Actor: Thank you.

Sitting in the car, Zhang Yuan blinked a few times, staring at Huang Jianxin, who was clinging to the car door.

Humph.

Cao Yu.

No wonder.

Luckily, I asked one more question.

Zhang Yuan thought to himself that something was definitely amiss.

Huang Jianxin is a renowned director; after all, he spearheaded projects like "The Founding of a Republic," while Lao Han was primarily credited as the director.

It's clear that this person is quite influential within the imperial circle.

He personally stopped my car, and he rarely ate with me because I was his junior.

Now that you've taken the initiative to invite me to dinner, something's definitely up.

The answer came right away when I asked.

"I'll think about it when I get back. I filmed a really stressful day, and my mind is a bit muddled."

"How about I give you a ride?"

"No need, no need." Director Huang took a step back and waved his hand: "Yes, you've been busy all day, go back and rest early."

See you tomorrow.

He closed the car door and drove away.

"Who was that person Director Huang was talking about just now?"

After a long while, Cheng Hao observed his complexion and, finding it not to be good, finally spoke up.

"The photographer, who's always been hanging around with Lu Chuan."

"Both 'Kekexili' and 'Nanjing Nanjing' were filmed by the same crew led by Cao Yu."

"Oh, this Cao Yu? I've heard of him." The older sister realized.

"I've heard it's pretty impressive."

"It's alright." Zhang Yuan nodded.

Even without Gu Changwei, Zhang Yimou's skill level is high, though not quite on par with the top masters in Hong Kong, but he still has the ability.

"Not only are they capable, but they also have powerful connections."

This person graduated from the Beijing Film Academy with a major in cinematography and went directly to the Beijing Film Studio.

Like Zhang Yimou, he started playing with cameras as a child.

He was only 12 years old when he got his own camera. Back in the 80s, even a domestically made camera cost as much as an average family's annual income.

The reason why this person is so wealthy and why Huang Jianxin personally sought him out is because of his background.

His father was a veteran screenwriter at the Beijing Film Studio, and his mother was a senior reporter at the People's Daily, mainly doing interviews and commentary on TV dramas.

The whole family are veterans in the Beijing film and television industry.

Otherwise, how could one afford to enjoy photography?

They grew up on the film sets of Beijing Film Studio. Although they are from a prestigious family, they are actually from a powerful clan.

No matter how talented an ordinary person is, can you watch the best directing team in all of China filming with the best equipment before you're even 10 years old?
Can you just walk around the Forbidden City without proof?
Huang Jianxin is also a veteran of the Beijing Film Studio; they're all from the same group.

Otherwise, why would Director Huang personally step in?

"The matter is simply that Yao Cheng tearfully told the man about it."

"Actually, she just wanted a man to help her resolve the issue."

"They say it's settling a score, but really it's just about getting rid of me."

Zhang Yuan tilted his head, his fingers tapping lightly on the leather seat.

After listening, the older sister remained silent for a long time.

"So what are your plans?"

"I'm annoyed."

He was too lazy to answer.

It's definitely annoying; those with connections are the hardest to deal with.

That's what makes Yao Cheng so formidable; she's very good at "leveraging opportunities."

Her ex-husband, Ling Xiaosu, is also a third-generation actor; his grandfather was the director of "Rickshaw Boy," the version starring Zhang Fengyi and Siqin Gaowa.

His grandfather also directed the first Chinese film to win an international award, "Sons and Daughters of China".

His grandmother was also a senior figure at the Beijing Film Studio.

Otherwise, how could Ling Xiaosu have gotten by so easily?

Seeing his expression, Cheng Hao tried to lighten the mood by making small talk.

"Our cars are still the most comfortable, they're stable, and they feel solid."

“A few days ago, a colleague of mine from the Beijing People’s Art Theatre who had returned from abroad also had a family that had connections in the past.”

"He clearly didn't do well outside, but came back to make money, and he still acts all high and mighty."

"After drinking some foreign ink, he can't even speak human language anymore."

"She said my Buick wasn't environmentally friendly, and her Toyota... what's it called again?"

"Prius".

"Yes, that car is great. They also said that China's environmental problems are serious and can't compare with Europe and America."

Cheng Hao bought a large Buick SUV for herself; she liked its solid build and the feeling of it swaying gently as she drove it.

As for the Prius, it was the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. These days, Toyota's hybrid technology is indeed more advanced than China's.

Furthermore, environmental protection is a popular topic right now, and in a few years, Reporter Chai's documentary will be released.

The smog in Beijing is indeed severe in winter, and since Europe was considering levying an "environmental tax," they started to promote it extensively.

Ultimately, capitalist countries are all about money.

Just like Amei, although I can't produce rare earth elements, I can speculate on them.

Wall Street is ready to launch rare earth futures.

At that time, there will be paper rare earths, rare earth coins, and so on.

Although my industry may be suffocated by the shortage of rare earth elements, the futures market will make a fortune because of the shortage. This is called "risk hedging".

It's just making money out of thin air.

In the end, they'll all ruin themselves.

"Hybrid vehicles have their advantages, and we shouldn't dismiss them outright."

