Chapter 00104: Dealing with the Oddball
# Dealing with the Oddball
Chapter 104
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 104: Dealing with the Oddball
Chen Qi wasn’t the type to get angry easily.
The only times he had lost his temper were when he was selling tea and when he had a run-in with those troublemakers from the plastic factory.
And then there was today.
When Chen Qi got angry, he never held back.
He believed in letting his emotions flow freely.
“Your disciple was in the wrong first. If he had sincerely apologized, no one would have said anything. Everyone makes mistakes. But instead, you had to jump out and act all high and mighty, thinking you’re some kind of master who needs to protect your little disciple? How utterly foolish! You’re not acting like a decent person, you don’t know how to handle things, and you’re completely brainless. No wonder you’ve ended up in this sorry state!”
“Let go of me!”
“What right do you have to lecture me? When I joined the factory, you were still spinning around in your mother’s womb!”
Zhao Qingli continued to struggle, the veins on his neck bulging.
“That’s all you’ve got to show for yourself, isn’t it? You’ve aged, but you’ve learned nothing! And you want to report me? On what grounds? Let me tell you, your disciple hurt my brother first. Don’t give me that nonsense about it being an accident. He did it on purpose! That’s called intentional harm. I’m going to the hospital right now to have my brother’s injuries documented. You’re illiterate, so I don’t expect you to understand. But if you keep yapping, I’ll sue you too! You’re an accomplice, encouraging your disciple to hurt someone. Once I file the lawsuit, let’s see how you’ll survive in the factory! You even put up those big-character posters against me. Well, I’ll write one myself and post it at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go to the Film Bureau. If the Film Bureau doesn’t work, I’ll go to the Ministry of Culture. I’ll sit right at their doorstep and make sure you pay! You think you’re untouchable because you’ve been here for 20 years? Let’s see who’s tougher—you, the old-timer, or me, the outsider! I don’t care. At worst, I’ll go back to selling tea. But you? You’re done. Forget about your house or your salary. I’ll strip you of everything and kick you out of the Beijing Film Studio!”
“……”
Zhao Qingli’s face turned red and then pale.
The veins on his neck and forehead made his face look both terrifying and ridiculous.
He kept struggling, but like a fish out of water, he flailed a few times before finally going still.
He was scared.
Despite his tough exterior, the thought of being kicked out of the Beijing Film Studio terrified him.
He’d crawl back even if his legs were broken.
He was just an old employee who liked to vent his frustrations, all bark and no bite.
A coward.
He didn’t understand much, but in these times, people were terrified of lawsuits.
It would ruin his reputation at work.
Li Wenhua watched the whole scene unfold and couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
He had been fed up with Zhao Qingli for a long time, and it was about time someone taught him a lesson.
He glanced at Chen Qi and suddenly felt a bit of fear.
He had never seen this side of Chen Qi before.
“Let him go!”
Chen Qi waved his hand, and Ji Chunhua released Zhao Qingli, standing behind Chen Qi with a snort—he was the only one not in the martial arts team, so he didn’t care about the consequences.
“You’ve wasted everyone’s time. Apologize to everyone and promise not to cause any more trouble!”
“As for your disciple’s mistake, go to the hospital right now. They’ll come back only when Xiong Xinxin is fine.”
Chen Qi stood in front of Zhao Qingli, looking down at him. “Any objections?”
“……”
“Speak!”
“N-no objections.”
Chen Qi let out a breath, feeling much better after venting.
He cupped his hands toward the Yuan brothers. “Sorry for the trouble!”
Then he turned to Li Wenhua. “Director Li, I’ll go to the hospital with them. You can see how much more you can shoot. I’ll keep you updated on Xiong Xinxin’s condition.”
“Oh, sure, sure!” Li Wenhua nodded repeatedly.
“Wang Qun, Huang Qiuyan, you two come with me to the hospital!”
“I’ll go too!” Ji Chunhua volunteered.
“Don’t scare them. Stay here.”
Chen Qi turned and waved to the prop team. “You guys, come with me!”
“Yes!”
The group left, and the studio suddenly fell silent, as if nothing had happened.
…………
The film industry was always the same, no matter the era.
