Chapter 1664
Forgive and Forgive
"I haven't really had a chance to experience it yet."
"The climate when snowflakes bloom."
"If we tremble together, we will understand better what tenderness is..."
On stage, the diva, dressed in a bright red dress, sang her signature song, "Red Bean," using her unique breathy singing style.
Many people have sung this song, but even if you put them all together, none of them can compare to the original singer.
Because the song was designed specifically to suit her voice.
Wearing a mask and hat, Zhang Yuan sat in the front row watching the performance.
He can use the staff entrance to get the internal tags.
But since even I, the boss, buy tickets, people in the company who want to play tricks will have to think twice.
But... Old Wang was really hurting his wallet to sell those tickets!
The most expensive ticket costs over 5000 yuan, while most people in the country don't even earn 5000 yuan a month right now.
There are also scalped tickets, and the speculation is rampant.
Zhang Yuan calculated that Lao Wang's personal income from concerts was an average of 200 yuan per word.
This was calculated based on 23 to 27 songs per show, with each song containing several hundred to over a thousand words.
What does it mean to make money?
In the blink of an eye, they made several thousand dollars.
A single burp from a pop diva is enough to feed an ordinary family meat for half a month.
Zhang Yuan could clearly sense that Lao Wang's aura and voice had changed compared to when they first met.
The tone was as steady as ever, but the breath control was slightly weaker and the timbre was a little less mellow.
Even so, it is still better than most of its peers.
She's one of the few performers whose live performances and concerts are not too different.
As Zhang Yuan listened, he recalled the scenes from when he was filming in the cave of the Ancient Tomb Sect on the set of "The Return of the Condor Heroes".
In those difficult conditions, the two of them, soaking wet, sat by the stove, and he had heard this folk song before.
Memories are always especially beautiful.
The pain will fade, while the beauty will grow stronger.
Especially for people who are gradually maturing.
Zhang Yuan turned his head to look at Young Master Xie beside him.
He was also wearing a mask and a hat.
The only difference is that the masks and hats are larger and cover up more completely.
It can only cover the mouth and nose, but not the eyes.
An old saying goes, "The eyes are the seedlings of the heart."
Thoughts cannot escape the eyes, which is why good actors must have expressive eyes. Many fields of criminal psychology and micro-expression studies focus on the eyes.
At this moment, Xie Gongzi's eyes shone.
It is focused light, dedicated light, and emotional light.
Zhang Yuan had seen this light before, and in the eyes of several girls.
After taking a few glances, Zhang Yuan thought to himself that this guy was still easy to please.
They used to be at odds with me, even speaking through gritted teeth.
As a result, before coming to the concert today, I was walking with a bouncy and skipping gait.
He also carried several cans of iced cola in his bag to share with himself.
Sometimes, sometimes.
"I believe everything has an end."
"Parting and reunion both have their time... nothing lasts forever."
Old Wang on stage continued singing.
I wonder if the person on stage and the person off stage, after getting married and divorced, feel more and more empathetic towards these lyrics.
Although he still retains some youthful charm, he has ultimately aged considerably.
Marriage and children don't matter; if you're going to separate, you still have to separate.
Feelings are like fire; the more intense they burn, the more poignant they are when they die down.
"But sometimes I..."
"I'd rather choose to linger and not let go."
"When all the scenery has been seen... perhaps you will stay with me to watch the gentle flow of water."
Perhaps all relationships that last are not dramatic, but rather subtle and silent.
"Can you please stop talking!" Nicholas Tse turned around and snapped, interrupting Zhang Yuan's monologue accompanied by the lyrics.
"I'm just trying to encourage you."
"Who needs you!" Nicholas Tse said, pulling down his mask in annoyance and continuing to watch the performance.
The concert ended a little over an hour later.
No encore, Old Wang doesn't do that.
I'm getting older, and my physical strength isn't keeping up as well.
Just like Mr. Guo, when he first became famous, he held back and performed encores more than twenty times, determined to break the encore record in the crosstalk industry.
Now that he's older, according to Sister-in-law Qian, Degang's health isn't what it used to be.
Then they would no longer have such ambitions.
Like Jay Chou in his later years, he started to slack off.
Moreover, Wang Fei always sings live, unlike those contestants who only sing "partially" live, even with the microphone swinging.
Or, like Wu Bai, let the audience pay to sing your songs.
"Let's go backstage."
"I'm not going..." Young Master Xie hesitated.
“Since we’re already here,” Zhang Yuan said, uttering one of the four great rhetorical techniques of China.
I'll give Lao Wang a call while I'm at it.
"Hey, what's up?"
"You sang very well just now. I was there, did you see me?"
"If you didn't tell me beforehand, how was I supposed to see it?"
"I'm so tired after just stepping off the stage, I'm hanging up now." That's just how the diva is; he's used to it.
But if you use Faye Wong to hook Nicholas Tse, then hooking Faye Wong is even simpler.
Want to play cards?
Just those three words were enough to instantly rouse the diva, who had been half-dead and on the verge of death, from her languid voice.
