I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 297, Father and Son
For Wei Ming...

Along the way, I've lost too much dignity.

He even felt that sacrificing one's dignity was a worthwhile thing if it could benefit the child.

But what if it's the child who loses their dignity?

That's another matter.

No, you can't.

There's no question of exchanging favors; it's simply not allowed.

Absolutely not!
"Are you Director Li's father?" Ge Pengyan asked curiously.

“I’m his uncle and also his agent. Just call me if you need anything.”

Wei Ming then smoothly handed out his business cards.

Ge Pengyan and Zhu Zhengwen exchanged a glance.

So they are uncle and nephew?

They look more like father and son.

Li Xuan didn't say a word the whole time.

Because I'm too lazy to talk about things like this, and if my uncle weren't here, I wouldn't have bothered with Wang Lei at all.

That kind of arrogance, without any ulterior motive, was ingrained in his very being.

They are born with the belief that they are superior to others.

It's not just him, the whole industry is like this.

That's what circles are all about.

What's the point of talking to someone like that?

What a load of rubbish.

A real conflict of interest is more real than any verbal exchange you might make.

Let's increase our efforts.

Essentially, it's about if you do something that makes them uncomfortable.

That is to become stronger.

It has a higher market share.

And to snatch up more outstanding artists.

For them, old money.

That's the most painful part.

That's what truly touches their essence.

"You'll get used to it, you'll get used to it. Come on, let's go have a meal. It just so happens that the people from Dongshan TV Station have specially invited you to a banquet. It's authentic braised donkey meat, so you can all try it."

At this time, Zhu Zhengwen warmly welcomed them.

Even more so than flirting with Li Xuan.

It seems I prefer Wei Ming; we Northeasterners love a straightforward and protective man like you the most.

I like!
Neither Li Xuan nor Wei Ming refused.

Dongshan TV station did indeed host a banquet, and it was a very grand affair. Both the station's leaders and some well-known local actors and comedians attended.

Even Li Xuan and Wei Ming were somewhat surprised.

It's really big.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were hosting a banquet to invite a famous director.

In fact, Li Xuan is indeed a distinguished guest for Dongshan TV. Among all satellite TV stations, Dongshan TV is considered to be in the second or third tier, with major resources monopolized by Beijing TV, CCTV, and Jiangsu-Zhejiang TV. However, this year, Dongshan TV has truly made a name for itself with two critically acclaimed works.

Besides "To Live", there are also "The Young Students" and "The Young Students".

Especially the game "Just When We Were Young," which was originally just a casual game played in his spare time, unexpectedly yielded such results.

This is truly an unexpected and wonderful surprise!
Works created with this mindset have a completely different attitude.

Moreover, Li Xuan is so young.
What surprised Li Xuan a little was that two familiar figures appeared at the banquet.

Fan Wei, and Zhao Benshan.

The two people, who were only seen on the Spring Festival Gala stage in the past, are now in front of us.

"When friends come from afar, of course we should welcome and entertain them."

Zhao Benshan was very enthusiastic and had no airs of being the "King of Northeast China". If every circle has a leader, then the Northeast circle is led by Zhao Benshan.

Television, movies, and sketches, starting with "Liu Laogen," established the Northeast style.
He holds a very high position and is known for his love of making friends, whether they are established figures or those with great potential.

At this moment, Zhao Benshan looked at Li Xuan with extreme admiration.

Upon learning that Li Xuan was coming, he immediately followed.

Perhaps it's because we both come from humble backgrounds.

For Li Xuan, who also came from humble beginnings.

They still showed some goodwill.

Everyone knows how difficult it is for someone without connections to fight their way out of this mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood.

So he knew it too.

Making friends is very important.

Whether it's Wang Lei from Huayi Brothers.

Han Ping of China Film Group.

Or perhaps it's Li Xuan, who has emerged as a dark horse.

They are all my friends.

Fan Wei, standing to the side, didn't say much.

Compared to the King of the Northeast, its existence seems rather minor.

Whether in Spring Festival Gala skits or in TV dramas, Fan Wei is always the adversary of the simple farmer, and always the cunning and ambitious Fan Debiao.

He and Zhao Benshan had already become somewhat estranged at the dinner table.

This is a perfect pair.

There had been rumors of disagreements.

Now it seems.

It seems that it is not entirely false.

