Chapter 939: Turmoil in the Film Crew

Keli took out a check and handed it to the thin, gaunt old man: "Two million, is that enough to settle Yang Jing?" His voice carried a condescending arrogance.

The thin, gaunt old man was startled at first, his eyes darting back and forth between the check and Keli's face, then he smiled and spoke: "Mr. Keli, this is not a small amount of money, but if you want to get your hands on her, this amount is far from enough."

He gently pushed the check back half an inch and added: "However, this money is more than enough to arrange a few drinking parties and manufacture a few 'chance' encounters."

Keli frowned, his tone revealing a hint of impatience: "I heard from Luo En that a few years ago, a martial arts star in Hong Kong gave a second-tier actress five hundred thousand, and that woman obeyed him obediently. How is it that with me, two million is only enough for such trivial matters?"

The thin, gaunt old man explained unhurriedly: "What you are talking about is ancient history; that was an old affair from '97. Nowadays, the market for artists has long since risen, and a salary of several hundred thousand for a single film is perfectly normal. Furthermore, many new internet elites now have net worths in the tens of millions and have always been generous when spending on female stars... Your two million really doesn't count as a large sum."

"But I heard Yang Jing's family background is not good," said a Chinese-American assistant beside Keli.

The thin, gaunt old man's eyes held a hint of disdain: "What is Yang Jing's status? She is Ma Rui's official girlfriend, and everyone in the circle says the two are getting married soon. Ma Rui is now worth over a billion; how could Yang Jing be so short-sighted as to be impressed by your two million?"

Keli was stunned for a moment, then a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes: "Times change, you are right; it was my oversight."

Keli was the son of the Deputy General Manager of the Black Stone Group, and his father was currently preparing a plan to suppress the He Group.

That day, while Keli was flipping through the data on the He Family compiled by his father, he accidentally caught a glimpse of Yang Jing's photo and was immediately captivated by this gentle and graceful Oriental woman.

He volunteered to participate in his father's vicious plan against the He Family.

Believing himself to be highly intelligent, he came up with an absurd and bold idea: use his own outstanding appearance to win Yang Jing's favor, then recruit Yang Jing to act as a mole, steal intelligence from the He Family, and continuously create trouble for the He Group.

To capture Yang Jing's heart, he specifically studied Chinese hard and entrusted the connection to Luo En, an acquaintance who made a living in Hollywood and was proficient in Chinese. Luo En frequently traveled between Hollywood and the mainland film and television circles, specializing in coordinating cooperation projects between the two sides.

Relying on Luo En to build the bridge, Keli made a special trip to Hong Kong to find Lin Feng, a man from Taiwan who had been wandering between the two sides for over a decade and had deep-rooted connections. The three met in Hong Kong and discussed for several days, finalizing the project proposal for this Republic-era film.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month passed; Yang Jing had been in the production crew for exactly thirteen days.

During these ten-plus days, the producer Lin Feng was like a dog-skin plaster that couldn't be shaken off, hovering around Yang Jing every day to inquire about her well-being.

Every few days, he would borrow Director Zhou's name to invite Yang Jing, either organizing parties to sing or arranging dinners to introduce her to various capital bosses.

Yang Jing declined politely every time, with a simple and direct reason: "I joined the crew late and haven't fully grasped the script yet; I really don't have time for socializing."

Director Zhou did not care about this at all; his duty was only to film.

But Lin Feng was so anxious that blisters broke out around his mouth. After more than ten days, let alone inviting Yang Jing to drink with Keli, the two hadn't even had a chance to meet properly.

Keli disguised himself as a friend of Lin Feng and ran to the set several times, but could only catch a glimpse of Yang Jing from afar.

As soon as each scene was finished, Yang Jing would immediately dive into her exclusive RV. Once the door was closed, her bodyguards would stand outside like gate gods, and no one could get close to her.

Keli could no longer suppress his anger. As the son of the Deputy General Manager of the Black Stone Group, he had condescended to stay in a hotel suite in Hengdian that claimed to be top-tier, yet he had to suffer from mosquito bites all day and couldn't sleep soundly at night. In his eyes, this broken hotel wasn't even as good as the crude motels back home.

After lunch that day, Keli dialed Lin Feng's phone, his tone ice-cold: "Get over here to see me immediately, you old thing."

Lin Feng was squatting in a corner of the set eating a boxed lunch. Hearing the other party's fiery temper, he hurriedly threw away the lunch box and, dragging a lame leg, rushed to find Keli. He pushed open the suite door, panting, and hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Boss, please calm your anger, it really isn't that I'm not putting in the effort..."

