Chapter 00227: Hong Kong
# Hong Kong
Chapter 227
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 227: Hong Kong
After Chen Qi left,
Huang Baiming looked at Mai Jia’s state and couldn’t help but say, "What’s wrong with you? Why are you like this?"
"I just have a bad feeling."
"Let me ask you—would we ever collaborate with the leftists?"
"Of course not!"
"Would we ever become leftists?"
"Don’t be ridiculous!"
"Then it’s fine. The leftists are on the decline now. Even Mr. Jin Yong has gone to the mainland for a visit. Can’t you see the writing on the wall?"
Huang Baiming was a sharp man.
But Mai Jia still felt uneasy.
He quickly settled the bill, and the two left the tea restaurant.
Meanwhile, across the street, Chen Qi suddenly reappeared, grinning at a young man in a cap.
"Did you get the shot?"
"Have some faith in my skills! The fact that the organization assigned me to assist you means I’m reliable. But why are you taking these kinds of photos? This is something Hong Kong paparazzi do."
The young man was a photographer from Wen Wei Po.
"Just trying a different approach… Come on, let’s grab a bite. Damn it, I didn’t eat anything earlier—it ruined my appetite!"
……
Mai Jia didn’t go to the office that day.
Instead, he headed to the set of Aces Go Places.
He was also one of the lead actors.
In the 1980s, Hong Kong directors still took their time with filming, usually wrapping up in one to three months.
Some took even longer—Yuen Woo-ping’s Miracle Fighters, for example, took four months.
But in the late '80s, as Hong Kong cinema entered its golden decade, overseas distributors came waving cash, and production speeds skyrocketed.
Creativity became more… abstract.
Johnnie To famously shot The Mission in just 19 days, while Wong Jing whipped up Tricky Brains based on a script that was barely ten words long.
Aces Go Places was a big-budget production, so it moved even slower.
After a long day, Mai Jia returned to his apartment.
Having spent a lot of time in the U.
S., he was quite Westernized—fond of coffee, foreign liquor, and English pop music.
At the moment, he was lounging in a luxurious bathtub, swaying his head to the latest American tunes blasting from his high-end sound system, thoroughly relaxed.
Ring ring!
Hmm?
Ring ring!
He strained his ears, picking out the phone’s ringtone from the music.
The caller was persistent, letting it ring endlessly.
Annoyed, he quickly dried himself off and went to the living room to answer.
It was Shi Nansheng on the line.
Shi Nansheng handled administrative affairs for Cinema City, and everyone called her the "housekeeper."
"Housekeeper! What’s up?"
"I saw today’s Wen Wei Po. There’s a piece of news that doesn’t look good."
"News??"
"It says you met with that mainland guy…"
"WHAT?!"
Mai Jia felt a chill run down his spine.
His bad premonition had come true.
"What exactly does the article say?"
"It’s a long one. You should read it yourself!"
"Where am I supposed to find Wen Wei Po now? Just give me the highlights!"
Shi Nansheng had no choice but to skim through and read a few key passages.
"I initially sent a meeting request to Cinema City on a whim, never expecting them to respond so enthusiastically. They immediately confirmed a time and place. We met at a tea restaurant, with Mr. Mai Jia and Mr. Huang Baiming personally attending. We had a friendly discussion. They expressed warm expectations for the mainland’s reform and opening-up and hoped for more exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. Cinema City is a rising star in Hong Kong cinema, producing hit after hit. While I’ve criticized them before, I must admit there’s much that mainland filmmakers can learn from them. Mr. Mai Jia mentioned that his hometown is in Guangdong. He moved to Hong Kong at 14 but has never forgotten his roots, holding deep affection for the mainland. He especially hopes to return for a visit someday. Mr. Huang Baiming was also very enthusiastic. Upon learning that we were working on a film for overseas distribution, he volunteered to contribute to the scriptwriting. With his track record of successful works, his involvement would undoubtedly elevate the project. We share the same roots, bound by blood thicker than water. We welcome more comrades like Mai Jia and Huang Baiming to return, to witness and participate in the motherland’s development."
"……"
Sweat beaded on Mai Jia’s bald head.
When the word "comrades" came up, his already hanging heart finally dropped dead.
"Karl? Karl?"
Shi Nansheng called his English name, but there was no response for a while.
"What do we do now?"
"What do we do… what do we do… Wait, does Huang Baiming know yet?"
"No idea. I called you first!"
"I’ll go find him. We’ll talk later!"
……
Huang Baiming’s face had turned green!
This was completely beyond his expectations.
Who could’ve guessed the leftists would change tactics like this?
"This… this makes no sense!"
He stared at the newspaper, unable to wrap his head around it.
For years, the leftists had been besieged by the British Hong Kong government, the right-wing factions, and the capitalists, fighting alone, suppressed and marginalized.
Their influence had waned, leaving them as just a tiny minority in Hong Kong.
No one had ever imagined they could turn the tables like this!
"This is bad… really bad!"
Panic finally set in for Huang Baiming.
The Free General Association must’ve seen the paper by now.
Cinema City was about to pay a heavy price.
……
Golden Harvest.
Raymond Chow furrowed his brows, putting down a copy of Wen Wei Po, then picking it up again, then putting it down, wondering if he was losing his mind.
Cinema City cozying up to the mainland?
Mai Jia longing for his homeland?
Huang Baiming volunteering to write a script?
He’d sooner believe Jackie Chan was still a virgin than believe any of this was true.
"Leonard, what do you think—real or fake?"
"There are photos, so it must be partly true. But the content is too exaggerated—definitely fabricated. So it’s half-truth, half-lie…"
Leonard Ho chuckled.
"Actually, the truth doesn’t matter. What matters is that this article is out now. Cinema City is in for a world of trouble. They’ll have to do some serious explaining to the Free General Association."
"Yeah, that’s what I think too. This isn’t the leftists’ usual style—must be that brat’s doing."
Raymond Chow fell into thought, suddenly feeling a twinge of unease himself.
……
"HAHAHAHA!"
At the Great Wall Company dormitory, Fu Qi hadn’t laughed this hard in ages.
He had been feeling disillusioned lately, just counting down the days until retirement.
But then Chen Qi showed up, reigniting his fighting spirit.
"You… you! Only a young man’s brain could come up with this. I’ve been at this for half my life and never thought of such a move."
"You just needed a shift in perspective. The leftists aren’t just failed outcasts everyone hates—they’re a weapon. A weapon shouldn’t stay sheathed. You have to draw it. Just its presence holds power. At the very least, it’ll make them turn on each other…"
Chen Qi grinned.
"We know exactly how those people operate!"
(End of chapter...)