Actor: Thank you.

When undertaking important tasks, the biggest fear is that an unexpected obstacle will appear halfway through.

They pretended to be sick to ask for leave, but it wasn't really fake; the two foreigners were genuinely feeling unwell, and Yang Mi's face was truly swollen from wearing makeup.

I took leave to rest, packed people up, and everything went smoothly.

Neither the two foreigners nor the woman raised any questions; they unconditionally trusted him.

It's actually because there weren't any better options.

This place is located deep in the mountains and forests, where the cell phone signal is extremely poor. Even without confiscating his phone, he still couldn't make any calls.

A few burly men blocked their way, and no one dared to move.

The two foreigners just want to go home now.

All I want is to go back to North America, with a Coke in my left hand and a cheeseburger in my right, to hell with braised chicken and rice!
The poor reputation of Chinese food is all because of the persecution of General Jiang.

Who knows what those two foreigners will say about their meals these days when they go back to their home countries.

Yang Mi, however, was slightly different. She was worried about her situation, but not as much as the two foreigners.

After all, she's a local, and eventually someone will come looking for her.

In addition, his father is a policeman.

The only thing to be careful about is that one day the boss might get the urge and force her to do it.

Although the probability is low, it doesn't mean it's impossible.

She is actually very smart, but when she thinks, she still thinks from her own perspective.

If she were smart enough to put herself in the other person's shoes, she would understand that the other person would absolutely not dare to do anything to her.

Because she was already famous at this time, and the other party was messing with the film crew in order to make money and transfer assets.

How could he possibly force a famous actress? If it came to light and attracted the attention of the authorities, he would be completely finished.

They wouldn't touch any of the crew members who had even a little bit of fame.

They're just bullying those two foreign actors; the female lead, who supposedly cost $100 million to hire, won't cause them too much trouble.

If a major incident occurs, the first person to suffer will be General Manager Jiang himself.

This logic is the same as the logic used on a construction site.

It's one thing to bully workers, it's one thing to withhold wages, but if workers put up banners and get caught on CCTV, then they're on their own.

The point is to bully the one who "cannot speak".

So Zhang Yuan, who was being blocked by the soldiers, wasn't worried about his life; he just found it troublesome.

Stopping yourself is a small matter; discovering someone in the suitcase is a big deal!

If people find out you're smuggling yourself out, not only will those positions be in trouble, but you yourself will have a hard time leaving.

Zhang Yuan adjusted his breathing and began to gather his strength.

His assistant and Brother Long noticed the change in his demeanor and tensed up to make adjustments.

What needs to be adjusted?
Be ready to strike at any moment!

Once you're caught, there's no need to waste words; just make your escape. It's better than being surrounded.

Maybe I can escape while the other party has a reaction time difference.

Once we leave this mountain forest... no, we should be safe once we reach Fuding City.

Zhang Yuan couldn't determine whether this nouveau riche was causing trouble on his own or had connections with the local authorities.

Unlike Yang Mi, he couldn't only think of himself.

As the old Godfather said in "The Godfather," women and children can be careless, but men cannot.

One must be decisive in dealing with matters, but also thorough in handling them.

The so-called "being thorough" means that Zhang Yuan has to be careful not to go too far and cripple the other party, otherwise he would have to take responsibility.

"where are you going?"

"Let's wander around the neighborhood and take some photos."

Why are you carrying so many big boxes?

"I had to change clothes and equipment several times for the photos."

"Oh..." The other person nodded.

Zhang Yuan kept a close eye on the other party's condition and would act immediately if anything seemed amiss.

“When it comes to changing clothes, Mr. Jiang is an amateur, but we are experts.”

Suddenly, he stepped forward and hooked his arm around Zhang Yuan's.

“Your asking price is high, but I know you’re quite famous.”

"Brother, to be honest, we're all in the same business. Come and take a look around, at least audition, and see how it goes before you leave."

"It wasn't a wasted trip."