At least the shrewd Wei Ming could see that he was making full use of his cultural wisdom at the dinner table.

It made Zhao Benshan feel uncomfortable, and it made Fan Wei feel neglected.

Zhu Zhengwen, who was standing next to him, was secretly alarmed.

This scoundrel possesses the wealth of my family.

He's a born civil servant!
This ability to navigate between different situations so skillfully suggests that he is at least a bureau-level official.

Li Xuan was also impressed.

As expected of my uncle.

In no time at all, he was able to become sworn brothers with Zhao Benshan and Fan Wei.

"Enough said, it's all in the drink, cheers!"

At this moment, Zhao Benshan chuckled and raised his glass enthusiastically: "Don't say anything, next time you come here, just mention my name, and it'll be all good!"

"cheers."

Zhao Benshan's eyes never left Li Xuan from beginning to end.

The wisdom displayed at the dinner table ultimately requires a solid foundation.

Wei Ming's confidence stemmed from this.

Or rather, what Zhao Benshan was concerned about was actually Li Xuan.

"It's alright, you don't need to worry about these things. I'll handle the connections and networking; I'm good at those things."

At this point, Wei Ming was quite drunk.

The heavy industry here is barbecue.

It's wine.

No matter how enthusiastic.

We still need to use alcohol as a medium.

Li Xuan dislikes the drinking culture, but in this era, alcohol is a medium for communication.

"I told you not to drink so much."

"This matter concerns your future. You have no friends now and are fighting alone, which is exhausting. But the fundamental conflict of interest makes it difficult for you to reconcile with those old nobles."

Although Wei Ming was drunk, he was aware of Li Xuan's current situation.

The fundamental conflict of interest.

Since there's a conflict of interest, why not make friends with people whose interests aren't conflicted?

Zhao Benshan is that kind of person.

Friends who are not involved in conflicts of interest.

We still need to interact.

"But don't worry, I can handle this. You just need to showcase your talent and brilliance, and demonstrate your abilities to the world. You just need to shine."

After saying that, Wei Ming fell fast asleep on the hotel bed.

He was still saying it in my dream. Ah Xuan, let's go to your hometown together tomorrow. Don't worry about it, don't get entangled in it, you don't lack family.

Li Xuan thought so.

A warm feeling flowed through my heart.

If you have any goals for your future.

That would be to wish my uncle a long and healthy life.

At this moment, Li Xuan felt that most of his regrets had been made up for, thanks to his uncle's fatherly love.

Even this body.

It's a bit of a pity.

Even if I have some regrets.

It's nothing there anymore.

The next day, Li Xuan arrived at a place called Chunshan Town.

It's in Jinan.

At this moment, Wei Ming was still suffering from a splitting headache.

They exclaimed that the liquor from the North is indeed quite strong.

It's incredibly powerful!
"People in the north still prefer strong liquor."

"Let me tell you, Fan Debiao and Liu Laogen are definitely at odds. It's almost certain that they're only superficially friendly."

"After all, the Spring Festival Gala has been broadcast so many times now, and everyone only remembers Uncle Benshan from Northeast China, a simple farmer boy, but Fan Wei is a cunning farmer boy."

At this moment, Li Xuan shrugged.

According to the previous life's account.

Their falling out stemmed from a dispute over pay.

Throughout his career, he has achieved very little in sketch comedy or acting. However, as a supporting actor, Ben Shan's current success is inseparable from Fan Wei's support.

Actually, as an actor himself, Li Xuan could tell.

It's clear that it's not entirely about money, but also about the character's image and status.

Everyone always praises Ben Shan as a good farmer, while saying that Fan Wei is a bad farmer and a cunning petty bourgeois.

Over time.

Fan Wei, this supporting character, is not just a foil or a stepping stone, but also a "bad guy".

He didn't want to always be the bad guy.

Who would want that?

He just lacked an opportunity.
The two had already arrived at the village while they were talking, at the address they had left behind.

There isn't even a heavy industry like barbecue, typical of northern China, here. There are no people, only the large public bathhouses still have their lights on, a testament to the fact that people still live here.

But there are very few people left here.

The workers' dormitories and canteens that I passed by all bear witness to the old glory and traces of this era, the industrial heartland of the Great Steelmaking Campaign.

Now only the bathhouse remains.

This place used to be.

And it is just as beautiful.

