Chapter 41 For Friends!

  Thank you to Lan Fengbo and y dada for the reward and encouragement, thank you to Wu Hou Fangqing dada for the encouragement. However, 12,000 words is too difficult for me, so I'll be taking a break for two days. Every day has been 16 hours of non-stop writing, today will still be four updates, estimated word count is only 9,000+, time remains the same as before.

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  And those two muscular men also exerted all their strength to suppress him, even pressing their bodies against his, barely managing to restrain Zhou Shaoming's desperate struggles.

  "I was eager to see how great the movie you shot is, but I suddenly thought of my father, who is also your adoptive father! He has always appreciated and liked you, I think he must be very eager to see the movie you shot. To satisfy his wish, I will now burn the movie you shot for him, he must be very pleased in the underworld!" Shawn Smith lit a fire and burned all the footage and copies, his face was hideous behind the soaring black smoke.

  Blue and white flames overflowed from the edge of the ashtray, struggling to jump a few times, then reluctantly extinguished slowly, leaving only wisps of blue smoke drifting away in Zhou Shaoming's eyes full of pain.

  "Throw him out, along with this trash that's been reduced to ashes!" Shawn Smith clapped his hands together, extremely satisfied with his masterpiece.

  "Boss, he's brought a gun with him, we can accuse him of attempted murder and put him behind bars!" one of the henchmen suggested.

  "No, no, no! If I do that, I won't be able to drive my luxury car and hug beautiful women while he's living like a dog! Haha! Can't let him off that easy! Throw them all onto the streets, Zhou. I'll haunt you like a nightmare, making you live in fear, pain, and regret! Go ahead and kill yourself, it'll be more comfortable that way!" Xiao Enzhi laughed maniacally, slowly disappearing from Zhou Shaoming's line of sight.

  Zhou Shaoming, with a bruised nose and swollen face, stared blankly at the ashes packed in an ashtray, burned to a grayish white. His heart seemed to have been thrown into boiling magma, burning hotter by the second!

  His soul was gone, everything was gone. Zhou Shaoming couldn't care about his own injuries all over his body, he mechanically crawled to the side of that pile of ashes, and with trembling hands, slowly grasped them tightly.

  Her eyes were red-rimmed, but no tears fell.

  The wind suddenly rose, rolling up those ashes into the sky, while Zhou Shaoming just watched those ashes that were like shattered pure and true dreams drifting away, gritting his teeth.

  Ashes scattered, Zhou Shaoming grasped a handful of remaining embers, clenching them tightly in his hand, as if clutching this repeatedly frustrated fate.

  Dreams can't be killed!

  Suddenly it started raining, gradually turning into a heavy downpour, mercilessly pouring onto Zhou Shaoming's body, and in no time he was soaked to the bone.

  Zhou Shaoming walked forward with his head down, heading towards the road back home.

  Suddenly feeling a pat on his shoulder, Zhou Shaoming mechanically turned his head and saw Little Robert's anxious and worried face.

  "Where did you go? Christina said you went to avenge your brother, you can't do stupid things! Don't be impulsive!" Little Robert's face was anxious, finally finding Zhou Shaoming and letting him breathe out softly, his heart finally settled down.

  The eyes of Zhou Shaoming in front of him seemed to have sparks flashing, burning everything, and the pale face that had been rained on was unusually firm.

  "Movies, are movies still around?" Little Robert asked with a hint of feeling but still secretly hoping.

  "Movies? It's dead, but I'll bring it back to life! That damned guy, I won't let his filthy heart's desire come true!" Zhou Shaoming spread out his hands, in the center of which were the only remaining ashes, grasped tightly as if they were his lifeblood, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

  "Did your brother steal our film and burn it?" Little Robert asked incredulously, his face full of terror.

  "Yes, I'm done. Take me back, I'm a bit tired." Zhou Shaoming said softly with his eyes tightly closed.

  "Alright, let's head back first."

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  Christina, Tobin Bell, Jeremy and Little Robert were all waiting at Zhou Shaoming's house, looking worried and sighing constantly.

  They all knew what had happened, but they were all powerless to do anything about it.

  Zhou Shaoming walked in with a gloomy face, didn't say a word, went upstairs alone, stayed in the room and locked the door.

  Little Robert paced back and forth in the living room, rubbing his hands together anxiously. Christina just cried, Jeremy only sighed, and Tobin didn't know what to do either.

  I want to help him, I must help him get back on his feet! Just like he helped me before! Little Robert looked at the closed door, heavily pounding the wall and said to everyone: "We can't give up! Smith Zhou also said that there is an old Chinese saying, 'Heaven will not disappoint those who have a sincere heart!' We must find a way, we must find a way!"

  "All the films were burned by that damned brother of his, what can be done now?" Kristina sobbed.

  Silence, unspoken silence, heavy air makes everyone's face reveal oppression.

  "What's to be done? The loss of the film isn't a big deal, but I'm afraid Smith won't be able to withstand this blow. If he loses confidence and becomes disheartened, that would be really bad." Tobin broke the silence, speaking slowly.

  "Yes, looking at him now, I'm really worried about him!" Jeremy said with a worried face.

  "The film is gone, never mind! We can reshoot! We can reshoot!" Little Robert's brain flashed.

  "Reshoot? Where are we going to get the money for a reshoot?! We've all invested everything in this film!" Christina looked up, first with surprise, then thinking it was impossible, and shook her head dejectedly.

  "No money..." Little Robert couldn't think of a good solution either, so he plopped down on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and sat with his head in his hands, deep in thought.

  "Alright! Let's go raise some funds, no matter what method, even if it means pulling in some embedded ads!" Jeremy thought for a moment, then excitedly started coming up with ideas.

  "Right! I'll go out on the streets tomorrow and tell all Americans about this, let them know what a great director Smith Zhou is, because he's bedridden after his film was burned, and get everyone to donate for him!" Little Robert's eyes lit up, making up his mind.

  "Why didn't you just tell everyone it was Shawn Smith who did the good deed?" Christina asked discontentedly.

  "We have no evidence! This will constitute slander!" Tobin was indeed an old hand, and with one sentence he hit the nail on the head.

  "Alright, I'll go with you on the streets to rally everyone for the fundraising!" Christina had no choice but to compromise.

  "For Zhou, for dreams, for friends! Let's work together!" The four hands clasped together and held tightly.

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  The gloomy weather is just like the current mood, making people feel depressed and uneasy, with a thin layer of fog floating in front of their eyes, like the lingering despair and pain that cannot be dissipated.

  The crowd on the street was bustling with excitement, everyone was in high spirits, except for Zhou Shaoming, who stood out as being completely out of place.

  As for the twists and turns in life, everyone will lose their way, but after feeling despair, do they still have the courage to face it?

  The brief pain had become a thing of the past, but the flames in Zhou Shaoming's heart had not dissipated, instead they were burning even more fiercely. He was only red-eyed, his fists clenched tightly.

  Repeated setbacks, but setbacks will never defeat oneself!

  Perhaps, perhaps tribulations will make people unbearable, but after the pain is over, they still have to stand up in the ruins of their soul and persevere.

  No more film? I can reshoot! Sell the house and shoot again!

  I won't be taken advantage of like yesterday anymore, I must fulfill my own dreams!

  Even though I was hit again and again, I can still be brave!

  Now, go find a real estate agent, sell the house as soon as possible, and gather enough money again. "Saw" must be screened, and its director is me!

  That damned guy didn't want to see my movie released, now he must be hoping I lose hope or rage and seek revenge on him, but I won't let him have his way!