Crazy Nezha

The truck carrying sheep headed west.

Li Tianbao sat in the passenger seat, his good friend Yang Zijie drove, and Xiaotianquan and the sheep sat together in the back dump truck.

The two talked a lot on the way. The sheep farm was having problems, Yang Zijie's father had accumulated a lot of debt, and the farm was about to go out of business.

Li Tianbao: "I'll get the police to help your family collect their debts!"

Others owed Yang Zijie's family a lot of money for goods and refused to pay, and his father owed the bank a lot of loans that he couldn't repay.

Payment for goods is interest-free, but loans do incur interest.

Yang Zijie's parents took a slow train to Changcheng last week to collect a debt, but have not returned yet, a rather difficult journey.

On his way to the sheep farm, Li Tianbao received a call from the police department. He wanted to help Chen Rui and his good friend's farm.

Li Tianbao: "Junbao, have you received your payment for the last drama?"

Yang Zijie: "What the hell? Just call me Yang Zijie, it sounds weird to Junbao."

The short drama "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng: Seven Emotions and Six Oxen" was originally adapted by Li Tianbao to play Zhang Tianbao and Yang Zijie to play Zhang Junbao. It was drastically modified and was both pornographic and violent. Just when the new policy for the short drama industry came out, it was filmed but failed to pass the review!

The investors lost more than 40 yuan in total, and they haven't been paid their salaries.

Although it was not released, the finished film was well received by the crew. In addition, the two had a good relationship and Yang Zijie's performance was excellent. His colleagues often called Yang Zijie Junbao.

Li Tianbao: "The main problem was that the show went too far in its attempt to attract viewers, with actresses coming on stage and immediately taking off their clothes and riding on your face! I told you the screenwriter was out of their mind!"

Yang Zijie: "The screenwriter and investors are currently embroiled in a lawsuit and wrangling over things. I don't think we'll get our salaries back."

Li Tianbao: "Recently, many dramas have been ruined by AI-driven productions. Are you still accepting roles?"

Yang Zijie: "My parents went to Changcheng last week to collect debts, and I have a lot of things to do at the factory, so I can only do it next month! I've booked a borderline film, which is a bit risky, but the pay is very high."

"How exactly does it 'skirt the line'?"

Yang Zijie: "I'll be playing a harem character who's treated like a plaything by several women. The female lead is Nana from Taiwan! I'm considering it."

"Taiwanese Nana?" Li Tianbao raised his eyebrows. "Damn, isn't the investor Guanglindou Media?"

Short drama actors don't have fixed clients; people in the industry find resources and auditions on the platform, somewhat like taking on online jobs.

Yang Zijie: "Yes, there is a severe shortage of male actors from the mainland right now, and those from Taiwan are relying on overseas distribution channels."

Li Tianbao watched for a while, then was greatly shocked: "You're going to make Category III films?!"

Yang Zijie nodded, "It's not a Category III film, it's borderline, it's just that the content is quite explicit."

Li Tianbao: "Isn't that unnecessary? What if your family or acquaintances see you? Wouldn't you be embarrassed?"

Yang Zijie: "My family owes too much money, I have no choice. Scroll down, look at the actresses, I'm asking you, am I losing money or not?"

He held the steering wheel with one hand, swiped a few times on his phone, and opened a group chat containing introductions of the actors in the show.

Li Tianbao took the phone and swiped the screen, displaying a series of alluring posters of actresses—

First picture: A light gauze drapes her shoulders, revealing half of her snow-white skin;

Second picture: Alluring eyes, tongue licking lips;

Third picture: Legs crossed, jade feet stepping on a mirror...

The further you turn to the fourth, fifth, sixth... the more tempting it becomes...

Li Tianbao's mind was racing, and his dantian was burning hot. He tried to calm himself down by circulating the breathing technique that Xiaotianquan had taught him, but he found that instead of calming down, his dantian was boiling even more!

