Chapter 1679
Green Skin
Upon seeing the fat man and the thin man, Zhang Yuan immediately knelt down.
He wasn't given any room to react.
He was quick-witted and immediately reached out to pull him away.
But the other party insisted on going down to the ground.
Deng Chao and Tong Dawei were both startled.
What is that?
In the blink of an eye, the two people who were just talking and chatting are now on the ground?
What are you doing?
The two almost dropped the burritos they were holding in fright.
Zhang Yuan's face darkened, and he felt displeased.
Without giving a single word or explanation, he suddenly knelt down.
What are you going to do?
He doesn't even need to think about it; it's bound to be bad news.
Moreover, looking at this scene, he felt a sense of familiarity.
I feel like I've seen this somewhere before...
Hey?
Did Wang Hui do the same thing a few years ago?
She is also from Tianjin.
If you want to settle things now, either kneel down too, we'll even things out, and neither of us will owe the other anything.
But why did I kneel down in front of a few strangers?
Otherwise, you have to go along with what they say and ask what it is about.
Zhang Yuan didn't want to take any of the routes; he wanted to just stand up and run away.
He even made the two of them pay for his food.
But he thought about it.
He first looked at Brother Long who was following him, gave him a wink, and gestured towards the outside of the shop.
Brother Long knew what was going on, so he went out.
Your opinions don't count; it's up to me to decide.
Immediately, he feigned panic and continued to reach out to help her up.
The two wanted to sit down further, but they felt like prizes in a claw machine, easily lifted up by the machine.
The fat one was alright, but he was pulled so hard he stumbled and almost lost his balance.
Being thin, Zhang Yuan used both hands together without distinguishing between large and small forces.
He pulled him up, and both feet left the ground. He had to jump a few times to regain his balance.
He forcibly interrupted their "confused kneeling plan".
Superpowers still work.
"Gentlemen, it's not New Year's yet."
“Besides, you two are of high seniority, there’s no need for such a grand ceremony.” Zhang Yuan stood up and invited the two to sit down.
"Well..." Deng Chao realized what was happening and, quick-witted, seized the opportunity to slip away.
"Since you fellow disciples are gathered together, we won't disturb you any longer."
“Yes, yes, yes…” Tong Dawei echoed.
Deng Chao was quite sensible; he made sure to take him along when he made his escape.
"Okay, you guys go back first. See you on set tomorrow," Zhang Yuan agreed.
It's easier for me to act now that they're gone.
"Gentlemen, now tell me." He leaned forward with a sincere expression and said softly, "Why did things turn out like this when we were having such a pleasant conversation?"
The fat man and the thin man looked at each other, and then the thin man opened his mouth.
Zhang Yuan glanced at him and felt that the fat man was the one in charge.
"You're a big star, you don't know the hardships we crosstalk performers face."
"Yeah, it's too hard," the fat guy next to him said in a simple voice. He was so fat that his breathing sounded like a pig grunting.
"It's a small team, and we don't usually have much work."
"I just take on odd jobs at temple fairs, which don't make much money."
"There's not enough to eat or drink, and my wife and kids are screaming with hunger."
"Please, senior brother, save me!"
Zhang Yuan understood; the primary goal was to make money.
They say they'll give you money now, but they'll demand it every day from now on.
Besides, why should I give you money for no reason?
So you can't speak up yourself; you have to ask them what they want.
"I don't understand what you mean by rescue."
"I've never heard of anyone starving to death in our country's big cities. If there's not enough food and drink, there are minimum living allowances and government assistance."
"Are we men eligible for welfare?"
"Yes, I can't afford to lose face like that!" The fat man slapped his cheek, and his fat jiggled three times.
"You two aren't from Tianjin, are you? You sound like old hands from the capital..." Zhang Yuan's gaze swept over the two men again.
I can barely understand a skinny person saying they can't afford to eat, but who would believe a fat person like you who's this fat?
"We just want to make money by performing, to earn a living through our skills."
"After studying for so many years, it's time to rely on your skills." The two of them echoed each other.
"How do you claim to rely on your abilities? If you do, why are you looking for me?" Zhang Yuan continued to feign ignorance, asking questions without answering.
"You are a celebrity in our industry."
"Yes, celebrities!"
"You should help those of us in the same industry."
"How can I help?" he asked again.
“You have a crosstalk club, so we can perform crosstalk too.”
"We've long heard that you're public-spirited and righteous, and we're sure you won't let us down."
"Oh, you want to make money by performing crosstalk?" Zhang Yuan pretended to suddenly realize.
