Huayu: Serious director, who's eavesdropping on your thoughts?

The banquet has ended.

After seeing off the last group of guests, it was already late at night. The neon lights at the entrance of the Yanjing Hotel were still flashing, but there was a sense of desolation.

"Little Zhao."

Before leaving, Wang Zhongjun deliberately lagged behind a few steps, moved closer to Zhao Huaiyuan, and smiled.

"I'm several decades older than you, so I'm taking the liberty of calling you 'Little Zhao.' You won't be angry, will you?" he said half-jokingly.

"No way, Mr. Wang, just call me Xiao Zhao. I feel awkward calling me Director Zhao," Zhao Huaiyuan replied with a smile.

Wang Zhongjun was quite satisfied with Zhao Huaiyuan's reaction. He had seen too many young people who, once they achieved success, would become arrogant and conceited. It was rare to see someone like Zhao Huaiyuan, who had achieved fame at a young age and was still able to remain calm.

"I know a little about Lu Chuan, as you know, his father is Lu Tianming, a literary giant."

While they weren't the kind of unapproachable, indescribable, or untouchable children of high-ranking officials, they were still from a distinguished, culturally-minded family.

"So, what Mr. Wang is trying to say?" Zhao Huaiyuan asked knowingly.

Wang Zhongjun sighed, speaking with the air of someone who had been through it all.

"You have too much of a temper. That was just casual conversation at the dinner table. Why did you have to be so disrespectful and embarrass him in public? You offended him for no reason, which is a big no-no."

Zhao Huaiyuan said righteously, "I have no other faults and I am very easy-going, but there is one thing I cannot tolerate in my life, and there is one type of person I hate the most."

"Oh?"

"What I hate most are those who eat their own food but smash their own pot, those who forget their ancestors and fawn over foreigners, those who are opportunistic and only care about whoever feeds them. I will trample on such people every time I see them. They don't deserve any face."

"You...you're just too young and impetuous." Wang Zhongjun was taken aback, finding the young man somewhat unreasonable, but he still admired him.

"It's good that you have backbone, but Lu Chuan doesn't think so. When I saw him leave just now, his expression was...tsk tsk...he obviously holds a grudge against you."

Zhao Huaiyuan nodded slightly, indicating that he had seen it as well.

"You'd better be careful in the future. These people who are involved in Beijing's social circle all seem gentle, polite, and modest on the surface, but when they really get involved, they can be ruthless. This circle is very deep."

"Don't think I'm exaggerating or trying to scare you. Some people, if you offend them, you might not even know how you died. It's tough to fight alone."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Wang. I will pay attention."

Zhao Huaiyuan smiled, looking like he had learned something.

After watching Wang Zhongjun get into the car and drive away, Zhao Huaiyuan's smile gradually faded.

Old fox.

Wang Zhongjun's words were not simply an attempt to sow discord between him and Lu Chuan, but also a way to sell anxiety and establish his authority.

He was implying to Zhao Huaiyuan that Lu Chuan's backing was terrifying, and that even with Han Sanping's appreciation, a newly rich director with no connections like Zhao Huaiyuan was not necessarily safe.

To survive in this cutthroat industry, you need to find a powerful backer, like Huayi Brothers.

This is an attempt to scare themselves, and then take advantage of the situation to acquire the fledgling Lightyear Pictures from Huayi Brothers.

Huayi Brothers, as a newly emerging private enterprise, has never gotten along with these scions of deeply rooted cultural families.

However, Wang Zhongjun was right about one thing.

This industry is indeed dirty, indeed dark, and people can really die in it.

Zhao Huaiyuan couldn't help but recall an interview he had seen in his previous life.

That was many years later, in a program, a conversation between Dr. Henry Lee, the renowned Chinese-American forensic scientist, and the famous director Tsui Hark.

At that time, Lee Chang-yu asked questions right away without any preamble.

