Chapter 319: I’m Not Talking about You
Translator: BeetleBarker Editor: Tennesh
Since Zaro wanted to host a banquet, there was no need for Woo Tianhao to show any formalities. Everyone knew that Zaro had earned a lot endorsing garlic. Thus, Woo Tianhao brought along a few more people to enjoy the feast.
Although Zaro said it was to celebrate Fang Zhao receiving his bento box, who didn’t know Zaro’s character? Wasn’t he just using it as a pretext to flaunt?
Because Zaro had said they could bring more people, Fang Zhao brought along Ji Polun and a few other young actors from the company. Now, Ji Polun and this bunch were done playing their minor roles. Before leaving the cast and crew, they would start all sorts of publicity stunts to raise their profile. Fang Zhao had taken this opportunity to bring them along, using the banquet as a pretext to let them get to know actors from other continents.
As for Zaro’s side, he had only brought along his agent. Zaro had originally wanted to bring along a few Leizhou actresses, but his agent had advised against it.
Of course, whether it was those that Woo Tianhao brought along or the bunch who tagged along with Fang Zhao, they all understood that were only here to serve as foils. All they needed to do was sit down and listen to the two young masters, Woo Tianhao and Zaro, brag. When one of them said something interesting, they just needed to laugh and lift the mood.
This time, Zaro had hosted the banquet at a restaurant in the gourmet food city. Stepping into the private room, the eyes of Ji Polun and the young actors nearly popped out.
Upon entering, stepping on the soft Old Era-style rug was like treading on clouds high in the sky. There were also huge chandeliers like those in ancient palaces, brightly colored classical paintings and all sorts of artistic displays. Also, there was the shiny silverware on the table…
“I don’t remember this restaurant’s decorations having this sort of style before,” Ji Polun whispered.
“It was newly renovated,” someone else muttered as he twitched his nose.
“The heck!” Woo Tianhao, who had just arrived, scanned the place disdainfully. “I heard that all these upstarts love to style their place like this. Seems like Zaro is ready for a round of excessive bragging.”
Indeed, when everyone was gathered, Zaro was pleased as punch and laughed heartily before he had even entered the place.
It couldn’t be helped. Now, when Zaro thought about his cash reserves, his feeling of accomplishment was bursting out of his chest. There was no way he could calm down unless he flaunted a bunch. Zaro had specifically contacted the boss of this restaurant and rented an entire private room. The rent was considerable, but who had asked him to be flushed with cash right now!?
After two rounds of alcohol, the table’s vibe became even more casual. Zaro kept bragging and Woo Tianhao kept chiming in, both unwilling to lose out to the other.
Ji Polun and the bunch who had been brought along as foils had only one thought, which was to exchange contact details with the other actors. More friends meant more options. Furthermore, in the future, Ji Polun wouldn’t just be restricted to Yanzhou and would develop on a global scale. Having been brought along by Fang Zhao this time, he would take the opportunity to expand his network.
Fang Zhao had a talk with Zaro’s agent. They had collaborated in the past and might collaborate in the future, too. Actually, Zaro’s agent was still very grateful toward Fang Zhao. A number of Zaro’s opportunities had been because of Fang Zhao pulling strings. Just the matter of endorsing garlic had been indirectly caused by Fang Zhao.
It was because Fang Zhao had suggested Zaro stimulate his taste buds in order to aid his acting. Zaro’s taste buds had been so stimulated that every time he saw that segment of Founding Era’s Leizhou chapter, he smelled that odor.
Remembering that despair-inducing odor, Zaro’s agent couldn’t help but shudder. However, as before, he would not let up on film and television investments. He wished to sway Fang Zhao into acting in a period drama that they would be investing in.
Following the birth of “Founding Era,” the regulations regarding film projects based on the Period of Destruction history were going to be relaxed. In the future, there would surely be more and more movies and drama series based on the Period of Destruction. Even in the two years after “Founding Era” finished airing, the popularity of this genre wouldn’t drop.
Fang Zhao rejected the idea.
Zaro’s agent did not give up and continued to persuade Fang Zhao. “You can always reconsider. There is no need to reply right away. Compensation can always be negotiated.” As Zaro’s agent was speaking, he heard a shout.
“Fang Zhao!” Woo Tianhao came over with a bottle of wine and poured Fang Zhao a full cup. “Come. Let us brothers have a round! That trash Zaro can’t take it anymore!”
