Chapter 00207: No Brains
# No Brains
Chapter 207
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 207: No Brains
"Master Yuan!"
"Ah Qi!"
At the entrance of Beijing Film Studio, Chen Qi personally welcomed the Yuan brothers.
Yuan Heping laughed cheerfully as he hugged him—they were already familiar enough to skip formalities.
"Did you receive The Dead and the Deadly?"
"I did!"
"Then why hasn't my payment arrived yet?"
"Hey! I transferred the money to you immediately—30,000 HKD! Don't go accusing good people. Your scripts really have potential. The Dead and the Deadly is solid. We're confident it’ll surpass Encounter of the Spooky Kind."
"As long as you're satisfied. But inviting you is hard work—costs me a whole script each time."
"Haha, write me a few more, and I’ll do your fight choreography for free!"
As they walked inside, Yuan Heping talked about recent developments in Hong Kong cinema.
The Tai Chi Master had raked in a staggering 19 million HKD at the box office, beating Hui Brothers’ Security Unlimited and still holding the top spot for the year.
Cinema City’s The Happy Ghost took third place with 5.1 million.
Fourth place was interesting—Challenge of the Gamesters, with 5.08 million, barely missing third.
This film was written and directed by Wong Jing, marking his official debut in Hong Kong cinema this year.
"Cinema City has Chasing Girls coming in August, Shaw Brothers has Bewitched, and there’s the cartoon Old Master Q. None of them stand a chance."
"What about Golden Harvest?"
"Golden Harvest bet everything on Security Unlimited, but you crushed them. They’re done for the year. Jackie Chan’s The Cannonball Run flopped hard—terrible reviews. He’s decided to return to Hong Kong. Next year’s going to be a real dogfight."
Yuan Heping was worried about his own company, but Chen Qi was thinking further ahead.
In the next few years, Hong Kong cinema would be dominated by the Aces Go Places and Lucky Stars series.
This was an era where teamwork mattered—even Jackie Chan couldn’t carry films alone and had to collaborate with Sammo Hung.
Cinema City was at its peak, forcing Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers to join forces against them… and even then, they couldn’t compete.
Now, with Chen Qi stirring the pot? That would be a true battle of titans.
They arrived at the soundstage, where familiar faces greeted them warmly.
Newcomers were introduced.
Donnie Yen had been itching for this moment.
He eagerly stepped forward and said, "Master Yuan, it’s me! My mother must’ve written to you—I’m part of the cast too!"
"Ah, Donnie! I knew you were in this. What a coincidence!"
Jet Li was puzzled.
"Master Yuan, you two know each other?"
"My sister was his mother’s disciple!"
Yuan Heping’s explanation made everything clear.
Later, Donnie Yen would use this connection to formally become Yuan Heping’s disciple.
After the introductions, Chen Qi led the Yuan brothers to his office.
The space was modest—administrative staff were out handling business, leaving only the accountant inside.
"Ah Qi, you started a company?"
Yuan Heping was genuinely surprised.
"The government trusts me enough to let me run a small company. I’m technically the deputy manager, handling day-to-day operations. Our films can be distributed overseas, and we can co-produce with Hong Kong."
"Co-productions?"
Before Yuan Heping could ask further, Chen Qi grinned and added, "But only with leftist partners!"
"Ah, I understand. Rules are rules."
Yuan Heping nodded, exchanging a meaningful glance with his brother.
Rules were rules, but there were always ways around them.
Chen Qi was sharp—if he ever went to Hong Kong, they’d want to stay close.
They weren’t leftists themselves.
Joining the Free Trade Association was just for access to the Taiwanese market.
As long as there was money to be made, their stance was flexible.
Next, they discussed the fight scenes for The Tai Chi Master 2.
The action style would stay consistent with the first film—fast, sharp, and packed with hard-hitting impacts.
The scale would be bigger, with more participants.
