Chapter 251: The Writer's Pen Is as Sharp as a Knife
In the evening, we went to Donglaishun Restaurant, a time-honored restaurant in Beijing.

Pierre Cardin put a thin slice of lamb into the pot, blanch it gently a few times, then took it out and put it into the prepared dipping sauce.

"Wow, Vic, this is your unique way of eating mutton, right? This is called hot pot?"

Pierre Cardin asked Li Changhe with some surprise.

Li Changhe smiled and shook his head: "Yes, but I didn't expect you to eat mutton."

"As far as I know, people in Europe and America mostly eat beef, and mutton is considered unclean meat!"

Li Changhe had not originally planned to bring Pierre Cardin to Donglaishun.

But when it was time for dinner in the evening, Pierre Cardin didn't want to eat Western food. He wanted to eat something with oriental ingredients.

It was cold now, so Li Changhe took him to several Shandong restaurants in Cuihualou, but there were no seats available.

Now with the country's reform and opening up, people have gradually become bolder, and restaurants like Cuihualou are now almost full every day.

For foreign tourists, local Beijingers, reservations from major organizations, etc., it is no longer easy to come in and eat without reserving a seat in advance.

Seeing that it was getting darker, Li Changhe simply brought Pierre Cardin to Donglaishun. At most, he could just give him beef.

Donglaishun’s braised beef in soy sauce is also a specialty.

Unexpectedly, Pierre Cardin accepted all kinds of mutton and ate it without any scruples.

"Unclean meat?"

"Are you talking about the image of sheep in religion?"

Pierre Cardin asked curiously after hearing what Li Changhe said.

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, as far as I know, sheep are usually regarded as demonic species in the West. In your religious mythology, the image of the devil is usually related to sheep, such as a human body with a sheep's face, or a sheep's horns on the head."

Many of the evil gods in the Cthulhu mythology in the United States are of this type.

"I didn't expect you to study Western religions. There are factors in this area, but I don't think it's mainstream."

"In fact, food culture is still related to the region. People eat what is produced in the region."

“Although I’m French, I was actually born in Venice, Italy!”

“Lamb is a delicacy in Italy, especially in the northern mountains.”

“Every Easter, we have a lamb feast.”

"In fact, I think the eating habits in Italy are very similar to here. They also mainly eat wheat, and use lard or olive oil."

"I think the staple food in Beijing is also mainly wheat, and I heard that the workers here especially like to make lard at home."

“It’s just that the food everyone makes is a little different.”

Pierre Cardin said to Li Changhe with a smile.

The two people had become very familiar with each other that day. In Pierre Cardin's eyes, Li Changhe was a person who was very proficient in both the East and the West.

He not only understands various Western knowledge, but also has a deep understanding of many Eastern rules.

This understanding even surpassed those of the foreign affairs translators he had met.

This also made Pierre Cardin more accepting of Li Changhe.

"Really? I've never been to Italy, so I don't really know."

“All I know about Italian clothes and football”

"Milan Fashion Week is very famous, and there are two football teams, AC Milan and Inter Milan."

Li Changhe shook his head and said frankly.

"Then you must go and see it when you have time. Italy has a lot of delicious food, and the sense of art there is particularly strong."

"Religious art, in particular, has always been an important element in European and American fashion design."

Pierre Cardin said to Li Changhe seriously.

Li Changhe nodded: "Don't worry, I will definitely go when I have time!"

Of course, he knew more about Italy than just clothing and football, but also the world's top star Monica Bellucci and various luxury cars.

Top luxury cars such as Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and Pagani are all Italian car brands.

The operations of many of these brands are very mediocre. Apart from anything else, Li Changhe remembers that Lamborghini will go bankrupt next year.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t have enough money!

After the three of them finished their meal, Li Changhe and Zhou Shusen first sent Pierre Cardin back to the hotel.

"Vic, next week we will be able to cut out the preliminary garments. Remember to come for the first fitting then."

Pierre Cardin instructed Li Changhe at the hotel entrance.

Generally, handmade suits need to be tried on several times and the finished garments need to be modified constantly before the most suitable garment can be made.

"No problem, I'll come see you next week when I have the holiday."

Li Changhe agreed with a smile.

Although everyone had a good chat today, some things were still not discussed, but Li Changhe was not in a hurry.

He kept showing Pierre Cardin his image as an expert on China and his abilities here, just waiting for Pierre Cardin to ask him for help.

Only in this way can Li Changhe take the initiative.

