Chapter 00230: 1979 golden age 230
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Chapter 230
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 230: Continuing to Stir Trouble
The meeting place was still in a secluded location.
This time, instead of a tea restaurant, they chose a private club with excellent secrecy.
Inside the VIP room, the three bosses of Cinema City—Michael Mak, Dean Shek, and Raymond Wong—were all present.
Unlike before, Raymond Wong no longer had his usual domineering aura.
He sat stiffly on the sofa, silent and unmoving, his untouched drink sitting in front of him.
After a while, the door creaked open.
Chen Qi walked in, followed by Xiao Mo.
He was still dressed in a suit, wearing glasses, and smiling amiably—no different from how he had appeared days ago.
Before he could even speak, Michael Mak suddenly stood up, his face twisted in distress.
"Mr. Chen! Boss Chen! Great Master Chen! Please, spare us! Stop messing with us!"
Chen Qi couldn’t help but laugh.
"I’ve always treated you gentlemen with courtesy and respect. What’s this all about?"
"Mr. Chen, let’s not play games," Raymond Wong cut in.
"You’ve outmaneuvered us. We admit defeat."
Dean Shek nodded.
"Exactly. If there’s something you want, let’s sit down and talk it out properly. Why resort to such drastic measures?"
"Fine, let’s talk properly then."
Chen Qi took a seat on the sofa.
"My demand remains the same—lend me director Tsui Hark. Whether he’s willing or not doesn’t matter to me. He will come."
"......"
The three exchanged glances.
Finally, Michael Mak gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Fine! We’ll persuade him. But we have one condition."
"Go on."
"Tsui Hark must use a pseudonym, and this must be kept secret. We’re already under heavy scrutiny. If this leaks..."
He paused, sighing heavily.
"Mr. Chen, we’re just trying to survive in this business. Frankly, we don’t care about politics—left or right. We just want to make movies and earn money. Sometimes, we have no choice but to follow the crowd. I hope you understand."
"Leave some room for compromise," Raymond Wong added, still defiant.
"Don’t push us to the brink!"
Chen Qi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And what exactly would that 'brink' look like?"
His voice turned cold.
"You know the times have changed. The fact that I’m sitting here talking to you is already a courtesy. Don’t test my patience."
"No, no, we didn’t mean it like that!"
Michael Mak quickly intervened, forcing a smile.
"We’ve agreed—we’ll send Tsui Hark over, and everything stays confidential. That’s settled, right? Come, let’s toast to that!"
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to avoid further trouble.
As the majority shareholder, if Cinema City collapsed, all his efforts would be for nothing.
He personally poured Chen Qi a drink, and the three raised their glasses.
Chen Qi took a polite sip before standing.
"I won’t stay long. We’re done here for today. Farewell."
Only after he left did Michael Mak finally relax, slumping onto the sofa.
"No more provocations," he muttered wearily.
"Let’s just focus on finishing Aces Go Places. Eight million dollars! If we lose that, who’s going to cover it—you or me?"
Raymond Wong stayed silent.
They weren’t too worried about the Federation finding out about Tsui Hark’s loan.
Unless the media exposed it or someone reported them, the Federation rarely bothered to investigate.
As long as they kept it quiet and the director used a fake name, it wouldn’t be the first time someone in Hong Kong secretly worked with leftist filmmakers.
......
Chen Qi wasn’t here to develop Hong Kong cinema—he was here to generate foreign revenue.
Whether Hong Kong’s film industry thrived or collapsed, whether its golden decade continued or not—none of that mattered to him.
Right now, he just wanted to produce exportable films while casually cleaning up the local entertainment scene.
But this wasn’t the right time for drastic moves.
Once the Sino-British negotiations concluded and the environment became more open, then he could act.
Besides, helping Fu Qi revive the leftist faction meant he would eventually swallow up a massive chunk of classic Hong Kong films.
Once those films were under leftist control, the opposition wouldn’t be able to resist.
What he really needed from Hong Kong was its talent.
People like Yuen Woo-ping, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan...
Yes, he even wanted Jackie Chan.
With both Jackie Chan and Jet Li under his wing, breaking into international markets would be far easier.
