Huayu 1995

Chapter 10 was hung directly on the wall.

"Okay, okay, why not!"

The two had no idea they would be hung on the wall, and were still happily oblivious.

Zhang Zien called over a photographer, who took a picture of the three of them.

Now everyone is happy.

Su Chao can just go back and get the photos from the photographer.

Because it was a reshoot, the crew wrapped up early.

It's earlier today than yesterday.

However, Su Chao received two hundred yuan from the group leader this time.

"Brother, you have a line, so you can't be paid the same as a regular extra."

The group leader coughed lightly.

He was still getting used to speaking obsequiously to an extra, and it took him a while to adjust.

"Brother Chen, you're taking such good care of your brother! I have to treat you to a meal!"

Su Chao was just wondering how to get closer to the group leader when the other party actually took the initiative to show him goodwill.

Don't underestimate the power of group leaders; these connections are more valuable right now.

He's already made a fortune just because the group leader doesn't take a cut of his commission.

Extras in large film crews are paid about 30 yuan a day. Better extras will take half and leave you 15 yuan, while unscrupulous ones will only give you 10 yuan.

A small film crew pays twenty yuan a day, but the group leader might only leave you eight yuan.

Extras don't get work every day.

If an extra can only work ten days a month, their monthly income might not even reach one hundred yuan.

I have to do part-time jobs to survive.

Guo Xiaodong was able to lend Su Chao more than two hundred yuan, which was his savings accumulated over several months.

"No need, no need. Your career is just starting out, so you should use it sparingly. If you get a pager in a few days, send me your number, and I'll introduce you to some good jobs."

Group leaders are not always unruly.

In fact, they are able to make it big either because they have family ties with people in the industry, or because they are really good at maneuvering.

"Brother Chen, we hit it off immediately. You feel like an older brother to me. I don't know many people, so I wanted to ask you where I can get a grey market pager."

If it's for business negotiations, then a digital machine is definitely not suitable.

However, a Chinese character reader costing around three thousand yuan is terrifying.

There are also network access fees and monthly fees.

Su Chao inquired and found that many people in the crew were using Hong Kong versions of parallel imports.

This falls into the current gray area.

Yes, the pager that the group leader, Brother Chen, had was clearly a Hong Kong version, as it displayed Traditional Chinese characters.

"This..." Brother Chen nodded decisively without much hesitation and said, "Yes, we do have them, but the new ones are expensive."

"Then I'll take a used one, as long as it works. Can it be connected to the network?"

In the late 1990s, a crackdown on radio violations was launched, and smuggled goods entering the network were listed as a key target for rectification.

It's 1995 now, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Of course, what else would it be for show?" Brother Chen took out his pager and handed it to Su Chao, saying, "This is the kind that's commonly used in the industry. A second-hand one will cost 500, but you'll also need a 300 network access fee and a 50 monthly fee."

"Okay, okay, Brother Chen, could you please get me one?"

Su Chao immediately took out the money.

He gave 800 yuan, which was exactly all the money he had on him.

Brother Chen hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the money.

Although Su Chao does seem to have a promising future, he still couldn't bring himself to give Su Chao a pager.

Su Chao wasn't worried that he would run away with the money.

Eight hundred was Su Chao's entire fortune, but for Brother Chen, it wasn't worth absconding with the money.

After wrapping up filming, Su Chao, Lü Bu, and Guo Xiaodong left the crew to check out the training venue.

"This is too small, and it's only a thousand a month. Why don't they just rob people? I hate robbery the most. What will the third one be like?"

Su Chao didn't even choose the first one.

The second one was passable, but the location was too remote, and they actually dared to ask for a thousand yuan in rent.

"Brother Chao, the third one is even worse than the second one. The key is that we don't have any money. We don't even have a thousand yuan!"

Lu Bu and Guo Xiaodong both received sixty yuan today, while the group leader, Lao Chen, didn't take a single penny.

Old Chen really went all out this time.

However, even with three people and six hands, they still couldn't scrape together two hundred yuan.

"We are still too poor."

Guo Xiaodong said with great helplessness.

When we were young, we naively believed that money was everything. Only when we grew up did we realize that we were absolutely right when we were young.

I've been living in Beijing for two years, and I'm often so poor that I want to give up.

"You young people become lax and slack off at the first sign of setback. How can you expect to achieve great things in the future!"

Su Chao didn't hold back in reprimanding the two of them.

Guo Xiaodong and Lü Bu both lowered their heads in shame.

Su Chao is qualified to teach them a lesson.

Su Chao earned 700 yuan on set today.

They wouldn't earn that much in a whole month.

"Forget it, I won't watch the third one. I'll save money first."

Su Chao knew that haste makes waste.

"I'm a little hungry from running."

Lu Bu sighed, and the three of them sat on the curb, eating dust.

Let's eat first; it's better to choke to death than starve to death.

"Hungry? Then go buy some steamed buns, twenty of them."

Su Chao shamelessly ate two boxed lunches at noon, but now he's hungry again.

Being young means you have good digestion.

In my past life, when I was in my thirties, I lost my appetite for everything, even the foods I loved as a child.

"Okay, should I buy vegetable buns or meat buns?"

Lu Bu struggled to his feet.

Since he said he was hungry, he naturally had to go and do the work.

Are you suggesting we send Brother Chao?

He shamelessly followed Chao Ge's example at noon, and went to queue up again after finishing his meal.

The cafeteria lady chased him away without any of the gentleness she showed when she treated Chao Ge.

