Although Ma Rongzhen was in dire straits now, he had been in the entertainment circle for many years and was experienced. Therefore, he understood what was going on when he heard Lu Chen's words.
"No!" He replied firmly, "Even if there is, I will never leave the cast unless Young Master Lu asks me to!"
Lu Chen and Chen Wenqiang looked at each other and saw a trace of relief in each other's eyes.
If Ma Rongzhen also ran away, it would be really troublesome!
Lu Chen was relieved and said with a smile, "That's good. Don't worry, I definitely won't let you go. Let's work hard together and make this movie a good one."
The character of this veteran actor was undoubtedly trustworthy.
Ma Rongzhen asked with concern, "Master Lu, does Liu Zhaohui not want to make the movie?"
Lu Chen and Chen Wenqiang were both stunned. The latter asked in surprise, "Brother Rongzhen, how did you know?"
"This man …"
Ma Rongzhen's eyes flashed a touch of disdain and said, "He is not only cunning, but also extremely afraid of death. If someone casually threatens him, he will definitely shrink back. There is nothing strange about it."
It could be seen that Ma Rongzhen despised Liu Zhaohui very much. They probably had some grievances in the past.
Lu Chen didn't care about their gossip. He cared about Ma Rongzhen himself. "Uncle Ma, aren't you afraid that Shengyi Hall is behind Honghua?"
Ma Rongzhen smiled and said, "What am I afraid of?"
"My life is worthless now. If Shengyi Hall makes trouble for me, then I will risk my life to fight with them. The current Hong Kong is not the Hong Kong of decades ago. The Jiang family can't cover the sky in Hong Kong!"
Ma Rongzhen said frankly, "If Shengyi Hall makes trouble for me in the past, maybe I will shrink back like Liu Zhaohui. But now I'm really not afraid of anything. My wife and children have long run away, and I am the only one left at home. If they are not afraid of causing public anger, then they can do whatever they want."
"If Jiang Chenghua dares to ruin my life, I will dare to lie in front of his father's door with my mother. Let's see who will lose face!"
Lu Chen was a little speechless, but he was finally relieved about Ma Rongzhen.
"Still, you have to pay attention to your safety. Be careful of their dirty tricks."
Ma Rongzhen smiled. "Young Master Lu, I don't think they will chase me away. I don't have a good reputation in the industry."
Box office poison!
Lu Chen suddenly remembered Ma Rongzhen's nickname and laughed involuntarily.
Ma Rongzhen sighed and said, "Actually, when encountering such a situation, the best solution is to find a big shot. Unfortunately, I don't have any face now. I'm sorry that I can't help you."
"You can't say that …"
Lu Chen shook his head and said, "Uncle Ma, you're helping me by insisting on staying in the crew."
Although the crew was facing constant troubles, the filming work could not be interrupted because of this, otherwise the loss would be great.
Lu Chen did not hold back any of those who chose to quit the cast. Anyone who wanted to leave could leave. Nothing that was forced would not be sweet.
As for Liu Zhaohui, he was invited by Jiayang Pictures. Naturally, Jiayang Pictures would give an explanation.
That night, Zhou Yi, the boss of Jiayang Pictures, called Lu Chen again.
Through a middleman, Honghua gave a "settlement" condition.
"Buying shares is a must …" Zhou Yi said over the phone.
His voice sounded very tired and weak. "As for how much shares, we need to sit down and discuss it. The middleman's bottom line is no less than 35%."
"Honghua will set up a new film company to participate in the shooting and distribution of the new film as the main shareholder."
They wanted at least 35% of the film shares. The last bit of hope in Lu Chen's heart was gone!
These gangs and societies were so greedy that giving them even 1% wasn't a good idea.
But he still listened to Zhou Yi patiently. "In addition, Honghua suggested that they choose someone to be the director and producer. The male and female leads can remain the same."
Well, Lu Chen could not listen to it anymore!
The most important members of a film crew would always be the director and producer. Sometimes the two might be one, but most of the time, they jointly controlled the fate of the film.
Honghua not only wanted to buy shares, but also wanted to take away the director and producer. It was equivalent to controlling the life and death of "A Chinese Ghost Story" in their own hands.
How could Lu Chen agree?
"Boss Zhou, you don't have to say anymore. I will not agree to any of their conditions!"
"If they insist on making trouble, then I can only accompany them to the end!"
Lu Chen's answer was resolute, with unshakable determination and confidence.
That was never to bow down!
Zhou Yi was not surprised. If it were him, he would rather break up the business than agree to such bad conditions — that was equivalent to directly kneeling on the ground.
After thinking for a moment, he still said his guess. "Young Master Lu, I think their ultimate goal is not to ask for shares, but to drive you away from Xiangjiang."
Zhou Yi put himself in Honghua's shoes. If he was interested in the movie "A Chinese Ghost Story" and wanted to take it by force, the time to choose to make trouble was not now. The best time was when the filming was halfway through.
At that time, Lu Chen had invested a large amount of money. If he withdrew, the loss would be great, and he might give in.
Now that he had just started, he wanted to buy shares and the director and producer. Did he really think others were idiots?
Therefore, Zhou Yi suspected that Honghua's purpose was to drive Lu Chen away!
Lu Chen felt that Zhou Yi's guess was very reasonable, but he was very puzzled. "What good will it do for Honghua if I leave?"
Lu Chen came to Xiangjiang to shoot a movie, so there should be no conflict with Honghua, who was currently in the food and beverage business. Moreover, he had previously ordered box lunches from the latter to do business.
Zhou Yi said, "I don't know, but I know that Jiang Chenghua is a very smart person. He doesn't do business that loses money, and he won't waste time and energy on things that harm others without benefiting himself."
"So as to what the truth is, I can only find a way to find out. Be careful here."
After ending the call with Zhou Yi, Lu Chen thought for a moment and dialed Wan Yong's cell phone.
After so many things had happened, although the crew had already called the police and complained to the management of the Film City, the safety of the crew still had to be maintained by themselves. Therefore, he asked Wan Yong to personally stay on the set to look after the equipment at night.
After giving a few serious instructions to Wan Yong, Lu Chen went to bed to rest.
The next morning, he was woken up from his sleep by the urgent ringing of the phone.
Opening his eyes, Lu Chen immediately turned over and grabbed the landline on the bedside table. He put the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
Wan Yong's excited voice came from the phone. "Young Master Lu, we caught the two guys who caused trouble!"
What?
Lu Chen was suddenly completely awake.
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