Chapter 327 Must Be Done: Don't Make Empty Talk.

The answer is, of course, no.

Director Cao is influential in Shanghai, but when he gets to the capital, nobody listens to him.

He was annoyed too, and directly broke off relations: "He thinks he can just stop like that? Ignore him! We'll do our thing."

The concert is being held in Shanghai. Can the Ministry of Culture send troops to shut it down? They need troops to deal with it!

From a theoretical perspective, Shanghai's cultural authorities are also under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture.

But theory is theory, and practice is practice; in 1994, the central ministries didn't have that much power.

Shanghai, in particular, is not some insignificant backwater, nor does it expect charity from them to make a living.

"Never mind, let's get it done!"

Over the course of nearly a year of applying to host the concert, Director Cao, as the direct contact person, was also quite exhausted.

Now that he's mentally broken, he might as well go his own way and see things from a different perspective.

"We'll do what we want, let's see who can really stop us!"

My heart also fluttered as I looked eastward.

The main issue is that anyone would break down dealing with so many department heads for over a year.

Wang Xiao shook his head: "No, the cultural sector can block film approvals. If they don't give their approval, even if the concert movie is made, it can't be released."

Director Cao wasn't very interested in the concert film, believing it wasn't the priority right now and could be put on hold; the main issue was what needed to be addressed.

Wang Xiao simply threatened him: "If the movie can't be released, how can we recommend Shanghai to the world?"

Well, with such a heavy label pinned on him, even if Director Cao is annoyed, he has no choice but to grit his teeth and keep bearing it.

What connections could he possibly have? He could only approach the leaders of Shanghai.

Wang Xiao didn't dare put all his eggs in one basket, so he turned around and started with his own relationships.

The official she knew best and who had the most influence in Beijing was Minister Cao.

So she went to see Minister Cao immediately without hesitation.

Someone who has helped you is most likely to help you again.

Wang Xiao was lucky; at least Minister Cao didn't go on a business trip to another city. He was in Beijing and didn't go out to inspect work; he stayed in his office.

It was difficult to explain clearly over the phone, so Wang Xiao decided to meet the person in person to explain the whole story.

Minister Cao immediately made a stop gesture and cut to the chase: "Just tell me, what do you want to do? What do you want me to do?"

As she spoke, she laughed, "You're not the kind of person who doesn't have a plan in mind and goes looking for trouble."

Wang Xiao smiled, but it was a somewhat forced smile: "I need to see the Premier because Michael Jackson's Shanghai concert must go ahead."

Minister Cao was also aware of the concert; she even helped facilitate the process, otherwise the approval process for the concert wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

To put it simply, you know "Farewell My Concubine," right? It's considered one of the classic works of Chinese cinema. But it was banned in mainland China last year and could only be shown in Hong Kong first.

Decades later, everyone says that the 1990s were an era of openness and that there were no ideological restrictions on art and literature, but that is not the case.

Minister Cao didn't press for details; he only confirmed a few key pieces of information before making a phone call.

During this process, Wang Xiao was not idle. He borrowed another telephone, contacted Yang Tao, and began to arrange the work.

While waiting for Yang Tao to fax over the materials, she went over the plan with Xiang Dong again.

When Minister Cao returned, he saw the documents on the table and the people having a heated discussion, and couldn't help but laugh: "You're quite confident, aren't you afraid of not being able to meet anyone?"

Wang Xiao smiled broadly: "I mainly have confidence in you, Minister."

"Tomorrow," Minister Cao explained. "The leaders are all fully booked today and really can't spare any time. I can squeeze in fifteen minutes for you tomorrow."

Wang Xiao shook his head directly: "The concert is officially starting the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is the time I reserved for flexibility. We can't put it off until tomorrow. We have to decide today. It concerns the future of Shanghai and the country!"

This hat is so big that even Minister Cao thinks it's exaggerated.

But her first real interaction with Wang Xiao was about Zhimen being chosen as a flood discharge site in the summer of 1991.

Wang Xiao said at the time that it would cause hundreds of millions of US dollars in economic losses.

As it turns out, she wasn't exaggerating.