"Give me half an hour to change my clothes and remove my makeup!"
tired?
Who's tired?
Playing cards after work is just like having an ice-cold Coke after a workout – the best feeling.
Of course, the result will most likely be the same as drinking cola after exercising – all for nothing.
All the money has to be spent.
Before he could even say who it was, the other party hung up.
I'm extremely anxious.
She said half an hour, and she meant half an hour; the diva was never late for playing cards.
"Where to go?"
"Hotel or home?"
"I haven't eaten yet!" Zhang Yuan complained.
"What do you want to eat? Just order a few bowls of wontons, we can eat them as we go." My older sister doesn't care about that.
"Let's eat first, chat while we eat, take our time." Zhang Yuan winked at someone to the side.
Old Wang's eyes were wide open, and only then did he notice a familiar figure to the side.
Nicholas Tse raised his hand and waved: "Long time no see."
"Yes."
"Shall we eat first?" Zhang Yuan asked again.
Old Wang rolled his eyes at him, not saying whether he would eat or not, but just saying the exact same thing that Nicholas Tse had said before.
"Who would need you?"
Or maybe you two are a perfect match, since you both treat me the same way.
Given the situation, we definitely have to eat first.
While eating, they talked about why they both lived in Shanghai.
"Doing business is really annoying," the diva concluded.
I don't know if she's talking about the two of them or about her ex-husband.
"What's my niece up to lately?" Zhang Yuan asked about Dou Jingtong, who is now a big girl.
"I went to Berkeley," the diva replied.
It's as if it's no big deal that their daughter went to a world-class music academy.
"You didn't even tell me. I would have gone to see her off and given her a gift."
Berkeley is located in Boston, Massachusetts.
It's the place where they pour tea leaves.
I don't go there much by myself.
He was the type to make conversation, trying to ease the awkwardness of their reunion.
Once the ice, which wasn't very thick to begin with, was melted, there was nothing more for him to do.
After dinner, the diva surprisingly announced that she wouldn't be playing cards that day and told herself to go home first.
They wanted to talk privately.
Zhang Yuan rarely became a third wheel, and he felt a little uncomfortable.
"Should I buy you Durex?" he asked Nicholas Tse with genuine concern.
In return, all I got was the word "get lost".
They don't know what's good for them.
He returned to the hotel grumbling and cursing.
Although I've bought quite a few houses in Shanghai, I don't live there often and don't even have toiletries, so I might as well stay in a hotel.
The next day, in the morning.
He and Nicholas Tse agreed to meet at the company.
"Yo ho."
He carried Shanghai's signature pan-fried buns, eating them as he waited.
I was full of energy, while the other person had dark circles under their eyes and was yawning.
He would stretch his arms and legs every now and then, looking quite tired.
"Are you exhausted?"
I didn't sleep all night.
"I didn't expect you to be so capable!" Zhang Yuan praised. "Get lost, we were just chatting."
"We talked about each other's situations and recent feelings, and shared a lot of insights about life."
"Just chatting?" Zhang Yuan scratched his head.
I usually chat afterward, if the woman still has the energy to talk and her voice isn't hoarse.
“Someone like you who has never been married and has no children wouldn’t understand,” Young Master Xie said, shaking his head slightly as if he were a wise and experienced senior.
This is just like love!
"I rely on!"
"They even packed it up."
Not only did she pretend, she also stole his pan-fried buns.
After eating and drinking well and regaining my strength, I went to the company.
The boss was notified in advance that he would be coming, and at 9:00 AM today, all employees arrived at their workstations on time; not a single one was late.
As the saying goes, you can't beat the diligent or the lazy; you can't beat the blind.
Being late on such a day is considered foolish.
Guo Fan deliberately got up from his workstation and moved to a position slightly forward.
He felt a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.
It's not exactly shocking, but not entirely terrifying either.
Zhang Yuan hasn't shown his face for the past few days, and he's already taken care of the company's top management, excluding the boss.
Moreover, the way the matter was handled was truly astonishing.
Despite earning a million-dollar annual salary, he acts all high and mighty most of the time.
As a result, Zhang Yuan's move was no different from crushing a chick.
They won't even have a chance to resist.
He also became cautious, reminding himself to be meticulous in his work and not to end up like that.
"Hello everyone, we don't come often."
"Many colleagues may not be that familiar with him."
"But it's okay, it won't affect everyone's work."
Zhang Yuan wore a business-like smile as he glanced at the crowd.
Several Hong Kong employees avoided his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
He also noticed that some workstations were empty.
It wasn't late; Guo Fan had told him beforehand that several Hong Kong employees had taken leave to go home.
Abbreviation: Run away.
They were terrified that they would end up in there too.
Casting a net to wipe out the company's assets is not an option, as the company still needs to operate.
He told Guo Fan it was nothing, and that he could just pretend he didn't know.
If someone takes too long a leave of absence, I can just send them a formal termination letter. I don't need to pay any severance pay, which saves me the trouble.
"Everyone should know what has happened in the last few days."
“I’m not going to hide it anymore,” Zhang Yuan said in a deep voice.
