Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che glanced at the approximately twenty media outlets in front of him and laughed loudly, "If 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' wins the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, then these twenty-three, no, twenty-four media outlets will give me a free top spot in the best feature. If it doesn't win, I'll pay you three times the top spot fee. How about it? Raise your hand if you're willing to bet, and step aside if you're not."

All the reporters raised their hands with smiles, not one of them was left out, and they all laughed heartily.

They were extremely happy for a moment.

Liu Chang's lips twitched. Che Ge's move completely stole the limelight from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." What was he doing? We didn't even have a new movie coming out.

Even Liu Chang, who was right next to him, had this thought, let alone others.

But people were completely baffled, especially Ang Lee, whose brain seemed to freeze after hearing about it.

To retort: ​​"Are you sure he said he didn't like it? Are you sure he could win an Oscar by betting with a reporter?"

The staff member nodded: "Confirmed."

The crew members felt confused and stuck in the middle, which was very uncomfortable. Should they be praised or criticized?

As for the guests who left one after another, most of them felt that Yang Che was just marketing something. After all, the quality of "My Sassy Girl" can be discussed, but as for Yang Che's vision and publicity ability, almost no one in the industry, except for Lu Chuan, questioned him.

After Yang Che made the bet with the reporters, he got into the car, and his friends all looked at him, hoping to get an answer.

Zhang Yimou was also eager for an answer. Having worked with Yang Che on the Olympic Bid Committee for two months, he knew that although Yang Che's thinking was unconventional, he always had his own purpose in his roundabout ways and rarely said anything pointless or attention-grabbing.

So as soon as he got in the car, he couldn't wait to call Yang Che. Once connected, he immediately asked, "Why do people say 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' won an Oscar?"

"Because I'm sure I'll get it."

"Hmm? Tell me about it."

"The major shareholder is now Columbia. Their global marketing president, Bob, has been fired, and Jeff has taken over. He is in charge of both distribution and marketing, and he is a powerful figure with real power. He is capable and ambitious, and he will definitely make some moves."

Zhang Yimou fell silent: "You mean the movie isn't important..."

"Of course it's important. It still needs to be of some quality and conform to the values ​​of the Westerners, otherwise we can't explain it. But ultimately, it's a capitalist country, and it has its own operating system."

Zhang Yimou paused for a few seconds, then asked, "Are you that sure?"

"How about we make a bet?"

"Hehe, what are we betting on?"

"Give me a girl, or give me the girl you're holding."

Zhang Yimou was utterly speechless: "You..."

"Just give me a verbal agreement; I haven't decided who to promote yet."

"You're going to lose."

Yang Che pondered for a moment: "I owe you a favor."

"make a deal."

The friends watched as Che Ge hung up the phone, hesitant to speak, feeling stifled.

Yang Che raised an eyebrow: "Want to know my purpose?"

The others nodded vigorously in agreement.

Yang Che laughed heartily: "You'll find out then."

At this moment, Liu Changfu had a sudden inspiration and tentatively said, "When 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' wins an Oscar, you should deconstruct the Oscars and criticize those who fawn over foreign things."

Yang Che's smile vanished instantly: "Would you die if you didn't talk?"

The smile never disappeared, it just shifted. The young men burst into laughter, though they didn't know what they were laughing about.

Yang Che patted the armrest of the chair: "Part of it, and also, I need to have a golden statue made of a charlatan who speaks the truth."

Cheng Er shook his head: "It can't be shaped. Your judgment is based on facts and logic."

"The general public, and those celebrities, don't know me; they just think I'm awesome. Today I've witnessed a microcosm of society. Take Wang Zhiwen, for example—he's a huge disappointment. Turns out he's just a..."

Yang Che got tired of talking and shook his head.

Gong Beibi, sitting in the back seat, opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

Wu Shixian said, "Brother Che, everyone has their own expertise. You can't judge others by your own understanding. You're a genius among geniuses, you're different."

Although these words were different from what Yang Che was thinking, they had something in common.

He turned around and laughed, "I think you're mocking me."

Wu Shixian raised his right hand: "I swear to heaven and earth, I swear to the lamp that everything I said was sincere, even more sincere than my words to Beibi."

Gong Beibi's expression immediately changed: "Go to hell!"

"Ha ha ha ha"

The GL8 was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

The next day, July 17th.

Early in the morning, Jiang Zhiqiang called to express his gratitude. After thanking him, he said, "Today, the Hong Kong newspapers are all reporting on your bet. People are very curious about why you thought 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' would definitely win an Oscar."

Without the second half of the sentence, Yang Che would have thought that Jiang Zhiqiang was complaining about him.

Jiang Zhiqiang never asked Yang Che why he didn't like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," nor did he ask what he disliked about it. He just made a few jokes and ended the call.

Meanwhile, some less reputable media outlets in mainland China, especially those that made bets with Yang Che, also used the bet as a topic of discussion. For example, the Life Times headline read, "Yang Che: If Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon doesn't win an Oscar, I'll buy your GG for three times the price."

When the morning news on Beijing Life Channel reported on the premiere of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," it also gave Yang Che a special segment of more than ten seconds, which Gao Yuanyuan and her family in the Fengtai Aerospace Compound naturally saw.

The family remained silent until the scene changed, at which point Gao's father, Junren, snorted and said, "Trying to attract attention."

Gao Yuanyuan lowered her head and smiled, but the next second she looked up because the TV said that Zhao Lirong had passed away. The reason for this was that her boyfriend liked this old lady very much, and she had also come to like her after being influenced by him. She was quite surprised.

Gao Junren said, "Zhao Lirong's ancestral home is also Fengrun."

Gao Yuanyuan asked in confusion, "Isn't it from Baodi?"

According to the local chronicles of Fengrun, the Zhao family has lived in Fengrun County for generations. His father, Zhao Zhenduo, was a well-known Pingju opera performer in the area. In his early years, he went from Fengrun to Tianjin to make a living and formed an opera troupe.

"Oh, I see."

Then Gao Yuanyuan picked up her phone and sent a text message to her boyfriend, telling him about it.

Yang Che didn't feel anything when he saw it.

The elderly woman suffers from lung cancer that has already spread, along with severe osteoporosis, knee joint effusion, and arthritis. Due to the long-term suffering from these illnesses, her weight has dropped to less than 70 pounds.

When the old lady was in unbearable pain, she secretly hid some medicine and told her son her idea. Her son immediately knelt down in front of her.

The whole family knelt down. She looked at her children and grandchildren kneeling on the ground and put down the medicine.

Then she picked up a needle and thread and began to sew her own burial clothes, taking measurements, choosing fabrics, and making shoes and socks neatly.

The funeral clothes were made not long before the person passed away.

That's good, I don't have to suffer anymore.

People will remember her, and the laughter she brought.

The tens of thousands of spectators who spontaneously came to see her off on the day of her funeral were a testament to her life.