Chapter 235: A Man in the Martial World (2) Leave a way out for others...
As the two were talking, the bathroom door was suddenly kicked open from the outside, and then the villain "Heng Ge," played by Wu Jinru, stumbled in, carrying a hot woman.
He glanced sideways and saw two other people in the restroom, both of whom were "acquaintances." His eyes darted around, and then he casually walked over with the woman in his arms.
That spineless, scoundrel-like appearance made Boss D, who used to be a stern "red stick" thug and always stood ramrod straight, feel indignant. Staring at his perpetually slumped shoulders, Boss D shouted, "Handsome, what are you doing?"
"Brother Heng" is a nickname he only started using after he rose to power. However, the nickname he's called most often is "Handsome Heng," which he's been known as since he started out in the underworld.
The word "靓" actually evolved from the term "僆仔" which refers to a young person who is still wet behind the ears. Just like He Nan's "靓仔楠", it does not mean that they are good-looking, but that others think they are not senior enough, so they call them by their nicknames in a senior manner.
As someone who started out as a lowly clerk and was responsible for making connections, and has now risen to become one of the high-ranking bosses who run a film company and make money, Liang Heng and Boss D, who are traditionalists who started out as thugs and adhere to the rules of the underworld, are completely opposite antonyms.
However, Liang Heng's profit-driven approach is clearly more in line with the style of the new generation of triad bosses. In addition, running a film company is a good way to "make money," so he is currently very popular in the Hong An Society, and his arrogance is directly challenging that of Shang Sheng, the head of the Hong An Society.
Of course, despite his current success and wealth, the only thing that bothers Liang Heng is his background, which has resulted in him not having many capable fighters under his command.
Within a gang, the number of capable henchmen a high-ranking leader has under his command greatly determines the degree of "respect" he receives from other leaders of the same rank.
Therefore, Liang Heng set his sights on He Nan, the most outstanding and capable newcomer in the club, and was always thinking of finding an opportunity to poach her from the big boss D.
As the successor personally groomed by Boss D, He Nan was practically treated like a son by Boss D, who was just waiting for him to step down so that He Nan could take over his position and business. How could Boss D possibly allow Liang Heng to poach him?
Furthermore, their differing styles and methods meant that Boss D and Pretty Heng were openly rivals within the triad—yes, despite belonging to the same triad, the Hong Kong triads...
Internal strife is commonplace, especially between the traditionalists represented by Boss D and the new faction represented by Liang Heng. They have differences in ideology and style, and open and covert struggles are inevitable.
It is a fairly traditional practice for triad members to form factions. In this movie, it is clear that screenwriter Wang Yunjun has given the traditional faction, led by Boss D, who emphasizes the code of honor, the image of "righteous characters." Therefore, the new faction, represented by Liang Heng, who prioritizes profit, is the corresponding "villainous character."
Wu Jinru is always a refined and shy person off-screen, but in this film, he perfectly captured the essence of "Liang Heng".
The essence of this character lies in his deliberately crafted hoarse, deep, smoky voice and neurotic demeanor, which breaks away from the previous villainous images in gangster and hero films, creating a completely new neurotic villain.
Although he didn't have the imposing aura of those wicked and arrogant villains, when his darting eyes landed on someone, even though he was smiling, it inexplicably sent a chill down your spine, making you subconsciously feel that the sinister nature of the person in front of you truly came from the inside out.
In particular, Liang Heng has recently made a lot of money from his film company, which has made him greedy. He is openly and secretly coveting the position of Shang Sheng, the most respected leader of the gang. How can the gang leader, who values the rules of the underworld and is loyal to Shang Sheng, tolerate this?
He Nan's dispatch to ambush Liang Heng's sworn brother was undoubtedly the beginning of a formal falling out between Boss D and Liang Heng.
However, Liang Heng was a man of principle who knew how to bend and stretch. He knew that he didn't have many thugs under his command and couldn't afford to offend Boss D, who was skilled in fighting and whose men were also capable of fighting. So even though his sworn brother, who owed him a lot of money, was ambushed and killed, Liang Heng, who always prioritized profit, had no choice but to swallow his pride and continue to shamelessly negotiate with Boss D, saying that he wanted to find He Nan, one of Boss D's men, to make a movie.
