Chapter 1470
See you on Monday
One of the most important ways gangs around the world make money is through protection money.
Some countries also make their fortunes by collecting "protection fees".
Ironically, those who paid protection money had to thank the "thugs."
For example, little days, little sticks, little pluses...
Especially in my daily life, with the two superpowers, China and the United States, "serving" me, how could my blessings be small?
Zhang Yuan is much the same now. Facing the boss of a well-known domestic investment company, he slowly revealed his fangs.
This is not the usual situation.
What price do I have to pay to participate in the investment?
It's not that you're preventing me from investing, but rather what price you're willing to pay.
In short, what cost are you willing to pay to ensure I don't cause you trouble?
It is extremely difficult to accomplish something great in this world, but it is very easy to ruin something great.
Moreover, it is often a small person or a minor detail that causes major problems.
The coachman killed Chen Sheng, which led to the Chu-Han Contention.
When Xiang Yu was defeated and fled, an old farmer gave him the wrong directions.
In 72, five foreigners planted listening devices at the Watergate Hotel, which changed the world order...
This is why you need to have a margin for error when doing things, because you never know what might happen.
Especially when it comes to things involving people, you never know when the human brain might malfunction.
This is still unpredictable.
Now, facing Mr. Li of Dingfeng Investment is the foreseeable trouble of Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan contacted Zhang Lan and Wang Xiaofei, and even spoke nicely to them at their wedding, but it was never for the sake of helping the mother and daughter.
Although Wang Sicong isn't exactly a good person either, his description of the two is accurate.
He's always putting on a show or dodging lawsuits; he doesn't have much money in his pocket but pretends to be a rich kid.
He even made a big fuss about his ex-wife's death.
Of course, the S family members weren't much better off, including the bald Korean who "took over" the business.
This group of people can be considered a "well-matched couple".
Should I invest in them?
They'd drag me down with them, using my name to scam people everywhere.
They're doing this before anything's even decided. What if it actually works out?
Invest? Forget about it. I wouldn't even consider their run-down restaurant.
Even if it goes public, it won't reach a market value of 10 billion. What a joke!
So his initial goal was to use this mother and daughter to lure out Dingfeng, who was lurking behind the scenes, waiting for an opportunity to act.
Let them come find me!
The old drunkard's true intention was never about the wine.
Dingfeng and CXC had far better access to information than that mother and daughter. Knowing that the IPO would be problematic, they would have started planning much earlier.
The person in charge of CXC on the surface is willing to take on the listing and debt of PetroChina, Shandong Guodian, and China Southern Airlines. South Beauty is just a small matter for them.
The more Mr. Li looked at Zhang Yuan, the more he felt something was off.
After pondering for a long time, he seemed to realize that things were not as he had thought; it wasn't simply a case of a hothead accidentally interfering in his project.
However, this person was also quite cunning, and continued speaking.
"benefit?"
"Isn't it beneficial for you to avoid losses?"
"I'm not drunk yet," Zhang Yuan replied without a word.
The older brother also felt troubled, having never seen such a difficult young man.
"I have a suggestion, why don't we cooperate?"
“I’ve heard that you’re the person in charge of the film industry across the Taiwan Strait.”
"And this company also plans to go public."
"How about we, Dingfeng, invest and find underwriters to guarantee your company's successful IPO within a few years?"
Zhang Yuan sneered inwardly.
Hey!
I asked you to give me benefits, and now you're turning around and trying to take advantage of me?
Given the current state of film production across the Taiwan Strait, I've turned down numerous securities firms and investment companies that wanted to get involved.
Those who are eager to go public are usually those who can't make it and plan to make a quick buck and run away.
I'm doing fine here, what's the rush?
There's no need to "invite the wolf into the house."
Therefore, he expressed his meaning quite frankly.
"The film industry on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is not short of money."
"We're not in a hurry to go public."
"And I believe that with my abilities, it's only a matter of time before the company goes public."
"The investment and assistance you offer are not helping me, but helping you and your clients."
"Moreover, you told me not to invest in South Beauty, so if I use the saved funds to invest in Cross-Strait Film Industry, I won't need any external financing at all."
You said you wouldn't let me invest in South Beauty, but I'm not short of money.