"It's a coincidence. I had discussed with Mr. Guo before that we thought that promoting the art of crosstalk should not only be done in China, but should also be developed overseas."
"Start with the nearest locations, like Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, and open branch offices there."
"We are short-staffed."
"You've come at just the right time!" Zhang Yuan clapped his hands in delight.
The two of them stared wide-eyed.
Sending us to a place like this?
Are you going to perform crosstalk or eat kidney?
"Senior brother, please don't joke around."
“Hey…” Zhang Yuan interrupted, “I thought it was wrong just now. I’m not that old, why would anyone call me ‘senior brother’?”
"Just call them by name. In the world of martial arts, seniority is hard to determine."
The two understood; he was trying to distance himself from the situation.
I'm not taking advantage of you, and besides, what right do you have to call me brother?
"No matter what you think, we still acknowledge you."
"Correct."
As the saying goes, a person is less valuable away from home.
“Our Tianjin is a hometown of traditional folk arts. If you want to buy property, you should come here.”
"Oh..." Zhang Yuan seemed to understand somewhat.
"Boss." At this moment, Brother Long returned, holding one person with one hand and locking the other person's hands behind their back, making them hunch over like a shrimp, twitching in pain as they were escorted in.
*Thud*... Brother Long threw something onto the table—a camera.
Zhang Yuan took it, glanced at it, and flipped through the memory card.
There are about ten photos of Zhang Yuan sitting and the two of them kneeling, all taken very clearly.
They also brought along those two unlucky guys, Deng Chao and Tong Dawei.
The fat man and the thin man were shocked at the sight, but quickly composed themselves.
"I think the surname of Mr. Guo's previous business partner in Tianjin was... Xie."
"What's your relationship with that Boss Xie?" he asked the person being held down with a smile.
"I don't know him..."
"Alright then." Zhang Yuan didn't seem to care and remained calm and composed.
Let me guess.
"Boss Xie, or someone else, have you two come find me."
"Let him film me." Zhang Yuan clapped his hands: "You guys worked together well."
"As the saying goes, poverty breeds cunning, while wealth breeds conscience; I've seen it all today."
Zhang Yuan had a bad feeling when he saw the two of them kneel down.
If someone takes a picture of this...
It's absolutely impossible to explain!
What if they say I hit someone or forced someone to kneel?
Anyway, there are pictures to prove it, so people can make up whatever they want.
What you fear most is what happens. As a celebrity, this is what he fears most, so not only does he know it, but others do too.
He figured that since the two of them had just mentioned wanting his financial support, they were simply asking for money to reopen the crosstalk club. It was probably because their previous partners in Tianjin had made too much money and weren't satisfied.
Human greed is limitless.
Mr. Guo and his wife, both natives of Tianjin, returned to their hometown to open a crosstalk troupe, and due to limited energy, they adopted a cooperative model.
As a result, he was ripped off by his fellow villagers and hurriedly closed the shop and fled.
About ten years later, Tianjin Deyun Society returned to the mainland under a direct-operation model.
Teacher Guo was able to manage things personally because her youngest son had moved back to Tianjin to study.
Successful entrepreneurs returning to their hometowns to invest only to be ripped off by locals is not uncommon; it happens every year, and every year it's the same mistake.
Ok.
Zhang Yuan nodded; he even somewhat approved of the other party's actions.
That's quite a strategy.
The two of them greeted each other with a "thank you for your hard work" greeting, trying to get on each other's good side, before suddenly doing something drastic to me.
In Tianjin, kneeling is called "playing the green-skinned scoundrel," and "green-skinned scoundrel" refers to a local ruffian or petty thug.
This tactic is especially effective on people who care a lot about their image.
It didn't work so well for Zhang Yuan...
In particular, elders boss around younger people, and older people boss around younger people, using ethical considerations to manipulate you.
At this point, if Zhang Yuan values professional relationships, even if he doesn't achieve his goal, he can at least gain some tangible benefits, so his kneeling won't have been in vain.
If he ignores you and doesn't show any leniency, then send me a photo of him being worshipped, and you can decide what to do with it.
They're still using the same old tricks, taking advantage of your weaknesses!
For a star as big as you, with so much money, losing money to avoid trouble is nothing.
This is called using force when soft methods don't work.
If you want to protect your reputation, you have to pay a price.
On our turf, you're bound to fall into our trap whether you want to or not!
Let alone now, this kind of scheme was common in ancient times as well. If I don't expose it completely, I'll consider myself soft-hearted.
"Alright, stop pretending."
