Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 54 The Film Box Was Intercepted

Chen Yan turned off his phone screen, and the remaining green light extinguished between his fingers.

The knife from Shanghai has been sharpened to the point of being used against my throat.

He turned and walked to the end of the corridor, his leather shoes making a dull sound on the terrazzo floor.

Su Wan was standing next to the nurses' station making a phone call. Because she was gripping the phone so tightly, the plastic casing made a slight creaking sound.

"Yes, it's a transfer. Transferred to Tianjin First Central Hospital."

Su Wan hung up the phone and looked at Chen Yan.

"The ambulance is already downstairs. I've already spoken to Lin Qingqiu's family."

Chen Yan nodded and opened the corridor window.

A cold wind swept in, carrying away the smell of medicine from the corridor.

Where is Zhang Yuan?

"At the back door, lead the team to load the trucks."

Su Wan quickly caught up with Chen Yan.

Chen Yan went downstairs and saw Zhang Yuan squatting in the trunk of the Jinbei van, holding a measuring tape to measure the position.

A dozen or so aluminum alloy boxes were neatly arranged, with the word "Thunder" and the corresponding session number sprayed on the side in red paint.

Wu Gang stood guard beside the car, with a fire extinguisher at his feet.

"Brother Yan, everything's here. Except for the broken roll, everything else is here."

Chen Yan bent down, running his fingers along the sealing strip on the edge of the film box.

"Take the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway to Tianjin Port and find Vincent from the French side."

"He will take you into the bonded warehouse at the foreign trade port. It's a former French Concession site, and their exemption certificate is more effective than the official document from Beijing Film Academy."

Chen Yan took out a wad of US dollars from his coat pocket and stuffed it into Wu Gang's hand.

"Besides the film negatives, there are also academic research project documents issued by the school in the car. If someone blocks your way, hand over the documents first, then hand over this. Understand?"

Wu Gang put the money into his pocket.

"Brother Yan, what if they try to take it by force?"

Chen Yan looked at the several film boxes.

"They dare not openly rob, they only dare to investigate. As long as they can drag it out until dawn, Shen Congzhou's goal will be achieved."

Zhang Yuan climbed into the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt slammed shut.

"Brother Yan, don't worry. The film is here, and so are we."

Chen Yan patted the car door.

"Set off."

The van started up, belching out a thick plume of white smoke, and disappeared into the shadows behind the hospital's back door.

Half a minute later, Chen Yan turned to look at Su Wan.

"Has Lin Qingqiu gotten on the bus?"

Su Wan led two stretcher bearers out of the elevator.

Lin Qingqiu lay on a stretcher, covered with a thick quilt, with only half of her face exposed.

Her eyes were clear, fixed intently on Chen Yan.

"Director Chen, did I get that scene right or wrong?"

Chen Yan didn't answer, but pointed to the two huge spare oxygen cylinders next to him.

"That's your livelihood for the rest of your life. If you hold onto it, the show's over."

The stretcher bearers lifted Lin Qingqiu onto the ambulance.

Su Wan then sat down next to the stretcher.

Chen Yan personally pushed the two oxygen cylinders into the carriage's mounting slots and fastened the stainless steel latches.

"Take the off-road. Pass Yangcun and bypass the highway exit."

The ambulance's blue and red lights flashed, but its siren was not activated as it quietly glided onto the main road.

Chen Yan lit a cigarette and watched the two cars drive in completely different directions.

Two o'clock in the morning.

Dayangfang toll station on the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway.

Zhang Yuan stared at the dense cluster of red taillights ahead, his palms sweating.

Three vehicles with different uniform liveries lined up in a triangular formation, blocking all the entrances to the station.

"Angkor, something's not right. Why would they be checking cars at this hour?"

Wu Gang didn't reply, but instead downshifted, letting the bread cart glide slowly.

A young man in a traffic police uniform is waving a baton.

"Stop the car and turn off the engine. Take out your vehicle registration and driver's license."

Wu Gang lowered the car window and handed over his identification.

"Officer, we're from the Beijing Film Academy crew. We're transporting research equipment and we're in a hurry."

The traffic police officer didn't check the documents, but instead waved to the two cars behind.

"Fire inspection. We received a report that your vehicle is carrying a large quantity of flammable and explosive hazardous materials. Open the rear door."

The car door was opened.

Two people in blue uniforms jumped into the car and headed directly toward the row of aluminum alloy boxes.

"What is this?"

Zhang Yuan jumped out of the car.

"This is film. It's art, it can't be exposed to light! Don't you know the rules?"

A fat man pulled out his work ID and waved it in front of Zhang Yuan.

"The Industry and Commerce Bureau suspects you of illegally transporting publications and is conducting an inspection in accordance with the law. Open the boxes."

Wu Gang blocked the fat man's path.

"This is a school project. It has approval from the ministry. Who gave you permission to open the boxes at the highway exit?"

The fat man chuckled.

"A permit? That's for filming, not transportation. We received a tip that this shipment doesn't have a transport permit. Open it!"

Zhang Yuan looked at Wu Gang.

Wu Gang's fingertips rubbed against the seam of his trousers, his gaze lingering on the number on the other person's shoulder.

"I can open it. But if it's exposed, the negatives inside are worth three million US dollars. Will you pay for that?"

The fat man paused for a moment, then turned to look at a black Audi not far away.

The Audi's window was lowered by a third, revealing a profile of someone wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

That was Shen Congzhou's secretary.

The secretary nodded slightly.

The fat man felt more confident.

"Stop talking nonsense! Open the box! Not opening it is blatant resistance!"

