Actor: Thank you.

There are only four people on the table.

An entrepreneur, a famous director, a well-known artist from China and abroad, and a mistress...

Despite this, Zhang Yuan ended up at the bottom of the "hierarchy of contempt" among the people at the table.

He wouldn't even bother comparing himself to Wang Shi; Wang Shi was richer and had a more powerful background.

Zheng Xiaolong was a senior and highly respected figure, and Zhang Yuan would always deliberately adopt a humble attitude and flatter him whenever they met.

But that mistress never even looked at him properly after she barged in, which was a bit much.

Hey.

They thought that by seizing the "dragon head staff," they would become a phoenix.

There's nothing we can do.

Zhang Yuan knew that this person was capable of rising to power and would succeed.

So we still need to be careful.

It's common in the entertainment industry for people to act arrogantly because of their master's power.

Moreover, he could sense that the key to the problem lay with this woman.

Zheng Xiaolong pretended to look through the menu, but in reality, he kept glancing sideways at Zhang Yuan.

"Hello, Miss Tian," Zhang Yuan said cheerfully.

"I have read your work."

"Pang Haoxiang's 'Isabella'".

"It's a pity I didn't see you when the crew went to Berlin back then, otherwise we would have met long ago."

"Oh, that's a pity." Tian Pujun nodded, his double eyelids with a distinctly technological look squinting.

But she had no intention of talking to him much, and instead turned to Wang Shi to talk about his "heroic" performance while playing ball earlier.

The emotional value is full.

The reason Zheng Xiaolong didn't want to use her, besides her really bad acting skills, was...

This person is from Shanghai and was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama. He was in the same class as Wang Lei and Gao Lu.

This was one of the classes with a relatively low success rate in the early years of the Central Academy of Drama.

Because he was busy making money by shooting commercials and taking on events while in school, he missed too many classes and was expelled from the Central Academy of Drama.

So even though they have a professional background, they haven't really studied their major much.

After that, she went to Hong Kong to develop her career and got together with Wong Jing.

After playing a bunch of supporting roles, he didn't become famous and nobody recognized him.

Therefore, Zheng Xiaolong didn't think much of her professional abilities.

Another point is that Director Zheng doesn't like surgically enhanced faces.

Look at the characters in "Empresses in the Palace," they all have to make big facial expressions.

After plastic surgery, my face is stiff. How can I make expressions or perform?

This person not only got double eyelid surgery, but also a smiling lip and a highlighting apple-shaped face.

Zhang Yuan can't tell whether or not she's had breast augmentation; only Lao Wang knows.

What if someone actually likes touching silicone...?

In addition, she doesn't look like a "first wife," so she's really not suitable to play Zhen Huan.

Seeing that the other party wasn't paying much attention to him, Zhang Yuan realized that they must have found out something.

He must know he doesn't want her to be the female lead, so he's giving her the cold shoulder.

Therefore, the key to the problem lies with her, but the means to solve the problem lies with the "dragon head stick".

Zhang Yuan only made a tentative attempt; if you don't give me face, then I won't bother you anymore.

You'll give it to me on your own in a little while.

"Mr. Wang, I heard you're very passionate about extreme sports." Zhang Yuan looked at the two people whispering to each other.

"Ah..." Wang Shi simply nodded in response. Just as he was about to say something more, Miss Tian spoke again and gently patted his shoulder to attract his attention.

Zhang Yuan is now somewhat in favor of the Shandong tradition of not allowing women to sit at the table.

But he dared not say it in private, otherwise Cheng Hao and Fan Bingbing, those two Shandong women, would both make trouble for him.

I guess we'll have to move him to a small table for dinner.

Zhang Yuan snapped out of his daze and continued speaking.

"Mr. Wang, the Ho Ying Tung Sports Foundation holds charity racing events in Shanghai every year."

“I heard that you are very interested in sports and charity activities. You can come and visit sometime.”

“I can even arrange it for you if you want to play,” Zhang Yuan said slowly, resting his chin on his hand.

“Oh… Mr. Ho’s foundation.” Wang Shi was taken aback.

He was also from the South and knew the other party very well.

And there is business dealings, just not that much.

There's no need to go into too much detail about people of this caliber.

Zhang Yuanzhi said he could make arrangements, and the other party would know that he was definitely more than just a contestant.

"I don't have much experience with racing."

This time, no matter how hard Miss Tian tried, she couldn't get his attention.

Because when it comes to the Huo family, even if you don't go, you still have to answer properly to avoid giving anyone cause for gossip.

"Do you have a personal relationship with their family?" Wang Shi asked casually while sipping his tea.

“I’m quite familiar with Guo Jingjing,” Zhang Yuan replied discreetly.

"Isn't Guo Jingjing the diving queen?"

"After I started dating, I became much more famous," Ms. Tian said with a smile, but her tone was somewhat sarcastic.

This implies that Guo Jingjing also relies on men.

Hmph, aren't you just like me?

Zhang Yuan didn't even bother to look at her.

