Chapter 114: The Suffering of Life
After Chiang Kai-shek said this, everyone was stunned.
Only Li Ah Si raised his head and said in a hoarse voice: "You can't beat me——"
Zhang Nianzu then asked in confusion: "Why?" This is not a question of whether he can win or not. Chiang Kai-shek once said that it is not convenient for him to fight for Shisanxiang, so the incident of the steel fork happened later, and then people like him were implicated. If Chiang Kai-shek was willing to step forward at the beginning, these things would not have happened later.
Lao Jiang raised his glass and said, "Drink first, drink first."
Lei Tingting also said: "Did I hear correctly? You said that Ah Si's opponent is you, which means you are going to fight for that Japanese guy?"
Lao Jiang drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and said, "Don't forget, Ono Taro is the leader of Thirteen Spices."
Zhang Nianzu frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
Lao Jiang sighed and said, "Do you think I am greedy for money, have no bottom line, and do things in a mess?"
Zhang Nianzu said: "I only know that you must have your own difficulties."
At this time, a beautiful song came from the bar in front. It was Teresa Teng's "Sweet Honey". The singer had a beautiful voice and she performed this classic old song in a mellow and happy way, with a little vicissitudes of life and a unique flavor.
Lei Tingting immediately said, "It's Sister Xiaofeng singing!" Anyone who has heard Xu Xiaofeng sing can tell that she is indeed very recognizable.
Lao Jiang asked, "Does your Xiao Fengjie sing well?"
Lei Tingting said: "Of course it sounds good!"
Zhang Nianzu smiled and said, "I think Sister Xiaofeng is fully capable of controlling a bigger stage, but I don't know why she has a special liking for this place?"
Lao Jiang smiled bitterly, "It's not a special liking!" He suddenly changed the subject and said, "Five years ago, I was already the manager of Dick's Bar. One day, Mr. Tang suddenly called me over and said he wanted to send me a performing singer, but without any compensation. At first I thought it was some boss's kid who wanted to borrow the place to practice or just have some fun. I didn't expect that it was Xiao Feng who went on stage that night. I was stunned when she opened her voice. I don't understand why such a professional singer would choose to perform in such an unpopular bar, and she was not young at the time."
Zhang Nianzu said: "It doesn't sound like it was voluntary."
Lao Jiang glanced at him and continued, "Later, as we gradually got to know each other, I learned that she had just returned from Japan. More than a decade ago, Xiaofeng went to Japan and wanted to study before returning to China to develop her career. At that time, Japanese and Korean pop culture was popular in Asia, and many young people who dreamed of becoming stars wanted to try their luck. What if they were spotted by a big company? Xiaofeng was no exception. After she arrived in Japan, she worked during the day to earn a living, and sang in some small venues at night, hoping to gain experience and get to know people in the circle. One day, she really got what she was waiting for. The other party said that he was a scout from a famous performing arts company and was willing to work with Xiaofeng to package her into a star, but she had to sign a long-term contract, including five film and television works."
Lei Tingting asked: "Isn't Sister Xiao Feng a singer? How come she has film and television works?"
Lao Jiang said, "For a newbie who is not even a newbie, it is great news that a company is willing to sign a contract with you. Why would you care about these things?"
"Then what?" Lei Tingting asked.
"After signing the contract, Xiaofeng found out that the other party was not an entertainment company at all, but a scammer who sold underground pornographic DVDs. In other words, they are not a formal company in Japan where the pornography industry is legal. To put it bluntly, they are actually a means for the local underworld to make huge profits. They first trick young girls who are not well-versed in the world into signing, then threaten them to cooperate in filming pornographic content, and finally sell the DVDs. If you call the police, they still have many ways to ruin your reputation. Many people can only compromise. Those with money at home will spend money to avoid disaster and consider themselves unlucky, but Xiaofeng is the kind of person who has no money and no power."
Everyone fell silent. None of them had expected that Xu Xiaofeng had such a heavy history behind her. The uncle and nephew of the Li family were so angry that they gnashed their teeth.
Lao Jiang continued, "After being deceived, Xiaofeng refused to give in and even attempted suicide twice. The people who deceived her were just henchmen who worked for a local organization called Honda Society. Xiaofeng's case alarmed the bigwigs of Honda Society, and a senior executive came forward to protect her."
Zhang Nianzu asked, "Who is it?"
"Do you remember the son of the Thirteen Spices boss I told you about?"
"Remember." The big boss took refuge in Japan during the Republic of China period. His son was also born in Japan and later joined a local society. Ono Taro was his godson.
Lao Jiang said: "The son of the big boss is a senior executive of Honda Society. He interceded for the Honda Society to release Xiao Feng back to China because we are all Chinese."
Zhang Nianzu said: "He did the right thing in this matter."
"So I miss him very much, even though I never met him and he died not long after."
Lei Tingting said: "Since you have returned to China, why -"
Lao Jiang said, "How could the gang let you off so easily? Before Xiaofeng returned to China, they forced her to sign another indenture, which said that Xiaofeng had borrowed 100 million yen from them and that she was not allowed to appear on the public stage in any capacity until the debt was paid off. This was equivalent to ruining Xiaofeng's future. If she wanted to sing on a bigger stage, she had to either pay back the nonexistent money or finish filming five pornographic films."
Lei Tingting said angrily, "Now that I'm back home, who cares? I can do whatever I want, so what can they do to me?"
Lao Jiang sighed and said, "You think things are too simple. With this kind of evidence in someone's hands, if Xiaofeng really becomes famous for singing, they will be very annoyed whether they take legal action or send people to trouble you. Moreover, although Xiaofeng has not filmed those dirty things, who will believe Xiaofeng's innocence if the other party spreads the contract on the Internet?"
Zhang Nianzu said, "You have been with Thirteen Spices for so many years, and you have become very popular recently, but you haven't come up with a corresponding solution?"
Lao Jiang said, "Shisanxiang is Shisanxiang, and Honda Club is Honda Club. Apart from the weak bond of Ono Taro, the two clubs have no relationship at all. I believe Ono Taro has a say in this matter, but why would he help a stranger?"
Lei Tingting said, "Then you can marry Sister Xiao Feng. Ono Taro is the leader of the Thirteen Spices gang. He should stand up for his subordinates' wives, right?"
Lao Jiang said, "One hundred million yen is six million RMB. Ono Taro's foundation is still in Honda. Would he be willing to bear the reputation of a traitor and do such a thankless task?"
Zhang Nianzu said, "I understand. Either you pay back the money or do a big favor to Ono Taro. That's why you are more anxious about the whereabouts of the public funds than I am. You were unwilling to compete with the Japanese on behalf of Shisanxiang because you were afraid of offending them. Now, you want to compete on behalf of Ono Taro. In the final analysis, it's for Sister Xiaofeng."
