Chapter 00110: Willing to Contribute a Modest Effort
# Willing to Contribute a Modest Effort
Chapter 110
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 110: Willing to Contribute a Modest Effort
Liu Xiaoqing, the oldest at 30, had a career record of winning the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress once and the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress three times.
Zhang Jinling, 29, had retired early and had never won any awards.
Li Xiuming, 26, had won one Golden Rooster and one Hundred Flowers Award.
Her notable works included "Xu Mao and His Daughters" and "The Peacock Princess."
She also played the role of Yuanchun in the film adaptation of "Dream of the Red Chamber," a role originally intended for Gong Xue.
Li Xiuming was a clever woman.
During the commercial boom of the 1990s, she and her husband started a company outside the Beijing Film Studio, selling potato chips under the brand "Dajia Bao."
At the time, there were few domestic potato chip brands, and their product became an instant hit.
Within two years, their revenue reached 40 million yuan, and they eventually sold the company to PepsiCo for several hundred million yuan, achieving financial freedom and retiring to Canada.
Gong Xue, on the other hand, was still a newcomer with no significant achievements to her name.
Apart from Zhang Jinling, who was friendly towards her, she could sense a subtle competitive vibe from the other two.
"Xiao Gong, how's your martial arts film coming along?" Zhang Jinling asked.
"It's going well, everything's on track. We'll be shooting on location in a few days."
"Oh, we're busy too. All three of us are in 'Xu Mao and His Daughters,'" Li Xiuming chimed in.
"Right, she's the lead, and we're supporting her!" Liu Xiaoqing laughed.
"Hey, don't say it like that. This time you're supporting me, next time I'll support you," Li Xiuming replied with a smile.
Li Xiuming then turned to Gong Xue, "You're older than me, so I'll call you Sister Xue. You're so lucky, landing two leading roles right off the bat... Both written by that young prodigy, right? It's just a bit odd, one romance and one martial arts film. Not that it's bad, but it feels a bit... common."
She didn't say the word "vulgar," but the implication was clear.
"Please don't say that, both films are very good."
"Oh, I didn't say they weren't. You're already defending them... I'm just joking, don't take it seriously!"
Li Xiuming laughed, while Gong Xue bit her lip, suddenly feeling frustrated with her own inability to argue.
The strongest retort she could muster was, "You're being too much!"
Zhang Jinling stepped in to defuse the tension, "Xiuming, don't bully her. Xiao Gong is like a sister to me, I won't let you off!"
"Of course not, we're all colleagues here, just joking around!"
Liu Xiaoqing silently watched the exchange, amused.
After breakfast, Gong Xue hurried off to the studio without complaining to anyone.
Since her teenage years, when her parents were publicly criticized and she was called out on the school field, she had grown accustomed to such situations.
It was just another day of filming.
By evening, Li Wenhua stood in the middle of the set with a megaphone, announcing, "Listen up! The fight scenes are almost done. There are a few simpler ones left for the outdoor locations. Master Yuen and I have discussed it and planned them out in advance, so we'll handle them ourselves. Time flies like a wild donkey, and it's been almost two months. The two masters have other commitments in Hong Kong and have to return. We thank them for all their hard work. Let's gather in the cafeteria later for a small farewell dinner. I've specially asked the chef to prepare roast duck. Our studio's chef makes roast duck even better than Quanjude!"
Laughter filled the air as Yuen Woo-ping and Yuen Cheung-yan said a few words before heading to the cafeteria.
The chef's roast duck was indeed excellent.
Chen Qi brought out some alcohol, and everyone ate and drank together.
The Yuen brothers had a pleasant experience and had formed some friendships, at least having a group of friends on the mainland now.
Of course, what they regretted most was leaving Jet Li behind.
"Jet, if only you could come to Hong Kong! We'd make you the biggest kung fu star, even bigger than Jackie Chan!"
"Who's Jackie Chan?"
"He's the hottest star in Hong Kong. His film 'The Young Master' made 11 million at the box office earlier this year, the first film in Hong Kong to break 10 million."
"Is 10 million a lot? In mainland China, any film can make 10 million easily."
Jet Li, naive and lacking in tact, left the Yuen brothers momentarily speechless.
They quickly added, "The Hong Kong market is small, but the pay is good. Golden Harvest pays him 4 million per film, and he signed a three-film deal!"
Jet Li spat out his soda in disbelief, "4 million? Three films would be 12 million?"
"Exactly!"
"Wow!"
Even Jet Li, who had seen a bit of the world, was struck by the allure of money, feeling a growing desire to follow the Yuen brothers' path.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't corrupt the kid!"
Chen Qi came over with a bottle of alcohol, pouring drinks for the brothers, "Have you ever thought that if every Hong Kong actor demands high pay, production costs will skyrocket, and you'll eventually be overwhelmed, cutting costs and lowering quality, leading to a vicious cycle?"
"No way, we make money overseas. That's enough to cover our films. Even Hollywood can't compete with us in Hong Kong," Yuen Cheung-yan said proudly.
"But can you keep relying on overseas markets? What goes up must come down. No country or region can stay on top forever. Every place needs to protect its local industry. What if they start restricting foreign films? And what about your biggest market, Taiwan? Taiwan always follows the U. S. If Hollywood wants to force its way in, do you think Taiwan would dare to resist?"
Chen Qi ignored them and turned to Jet Li, "And you, stop dreaming about unrealistic things. Can you even go to Hong Kong? Would the martial arts team let you leave?"
"Can't I at least think about it?"
Jet Li was frustrated.
"Finish this film first, and then there's 'Shaolin Temple.' Focus on your work."
Chen Qi, ever the know-it-all, took his bottle of alcohol and went to mingle with others, acting like a social butterfly.
Finally, he approached the representative from the Great Wall company, filled his glass, and said with a smile, "If you have time later, could you come to the guesthouse? I have something I'd like you to pass on to Fu Qi and Shi Hui."
"Oh? What is it?"
"You've helped us a lot. I'm just a scholar with nothing to offer but my pen. I hope you don't mind."
...
"I'm not drunk! Not drunk!"
"Don't help me, I can walk straight... Whoa!"
After the dinner, most people were tipsy, helping each other back to their rooms.
The Great Wall representative followed Chen Qi to room 302. Chen Qi locked the door and took out two notebooks from a drawer, saying, "I want to make it clear that I sincerely hope you can rise again in Hong Kong, regain your former glory, and become even greater than before! I'm willing to contribute my modest effort!"
The representative, moved by Chen Qi's sudden seriousness, felt a warmth in his heart.
The leftists had it tough, caught in the middle and often feeling like they didn't belong.
Every time they returned, people would say, "We must hold onto Hong Kong!" But could they hold onto it without support?
Like last year's cultural conference, when the leaders hoped Xia Meng would continue making films but didn't provide any funding—the country was indeed short on money, and there was no need to elaborate.
It was only after Henry Fok donated money to support the country's cultural endeavors that Xia Meng was able to establish the Bluebird Company.
In short, the leftists were like unwanted children, yet they bore heavy responsibilities.
Chen Qi's solemnity warmed the representative's heart, and he said, "I will definitely pass this on. Thank you for your support!"
With that, he opened the notebooks and was immediately struck by what he saw.
"This... this is?!"
(Thank you to sfqk for another silver! That's all for this chapter...)