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

Meanwhile, in Cannes, France, at the Lumière Hall.

On stage, the closing ceremony continued!
The host's humorous transitions, the guests' appearances, and the recap videos...

But for the vast majority of people in the audience, these became irrelevant background noises!

Everyone's attention was focused on the unopened prize box that would determine the ownership of the four hundred million dollars, and on the faces of the nine judges on the judging panel who held the power of life and death.

Cheng Xuemin remained seated calmly, holding Feng Jiayou's hand.

He could feel that his wife's hands were no longer so cold, but they were still stiff. He could hear Fu Qi's suppressed, heavy breathing beside him, and he could feel countless tangible gazes behind him!

On Tsuchino Nako's side, all was deathly silent.

She was like a sculpture that had lost its soul, with only her occasionally contracting pupils and slightly trembling fingertips revealing the turbulent waves she was experiencing inside.

Time passed by, second by second, as if it were stretched out and frozen.

Finally, after presenting a series of technical awards and an award for a focus category, the host announced in a triumphant tone:

"Ladies and gentlemen, what follows is the most important moment of the main competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival: the awards ceremony!"

The air in the hall seemed to vanish instantly, leaving a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

"First of all, please welcome our esteemed chairman of the judging panel and all members of the judging panel to the stage!"

The lights focused, and the nine judges, led by the chairman, walked onto the stage with different expressions.

Their gazes swept across the audience, lingering for an extra half second, intentionally or unintentionally, when they landed on the areas of the Chinese and Japanese delegations.

Especially the jury president, the Italian director, whose face showed no particular emotion, but whose eyes were exceptionally deep.

"In accordance with the special arrangements of this film festival, the results of all the major awards in the main competition were decided by the jury last night and sealed in this award box."

The host pointed to an antique, dark wooden box in the center of the stage, bearing the Palme d'Or logo, and said:

"Now, we invite the chairman of this film festival and the notary to jointly open the prize box and reveal the answer!"

The film festival director, an elderly Frenchman with white hair, and two notaries in formal attire with serious expressions walked to the awards box.

Countless cameras were pointed at them, at that small wooden box, and the sound of camera shutters rang out again like a torrential downpour.

Cheng Xuemin felt Feng Jiayou's hand tighten suddenly, her nails almost digging into his flesh.

He turned his head and saw that his wife's eyes were tightly closed, her long eyelashes trembling violently.

He gripped the handshake tightly, then turned his gaze back to the stage.

The key was inserted into the lock, making a slight clicking sound.

The lid of the wooden box was slowly lifted.

The film festival director reached in and took out a thick, wax-sealed envelope bearing the film festival's emblem.

He picked up the envelope, showed the camera the intact sealing wax, and then, in the presence of two notaries, carefully cut open the seal with a knife.

He pulled out a folded, heavy-looking card from it.

At that moment, time seemed to truly stand still!
All eyes were fixed on the card, on the film festival chairman's hand holding it, and on his lips that were about to open and close.

The film festival chairman unfolded the card, his gaze falling on it.

Then, his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly!
It was this subtle change in expression, almost imperceptible, that, like a drop of water thrown into boiling oil, instantly stirred up huge ripples in the minds of the keen observers below the stage!
what happened?
What did he see?

The result was unexpected?
Didn't Shadow Warrior win the Palme d'Or?

Or... is there really a chance for "Redemption"?

Whispers suddenly surged through the silent hall like a tide, only to be suppressed by an even stronger sense of anticipation and tension.

The film festival chairman looked up, his gaze sweeping across the audience again, lingering for a moment in one particular direction. Then, speaking into the microphone in clear and steady French, he began to read:
"The winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival is..."

He paused, his gaze falling on the card, and then slowly read out a name.

It's neither "Kagemusha" nor "Redemption".

A polite round of applause erupted from the audience, and the winner went up on stage with delight.

But for many others, the uncertainty remains.

Following that, the Best Actress Award, the Best Actor Award, the Best Director Award...

One after another, the prestigious awards were announced.

Each time the winner is announced, it triggers a reaction that is either enthusiastic or disappointed.

On the Japanese delegation's side, as the director and actor awards for "Kagemusha" went unclaimed, the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive. Nako Tsuchino's face grew paler and paler, and her body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

On the Chinese delegation's side, every time the name read out wasn't "Redemption," Fu Qi and Huang Jianzhong's hearts sank a little further, and their palms were covered in cold sweat.

Could it be that... even "Redemption" failed to make a comeback?

That bet...

Cheng Xuemin remained calm, but he gripped Feng Jiayou's hand even tighter!
Finally, we arrive at the award second only to the Palme d'Or: the Jury Prize!
"The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival is..."

