Actor: Thank you.

After dinner, we went to a hotel near the film set.

Even though he didn't know where the film crew was...

It's a hotel, but it's only about 3-star, similar to a motel in a foreign country.

Zhang Yuan hadn't stayed in such an "ordinary" hotel in years.

Memories of my early days in the industry seem to be getting further and further away.

There was no sign of dissatisfaction, after all, I didn't come here to stay at a hotel.

"That's really stingy," Zhang Yuan remarked after looking around.

"This is actually quite good." At this moment, the assistant stepped forward, his eyebrows furrowed.

"The four of us, including Brother Long, were assigned to one room."

"Where will you stay?"

"We've visited so many film crews, and this is the first time we've encountered something like this." The assistant was completely baffled.

"During dinner just now, that Mr. Jiang was still bragging..."

"They say this film cost over 100 million US dollars to make."

"With so much investment, how come the accommodation is like that of a ruthless miser?"

"Hey," Zhang Yuan chuckled, "You just don't understand."

"First of all, how much to invest is just a number, something to talk about casually."

"Actually, even if there is such a large investment, who says that it all has to be spent on filming?"

Ta-da... Just as Zhang Yuan was about to explain the trick to his assistant, someone came looking for him.

"Who is it?" The assistant went to open the door, and the person who came in was Rao Xiaobing, the photography director who had greeted the two of them at the beginning.

"General Manager Jiang suggested that we chat about the play together and get to know each other better."

Damn it... Zhang Yuan glanced at his watch; it was already eight or nine o'clock, and they still had a meeting.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” Zhang Yuan readily agreed, appearing quite pleased.

He turned around and spoke to his assistant.

“Go tell Brother Long that I’ll personally keep that guy in check.”

"Let them take this opportunity to thoroughly search the entire hotel and find out where everyone is."

"At the same time, figure out the 'escape route'."

"Enter the village quietly, don't fire your guns, understand?"

The assistant nodded vigorously and went to get busy.

He then went himself to brag to those guys.

Zhang Yuan could tell that they wanted to win him over.

After all, his food and lodging were just average, so I wanted to give him some "talk therapy".

It's nothing more than "Our show has a bright future."

"Don't be fooled by the current ordinary conditions; it will become a huge hit and famous all over the world in the future."

Zhang Yuan was all too familiar with this kind of nonsense.

He never talks about these things with his subordinates.

Dogs are fed leftovers, wolves are fed meat.

The truly outstanding people are not easily fooled by a few words.

Unless you're someone who's greedy and obsessed with money.

Brother Long is proceeding according to plan and will send him text messages to update him on the situation as needed.

"Xiao Zhang, have a cigarette."

As soon as Zhang Yuan sat down inside, Mr. Jiang opened a colorful cigarette case and tossed him one.

At that time, there were no regulations restricting exorbitantly priced cigarettes; the document was not issued until 12 years later.

However, in 08 and 09, local officials were reported by netizens for smoking exorbitantly priced cigarettes.

The older generation loathes the internet age, partly because they believe netizens are troublemakers who are always complaining.

Then why don't you stop smoking expensive cigarettes and wearing expensive watches?
No way! I've studied hard for years and finally achieved academic success, all for the sake of enjoying myself...

Zhang Yuan glanced at the limited edition "He Tianxia" in his hand. A nouveau riche boss is a nouveau riche boss; every move he makes exudes a rustic charm.

He then began to talk about his original intention and wishes in making movies.

This film, "The Mermaid Empire," is full of bizarre elements.

The most bizarre one is this investor.

Because he wrote the script for the film himself!

This guy has no formal education and has never studied, but he still manages to write his own screenplays.

He claims to have watched over 4000 movies and wants to make a Chinese version of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Zhang Yuan did the math: with over 4000 movies, watching one a day would take 15 or 6 years.

This Mr. Jiang is really very busy.

But this was just the beginning of the bizarre phenomenon. There's a reason why "The Mermaid Empire" is remembered in Chinese film history despite being so terrible.

Before filming even started, this guy had already begun buying articles and promoting the film.

They buy not only domestic products, but also foreign ones.

He bought news in the Boston Times, claiming that he had been writing tirelessly for a year to complete this "masterpiece".

The film was promoted starting in late 07, and initially it was said that the female leads would be Monica Bellucci and Sharon Stone.

Later, Sharon Stone was blacklisted for making inappropriate remarks at a film festival, and this person came forward to say that he had therefore firmly excluded her from the casting list.

It's basically just "hunting enemies out of thin air"; nobody even knew they were going to be making this movie...

But that's not the most extravagant part.

