1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 76 Owning a House in the Capital (Please Subscribe!)
At the end of the movie, Chen Mo encounters his ex-girlfriend Su Manqing again in a coffee shop and tells her about his experiences after their breakup from the perspective of a victim.

Just when the audience thought he was telling the truth, he precisely swept away a glass bottle blocking his way.

Those who understand this will feel a chill run down their spines at this moment.

This action not only suggests that he has already regained his sight, but also that the 'truth' he told Su Manqing in the coffee shop may have been a lie.

However, the movie ends here.

It remains an open ending.

……

Wow!
Wow!
Applause erupted in the screening room and lasted for more than a minute before stopping.

Then came a chorus of praise.

"Great, great, this movie was so well made that I didn't dare blink the whole time, afraid of missing a single shot."

"Yes, the plot twists keep coming one after another, and you can never guess what will happen next. I think all the directors in China who can't make suspense films should come and learn from these two young comrades."

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a thrilling suspense film. It's not just mind-bending, but the satire and dark humor are also very touching. Sometimes I'd be laughing and then suddenly feel a chill down my spine."

"Yes, yes, I feel the same way. Especially the scene at the end of the film where Chen Mo sweeps away the glass bottle, the more I think about it, the more something seems off. If he lied, then it's questionable whether he's a good guy or a bad guy in the film."

The film's director and screenwriter were present, so naturally, people raised this question with them.

"This is an open ending; there's no standard answer. The key is how the readers interpret it after watching the movie," Chen Fusheng replied.

"Then why not just tell the audience directly?"

Chen Fusheng glanced at the person who asked him the question. It was a finance officer from the Film Bureau. Okay, then it's fine.

He replied:

"First of all, this 'leaving blank space' is not laziness. One reason is to echo the theme of the film. I don't know if this comrade understands, but our film explores the 'unreliability of the truth' from beginning to end. Starting with Chen Mo's fake blindness, everyone is using lies to cover up their desires. If the ending directly reveals whether the protagonist told the truth, it would weaken the tension of this theme."

"Secondly, by entrusting the moral judgment to the audience, we are actually emphasizing the complexity of human nature. If the ending directly states whether Chen Mo gained his sight by using Lin Meifeng's cornea, it would forcefully label the protagonist, such as whether he ultimately became a bad person or whether he upheld his bottom line. But with an open ending, the audience will think for themselves and weigh the options themselves—in a life-or-death choice, is such 'evil' understandable? Where are the moral boundaries of sacrificing others to survive? I believe this kind of self-examination is more powerful than giving a direct answer."

"Finally, the charm of suspense films lies in the process of solving the mystery, not the answer itself. So the ambiguous ending is actually handing the last piece of the puzzle to the audience, which will make the audience remember the film more deeply and make it more worthwhile to watch it again and again."

"That's why I wrote an open ending."

The reason Chen Fusheng was able to come up with so many answers to this question in such a short time was...

Moreover, it is very logical.

It's because someone asked him that when he was on set.

His response at this moment earned him another round of applause.

After listening to the translator's explanation, Pierre Old Li gave Chen Fusheng two thumbs up.

"Chen, what you said is wonderful. I think your open-ended approach is very clever, which makes your film instantly surpass ordinary suspense films. I even think it will become a classic. It's unbelievable that I would see such an excellent film in China. I'm sorry, I don't mean to belittle your country, but I'm just telling the truth."

Sometimes the truth is the most hurtful.

After hearing what the foreigner said, Liao Gongzheng patted Chen Fusheng on the shoulder and praised him, saying, "Well done! Foreigners always say that Chinese movies are no good, but I think your movie is no worse than theirs!"

Chen Fusheng nodded with a wry smile, thinking to himself, "You're a man of strong emotions too."

Since Liao Gong was in charge of foreign affairs, it was already a rare treat for him to take time out of his busy schedule to watch a movie, so he left after the film.

After Liao Gongyi left, some leaders who had come specifically to watch the movie also left one after another.

Zhang Xingyan knew that Chen Fusheng and his group still had serious business to discuss with the big-nosed foreigner, so although he wanted to discuss the movie with them now, he knew it wasn't the right time and could only arrange to meet again next time.
"You two brothers, this movie is totally my style. How about we chat sometime?"

"sure."

Chen Fusheng nodded, then looked at Han Sanping, who understood and thought for a moment before saying, "I have to report to the Beijing Film Academy next Monday, so let's do it this weekend."

"Okay, the weekend is fine. Should I come to find you two brothers, or should you come to find me?"

"Let's go there, to the Shichahai Sports School, right?"

"right……"

After Zhang Xingyan left, Chen Fusheng and the others moved from the screening room to the conference room.

Foreigners don't like beating around the bush; they get straight to the point:
“I hope to send your film ‘Andhadhun’ to Cannes, and I think it has a great chance of winning an award.”

No one was surprised by this result.

There's also a movie, isn't there?

Everyone, look at me, and I'll show you.

