At the end of June, the outdoor scenes of Rising Tide of the Blue Sea temporarily concluded, and the crew returned to the film and television studio to continue shooting. Xie Guan still couldn’t contact Huo Mingjun and could only rely on following the news online. However, rumors ran rampant during this era, and it was difficult to separate truth from falsehood. Seeing him on the verge of combustion due to anxiety, Huang Cheng followed the instructions of the director and confiscated Xie Guan’s phone.
On June 25th, Youth of Martial Arts premiered on Hulu TV. Following the success of the drama during the winter holiday season, Xie Guan once again became a hot topic in the summer season. Youth of Martial Arts dominated the summer season, breaking a 3% viewership rating on the fifth day of its release. Chen Yi, Xie Guan, and Li Yan entered the top 20 of the New Media Index for artists. Compared to the TV drama version of Rising Tide of the Blue Sea where he had less than ten episodes of screen time, Chen Duqiu’s role spanned the entire series this time. Xie Guan’s popularity surged, and his agent Lin Yao’s email was flooded with notifications of job offers and collaboration invitations.
At this time, an unexpected person bypassed Lin Yao and personally came to the studio to find Xie Guan.
“Hello, Mr. Xie,” he pulled out the chair opposite Xie Guan and introduced himself, “I am Huo Zhirong, the CEO of Xuan Du Film Industry.”
Xie Guan finally saw a living member of the Huo family and was on the verge of losing his composure. He calmly nodded and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Huo.”
They heard about each other, but it was their first meeting. Huo Zhirong couldn’t determine the depth of the relationship between Xie Guan and Huo Mingjun and wanted to test the waters a bit more. However, Xie Guan couldn’t care less at the moment and went straight to the point, asking, “Mr. Huo, forgive my presumption. I shouldn’t inquire directly, but I have no other choice, so I’ll ask you: What’s the current situation with Mr. Huo Mingjun? Is everything okay with him?”
Seeing Xie Guan so anxious, Huo Zhirong could tell that their relationship was quite deep. He relaxed a bit and thought that there might be some hope for what he was seeking today.
His demeanor was gentle, and his appearance carried the handsome traits inherited from the Huo family. Wearing frameless glasses perched on his nose, he looked exceptionally elegant and refined. Unlike Huo Mingjun’s stern aura, he naturally had smiling eyes. Even without speaking, it seemed like he carried a hint of amusement, creating a favorable impression at first sight.
“Don’t worry. Due to the special circumstances, it’s inconvenient for him to communicate with the outside world. My brother mentioned the progress of the investigation the day before yesterday, and things seem to be going smoothly. Although it’s a tricky situation, there shouldn’t be any problems with my brother overseeing it,” reassured Huo Zhirong. “Most of what you hear outside is just rumors and gossip. Some even claim our family is bankrupt, but it’s not that serious.”
Xie Guan closed his eyes for a moment, feeling as if he had suddenly been given a rush of fresh air when on the verge of suffocation. Every breath seemed to carry a painful, needle-like sensation.
He slowly exhaled and said, “Thank you…”
Huo Zhirong felt a slight surprise in his heart, but he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he casually remarked, “I’ve heard that Mr. Xie has a good relationship with my elder brother. It’s only natural for you to be concerned about him at a time like this.”
With Xie Guan’s tension easing after days of anxiety, he smiled faintly, “It’s nothing.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Huo Zhirong completely let go of his worries and decided not to beat around the bush. He openly said, “The reason I came to you this time is that I want to ask for your help.”
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“Xuandu Film completed its acquisition last year and formed a new film and television team. Before Rising Tide of the Blue Sea, we invested in another film, which is currently shooting at the city’s film and television base,” Huo Zhirong revealed a trace of concern on his face. “However, due to the recent incident in Pingcheng, an actor in the crew is worried about being affected. He intends to breach the contract and withdraw. His talent agency is also one of the investors, so all his previous scenes need to be re-shot.”