"Have you ever killed anyone? Not in movies, I'm asking about real life?"

Xu Ke didn't immediately deny it, but instead asked, "If I said I didn't kill anyone, would you believe me?"

if.

In criminal psychology, this is a very typical defensive stress response.

When a person is asked whether they have committed a crime, if they are truly innocent, their subconscious first reaction is often a direct, instinctive, and emotional denial.

I've never killed anyone!

Or how is that possible?

Only when someone tries to cover up the truth will the brain bypass intuition and start constructing logic, using hypothetical questions like "if" or "suppose" to try to test the other party's bottom line and buy time to think of a solution.

In the end, the production team used a lie detector game to cover up the whole thing with a laugh, and Zhao Huaiyuan didn't want to find out the truth.

He only knew that in his previous life,

Countless celebrities at the height of their fame have been sidelined and disappeared overnight simply because they offended the wrong people during their peak years.

Countless talented directors, because they don't understand the rules and threaten someone's interests, have wasted their talent, forced to make terrible films at gunpoint, ultimately ruining their reputations, going insane, or becoming disabled...

Car accidents, jumping from buildings, sudden death, fires, poisoning, suicide...

Too much.

But this is a double-edged sword. If you want to survive in this industry and receive flowers and applause, you have to face things that ordinary people cannot.

Afraid?

Perhaps, but if he were given a second chance at life, he would still choose to climb to the top without hesitation.

He wants to be the best!

Moreover, now that it's on the table, there's no reason to back down.

Zhao Huaiyuan had long been mentally prepared.

He politely declined the offers of others to take him home and left the Yanjing Hotel alone.

I had just stepped out the door.

A gust of cold wind blew over, sobering him up a bit.

Instead of hailing a taxi, he walked westward step by step along the sidewalk.

This is a habit he developed after his rebirth: whenever he completes a major goal or feels guilty or overwhelmed, he likes to take a walk alone.

Only in this way could he be sure that all of this was real, and not a dream that he could wake up from at any moment.

Anchang Street was unusually empty tonight, with very little traffic.

He walked step by step.

A genius director, a rising star in the industry, box office success exceeding 100 million yuan, strong support from China Film Group, and S-level green light rights... These halos are too dazzling, easily leading people astray and making them feel like they are truly omnipotent.

"I need to stay calm..." he whispered to himself.

In the torrent of worldly affairs, he must tread carefully. Will he be able to reach the other side?

After walking for a while, the heat on my body dissipated, and my mind calmed down completely.

Zhao Huaiyuan stopped and prepared to flag down a car on the roadside to go back.

Sudden..

boom!

A beastly roar of an engine sounded behind him.

He instinctively turned around, and two headlights shone directly at him, blinding him so much that he quickly raised his hand to shield his eyes.

squeak!

A Hummer sped over, then braked sharply, stopping just a few meters away from Zhao Huaiyuan.

Zhao Huaiyuan's heart skipped a beat.

Lu Chuan made his move?

From the time the two became enemies to the time they left home, only a short period of time had passed.

Is this the retaliation that's coming?

Is it really that direct?

boom!

The car door was pushed open.

A foot wearing an expensive crocodile skin shoe stepped on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a man wearing a long black trench coat, black sunglasses, and with a large gold chain vaguely visible around his neck jumped down.

This man was burly and stared intently at Zhao Huaiyuan as soon as he got out of the car.

Most importantly, his right hand was always tucked into his pocket, bulging and full.

Zhao Huaiyuan's breath hitched.

Knife? Or gun?

No way, this is near Anchang Street, isn't it absurd? But he didn't dare to gamble on that possibility.

"Zhao Huaiyuan?" the man in the trench coat asked in a deep voice.

Zhao Huaiyuan remained silent, pondering a solution.

"Looks like it. I've been waiting all day to ambush you, and I've finally caught you."

Before he finished speaking, he strode toward Zhao Huaiyuan, frantically rummaging through his pocket with his right hand.

