Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 89 Making Movies Seriously

When Wang Dao arrived at the company early in the morning, he could smell the strong smell of gunpowder.

"How many firecrackers were set off?"

Chen Yongren was extremely excited:
"Twenty thousand yuan!"

Wang Dao stared at Li Jie in astonishment:

"You spent all the money I gave you on firecrackers?"

Li Jie shrugged:

"Such a good thing should definitely be celebrated properly."

He whispered,

“I haven’t experienced what Ah Ren went through, but I can feel his pain.”

Do not advise others to do good without experiencing their suffering yourself.

Li Jie didn't have Chen Yongren's experience, but he had also experienced the horrific tragedy of his wife and children being killed, and he knew that such pain was unforgettable.

In some ways, Chen Yongren's situation was much worse than his.

At least Li Jie has fond memories of his wife and children, but what does Chen Yongren have?
It felt like a mistake from birth, and the process of growing up was filled with this pain.

He could have had a bright future in the police station, but because he was burdened with Ni Kun's bloodline, he had to go undercover.

If it hadn't encountered the right path, who knows what would have happened in the end.

Wang Dao gently patted Li Jie's shoulder. Li Jie was talking about Chen Yongren, but wasn't he also talking about himself? Therefore, he didn't say anything, only said...
"Shouldn't we at least look forward?"

Li Jie laughed:

"I've made up my mind to stay by the boss's side from now on."

Wang Dao arranged for him to be Liang Kun's bodyguard, which far exceeded his expectations.

He originally thought he was going to go into the martial arts world to fight his friends.

To be honest, he was willing to do anything for revenge, but after all, he had been a SWAT officer before, so he still had some slight resistance to his friends.

Unexpectedly, when I got to Liang Kun's side, I found that it was not like that at all.

While Leung Kwan is indeed a prominent figure in the Hung Hing triad, he now resembles more of a businessman.

Li Jie was very perceptive; sometimes he even felt that it was Wang Dao who was teaching Liang Kun how to be a boss.

It feels strange, yet so real.

What he found even more incredible was that Wang Dao was subtly teaching Liang Kun how to be a "legitimate businessman with a somewhat complicated background".

Li Jie was certain of his intuition; he couldn't be wrong.

If that's the case, then following the right path carries absolutely no moral burden.

Wang Dao would occasionally assign him special missions, which made him feel like he had never left the work of the special police.

Li Jie is living a very comfortable life.

The Way of the King:

"Where's Brother Kun?"

"Are you up yet?"

Li Jie replied:
"He's up. He was just setting off firecrackers with Ah Ren."

Wang Dao curled his lip:
"Is he a little kid? Why does he love setting off firecrackers so much?"

He then complained again.

"They didn't even wait for me to do something as fun as setting off firecrackers?"

"I'll make sure he's constantly busy!"

Li Jie was speechless.

When Liang Kun saw Wang Dao approaching from afar, he quickly waved:

"Ado, come quick!"

He brought out a box.
"Let's go set off firecrackers!"

The king was overjoyed:

"It has to be the boss, thinking of me for something so fun."

Liang Kun was quite pleased with himself:

"I just tested it for you, and these firecrackers are really exciting to hear."

"Let's go!"

Wang Dao called on Chen Yongren.
"Ah Ren, come along too!"

Chen Yongren, with a simple and honest face, was so excited that his face turned completely red.

Handsome Kun clapped his hands and said:
"Let's set off the firecrackers together, Ah Jie and Ah Fu, come too."

"Let's line up the firecrackers and set them off together."

Wang Dao suddenly had an idea:

"Oh, that's perfect, we can have someone take pictures of us."

Handsome Kun nodded immediately:

"You're the one with the best ideas, kid."

"Let's walk!"

The crew of Qiankun Film and Television arrived downstairs laughing and joking. They set up firecrackers, each with a cigarette in their mouth, while the cameraman shouted:
"Three, two, one, light!"

The five of them ran off in unison, and the firecrackers crackled and popped. Liang Kun was slower and even jumped a couple of steps.

The photographer, quick as a flash, pressed the shutter, and time stood still.

what?
Where did the photographer come from?
There are way too many photographers at Qiankun Film Company!
The neighbor next door asked:
"Mr. Li, didn't we just open yesterday? Why are you setting off firecrackers again today?"

