Chapter Twenty-One: Three Million in Compensation

Park Hyun-ji walked over, echoing what Liu Qingshan had just said:

“Xishan, you really should listen to Qingshan. You have to understand, the market in China is many times bigger than ours—there’s just no comparison!”

Jin Xishan nodded. “Of course, I understand that. But do you think the company will just let me go so easily now?”

Liu Qingshan laughed.

“You’ve only got a year left anyway. Even if you get blacklisted, it’s not a big deal. At worst, you can make a comeback after a year!”

“But I can’t help feeling bitter about it. I contributed so much to the company, and if I don’t get treated fairly in return, I’ll be really heartbroken.”

“I can see that. The real problem is you can’t get over it mentally, and you’re very sentimental! How about this: I’ll talk to Brother Chen Long and get your schedule packed for the next year, all in China. Surely your company’s people won’t chase you all the way here, right?”

“They’ll keep calling me, though. What should I do about that?” Park Hyun-ji voiced her difficulty.

“Hyun-ji, just blame it on our country’s usual practices. Here, actors have to be registered with a local agency. Use that as your excuse and let them work their own connections here if they want to. Anyway, once the year is up, the initiative will be in our hands!”

“Qingshan’s right,” Jin Xishan’s expression relaxed noticeably. “Hyun-ji, if they push too hard, just tell them to wait until things are clearer here, and say we’re working hard on it already.”

With that, the topic came to an end. There were too many complications involved, and it wasn’t something the three of them could sort out on their own.

Perhaps they would need Chen Long to mediate; otherwise, no matter how thorough the plan, things might still end badly.

He also understood that as his own reputation grew, he could use himself as a bargaining chip.

But he didn’t want to mention this to the others, since at present, his fame was still unknown to outsiders.

When the next morning arrived, Liu Qingshan was already hooked up to an IV when Chen Long and his entourage finally showed up.

But it was obvious he’d already heard about “Beautiful Legend.” Right in front of the nurse, he gave the bedridden Liu Qingshan a hard punch, causing the nurse to shriek in shock.

Chen Long grinned and apologized profusely, earning a glare from the nurse. “The one who should be apologizing is the patient!”

Waving his hand and laughing, he said, “My brother’s fine—he’s tough as nails!”

A doctor pulled him aside and spoke in a low voice:

“Brother Chen Long, your friend is a real anomaly. The worst injuries were his legs, and they’ve already started to scab over. In my ten years of practice, I’ve never seen anything like it. Is there something unusual about his constitution?”

“What’s so special? You think he’s got superpowers? Still, my brother’s got extraordinary skills—he probably used some secret remedy from his master! But this has to stay quiet. If word got out, it wouldn’t be good!”

Chen Long had obviously kept in touch with Lu Huiguang and probably knew something, but there was no such thing as a secret remedy. He was just covering for Liu Qingshan.

Once the doctor and nurse had left, he turned to Liu Qingshan.

The answer he got was the same old story, so Chen Long chalked it up to a unique constitution and let the matter drop.

Then he gave his thoughts on the song:

“The melody draws you in, the emotion moves you. Its beauty is only the surface; the meaning inside fits the theme of ‘Legend’ perfectly. The feeling it evokes is just like the beautiful images in my mind. The faint sadness in the song hints at meeting again in the next life, a fleeting glance and lasting reunion, and the powerful, soul-stirring idea of transcending time. At least for me, I love it!”

“It would be great to have professionals comment on it! I suggest, brother, that you have this melody played on the erhu or some other traditional instrument, weaving it into all the key emotional moments of the film!”

“I agree with that. But according to Xishan, the two of us should sing it. Personally, I think it would be best if you sang it yourself!”

“I’d better not. Didn’t you hear Xishan say that my voice is only a little better than a hoarse duck? I’ve heard you sing plenty, brother, and this song was designed for your voice!”

“I never knew you had this talent! All right, I’ll discuss it with the producers as soon as I get back. But when can you get back to work? The whole crew is waiting on you!”

“You’ve seen my condition for yourself. I can be discharged at any time. Give me two days, and I’ll be running around as usual!”

“Fine. Once your IV is done this morning, I’ll arrange for you to be discharged. You can rest at the hotel for a couple of days, or come to the set if you want. But your Xishan, I’m requisitioning her starting tomorrow! Don’t blame me for being unreasonable—the producers want to increase our budget. Even if she’s just present on set and not filming, her being there will help shut some people up.”

“Someone’s still got complaints? Don’t forget, the accident with the wire was the crew’s fault. Frankly, if you hadn’t picked me, brother, it would have been a lethal disaster!”

Liu Qingshan’s words weren’t really meant to defend Chen Long, but rather to show his stance.

Wherever there are people, there’s conflict. No matter how big Chen Long’s status, the producers would still plant people in the crew to voice dissent.

Otherwise, if one person ran the whole show, the producers could end up at a huge disadvantage.

Chen Long, experienced as he was, understood his meaning immediately and smiled with satisfaction.

“This unexpected incident, thankfully, ensured your safety and Xishan’s. Fortunately, the crew member involved was from the producers’ side. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be getting this extra investment! Since someone’s afraid of taking responsibility and wants to pay to settle things, all we need to do is cooperate. Their only requirement is that filming isn’t delayed, so we need to show an even more positive attitude to justify accepting the money.”

“I have no problem with that. I’ll follow your lead, brother. But with Xishan, you’ll need to give her a proper explanation. She went through a life-threatening scare for nothing—her trauma needs to be handled carefully!”

“Don’t worry. I came here first thing this morning, and I called her Korean company in front of her. The crew is offering her three million as a ‘hazard bonus.’ You’re getting the same amount, but keep this quiet. If word got out, it could disrupt filming!”

“I don’t need it, or split some of it with the others. Without them, I wouldn’t have made it out either!”

“Good man!” Chen Long gave his shoulder a hearty slap. “But it’s already settled, and the others are getting theirs too! To be honest, the producers are paying out ten million in total this time. Don’t worry—the whole film’s budget is a hundred and sixty million Hong Kong dollars. We’re aiming to make an epic, so spending ten million more is well worth it. It’s far better than letting the investment go down the drain.”