Zhang Yuan waved his hand, signaling Brother Long to let go.
The man swayed before regaining his balance, his arms hanging limply, unable to straighten up.
My joints are numb.
"No matter what you try to pull, I won't buy it."
"Let's stop pretending."
“You need to understand one thing: you can’t even handle Teacher Guo, but we’re fellow students, do you think you can handle me?” Zhang Yuan chuckled.
After he finished speaking, those people showed no shame whatsoever, and instead spoke up.
"What kind of peers are they? They look down on others just because they come from a prestigious family."
"They're bullying people."
"Yes, someone was assaulted...a celebrity assaulted someone!"
The person who was secretly taking the photos started shouting.
But as soon as Brother Long raised his arm, this guy immediately shut up.
What is a hoodlum?
He's not a big hooligan or a real ruthless person, just a petty scoundrel.
"Is this the end, or do you want to continue? Give me an answer," he asked calmly.
The group got up and left, shouting as they went.
"Tomorrow all of Tianjin will know that Guo Degang bullies his fellow villagers, and his junior brother does the same."
"Hou Baolin's grand-disciple is bullying people by abusing his power!"
They left, hawking their wares.
“That means we should keep playing.” Zhang Yuan didn’t mind at all.
He has now learned to not let such trivial matters affect his mood.
The other party was clearly preparing to throw a tantrum.
As the saying goes, blocking someone's path to wealth is tantamount to killing their parents.
The emergence of Master Guo and Deyuan Society has actually affected the income of many crosstalk performers who are just trying to make a living, and there are countless people who hate Master Guo.
When Hou Yuewen was around, things were alright; he had someone to back him up. Now that his mentor is gone, his support is even weaker.
In addition, Mr. Guo is prone to offending people and has only average relationships with most of the celebrities in the Hou family.
People will do anything for money.
Teacher Guo suffered a loss when he withdrew from Tianjin; the accounts of over a million yuan were unclear and disappeared.
But they still felt it wasn't enough.
"Boss, check please." He waved and called over the shop owner.
"It's alright, I'll treat you." The person was being polite.
“No way, my principle is that you have to pay for your meal, no matter where you go.” Zhang Yuan reached into his pocket.
The boss accepted it with a smile, while muttering curses under his breath.
"They're all this kind of stuff, no wonder Tianjin is getting worse and worse," he complained in a local accent.
The shop owner watched the whole thing and was very disgusted.
On the way back to the hotel, Zhang Yuan gave orders to Brother Long.
"Bring all eighteen Arhats here."
This is a nickname within the security company, referring to those elite personnel who have undergone intensive training, including one he personally trained.
"Let's be high-profile. Tomorrow, we'll all be standing around the perimeter of the film crew."
"Okay." Brother Long didn't understand why it had to be so high-profile, but he agreed.
Zhang Yuan then took out his phone and called Jia Shikai.
"The publicity and marketing plan is quite good."
"I will review the reports in detail. Keep them up."
"We must maintain the level of popularity that the whole world knows about until the middle and later stages of the film's release."
"I don't want a hot film, I want the hottest film of the same period, or even the most popular imported film of the year!"
He issued very strict orders.
The other party replied in a tired, hoarse voice.
This guy keeps me so busy I don't even have time to sleep.
"Also, I have something else I need you to do."
"what?"
"Can't you hold on any longer?"
"No……"
"Just tell the truth."
"It is a bit difficult," the other party replied.
"Okay, I'll give you a week of paid leave after this busy period is over," Zhang Yuan said, offering a tempting incentive.
"But this matter concerns my personal acting career and reputation, so I only trust you to handle it." This provided encouragement.
Jia Shikai rubbed his temples. What should he do?
Let's do it!
The next day, on the film set.
"Are these all your people?" Deng Chao looked at the newly arrived security guards who had surrounded him.
They were all great young men, with strong physiques and eagle-like eyes.
"People from the company." Zhang Yuan looked at the group of people and raised his hand in a satisfied greeting.
"You can use these people for your future events and programs, but they won't be cheap."
Deng Chao felt he wasn't that precious, and it didn't matter.
Then I was puzzled.
"You've hired so many people."
"Those two last night, surely they wouldn't have gone that far?"
Zhang Yuan briefly told him what happened after they left.
This guy laughed after hearing that.
"Are you scared at times?"
"Afraid they'll cause you trouble again?"
"I thought you weren't afraid of anything."
Zhang Yuan shook his head after hearing this.
"I'm not afraid of such petty tricks."
"They should be afraid of me!" (End of Chapter)