If you want me to be short of money, you have to make me invest in South Beauty.
The one-track mind has become blocked at both ends.
After hearing this, Mr. Li scratched his head.
What you said makes so much sense, I can't argue with it...
"Mr. Li, I have filmed a lot of movies and read a lot of scripts over the years."
"Some of them are fantasy, and in Xianxia (fantasy/martial arts) scripts, there are often plots of possession and resurrection."
"Financial capital is the same; it often does this kind of thing."
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but as a friend, I should warn Wang Xiaofei to be wary of this situation.”
Mr. Li's eyes widened in surprise.
This guy is different from that mother and daughter.
Where is the real muddle-headedness? You country bumpkin!
This person is pretending to be ignorant when they know the truth.
And was he threatening me when he said that?
If I disagree, will he then remind the other person?
"Mr. Li, I don't know if you've seen director Jiang Wen's film 'Let the Bullets Fly' from last year."
"Master Huang inside said that it's a pity that all that silver is being distributed to the poor."
That's how capital thinks, so most stock market investors shouldn't even think about making money. Even Huang Silang would feel it's a pity if he could make money for you.
"In my eyes, the two bosses of South Beauty are just poor people."
"Some things are better given to us than given to them."
"What...is what you're talking about?" the man asked.
……
The next day, Zhang Yuan got up and did a set of boxing to sober up.
I'm in a good mood because I've reached an agreement with Dingfeng.
Both parties agreed that Zhang Yuan would not participate in South Beauty's subsequent financing plans, but the other party would give him sufficient benefits.
This benefit is acceptable to the other party, so it's a win-win situation.
Trick or treat.
If you give him sugar, he won't launch missiles.
He was drenched in sweat from training, his body steaming in the already chilly morning air of the capital.
As she accepted the towel from her assistant, she also took her ringing cell phone.
"Hey, Yuan-ge."
"I told you, just call me by name," Zhang Yuan replied politely to the greenhouse that had called him.
“I’m used to it.” The other person’s tone was somewhat “humble.”
"what's up?"
Do you miss my family's wine or dishes?
"You said it, I wish I could come to your house to eat every day."
"Welcome, I wish you could come every day." Zhang Yuan noticed the change in the other person's attitude.
After the last meal, this person's attitude became somewhat awkward again.
This is an innate personality trait; some people are hesitant and indecisive in their actions, while others are exceptionally decisive.
What's ingrained in one's bones is hard to change.
Therefore, he was not in a hurry and adopted a gradual approach.
The other party said they wanted to finish what they were doing at Sohu first, to see things through to the end, and he fully supported that.
At worst, we can postpone our plans for him for a while. We must not push him any further, or things could easily go wrong.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he loosened the reins, someone helped him spur the horse on.
Because the wife working at the greenhouse had already resigned, and Sohu processed the paperwork immediately, letting her leave that same day.
They have already begun coordinating with Zhejiang TV on matters related to "The Voice of China".
The greenhouse owner's wife had just left when he received a meeting notice from the human resources department.
He was asked to write an investigation report, explaining who he had contacted privately, what he had said to them, and whether he had leaked any company secrets.
Lock him in his office and don't let him leave until he writes something.
Anyone who has worked knows that HR is the worst at handling human resources.
Those who excel at fighting and tormenting others are masters at this profession.
It's not that they're inherently bad, but if you do this job, you have to do these "dirty things" for the company and the boss.
That's why we pay you a salary.
If it were Zhang Yuan, he would definitely push the table away.
I'm not going to write it, so what?
What business is it of yours what I do outside of work?
The person in the greenhouse, though a little less enthusiastic, actually wrote it.
I'm thinking that if I tell the truth honestly, no one will get angry.
All he knew was the saying, "Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely."
However, they did not understand that each sentence has an appropriate context and scenario.
You can only be lenient if you confess when others have solid evidence of your crimes.
If you haven't even grasped it, why should I confess?
Just because you say this villa is mine, does that mean it's mine?
But the greenhouse is the kind of place where if you open the refrigerator and see it stuffed full of money, you'll start crying your eyes out.
As a result, after HR received the "investigation report".