Now, she stands before me, her voice firm: "Ten minutes or five minutes is fine, even while driving or while the leader is walking."

However, Minister Cao was quite considerate. When she turned back, she directly called to Wang Xiao, "Come with me."

Instead of leading people to block the leaders on the road, they took them directly to the State Council's canteen.

Under the fluorescent lights, the slogan "Practice Thrift" on the white ceramic tile wall looked old, subtly echoing the chalk drawing of "Deepen Reform" on the blackboard in the corner.

Only now did Wang Xiao realize that it was already dinnertime, and his stomach belatedly began to rumble.

She quickly apologized to Minister Cao: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, you're so tired that you haven't even eaten."

Minister Cao continued walking and said with a smile, "Why don't we just have dinner? We don't need food coupons anymore anyway."

She led the person directly to the small restaurant, knocked on the door, and the door opened, revealing a face that often appeared on television.

Director Cao came to help open the door.

Sitting next to Vice Premier Hong was the Vice Mayor of Shanghai.

The latter smiled and nodded at Wang Xiao and his group: "Perfect timing, you can come over and tell the leaders that it's not that we Shanghai people like to complain."

Vice Premier Hong waved his hand and said, "Let's wait."

Then he asked Wang Xiao and the others, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Let's see what you'd like to eat."

Xiang Dong was so nervous she was trembling, and Wang Xiao was in no better shape.

It wasn't because the other party held a high position of power, but rather because she had always admired politicians who were decisive and ruthless.

Wang Xiao took a deep breath before he could calm himself down and sit down.

Just as their food was served, the door to the small restaurant opened again, and this time a man with slightly graying temples entered.

He smiled as he entered and greeted Vice Premier Hong: "Oh my, it's rare that you would invite me to dinner, Premier."

But the next second, his gaze swept over the other people in the restaurant, his smile froze, and his voice rose slightly, "Looks like today is a trap."

Vice Premier Hong waved his hand: "Old He, you're exaggerating. We're just having a meal together in the canteen. We can talk about whatever we want while we eat."

Minister He refused to sit down, his smile completely gone: "I've already said what I needed to say. Michael Jackson absolutely cannot hold any concerts. What kind of stuff is he singing? What kind of dance is he dancing? It's all capitalist stuff, practically feudal dynasty pornography!"

Xiang Dong couldn't help but speak up, especially since he was the person in charge and the youngest among those present: "Minister, the concert cannot be canceled. The Hope Project donations are waiting for money, and so many cinemas across the country are waiting for the concert and movie tickets to be made."

These words stirred up a hornet's nest. Minister He instantly became agitated, slamming his fist on the table and exclaiming, "Money, money, money! Are you all obsessed with money? Reform and opening up is not about the overthrow of capitalism!"

That's a very strong statement.

But when Wang Xiao heard this, she wanted to roll her eyes.

Money isn't important? 99.99% of the world's problems are money problems.

A single penny can drive even heroes to their deaths!

Why did the government gradually open up the market for schools and hospitals in the 1990s, allowing private schools and hospitals to operate?

Are government officials collectively short-sighted and unaware of the risks involved?

Of course not.

The only reason the government is doing this is because it doesn't have the money. The government is no longer able to sustain such enormous expenditures.

Xiang Dong also spoke up to refute: "Minister, so you mean that the donation shortfall for Project Hope can be ignored, and that the serious losses of so many cinemas across the country can be disregarded, is that right?"

"To make money, you can work hard and get rich, but you can't earn any dirty money, stinky money, or worthless money! Is it art to dance while reaching into your pants?"

Minister He was filled with righteous indignation: "Back then, Soviet television broadcast American rock music, and young people followed suit and started using drugs! If we open this door, we will lose our cultural front, our ideological propaganda will go astray, and the consequences will be the same as the Soviet Union's—national subjugation!"

The restaurant's fluorescent lights flickered slightly, seemingly buzzing as if shaken by his anger.

The waiter brought the soup noodles to the table, and Minister Cao quickly seized the opportunity to ease the tension and try to smooth things over: "Mr. He, please don't be angry, let's eat first, let's eat first!"

