So what if I work with celebrities?

At the Golden Horse Awards ceremony, many celebrities, both big and small, heard some explosive news in the theater corridor.

"The film reels of 'Eight Hundred Heroes,' a major investment by China Film Group, were stolen in broad daylight at gunpoint!"

The celebrities who had originally intended to cultivate a good relationship with Hsu Tsan all stopped, their expressions turning serious. They all said, "Director Hsu, don't worry, we'll definitely find it. I won't bother you any longer."

Xu Zan led the group to an empty movie theater, where the movie "Plum Blossom" was playing on the screen, showing the scene where the female teacher played by Hu Yinmeng jumps into the sea and commits suicide.

"Brother Zan, what should we do?" Guo Suying was frantic. If the staff hadn't stopped them from going in, she would have rushed to Xu Zan long ago.

Holding two Golden Horse Awards trophies, Sylvia Chang's eyes darted around. "Let's call the police. We have to get them involved no matter what."

"No! If we call the police, this matter will escalate in the media. If we can find it, that's fine, but if we can't..." Guo Suying interrupted.

Hu Yinmeng didn't speak. She remembered what Xu Zan had said to Mei Changling that day: if the negatives were all gone, Xu Zan and Chairman Mei would definitely be arrested!

China Film Group invested 15 million yuan in the film. If it all goes down the drain, how can we explain it to our superiors?

Will the authorities think that the two of them conspired to spend such a large sum of money?

"Brother Zan, if all else fails, how about we chip in and make another one?" Brigitte Lin rubbed her fingers, making the biggest decision of her life.

Of the 15 million investment, these celebrities can only contribute a maximum of 5 million, leaving a deficit of over 10 million. It remains to be seen whether Xu Zan can cover it.

Xu Zan was also panicked at this moment. This matter would trigger a series of chain reactions. First, there would be accusations from China Film Group, and second, the United Bamboo Association would definitely cut ties quickly.

What I fear most is that someone will use this to their advantage and label him a traitor.

The power of the Taiwan Garrison Command still hangs over the heads of all the people on the island. This era when people dared not speak out has only been over for a decade.

"Okay, I'll go find your older brother in a bit to discuss this and see what exactly happened."

Xu Zan had Xiao Hei drive, and the two quickly arrived at the sailor's residence, where the lights were on all night.

He clearly already knew about the loss of the film reels of "Eight Hundred Heroes".

"So what if we lose it? It's not like we invested in it!" the sailor said calmly.

"Big brother, if we really can't find it, I'm finished!" Xu Zan said, taking a deep breath.

"How could that be? The company will invest in you; we can just make our own movies."

The sailor lit a cigarette, flicked the match, and a cloud of smoke swirled around him. "It's still better to light a cigarette with a match."

"Brother, if we don't give China Film Group an explanation, I'll definitely be taken away, the company will be shut down, and even the United Bamboo Society will be..." Xu Zan explained helplessly.

Although sailors are江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people of the martial arts world), they value ethics and morality, but they have no idea about the intricacies of officialdom.

Upon hearing the gravity of the situation, the sailor immediately ordered Wang Chao and Mahan to gather their forces. Was there even a question? It was definitely Si Hai Qian's doing!

He had only sent some of his men to watch over the company to prevent anyone from causing trouble; he never imagined that someone would try to steal the film.

"Brother, our company's biggest asset is actually film! We don't really have houses or anything like that, it's not a big deal!"

Xu Zan had already smoked two cigarettes in a short while. The cigarettes were quite strong, making him feel dizzy, but he was extremely unsettled.

As a time traveler, he was not willing to remain silent.

Outside the old apartment building, things have already exploded!

Before Wang Chao and Ma Han could even set off, Liu Maochuan called, his voice sharp and stern as he reprimanded the sailors.

"I told you before that you had to ensure the safety of Panda Entertainment! You repeatedly assured me that everything would be okay! If the film negatives are stolen and we don't handle this properly, we're all finished!"

"Brother, I sent men! I didn't expect them to try to steal the negatives, and the stuff isn't with Panda either!" The sailor tried to shirk responsibility.

