Chapter 8: Coal Bosses and the Film and Television Industry

The night passed without incident, and the next day dawned.

Zhang Yuan had already said his goodbyes to everyone the night before, and early in the morning, he caught a bus back to the Imperial Capital.

After a month away, he finally returned to his rented room.

Haphazardly strung electrical wires, damp and moldy corners, and air thick with the smell of cigarettes, urine, and human sweat.

This was the daily life of a "North Drifter."

He had just returned to this 15-square-meter shared room when his roommate, Zhao Jin, pushed the door open and stepped out.

"Zhang Yuan, you're back!" He was holding a washbasin, clearly having just woken up.

"Didn't go out to hunt for work?" Zhang Yuan tossed his bag onto the bed.

The hotel arranged by the production crew was average, but it was still much better than this rental—at least it was cleaner.

"Hey, I'm not like you, getting noticed by the director." Zhao Jin’s face was full of bitterness. "Tell me the truth, how much did you make these past few days?"

"100 a day, 3,000 in total."

"That much!" Zhao Jin felt a pang of envy.

When he went out to hunt for work, he made at most 50 a day, and that wasn't even every day.

3,000 yuan was equivalent to nearly half a year of his income!

After putting his things away, Zhang Yuan took his money and headed to the electronics market, where he bought a second-hand Nokia 3210.

In this day and age, public safety was far worse than in the future. With a Nokia in hand, he could make calls, and at night, he could hold it in his hand for self-defense—two uses for one device.

He took out his small notebook and entered all the phone numbers he had recorded before leaving into the phone. These connections were his greatest harvest of the month.

"Yuan, it's exhausting going out to hunt for work every day, and I often come back empty-handed. Since you're appreciated by the director, why don't you introduce me to a gig?"

At this moment, his roommate Zhao Jin shamelessly sidled up to him.

"Introduce you? I don't even have any work lined up for myself yet."

"Ah..."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin felt a bit disappointed, but at the same time, he felt much more balanced.

"Then how about we go to the Beijing Film Studio together tomorrow to hunt for work?"

"I'm not going. I have other things to do."

"What are you going to do?"

"Selling the film."

"Selling the film... do you have that kind from Japan? Let me see it first."

Zhang Yuan was so angry he laughed. He looked up and said loudly, "I'm selling a movie, not selling porn discs!"

"What does that mean?"

"The film I just finished shooting—I plan to find someone to pull some strings and help the director sell it." He explained.

"Hahahaha, you're not joking, are you?" To his surprise, Zhao Jin burst out laughing.

"Let's just be realistic and earn money as extras. You're still dreaming like this."

"If you have that kind of ability, you'll be my real father from now on!"

*As if you're worthy of being my seed...* Zhang Yuan couldn't be bothered to say more to him.

The next morning, Zhang Yuan finished washing up and prepared to leave.

He glanced at the bed next to his; his roommate was still fast asleep. Zhang Yuan thought to himself, *You can't even manage to get up early, of course you can't land any work.*

He took a bus and spent over an hour arriving in front of a commercial building in the city center.

Zhang Yuan felt a mix of excitement and nervousness.

According to his memories from his past life, an old acquaintance should be right here at this moment.

In his previous life, Zhang Yuan was an architectural designer. After graduating and bouncing around, he eventually ended up under the command of a private boss.

If he hadn't been working on construction sites, he wouldn't have been so easily hit by a dump truck...

This boss's name was Zhao Decai, a native of Shanxi Province.

Originally, his father had named him "Decai" (Virtue and Talent), hoping he would possess both. Who knew that when registering his household, they would encounter an uneducated clerk who wrote "Decai" as "De-cai" (Obtaining Wealth).

But by a twist of fate, the name became a prophecy. Ever since the child's name was written incorrectly, his family's fortunes soared. They made their fortune in the coal industry and were worth nearly 100 million by the 90s.

Around the year 2000, the Chinese film and television industry began to heat up. Following the trend, he and many other coal bosses came to the Imperial Capital looking for investment opportunities in film and television.

However, like most coal bosses, he was swindled mercilessly. Aside from sleeping with several batches of bottom-tier actresses, he gained nothing, which was why he eventually pivoted to the construction industry.

