“I understand. However, it can be used under special circumstances,” Captain Zhou said.
He held the bottle of truth potion and looked at it fondly. “This is a treasure! Oh right, Brother Tang, do you have any more?”
“You want more?”
“I want a few more bottles so that I won’t have to trouble you in the future.”
“Okay! Here’s two more bottles. Remember, use it sparingly!”
Tang Hao took out two more bottles and handed them to him.
“I’ll send you back!” Captain Zhou put the medicine away and said enthusiastically.
“No need. I’ll call someone to pick me up. Don’t worry about me!”
After saying that, Tang Hao said goodbye to Senior Doctor Chen, turned around, and walked out of the ward. He sent a message to Assistant Han.
It was already three o’clock in the afternoon.
Tang Hao walked out of the hospital gate and stopped for a while. Then, he walked along the street.
Next to the hospital, the middle-aged man who sold shaobing was still there.
It was a cold day, and business was brisk. Many customers were surrounding the stall.
“One, please!”Tang Hao walked over and took three coins out of his pocket.
“It’s three-fifty, laddie!” The middle-aged man glanced at him and shouted.
“What? The price has gone up again?”Tang Hao was surprised.
“Yeah! What hasn’t?”The middle-aged man muttered.
Tang Hao thought about it and agreed with him. It had been almost two years. A fifty-cent increase was not unreasonable.
After paying the money, Tang Hao waited for a while and received a shaobing. He walked to the roadside and started to eat while waiting for his assistant to come.
Suddenly, a Volkswagen came from the other end of the street.
The car stopped not far from Tang Hao. When the door opened, several people got out.
Tang Hao turned his head toward the car and was stunned. He could not look away.
Among the group of people was a beautiful young woman. She was about twenty years old and was dressed fashionably. She was Li Qiaoqiao, his first love.
After pausing on her for a moment, Tang Hao withdrew his gaze and took a bite of his shaobing. “What a small world!” He muttered.
He felt a pang in his heart, but it quickly calmed down.
That was his first love, but it had left him with many painful memories. A few years had passed, and time had washed away those feelings.
Tang Hao turned back and continued to wait.
At that moment, Li Qiaoqiao saw him and was stunned for a long time before she shouted, “Tang… Hao?”
Tang Hao was stunned. He did not expect her to recognize him.
He turned around and looked at her.
“It’s really you!” Li Qiaoqiao said with a dazed expression.
“What a coincidence!”Tang Hao smiled.
“Yeah! What a coincidence!” She said, “It’s been a long time!”
Then, both of them felt awkward.
She opened her mouth and was about to speak when a middle-aged woman walked over from behind and shouted, “Let’s go, Qiaoqiao! Why are you still standing there? Hey! Who’s that?”
As she spoke, the middle-aged woman looked at Tang Hao.
At that moment, Tang Hao was dressed in a white button-down shirt and a pair of slacks. Coupled with his handsome appearance, he looked not bad.
“Mom, he’s Tang Hao!” Li Qiaoqiao said.
The middle-aged woman was stunned. She tried hard to recall before exclaiming, “Ah! He’s that classmate of yours from back then?”
As she spoke, she looked at Tang Hao with contempt.
She knew very well that the kid was poor. He had even dated Qiaoqiao for some time.
“Let’s Go! Why bother with that kind of person? Let bygones be bygones!”
She hurriedly pulled Qiaoqiao away as if she was afraid that her daughter might get together with that kid again.
‘She’d better not go anywhere close to that poor kid!’
“Mom, we’re just greeting each other as classmates!” Li Qiaoqiao said.
“I know. Let’s go, let’s go!”
She pulled Li Qiaoqiao away and walked quickly toward the hospital.
Just then, they heard a commotion coming from one end of the street.
Chapter 629 - Charity Dinner
A car drove over at the other end of the street.
Most of the pedestrians were attracted by that car. They seemed amazed.
“Wow! It’s a Phantom!”
Many people who knew the car immediately called out its name.
“Which boss is it?” Someone exclaimed.
The economy of Westridge District was quite developed, and there were many wealthy people. However, very few people could afford to buy a Phantom.
The car caused a commotion as it slowly drove over.
Even Li Qiaoqiao and her mother stopped walking and looked in that direction. When they saw the car, they seemed surprised and a little envious.
The car stopped. The car door opened, and a beautiful figure got out, causing the surrounding people to exclaim in surprise.
The driver was a beautiful lady!
She was dressed in office wear, and her figure was sexy and charming.
The men went wide-eyed.
The luxury car and the beautiful woman were too eye-catching.
“Look, she has a Haotian Group pin!”
“Oh, that’s true! The car can’t belong to the owner of Haotian Group, can it?”
For a moment, everyone was discussing it.
Tang Hao touched his nose, thinking that this car was too flashy.
He took a step and walked toward the car.
In an instant, everyone looked doubtfully at him.
Li Qiaoqiao’s mother was stunned when she saw that. Then, she sneered, “What’s that kid doing? Is he stupid? The car isn’t here to pick him up.”
