This actor has something

Chapter 435 Life-changing friendship
The stars twinkled, and the sky was cloudless, but unfortunately, only a sliver of the moon remained, making its light less dazzling. The Painted Skin promotional team was now experiencing both pain and joy.

I travel to three different cities a day, and I also have to record a program. After recording the program, I have to change cities again. Each time, it's a late-night flight, and I get off the plane around three or four in the morning.

The timing is awkward and hard to judge. A few days ago, I was traveling in the south and it was better because there is a morning tea culture there. After the nightclub, people would have morning tea, so there was food available 24 hours a day.

These past few days have been tough. Back in the north, there's usually not a soul on the streets until three or four in the morning. This even made He Daqi have an idea: there aren't many 24-hour convenience stores around right now, so why don't I start one up in the north first?

After thinking about it, I decided against it. Even if this thing goes public, it won't make much money, and it's a lot of work and complicated, so it's not really suitable for me. But it's a good idea. I'll ask around and see if anyone is willing to do it.

"You guys are pretty fast!" A hoarse voice rang out at the door. Zhou Xun, carrying a bowl of instant noodles, was the last to arrive at the hotel's small restaurant.

I did my makeup last night after finishing my roadshow and participating in a show recording, and I didn't touch it up afterwards, so now I look like a ghost, with my eyebrows and eyes all smudged and black, like a newly unearthed zombie.

She sat down by the window with her instant noodles, opened the ventilation window, and lit a cigarette.

"Sister Xun, your current image is suitable for playing a rebellious young woman, the kind from the 80s." He Dayi waved his hand in front of his face to keep the smell of smoke away from him.

Zhou Xun didn't continue the conversation with He Daqi. Instead, he glanced listlessly at the table in front of He Daqi and said, "Even an international superstar eats instant noodles?"

"Eat! What can't I eat? I can't just starve, can I? If you really push me, I'll eat shit, and I'll only eat it hot."

"Holy crap, Daqi, can you stop being so disgusting?"

Deng Chao, who came to help with the promotional tour with good intentions, looked at the broth in the instant noodle bowl in front of him, which was of an indescribable color, and felt that his appetite was greatly stimulated. Even the braised egg and ham sausage soaking in it seemed to have a different meaning because they were coated with the broth.

Zhou Xun choked on his smoke, laughing while coughing hoarsely.

After he finished coughing, he stopped smoking. Seeing Deng Chao hesitating for a long time, not knowing whether to continue eating or not, Zhou Xun made the choice for him and casually threw the cigarette butt into Deng Chao's instant noodle bucket.

That's it, Deng Chao gave up struggling, slumped into a chair, closed his eyes, and waited for everyone to finish eating.

"We've already talked to China Film Group. We'll be doing a roadshow for at least half a month. After that, China Film Group will crack down hard on pirated copies of Painted Skin, whether it's DVDs or online distribution. As long as Painted Skin isn't taken off the screens, China Film Group will keep cracking down on it." Wu Nannan said, seeing that everyone except Zhou Xun had basically finished their business.

This news is meaningless. Whether it's a two-week roadshow or China Film Group's crackdown on piracy, everyone feels indifferent.

I've been running for ten days already, so five more days won't make a difference. Judging from the situation, I knew it was unlikely that I'd only be running for ten days, but today is exactly the tenth day, so I'm just letting you know as a notification.

Seeing that no one spoke after Wu Nannan finished speaking, Zhang Yimou grinned and said, "Get some rest. Today is the same as yesterday, one show at noon, one show in the afternoon, and one show in the evening. But we don't need to record a show today, so we can take a plane to the next city earlier."

"Understood, Director Zhang." Lazy, dismissive voices rang out one after another.

He Daqi looked at Zhang Yimou with great interest. He hadn't expected his old friend to smile. In all the time they had known each other, He Daqi had never seen Zhang Yimou smile so brightly.

As the box office revenue soared, Old Zhang's grin grew wider and wider. At first, it was just a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, but now he didn't even bother to pretend anymore; the grin practically reached the back of his head.

Whether by coincidence or not, Zhang Yimou casually glanced around and noticed He Daqi's ambiguous smile. The old Zhang, who had just been smiling broadly, suddenly froze, and mentally sent a few friendly greetings to He Daqi.

I'm never working with that brat again! It's exhausting!
wrong……

Zhang Yimou suddenly remembered that he was supposed to film a variety show with He Daqi after the roadshow.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yimou couldn't help but curse inwardly, not at He Daqi, but at his former partner.

Zhang Weiping, Zhang Weiping, why did you have to mess with that bastard He Daqi? Now look what's happened, not only are you bankrupt and in jail, but I, old Zhang, am also forced to put up with his attitude at my age.