"Vegetable buns, please. Once our training program is up and running, we'll make sure you eat meat buns every day."

Vegetable buns cost three mao, meat buns cost five mao.

Moreover, the vegetable buns are larger.

The vegetable buns were quickly bought back, and the three of them ate and chatted.

"Wait, what did you say? Zhang Yu is coming to the mainland?"

Su Chao's eyes were gleaming.

"Yeah, our boss was dangling a carrot in front of me today. He said that if I work hard, he can arrange for me to be his bodyguard when Zhang Yu comes to the mainland next month."

Lu Bu didn't understand why Su Chao suddenly cared about this.

"Why did he come to the mainland? Aren't they not approving activities for Hong Kong and Taiwan artists anymore?"

Beyond and Qi Qin are exceptions.

"They must be here to talk about the Spring Festival Gala. Meng Tingwei and Andy Lau both participated in the Spring Festival Gala last year. His song 'Bitter Heart' was so popular, he definitely deserves to participate."

After thinking about it, Lü Bu could only offer this explanation.

For secret trips, there's no need to hire a bodyguard company; he can just bring a few people with him.

"I'll talk to your boss about when, and ask if I can go too. I... am a fan of Zhang Yu, and I don't need any pay."

Su Chao is a complete idiot.

He was just envious of Zhang Yu's song "The Moon Caused the Trouble".

Although Zhang Zhenyue's "Goodbye" is good, it is still several levels below works like "The Moon Caused the Trouble".

Unfortunately, Zhang Yu was too far away to reach him.

If Zhang Yu really comes to you, then all you need to do is get close to him and have enough money in your pocket to buy the song.

"The Moon Caused the Trouble" also has a Cantonese version called "It's All Your Fault," offering two interpretations of the same story, both being rare classics.

The collaboration between Princess Lin and Prince Kei in particular made the Cantonese version even more popular, with the two second-generation stars singing about their longing for love amidst poverty.

"It'll probably be around the middle of next month. They'll definitely prioritize hiring senior employees from bodyguard companies, so it won't be easy to arrange for you..."

Lü Bu was in a dilemma.

fan?

The more fans you have, the less they want you.

As a bodyguard, one must be ruthless and selfless, dedicating oneself entirely to protecting the employer from harassment.

“It’s not easy, but we have to do it, Abu. Don’t forget, I saved you. If it weren’t for me the day before yesterday, you might have been raped by seven or eight big men.”

Su Chao believed that one should expect something in return for kindness done to others.

If you don't expect anything in return, then why do favors for others?

Is it because of a kind heart?

"Damn, I'll give it a try."

Lu Bu took a big bite of the steamed bun.

I really want to eat pork and scallion filling!
"We can't find a suitable location right away. Maybe I should ask my brother to inquire if there are any vacant warehouses. Some owners have cleared out their autumn stock, but the winter clothes haven't been shipped from the south yet, so there might be a temporary vacancy. After we collect our tuition fees, we can move to a better place."

Guo Xiaodong tried very hard to come up with an idea.

He always felt that Lü Bu was much more useful than him.

Moreover, Lü Bu knew Su Chao even earlier than him—a day earlier.

But the key point is that Lü Bu and Su Chao live together.

Pillow talk is terrifying.

"Great idea, Xiaodong!"

Su Chao clapped and gave a thumbs up.

"After our training course starts, will my brother and I be able to study in the class?"

Guo Xiaodong asked cautiously.

Lu Bu was dumbfounded: "Xiaodong, we're scammers, the training course is a scam, how could you actually believe it?"

"Not bad, not bad. To fool others, you have to fool yourself first, haha..."

Su Chao was amused by these two idiots.

"I think Brother Chao is a capable person. He definitely didn't open the training class just to scam money."

Guo Xiaodong didn't know where his misconception came from.

It's probably because Su Chao was able to win over the group leader.

He was able to chat and laugh with Li Baotian, Wang Gang, and Zhang Guoli.

It can make the chief planner owe someone a favor.

And going to Casablanca to sing? Is that a place where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can go?

He actually tried singing in bars.

We went to a tiny bar with a very low entry barrier, but we were kicked out before we could finish a song, wasting our ten-yuan entrance fee.

In such a short period of time, Su Chao has created one miracle after another.

"Okay, remember to bring your brother with you when you go out tomorrow morning. Oh, by the way, if your brother is free tonight, you can also take him to Casablanca to broaden his horizons."

Su Chao certainly wouldn't object.

If you follow me, I guarantee you'll live like animals.

"If Lu Bu can go to be a security guard, can my brother and I go too?"

Guo Xiaodong couldn't bear to part with the eighty yuan entrance fee.

These days, high-end venues all have entry requirements.

Even entering a VIP room requires verification of funds.

"What's wrong with that? It's perfectly reasonable for me to bring two assistants when I apply for a resident singer position at a bar."

Su Chao disagreed.

The three of them devoured all twenty steamed buns in no time.

The three of them immediately split up.

Guo Xiaodong went to find his brother, Guo Xiaofeng.

Su Chao told Lü Bu to go back to his place and see if he could persuade the landlady to let the training class use the convenience store's landline phone.

In return, they could help the landlady sell cigarettes on the film set.

Su Chao himself went to get the copyright certificate and the guitar.

Not all resident singers need musical instruments.

The main issue is that Su Chao's singing skills are average, and his guitar skills are also average; these must be combined to make his persona believable.

Only then can wealthy women be persuaded to give rewards willingly.

(End of this chapter)