Can that be the same?

When Queen Guo ate at her husband's home, she always sat at the head table, and her father-in-law would personally serve her food.

What the hell are you...?

Even setting aside the halo of the Huo family, they are all top female athletes in the world of sports, and representatives of high-quality women.

You, who were expelled from school, have the nerve to compare yourself to others, and you even look down on them...

As expected, Lu Xun's essay "On the Fear of Public Opinion," written in memory of Ruan Lingyu, is without any problems.

"Although I am not as beautiful as Ruan Lingyu, I am more proper than her."

"Although I am not as capable as Ruan Lingyu, I come from a higher social class than her."

They always find a sense of superiority from some inexplicable angle.

They often try to drag the other person down to the same lowly position as themselves, and then try to exaggerate or fabricate some shortcomings to make a fuss.

But after she said that, Wang Shi immediately glanced at her.

Others may not know, but he is unaware that Guo Jingjing's ability to attend the old man's funeral indicates that her connections and position are basically secure.

If you talk like that, it will cause trouble if it gets back to other people.

Tian Pujun may be a bit of a jerk, but he's definitely not stupid.

She understood from just one look at the man, and immediately adopted a submissive, dependent demeanor.

“A capable person is capable wherever they go. Guo Jingjing truly deserves to be the pride of China,” she quickly added.

“If you’re not particularly interested in racing…” Zhang Yuan completely ignored the woman’s words and continued talking to Boss Wang.

“I have met Mr. Mateschitz of Red Bull Group a few times.”

"Red Bull has been involved in rowing, hang gliding, downhill biking, and skydiving."

After all, "Red Bull is the stage, so come if you're ready."

From the sky to the ground, there's no sport that Red Bull doesn't sponsor, as long as it's dangerous and exciting.

Red Bull: I play for real!

Wang Shi's eyes lit up at the mention of this.

Because he loves extreme sports.

In addition to climbing Mount Everest, he also participates in activities such as paragliding, hiking, and rowing.

It even set the highest paragliding record in XZ, which was not broken for many years.

Of course, it was built with money.

He himself isn't that strong, but he just likes this kind of thing.

But that's exactly what people fear!

It's not that great, but you enjoy it, that's what gets you most excited.

He gets excited when he talks about this, and he can't stop once he starts.

He talked at length about his sports experiences.

Tian Pujun couldn't even get a word in edgewise.

At this moment, the woman also noticed.

The male celebrity she often saw on television seemed to be more than just an entertainer.

In fact, what Zhang Yuan is doing now is similar to "Bai Zhi" in the traditional Chinese performing arts.

It's not "biaozhi". "Biaozhi" means to publicly accept disciples and announce it to the world.

"Bai Zhi" refers to a conversation between two crosstalk performers who, after meeting, discussed their lineage and explored each other's backgrounds.

You need to earn people's attention and cater to their preferences.

Zhang Yuan is doing just that.

Otherwise, how will you talk to them?

Wang Shi was very enthusiastic when talking about extreme sports, and even recommended a mountaineering team to Zhang Yuan, encouraging him to climb Mount Everest. He also said something like, "A man must complete 7+2 in his lifetime."

The so-called 7+2 refers to summiting the highest peaks of the seven continents and trekking to the North and South Poles.

Zhang Yuan, "willing to serve as an ox for the children," sought advice from the other party.

The so-called "asking for advice" is actually just giving him something to talk about so he can show off.

After all, I have a lineage of crosstalk performers, and I'm a professional at playing the supporting role.

"Ah."

"what?"

"Ouch!"

"So awesome!"

He was interested in Red Bull's extreme sports division.

Because foreign equipment is better.

Old Wang especially loves rowing.

"It's a pity, we're still a bit behind in China."

"I specifically went to Harvard to learn single-person sailing."

"However, this aspect is not valued domestically, and the equipment, technology, and personnel are also lagging behind."

“My mentor worked on the Sayonna and participated in the Australian Yacht Race in 98, which was very dangerous.”

"I'm so envious."

In the 98 Australian Yacht Race, due to an unexpected hurricane, only 46 out of 115 boats that set sail reached the finish line, resulting in 6 deaths and many more injuries.

"You're just asking for trouble by envying this..." Zhang Yuan was too embarrassed to say it, but he also sensed something.

The most famous aspect of the 98 rowing incident was that it almost killed a billionaire.

It's Larry Ellison, the owner of Oracle.

He also participated in the competition and almost died on the way.

This guy is a passionate rowing enthusiast who sponsors and participates in various extreme rowing competitions year after year.

Especially hydrofoil sailboats.

This thing is more expensive than F1!

The most expensive ship can cost up to 3 million US dollars!
Because this thing is a sailboat, but it doesn't float on the water.

Instead, it floats on the sea surface through aerodynamics, flying over the sea in a manner similar to skipping stones.

Ellison does this kind of thing.

And what he is most famous for is his "yacht race" with Bill Gates, where they took turns competing to see whose luxury private yacht was bigger and more expensive.

