Chapter 00239: Hua Zai
# Hua Zai
Chapter 239
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 239 – Hua Zai
“Snap!”
“OK, pass!”
“Everyone take a break, lunch is ready!”
Xu Ke shouted, and Qiu Shuzhen happily ran over.
She went straight over to Chen Qi, like a little puppy begging for a pat, and said, “Master, how did I do? Am I getting better and better?”
“Thirty points.”
“Only thirty points? Not even passing?”
“Ma Long Bailando only got 85 points with me, you’re far behind him.”
“Ma Long Bailando? Who’s that?”
“He’s the Godfather!”
Xu Ke strolled over unsteadily and laughed, “Ah Qi, have you taken her on as an apprentice?”
“No, she just called out on her own.”
“What do you mean ‘called out’? You clearly agreed!”
Chen Qi saw that she was about to get upset and laughed, “We’re chatting now; go eat your meal.”
“Oh!”
Qiu Shuzhen pouted and obediently went to get her boxed lunch.
Xu Ke glanced at her and said, “Ah Zhen’s got talent, sure, but she lacks experience. With some proper nurturing, she can be a star. I heard the Great Wall signed her in advance?”
“That’s right. She’s one of the Leftists. No one can even try to snatch her. What about you – care to join us?”
“Ah, filming is filming, let's not discuss politics!”
Xu Ke didn’t want to talk about that topic.
Chen Qi smiled and said, “That’s not politics, that’s serious business. I’ve long said that New Art City is unevenly divided. The three giants are the real big bosses with shares, while you seven-person group, though it sounds good, is nothing more than highly paid hired hands.”
“We are brothers!”
“But even among brothers you need to settle scores clearly. If you ask them for shares, see if they’d still consider you a brother.”
Chen Qi straightforwardly started poaching talent, “New Art City is too commercialized; you can’t stay there. Come join the Leftists. Yes, we need money too, but we support you making a film that makes money, and then another that doesn’t. You yourself aren’t chasing box office numbers, and you’re still concerned about the Taiwan market? If you worry about not getting good results in Hong Kong, well, look at Orphan’s Grudge here. Let’s go conquer America together.”
“Go conquer America?”
Xu Ke froze at that, silent for a moment, then shook his head, “I don’t agree with some of your political views, so I won’t join you. But to be honest, I think you’re a good person. Maybe one day my thoughts will change. Enough of that talk. The two Americans you found are excellent – their professionalism is outstanding. Though they don’t interact much with us privately, their acting is spot on, always achieving what I want. If you plan to sell this film in America, then let me wish you good luck in advance.”
After saying that, Xu Ke left, almost like he was escaping.
Chen Qi smiled.
His coming to Hong Kong wasn’t just about filming; it was also to stir things up.
Jiahe and Shao’s have deep roots, while New Art City’s is the weakest.
Zeng Zhiwei values profits, Xu Ke values creative freedom, and with Xu Ke gone, Shi Nansheng would surely follow, while Teddy Robin is rather laid back.
Ma Jia, Shi Tian, and Huang Baiming also have conflicts of interest – just not obvious exposure.
He planned to dismantle New Art City within two years and make it disband sooner.
Finding a good director at the helm is a money-spinner.
With Xu Ke around, Chen Qi could relax a bit and only needed to keep an eye on key points.
That day, while he was watching things unfold at the film studio, Fu Qi suddenly called him outside.
“Xia Meng has arrived!”
“Got something to discuss?”
“She’s set up a company called Qingniao, and after two years of planning, they’re finally ready to shoot their entrepreneurial debut. When we were in Berlin, didn’t we see Ann Hui?”
“Oh, you mean The Runaway?”
“Right. The director is Ann Hui, and the lead actor has been confirmed. Xia Meng brought her team over to check things out. They might need to borrow our studio.”
The two of them went up to the administrative building and entered a reception room where Xia Meng and Ann Hui were present, along with three leading actors.
