Chapter 1663
Understanding
Inside a high-end Cantonese restaurant's private room in Shanghai.
Zhang Yuan ordered a series of signature southern dishes, such as char siu, roast goose, seafood vermicelli, and steamed fish with black bean sauce, to cater to Tingfeng's taste.
As a result, this person became angry and refused to eat.
After stealing a few glances, Zhang Yuan understood what was going on.
Although Young Master Xie debuted early, to be honest, he started appearing in magazines and making public appearances right after he was born, so his seniority is incredibly long.
His life, from childhood to adolescence, from naivety to rebellion, from marriage to divorce, was all on camera.
But Zhang Yuan knew that those were just parts of his personality.
This person works very hard; any star who can maintain their popularity for a long time works very hard.
He's intelligent and not a bad person at heart.
However, it also has a major drawback.
He never truly shed his childlike side.
Back when they were filming "The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws", Yang Xue, who played Jiang Yuyan, was too lazy to pay attention to him, and Fan Bingbing would often tease him like she was coaxing a child.
Let's call it mature.
They've both been married and divorced, and have several children.
It only looks cooked on the outside, but it's still undercooked inside.
Half the time I'm pretending to be an adult.
"Okay, let's eat first."
"You need to be well-fed to have the energy to deal with problems."
He advised.
"I only eat with friends!" Young Master Xie turned his head and crossed his arms.
"I'm very hurt by what you're saying," Zhang Yuan said helplessly.
"We've known each other for so many years and worked together for so long. If we're not friends, what are we?"
"I've met your wife... ex-wife, and the children. I've even eaten at your house several times."
"If they don't consider me a friend, that would be a real shame."
He finished speaking and sighed.
"No matter what you think, I will always consider you a friend."
"And they are best friends."
"How can friends treat each other like this!" Tingfeng said indignantly.
“You could have told me first.”
"We'll handle it internally."
"But they called the police immediately!"
"Do you even consider me a partner?!" This guy wasn't satisfied with just speaking Mandarin, and in his haste, he switched to Cantonese.
Zhang Yuan replied quite calmly.
"I called the police precisely because I considered you a partner and you a friend."
"Because I know you are a kind-hearted person."
"At the same time, he has a major drawback, which is that he is easily influenced by others."
Zhang Yuan first praised and then criticized, which made Young Master Xie want to refute.
You're the one who's weak!
I'm rock hard!
I want to say something like a child refuting someone else.
But then Zhang Yuan presented an example that he found hard to refute.
"Back then, I was on the set of 'The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws'."
"You were easily swayed and listened to the bald man, which led to that accident."
Nicholas Tse: ...
Which pot does not open which pot.
You tell me, aren't you easily swayed?
If not, then you did it on purpose.
If it wasn't intentional, then you're just easily swayed.
"Hmm..." He could only lower his head slightly in dejection, but quickly said, "Let's talk about this now, don't keep bringing up the past!"
Mandarin communication has resumed.
"Then let's talk about now."
"This Mr. Li is a key member of our partner special effects company."
"He was the leader and the pioneer, who laid the foundation for the company's atmosphere and work tone."
"But there's a saying you should understand: if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too!" Zhang Yuan said, sitting up straight.
"Whether we're friends or not, you have to admit one fact."
"That's because he did something extremely wrong to this company."
"He disregarded the interests of the company and the collective for personal gain and failed to set a good example."
"It not only violated our expectations for establishing the company, but also caused serious economic losses."
"This cannot be explained away as negligence or carelessness."
"This was something he did on purpose, to harm other people in the company for his own benefit!"
"If such a person is not punished, he will not be able to win the respect of the people."
"And that won't quell my anger!"
Zhang Yuan said very seriously.
Since Young Master Xie arrived in Shanghai, he has never lost his temper.
Only now did a hint of anger appear.
“If I don’t handle it this way, Mr. Li will definitely come to you to plead for leniency.”
"And you would speak up for him out of consideration for our long-standing relationship and plead with me."
"In this way, our private feelings are satisfied."
"But what about the company?"
"Are you still going to hold the company event?"
"Others in the company will know that they have committed such a serious crime that they can get away with it as long as they plead with the boss."
"What will others think and do?"
"Then someone else will try to siphon money from the company and line their own pockets."
Nobody likes to hear grand principles, but if we don't explain them clearly, we can't resolve today's issues.
"Without rules, nothing can be accomplished."
“I know you, that’s why I did this, I don’t want you to be the bad guy.”
"The villain who, for personal reasons, threw the company into chaos and caused hundreds of people to lose their jobs."
