“Huang He!” Wang Yingfei squeezed the name out from between his teeth.
“Boss Wang!” Huang He smiled faintly. However, if one observed closely, they would notice beads of sweat forming on Huang He’s forehead. If not for Leng Zhiwen’s sword scabbard striking him just now, Huang He’s head might have been blown clean off.
Huang He was, after all, human, and he naturally felt fear.
“The boss is here!”
“What! The chairman is here!” A wave of exclamation erupted from the crowd. Only then did all the cast and crew members realize that their boss had silently infiltrated the set, disguised as a Baiyue cultist. Such a plot development was truly outrageous.
It was even more melodramatic than the scripts they, the screenwriters, had penned.
“Boss Huang, what a coincidence, you’re here too!” Wang Yingfei managed to force another smile.
“It’s not a coincidence at all. This is my set, so my presence here is only natural. It’s you, Boss Wang, who happened to arrive at a rather opportune moment!” Huang He said with a smile.
“Yes!” Wang Yingfei chuckled awkwardly, then said very earnestly, “Since Boss Huang is here, everything I said earlier was just a joke. Just pretend I never said it. I’ll take my people and leave right now!”
Wang Yingfei stated decisively. The moment Huang He appeared, he understood that everything he had said earlier was mere nonsense. Especially the part about lecturing this Baiyue cultist, which was utterly ridiculous. He just wanted to leave quickly and prevent the situation from escalating further.
This was Huang He’s territory; if a conflict were to truly erupt, he would be the one to suffer.
“Don’t go just yet. I still want to hear Boss Wang’s teachings,” Huang He said coldly. “I was almost brained by a punch. Boss Wang, why don’t you educate me on how this should be handled?”
“Boss Huang, I didn’t know that person was you. If I had known, I would never have said such things! I am willing to apologize for my words and actions,” Wang Yingfei said immediately, capitulating quickly. A wise man avoids immediate conflict.
“Heh, so according to Boss Wang, if the person who was almost beaten wasn’t me, but just an ordinary extra, then you could do whatever you pleased? Even if this pitiful ordinary person was almost beaten to death by your bodyguard, you would still lecture him, telling him that he should just stand there and let my bodyguard kill him?” Huang He questioned chillingly.
“…” Wang Yingfei didn’t know how to respond because that was precisely what he thought. Wasn’t this the reality? You, Huang He, are also a wealthy man. In your eyes, would a random extra even matter?
“This guy is just using the moral high ground to try and emotionally blackmail me with impunity!” Wang Yingfei cursed in his heart.
Well, even though emotional blackmail was not a good thing, if emotional blackmail were aware of Wang Yingfei’s thoughts, it would probably kick Wang Yingfei to the curb.
You have the nerve to talk about emotional blackmail when you yourself are morally bankrupt!
“What do you want?” Wang Yingfei looked at Huang He. “Boss Huang, we’ve eaten together before, we’re friends. Let’s just let this matter pass today. From now on, if you ever need anything, I, Wang Yingfei, will do my utmost to help!”
“I don’t need anything from you, nor do I require your help!” Huang He shook his head. “I’m merely stating a few legitimate demands.”
“First, your artist, unable to fulfill our filming agreement and now seeking to leave the crew early, will cause immense losses to our production. Our crew will be unable to film for at least 10 days. At a rate of 1 million yuan per day, your compensation of 10 million yuan would be considered reasonable.”
“Second, your bodyguard attempted to assault an ordinary extra. Fortunately, Leng Zhiwen acted heroically and protected me, this extra. Therefore, you cannot take this bodyguard with you. I will arrange for someone to send him to the hospital for treatment, then to the local police station, after which the law will judge his actions!”
“Third, I am extremely displeased with your attitude of treating human life as insignificant. People like you remaining in China will only lead to the disregard of human life. Therefore, I expect you to leave the country as soon as possible. Go to whichever country you wish, and wreak havoc on whichever people you please. In any case, do not let me see you in China ever again.”
“As long as you agree to these three conditions, then this matter will be considered resolved. What do you think?” Huang He stated his three demands straightforwardly.
“Boss Huang, I’m talking to you sincerely, you can’t just make outrageous demands!” Wang Yingfei roared with laughter, furious. “Do you really think I, Wang Yingfei, am a pushover that you can just manipulate? You have money, I have money too. You have influence, and my influence is even greater than yours. Believe it or not, I can ensure you enter Beijing but never leave!”
“You say you don’t want to see me in China. I don’t have that kind of authority, but I can tell you that I can make it so you can never stay in Beijing again!”
