Chapter 00200: The System
# The System
Chapter 200
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 200: The System
At the North Film Studio.
In the office, Wang Yang and Deputy Director Zhu Dexiong were happily reading the news reports.
Although the North Film Studio hadn’t surpassed the Shanghai Film Studio, *The Romance on Lushan Mountain* had returned with honors, and more importantly, it had gained significant weight in the hearts of the audience.
*The Tai Chi* was set to release this year and wasn’t included in the awards selection, but what about next year? While the Golden Rooster Award might be uncertain, next year’s Hundred Flowers Award was almost a sure thing for Gong Xue, with an 80% chance of her winning it again—a consecutive victory.
By the way, *The Shaolin Temple* hadn’t won any Golden Rooster or Hundred Flowers Awards because it was considered a Hong Kong film and wasn’t eligible for the mainland awards.
It only received a special "Outstanding Film Award" given by the Ministry of Culture.
"Has the car been sent?" Wang Yang asked.
"Yes, it’s been sent. They’ll be back by the afternoon. The welcome arrangements are all set, and we’ll have a celebration party tomorrow," Zhu Dexiong replied.
"Among our studio’s four golden flowers, Little Gong has risen to the top. She’s brought glory to the studio, so we should reward her… How about a raise?" Wang Yang suggested.
"How much should we raise it?"
"I think a three-level promotion wouldn’t be too much," Wang Yang said.
"She came from the military and started with a salary of 56 yuan. A three-level promotion would max her out. I think it’s going to be tough. It’s best to discuss it in a meeting. You can’t just decide on a raise like this on your own," Zhu Dexiong advised.
"Let’s include Liu Xiaoqing and the others too. Give them all a raise so Gong Xue doesn’t stand out too much," Zhu Dexiong added.
"Alright, let’s call a meeting first," Wang Yang agreed reluctantly.
There were pros and cons to working in a state-run studio, which was why he understood why Chen Qi had decided to go independent.
…………
"Beep! Beep!"
A car drove over the cracked asphalt road, passing through the gate with a banner that read, "Welcome the triumphant return of *The Romance on Lushan Mountain*," and stopped in front of the guesthouse.
Chen Qi was in the passenger seat, while the backseat was crammed with four people—thankfully, there were no drunk driving checks back then.
The doors opened, and Gong Xue, Wang Haowei, He Qing, and Tao Huimin got out—Ji Chunhua had taken the bus by himself.
"Why is there even a banner at the guesthouse?" Wang Haowei looked up, feeling the whole thing was a bit over the top.
Before she could say more, someone rushed over.
"Director Wang! Little Gong! Why did you stop here? The studio leaders are waiting for you!"
"What’s going on?"
"They’re throwing a welcome party for you. The roast duck is already set up in the canteen."
"This…"
Gong Xue hesitated, but Chen Qi didn’t mind.
"You guys go ahead. I’ll handle things here… I’m not going. I didn’t win any awards."
He really didn’t care for such occasions.
He called Ge Chunyan down and said, "This is your senior sister and also your martial arts instructor. Follow her upstairs!"
"Okay!"
He Qing, being new, didn’t dare make a fuss and obediently followed Tao Huimin upstairs.
Ge Chunyan had already settled in the guesthouse, preparing for the filming.
She played Feng Hualian in the first film and would play the Yellow Lotus Holy Mother of the Red Lantern Society in the second, as she was the best at handling the fight scenes.
She arranged rooms for the two and gave them instructions, which we’ll skip for now.
Gong Xue went off to attend the gathering, while Chen Qi returned to his long-unvisited Room 302. Tired from the train ride, he took a good nap and woke up in the evening.
Sitting groggily for a while, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.
"What’s going on now?"
"This studio is always full of drama!"
He pushed open the window and saw people gathering in small groups, angrily heading toward the main building.
They were all the studio’s cinematographers, art directors, editors…
"Hey, Old Liang!"
He spotted Liang Xiaosheng, who was also there to watch the commotion, and waved him over.
He quickly ran downstairs to ask, "What’s going on?"
"I heard the studio is planning to give the four golden flowers a raise. The news leaked, and the veteran employees aren’t happy. They’re heading to the main building to protest."
"How much of a raise?"
"A three-level promotion, which would mean an increase of about 30 to 40 yuan."
