In the entertainment industry, everyone has been reborn, but who will be their servant?

Chapter 93 We Are the Just
Inside a solemn and dignified meeting room, a soft maroon patterned carpet covered the floor, and a coffered ceiling illuminated the space.

The meeting room was not spacious, but rather compact. A rectangular red solid wood table was placed in the middle, with nameplates placed at each position. Experts sat on both sides, and several leaders sat at the head of the table.

There weren't many people, only a dozen or so, including Tong Gang. They all had a calm demeanor and an air of authority.

At the very front of them was a stage, behind which was an LED screen with white background and red text:
The defense of "Nanjing Photo Studio"!
Just then, the conference room door was pushed open, and Zhang Hongsen led Qin Xuan in, introducing him: "This is the screenwriter and director of 'Nanjing Photo Studio'."

The people here turned their gazes toward Qin Xuan, scrutinizing or examining him.

Meeting their gazes, Qin Xuan suddenly felt pressured, his body involuntarily tensing up, a bit nervous. These people were not the usual ones he met; they were the kind of people who held the power of discourse.

"You're still very young, and you seem to be a young hero!" said a leader sitting in the main seat in a kind manner.

Among the experts on either side, an elderly man with gray hair said, "He's just too young. I don't know if he can handle such a film? Can he convey the right values?"

This was a subtle way of asking questions. Zhang Hongsen looked at Qin Xuan, giving him a hint that he could answer.

Qin Xuan composed himself slightly and began to answer:
"Whether you can take on the task is not about age, but about attitude and how much effort you put in. I think you have all seen the materials we have prepared, as well as the script. Our ability is reflected in those specific, actionable historical materials, the shooting plan, and the visual previews."

His answer was neither humble nor arrogant, and it was reasonable and well-founded, which made everyone present look at him with new respect.

The visual preview was done by Zhang Linke, who is a photographer himself. Some people present looked through the materials they provided, and they were indeed very comprehensive.

"As for whether it can convey the correct values, we established the tone of sorrow without being devastated and leading to hope from the very beginning of the creation. We are not advocating hatred, but rather the resilience, kindness and respect for life of the Chinese people in extreme circumstances. Isn't this the good virtue advocated by our Chinese nation?" Qin Xuan slowly got into the mood.

Only when you have strength can you have the confidence to speak and inspire others.

That was a very correct answer. The experts and leaders present remained silent, and Zhang Hongsen couldn't help but give him an appreciative look.

Tong Gang relaxed slightly. He was really afraid that this person would show his weakness and not be able to answer. Little did he know that Qin Xuan had made his fortune by brainwashing people. After being deceived by Jack Ma and later by various grand narratives, he had a lot of rhetoric in his mind.

If you treat those at the grassroots level well, as long as you provide them with enough to eat and a sense of accomplishment, they will follow you wholeheartedly.

To deal with expert leaders, one must have a high-level perspective, so high that it reaches outer space.

"That's right, come to the front." The leader in the seat of authority gestured forward.

The space directly in front of them was empty. Qin Xuan bowed slightly to everyone as a sign of respect, then walked around the conference table and forward.

He stood on the podium, facing formally dressed experts and leaders in executive jackets, with a white LED screen displaying red lettering behind him.

They were all sitting, but Qin Xuan was standing.

"Let's speak freely today, don't be reserved, say whatever comes to mind. We've been looking at this script for a while now, and we have all sorts of opinions, so let's get to the bottom of it today. Let's give a clear answer on whether it can be approved, whether it will be filmed, and not keep the artists waiting or waste their time." The leader set the tone.

The first two or three sentences were addressed to Qin Xuan, while the rest were addressed to other experts and leaders.

Everyone present nodded, indicating that they understood.

"Let's begin then. Feel free to ask any questions you may have." The leader indicated that we could start.

"Let me ask first!"

A middle-aged man in military uniform with a tough demeanor raised his hand and looked at Qin Xuan, asking, "How do you handle the bloody scenes at the war level? Have you considered the audience of different age groups?"

"First, we need to establish a point of view: why film bloody scenes? The first is to respect history, as these are indeed things that happened in history; the second is to remember history and awaken future generations. We try to restrain ourselves from an artistic perspective, but we absolutely cannot do without them."

Qin Xuan paused for a moment, then continued, "When I came here just now, Director Zhang asked me a question. He said, 'You're already a boss, why are you still riding an electric scooter?' I said, 'I can't forget the past just because I'm rich and powerful now!'"

If I forget the past, become complacent, and lose my vigilance, others may take away my wealth and everything I have today at any time, because you never know where your enemies will come from or how cruel their methods will be.

If we fail to ensure future generations fully understand the traumas of the past, and the horrors of the enemies they faced, but instead simply downplay and protect them, then our efforts will be ineffective in awakening them.

Qin Xuan sighed as he said this: "Our Chinese nation has suffered too much. You probably know better than I how hard it was for everything we have today. But we can't just look at the present. We also need to let them see the past and be wary of the future."

When he spoke these words, he was sometimes passionate and sometimes sighing, using his own metaphors to make his speech incredibly vivid and moving.

The emotions of those present also fluctuated slightly, with feelings of being touched and reflections.

Zhang Hongsen and Tong Gang exchanged a glance, realizing that their previous worries were somewhat unnecessary; the other person's speaking ability was truly powerful and emotionally resonant.

