Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 191 I am a piece of ice that refuses to melt (4k)

"The professor is so domineering. All the plans we worked on for three days straight are now scrapped," Freeman complained.

In a London pub, Major Freeman invited Sir Haley out, and fish, chips, and beer were laid out on the table.

In terms of social status and political sensitivity, Haley was better off than Freeman.

Although Face to Face is a program renowned throughout Europe, its influence is actually more localized within England. The Times' international news section, on the other hand, is truly global in scope, and the legacy of the British Empire allows its audience to reach a truly global audience.

Haley took a sip of beer and chuckled, "Refusing the professor isn't something you can do, nor is it something Edward can do."

Freeman had just explained the whole story to him, and Haley was very clear about the relationships between the characters.

"Even the Director General, Green, wouldn't dare to refuse the professor on his own. Only the Ministry of the Interior can make the decision, but would the Ministry of the Interior really refuse?"

Obviously not. The professor and Korolev chose London, which reflects London's political influence and symbolizes London as a place acceptable to both the US and the USSR.

How could they possibly refuse a professor on such a trivial matter?

The BBC is not a private organization; it is a company directly controlled by the English government.

The board of directors is appointed by the government, and the administrative license comes from the government.

Haley knew very well what Freeman was struggling with: missing out on an opportunity to gain global recognition and exposure in front of a global audience.

Anyone in that situation would feel resentful.

So does he.

After listening, Freeman shook his head and smiled wryly, "You're right."

Edward did not refute it on the spot, but reported it up the chain of command after returning to his office.

Baptiste couldn't make the decision, nor could Carlton Green. Finally, Sir Norman Brooke called Downing Street for their opinion, and Downing Street stated that the professor's decision was entirely up to him.

Baptiste is the Director of Television Services, responsible for all broadcast and television programs; Carlton Green is the Director General, the highest-ranking executive, responsible for day-to-day operations and major decisions; and Sir Norman Brooke is the Chairman of the BBC Board of Directors, appointed by Downing Street.

Haley nodded and said, "That's how the Americans have always been. Roosevelt often started his social occasions at the White House by saying, 'I murdered my grandmother this morning.'"

According to traditional etiquette and moral customs, Roosevelt's words were clearly very impolite.

He began the conversation with such an absurd opening simply because he was tired of the polite conversations at White House social events and thought the guests were not paying attention.

That's what big shots are like; big shots can be capricious.

Although the professor's status was different from Roosevelt's, he still had this small right to be capricious.

Freeman thought to himself, "Isn't the professor European? When did he become American?"

Freeman was slightly worried: "It's entirely up to the professor to do as he pleases. You know, many important people will be there tomorrow for the BBC's live broadcast in the studio."

What if the professor makes a mistake?

The Soviet delegation was led by Mikoyan, while America's delegation was led by Humphrey.

Besides these two places, political figures and celebrities from all over Europe gather in the BBC studios.

Newspapers throughout London were more excited than ever before, reporting daily which dignitaries had arrived in London and would be attending events the following day.

London has also raised its security level to an unprecedented level.

If something unexpected happens, the British Empire's face will be utterly humiliated.

Haley waved his hand: "That's even less of a concern for you."

The professor was more than capable of handling such a minor situation.

Furthermore, just like the anecdote about Roosevelt I mentioned above, even if he really said something wrong, it would only elicit polite laughter from everyone, who would assume he was joking.

Both are mistakes in speech, but if a professor makes a mistake, it becomes an anecdote, a symbol of humor; if you make a mistake, it's simply a blunder.

Major Freeman sighed, "Sir, you're absolutely right."

Haley patted him on the shoulder: "When you become Prime Minister, it'll be your turn to be willful. At that time, you can call the professor over to sit with you around the fireplace at 10 Downing Street for a fireside chat."

Freeman shook his head and said, "That's too difficult. Perhaps we should wait until the professor comes to the BBC for another interview. I think that would be more likely."

Inside the Broadcasting House studios in London, prominent figures from all over Europe gathered.

In the center of the crowd, Lin Ran shone like a star.

All the celebrities wanted to chat with Lin Ran, hoping to hear details about the lunar mission from him, even though these details had already been reported by the media many times.

