“What do you want us to do for you?”
“Not yet.”
“Then what about this 200,000?”
“It’s just a greeting gift, nothing more, no strings attached. The businesses of ‘Evergreen’ and ‘Nongkai’ are actually quite similar, both in real estate. So, as we develop in the future, I wouldn’t dare ask you to do too much. I just hope you local powerhouses won’t intentionally create obstacles.”
“It’s really that simple?”
“That simple. It’s just about making friends. But,” Hou Longtao’s face darkened, “if anyone recognizes me as a friend and then causes trouble for that friend, don’t blame me, Hou, for turning against you.”
“Are you threatening us?”
“Call it a threat or a warning, whatever. Just understand where I stand.”
“Do you have the ability?”
Long was getting impatient. “Believe it or not, my fourth brother single-handedly brought down Mao Zhengyi. If you can’t even understand the most basic self-interest, you’re really not qualified to be my fourth brother’s friend. Either way, cooperating with us is much better than cooperating with Mao Zhengyi. All the benefits remain the same, and no one will be ordering you around anymore. Does this deal really need so much consideration?”
“You can’t blame us for being cautious. We really can’t afford to offend Mao. It’s hard for us to decide based on just your words.”
Beijing La was actually hoping to hear the truth. His mentor in the underworld wasn’t any worse than the others, but because he was from Beijing, Mao Zhengyi exploited him the most. In fact, this was a major reason why Wu Beiying wanted to hold the meeting in his territory.
“You want me to produce evidence, but I can’t do that right now. But think about it, have you heard any news about Old Mao in the past month? Have you received any more orders from Old Mao? Have you been punished by Old Mao for letting Long and me escape successfully? The first two questions might not reveal much, but if the answer to the last question is no, you should believe me.”
After a moment of silence, a guy in a floral shirt under his suit spoke up first. “Hou Longtao, right? I’ll be your friend. If ‘Evergreen’ ever needs my help, I’ll do my best.” He was the one responsible for chasing them on the highway last time. But after Mao Zhengyi learned that Hou Longtao had jumped into the river, he cursed him out on the phone and threatened to kill him. This had made him very worried for a while, but nothing ever happened. He had already suspected that Mao Zhengyi was in trouble, and Hou Longtao’s appearance today only strengthened his suspicion.
“It seems Mr. Hou is a trustworthy and straightforward person. I’m willing to be your friend too.”
Beijing La didn’t dare to take the lead. Now that someone had stepped forward, there was nothing to worry about. “Okay, count me in.”
“Me too.”… All six people expressed their positions one after another, completing the transition from being under “Nongkai” to being under “Evergreen.”
They weren’t stupid. Two hundred thousand was right in front of them; they’d be fools not to take it. If Hou Longtao was telling the truth, with his ability to bring down Mao Zhengyi, with such a powerful backer, they would only benefit and not suffer; if he wasn’t telling the truth, they’d take the money first and deal with him later…
After leaving the nightclub, Wu Beiying drove to the Longbai Hotel. Although he had left Mao Zhengyi, the employees of Mao’s companies didn’t know. At this hotel, he was still a senior executive of “Nongkai.” He went to a VIP room he had reserved in the dance hall, took out his phone, and said, “I’m here. Come down.”
Soon, a man and a woman walked into the dimly lit room.
The man was unremarkable, short, wearing a suit, a typical businessman. The woman was slender and tall, with slightly curly long hair, dressed inconspicuously in a yellow V-neck narrow T-shirt. She wasn’t large-chested, wearing a dark blue knee-length denim skirt with slits that only reached ten centimeters above the knee, and black high-heeled sandals. Besides a black wide bracelet on her left wrist, she wore no other jewelry.
The two didn’t sit down after entering the room, facing Wu Beiying respectfully. The man stepped forward and asked, “Mr. Wu, why did you call us here so urgently?”
“Sit down,” Wu Beiying lit a “Tashan” [a brand of cigarette]. “Mr., tell me, what is the most basic responsibility of a film and television agent?”
“To ensure that the client’s rights are not violated and to choose suitable roles for the client.”
“Haven’t you been doing a bad job in this area recently?”
“…” The agent didn’t answer, but he was cursing in his heart, “Isn’t this a rhetorical question? Mao Zhengyi has to approve the scripts. What does he know about acting? He doesn’t allow long shooting schedules or many intimate scenes. What the hell is left? If he hadn’t made a high-profile donation to anti-’**’ [likely referring to anti-corruption efforts], it would be hard to push back the Beijing reservations for ‘**’ dramas [likely referring to TV dramas], and who knows how long Kung Ru would have been out of work.”
“Hehehe,” Wu Beiying smiled. He was very good at reading people. “Mr. is cursing Mao in his heart, isn’t he?”