Qin Xuan didn't refer to the document they provided when he spoke. The document they provided was very standard. For example, regarding this issue, it only talked about how to downplay or blur the bloody scenes, without raising the level of detail.

Therefore, Qin Xuan was explaining this issue from a higher perspective, encompassing the past, present, and future, as well as the entire Chinese nation; his tone was undeniably high.

Some people looked at the middle-aged man in military uniform and saw that his face was slightly flushed and he remained silent, so they knew that he had been persuaded and there were no more problems.

That's impressive; it directly dispelled their idea.

"You keep saying you respect history, but I noticed a detail: ordinary people are trying their best to protect the negatives. This isn't a real historical event. If it's shown, it will cause viewers to have a distorted understanding of history. Doesn't that count as historical nihilism?" an elderly man with an artistic air asked. This was a sharp question; a poor answer would be a point of contention, because you weren't following historical facts and were engaging in historical nihilism.

Tong Gang and Zhang Hongsen's expressions changed slightly. This question wasn't in the document they were given, and it was obvious that these people wouldn't ask the same questions exactly as they had already asked.

Those present couldn't help but turn their gaze to Qin Xuan, who was deep in thought, and they waited silently.

Although there is no intense emotional confrontation here, every word is barbed. Cultured people don't need to suppress you with strong emotions; they just need to make things difficult for you.

"This is indeed a difficult question to answer," Qin Xuan said.

The old man, pleased with himself, said to the others, "Fiction cannot supersede history..."

“Our goal is not to make the audience remember a particular person or story, but to remember the spirit of resistance of ordinary people in that era. As you said, fiction cannot supersede history, and I completely agree with that.”

Qin Xuan interrupted the old man and said, "However, artistic processing is by no means unfounded. It combines historical materials with human flesh and blood. The historical materials are those original photos."

The ensemble cast encapsulates the 20 unseen resistance fighters in the occupied territories. Whether it's a postman risking his life to deliver intelligence, an actor secretly rescuing refugees, or a tailor hiding underground workers, the purpose of designing these characters is to show the audience that they are not fighting alone.

It's also about showing the audience that we are a nation with courage and a spirit of resistance against foreign aggression. It's about reinforcing memory, not downplaying history. I think that's the fundamental meaning.

Qin Xuan said all these words in one breath, afraid that if he paused even for a moment, he would lose his breath.

Some people have already been moved by his words.

"So aren't you deleting ethnic hatred, which goes against the core principle of learning from history and cherishing peace?" someone asked.

"I do not shy away from the emotional side, nor do I deny that the audience will feel grief and indignation when they see it. As I just said, downplaying it will make future generations lack awareness of the cruelty of war."

But are we righteous? Qin Xuan patted his chest and looked directly at the crowd.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Since we are the righteous ones, why can't we shout 'blood for blood'? Isn't that a just demand?" Qin Xuan was somewhat agitated.

"Yes, we are the righteous!" This thought formed in everyone's mind, burning like a flame.

"First of all, I'm not trying to erase hatred, but rather to tell people that peace is achieved through bloodshed, not by releasing a peace dove and expecting the world to be at peace. That's just a symbol, and it's also to tell people that we are protecting peace so that tragedies don't repeat themselves on Chinese soil," Qin Xuan added.

His words moved some of the people present. The middle-aged man in military uniform reached into his pocket, wanting to smoke a cigarette to calm down, but then realized it wasn't the right occasion and put it down.

Some people exhaled, as if they were suffocating; even Tong Gang and Zhang Hongsen felt suffocated.

This person is incredibly good at manipulating people's emotions.

Several leaders adjusted their postures; although their expressions remained serious, their actions showed that some of them were influenced by his words.

"Your name is Qin Xuan, right? Don't speak so excitedly, calm down a bit." A leader gestured for him to control his emotions.

A person who speaks eloquently and acts excitedly can easily make others lose their temper and fail to think rationally.

"I'm sorry, boss, I'll try my best to restrain myself." Qin Xuan apologized, but there was nothing he could do if he couldn't control himself.

If you're not excited, how can you have passion? A speech is all about having passion yourself so you can inspire others.

"Let someone pour him a glass of water. He's come all this way and they won't even give him a sip of water. He'll go back and complain that the boss is really stingy." The boss made a self-deprecating joke, which sounded very approachable.

Everyone present smiled, and the serious and oppressive atmosphere that Qin Xuan had created eased a bit.

Of course, the leader gave him water so that he could relax, unwind, and let others relax as well.

"Thank you, leader. Although we may gossip behind your back, we still respect you in our hearts," Qin Xuan said with a smile.

Although the words were humorous, they were sincere, meaning that although there might be complaints behind the scenes, the person was patriotic at heart.

"That proves that we haven't done our job well enough. We need to work harder and make sure everyone is convinced of our abilities." The leader looked at the others kindly.

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

“Yes, the worst thing is when people are outwardly convinced but inwardly not. Then we can’t understand what people want, and we won’t know where to start or what to do. So we need to let people speak and tell the truth.” Another leader nodded in approval.

Qin Xuan simply started the conversation, and they began chatting; this had nothing to do with his identity.

Soon, a secretary poured a cup of tea and handed it to Qin Xuan with both hands. Qin Xuan politely said, "Thank you!"

(End of this chapter)