No, even though I had some impure thoughts when I was with Chen Rui before, it shouldn't have caused me to be so agitated! Thinking back to a long time ago, I accidentally ignited the seed of Samadhi True Fire and almost lost control. It was Chen Rui who appeared and saw her tears, which made me restrain the seed of fire and prevented a major mistake.

Why is this happening? Li Tianbao looked at the photos of the actresses posing seductively again, wondering, "Could it be that I like provocative women? Isn't Chen Rui provocative enough? That's not my personality, or is there something wrong with the techniques that Xiaotianquan taught me?"

Li Tianbao took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Don't go making those kinds of films. I can get the police to help your dad collect the debts! Just focus on running the sheep farm well."

Yang Zijie had mixed feelings. "Tianbao, actually I want to act in this movie. I've been practicing my tongue skills for half a month to prepare for it. Now I can keep a coin stuck to the wall by continuously moving the tip of my tongue..."

"How does it twitch?"

As Yang Zijie drove, he opened his mouth, his tongue flicking back and forth alternately, making a "goose goose goose goose" sound at an extremely fast frequency, like an electric motor!

Li Tianbao was dumbfounded. He had really trained; he was a ruthless man! "Why? Wouldn't it be better to revitalize the factory and be a second-generation factory owner? Why sell your body!"

Yang Zijie slowly said, "I am a person with ideals! In this era of rampant self-media, skirting the edge can be an opportunity for both of us! My soul is pure."

Li Tianbao: "If you were acting opposite a woman in her fifties or sixties, would you still act?"

Yang Zijie laughed heartily, "I can't act that out. You know me; I'm an actor with principles!"

Li Tianbao laughed too, "Your soul is clean my ass!"

Yang Zijie smiled faintly, not caring at all. "Good brother, short dramas are just a transition. I want to be an artist and make blockbusters in the future! I want to defy fate and see a wider world! Instead of being like my dad: raising sheep, having kids; having kids, raising sheep."

Li Tianbao remained silent, staring out the car window at the receding streetlights, lost in thought.

About ten minutes later, Yang Zijie parked the truck at the entrance of the sheep farm.

Zhoucun, Hengsheng Sheep Farm.

It's called a factory, but it's really just a rural family's sheep-raising place. It's a big tin-roofed building with a sign that says it's a pilot project for rural revitalization issued by the county.

Yang Zijie: "Where did you buy this turtle?"

Li Tianbao: "I bought it at the hotel, don't worry about that, I'll stay at your place tonight."

Yang Zijie: "Okay, I'll have Uncle Deaf cook, and we'll have a proper meal."

At the factory gate, a flock of chickens were eating vegetable leaves. Yang Zijie said with a smile, "I'll kill one tonight. It's one of our own chickens. I'll personally fry you a plate of free-range eggs."

Li Tianbao: "I've already eaten. Let's just fry some eggs and make a cup of milk."

"We don't have any baby formula at home. Should we go to town to buy some?"

"No need, the police will deliver the milk powder."

Zhoucun is still underdeveloped. Most of the young people have gone out to work, leaving behind mostly the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. The village is poor, and the pace of life is slow. People die directly from serious illnesses, and they don't even have time to deal with minor illnesses.

The factory gates were open, revealing flocks of sheep, some in sheds, others in the open air. Two deaf-mute men were using hoses to wash the ground…

Yang Zijie gestured wildly and used sign language for a while, and the deaf-mute man came over, making muffled noises, and went to the back of the truck to unload the sheep.

Li Tianbao also came to help, and together they carried the custom-made pedals and placed them at the back of the truck. A deaf-mute man got on the truck and drove the sheep off.

Yang Zijie frowned: "Huh, why is this black sheep's rump bleeding? Did Old Qiu send us a sick sheep?"

The husky's legs were weak, and it looked exhausted, but also quite content. It slowly walked down, appearing very frail.