Chapter Nineteen: The Robber at the Academy’s Gate

When Wang Lei received the call from the police station, he was still not fully sober. Faced with “The Immortal of Wine” Ma Pingdong and “The Beer Collector” Old Zhang, even if Wang Lei had turned into a wine vat himself, there would come a time when he simply couldn’t hold any more.

He vaguely remembered being half-dragged, half-carried to bed by Ma Pingdong and Old Zhang, and when he came to, it was already the next day.

The call from the police station didn’t specify the reason; they only told Wang Lei that his employees were there and asked him to come over.

After hanging up, Wang Lei guessed that perhaps Zhang San and “Li Si” had gotten into some kind of misunderstanding while blocking someone. These two really were hard to trust. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat frustrated—nothing had been accomplished, and now his main employees were the first to end up in police custody.

Getting up in a hurry, Wang Lei didn’t even have time to greet Ma Pingdong and Old Zhang before rushing off to the police station, hoping nothing serious had happened.

Without knowing the actual situation, Wang Lei didn’t intend to trouble Ma Pingdong or Old Zhang yet. If things really turned out badly and he couldn’t resolve it himself, then it would be reasonable to ask for their help.

Suppressing the discomfort of an empty, uneasy stomach, Wang Lei took a taxi to the police station.

“Hello, I’m the manager of Three Dreams Theater. I just received a call asking me to come here.”

Though it was only a little after ten in the morning, the capital’s heat was already unbearable—so stifling that even someone from Africa might faint. Having rushed all the way, Wang Lei arrived dripping with sweat. Coupled with his crutch and his unkempt appearance, he looked every bit the part of a refugee fleeing disaster—albeit a rather tall one, which left the reception staff in the station momentarily stunned.

“Oh, hello. We called you to confirm some details about your employees’ situation.”

As everyone stood there, a bit at a loss, someone finally spoke, who seemed to be a leader at the station.

“Ah, sorry for the trouble. In fact, they were just at the entrance of the Film Academy trying to see if there were any suitable actors around. Our theater is small and doesn’t have the means to hire stars, so we can only try our luck with students. It seems some misunderstanding must have happened.”

Upon hearing the police officer, Wang Lei immediately realized that Zhang San and Li Si must have gotten into trouble, so he quickly explained, hoping nothing major had occurred.

“Haha, this really wasn’t any trouble for us—on the contrary, we should thank you for having such courageous employees.”

“Ah?” Wang Lei was bewildered; he hadn’t expected such a turn of events.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Although the details are still under investigation, your employees did something significant—and it was a good deed. Come, let’s go inside; we need you to clarify a few things.”

Still unclear about the situation, Wang Lei was now truly at a loss.

He followed the officer into a conference room at the back. There sat Zhang San and Li Si, perfectly fine at the table, tea set before them. Another person was taking notes, and Li Si, not yet having noticed Wang Lei enter, was animatedly recounting the story.

“My third brother nudged me at the time. When I turned around, that idiot was just about to light up the bottle with a lighter. My third brother is quick—he just swung his drink over. Luckily, it was so hot that the cola was frozen solid—cold and refreshing to drink, but also handy in a pinch. He threw it straight at that fool’s face. I thought, I can’t embarrass my brother and our boss now, so I rushed up to wrestle for the bottle, and moved the lady aside in the process. But that idiot was strong—I caught an elbow to the nose, started bleeding. Then a bunch of people surrounded him and tied him up.”

“Hey, Boss Wang, you’re here!” Zhang San, basking in Li Si’s storytelling, saw Wang Lei and the station chief enter, immediately stood up, and deliberately addressed Wang Lei as “Boss Wang,” giving him some face on purpose.

“Sit down, all of you. We asked your boss here to clarify some details, and besides, what you did was an act of courage. I’m sure your boss will be proud.”

Hearing this, Wang Lei finally relaxed, and the outcome seemed promising. These two had actually acted heroically at the Film Academy and even saved someone. This was a development Wang Lei had never imagined.

“Here’s what happened: at nine this morning, your employees rescued a hostage at the entrance of the Capital Film Academy from a criminal armed with a Molotov cocktail, and prevented a violent act from occurring. We called you to confirm their identities and to inform you. Don’t let go of such employees—we’ll be recommending them for a bravery award.”

“Thank you, thank you. Having employees like this is truly an honor for our theater. Well done, Third Brother, Li Si—there’ll be a bonus when you get back.”

Upon hearing the full story, Wang Lei was genuinely surprised. These two, who usually seemed unreliable, proved trustworthy when it counted.

“Boss Wang, this was just our duty. But about the actors—we still haven’t found any. We tried talking to several people yesterday afternoon, but none of them were interested.”

“It’s all right, that’s a small matter. We’ll keep looking.”

Li Si cleverly took the opportunity to mention the theater’s difficulties. He was sharp enough to know that sometimes, voicing a need at the right moment might attract some help.

“What kind of actors are you looking for? Tell me about it—maybe I can help.”

As everyone was talking, a few more people entered the conference room.

“That’s the lady who was taken hostage by that idiot yesterday,” Li Si whispered behind Wang Lei.

“Thank you so much. If it hadn’t been for you, I might not be here today…” The woman, graceful and in her forties, shook hands firmly with Zhang San and Li Si. The ordeal that morning had truly frightened her—the Molotov cocktail had been right at her neck, and if ignited, she might have perished in the flames.

“It was nothing—anyone would have stepped in under those circumstances,” Zhang San replied modestly. He could tell this was no ordinary person, and perhaps she could help with the theater’s problems.

“Boss Wang, thank your employees for saving me. I overheard your conversation just now, and I understand your theater is short on actors. Tell me what you need. If I can help, I will. I should introduce myself—I’m Cui Jingfang, a professor at the Capital Film Academy.”