Indeed, faced with Huang He’s three conditions, no one could possibly agree, let alone someone like Wang Yingfei.
Deep down, Wang Yingfei looked down on Huang He.
Firstly, Wang Yingfei’s net worth was 2.5 billion yuan, and he commanded numerous businesses. While Huang He might have more money, once wealth reaches a certain level, the exact amount becomes less important; it’s influence that matters, and in terms of influence, Wang Yingfei was in no way inferior to Huang He. Therefore, in this regard, Wang Yingfei did not consider Huang He to be superior to himself.
Secondly, Wang Yingfei was a full generation older than Huang He. Back in ’87, he was already involved in textile exports and had amassed tens of millions of yuan in assets within three years. And this was tens of millions in 1987! Someone like Mr. Jia was still a pauper at this time.
Not to mention that Huang He was still in elementary school, pulling girls’ hair.
Huang He had only become wealthy in the last two years. In terms of seniority in the industry, he was completely insignificant.
Therefore, Wang Yingfei was undoubtedly a senior figure in the industry, and Huang He should have addressed him as an elder brother. Yet, here he was, presenting such unreasonable demands. Did he truly think Wang Yingfei feared him?
Thus, Wang Yingfei could no longer restrain himself and exploded, roaring at Huang He.
At the same time, Wang Yingfei was prepared to suffer a loss here. At worst, he’d get beaten, but as long as Huang He didn’t dare to kill him, he would then make sure to kill Huang He later.
“Nonsense!” Huang He retorted angrily upon hearing Wang Yingfei’s harsh words. “Boss Wang, what era do you think this is? Is it still the Qing Dynasty? Is it still a time when the rich could swagger, prey on the common folk, trample on people’s lives and dignity, and threaten to make people unable to stay whenever they pleased?”
“Let me tell you, this is a new society now. Regardless of wealth or poverty, all people are equal, and everyone’s dignity is priceless. Every inch of land belongs to all Chinese people.”
“As long as one is a Chinese citizen, they can appear in any public facility in China, tread on any land in China. No one dares to claim any land as their own.”
“Everything in China belongs to the Chinese people!”
“Boss Wang, how could you utter such preposterous words? Do you have any regard for your country, for its people, for basic shame, or for the spirit of equality, freedom, and fraternity? Do you truly believe that having money allows you to trample on the dignity of ordinary people and dictate whether I can enter Beijing but not leave?”
“Is Beijing your family’s property? I have never seen such a shameless person!”
“……” Wang Yingfei’s mouth agape, facing Huang He’s righteous and powerful words, which flowed like the Yellow River, Wang Yingfei suddenly felt as though he had made a grave mistake.
“I’m not arguing with you, let’s go!” Wang Yingfei said, preparing to pull the panicked and stunned Liu mother and daughter away.
“They’re trying to run!” The surrounding crew members were filled with righteous indignation from Huang He’s speech. Seeing Wang Yingfei about to escape, they prepared to block them.
“No one is allowed to move! This is a society governed by law. We have no right to restrict anyone’s freedom, nor can we do anything illegal or criminal. Let them go!” Huang He commanded loudly. The surrounding crew members then stopped their actions, but their gazes were filled with anger as they stared at Wang Yingfei and the other two, forcing them to accelerate their escape.
“Boss!” The bodyguard also stood up, enduring the excruciating pain, ready to leave with Wang Yingfei. However, he heard Huang He say, “This person cannot leave. He actively attacked me just now. I have already called the police. Let the police handle it first!” Huang He said calmly. The crew members, who had long been impatient, immediately surrounded the bodyguard.
“Boss, take me with you! Take me with you!” the bodyguard cried out, but Wang Yingfei left without looking back.
It was a joke. After finally escaping Huang He’s territory, who would risk danger for a mere bodyguard?
Thus, Wang Yingfei quickly got into a minivan parked by the roadside and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a bodyguard with a look of despair.
However, this bodyguard did not suffer any actual harm. The people around him simply restrained him. By the time the sirens wailed, the bodyguard’s legs went weak, and he felt that, at least, he had survived.
————————
“This is bad, I shouldn’t have left!” Wang Yingfei suddenly exclaimed as his minivan sped onto the highway, heading towards the nearest airport to return to Beijing.
“Brother, didn’t we escape from danger? Why shouldn’t we have left?” Liu Mu asked, confused. In fact, Liu Mu was three years older than Wang Yingfei, yet she called him brother, which was quite intriguing.
“Why do you think Huang He let us go?” Wang Yingfei pondered, his head bowed. “It’s because there were over a hundred people in the crew. If Huang He had dared to order his men to lay hands on me, the news would have been impossible to suppress.”