The Boxer Rebellion sequences would blend martial arts with supernatural elements—fighters trembling after drinking talisman water, possessed by the Monkey King’s spirit… only to get wrecked by Yang Yuqian.
Two key scenes stood out:
First, a massive hundred-man brawl.
The Red Lanterns, Qing government forces, foreigners, opportunists, and Yang Yuqian’s group would all clash.
This would be filmed at a leftist-owned studio in Hong Kong.
Second, Yang Yuqian vs. Nalan Yuanshu.
"Cloth pole! We have to use a cloth pole!"
Chen Qi was practically vibrating with excitement.
"A whole bolt of fabric, twisted into a staff. Soak it in water—it becomes soft or hard, flexible yet deadly. One strike could punch through a wall!"
"What fighting style?"
"Nine-section whip + long whip + staff techniques!"
"That’s… a weird mix."
Yuan Heping frowned but didn’t reject the idea outright.
He lowered his head slightly, eyes unfocused as he mentally simulated the moves.
After testing a few techniques with his brother, he finally said, "It’s doable."
"Perfect! This is why I love working with you!"
Chen Qi slammed the table in satisfaction.
Leading this crew from scratch had been exhausting—nobody had experience.
That’s why he’d been so thrilled to find someone as sharp as Li Jianqun.
Yuan Heping was even better—give him a request, and he’d deliver.
Top-tier professionalism.
Every industry preferred veterans.
Slap a married woman’s rear, and she’d roll over without a word.
Slap a young girl’s, and she’d just ask, "Why’d you hit me?"
The feeling wasn’t the same!
……
Preparations for The Tai Chi Master 2 mirrored the first film.
Li Wenhua had gained enough experience to handle much of the workload, easing Chen Qi’s burden.
He even considered delegating—letting Li Wenhua handle the drama scenes and Yuan Heping the fights—just to see if they could pull it off.
For the newcomers, though, he still taught them personally.
He Qing and Tao Huimin’s roles weren’t large, but they were impactful.
Chen Qi once again used his "star acting" crash course—defining specific expressions and movements for them to drill.
With their opera backgrounds, they picked it up quickly.
Donnie Yen, however, was a headache.
Nalan Yuanshu was a major antagonist—no room for mistakes.
His Mandarin was poor, making communication difficult.
Worse, he was utterly lacking in social awareness.
"Nalan Yuanshu is a young Qing military officer—highly skilled in martial arts and initially friendly with Yang Yuqian. At first, they share the same goal: strengthening the nation through martial arts. But after the incident with Tan Sitong, their views diverge, and conflict grows."
That day, during a lecture in the soundstage, Chen Qi explained the character.
Donnie Yen sat with the others, listening attentively—but his posture alone was infuriating.
After the explanation, Chen Qi asked, "Does everyone understand?"
"Yes!"
"This man is ruthless and unscrupulous. You need to capture that. Practice this expression—looking at people sideways…"
Chen Qi demonstrated.
Donnie Yen frowned and raised his hand.
"I have a question. Why do it like this?"
"A sidelong glance conveys arrogance and menace!"Your makeup will be pale, with upturned eyes.
Combined with profile close-ups, it’ll perfectly capture Nalan Yuanshu’s aura.""I still don’t get it.
I don’t think your method will work well…""..."The entire soundstage fell silent. Even Jet Li stared at him in shock. Dude, what’s wrong with you? When Qi’s teaching, even I keep my mouth shut—and you’re outright rejecting him? He Qing and Tao Huimin shot him sidelong glances before subtly scooting away. Gong Xue turned her head, covering her mouth as she whispered to Li Jianqun,"He’s about to get wrecked.""Director Chen has a temper?"Li Jianqun asked curiously."He’s usually easygoing.
But if you can’t back up your words with real skill? That’s when his temper shows…"Gong Xue murmured with a smirk. Li Jianqun raised an eyebrow, amused. Donnie Yen, completely oblivious, continued,"I want to act using my own approach.
I’ve done my research too."(End of Chapter)