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

The story is set in 1943, during the Pacific War, in a brutal prisoner-of-war camp called Changi, which was established by Japan in an occupied area of ​​Southeast Asia.

The protagonist, Andy, is a well-educated American banker who was originally living a comfortable life. He was displaced by the war and mistaken for a spy, and was imprisoned in this hell on earth along with many other prisoners of war.

Reed, on the other hand, was a seasoned veteran in the POW camp, a smuggler who had been imprisoned for a long time for smuggling supplies, and was well-versed in the camp's survival rules.

The film opens with a striking visual, as Cheng Xuemin insisted on using black and white imagery to enhance the sense of historical weight and oppressive atmosphere:

A sinister barbed wire fence, towering watchtowers, menacing guards, emaciated prisoners of war with blank stares, a muddy drill ground, and shabby, filthy barracks...

The black and white color scheme and the cold, austere camerawork instantly draw the audience into that desperate environment!

Andy's gentle demeanor clashed with the brutality of the prisoner-of-war camp, and he quickly became a target of bullying.

But with his exceptional financial knowledge and calm mind, he began, by chance, to handle secret finances for the ruthless prisoner-of-war camp warden Norton, including money laundering and falsifying accounts!

In doing so, he secured slightly better living conditions for himself and a few fellow sufferers. More importantly, he was able to secretly carry out an astonishing plan:

Taking advantage of Norton's opportunity to do the bookkeeping, he secretly investigated the financial loopholes in the POW camp and uncovered evidence of Norton's crimes.

Meanwhile, using his extensive engineering knowledge, he secretly dug an escape tunnel leading to the sewage pipes under the guise of carving stones to make chess pieces!

At the heart of the film, Andy's unquenched flame of hope in extreme adversity remains a legend of how he spent years, with a small rock hammer, digging for freedom day after day on the walls of his prison cell.

However, the modified background gives the story a deeper meaning:
This is not just an individual prison break, but also an indictment and resistance against colonial oppression, war atrocities, and inhumane systems.

Andy helps a young Chinese prisoner of war, and Li Lianjie, who has a small role, learns to read and write and tries to appeal for his innocence, but this leads to Tom being murdered by Norton. This plot is made even more cruel and tragic in the context of the concentration camp.

When Andy finally, on a stormy night, crawled through a filthy sewer system five football fields long, freeing himself from the filth amidst the downpour and lightning, and roared to the sky.

When Warden Norton discovered the ledger and whistleblower letter left by Andy that were enough to convict him, he desperately shot himself before the police broke down the door;
When Red is finally paroled, and on the azure Pacific coast, he reunites with Andy, who has successfully escaped from prison and is now running a hotel in a small Mexican seaside town under an assumed name...

At first, the screening room was deathly silent, with only the film's heavy soundtrack and the occasional suppressed sobs.

But as the plot progressed, especially when Andy climbed out of the sewer and was reborn in the rainstorm, and when the last scene showed the two old friends smiling at each other on the beach, more and more viewers began to wipe their eyes with handkerchiefs or sleeves.

As the screen went black and the credits slowly rose, the melodious and hopeful theme melody of "The Shawshank Redemption" began to play.

Wow! !

Like a volcanic eruption, or a tsunami sweeping across the land!
Thunderous, sustained applause erupted from every corner of the audience, instantly filling the vast Lumière Hall!

At first, it was sporadic, heartfelt applause, but it quickly spread and converged, eventually forming an overwhelming wave of sound!

The applause continued, minute after minute, without any sign of stopping!

Many audience members stood up and applauded vigorously, their faces still wet with tears and flushed with excitement.

The film critics forgot to close their notebooks, and the directors exchanged glances of shock and admiration.

Reporters in the media area clapped and scribbled rapidly in their notebooks.

As Cheng Xuemin sat in his seat, feeling the surging, almost tangible wave of applause behind him, he tightly grasped Feng Jiayou's hand.

Feng Jiayou had already been crying her eyes out, and now she was trembling with excitement.

Huang Jianzhong's eyes were bloodshot, and Feng Jiazhao pursed his lips tightly.