Handsome Kun hugged Chan Wing-yan and laughed heartily:
"My little brother's family has some good news, so we're setting off firecrackers to celebrate."

The neighbors suddenly realized:

"Oh, a new member has joined the family?"

Chen Yongren said excitedly:

"No, it's Dad who's dead!"

The neighbors were dumbfounded, thinking that it was indeed a good thing that their father had died, but there was no need to celebrate so excitedly.
The five returned upstairs, and Wang Dao said to Liang Kun:

"Brother Kun, be careful of that neighbor from earlier, that guy has no integrity."

Liang Kun was taken aback:
"What do you mean by that?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"This guy was quite envious after hearing your reason."

“I know about his family. The money he used to do business was given to him by his father, yet he still wanted his father dead.”

Liang Kun disagreed:

“We do business according to the rules of business. If he tries to use underhanded tactics, I’m Hung Hing’s Leung Kwan.”

Wang Dao gives a thumbs up:
"Kun is sharp!"

Liang Kun laughed heartily.

Wang Dao pulled out a script:
"Here, I've finished writing the script. You can take your time choosing the actors."

Liang Kun took the notebook and asked curiously:

"The script you wrote... 'Happy Ghost'?"

"What the hell is this doujinshi?"

"Telling ghost stories?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Modern ghost stories".

Liang Kun said in astonishment:
"Aren't we supposed to be making a smutty film?"

Wang Dao's eyes widened:
"We're a legitimate film and television company, how could we possibly make erotic films?"

Johnny's mouth dropped open:
"No, what you told me before wasn't just to comfort me?"

Wang Dao said irritably:

"It must be true."

"The most crucial elements here are the main characters."

Take your time choosing!

Liang Kun asked suspiciously:

"Will this thing really sell well?"

Wang Dao spread his hands:
"What stories do the neighbors love to hear most? Ghost stories, of course."

"Our show has ghost stories, teenage girls, and superpowers, making it a favorite among teenagers."

"Isn't this better than stories full of fighting and killing?"

"Do you like blood movies?"

Liang Kun shrugs:

"If you say it's okay, then it's okay."

He looked Wang Dao up and down, who was puzzled by his gaze.
"Brother Kun, what did I do wrong?"

Liang Kun chuckled:

"There's nothing wrong with that..."

"Why don't you play the male lead?"

Wang Dao rolled his eyes:
"This is clearly not in line with the character's personality. The male lead in the script is a scholar who has failed various examinations and is already quite old."

"Look at me, I'm in the prime of my life."

"Where does it even look a little like it?"

"On the contrary, you, Kun, are quite in line with the image of the male lead. It's a pity that your voice is ruined."

Liang Kun spat.

"Don't you ever have any scenes from martial arts dramas?"

Wang Dao casually remarked:
"There are plenty!"

Liang Kun looked at him with great suspicion:
"You're incredibly arrogant. And there are plenty more?"

Wang Dao sneered:
“When others write scripts, they have no experience and have to improvise.”

"We're already people of the martial arts world, do we need to make this up on the spot?"

"Just take the stories you've experienced or heard from others and process them a bit, and you'll have a ready-made script."

What kind do you want?

"Tragic!"

"Brotherly loyalty!"

"A spirit of chivalry and adventure!"

"You can have anything you want."

Liang Kun rubbed his hands together.
"How about we film this?"

Wang Dao rolled his eyes:
"Those things aren't urgent, let's finish filming Happy Ghost first."

Young Kun got anxious:

"We have a ready-made script; all we lack are actors. If we want to finish filming, that's easy, isn't it?"

"It will be filmed in at most half a month!"

At this point, Hong Kong film companies were incredibly efficient.

Wang Dao was taken aback and said:
"Half a month?"

"I have a full five scripts here!"

Are you sure you can finish filming in half a month?

Liang Kun was taken aback:
Five scripts?

"Isn't this one?"

Wang Dao laughed and said:
"How fresh! This is a series."

"My plan is to release one film every year for five consecutive years."

Liang Kun's Strange Path:

"You seem quite confident, but aren't you afraid of losing money after filming this script?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"How could there be a loss?"

"It's definitely going to make money!"

"With the support of Hung Hing, the box office could have been even higher."