The two men built the boat to over 400 feet.

When it comes to boating, no one in the world can rival him.

In addition, he acquired Universal and Paramount, and supported Trump.

So when the Americans wanted to develop foreign goods, the acquirers "designated" by Trump were Ma Baoguo and Ellison.

Ellison is also a major investor in Musk.

Zhang Yuan was not satisfied with Wang Shi's attitude of constantly saying that things were not going well in China.

But that was a characteristic of people from that era.

In China, we don't really promote these "sky-high priced sports" much; we focus more on activities that ordinary people can participate in.

This is a difference in the underlying logic of their respective societies.

"Would Mr. Wang be interested in visiting the hydrofoil sailboat?" Zhang Yuan asked after thinking for a moment.

"Huh?" Even Wang Shi was surprised this time.

You have this kind of approach?

Because Oracle sponsors the Red Bull F1 team, and Red Bull also sponsors Oracle's sailing team.

These two reckless fools collided.

Wang Shi was certainly interested!

That's the most cutting-edge technological product in the world, a god among ships.

Like F1 race cars, these ships require wind tunnels to be built.

Foreign private enterprises have far more wind tunnels than those in China.

However, in terms of military wind tunnels, China is now more than ten years ahead of the United States.

Therefore, the US has a generational gap with us in terms of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

This is another difference in the underlying logic of two societies: the best resources in China are all in the hands of the state.

Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "Next time I go to the racetrack, I'll ask the Red Bull team for help in making some connections."

"Are you serious?" Wang Shi asked, his eyes wide.

"It should be possible, because Mr. Mateschitz of Red Bull is very familiar with the owner of Oracle Corporation."

If all else fails, I'll ask Carol Chu to help me contact Thai Red Bull.

"Great!" Wang Shi waved to the waiter to refill his water, and they clinked glasses and drank tea together.

"If you're really interested, please leave me your contact information."

"I'll go and talk to them. I'll call you back when I have a result."

"it is good."

That's how I got their phone number.

Everyone has their own preferences.

In terms of money, Zhang Yuan was naturally no match for them.

We must make the most of our strengths.

As the saying goes, arts and sports are inseparable, so it's quite reasonable for an actor to have some connections in the sports world.

Zheng Xiaolong glanced sideways, also shocked by Zhang Yuan's social skills.

It's not easy to have a good chat with a big boss, especially when there's a significant difference in status.

"Regarding the mountaineering team you mentioned, do you have connections abroad?" Zhang Yuan asked after putting away his phone.

"Oh, you're interested."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Africa, perhaps."

“Kilimanjaro,” Wang Shi replied immediately. “I went there in 02.”

"What a pity."

"The mountain peak is covered with snow all year round, but I didn't get a single snowflake that year."

"Because of this, I started to focus on global warming and the cause of reducing carbon emissions."

“The Snows of Kilimanjaro, right?” Zhang Yuan began.

"Yes, yes, you've seen it too!"

Zhang Yuan nodded. Hemingway's famous work is the reason why most people in China know about this mountain.

"If you want to go, I can connect you with a local mountaineering team."

"It's great that you can go mountain climbing at your age."

"Purify your mind, let go of restlessness, examine yourself, and realize how insignificant humans are in the face of nature." Wang Shi was almost moved by his own words.

Zhang Yuan: I just want to pick up girls, do I have to make it sound so high-class...

But it inadvertently touched a nerve with Wang Shi.

People with a strong fatherly air about them tend to be doting and know-it-alls.

When he met someone with similar aspirations, someone he had encouraged to "earn money to climb the mountain," Old Wang felt a great sense of accomplishment.

When talking about their hobbies, they lose track of time.

Zheng Xiaolong was getting a little anxious, glancing at his watch.

We talked for three hours without getting to the point.

Zhang Yuan didn't mention anything about filming.

"Ouch, tsk." Not long after, Wang Shi raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.

"We went too far with the conversation."

"I'm going back to the south for a meeting tomorrow, so let's talk on the phone."

After saying that, he was about to get up.

Zhang Yuan also got up and went to greet him.

"Mr. Wang, we hit it off immediately."

"The experience of climbing to the summit, in particular, was truly amazing."

"I would love to hear from you again."

"Maybe next time, maybe next time."

Wang Shi also realized that he seemed to have gotten a little carried away.

This also shows that this young man is extraordinary; he can make himself so engrossed.

"No need for next time, we'll talk on the way."

“I also happen to be going to the south on business,” Zhang Yuan replied.

"Never mind, it might not be on one plane."

“Mr. Wang is very tired and needs to rest in first class,” Miss Tian said, snuggling up to him and helping him with his coat.

"It's just an airplane, why are you emphasizing first class?" Zhang Yuan could only respond with an awkward laugh.

"It's alright, you can rest on my plane."

Tian Pujun tilted his head: Your plane... what do you mean?
Zhang Yuan: Today I'll let you stab my ass with a knife, just to open your eyes! (End of Chapter)