"So you finally admit this is your refrigerator?"
They immediately used the document he wrote himself as evidence to fire him.
They didn't take his work badge or access card that day, and they didn't even give him a cardboard box.
The cleaning lady gave me a trash bag, and I packed my personal belongings into it and took them home.
Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "With your mentality, no wonder you only have one wife..."
At the same time, I felt that I had experienced what the Eighth Route Army had back then.
We have no guns, no cannons, the enemy will make them for us.
I am inherently kind, but unfortunately, the person opposite me is the "transportation captain".
I was thinking of taking it slow and letting the greenhouse handle the aftermath itself.
Unexpectedly, he still underestimated Zhang Chaoyang's character.
He immediately understood; after coming into contact with him, he had already felt that Dapeng was a traitor.
Now, "evidence has been found."
He looked like a hammer, and everyone looked like a nail. Cao Cao saw everyone as a traitor, and Guan Yu saw everyone as a potential traitor.
People observe the world from their own perspective.
Someone as confident as Zhang Chaoyang will find a problem even if you don't, and then prove his point to ensure "I am right".
Besides, there are a bunch of people below him helping him find problems.
Just like how Teacher Guo would always attribute any problem he encountered at work to "my colleagues harming me".
Many young artists are the same; when they have poor acting skills and are criticized online, their first reaction is that someone hired trolls to attack them.
You can't just admit that you're incompetent.
Zhang Chaoyang would not admit that the departure of talent was his own problem.
Then it can only mean that you will all betray me.
I am innocent; you are all villains!
Zhang Yuan had to exert a lot of effort to hold back his laughter.
Although he is very professional, there are times when he can't help himself.
"Cough cough cough, what should we do then?"
"That's really unfair."
"As the saying goes, even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains; if goodwill is lost, the deal is definitely not going to happen."
"Well, all good things must come to an end anyway."
What's your opinion?
"I'm still grateful to them for giving me this opportunity, after all, I had nothing when I first started out." Da Peng's words were at least somewhat conscientious.
He didn't criticize his former employer either.
“Okay, how about we find some time to go and meet the owner of Youku together?”
"Let's discuss what to do next."
"What the hell is this? The yellow earth doesn't bury people, you can live anywhere."
"Okay." Dapeng felt a little relieved after hearing him say that.
I'm afraid that if Sohu offers him a job, Zhang Yuan will become ambiguous and not want him anymore.
That would be the end of us.
Now that I think about it, at least Zhang Yuan still has a good relationship with his master, Teacher Zhao, and they are quite close.
"You should think about what you want to do first."
"I want to act, especially after I've acted in stage plays, movies, and TV series in recent years, I want to act even more."
"No problem, you're very capable. Think about the idea first, and I'll figure out the team."
This guy is similar to Xiao Yang; besides singing, all he wants to do is act.
Actually, I still want to be in the spotlight; I don't want to just work behind the scenes.
Let him figure it out himself; Zhang Yuan's already good mood improved even more.
Good news from heaven! Thanks to the enemy for sending me a giant rocket.
Before my sweat has completely cooled down, I quickly went to take a shower.
After soaking for a while, I personally used the medicinal herbs I bought, following Master Yu Hai's recipe, to make the medicinal wine and seal it. It will be ready to drink in a while.
"Brother Zhang Yuan, there's a letter or package."
"what?"
Upon hearing this, he was reminded of the anonymous letter from before.
Feng Xiaogang is looking for me again?
This time was different; the letter was mailed, and the envelope was quite thick.
It has an address and zip code, completely different from the previous "anonymous letters".
"It says it's for you," the assistant shrugged.
"Okay." He took it and tore it open.
Inside were two separate small envelopes.
I opened one of them and found a stack of photos inside.
The subject of the photograph was a large group of ordinary-looking men, not just one.
"what?"
He didn't recognize the people in the photo, and judging from the way it was taken, it looked like a candid shot.
With a puzzled look, he opened another envelope.
It also contains photos.
However, when Zhang Yuan saw these photos, his eyes narrowed.
These photos are all of women.
Yang Mi is currently filming.
Liu Shishi is eating.
Li Xiaoran was also singing karaoke.
