Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 655: Everyone Parted on Bad Terms, Elder Qian’s Regret

"Why are you shouting at me? Was I wrong?"This staff member was also surnamed Qian and seemed to be a relative of Elder Qian, so he wasn't intimidated by Elder Qian's scolding. In fact, he answered back loudly with some confidence.

"If only we had held on a bit more at the time, it might not have ended like this! Now that the authentic piece has returned, we should have kept it no matter what! They were the ones who deceived us first. With people like that, what dignity do you still have to maintain?"

It wasn't that they hadn't had the means to take part in the auction back then; they had simply been fooled by the so-called patriotic businessman’s act.

Qian Wenhao could not forget how, back then, they had humbly begged that businessman for a photograph. He still remembered clearly the man's cold, condescending attitude and his own teacher's supplicating words.

So seeing that regret returned to the country and was now right in front of them, Qian Wenhao couldn't bear to watch it slip away again, flowing back overseas.

"Enough—"

Elder Qian roared in anger, his face flushing red, then suddenly clutched his chest.

"Alright, alright, don't bring it up. Calm down, everyone calm down—"

Seeing this, the others hurriedly split up to soothe them. Several people grabbed Qian Wenhao, and others supported Elder Qian, worry showing on their faces.

"Qian Wenhao, stop. The old master hasn't been well these past few years! Do you want to force him into the hospital? Besides, these matters aren't ours to decide!"

The emotional screenwriter rebuked Qian Wenhao loudly. Xiao He moved to Elder Qian's side and lowered his voice to ask, "Elder Qian, do you need medicine? Where are your pills?"

"No, no—"

Elder Qian waved weakly at Xiao He and barely kept standing.

Qian Wenhao stood where he was. When the old man nearly collapsed, a flash of struggle and concern crossed his face, but once Elder Qian steadied himself, those emotions vanished. He turned and pushed through the crowd, running out with his head down.

After he left, everyone hurried to check on Elder Qian, who only shook his head. "It's nothing, I just lost my balance a moment ago."

As he spoke, he looked at Xiao He and offered a sincere apology. "Sorry for scaring you. That was my grandnephew, Qian Wenhao. He has a hot temper and is very into Emperor Chen's history, so he can speak a bit harshly."

Xiao He shook his head quickly. "Not at all. He didn't say anything."

"Ehhh—"

Elder Qian didn't elaborate further; he sighed deeply and looked up at the display case, his eyes full of heartbreaking sorrow.

"He's not entirely wrong."

Gazing at the mesmerizing calligraphy, Elder Qian patted Xiao He's hand and said, "It's just a pity. Now that it's here, every moment you see it is a moment you lose. If not for this chance… I'm afraid there won't be another time to see it up close."

If it crossed the ocean again to the other side, with his hair already white, he would likely never get to see it again.

...

Perhaps the awkward incident earlier had affected Elder Qian's spirits. He had intended to invite Xiao He to the Calligraphy Association to chat and to see Xiao He's calligraphy in person, but after what happened, Elder Qian didn't bring it up. After some time at the art center, both parties left.

Xiao He walked out of the art center and saw Xiao Chen waiting outside from a distance.

"Brother Xiao!"

Xiao Chen waved quickly.

Xiao He: "Yeah, thanks for your hard work. You must be hungry. Let's go eat."

He and Xiao Chen got into the car, and Lao Qi started the engine right away.

"So, Brother Xiao? Me and Brother Qi were watching at the entrance. A few impressive actors came out. Brother Shu said you caught the attention of a big name on the judging panel. Does that mean your chances are better?"

"I don't know." Xiao He thought for a moment. "But a competitor came—seems to be an actor from the National Theater. Can't underestimate him."

More importantly, that person had solid background and proper training, backed by a big director, who had played the young Emperor Chen many times before. So Qiu Zhenlong's first impression of Yang Heng would certainly be very favorable.

Now, who knows how Qiu Zhenlong will judge the situation...

Seeing Brother Xiao in a sour mood, Xiao Chen stopped pressing and instead said, "Brother Shu has already taken Manager He and Sister Liu to book the restaurant. Let's just eat first and put the rest aside for now."

"Mm."

Xiao He folded his arms and stared out the window, the events at the art center still looping in his mind.

After a long silence, Xiao He took out his phone again and searched for background information about Yun Ziqi's grandfather.

For someone with even a little fame, there would be encyclopedia-like entries in search results. Xiao He almost effortlessly found the person.

[Yun Rongguo, male, overseas Chinese, ancestral home Beijing, China... well-known antique collector...]

The entry was superficial and probably compiled by someone; it said nothing about Yun Rongguo's past deeds or any details about his collections. A single glance told Xiao He this source held little useful lead.

"Brother Xiao, we're here."

Xiao Chen reminded him.

"Mm."

Xiao He put his phone away and set the matter aside for the moment. They got out of the car together while Lao Qi went to the back to park.

-

The restaurant had a distinct modern-Chinese style, and they smelled food as soon as they entered. Xiao He's stomach growled instantly.

A waiter led them to a private room and Xiao He saw Shu Han and Liu Rulan as soon as he stepped inside.

He cast his eyes to the side and spotted an unexpected familiar face.

"Director He, long time no see! You look better this time."

Xiao He greeted with a smile.

He Jinnian, director of Super Spacetime Confrontation, sat beside He Wenming. Though his cheeks were still a little thin, his spirits looked much improved. Even his previously streaked hair had been dyed black again; he no longer had that frail, about-to-faint look.

At Xiao He's teasing, He Jinnian gave a helpless smile. "That's thanks to you helping me find that VFX team. Handing the work to capable people made me feel more at ease."

He Wenming chuckled beside him. "Indeed. You do look better, but poor that VFX team—now they have to deal with such a nitpicky director."

Xiao He pulled out the chair next to Liu Rulan and sat down. She began to unwrap the cutlery for him and explained quietly, "Although Director He doesn't need such an intense workload now, he goes to the VFX studio almost every day to supervise. It's like having a foreman; it puts a lot of pressure on them."

"Ah?" Xiao He smiled awkwardly. "No wonder I've been sneezing a lot recently."

After all, dragging his special effects teacher into a project...

Ahem, it was a fair trade between him and his teacher; the director's hatred value shouldn't be higher than his teacher's, right?