But the same content heard from Lin Ran is a completely different concept from what he reads in the newspaper. Just the thought of being able to casually mention in social situations that "I heard from my professor about how things went during the moon landing" is incredible.

This is enough to prove that he has a wide network of connections and is able to talk to professors.

Lin Ran smiled as usual, but instead of champagne, he held a notebook and a pen, indicating that he had made some preparations for the interview.

He was surrounded by admirers from Europe.

Even though he was Chinese, his achievements were enough to make the European nobles present overlook his skin color.

He was recounting the harrowing moments of his mission to the young Queen Elizabeth.

“Your Majesty, returning to Earth is actually not easy.” Lin Ran paused. “The distance between the fuel tank and the lunar module alone must be kept within two thousand meters, otherwise Gagarin will have a hard time completing the fuel transfer mission.”

Jenny stood beside Lin Ran, scanning their surroundings. She felt the gazes of the women present frequently sweep over Lin Ran.
English nobles, French diplomats, and German parliamentarians gathered here. Their conversations switched between English, French, and German, like an international symphony.

Lin Ran speaks German and English, and his five senses allow him to accurately capture everyone's speech, which he then memorizes and processes.

For some reason, Lin Ran looked around and, just as he had guessed, he was the only yellow-skinned Chinese person present; the Japanese were not allowed to sit at the main table to eat at this time.

At this moment, Lin Ran inexplicably recalled a poem by Yu Guangzhong:

"Here, in international cocktails,"
I am still a block of ice that refuses to melt.

Keep it cold below zero

The temperature of the solid.

I was originally quite liquid,
It also flows very easily and boils very quickly.
I love playing on the rainbow slide.

But the sun in China is too far away from me.

I crystallized; it's transparent and hard.

And it cannot be automatically restored.

The young queen's exclamation interrupted Lin Ran's thoughts: "It's a miracle! Professor, your calculations are simply art!"

The wife of a French diplomat, dressed in a Chanel gown, interjected, “Professor, you must come to Paris! I think the mathematicians in Paris are eager to exchange ideas with you. If you don’t mind, I would be happy to host you at my estate.”

Jenny rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. If it weren't for the fact that this was a gathering of celebrities, Jenny would have already spoken up. She thought to herself, "I think it's you who wants to talk to the professor."

Lin Ran turned to face her, the large opening at the chest of her dress indeed drawing attention: "Madam, I will remember your kindness. I will certainly consider the invitation from Paris."

His gaze swept across the crowd, basking in the overwhelming praise.

He glanced toward a corner of the hall where Sergei Korolev, the key figure in the Soviet space program, sat quietly, waiting for the interview to begin.

Korolev, dressed in a dark gray Soviet-style suit with a rather plain tie, stood beside several Soviet officials.

His face was resolute, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, and he stood with his hands behind his back, quietly observing the noisy crowd.

Mikoyan and the other delegates, dressed in similar dark uniforms, spoke in hushed tones in Russian.

The area around Korolev was empty, as if an invisible barrier separated them from the European celebrities.

The contrast is very obvious.

Lin Ran was in his element, chatting and laughing with ease, surrounded by nobles, scholars, and diplomats, whose laughter and applause rose and fell.

Korolev, on the other hand, resembles an isolated statue.

A moment later, BBC presenter Major Freeman walked onto the stage, his microphone humming softly: "Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. The program is about to begin."

The studio was dimly lit, and two dark leather chairs faced each other on the central stage, with water glasses and the two men's notebooks on a small round table in between.

The background features a huge map of the moon, with the landing site in the Sea of ​​Tranquility prominently marked.

The camera moved slowly as technician Tom Harris nervously adjusted the signal behind the control panel to ensure the smooth running of the live broadcast to the world.

The crowd gradually dispersed, and the celebrities walked to their seats with expectant expressions. Randolph was ushered to the front row, while Korolev quietly took his seat.

The lights focused on the stage, where Randolph and Korolev sat facing each other.

The scene from earlier kept replaying in Lin Ran's mind: he was surrounded by people, while Korolev was ignored.

