Inside Zhongnanhai

Fang Yurong was taken away on the spot. The woman was no longer hysterical; she knew her career was finished. At the thought that he would never see Big Sister Fang again, Chen Qi shed a few crocodile tears. In truth, as he had always maintained, he never viewed any specific person as his enemy; there were only the natural obstacles and difficulties forged under the backdrop of the era... Except for those who picked fights with him. He simply couldn't swallow insults. "Old Wang, you've really landed yourself a treasure!" "Xiao Chen, you've suffered these past few days. Go back and get some good rest." "Xiao Chen, any interest in coming over to my department? We handle external affairs exclusively." As the meeting broke up, people crowded in to cozy up to him. Wang Yang smiled wryly to himself. After this battle, Chen Qi was bound to make a resounding name for himself within the industry. *Romance on Mount Lu* was for the public; earning foreign exchange was what commanded the respect of insiders. He could already picture just how many work units would fight over him, yet this kid's thoughts were truly impossible to pin down. They finally shook off the crowd and headed downstairs toward the exit. Before they even stepped out of the courtyard, rapid, heavy footsteps came hurrying from behind. The ministry leader himself had chased after them, panting, "N-No need to leave! Liao Gong called. He wants us to go this afternoon, go to..." "To the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office?" "No! Into Zhongnanhai!" Catching his breath, the leader clapped Chen Qi on the shoulder and said warmly, "Xiao Chen, it's almost noon. You and Old Wang stay for lunch and try our cafeteria. We'll head over together this afternoon." "..." Chen Qi and Wang Yang exchanged a look—one feigning astonishment, the other genuinely stunned. It had truly reached the ears of the highest authorities! ………… Around three in the afternoon. The Ministry of Culture leader provided an official car to drive Wang Yang and Chen Qi over. Sitting in the back seat, Chen Qi noticed the old man looked visibly excited. He whispered, "Haven't you been there before? Why are you still so thrilled? Were you lying before?" "Piss off! Just because I've been there doesn't mean I can't be thrilled. It's not like I go every day... Even if I wanted to, I couldn't!" "Then you'll have to work harder and climb a few more ranks before retirement." Wang Yang couldn't be bothered to trade barbs. With China Film—who had snapped at them like rabid dogs—kicked aside, both men had relaxed. It felt like a drawn-out saga, but in truth, everything had unfolded in the few days since returning from Berlin; February wasn't even over yet. Far better than those novels where hundreds of chapters pass and not even a single year has gone by... "Xiao Chen, it's your first time going, yet your mindset is admirable—you don't seem nervous at all," the Ministry of Culture leader remarked. "That's the right attitude. The senior leaders are very approachable, especially toward young people like you. Just be yourself and do what comes naturally when we get there." Zhongnanhai's main gate lay to the south, while its back gate sat to the north. As they spoke, the car pulled up to the back gate. Red walls flanked an open white gate, where sharp, alert soldiers stood guard, inspecting IDs and the vehicle. They passed an initial checkpoint, followed by a second once inside, and then drove straight ahead. Zhongnanhai covered an area of roughly 1,500 mu, with 700 mu of water—it was immense. For a few years during the 1980s, certain sections were opened to the public. There were designated visiting days each month, with tickets costing two jiao and cameras forbidden; it became a customary spot for Beijing schools to organize student field trips before it was closed off again later. "..." Chen Qi looked out at the grounds, feeling rather thrilled himself. In his previous life, he had merely been a middling boss who fell short of the high and looked down on the low, naturally never getting the chance to set foot here. In this life, he was practically opening a brand-new page in his family genealogy! Ah, he'd strive to visit often in the future. Ziguang Pavilion, Qinzheng Hall, Yiluan Hall, Yingtai Island, West Flower Hall, and the Chrysanthemum Fragrance Study... Even having never visited before, he knew them all well by name. Unfortunately, the car couldn't stop for sightseeing, so he couldn't tell which was which. The car drove for quite some distance before coming to a stop in front of a renovated classical-style building. The three climbed out and were first escorted into a small room to wait. After about ten minutes, they were ushered into an ordinary reception room. Its furnishings were exceptionally modest: several tables and sofas covered in green-and-white checkered slipcovers. Not daring to sit down, they waited a little longer. Soon, several figures one could only ever see in history textbooks walked in from outside, Liao Gong among them. Chen Qi wasn't surprised by the leaders at the head of the group; what caught him off guard was the presence of a woman among them. *Huh? She came too?