Seven steps!

Five steps!

Nearly.

The man in the trench coat rushed up to Zhao Huaiyuan and suddenly pulled his right hand out of his pocket.

"Go to hell!"

Zhao Huaiyuan thought to himself, and without hesitation, he raised his leg and delivered a groin kick straight for the other man's crotch.

At the same time, turn your head to dodge any weapon the opponent might swing.

Aww!!

A bloodcurdling scream rang out.

The man in the trench coat was struck squarely in a vital spot, and he curled up like a boiled shrimp.

He clutched his groin and backed away repeatedly, but finally, unable to bear the pain any longer, he knelt down on the ground with a thud.

The thing he pulled out of his pocket rolled onto the ground.

Zhao Huaiyuan maintained a defensive posture, ready to run away at any moment, and glanced at the thing on the ground.

It was a black plastic bag.

?

He glanced suspiciously at the man in the trench coat kneeling on the ground, sobbing, and then stepped forward and kicked the plastic bag.

He used his toes to pry it open, and when he saw it, he was completely stunned.

Bundles of brand-new 100-yuan bills.

"This is..." Zhao Huaiyuan was somewhat taken aback, looking at the man in the trench coat, puzzled.

"One...one million!"

The man in the trench coat remained kneeling on the ground; that kick he had just received must have been quite painful.

"This...this is compensation for your emotional distress! If you think it's not enough...there's more in the trunk, I'll go get some more."

Zhao Huaiyuan was completely bewildered in the wind.

"No... Dude, who are you?" Zhao Huaiyuan was genuinely confused.

He was used to meticulous planning, and most things were done step by step according to his plan. But something like today, where he was completely baffled, was truly unprecedented.

After a while, the man in the trench coat finally felt less pain. He leaned against the car door and managed to stand up.

"I will not change my name or surname. I am Chen Feng, and my online ID is Northwest Lone Wolf."

Zhao Huaiyuan was taken aback.

A lone wolf in the Northwest?

He has a good memory, and if he remembers this ID correctly, it should be the person who keeps sending him private messages online, wanting to meet him.

But he never replied to their messages, never paid any attention to them, and would never tell them his real name.

"It's you? How did you find me?" Zhao Huaiyuan looked him up and down.

"That's not important!" Chen Feng waved his hand, looking regretful.

"Director Zhao, I was blind before, I listened to that bitch's slander and mistakenly trusted that bastard Li Qingrou! That's why I hired online trolls to smear you, I'm guilty!"

"Who?"

"Li Qingrou!"

"Li Qingrou?" Zhao Huaiyuan remembered her; she was the scheming girl from the auditions.

"That bitch cried to me, saying you used underhanded tactics to hold her back, calling you a hypocrite. I, Chen Feng, hate bullying the powerful more than anything in my life. In a moment of passion, I thought of acting on behalf of heaven..."

Chen Feng got more and more excited as he spoke, spat on the ground, and cursed:

"I originally thought she was a pure and innocent flower, and I even introduced her to all sorts of important people. But I never expected that she would despise me, a coal miner, and run off with a boss in Hong Kong. Damn it."

At this point, Chen Feng, ignoring the throbbing pain in his groin, stepped forward, grabbed Zhao Huaiyuan's arm, his eyes burning with fervor.

"Of course, that's not the point. The point is that I watched your movie, 'Escape from the British Museum,' a masterpiece! You might not know, but I literally cried throughout the whole thing. Don't let my rough exterior fool you; I have a strong sense of national pride too!"

"Although I'm a rough man, I also love reading! I know that someone who can make a film like this can't possibly be a petty person."

And your outburst at the opening ceremony against foreigners—I initially thought you were just showing off, but after actually learning more about it, I really want to slap myself!

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Zhao Huaiyuan thought to himself.

Chen Feng was so excited that he danced around, spitting as he spoke.