"So I'll take the blame for this villain!" Zhang Yuan patted his chest magnanimously.
I'll take the blame, he can go and die.
That's the kind of man I am!
Young Master Xie fell silent for a moment after hearing what he said.
“I have checked the accounts from previous years, and the problem didn’t just arise overnight.”
"Moreover, Mr. Li has already confessed inside that he wasn't the only one taking advantage of the company."
“It’s a group of people, almost all of them… his men, they’re all doing it.” Zhang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then didn’t say “your people.”
"This company is mine, and it's also yours; you also own shares."
"This huge loss is also your loss."
"How to do?"
"Money can be made, but what about people?" He looked at Zhang Yuan with sharp eyes.
"Handle it according to the law," Zhang Yuan replied calmly.
"Let him serve decades in prison."
“He doesn’t care at all about the fact that he helped us develop the company.” Tingfeng’s focus wasn’t on the money, but on the person.
"I saw it, which is why I chose to resolve it through legal means rather than other methods," Zhang Yuan replied seriously.
Young Master Xie felt a chill.
He almost forgot that the person in front of him was a practitioner of the Great Cycle Technique.
Calling the police is already a very "mild" and "face-saving" approach.
Even if Old Zhu sentenced you to immediate execution, you should still thank him for his magnanimity, because he didn't exterminate your entire family.
After raising the upper limit, the other party seemed to think it was still acceptable.
The matter needs to be resolved, and Tingfeng came for this very reason.
After making his point clear and stating his position, Zhang Yuan began to soften his stance.
"I know, he's still your old brother."
"You can't accept seeing your brother working for the government."
"I was short-sighted on this point."
"You're only just finding out?" Young Master Xie pointed at him and said.
Zhang Yuan closed his eyes, as if he had been pondering for a long time before making a difficult decision.
"Like I said, whether you admit it or not, I consider you a friend."
"Since we're friends, I'll consider your feelings."
"How about this!"
“As long as he returns all the money he embezzled, I will sign a letter of understanding on behalf of the company.” “Let’s not escalate this into a criminal case; let’s find a way to settle this privately.”
"As long as he pays compensation, he won't go to jail, is that alright?"
"It's not just my money, it's your money too."
Upon hearing this, Young Master Xie's expression softened slightly.
"And I won't take legal action against the remaining problematic people, is that alright?"
Are you satisfied now?
The idea of helping those in the right rather than those in the right is ultimately an ideal state; most of the time, people tend to side with their relatives rather than with those in the right.
"Let's eat first."
"After you've eaten, go see that person again and tell him what I said."
"But we have to pay compensation, and we have to cover all the costs, without any discounts."
"You're not allowed to help him pay it back, and you can't lend him money!" Zhang Yuan added sternly.
Young Master Xie shook his head in dissatisfaction before picking up his chopsticks and hastily eating a few bites.
He immediately prepared to get up and leave.
"Don't rush."
"I have something else to tell you." Zhang Yuan stood up and pulled him to sit down.
"Let's get down to business. I know you're unhappy."
So I'm trying to find a way to help you relax.
"I'm having a concert in Shanghai in a couple of days. My company is the organizer, so we have front-row tickets."
"Let's go together and relax, okay?" Zhang Yuan said, coaxing a child.
Dissatisfied, Young Master Xie waved his arm and turned his head to the other side.
It's similar to the actions of a child throwing a tantrum.
If you're trying to coax a child, you should bring out toys, candy, or ice cream; they'll be all smiles right away.
But Nicholas Tse is over 30 after all, and he can't be swayed by these things.
So Zhang Yuan took out something else.
"Here you are, take your tickets, let's go together."
"No, I'm not in the mood."
"Go ahead, it's a rare treat to come to Shanghai."
"I'm not going!" Her attitude was quite firm.
"Tickets to Wang Fei's concerts are very hard to buy."
"I'll think about it..." Actually, I wasn't that determined.
Zhang Yuan "forcefully" shoved the ticket into his hand.
Just like a child who "refuses" a red envelope during the New Year, Mr. Xie declined three times before finally accepting it.
"I'm quite hungry, would you like some fried rice?"
After Zhang Yuan sat down again, he asked cheerfully.
"To judge whether a restaurant is good or not, and whether it has a high level of skill, you have to order the stir-fried beef noodles." Tingfeng's face was no longer pale at this moment, and he was willing to give his opinion on the food.
"I'm still eating sweet and sour pork..." Zhang Yuan added, following his lead.
He values relationships with friends, and he does the same with women.
Now he and Lao Wang are both divorced.