He was quite shrewd in his calculations: give He Nan, who had just been promoted to Red Pole, several hundred thousand yuan, and then find a few women in the film company to surround He Nan. He didn't believe any man could resist such an offensive of wine, women, money, and power!
Once they've used this offensive of wine, women, money, and power to soften He Nan's tough exterior, and then talked to him properly and promised him a bright future, wouldn't the most outstanding and capable fighter among the new recruits of Hong An Society be safely under their control?
Boss D is useless except for his loyalty and fighting skills. Now that he's getting old, he's already considering retirement. Furthermore, Boss D can't tolerate his attempts to make money through adultery, and over the years he and his men have sabotaged his businesses several times. If it weren't for someone above him...
With the big boss keeping a close eye on him, Liang Heng had long wanted to devise a plan to get rid of his arch-rival, Boss D.
Unfortunately, now is not the time.
Liang Heng stared at the two of them, and received a furious, mocking retort from Boss D: "You asked my men to do things for you, saying that my men are your men, then your woman is also my woman." After that, he immediately ignored the resistance of the woman he brought with him, and wanted to force the woman to Boss D and then switch He Nan back...
Anyway, there are plenty of women like that in his film company. It would be best if he could take the opportunity to get back a henchman or subordinate he longs for. If he can't get her back, he can still humiliate the big boss D, who has a wife and children and claims to follow the rules of the underworld.
This time, Boss D was genuinely amused by his outrageous move, then put on a stern face and warned, "Handsome, leave some room for maneuver, so you can meet again in the future!"
Having finally shaken off Liang Heng's entanglement, Boss D led He Nan away from the bar, leaving behind all the decadent and intoxicating atmosphere.
The next second, the glitz and glamour of the bar night scene transformed into a sun-drenched campus afternoon, with the female protagonist Sisi walking out holding a box of lemon tea, vaguely reminiscent of that refreshing lemon tea advertisement that evoked memories of first love.
That's right. Given that the director, screenwriter, and producer are all very clever and resourceful people, the chubby producer Huang Zheng actually managed to secure an investment from Sunny Lemon Tea. Then, he had screenwriter Wang Yunjun and director Liu Jixiang add some scenes and close-ups for Lemon Tea—and coincidentally, the male and female leads of his movie are the same male and female leads from Sunny Lemon Tea's most classic commercial, aren't they?!
With this increase and decrease, the company's own investment in the film decreased, while external advertising revenue increased. It couldn't be more perfect!
Most of the audience watching the movie were unaware of these stunts. As Li Sishi, who plays the female lead "Sisi," reappeared with a look and posture that vaguely resembled those of the past, the nostalgic feeling of first love seemed to be awakened by such a beautiful scene.
But the dramatic conflict is meant to shatter the beautiful scene for those who hold onto hope. He Nan began to move forward, and Si Si, who had discovered him, also looked horrified.
However, she did not instinctively turn around and try to run away. Instead, she calmed herself down once again and continued to move cautiously in her direction with a blank expression that made her look like a blind person.
He Nan calmly remained where she was, waiting for Sisi to "walk right into her trap." Unfortunately, to his surprise, just as the two were only a body length apart, Sisi suddenly made a large movement...
It turned and then rushed into another alley at the intersection, clearly trying to escape by taking advantage of its familiarity with the street.
But how could a female student as weak as her, even with the slightest advantage of location, possibly withstand the pursuit of the most outrageous red stick of Hong An Society in this term?
After being caught by He Nan in no time, Sisi began to explain in a low voice, almost incoherently: "I've been very forgetful lately, and I can't remember many things. Besides, I've kept my mouth shut. So many people have come to me to make clothes, but I haven't revealed anyone's body measurements..."
"Are you short of money?" Ignoring Sisi's explanation, He Nan asked with a half-smile, "Studying while also doing a side business?"
