CH 30

The male lead, Gao Boyang sat next to Zhang Shuo. Although he was now a very popular actor with a lot of producers and directors looking for him, the more popular he was, the more careful he became. And the politer he was to the other crew members from the production, afraid that he would appear complacent to others.  

Zhang Shuo looked at the time and found that most of the crew had arrived ahead of time. Among the invited members, only the female lead and the third male lead were still not here. He was not upset. Anyway, now that the film has been released, for these actors to still remember their good relationship with the crew, then it can already be said that they cherish old friendships.

If they were unwilling to come, he also wouldn’t force them.  After all, both money and goods have been settled, no one owes anyone. If worse comes to worst, after this, he just wouldn’t work with people like them again.

“Director Zhang, I heard that Mr. Lu is coming in person later. Shall we toast Mr. Lu together? If it wasn’t for him, this movie would surely have been cancelled.” Gao Boyang and Zhang Shuo had a somewhat personal relationship, adding on the fact that his face was rather common and his temperament was simple, he hadn’t been able to make a name for himself even after being in the entertainment circle all these years. So when Zhang Shuo spoke to him about this role and hoped that he would star in it, Gao Boyang agreed right away.

Later, Gao Boyang heard that they didn’t have enough funds and Director Zhang might have to give up making this movie. He felt that it was a pity for a while but didn’t expect that they soon found an investor afterward. Now, Director Zhang and Screenwriter Qu were both famous, and even he himself had become a well-known actor. Therefore, Mr. Lu was completely worthy of being called their production crew’s saviour.

“It’s okay to toast, but you can’t make him drunk.” Zhang Shuo was also elated because of the movie sales recently, and his temper became better than before, “Mr. Lu is different from us, he still has to get to work on time tomorrow.”

Although there were more than a dozen people in this room that wanted to ask about Mr. Lu’s real identity, they remember that Director Zhang once told them not to disclose the fact that Mr. Lu was the investor at will, even implying that if they spoke any nonsense, they may not be able to walk in this circle anymore. They already had a vague guess, that even if Mr. Lu’s identity wasn’t complicated, there must be someone around him whose background was.

“Don’t worry, Director Zhang. Mr. Lu is still a young man, but drinking and being drunk will hurt his health,” said Gao Boyang smiling. “Because of Director Zhang and Screenwriter Qu, we are blessed with good fortune. We have more work compared to before, it will be troublesome if we get drunk and miss our work as well.”

Everyone began to continuously praise and brainlessly flatter Zhang Shuo and Gao Boyang. No one here was a fool. Gao Boyang will be very popular after this and there is no need to mention Director Zhang, he will definitely shoot a lot of movies in the future. If they wanted to act under Director Zhang, then they needed to act smart.

♣♣

When Lu Chengyu opened the door of the private room, he heard the supporting actress boasting that he acted out his role very well. He immediately put a smile on his face and said, “I heard the beauty boasting of my handsome appearance as soon as I entered the door, this is indeed a good omen.” Although the second female lead had fewer camera scenes, after the movie got popular, her face became familiar in the entertainment circle. Moreover, this actress was a brave person who was willing to risk her life; several years later, she will become a mainstay of the big screen.

Zhu Yuxue didn’t think that Mr. Lu would happen to hear her words, she immediately used a joking tone and said: “Mr. Lu originally already looked handsome. Could it be that it’s still embarrassing for others to mention it?”

“I’m finished! Being praised by the most beautiful person in our group, I’m afraid I’ll be beaten by our group’s men when I go out.” He chuckled and sat down on the empty seat beside Qu Lingbei. He looked at all the people seated around the table and discovered that the third male lead, Zhou Xuyu and the female lead, Lin Mengmeng, were not here. Pretending that he didn’t notice, Lu Chengyu said, “I just ordered two bottles of good wine. Let’s all have a drink together later.”

Everyone hurriedly responded to him. When the dishes were served together, everyone found that the cost of these dishes were somewhat astonishing. Immediately they realized that Mr. Lu really did come here to celebrate with them, rather than just to put on airs like other investors would.

“This glass of wine is my toast to everyone.” Lu Chengyu stood up and looked at everyone there with a smile, “I’m going to say something that might be in poor taste, but if it weren’t for you all, I would not have been able to earn this much money. Everyone here are Lu Chengyu’s lucky stars. If I invest in movies again in the future and need your help, I hope you can still keep old friendships in mind and will help me out again.”

It was almost obvious that he was telling everyone that he will continue investing in movies and if there are any suitable roles for anyone here, he will give them a priority consideration. Compared to giving them a bonus or just thanking them, telling them this was much more useful. Gao Boyang and the other actors and actresses all stood up and raised their glasses to show that there wouldn’t be a problem.

Lu Chengyu clinked his glass with everyone, sat down and spoke to Qu Lingbei, who sat beside him, “Screenwriter Qu, Director Zhang, if you have any new movies to shoot, you have to think of me first.”