"Since you've already changed your clothes, why don't I prepare a few sets of our local opera costumes for you to try on?"

"I guarantee you'll pick the best."

Even if you can't reach an agreement in the end, you can still keep a memento.

"Hehehe, you've thought of everything, brother," Zhang Yuan replied with a smile.

Leave me a souvenir?
This is something you can keep as a souvenir!

They helped the rich guy fool me.

But Zhang Yuan was secretly delighted.

If you're trying to fool me, then it means you don't think there's anything wrong with the box.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Okay, wait a bit."

"I'll talk to you in detail when I come back from taking photos in the woods."

“That’s great! How about I go with you?” the other person suggested.

“I could tell yesterday that you were the backbone of the crew.”

"You're so busy, yet you're keeping me company so the filming won't be delayed?"

"You're too kind. I'll find a few of my men to accompany you. There's a lot of forest around, so you won't get lost."

"No need, I'll just wander around the neighborhood."

"Yes, you're a guest, so you have to be taken good care of."

Zhang Yuan figured out that he not only wanted to fool me, but also wanted to find someone to monitor me.

"Okay, thank you for your kind offer."

Zhang Yuan agreed again.

We'll see which unlucky guy ends up keeping me company.

They can just grab them and put them in the car, then kick them off once they're out of the city.

Rao Xiaobing immediately waved and called over two of his underlings.

"Hurry up, have some sense, help move the boxes."

Zhang Yuan: …

"slow!"

"No need, we can do it ourselves."

Brother Long quickly blocked him.

At the same time, they began to move without explanation.

Too much talk and too much attention mean that every second you linger increases the risk.

"This box looks pretty heavy?"

"Is it filled with clothes?"

But at this moment, the head of the photography team discovered some problems.

Firstly, Zhang Yuan and his group didn't allow anyone to touch the box, which caused quite a strong reaction.

Secondly, I noticed that his men were having some difficulty pulling the suitcase.

The photographer, who came from a background of carrying equipment, is very sensitive to the matter of moving heavy objects.

It was obvious at a glance that something was unusual.

"There are a few fur coats and woolen overcoats," Zhang Yuan explained without batting an eye.

"Oh." The man nodded and then stepped forward.

He didn't know what the problem was, but he always felt that something was wrong.

This can be considered a sixth sense from the veteran crew members.

If you touch it and take a closer look, you're doomed!
Zhang Yuan could faintly hear that the foreigner inside the box was breathing rapidly.

If it triggers panic disorder or claustrophobia, it's not impossible for them to jump out of the box.

Foreigners' outgoing personalities make them more likely to amplify these kinds of psychological problems, unlike Chinese people who are generally more tolerant.

Just like on the battlefield in North Korea, the Americans would surrender immediately once they were surrounded.

He will give you all his valuables, as long as he doesn't kill me, gives me a meal, and lets me go home.

But the only photos he carries close to his body, whether they are of his family or his girlfriend, he will never reveal to her.

They need something more concrete, a person or object, to provide them with spiritual support.

The Chinese people, on the other hand, can use more abstract forms or concepts as a form of expression.

Just as the Chinese worship the Heavenly God and the Way of Heaven, the gods worshipped by Americans must have a physical form.

Therefore, in extreme situations, these white people who have received a "happy education" are far more likely to break down than Yang Mi, a girl from the capital city.

Zhang Yuan clenched his fists, silently chanting Amitabha Buddha's name, praying for the protection of the Three Pure Ones and the care of the Holy Mother Mary.

Take care of the guys on the other side, so they don't all die from exhaustion.

Well, it seems I haven't escaped this ordeal after all.

He stretched his neck, his gaze fixed on the other person's throat.

We'll hit this spot first, to silence the other side.

Then strangle her neck to make her faint.

You can also puncture the trigeminal nerve below the chest.

Brother Long also prepared to control the remaining two underlings from behind.

It's a one-hit kill right from the start, nothing more to say.

But just as the soldier was about to touch the box, he hadn't yet.