Zhang Yuan stroked his chin, thinking that the Prius was a typical symbol of the Democratic Party in North America.

One of the most important reasons why our country chose tram routes is because of Qian Xuesen.

In 92, Qian Xuesen wrote a letter to his superiors, suggesting that we skip the development of diesel and gasoline internal combustion engines and go directly to the battery-powered vehicle route.

Besides Europe and the United States, which are developing battery technology, we also have abundant production of aluminum, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and various rare earth elements needed for batteries.

That's what you call a strategic scientist.

The issue should be considered not from an individual or industry perspective, but from a national perspective.

Gasoline car enthusiasts say that electric cars have batteries that are not environmentally friendly, consume a lot of electricity, and are abandoned halfway through the journey, making them unsuitable for extremely cold regions.

But Qian Lao viewed the problem from the perspective of national resource allocation and industrial chain. We are poor in oil, but we have a lot of materials for making batteries.

Furthermore, the idea that new energy sources could reduce environmental pollution was mentioned as early as the 90s.

Setting the general direction for a country for the next few decades is called strategy.

Apart from Qian Xuesen, very few people can be considered worthy of the title of strategic scientist.

There will never be one on the Japanese side.

However, Qian Xuesen also made mistakes. For example, in the 90s, he predicted that China's annual automobile production would reach 2 million units in the 1000s and 30s.

That's an underestimate... The old man never expected us to develop so quickly.

Not only in trams, but also in 90, Qian Xuesen wrote a letter to Wang Chengwei, the then head of the National Intelligent Computer Expert Group.
They advocate for the development of computer artificial intelligence and point out that Virtual Reality, or VR technology, has already emerged in Europe and America.

He felt it should be developed, and came up with two names: "Man-made Landscape" or "Spiritual Realm".

She emphasized that she prefers "Lingjing" (灵境), which has a strong Chinese flavor.

It is claimed that the technology of spiritual realm will surely trigger a technological revolution and a world change, and will definitely be a major event in human history.

Qian Xuesen repeatedly emphasized and believed that virtual reality and artificial intelligence should be vigorously developed in the 90s. This forward-looking vision is the essence of strategy.

Terms like "laser" (originally called "laser") and "laser radiation amplification" were integrated and decided upon by Qian Xuesen, who changed the name to "laser".

He also coined the terms "space" and "space shuttle".

It must be faithful, expressive, elegant, and concise, so that ordinary people can understand its meaning at a glance, while also maintaining a Chinese flavor.

Before filming, Zhang Yuan read many of Qian Xuesen's works and compared them with the country's development direction, which gave him a clear understanding.

It's proceeding in an orderly manner according to the plan.

The future and the direction we should take have already been planned out for us.

You don't need to do scientific research; buying stocks can be very useful. You need to know which industries will rise, right?

Starting a business, and even more so investing.

Reading more books is still useful.

Even if you're just an employee, if you want to improve yourself, Qian Xuesen's works, including his collected letters, are worth reading and will provide you with ideas for moving forward.

Thinking about this, he pondered in the car that batteries and electric cars don't seem to be very popular right now.

Back home, he kept thinking during dinner.

Cheng Hao glanced at him every now and then.

Seeing that he remained silent, she didn't dare to speak.

Filming continued the next day, and the scenes involved being detained.

As Zhang Yuan was taking pictures, he suddenly remembered what happened to the princess after she was transformed into a princess.

These white guys are not only rough at their jobs, but they also only know a few tricks.

As the instructor said, they were right. If there was any way to deal with them, they would not reason with them. But when they did reason with them, there was nothing that could be done.

Ha ha.

Thinking about this, Zhang Yuan suddenly felt relieved.

"What are you laughing at?" Cheng Hao, who was preparing to adjust her sad mood, was taken aback by his laughter and was completely out of character. "Nothing, just thinking about something happy." He snapped his fingers.

Yup!

Cao Yu has such a powerful background, yet he sent Huang Jianxin to find me. What does that mean?
This means he had no choice.

If there were any other way, would these people be reasonable?

They would humbly come to me for a meal.

Eating together means trying to reconcile, and wanting to reconcile means you're afraid of me.

Then what do I have to worry about!

He patted his cheek, realizing that his ingrained thinking had gotten him into trouble.

I always feel inferior when facing the children of powerful figures in the industry.

I'm not afraid of foreigners, so why would I be afraid of you bunch of guys who are afraid of foreigners?

During his break, he took the initiative to find Huang Jianxin, who had organized the gathering.

"Director Huang, about that dinner you mentioned, how about I set a time?"

“Okay.” Huang Jianxin thought he was planning to reconcile when he brought it up on his own initiative.

But he soon realized something was wrong.

"You were the one who helped arrange the dinner with the people from the General Assembly last time."

"However, you said last time that you weren't feeling well and couldn't drink alcohol, so I didn't go."

"How about we let it rest a bit more this time?"

"Don't overwork yourself or ruin your health by drinking too much. Our crew can't do without you," Zhang Yuan said with a smile.

Director Huang chuckled to himself, realizing this meant he wanted me to stay away.

And there was a hint of barb in his words.