Chen Qi took a glance and recognized everyone.
There was a middle-aged man in an age that was hard to guess, sporting a little mustache, named Lin Zixiang – he never seemed young, yet he never appeared old; he started his career already in middle age.
Then there was a very old-school actress named Miao Qianren.
And finally, there was someone very familiar – Liu Dehua, newly turned 20, with a buzz cut, dark skin, and a face full of youthful innocence.
Upon meeting, the main discussion was between Xia Meng and Fu Qi.
During the turbulent Hongliu period, Xia Meng had fled to Canada to save herself, earning Fu Qi’s grumbles.
Yet time had passed, and those issues were no longer significant.
“Our outdoor shooting will take place in Hainan and Zhanjiang. The local contacts are all set up, and the military will support us.”
“How large is the scale?”
“Twenty thousand troops, six to seven hundred temporary actors, even tanks will be on the streets.”
Xia Meng said it all in a very calm manner, leaving Liu Dehua almost speechless.
The film The Runaway tells a story about the chaos in Vietnam, with a special background that naturally requires military involvement to capture the intended effect.
Originally, the film was to star Zhou Runfa, but he didn’t dare offend the Free Association, so he declined.
Then, he recommended Liu Dehua.
At the time, Liu Dehua was still in training at the TVB acting school, having played only minor roles in a few films.
Why did he dare to take on such a role? Because Zhou Runfa told him, “You’re a newcomer; market considerations don’t matter. What matters most is having work.” And so it came to be.
The crew secretly sailed to the mainland to film, with Ann Hui even using a pseudonym.
In the middle of filming, Hong Kong media exposed the matter.
The Free Association was furious – no cooperation was allowed with the Leftists, let alone filming in the mainland.
Ann Hui was a formidable person; she ended up not even using a pseudonym but went under her real name.
And Liu Dehua, Lin Zixiang, and the others all wrote letters of repentance…
“How many months will you be filming?”
“About four months. The first three months on location and the last month in the studio. Can you adjust your schedule?” Xia Meng asked.
“Of course. We’re not as busy with projects now compared to when you were around,” Fu Qi replied.
Xia Meng gave an awkward smile.
In truth, she hadn’t done anything wrong, but facing a true fighter, her heart felt a bit complicated.
Meanwhile, Chen Qi had started chatting with Liu Dehua, “I’ve seen your work. You played a mountain bandit who, along with your comrade, died right after your introduction.”
“Ha ha, that was in The Untouchable Chronicles, right? I was in it with Liang Jiahui.”
“Isn’t his name Liang Jiahui? Both of you are quite good – full of potential.”
“He’s much better than me. He’s a university graduate and has an excellent understanding of his character…”
Liu Dehua carefully chatted along.
He knew that the young man in front of him was very formidable.
Whether it was the box office of Taiji, his Leftist identity, or his bold challenges to the Hong Kong film scene – he wasn’t someone he wanted to mess with.
Liu came from a very poor family with many children, didn’t even finish high school, and had once worked in a factory.
His character had matured early.
He wasn’t originally called Liu Dehua, but Liu Fuyong—a name that better suited his humble beginnings.
“Alright, we must take our leave!”
After finishing her talk with Fu Qi, Xia Meng got up to leave.
Liu Dehua nodded at Chen Qi, and followed them out.
Chen Qi then began to ponder again.
He divided Hong Kong celebrities into several categories.
One group includes those like Liang Jiahui, Wang Mingquan, and Xu Xiaoming.
Another group includes people like Cheng Long, Liu Dehua, and Chen Baixiang – although they had once sided with Taiwan for the market, after returning to the mainland they behaved properly without causing trouble, and can be useful.
And then there’s the group that you just have to do away with.
“The Runaway will be exposed, huh? Time to make him join Liangshan – or rather, let him come to the Leftists?”
(That’s it…
Catching Dolls is steady – you can watch it or not; if you’re bored, give it a look.)
(The end of this chapter)