"It seems there's no trace left to look for. Maybe the address they left is fake too," Wei Ming muttered to himself.

It seems he likes this brother-in-law.

My impression wasn't particularly good.

From Wei Ming's perspective, this kid was good for nothing except his looks. He was a petty hoodlum with no proper job, and he even got his sister pregnant before running away.

How utterly despicable!

"It's nothing, just a small matter."

At this moment, Li Xuan didn't care.

I was just passing by and took a look anyway.

The next thing to worry about is what happens after the New Year: the release of Buried Alive, the filming of Hidden in the Dust, and the launch of new system features. These are the things that are important right now.

Other things are not that important.

I don't lack anything in this regard.
At least Wei Ming made up for most of it.

"Since you're already here, why not experience the bathhouse culture of northern China before you leave?"

"That is."

At this moment, Li Xuan and Wei Ming entered the bathhouse.

It has a warm and moist feel.

The old version is the bathhouse attendant here.

“No, not a stranger.” At this moment, the old man wearing glasses looked at Li Xuan and Wei Ming, especially at Li Xuan, and said, “Li, you’re really something!”

what.

Is Li Yunlong here?
At this moment, Li Xuan looked around but didn't see Li Dabenshi.

"Oh my, it's you, Li Dabenshi's son! You look so much like him!"

Wei Ming said at this time.

"Li Dabenshi, you mean Li Chong?"

"Yup!"

The bathhouse owner clicked his tongue: "He said he found a woman in the south and had a baby with her. It's true, he wasn't bragging. The baby looks so much like him, like they were cut from the same mold. He also looks like that TV star named Li Xuan."

Li Xuan had a strange expression on his face.

Sorry, the TV star named Li Xuan was probably referring to me.

However, there is still a difference between before and after makeup, and between on-screen and off-screen appearances.

It's normal for an old man with failing eyesight to not be able to distinguish things clearly.

"I came here this time following the address left by my biological father. If possible, I would like to see him."

At this moment, Li Xuan paused and then spoke.

"Of course, if he doesn't want to, I won't force him."

At that moment, Li Xuan noticed the old man's somewhat troubled expression.

That troubled expression seemed to say something.

He probably doesn't want to.

After receiving this answer, Li Xuan did not experience any emotional fluctuation.

Even if there is a little bit of disappointment, it is understandable.

It was his own fault.

"Have you been looking for Li Chong for a long time?"

"No, I just happened to be passing by."

"You don't need to look anymore, you won't find it."

At this moment, the old man in the bathhouse paused and then spoke.

He has been dead for many years.

This answer stunned both Wei Ming and Li Xuan.

The old man didn't hide anything, and poured hot water for Li Xuan and Wei Ming as he spoke.

Li Chong had no relatives; he grew up relying on the kindness of others. He was quite mischievous from a young age, but he was also a promising young man. After finishing his studies, he was assigned to work at a steel factory.

Then came the massive layoffs.

A boy who went from misfortune to good fortune, and then misfortune again.

Like most people, he went to the south to make a living.

“I thought he wasn’t coming back, but one day he came back and said he wanted to take the money he had saved up and the inheritance left by his elderly parents. He sold it all and planned to go south to get a license plate and drive a taxi. He said he wanted to save money to get married.”

"He was so excited! I remember when he came back, he treated us to a drink, and while we were drinking, he kept saying, 'I'm going to have a home now! I'm going to have a home now!'"

Wei Ming then remembered that he had initially thought the kid was penniless and had nothing, so it seemed that he hadn't really left back then.

But after all these years, why haven't we heard from him again?

"and then?"

"And then?"

"He's dead."

"They said that he was in a car accident while practicing driving and died on the spot."

"What a pity. He was such a good young man. Although he was a bit of a scoundrel, he always longed for a family. But now that he knows his children have grown up, he can rest in peace."

The bathhouse owner continued talking to himself.

This father I have never met.

When I said I wanted to have a home.

The boss's words were very vivid and descriptive. After all, most people have a home, and there's no need to specifically crave one. But for Li Chong, it was something unknowable. Now that he suddenly possessed it, he should embrace this wonderful thing with the happiest heart.

Even Li Xuan was surprised by the final answer.

The man who abandoned his wife and children had died in a car accident; the money he had originally intended to use to buy a taxi license had become his funeral and coffin money.

(End of this chapter)