Zhang Yuan had already transformed his fist into a hand chop.

A voice speaking English with a redneck accent suddenly came from not far away.

"Are we still filming today or not?!"

Zhang Yuan looked up and saw a tall foreigner staggering towards him, looking dissatisfied.

As soon as this person arrived, the soldier withdrew his hand and turned to face the man.

"Miller, whether or not to proceed depends on the investors' arrangements."

Seeing the imposing presence and hearing the name, Zhang Yuan understood.

This is the foreign director who was tricked into coming!

"I am a professional director, and I work according to a schedule every day, instead of making last-minute changes every day."

The white man stormed forward.

He moved a few steps forward around the small soldier and engaged him in lane.

"I already said a few days ago that the cave is full of water and hard rocks, so it's impossible to film there; it would be dangerous."

"Why did we have to film there? There are clearly other caves nearby!"

"The investor said that Ms. Shi has her eye on that place. Do you have any objections?" the photography director asked bluntly.

You can use whatever the boss's secretary tells you to do, and do whatever you want!
"Safety, understand? Filming must be done safely!"

"This is how we Chinese make movies, you foreigners just don't understand!"

Zhang Yuan: …

No, no, that's just how he is.

"Also, I said the ground of the Sea God's Palace should be black, so why is it white?"

The foreigner spread his hands and angrily rebuked.

"Mr. Jiang said that he does legitimate business, not shady business, so we can't use black."

"This is called feng shui, do you understand?"

Not only were the foreigners stunned, but Zhang Yuan, who was standing next to them, was also dumbfounded.

Is this a case of supplementing what's lacking?
Is black considered unlucky?

Don't be surprised, many nouveau riche are just as eccentric, with some inexplicable rules.

Moreover, many of them were invented by themselves.

"Fine, you promised 300 extras every day, where are they?"

"With only a dozen or so extras, how am I supposed to film large-scale scenes?"

"Don't you understand? Do you even know what special effects are?"

How were the landing scenes in "Saving Private Ryan" filmed?

"How can an amateur like you be a director..." the director of photography retorted, his face full of dissatisfaction.

This Mr. Jiang wants to hire white extras, just like in "300".

Then the monthly salary offered is 8000 yuan... and there's no guarantee you'll actually receive it.

Are foreign models crazy?

8000 monthly salary?

I could master the Spartan technique, why would I take this little money?
I earn more working as a hostess at nightclubs than this.

Of course, you can't find anyone.

But if the expense reports can be submitted for several hundred people per day, then the money will come in, the cost will increase, and there will be no need to actually pay salaries.

The two started arguing, and it got increasingly heated.

This is crew politics, a power struggle. The lackeys are completely subservient to the investors, without considering the outcome of the work.

A young director with principles who wants to make good films.

The two will inevitably be full of contradictions.

Zhang Yuan wanted to go up and persuade them.

Don't fight, don't fight. What are the benefits of being on set? Whoever tells you will be in charge.

But as the argument intensified, Zhang Yuan realized something was wrong.

Because he noticed that the white foreign director's movements were exaggerated and overly dramatic.

After a few words of argument, she turned around and rubbed her forehead, secretly giving him a wink.

His eyes kept glancing towards the bushes to the side!

Zhang Yuan: !!!
Hey!
This is a helper!

He was blessed with good fortune.

It must be that the foreign director also noticed something was wrong with the crew.

Based on the principle of helping one's own people, he should have discovered that Zhang Yuan was running away with two white men.

So they came here on purpose to cause trouble!

This was an unexpected surprise.

This is also known as the principle that those who act justly will find many supporters, while those who act unjustly will find few.

Logically, when a director encounters this kind of situation, they should help the investors stop it.

Such a contradiction, coupled with President Jiang's treatment of them, has already alienated them from his cause.

I bet even the director himself wanted to run away.

"Coach Rao, I'll be going now."

"Sorry, the foreigner is an idiot..."

Zhang Yuan seized the opportunity to leave quickly.

