Next, Director Zhuang demonstrated his extremely strong network and efficiency.
The Film Crew had just left the hotel and boarded the bus when, in the blink of an eye, they arrived at a new hotel with an overall environment and scale comparable to the previous one.
The manager of this new hotel was waiting right at the entrance to receive them.
Upon seeing Director Zhuang, he walked forward enthusiastically to greet him.
Director Zhuang's expression, which had been unpleasant throughout the journey, finally softened significantly.
At this point, he explained to Xiao He and Liu Rulan, "I used to have a decent relationship with the original owner of that hotel. But ever since he let his second son, whose head is full of straw, take over, its reputation has plummeted. I never expected that they would dare to bully me."
Xiao He understood instantly.
So it was a case of the second generation taking over and recklessly squandering the foundation built by the elders!
"I didn't think someone could be that stupid."
Director Zhuang sneered, "They originally relied on the scraps left over from the Chen family back then to maintain their current capital. But now that it's been passed down to his son, I'm afraid this bit of family property will be squandered sooner or later."
Xiao He didn't interject and just listened intently. It wasn't until he heard "Chen family" from Zhuang Hongyi's mouth that his expression shifted slightly.
The Chen family?
It couldn't be the Chen family he was thinking of...
Xiao He exchanged a look with Liu Rulan, who had also realized it.
"This Chen family—"
Liu Rulan paused, pondering her words for a moment before asking tactfully, "It couldn't be the former wealthiest family in Hong Kong, could it?"
Zhuang Hongyi glanced at Liu Rulan and nodded. "Yes, it's the Chen family you're thinking of—though they've been gone for a long time now."
As one of the behind-the-scenes catalysts back then, Xiao He couldn't help but cough lightly.
Liu Rulan's expression also became complicated, and she stopped speaking.
Only Xiao Chen, who was following behind, was still a bit confused. He scratched his head, feeling that the name was very familiar. After trying hard to recall for a while, he suddenly remembered something—
The Hong Kong Chen family had been involved in trafficking addictive drugs and participating in treasonous activities several years ago, and was later investigated and purged by the authorities!
This matter was quite {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} a sensation back then because the case also involved the Xu Youyou death case, the famous director's wife-killing case, the Chen family money laundering case, and so on. Privately, there was also Tong Junhui's situation. This entire series of major cases, each one taken individually, was shocking. At that time, the state conducted a strict investigation, carried out a major rectification, and thoroughly uncovered the truth of all the cases, causing a huge uproar.
And so, the Chen family, which had stood in Hong Kong for a hundred years, ultimately fell so rapidly.
After all, it involved addictive drugs and national stance issues. Each was more serious and fatal than the last. Any one of them already touched the bottom line, yet the other party recklessly pursued both lines simultaneously; the authorities certainly wouldn't give them any chance to breathe.
Unfortunately, when the domestic public opinion was at its peak, Xiao He's team was abroad filming "No Bait" with all their might. Therefore, Xiao Chen only read about the storm of events on the internet much later. By the time he saw it, the people of the Chen family had basically been arrested or executed.
This case was also listed as one of the most significant cases in recent years.
He had even mentioned it to Brother Xiao, but Brother Xiao's expression had been indifferent at the time, as if he had long expected it. He showed little interest in the Chen family's final fate, simply commenting, "Retribution is certain," and didn't speak of the topic again.
So Xiao Chen didn't pay any more attention to the matter afterward.
What Xiao Chen didn't know, however, was that Xiao He wasn't uninterested in the events of that year, but rather because he had personally encountered and participated in them, he remained tight-lipped about it.
He also had deep impressions of many people involved in the incident.
Especially the deceased Xu Youyou and Cheng Hongwen, who retired permanently after recovering from severe injuries. Xiao He still could not forget that tragic scene.
The only thing that brought some comfort was that Tong Junhui, whose acting career was similarly ruined back then, chose a completely new path and has now emerged from the gloom to start a new journey.
He just hadn't expected that the fall of the top family in Hong Kong would also lead to such a massive change in the entire Hong Kong capital market landscape.
And after such a long time, they could actually still hear about the subsequent impacts of that incident from others.
Ironically, a major reason for the Chen family's collapse back then was their stance. Yet now, these fellows who climbed up by piggybacking on that collapse still had no sense of awe. They still did as they pleased, practically wearing their faces of disdain for their own people and fawning over foreigners right at the hotel entrance.
Falling into a ditch was only a matter of time.
Xiao He curled his lips mockingly, just as he saw Zhuang Hongyi's receding figure while he answered a phone call.
"President Li, we also regret what happened this time, but as you know, many things are a matter of principle—"
Zhuang Hongyi's voice gradually faded. Xiao He took a look and shrugged.
"How do you think fools like them have managed to survive until now?" Liu Rulan said. "It's a pity they forgot that Director Zhuang's home base is in Beijing."
In ancient times, that would be the level of having a direct line to the Emperor's ear.
Xiao He just smiled. "When the Chen family collapsed, it probably gave them the illusion that destiny was on their side, making them feel invincible."
But they didn't stop to think that even the wealthiest Chen family could vanish in an instant back then.
Some people picked up a bargain back then but didn't cherish it quietly; naturally, they would have to pay it back in another way.
Liu Rulan shook her head, seemingly pessimistic about the hotel's future development, and then couldn't help but tease Xiao He: "But I didn't expect you to be so merciless to that receptionist girl who recognized you just now. Weren't you worried she was a fan?"
"A fan shouldn't think that way either. Besides, I usually don't make things difficult for workers, but I had already put up with her several times."
Xiao He explained coldly.
The reason they started arguing in the first place was that the receptionist's attitude was cold and rigid. She was dismissive of Wang Sheng's inquiries, didn't explain why there weren't enough rooms, and refused to speak Mandarin properly, insisting on using foreign words. Finally, seeing that Wang Sheng was about to lose his temper, she reluctantly switched to Mandarin, leaving Wang Sheng fuming.
And later, when the manager came over, the receptionist kept her head down and rolled her eyes countless times, her disdain for the Film Crew plain to see.
That was why Xiao He had pointed it out so mercilessly when she directly started making broad insults.
Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern. She was getting more and more out of line, so what choice did he have?
Xiao He wasn't the type of person to just swallow his anger.
"I see."
After hearing Xiao He's explanation, Liu Rulan understood.
She hadn't noticed those small gestures of the receptionist before.
"Looking at it that way, it really was too much."
Liu Rulan frowned, then patted Xiao He. "You did well. There's no need to show any courtesy to people like that. As for what happens next, you don't need to worry too much; Director Zhuang will definitely handle it."
Xiao He also nodded. "I know."
—
Afterward, this incident didn't cause a long-term discussion within the Film Crew.
However, Xiao He heard from Xiao Chen that the next day, the owner of that place brought the hotel manager and the receptionist to bring gifts and apologize. But in the end, Director Zhuang directly had the staff of the new hotel block them outside, not even letting them through the front door.
It was laughable; they were busy with their own matters, who had the time to deal with them?
So after coming once, that side didn't dare to disturb them again and became as quiet as a mouse.
Xiao He laughed it off when he heard about it and didn't take it to heart.
Because next, he had something more important to do—
Meet the people from the Celestial Master Association.
Comments