She Must Be Investigated!

"Our time in West Berlin was very brief, and we haven't even had talks with several regions yet, such as Africa and Eastern Europe. If we finalize deals there too and piece all the bits together, breaking five million will be no problem at all. "The reason we bundled North America, Western Europe, and Australia together was also because of our tight itinerary... In short, everything was done in an extreme rush. Under such limited conditions, we did our absolute best." "..." Silence fell over the conference room. That sheet of documentation was passed from hand to hand, carrying over a dozen people's pounding hearts and sheer disbelief, before finally returning to the hands of the presiding official. Meanwhile, their gazes were fixed on the young man—the one who was shamelessly milking his victory, or rather, the promising youth speaking with such eloquence and composure. No one had anticipated this turn of events. China Film had supposedly occupied the moral high ground; as long as they seized on that, Beijing Film Studio wouldn't have stood a chance. Yet just when they pushed their opponent to the execution ground, the fellow stripped off his outer shirt—and lo and behold, he was wearing a yellow imperial jacket underneath! Not only did he have an imperial jacket, he had even pulled out a Shangfang sword, turning the tables to strike straight back at China Film! It was precisely because Song Linming and Fang Yurong understood this that their dread deepened. Gathering their last ounce of strength, they blustered, "Fake! That's an absolute fake! If you claimed five hundred thousand, that might make some sense. But five million?! Why don't you just make it fifty million?!" "Fu Chi has already met with Liao Gong!" Wang Yang had completely run out of patience with them. His retort was curt and unyielding, addressed not just to them, but to everyone present. "Liao... Gong..." Paleness washed over the faces of the China Film duo. What little strength they had left vanished in an instant. Limp and boneless, they slid down into their chairs. The others seated in the room were all officials of various ranks from the Ministry of Culture and the Film Bureau. Upon hearing those words, they gasped in unison as well. If someone dared to report directly to Liao Gong, it had to be genuine! Great Prince Sihanouk! Had they truly pulled in nearly five million US dollars in foreign exchange? What? Chen Qi isn't part of our system? From this moment onward, Comrade Chen Qi was an eternal member of China's glorious socialist cultural and arts apparatus! More permanent than a fixed star! No one could take him away—not even the Qianmen large-bowl tea cooperative! The gazes directed at him burned with fierce enthusiasm, as if everyone present wished they could hoist him up a flagpole to declare their ownership. Earning foreign exchange was just like that: the foreign currency itself merely had to wait in line to enter the bank, but the leadership had an endless list of things to consider. Now that Liao Gong was involved, the matter had escalated to an entirely different plane. Liao Gong was a true titan, someone who came and went from Zhongnanhai as he pleased. What if... You couldn't blame the officials for overthinking; the sum was simply too staggering, and the origins of this foreign exchange were nothing short of miraculous. As for the overall scale of foreign exchange in the early 1980s, having been mentioned many times before, there is no need to belabor it. It would take another two years—once foreign trade corporations multiplied across the country and exported goods grew in volume—before those figures would truly climb. The presiding official's mind raced, swiftly settling his stance. His face beamed with fiery warmth as he smiled. "Oh, young Chen has performed a tremendous service this time! 'Heroes emerge in youth'—the ancient saying truly rings true. I propose we first give a round of applause to congratulate young Chen and Beijing Film Studio on the achievements they've secured!" Clap, clap, clap! Led by the official, everyone joined in the clapping, and the atmosphere instantly turned lively. If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, nobody would have guessed that just a minute earlier, this very room had been denouncing him. The official clearly intended to placate Chen Qi, adding with a smile, "Comrade Fang Yurong had many misunderstandings about you, which caused you grievance. Of course, you bear no fault whatsoever; your slate is clean and stainless..." He turned toward Fang Yurong. "Comrade Yurong, shouldn't you apologize to young Chen?" "Me? Apologize?!" Fang Yurong clenched her fists. While she had some petty cleverness, she was conceited and prone to hysteria. Yet she was no fool; she knew when the tide was against her. Reluctantly, she rose to her feet and spat out each word: "Comrade Chen Qi, I wronged you. I was blind!" "..." Chen Qi showed neither coldness nor anger. He merely looked back at her with a beaming smile, saying nothing. Gritting her teeth, her face burning with what felt like the humiliation of a lifetime, Fang Yurong bowed directly to him. "I sincerely say to you: I am sorry!" "..." Still, there was no response. Seeing this, the official smiled and intervened, "Young Chen, Comrade Yurong has apologized, so you..." "Report!" Chen Qi suddenly raised a hand and leaned forward, entirely ignoring her apology as he continued