Finally, Deputy Director Shi asked:
"Mr. Pierre, what about 'The Wilderness'?"

Pierre pondered for two seconds before saying, "To be honest, the film 'Wilderness' doesn't really meet the selection criteria of our Cannes Film Festival. But if you still want to choose our Cannes Film Festival, I can submit it along with 'Andhadhun.' As for whether it will be selected, I can't say."

At this moment, Chen Fusheng interjected, "Mr. Pierre, if we can't be shortlisted, can we apply for a screening?"

Screening slots at film festivals are naturally a valuable resource, especially at globally renowned festivals like the Cannes Film Festival.

So if Chen Fusheng doesn't bring it up, Pierre doesn't plan to say it on his own initiative, because in his mind, the commercial value of the film "The Wilderness" is not high, and it's not worth wasting a recommendation slot on him.

But now that Chen Fusheng has brought it up, he can no longer ignore the issue.

He could only reply, "If you can't get nominated, you can certainly apply for screening. Chen, you seem very familiar with the Cannes Film Festival's procedures."

“I’ve only encountered a similar situation at the Venice Film Festival before, so I’m just guessing that it’s probably similar for you.” Chen Fusheng shifted the blame to Venice, while giving Pierre Li a modest smile.

Old Li didn't doubt it at all. "Chen, I knew you were smart!"

"Actually, in China, intelligence is used to praise children." Chen Fusheng could tell that Lao Li was praising him, but he still felt a little awkward, so he replied half-jokingly.

"Really? No wonder it's one of the oldest languages."

Pierre didn't dwell on the issue and said, "Alright, if 'The Wilderness' isn't selected, I'm willing to apply for a screening spot for it."

"Thank you, Mr. Pierre, you are a friend of China."

"Haha, thank you, it's my honor. I really like your Chinese culture, especially your ancient history."

With that, the matter was settled, and the meeting naturally came to an end.

After leaving the conference room, Lingzi went up to thank Chen Fusheng.

"Thank you for earlier."

"We're all comrades, no need to be so polite. Besides, if we can go to Cannes together in May, we can keep each other company."

"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with you then. I've already talked to my friend about your house, and we should have a result soon. I'll contact you then."

"Okay, thank you to your friend."

"Haha, you're quite humorous."

Sending a film to an international competition requires some work, so Chen Fusheng, Han Sanping, and Ling Zi were all busy with this for the next week.

The first step was to complete the registration process. The good news is that the approval document for this process was handled by the Film Bureau, so this step didn't take much effort.

Secondly, a standard copy needs to be prepared.

The so-called standard copy refers to the standards that film festivals set for the copies of films submitted for competition, such as quality standards and language standards.

This step is the most troublesome.

The trouble lies in adding subtitles to the movie.

Finally, what immigration procedures need to be completed?

There's no rush. After all, the film hasn't even been nominated yet.

After finishing all that, I went to the airport to see off Pierre Lissent and the Chinese staff who were sent to the Cannes Film Festival to deliver the competition materials, and the week came to an end.

……

"Let's go, go back."

Chen Fusheng watched Lao Li and the others disappear into the entrance, then greeted Han Sanping and Ling Zi before putting his hands in his pockets and walking back.

At this moment, Lingzi suddenly caught up with him and said, "Everyone has been busy with the movie these past few days, and I forgot to tell you. My friend replied that he found a few houses according to your requirements. When are you free to come and take a look with me?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fusheng stopped on his way to the Film Bureau, glanced at his watch, and realized it was only three in the afternoon. He then said, "How about now?"

"Now?" Lingzi didn't expect Chen Fusheng to be in such a hurry. Actually, she was thinking of tomorrow, because tomorrow is the weekend.

Seeing Ling Zi's reaction, Chen Fusheng added:
"If it's inconvenient, another day is fine too."

"It's not that it's inconvenient. I thought that tomorrow is the weekend, so I might have more time."

Mentioning tomorrow, Chen Fusheng and Han Sanping exchanged a glance, then explained, "Tomorrow, Lao Han and I have an appointment with Director Zhang Xingyan to visit the Shichahai Sports School, so..."

When did you two make the appointment?

"The day Director Zhang came to see the movie last time."

"Oh, okay then, let's do it today. I have nothing else to do when I get back anyway."

After spending these days together, Chen Fusheng and the daughter of the Flower General had become friends, so he didn't stand on ceremony with her. But before leaving, he asked Han Sanping for his opinion: "What about you, Lao Han?"

"I don't have anything else to do, so I'll go with you guys to take a look. Maybe I'll need to buy a house in the future."

"Let's go, let's go together," Lingzi said.

On the way, Lingzi gave Chen Fusheng and Han Sanping a brief introduction to her friend who was involved in 'reselling'.

The other person's name was Li Jun. Like Ling Zi, he was also a child of a high-ranking official from a military compound. He was a loyal and righteous person. He was expelled from middle school for fighting and had been sent to the countryside as part of the "sent-down youth" movement a few years ago.