孽 孽!
This minor annoyance was not enough to spoil Zhang Yimou's mood; he was mostly happy. After all, everything depends on the box office, right? Ever since he broke Ning Hao's record, Old Zhang has forgotten what trouble is.

Old Zhang, now back in the top seat, is full of energy and completely different from the lazy bums in the small restaurant. At 59, he's at the prime of his life, not to mention his youngest daughter is only two years old. Zhang Yimou feels that he hasn't saved enough money before and should work harder to multiply it several times over.

It's no wonder Zhang Yimou had this idea. He didn't get to eat well when he worked with Zhang Weiping before, and now that he's come to Asia Pacific to make his first film, he's caught a good wave and is spending a lot of money to boost the box office.

Zhang Yimou had also calculated that, regardless of how well the movie Painted Skin performed in the future, with its current performance, he would already have a considerable amount from the dividends alone. Not to mention that Painted Skin's release was guaranteed to be postponed, and in the end, the dividends from just one movie might catch up with his savings of half a lifetime.

You can't go against money, so who is Zhang Weiping? What does his life or death have to do with me?
……

……

As dusk settles, standing on the top floor of the Yabo Building, one can enjoy panoramic views of most of Beijing from the windows.

The neon lights, still carrying the twilight glow of the setting sun, reflected the multicolored lights in Wang Rui's glasses, leaving one wondering what he was thinking.

Lin Jie and Chen Shuangxi saw that Wang Rui's office door was not closed, so they slowly walked in. Looking at Wang Rui's back, the two brothers did not know what to say.

"Uncle, are we really going to work on the box office figures?" Chen Shuangxi couldn't help but ask first.

Wang Rui chuckled lightly, turned to look at Chen Shuangxi, and for a moment seemed reluctant to explain.

"Crazy, that's what they call a job title in a company." Wang Rui was in a great mood, so he made a little joke.

Chen Shuangxi scratched his head. Although he didn't know why Wang Rui was in such a hurry, he understood that Wang Rui was in a good mood, so he felt relieved.

He glanced at Lin Jie and saw that his older brother was deep in thought, his eyes vacant. He must have had another guess based on Wang Rui's reaction.

"Damn it! We agreed to grow old together, why are you acting like you have a brain now!" Chen Shuangxi was a little annoyed.

"Shuangxi." Wang Rui noticed Lin Jie's state and called out to Chen Shuangxi softly. Before speaking, he lit a cigarette, took a drag, and then asked, "You didn't really think Uncle Tong rushed over last night just to ask if I was going back, and also to use the ticketing platform to inflate the movie's box office, did you?" "Wasn't that right? Grandpa said it was all very good..."

"One or two billion per film, one or two dozen films a year?" Wang Rui interrupted with a smile.

He stopped teasing Chen Shuangxi and instead looked at Lin Jie, who was deep in thought: "Jie, you've been with me at the company for so long, so please don't tell me that you think the same way as your brother."

Lin Jie frowned upon hearing this, and said uncertainly, "Ah... Mr. Wang, is something wrong in Hong Kong or Macau? That's why Grandpa is in such a hurry to come and see you. As for the so-called movie box office, it's probably just a joke. After all, the mainland is quite strict about this kind of thing, and Grandpa wouldn't go so far as to do that."

“That’s true and that’s not quite right either. I called Hong Kong and Macau today to ask about the situation, and those people were a bit evasive. Something must have happened that we don’t know about. It should be a good thing, so Uncle Tong’s sudden appearance yesterday, besides testing me, might have had other intentions. I’m a little confused about it, but don’t worry about it too much. Everything will be clear tomorrow,” Wang Rui said in a relaxed tone.

Anyway, he's completely clean now, so even if someone tries to drag him down, they can't do anything about it. He's in an invincible position, so he can calmly watch the fire from the sidelines.

Lin Jie and Chen Shuangxi both knew what Wang Rui meant by "we'll understand tomorrow." The old man had mentioned during dinner last night that he would arrange for someone to come and talk to Wang Rui tomorrow.

They weren't as relaxed as Wang Rui was, which is why, after worrying all day, they came to find Wang Rui to sound him out as night fell.

Unfortunately, Wang Rui only reassured them and didn't say anything more.

So Lin Jie and Chen Shuangxi spent the night tossing and turning, filled with doubt and unease.

the next day.

Ten o'clock in the morning.

The phone suddenly rang in Wang Rui's office.

"Chairman, two people who said they were old friends of yours have come downstairs to visit. One is a man and the other a woman. The man is about forty years old and very fat, and the woman is about thirty years old and looks like a female celebrity."

"Let them come up."