Zhang Yuan stood at the front, his voice trembling.

"No! Starting this show will ruin it!"

The fat man shoved Zhang Yuan hard.

"Get out of the way!"

Several disc cartridges were roughly pulled off the vehicle and slammed onto the concrete ground with a loud bang.

The fat man skillfully unfastened the buckle.

With a "creak".

The sealing strip was forcibly torn open.

Zhang Yuan let out a desperate cry and lunged forward to try and block out the light.

The box is open.

There were no dark green film reels inside.

There was only a pile of messy newspapers, inside which were wrapped several rolls of scratched scrap film.

The fat man was stunned.

He then pried open the remaining nine boxes.

Each box contained the same things: rotten newspapers and waste film.

There was even a note that read: Mr. Shen, get some rest.

The fat man's face turned from blue to purple.

He rushed toward the Audi, but before he got close, the Audi slammed its windows shut, roared, and turned around and drove off against traffic.

The traffic police and firefighters looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Where is he? Are we still investigating?"

Wu Gang snorted and picked up the film boxes from the ground one by one and put them back into the car.

"The things are dirty. We will complain to the relevant authorities. Move aside."

at this time.

Inside an ambulance traveling on a country road.

Su Wan carefully unscrewed the hidden buckle at the bottom of the oxygen cylinder.

As the stainless steel outer shell detached, what was exposed inside was not a compressed gas cylinder.

Instead, they are neatly stacked film trays that have undergone multiple layers of vacuum packaging.

Lin Qingqiu lay on the stretcher, listening to the faint clanging sounds coming from the oxygen tank.

"Did Director Chen already guess this?"

Su Wan looked at the dark shadows of the trees outside the window.

"He never gambles. He only bets on things he's sure of."

The ambulance came to a steady stop in front of an abandoned warehouse at the Tianjin dock.

The warehouse door opened.

Vincent came out to greet them, accompanied by several security personnel in French uniforms.

"Ms. Su, everything is ready. This shipment will be placed in the French diplomatic pouch. It will fly directly to Hong Kong in three hours."

Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the negatives being handed over to the foreign staff.

She took out her phone and sent Chen Yan a text message: 【Seeds have been stored.】

A guesthouse in Yanjing.

Shen Congzhou sat in a grand chair, holding a cup of strong tea that had gone cold.

The secretary pushed open the door and entered, her face extremely grim.

"Mr. Shen, we've been tricked. That car was full of junk."

Shen Congzhou didn't smash the cup; he simply poured the tea slowly into the ashtray next to him.

"If you can't get your hands on a blood-soaked bun, find another way to eat it."

He turned his head and looked at Wei Cheng, who was sitting on the sofa.

Wei Cheng was holding several photos in his hand.

The first picture is an overhead shot of Lin Qingqiu being carried onto a stretcher. Although the bloodstains have been cleaned up, her face looks extremely pale under the flash.

The second picture shows Chen Yan pushing an oxygen tank into the ambulance with a cold expression, as if he were sending someone into an incinerator.

"Mr. Shen, the press release is finished. I've even come up with three headlines."

Shen Congzhou picked up a photograph and lit it with a lighter.

"Choose the most ruthless one."

Wei Cheng nodded.

"Genius Director or Set Tyrant? Unveiling the Serious Violations of Explosions on Film Crew That Caused Actress's Disability."

"One more thing. The film's director is suspected of illegally transferring assets overseas in an attempt to evade legal responsibility."

Shen Congzhou blew out the flames.

"Go ahead. Have those tabloids in Beijing publish it simultaneously at five o'clock tomorrow morning."

Wei Cheng got up and quickly walked out of the room.

Shen Congzhou walked to the window.

The sky began to lighten.

"Chen Yan, you can take the film with you. But in China, your reputation is already ruined."

Just then, the roller shutter door of the newsstand downstairs was pulled open with a whoosh.

The boss is carrying the newly printed morning newspapers.

The front page of the top stack of tabloids.

A photo of Chen Yan coldly pushing a stretcher occupied half of the page.

The bold, large characters resemble rows of tombstones.

[A lawless zone has emerged in the film industry; director Chen Yan treats human life like dirt.]

Dormitory of Yenching Film Academy.

Chen Yan closed the script in his hand.

He placed a wax seal on the table with the word "Thunder" engraved on it.

The phone on the table vibrated again.

It was Yan Huaizhong calling.

"Chen Yan, the ministry called. Someone reported you for not only violating regulations but also suspected of tax evasion and illegal foreign exchange transactions."

"The investigation team will arrive in half an hour. Where are you?"

Chen Yan picked up his coat.

I bought breakfast at the school gate.

He pushed open the dormitory door.

In the thick morning fog, several black official vehicles were already parked at the school gate.

The lead investigator was clutching a folded newspaper.

It points directly to Chen Yan.

Chen Yan took a bite of the steaming hot fried dough stick in his hand.

"morning."

"That's what the investigator said in a cold voice."

"Chen Yan, come with us."

Chen Yan chewed his food.

"Wait. I've finished my cigarette."

He bent down and bought the last copy of the "Beijing Entertainment News" from the most conspicuous spot on the newsstand.

Then, in front of the investigators.

He tore the newspaper with the headline "Tyrant" in half.

He put it in his pocket.

"Let's go."

He climbed into the investigation team's car.

In that instant.

A burst of noisy radio waves came from the newsstand owner's radio.

"Early this morning, local police dismantled a transnational illegal foreign exchange transfer gang, involving multiple intermediaries in the film and television industry..."

Shen Congzhou pressed his hand firmly against the railing at the window.