Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 115 Winning "Junior Brother Takes the Field" is More Than Enough (3rd update, please subscribe)

"It's a bit early to talk about it now."

Zhang Shuai'an didn't respond to the question, but instead suddenly skipped the topic and said directly, "There will be a preview screening of 'Chasing Girls' at the Ocean Harbour Cinema at the end of this month. I would like to invite Mr. Xu to attend."

As he spoke, he pulled out a bright gold invitation from his pocket and handed it over.

"No matter what, everything depends on the quality of the film."

Zhang Shuai'an said seriously, "We can discuss the release details after we finish watching the movie. What do you think?"

"Okay, I'll definitely be there." Xu Dunle smiled and accepted the invitation.

Zhang Shuai'an suddenly stood up and said, "Then we won't disturb Mr. Xu any longer. We'll take our leave now."

Xu Dunle, with a smile on his face, escorted the two to the door.

After watching them leave the Southern Film Company, Xu Dunle suddenly picked up the landline on his desk and dialed a number.

A short while later, the call connected: "Feed?"

"Master Liao, this is my son, Xu Dunle," Xu Dunle said.

The person on the other end immediately laughed: "It's you. What do you need?"

"I just met a little student who looks very familiar, but I'm not sure."

Lian Zhangle's tone was uncertain as he tentatively spoke.

The person opposite him became interested: "Oh, who does he look like?"

Xu Dunle began, "Do you remember back in the 1940s when you swam to Huiyang and worked with the transportation stations along the way to rescue cultural figures and democrats stranded in Hong Kong?"

"That's true," the person on the other end replied softly.

Xu Dunle continued, "At the Huizhou transportation station at that time, there was a handsome comrade from Ji'an named Zhang Bingfang, who was about five or six years older than me. Later, at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, he was my teacher for a few months."

The person opposite him thought for a moment and then answered definitively, "There was such a person. He had a good pen; he even returned my copy of the *Huashang Daily*. It seems it was around the end of 48 when he went to the front lines as a war correspondent and was killed in action. He had just gotten married, and then he was gone. What a pity!"

At this point, he suddenly paused, then asked, "You mean, the person you just met was his son?"

"Not a son, but a grandson," Xu Dunle replied. "The young man who came to see me is named Zhang Shuai'an, and he looks to be around twenty years old."

The person on the other end was silent for two or three seconds, then muttered, "I didn't hear that his wife was pregnant at the time. Wait, I need to have someone check. Keep an eye on this young man, and fax me a photo of him if you get the chance. I'll hang up now."

After hanging up the phone, Hui Tun-lok immediately went to find the latest newspapers and magazines, and found a still of "Hui Man-keung" on the cover of a certain issue of "Hong Kong Television".

He slapped his thigh: "Yes, that's exactly what it looks like!"

After leaving Southern Film Company, Zhang Shuai'an rode in Fatty Wang's car to Kowloon Motor Bus Company.

No need to guess, they're here to talk to Raymond Kwan, the owner of the Ritz-Carlton Theatre.

However, the Lai Sing Theatre was only one of Lui Kok Kwan's businesses; his real foundation was still Kowloon Motor Bus.

Zhang Shuai'an approached the front desk and said directly, "Hello, my name is Zhang Shuai'an, and I would like to meet Mr. Lei Juekun."

The receptionist was taken aback at first, but when she looked up and saw Zhang Shuai'an's face clearly, she immediately exclaimed, "Ah, you're Xu Wen—"

Hmm!

Zhang Shuai'an quickly reached out and covered her mouth: "Keep your voice down, it won't be good if others hear you."

Given his current popularity, if he were to spread the word, this place would be packed with people in less than half an hour.

The receptionist nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with admiration.

Zhang Shuai'an leaned close to the receptionist's ear and whispered, "I have something important to discuss with Mr. Lei. Please let him know—"

a bit.

"

The receptionist's earlobes turned bright red at a visible speed. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she picked up the phone and relayed Zhang Shuai'an's message.

The first person to receive the call was Lei Juekun's secretary.

The female secretary naturally knew how popular Zhang Shuai'an had become recently, so she stood up and knocked on the door of the chairman's office.

"Come in!" Lei Juekun called softly.

The female secretary pushed open the door and entered.

There were three other people sitting in the office: the three giants of Struggle Pictures, Michael Mak, Raymond Wong, and Shek Tim.

Lei Juekun glanced at his female secretary: "What is it?"

The female secretary replied, "There's a man downstairs named Zhang Shuai'an who wants to see you."

"Zhang Shuai'an?" Lei Juekun was taken aback. The name sounded familiar, but he didn't seem to know anyone like that in his circle of friends.

The bald man replied, "It's Xu Wenqiang from 'Shanghai Bund'!"

Shi Tian added, "Boss, as I told you, he invited me to film a movie a while ago called 'Chasing Girls'."

Raymond Wong added at the end: "That super rookie with a six million dollar salary!"

Zhang Shuai'an, a rising star in the film and television industry, is known to people in the same industry as Mai Guangtou and ordinary citizens, but business tycoons like Lei Juekun might not know him.

"Oh, it's him." Lei Juekun vaguely remembered him. "What does he want from me? Never mind, let him come up."

