Chapter 149: Dead Horse Incident
Ma Yuchen, who was squatting on the ground checking the horses, turned his head and shook his head slightly at the crew.

The black horse is dead.

"Lao Ma, what's going on?" Director Li Huizhu looked panicked.

I just saw the actor fall and was worried that something serious might happen.

But now the actors are fine, but the horse is in trouble!

"I don't know." Old Ma looked solemn.

At this time, Zhang Yuan, with disordered breathing and pale face, walked forward.

Even if there are no serious injuries, the sudden accident still causes a lot of psychological impact.

He has tried his best to calm down and sort out his thoughts.

"Director Li, I think we should call the police right away!" Zhang Yuan whispered.

"And all the circus has to stop."

"Why?" Li Huizhu was also confused by the emergency and was quite puzzled.

"There was something wrong with the horse I was riding just now."

"I suspect that our crew has been set up."

"Ah!" Ma Yuchen exclaimed.

But before he could finish his words, a dozen big men with local accents rushed into the set and ran straight towards the dead black horse.

Hula...

Several people ran to the side of the horse, one of them slid to his knees, rubbing his knees on the mud, and slid to the side of the horse's carcass, bursting into tears.

"Ouch!"

"Oh my horse!"

"My little black slut is off!"

"My good horse was killed by your crew..."

She cried so sadly, even her dead dad didn’t have so many tears.

Not to mention the dozen people surrounding the horses, another dozen people with fierce looks came to the camera crew, kicked away the folding stools on the ground, and raised their hands to hug the most expensive cameras.

"Compensate!"

"Pay us the money for the horses!"

"If you don't pay, we'll take your machine away."

"Yes, yes, yes, take them all away!"

Some people cry for the deceased, some people press things down, and the whole process goes smoothly.

Li Huizhu was stunned and turned to look at Zhang Yuan.

She didn't expect that the young man would hit the nail on the head.

It was only after Zhang Yuan connected the events before and after the fall that he discovered the clue.

When he first took the reins, he realized that the horse was not in good condition.

His eyes were red and his whole body was trembling.

Now that I think about it, the horse must have been seriously ill, and the people who rented the horse gave it stimulant-like drugs to perk it up before handing it over to the crew.

The horse's symptoms were clearly caused by excessive excitement.

The enormous burden of stimulants dealt a heavy blow to the horse's already fragile system.

As soon as the effect of the medicine wore off, he died of heart and lung failure.

As for why Zhang Yuan could see through the other party's tactics so easily?

This is called learning from mistakes.

In his previous life, when he was working at Zhao Decai's construction site, he was often short of manpower due to overtime work.

At this time, temporary workers have to be recruited, mostly from the local area.

One day, a migrant worker came. He looked simple and ordinary, and no one paid attention to him.

When he arrived, he started to work, but he was very unskilled at his job.

But there is a real shortage of manpower, so even if the skills are poor, they can only be used temporarily.

Zhang Yuan thought that at worst he could just lay off the people after the construction period was over.

But things soon became suspicious.

The problem is not with work, but outside of work.

On the first day, the worker's wife came to the construction site, lived in the same room with him, and claimed to be taking care of him.

The next day, this cousin also came to the construction site, saying that he wanted to seek refuge with his eldest brother.

On the third day, this man's cousin also came.

The fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day...

A week later, the worker's aunts, uncles, brothers, totaling 20 to 30 people, were all hanging around the construction site.

You think they want to team up to steal?

That's really underestimating them.

On this day, the workers were working.

The same goes for this brother who has a lot of relatives and friends, who follows other workers in cutting aluminum.

As he was cutting, this guy stopped cutting properly.

Putting my calf under the circular saw...

Crunch!
Blood splattered five steps away, the wound was so deep that the bone was visible!

The simple migrant workers around were all shocked.

At this time, all the relatives came in a swarm.

The lines are similar to those of the ones crying over the "dead horse", it's nothing more than crying and yelling and cursing the foreman.

Dozens of relatives caused a scene at the construction site, making the already tight schedule even more difficult.

In the end, Fat Zhao paid 30 yuan in medical expenses.

Not only did they suffer a loss, but they also had to stop work for three days, resulting in a loss of over a million.

This is the trick used by people who form groups to extort money and make illegal profits.

Although the two things are different, the underlying logic is the same.

Just like the prototype of the movie "Blind Shaft", the three mine murders that shocked the whole country, the most vicious gang led by Zheng Jikuan killed more than 110 people!

In comparison, killing a horse and cutting its leg are as gentle as a club technician.