There was a hint of disdain in her tone of voice.
As far as she knew, he was a poor kid from a mountain village. He had no money and no background. How could he have anything to do with such a luxurious car?
Was he looking to cause trouble?
Li Qiaoqiao was also stunned and a little confused.
Ever since that summer vacation, she had not seen Tang Hao and had not heard any news about him. She only knew that he might have an affair with a female boss, and he was also in contact with Liu Bingyao.
Now that Liu Bingyao had become a celebrity, she did not know what he was doing now.
No matter what he might do, he would have any connection to that luxury car, right?
“He’s definitely going to be scolded!” Li Qiaoqiao’s mother sneered.
Contrary to their expectations, the beautiful woman next to the car did not scold him. Instead, she smiled, stepped aside, opened the backseat door, and greeted him, “Chairman Tang!”
Tang Hao smiled at her, nodded, and got into the car.
Everyone was stunned again.
Li Qiaoqiao and her mother were also stunned. Their mouths were wide open, and their faces were full of shock.
Slam!
The door closed shut, and the beautiful woman sat on the driver seat. She started the car, sped up, and drove away.
It was only until the car disappeared around the corner that everyone came to their senses.
“Oh my god! That young man is Haotian Group’s boss?”
“That’s right. I once heard that Haotian’s boss is very young. My uncle’s son works there and we often see him.”
“So it’s him! No wonder! Haotian Group is now Westridge’s head honcho and is the pride of Westridge!”
Li Qiaoqiao became more and more stupefied as she overheard the chatter around her.
She found it hard to believe that the poor kid who used to date her had now become an extremely prominent figure with a net worth of billions.
That sounded like something out of a fantasy story.
What had happened to him in the past two years?
“Qiaoqiao! Didn’t… you say that he’s… from a mountain village? And he’s very poor?” Her mother stuttered.
“Yes! But that’s all in the past!” Li Qiaoqiao said dejectedly.
“Sigh!”Her mother stamped her feet as she felt immense regret. “Why didn’t you cherish him? Do you still have his phone number?”
“Mom! It’s all in the past. Do you think he would still like me now?” Li Qiaoqiao said bitterly.
“Well… sigh!”
Her mother sighed and felt more regretful than ever.
…
In the next few days, the box office earnings of the movie dropped a little, but it remained in the first place for single-day earnings.
After the fourteenth day, the accumulated box office earnings exceeded 1.5 billion yuan.
Meanwhile, the second-place movie had only earned 600 million yuan.
That figure was close to the previous quarter net profit of the entire Haotian Group. Tang Hao had to admit that showbiz was indeed profitable.
He looked at Tian Qiuming’s “The Legend of Deification”. The total box office earnings were only over 100 million yuan. It was a total loss.
The new semester started on the sixteenth day.
That day, Tang Hao said goodbye to Qin Xiangyi and fetched Yan’er and Cao Fei to Provincial City.
After dropping them off at the dorms, Tang Hao returned to his apartment.
He cleaned up and changed into a formal suit.
He would be attending a charity dinner in River Delta City. Most of the people attending were renowned figures in the movie industry. Thanks to “Mao Mountain Taoist Master”, Haotian Pictures had become a rising star in the movie industry.
Zhuo Hong, Taoist Master Xuan Yang, and he received invitations.
He did not want to participate at first, but he changed his mind when he found out that Tian Qiuming was there.
Zhuo Hong and Taoist Master Xuan Yang were already in River Delta City, and Tang Hao drove over to meet them.
At about seven o’clock in the evening, they arrived at the entrance of a luxurious hotel in River Delta City.
The reporters had set up an array of cameras outside the entrance, flanking a long red carpet. Luxury cars came one after another, from which celebrities got out. The reporters snapped photos crazily upon every appearance.
Tang Hao did not walk on the red carpet but instead went in from the side.
He showed his invitation card and was ushered inside.
The hall was crowded with people.
The banquet had not started, and many people were walking around and chatting enthusiastically. Familiar faces could be seen everywhere. Veteran celebrities and fresh faces were gathered together.
Upon closer inspection, there were also several foreign celebrities.
Tang Hao attracted a lot of attention as soon as he walked in.
“Who’s that?”
“I’ve never seen him before! He’s not an actor, right?”
They were discussing in low voices as they guessed Tang Hao’s identity.
“Hmm, might he be the son of some big boss?” Another person guessed.
Tang Hao looked around and saw Taoist Master Xuan Yang and Zhuo Hong, who were surrounded by a crowd. He looked to the side and saw Tian Qiuming.
His bald head was really eye-catching.
At that moment, Tian Qiuming happened to see Tang Hao at the same time. He was puzzled at first, but he suddenly exclaimed as though he had recalled something.
‘Isn’t he the kid that I met in the clubhouse in Province Z back then?
‘According to Boss Chen, the kid seemed to be very rich. He had bought Tianze Entertainment with cash and had made that girl famous.’
His expression changed, and he resentfully retracted his gaze.
This kid definitely had a powerful background and was not someone whom he could afford to cross.
