The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 436: Chapter 436: Write Her into the Script?

When Zhang Yong arrived at Han Xiaorui’s home, his first impression from the outside was simply that the courtyard was rather large.

But once inside, he discovered it was anything but ordinary.

It combined the convenience of modern design with the simple, rustic charm of traditional decor.

”Mr. Zhang, the staff from Jinshan Bay Investment Company have already been in touch with your film studio. As soon as you’ve calculated the associated costs, they’ll review them immediately.” Han Xiaorui was curious, wondering about the purpose of his visit.

Zhang Yong took out a notebook and smiled. ”I’m not in charge of the financial side. I’m the screenwriter. I’ve uncovered a lot of information and, in conjunction with the archeology department and the military, we’ve confirmed the identity of the notebook’s owner. He was a member of a resistance organization in Zhejiang during the war with Japan, and he led his team on a mission to reclaim the treasure...”

In truth, Han Xiaorui had been informed of all this as soon as the information came to light.

Both she and Ye Feng had been deeply moved by the poignant heroism of their predecessors.

In that era, every individual was small, yet every life was touched by tragedy and heroism.

Whether shedding blood or sacrificing their lives, all they wanted was to protect their families from being wantonly slaughtered by the Japanese invaders, to keep their homes from being trampled and plundered.

The Japanese invaders’ ”Three Alls Policy”—kill all, loot all, burn all—was a campaign of extermination against the people of Hua Country, an attempt to seize the land they had cultivated for millennia.

Such rapacious ambition and vile, beastly acts thoroughly enraged the people of Hua Country, who vowed not to rest until the invaders were driven out.

”Screenwriter Zhang, you must do this script justice. Recreate the story of how our heroic martyrs protected the national treasure as faithfully as possible. As for the funding, I’ll figure something out.”

Zhang Yong nodded. ”Ms. Han, rest assured, I will do my utmost. These heroes are so inspiring. They reclaimed the treasure at great sacrifice. Shencheng had already fallen by then, so even if they had managed to transport it there, it might have fallen back into the invaders’ hands.”

”More than half of their ships had been damaged by bombing, so they couldn’t get far. After thinking it over, they decided to hide the treasure.”

”They believed that as long as the artifacts remained on the soil of China, they would one day see the light of day again. After hiding it, their trail was discovered. So, without hesitation, they led the enemy in a different direction and were ultimately all sunk, their bodies lost to the sea.”

”They deliberately sailed their ships into the deep sea, over a large oceanic trench. Their vessels plunged into the trench, to a depth where not even submarines could detect them.”

”Some believe the gold bars went down with the ships into the trench, but others think they were hidden somewhere else. This is why, in the present day, Japanese investors want to invest in several islands in Jinshan Bay to search for this very treasure.”

The notebook only detailed the first half of their heroic story. The latter half had to be gradually pieced together by government officials and historians searching through historical archives.

The work was tedious but incredibly meaningful.

It wasn’t just about recovering the treasure, but about the moving story of heroism behind it.

The Chinese Nation achieved its independence, driving out the invaders under the harshest of conditions, precisely because of the countless unsung heroes who selflessly and fearlessly threw themselves into the cause.

Han Xiaorui felt they shouldn’t just build a museum, but also a martyrs’ cemetery to commemorate these heroes.

Han Xiaorui listened intently to Zhang Yong’s account. When he had finished, she said, ”Screenwriter Zhang, it’s all up to you to bring the story of these heroes to the audience!”

Zhang Yong nodded. ”It’s my duty! I was thinking of writing you into the opening of the film, as an entry point from a modern perspective.”

”Huh?” Han Xiaorui was stunned. ”Me? I can’t act! Besides, I didn’t do anything heroic!”

Zhang Yong chuckled. ”I’m not asking you to act in it. But you and Dahei were the ones who discovered the treasure! That’s a fact, and it could be the opening for the film.”

”You yourself just said we should stick to reality as much as possible. The film could open from your perspective, showing you and Dahei accidentally discovering the treasure and finding the notebook. The notebook would then serve as the entry point for the rest of the story.”

”Since it would involve using your real name, I came here specifically to get your permission. I hope you’ll agree, because we want to present this story to the audience as completely and authentically as possible.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui blinked and breathed a sigh of relief. ”Oh, so you just want to use my name. That’s fine! When it’s time to film, I can have my Dahei work with your actress.”

He had given her a scare. She was normally quite the talker, but when it came to acting in a TV show or movie, she was completely out of her element.

Zhang Yong smiled. ”Since you agree, could you please sign here?”

Han Xiaorui blinked. ”The script isn’t finished. I’m not signing anything. Once you’ve finished the entire screenplay, bring it to me to read. If I don’t have any issues with it, then I’ll sign.”

Zhang Yong was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled. ”Fair enough! I’ll bring it to you for review once the script is finished.”

If it had been anyone else, Zhang Yong would never have so easily agreed to let them see the script before it was done.

But Han Xiaorui was different. She was the one who had brought this history to light, and she was also the film’s investor.

After Zhang Yong left, Ye Feng returned from work.

Han Xiaorui told him all about Zhang Yong’s visit.

”I have to say, the screenwriter’s angle is pretty good,” Ye Feng commented. ”If he just told the historical story on its own, it might not be very immersive.”

”But looking back on that period of history from a modern perspective makes it more relatable and resonant.”

”When the movie is finished, I’ll take you, Pingping, and An’an to see it. They should know about the heroic deeds that happened right here in Jinshan Bay.”

”Okay!” Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Oh, by the way, based on what Zhang Yong and his team have investigated, the heroes went down in the oceanic trench. They should be able to determine the approximate location.”

”With our current capabilities, can we bring those heroic martyrs home from the trench? They were unsung in life and their resting place is unknown in death. I feel it shouldn’t be that way.”

Ye Feng nodded. ”I’ll have a marine salvage company coordinate with the relevant departments to pinpoint the exact location and begin a search.”

”Even if current technology isn’t advanced enough to recover them, we can at least use underwater drones to get some photos or footage for a documentary.”

”And when our technology has advanced enough to reach those depths, we will definitely bring them up and lay them to rest in the martyrs’ cemetery.”

Han Xiaorui nodded in approval. ”That’s exactly right. There’s no profit in something like this, but its significance is far more important than money.”

Ye Feng deeply agreed. ”Exactly. Some things can’t be measured in money.”

On this, the couple was in complete agreement.

Han Xiaorui then asked, ”What’s the situation with those Japanese investors?”