"Stop talking. I've already sent people to find Sihai. If they can't reach an agreement, we'll have to start a gang war!" Liu Maochuan said wearily.

……

The news of the stolen film negatives of "The Eight Hundred Heroes" quickly spread in Taipei, and every entertainment star knew about it.

The top executives of China Film Group held a meeting overnight. The small meeting room was filled with smoke, and the officials were expressionless, glancing at Mei Changling and Ming Ji from time to time.

"Such a big thing shows that we were only thinking about making a good movie before, without considering the maturity of the candidates. This matter..." Ming Ji said in a deep voice.

The criticism naturally pointed directly at Mei Changling, since although it was called democracy, it was actually Mei Changling who ultimately made the decision to let Xu Zan film the movie.

"You can't say that, can you? After all, who could have predicted something like this—the film reel being stolen!"

"Someone has to take responsibility for this!" Mingji said.

"Manager Ming, we'll just invest more money in filming!" an official said.

Ming Ji slammed his fist on the table and roared, "So all that tens of millions of yuan in investment went down the drain? How are we going to explain this to the higher-ups?"

Mei Changling concluded calmly, "Whoever's child it is, they can take it!"

The following day, the front page headlines of the main newspaper supplements were about the theft of "The Eight Hundred Heroes" and the news that Xu Zan was finished.

The newspaper even published a photo of Xu Zan, standing there as if he were being judged, at an unusually good angle.

CTV, TTV, and CTS all dedicated 30 seconds to reporting this news in their morning news programs, detailing the investment, filming schedule, and editing location of "The Eight Hundred Heroes."

Finally, we urge the relevant departments to take action and solve the case as soon as possible!

It was as if disaster struck out of nowhere while they were sitting at home. The Taipei City Police Department immediately dispatched a special task force to take Hsu Tsan and others to the police station for questioning.

When Zhang Aijia's maternal grandfather saw her, he instructed her, "Stay away from Xu Zan; the higher-ups are taking this matter seriously."

"Huh? How could you do this? It's not Zan-ge's fault!" Zhang Aijia said.

"Oh, silly girl, there's no 'why' about these things!"

Zhang Aijia rushed out of her house in a panic, drove to find Xu Zan, and told him to hurry up and grab his bag and run away, because if he got caught, the consequences would be unimaginable.

When she arrived at Panda Entertainment, she didn't see anyone. She went to Xu Zan's house, but no one was there either. Zhang Aijia stood at the apartment door, pacing back and forth, not knowing what to do.

The door next door opened a crack, revealing a small head. Just then, a voice came from inside: "Xiaoxian, come back! Don't run around!"

"Mom, a woman is coming from next door!" Wang Zuxian shouted.

When Wang's mother opened the door and saw Zhang Aijia's anxious expression, she said, "Are you looking for Director Xu? He hasn't come back since yesterday!"

Do you know where he went?

……

Lin Qingxia couldn't sleep all night. When she got home, she told her father about it and wanted to help Xu Zan financially.

Lin's father remained silent. Some time ago, there was a lot of talk about how the investment in "The Eight Hundred Heroes" was as high as 100 million yuan (including buildings). His daughter had earned a lot in the past few years, but it was only a few million yuan.

Even if you throw it in, it might not make a splash!

"Dad, Director Xu has taken good care of me, and he's from our hometown too. We can't just stand by and watch him die, can we?" Lin Qingxia said, holding her father's hand.

At this moment, Lin's mother said, "Borrow it! I don't think Xiao Xu is the type to fail so easily; he'll be able to get back up."

Seeing that his wife had said this, Lin's father spoke earnestly to his daughter:

"Xiao Ni, I never thought about how high you could go. I just wished for you to be safe and sound and to find a good man to marry."

"I can tell you have feelings for Xu Zan, but with you offering so much money, do you think he'll appreciate it?"

"Newspapers and magazines publish all sorts of nonsense; flies don't land on eggs without cracks!"

"Your judgment has always been poor; I'm afraid you'll end up suffering the consequences!"

"Dad, I didn't date him. I was just... just friends!" Lin Qingxia emphasized each word.