If he was a block of ice that refused to melt, then Korolev was even more so.

If he refused to melt Korolev because of his own inner reasons, then no one at the scene would have even tried to melt him.

Even among Soviet officials, only America's diplomats and Humphrey went to say hello.

This is the reality of the international community, and it seems likely that it will remain so sixty years from now.

Lin Ran shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the scene. With a gesture from technician Tom Harris on his right, Lin Ran knew that the global television broadcast had officially begun:

"Ladies and gentlemen, and viewers at home, good evening. Welcome to the BBC Face to Face special on the moon landing, December 31, 1964."

I am Randolph Lin, the substitute host and guest today. Sitting across from me is Mr. Sergei Korolev, the head of the Soviet space program.

Polite applause rang out from the audience.

Viewers around the world held their breath in front of their televisions.

A live broadcast was playing on a screen in front of the Technology Ark in Times Square, New York; families in Moscow sat around black-and-white televisions, children staring wide-eyed; in Parisian cafes, people paused their conversations to watch television intently.

Although limited by technology, a truly real-time live broadcast was not possible, at this moment, most people were watching the interview on television.

After the applause subsided, Lin Ran continued, "Mr. Korolev, first of all, thank you for coming all this way to participate in tonight's program. Our audience is eager to learn about the behind-the-scenes story of this joint US-Soviet lunar landing mission."

Today, it will be the two of us who will make the introductions.

Lin Ran switched to Russian, and the European celebrities in the audience, unaware of the inside story, began to whisper among themselves.

Lin Ran was speechless upon hearing this. How could someone in London speak Russian so poorly that it sounded like Parsley?

Simultaneous interpreters began using pen and paper to provide real-time translations, ensuring that both the live audience and television viewers could accurately understand what the two speakers meant.

Korolev leaned forward slightly, his tone calm and his voice thick with Russian accent: "Thank you, Randolph, it's nice to see you again."

Lin Ran continued, "This US-Soviet moon landing was a cooperation based on full mutual trust between the two sides. It is a model of international cooperation and win-win results. I believe it will also be a landmark event of the Cold War and a heartwarming scene of healthy competition among nations."

Humphrey, who was in the audience, turned green when he heard this. He had come specifically to tell Lin Ran not to mention peace and to be careful with his words.

Lin Ran didn't mention peace, but you talked about healthy competition and warmth.

Today will be 1965, and we're going to start a hot war? Isn't that just an excuse to embarrass the Soviet media?

Lin Ran continued, "After learning that the Soviet Union was going to carry out a lunar landing mission at the end of this year, we realized through professional judgment that their lunar landing carried huge risks."

The biggest challenge in landing on the moon was the design of the lunar module.

The moon's gravity is only one-sixth that of Earth, so it is essential to ensure the lunar lander remains stable during landing and takeoff, while also controlling its weight to accommodate the rocket's carrying capacity.

In this regard, the Soviet Union and Russia only had rockets and lunar soft landings tested; manned lunar landers had not been tested.

Based on the information we have, we believe that if we cooperate, we can increase the success rate of the moon landing.

Based on this, the White House and the Kremlin communicated directly and confirmed our cooperation on the moon landing.

Space is boundless, and humanity is insignificant.

The collaboration between the two sides made a human landing on the moon possible.

Applause erupted from the audience, who were deeply moved. The emotions they felt when they saw Gagarin land on the moon and return to Earth were genuine.

In the audience, an English lord clapped and murmured, "The professor is absolutely right. Space belongs to all mankind."

The well-dressed woman beside him said softly, "I hope this will bring peace."

"Because the moon landing is physically demanding for astronauts, Gagarin should still be recuperating."

I believe that once Gagarin has finished his recuperation, he will give speeches around the world, just like he did after his last space mission.

Today, Korolev and I, two technicians, will tell you the story behind the moon landing.

Mr. Korolev, what was the theoretical success rate of the Soviet Union's moon landing before it was planned?

Korolev replied, "The moon landing is fifty percent, and the return to Earth is ten percent."

There was a burst of exclamation from the audience.

Lin Ran then asked, "With such high risks, why do it?"

(End of this chapter)