He wrote the script, now he needs to find a director to film it, right?

Then he sent scripts to top directors like Spielberg, George Lucas, and Michael Bay.

Claiming to be making a trilogy and building a theme park in imitation of Disney, it's a project worth tens of billions.

Furthermore, he publicly stated that he did not approach James Cameron because Cameron's filming of "Titanic" was too expensive and he was not interested.

James Cameron should thank him...

Of course, nobody paid any attention to him, not even a reply.

Even a fool could see what kind of script a nouveau riche real estate company boss could write.

The story's outline is that Poseidon's son witnesses the villain... a giant crab stealing Poseidon's palace, and then sets off with his friends to challenge the great demon king.

He falls in love with the mermaid princess along the way, but eventually discovers that the giant crab stole the palace in order to resurrect the demon king.

The Demon King is actually the male protagonist himself... It has the feel of a third-rate online novel.

Even big-name directors ignored him, so this guy took a step back.

They brought in Irwin Kershner, who has directed Star Wars Episode II and RoboCop 2, so he's got some talent.

However, now that he's over 80, no one has asked him to act in movies for almost 20 years.

Considering that Mr. Jiang was willing to pay $80 for the director's fee, he took the script and glanced at it.

The old man was indeed a master; he suggested revising the script, changing the male lead from the son of Poseidon to a modern person who traveled to the magical world of Haiti.

The idea was simply to create a reskinned underwater version of "The Forbidden Kingdom".

This way of thinking is correct for commercial films, but unfortunately, Mr. Jiang doesn't listen.

He insisted on doing things his own way, and when the old man saw that this person was ill, he stopped serving him.

He died two years later.

Zhang Yuan suspected that reading the script had made him so angry that he shortened his lifespan.

If the old man won't take the job, they'll look for someone else, even "settling for second best." If Hollywood won't take the job, they'll have to look in Europe.

They found Pitoff, the French director of Halle Berry's version of "Catwoman," whom Zhang Yuan had met recently.

It's the movie where my older sister won the Golden Raspberry Award.

Because of the huge failure of "Catwoman", Pitov is now out of work.

So when he saw a wealthy Chinese man offering him 50 euros, the guy fell for it.

He brought along the co-writers of "Transformers" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" to the capital to "meet the emperor."

The two brothers really wanted to do a good job, so they lived in the capital for a whole year.

I revise the script every day, and then discuss it with General Manager Jiang after each revision.

But this great writer Jiang always felt that his writing was ten times better than others!
The two of them worked until their work contracts expired, but not only did they not receive a penny, they also lost a year's worth of time, so they made an excuse and quickly left.

They couldn't find any decent directors in Europe, so someone introduced them to a North American director who made B-movies—the kind of director whose films never made it to the big screen.

This B-movie director was cunning. After getting to know the man, he stopped taking on jobs himself and instead became a middleman between the film crew and North America for Mr. Jiang.

Later, the director, assistant director, and actors in the production crew were all contacted by this person, who purely earned a brokerage fee.

For real estate developers, encountering subcontractors is a stroke of luck.

Finally, they found a traitor named Scott Miller, who was essentially a small-time director like Ning Hao before he even made "Incense," with no major works to his name.

The female lead, on the other hand, managed to seduce Olga Kurylenko, a foreign actress who rose to fame with "Quantum of Solace" (007).

She's the same lady who later played "Taskmaster" in Marvel.

Therefore, you can't fool the average person unless they're after money.

They also found a group of young white actors, including the two that Ellison Films had asked Zhang Yuan to find.

This Mr. Jiang talked at length with Zhang Yuan about his goal of reshaping the international image of China's film and television industry and creating works that surpass "Star Wars" and "Transformers".

It must be high-class, and it must open the eyes of people all over the world.

As he said this, he kept touching the black-stockinged thigh of his mistress, Ms. Shi Yufei.

Even Zhang Yuan wanted to give it a thumbs up.

That's so damn elegant!
Zhang Yuan glanced at the heads.

There's no problem with discussing the script, but the investors are here, the director of photography is here, and the actresses are here.

But unfortunately, the white director wasn't there.

It is clear that foreign directors are not valued.

In reality, this Rao Xiaobing is Jiang's lackey, and he has long since used his connections with investors to sideline the director.

This lousy production crew is even having internal strife...

This director of photography is also a genius; he used less than 5% of the film during shooting.

They're all useless shots.

Even Wong Kar-wai would have to acknowledge his expertise.

Not only does he waste money on camera work, but this CEO Jiang also has a particular fondness for creating grand and sweeping scenes.