Suddenly, Liang Kun had a realization: Wang Dao seemed to be talking about money laundering!

"The hardest thing about a series is keeping the original cast. If we spend some time finalizing everyone's names, we won't have to go through all that trouble."

Handsome Kun said speechlessly:
"You're so cunning, you've saved so much on actor fees."

The kingly way disagrees:

"How much can we save?" "At most, we can give the lead actors some red envelopes when the film is released."

"We're doing long-term work, so why should we be harsh on others in this regard?"

"Qiankun Films can't be like TVB Jade, ripping people off."

Is Lok Wai-Chun famous enough?
My monthly salary is three thousand yuan!

In real life, Zhang Weijian's Monkey King was a sensation across Asia, but he only made three thousand yuan a month.

That film made the TV station a whopping 120 million.

Xiao Bao wanted a raise, and then someone told him...
"If you have hair on your face, you're a celebrity; if you don't, you're worthless."

That's an insult.

This was the true situation of TVB stars back then.

Why do so many Hong Kong television actors want to break into the film industry?
They earn a lot!

Wang Dao naturally wouldn't skimp on that little bit of money; he genuinely wanted to maintain the original cast and crew for the performance.

He could afford to pay for it himself, even with the current fees for film and television actors.

Of course, he doesn't own the majority of the company, so he definitely can't do something so foolish.

Handsome Kun laughed:

"Okay, okay, we'll film this series."

"But when are you going to get me a notebook too?"

Wang Dao speaks the truth:

"Brother Kun, with that voice, you can only play the boss."

Liang Kun asked, puzzled:
"why?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

“The underlings wouldn’t have ruined their voices like you did.”

Liang Kun rolled his eyes:
"The boss is the boss!"

Wang Dao stroked his chin and said:
"I have to tell you this, a boss like you dies a really bad death in the movies."

Liang Kun disagreed:

"Even a leader like me can easily get killed in real life."

"Being the boss, working at the police station on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and the funeral home on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, who the hell knows if I'll be dead tomorrow?"

"It's alright, just keep writing!"

Wang Dao chuckled lightly:
"That's fine. Once the Happy Ghost series is finished, I'll make one and let you have a good time."

Handsome Kun laughed heartily:

"That's right."

"Hmm, write me as a bit arrogant, a bit domineering, and as miserable as possible when I die."

Wang Dao was dumbfounded:

"what?"

Liang Kun shrugs:

"Don't corrupt the kids. They need to know that there's no good end to those who go astray."

Wang Dao looked at him suspiciously:
"Brother Kun, I feel like you're not worried about setting a bad example for the kids, you're worried about not being imposing enough, right?"

Liang Kun burst into laughter again:
"Ado understands me best."

"In this business, you rely on your reputation to make a living. How can you get by if you're not powerful enough?"

"As long as it's powerful and sharp enough, that's fine."

"If you want a good ending, then don't enter this industry."

Leung Kwan expressed his feelings on this matter.

"This world is a dog-eat-dog world. If you are weak, you will be eaten."

"Only by being strong can you ensure that you are not eaten by others."

"People come and go in the world of martial arts; no one is the eternal protagonist."

"Johnny Wang is arrogant enough, isn't he? He beat Guan Haishan into retreat, and even Han Bin doesn't want to provoke this arrogant madman."

"The results of it?"

"Off to sell salted duck eggs!"

"It wasn't Guan Haishan, Han Bin, or even any of Johnny Wang's colleagues who took him down."

"He was killed by the police."

"His arrogance angered not only the江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) figures, but also the police."

"How humiliating was your death?"

"Ni Kun is ruthless, isn't he?"

"He has dominated Yau Tsim Mong for over a decade, and so many triads have remained silent in his presence."

"So what?"

"Wasn't he killed?"

Leung Kwan stood up and asked the crowd,

"How did he die?"

Liang Kun made a gun shape with his hand and pressed his palm down.

"boom!"

"Execution!"

"Execution-style execution!"

"How frustrating!"

Everyone was silent.

Liang Kun chuckled:

"If you want to make a living in the underworld, don't even think about dying in bed; that's an extreme luxury."

"Films naturally need to be realistic. That's how they resonate with audiences."

"The more arrogant and domineering they are, the better; the more gruesome their death, the better!"