"Before my mother left, she stayed in the hospital for a long time, and all the family's savings were given to the hospital. If I didn't do that, I wouldn't have money to pay tuition or living expenses... Sisi was gambled on He Nan's character and faction now, having been let off the hook once before.
If the leather-clad man in front of you is a traditionalist who values the rules of the underworld, then most of them are clear about their grudges and have a bottom line in everything they do, and they will not easily kill innocent people.
Although there are no truly "good people" in the community, at least relatively "good people" still exist in this era.
From the audience's perspective, it's clear that the male lead, He Nan, is teasing the female lead, Si Si, for fun. However, seeing her pitiful and frightened appearance evokes a sense of pity in many viewers with a bit of male chauvinism.
Especially when she said that her mother was sick and hospitalized and died, and that she, at such a young age, had to support herself by studying and doing side jobs.
He Nan's heart stirred, and he released his grip on her, then took out the money that Boss D had given him and handed it over.
Receiving a signal from He Nan, Sisi took the envelope, opened it, and was immediately shocked by the thick stack of thousand-yuan bills inside: "Is this... a hush money?"
Upon hearing this, not only He Nan in the play, but also the audience outside the play couldn't help but laugh.
"Your father asked me to give this to you. He also said he would send you living expenses regularly in the future..." Before He Nan could finish explaining the origin of the money, Sisi's face immediately darkened.
“I don’t need it.” She handed the money back curtly.
"Whether you need it or not, I'm just responsible for delivering the money to you. If you don't want it, then you can take it back to him yourself." He Nan straightened up, hands in his pockets, looking completely indifferent.
attitude.
"Hey, how can you be like this!" Seeing He Nan walk away using his height and long legs, Sisi hurriedly chased after him with the envelope. "Just, just consider it a favor, okay? Please take this back to him for me. I really don't need it!"
"I can support myself!"
"I really, really don't need his money!"
"They have a wife and children now, what would I do there? Would I just cause them trouble?!"
He Nan stopped and turned around in surprise: "You don't want to acknowledge Boss D because you think you shouldn't break up his current family?"
To be honest, ever since he learned that the girl in front of him was Boss D's illegitimate daughter with someone else, he had been somewhat dissatisfied with her: his parents had died early, leaving only his grandmother who was blind and deaf. In order to avoid being bullied at the basketball court and in the neighborhood, he started hanging out with Boss D when he was a teenager.
Big Brother D treated him like a son and groomed him to be his successor. Big Brother D's wife also often took care of him and made him pork liver soup. In his heart, Big Brother D and his wife, who were a rare loving and happy couple in the gang, were undoubtedly his projection of the word "parents".
The appearance of this girl in front of him was the culprit that shattered his "parents' projections".
"Don't look at me like that. According to the order of arrival, my mom was the one who came first." Seeing He Nan's expression, Sisi could roughly guess what he was thinking, so she explained again, unconvinced, "Back then, my mom tried hard to persuade that person not to go down the gang path, but he wouldn't listen, so in the end, my mom broke up with him..."
“I was only found out after they broke up. My mother never intended to trouble him to support me. She raised me all by herself…” Sisi’s voice trailed off as she lowered her head. “If she hadn’t overworked herself and unexpectedly contracted this acute illness… my mother would never have contacted him again.”
"Since you didn't want to contact him but you've already made contact, why did you refuse Boss D's offer of recognition, and even the money he offered you?" He Nan asked, puzzled.
“I’m a grown adult, with hands and feet, and I can take care of myself. It’s just that my mother was worried, so she contacted him at the last minute…” Sisi sighed as she said this, and looked up at the sky. “Now that he has such a happy family, why should I bother him?”
∞
After listening quietly to Sisi's words, He Nan pondered for a moment before handing over the envelope again.
"I already said I don't want it!" Sisi instinctively tried to push him away again.
"The money is all here." He Nan patted the left pocket of the leather jacket, then turned the envelope over so that Sisi could see the string of numbers just written on it. "I'll take the money back for you first. But taking care of you is a big shot thing for me to learn. If you need anything in the future, you can call this number to find me."
However, when He Nan said those words, she did not expect that "later..." would come so quickly.
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