All of this was told by the man himself while bragging at drinking parties. At the time, Zhang Yuan had sighed, thinking that Boss Zhao actually had a good eye—he had touched upon two major trends, but he just hadn't managed to grasp one of them.

Because of this, ever since Zhang Yuan joined the *Conquest* crew, he had been calculating how to contact Zhao Decai.

Moreover, in his past life, he had worked under Boss Zhao for over a decade, and the man had never once delayed his workers' wages. If an accident happened on the construction site, he would actively provide compensation. His character wasn't bad.

"Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Zhao Decai," Zhang Yuan asked tentatively at the office reception.

Seeing the receptionist's curvaceous figure and the air of seductiveness she exuded, Zhang Yuan thought to himself that he must have found the right place.

Because he knew Zhao Decai's taste: big waves.

"You're looking for Mr. Zhao? Please wait a moment."

*He's actually here...* Zhang Yuan's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settled.

Before long, a man in his 30s with a broad nose, large ears, and a wealthy appearance appeared before Zhang Yuan.

A deep sense of familiarity welled up!

"You're looking for me? Who are you?" Zhao Decai looked him over, certain he didn't know him.

"Hello, I'm a production assistant for the TV series *Conquest*. I'd like to talk to Mr. Zhao about a potential collaboration."

Zhang Yuan didn't blush or skip a beat as he casually gave himself a title.

Once he heard it was related to film and television, Zhao Decai immediately invited him into his office.

The secretary poured tea and left the room. Zhang Yuan glanced at her graceful back—Old Zhao's tastes were certainly consistent.

"Brother Zhang, what was that TV series you mentioned earlier?" Zhao Decai smiled kindly, but his eyes held a hint of caution.

He had been in the Imperial Capital for two years running a film investment company and had been swindled three times by so-called directors; he had to be careful.

"Our film is called *Conquest*, a crime-themed TV series." Zhang Yuan knew the man's situation well and switched on his "hustler" mode.

"Have you seen *The Cases of the Sixth Squad*?"

"Of course I have!"

*The Cases of the Sixth Squad* had once set a god-tier average viewership rating of 18.6% on Beijing Television; almost everyone had seen it back then.

This was Zhang Yuan's negotiation tactic—specifically using this hit show to start the conversation and pique the other party's interest.

"Our film is similar to *The Cases of the Sixth Squad*; the stories are all adapted from real cases."

"But our film is trendier. *The Cases of the Sixth Squad* is told from the police's perspective, while *Conquest* is told from the perspective of the criminals."

"Do you know Zhang Baolin from International Village?"

Zhao Decai was somewhat of a street-smart guy, so he had naturally heard of this big brother.

At this point, Zhang Baolin had already been arrested, and according to the timeline, he would be "eating a lead bullet" (executed) next year.

"The protagonist of our story is him," Zhang Yuan said, leaning in and whispering as if afraid of being overheard.

"That exciting?"

"Of course. If it weren't exciting, we wouldn't be filming it." Zhang Yuan continued.

"You should know Jiang Shan, right?"

"The one from *Getting Through Addiction* and *Speed of Life and Death*?" Zhao Decai was startled; she was a huge star.

"She's the female lead in our film!"

"Holy crap!"

In truth, Jiang Shan wasn't the female lead, but a guest star. However, the final cut edited her into a "big sister" role—a little bit of cleverness on the director's part.

"Have you seen *Love in the Fog*?"

"The one starring Chen Kun, Lu Yi, and Zhou Xun?" Zhao Decai swallowed hard. That was another viewership-champion-level show.

"Sun Honglei, who played A-Lai in that, is our male lead."

"The one who played the thug?"

"Yes, he's playing a thug again."

"Have you heard of *Black Ice*?"

"The one starring Wang Zhiwen?"

"Shi Zhaoqi, who played the undercover cop in that, is our male lead number two!"

Zhao Decai slowly sat up straight.

Between *The Cases of the Sixth Squad*, *Love in the Fog*, and *Black Ice*, he was completely dazzled.

Zhang Yuan chuckled inwardly.

After eating "pies" (empty promises) for so many years, this was the first time he was the one drawing them for a boss. This feeling was just too good!