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

Behind Cheng Xuemin, the red carpet was completely in an uproar!

The radio waves of global media broadcast this explosive news at the speed of light to every corner of the world.

"He's gone mad! He must be insane!"

"Four hundred million US dollars! Betting four hundred million US dollars on film awards! This is absolutely the craziest bet in film history, no, in commercial history!"

"Quickly! Publish the article! Publish it immediately! To all platforms! Front page headline! The headline needs to be sensational!"

"Contact headquarters! We need a live connection! Immediately!"

The reporters have gone completely mad; they're no longer content with just taking pictures!

Instead, they surged forward like a tide, trying to break through the security guards' blockade, extending microphones and recorders to Cheng Xuemin, to Tsuchiya Naoko who had not yet fully entered the cinema, and to anyone who might be related to this earth-shattering gamble!

Questions, screams, and exclamations in various languages ​​mingled together, almost turning the square in front of the cinema upside down.

The red carpet ceremony was forced to be interrupted!

The film festival staff and security personnel were on high alert, forming a human wall to maintain order and guide the celebrities who were startled or overly excited to enter the venue as quickly as possible.

But everyone's mind was clearly no longer on the red carpet itself, but on the blood pact wager worth four hundred million US dollars that had just been concluded!
Amid the chaos, Cheng Xuemin, protected by several pale-faced, sweating French staff members and members of his own team, strode into the gates of the cinema palace!
Upon entering the relatively quiet entrance hall, carpeted in deep red, which isolated them from the deafening noise outside, Fu Qi couldn't resist grabbing Cheng Xuemin's arm.

His hands were trembling slightly from shock and tension.

"Xuemin! What...what are you doing?!"

Fu Qi's voice was extremely low, yet it trembled with a hoarseness. His eyes were wide open, staring intently at Cheng Xuemin's terrifyingly calm face. "Last night! Didn't you say last night... no gambling on movies, no selling your integrity?!"

"Those words are still ringing in everyone's ears! And now...you've signed it right in front of the whole world?! Four hundred million US dollars! Do you...do you even know what you're doing?!"

Huang Jianzhong's face was also pale, his lips trembled, and he wanted to say something, but he found that his throat was dry and he could not utter a single word!
She just looked at Cheng Xuemin with disbelief and near-horrification!
Feng Jiayou gripped Cheng Xuemin's other arm tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. She looked up at her husband, her eyes already red, not from grievance, but from pure, overwhelming shock and confusion!

Her lips moved a few times, but in the end she could only murmur a few words: "Xuemin... is this how it's done?..."

Cheng Xuemin stopped and looked at the several faces in front of him, which were filled with extreme shock and worry.

He could feel their hands trembling as they gripped his arms, and he could hear their rapid breathing and frantic heartbeats.

He knew that he had not consulted any of them beforehand, nor had he even given them a heads-up.

For them, it was like a nuclear bomb that suddenly went off!

He turned around and gently patted the back of his wife Feng Jiayou's hand, which was gripping his arm. The icy touch made Feng Jiayou shudder slightly.

Then, he glanced at Huang Jianzhong and the extremely horrified Fu Qi, his gaze sweeping over the other team members around him who were equally dumbfounded and disoriented.

"This is not the place to talk!" Cheng Xuemin's voice remained steady, but it was very low, carrying an undeniable force. "Let's go inside, find our seats, and we'll talk about everything after the awards ceremony!"

"The awards ceremony is over?!" Fu Qi almost lost his voice, his forehead veins throbbing with anxiety. "Xuemin! You're still thinking about the awards ceremony?! That's four hundred million US dollars! Not four dollars! You're now..."

“Mr. Fu!” Cheng Xuemin interrupted him, his gaze calmly looking into the depths of Fu Qi’s eyes. “Trust me, go inside first!”

There was no madness or impulsiveness in that gaze, only a deep-sea calmness and a resolute determination that came after burning one's bridges and there was no turning back!

That gaze was like a bucket of cold water poured on Fu Qi's almost burning anxiety, making him choke.

He opened his mouth, looking at Cheng Xuemin's face, which was expressionless yet seemed to hold a huge storm.

Finally, he let go of her hand in despair, letting out a long, heavy sigh, as if he had aged ten years in an instant!

