Chapter 00148: The Flashy One
# The Flashy One
Chapter 148
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 148: The Flashy One
Before the reform and opening up, the conditions of China's civil aviation were quite poor, and the in-flight meals were even worse, almost on par with the standards of a large canteen.
Deng Xiaoping often complained, saying that the bread served on the plane would crumble with every bite—eat one bite, and two would fall off.
After the reform and opening up, Hong Kong's Maxim's Group was brought in to handle the in-flight meals for international flights, which raised the standard a bit.
Deng Xiaoping even specifically requested croissants, as he was quite fond of them.
Hmm...
Chen Qi also had a taste of the in-flight meal and then dozed off.
The flight to Hong Kong was quick.
At that time, Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport was quite unique, nestled between mountains and the sea, and right next to residential areas.
When the plane landed, everyone was startled because you could clearly see the streets and buildings below, even the clothes drying on the rooftops...
There was a saying back then that if you stood on a high floor of a building with a clothes-drying pole, you could knock a plane out of the sky.
After getting off the plane, the left-leaning group intentionally kept a low profile.
Only a few Chinese-funded newspapers like *Ta Kung Pao*, *Wen Wei Po*, and *Hong Kong Commercial Daily* sent photographers to take some pictures.
Then, they headed straight to their accommodations by car.
Before the handover of Hong Kong, many state-owned enterprises had already established themselves there, such as branches of the Bank of China, China Travel Service, and China Resources.
They had some industries under their belts, but they kept a low profile.
The group checked into a hotel of a similar nature, with two people sharing a room.
Chen Qi and Li Wenhua shared one, while Gong Xue and Ge Chunyan, the only two women in the group, naturally shared another.
After settling in, it was soon evening.
Fu Qi organized a small-scale welcome dinner.
Representatives from Great Wall, Phoenix, Sun Luen, and the cinema chain were present.
A few reporters from left-leaning newspapers also attended, and a leader from Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch made an appearance.
Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch was the highest mainland institution stationed in Hong Kong.
Nominally a news organization, its actual news operations were only a small part of its responsibilities, with political tasks being the main focus.
The current director, Wang Kuang, retired in 1983, and a veteran revolutionary surnamed Xu took over.
This was the same Xu mentioned earlier, who had been corrupted by capitalism and fled to the United States.
The director's rank was very high, so he wouldn't attend such a small event.
Instead, a minor official came.
"The last time we introduced a film from the mainland, I can't even remember when it was—probably in the early 1960s. It's been twenty years, and finally, another domestic film is making its debut in Hong Kong. It's quite emotional. I haven't seen this film, but I hear it's quite impressive. I wish you all the best!"
Amidst the clinking of glasses, the usual socializing ensued.
Fu Qi brought over a man and introduced him, "This is Comrade Xu Dunle, the general manager of our cinema chain!"
"Hello, hello! I've heard so much about you!"
Chen Qi quickly greeted him.
Xu Dunle was a bit older than Fu Qi, with a head full of white hair.
He was from Shantou and had been the cinema chain's general manager for over a decade.
He smiled and said, "You say you've heard of me—have you heard of me in Beijing too?"
"I've long admired every senior who has fought in Hong Kong."
"Haha, you're quite the talker! No wonder Fu Qi speaks so highly of you."
Immediately, the two sat down next to Chen Qi and began chatting.
"We have two flagship theaters, Nanhua and Nanyang, so people usually call us the 'Double South Cinema Chain.' Back then, we didn't have much money. The central government provided funds to buy land and build theaters. Mr. Xia Yan personally wrote scripts for us, and the support was immense. We didn't disappoint either. One year, six out of the top ten box office hits were ours. Unfortunately, as you know, things happened later, and we didn't produce anything for several years. The cinema chain could only show model operas. We had accumulated a surplus of 10 million, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into a loss. The country isn't wealthy now, so financial support is limited. Fu Qi and the others can't produce enough, so my cinema chain has no new films to show. We can only screen old ones. Last year, we even showed *Liu Sanjie*, a film from twenty years ago. Thankfully, *Deadly Curve* made some money. We've always supported each other. The profits from my cinema chain go back to them to make films, and then they bring those films back for us to screen... In a place like Hong Kong, solidarity is essential!"