Otherwise the positions of the two would be reversed.

Westerners separate feelings from business. Pierre Cardin is a shrewd businessman as well as a designer.

Otherwise, he would not have been so persistent in opening up the Eastern market. What he valued was not the art, but the huge wealth hidden in this market.

After saying goodbye to Pierre Cardin, Li Changhe returned home.

When he returned home, Li Changhe was surprised to find that Zhu Lin was still sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"came back?"

Seeing Li Changhe opening the door and coming in, Zhu Lin stood up and walked over, and helped Li Changhe take off his suit jacket.

"have you eaten?"

Li Changhe asked Zhu Lin curiously.

"Yes, I ate at the teacher's house in the evening."

"Since you haven't been drinking today, I want to tell you something!"

Zhu Lin smelled no smell of alcohol on Li Changhe, but she still asked a question.

"No, the foreigner doesn't drink much white wine. I took him to eat hot pot today."

"Is it about Gong Xue?"

Li Changhe asked with a smile.

Today, my wife went to find Gong Xue. If Gong Xue is in the drama troupe, then it is obvious that she must have encountered trouble.

Now that Zhu Lin said so again, it’s nine out of ten times true.

Hearing Li Changhe's words, Zhu Lin sighed.

"Ugh!"

Li Changhe took her in his arms and sat down on the sofa, then asked curiously, "Tell me, what's wrong?"

Zhu Lin then told Li Changhe what Gong Xue had encountered.

After listening to this, Li Changhe nodded and said with a smile: "Do you want to help her solve the problem?"

"Yes, otherwise the director would be too bullying."

Zhu Lin leaned in Li Changhe's arms and spoke in a low voice.

"Changhe, isn't our uncle also a senior officer in the army? Do you think it would be okay if we asked him to come forward?"

"You mean Uncle Mantang!"

"He is from the Beijing Military Region, and belongs to the combat unit. The drama troupe is from the General Political Department. They are actually not subordinate to each other and are not in the same department."

"If we go to Uncle Mantang, he won't be able to directly influence the drama troupe, and the people in the drama troupe don't have to give him face. After all, we are not part of the same unit, and there is no subordinate relationship."

"Unless Uncle Mantang finds the General Political Department leader above the drama troupe and then passes the message down, maybe it's possible."

Li Changhe analyzed with a smile.

In fact, this is often the case in China. It is very difficult for departments that are not subordinate to each other to greet each other directly.

It doesn't mean that you will be given face just because you have a high position.

Of course, the advantage of looking for Liu Mantang is that they are all inside the military system, and they can definitely find the right person to do this by using their connections. However, this may cost more than just one or two favors.

"What about your classmates?"

Zhu Lin asked hesitantly again at this time.

"This matter is actually not that troublesome at all."

"Let me tell you a piece of news. Starting next year, the army will begin to reduce its military strength again, and the first to be affected will be the cultural troupe."

"This time the scale is very large. I think even the General Political Department will be greatly affected."

"So even if we do nothing, I don't think Xiaoxue will be able to stay next year."

"Once the disarmament begins, many people will definitely try various ways to stay and will not want to leave. By then, no matter who they are, their little tricks will be useless in the face of such a trend."

"But since you said so, I must help her solve this problem."

“And the solution to this is actually quite simple.”

"Ah? How to solve it?"

After hearing what Li Changhe said, Zhu Lin asked curiously.

"Do you know why scholars have been important throughout the ages?"

"Because writers write like knives, they will reveal many things."

"Just like Xiaoxue's case, to be frank, it was all done behind closed doors. Do they dare to bring it to the public?"

"I don't dare."

"Because this kind of behavior is a smear on the military and damages the image of our soldiers."

"So sometimes things are not as complicated as you think. Write an article to expose this phenomenon, and the drama troupe will immediately behave itself."

"I remember Director Wang from the Beijing Film Studio mentioned before that he wanted to transfer Xiaoxue to the Beijing Film Studio, right?"

"Well, when I get out of school tomorrow afternoon, I'll go find her and ask her if she's willing to go to the Beijing Film Studio."

"If you want, after the article is published, ask the Beijing Film Studio to send another transfer letter. By then, even if it is to avoid suspicion, I am afraid they will not dare to stop it."

"Ah? Just one article will do?"

Zhu Lin was a little surprised when she heard Li Changhe's solution.

"But Changhe, if you write like this, won't it be bad for you?"