“Two years ago, the government introduced a policy for educated youth to return to the city. He came back in 79. Then Uncle Li used some connections to get him a job at the housing bureau. But he only worked there for a year before quitting and starting his own business as a middleman.”

“I heard that he brought over a lot of tapes from the south last year, and it seems he made a lot of money.”

In his previous life, Chen Fusheng had heard in the entertainment industry that reselling cassette tapes was very profitable in those days, especially Teresa Teng's tapes, which were the most popular in mainland China.

Now that I've heard that Lingzi's friend is also doing it, it seems the news is probably true.

Even if this line of work were very lucrative, Chen Fusheng had no interest in it.

It's not that he's not interested in money, but any kind of gray income is rife with problems, and Chen Fusheng isn't desperate, so there's absolutely no need for him to take that risk.

……

"I wondered why I heard magpies calling this morning. It turns out we have a distinguished guest at our door."

Li Jun was examining his newly purchased Yamaha MA50 in the yard when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. When he opened it, he found Ling Zi standing there with two unfamiliar friends. He immediately smiled and welcomed the three of them in.

As soon as the three entered the courtyard, before they could even introduce themselves, their attention was drawn to the brand-new motorcycle parked there.

"Damn it!" Ling Zi couldn't help but swear, "Jun'er, did you buy this motorcycle?"

"Yes, Sister Zhen, we just mentioned it this morning. How about I take you out for a drive?"

"Going for a ride is fine, but riding it like that is too flashy. But how much did you pay for this thing?"

"Why don't you take a guess, Sister Zhen?"

“I don’t know about it.” Lingzi shook her head.

However, at this moment, Chen Fusheng spoke up: "2200 yuan."

"Hey, bro, you're an expert?"

"I'm not an expert, I just happened to notice it when I was browsing in the Friendship Store last time."

Chen Fusheng spoke the truth.

Li Jun nodded, then formally greeted Chen Fusheng and Han Sanping.

"So, Brother Fusheng, you want to look at houses, right?"

"Yes, I might have to trouble you, Brother Jun." Chen Fusheng was experienced in dealing with people from the underworld, so he naturally couldn't address them as "comrade" at this point.

If the other person is older than you, it's not a loss to call them "brother".

"Don't be so polite. You're Sister Zhen's friend, so you're also my friend, Li Jun."

……

Two hours later, Li Jun parked his motorcycle at the entrance of No. 16 Siji Hutong, and he and Chen Fusheng got off the motorcycle, unlocked the door with a key, and went inside.

This is the third house they've looked at in the last two hours, and it will be the last one.

“Brother Fusheng, this is a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house). I just bought it from an old widower at the end of last year.”

As Chen Fusheng looked around the courtyard, he asked, "Where are they?"

“His daughter, who married and moved to Fujian, took him to the south to live out his retirement. After all, the old man is almost eighty years old and can no longer take care of himself. Before, the people from the neighborhood committee would come to his door every day to check on him, afraid that he would die at home and no one would know.”

"He only has one daughter, and he still let her marry so far away."

“I’ve heard that this old man actually had a son who wasn’t very honest. He was beaten to death for theft in the 1960s, and his wife passed away a couple of years later, leaving him all alone.”

Li Jun continued, "Of course, don't feel sorry for him. I heard from people in the underworld that this old man wasn't a good person when he was young."

"How to say?"

"When he was young, this old man was quite the Buddhist."

"Buddha?"

"It's pretty much what a thief means."

Chen Fusheng suddenly realized.

It seems his son followed in his father's footsteps.

"So, Brother Fusheng, if you like this house, don't worry about any trouble. It's just a bit old, but I think the location is pretty good. Although it's seven or eight kilometers away from the Film Bureau where you work, it's right next to CCTV and only five kilometers away from Tiananmen Square. If I didn't already have a courtyard house, I would have liked to renovate this house and live in it myself."

Compared to the two apartments he had seen before, Chen Fusheng was indeed more satisfied with this courtyard house.

Although it's seven or eight kilometers from his workplace, if he were to get a motorcycle, those seven or eight kilometers would only take ten minutes.

As for whether it's old or not, where can you find a new detached courtyard house these days?
"Okay, I think it's good too. Then, Brother Jun, name your price and let me see if I have enough savings."

"Brother, let me be frank with you. I bought this house for 9600 yuan. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even bother negotiating with them for less than 15,000 yuan. But you and Sister Zhen are friends, so for Sister Zhen's sake, I'm not planning to make any money off you. It's a fixed price of 10,000 yuan. How about it?"

If the other party really did buy it for 9600 yuan, then they didn't really make any money off him by paying 10,000 yuan.

After all, they also have to pay costs.

Most importantly, without the connections and relationships, you might not even be able to complete the transfer of ownership for this type of property.

In addition, Chen Fusheng felt that the price was acceptable, so there was nothing to be fussy about.

So he readily nodded and said, "Okay, thank you, Brother Jun."

"Haha, you're too kind. We'll be friends from now on, so let's keep in touch."

(End of this chapter)