Rebirth of Bloody Romance

The night is as dark as ink, the moonlight is shining softly, and the lights in the courtyard are swaying, reflecting the solemn and complex faces.

Zhong Yuemin stood in the center of the room, the light outlining his slightly thin figure, his brows furrowed, as if he was experiencing a silent storm in his heart.

Zhong Shanyue, a battle-hardened general, was now looking at him with an unquestionable gaze. In those eyes, which had seen through many vicissitudes of life, there was both expectation and confusion.

"What's the matter? Does this question bother you?" Zhong Shanyue's voice was deep and powerful, penetrating the silence of the night and striking Zhong Yuemin's heart. His words contained both the severity of a father and the subtle care.

Zhong Yuemin took a deep breath, his eyes moving rapidly in his sockets, as if he was looking for the most appropriate words to respond to this heavy inquiry.

Finally, Zhong Yuemin spoke slowly, with a hint of helplessness and struggle in his voice. "It's not that I'm embarrassed, it's mainly because I don't know how to say it."

"What do you mean I don't know what to say? Are there outsiders here?" Zhong Shanyue's tone was a little more dissatisfied. His words were straightforward and went straight to the core of the problem.

In this room, besides the father and son, there is also his father-in-law. In such an occasion, is there anything that cannot be said?

"Old Zhong, Yuemin may have something to hide." Zhou Zhennan finally spoke, his voice gentle and deep. He understood his son-in-law's difficulties, and was well aware of the complexity and heaviness behind it.

Just then, a burst of light footsteps broke the atmosphere in the room. Zhou Xiaobai pushed open the door and walked in like a spring breeze, with a warm and curious smile on his face.

"Dad, what are you talking about? It's so lively. Has Yuemin gotten into trouble again? Even Xiao Haichen has come to complain." Her words were a bit joking, but also revealed her deep concern for Zhong Yuemin.

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin's mouth corners unconsciously rose, and a sly look flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself, this wife of his always appeared when he was most embarrassed, but she could also resolve everything in her own unique way.

"No, Xiaobai." Zhong Shanyue smiled and shook his head. "Since you are here, sit down and listen together."

When Zhou Xiaobai heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She quickly walked to Zhong Yuemin and sat down, as if she wanted to listen to those unknown stories with her own ears.

"OK, all right."

Zhong Yuemin pondered for a moment, his eyes deep, as if he had penetrated the fog of time and looked directly at the essence of reality. "Xiaobai, Dad, have you noticed a phenomenon? Nowadays, on the streets and alleys, from speeding motorcycles to electrical appliances in every household, even the cosmetics in women's hands and clothes on their bodies, many of them are labeled as Japanese. What is the reason behind this?"

Zhou Zhennan and Zhong Shanyue looked at each other in bewilderment. As heroes who had emerged from the war-torn era, they had indelible and complex feelings towards Japan - both pride in victory and deep vigilance. The sudden flood of Japanese goods undoubtedly touched their sensitive nerves.

"Yes, Yuemin, this is indeed puzzling."

Zhong Shanyue frowned, trying to recall the economic trends in recent years. "Is it related to our previous loan from Japan?" There was a hint of uncertainty in his words, but it also revealed a keen insight into the nature of the problem.

Zhong Yuemin nodded gently, with a sharp look in his eyes. "Dad, you are right. As the saying goes, 'If you take someone else's money, you will be grateful.' We may have inadvertently stepped into a trap carefully set up by others. This is not just an economic transaction, but also a carefully planned conspiracy."

Zhong Yuemin's words were like a heavy hammer hitting a drum, shaking the hearts of everyone present. Zhou Xiaobai listened attentively, his eyes flashing with admiration for Zhong Yuemin's wisdom.

Zhou Zhennan and Zhong Shanyue fell into deep thought. They began to realize that behind this seemingly normal economic phenomenon, there were actually undercurrents and unknown political and economic games hidden.

Zhong Shanyue's furrowed brows revealed his inner doubts and uneasiness. He turned to Zhong Yuemin and said in a low and powerful voice, "Yuemin, can you explain the cause and effect behind this in more detail?"