Of course, that wasn’t feasible yet—but he could at least annoy Golden Harvest in the meantime.
---
"Mr. Run Run!"
"Mr. Run Run!"
"What’s all the commotion?"
That morning, as Run Run Shaw arrived at his office, an employee rushed in, holding a red envelope.
"It’s—it’s a formal notice from that mainland representative!"
Tsk.
Run Run Shaw frowned.
So he really had come.
While sending someone to fetch Leonard Ho, he opened the envelope.
Just like with Cinema City, it contained a business card—boldly printed, ostentatious, and placed right on the desk for all to see.
This practice had already gained notoriety in the industry.
People had given it a fitting nickname:
The Death Warrant.
And Chen Qi? He was like a plague god—every company dreaded receiving his "invitation."
But they were overthinking it.
Small-time players weren’t even on his radar.
"Leonard, he’s really sent one!"
Run Run Shaw pushed the letter across the desk, his expression dark.
Leonard Ho scanned it and nodded.
"I’ve heard what happened to Cinema City. They got hit hard—paid off three separate fines before it was over. They even had to beg Sylvia Chang to intervene and go straight to the head of the Government Information Service."
"He’s just using the same old strong-arm tactics. If he thinks he can bully us like that, he severely underestimates Golden Harvest. Everyone in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia—they all know who we are."
"Exactly. Cinema City’s foundation and connections are nothing compared to ours. But we should still make our stance clear."
Leonard Ho thought for a moment.
"When he comes tomorrow, we simply won’t receive him. Let him spout whatever nonsense he wants in the papers. I’ll personally speak to Tong Yuejuan. And we’ll have Jackie make a trip to Taiwan for Double Ten Day—just to show our position."
Golden Harvest had leverage.
They had room to negotiate.
They assumed Chen Qi would pull the same tricks he’d used on Cinema City—publishing articles about "pro-mainland sentiments," "homesickness," "friendly exchanges," and so on.
But when the newspapers came out, it was nothing like they expected.
---
"Among Hong Kong’s stars, only Jackie Chan has what it takes to conquer Hollywood. His unique style is unmatched worldwide—he is destined to surpass Bruce Lee as the next international superstar. I wanted to discuss this with Mr. Run Run Shaw, because the way he’s utilizing Jackie Chan is completely wrong. Mr. Shaw clearly doesn’t understand Hollywood’s rules. The Cannonball Run was a joke—pitting Jackie Chan and Michael Hui, two of Hong Kong’s biggest stars, as mere sidekicks to Americans? That’s sheer self-deprecation. I hear Jackie is preparing his new film, Dragon Lord, set in the late Qing/early Republic era. Seriously? That period’s kung fu films are oversaturated. There’s nothing new left to explore. Of course, given Jackie’s star power, Dragon Lord will still do well at the box office. But for him, it’s zero progress. Jackie Chan needs to evolve. At Golden Harvest, he’s stifled when it comes to Hollywood. Maybe it’s time for a change of environment. I hope we can establish a true partnership—one that brings real breakthroughs..."
BANG!
Run Run Shaw had thought he wouldn’t lose his temper.
But he did.
First, the article insulted Golden Harvest.
Then, it openly tried to poach Jackie Chan.
Both were direct hits to his pride.
"That impudent brat! Spouting nonsense!"
"Don’t let it get to you," Leonard Ho soothed.
"He can talk big in the papers, but he can’t actually do anything. Jackie himself would laugh if he read this—there’s no way he’d work with the leftists."
"Hit back! We’re not Cinema City. Find someone to write a rebuttal—I want him torn to shreds in print!"
Run Run Shaw was furious, but then he paused.
"... Still, Jackie does need to evolve. Talk to him. Reassure him. Let’s get Dragon Lord finished first—tell him not to rush."
"Understood."
Leonard Ho left to handle it.
......
Naturally, Jackie Chan heard about all this.
He found it baffling.
Of course he wouldn’t collaborate with the leftists.
But Chen Qi’s words about "evolution" and "breakthroughs" planted a seed in his mind.
Could that guy really help me reach the next level? Could he actually get me into Hollywood?
(Author’s Note: Got back home and found I still had time, so I wrote another chapter.
Three today as promised!)
(End of Chapter)