In his past life, Chen Qi had dealt with all sorts of oddballs in Hengdian—bullies, lunatics, embezzlers, you name it.
But this was the first time he had encountered such a situation since crossing over.
Honestly, the Lushan Love crew was much simpler.
Back then, he didn’t have much of a presence, but now his presence was growing stronger, and it was bound to attract some oddballs.
Chen Qi had calmed down, but Huang Qiuyan was still caught up in the moment. “Brother Qi, you were amazing just now! We were too scared to say anything. That guy was so annoying, like a lunatic. Thank goodness you taught him a lesson. Did you see how he looked afterward? I thought he was so tough, but he turned out to be all bark and no bite.”
“You don’t understand what a lawsuit means for an employee. I was just scaring him.”
“But it was still impressive! And you stood up for Xiong Xinxin, which means you stood up for all of us. I really admire you for that!” Huang Qiuyan said with a touch of admiration.
“Yeah, if this hadn’t been handled properly, we’d all be scared to use the wires in the future,” Wang Qun agreed.
At that moment, they truly acknowledged Chen Qi as their leader.
He was wealthy, generous, capable, and stood up for his brothers.
He deserved to be their leader!
When they arrived at the hospital, Xiong Xinxin had just finished his examination.
The results weren’t out yet, and he was lying in bed, looking dejected.
When he saw Chen Qi, it was like seeing family.
He almost choked up. “I’ve disgraced Guangxi!”
“Don’t worry about your Guangxi pride right now!” Chen Qi laughed and comforted him. “You did great. It was a human error, not your fault… Hey, you guys, aren’t you here to apologize?”
“We’re sorry! It was our fault!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. What are you doing? I know you didn’t mean it,” Xiong Xinxin quickly said.
“What did the doctor say?” Chen Qi asked.
“I feel fine, actually. I could jump up right now, but they want me to stay for observation until the results come out.”
“Don’t take it lightly. If there’s any damage, it’ll be too late.”
Chen Qi and the others stayed until the results came out.
Fortunately, it was nothing serious, thanks to Xiong Xinxin’s youth and strong physique.
In mainland China, wire stunts often led to accidents because people didn’t really know how to handle them, and the equipment wasn’t great.
When Yang Jie was preparing for Journey to the West, she secretly went to Hong Kong to learn, but only grasped the basics.
When they started filming, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing all fell at some point.
Either the wires broke, or they didn’t fly high enough and crashed to the ground…
…………
Naturally, this incident reached Wang Yang’s ears.
The next day, he called Chen Qi over, but instead of meeting at the office, he surprisingly chose his home.
In the area west of Beihai Park, about two kilometers inside the Second Ring Road, there was a neighborhood called “Xisi North Fourth Alley.” It was a cluster of hutongs from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, originally named “Shupi Hutong” because of the leather workshops there.
Later, it was renamed Shoubi Hutong.
In 1950, a performing arts research institute was established nearby, which later became the Beijing Film Academy.
Zhou Yang, Xia Yan, Feng Xuefeng, Ai Qing, and Ding Ling all taught there.
The academy eventually moved away.
Wang Yang’s assigned house was here.
In the No. 2 courtyard, there were eleven rooms.
As soon as Chen Qi entered, he looked around.
The courtyard was lovely, with flowers and trees, quiet and serene.
The location was great too, just four kilometers from the Forbidden City.
“Xiao Chen, why aren’t you coming in?”
Wang Yang looked up and saw Chen Qi staring at his house, which made him feel uneasy for no reason.
“Oh, just admiring your courtyard. It’s nice.”
Chen Qi stepped into the main room.
The interior was simple, with nothing particularly valuable.
He sat down and asked, “Old Director, you could’ve just told me at the factory. Why call me to your home?”
(End of chapter…
Today’s update is 10,000 words, a bonus chapter for the Winter Solstice Alliance Leader.
Winners, please contact me soon.
It’s the 10th, and Dragon Boat Festival is coming up.
It’ll take a few days to send out the prizes, so don’t wait until after the festival to receive them.
Zongzi are a matter of national pride—let me know if you want them salty or sweet.)
(End of chapter.)