"That’s quite a bit. Let’s go check it out!"
Chen Qi eagerly followed the crowd to the front of the main building.
At the forefront was a veteran cinematographer in his fifties, using a rolled-up book as a megaphone, standing on the steps and shouting.
"In 1949, when I was 20, I was transferred to the North Film Studio. I started as a production assistant, and now, at 51, I’ve worked diligently and treated my colleagues with respect. I consider myself a dedicated film worker. I earn a little over 70 yuan a month, which is relatively high in the studio, but I’ve earned it through hard work and years of contribution. There are people who earn more than me, and I respect that because they’ve contributed more. They deserve it. But! We’ve all heard that the studio plans to give the so-called four golden flowers a three-level promotion. I want to ask, why? Is filmmaking about individuals? Filmmaking is a collective effort. We all contribute, just in different roles. There’s no hierarchy. Why should they get a raise just for acting? It’s not fair!"
"Not fair! Not fair!"
"Well said!"
The crowd was fired up.
The veteran cinematographer, seeing Chen Qi below, shouted, "Comrade Chen Qi, do you agree with what I’m saying?"
"You’re absolutely right!"
"I fully support you!"
Chen Qi clapped and cheered, sounding completely sincere.
After all, why should stars earn so much? He agreed with the veteran’s point, but that didn’t stop him from giving people more money, like raising the subsidy from 1 yuan to 2 yuan.
He believed that everyone needed financial motivation to work.
The more value you could create, the more you should be paid.
What he hated were those later-generation stars who took advantage of the system, like Yang Tianbao who earned 80 million, Shuangzi who earned 160 million, and Little Yellow Duck who earned 109 million…
Seeing Chen Qi’s support, the veteran cinematographer became even more passionate.
It might seem a bit funny, but he represented the interests of most people in the studio, and that gave him value.
Meanwhile, upstairs.
The four golden flowers were all there, having been called in for a meeting, only to find themselves suddenly surrounded.
Gong Xue was extremely embarrassed.
This whole situation had started because of her.
Liu Xiaoqing, standing nearby, said sarcastically, "Little Gong, why don’t you go down and talk to them? You’ve got the face to calm everyone down."
"What face do I have?"
"You won two awards, of course you have face. You just got back, and they’re already throwing a welcome party and a celebration for you."
"These are all arranged by the studio. I didn’t even know about it. Don’t make it sound like it’s my fault. I won the awards because of the judges and the audience. Stop talking like that!"
Gong Xue wasn’t good at arguing, and this was the strongest rebuttal she could muster.
She turned and walked away.
Zhang Jinling followed her, trying to comfort her.
The four golden flowers were clearly divided into two factions, and the others were clearly jealous.
Liu Xiaoqing muttered under her breath, "What’s she pretending for? She just knows how to climb into bed. I could do that too, but that guy doesn’t want me!"
In the end, it was Zhu Dexiong who came down to explain.
He said the rumors about the raise were completely false and that there was no such thing.
He told everyone to go back.
The veteran employees, satisfied, dispersed.
…………
Seeing this, Chen Qi went up to the main building and straight to the office.
He knocked on the door and smiled, "Old Director!"
"Oh, Little Chen! It’s been a while since you’ve been here!"
"I’ve been busy lately. My apologies!"
Wang Yang stood by the window, hands behind his back, staring at the scene below.
His face was grim, but he forced a smile when he saw Chen Qi.
"How’s your company doing?"
"I’ve signed Ji Chunhua and added an administrative staff member. Now we have five people in total!"
"Five?"
Wang Yang chuckled and shook his head.
"Cherish these days. This is actually the easiest time for you. When your company grows to the size of the North Film Studio, you’ll understand how I feel. Even giving raises becomes restricted. You don’t want to be part of the system, but when your company gets big enough, you won’t have a choice."
"We’ll deal with that when the time comes. There’s always room to maneuver."
Chen Qi smiled.
"There are so many people in the world. Some are suited for the system, some aren’t. Some should stay outside, some should be inside, and some should appear to be outside while actually being inside… You’ve been in the system for decades. You should know better than me."
"Appear to be outside while actually being inside? What do you mean?"
"Like Jet Li, for example!"
Chen Qi shrugged.
(End of Chapter)