“Mr. Lu is willing to believe in us. Of course, we are most willing to cooperate with Mr. Lu as well.” Although Director Zhang had a quick temper, he was actually very clear-minded. Lu Chengyu was generous and didn’t like to meddle in the production team’s work.  Moreover, Lu Chengyu was the kind of person who he could exchange views with. With just these three huge advantages, the other investors in the entertainment circle already couldn’t compare with Lu Chengyu. If they could cooperate with Lu Chengyu, why would they find others only to make themselves unhappy?

“That’s great,” Lu Chengyu said with a smile. “Then the three of us must have a toast.”

Zhang Shuo and Qu Lingbei both raised their glasses with a smile and clinked them with Lu Chengyu, their hearts more at ease than before.

At the end of the celebration, Lu Chengyu gave everyone red envelopes. After everyone left with a smile on their faces, he turned to Qu Lingbei and Zhang Shuo, who were still with him and said, “You two are the biggest contributors to this movie. I have nothing to reciprocate. So when I get the actual box office income after the movie is offline, I will give you an extra 1% of the profits. You are not allowed to give a cold shoulder to my tawdry gifts.”

It was estimated there will be more than 300 million in profit for this movie, so 1 percent of that will be at least more than 3 million. When they signed the contract with Lu Chengyu, they had signed the salary clause instead of the dividend clause. Now, however, Lu Chengyu was willing to give them extra money, which was really unexpected to them.

Originally, they thought that it was already kind of Lu Chengyu to give them a big red envelope, but they didn’t expect that he would go to this extent.

“Mr. Lu, we have already signed the terms in the contract before. How can we accept it if you do this?” Although they were moved by the money, sometimes thinking of nothing but personal gains can destroy a lot of things. Qu Lingbei smiled and tactfully declined, “If Mr. Lu wants to express gratitude to us, just give us a big investment the next time we cooperate.”

“That, of course, is a given. Afterwards, both of you will become well-known nationwide as a gold medal director and a gold medal screenwriter, I’m afraid that others will compete with me.” Lu Chengyu smiled and shook his head, “But you have to take this one percent profit. It’s my sincerity. If you don’t accept it, it is the same as if you are looking down on me.”

“Mr. Lu is so generous, we feel too embarrassed to refuse you again.” Zhang Shuo didn’t think as much compared to Qu Lingbei. He could feel that Lu Chengyu was sincere in expressing gratitude to both of them, so he said, “Old Qu and I thank you.”

Upon seeing this, Qu Lingbei had no other option besides thanking Lu Chengyu after Zhang Shuo. Seeing that Lu Chengyu now feels a bit closer towards them, the worry inside his heart disappeared without trace. Even though Mr. Lu was young, he was really a good man.

♣♣

The three of them walked out of the hotel side by side. Because they knew that they would be drinking alcohol, none of them drove here. As it was mid-day, it was not easy to catch a taxi, so they ended up standing on the street and began discussing the next movie.

Even when a grey Porsche stopped in front of them, they didn’t give it a second glance.

“I heard Mr. Lu began to mix in the entertainment circle,” Liang Deyou’s head stretched out from the window, his face more depressed than before. Glancing at Zhang Shuo and Qu Lingbei’s unimpressive look and clothes, he felt disdain towards them, “Could it be that you can’t mingle in the company, so you began to rely on acting?”

“My acting skill can’t be compared with Mr. Liang,” Lu Chengyu beamed with a smile and continued, “At most, I can only act as a minor supporting actor. If Mr. Liang wished to join the entertainment business, with Mr. Liang’s appearance, Mr. Liang can certainly become a movie emperor.”

Liang Deyou’s face changed, he knew that Lu Chengyu was laughing at what had happened in his family. Liang Deyou rushed out from his car and pointed towards Lu Chengyu’s nose, “What did you say? If you dare, say it again!”

“Since you demanded it, if I don’t satisfy you, it will be as if I’m not giving you face.” Lu Chengyu chuckles, “I said, ‘Mr. Liang has a good appearance, if Mr. Liang enters the entertainment industry, you will surely become a movie emperor.’”

“I **** your mother,” Liang Deyou suddenly raised his fist and pounced towards Lu Chengyu. Lu Chengyu slightly moved to the side and kicked Liang Deyou to the ground. Seeing that he couldn’t get up due to pain, Lu Chengyu looked down with a smile and said, “All my life, what I hate the most is when others curse my mother, especially someone like you.”

Due to the pain, Liang Deyou had difficulty breathing. He looked up and saw that Lu Chengyu’s eyes were full of ridicule for himself. Now, he felt like he had to tear up and stomped on this person in front of him in order to solve his hatred, “Lu Chengyu, you wait and see.” He stood up from the ground, without even caring to pat off the dust from the ground, he took out his mobile phone and called the police to report that he was assaulted on the streets.

Zhang Shuo and Qu Lingbei felt that the situation was not right. Knowing that Lu Chengyu was beating Young Master Liang, they were worried. Zhang Shuo even protected Lu Chengyu by standing in front of him, he stretched his neck and said, “Clearly it was you who punched first, your good idea is to call the police?”