This was actually equivalent to writing negative materials about the drama troupe, so Zhu Lin was naturally a little worried.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Let's wait until tomorrow. I'll go ask Lao Kou about this."

“This kind of article also depends on where it is published.”

"If you publish it in People's Literature, it would be a direct slap in the face of the General Political Department."

"But if it is published in the JF Military Literature and Art Newspaper, it would be like handing a knife to the higher-ups."

"Perhaps they are looking for an excuse to lay off the arts soldiers. This article may give them a reason to do so."

For this kind of article, there are actually some considerations on where to post it, where to post it, and whether to review it.

Although Li Changhe wanted to help Gong Xue, he couldn't tear off the fig leaf of the General Political Department for no reason.

It just so happened that Kou Kuige had channels in this regard, so Li Changhe thought he should ask Old Kou first tomorrow to find out the way.

"Okay, then you ask, and by the way, go ask Xiaoxue after school this afternoon."

"If she's willing to join the Beijing Film Studio, that would be great!"

Zhu Lin thought about it and nodded.

Early the next morning, after sending Zhu Lin to the school bus stop, Li Changhe came to Peking University again.

He first picked up the books from the dormitory, then came to the new dormitory of their Department of Political Science and Economics and found Kou Kuige.

"Changhe, what's the matter?"

Hearing that Li Changhe was looking for him, Kou Kuige got out of bed and asked curiously.

"Let's go out and find a place to talk."

Li Changhe did not talk about this in the dormitory, but pulled Kou Kuige out of the dormitory.

Then the two men came to the side of the road, and Li Changhe smiled and said to Kou Kuige, "Old Kou, I want to ask you something."

"Is it about the army?"

Kou Kuige said with a smile.

"Correct!"

"This is what happened. Zhu Lin has a younger sister who is in our General Political Department's drama troupe. She is in trouble now!"

Afterwards, Li Changhe briefly told Kou Kuige about Gong Xue's experience.

After listening to this, Kou Kuige frowned.

"I've heard for a long time that many officials in the art troupe have bad intentions, but I didn't expect to hear it with my own ears today."

"Changhe, what do you want to do with me?"

"Old Kou, to be honest with you, I think this kind of thing really damages the image of our army."

"I want to write an article to expose this bad phenomenon."

"But I wonder if this kind of article should be published in newspapers within the military, such as the JF Military Literature and Art Newspaper?"

"Another thing, do we need to review our military-related articles first?"

Li Changhe asked Kou Kuige.

Kou Kuige frowned.

"Changhe, you don't want to publish it under your pen name Ling Jue, do you?"

After hesitating for a moment, Lao Kou asked Li Changhe.

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, I will definitely use this pen name to publish it."

"You want to create a sensation and expose this kind of thing."

"This is a good idea, but you are not suitable for this task. Changhe, I will write the article!"

Kou Kuige then said firmly.

"Hmm? You're going to write it?"

Li Changhe looked at him in surprise.

Kou Kuige nodded: "Yes, I will write it."

"Changhe, the army is divided into many parts internally, but it is actually a whole to the outside world."

"Your writing of this critical article may be a good thing for the General Political Department, but there will definitely be people who will hate you."

"Because some people will think you are discrediting the military!"

"Your pen name is too famous. They will definitely remember it."

"But it's different for me. I'm a military officer, so my revelations are for internal display."

"And I have one advantage over you, Changhe. It's all thanks to your help last time."

"Although you are famous, the publications you can publish within the military are limited. I am different. Because of the last award, I can publish articles directly in the military's internal reference."

"If I post this kind of revealing article, it can be directly seen by the leaders above."

"But you can't publish this kind of internal publication because you're not a military officer!"

"So I'm the one who's going to expose this matter. Even if the General Political Department is dissatisfied, it's our internal matter. Besides, I have old leaders and superiors above me, so I'm not afraid of these things."

"And if I'm lucky, it might be another achievement for me."

Kou Kuige said to Li Changhe seriously.

Li Changhe sighed inwardly.

That being said, in reality, Lao Kou actually helped him withstand the pressure from the General Political Department. To put it bluntly, he transferred all the risks to himself.

"Don't worry about it. Leave it to me. I'll write the article at noon and show it to you when I'm done. If there's no problem, just submit it."

"If the military internal reference cannot be distributed, you can distribute it outside!"

Seeing that Li Changhe was still hesitating, Kou Kuige made the decision for him.

(No more)
(End of this chapter)