This actor has something

Chapter 425: Emergence
When He Daqi pushed open the door to return to the villa courtyard, he suddenly remembered that there were still important matters he hadn't finished explaining.

He took out his phone and called Lu Yang, telling him in a few words that he should take a trip to the mountain villages near Sichuan when he had time, and find a scenic village to use as a filming location for his variety show, before hanging up.

With something on his mind, he didn't rush back to the villa. He stood in the yard for a while, poking at the flowers with his hands, and then grabbed a handful of petals. He hid his hands behind his back and happily went into the villa.

I originally intended to scare Vivian Chow, or the two little brats, by throwing flower petals in their faces.

Unexpectedly, upon entering the house, they saw Mr. He and Mrs. He sitting on the sofa, each holding a child and chatting with Zhou's mother.

"The Great Qi has returned?"

"……Um."

He Daqi hid his hands behind his back even more, not wanting his grandfather and grandmother to see them, lest they grumble and chatter on about him for ages.

"Luckily your mother-in-law went with you this time, otherwise you two would have had to stay in South Korea with them for another month, and they would probably have gotten even more tanned. See, it's so good to have an elder with you. Huanhuan and Lele came back looking so clean and healthy."

In the end, He Daqi couldn't escape the nagging, and the old lady had some complaints.

He complained that He Daqi had taken the children away for more than a month, and that he had to make an international call just to hear his great-grandson's voice.

Especially since He Daqi didn't take the children to see her in time when he came back yesterday, the old lady is deliberately waiting here for He Daqi to come back today so she can scold this troublesome grandson.

He Daqi stood there with a forced smile, obediently listening to the old lady's complaints. After repeatedly promising to be more prudent and take better care of the family in the future, he finally let the old lady off the hook.

Vivian Chow peeked out from the bedroom, covered her mouth, and laughed, witnessing He Daqi's entire act of pretending to be a grandson.

Seeing He Daqi approach, Zhou Huimin wanted to chirp a few words, but unexpectedly, He Daqi quickly closed the door as soon as he entered the bedroom, and then with a wave of his hand, Zhou Huimin was covered in flower petals.

"Aren't you childish?" Zhou Huimin asked irritably, startled.

He Daqi can be quite infuriating sometimes. Right now, he didn't respond to Zhou Huimin. He just shook his head, winked, and prepared to open the door to go out and chat with his grandparents.

This behavior left Zhou Huimin speechless. The aura of a wealthy woman she had been cultivating for so long vanished. She jumped onto He Daqi's back, grabbed his ears, and pulled and twisted his head back and forth.

"Sweep the floor clean before you go outside! Do you hear me?!"

"You come down first."

"No, if I get down, you'll definitely tickle me. I'm going to make you sweep the floor clean while carrying me, so I can keep a close eye on you. You just promised Grandma you'd be more mature in the future, but you forgot right away. He Daqi, tell me what kind of behavior this is?"

As an old married couple, how could Zhou Huimin not understand He Daqi? This time, not only did she not let go, but she also used more force, wrapping her two slender legs around He Daqi's waist like riding a horse.

"Alright, alright, I'm not messing around with you anymore. Get down first, or I might jump up and lie on the bed. Don't blame me if you get a stitch in your side."

He Daqi threatened in a low voice, while pretending to take two steps back and stand by the bed, as if he was really going to throw a bomb at Zhou Huimin.

Zhou Huimin snorted, let go of He Daqi's back, and jumped onto the bed. Just as she was about to kick He Daqi a couple of times to vent her anger, He Daqi turned around and grabbed her ankle, causing her to stumble. Before she could regain her balance, He Daqi also grabbed her other leg, and she was thrown head over heels.

That wasn't all. He Daqi, not one to back down, jumped onto the bed, grabbed a pillow, placed it in front of Zhou Huimin, pressed her neck down, shoved her face onto the pillow, and then started tickling her.

He tickled Vivian Chow so hard she could barely breathe and tears streamed down her face before He Daqi finally stopped.

With her face covered by the pillow, she couldn't make a sound. Zhou Huimin's face turned bright red. She got up, panting heavily, and glared at He Daqi, who was grinning from ear to ear. She kicked him twice in anger, but still felt unsatisfied. She stood up and started punching and scratching He Daqi.

