851 A Way Of Escape

The floating bridge had been torn down, leaving only stone piers inside the lake like teeth in a monster's mouth. The sediment had mounted the bank. The clear water had gone muddy because of that.

Isn't the Tianchi an international geographical wonder? Isn't it an origin of romance for ethnic minorities in Yunnan? Why would a Chinese person do that?

Although this had nothing to do with Qin Guan, he was still filled with anger. As a Chinese man, he couldn't turn a blind eye to this. He pushed Jiang Wen's hands away and walked up to the two arguing men.

"Excuse me! May I know what the contract between the local government and the crew is?"

The confused man turned his face towards Qin Guan.

"We originally thought that they would just rent the place. They didn't allow the village committee or the staff from the local tourism bureau to be here though. The producer promised us that they would just film the natural view. They said they had to keep all the pictures secret for confidentiality issues. They said it was a big-budget production."

"They didn't hire any locals. They just signed a contract that the place would remain the same and paid the deposit. They didn't inform us when they left though. We wouldn't even have known if it wasn't for our children. They saw their trucks leave one after the other."

"We found this strange. If the shooting had ended without any problems, they would have let us know. This is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Yunnan Province after all. Many tourists come here especially for it. The surrounding villages rely on this beautiful landscape. What are we supposed to do now? Our homeland has been destroyed!"

The man squatted down and put his hands on his head. He was weeping in heartbreak.

Everyone who was on Qin Guan's side felt sorry for the guy, as well as the crew member of "The Promise".

"Some crew members are still in town," Qin Guan told the man kindly. "Maybe Sister Chen, who is the producer, is also there. It would be impossible to restore this place to its original state anytime soon, but you could at least ask for some more money as compensation."

The man realized that this was his lifeline. He bowed before Qin Guan and the crew and ran away as fast as he could.

Qin Guan didn't say anything. He just sighed gently as he looked at the poor lake. Jiang Wen patted his shoulder in comfort.

"Fortunately, the Hani village looks nothing like this. At least I am a conscientious man."

Kong Wei couldn't stand those two sensitive guys any longer. She also hated to see beautiful things destroyed. "Hey! Let's go into town. We have to find a hotel before it gets dark anyway. Maybe we could also see how this whole thing ends!"

"Let's go!" Qin Guan and Jiang Wen agreed.

They headed to the small town downhill eagerly. It was a quiet town. Only a few dim light bulbs were on at the hotel, indicating that the place was open for business.

There was only one hotel in town, so they met an acquaintance there. The local man was sitting by a table looking confused. There was a crumpled piece of paper in his hands.

Qin Guan sat down next to him. "What happened? Did you find the producer?"

"I was too late. Maybe someone tipped them off. They left just before I got here, but they said they left some compensation money at the tourism bureau. I called the bureau just now. The person in charge of the program hasn't heard anything."

Chen had obviously lied to both sides to get off the hook. The crew would be dismissed in the capital and everyone would return to their original unit. It would be impossible for the local government to find the real culprit.

Meanwhile, the director would pin the problem on her subordinates. She was a real con-artist!

Qin Guan got even angrier and decided to help the man. "Do you have the original version of the contract? We'll be staying here for a few days. I have some lawyer friends that could help. We should appeal to the government and the law. China has been very passionate about environmental protection lately. I think you should tell everyone all over the country about the tragedy of Tianchi."

"Those public figures should be taught a lesson. They should be ashamed of what they did!"