Zhong Yuemin nodded, his eyes flashing with a deep understanding of history and a keen insight into reality. He spoke slowly. "Since the 70s, the US current account deficit has snowballed, and trade frictions with other countries have also intensified. The first to bear the brunt was Japan, which later became the scapegoat for the US fiscal deficit.

The United States began to force the yen to appreciate in order to support its huge fiscal deficit. This move undoubtedly brought a huge impact on the Japanese economy. As the yen continued to appreciate, the production costs of Japanese companies rose sharply. In order to seek survival and development, they had to look overseas and transfer their production bases to other countries and regions in Asia.

However, this was not the original intention of the Japanese government. They were filled with resentment and anger, and were eager to make the yen a strong currency to compete with the US dollar.

Therefore, in 1978, Japan proposed an ambitious plan to invest 5000 billion US dollars in developing countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa for infrastructure construction. If this plan is successfully implemented, it will undoubtedly become the second Marshall Plan, which will not only help the Japanese yen to emerge on the international stage, but also make it possible for the Japanese yen to stand on equal footing with the US dollar and the euro.

However, the old Americans reacted quickly, and they would never sit back and watch Japan rise in the international arena and threaten their hegemony. Therefore, the old US Secretary of State Brzezinski directly put pressure on the little Japan to prevent the implementation of this plan.

In this context, the Japanese wanted to export the yen, so they naturally turned their attention to us, which is closer to them. They saw our huge market potential and cheap labor resources, and hoped to reduce production costs by investing in us, and promote the circulation and use of the yen in our country.

All of this has become the reason behind the flood of Japanese goods on the streets and the growing influence of the yen that we see today. "

After Zhong Yuemin finished speaking, the whole room fell into a brief silence. Zhou Zhennan and Zhou Xiaobai both fell into deep thought. They had never thought that behind the Japanese goods in their daily lives, there were such complex international political and economic relations hidden.

Zhong Shanyue nodded gently, his eyes showing both emotion for history and deep thought for reality. Zhou Xiaobai seemed a little excited, and she blurted out, "Then wouldn't it be better if we didn't take out the loan in the first place?"

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin smiled faintly and looked at Zhou Xiaobai with a teasing tone. "Wife, if someone came to lend you a large sum of money, not only without interest, but also without you having to pay it back, what would you do? Would you accept this generosity or refuse it?"

Zhou Xiaobai was speechless for a moment. She wanted to blurt out "I don't want it", but such an answer was obviously too insincere. She hesitated for a moment, and finally could only smile helplessly. "Do the Japanese have such a good heart? Will they give us money for free?"

Zhong Yuemin turned to look at Zhong Shanyue, his eyes revealing a question. Zhong Shanyue nodded slightly, confirming Zhou Xiaobai's doubt. He knew that this question involved deeper economic and political considerations.

Zhou Xiaobai asked again, this time she was more direct. "Yuemin, even if we borrowed money from Japan, what does this have to do with the Japanese goods all over the streets?"

Zhong Yuemin looked at Zhou Xiaobai, his eyes full of understanding and patience. "Wife, the question you raised is crucial. First of all, we must understand that lending is an economic behavior, and the motivations and consequences behind it are often complex and diverse. In this particular historical period, we really need funds and technology to develop the economy and improve people's livelihood. And Japan, as an economic power at the time, provided seemingly 'favorable' loan conditions, which was indeed difficult to refuse."

Zhong Yuemin paused and continued, "However, loans are not just about money. There are also a series of conditions and expectations behind them. Japan is willing to provide these loans because they see China's huge market and potential, and hope to deepen economic ties with China in this way, thereby promoting the penetration of its products and enterprises in China."

"So, when we accepted the loan from Japan, it meant that our country was open to Japan to a certain extent. This facilitated their products and enterprises to enter the Chinese market. With the appreciation of the yen and the overseas expansion strategy of Japanese companies, a large number of Japanese products began to pour into China, from motorcycles to electrical appliances, to cosmetics, clothes and other daily necessities, almost everywhere."

"Furthermore, this economic penetration is also accompanied by the spread of culture and values. Japanese animation, movies and other cultural products also began to enter China. Although they may seem to be 'free' in the early stage, they are actually influencing our next generation imperceptibly. So, free is the most expensive."