Keli turned around, all the fake smiles on his face dissipated, leaving only a pair of sinister eyes staring fixedly at him: "Then tell me, where have you been putting your effort?"

Lin Feng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slapped his thigh in anxiety: "This Yang Jing is completely impenetrable! Since the first day she joined the crew, except for filming, she hasn't accepted anyone's invitations. Her three meals are all cooked by her own chef, and her water is prepared by her assistant in a thermos; she doesn't even touch the coffee handed to her by Director Zhou. I really can't find an opportunity to make a move!"

Keli sneered and slammed his wine glass onto the table with a "thud": "Is your brain filled with paste? Just say the director is having a birthday banquet and the whole crew is having a dinner; can she, Yang Jing, really not give Director Zhou this face?"

Lin Feng made a bitter face, his voice trembling slightly: "But... but Director Zhou's birthday is in December, which is still several months away. Faking it like this is very easy to expose!"

Keli slammed the table hard: "Can't you fake a fake? I threw two million at you; it can't just go down the drain! You squat on the set eating boxed lunches every day, you're of no use at all!"

Lin Feng was scolded until his old face flushed red. His lips trembled for a long time, but he couldn't say a single word of rebuttal.

He knew in his heart that this two million was a hot potato. If he couldn't take down Yang Jing, he would surely face disaster. He had to speed up the progress.

On the other side in Zhouzhuang, He Yuzhu was accompanying his eldest uncle, Shen Guizhi, He Daqing, and Liu Rusi. Just as they stepped into the entrance of the town, they heard the sound of gongs and drums from afar, as lively as the New Year.

Village Chief Shen Wenyu had set up a grand scene: the archway at the village entrance was covered in red silk, the waist drum team was beating away enthusiastically, and even Shen Wenyu's elderly father, Shen Shizhong, who had poor mobility, was carried in a bamboo chair to stand among the welcoming crowd, his cloudy eyes staring incessantly at the approaching motorcade.

The group was surrounded by people and invited into the Shen Hall.

The Shen Hall was one of the best ancient mansions in Zhouzhuang, with carved beams and painted rafters, blue bricks and black tiles, and a threshold so high that one could trip if not careful.

Everyone took their seats. As soon as the tea was served, Shen Wenyu and Shen Wenqing exchanged polite pleasantries. Shen Wenyu then leaned over to Liu Rusi's side and lowered his voice: "Cousin, let me tell you something, please don't get angry. A while ago, your brother Shen Wenhua, who came from Taiwan, showed up, wanting to claim this ancestral home."

Liu Rusi's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, then she raised her eyebrows, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth: "Oh, he actually has the face to come back and fight for the house? Why didn't you just send him to the police station?"

Shen Wenyu gave a bitter smile and rubbed his palms: "Cousin, now that we have the reform and opening up, the cross-strait policies are clear. The other party didn't cause trouble, he just came to ask for his demands. Furthermore, he didn't do anything heinous back then. We value harmony in our dealings; we can't just detain people by force."

Liu Rusi snorted through her nose, her eyes turning colder.

She saw clearly: back when she was in the United States, those half-brothers of hers had been plotting to calculate the assets she had worked hard to earn. Both sides fought lawsuits for over a decade, and in the end, the case was left unsettled.

Now these people had chased her to Zhouzhuang, coveting the ancestral home.

Seeing her ugly expression, Shen Wenyu hurriedly added to soothe her: "But cousin, rest assured, Chairman He has foresight. He already arranged for people to transfer the full set of procedures for the ancestral home to your name. It's all in black and white with red seals, not a single detail missing. Even if Shen Wenhua makes a fuss, he won't be able to stir up any waves."

Liu Rusi asked: "Shen Wenhua has quite some nerve, daring to fight me for the ancestral property?"

Shen Wenyu lowered his voice and explained: "Back then, the old man left a will claiming that all his assets at home and abroad were to be inherited by your brothers, without mentioning you at all. If Chairman He hadn't completed the transfer in advance, we really wouldn't have known how to deal with Shen Wenhua coming here with the will to cause trouble."

After hearing this, Liu Rusi didn't get angry; instead, she laughed: "That father of mine was an old-school anti-China element. His assets were already ill-gotten gains; even if they were handed over to the state, they must not benefit this group of ungrateful wolves."

Shen Wenyu laughed along: "Cousin, Shen Wenhua is very slick. I've dealt with him a few times, and he knows better than anyone that he can't get this house back. He's just trying his luck. Just treat it as a joke and don't take it to heart."