Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 106 Debona's Suspicion (2nd update, please subscribe)

The scenes inside the villa took a week to film.

Of course, aside from filming, we won't be eating or sleeping here.

Shen Dianxia and Zhao Yazhi's scenes were thus completed.

Before leaving Dibona's villa, Zhang Shuai'an took the developed photos and carefully checked the furnishings in the room. After confirming that nothing was missing, he felt much more at ease.

"Sister La, I'm sorry to have bothered you these past few days." Zhang Shuai'an took out a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to Di Bona: "I've borrowed your villa these past few days, which has caused some losses. Please accept this small token of my appreciation."

"What are you doing?" Dibona didn't take it, but just raised her eyes slightly, looking at Zhang Shuai'an with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Shuai'an said, "It doesn't mean anything by it, it's just a small token of my appreciation."

Debona's eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she smiled and said, "If you really want to express your feelings, there are other ways to do so."

Zhang Shuai'an looked puzzled: "Sister La, what other ways of expressing it are you referring to?"

"You'll find out later." It wasn't that Debona was being wanton; it was simply that her husband wasn't around, and she felt empty both physically and mentally. So, out of instinct, she teased the strange object she admired.

After saying that, she accepted the red envelope and said with a smile, "I'll take the red envelope. If you have any good roles in the future, remember to look for me again. We can discuss the payment."

"That's good." Zhang Shuai'an nodded, and then casually added, "When Mr. Xie comes back, please give him my regards. I hope his filming in Taiwan goes smoothly and that he can reunite with Sister La soon."

Then, he left with the rest of the crew.

The once lively villa suddenly became quiet, making Debona feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Madam, what would you like to eat tonight?" asked Aunt Qing, the nanny.

Debona sighed and said, "I won't eat. You guys take care of it yourselves."

After saying that, she turned and went back to the living room.

Looking at the group photos on the table, she felt inexplicably upset. Then she remembered Zhang Shuai'an's words, "Come back and reunite soon," so she picked up the cordless phone to call Xie Xian.

Hsieh Chien was filming in Taiwan and staying at a hotel provided by the production crew. He had already spoken to her on the phone.

They were newlyweds, deeply in love, and naturally missed each other terribly after being separated.

However, the call didn't go through this time.

"Maybe Fourth Brother is filming a movie," Debona murmured, picking up the newspaper from the coffee table.

She hadn't even turned a few pages when a news item caught her eye, almost making her lungs explode with anger.

The entertainment section headline reads: "[Miao Qianren and Xie Xian reunite to weave a legendary tale of Bao Gong's detective work]"

(This is a news article from 1977, I'm just using it here.)

Dibona flipped over the newspaper and saw that it was called "Red and Green Tabloid," a well-known street tabloid, probably bought by the nanny, Aunt Qing.

She felt somewhat relieved, knowing that these tabloids often made things up.

But she couldn't resist her curiosity and went back to the report.

While it's called a report, it's not entirely accurate; it's more like a picture-based story.

The picture posted above is a still from the start of filming for "Iron-Faced Detective Bao Qingtian". Xie Xian has his face painted black and a crescent moon on his face, looking righteous. Standing next to him is Miao Qianren, who is dressed in ancient costume.

According to this report, which can be considered a formal news item, Taiwan Television invited Xie Xian to play Bao Gong and created an original female lead named Dong Qianqian. They initially said they had offered Lin Fengjiao a high price for the role, but Xie Xian recommended Miao Qianren, and CTS immediately agreed.

The more Dibona read, the angrier she became. She knew that Xie Xian and Miao Qianren had had a flirtatious relationship two years ago. Hong Kong entertainment news had even fabricated a story about Chow Yun-fat and Xie Xian vying for a woman.

At that time, Xie Xian had just gotten divorced and was in a period of being single. He was not only entangled with Miao Qianren, but also had some rumors with Lu Huizi.

Later, in 1978, Patrick Tse took a liking to Deborah Lee and began to pursue her relentlessly. He finally won her heart, and within a year, the two were inseparable and naturally got married.

During his relationship with Dibona, Xie Laosi was quite restrained, at least he didn't have any more scandals with anyone else on the surface.

Unexpectedly, once he was out of Debona's sight, he couldn't stop himself.

Deborah felt terrified at the thought of how the Hong Kong media would ridicule her, and immediately called Patrick Tse again.

Unfortunately, no one answered the phone.

Debona couldn't suppress the wild thoughts running through her mind; she even imagined the two of them in bed together.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait to die."

Deborah immediately called out, "Aunt Qing, Aunt Qing—get the driver here right now! I need to go to the airport, to Taiwan immediately!"

Zhang Shuai'an, of course, had no idea that his casual remark had created a rift in the relationship between Di Bona and Xie Laosi.

He proceeded with filming in a methodical manner.

Two more days passed, and all the scenes were finished.

In a church, after filming the final scene where Shi Tian successfully steals the bride, the finale was completed.

"Click!"

Zhang Shuai'an announced loudly, "Alright, I hereby declare 'Chasing Girls' filming wrapped!"

A round of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

Zhang Shuai'an laughed and shouted, "Everyone go back and freshen up. We'll have a feast at Ocean Palace tonight, and I, Young Master Zhang, will pay for everything!"

"Long live the director!"

"Brother An, this is awesome!"

"Boss Zhang is so generous!"

,

Zhang Shuai'an packed up all the equipment himself, and then, along with the film, rode in Ling Zhijian's car and personally delivered it to the editing room of Golden Harvest.

The editor, of course, is still the renowned scissors Zhang Yaozhong.

On the very night that filming for "Chasing Girls" wrapped up, "The Bund" officially premiered on TVB.

Previously, at the end of each episode of "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang", there was a ten-second preview clip of "Shanghai Bund".

These clips are so brilliant that they have already whetted the appetite of Hong Kong audiences.

That evening, several senior executives from RTV, along with more than a dozen directors and screenwriters, gathered in the conference room to watch "Shanghai Bund".

Chung Chu-hung's family and Aunt Ho's family were all at home, waiting for "Shanghai Bund" to air.

8 PM.

As all the viewers sat upright, staring intently at the television, a powerful melody suddenly burst forth: "Waves surge, waves flow, the mighty river never ceases its flow—"

"Oh my god, that scared me!" Aunt He patted her chest in surprise.

Ah-Qiang laughed and said, "Mommy is so timid. I think this song is really nice and uplifting."

-

"Stop arguing, Brother An is here, he's so handsome!" Amei exclaimed hurriedly.

In the opening theme song, Zhang Shuai'an, dressed in a handsome suit and wearing a top hat, suddenly looks up at the camera, looking absolutely dashing.

The subtitles appeared at just the right moment: [Zhang Shuai'an plays Xu Wenqiang].

The first episode, from Xu Wenqiang getting out of the car, encountering a gang shootout, rescuing Ding Li, going with him to the slums, and then his search for his old classmate Fang Yanyun—the plot is incredibly tight, without a single bit of filler, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

When the end credits rolled, many people were still in shock: "It's over already?"

Rediffusion Television, General Manager's Office.

There was a TV set up here, and everyone had just finished watching this episode.

General Manager Huang Xizhao looked at the crowd below: "What do you all think?"

Xu Xiaoming sighed. He could see the potential of this drama and shook his head, saying, "Another strong drama. Our dramas are probably going to be a complete failure!"

McDonald Bear remained silent, his brows furrowed deeply, a sense of powerlessness washing over him.

Li Zhaoxiong sighed softly, "We should have been more decisive back then and offered a higher price to poach this kid."