"You don't know, I, Chen Feng, am a chivalrous and tender-hearted man, yearning for the martial world. In this life, I admire two people the most: one is Mr. Da Lantian, the author of Ghost Blows Out the Light, and the other is you. A true hero, serving the country and its people. Director Zhao, no, Master Zhao, you must accept this million!"

"From today onwards, I, Chen Feng, will be your henchman. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west; if you tell me to beat a dog, I will never chase a chicken! As long as you let me get a little bit of your artistic flair."

"Also, if you ever need money in the future, just come to me. Like I said, my family is so poor we only have money left. Just ask, I don't care about money!"

Zhao Huaiyuan listened quietly.

This person is a bit immature and straightforward, but not a bad person at heart...and very rich.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

About the next movie.

Admittedly, China Film Group provided 5000 million yuan in subsidies. After deducting some expenses for reserve, he could spend 500 million yuan on filming. In addition, with the subsequent box office revenue sharing, he seemed to have ample funds.

But he was also well aware that the upcoming film, "Nanjing Photo Studio," was different from "Escape from the British Museum"—it was a historical epic of heavy industry scale.

To make a film like this in this era, recreating Nanjing in 1937, requires building a real set, managing thousands of extras, renting equipment, costumes, props, and hiring a special effects team...

This is a bottomless pit!

What if we run out of money? Asking Han Sanping for more money is a complicated process and we're easily hampered by others.

This chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) in front of me...

He's got a lot of money at home, has plenty of cash flow, and seems like the perfect investor who just gives money without complaining.

Such top-notch investors are hard to find even with a lantern.

Since they've already said all that, it would seem pretentious to refuse any further.

It seems like it wouldn't be a bad deal to take this underling.

"Did I kick you too hard?"

Once Zhao Huaiyuan made up his mind, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and he helped him brush the dust off his clothes with concern.

"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, you deserve to be kicked!" Chen Feng said with a simple smile.

"Alright, it's late at night, aren't you afraid of getting robbed if you carry this much money? Put it away."

"Who the hell has the guts to steal from me, Young Master Chen? Hey, Master Zhao, aren't you going to accept it? You still won't forgive me?"

"Forget about the money, it's a small matter. Let's put it behind us." Zhao Huaiyuan glanced at the Hummer.

"Since you want to work for me, I won't stand on ceremony. There's something I need your help with."

"What is it? Tell me, whether it's climbing mountains of knives or plunging into boiling oil, if I, Chen Feng, even flinch, I'm no hero!"

Chen Feng was righteous and awe-inspiring. He said that it was one thing to talk about it, but he would talk about it after he actually did it. Isn't that how all the heroes in the movies act?

"It's not that serious. I didn't drive, and it's hard to get a taxi in this cold weather. Do you have a car? Could you give me a ride?"

Chen Feng was stunned for a second, then overjoyed.

"Mr. Zhao, please get in the car!"

Despite the pain, Chen Feng scurried over, opened the back door, and made an exaggerated gesture to let Zhao Huaiyuan get in.

Zhao Huaiyuan shook his head with a wry smile; this guy was really interesting.

"Where to? Mr. Zhao? Ji Menli Residential Area?" Chen Feng jumped into the driver's seat and asked excitedly.

"Do you know where I live?"

"Hehe, that's right. I'm a fan of your movies, so I did some inquiries. I was thinking of going to your place to apologize these past few days, but I felt it wouldn't be appropriate. After learning that you went to the Yanjing Hotel today, I waited outside. I finally caught up with you."

"Let's drive." Zhao Huaiyuan leaned back in the back seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Chen Feng started the car, muttering to himself:

"By the way, Mr. Zhao, have you ever read Ghost Blows Out the Light? Let me tell you..."

Zhao Huaiyuan turned his head to look out the window, listening to the other person's incessant chatter, and couldn't help but feel sleepy.

Silent all night.