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Xie Guan listened quietly as Huo Zhirong spoke, but his gaze remained fixed on the teacup in front of him. He stayed silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Noticing Xie Guan’s silence, Huo Zhirong’s heart sank suddenly, thinking, “It can’t be, can it? Is he a white-eyed wolf?”
In front of them, the tea emitted a gentle mist, obscuring the facial features of the person across. Amid the flowing sounds of stringed instruments and bamboo flutes, Huo Zhirong heard a very soft sigh.
“I owe him a lot of favors. I always thought about repaying them, but I never expected the first time to be in such a situation,” Xie Guan spoke as if addressing both Huo Zhirong and himself. “Since it’s like this, instead of agonizing over how to repay the favors, I’d rather hope that he will be safe and smooth in the future, never encountering these troublesome matters again.”
“You…”
“Could you arrange for me to meet the director?” Xie Guan said. “I’ll go back and communicate with Director Bai Luzhou to see how we can fit it into the schedule.”
Huo Zhirong hesitated for a moment. Although he knew that Xie Guan was the most suitable candidate, he still kindly advised, “Don’t you want to discuss it with your talent agency before making a decision? I have to remind you, you’re currently filming Rising Tide of the Blue Sea and your TV drama is also airing. Taking on another movie will bring a lot of work pressure. Also, while this might be a rescue operation, if someone with ill intentions catches wind of it, they could portray it as disrupting the film, especially given its connection to the Hengrui incident. There’s a considerable risk, and your talent agency may not be willing to take on that burden.”
“It’s okay,” Xie Guan said without hesitation. “I’ll handle all of that. Mr. Huo, please rest assured.”
Huo Zhirong waited for a moment. Seeing that Xie Guan was resolute, he decided not to insist any further. He spoke earnestly, “Thank you. You’ve helped us a lot.”
Xie Guan waved his hand to indicate it was unnecessary, but then he remembered something and added, “By the way, my remuneration…”
Huo Zhirong immediately responded, “We’ll pay you according to your talent agency’s quote.”
“I wasn’t talking about that,” Xie Guan chuckled. “Here’s the deal: my usual movie fee doesn’t exceed 1 million, and it’s a 40-60 split with the company. When settling the bill, you can just give the agency’s share, which is 40% of the fee based on the quoted amount. This is my personal decision and I don’t want the company to suffer losses due to my actions. I don’t want the rest.”
Even if he was a shrewd businessman, Huo Zhirong didn’t dare to exploit him so much. “No need for that. Although we’ve lost an investor, we’re not so poor that we can’t afford the actor’s fee. Besides, if my older brother finds out you’re doing unpaid work, he might end up overturning my office when he returns.”
Xie Guan thought, “Do you think that orchestrating behind Huo Mingjun’s back will prevent him from exposing your scheming?” Shaking his head, he smiled, “Mr. Huo, please don’t be polite with me. I can’t help him much, and it’s only a small token of goodwill. Also this way, we can avoid people saying it’s disrupting the filming process by working for free.”
Huo Zhirong remained silent for a while.
“My big brother is indeed…” Huo Zhirong picked up the teacup, and sighed, “He never misjudges people.”
A few days ago, Xie Guan made a commitment to Director Bai, and now he went directly to discuss it with her. Bai Luzhou was also a straightforward person, and when she heard it was Xuan Du Films, she agreed without hesitation. Fortunately, most of Xie Guan’s major scenes were already filmed, and the remaining scenes were mostly fragmented, making it easier to coordinate the schedule.
After settling things with Director Bai, he contacted Lin Yao. As Huo Zhirong mentioned, Lin Yao was not willing to let him get involved with Hengrui Group during this sensitive time. However, when she thought about who Xie Guan was doing this for, Lin Yao couldn’t stop him. She was quite troubled, and after thinking it over, she believed that such a major issue should be handed over to the top boss.