The last picture shows Cheng Hao performing on the stage of a drama.
Zhang Yuan aligned the photos and placed them aside.
Turning the envelope over, I saw the words "To Zhang Yuan" written in large characters.
The signature is Zhuo Wei!
"Brother Long..." Zhang Yuan called out subconsciously, only to remember that he had sent the other party to Hengdian to assist Shu Chang.
"Hey, Brother Qian, where are you?"
He picked up the phone and called Qian Yiqun, another senior executive at the security company.
"Okay, it's fine in the capital. Come to Fuyuan Hutong right now, it's urgent."
It took about an hour for the other party to rush over.
He knew the traffic in the capital, so he didn't blame the other party.
As soon as Brother Qian entered, he became cautious upon seeing the boss's expression.
It looks terrible!
"what's up?"
Do you recognize the people in these photos?
He took the envelope containing the letter from a stranger and handed it to the person.
Brother Qian looked at them one by one, frowning from time to time.
"I know them, aren't they all our people?"
Are you sure you're from the security company?
"Not all of them. Some of them are not employees, but temporary expatriates. I have met them all."
Zhang Yuan fell silent, sat in the chair, and bit his thumbnail as he pondered for a while.
"Are these guys all sent out to keep watch on people?"
"Yes, our company has other work, and it's impossible for everyone to be sent abroad."
"Where did these photos come from?" Brother Qian had a very bad feeling.
"The person you've been keeping an eye on sent this to me." Zhang Yuan looked at the other party with a cold glint in his eyes.
"I'll go find out what's going on right now..."
"No need," Zhang Yuan shook his head.
"We'll deal with this internally later; we have other things to do right now."
He tapped the table with his knuckles.
This is blatant provocation!
Zhuo Wei told me that he knew I had someone follow him.
He also told me that he had found out which women I was involved with.
Although not all of them, there are still quite a few.
This is enough to stir up a media storm.
"Boss, I'm here." At this moment, another female voice came from outside.
Yang Siwei was also urgently summoned by him.
Zhang Yuan tossed another envelope to her.
"Zhuowei sent it to me."
"Ah!" The fat woman was startled after reading it.
"Li Xiaoran and you too..."
Zhang Yuan: ...
Did I tell you to gossip?
"Stop talking nonsense. I brought you two here to discuss how to handle this."
"First, we need to figure out what the other party wants to do."
"For the money!" the two said in unison after exchanging a glance.
"Perhaps."
"What's the situation with the recent contact between you and Fengxing Studio?" He looked at Yang Siwei.
"We've been talking, but they haven't given in at all."
“We have already set a very high price, just like the lawyer said before, and given the actual price.”
"But the other party kept stalling. I thought it was because the price wasn't right and they were too greedy."
"Sending photos now, are you trying to tell us that he has leverage?"
"To use this as a way to drastically raise prices?"
"Possibly." Zhang Yuan nodded.
To prove their "ability" and then use that to make money.
"But if the other party does that, wouldn't it become extortion?"
“We can definitely get him in there, and he’ll get a long sentence.”
"Okay, let's go in this direction."
"Contact a lawyer now and handle this confidentially."
"Everything should be done according to the Zhou law."
"Okay, I'll take care of it right away." The fat woman understood the seriousness of the matter and planned to drop everything else and do this first.
"Brother Qian, go and inform the brothers."
"Keep an eye on it, don't back down, and continue doing what needs to be done."
"Then we'll find a new batch of people."
"I understand, one is fake and the other is real."
"Okay, let's leave it at that for now." He waved for the two of them to go and handle it.
He then rested his chin on his hand and began to think silently.
But this silence only lasted for about ten minutes.
Yang Siwei, who had just left, rushed back in a hurry.
Seeing her expression, Zhang Yuan felt as if she had encountered some earth-shattering event, her eyes filled with fear.
"what happened?"
"Boss, look."
She handed over the phone, which was open on Weibo.
The screen displayed Zhuo Wei's homepage, which featured a new Weibo post he had just made.
The content is...
"The scandalous romantic history of a top-tier celebrity is astonishingly rich."
"For more details, please follow the official Weibo account of Funshion Studio."
"See you Monday!" (End of Chapter)