Chapter 1700
The Defendant
Cheng Hao looked at him with a completely bewildered expression.
What this grandson said makes some sense, but not much.
Something feels off.
What do you mean by "affecting the civil service exam"?
This could seriously affect my child's civil service exam preparation!
As a native of Shandong, Cheng Hao's DNA was stirred whenever he heard the words "civil service exam".
In fact, taking the civil service exam is just a general term; what Shandong parents really hope for is a permanent government job.
Not just civil servants, any kind of position is acceptable.
They believe that having a government-affiliated position is a secure job.
Like Cheng Hao, she can earn tens of millions a year as a star, but she still gives up some lucrative businesses in order to retain her positions at Beijing People's Art Theatre and Central Academy of Drama.
This is ingrained in my mind; it's how I was raised.
The birthplace of Confucianism, the tradition of "those who excel in learning will become officials" has lasted for thousands of years.
There are three unfilial acts, and the greatest of them is being unfilial. This is not just a saying.
No matter how capable you are, even if you make tens of millions in business a year, your parents will still ask you, "Is this stable?"
What if we lose money next year?
It's not as good as a government-affiliated job with a monthly salary of 3000; parents would be more at ease with that.
This is a true story.
Zhao Dandan wasn't a teenager anymore; every year when she went home for the Spring Festival holiday, her family would arrange blind dates for her.
This guy complains every time he goes back to Beijing.
What the hell is this?!
A street-level civil servant who only earns a little over 2000 yuan a month acted all high and mighty in front of me, and even shamelessly demanded that I stay at home to take care of the children after marriage and give up my job in Beijing.
The assistant thought to himself, "I earn in a month what you do in a year, and you expect me to stay home and take care of the kids?"
But her parents felt that her job with a salary of hundreds of thousands a year was unreliable, and that girls should settle down, get married, and have children.
No matter how much you earn in a year or how big a boss you are, when people of the same age eat together, the fish head is always oriented towards the civil servant with the lowest income.
She was also from Shandong, and that's how things are there, especially in villages and towns.
So Zhao Dandan wanted to go home every year before the New Year, but once she got home, she couldn't stay and wanted to run away.
I complain to him about the same things every time.
Even if you buy a house and a car for your parents, you are still accused of "not doing your proper job".
After all, only jobs with official government status can be considered "proper jobs".
Zhang Yuan listened with a smile, without saying a word.
That's why they say women in big cities don't like to get married.
It has nothing to do with how big the city is; it's about your knowledge, income, and abilities.
With so much work, personal hobbies, and dreams to pursue, where is there time to get married and have children?
Don't be fooled by the fact that everyone laughs at Shandong's civil service exams; in reality, the most competitive place for civil service exams in the whole country is Beijing!
Next are Guizhou, Qinghai, and Xinjiang—these three impoverished places.
People in less developed areas take the civil service exam to make a living, but in the capital, it's purely for those obsessed with officialdom.
When it comes to speaking and acting, one must address the root cause. Zhang Yuan found this angle to start his conversation with the other party.
My dear sister pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
"No, wait... can't you just behave yourself and not leave a criminal record?"
She even forgot how terrifying the "story" Zhang Yuan had just imagined was.
Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivial matters.
"The outside world is full of wolves and tigers. Do you expect me to deal with them weakly?"
"We have no choice but to confront them head-on," Zhang Yuan said with a serious expression.
"For someone like me without a powerful background, if I'm not ruthless enough, if I'm not more vicious than those self-proclaimed superiors, how can I compete with others?"
"They're only fit to be eaten!"
"As the saying goes, if my neighbor stores grain, I store guns; my neighbor is my granary."
"If you don't have a gun, you're just waiting to be robbed."
“That’s not what I was talking about.” She shook her head vigorously.
"You said before that you were going to... have an accident?" Cheng Hao recalled, and felt another chill.
"I was just saying, it depends on how the other party performs, there might be some surprises," Zhang Yuan replied calmly, as if this matter was less important than what to have for breakfast tomorrow.
"Can't there be absolutely no chance of accidents?"
"How could you do this?" Fear rose in Cheng Hao's eyes again.
Zhang Yuan crossed his arms and sighed.
Then he began to explain in detail.
"In 1928, Zhou Enlai issued the Three Prohibitions to the CCP Special Branch under his command."
"First, kidnapping is strictly prohibited."
"Secondly, it is forbidden to arbitrarily label and kill traitors."
"Three prohibitions: Eliminating enemy spies who are openly known to the enemy."
Although in period dramas, when spies are mentioned, they are mostly Kuomintang agents, especially the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.