on his own: "Tai Chi's production cost was 1.08 million RMB. Adding promotional expenses and airfare to Hong Kong and Berlin, the total still didn't exceed 1.8 million. "Foreign currency cannot be directly compared to RMB, but for ease of understanding, I'll do a rough conversion: Tai Chi sold for approximately 8.16 million RMB, yielding a net profit of 6.36 million. "Just a moment ago, I read out a set of figures: China Film generates an average of a little over seven hundred thousand US dollars in foreign exchange each year, selling each film for an average of just over four thousand dollars, running a deficit year after year... I cannot help but wonder: why is it that people who have worked in cinema for decades cannot even match a guy who sells large-bowl tea? What is the reason behind this? "Is it an issue of attitude, an issue of competence, or something else? "I don't know what their attitude is toward foreign dealings, and I'd rather not boast about my own abilities. I only want to ask: even if they sold a single film for a few hundred thousand dollars, I would consider that normal. But the gap between our numbers is absurdly wide. When things stray this far from the norm, something is rotten underneath. "Did their films truly bring in no money? Or did they make money, only for nobody to know where it went? Or rather... are they selling off state assets for pennies on the dollar?" Hiss! A collective gasp sucked through the room. This was an outright duel to the death! Yet on second thought, when Fang Yurong had accused him of political stance issues, it had already become a fight to the death. Realizing this, everyone looked at the young man with renewed awe—he was ruthlessly thorough, never letting a grudge go unpaid. Sure enough, Chen Qi turned his gaze back to Fang Yurong, watching her body begin to tremble, and smiled. "And then there's Big Sister Fang. Since she's responsible for imports and exports at China Film, why was she also allowed to serve as a selector for the Berlin International Film Festival? Doesn't that violate regulations? Are the accounts of the films she handled accurate? Did she cause unfairness toward other productions longing to enter the festival? "In Berlin, she was closely acquainted with many foreigners, interacting with them constantly and attending events every single day. She engaged in intimate behavior with foreigners in public places that compromised our national dignity. So did she engage in other misconduct? Did she have private contacts with anyone? Did she do anything detrimental to the collective? "I have no concrete proof, but inferring from common sense, these questions are hardly excessive. "I earnestly request that the organization take this matter seriously. She must be investigated!" Just a few days ago, Fang Yurong had directed these very words at him. Now, Chen Qi was returning them to her in full. He usually settled his scores within twenty-four hours; this time, several days had already passed... "You! You!" A chill ran through Fang Yurong's entire body. Pointing a finger at him, she wanted to scream at him, but the spirit had completely drained from her. She looked at her superior, Song Linming, but Song Linming could barely protect himself—how could he spare a thought for her? "..." The presiding official sighed inward. He had asked Fang Yurong to apologize merely to test Chen Qi's attitude; if Chen Qi had accepted it, the matter would have ended there. After all, fewer complications were always better than more. Yet Chen Qi refused to let it go, kicking the ball right back into his court. With his thoughts racing, the official ultimately decided to place his bets on the foreign exchange. He cleared his throat twice and spoke: "It just so happens that everyone who needs to be here is present. Since young Chen has raised these issues, let us have a brief discussion. "I'll state my view first. Comrade Fang Yurong's conduct was indeed improper. Holding two concurrent positions and behaving inappropriately abroad—an incident that was even published in the newspapers—are two matters backed by concrete evidence. As for the other questions, they will require an investigation by the relevant departments. "Therefore, I propose that Comrade Fang Yurong be suspended from all duties, temporarily relieved of her post as head of China Film's German import-export division, and placed under investigation! "As for Comrade Song Linming and China Film, whether there are problems there is a more complex matter, and we will examine it separately!" Thud! Fang Yurong collapsed back into her chair, her mind an utter blank. It's over! Everything is ruined! Song Linming's face was the color of ash. He kept completely silent, though the occasional glance he shot toward Chen Qi was steeped in venomous hatred. Chen Qi didn't care in the slightest. All this maneuvering had been aimed at stripping China Film of its monopoly power! China Film at this point was nothing like the later China Film Group. It was merely a distribution company. Though seemingly a behemoth, its true operational strength was dismal, resting entirely on policy monopolies. If nothing else, domestic production studios were constantly clashing with it to wrest away distribution rights. Who knew what fate awaited Song Linming? If he were smart—or if his successor were smart—they wouldn't hold a grudge against Chen Qi; they would fall over themselves trying to curry favor with him!