* *Oh, right—she oversees Taiwan affairs, which also falls under external matters.* The three offered their greetings. The senior leader smiled and shook hands, looking Chen Qi up and down when he reached him. "So you must be Xiao Chen! A fine figure of a young man indeed!" "Greetings, Chief! I am Chen Qi!" "Good, good. Let's sit and talk!" Everyone took their seats. As soon as the senior leader sat down, he pulled out a cigarette, passed one to Liao Gong, and chuckled, "I've given you one, so don't you go filching my cigarettes." "I only have two great pleasures in life—eating fatty pork and smoking—and both have been stripped away. If I don't swipe yours, where else would I get a smoke?" Liao Gong was in poor health, and both of his passions had been forbidden by his wife. Having a close relationship with the senior leader, the two lit their cigarettes and puffed away, clouds of smoke rising—their cravings were clearly formidable. "He invited us to watch a movie," the senior leader said after taking a couple of drags. "It was brilliantly made; everyone was thoroughly thrilled... Most of us here have been on the battlefield and practiced martial arts. The Tai Chi in the film is somewhat different from what we used to practice, but after all, it's a movie; a degree of artistic license is only natural. I've met that Li Lianjie before. Back then, he was still just a child; in the blink of an eye, he's grown into a young man." "..." Wang Yang unexpectedly held his tongue, gesturing subtly toward Chen Qi. Left with no choice, Chen Qi spoke up: "There are many national martial arts champions, but acting in a film is different from competing. Martial arts movies demand elegance and visual flair. It was precisely because his moves looked so graceful and impressive that we chose him as the lead." "Spot on. That line of thinking is entirely correct. I hear *Tai Chi* was your idea?" "It came about mainly when Great Wall was filming *The Shaolin Temple* and the topic came up in conversation. I thought that since they were doing Shaolin, we could do Tai Chi. It was all the fruit of everyone's unity and cooperation." "Unity and cooperation are certainly commendable, but some things can't be achieved by unity and cooperation alone. Xiao Chen, why don't you explain in detail how you managed to sell the film for several million US dollars?" the senior leader asked with a smile. Without delay, Chen Qi recounted a general overview of the events. Employing careful framing, he stuck adamantly to the narrative that upon spotting an opportunity to earn foreign exchange in Berlin, with no superior available to consult, he had adapted to the circumstances and willingly taken the risk to secure the contracts. He couldn't possibly tell the unvarnished truth; if he admitted this had been premeditated all along to deliberately make waves, the entire nature of the affair would change. *Good grief, they'd line me up against the wall for five minutes!* With such an uncanny matter, unless he revealed it himself, no one would even think along those lines. After all, pulling such a stunt required a prerequisite: you had to be certain beforehand that *Tai Chi* would rake in a fortune in US dollars. Who in the entire country could guarantee such a thing? Having listened to the account, the senior leader nodded. "Sometimes work has to be done this way. Although you breached procedural regulations, you earned a sum of foreign exchange for the country. Your actions are understandable. However, this highlights all the more the dereliction of duty in certain departments. They've been making movies for decades, yet they can't even measure up to a..." "To a large-bowl tea vendor like me!" "Haha, exactly right!" The senior leader chuckled, then asked, "Since you have such deep insights into filmmaking, why not tell us: how should our movies be made so that they can establish a foothold on the international stage and earn foreign exchange through exports?" "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! How could an enormous topic like that be my place to lecture on?" "The pupil surpasses the master. Everyone says you are the foremost contributor behind *Tai Chi*. Go ahead, speak your mind." "Yes, just a casual chat," Liao Gong encouraged. "Then... then I will speak boldly. Please don't laugh at me..."