The term "spy" has also been completely stigmatized.
In fact, the meaning of "spy" and "agent" is the same, but in the minds of ordinary people, they are completely different.
Spies are shifty-eyed enemies who sabotage the country; secret agents are like 007.
The actual word is neutral; every country and organization has spies.
More than a hundred years ago, our Party also had its own intelligence network, and it was quite sophisticated.
Not engaging in kidnapping is easy to understand, but not eliminating overt spies means not carrying out assassinations, especially against high-ranking enemy officials, such as the intelligence chief Dai Li.
Bald Man especially liked assassinations, as did other warlords and military thugs.
But the instructors and Zhou Gong were people who knew very well that assassination might be fun in the short term, but once it became a path dependency, the internal atmosphere would be ruined.
Just like how girls are used to working as hostesses to make quick money, would they be happy to go back to a regular job and earn several thousand a month?
If you get used to assassinations, you'll resort to this tactic for everything. Eventually, it will escalate to the point where you don't need a crime; if you're disliked, you'll just be secretly killed.
When doing great things, one must act legitimately and openly, rather than resorting to underhanded schemes and tricks.
That's why the Duke of Zhou personally issued the Three Prohibitions.
There is only one exception!
"If a traitor has a significant impact on our side, assassination can be used as an exception."
Great people are those with high moral standards, not those with moral fastidiousness.
If you dare to assassinate or abuse any of our important figures, we might make an exception for you.
"In summary, we must not resort to underhanded tactics when dealing with foreign countries, and we must strictly control our internal affairs. If a traitor appears, we may use extraordinary measures depending on the circumstances."
Zhang Yuan said, word by word, "That's what I think too."
"Whether it's Yu Zheng or the one now, it's the same."
"Externally, we can understand what the enemy does to us and how they act."
"But if my people dare to betray me and cause trouble, I will not hesitate to use any means necessary."
"This is my principle."
“But…” Cheng Hao found that she couldn’t argue with him, and his attitude was exceptionally firm.
Last time, I could have just left if I didn't accept it.
Which way do I go now?
My belly is so big, where am I supposed to go?
"Let me not talk about that with you now, let's talk about the child."
"I'm just asking you, how do I register the household registration?"
"How can you register your household registration if you're not married?" Cheng Hao asked, hands on her hips.
This has always been the case in our country; you need to bring your marriage certificate to register your household at the police station.
It was later changed that only a birth certificate is required.
As more and more single-child families have children, the lack of household registration will create a structural problem.
It's quite troublesome right now, but only for ordinary people.
"The household registration issue is easy to resolve." Zhang Yuan wasn't worried at all.
"If you want your child to have foreign citizenship, whether it's American or British, we can get it done. Just give birth there and that's it."
“However, I don’t recommend it. I don’t like my child being a foreigner,” Zhang Yuanxian said, rejecting this suggestion.
"Besides foreign countries, there is also Hong Kong."
“I can use my connections to get Hong Kong residency.” “That way, we can attack or defend as needed.”
"With Hong Kong residency, you can transfer to mainland residency. If you don't transfer and keep it, you can go to international schools for schooling in the future, and the score requirements for entering prestigious domestic universities are also lower."
"Moreover, it is more convenient for Hong Kong citizens to go abroad, and Hong Kong passports are more useful than mainland passports."
Even Hong Kong driver's licenses can be directly converted to driver's licenses in most Western countries without needing to retake the test.
Another thing that ordinary people don't know is that only residents of Hong Kong and Macau can hire Filipino domestic helpers in mainland China.
Filipino maids offer much better value for money than most domestic helpers!
Not only are they professional, but they also have low salaries and are exceptionally obedient and tolerant.
Unlike most nannies in China, who, after working for a long time, feel like family members, or even the head of the household, she is different.
Zhang Yuan's considerations were so thorough that Cheng Hao was stunned and speechless.
"I've consulted a lawyer, and in China, children born out of wedlock have full inheritance rights, which does not affect any of their rights."
"They also don't have to bear the debts of their biological parents, nor do they have a legal obligation to support the elderly."
"And it is not affected by the criminal record of the father's family. Even if I were to execute him, the child's political background check would still be fine."
Simply put, they have all the rights but none of the obligations.
Zhang Yuan didn't know who this law served.
He only knew that he was very suitable for the job.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Hurry up and spit it out!" Cheng Hao said, pulling him along.
"Shooting? That sounds awful."
She understood what Zhang Yuan meant.
Money and housing are provided without hesitation; everything is arranged clearly for everyone, from adults to children.