The film festival chairman's voice, amplified, resonated clearly throughout every corner of the hall.

He paused again, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Cheng Xuemin's direction once more, and then, slowly and clearly, uttered the name that had made countless people hold their breath instantly:
"Kagemusha, Japan, Akira Kurosawa!"

boom!
A tremendous burst of applause, exclamations, and sighs erupted instantly!
On the Japanese delegation's side, the tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed, and they burst into jubilant cheers and applause!

Tsuchimuro Naoko suddenly covered her mouth, and tears welled up instantly—the ecstasy and release of being saved from a desperate situation!

Her attendants jumped up excitedly and hugged each other!
The Jury Prize!
Although it is not the highest Palme d'Or, it is still the top honor that comes second only to the Palme d'Or!

This has almost cemented "Kagemusha's" status as the king of Cannes this year!
According to the prize classification in the bet, the Grand Jury Prize undoubtedly far exceeds the current prize of "Redemption"... zero!

Finished!

Fu Qi felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, all the strength drained from his body, and he slumped into the chair.

Huang Jianzhong closed his eyes in pain!
Feng Jiayou's tears finally burst forth. She gripped Cheng Xuemin's arm tightly, buried her face in his shoulder, and let out suppressed, desperate sobs.

Not to mention Gong Xue and Zhu Lin, who had never experienced any of this, even the usually carefree Li Lianjie was completely silent at this moment.

Even Counselor Li, who had been sitting not far away and trying to remain calm, turned ashen-faced and clenched his fists.

Naoko Tsuchiya wiped away her tears, trying to calm her excited emotions, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips that was a mixture of ecstasy, triumph, and the pleasure of revenge. She turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, and precisely found Cheng Xuemin. Her eyes were filled with undisguised arrogance, pity, and cruel mockery of a victor.

It's as if it's saying: Look, Cheng Sang, this is reality!

Your arrogance and your bet are nothing but a joke in the face of absolute strength.

Hitachi Heavy Industries has accepted the $200 million technology!

However, just when the Japanese delegation was overjoyed, the Chinese delegation was in despair, and everyone thought that the outcome of the bet was decided, the result was already clear!
The film festival chairman, however, did not invite the winners to the stage as usual.

He picked up the card again, his gaze falling on the last line of text.

Then, he raised his head, his expression becoming unusually solemn, even carrying an unprecedented sense of reverence.

He cleared his throat.

With a slower, clearer tone than before, and with a solemn, almost historically significant air, he spoke into the microphone the words that plunged the entire Lumière Hall, and indeed every corner of the world broadcasting the news, into an instant, deathly silence, followed by a thunderous roar like a landslide:

"The film that won the Palme d'Or, the highest honor at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival, is!"

He paused, his gaze piercing as if it could penetrate time and space, and declared, word by word, with unwavering certainty:
"Redemption," China, Cheng Xuemin!

Boom!

Not applause!

It's a tsunami!
It's an earthquake!
It was like the sound and shockwave of an atomic bomb explosion!
It swept through the entire Lumière Hall in an instant, rushing towards the high dome and almost lifting the roof off!
Time truly stood still at this moment!
Then came ear-piercing screams, cheers, gasps, chairs overturning, and incredulous shouts!
On the Japanese delegation's side, the victorious smile on Nako Tsuchino's face instantly froze, solidified, and then cracked like shattered porcelain!

Her eyes widened to their limit, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints, filled with extreme shock, bewilderment, horror, and a tremendous fear and despair as if her faith had collapsed!

She opened her mouth wide, but no sound came out!

He gasped for breath in vain, his body collapsing limply as if all his bones had been removed, only to be frantically supported by his equally terrified and pale-faced attendants.

On the Chinese delegation's side, Fu Qi seemed to have been struck by lightning, jumping up from his chair with his mouth wide open, but unable to utter a sound!
He was trembling violently, his eyes fixed on the stage, as if he were seeing the most unbelievable illusion!
Huang Jianzhong suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils dilated, and then, two streams of hot tears flowed out without warning!

Feng Jiayou stopped crying, raised her head, and looked at the stage through her teary eyes. Then she looked at her husband beside her, her small face filled with extreme confusion and disbelief, as if asking: Did I...did I hear wrong?

Cheng Xuemin was still sitting there!
Amidst the surrounding tumultuous waves, and countless gazes filled with shock, elation, envy, jealousy, and disbelief that seemed to burn him to the bone, he slowly released his grip on Feng Jiayou's hand.

Then, he stood up!
His movements were steady and slow!
He straightened the hem of his suit, which had become wrinkled from sitting for so long, and smoothed out the cuffs.