The actors who played Andy and Red were so excited that they kept bowing to the surroundings!
Counselor Li clapped enthusiastically, turned to look at Cheng Xuemin, his eyes filled with undisguised praise and excitement, and whispered:
"Great! Excellent filming! Comrade Xuemin, you've done a great job again!"

The applause continued.

Cheng Xuemin's gaze involuntarily fell on the seat of Tsuchino Naoko to his side.

Naoko Tsuchino remained seated, without clapping.

She stood ramrod straight, her hands resting on her knees. Behind her gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes were fixed on the now-black screen with only subtitles. Her expression was a complex mix of extreme shock, disbelief, and a hint of pallor that was hard to conceal.

She was clearly so deeply moved by the film's power that she forgot how to react, or rather, she didn't know how to react.

The Japanese attendants around her also mostly looked solemn. Some were whispering something quickly, while others looked at the audience clapping wildly around them with grim expressions.

Cheng Xuemin withdrew his gaze and stopped paying too much attention to those Japanese women!

With its power, "Redemption" made a resounding cry on the Cannes stage before "Kagemusha" even appeared, and won such a tremendous response.

This is enough!

As the lights slowly came on and the applause gradually subsided, the atmosphere of excitement, reflection, and enthusiastic discussion in the hall grew even stronger!

The audience began to leave one after another, many of them talking animatedly as they walked, occasionally casting admiring and curious glances in the direction of the "Redemption" crew.

"Comrade Xuemin, let's go! Let's find a place to talk!" Counselor Li stood up and said to Cheng Xuemin, his smile fading as he regained his composure as he was when he was working.

Cheng Xuemin felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that the main event was about to begin.

He nodded, gave Huang Jianzhong, Feng Jiayou and others a few instructions, and told them to go back to the hotel to rest and deal with any possible media interviews.

Then, accompanied by Counselor Li and two other embassy staff members, they quietly left the still noisy Lumière Hall through a special passage!

After walking through several quiet corridors, they arrived at a secluded small room inside the conference palace, which had been temporarily used as a reception room.

Closing the door shuts out the noise from outside.

Counselor Li gestured for Cheng Xuemin to sit down, while two other staff members stood guard at the door.

"Comrade Xuemin," Counselor Li said without much pleasantries, getting straight to the point with a serious expression, "the telegram you sent back to China last night has already been reviewed by Elder Wu and relevant leaders from the State Economic Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation! Furthermore, in the early hours of this morning, even higher-level officials received an urgent report!"

Cheng Xuemin's heart leaped into his throat, and he sat up straight.

"First of all, the domestic community highly commended your firm rejection of Japan's unreasonable provocations on the spot and your clear stance on upholding national interests!"

Counselor Li said solemnly, "Your handling of the matter regarding the fact that individuals have no right to dispose of matters of vital national interest is entirely correct, demonstrating the awareness and discipline that a state cadre should possess!"

Cheng Xuemin nodded, feeling slightly relieved. It seemed that the general direction was correct.

"However!" Counselor Li changed the subject, looking sharply at Cheng Xuemin, and said, "Given the trust that the senior leaders in the country have in you, Comrade Xuemin, General Liao has already overcome all opposition and secured the right for you to act independently in the field, granting you the authority to disregard orders from others!"

"Whether we accept the challenge or not is entirely up to you, Comrade Xuemin. You need not feel any pressure regarding the outcome of this bet, which was initiated by the Japanese side at an exorbitant price!"

"After all, that $200 million technology transfer agreement was originally secured for the country by you, Comrade Xuemin!"

"Therefore, the authority has been delegated to you, and you have full authority to handle this matter. There is no need to make any further requests to the authorities!"

Upon hearing Counselor Li's words, Cheng Xuemin was struck dumb, as if by lightning! His expression froze, his eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly, remaining silent for a long time.

A general in the field may disobey orders?!
The right to act expediently?!
You can make all the decisions yourself; there's no need to ask for permission again!

He recognized every single word in those words!

But when put together, and spoken so solemnly by Counselor Li, a diplomat representing the official will of the country, it gave him a strong sense of unreality and a huge feeling of dizziness!
This isn't a line from a play, nor is it private encouragement; this is official authorization from the highest levels of government in China, with Liao Gong's approval!
Moreover, the wording is so classical and yet so authoritative!
This is so unusual!