However, Minister He had already stood up: "I won't eat. Those courtesans, oblivious to the sorrow of a fallen nation, still sing 'The Song of the Rear Courtyard' across the river. I can't stomach this kind of food."

"Minister He, I would like to say something on behalf of Ms. Shang."

Wang Xiao, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Why should a courtesan know about the sorrow of a fallen nation? She was never the master of the country. No one ever gave her the status of a master, so why should she be expected to have a sense of ownership?"

She looked directly at Minister He and said, “Material things determine consciousness. Our Chairman Mao taught us back then that all empty talk is useless; we must give the people tangible material benefits.”

Minister He was slightly taken aback, but his anger flared up even more: "The Chinese may be poor, but they haven't let poverty make them weak-willed."

Wang Xiao didn't argue with him and nodded: "Okay, since you think the donations to Project Hope and the livelihoods of the millions of cinemas are not important, then let's put them aside for now. Domestic debt isn't debt, but foreign debt is still debt, right?"

Xiang Dong quickly pulled out the documents and spread them out on the octagonal table: "HBO purchased the live broadcast rights to Michael Jackson's Shanghai concert for £13 million."

Wang Xiao bluntly asked, "If the concert can't be held, who will compensate us for this money?"

The atmosphere in the restaurant froze instantly, and even Vice Premier Hong stopped stirring the fish ball soup.

£13 million! That's a huge sum of money. Even the richest people couldn't just sit back and not blink.

Minister He had a slender face and a thin build, making his Adam's apple particularly noticeable.

His throat bobbed, his face flushed and turned pale with anger: "That's their own business!"

Xiang Dong genuinely felt that some officials lacked basic legal knowledge.

Does your statement that it has nothing to do with me really mean that we have nothing to do with each other?

Wang Xiao said expressionlessly, "No, this is our business, something we can't avoid. We can accept the money we invested upfront, including the concert venue setup, Michael's performance fees, and all the accommodation and airfare expenses for him and his team's trip to Shanghai. But we can't be the ones to take the fall for this compensation."

The fish ball soup and four-happiness meatballs on the table were steaming hot, with the aroma of fish, meat and oil intertwined, creating a warm and charming atmosphere of everyday life.

But no one in the restaurant had an appetite.

Minister He's face turned ashen: "So this is trying to pressure me with money?"

"I wouldn't dare," Wang Xiao said, unmoved. "Canceling the concert would jeopardize Shanghai's and the nation's economic development!"

Minister He sneered: "You were really born too late. You're good at labeling people like this. If you had been born twenty years earlier, you would have been a master at writing big-character posters."

Wang Xiao, however, had already shifted his gaze to Vice Premier Hong: "I'm not exaggerating. The concert is now a done deal, it absolutely cannot be canceled."

She took the materials Xiang Dong handed her and emphasized clearly, "Because this concert has attracted global media attention, 47 news media outlets from all over the world are following and reporting on this concert."

Minister He's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, "So many?"

To date, the highest-level and most influential event hosted by China was the 1990 Asian Games.

He suspects that there weren't many foreign media outlets at the time.

"He is Michael Jackson, the most influential pop superstar in the world."

Wang Xiao spoke slowly and deliberately, “He served as a free calling card for Shanghai and Pudong, introducing Pudong and the Oriental Pearl to the world through his enormous influence. This is an effect that no Chinese arts troupe can achieve when performing abroad.”

She really wanted to curse.

On the one hand, leaders from the Ministry of Culture and other organizations said that literary and artistic propaganda was very important, and even cited the Soviet Union as an example; on the other hand, they showed a ridiculous ignorance of the influence of pop stars.

"When the concert is broadcast live on television and the concert film is shown all over the world, more than 100 million people around the world will watch this concert and get to know Shanghai Pudong and the Oriental Pearl through the concert."

"If only one percent of these 100 million people, that is, one million people, are interested in Shanghai, and another one percent, that is, ten thousand people, actually take action and set foot on Shanghai's land, that would be ten thousand opportunities for Shanghai."

She reached out again and handed Dong another document to her.

"So far—"

Wang Xiao explained, "Michael Jackson's most influential concert was the Dangerous concert held in Bucharest, Romania on October 1, 1992."