To the side, Zaro was already a little dazed from all the alcohol and had taken a break from bragging. Zaro’s liquor capacity could not be compared to Woo Tianhao’s.
Woo Tianhao had also drunk a lot and wasn’t his usual composed self. “Fang Zhao, you have it easy. We still have to continue being in background scenes. Sigh, when I have earned enough money, I will invest in a series and play the lead! Once the prohibition on Period of Destruction history films is fully lifted, I’m going to film many series about our Tongzhou Wu family’s important great general!”
As he spoke, Woo Tianhao turned to Fang Zhao and, with sympathy in his eyes, said, “The one from Yanzhou named Fang is pitiful. Given my experience in the industry, either nobody will create films about him or they will blindly and randomly create films! After all, Fang Zhao died early and left no descendants, so there will not be many disputes.”
Fang Zhao used his fingers to swivel the wine cup but did not say anything.
“Believe me!” Woo Tianhao hiccuped. He was especially talkative after getting high on alcohol and had no qualms. “This Fang Zhao person, what a pity! My view is that he wasn’t ruthless enough! Say, if there was no ‘Founding Era,’ who would remember the person named Fang Zhao? Of course, I’m not talking about you.” Woo Tianhao patted Fang Zhao’s shoulder. “I am not a Yanzhou person, but I know that the name ‘Fang Zhao’ still had significant influence in the first 100 years of the New Era. However, afterward, it was probably only limited to examinations. In the future, when everyone emigrates to foreign planets, I reckon new editions of history textbooks might not even have a place for him. Perhaps the only people who will remember him then will be the cemetery guards. Isn’t this leader a failure!? Don’t you think so?”
Fang Zhao smiled faintly. “That does sound quite like a failure.”
“That’s right! Such a disappointment!” Woo Tianhao energetically slammed the table a few times. “Our family clan sends people to each continent’s Cemetery every year. The graves of Fang Zhao and Wu Yan are the focus, but it is a political mission! Do you know why it is called a political mission? Because it is a form of diplomacy. It’s done just for others to see.
Fang Zhao got the waiter to deliver some hangover soup and poured a cup for both Woo Tianhao and Zaro.
Woo Tianhao, who was absorbed in talking, did not notice the cup had been swapped and gulped the drink down before scoffing. “This wine tastes weird. Zaro wouldn’t have bought fake alcohol, right…? Let’s go on talking about Fang Zhao.”
Fang Zhao: “…”
“For my university political module thesis, I wrote about Fang Zhao and why he has received such treatment among other historical characters of similar statuses. Let’s not forget that he died earlier than the rest, and he did not leave behind any descendants. However, when it comes to leading subordinates, he really has no way of comparing with Xizhou’s great general. Xizhou has the largest prison cluster in the entire world and has a reputation for being a tough-as-nails land, but just take a look, no matter who assumes the role of Xizhou’s governor, whenever Great General Lu Xi is mentioned, all everyone has is the utmost admiration. He simply has divine status!”
Woo Tianhap stood on the chair and rolled up his sleeves. “If I was Fang Zhao, I would brainwash them! Resolutely brainwash all the subordinates under him! Afterward, get them to continue brainwashing their children and great-grandchildren! Endless brainwashing for one’s descendants! Even if I’m long gone, I still would need to have offerings and respects paid every year, not a single bit less! I have to let them know that the land they are stepping on is my territory. All these little brats! Who dares to f*cking forget me!”
Fang Zhao said, “…Sit down. Isn’t standing and talking tiring?”
“I’m not tired. Don’t interrupt. I have only talked about half of my thesis. Let me talk about the Wu family. If I was Wu Yan, I would climb out of my coffin in a fit of rage! How great was the Wu family during the time when Wu Yan was alive? Compared to the families of the great generals of other continents, they were not in any way inferior! But once Wu Yan wasn’t there anymore, generation after generation of Wus were weaker than before. They even lost their core position! But to be honest, they aren’t entirely at fault. Our Woo family was nearly overthrown some 200 years ago. Fortunately, we were united. Whatever fighting goes on outside, whenever it is at a crux, we will be united! Holding on to a core position is really too difficult!”