They entered the woods shortly afterward and disappeared from the film crew's sight in just 5 minutes.

The two people who were supposed to be with him didn't show up; they were helping their boss argue with the director.

"Things are finally starting to go smoothly!"

After walking for another five minutes, Zhang Yuan stopped and sighed, then untied the box.

"Ugh, I'm so suffocated!" Yang Mi said, frowning as she emerged from the box.

"Do not talk nonsense."

"Abandon all baggage and speed up the march!"

Zhang Yuan gave the order directly: "Run! Don't walk!"

"Wait a minute, it just dawned on me."

"Why should I sneak away?" Yang Mi clutched her chest, feeling dizzy and short of breath from the journey.

"If I leave like this, what will happen to my paycheck?"

"This is the fruit of my labor."

Zhang Yuan: …

It's hard to refute, and what they said makes some sense.

It's just out of step with the times.

“I got the money for you, but they still want to keep you, so you had to sneak away.” Zhang Yuan didn’t give her a chance to refute.

"Your skinny legs are too slow."

"Let me carry you on my back, hurry up."

At this critical moment, Yang Mi reacted relatively quickly.

In just two or three seconds, Zhang Yuan felt the touch of two airbags on his back.

"set off!"

The two foreigners were also dizzy and were wondering who would carry us.

After being glared at by Brother Long, he strode off on his own.

That's quite a dream...

It took more than an hour to walk from the woods to the film set.

We rushed out and saw a cement road in just over half an hour.

The waiting car quickly approached them as soon as it saw them.

They split into two cars, filled them up, and sped off onto the highway.

Brother Long then notified the remaining half of the bodyguards who were still on site.

This is called a maze; you can't just lose everyone in one go.

Leaving half of them at the scene makes it seem as if Zhang Yuan is still there.

As soon as the satellite phone call connected, the other end began to retreat.

Even if we are exposed, it doesn't matter. What can a few bodyguards do?

We can find someone to help us when the time comes. This isn't northern Myanmar, nothing serious will happen here.

We didn't stop during the trip except for one refueling stop.

Only after entering Guangdong Province did Zhang Yuan relax his tense nerves.

He walked all the way to the embassy and watched the two foreigners enter through the big iron gate before making a phone call to the other end of the line in North America.

"Very good, thank you, Zhang."

"You can come to Hawaii next time you have time, and we can have dinner together." Megan was very pleased.

Zhang Yuan said he would go.

Because her father is in talks to acquire Lanai Island in Hawaii.

In the future, they will be the "island owners," owning 98% of the island's land.

It's not the kind of rental or use common in China, but permanent ownership.

This is what capitalism is all about, this is what land consolidation is all about.

Otherwise, why would those people in China who have made some money be clamoring to say that foreign countries are better and want to run away?

They thought they could do the same.

In reality, they were just "blood bags" for others.

One question remains: why, even though Chinese immigrants have reached the third or fourth generation, have we never heard of a top-tier wealthy Chinese family in North America?
Middle-class people can do it, small capitalists can do it, but don't even think about becoming a top-tier wealthy family.

Otherwise, the man will be killed, and the woman will be exploited and left without any offspring. It's that simple.

Megan had no idea how much effort Zhang Yuan had put in, nor did she understand the dangers involved.

All I know is that Zhang Yuan is indeed capable; he can do what he says he will do and accomplish it in just a few days.

This local bully is something else!

Ultimately, it all comes down to ability.

If you can get things done, people will naturally think more highly of you.

Zhang Yuan put down his phone and sat quietly in the car for about ten minutes before he came to his senses.

It's been years since I've done something like this.

"Go to the airport and head straight back to Beijing."

A few hours later, the group had boarded the flight.

Before boarding the plane, Zhang Yuan and Yang Mi both received a call from the film crew.

"I'm going home to see a doctor first; my face is so swollen," Yang Mi said, making up an excuse.

"I have another urgent announcement to make, so I have to go back," Zhang Yuan said, making up an excuse.

