Chapter 137: Sued, Just as Expected!

"Big Brother, are you really a director?!"

"Of course."

"Are you really going to let me make a movie?"

"We'll start with a TV series!"

"Is this for real?"

"Of course it's real. Didn't you really want to act?"

"Yes! But I just can't believe it!"

"Now I'm making your dream come true."

"That's awesome! By the way, Big Brother, how much pay can I get?"

"How much pay? Well, let's sign an employment contract. I'll cover your insurance, provide your room and board, and give you one thousand five hundred a month. How does that sound?"

"Awesome! Too awesome! Big Brother, you are so generous! How many years can I sign for? Wouldn't a shorter term be unfair to me?"

"Well, let's sign for three years first."

"Awesome! Too awesome!"

To be honest, when Wang Baoqiang said he wanted to sign a long-term contract, Wu Xiang really felt like agreeing on the spot. The longer the term, the more advantageous it would be for him. But he simply couldn't bring himself to exploit the guy anymore. This Baoqiang was far too pure; right now, Baoqiang was the absolute epitome of naive innocence. Exploiting someone like this took zero effort, and even worse, it completely lacked a conscience.

Wu Xiang had found his conscience!

For some reason, facing someone as pure as Wang Baoqiang—who was genuinely innocent in a way that defied description, quite unlike what he would become in later years—Wu Xiang couldn't bring himself to fleece him too hard. He felt that if he exploited Baoqiang too ruthlessly, his conscience would prick him, and he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Well, truth be told, that kind of labor contract didn't hold that much power anyway. If someone felt underpaid and wanted to leave, you couldn't really stop them, even if you wrote in some astronomical penalty for breach of contract, because the law simply wouldn't uphold it. Ultimately, it was an issue of moral boundaries.

Wu Xiang played the good guy, the good guy who gave someone 1,500 yuan a month...

Words fail me—every mention of this brings tears to my eyes!

Having unexpectedly found Wang Baoqiang, Wu Xiang could now be said to have assembled his "Inspirational Trio." Of course, he couldn't actually use the other two right now; one had gone off chasing girls, and the other was still in school.

He had to make do with this one. So, which character in *Drawing Sword* would suit him?

The first character that popped into Wu Xiang's head was Monk Wei, largely because his crew simply couldn't find Zhang Tong, the actor who originally played Monk Wei in the classic version. They just couldn't track him down. Wu Xiang estimated that the guy was still quite young at this time, probably still in school, or perhaps even studying abroad, since the information in Wu Xiang's head indicated that fellow graduated from an art school in France. Therefore, it might as well be Wang Baoqiang playing Monk Wei.

Then again, Baoqiang had virtually no acting experience right now. Could he handle the role?

Wu Xiang wasn't entirely sure, but at present, this was the best option available. If the kid didn't know how to act when the time came, he would just have to teach him himself.

That matter would have to wait until later. The major roles were mostly settled, and everything else was still in preparation. You could say it was all on track; after another month of preparation, once the weather turned cold, filming could begin.

*Drawing Sword* was a winter drama, so the timing was just right.

Yet Wu Xiang never expected that just as he was getting things ready, trouble would brew elsewhere!

"According to reports from this newspaper, the recently sensational Beijing-style avant-garde play *Cuihua, Serve the Pickled Cabbage!* has fallen into a plagiarism controversy. Well-known internet writers Yu Baimei and Ning Caishen have jointly filed a lawsuit against the production. Insiders have revealed that the play is connected to a certain famous young director in the domestic industry. This newspaper will continue to follow this story closely..."

This news wasn't from some run-of-the-mill tabloid, but from the *New Beijing Daily*. In other words, trouble had arrived, and people were actually suing them!

Hadn't Deng Chao and Wang Yuning put on that stage play? It was that uproarious, satirical comedy *Cuihua, Serve the Pickled Cabbage!*. They never imagined that the play would actually become a hit—a massive, explosive hit.

Staged at the Century Theater, the largest theater in Beijing, the play ran for nearly 50 consecutive performances, packing the house every single time and making tickets nearly impossible to get!

This was a miracle in the theatrical world. For how many years had it been since any stage play achieved such results, possessing such immense box-office pulling power?

Major theaters and performance troupes across the board were usually losing money, yet this new-style play not only turned a profit, but made money hand over fist.

Admittedly, the play's success had fertile ground because new-style plays were somewhat popular at the moment, and many people had made beneficial attempts with successful examples beforehand, such as the famous *Rhinoceros in Love*, which was also quite profitable and made stars out of Guo Tao and Wu Yue.

Of course, Wu Xiang only knew this because he had briefly studied the current theater market after deciding to invest in the play; otherwise, he knew practically nothing about theater.

And *Cuihua, Serve the Pickled Cabbage!* was even more lucrative; theaters from other regions were already reaching out to book touring performances.

When you're making that much money, certain people are bound to feel the pinch. Naturally, that included Yu Baimei and Mi Ke, the original authors of *Net Insect Diary*, along with Ning Caishen, who got dragged into it as well—though he hadn't actually written the script, his hands were still in the story.

"Brother Wu! We've been sued! Wh-what are we supposed to do?" Wang Yuning, the fellow who stirred up the trouble, now looked completely lost and panicked, leaving him with no choice but to come running to Wu Xiang.

Wu Xiang was the investor, after all; if he didn't turn to Wu Xiang, who else could he turn to? The plaintiffs were suing precisely to get their money. After running so many shows and illegally raking in so much profit, could they expect to get away without coughing up a portion of it?

Yu Baimei and his trio's demand was simple: you performed 50 shows, so pay us 500,000 yuan. We're not asking for too much, right? Just 10,000 yuan split per show. That price was fair and reasonable!

"What are you panicking for, you chickenshit?" Wu Xiang dropped a vulgarity straight away, instantly stabilizing the morale of his troops.

Upon hearing those words, Wang Yuning felt as if he had instantly been transported right back home to Northeast China. For some inexplicable reason, his heart suddenly calmed down a great deal.

"Never mind the chickenshit part, Brother Wu! People are suing us now, they're making us pay up, and you..." Naturally, Deng Chao had come along with Wu Xiang as well. This fellow wasn't just good at cross-dressing as a woman on stage; he was also one of the key creators of the production.

"Didn't I tell you not to panic?" Wu Xiang remained entirely unfazed, looking as though he had everything under control from the very beginning. "Don't they want money? Fine, let them come over. We'll have a nice, proper chat."

"A chat?" Both Deng Chao and Wang Yuning were somewhat baffled by this approach.

"Why can't we chat? Do they insist on fighting us to the death in court? Besides, even if we go through legal channels, this sort of thing requires mediation first. Real swords and guns only come out if mediation fails. Tell them to come find me. If they have a lawyer, bring them along; if they can't afford one, I'll hire one for them. Understand?"

Wu Xiang's words carried an overwhelming aura of supreme arrogance, giving off the distinct vibe of a mob boss or an absurdly wealthy scumbag.

"..." Deng Chao and Wang Yuning were genuinely shaken. For the very first time, they felt like this Wu Xiang character was actually a formidable, badass figure.

"Alright then! We'll go tell them right now!"

Watching the two men leave, a faint smile appeared on Wu Xiang's face.

In truth, Wu Xiang had anticipated this situation long ago. When they first mentioned wanting to stage this play, Wu Xiang had a hunch that this day would come. Having been reborn into this era, how could he possibly be unaware of the names appearing in that play's script?

So why on earth did Wu Xiang invest in the play anyway?

The reason was exceptionally simple: Wu Xiang was simply waiting for Yu Baimei, Ning Caishen, and the others to come and sue him!