Chapter 00135: A Kiss
# A Kiss
Chapter 135
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 135: A Kiss
After "Deadly Curve" gained some traction, Fu Qi began reaching out to distributors in South Korea and Southeast Asia.
The leftist faction had its own distribution channels, but their previous films were heavily political, which overseas distributors weren't interested in, so very few of their works made it abroad.
"Deadly Curve," however, was a full-blown commercial film, complete with Japanese villains, making it politically correct in Asia.
South Korea expressed strong interest.
Of course, there were also places with stricter censorship, like Singapore.
In some ways, Singapore's censorship was even tighter than mainland China's.
For example, when "Young and Dangerous" was submitted for review, they had to reshoot several scenes with Ekin Cheng, turning his character into an undercover cop sent by the police to infiltrate the gang.
In the end, all his good brothers—Chicken, Big Head, and Skinny—were sent to prison.
The title was even changed to "New Police Story: Man in the Jianghu"! Singapore didn't allow the glorification of gangsters or let the bad guys win in the end.
Back in the day, Hong Kong films had to make these kinds of self-censoring compromises to survive, but later, when those filmmakers went north, they complained endlessly about how strict mainland censorship was and how it ruined Hong Kong cinema.
Anyway, Fu Qi believed "Deadly Curve" could sell a few million copies in Asia, and its style was even more suited for the American market.
He was eager to take it overseas.
That night, at the Great Wall Company dormitory, Fu Qi wrote a letter to Wang Yang and Chen Qi, sharing the good news about "Deadly Curve."
They replied with a letter of their own, which Fu Qi read under the lamplight.
After finishing, he chuckled and said, "They want to take their martial arts film overseas too!"
"What's the plan?" Shi Hui asked.
"Old Wang is trying to get it into the Berlin Film Festival. They also invited us to Beijing to check out the footage and see if we can distribute it in Hong Kong."
"That feels so strange!" Shi Hui said with a puzzled expression.
"Since when do studios actively pursue overseas markets? And they want it to premiere in Hong Kong too?"
"Old Wang definitely didn't come up with that idea. It must be that young comrade's doing. It works out perfectly since we also want to send 'Deadly Curve' abroad. We can discuss it when we go back to Beijing. If it works out, we'll do it together."
"Oh, by the way, should we thank that young comrade? He said he'd give us the script for free, but we can't just take it without giving something in return. Back when times were tough, it was one thing, but now that we've made some money, we should at least pay him his due," Shi Hui suggested.
"Let's pay him the market rate, the highest we can offer. Any more than that, and it might cause trouble for him..."
Fu Qi smiled.
"I'm really interested in him now. We'll have plenty of opportunities to work together in the future. No rush."
"Yeah, yeah. You're 51, I'm 46. After guarding the family business for the motherland for another ten years, it'll be time for us to retire. Honestly, I'm already feeling a bit tired. Spending more time with young people like him might help us keep going."
Shi Hui sighed, then suddenly turned her head and saw her youngest daughter peeking through the door crack.
She smiled and said, "Sweetie, come here!"
"Mommy!"
Fu Mingxian opened the door and rushed over, asking, "Are we going to Beijing?"
"Yes, do you want to come with us?"
"Yes, yes! I love going out!"
"Then we'll go once your winter break starts!"
Shi Hui playfully pinched her daughter's nose.
Fu Mingxian was still adorable and innocent, not yet spoiled like she would be later.
Hong Kong schools had winter break from Christmas until January, so they decided to make the trip to Beijing at the end of the year.
...
At a certain theater, Yuen Woo-ping took some time to watch "Deadly Curve."
When he came out, his assessment of the film was lukewarm.
There wasn't much in terms of action choreography; it relied on gore and cannibalism to grab attention, with the final act of fighting Japanese soldiers adding a bit of patriotic flair.
Still, he had to admit that this kind of genre film was rare in Hong Kong.
The leftist faction couldn't have made it, especially since the screenwriting credit prominently displayed two big characters: Chen Qi!
Based on their brief interactions in Beijing, Yuen Woo-ping thought this guy had a truly unique way of thinking, coming up with ideas that no one else could.
He was different from filmmakers in both Hong Kong and the mainland.
"I hope we can have a successful start too!"
Yuen Woo-ping put on his hat and left quietly.
His team was currently filming "The Miracle Fighters," their debut project.
...
Li Han-hsiang, on the other hand, didn't pay much attention to "Deadly Curve."
As a literary man, he looked down on such lowbrow works.
His new film was originally going to be about "Xu Laohu and the White Widow," but after hearing Chen Qi talk about Yu Xuanji, he became intrigued.
He did some research and found himself increasingly fascinated by this mysterious woman from history.
There wasn't much recorded about her, leaving plenty of room for imagination.
He decisively dropped the White Widow and decided to make a film about Yu Xuanji instead.
He started writing the script while waiting for Chen Qi's version.
Li Han-hsiang was quite proud of his own work, so even if someone else's script was good, he would still make changes to it.
...
That morning, Chen Qi took Gong Xue back to the bank.
They went to the familiar counter, and Chen Qi handed over the withdrawal slip.
The teller glanced at it, then did a double take, her expression turning dazed as she carefully asked, "Your payment this time is really... sixty thousand Hong Kong dollars???"
"It's written right there. I can't forge a document, can I?"