Last time, I made an excuse not to go to the dinner with the General Assembly staff, and now he's using that same excuse to argue with me.

You stay far away from my affairs, but you, the people from Beijing Film Studio, are the ones who should roll up your sleeves and get involved.

Zhang Yuan insisted that he couldn't go.

Because as soon as Huang Jianxin arrived and sat down, I could only try to reconcile.

Otherwise, it would be disrespectful.

When he went there, Cao Yu got the benefits, and he also got the credit for the mediation and the prestige.

So I'm the one who's at a disadvantage?
Just because I didn't come from the Beijing Film Studio, you treat me like a foreigner.

Seeing that the other party did not respond immediately, he continued speaking.

"I'm quite busy, traveling between China and other countries, so I may not have time."

He meant... there's not much time left.

Have you thought this through?

Experienced people aren't stupid; they understood.

"Okay, then you can talk to Cao Yu alone."

"We're all on the same side, there's nothing to be upset about."

"Hehehe, I know you're very smart and generous."

“Of course,” Zhang Yuanle said magnanimously.

Two or three days later, after work, he took a car to a high-end restaurant in the city.

Sitting in the private room, he glanced at his phone.

"grass!"

"You were the one who contacted me."

"In the end, even though I booked the place, I was the one who arrived first."

"That's awesome."

About half an hour later, a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, round face, and medium build finally arrived.

But in terms of appearance, he looks a bit like a thinner version of Hiroshi Kurata.

"Sorry, the crew was busy and we're late."

"It's alright, you're a big-name photographer, you must be very busy." Zhang Yuan stood up and shook hands with him.

The word "big name" made the other person's eyelids twitch.

"Your girlfriend didn't come?"

This person's eyelids twitched again.

Would Yao Cheng dare to see you?

"According to my usual practice of making friends, being late is punishable by three cups, and they have to be water cups, not small cups."

When he brought over a glass for drinking orange juice, the man quickly waved his hand.

"This is too big, let's just have a normal meal and some drinks."

"What?" Zhang Yuan chuckled and put down his cup. "You mean you won't accept a toast?"

Cao Yu:......

I've only been inside for a short while, and my eyelids are already twitching so much I can barely close them.

No wonder my women don't dare come here; they're definitely not easy to mess with.

"I have to work tomorrow, and I'm not a big drinker, so please bear with me," Cao Da, the cameraman, continued pushing.

"Okay, it was just a joke."

Zhang Yuan gestured for him to sit down: "Let's order."

"Waiter, do you have stir-fried pork offal with fresh shrimp?"

The waitress shook her head; she had never heard of it.

"You don't even have shrimp or pork heart, this place is no good either."

"Then let's have celery stir-fried with beef."

"Hehehe, Teacher Cao, I saw this dish outside last time. People call it 'Pairing Cattle with Celery'."

Cao Yu was so frustrated that he couldn't speak.

People who work as videographers aren't exactly known for their quick wit, and then you run into someone like him.

Her already not-so-fair round face is getting darker and darker.

"Come on, let's eat and chat."

"Why did you specifically seek me out today?" He feigned ignorance.

"My girlfriend is someone you know well, Yao Cheng."

"We're not that close," Zhang Yuan replied with a smile, but without giving any face whatsoever.

"We met and fell in love while working on a film, which is great."

"My family, my parents, all like her very much."

“My mom especially thinks she’s suitable to be my daughter-in-law.”

“The old lady is getting on in years, and you know that old people are all soft-hearted.”

"That day, I saw that Yao Cheng looked worried and had something on his mind, so I asked him about it."

"So it turns out there was some misunderstanding between us."

"My mom says it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester, and I also feel sorry for her."

"So let me talk to you."

"We're all friends, so please give me some face."

"Oh, I see." Zhang Yuan nodded after listening.

"The elderly should be respected."

"Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a Chinese tradition."

"Yes, yes, yes," the other party replied repeatedly.

"However, it seems that my affair with Yao Cheng has nothing to do with the old man."

"We're all adults; we should take responsibility for our own actions."

"Bringing your family, or other people's family, is not a good idea."

He understood immediately; Big Mouth had found this person's weakness and launched a fierce attack, which led to this gathering today.

"They're either someone else's family or my own," he emphasized.

"It's really not a big deal."

"I've heard about it, it's about changing jobs."

“Our line of work is not stable; we are always moving from one film crew to another.”

"Changing jobs isn't a big deal."

"Well, I don't usually drink much."

“But I have to have a drink today.” He poured himself a glass of white wine.

"Let's finish this drink, give each other face, and we'll be friends from now on."

"We can still cooperate; business rivals don't hold grudges overnight."

He was very enthusiastic, but he noticed that Zhang Yuan hadn't even moved a finger, let alone raised his glass.

"What, buddy, you're not going to give me this face?" he said to the other person with a half-smile.

"Uh... how should I put it?"

After regaining his composure, Zhang Yuan looked up and stared directly at the other person.

"Let's just speak frankly."

"Okay, I like straightforward people."

"Okay, I'll be frank."

Zhang Yuan spoke to him with a solemn and extremely formal expression, word by word.

"You have some damn face with me." (End of Chapter)