Young Master Xie has matured a lot, and his mindset is much more stable than it was a few years ago.
Old Wang, on the other hand, has become much more indifferent to life.
Zhang Yuan believes it's related to age and declining hormone levels.
In short, they've both matured, and it's only a matter of time before they get back together.
Let me help you speed things up!
Seeing him help to bring them together touched a nerve.
In addition, he adopted a stance of ending the company affairs there and made a significant "concession" by no longer pursuing criminal charges.
Their relationship naturally improved a lot.
What the other party didn't know was that Zhang Yuan had never intended to pursue a prison sentence in the first place.
What's the point of sentencing someone?
It might vent your anger, but it has no real effect.
Getting the money back is the most important thing!
I don't care how much you've done, I'll just accept the accounts.
You have to balance whatever amount is missing.
They also have to return all the salaries they've received over the years.
If it's not enough, you'll have to sell your house and car to pay it off. If you don't want to go to jail, figure it out yourself.
This is also why he resorted to legal means.
If we don't hold onto it, how will we get our money back?
What will I do if you run away?
At the same time, it was also to set an example for the company's Hong Kong shareholders.
I have ruthless methods, not just those underhanded tricks!
Ask yourselves honestly, can you handle it?
When the time comes, we'll detain you in mainland police stations and prosecute you one by one. Your Hong Kong identity won't be of any help.
But I also have a compassionate heart.
If you return the money and sincerely repent, you will receive my forgiveness.
Let bygones be bygones, we can still be good friends.
Give someone a brick and a piece of candy; when you're in a three-man team and one person is missing, you have to give them hope before they'll compromise.
I don't need it to work indefinitely, as long as it works until the company successfully goes public.
We'll deal with the rest later.
You can't get fat overnight; you have to take it slow.
Zhang Yuan was also helpless; this was a case of "what Xiao He achieved also ruined."
He was able to quickly build a sizable and capable company without any background or extensive connections, thanks to these Hong Kong bigwigs.
But the problem lies with these people.
Just like many business owners who made their fortunes with the help of relatives, those relatives often become a burden after they become rich.
These Hong Kong business owners all have their own independent companies, so their views differ from his.
For him, the film industry on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is his base and his core business.
But for them, it's more like a "union".
Their core business is their own small company.
Just like in early state-owned factories, it was considered normal for individuals to exploit the collective.
This involves a very serious issue.
Identity recognition!
Special effects companies also face this problem.
They only recognize their small piece of land as their hometown, and everything related to the mainland is just for making money.
After making money, you still have to take it back to your small plot of land.
Entrepreneurs on the other side of Taiwan share this idea.
This mindset is hard to change, and one can only try to limit it through various means.
I can't deal with film companies on both sides of the strait in the same way I dealt with special effects companies.
After dinner, Tingfeng and I went to Uncle Hat's place again.
Upon hearing the outcome, Mr. Li cried out that he was wronged, saying, "I didn't take that much money."
I can't produce it!
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Even without Zhang Yuanlai saying anything, Young Master Xie was so angry he almost kicked his old friend, who was wearing an orange vest.
"You're paid so much, yet the travel expenses aren't even enough!"
"Still greedy? You've fooled me."
"Fine, if you don't hand over the money, you'll go to jail."
"I'll have someone bring you some clothes."
"You'd better prepare to sleep on thatched roofs and wooden planks!"
Uncle Hat, standing to the side, wondered what he was talking about.
They're treating us like we're from the old society.
The prison conditions in our Shanghai are the best in the country.
Especially Tilanqiao Prison, which is specifically for economic criminals, has very good conditions.
Once inside, you might meet a bunch of former economic experts, former stock market gurus, and former listed company owners, and you can even exchange ideas with them.
But these words startled the man sitting in the confessional chair.
Images of terrifying figures from old Hong Kong films, created to defame mainland China, flashed through my mind.
It's not a big deal, just a few tens of millions. You can get that by selling a house in Hong Kong.
Zhang Yuan sat in the rest area, waiting for good news, without having to exert himself at all.
"It's settled." More than an hour later, Young Master Xie finally came out.
“He pays compensation, and we sign a letter of understanding together.”
"Once the money arrives, send him back to Hong Kong." Ting Feng's lips twitched with anger.
This is an old habit of his; he used to do this when filming.
"it is good."
Zhang Yuan nodded in agreement.
"Come with me to the company in a few days."
"Announcing this publicly will reassure the public."
"And incidentally, to set rules for everyone."
The ringleader has been executed, but there's still a group of accomplices who need "care." (End of Chapter)