the window, his eyes deep and lost in thought.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Feng Jiazhao turned around and said with lingering fear, "Xuemin, you handled things very well today!"

"That Japanese woman is up to no good; we absolutely cannot fall for her trap! This is a matter of great importance, and we must report back to the country immediately!"

Huang Jianzhong nodded repeatedly: "Yes, we must report it! And we must emphasize the sinister intentions and aggressive behavior of the Japanese side! Our films will speak for themselves based on their real abilities, not on these underhanded tactics!"

Gong Xue, Zhu Lin, Li Lianjie, and others were not very familiar with the specific technology contracts.

But they were also quite shocked by the astronomical figures of two hundred million US dollars and four hundred million US dollars, as well as the tense atmosphere of the confrontation at the time. At this moment, they all looked serious and fearful!
Cheng Xuemin listened to their words, nodded, and remained silent.

The car arrived at the hotel quickly, and everyone went back to their rooms, still feeling somewhat unsettled!
Back in my room, I closed the door, shutting myself off from the outside world!
Feng Jiayou finally relaxed completely, leaned against the door, let out a long sigh of relief, and patted her chest:

"My God, what's going on today... We're watching a film festival opening ceremony, and we've turned it into a high-stakes gamble. Xuemin, do you think that Japanese woman has gone mad?"

Cheng Xuemin walked to the window, looked at the dazzling night view of Cannes outside, and after a moment of silence, slowly spoke, his voice somewhat low: "She's not crazy, she's very shrewd!"

"She has identified our weakness and is betting on what she believes to be a sure-win 'Shadow Warrior.' She wants to get back that $200 million technology with minimal, or even zero, cost!"

"That's outrageous!" Feng Jiayou exclaimed angrily. "We can't let her get away with it!"

"Of course!"

Cheng Xuemin turned around, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a complex emotion that Feng Jiayou couldn't understand.

It was as if they were weighing the options, calculating, or making an extremely difficult decision.

He walked to the desk, opened the drawer, and took out hotel stationery and a pen.

Looking at him like this, Feng Jiayou suddenly felt uneasy: "Xuemin, what... what are you going to write?"

Cheng Xuemin did not answer immediately. He spread out the letter paper, picked up the pen, and paused for a few seconds with the pen tip hovering above the paper.

Then, he raised his head and looked at Feng Jiayou, his eyes becoming unusually firm and sharp, burning with a kind of almost blazing flame that she had never seen before.

"Jiayou, go and call your elder brother and Director Huang over. Go now!" Cheng Xuemin's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone of command.

Feng Jiayou was taken aback: "Now...now? Why did you call them here?"

"Go now!" Cheng Xuemin didn't explain, but simply repeated it, his tone even more resolute.

Looking at her husband's expression, Feng Jiayou's heart skipped a beat, and a chilling thought flashed through her mind.

She dared not ask any more questions, and quickly turned around and went out to knock on the door of Feng Jiazhao and Huang Jianzhong's room next door.

Soon, Feng Jiazhao and Huang Jianzhong walked in with puzzled expressions!

Upon hearing this, Fu Qi and Shi Hui followed, and Aunt Gu Qiuna, worried, also appeared at the door.

"Xuemin, what's wrong? What happened?" Feng Jiazhao asked, looking at Cheng Xuemin's solemn expression.

Cheng Xuemin gestured for them to close the door, then pointed to the letter on the desk, his gaze slowly sweeping over every face in the room.

Finally, his gaze fell on Feng Jiazhao's face, and he spoke clearly, word by word:
"Brother, go to the hotel's business center now, or find somewhere you can send a telegram, and send a telegram home. Not to the factory, but directly to the old factory director, Wang Yang, and use an urgent, coded telegram!"

"Send a telegram? Now? To the old factory director?" Feng Jiazhao was stunned. "What should I say?"

Cheng Xuemin took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all the hesitation and concerns in his heart.

His eyes sharpened and brightened, his voice became steady and powerful, but what he said made everyone in the room widen their eyes and gasp:
"The telegram reads as follows: Today, at the opening of Cannes, the Japanese representative, Nako Tsuchino, publicly provoked us by making an outrageous bet on the final results of our two competing films, 'Kagemusha' and 'Redemption,' at the festival."

He paused, and each word struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer:

"The wager is as follows: If the Japanese side wins with 'Kagemusha,' the technology transfer contract for the Shanghai Heavy Hot Rolling Mill will be void, and we will have to unconditionally and permanently transfer the complete set of technical data. If our side wins with 'Redemption,' the Japanese side will pay double the original technology transfer fee, which is four hundred million US dollars, in a lump sum."

"I sternly rejected this bet on the spot, stating that no individual has the right to stake national interests. However, the Japanese side is still determined to cause trouble, claiming that the bet will remain valid until the awards are announced, and hinting that they will put pressure on my superiors."

"I think……"

After Cheng Xuemin finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded, as if he were a complete stranger, as if they were under a spell.

……

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