Huang Jianzhong also closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently a few times. When he opened them again, all that remained was a sense of resignation and despair.

Feng Jiayou buried her face in Cheng Xuemin's arms, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she began to sob silently!

Cheng Xuemin put his arm around his wife's shoulder and squeezed it firmly. Then he nodded to the others and took the lead, walking towards the Lumière Hall, the main hall of the Palais des Festivals.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people—some shocked, some inquisitive, some disdainful, and some excited—they made their way through the elegantly dressed, whispering crowd to their seats.

Wherever he went, the crowd parted to make way for him, just as Moses parted the Red Sea, before closing in behind him and casting even denser, more complex gazes.

The hushed discussions swirled around them like a buzzing swarm of bees!

"It was him... he was outside just now..."

"Four hundred million US dollars... God, how dare he?"

"The Chinese have gone mad..."

"Kagemusha is going to win, this is suicide..."

"Perhaps there's something more to it?"

"What inside story could there be? Cannes has already closed its doors!"

"Look, the Japanese are coming..."

The Japanese delegation, led by Nako Tsuchino, also entered through another entrance.

Naoko Tsuchino had put on a cold and stiff mask, trying her best to maintain her composure, but her slightly reddened eyes and somewhat disordered steps still betrayed the turbulent waves in her heart.

She walked straight to her seat without looking to the side, ignoring all the stares and whispers along the way.

But her hands, clenched into fists with nails almost digging into her flesh, betrayed her true state at that moment.

The Japanese team members around her all looked solemn, completely different from their previous high-spirited demeanor!
Two groups of people, one from the east and one from the west, faced each other across the throng of people in the magnificent Lumière Hall.

The air seemed to freeze, filled with the invisible smell of gunpowder!

Filmmakers, celebrities, judges, and guests from other countries subconsciously maintained a subtle distance from these two groups. Their gazes darted back and forth between them, a mix of emotions—excitement, curiosity, worry, and a sense of detached observation—filling the large screening room.

In this strange and tense atmosphere, a figure hurriedly walked in from the side passage, his eyes anxiously scanning the crowd before finally settling on Cheng Xuemin, and then he walked quickly towards him.

It's Counselor Li!

This usually composed and steady diplomat was now sweating, breathing slightly rapid, and even the collar of his usually perfectly pressed suit was slightly crooked from walking so fast.

His face no longer held its usual composure; instead, it wore a complex expression that mixed extreme shock, anxiety, confusion, and a hint of annoyance!

He rushed to Cheng Xuemin, not even bothering with pleasantries, and asked urgently in a low voice, "Comrade Xuemin! What... what exactly happened?!"

"Is everything being said outside true?! You really signed that...that bet with the Japanese?!"

His voice trembled with excitement, drawing even more attention from those around him.

Cheng Xuemin looked at Counselor Li, nodded slowly, and calmly replied, "Yes, Counselor Li!"

"Just now on the red carpet, on behalf of our East Factory, I confirmed the intention to engage in a betting agreement with Naoko Tsuchiya, representative of Hitachi Heavy Industries, in front of the media. The specific terms of the agreement have been handed over to her."

“You…you…” Counselor Li pointed at Cheng Xuemin, his fingers trembling. He took several deep breaths before he could barely steady his voice.

But the shock and reproach in his tone were still unmistakable: "Comrade Xuemin! Do you know what you're doing?! That's a two-hundred-million-dollar technology contract! It's of utmost importance! How could you... how could you be so frivolous! So impulsive!"

"Last night, just last night, the film festival's organizing committee praised you and our delegation highly because of your 'no gambling on films' statement! They believed that we upheld the integrity of artists!"

"You...you're simply...going back on your word! You're contradicting yourself! How am I supposed to explain this to the people back home?! How am I supposed to explain this to the film festival officials?!"

He spoke so much in one breath, his chest heaving violently, clearly thrown into disarray by this sudden turn of events.

He had just been dealing with the film festival's presidium and secretly breathed a sigh of relief at the positive impact of Cheng Xuemin's statement on artistic purity.

Then, in the blink of an eye, I received news of a cataclysmic event happening outside, and I almost fainted on the spot.

