Chapter 813: The Movie Can't Be Filmed

In the president's office of the New Dadu Hotel, outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was a gray, hazy sky.

Cheng Shao sat in the boss's chair, staring at Zhao Jing who had just returned from the Soviet Union, "What did you say? That brat He Zheng really transported the goods over there?"

Zhao Jing nodded vigorously, "It's absolutely true. They rented a warehouse at a tractor factory in Moscow, and all the goods have arrived. And... the 10 planes they are trading for will fly to Beijing Airport in about 10 days."

Cheng Shao was stunned for a second.

The next second, he grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it hard against the floor.

"Clang—"

Porcelain shards splattered everywhere.

"This little bastard, he's playing a double game!" Cheng Shao gritted his back teeth, the flesh on his face trembling.

Zhao Jing swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said cautiously, "Boss, I'm just wondering now, how did he manage to transport all these things over there?"

Cheng Shao narrowed his eyes, his mind rapidly cycling through various possibilities.

He remained silent for a long while before speaking, "Could it be that an An-225 from the Soviet side flew over? It's actually possible. I heard from an insider at He Zheng's company that He Yuzhu has returned."

Zhao Jing was taken aback: "Can He Yuzhu really pull this off?"

Cheng Shao stood up and walked to the window, saying slowly, "After all, the people behind him are not simple."

The office was quiet for a few seconds.

"Cheng Shao, exchanging for 10 Tu-154s, that's an astronomical amount of industrial goods."

Cheng Shao turned around, his expression darkening: "Perhaps they started transporting them long ago. It seems I still underestimated the He Family."

Zhao Jing's heart skipped a beat, and he asked again: "Then Boss, what about those railcars we booked for the next few months? We don't have that much cargo to transport over there either."

Cheng Shao sneered, the laughter full of self-mockery: "Then pay the breach of contract penalty and tear up the contract."

Zhao Jing's face changed: "Cheng Shao, that money... it's over 20 million."

Cheng Shao didn't speak, sitting dejectedly on the sofa, and cursed: "Then what else can I do?"

Zhao Jing rolled his eyes and lowered his voice: "How about we mess with his Chip Factory?"

"Are you trying to die?" Cheng Shao glared at him, "That factory doesn't make money at all; it loses one or two hundred million US dollars every year. But why does he keep pouring money into it? That's a state-level backup. Do you think the higher-ups value him so much for nothing? He is also constantly doing things."

Zhao Jing's eyes darted, and he smiled again: "The movie 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' produced by his sister's company, I've seen that movie, it glorifies grave robbing. I have some connections, I can make it fail the censorship."

Cheng Shao actually smiled this time, "That's a good idea. However... I, I actually quite like watching that movie."

Zhao Jing said: "I heard that the sets for that movie have already been built. Once it fails censorship, it will also make her lose a large sum of money."

Cheng Shao narrowed his eyes: "Fine, go do it. If you succeed, I'll credit you with a great achievement."

Just as Zhao Jing was about to leave, Cheng Shao called him back: "I recently received news that He Yuzhu has started acquiring land in Shencheng. Investigate for me what land plots he has acquired."

Zhao Jing nodded: "I'll go check immediately."

He walked a few steps and then turned back, asking carefully: "Cheng Shao, is there any possibility... that we can stop those two airlines from refusing to accept their planes?"

Cheng Shao turned his head abruptly, stared at Zhao Jing, and slowly shook his head: "You think too highly of my old man, don't you?"

Zhao Jing opened his mouth and swallowed the rest of his words.

In the East Cross Courtyard of the No. 95 Siheyuan, the afternoon sun shone down at an angle, illuminating the entire courtyard brightly.

He Zheng was excitedly telling He Yuzhu about his achievement of "exchanging industrial goods for planes," and as he got into the spirit of it, his hands started gesturing along.

"Dad, I made 500 million in one go this time! You don't know, the Soviet side is severely lacking in light industrial goods—canned food, down jackets, clothing, shoes and hats, white spirits, they are lacking everything. But these things are all backlogged inventory here, and they can't fetch a price at all. This business trip of mine not only revitalized several state-run factories in various provinces but also made money! I should continue doing this business."

He Yuzhu shook his head: "Let this business end here. If you want to sell industrial goods, just sell them over there, don't be so high-profile. Once the Russians realize you're making big money, they can find a hundred reasons to seize your goods. Although you made a big mistake this time, looking at the results, it was still a success. In this, Qin Tianzhen's contribution should be greater, right? I don't think you could have operated this project on your own?"

He Zheng nodded vigorously, a look of admiration on his face: "Dad, to tell you the truth, Tianzhen's contribution this time was indeed significant. First, she had contact with a large number of clients at the Northern Company and had a foundation of connections. Second, she went door-to-door to negotiate, and many of the goods were obtained very cheaply..."

He Yuzhu took a puff of his cigarette and looked at He Zheng seriously: "Tianzhen has been without a father since she was a child and has had a hard life; you must treat her well."

He Zheng chuckled: "Dad, don't worry, I won't be like you."

"You brat, watch me hit you!"

He Zheng was so scared he quickly covered his head.

He Yuzhu didn't really want to hit him; he was just teasing. He withdrew his hand and asked casually: "I heard your mother-in-law divorced your father-in-law?"

"This matter was instigated by Guosheng's wife behind the scenes; Tianzhen and I didn't participate at all."

He Yuzhu lit a cigarette and took a deep drag: "Actually, Qin Huairu's husband is a decent person, he just loves to drink, and after drinking, he loves to show off. Qin Huairu is also something, why get a divorce at this age?"

He Zheng lowered his head: "This matter was mainly instigated by Guosheng's wife. Although Tianzhen doesn't like her stepfather, she also feels that since her parents are at such an age, they should just make do."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "I'm just worrying for nothing. As long as Qin Huairu is happy, that's fine. But I think she is quite fond of managing things. After the New Year, find her a job."

He Zheng nodded and smiled: "You and I thought of the same thing. I also thought about letting her be the Office Director after the New Year."

Three days later, He Yushui ran home in a rush, and upon seeing He Yuzhu, she complained: "Brother, did you offend Cheng Shao again?"

He Yuzhu was drinking tea and looked up at her: "What's wrong?"

He Yushui was so angry her face turned red, "That bastard found someone in charge of film censorship at the Film Bureau, and he's being extremely nitpicky about the script we submitted, raising over thirty questions all at once!"

She became more agitated as she spoke: "But if we change it according to his opinions, the film won't be interesting at all."

He Yuzhu put down his teacup and smiled unhurriedly: "Sister, I'm sorry, maybe you've been dragged into trouble by me again this time. If it really doesn't work, let's not film this one and change to something else."

He Yushui stomped her feet in anxiety: "But the script is already finished, the sets for the next stage are already built, and we've already invested over 15 million! If this falls through, won't it be a total loss?"

He Yuzhu sighed and leaned back in his chair: "But because of this, I can't just go find Secretary Liu, can I?"

He thought for a moment and said again: "How about this, how much money did you lose? Brother will pay it for you."

He Yushui didn't answer, but instead asked puzzledly: "Brother, didn't you say back then that these eight stories just needed to be filmed before 1995? Why is it like this now in 1991?"

He Yuzhu lit a cigarette and took a slow drag: "If the people don't report it, the officials don't investigate. Now that someone is deliberately looking for trouble for you, there's nothing to be done. According to the previous rules and regulations, your work does indeed have many taboo areas."