Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 96 Isn't this a deadly scissor kick? (4 chapters, 10,000 words, please subscribe)

A little while later, Ling Zhijian arrived.

Upon seeing him, Zhang Shuai'an immediately stood up and said to Fatty Wang, "Let's go, let's set off first to Jiahe to discuss business, and then find a suitable office space."

As for the company's various licenses, they were obtained during the filming of "Shanghai Bund," and Zhang Shi'an had Ling Zhijian collect them.

Too lazy to drive anymore, Fatty Wang squeezed into Ling Zhijian's car and they went to Jiahe together.

Chow Wen-huai wasn't there this time; he said he went to the United States to help Jackie Chan negotiate with Warner Bros.

Zhang Shuai'an knew that he was probably preparing for "Killer Tycoon".

Last year, Chow Wen-huai made a bold statement in Hollywood, saying that he would invest HK$300 million to make six movies, including "The Killer" and "Cannonball Run".

(A boastful statement made by Raymond Chow in Hollywood in 1979)

Cheung Siu-on handed over the rewritten script for "Chasing Girls," along with the storyboard and budget, to Ho Koon-cheung.

He said earnestly, "Mr. He, this film is almost ready to start pre-production. My company has just been established and doesn't have enough staff; we'll need Golden Harvest's help for the rest of the team."

"That's easy." He Guanchang casually wrote a note and handed it to Zhang Shuai'an: "Take this note. Whoever you fancy at Jiahe, you can transfer them over if they're available."

"Thank you very much then," Zhang Shuai'an said.

He Guanchang suddenly asked, "Your company probably hasn't found an office address yet, has it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuai'an seemed to realize something and asked with a smile, "Indeed, not yet. Mr. He, do you have a good place to go?"

He Guanchang pointed to the ceiling: "The tenth floor, most of the space is empty. It won't be needed for at least a year or two. You can use it for now."

"Okay, let's go take a look first, and if it's suitable, we'll rent it."

Zhang Shuai'an had no intention of taking advantage of Jiahe on the price.

He led Fatty Wang, He Jiatong, and Ling Zhijian to the tenth floor.

As soon as Zhang Shuai'an stepped out of the elevator, he saw Chen Xunqi walking towards him.

"Mr. Chen Xunqi, it's a pleasure to meet you," Zhang Shuai'an greeted him.

Chen Xunqi stared at Zhang Shuai'an for a moment and said, "Hello, hello, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"

"You might have seen him on TV," Fatty Wang explained from the side. "Andy Lau starred in 'Young Detective Bao Qingtian,' which was a hit on TVB and quite popular throughout Hong Kong."

"Yes, I remember now."

Chen Xunqi held Zhang Shuai'an's hand and said with a smile, "I've seen you in the newspaper. You must be that super rookie who got a six million yuan salary. I didn't expect you to be so handsome in person. The photo in the newspaper didn't capture even a tenth of your good looks."

"Mr. Chen, you're quite the smooth talker," Zhang Shi'an said with a smile. "I really admire you. Directing, acting, music, martial arts—you're good at everything and an expert in everything. You're a rare all-rounder in film."

Both Sanmao and Long have praised you to me.

"Thank you for the compliment." Chen Xunqi said modestly, "Well, but directing doesn't count, I've never directed a film before."

Zhang Shuai'an quickly replied, "With your talent, it's only a matter of time."

"By the way, what are you here to do?" Chen Xunqi just smiled and asked.

Zhang Shuai'an replied, "I've built a film company, but I'm short of office space. Mr. He Guanchang said there's vacant space on the tenth floor, and he can rent it to me at a discount."

"That's great!" Chen Xunqi snapped his fingers excitedly. "Come with me."

As he spoke, he stepped forward to lead the way, saying, "About half of this place is my studio. I produce music, write scripts—and even live here. I used to be quite lonely, but now I have someone to keep me company."

As he walked, he explained the purpose of each room.

Finally, they arrived at the other side of the venue and pushed open a door: "Here, this is your office space."

As soon as Zhang Shuai'an walked in, he found that the space was quite large, probably around 80 square meters, and there was a floor-to-ceiling window facing Victoria Harbour, where he could see cargo ships and cruise ships sailing in the harbor in the distance.

"You can decorate however you like."

Chen Xunqi continued, "If you need any materials, I have them all. I have a lot of them, like office desks and chairs, which are leftovers from Jiahe's last purchase."

Zhang Shuai'an looked at him and asked, "By the way, Mr. Chen, have you taken on any acting roles recently?"

"No, not at all." Chen Xunqi thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Zhang Shuai'an asked, "Would you be interested in lending a hand in my play?"

He wasn't in a hurry to recruit Chen Xunqi to his company.

Chen Xunqi is indeed a multi-talented person, but he is also a very independent person. After working hard at Golden Harvest for more than two years, he partnered with Li Yin to found Wing Kai Film Company and joined the Golden Princess Cinema Circuit.

He hasn't made a single movie yet, so he doesn't have much influence.

We still need to take it slow, gain their trust step by step, and then recruit them at the right time.

"Okay, I'm right next door. Call me when the time comes." Chen Xunqi then said goodbye and left.

Looking at the spacious area, He Jiatong said excitedly, "Brother An, this will be our territory from now on? It feels like a dream."

Zhang Shuai'an reminded us, "It's only temporary. Once our movie becomes a huge hit and we make money, we'll buy a building to use as our office."

Ling Zhijian laughed: "I never dreamed it would be this good. It's not easy to make a living."

"Now that we've come out as the Xiongnu chieftain, of course we should be bolder." Influenced by Zhang Shuai'an, Fatty Wang also had some ambition. "Who knows if we'll be the next Zou Wenhuai and Boss Shao someday?"

Ling Zhijian said, "There are only a few of us in the company right now, which is a bit small."

"That's why you need to recruit more capable friends."

Zhang Shuai'an patted Wang Pangzi's belly and said with a smile, "Brother Jing, you've been with Shaw Brothers for so many years, you must know a lot of talented but unappreciated big shots, whether they are photographers or prop masters—bring them over if you can."

However, we only accept those with real skills; those who just coast along won't be accepted.

While they were talking, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, the door's unlocked."

Zhang Shuai'an was a little puzzled. Could it be that Chen Xunqi had returned?

The door was pushed open, and Taibao slowly walked in, followed by several other people.

Zhang Shuai'an asked, "Taibao, what brings you here?"

Taibao said with a smile, "We just received instructions from He Sheng to come and report to you."

Unexpectedly, Ho Koon-cheung was so considerate, arranging everything for him before he even had a chance to choose.

"Where are the other brothers? Come in." Zhang Shuai'an walked to the door and waved to the group.

These people followed us in, their eyes scanning the surroundings. They didn't look very old, so they probably weren't frontline employees of Jiahe.

However, it's still pretty good.

The frontline staff of Golden Harvest are either in Sammo Hung's stunt team, Jackie Chan's stunt team, or Yuen Woo-ping's stunt team, and they all prioritize serving their own teams.

"This man is Huang Bingyao, a top student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong."

Tai Bao pointed to one of the bespectacled young men, who was even fatter than Fatty Wang, and introduced him: "He's currently a middle school teacher. He used to write scripts for CTV part-time. Later, CTV went bankrupt, and Brother Sanmao discovered his talent and had him try writing scripts for Golden Harvest."

When Zhang Shuai'an saw that chubby face, a thought immediately flashed through his mind:

Isn't this the deadly scissor kick from "Fight Back to School"?