I just don't want to get married.
Zhang Yuan understood perfectly: how much money would I get for giving away the house?
Once the marriage certificate was issued, half of the assets were immediately divided.
Even if I get a prenuptial agreement, it won't help. I'm in the prime of my career. Even if I get a prenuptial agreement, any new assets generated after the marriage will still be considered marital property.
In gambling, you always lose half when you surrender; in marriage, you split the other half upon meeting. Who can stand that?
Milk Tea Girl has already started talking to Dongzi.
After getting married, Dongzi not only had a prenuptial agreement made before the marriage, but also took out an overdraft.
He received a lump sum payment equivalent to twenty years' salary as a group leader. After marriage, his annual salary at JD.com was only one yuan... The rest of his stock options and dividends were in his premarital assets.
There are a few fools who climb up from the bottom step by step.
Besides, it's not just one or two people in the industry who have been betrayed by their spouses.
At times like these, one must never act impulsively or rashly.
Your thinking must be clear.
What I give you, you can take; what I don't give you, you can't take... It's a matter of initiative.
Cheng Hao gritted his teeth in anger.
My heart was filled with mixed feelings.
"You're just bullying me, aren't you?"
"Look at me now, I'm too big to run away, so I'll just do it this way."
"That's not how it is, it's my personal choice." Zhang Yuan reached out and patted her shoulder: "Is this how I am in this situation?"
"I can assure you that I will never marry anyone in my life."
The older sister, panting heavily, forcefully slapped his arm away and then rolled over.
"go to bed!"
She lay down, puffing up her cheeks.
She has a tolerant personality, although she can get very angry.
But once you have children, you'll eventually start thinking about things as a family.
Zhang Yuan brought up the excuse of taking the civil service exam not only to persuade her, but also to give her a reason to explain herself to others.
After lying down, he was gradually pushed to the edge of the bed and barely managed to fall asleep on his side.
I'm just picking a fight with him.
"If you keep pushing me, I'll have to go to the guest room."
Only after saying that did he give up a little space.
I was dozing off for a while, and it took me a long time to fall asleep when my phone, which was on the bedside table, suddenly rang.
"So noisy!" The older sister nudged him with her hip.
"From now on, cell phones are not allowed in the bedroom. They emit radiation, which is bad for the children."
"Don't be superstitious, it's just some electromagnetic signals." Zhang Yuan didn't know what was wrong with her; she'd been talking in a very mysterious way lately.
"I'll go out and get it, okay?"
He got up and left the room, putting on a coat before heading to the study next door.
"what's up?"
It was Yang Siwei calling him. Zhang Yuan glanced at the wall clock; it was almost midnight.
He recently gave orders to the company's senior management because the IPO work is busy and very important.
You can contact me to handle any important matter, regardless of time or place.
The fact that they're calling me at this hour means something serious must be happening.
"The company received a lawyer's letter; I just saw it while organizing the documents." The other party sounded somewhat anxious.
"A lawyer's letter...is it about the company?"
"Correct."
How serious is it?
"It's very serious."
"Then bring your things to my house now. It's inconvenient for me to go to the office." He glanced in the direction of the bedroom.
They're having a disagreement, so it's best to stay with them.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
She hung up the phone quickly and set off immediately.
Zhang Yuan's face was ashen.
The roads were empty and there were few cars in the middle of the night, so I arrived in a hurry in just over half an hour.
Zhang Yuan took her directly to the study in the backyard to discuss the matter.
The other party handed him a document, which Zhang Yuan opened and examined under the desk lamp.
"Our company, acting as an agent, filed an advance lawsuit against Cross-Strait Film Industry on behalf of our client."
"Our client believes that he/she has been treated unfairly regarding the terms of the previously signed co-production contract."
"Your company coerced my client into agreeing to a solution that was far below market value and my personal worth."
"We hereby inform you that we will file the lawsuit with the Beijing High Court."
"And retain the right to publicly inform the public about this incident..."
A whole lot.
In summary, I feel I was cheated by the contract I signed before, and now I'm going to sue you!
I'm not only going to sue you, I'm also threatening you. If you don't handle this properly, I'll contact the media!
This is what it means to make things public.
Zhang Yuan understood immediately.
He glanced up at Yang Siwei.
I didn't ask her what she thought.
Only you can make this decision; you can't shift the responsibility to others.
"I see."
The troublesome part isn't just that someone wants to sue the company.
The troublesome part is the person who sued him.
The one who sent him the lawsuit was none other than Stephen Chow, the King of Comedy… (End of Chapter)