“Our company’s manager, Mr. Li, is disloyal and dishonest to the company.”
"There are major problems with finances and major negligence in work."
"We have transferred the case to the public security authorities, and the police are investigating."
"The facts are largely clear: he caused significant losses to the company, amounting to an astonishing sum."
At this point, Nicholas Tse glanced at him first.
Zhang Yuan said that when they mentioned transferring the case to the police, it was "us," not "me."
I took him with me.
Young Master Xie remained silent.
That's the benefit of appeasing him.
Several employees broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this!
I thought to myself, I should have just run away like those guys!
"Manager Li also confessed a lot of things and people while he was inside."
“It’s not just his problem,” Zhang Yuan said, glancing at several key figures.
He then took a brown paper bag from his assistant.
Snapped!
He slammed it onto the table.
"These are the documents he provided."
"Absolutely amazing!"
It's all over, it ......
This wasn't sweating, it was almost like I peed myself.
“But!” Zhang Yuan raised his voice.
"Both Mr. Xie and I are people who cherish old friendships."
"We have appealed to the public security authorities regarding the handling of Manager Li."
"We will agree to a settlement as long as he is willing to resolve the economic issues."
"And try to ensure that he does not end up in jail."
“We are friends and comrades-in-arms, and I don’t want my comrades to fall.”
What he said was quite moving.
Although he betrayed me, I am still willing to forgive him.
Understand the applause!
“As for the rest of the things and people!” he raised his voice again.
Each word struck the hearts of those people like a heavy hammer.
Many employees looked around.
Who?
Who has a problem?
Some were secretly excited.
After those people leave, I can go up!
Zhang Yuan patted the documents on the table, pausing deliberately for a long time.
Several people turned pale and were so nervous they felt like vomiting.
Only then did he beckon, and his assistant immediately stepped forward, holding an iron basin in his left hand and a large bag filled with dry ice in his right.
After the basin was thrown on the ground, the assistant stepped onto the table and covered the automatic fire sprinkler head on the roof with a large bag of dry ice.
Then, in full view of everyone, Zhang Yuan took out a lighter from his pocket, raised the document bag, and lit a corner of it.
He wanted to start a fire. The fire sprinkler system had a small wax release valve, so there was no need for dry ice to cool it down. Soon the office would turn into a waterfall.
He held the already lit document bag aloft.
"My decision and Mr. Xie's decision are still based on our feelings."
"Everything this time, just like this bag of documents, has vanished into thin air!"
"Let's leave it at that and forgive and forget."
After saying that, he threw the document into the stainless steel basin on the ground.
The employees stood on tiptoe and craned their necks to look at this small fire, which was even better than the Yiling Fire.
Well, I burned the "Records of Officials' Conduct," and everyone saw it.
I'm here today to reassure people.
Everyone thought that starting the investigation from the beginning would lead to a bloody storm.
In that situation, who would have the mind to work?
Only by making it seem like this is the end can I feel at ease.
At the same time, he did this for An Tingfeng's sake.
He will keep his word and will not use the law to pursue other people.
Those whose faces had turned pale just now regained their color as the ashes of the paper scattered.
"Alright, from now on, everything will proceed as usual."
"Get back to work, everyone.
He clapped his hands, signaling the meeting to adjourn.
The employees did not expect this outcome.
The boss compromised?
"Come on, let me introduce you. This is Director Guo Fan." He recently studied in Hollywood.
He led Nicholas Tse on an introduction.
After a few casual words, Mr. Xie realized that you wanted him to be promoted.
That's true. My buddy always thinks things through carefully before acting, and he plans out his options before making a move.
"Let's have dinner together tonight, everyone should come along," Zhang Yuan suggested.
Then twist the rope a little more privately.
"You look tired. Let's find a place to rest."
"Yes." Young Master Xie yawned and ran off.
He then went to Guo Fan's workstation.
"We'll move the office there tomorrow."
"Don't use the room of the person who was killed yet, it's too conspicuous, not good."
Zhang Yuan reminded him.
"Yes." Director Guo nodded.
"Also, I sent an email to your address."
"Remember to check your mail, but don't tell anyone. Only you should know."
"Also, don't leave any records at the company."
"What email?" Upon hearing this, Director Guo instinctively took a step back.
"It's the list that the person who went in gave up. I've sent it to you."
Zhang Yuan's nonchalant words were like a thunderclap to Guo Fan's ears.
Didn't you burn it?
They said they wouldn't hold past grievances against us...
"Once you get the list, you'll understand."
"Don't rush to do anything, just pretend you don't know."
"But keep a close eye on them. If anyone with a criminal record makes any further moves, you should notify me immediately."
"Gradually reduce their burden through regular personnel transfers."
"If you feel you don't fit in with the company, you should leave."
"It's a pity, but we should respect people's personal wishes."
I promised Nicholas Tse that I wouldn't pursue legal action against the rest of them.
But they only said they wouldn't pursue legal action.
If you know what's good for you, get out of here. If you don't, well, I'll just have to help you get out. (End of Chapter)