Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

"Wait!" Xie Lisheng quickly called out to Hu Xiaoxiao. "I can talk to Chairman Dou about the donation. I know him well. After the land in Liantangling is developed, I will give Miss Hu a few of the largest houses. I hope Miss Hu won't mind."

Xie Lisheng is very familiar with Chairman Dou, so he knows Chairman Dou's personality very well. If he really invites Chairman Dou over, Chairman Dou will treat him like an ATM from now on, and no amount of money will be enough for him.

"I appreciate Mr. Xie's kindness, but I'll just give you a discount," Hu Xiaoxiao said.

Xie Lisheng disagreed, saying, "How can offering a discount show my sincerity?"

Chairman Dou suddenly appeared out of nowhere, looked at Hu Xiaoxiao, then at Xie Lisheng, and asked, "What are you two talking about? Mr. Xie, I heard you say you were going to give Miss Hu a house? This sudden generosity is unlike you. Have you made it big? If you have..."

"I know, you want to donate, right? Come on, let's talk over there." Xie Lisheng winked at Hu Xiaoxiao, then pulled Chairman Dou away.

That night, Xie Lisheng donated a large sum of money and a large amount of supplies to the charity, and his generosity drew everyone's attention.

However, it soon became clear to everyone why Xie Lisheng was so generous.

A few days later, the Hong Kong government held a press conference to announce the addition of a new MTR line that would pass through Lin Tong Leng. Due to the large population of the towns and villages near Lin Tong Leng, a station was specifically opened there.

As soon as the news broke, ticket prices for the Xie Group skyrocketed.

Meanwhile, because the land for the Mud Dragon Pit had been plagued by problems since construction began, hindering the Pan family's development plans, Pan's shares were sold off by shareholders. Suddenly, the Pan family was in crisis.

Hu Xiaoxiao's focus is on entertainment news and cultural development; she doesn't know much about financial news and hasn't paid much attention to the ups and downs at the top of Baogang.

She has a very important thing to do now, which is to prepare for joining the cast of her new drama. She is about to land her first leading role in her acting career.

After finishing his current play, Charlie immediately began preparing for his next one.

This is a martial arts drama; the script has already been written and the project has been approved. It was originally scheduled to start production after the Lunar New Year, but at the year-end board meeting, the directors expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the show's ratings had been repeatedly surpassed by Baozhu TV this year, and hoped that next year's dramas would perform exceptionally well.

The board also praised this year's Miss Hong Kong pageant for its unprecedented success. They commended the production team and encouraged them to continue their efforts next year, hoping for even greater achievements in the next Miss Hong Kong pageant.

On the production side, in order to give the board of directors an explanation, they started preparing for the new drama even before the Chinese New Year. Charlie was under particular pressure. He had always been in charge of martial arts dramas, but for two consecutive years he had failed to surpass Baozhu TV. He was afraid that if he couldn't produce good results again, he would not only lose his chance to compete for the director's position, but he would even lose his position as deputy director.

Hu Xiaoxiao received the script for "The Grandmaster" and was confirmed to play the female lead, Lan Xinya.

The male lead in "The Grandmaster" is played by Ming Xu, with many veteran actors supporting him.

As expected, Mingxu was cast in this drama. Aside from Charlie's support for him, Mingxu himself is a ratings draw with excellent audience appeal; there was simply no more suitable choice. Moreover, Mingxu's period costume look is outstanding, his action scenes are superb, the action sequences are highly entertaining, and this isn't his first time acting in a martial arts drama; he has experience and acting skills.

However, the casting of Hu Xiaoxiao as the female lead has caused dissatisfaction among many people, especially the young actresses under Charlie's management, who are very dissatisfied.

Hong Qiuyan stormed into Charlie's office, demanding to know why he had given the lead role to Hu Xiaoxiao. "What's so great about being a Miss Hong Kong? I was Miss Hong Kong too! Charlie, have you forgotten? I was also the Miss Hong Kong winner two years ago. Why didn't you give me the lead role, but to a newcomer? Besides, Hu Xiaoxiao is a newcomer, she's never had a leading role before. Can she handle it? Does she have any acting skills? Is she better than someone like me who's been acting on TV for two years?"

When Charlie decided to give the female lead role to Hu Xiaoxiao, he already knew he would be questioned today. He patiently said to Hong Qiuyan, "Helen, it's not that I don't want to give you the female lead role. You are very talented, I have high hopes for you, and I value you highly. However, the male lead role has already been decided for Mingxu, and you two are not a good match at all."

"Why don't we match? I'm only a year older than Mingxu, not much different."

“It’s not about age, it’s about height. You’re much shorter than Mingxu. You can’t have the camera angled so that one side is higher than the other when you’re acting together. How can you film like that? Do you expect the camera to be tilted?”

Hong Qiuyan said, "I'll just stand on a slightly higher box."

"It might work for urban dramas, but this is a martial arts drama. People are walking around and fighting. If the camera zooms out, the height difference is so great, how can they fit into the shot?"

Hong Qiuyan couldn't refute it, but she still felt wronged. "Such a big-budget drama, Charlie, you don't even help your own people."

“How could I forget you?” Charlie comforted her, “In this show, I specifically asked the screenwriter to create a role for you, a tavern owner who is charming, witty, and beautiful. If you can portray this role well, it will be easy for the audience to have a deep impression of you, and your future acting opportunities will be much wider.”

Hong Qiuyan frowned. "Selling alcohol?"

"Don't worry about what you're selling, this movie is perfect for you. You'll definitely do a great job. Trust me."

Charlie had already put it that way, so what could Hong Qiuyan do but accept it? "Alright then, give me the script, I'll study it."

After confirming that she was the female lead, Hu Xiaoxiao immediately went to get the script, not only her own script, but also a copy of the entire script for the play.

During this period, apart from shooting a music video for Chen Tianwang, Hu Xiaoxiao turned down all other activities she could, devoting all her energy to the script, studying her character, and striving to play her role well.

The story of "The Grandmaster" revolves around Ren Shaohua, a man born into poverty but a natural martial arts prodigy. He frequently visits a镖局 (armed escort agency) to learn martial arts techniques and falls in love with Lan Xinya, the daughter of the agency's chief镖头 (chief镖头 is a term used to describe someone who is deeply devoted to others). Amidst the chaos of war, Ren Shaohua faces numerous setbacks and encounters various extraordinary events, ultimately mastering unparalleled martial arts skills.

However, heroes are often lonely. After his lover, Lan Xinya, was brutally murdered by his enemies, he saw through the illusions of the world and became a master of martial arts, establishing his own school and becoming famous throughout the world.

After excitedly watching Lan Xinya's scenes, Hu Xiaoxiao stared blankly for a while.