Xu Dunle recounted some past events and then smiled, "Whenever Hong Kong film companies have a major release, they temporarily rent other theaters. I've already secured eight, plus our original eight, making sixteen theaters in total. We're not inferior to Shaw Brothers or Golden Harvest."
Fu Qi added, "Tomorrow, we'll hold a premiere at Nanhua Theater. Some local media will be there, essentially a media screening. The official release is on February 3rd."
"Do we have any competitors during the same period?"
"Michael Hui's *Security Unlimited*, Cinema City's *The Happy Ghost*, and Lau Kar-leung's *My Young Auntie* are all releasing during the Lunar New Year! Tomorrow, I've arranged for a few local martial artists to have a discussion on stage. It'll make for a good topic."
"Are there many martial artists in Hong Kong?"
"Plenty! There are over 400 martial arts schools, teaching all sorts of styles!"
Their arrangements were quite thorough, showing the deep foundation of the left-leaning group and their more open-minded approach compared to the mainland.
It's just a pity that luck hasn't been on their side.
After the dinner, they returned to their rooms.
Chen Qi wasn't in the mood to rest.
He was looking over the schedule for the next few days, especially the events planned for tomorrow.
Southern martial arts are said to have five major styles and thirteen schools.
The five major styles refer to Hung, Lau, Choy, Li, and Mok, while the thirteen schools include Dragon Style, Hero Style, White Eyebrow Style, Southern Branch Style, and so on—Jackie Chan, aside from Peking opera, also practiced White Eyebrow Style.
Tomorrow, two local martial artists were scheduled to perform—one specializing in White Eyebrow Style and the other in Hung Style.
"..."
Chen Qi stroked his chin.
With official personnel accompanying them, it wasn't the time for anything major, but a little something could still be done.
Martial arts exchanges inevitably involve some bumps and bruises.
...
Hong Kong's theaters were also two-story structures with over a thousand seats, reflecting an old-fashioned style.
Scheduling films in such theaters wasn't like modern multiplex cinemas, where dozens of screenings could be held in a day.
Back then, it was usually like this:
There was one screening in the morning, showing old films with cheap tickets, mostly attended by elderly people.
There was another screening in the evening, called the "after-work screening," aimed at those who had just gotten off work or school.
They would show foreign films or second-run films.
The night screening usually started around 7:30 PM, when new films were shown.
The next morning, Gong Xue got up early, washed up, and put on a little black dress and high heels.
She sat in front of the mirror and took out the lipstick Chen Qi had given her, carefully applying it to her lips.
It was her first time using it, and she thought the color suited her well.
"Xue Jie, you look so beautiful, a hundred times prettier than me!"
Ge Chunyan, wearing a tracksuit, stood behind her, full of envy.
Gong Xue smiled, "Who says so? You're both spirited and beautiful, and you know martial arts. I think you're a hundred times better than me."
"What's the use? I'm still stuck in a tracksuit!"
Ge Chunyan tugged at her clothes, feeling quite frustrated.
She also wanted to wear something nice, but there was no helping it—she was part of the martial arts team.
The two went downstairs, where the male comrades were already waiting, also dressed in tracksuits with the word "Tai Chi" printed on their chests.
These were provided by the left-leaning group, and while they weren't ugly, they were still tracksuits—a bit rustic.
The men didn't seem to mind, though, until one particular person showed up.
"Hey, hey!"
"Wow, look over there!"
Ji Chunhua, who had been playing around with Xiong Xinxin, suddenly widened his eyes and tugged at his companion to look ahead.
Xiong Xinxin also looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
The others were in disarray, their expressions varied, but all of them couldn't hide a sense of blatant envy—no, wait, disdain!
"..."
Gong Xue covered her mouth, both surprised and impressed, as she watched Chen Qi, the flashy one, walk over.
He was actually wearing a suit!
A white shirt inside, leather shoes on his feet, and unlike the popular trend of wearing a tie, he looked casual and natural.
The most annoying part was that this guy was even wearing a pair of glasses.
Gold-rimmed, perched delicately on the bridge of his nose.
You had to admit, with those glasses on, he actually looked like a proper person!
(End of Chapter)