If he was dissatisfied with even one detail, he would pour the ground over it overnight, dig out the cave, and remodel everything according to his own wishes.

He even boasted about these things to Zhang Yuan, considering them his own abilities.

I don't know if you got approval from the environmental department before you dug the hole.

What's even more impressive is that when filming at the beach, this person complained to the director about a spot on a reef that he didn't like.

The white director thought to himself, "This is easy. I'll just change the shooting angle so that the rocks aren't in the shot."

The following day, it was discovered that this person had hired hundreds of workers to build a fence several hundred meters long, intending to block out the sea view and make it impossible to see.

Most people would assume that this person is a real estate tycoon who does this to find a sense of accomplishment in what he is good at.

Look, he insists on using his own script, promotes his own woman, and even recreates the sets himself during filming.

They must be fulfilling their dreams.

Rich people can do whatever they want, it's normal. As long as you have money, these things are not a sin.

But the truth is, just as Zhang Yuan didn't have time to tell his assistant, this person, while filming in China, also registered a film and television company in North America.

They transferred everything from one hand to the other, placing it under the name of an overseas company.

At the same time, it creates the illusion that he is "supporting his girlfriend" in order to "fulfill his film and television dream".

This is why he buys press releases both domestically and internationally.

Then they started a large-scale construction project.

He could build a bridge that actually cost 100 million, but he could get 200 million US dollars reimbursed to his overseas company!
He works in this industry, so he knows exactly how to get creative with engineering materials.

However, while engaging in large-scale demolition and construction, the company is extremely stingy with everything except construction, especially personnel.

The extras' wages were withheld, and even the camera crew didn't get paid.

The foreign actors also haven't been able to get paid.

Because employee salaries are subject to taxation, it's impossible to falsify them.

See? They cheat when they're paid, but they risk everything when they can fake it.

They don't even let people eat properly.

This General Manager Jiang fed the crew braised chicken rice for a whole month.

That's right, for a month, three meals a day, without changing the dish, it was always braised chicken rice.

Several foreigners were traumatized by the food.

Embezzling military pay and rations, aren't they afraid of their men rebelling?

Real estate tycoons are the most experienced at dealing with hundreds of migrant workers.

I'll just get a bunch of thugs to surround you!
As for not paying them, they won't film properly.

Take pictures if you want.

I didn't originally intend to take good photos.

The result is not important; the process is.

During the filming of this movie, Mr. Jiang used this as a pretext to "legally" transfer assets worth at least 1.5 million US dollars.

The actual filming cost may be in the tens of millions.

The taxes and fees incurred by transferring money out through normal means are higher than the filming costs.

There are bad rich people, but none of them are stupid.

If he appears to be doing something stupid, it means he's using stupidity as a cover.

People don't feel tired when they're doing bad things.

They chatted for several hours, past midnight, and Mr. Jiang was still bragging, while Zhang Yuan was still praising him.

Ding ding... My phone is ringing.

Zhang Yuan glanced at the text message.

"The person has been found and is being monitored."

"I know," Zhang Yuan replied, then put his phone away.

He had already finalized the plan before he arrived.

He used himself as bait to find the film crew.

Next is locating the personnel.

After locating the person's exact position in the room, he guessed that someone would be watching.

Otherwise, how could we not get in touch with them?

At this point, there are only two paths.

One is yang, and the other is yin.

Yin means to secretly lead people away, and if that doesn't work, to escape through the window and flee in the dark of night.

He not only had someone bring him a satellite phone, but also a GPS.

Yang means causing trouble, whether it's arson, fighting, or stirring up trouble to make a mess of the hotel.

In a chaotic situation, with many people and distractions, it's easier to escape.

Once the target escapes successfully, he... will figure out another way.

Don't assume that just because you're a celebrity you can come and go as you please.

Even someone as famous as Brother Hua was detained by gangsters when he held a concert in Northeast China a few years ago.

That's why he brought so many bodyguards this time.

This is called "you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."

Even Mr. Jiang couldn't have guessed that an artist of his stature would personally "risk his life".

This blind spot in his thinking is his opportunity.

"Xiao Zhang, tell me, how much would you charge if you were to act in this?" This Mr. Jiang chatted for another 10 yuan before asking the direct question.

“My worth in Hollywood is $400 million,” Zhang Yuan stated bluntly.

According to the quote given by the "Fast & Furious" production team.

The female lead, who was already drowsy and yawning, instantly perked up upon hearing the price.

Good guy!
Is it really that profitable?
“That’s not right,” President Jiang shook his head repeatedly. “Our Hollywood actress Olga only gets a $100 million salary per film.”

