Chapter 91

Zhu Hongyu didn’t know why Song Haowen seemed so lost, so she quietly whispered to Ren Hua beside her. Ren Hua also found it strange but didn’t want to ask during class.

After class, Ren Hua walked up to Song Haowen and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

Song Haowen immediately pulled himself together, forced a smile, and said, “Nothing. I just find myself daydreaming for some reason.”

Ren Hua gave Song Haowen a stern look. “If there’s something, tell me. Don’t drive yourself crazy alone.” After saying this, she let him be and discussed the professor’s discussion questions with Zhu Hongyu.

In the second class, Song Haowen suddenly felt the drowsiness setting in. He resisted for a while but eventually surrendered, putting his head on the desk and falling asleep.

It wasn’t uncommon for students to fall asleep in class, but the key issue was that he started snoring, shocking the entire class.

The professor was so furious that he almost had a heart attack. After class, he called the half-asleep Song Haowen to the corridor outside the classroom and criticized him severely. Many classmates, witnessing him being scolded, couldn’t hide their delight.

Having suffered a humiliating experience, Song Haowen consoled himself, “This is the result of unexpected fortune turning into misfortune. It seems that good and bad luck are truly connected. I have to be careful after finding such a huge luck.”

After two classes, fearing that he might fall asleep again, Song Haowen decided to take leave and rest. When he returned to the business store, Qian You happened to be in the store. Qian You quietly reported that he had successfully contacted a private detective.

This detective had a team with both men and women, equipped with advanced tools, and they were surveilling the female reporter from the TV station around the clock. It was expected that there would be significant news soon.

Encouraging Qian You, Song Haowen told him to proceed confidently. After that, he greeted Qian You and Wang Li, then lay down to catch up on some sleep. Despite being young and energetic, the taste of staying awake all night was not pleasant experience.

Song Haowen slept until after three in the afternoon. If it weren’t for Qian You holding him back, Wang Li would have called him for lunch.

When Song Haowen woke up, feeling much more refreshed, he had a light meal and opened the safe to secretly admire the two gemstones. After that, he went to the music room to help out.

A few days later, Qian Youlai brought surprising news. They initially thought the TV station’s female journalist was just the mistress of a deputy leader in Beijing, but the investigation revealed that she not only had a son with the deputy leader but also secretly dated several high-ranking executives from the TV station.

The photos provided by the private detective included both passionate bed pictures with the deputy leader and intimate nude photos with other TV station executives—a true scandalous woman.

After obtaining this valuable information, Song Haowen thanked the private detective sincerely and temporarily halted the investigation. Reflecting on the situation, he realized that if he directly exposed these photos to the public, although it could damage their reputation, it might not severely impact them.

Without catching them in the act, they could easily deny the authenticity of the photos. Once they had a chance to breathe, retaliation would likely be more ruthless.

While Song Haowen was weighing the pros and cons, during a break between classes, Gu Ziwei came to the physics department to chat with him. He immediately told her about the photos and the information they had.

After hearing the news, she was thrilled and asked him to go back to the dormitory immediately to show her the pictures. Seeing that the third class was about to start, he persuaded her to come to his store for lunch instead and take a look at the photos then.

Gu Ziwei hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed. When she received the photos from Song Haowen at the business department, she blushed after looking at just a few of them.

She asked how many sets of photos there were, and Song Haowen mentioned there were two sets, offering to give her one. She suggested making more copies of the photos and anonymously sending them to various national disciplinary and law enforcement departments to stir up public opinion.

She would take a set back home, discuss it with her family, and arrange for someone to supervise the investigation to ensure they didn’t escape justice. With dual approaches, she believed they wouldn’t be able to evade the legal net.

With Gu Ziwei’s plan, Song Haowen somewhat relaxed. While he didn’t know about her background, given that her uncle was the chief editor of a newspaper, her family background was likely not simple. Dealing with a deputy leader in the capital might indeed not be a difficult task.

After seeing off Gu Ziwei, Song Haowen immediately took action. He had Qian You make more than ten copies of the photos and then sent Qian You to the downtown post office to anonymously mail the photos and accompanying explanations to relevant departments.

A significant bombshell was dropped into the political arena of the capital.

Soon, top leaders of the country issued important instructions on the matter, demanding a thorough investigation. Special task forces were formed by relevant departments.

In less than a week, the deputy leader in the capital and several TV station executives were removed from their positions, investigated for corruption, and later expelled from the party.

They received varying prison sentences, with some sentenced to life imprisonment and others to over a decade. The TV station’s beautiful reporter was dismissed from public office due to her scandalous lifestyle, accepting substantial bribes, and participating in the persecution of singer Song Haowen and intern Gu Ziwei. She was sentenced to thirteen years in prison.

At the same time, the wanted criminal Black Bear, infuriated by his sister’s arrest, took desperate measures to assassinate Song Haowen. However, Song Haowen, who was well-prepared, captured him on the spot.

Instead of achieving his goal of assassination, Black Bear only increased the severity of his crimes and was sentenced to life imprisonment, a tragic turn of events.