Not long after, the photography director called him again.

"What do you mean?"

They started by questioning me.

"what happened?"

"What about people?"

"I'm not saying anything more, I have to go to my scheduled event."

"I was talking about other people. Where are the two foreigners? Where are the actresses from our crew?"

"How would I know?" Zhang Yuan pretended to be stupid.

"Let me tell you, what you're doing is against the rules. You've lured away our crew members, and you'll have to bear all the losses."

Zhang Yuan found a secluded spot and then began to speak.

"Fuck your mother!"

One shout was enough to intimidate the other party.

"Who do you think you are!"

"Just because you have a rich guy backing you doesn't mean you're so great. How dare you talk to me like that?"

"You wait, if you're so capable, then never come back to the capital in your entire life."

"Otherwise, see what I'll do to you!"

Zhang Yuan had been holding back for the past two days, and now that he had spoken his mind, he felt much better.

"I'm going back to the capital now to find Han Sanpin and talk to him about this."

"Go to the tax authorities and have them thoroughly investigate your production crew's accounts."

"None of us should live!"

"You're breaking the rules again? Let me teach you what rules are!"

The other party remained silent for a long time.

The titles of "Old Han" and "Tax Bureau" are indeed quite weighty, directly targeting their two major weaknesses.

"You'd better stick with this nouveau riche boss forever."

"Once you leave, no one will protect you. Let's see what I do then."

"Brother, we can talk this over..." The man softened his tone.

"It's not good for you to leave without saying goodbye."

"What's going on with your film crew? Don't you have any self-awareness?"

"Are you high enough for me to greet you?" Zhang Yuan didn't even bother to pretend anymore.

"I'll just tell you this: go and pass it on to General Manager Jiang."

"If he dares to touch me again, I will not only report him in the country."

"I reported him to the IRS in North America. Don't you know what he's doing?"

"He'll just be transferring money from one hand to the other, ending up in jail in China while his overseas money is confiscated. He can have his cake and eat it too."

Damn it, I'm more wary of companies like Wanda and Vanke.

You're a small-time real estate tycoon, but in this phase of real estate industry restructuring, you've lost your market and prospects. Who's afraid of whom?

The person on the other end of the phone was also surprised, as Zhang Yuan had been so polite and kind, like a scholar.

Now that he's turned on us, even ordinary thugs aren't as powerful as this bandit.

"Well... let's talk later." This person didn't dare to say more and was in a hurry to report.

"Wait, I just left like this, without reporting it or causing any trouble. Isn't that reasonable?"

"Shouldn't you thank me?"

The other side just got killed.

"Not at all polite."

He put his phone away dismissively.

When I first started out, I had to be polite to people like you. Now that I'm famous, I still have to be polite to people like you.

Then I've become famous for nothing!
Only then did they board the plane.

The flight was a direct flight to Beijing. There weren't many people in business class; it was just him and Yang Mi.

The assistants and bodyguards all traveled in economy class.

After a long while, Yang Mi calmed down and realized what was happening, squinted and turned to look at him.

"So, you came to the film set, really not to see me?"

"Otherwise, what are you doing bringing two foreigners with you?"

Zhang Yuan remained expressionless, but thought to himself that it wasn't good for a woman to be too smart.

If it were Liu Shishi, she would never ask such a question.

“Ellison Films in North America asked me for help,” Zhang Yuan replied truthfully.

But it wasn't entirely "accurate".

“It was originally a troublesome matter, and I didn’t want to get involved.”

"But I found out you were also on set and knew about the situation here."

"So I agreed to their request."

"Is it worth me making a special trip for an ordinary person?"

Yang Mi blinked, thinking that it made some sense.

This is exploiting her psychology; she has to believe she is "special" for that statement to hold true.

"That day..." she said again after pausing for a moment.

"We can talk about it when we get home," Zhang Yuan interrupted.

Then they added more.

"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

"Ah."

Only a faint nasal sound remained in the cabin, then it fell completely silent... (End of Chapter)