RPAGF Chapter 124 A Debt Across Two Lifetimes, At the Same Table
Chapter 124 A Debt Across Two Lifetimes, At the Same Table
Chen Yan's fingers traced the line of red ink.
The ink had long since dried.
The color seeps into the rough paper fibers.
He did not tear up the poster.
He pinched the edge of the poster, folded it in half, and pressed the creases flat.
Fold it in half again.
He stuffed the poster, folded into a square, into the inside pocket of his jacket.
Wu Gang is holding up his phone.
The beam of the flashlight swayed against the walls of the darkroom.
The aperture swept across the rusty developing disc and the empty photo clip hanging on the wire.
"Brother Yan?"
Wu Gang spoke.
Chen Yan turned and walked towards the iron gate.
"Walk."
The door hinges are making a friction noise.
The two left the basement.
The rain outside the Red Flag Photo Studio has stopped.
The puddles on the street reflected the dim yellow light of the streetlights.
Chen Yan walked toward a public phone booth on the street corner.
He opened the folding door and picked up the damp receiver.
He took two coins out of his pocket and put them into the coin slot.
The coin rolled down, making a metallic clanging sound.
He pressed Su Wan's number with his finger.
The phone rang three times before being answered.
"it's me."
Chen Yan looked at the water droplets on the glass of the phone booth.
"explain."
Su Wan's voice came through the receiver.
The background sounds included the crisp clicking of keyboards and the hum of a printer.
Three things.
Chen Yan paused for a second.
"First, halt all of the company's cinema acquisition plans. Freeze all liquid assets on the books and convert them into cash reserves."
The sound of typing on the keyboard stopped.
"Second, we will examine all venture capital firms that have recently contacted us. We will focus on three: Sequoia Capital, IDG Capital, and a shell company called Vision Capital."
Chen Yan's gaze passed through the glass, looking at the old residential buildings across the street.
"Once you find these three companies, immediately cut off all contact. Don't take a single penny from them."
"Third, go to Lin Shufen. Have her use her connections from her previous film distribution business to register three offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands."
"It will be completed within 24 hours."
The sound of papers being turned over came through the receiver.
"Vision Capital just submitted a letter of intent yesterday."
Su Wan said.
"Reject it."
Chen Yan answered.
"it is good."
Su Wan did not ask why.
"If there is resistance, let Wang Jianguo step in."
"clear."
Su Wan hung up the phone.
Chen Yan put the receiver back on the landline.
In his past life, Gu Changchuan used capital to orchestrate a scheme that severed all funding links for "The Sound of Rain in the Old City".
Now, Chen Yan has proactively cut off all channels through which Gu Changchuan has infiltrated Yanying Cinema through capital.
He pushed open the folding door of the phone booth.
BJ, Yanying Culture Office.
Su Wan put down her phone.
She picked up a red-covered document from the table.
The cover of the document reads "Vision Capital Investment Intent Letter".
She turned to the first page, her eyes scanning the amounts and terms.
She closed the file and tossed it into the shredder next to her desk.
The machine starts up and shreds the document into strips.
Su Wan pressed the internal call button.
"Zhang Yuan, notify the finance department to halt all external acquisitions. Transfer all funds in the account to ICBC's primary escrow account."
"President Su, President Wang just finalized deals with two cinemas, but the penalty for breach of contract is two million."
Zhang Yuan's voice came through the speaker.
"pay."
Su Wan interrupted him.
"Do as I say."
She released the call button, picked up the landline receiver, and dialed Lin Shufen's number.
"Sister Lin, I'm Su Wan."
"Director Chen needs three offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. Within 24 hours."
On the other end of the phone, Lin Shufen exhaled a puff of smoke.
"What is he going to do?"
Lin Shufen asked.
He didn't say.
Su Wan looked out the window at the night view of Beijing.
"But I bet he's going to flip the table."
Lin Shufen stubbed out her cigarette.
"The Cayman account requires three independent directors without domestic backgrounds to be listed on it."
Lin Shufen said.
"Use my name, Zhang Yuan's name, and Lin Qingqiu's name."
Su Wan replied.
"Understood. Fax me the relevant documents. I'll have someone handle it."
Lin Shufen hung up the phone.
Su Wan put down the microphone and picked up another phone.
She dialed Lin Qingqiu's number.
"In early autumn, the film contract with Liangshan has been postponed by one week."
Why?
Lin Qingqiu's voice came through.
"Director Chen's order: The company is entering a state of high alert."
Su Wan looked at the paper scraps in the shredder.
"You need to stay in Beijing and work with Zhang Yuan to create a high-intensity media exposure campaign. We need to use your commercial value to stabilize the company's cash flow."
"Okay. I'll head back to the company now."
Lin Qingqiu hung up the phone.
Su Wan walked to the window and looked at the traffic below.
Chen Yan is in Tianjin, she is in Beijing.
They are fighting on two fronts.
Tianjin, Haihe Hotel penthouse suite.
The view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is of Tianjin's night scene.
The neon lights cast long reflections on the water.
Gu Changchuan stood by the window.
He was wearing a dark gray custom-made suit.
He was holding a wine glass.
Dark red liquid remained at the bottom of the glass.
The suite door was pushed open.
A man wearing a black trench coat walked in.