Unknowingly, the autumn semester was coming to an end. On New Year’s Day in 1981, in the morning, Song Haowen was rehearsing a new song in the music room when Su Yan came over and told him that two people from Hong Kong were looking for him. Song Haowen didn’t pay much attention and said he would go after finishing the rehearsal, asking them to wait for a while.

Half an hour later, after finishing the rehearsal and returning to the office, Su Yan pointed to a pair of men and women sitting on the sofa in the office, saying they were the ones looking for him.

Song Haowen saw the man, around forty years old, well-dressed in a suit with styled hair and sunglasses. His fair skin and refined temperament surprised Song Haowen. Wasn’t this the famous Hong Kong action film director, Wong Bolorong, from his previous life? How come he was here?

Wong Bolorong stood up with a pleasant smile, extending his hand to Song Haowen. “Hello! I’m Wong Bolorong, a director from East Emperor Film in Hong Kong. I’ve heard about your name for a long time and came to visit.” He pointed to the beautiful woman next to him and said, “This is Tang Wen, my assistant.”

“Hello, hello.” Song Haowen shook hands with Wong Bolorong and Tang Wen in turn, wondering, “I wonder why you honored us with your presence. How may I assist you?”

Wong Bolorong politely said, “Could we find a quiet room to discuss? “

Song Haowen glanced at Su Yan and, seeing her nod, said, “Alright, let’s go to the small meeting room next door. It’s quiet there.” With that, he led Wong Bolorong and his assistant to the small meeting room.

Song Haowen invited the guests to sit down, poured them tea, partially closed the door, and asked Wong Bolorong about the purpose of their visit.

Wong Bolorong introduced himself again in Hong Kong Mandarin and explained the reason for his visit.

As it turned out, Wong Bolorong was preparing to shoot a martial arts film, a significant project being filmed by Hong Kong in mainland China.

The male lead in the film was planned to be played by a mainland martial arts star, while the female lead would be portrayed by a Hong Kong actress.

Hearing that Song Haowen was not only good at singing but also excelled in martial arts, coupled with the full recommendation from Miao Chong, the head coach of the National Wushu Team, Wong Bolorong was interested in inviting Song Haowen to be the male lead, offering excellent pay.

Song Haowen knew that in his previous life, “Shaolin Temple,” as the first film shot and released by Hong Kong in mainland China, had caused a huge sensation worldwide, and its influence lingered for decades.

The male lead in that film later became a martial arts superstar. This film was abruptly halted last year, wasting four hundred thousand yuan. Later, it changed directors, and according to the filming schedule from his previous life, it should currently be in production and scheduled for an early release in 1982. If Wong Bolorong’s martial arts film fell after the release of “Shaolin Temple,” its impact would be significantly reduced.

Song Haowen asked Wong Bolorong about the plot of the film, how long it would take to shoot, and when it would be screened. Wong Bolorong explained that the film had a budget of two million yuan, equivalent to “Shaolin Temple.”

The tentative title was “Tai Chi Fist,” and they planned to finish shooting in the first half of the year, premiering during the National Day holiday.

The story was set in the Ming Dynasty, depicting a prime minister framed by corrupt officials, resulting in the massacre of his entire family.

Only his ten-year-old son escaped and later arrived at Wudang Mountain, where he became a disciple of Zhang Sanfeng, learning the “Tai Chi Fist.” After mastering the art, he descended the mountain, joined forces with his martial brothers, and fought against bullies and corrupt officials, becoming a legendary hero.

Upon hearing the introduction, Song Haowen felt quite tempted. If this film could be released before “Shaolin Temple,” it would create history. He said to Wong Bolorong, “Thank you, Director Wong, for thinking of me. I can’t make a decision right away. I’ll think about it carefully and give you an answer tomorrow afternoon. Is that okay?”

Wong Bolorong smiled, “This is a big decision that may impact your entire life. It’s something you should think about carefully. Here, take the synopsis with you. If you have time, take a look.”

Song Haowen received the synopsis and extended an invitation, “I have a performance tonight. If you have time, you can have a quick meal at the cafeteria and watch our show at the theater tonight.”

“Thank you for the invitation, but unfortunately, we already have plans for tonight. It’s already confirmed, so we can’t cancel. I hope you understand. Mr. Song, you’re busy, we won’t disturb you any longer. See you tomorrow morning.” Wong Bolorong said, standing up and bidding farewell with his assistant Tang Wen.

Song Haowen escorted them out of the courtyard. Just as they were about to enter the building, Tiana Nana, on the second-floor corridor, called out to him. “Hey, Haowen, who are those two? What do they want with you?”

Song Haowen chuckled, “They are directors from Hong Kong, looking for me to shoot a martial arts film.”

“Really or not? Could they be scammers?” Tianna was a bit skeptical. Indeed, scams were becoming more prevalent, with various deceptive techniques.

Among them, the most detestable was using the guise of recruiting female actors for a film crew to exploit young and beautiful women. Many deceived girls, reluctant to expose the scam due to embarrassment, could only suffer in silence.