She shifted the concert notes slightly to the side, and the next sheet of paper featured a chart of Romania's economic situation printed in larger font.

"From 1990 to the end of 1992, Romania attracted a total of US$410 million in foreign direct investment. In 1993, which was last year, Romania attracted US$490 million in foreign investment, and the economic growth rate in the second half of the year was 1.3%."

Wang Xiao moved his finger back and forth between the concert and the Romanian economic charts, saying, "It's hard to deny that the Michael Jackson concert played a positive role in this."

"Before this, due to Romania's national policies, even Europeans living nearby knew very little about the situation in Romania and had little interest in it."

"Michael's concerts provided a window for people all over the world to get to know Bucharest through his concerts, and created opportunities for Romania's economic development."

Minister Cao was secretly surprised. Although she had been in charge of a region and considered herself an expert in economic development, this was the first time she had heard that a series of newly opened concerts could have such a big impact.

She originally thought that at most, it would attract people from other places and foreigners to come and watch the concert, and that these people would eat and stay at the hotel, which would bring business to the local restaurants and hotels.

Unexpectedly, the concert had such a huge advertising effect.

Wang Xiao continued, "In addition to that, there are also the fans who attend the concert, which bring opportunities to Shanghai."

She took the information from Xiang Dong and opened it under the gray fluorescent light: "Our concert tickets are sold to fans not only in Shanghai and the surrounding areas, but also to a wide range of fans from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Southeast Asia."

She didn't forget to pat herself on the back, emphasizing, "Because our goal at the time was to earn foreign exchange; only by selling to them could we generate foreign exchange for the country."

She pointed to the ticket sales figures and the categories of buyers, saying, "These fans who have come from afar are potential investors. They and their relatives and friends get to know Shanghai through the opportunity to attend the concert, experience Shanghai's open and inclusive atmosphere, and its broad investment prospects, which may make them interested in investing in Shanghai."

Upon hearing this, Minister He couldn't help but retort sarcastically, "This isn't singing and dancing, it's magic! You expect me to invest money just to hear a song or watch a dance? Do you think people are fools?"

Wang Xiao said calmly, "Those who can afford to spend a lot of money to travel across the ocean to see a concert are not short of money. For them, investing a few hundred thousand or a million to give themselves a chance to develop is not that difficult."

Minister He grew increasingly displeased and turned his gaze to the Vice Mayor of Shanghai: "So, according to this logic, without Michael's concert, Shanghai really couldn't have developed?"

Vice Mayor Zhou was caught off guard and subconsciously said, "Mr. He, you can't say that."

But Minister He pressed on: "Give me a straight answer now, is Shanghai going to rely on the 'Grab Pants' concert to develop? Without it, Shanghai is finished."

Seeing that the city leaders were already in a difficult position, Wang Xiao had no choice but to speak up and help them out: "It's not that bad."

Minister He finally showed a satisfied expression: "Since Shanghai is not going to collapse, and it's not a matter of life and death, there's no need to make this money."

"But canceling the concert would be a fatal blow to Shanghai."

Wang Xiao interrupted him, saying, "Holding a concert can bring so much benefit to Shanghai. Canceling it now will only bring back double the negative impact."

The curtains in the small restaurant weren't drawn, and the windows were slightly ajar for ventilation. The autumn evening breeze, carrying the sounds of cars from Chang'an Avenue, drifted in.

Wang Xiao's voice also carried the desolation of autumn leaves: "47 international media outlets are following the story, and thousands of fans from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia have already arrived in Shanghai. If the concert is canceled, what will they think of Shanghai, and what will they think of the Chinese government?"

“They will think that the policies on the mainland are unclear and could change at any time, that the policies are unreliable and the business environment is poor.”

Wang Xiao cited Russia as an example, saying, "This is how foreign investors evaluate the Russian government, which is why Russia still can't attract much foreign investment."

Minister He couldn't listen to this at all: "It all comes down to money. They only care about these petty gains and don't care about the terrible consequences of drinking poison to quench their thirst."

Vice Mayor Zhou, unable to contain himself any longer, said: "Mr. He, you are a man of great integrity. With so many people in Shanghai needing to eat and drink, and Pudong New Area needing to develop, what can't be done? If someone's heart is about to stop beating, of course, saving lives should come first. Losing limbs can be dealt with later."