Then, he raised his head, his gaze calm, passing over the boiling crowd, over the stunned Japanese delegation, and over his own team members who were excitedly incoherent.

Ultimately, the focus shifted to the stage, to the film festival chairman who held the card and cast a complex and profound gaze at him.

On Cheng Xuemin's face, there was no ecstasy, no excitement, and not even much surprise.

There is only one kind of unfathomable tranquility, and a faint weariness and relief after the dust has settled.

He turned his head slightly, facing Feng Jiayou, who was completely stunned and could only stare at him blankly with tears streaming down her face, and said softly in a voice only she could hear:
"See, honey, I told you, you have to believe me!"

Then, he started walking.

The spotlight, as if alive, instantly locked onto him, stripping his tall figure from the dimly lit audience seats and projecting it into the gleaming aisle and countless trembling pupils.

The deafening applause, cheers, and screams, which seemed to lift the dome, now appeared as if separated by an invisible barrier, becoming indistinct background noise.

His world consisted only of the deep red carpet leading to the stage, and at the end of the road, the golden palm leaf that shone brightly in the reflections of countless cameras!
One step at a time!
Cheng Xuemin's steps were steady to the point of being rigid, as if he were not walking towards the podium to receive the award at the pinnacle of life, but completing a ceremony that had been rehearsed countless times and was destined to be completed.

The trousers were perfectly creased, and the leather shoes made a soft, rhythmic thud on the carpet!

Everything around me turned into a rapidly passing afterimage.

He saw Fu Qi suddenly jump up from the chair, then stagger because his legs were weak. Shi Hui next to him held him firmly. Fu Qi's mouth was wide open, but he couldn't make a sound. Only tears and snot covered his face.
He saw Huang Jianzhong covering his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking violently, and suppressed sobs leaking from between his fingers;
He saw Feng Jiazhao like a statue that had suddenly been freed from a petrification spell, first stiff, then beginning to tremble uncontrollably, his face a mixture of extreme ecstasy and a near-collapse of bewilderment.

He saw Gong Xue and Zhu Lin hugging each other, crying and laughing, their makeup completely ruined;
He saw Li Lianjie swinging her fists forcefully, veins bulging on her neck, screaming something with all her might, but her voice was completely drowned out by the sound waves...

He also saw, to his side and slightly ahead, the area of ​​the Japanese delegation, a deathly stillness, a frozen despair.

Naoko Tsuchino was supported by two pale-faced attendants, slumped in her seat, her head hanging limply to one side.

Her carefully styled hair was disheveled, her gold-rimmed glasses hung askew on her nose, and her eyes behind the lenses were wide open and empty, without any focus, only a gray and lifeless stillness.

The other Japanese members around her were either stunned, covered their faces and bowed their heads, or had unfocused eyes, as if they had collectively suffered a devastating disaster.

The euphoria that had just risen from the jury's grand prize was now extinguished by a more thorough and cruel dose of ice water, leaving only a mess and a bone-chilling cold.

Cheng Xuemin's gaze swept calmly over everything, as if passing over an insignificant landscape.

His heart was as calm as the deep sea.

He had seen all of this long ago.

From the night the film festival opened, when Tsuchino Naoko appeared before him with arrogance and provocation, proposing that absurd yet malicious bet, the ripples of his "golden finger" already pointed to this outcome.

His reluctance to accept the bet was not out of cowardice, nor was it a pretense of arrogance.

He's waiting, he's stalling!
He was waiting for the possible debates within the judging panel to be weighed and for the final decision to be made.

He was taking advantage of the time and space available for any underhanded tactics that Mitsuno Nakako and the Japanese side might employ.

Cheng Xuemin knew that if they engaged in battle too early, the other side would inevitably use all its resources to exert influence, including public opinion, public relations, and even more underhanded tactics.

What he wanted was to unleash his power again at the very last moment, after the box was sealed and the result was almost impossible to change.

He wants to bring this showdown back to the film itself, back to the independent judgment of the Cannes jury based on their artistic conscience and sense of the times!

Last night, when the jury's final meeting concluded and the award results were sealed in that wooden box, everything was settled.

He knew the time had come.

That's why there was that earth-shattering challenge on the red carpet!

That wasn't an impulsive act; it was the closing of the net!

It was a declaration of victory made after calculating that the opponent had no other options and the judges could no longer be influenced.

Now, the results are in, and they are exactly as predicted!

Palme d'Or winner, The Redemption!
The Jury Grand Prize goes to *Kagemusha*!
The difference in the weight of the awards is immediately apparent!
The bet has been decided!
The deal for $400 million is finalized!
……

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