I really believed this bastard's lies. The ceasefire agreement was just a joke. I've been fooled every time, but every time it's different. Now He Daqi has even figured out a routine for scratching his own itch. Covering his mouth and suppressing him, his movements are incredibly swift.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll stop messing around this time, I really won't."

Taking advantage of the situation, He Daqi reached out and pulled Zhou Huimin into his arms, holding her tightly so she couldn't move. Zhou Huimin was so angry that she struggled for a long time but couldn't resist, so she bit He Daqi's shoulder.

The wealthy woman was furious and didn't hold back, instantly causing He Daqi to make a dramatic facial expression, grimacing and gasping for breath.

"Will you dare to bully me again?"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Vivian Chow asked, her hair sticking to her face in a mess of sweat and tears from laughing, making her look like a crazy woman.

He Daqi wasn't much better off. He was inhaling the cold air for quite a while, and you'd think he was starving and starving. His lung capacity was amazing, and he couldn't answer Zhou Huimin's questions at all.

The couple looked like they had just finished a summer job in Syria, with a kind of beauty that comes from being discharged from the battlefield.

"Stop pretending, I didn't even try." Seeing He Daqi's twitching appearance, Zhou Huimin hummed softly, then pulled open He Daqi's collar and tugged at his shoulder.

Seeing that He Daqi also wanted to turn his head to see how badly his shoulder had been bitten, Zhou Huimin immediately covered his clothes back up, looking guilty. With a face full of self-righteousness, she grabbed He Daqi's clothes and said in a domineering voice, "It's all your fault! Who told you to bully me?"

He Daqi rolled his eyes and didn't want to talk to her anymore. Only he knew whether he was in pain or not. Just look at Zhou Huimin's guilty look now. She must have bitten herself until she had purple and blue marks.

She turned and jumped out of bed, quickly entering the bathroom.

A moment later, He Daqi poked his head out and said in a low voice to Zhou Huimin, who was sitting on the bed pouting, "You vicious woman! You bit me until I bled!"

Zhou Huimin couldn't keep up the act any longer and burst out laughing. She proudly raised her head and, just like He Daqi had done before, winked and shook her head from side to side, perfectly mimicking his annoying manner.

Less than ten minutes later, Zhou Huimin regretted it and grumbled something about how she provoked her first and asked for it. She said she didn't use any force at all, while applying medicine to He Daqi's shoulder.

Even when they regret it, they won't apologize; their main strength is stubbornness.

"I almost forgot about the important matter. What's the current situation with Zhang Weiping? Are you still arranging for someone to sue him?"

He Daqi suddenly remembered something and asked.

"Zhang Weiping? He's been in jail for quite a while now, why are you suddenly asking about him?" "Something came up, and I wanted to see if he was behind it."

He Daqi then recounted Ning Hao's situation in detail to Zhou Huimin, and also mentioned his and Liu Ying's speculations.

After all, this happened just today, and the other party only targeted Ning Hao, so the speculations are all over the place.

He Daqi felt very uncomfortable with the feeling that someone was watching him from the shadows.

The same was true for Vivian Chow. The couple discussed it for a long time, but still couldn't come up with any results. Just like their initial strategy, they could only wait for the other party to make another move.

The following period was calm and peaceful, like the calm before a storm.

Ya Yue's fan management department and its managers are keeping a close eye on various online opinions.

He Daqi and Zhou Huimin also read entertainment news every day, waiting to find fault with each other.

And so they waited until Crazy Stone 2 was released.

……

……

Wanwan, Shapi Villa District, Villa No. 17.

There were seven people sitting in the living room, men and women, almost all of whom were under forty years old.

The expressions on these people's faces varied: some were worried, some were angry, and some were expressionless.

The elderly man in the main seat, dressed in a traditional Chinese suit, was in his sixties. His expression was somewhat serious. He looked around and spoke first: "I've talked to you before. What do you think?"

Seeing that no one spoke, the old man in the Tang suit continued, "Because of what happened in Hong Kong, the salaries of actors there have been drastically reduced, and the same is true here; we've been affected as well."

I think we should unite more than ever in this situation. This is an accident, but it's also an opportunity. If we can seize this low point for Hong Kong artists and grab market share, everyone's income will definitely be much better than before, possibly several times higher.

