Chapter 162: Collecting Protection Money

Seeing his expression, Zheng Yixuan directly asked, "Is there something going on?"

Li Yan nodded and said calmly, "Something’s up on the film set."

"Then let’s go! We were just here to hang out, we’ve eaten, and we’ve gathered." Zheng Yixuan was a busy man, and since there was business to attend to, it was a good chance for them to leave together.

After paying the bill, they all went their separate ways. As Li Yan drove away from the hotel, Liu Yuyang and the others watched from afar, whispering about something...

...

Li Yan had just left the film set this morning to come for lunch, so if anything happened, Qiao Pan wouldn’t have failed to inform him. The sudden message indicated an urgent situation!

The text message he just received was from Qiao Pan, who didn’t even have time to be tactful and directly asked if Li Yan had any contacts who could talk to people in society, or if he could urgently call in some Jie Rui security guards, because someone was causing trouble on set!

Li Yan was somewhat surprised, but the fact that Qiao Pan didn’t call him but sent a message suggested that calling wasn’t convenient at the moment. What puzzled him wasn’t the ruffians causing trouble, but why it had taken so long since filming began for someone to start something!

This kind of trouble from thugs on a film set usually meant they wanted to collect some protection money. Typically, they would show up at the beginning, as they know it’s not a secret set.

Usually, Qiao Pan would handle such matters himself, at most reporting any financial losses to the investors. But the fact that he reached out to Li Yan indicated it was urgent or severe, prompting Li Yan to drive straight to the set.

It took him less than twenty minutes to return to the set.

Li Yan had only been gone for two or three hours. When he left, the set was bustling with the shooting of today’s pivotal scenes, with everyone busy. Now, as he arrived, there was no one working; many people were gathered, discussing fervently.

"I’m here, what’s going on?" Li Yan called Qiao Pan.

Hearing Li Yan’s call, Qiao Pan immediately ran out to find him. "Old Li, it’s a long story. Let’s go somewhere else to talk."

He led Li Yan to a quiet room and then said with a wry smile, "This is just a temporary film set, so for security, we have to hire our own guards. Due to budget constraints, our crew only hired a few security guards to handle daily oversight. They can’t deal with organized group disturbances."

Hearing this, Li Yan began to understand. "So, after the filming began, someone came to collect protection money?"

"Exactly. Although I’m not from S City, I do understand the situation here. So, when someone came to collect protection money initially, I discussed it with Chu Yi, and after negotiating with them, we ensured that paying them meant they wouldn’t cause trouble and that others wouldn’t come for protection money, so we paid a sum. The amount wasn’t significant, and since it wasn’t convenient for the accounts, I didn’t notify the company." Qiao Pan admitted to paying the protection money.

"What about today? Another group?" Li Yan asked directly, getting to the point.

Qiao Pan smiled bitterly, "If it were another group, it would be easier to handle. People in the underworld tend to honor their agreements—once protection money is paid, unless faced with a strong competitor, they usually stand up for you. But today, it’s the same group... they probably got too greedy. Originally, it was supposed to be a one-time fee, but now they say it should be monthly, claiming the last payment only covered the past month and demanding another twenty thousand!"

"Twenty thousand? Damn, that’s robbery!" Li Yan found it somewhat amusing that a film with an investment of only a few million was being levied such protection fees. No wonder Qiao Pan was in over his head.

"I think... it’s because there aren’t many film sets shooting on location in S City. Some just need a few scenes or shots that can be completed in a day or a few days, or they’re filming inside attractions, which naturally don’t have issues. They targeted us because we lack experience and there’s no set standard. Previously, a few thousand settled it..."

Li Yan nodded, "Now someone’s realized the film’s big budget and thinks there’s more to gain, coming back for a bigger score."

"Exactly, and they also believe we’re an easy target. If they’d demanded a large sum at the start, we might have relocated, but now, with most of the filming completed, it’s too late to change sets." Qiao Pan offered Li Yan a cigarette, lighting one for himself as well.

Li Yan lit his cigarette, took a drag, and said, "I understand. I’ll handle this. How do I contact them? Why did they all leave?"