Zaro had just finished drinking the hangover soup. When he heard what Woo Tianhao said, he opened his loose lips. “Right! Absolutely right! I agree with what you said! Don’t a few of these continents have an old saying: it is easy to conquer Shan Jiang but hard to defend Shan Jiang 1 ! That is totally apt!”
The room suddenly fell silent.
“Jiang Shan, it is easy to conquer Jiang Shan but hard to defend Jiang Shan,” an actor at the side whispered.
The others in the room stared at Zaro curiously, as well as his manager beside him. Was this fella going to be promoting wild ginger next?
Zaro’s agent heaved a heavy sigh and turned to look out the window: F*cking retard!
Those with a much lesser presence might have seemed to be obediently sitting there, but deep down, they were itching and trying to make all sorts of sense of what Zaro had said.
Zaro’s agent thought to himself, Fortunately, I still have Plan B.
Since Zaro had already said it, then Zaro’s manager would just rope someone in to collaborate. Zaro’s manager looked at Woo Tianhao, who was still ridiculing the Wu family.
Zaro and Woo Tianhao. If these two joined hands to endorse something, the result of one plus one would definitely be greater than two.
Previously, when Zaro had been endorsing garlic, there were people that had cursed Zaro for relying on his status to mess up the market. Now they would rope in an additional great general’s descendant to share the burden. Zaro’s manager still had to make sure Zaro did not go overboard trying to earn money. The label of being a great general’s descendant was a protective talisman but also a constraint. As long as one didn’t go overboard and had a good grasp of the angles, everything would be fine.
Zaro’s agent lowered his head and pondered how to get the best rates for Zaro and Woo Tianhao. He did not notice Fang Zhao glancing at him.
Just a meal with Zaro’s bragging and Woo Tianhao’s ridiculing. Everyone got to make a few new friends. With food, drinks, and laughs, the dinner seemed really joyous.
After they’d had their fill, it was time to go back.
As they got up to leave, Fang Zhao suddenly asked, “Woo Tianhao, what was the evaluation you got for your university politics module thesis?”
“I had to retake it!” Woo Tianhao was pissed off just mentioning it. “The politics teacher even complained to my old man! My old man even gave me a spanking and warned me not to judge those leaders, so…” The sentence ended with a grunting sound. Woo Tianhao appeared to have been petrified, and his legs went soft as he leaned on the person beside him. His face was blank as he mumbled, “Who am I, where am I, what did I just say? I think I just dreamed of my politics teacher… Arghh, my head hurts. Someone, help support me, I drank too much and need to return and rest. I will be leaving first, bye!”
After everyone had left the private room, Fang Zhao turned around to take a look.
The large meal table was full of plates. It was a little messy, and there were still some remains of food on the table. Large and small patches of soup and broth had stained the white tablecloth. Light from the setting sun shone through the windows and passed through the wine bottles, creating bewitching light rays.
The door was closed, covering up the whole room full of ostentatiousness.
After return to his living quarters, Fang Zhao contacted Zuo Yu and Yan Biao.
“Boss, I heard that you attended a banquet tonight? How did it feel?” Yan Biao asked.
Fang Zhao recalled the meal and sighed. “The generation gap is really huge.”
Yan Biao: “…”
Yan Biao was prepared to share some words of advice to Fang Zhao about being reluctant to leave and so on, but he had not expected Fang Zhao to say such a line. He reckoned that his boss had met a few elders from the entertainment industry. Those old fogeys definitely couldn’t get along with youngsters! Yan Biao could totally understand where his boss was coming from.
Having assumed he understood what his boss was talking about, Yan Biao would not further mention this matter. “We will head over to the filming area to pick you up tomorrow. Afterward, will we be heading to the film entertainment complex or the base?”
“To the base, to fetch Curly Hair.”
“All right, we will definitely be on time tomorrow.”
After arranging the details with Yan Biao and Zuo Yu, Fang Zhao then contacted Wai base.
Today, a transport ship had arrived and was still unloading its cargo, so Curly Hair had to work overtime. Fang Zhao did not even get to see a glimpse of the little thing in the video call and only informed the other side that he would be going over tomorrow.
Wai base.
After Curly Hair returned from his overtime patrol and heard that Fang Zhao had already finished filming his scenes and would be coming over tomorrow, he got excited and tore the sofa in the office of Wai base’s commanding officer, Huo Yi.