“And I have plenty of friends in Beijing. Once the news reaches them, Huang He would be breaking the law, and I could make him pay dearly.”
“Therefore, he absolutely wouldn’t dare to touch me. There was no need for me to leave at all. On the contrary, I should have waited there until the police arrived and personally handled all matters. Otherwise, with only Huang He’s people there, any outcome would be entirely at Huang He’s discretion!”
“This is a disaster!” Wang Yingfei’s face turned ashen. He suddenly realized that he had made a huge mistake. Although he could safely return to Beijing, the final interpretation of the entire incident had completely fallen into Huang He’s hands.
Even more critically, his bodyguard was still with Huang He. This bodyguard knew quite a bit about him, and if he were to reveal everything, then it would all be over.
Wang Yingfei immediately started making calls, asking his friends to keep an eye on the case and prevent Huang He from having complete control of the situation.
Meanwhile, he also sent people to try and contact that bodyguard, and at the same time, brought the bodyguard’s family to his company.
“As long as Xu Dou doesn’t say anything out of line, this matter shouldn’t be too troublesome. It’s just a blow to my pride,” Wang Yingfei said with a sigh of relief after handling these matters, then added resentfully.
Wang Yingfei carefully analyzed the situation and felt that his problems were not significant. He had not taken any action himself from beginning to end, nor had he issued any orders. At most, he had asked his bodyguard, Xu Dou, to pick someone up.
As for Xu Dou’s assault, while this was indeed Xu Dou’s fault, Huang He had not sustained any injuries. On the other hand, Xu Dou’s finger bones were broken.
Although this met the conditions for self-defense, in the process of handling matters, the injured party was often favored. After all, one party suffered no harm, while the other had broken bones; it was clear that the other party would bear the blame.
At the very least, it wouldn’t be difficult to charge him with excessive self-defense.
Of course, considering Huang He’s status and position, excessive self-defense was impossible, but it was also impossible to charge him with assault. Therefore, as long as he sent a few lawyers, he should be able to protect Xu Dou without any legal risks.
Thinking of this, Wang Yingfei completely let go of his worries, and a great surge of anger erupted within him. He began to ponder how he would retaliate against Huang He later, making this young man understand the consequences of offending a senior figure like himself.
“Brother, what about me and Feifei?” Seeing Wang Yingfei’s expression improve, Liu Mu seized the opportunity to ask, her eyes full of concern for her daughter’s future.
“It’s nothing major. I’ll help you find another crew in a few days. It’s no problem!” Wang Yingfei said dismissively. As long as one was willing to spend money, any role could be obtained.
He had sent his daughter, Feifei, to the Jiangnan Group’s crew entirely out of respect for Huang He. Unexpectedly, Huang He had been unappreciative. He wouldn’t even let Feifei film for them. After all, it was rare to find an actress as ethereal and beautiful as Feifei in all of China.
Actually, Wang Yingfei understood that even without him, solely based on Liu Fei’s beauty, her becoming a star was only a matter of time.
“Feifei, are you alright! Uncle dotes on you!” Seeing Liu Fei, who sat beside him, petite and doll-like, still looking a bit dazed and frightened, Wang Yingfei couldn’t help but say with a touch of heartache, pulling Feifei into his embrace.
Meanwhile, Liu Mu beside them remained silent. Although her expression was not entirely pleasant.
“Mom, was it necessary for today’s matter to escalate to this point?” Feeling her godfather’s warmth, Liu Fei finally came to her senses and said complainingly to her mother, “Actually, I think Director Li was right. That kind of performance would indeed better convey the character’s emotions. A simple hug, why did you have to make such a big fuss, making things so difficult to resolve!”
Liu Fei was indeed very upset. In fact, she had put in a lot of effort for the role of Zhao Ling’er, having read the script twice.
To be fair, Liu Fei, in her early days, was not considered to have excellent acting skills, and with her mother, the great deity, present, her attitude towards the script and performance was still commendable.
Compared to the future young idol actors and actresses, although Liu Fei also had zero foundation, she received considerable recognition in her very first television drama.
Later, when filming television dramas, although no one praised her acting skills, no one criticized them either. She relied purely on her beauty to gain a large following of fans.
In short, regardless of any messy affairs behind Liu Fei, Liu Fei herself possessed some ability. At the very least, she was willing to read and memorize scripts, and she was a true professional.
It was precisely because Liu Fei had read the script that she knew the role of Zhao Ling’er was very important. As long as the entire television drama was filmed well, she could gain considerable popularity with Zhao Ling’er.