These old men from the central ministries live in the clouds; they have no idea how difficult it is for local officials like us.

Putting aside everything else, just consider the problem of movie theaters alone—nowadays everyone watches TV and videotapes and doesn't like watching movies. How are so many movie theaters across the country supposed to survive? Why doesn't the Ministry of Culture think about this?

They pretended to be deaf, dumb, and blind, but now that someone has offered advice, they not only don't thank or cooperate, they even try to stop them!

Let Vice Mayor Zhou say it: if we're going to reform, we should start by reforming these central ministries.

A bunch of useless bastards who hold positions without doing any work!

Minister He couldn't read minds and couldn't hear Vice Mayor Zhou's inner thoughts.

But the words the latter uttered were enough to infuriate him: "Is this something that can be put off? A slippery slope of thought has serious consequences! Poisonous weeds will destroy the entire country! Movies—"

He sneered, "Movie theaters would rather close down than show this kind of vulgar film!"

“It can be edited.” Wang Xiao took a sip of pear soup and suddenly spoke up. “There are 10 cameras shooting at the same time. When any of the actions you think are indecent occur, you can use a long shot or a shot facing the audience to cut that part.”

Vice Mayor Zhou immediately chimed in: "That's right, movies aren't always filmed with people glued to their bodies."

Minister He was not pleased by this, and then yelled at Vice Mayor Zhou: "So what? So all the audience members here are blind and can't see anything, right?"

"They can't see it; mainland audiences can't see it."

Xiang Dong then pulled out the concert audience information, saying, "Back then, we were thinking of earning as much foreign exchange as possible, so all the inner field tickets were sold to the public."

Of course, this is only half the reason. The more important reason is that the inner field tickets are indeed expensive, with the cheapest costing 888 yuan per ticket.

Minister Cao praised, "You guys really do consider things comprehensively."

Vice Mayor Zhou chimed in, "Yes, yes, it's dark at night, and apart from the audience in the inner area, people further back can't see what the dance moves are. It's alright."

"How can it be no big deal?" Minister He was completely adamant. "Aren't you guys inside? Aren't you Shanghai officials supposed to be watching from the front? What are you going to say when the Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Singaporean people around you are watching you grabbing someone's crotch and you don't do anything?"

Vice Mayor Zhou thought to himself, "Who the hell is so bored as to sit in the front row at a concert and stare at us officials instead of enjoying the song and dance performances?"

Are cadres' faces really that good-looking?

He could only laugh awkwardly: "It's not that bad, they don't have time to look at us anyway."

“I can’t see it.” Wang Xiao’s gaze fell on Vice Mayor Zhou’s face. “Mayor Zhou, I ask all the cadres in Shanghai to be magnanimous and give up these complimentary tickets. We will auction them off tomorrow, and the highest bidder will win. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Song Foundation.”

Director Cao clapped his hands, his eyebrows dancing with excitement: "That's great! Let's do it that way!"

He looked at Minister He with a beaming smile: "Old He, you see, there are always more solutions than problems. All problems can be solved."

Minister He opened his mouth, as if to speak again.

Vice Premier Hong, who had been silently and leisurely sipping his fish ball soup, suddenly put down his spoon and asked, "Is the stage set up? Are all the people and equipment here?"

Wang Xiao nodded quickly: "Everything is ready, everything is in place, we're just waiting for the show to start on October 1st."

Vice Premier Hong nodded and looked at Minister He: "Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? The stage has already been set up on the banks of the Huangpu River, and now you want to withdraw? Besides, our friends have come from afar, we can't let our international friends see us arguing behind closed doors, can we? Let's leave it at that."

Minister He's chest heaved, his voice tinged with resentment: "Since you've said that, what else can I say?"

The people at the table fell silent.

Since you also feel there's nothing to say, then don't say anything.

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I wrote the outline for this chapter very smoothly, a full thousand words. Logically, the main text should flow perfectly. But something just doesn't feel right. After I finished, Doubao and deepseek refused to comment on this chapter. [Frustrated] This makes me even more uncertain.