"Mr. Hou, things aren't made by words, but by actions. You keep saying that income will increase, but have you considered who you're targeting? He Daqi isn't someone to be trifled with. If we really follow you down this path, we might be fine if we succeed, but if we fail, then everyone here can just give up on the mainland market. You know, we rely entirely on the mainland market to make money right now; 80% of our artists' salaries come from there. Do you think it's possible for us to follow you in this situation?"

A middle-aged woman in a floral dress questioned him coldly, her eyes fixed on the old man in the Tang suit, waiting for his answer.

Her question echoed the sentiments of most people present, so now, like the middle-aged woman, they all looked at the elderly woman in the Tang suit, their eyes filled with hidden thoughts—some eager, some hesitant.

The elderly man in the Tang suit didn't rush to answer. He rhythmically patted the armrest of the mahogany chair, and after observing everyone's reactions and considering his options, he finally spoke:

"If we don't join forces now, it'll be too late. It's like boiling a frog in lukewarm water. Remember Wang Jing's project? It was supposed to be the best in the world. Back then, we only made a slight move, and He Daqi crushed us."
Even projects were snatched away. And that's not all. Because this matter caused such a stir in Hong Kong, the mainland started to take it seriously. The issue of co-productions not being allowed to air on satellite TV was also brought to the forefront. As you all know, that's how it turned out.

All the film and television companies in Taiwan that wanted to make money in the mainland have since set up branches there. Good co-productions can no longer be made; they've all turned into regular investment productions. This has significantly reduced job opportunities for our artists. Add to that the recent events in Hong Kong, do you think we shouldn't take the initiative to cooperate and work together?

After the old man in the Tang suit finished speaking, he noticed the middle-parted bespectacled man sitting in the second seat to his left, who looked unconvinced and wanted to refute him. Before the middle-parted bespectacled man could speak, the old man in the Tang suit confidently smiled and gestured for him to be quiet.

"Mr. Fu, are you asking why I chose Asia-Vietnam as my target? Especially since there's He Daqi there, so we shouldn't provoke them, right?"

“Yes!” The man with the middle-parted glasses nodded.

"It's precisely because He Daqi is in Asia-Vietnam that I chose Asia-Vietnam!" The old man in the Tang suit suddenly stood up, ignoring the surprised and astonished looks of the others, and continued with a cold smile:

"Top-tier resources are limited, and our resources are constantly shrinking, while those of mainland stars are gradually increasing. This is what I mean by 'boiling a frog in lukewarm water.'"

I don't know if you've noticed, but He Daqi has never collaborated with Taiwanese artists. His works are very popular in mainland China, but people here haven't benefited from them.
Extending this trend outwards from He Daqi, Asia-Pacific seems to be doing the same, completely ignoring Taiwanese artists. This isn't an isolated case; some mainland film and television companies are now starting to follow suit.

Most importantly, the highest-grossing film in mainland China right now is "When My Flowers Bloom, All Others Kill," which, apart from Jackie Chan who is from Hong Kong, features an entirely mainland cast. You should know what that means, right?

After the old man in the Tang suit finished speaking, he slowly sat down, picked up the tea on the table, took a leisurely sip, and waited with a smile for the others' reactions.

Just as he predicted, no one was still defiant. They were all exchanging tentative glances, and no one spoke first. Before long, everyone's eyes hardened.

“Mr. Hou is right. Top-tier resources are scarce; you have to fight for them! We should unite to crush any mainland star who rises to prominence. Now that He Daqi has emerged, calling himself an international superstar, let’s use him as our target! Let’s use Asia and Vietnam as our target! We’ve done this before; it’s just that the people before didn’t have the power of He Daqi.” The man with the center-parted glasses made up his mind and was the first to agree.

With the first, there is the second.

"Yes, I agree."

"Count me in. This is definitely a good opportunity. Hong Kong is in a slump, so we need to grab as much as we can."

"Add me one!"

"Alright, I'll do as you say, sir."

Seeing that everyone agreed, the old man in the Tang suit smiled even more broadly.

"Alright, let's discuss how to make a move. Don't worry about the serious consequences if we fail. Let me be clear: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Even if we fail, there will be some morally upright person to save face for us."

The old man in the Tang suit made his point so clear that everyone else's eyes lit up.

I hadn't thought of this before, but now that I think about it carefully, we could have been even more unrestrained. When the Fifth Prince and Ziwei were stepping on Erkang, wasn't the other princess acting like a moral saint?

If we go through the process again now, the result will probably be the same.

(End of this chapter)