“No, no, Mao is so caring to us, why would we curse him?”
“Hmph, Mao also knows that his actions have been a bit excessive in the past, so he wants me to inform you that in the future, he will no longer interfere with what dramas Ms. Yang wants to take, no longer restrict Ms. Yang’s freedom, and he will no longer ask Ms. Yang to do things she doesn’t want to do.”
“Really!?” The man and woman asked in surprise at the same time. The woman, Yang Gongru, suddenly raised her head, which had been lowered, and her bright eyes widened. “You know I don’t joke around. But now Mao has a very difficult matter. If Ms. Yang is willing to help, the problem will definitely be solved. I wonder if Ms. Yang is willing to lend a hand?”
“This…” Yang Gongru bit her lip. Although she had escaped Niu Jiading last time, she could see that Mao Zhengyi only regarded her as a canary he kept. When necessary, he would offer her up for others to play with. He must be asking for something again this time. “I… I’m not a prostitute.”
“Ms. Yang, don’t put it so harshly. Exposure is the guarantee of a star’s status. Mr., can you help me persuade Ms. Yang?”
“Will Mao’s promise really be fulfilled? What kind of guarantee can Mr. Wu give Kung Ru?”
“That depends on Ms. Yang.”
“What do you mean?”
“If Ms. Yang can satisfy tonight’s guest, or even become friends with him, if Mao goes back on his word, Ms. Yang can ask him to step in. Even if Mao doesn’t want to let go, I’m afraid he won’t dare to.” Wu Beiying stood up. “I’m going to the restroom. You guys discuss it.” After speaking, he walked out.
“Kung Ru, what do you think?”
“No! I absolutely won’t do it. What do you all take me for?”
“Don’t get excited. Think about it. Are you willing to be controlled by Mao Zhengyi like this forever? If this continues for another six months to a year, no one will ask you to film anymore. Your future will be ruined.”
“…”
“As long as you suffer this one time, we can completely get rid of Mao Zhengyi.”
“Do you believe Wu Beiying’s words?”
“Mao Zhengyi is known for his arrogance. Just now, Wu Beiying actually said ‘dare not let go,’ which Mao certainly didn’t tell him to say. And his loyalty to Mao Zhengyi is well known. If it weren’t true, he wouldn’t lower his master’s status in front of others.” This agent really had some brains.
“I still can’t believe it. Mao Zhengyi is very insidious.”
“The person tonight must be very important. He didn’t force you like last time, but instead enticed you, probably because he was afraid that person would see that you weren’t willing. I think, why don’t we do this…” The two were already speaking softly, but now the man moved closer to the beauty’s ear and whispered for a while. “Anyway, the situation won’t be worse than it is now. At most, it will just stay the same. If it works out, you will not only regain your freedom, but you might also find a strong backer, so you won’t have any worries in the future.”
“Then… what if he’s like Mao Zhengyi? Wouldn’t I be jumping from the frying pan into the fire?”
“That’s possible, but we have to take this risk. Even if it’s another Mao Zhengyi, at least it’s a Mao Zhengyi with even more power.”
“Then won’t I be even more unable to escape?”
“Do you have a way now? If we could beat Mao Zhengyi, we would have escaped long ago, right? Kung Ru, you have to weigh the pros and cons.”
The air in the room froze for more than a minute. Yang Gongru stomped her foot. “I agree.”
“Good, good. It all depends on your acting skills. Those older bosses are very lecherous. As long as you can grasp it, bad things will turn into good things.” The agent was really thinking about Yang Gongru, worrying about her career. As an agent, he wouldn’t make money if the female star under him didn’t sign film contracts…
A group of people walked out of the nightclub. The extended Lincoln was already waiting outside. Now, a few people had seen the “new friend’s” extravagance. It wasn’t common to have an S500 escort. This further increased their confidence in Hou Longtao. “Mr. Wu called earlier and said everything has been arranged.” As Hou Longtao walked to the car door, the driver whispered in his ear. Hou Longtao nodded and bent down to get into the car.
“Not too hard to deal with.” After the car started, Long handed his fourth brother a cigarette. “Damn it,” Hou Longtao didn’t take it immediately. He took off his suit first and turned to Long. “Look.” He saw that the shirt on his back was wet. “I’ll be damned! What the hell is this? Did you pee on your back?”
“Go to hell,” Hou Longtao snatched the cigarette and lit it. “I was so damn nervous just now.”
“Nervous? I saw you didn’t change your expression.”
“Hmph, if I let them see that I was afraid, we’d both be screwed. Those were real guns, and they weren’t in our hands. I was sweating like crazy.” Hou Longtao loosened his tie, leaned back in his chair, and gasped for breath. “They’re not stupid. It wouldn’t do them any good to mess with us.” Long really didn’t feel any danger just now.