That's too heavy!
what does this mean?
This means that the final decision-making power over this earth-shattering bet involving hundreds of millions of US dollars of core national interests and potentially triggering international turmoil has been completely and utterly handed over to Cheng Xuemin alone!

He won, bringing in four hundred million US dollars for the country!

If he loses, the core technology worth two hundred million US dollars will be given away for nothing!
Regardless of winning or losing, he will bear all the responsibility, pressure, glory, or infamy alone!
"Counselor Li!"

Cheng Xuemin's voice was dry and his throat was tight. He looked at Counselor Li, trying to find a trace of a joke or a probing look on the other's face.

But Counselor Li's eyes held only utmost seriousness and a profound sense of trust!
"This responsibility is too heavy! I am just..."

“Comrade Xuemin!” Counselor Li interrupted him, leaning forward slightly, his gaze intense, his tone even more somber, “This is not a game, much less a time to shirk responsibility!”

"Lord Liao and the leaders above made this decision after careful consideration!"

He paused, lowered his voice, and said with a sense of frankness, "Think about it, where did that $200 million technology transfer agreement come from?"

"It was you, Comrade Cheng Xuemin, who, with your wisdom and courage, snatched it from the hands of the Japanese at the negotiating table!"

"Without you, this huge sum of foreign exchange and this advanced production line would never have fallen into our hands! This wealth was earned by you!"

"So when someone tries to take back this wealth in another way, or even tries to extort more from us!"

"The higher-ups believe that you are the most qualified and the one who should step forward to decide how to respond!"

"Because no one understands the value of this family fortune better than you, and no one knows the cunning and greed of that Japanese woman better than you!"

"As for the pressure!" Counselor Li patted Cheng Xuemin's shoulder firmly. "The higher-ups have said not to have any psychological burden on you!"

"why?"

"Even if the worst happens and we lose the gamble, and we give away those two hundred million dollars worth of technical data for nothing, so what?"

Counselor Li's eyes sharpened and became full of confidence: "Don't forget, we have already obtained a complete heavy-duty hot rolling mill production line worth 500 million US dollars!"

“That’s real, tangible meat that’s already in our mouths! That technical data is icing on the cake, the seed of the future.”

"Using a seed that might sprout in the future to gamble on the other side's four hundred million US dollars in cash. If we lose, we're just back to square one, but we already have the production line and basic technology in hand! If we win, we'll make a net profit of four hundred million!"

"The higher-ups have calculated this very clearly! That's why they dared to give you this expedient authorization!"

"This is not asking you to take risks, but giving you a window of opportunity to fight for greater interests for the country!"

"Whether to fight, to avoid, to advance, or to retreat is entirely up to you to decide based on the situation on the ground, your assessment of the situation, and especially your confidence in your film!"

"Now, the pressure is back on your side, Comrade Xuemin!"

Consul Li looked directly into Cheng Xuemin's eyes and said, word by word, "That Japanese woman, Tsuchino Naoko, she won't let this go!"

"Her presence at the premiere today is proof enough! She will use every means to force you to take a stand and get you involved!"

"and!"

Consul Li's voice grew even colder: "Once you decide to fight, she and the forces behind her will not limit themselves to a contest just about the film itself! Underhanded tactics are almost inevitable!"

"Public opinion manipulation, lobbying judges, and even more underhanded tactics are all possible. The higher-ups have also considered this, which is why they say that when a general is in the field, he may not obey orders from the troops. This is to give you the greatest flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and deal with whatever comes your way!"

"Of course, the embassy and our other forces in Europe will also provide you with all possible support, as needed and within the limits of the rules!"

As Cheng Xuemin listened, his heart pounded violently in his chest, as if it were about to burst out of his chest and shatter his ribs!
The burning confidence that arose from the golden finger's guidance clashed and merged fiercely with the heavy responsibility and risk that suddenly pressed down on their shoulders.

The attitude from within the country was bolder and more trusting than he had anticipated!

This trust thrilled him, but also made him feel like he was walking on thin ice.

……

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