It is undeniable that Japanese yen loans have indeed played a certain positive role in China's basic industries such as energy and resource development, as well as the construction of economic infrastructure such as transportation and communications.

However, at the same time, Japan also took advantage of its advantageous position in international trade to conduct a series of unfair actions against China, and even nearly put China in trouble. This is also a fact that cannot be ignored. They always pursue the maximization of their own interests, completely disregarding morality and principles. There are too many such actions to count.

The Japanese first locked us up with yen loans, and then exploited us step by step. This is their true face. Alas! It's all tears to talk about it.

Zhong Shanyue came back to his senses from his deep thoughts and looked at Zhong Yuemin sharply, with a hint of blame and curiosity in his tone. "Zhong Yuemin, you are talking more and more in a roundabout way now. I was almost led astray by you and forgot the main thing. What does what you just said have to do with your desire to enter the Japanese market?"

Zhong Yuemin smiled and explained, "Dad, think about it, if Japan's industry and economy continue to develop so rapidly, can the big countries in Europe and America sit idly by? They will definitely take measures to balance this development trend. I estimate that the EU will soon sign an agreement with Japan. Although I don't know the specific content of this agreement, I can be sure that it will further promote the development of Japan's economy."

Zhong Shanyue, Zhou Zhennan and Zhou Xiaobai all showed puzzled expressions when they heard this. It was obvious that they had not yet understood Zhong Yuemin's thinking.

Seeing this, Zhong Yuemin continued, "Don't look at me like that. I really don't know what agreement was signed, but I can see some clues from the overall situation. This agreement is likely to be an exchange of interests between Europe, the United States and Japan, or a strategic compromise. Through this agreement, Europe and the United States may give Japan more support and convenience in some aspects, while Japan will make concessions or contributions in other aspects. In this way, Japan's economy will fly higher and faster as if it had wings."

The more Zhou Xiaobai listened, the more confused he became. "But shouldn't Europe and the United States suppress Japan? Why would they let them fly higher?"

Zhong Yuemin shook his head and said meaningfully, "Wife, this is the complexity of politics and economics. Sometimes, suppression is not the best strategy, but will make the other side more united and powerful. Appropriate support and compromise may benefit both sides. But everything is cyclical. The Japanese economy may be prosperous in the future, but it may also face various challenges and difficulties in the future. The higher you fly, the harder you fall. What we have to do is to find opportunities in this process and follow the trend."

Zhong Shanyue stood up. "I understand."

Zhong Yuemin and Zhou Xiaobai returned to their warm home. Zhong Yuemin drank two large glasses of water in succession, as if he wanted to drink up his previous dry mouth in one gulp.

"In the future, you have to be more low-key and do things stealthily to avoid having to explain yourself every time." Zhong Yuemin said half-jokingly, but his eyes revealed a hint of helplessness.

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaobai walked gently up to him, her eyes full of tenderness and admiration. "Yuemin, you were so eloquent and confident in the living room just now. I think you are very charming!" There was a hint of smile in her voice, as if she was deeply attracted by Zhong Yuemin's confidence and wisdom.

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin curled up a smug smile. He put down the teacup in his hand, and naturally put one hand around Zhou Xiaobai's waist, gently pulling her towards him.

With his other hand, he gently lifted his chin, pretending to be romantic and suave, and teased, "Wife, are you mesmerized by your husband's charm?"

Zhong Yuemin's words were full of teasing and intimacy, which made Zhou Xiaobai's cheeks flush. She gently slapped away Zhong Yuemin's hand that was hooked on her chin, but the smile in her eyes became more intense.

"Yuemin, you are always like this. You can't be serious for more than three seconds before you start talking nonsense." Zhou Xiaobai scolded, but his tone was full of doting.

Zhong Yuemin smiled even more brightly. He held Zhou Xiaobai's waist tightly and pulled her close to him. The distance between them was so close that they could almost feel each other's breathing. "Wife, I'm not joking. I'm speaking from the heart. I just want to ask you, are you fascinated by me?"

Zhou Xiaobai was amused by his frankness. She looked up at Zhong Yuemin's eyes that were full of sincerity and enthusiasm. "Yuemin, of course I am fascinated by you. Not just now, I have been attracted to you since the first day I met you."

After hearing this, Zhong Yuemin's eyes flashed with pride.