“If you run into someone on the street who gives you a dirty look, it wouldn’t do you any good to beat him up, but you’d still do it, right?”
“Damn, is it really that serious?”
“People in the underworld, the first thing they consider is face,” Hou Longtao patted his cheek. “The second thing they consider is benefits. We’re not strong enough to make them disregard face. I was a little too much when I insulted them the second time.”
“The time you pulled out the gun?”
“Yeah.”
“When was the first time?”
“Coming up without introducing ourselves and acting like we were in charge, that’s not giving them face. But because we didn’t say it directly and they didn’t know anything about our background or purpose, they could still tolerate it. But the second time, I made it clear, ‘I’m much more awesome than you guys. Don’t mess with me. Do what I tell you to do.’”
“So you knew something might happen, and you only brought six people?”
“If I brought more people, I could have controlled them at the time, but relying on numbers wouldn’t show how arrogant we are.”
“Damn, you have times when you want style more than life?”
“It’s not that I don’t want life. I originally thought the possibility of fighting them on the spot was very small. I wanted to praise them, let them know that I still value their status as big brothers, and then show the money…”
“Yeah, if you did that, there wouldn’t be any danger.”
“But I can’t just be a good guy. I’ll still warn them at the appropriate time, otherwise they’ll think we’re easy to bully and treat us like suckers. Damn, I almost screwed it up. I just wanted to be quick-witted. Once I started, there was no end. I started showing off before I showed the money. Sigh, planning is important, but improvisation is even more important.” Hou Longtao took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I still don’t quite understand why you wanted to find them.”
“In the real estate business, whether it’s buying and selling land, building buildings, or speculating on real estate, the ground must be clean [meaning free of trouble]. If you have a good relationship with those people, you can avoid many unnecessary troubles in the future. It’s not that they will definitely create obstacles for us, but what if? Trying to find a solution when things happen will cost more than clearing the way in advance.”
“Then why don’t we use high-pressure tactics like Mao Zhengyi? Weren’t they afraid to show their teeth in front of Old Mao back then?”
“Not to mention the large amount of money required for high-pressure tactics, Mao Zhengyi’s base is in Shanghai. His power is deeply rooted. We’re new here. A strong dragon can’t suppress a local snake [a powerful outsider can’t control the locals]. Moreover, our base is in Beijing, not Shanghai. We’re doing legitimate business in Shanghai. There’s no need to make it look like we’re going to rule here.”
“Damn, if they dare to cause trouble, Uncle Gu can make a phone call, and the Shanghai police will have to move, right?”
“That’s right, but either way, being prepared is always better than regretting later. And you know, I always do things with courtesy first, then force. Cui Xiang, the Four Tigers of Dewai, Zhang Yue, Hu Ergou, I’ve given them all opportunities. Those Shanghai people haven’t offended me, so there’s no need to kill them all with one blow.” Hou Longtao unconsciously shaped himself into the role of a fair “martial arts leader.”
The car drove to the Longbai Hotel. Hou Longtao first asked for a room and had the hotel send him a new shirt. He took a shower and then called Wu Beiying to inform him that he had arrived…
In the room, Wu Beiying put away his phone. “The person has arrived and will be here soon. Ms. Yang, don’t be so expressionless.” The other two didn’t say anything. They suddenly became nervous. They really didn’t know what kind of big shot was coming. Three or four minutes later, the door of the room opened, and two men walked in one after the other. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Mr. Hou, Mr. Lin, let me introduce you.” Wu Beiying stood up. The agent and Yang Gongru didn’t move. They thought that since the person who came had the power to make Mao Zhengyi afraid, he must be a fat, slick-haired, or even bald, treacherous businessman or bureaucrat. They didn’t expect two young men. Although the light was dim and they hadn’t seen their faces, it was enough to surprise them to the point of forgetting to stand up.
“No need. Ms. Yang, how could I not recognize her?” Hou Longtao turned around, with a smile on his face, bent down, held the woman’s right hand, brought his mouth close, and touched the back of her hand lightly. “Ms. Yang is even more beautiful than on the screen.”
“Ah… this…” Yang Gongru didn’t know how to answer for a moment. She now saw clearly that although this man wasn’t very handsome, he wasn’t ugly either, and he looked gentle and smiled kindly, not annoying at all.
“Fourth brother, you know her, but the big star doesn’t know you. Don’t scare her, hahaha.”
“Yes, Mr. Hou, let me introduce you.”
“Hmph, right, right.”
“Ms. Yang, this is the president of Dongxing Group, the director of Evergreen Group, Mr. Hou Longtao; this is the director and deputy general manager of Dongxing Group, Mr. Lin Long.”
“People call me Fourth Brother, ‘East Star Prince, Prince Brother.’” Long interjected.