"Please wait a moment. I need to check with my supervisor."
After a while, the supervisor came out.
This was Chen Qi's third payment—the first was ten thousand Hong Kong dollars, the second thirty thousand, and now sixty thousand.
The money was for the scripts of "Deadly Curve" and "Dark Descent," which converted to about twenty thousand yuan.
As a special talent who could earn foreign currency through writing, the relevant authorities had thoroughly vetted him, and every penny's origin was clear.
So when the supervisor came out, they just chatted casually without asking too many questions.
Chen Qi wasn't withdrawing cash this time, so he didn't bring any bodyguards.
He simply deposited the money, and his bankbook now showed a hefty balance of thirty thousand yuan.
The sense of security instantly returned.
What did thirty thousand yuan mean back then?
The term "ten-thousand-yuan household" was officially coined by the government.
Every time a household in a region earned ten thousand yuan, it would be celebrated in the newspapers, and local governments would treat it as a political achievement and honor, even awarding medals and plaques to these households.
At that time, places like Guangdong, Shandong, and Gansu had already started seeing ten-thousand-yuan households.
Adjusting for inflation, ten thousand yuan back then was roughly equivalent to 2.25 million yuan in modern times.
A ten-thousand-yuan household back then driving a Mercedes today would be considered a sign of declining fortunes...
"Now I don't have to worry about building the house!"
Chen Qi left the bank feeling light and carefree, as if he had just paid off a loan, found a wife, and his daughter had gotten into Lianshui Vocational School.
It was like going for a foot massage and finding out the masseuse looked like Dilraba.
Money was confidence!
He hopped onto his rickety bike, with Gong Xue sitting behind him, and rode to Lechunfang No. 6.
Dating was difficult back then, partly because there was so little private space.
People worked in their units, ate in the canteens, and slept in the dormitories.
From morning till night, everything was public.
Finally, when they had some time off and wanted to go on a date, they'd find themselves surrounded by people everywhere.
They couldn't hold hands, couldn't hug, couldn't kiss.
Couples walking together looked more like revolutionary comrades.
The only place they could find some privacy was in the woods...
So, in a way, this rundown courtyard had become their dating spot.
The rubble had been cleared away, and the north house had been demolished.
The land was leveled, making the area look particularly empty.
The construction crew had been slacking off lately because of the colder weather, and once winter set in, work would stop completely.
Chen Qi's family didn't dare say anything.
The crew had been hired from another unit, and if they walked off the job, they'd have to find a new team.
...
Gong Xue's face was flushed.
She knew that every time they came here, she was going to get teased.
Sure enough, as soon as the door closed, she was pulled into an embrace.
The warm breath by her ear made her heart flutter.
That mischievous, annoying, yet admirable man whispered to her:
"We've hugged before. Why are you still so nervous?"
"How can you get used to something like this?!"
"Of course you can. It just means we haven't hugged enough."
Chen Qi held her from behind and suddenly kissed her cheek.
Feeling her body tense up, he didn't push further and just chuckled.
"With this payment, my worries are gone. It's just that the construction crew is being too slow. If I can move in by next year, I'll be grateful."
"Such a big courtyard needs careful planning. You're not in a rush anyway. Don't worry too much," Gong Xue said softly.
"I'm not in a rush. I'm just chatting with you. Hey, how about I give you some foreign exchange coupons? You can buy a bike and stop riding my old one. If I bought it for you, you'd refuse, so I'll just give you the coupons... By the way, how much have you saved up?"
"Why are you asking that?"
"Just curious."
"Well... I'm embarrassed to say."
Gong Xue was shy.
He was earning tens of thousands, while she was on a fixed salary of just a few dozen yuan a month.
How could she compare? But under his persistent questioning, she finally admitted, "I haven't saved much. Less than two thousand yuan."
"That's a lot!"
"I've been working for a long time!"
"Ah, the benefits of being the older sister, with all that seniority..."
"You!"
Gong Xue turned around, biting her lip with a hint of resentment.
"Are you teasing me? You know what I care about most."
"No, no, you know I like to joke around."
Chen Qi quickly tried to smooth things over and changed the subject.
"I have another script for Li Han-hsiang that's almost done. I'll earn another payment for it. It's about Yu Xuanji."
"Yu Xuanji?"
"A female poet from the Tang Dynasty. She was very talented and had a legendary life. But Li Han-hsiang, that old pervert, loves his romantic themes. If he gets his hands on it, he'll turn it into a romance film."
"You're writing a dirty script!"
Gong Xue looked at him in disbelief, as if he had been tainted.
"My script is pure! Even if there's any suggestive content, it's only hinted at. This is going to Hong Kong. Who knows if it'll get censored? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"That's better. If you really wrote something like that, I'd ignore you."
Who knows? When I break into the Japanese, Korean, and Western markets, who knows how risqué things might get?
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
Instead, he said, "Actually, there's no need to treat it like a taboo. Food and sex are basic human desires. Just like us now—we've held hands, hugged. Shouldn't we take the next step?"
"What do you want to do?"
Gong Xue tensed up again.
"Continue what we didn't finish earlier..."
Chen Qi kissed her cheek again, and before she could react, he naturally moved to her lips.
Gong Xue realized his intention, and her ears burned red.
She felt like she should push him away, but her body felt weak, and she could only tightly close her eyes, letting him have his way.
(End of Chapter)