After thinking for a moment, Wang Rui guessed that the person who came should have arrived in the elevator soon, so he got up, drew the curtains, and glanced into the office area.

Upon seeing who it was, Wang Rui's lips curled into a smile, and he quickly came out of his office to greet them.

"Fatty! I didn't expect it to be you!" From a distance, Wang Rui opened his arms as if to give the person a hug.

If He Daqi were here, he would be absolutely astonished, because Wang Rui, who always had a smile on his face and no other expression, was now acting like a completely different person.

"You son of a bitch, Wang Rui! Dressed all high and mighty, you call me by my nickname the moment we meet? Don't you think I have a real name?"

The guy Wang Rui called "Fat Ghost" was tall and burly, with the face of an eighteen-year-old afraid of school bullying. He also had a big belly, wore a fat t-shirt, capri pants, and Crocs. Most ridiculously, he also wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which made him look out of place.

Wang Rui was genuinely happy at this moment. He wasn't annoyed when he heard the newcomer's sweet words. He smiled and gave her a hug, even pressing her big, fat belly with his hand.

"You said I couldn't call you by your nickname, so I'll just have to be a little more affectionate then. Old Dog, what are you doing in Beijing instead of mining in Southeast Asia?"

"Damn it! I really want to kill you! Call me either Fatty Ghost or Old Dog. You know you wouldn't survive past the first episode in Southeast Asia? My name is Gou Chuzhong! You either call me Mr. Gou or Brother Zhong. If you dare mess with me again, I'll shove a detonator down your back door, you believe me?"

"Hahahaha, I know, Brother Zhong. It's been a long time, just kidding. Is this your new sister-in-law? I remember you brought a ladyboy from Thailand with you at the last conference. What, you've changed your taste now?" Wang Rui laughed as he walked and talked, leading the two into the office.

"Don't talk nonsense. It's always been this. It's just that your sister-in-law has been helping me manage the business in Southeast Asia for many years and doesn't show up. The person I brought to the last conference was a business partner."

Gou Chuzhong casually sat down on the sofa, his weight causing the sofa to let out a reluctant groan.

His wife smiled at Wang Rui without saying anything, and then sat down next to Gou Chuzhong.

"Uncle Tong said he would send someone over to see how the film company operates. I really didn't expect it to be you. Why aren't you in Southeast Asia tending your mines? Why did you suddenly decide to start a film company?"

Wang Rui took out a cigarette and gestured with it, but Gou Chuzhong refused. The fat man took out a cigar himself, had his wife cut it and light it, took a satisfying puff, and then explained:

"You haven't been back for too long, there are some things you don't know. We're not running the amusement park anymore, or any of those other miscellaneous businesses. Most of the amusement park projects were sold off by those old guys, there's not much left, just a token amount."
Uncle Tong and his group found a channel, and now all our people are involved in crude oil. You wouldn't believe it, a bunch of people who were hiding before have all come out now, and they're all incredibly wealthy. Uncle Tong alone has seven cruise ships, and the other old guys aren't far behind.

Damn it, I mortgaged everything I could at the mine and sold everything I could, and only managed to get three ships. That leader in Macau was even more ruthless; he actually tried to secretly mortgage the entertainment complex, but he didn't expect those old bastards to handle it all at once, so he was exposed and is now lying in the hospital.

This is to send me back to Macau to manage things for now, otherwise they won't let me get involved in crude oil. All the other titles in Macau have already been taken, except for the president of the Macau Film and Television Industry Association. So I'm planning to start a film and television company, whether it makes money or not, just to have the title."

Wang Rui was stunned for a while after hearing this. Fortunately, Gou Chuzhong knew that Wang Rui had not been back to Macau and Hong Kong for a long time, so he smoked a cigar and waited for Wang Rui to come back to his senses.

After a long pause, Wang Rui finally understood something and asked the crucial question: "After the entertainment center was sold off, is it possible that the new owner lacks sufficient channels? Are they eyeing my online ticketing platform?"

"He was blind too. Because he was dealing with the issue of the leader of Macau, Uncle Tong didn't notice that someone was watching you at first. Later, when he did notice, he had someone slap him twice," Gou Chuzhong said with a laugh.

So that's how it is. Wang Rui finally understood the cause and effect.

It's really damn frustrating. It feels like money has become worthless since 08. Compared to my old friends, I've only managed to be considered a small success despite having several companies.

Crude oil... It's a pity I don't have the tools or the manpower, otherwise I'd really like to get involved.

It seems the old man came to be an interviewer the day before yesterday, and also to let me know that he had helped me fend off this favor, reminding me that the ticketing platform had been targeted by someone. However, after dinner, he probably felt that he was not suitable, so he called the fat guy back.

(End of this chapter)