Upon hearing the reasons and consequences from her, Ye Zheng felt that despite the relentless bombardment of dopamine, Xie Guan still kept the agency’s best interests in mind—this was truly moving.
Xie Guan was originally entrusted to him by Huo Mingjun, but was now willing to do something for him in return. Ye Zheng not only didn’t stop him, but also encouraged him, “If he wants to act, let him go. After all, Xie Guan will probably have more cooperation with Xuan Du Films in the future. No need to hold him back on this matter.”
Lin Yao was unwilling and wanted to fight for it a bit more, but Ye Zheng gave her a meaningful look, “Don’t you understand? He wasn’t one of us from the beginning. The one who can make decisions is the person behind Xuan Du Films. Xie Guan is just a small branch of a tree. For now, you just need to weed out the grass and catch the bugs. Don’t touch anything else.”
In early July, Hengrui Group finally held a press conference to announce the results of the first phase of the investigation. This included the accident’s causes, the parties responsible, and the initial compensation plan.
Due to the strict confidentiality work done by Hengrui Group in the early stages, the public had enough of baseless speculations. They now had higher expectations and trust in the official statement. Simultaneously, the Pingcheng police released a notification, and some of Hengrui Group’s investigation documents were gradually unsealed online to corroborate the truthfulness of the facts announced at the press conference.
The investigation revealed that the main cause of the accident was a massive power outage that caused panic. The collapse of the bridge did not cause actual casualties; the two deaths and five injuries were all a result of the pushing and trampling in the panic.
For many years, Pingcheng City developed its mining industry, and the ground around the city was almost completely excavated. This led to varying degrees of subsidence and unstable foundations. From May to June, Pingcheng experienced a 4.5-magnitude moderate earthquake and two 3.0-magnitude aftershocks. The west side of Yihe Yipin already experienced ground subsidence, and the earthquake caused structural deformation in the aerial bridge. Combined with the sudden power outage, and a large number of people passing through the deformed structure, which couldn’t bear the load, it ultimately led to its collapse.
The cause of the massive power outage, as indicated by the current investigation, was the accidental severance of cables during construction elsewhere. However, whether it was an accident or intentional act required further investigation.
In addition to Hengrui Group, the responsible parties for the accident now included the designer and construction party of the Yihe Yipin bridge, as well as the property management company. Each party would share the compensation payments according to their respective responsibility ratios. Regarding the civil litigation filed by the victims, Hengrui Group expressed that it would respond according to regulations and actively work towards a settlement.
Towards the end of the press conference, the chairman Huo Mingjun took the stage and personally bowed in apology to all the victims and customers.
While on his way to another film set, Xie Guan watched the recording of the press conference. At the moment when Huo Mingjun bent down, it felt as if someone gripped his heart tightly. He abruptly pushed the phone aside, and the pain in his chest almost took his breath away.
The image of Huo Mingjun seemed to linger vividly on his retina. Standing there, he resembled a stone statue, unaware of suffering and fatigue. Behind him was the future of the colossal group, and in front of him were the surging battles of words and rumors.
In the desolate and cold isolation, the sense of loneliness was always his alone.
In the darkness, the lights on the highway outlined the path ahead as an endless winding river. The surroundings were dim, with only their small boat drifting along. Xie Guan turned off his phone, propped his head up, and looked out at the pitch-black rolling hills. Huang Cheng glanced at him, then spoke, “Take the opportunity to get some sleep. It’ll be bright in a while. We have to wake up at six tomorrow for makeup.”
Xie Guan blinked his weary red eyes, and the fatigue on his face seemed even heavier than before. “Can’t sleep. Don’t worry about me. Focus on driving and stay safe.”
Huang Cheng sighed silently and didn’t speak further.
He could already sense what kind of fate awaited Huo Mingjun when he returned, but there was nothing he could do to persuade Xie Guan. When a person is determined to the extent of desperation, any dissuasion becomes meaningless in the face of their determination.
This is so sad…
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