Tang Hao looked at him, smirked coldly, and walked over.
“Hey! Isn’t that Director Tian?” He shouted, and his tone was somewhat mocking. “Long time no see!”
Tian Qiuming was startled, and his expression became unpleasant. It was obvious from the kid’s face that he was there to cause trouble.
He grunted slightly but did not respond.
“I heard… you made a trash movie! I’ve seen it, and it’s really terrible! I heard that you lost money, right? How much did you lose? At least two hundred million yuan?”
Tang Hao sat down in the seat beside him. He did not attempt to hide his mockery.
Chapter 630 - Being Watched
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hearing that, Tian Qiuming’s face twitched and turned ashen.
The utter rout of “The Legend of Deification” at the box office was his humiliation. He had never suffered losses of such magnitude ever since he started directing.
He could not bear to hear someone mentioning it right now.
The other people at the table were all shocked and looked at Tang Hao in astonishment.
‘How inconsiderate! How dare he expose Director Tian’s shortcomings in front of him?’
They were all in disbelief. In the industry, they would not shed all pretenses in public like what Tang Hao did, even if they bore grudges against each other.
Moreover, Director Tian was a big shot in the industry. He had a lot of connections, and no one dared to offend him!
Many people from the surrounding tables looked over.
“What do you mean?”
Tian Qiuming took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress his anger.
This kid had a powerful background, and so he did not act rashly. If it were anyone else, he would have slapped them a long time ago.
“Isn’t it obvious? !” Tang Hao stared at him coldly. “I’m saying that you’re trash! Is there anything wrong with that?”
Tian Qiuming’s expression became more and more unsightly.
Suddenly, he slammed the table and stood up. “Who the f*ck do you think you are? How dare you call my movies trash? Didn’t your father teach you any manners?” He reprimanded.
“Let me tell you, you brat, don’t think that you can mess with me because of your father. I, Tian Qiuming, am not afraid of you! I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your father!”
As he spoke, his face contorted viciously and delivered Tang Hao a slap.
In an instant, Tang Hao’s gaze turned cold.
He reached out with his right hand, grabbed that hand, and slammed it onto the table. Following that, he picked up a knife and stabbed it toward that hand.
Tian Qiuming’s face turned pale out of fright. His eyes were wide open, and his face filled with terror.
The other people exclaimed in shock. Some women covered their eyes with their hands.
Thud! The knife landed on the gap in between Tian Qiuming’s fingers and pierced into the table.
Tang Hao gripped Tian Qiuming’s wrist so tightly that his bones creaked. His gaze was extremely cold.
“What right do you have to teach me a lesson on behalf of my father?” Tang Hao enunciated each word.
Tian Qiuming was so scared that his entire body started to tremble.
He felt that this brat in front of him was extremely terrifying, like a devil.
The moment Tang Hao released his hand, Tian Qiuming collapsed and fell sitting on the ground. His face was pale, and his forehead was covered in sweat. He looked extremely pathetic.
Tang Hao stood up and smiled at the surrounding people. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a small conflict!”
The surrounding people rolled their eyes. ‘You’ve even taken out a knife, and that’s a small conflict?
‘Who are you kidding!’
At the same time, they were even more shocked.
‘When i
s there such a freak in the industry? He actually dares to use a knife on Director Tian!
‘Who is this freak?
‘Could some lunatic have sneaked into the event?’
“Security! Where’s the security?” Someone shouted.
“Don’t worry about it, please!” Tang Hao said helplessly.
Everyone rolled their eyes again. The more that guy said not to worry about it, the more worried they became.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before! Where did you come from?”
“Exactly, I’ve never seen you before! Also, put the knife down first!”
The crowd shouted.
More and more people stood up and walked over.
Tang Hao smiled awkwardly and hurriedly put down the knife. Then, he said, “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tang Hao!”
“Tang Hao? Eh? The name sounds familiar.”
Everyone racked their brains.
After a while, someone shouted, “Isn’t that the name of the chairman of the Haotian Group? Don’t tell me that’s him? I heard that he’s coming today!”
Hearing that, there was an uproar.
“That can’t be!”
“No way!”
Everyone’s first reaction was disbelief.
The chairman of the Haotian Group was an arrogant kid?
“That’s me!” Tang Hao nodded.
Everyone was stunned.
Many people turned around, found Zhuo Hong and Taoist Master Xuan Yang in the crowd, and asked them for confirmation.
Zhuo Hong had a weird expression on his face. What Tang Hao did earlier had shocked him too. He did not expect that his boss was so vicious!
Also, why did the boss cross Tian Qiuming?
He suppressed his doubts and coughed lightly. “Yes, he is!” Then, he parted the crowd with Taoist Master Xuan Yang and walked toward Tang Hao.
‘Oh my god! He really is!’
The crowd was stunned again, and they became excited.
‘That guy is a legend! Every Haotian Group product is magical. Haotian Pictures is also legendary for
creating an instant hit.’
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Tang! I’m…”
“Mr. Tang, can we be acquaintances?”
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 279