Hong Kong Entertainment 1979: A Beating Up the Manager at the Start

The film crew's opening ceremony was in the afternoon.

Li Jiangbo had no objection to this. Since he had already handed over the reins to Xu Ke, he would completely delegate authority to him, and at most he would help deal with any emergencies on the Taiwanese side.

He wrote the script for "Peking Opera Blues" and drew the storyboards. But as for how it would turn out and how it would be filmed, that was entirely up to Xu Ke.

It wasn't that he was lazy, but rather that he was well aware that although Xu Ke was currently unknown, his achievements in later generations were undeniable.

He single-handedly sparked innovation in Hong Kong's film industry. He directed Hong Kong's first fantasy film; he also directed Hong Kong's first gangster film...

The fact that Cinema City collapsed later on, while Xu Ke still thrived, proves that he was a man of great talent.

From last year until now, all the movies Li Jiangbo has made are for Cinema City. Cinema City is practically being skinned alive by Director Li!

A knock came at the door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and Dong Wei and Xu Ke walked in together.

Dong Wei was the martial arts instructor that Li Jiangbo invited from Fen Juhua. In fact, there are not many martial arts scenes in "Dao Ma Dan", but it is necessary to have professional Peking Opera practitioners to guide them.

Dong Wei happened to be a disciple of Fen Juhua, so he was recommended to come over.

After everyone sat down, Xu Ke spoke first: "Boss, we're going to pay a visit to the local triad bosses. We've been filming here for so long, we should let them know so we don't run into any problems later on."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangbo raised an eyebrow.

This problem exists everywhere you go!

But thinking about it, it makes sense. That's how it was back then, not just in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but also in mainland China, it just disappeared after the crackdown.

He thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Okay! Be nice, after all, we're asking for help. Make the gift generous, and ask Sister Pan for the money. I won't go. Come back early this afternoon, we're waiting for your opening ceremony."

Xu Ke looked at Li Jiangbo in surprise. He had come with the intention of going with the boss, but the other man had already seen through his intentions and refused him.

Never mind, I can do it myself, so I won't bother the boss with such a small matter.

After the two nodded in agreement, they got up and took their leave.

After the two left, Li Jiangbo called the company and asked Awei to bring a few people over.

First, protect the key figures in the crew, especially Zhu Lin. It's his first time in Taiwan, and he's unfamiliar with the place. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to explain it to his parents.

2:30 PM, China Film Cultural City.

The crew of "Peking Opera Blues" set up a simple incense table in the Republican-era themed street of the film studio.

Xu Ke and Dong Wei have not yet returned, so the opening ceremony is being arranged by assistant director Lan Naicai.

Guan, Zhong, and Zhu had changed into their costumes early and stood quietly to the side, waiting.

For this role, Zhu Lin cut his hair short, dressed in men's clothing, and looked like a real boy.

Chung Chu-hung looked around, searching for something. "Why hasn't Director Tsui arrived yet? Did he oversleep?"

Rosamund Kwan pouted, "They said they went to pay respects to the local lords. There are many rules here in Taiwan, so you can't skip it."

Zhu Lin, however, was absent-minded. Her mind was still replaying the events of the morning, and she didn't even hear Guan Zhilin speaking to her.

Rosamund Kwan raised her voice, and Zhu Lin finally heard her. Just then, Pan Yingzi and Li Jiangbo walked over, chatting and laughing.

Zhu Lin lowered his head, not daring to meet the eyes of the two.

Rosamund Kwan leaned closer and stared at Zhu Lin. "Xiao Lin, what's wrong with you? You seem a bit strange today."

Zhu Lin quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, I probably didn't sleep well last night."

Chung Chor-hung glanced at her suspiciously, then tugged at Rosamund Kwan's arm, signaling her not to ask anymore.

It was almost 3 o'clock when Xu Ke and Dong Weicai arrived at the film set.

After the opening ceremony, the two found Li Jiangbo and told him about their visit to the gang leader that morning.

Xu Ke said, "Boss, it's all taken care of over there, but they've asked for a bit too much."

Li Jiangbo took a drag of his cigarette, nodded, and asked, "How much does he want?"

Dong Wei said, "They said it's 10,000 yuan a day, and the price will be based on how many days you film."

"It's alright, these are normal expenses, they'll be included in the production budget."

Xu Ke said indignantly, "But they said they're only responsible during filming, and they won't care after it's over. I've never seen such an outrageous triad. I've dealt with triads in Hong Kong before."

Li Jiangbo patted Xu Ke on the shoulder and offered a few words of comfort, after which Xu Ke's expression softened.

The afternoon shoot went smoothly.

On the first day of filming, Xu Ke didn't want to keep stopping the production, hoping for a good start.

Just as we were finishing up, a black sedan drove straight into the cultural city.

An assistant ran up to Xu Ke and whispered a few words to him. Then, Xu Ke walked toward Li Jiangbo with a grim expression.

Li Jiangbo asked in confusion, "What's wrong with Lao Xu?"

Xu Ke sighed. "Boss, the leader of the Tianhe Gang is here and wants to see you."

"Didn't you visit the Tianhe Society this morning?"

Xu Ke shook his head. "No, this area is under the jurisdiction of the Bamboo Union gang."

Li Jiangbo nodded. "I'll go take a look. You hurry up and get everyone to pack up."

After Li Jiangbo walked over, he saw a middle-aged man of medium build, who was playing with two walnuts in his hands.

The two shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business.

While fiddling with the walnut in his hand, Chen Tian casually asked:

"Mr. Li, I heard you filmed a very popular movie in Hong Kong?"

Li Jiangbo tried to smooth things over, saying, "It's all luck, it's all luck."

Chen Tian said with a smile, "One hit film is luck, but two or three hit films are no longer luck. I don't have many other hobbies, I just like making friends. Mr. Li, could I have a stake in your next film? Money is no problem, Mr. Li, just name your price."

Li Jiangbo remained silent for a moment; he knew why this guy had come.

Isn't it just that they see me making money from acting and want to use me to launder money?

Money laundering methods similar to those used in later generations already existed in Hong Kong and Taiwan, only they weren't as egregious as they became in later forms.

They also wanted to make money, so they set their sights on me, who was riding high at the time.

With that in mind, Li Jiangbo said calmly, "Boss Chen, the budget for the next film has been set, and the investors have been negotiated. There are no plans to increase investment for the time being."

Chen Tian stopped spinning the walnuts, a cold laugh echoing in his eyes. "Is that so? Mr. Li, are you looking down on my humble abode?"

Li Jiangbo shook his head. "Boss Chen has misunderstood. The schedule and budget are already set. Adding someone at the last minute would cause problems for the original investors. There are rules to follow in business, and Boss Chen should know that better than I do."

Chen Tian stared at Li Jiangbo for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed—a cold laugh, the kind that's always on.

"Mr. Li is a rule-abiding person, and so am I. Only by following the rules can you go far!"

He glanced at Li Jiangbo again, a cold smile still on his face.

"Then I wish Mr. Li a successful filming and great box office success!"

After saying that, he got into the car, and the car sped away from the cultural city.

After the car drove away, Pan Yingzi approached Li Jiangbo and asked, "What did he want with you?"

Li Jiangbo lit a cigarette. "They wanted to invest, but I refused."

Pan Yingzi was stunned. "That's it?"

"that's all!"