Chapter 445 What A Messy Industry
All the others were stunned by his vibe, except for Xiao Bing.
Xiao Bing had seen many things. Even if this Brother Qiang was as powerful as he may seem, Xiao Bing did not give a fig about it.
But Xiao Bing shook hands with him warmly. Xiao Bing was very satisfied with the actor Bi Tingting found for him.
But Xiao Bing decided to put Zhang Qiang to the test.
After shaking hands with him, Xiao Bing smiled and said, “I asked Tingting for someone who can play the part of a degenerated and rich youth.”
Zhang Qiang’s vibe suddenly changed. Xiao Bing even thought that he was having an illusion. Zhang Qiang took off his shades and unfastened the top two buttons on his shirt. Then he walked past Zhan Hongyan in a carefree manner. Suddenly he stopped and turned around. Their faces were very close.
Zhan Hongyan stepped backward consciously and then she saw Zhang Qiang taking a deep breath. “Beautiful lady, may I have the honor to know your name. You smell like my future girlfriend.”
Zhan Hongyan said coldly, “I won’t be your girlfriend.”
Zhang Qiang kept moving forward. “Beautiful lady, it’s such bliss for us to meet in this big world. We don’t need to do much now. But once we get familiar with each other…”
As he was talking, he moved his hands toward Zhan Hongyan’s chin. Zhan Hongyan shoved his hands away. But the smile on his face still seemed carefree.
A hint of sharpness flashed across Zhan Hongyan’s eyes. Suddenly she poked at Zhang Qiang with her fingers at lightning speed. Zhang Qiang felt as if he had been electrified. He bent down and screeched in pain.
Zhan Hongyan said loftily, “Not all girls will stay silent when they are being sexually harassed.”
Covering his chest and rushing around blindly, Zhang Qiang shouted as if he had been greatly wronged, “My goodness. I was just playing the role, not looking for death. The pain almost killed me.”
Zhan Hongyan snorted, “As a man, you can’t even endure this? And we are depending on you? You should probably go back.”
Xiao Bing laughed, “Hongyan, you truly wronged him. He was just proving to us that he is fit to play the role. Besides, normal people can barely take a hit from you. Zhang Qiang, I apologize for my friend. She’s very sensitive to jokes like that.
Zhang Qiang sneered and discarded his formal carefree attitude. He cast a fearful glance at Zhan Hongyan and even looked resentful. Then he asked with a bitter smile, “Are all the women here so violent?”
Xiao Bing could not help laughing, “Not all of them. Come, I will throw a feast for you tonight.”
“That’s more like it.” Zhang Qiang said, “Did you hear that. You all should learn from Mr. Xiao. Mr. Xiao, Bi Tingting asked me to take orders from you. Please tell me the details of the plan.
Xiao Bing grinned, “You don’t need to do anything for now. Just follow me and let me give you a treat.”
Zhang Qiang smiled, “Okay.”
Then Xiao Bing and Zhang Qiang walked ahead of the rest.
Xiao Bing asked, “Your acting skill is really good. You just improvised like that? Did you graduate from an acting school?”
“No, I’m not that smart.” Zhang Qiang smiled bitterly and said, “I graduated from a secondary vocational school and I was jobless for a long time after graduation. I have been in Hengdian for so many years, looking for opportunities. My family could not afford to send me to an acting school. Actually they only wanted me to find a job in a factory. If I chose to be a skilled worker, I would not look like this now. But I still dream to be an actor.”
“Yes. Sometimes it requires luck to be successful.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Zhang Qiang sounded like he had found a friend who knew what was in his heart. He said in excitement, “I believe I’m skillful and talented in acting. I have been acting even in my dreams. I think I’m more professional than those superstars. I just need an opportunity.”
Xiao Bing jested, “You’re a handsome guy. You can seduce the female directors or actresses to get them to give you a role.”
“Stop saying that.” Zhang Qiang said angrily “I don’t want to get roles mainly because of this handsome face.”
Xiao Bing laughed because he thought this man was joking, so did Dumbass. Even Xu Wenting giggled. Indeed this Zhang Qiang was a good-looking guy, but he lacked modesty. Zhang Hongyan sneered inwardly and deemed this man very shameless.
Zhang Qiang sighed and asked, “Do you think I’m joking? I’m not. I suppose you all heard of Jiang Lili, the famous director?”
Xu Wenting said, “The one who directed the Apple Tree?”
Zhang Qiang cast an approving glance at Xu Wenting and said, “That’s her. Back then, although I was only known to a few people, I finished playing some unimportant roles. And that director wanted to sleep with me, saying that she would give me a role if I agreed.”
Xu Wenting said in stunned disbelief, “Really? She’s much older than you, right?”
“Yes.” Zhang Qiang blazed, “She’s already 47 and I’m 29. She’s 18 years older than me. That was 5 years ago. She was 40 back then. It’s said that women at 40 are the horniest. She wanted to sleep with me, so she promised that I can get a role in a big-budget movie. But I refused. So she said that I will never have any acting roles in the entertainment industry. Since then, I have been jobless for 3 years. I can’t even get the smallest roles. So I have to become a waiter, while waiting for opportunities. Then, I became Wang Xiaoming’s stuntman, since I look like him. So I started getting some roles you never heard of. But the directors said I’m good. So I can at least make a living from it now.”
“If it weren’t for that woman, I would not have wasted three golden years of my career. Now I finally have a chance to be a famous actor. Bi Tingting is a superstar in this industry. She can easily arrange a role for me…”
Xiao Bing finally understood. “What a messy industry.” He sighed.
Xiao Bing even admired this man after he heard his stories. Perhaps that was the reality of the entertainment industry. As long as he was willing to accompany a woman for one night, he would be on a freeway to success. But he refused, even if it made him jobless for three years. Xiao Bing found this man rather admirable.
Though his future seemed to be adrift for the moment, he was still waiting for a breakthrough, while working as a waiter for three years. Xiao Bing could imagine how this man was mocked and stressed out. But he never gave up. His persistence was truly remarkable.
Xiao Bing suddenly found it justifiable that Bi Tingting chose this man. He believed that this man could accomplish the mission he was about to give him.
Xiao Bing said sternly, “Bi Tingting and I are very good friends. As long as you do well this time, she will keep her word.”
“I believe her.” Zhang Qiang sounded excited, “Though I’m not very familiar with her, I’ve heard about her integrity. I believe her, so I chose to come here. Mr. Xiao, I want to accomplish the mission soon, then I can go back and realize my dream.”
Xiao Bing grinned, “Let’s drink tonight. I’ll tell you the details tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
Then they walked toward the car. Xiao Bing opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat. Zhang Qiang sat beside him and the rest were at the back.
Zhang Hongyan hated this man less after she heard his story. After all men like him made it easy for others to admire them.
Zhang Qiang tried to find out about the relationship between Xiao Bing and Bi Tingting. But he could barely find any hints. Xiao Bing was about to meet Yezi later, so he could not say anything appropriate. He did not want to cause any problems for Bi Tingting.
Then Zhang Qiang began to tell them all about the juicy tidbits about the entertainment industry, which was really interesting to them. The entertainment industry was like a mysterious realm to them, but Xiao Bing was an exception. Bi Tingting became a part of Xiao Bing’s life because he was once on a mission to protect her, which gave him the opportunity to experience what went on behind the scenes of a superstar. He even knew it better than Zhang Qiang.
But the other three listened with avid interest. Soon they arrived at the Xiao Mansion, and got out of the car.