“Prince Brother, Mr. Lin.” Yang Gongru stood up and extended her hand. She now regarded Hou Longtao as the son of some central official [a member of the elite political families]. “Prince Brother, Mr. Lin, nice to meet you, nice to meet you.” The agent also extended his hand. He and Yang Gongru had the same idea. “I’m Gong…”
“No need to tell me,” Hou Longtao interrupted the man, shook the woman’s hand. “Mr. Wu, Long, take him outside to talk.”
“Okay.” Long agreed, nodded at the agent, and shook his head. “Let’s go.”
“Oh, okay, okay.” The agent awkwardly withdrew his hand and followed the two out of the room. During this process, Hou Longtao held the woman’s hand, looking at her with a smile. “Ms. Yang, please sit down.”
“Okay.” Yang Gongru sat back on the sofa. She quite liked the man’s gentle manner.
Hou Longtao sat to the woman’s left. During this process, because he had not let go of the beauty’s hand, he first raised the woman’s arm. When the two hands could not normally hold each other, he turned around and sat down, but the woman’s arm could not be twisted backward into a negative angle. As soon as he let go, his right arm naturally wrapped around the beauty’s waist. In fact, this series of actions was completed within a few seconds.
“Prince Brother, don’t… don’t do this…” Yang Gongru twisted her upper body, leaned her waist back, and gently pushed the man’s shoulder, looking quite ladylike. Hou Longtao increased the strength of his arm, resolutely letting the beauty lean back on him. Wu Beiying didn’t say anything just now. He knew that this woman had already agreed, and now she was just pretending to refuse. “Ms. Yang, are you busy filming recently? Do you have time to come to Shanghai for fun?”
“Ah… I don’t have any new dramas recently.” Yang Gongru’s upper body was now twisted towards the man, her left chest pressed against his right shoulder, her right hand holding his waist and abdomen. In fact, the arm around her waist and back was no longer exerting force. Half of this intimate posture was voluntarily posed by her.
“Hmph, Ms. Yang, do you mind if I smoke?”
“I don’t mind. Prince Brother, is Director Gu well?”
“Huh? You know Director Gu?” Hou Longtao put a cigarette in his mouth and felt for a lighter on his body.
“Not really,” Yang Gongru leaned over and picked up a lighter from the coffee table, lighting the cigarette for the man. Her movements were elegant and skilled, like a high-class call girl who had received special training. “Once when I was filming in Beijing, ‘Evergreen’ was a major sponsor. Director Gu had a meal with the people from our crew, and we chatted a bit.”
“I see.” Hearing that this woman knew Gu Quanzhi, Hou Longtao became overly sensitive and added three points of caution, but he was really overthinking this time.
“Prince Brother, how did you become the director of the largest real estate group in northern China at such a young age?” Yang Gongru already had an answer in her heart. Gu Quanzhi needed the support of high-ranking officials, so he brought the children of high-ranking officials into the company. She knew that the younger generation of “princelings” didn’t “hide their light” like the older generation, but liked to show off their prominent family background, especially in front of beautiful women.
“How did I become it?” Hou Longtao’s arm slid down from the woman’s waist a little, and his right palm rested on her butt. “I and a few brothers created Dongxing Group. Because the future is bright, Director Gu cooperated with me through a ‘share swap,’ so now he is a shareholder of my Dongxing Group, and I am a shareholder of his Evergreen Group. Do you think I rely on my dad? Hahaha.” He understood the thoughts of these stars too well.
“I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s okay, we’re just making friends. It’s normal to want to understand things clearly. And you still have something to ask of me, so of course you want to know my background first.”
“You… you know?” Yang Gongru originally planned to stop the man immediately before he inserted himself, and then ask him to help her. She thought the man was eager to get laid and couldn’t refuse her. At worst, she would let him sleep with her a few more times in the future. People of this status wouldn’t just stare at her.
“Don’t worry, Wu’s promises to you will be fulfilled.”
“Thank… thank you.” Yang Gongru didn’t know what she was thanking for. It was what she had exchanged for with her body.
“Ms. Yang, are we friends now?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” Hou Longtao put out his cigarette. “There’s something I want to ask you, and I hope you can tell me the truth.”
“Ask me.”
“What did Niu Jiading tell you last time?”
“Niu… Niu Jiading?” Yang Gongru didn’t expect this person’s name to appear in a conversation with the man who was about to “patronize” her. “Why are you asking him… asking him?”
“I know that he didn’t really take much advantage of you, but if you think some details will embarrass you, you can skip those details. You just need to tell me what he said to you.” The smile on Hou Longtao’s face didn’t change, but his eyes became as sharp as an eagle’s…
Gathering popularity to build a learning flagship, gathering elites to create a great cause for generations (Golden Scale is not a thing in the pool) [meaning a talented person will eventually achieve great things]