He stopped three meters away from Gu Changchuan.
"He went into the darkroom."
The man in the black trench coat bowed his head and reported.
Gu Changchuan swirled his wine glass.
"Did he see that poster?"
Gu Changchuan brought the wine glass to his lips and drank the last sip.
"I saw it. He put the poster in his pocket."
The man in the black trench coat added.
"He didn't get angry. He didn't smash anything."
Gu Changchuan turned around.
He walked to the coffee table and put down his wine glass.
"If he were to start over, he would still be that poor, pedantic scholar making movies."
Gu Changchuan picked up the cigar box on the table and took out a cigar.
"He thought that with a film that won an award at Cannes, he could turn the whole chessboard upside down."
The man in the black trench coat took out a lighter, leaned forward, and lit his cigar.
"The letter of intent from Vision Capital has been returned."
The man in the black trench coat put away his lighter.
"Yanying severed all ties with venture capitalists."
Gu Changchuan exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Quick reaction."
He walked over to the leather sofa and sat down.
Pick up a financial statement from the table.
The report lists the assets left by Lu Haiming.
Before his death, Lu Haiming transferred all his domestic assets to Shen Fusheng's overseas accounts.
Gu Changchuan turned the page.
Where is this money now?
The man in the black trench coat answered.
"Shen Fusheng has dispersed his money into twelve shell companies in Malaysia. He is currently laundering the money back to China through copyright transactions."
Gu Changchuan threw the report on the coffee table.
"Tell him to speed things up. The fact that Chen Yan has started investigating offshore accounts means he understands the rules here."
"Should we send someone to deal with Chen Yan?"
"I asked the man in the black trench coat."
Gu Changchuan leaned back on the sofa.
"No need. He can't find me."
Gu Changchuan pointed to the night view outside the window.
"The whole of Tianjin is in my sight. He's nothing more than a mouse wandering aimlessly in a maze."
Chen Yan walked toward the Passat parked on the side of the road.
Wu Gang leaned against the car door.
He had a cigarette between his fingers, but it wasn't lit.
"Where to?"
Wu Gang opened the car door.
Chen Yan got into the passenger seat.
"Looking for someone."
Wu Gang got into the driver's seat and turned the car key.
The engine emitted a deep roar.
"Where to look?"
Wu Gang tucked the cigarette behind his ear.
Chen Yan pulled the seatbelt over and fastened it into the lock slot.
"Gu Changchuan is a stock trader."
Chen Yan looked at the windshield.
"A trader's habit is not to get involved in the market."
He watched as the windshield wipers swept away the water droplets on the glass.
"He would just sit in the highest seat and watch the numbers on the screen jump around."
Wu Gang turned the steering wheel.
The Passat drove onto the main road.
"The abandoned factory buildings on Laochang Street are too low. The Hongqi Photo Studio is underground."
Chen Yan spoke.
"None of these are his places."
Chen Yan recalled the contents of Liang Qinian's recording.
Shen Fusheng.
Overseas fund transfer.
"Behind St. Mary's Hospital, there is an abandoned clock tower spire."
Chen Yan gave an address.
That was the tallest building in the old city of Tianjin.
"Go there."
Wu Gang stepped on the gas.
The vehicle accelerated, and its tires ran over the puddles.
The shadows of the streetlights flickered alternately inside the carriage.
Wu Gang glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Brother Yan, there's a tail behind us."
Chen Yan did not turn around.
He opened the shoulder bag at his feet.
He took out the Sony HVR-Z1C camera.
Turn the camera to the rear window.
On the monitor, a black Santana was seen closely following the Passat.
"Shake them off."
Chen Yan said.
Wu Gang jerked the steering wheel.
The Passat turned into a narrow alley.
The alley was piled with miscellaneous items.
Wu Gang stepped on the gas, and the vehicle sped past the trash can.
Santana followed closely behind.
"They're holding on very tightly."
Wu Gang stared at the rearview mirror.
"Turn right at the next intersection. Brake suddenly."
Chen Yan looked at the monitor.
Wu Gang did as instructed.
The Passat sped out of the alley, swerved sharply to the right, and slammed on the brakes.
The tires screeched as they rubbed against the flooded road.
The vehicle was parked across the middle of the road.
The Santana couldn't slow down in time and crashed straight into a roadside utility pole.
The hood deformed and white smoke billowed out.
Wu Gang restarted the vehicle.
The Passat drove onto the main road.
Chen Yan turned the camera back to the front.
Press the battery release button with your finger.
The battery popped out.
He glanced at the power indicator light on the back of the battery.
All four green lights are on.
Fully charged.
He pushed the battery back into the slot.
The crisp sound of metal clips echoed inside the carriage.
He pressed the power button.
The LCD monitor lit up with a blue light, illuminating his expressionless face.
The outline of Santa Maria Hospital came into view at the edge of the horizon.
Behind the hospital, the spire of an abandoned clock tower points straight into the night sky.
Chen Yan adjusted the focus ring.
The image of the clock tower spire was magnified on the monitor.
At the very top of the tower, a faint red dot was flashing.
Those are indicator lights from the infrared surveillance camera.
"Since he likes watching plays."
Chen Yan stared at the red dot.
"Then let's film a live broadcast of it for him."