"Then, then, then, what should I do?" Li Huizhu was still a woman after all, and when she encountered this situation, it was like she had a machine gun in her mouth, firing back and forth non-stop.

"There are a few points." Zhang Yuan lowered his brows, knowing that the crew would not be able to get through this time without some money being shed.

"First, call the police and discuss a solution under their supervision. Don't settle it privately."

"Secondly, the horses of this company must be unusable. Even the local horses cannot be used anymore."

"Third, prepare compensation in cash, give it to the other party in front of the police, sign and seal it, and keep it as evidence."

"They deliberately deducted the money and we have to pay compensation!" Chen Shisan said angrily.

"If you don't compensate them, they will make trouble. The crew will stop working for a day, and the loss will be at least hundreds of thousands of dollars."

"They dare to do this because they are sure of this." Zhang Yuan said patiently.

Who told you to look for such an irregular company just for the sake of cheapness?
Just like buying financial management funds, you have to be given some benefits first, right?

Once you fall into the trap, you can no longer control yourself.

You are greedy for other people's interest, but what they are greedy for is your principal.

"Anyway, that's what happened. I'm just giving you some advice." He rubbed his shoulders and said, "I'm going to the hospital for a checkup. Bye, everyone."

It’s okay to give suggestions, but the problems have to be solved by the two heads of the family, Li Huizhu and Chen Shisan themselves.

How you take the road is other people's business. Even if you take the wrong road, it is your own choice.

As an actor, he does not have the right to make decisions for the main player.

"Okay, someone come and take Zhang Yuan to the hospital."

He went to the nearby municipal hospital for a full-body check-up, and aside from a few bruises and small cuts from dead branches on the ground, he was fine.

On the morning of the second day, the crew stopped working.

It was not until noon that the two directors came to the dining area with bitter faces.

"Director Li, are we shooting this afternoon?"

"shoot."

Zhang Yuan understood, it seemed that the other party accepted my suggestion and had resolved the issue.

Otherwise, how could we start shooting in the afternoon?

Chen Shisan's face was full of fatigue. He was cheated by the local tyrant and was certainly not in a good mood.

"Finally...how much?" Zhang Yuan used his fingers to make the motion of counting money.

"Two hundred thousand."

Zhang Yuan shrugged.

Logically speaking, horses are just like cars, with prices varying greatly from high to low.

A cheap colt only costs a few thousand yuan, and an ordinary local horse with poor appearance only costs tens of thousands of yuan. But once you start to pay attention to the breed, bloodline, and appearance, the price will rise sharply.

Domestic horses generally do not exceed 30,000.

But a half-blood horse would cost fifty or sixty thousand.

If it is an Arabian horse or a Ferghana horse, a good quality one would cost at least hundreds of thousands.

When it comes to thoroughbred horses... the so-called thoroughbred horses are not a certain type of pure-blooded horses, but a separate breed of horses, referring to the direct descendants of three stallions with the British ancestor.

The breeding fee of one of its excellent stallions can reach millions.

The price of a top-quality horse is no cheaper than a top-quality sports car!
The dead black horse was of decent quality. If it were alive and in its prime, it would probably be worth around 30,000 to 50,000 yuan.

But I am the fish on the chopping board and they are obviously trying to extort you. Two hundred thousand is not a lot.

"Director Li, Director Chen, what should our crew do with the circus next?" Zhang Yuan asked while eating.

"I don't know." Li Huizhu's mind was a mess.

She doesn't dare to use this cheap horse team now.

Just as Zhang Yuan had said before, she didn't dare to use the local horse team for fear of being cheated again.

At this time, Chen Shisan pushed her with his elbow and then whispered.

"Hey, he probably asked about this for nothing."

"what do you mean?"

"Remember, before our crew started filming, he also solved the problem of that scene."

Li Huizhu then remembered, but just as she was about to speak, Chen Shisan stopped her.

"This kid is very smart. How can he work for free? Let me ask him first."

Chen Shisan turned around and asked with a smile.

"Zhang Yuan, do you have any connections with horses?"

"Yes, there are, but the price should not be cheap." Zhang Yuan answered honestly.

The two directors looked cold, looked at each other, and asked softly, "How much kickback do you want?"

"What kickback?" Zhang Yuan was stunned and waved his hand quickly: "You think too much. I said expensive, not that I want a kickback."

“It’s the high cost of using horses.”

"If the two directors like it, I can help contact them."

"but……"

Hearing his change of subject, the two directors' eyes became serious again.

"I think there is actually more room for the role of the Seven Nights Demon Lord."

"Oh!" Chen Shisan breathed a sigh of relief.

So that's it, just adding some drama.