This is a hundred times more thrilling than riding a roller coaster!
Cheng Xuemin listened quietly to Counselor Li's questioning, his face remaining expressionless. He waited until Li finished speaking before slowly opening his own mouth, his voice still steady:

“Counselor Li, I have not gone back on my word. Last night I said that movies are not gambled on, personal integrity is not sold, and the value of a film cannot be measured by chips. This point remains unchanged!”

"Then what are you doing now..." Counselor Li was practically speechless with anger.

"But now, it is the other side that is forcibly linking the film with huge bets, attempting to taint artistic judgment with commercial interests, and hyping it up as an international event."

Cheng Xuemin's gaze sharpened, and his voice rose a few decibels, ensuring that those around him who were listening intently could faintly hear him: "If I keep backing down and avoiding battle, it will only make outsiders think that we are guilty!"

"They think 'The Redemption' is inferior to 'Kagemusha,' and that our previous insistence was just a cowardly excuse! It will make some people feel that they can use commercial and media means to influence or even hijack Cannes' artistic judgment!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the various, overt and covert, looks cast upon him, before continuing:

"I accepted this bet in front of the whole world to tell everyone that we have confidence in our film!"

"We have confidence in the impartiality of the Cannes Film Festival! We are not afraid of any challenge!"

"Art is art, and it shouldn't be hijacked by money. But since some people insist on turning it into a gambling table, then let's win it fair and square in the sunlight, with the results of art itself! Win the award, and win dignity!"

"This is not compromise, this is a fight! On the battlefield drawn by the other side, we are defending the purity of film, and also defending our own bottom line and honor!"

Cheng Xuemin's words were resounding and clearly echoed in the slightly noisy hall.

Many people around him listened and their faces showed thoughtful, enlightened, or even more shocked expressions.

Some people exchanged whispered glances, seemingly reassessing the Chinese director's audacity and intentions.

Consul Li was also taken aback by these words. He opened his mouth, but looking into Cheng Xuemin's frank and resolute eyes, he didn't know how to refute them for a moment.

Cheng Xuemin's words seem logically sound, and even carry a tragic, do-or-die heroic spirit.

But... that's four hundred million US dollars!
This is not the time to act impulsively!
This gamble involves more than just money; it's a major national technological project and a matter of diplomatic influence!

"But...but the risk is too great! Comrade Xuemin! How confident are you? 'Kagemusha'...that's Akira Kurosawa! It's a universally acknowledged masterpiece! As for the jury, although they've closed the competition, the winds are blowing...sigh!"

Counselor Li lowered his voice, his tone filled with worry and lingering fear, "You should have consulted with me and the authorities back home first! This...this was too risky!"

"Counselor Li!" Cheng Xuemin's voice deepened, carrying an undeniable firmness, "There are some things that can't be discussed with just anyone!"

"Some battles must be decided by those on the front lines at that moment. I will take responsibility. But please believe me, this is not an impulsive act. I have my reasons for doing this, and I also have... the necessary support!"

He spoke those final words of necessary support very softly, but they sent a jolt through Counselor Li's heart.

Looking into Cheng Xuemin's deep eyes, he suddenly remembered that the domestic leaders had previously granted Cheng Xuemin the authority to act expediently!
Therefore, Cheng Xuemin doesn't actually need to report to anyone; he can make decisions directly on the spot!

Counselor Li's pupils contracted slightly. His anxiety and anger, like a punctured balloon, deflated instantly, replaced by a deeper sense of surprise and gravity.

He gave Cheng Xuemin a deep look, didn't press further, but simply sighed heavily, patted Cheng Xuemin's shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice:
"So be it... what's done is done... you'd better take care of yourself. The awards ceremony... it's about to begin!"

After saying that, he seemed to age several years in an instant, turned around with unsteady steps, and quickly made an emergency international call to report the sudden incident to his country!
Cheng Xuemin watched Counselor Li leave, his face remaining expressionless.

He tightened his grip on Feng Jiayou's hand, feeling his wife still trembling slightly.

He lowered his head and whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't be afraid, my wife, trust me!"

Feng Jiayou looked up at him with teary eyes, trying to find a trace of madness or uncertainty in his eyes, but she only saw a bottomless calm and a kind of steadfastness that gave her a strange sense of peace.

She nodded vigorously, burying her face in his arms again, but the hand gripping his suit tightly betrayed the turmoil of fear still churning within her!
……

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