A short while later.

Zhang Shuai'an received permission, signed his name for the receptionist, and then took Wang Pangzi to the sixth floor in the elevator.

When the female secretary saw Zhang Shuai'an in person, she couldn't help but think to herself: He really is incredibly handsome.

She led Zhang Shuai'an towards the chairman's office: "Mr. Zhang, please come in!"

Just then, Mai Guangtou and his two companions came out and met him again. "Handsome, we meet again."

Mai Guangtou stared at Zhang Shuai'an for several seconds: "It hasn't been that long since we last met, and you've become even more handsome. How did you do that?"

""

Zhang Shuai'an replied with a smile, "No matter how handsome he is, he can't compare to Mr. Mai's radiant appearance."

"Hehe, you're really good at complimenting people!"

Mai Guangtou touched his bald head. "Let's have tea sometime."

After saying that, he walked forward.

Zhang Shuai'an nodded: "There's a chance."

As Shi Tian passed Zhang Shuai'an, he asked softly, "Are you here to ask Mr. Lei for more screenings?"

"Yes." Zhang Shuai'an nodded.

"Okay, good luck!" Shi Tian patted Zhang Shuai'an on the shoulder and followed him away.

Huang Baiming and Zhang Shuai'an didn't have much interaction. They only exchanged glances and nodded slightly, which was enough for them to greet each other.

After watching the three of them for a few seconds, Zhang Shuai'an led Fatty Wang into Lei Juekun's office.

Zhang Shuai'an maintained basic etiquette and introduced himself to Lei Juekun: "Hello Mr. Lei, I am Zhang Shuai'an, the founder of Tianxia Film Industry. This is my company's vice president, Wang Jing."

Fatty Wang also bowed slightly and nodded.

"Have a seat," Lei Juekun chuckled, then asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Zhang Shuai'an said, "Tea is fine, any kind of tea will do."

"I'll have coffee, with extra sugar," Fatty Wang replied.

After the female secretary made a note of it, she turned around and went out to make the arrangements.

Before long, they brought over a tray with tea and coffee for everyone.

Lei Juekun, who also drank tea, took a sip and said, "I heard that Mr. Zhang has recently become a sensation in Hong Kong? One of his TV dramas has drawn massive audiences, with a viewership rating of 88%? Mr. Zhang is truly a young man of great talent and a rare find."

Zhang Shuai'an said calmly, "Mr. Lei, you flatter me. My meager achievements in the field of television drama are just a drop in the ocean compared to Mr. Lei's career, and are completely insignificant."

"Not arrogant at all." Lei Juekun nodded slightly. "Time is precious, so let's get straight to the point. May I ask what brings Mr. Zhang to my company today?"

Zhang Shuai'an began by saying, "I recently filmed a movie and was thinking of discussing its release in Lisheng Cinemas with Mr. Lei."

"That's good news." Lei Juekun's furrowed brows broke into a smile. "The Lisheng Theater just finished renovations during the Spring Festival, and they're in need of films right now. I wonder, Mr. Zhang, what are your thoughts on the package deal?"

"Cancel the minimum subscription fee," Zhang Shuai'an said simply and directly. "By adopting a revenue-sharing model, we can lower the barrier to entry for release, and naturally there will be no shortage of film sources."

Lei Juekun's eyelids twitched. This was exactly the strategy he intended to implement, and Mai Guangtou's Struggle Film Studio was the first target he would use to implement the cancellation of the bottom-line system.

However, after the release of "Crazy Conman," the box office performance was only average, with a gross of just over 3.1 million yuan. The box office performance of the subsequent films was even worse, so his first shot in abolishing the guaranteed minimum box office system didn't really make a splash, and he didn't announce it to the public with much fanfare.

He was just chatting with the three giants of struggle, hoping they would produce a blockbuster movie as soon as possible, preferably one that would top the box office, to create some buzz for him.

Lei Juekun smiled and shook his head: "It's easy for you to say, but how could the old system be abolished so easily!"

"It's difficult for me, but easy for Boss Lei."

Zhang Shuai'an said with a smile, "Besides, given Boss Lei's decisive and efficient style, he might already be doing it!"

"You do have a good eye," Lei Juekun said with a faint smile. "However, for me to fire the first shot in abolishing the guaranteed minimum box office, it has to be a film that can crack the top three at the end of the year. Does your film qualify?"

"Enough! Of course it's enough!" Zhang Shuai'an said confidently. "I made this movie with the goal of becoming the highest-grossing film of the year."

"What courage!" Lei Juekun praised Zhang Shuai'an, "Golden Harvest's 'Young Master' is about to break ten million at the box office, are you confident you can beat him?"

Zhang Shuai'an said, "Not only will we win, we'll win more than enough!"

Lei Juekun laughed and asked, "Boy, why are you so arrogant?"

"Because I've already reached agreements with Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and even the left-wing Shuangnan Cinema Chain!"

Zhang Shuai'an said with no small amount of pride, "If we add Mr. Lei's Lisheng Cinemas, then my film will be the first truly massive production in Hong Kong film history to be screened across all major cinema chains!"

"With such a grand production, it'll be a piece of cake for the box office to top the charts."