Liang Deyou didn’t look at Zhang Shuo. For him, Zhang Shuo was just an ordinary passerby. Although the current Liang Family was not as good as before, to deal with Lu Chengyu it was more than enough. He even made plans that when the police arrived, he would put on a show of how bad he had been beaten. This way, Lu Chengyu might not only need to waste a lot of money but also go to the bureau for a few days of education.

“Director Zhang, you don’t have to reason with this kind of person,” Lu Chengyu said with a smile. “Even the dog who’s acting in a movie can understand people’s words better than this kind of person.” He looked at Zhang Shuo and Qu Lingbei guiltily, “I’m sorry that I got both of you involved.”

Although the situation was quite serious, Qu Lingbei still couldn’t help but laugh. This was because his family’s dog, which was adopted at the Love Pet Center on his daughter’s birthday, didn’t have any problems aside from hearing.

He shook his head: “Since Mr. Lu treats us as friends, how can he say sorry to his friends for such things?”

Lu Chengyu looked at both of them and felt warmed. While smiling, he said,  “I was wrong. I hope you two don’t mind.”

Liang Deyou glared at Qu Lingbei, then turned to Lu Chengyu and said, “You who have no father, no mother, and no education can only mix with these kinds of people, I pei[1].”

[1] 呸 [pēi]: pah! / bah! / pooh! / to spit (in contempt)

When Zhang Shuo and Qu Lingbei heard this, they were angry at first, then they immediately froze. What does this Young Master Liang mean? What “no father, no mother?”

The smile on Lu Chengyu’s face disappeared after Liang Deyou said that. He looked at Liang Deyou coldly, with an unprecedented calm expression.

Some passersby have also noticed the conflict between the four people. Some people recognized that Lu Chengyu was the Mr. Perfect, who was very popular recently. So after the three people left the hotel, there were female fans secretly filming them in secret. They didn’t expect that while they were only casually filming the handsome guy that Young Master Liang would also get involved.

From the very beginning, the girl who took the video secretly thought that Young Master Liang was a bit aggressive. Now that she heard the other side call the police and even scolded Lu Chengyu’s parents, she felt that this Young Master Liang was somewhat loathsome. Acting such a man-like dog, how could he speak so unculturedly?

But… the male god has lost both his parents?

Now that he’s taken to the police station with Young Master Liang, who had both authority and power, will he be retaliated against?

Her close friend had already scolded out in a low voice: “**** his sister. This Young Master Liang is too shameless. It’s clear that he started it first, and the male god only defended himself and fought back. How could he do such a disgusting thing?”

In a fit of anger, she took out her mobile phone and posted it on Weibo.

[Forever 18 Girl]: Currently witnessing a case of a second rich generation bullying a male god. Young master, are you not willing to be the second generation, ready to take over your father’s position as a movie emperor? 

At the end of the post, there was an address of their current location.

As soon as it was published, it was quickly forwarded by Weibo dedicated to picking up entertainment gossip. Nowadays, in the circle, there were a lot of men who could be called the ‘Male God,’ so we couldn’t guess which ‘Male God’ it was. But to be a rich second generation while being connected to a “Movie Emperor,” most netizens knew who it was.

For a while, various entertainment forums and Weibo became lively again. There were also people who were close to the site of the accident. After seeing the Weibo, they grabbed their phones and ran outside, hoping to be able to witness this happening.

♣♣

Thus, when the police arrived, Lu Chengyu and the other three were already surrounded by a lot of onlookers. At first, having received orders not to be polite to Lu Chengyu, they were planning to teach him a lesson. But when they finally arrived, they felt that something was amiss. So, instead of handcuffing anyone, the police were courteous and just politely asked everyone to board the police car.

When the car drove away, the police also heard people in the crowd shouting “rich second generation is bullying people,” along with other words. They could not help but secretly wipe away some sweat.

Several policemen exchanged glances with each other, knowing that if this matter was not handled properly, they would be punished. So they turned to the four people and said, “For this matter, we need to invite everyone to the police station and to take each person’s statement. If you need to hire a lawyer and so on, you can contact them now.”

Liang Deyou sneered, took out his mobile phone and began to make a call.

The policeman who spoke gave a dry laugh and did not speak. In his heart, he had the impulse to fling mud in the face of this arrogant second generation.

“Thank you very much,” Lu Chengyu said with a wry smile. His face was a little pale. After hesitating for a while, he took out his mobile phone and made a phone call.

Seeing this, the policeman sighed silently in his heart. Just by looking at the two men’s respective attitudes, he could guess some of the ins and outs. He turned his head, sighed at his companion, and felt some sympathy for the young man behind him who looked innocent and pure.

His companion, however, inexplicably thought the young man, who looked so well-behaved, seemed familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Where was it?

After hearing that Lu Chengyu was taken away by the police and needed a lawyer, Yan Mu contacted a gold medal lawyer and drove straight to the police station with the man.