As for whether this television drama could be filmed well, Liu Fei had some doubts initially. However, when she saw the detailed preparation of the sets and various props at the filming base, and most importantly, the veteran drama “Liang Jian” was raking in viewers nationwide, and the male lead playing Li Xiaoyao was incredibly handsome, especially when he began practicing his swordplay, he was incredibly cool, making Liu Fei herself fall for him, her face flushing red.
Frankly, if not for her godfather, Liu Fei wouldn’t have minded engaging in some gossip marketing with this Li Xiaoyao.
But now, all of this was gone. Coupled with the scare she had just endured, it was a great blow to Liu Fei, and she also became dissatisfied with her mother.
“You don’t understand adult matters…” Liu Mu had no intention of explaining. Instead, Wang Yingfei sighed and said, “It’s actually because I came, isn’t it? I wanted to give you a surprise today, so I secretly came to visit the set. Only Lily knew I was coming today!”
“I think, precisely because of this, Lily was concerned about me and didn’t want me to see you, Fei Fei, in intimate contact with another man. That’s why her reaction was so strong today. Feifei, don’t blame your mother. She’s doing it for your own good, not wanting you to make mistakes, and not wanting me to be upset!” Wang Yingfei said with emotion, while Liu Mu shed tears of gratitude.
My brother understands me!
“By the way, Godfather, I actually discovered a secret about Huang He!” Suddenly, Liu Fei spoke up.
“What secret?” Wang Yingfei’s expression became curious.
“I noticed that after Li Xiaoyao made his move, he stood next to Huang He. Although both their hands were behind their backs, I could see through the gaps that they were subtly playing around with their hands several times. That Huang He even took the initiative to grab Li Xiaoyao’s hand. It felt… it felt… more than just a friendship!”
“How disgusting!” Wang Yingfei’s eyes lit up.
“That’s right, I saw it too, I just forgot to mention it!” Liu Mu also said.
“Interesting, I never expected Huang He to be like this. It seems I have a huge handle on him now. Hahahaha!” Wang Yingfei laughed gleefully.
——————————————
“Sister-in-law, you just let them go? They almost cracked your head open!” Leng Zhiwen said, very displeased, as she watched the other party leave.
“It’s more troublesome to keep them here. It’s best they left!” Huang He chuckled and then pointed at the surrounding cameras. “With this stuff here, Boss Wang will have plenty to deal with in the future!”
“Boss, it’s confirmed. Liu Feifei’s godfather was nearby an hour ago. He was probably here to visit the set today and unexpectedly ran into us!” At this moment, Hu Jing whispered into Huang He’s ear.
“So that’s how it is!” Huang He nodded. “He finally understands why today’s events felt strange. Liu Mu dared to act so boldly against the crew because her patron was behind her, wanting to show off using her patron!”
Actually, Huang He could vaguely guess the reason for Liu Mu’s bold demeanor this time.
According to the information Huang He had, Feifei’s godfather, a famous entrepreneur, real estate developer, and investor in Beijing, was an extremely possessive person. His possessions were not to be touched by anyone else.
Especially Feifei, who was considered his exclusive property, had strict rules against filming any intimate scenes.
In fact, this was understandable. For example, if Leng Zhiwen were to film intimate scenes with another man, Huang He would also be unable to accept it.
And today, with this godfather personally visiting the set, Liu Mu naturally could not let this godfather witness her goddaughter embracing another man.
This was why she had said it was not permissible today. It wasn’t unreasonable fussing; it was genuinely not permissible.
To be fair, if Huang He encountered such a situation, he would definitely not allow it either.
But the problem was, this was Huang He’s turf, the television drama he had invested in and was filming. If you were so capable, then invest in your own television drama and don’t show off on Huang He’s territory.
As for the role of Zhao Ling’er, in terms of character development, it was inevitable that she would have a lot of emotional interaction and physical contact with Li Xiaoyao. These were all clearly written in the script. If you didn’t accept it, you could refuse the script.
Moreover, the director’s request was reasonable. Was it not just leaning into the arms of the actor playing the opposing role? Isn’t this normal filming? As long as Huang He didn’t witness it firsthand, Huang He likely wouldn’t have any objections.
Soon, the sound of police sirens approached. After understanding the situation, they invited Leng Zhiwen and Huang He to come in for an investigation and to provide a statement.
However, at this time, an amusing incident occurred: after Leng Zhiwen filled out her personal information, the staff member very solemnly told Leng Zhiwen that her gender had been written incorrectly.
This made Leng Zhiwen extremely embarrassed, but Huang He was immensely pleased. If Leng Zhiwen’s disguise could fool even the police, then in the future, it would be a huge surprise to audiences across the country!