For a screenwriter and director like him, that doesn't come easy.

"That's easy to say. Qiye is the villain and tragic figure in the love story of Ning Caichen and Xiaoqian. He really needs to have his role strengthened!"

Chen Shisan immediately responded in a dignified manner and agreed on the spot.

"Okay, I'll help make the contact right away."

"Wait a minute, the horse you found won't conflict with these local bullies, right?" Li Huizhu asked worriedly.

"probably not……"

More than a day later, more than a dozen white trucks parked in the open space near the crew.

The truck beds of these trucks are welded with layers of densely packed railings, forming a cage around the rear of the vehicle.

Each cage contains a horse.

Director Li walked forward and without even unloading the truck, he could tell with just a glance that these horses were much more beautiful than the horses from the unfortunate company before.

Each horse's hair sparkled in the sun, as shiny as silk.

"Hey, Zhang Yuan!"

"Long time no see, you're here!"

A tall and strong man like an iron tower jumped out of the car, laughed muffledly, and walked towards Zhang Yuan.

The visitor was Jin Song, who had worked with Zhang Yuan twice, playing Hebiweng and Helian Tieshu in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" and "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" respectively.

Why would Zhang Yuan look for him?

There are two reasons.

First of all, he is a native of Yunnan, born and raised in Kunming.

Secondly, this person’s identity and experience are rather special.

Before becoming an actor, he was an equestrian coach for the provincial sports team.

In fact, he was originally a professional modern pentathlon athlete, but after a serious equestrian accident, he had to switch careers and become a coach.

The horses he transported were from the provincial sports team's horse farm.

Although the horses brought in were all substitutes, they were good racing horses after all, and naturally much better than those of Yehuchan's horse rental company.

It took more than 300 kilometers to transport it from Kunming to Dali, which was very costly.

But no matter how high the price is, it’s still cheaper than being blackmailed!

Besides, no one can guarantee that the rogue company will not collude with other companies to make a comeback, or deliberately trip up the crew's subsequent efforts.

But the horses of the provincial sports team are different.

That's a trained horse.

People who have a job position tend to be more confident and are more popular in the blind date market.

Horses are just like humans, after all, we are all cattle and horses...

This is a trained horse, and ordinary people dare not touch it.

If you move, you'll get into big trouble.

After explaining the whole story and the consequences to the two directors, they thanked Jin Song repeatedly.

Jin Song winked at Zhang Yuanzhi.

As an actor, it is of course his dream to be on good terms with two directors.

"Zhang Yuan, come to my room later this evening. You and I will study the script together with Thirteen."

After explaining things to Jinsong and organizing the unloading of the truck, Li Huizhu patted his shoulder with a smile.

This guy is much more honest than the bearded man. He keeps his word and immediately fulfills his conditions as soon as the horses arrive.

After the crew finished their work, Zhang Yuan returned to the hotel room and planned to wash up before going to Li Huizhu's place.

"I've finally gotten to the point where I can go to the female director's room to discuss the script..."

It’s a pity that this female director is really average looking.

Walking into the bathroom, Zhang Yuan just took off his coat, but his whole body tensed up.

"No, the one on the table just now..."

He immediately exited the bathroom.

I went straight into the bathroom after returning to my room just now, without going deeper into the house.

But when he glanced, he found that there seemed to be something extra in the house.

When I came out to take a look, it was true!

Opposite the double bed covered with snow-white sheets and quilt is a dark red wooden desk.

Zhang Yuan often writes and draws on the script at the table, so there are a lot of papers, pens, water cups and other miscellaneous items piled on it.

But now it is very different!

Zhang Yuan walked forward quietly. On the table, there was a rectangular object the size of a laptop computer, as thick as a fist, and tightly wrapped in old newspapers.

I raised my nose and sniffed. Apart from a faint smell of ink, there was no other strange smell.

Rolling his eyes and thinking carefully, Zhang Yuan tiptoed to open the corner of the newspaper to reveal the goods inside.

When it was opened, a hint of light pink that was very familiar to him was revealed inside.

"This is……"

He seemed to have guessed what it was, and then he was no longer careful, and instead tore open the package with force, revealing everything inside.

What's inside is very simple and pure.

It's so pure that everyone loves it.

money!
Stacks of banknotes were neatly stacked into a square and were now lying quietly on his desk.

Zhang Yuan raised his hand, picked up a stack, and rubbed it with his fingers.

"real."

"It's not the crew's prop money."

With full of doubts, he took a rough inventory.

Ten thousand per stack, twenty stacks in total.

All in all, it’s a total of 200,000!

……

(End of this chapter)