Wang Dao chuckled and said:

“What you said has given me an idea. Why don’t we just make it into a series?”

Liang Kun asked in bewilderment:
"series?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Yes, a series."

"It is set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of a community."

"The gang remains, but the bosses come and go."

"It's a story about a boy who enters a club full of dreams, then encounters the blows of reality, slowly grows up, and finally dies suddenly."

Liang Kun complained:
"Do people even watch this kind of show?"

The Way of the King: The Way of the Treacherous
"Yes."

"This sets the tone for the entire series; when it's divided into one or two films, there will be different focuses."

"For example, the first film tells the story of how this young man was plotted against by a big shot from the same gang, and how he managed to rise to power through scheming."

"The second and third parts are just a further step."

"The fourth member went even further, becoming the head of the organization."

"The fifth part is viewed from the perspective of another boy... which is his final work."

"Like peeling an onion, one layer inside another."

"As long as you capture the audience's hearts, you don't have to worry about them not continuing to watch."

Liang Kun exclaimed in astonishment:
"Ah Dao, you're such a swindler!"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Brother Kun, don't talk nonsense. I'm not a swindler. I'm a very innocent person."

Liang Kun chuckled.

"Okay, hurry up and finish writing this script."

Wang Dao waved his hand:
"No rush, no rush, let's finish filming 'Happy Ghost' first."

"Perfect, let's use this to practice!"

Handsome Kun said speechlessly:
"Aren't you... afraid of not being able to find a suitable actor?"

Wang Dao curled his lip:
"Don't forget what we do."

What kind of actors do you need?

"We can have the big shots play themselves."

"This will save a lot of money."

"Is this a movie shoot?"

Do they have the opportunity to watch movies on ordinary days?

"no?"

Leung Kwan gave a thumbs up:
"How cunning!"

Wang Dao laughed heartily.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you." Liang Kun lit a Marlboro with a contented look. "I'll just wait for the final result."

Just as Wang Dao was about to reply, Li Fu knocked on the door and came in, his face looking very unpleasant.

Liang Kun frowned slightly:

"Afu, what's wrong?"

Li Fu glanced at Chen Yongren before speaking:

"Brother Kun, Ni Yongxiao has come to visit."

what?
Liang Kun asked Wang Dao:
"How to say?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Let's go and have a look at him."

Handsome Kun chuckled wickedly:
"Let's go and have a look at him."

Chen Yongren was at a loss for words.

"Brother Dao, Boss Ding, I don't know any Ni Yongxiao."

Wang Dao laughed and said:
“I know, but Ni Yongxiao came here for you.”

Chen Yongren frowned and said:

"what?"

Liang Kun recalled what Wang Dao had told him before and nodded, saying:
“Ni Kun is a scumbag. He left a will, and if he ever dies, every member of the Ni family must be informed of his death.”

Chen Yongren said coldly:

"My surname is Chen!"

Wang Dao put his arm around his shoulder and said:
"Don't worry, as I said, I've taken you under my wing, so I'm your boss now. I'll take responsibility for whatever you do, good or bad."

“Ni Yongxiao is nothing, I’ll take care of him.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Kun expressed his dissatisfaction:
"Do you think I, as the boss, don't exist?"

"Do we need you guys to shoulder the burden when something goes wrong?"

"Do you think I'm dead?"

Wang Dao laughed heartily.

When everyone arrived at the conference room, Liang Kun immediately spotted Ni Yongxiao.

He was quietly sipping his tea.

He sat very relaxed, but his upper body was ramrod straight.

He wore a pair of frameless gold-rimmed glasses, which gave him an elegant yet somewhat unruly air.

Ni Yongxiao smiled faintly, exuding elegance.

The word "upbringing" suddenly popped into Liang Kun's mind, which was quite unbelievable.

How could Ni Kun raise such a well-mannered son?

In comparison, Chen Yongren is a complete scumbag.

Besides Ni Yongxiao, the short Han Chen was sitting to the side with a smile on his face, and behind them stood a bodyguard with a blank expression.

Liang Kun strode in with the group. Ni Yongxiao looked over, stood up, and said slowly and deliberately.

"Mr. Li, please don't misunderstand."

“My father, Ni Kun, passed away last night. He had said that if he were to pass away one day, he wanted every family member to be informed of his death.”

"That's all!"

(End of this chapter)