“She’s not as famous as me,” Zhang Yuan replied more bluntly. “You get what you pay for.”

"Heh." He sneered but didn't say anything.

"How about this, Mr. Jiang, you should think about it."

"Give me an answer tomorrow." Zhang Yuan said, then got up, and the other party didn't try to stop him.

Their plan is that even if Zhang Yuan doesn't actually film it, they can still announce that he is, and maybe attract a bunch of foolish investors or actors who will be ripped off just because of Zhang Yuan's name.

Zhang Yuan, on the other hand, rejected the other party with the "sky-high salary" as an excuse to get out of the situation.

Back in the room, he summoned Brother Long to discuss the matter.

"Boss, we've got some tails outside our door too."

The tail is the same as the eyeliner.

"Understood, don't worry."

"I believe you can protect me," Zhang Yuan replied, feigning nonchalance.

You must give your subordinates enough trust, and at the same time, they are already very nervous, so you can't add to their nervousness.

"Which route should we take?" Brother Long asked, inquiring about the specific plan.

"Set it on fire."

Zhang Yuan pointed to the curtains.

He considered that if the other party's personnel were quick-witted and discovered that he was helping foreigners escape, it would put him in danger.

After causing trouble, they can escape in the chaos and pretend they didn't know anything.

I don't know any foreigners, so what does it matter to me if they run away... Just make that expression.

"If it starts smoking, call for help, but be careful not to make a big fuss."

"I understand. I'll burn the curtains with cigarette butts. That way, even if the fire department comes, I can explain it away."

"At most, we'll compensate this lousy hotel a bit." Brother Long's plan was quite thoughtful.

At 1 a.m., the operation officially began.

Zhang Yuan deliberately changed into his pajamas, pretending to be asleep and wondering what had happened.

Then they can use the excuse that they almost burned to death the day before to have more reasons to run away.

At 1:30, thick smoke billowed from the window separating the two rooms, followed by a series of loud shouts.

"It's on fire!"

"Help!"

If you shout like that, you'll wake up anyone who's asleep.

Within two or three minutes, a flurry of footsteps echoed through the hallway.

And there were also panicked screams.

With things in such a chaotic state, even those who were initially preventing the foreign actors from leaving could no longer continue their mission.

Zhang Yuan took the opportunity to go out and ran downstairs in his hotel slippers.

Although it's in the south, it's still a bit chilly at midnight.

As soon as I went downstairs, I found that quite a few people had already gathered.

Mr. Jiang and that woman were also there.

Zhang Yuan, with his sharp eyes, noticed that the woman was wearing a bathrobe, and underneath it seemed to be black lace underwear.

It's the kind that uses very little fabric, and not only that, it also has cutouts in key areas.

You two are really good at having fun!
"This sexy lingerie is such a waste on this woman..." Zhang Yuan thought to himself.

This girl is too skinny. She needs to be the kind of girl who is curvy in the right places for the clothes to look good.

"Boss, the person has been picked up." Brother Long stepped forward and whispered in his ear.

"Should we leave together, or send the foreigner away first?"

"There's one more question," Brother Long said softly.

"The foreigner's passport was confiscated."

Zhang Yuan: …

I mean, can't you guys come up with any new tricks?

Wong Kar-wai treated Song Hye-kyo this way, and this CEO Jiang treats foreign actors the same way.

The reputation of China's film and television industry has been ruined by people like you!

"It's nothing." Zhang Yuan frowned slightly.

Currently, passports cannot be replaced quickly at the airport, but there is a consulate in Guangzhou.

Once the person is sent to the consulate, everything will be fine.

His passport and security were handled by the other party's people, so he wasn't worried about them.

No matter how powerful the local boss is, he doesn't have the ability to storm into this place and arrest people.

According to international law, consulates have diplomatic privileges and immunities, and can reach the Six Ministries in the capital with a single phone call.

"Is the car ready?"

"We're waiting outside the mountains, ready to set off at any time."

"Okay, let's go now..."

Zhang Yuan hadn't even said the word "leave" yet.

Just as the plan was proceeding smoothly and was about to be completed, allowing him to report back to North America, he suddenly lost focus.

"slow!"

"what happened?"

"The plan has changed." After a two-second pause, Zhang Yuan made a difficult decision.

Abandon the existing plan that is about to be completed.

"Pause. Tonight's operation is over."

Brother Long wanted to ask why, but he quickly realized what was going on.

Because they spotted a familiar figure among the crowd rushing outwards.

The sexy lingerie that woman wore earlier would suit her better.

It was none other than Yang Mi, whom we haven't seen in a long time... (End of Chapter)