Qiao Pan replied heavily, "That’s the most troublesome part..."

"Hmm?"

"Just after lunch break, when everyone had some time to rest, they suddenly showed up with more than ten people. Our security couldn’t handle it, and during my discussions with them, they left us with this huge problem and started disrupting the set, preventing filming... We couldn’t reach an agreement, and couldn’t come up with 200,000 cash to settle it on the spot. Even if we did, we don’t know if they’d come back for more later. They even resorted to assaulting people, vandalizing equipment, and trying to harass the actresses..."

From his previous involvement in preparations, Li Yan knew that film equipment was very expensive, especially since theirs was leased. Damages could cost more than twenty thousand.

"Seeing negotiations fail, Nicholas stepped in, agreeing to go with them to meet their boss, to ask for more time to get the money."

Li Yan was a bit amazed. Nicholas was one of the lead actors in the film and the highest-paid, with a screen time of less than twenty minutes due to multiple lead pairs. His salary was proportionally adjusted. He hadn’t expected this cherished star not only to put safety first but also to stand up for the crew in times like this.

Having been in the industry for many years, Nicholas started as a rebellious and unruly youth, known for scandals and unconventional behavior, even getting involved in questionable acts. However, after going through many experiences, he had matured into a responsible man.

"This is serious..."

"That’s why I texted you initially, hoping you might have friends or contacts in the local scene or could bring a group of security guards to negotiate. Otherwise, we might have no choice but to pay them." Qiao Pan was worried. When he sent the message, they were still there. Now, Nicholas had gone with them. If something went wrong, it would be more than a matter of twenty thousand.

"How do I contact them? I’ll go sort this out." Li Yan stood up.

Qiao Pan hesitated, Li Yan’s demeanor reminded him of Nicholas’s stance. Was Old Li planning to exchange himself for Nicholas?

Though Qiao Pan had only known Li Yan for over half a year, when they first met, Li Yan was still in Paradise Group’s business department, working with Wen Qianyi. Naturally, he didn’t believe Li Yan knew any gang leaders. He initially sought him out to see if he could find someone else to help. Now, Li Yan wanted to go by himself...

"Are you sure...?"

"No time to waste!"

Li Yan’s tone left no room for refusal. Reluctantly, Qiao Pan handed him a business card, "They said once the money’s ready, to go to this place and find them; the number’s on it too. They admitted that Nicholas did them a favor and they wouldn’t make things difficult..."

Taking the card, Li Yan saw it was for a nearby leisure center. He’d passed by on his way and knew where it was.

Without saying more, he directly opened the door and left.

Bai Jie was still there. She also saw Li Yan arrive. She knew about today’s events and waited outside as he came out.

"Are you going to settle this?" Bai Jie asked directly.

"Yeah." Li Yan nodded without much explanation, taking his leave. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Bai Jie followed him a few steps, then called out, "Be careful! If it doesn’t work out, call the police!"

"None of your business, get back to work!"

...

Minutes after leaving the set, Li Yan reached the leisure center.

He parked and headed into the center, which had opened for business after noon, though it wasn’t crowded with customers yet. As he walked in, the receptionist greeted him with a bow and a "Welcome," then asked, "Good afternoon, sir. Would you like a foot bath, massage, or sauna?"

"I’m looking for someone." Li Yan took out the business card.

The receptionist seemed puzzled but didn’t delay, taking the card to have a look, then returned it with a smile, "Please, this way!"

She led Li Yan to the elevator, pressed the button for the idle elevator, and said, "Please go directly to the seventh floor."

Once Li Yan was inside, she pressed the button for the seventh floor and stepped out, not accompanying him. But from the looks of it, she had already notified the people upstairs via internal phone or intercom.

(Thanks to yesterday’s tips: Cold Night Purple Snow, zjun971210, s-k-ysss, Ambiguous Heart, Wind Celestial Illusion, dongmin8061, CP Pampas) (To be continued, for more details, please log in to www.qidian.com, support the author, support legitimate reading!)