Chapter 00242: A Face of Wealth and Nobility
# A Face of Wealth and Nobility
Chapter 242
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 242: A Face of Wealth and Nobility
Just considering his own company and Great Wall Pictures, the films definitely set for release next year included: Tai Chi 2, Shaolin Temple, Mama, Love Me Again, The Orphan, as well as the Wrong Turn and The Descent franchises.
Each year, he had two quota slots for domestic productions.
One had already been allocated to Tai Chi 2, leaving one more. The Orphan, being a co-production, didn’t count toward the quota.
As for projects to tackle next year, the first priority was Tai Chi 3—once the trilogy was complete, he planned to let Jet Li shift to modern action films.
The market for modern action was actually broader, and it was something Western audiences enjoyed as well.
Then, there needed to be a film specifically tailored for North America.
These two were absolute musts.
"As for the rest..."
His thoughts turned first to Gong Xue.
According to his plan, Sister Xue was to win the Hundred Flowers Award three times in a row, securing her position as the top actress in the country before venturing overseas.
In this era, bringing home an award from one of Europe’s three major film festivals carried just as much prestige as earning foreign currency.
"One prestige film!"
He jotted it down in his notebook.
"What else? Maybe a Hong Kong film?"
To be honest, Chen Qi didn’t have much time to spare for the Hong Kong market—it was simply too small.
But then again, making one wouldn’t hurt.
In January next year, Cinema City’s Aces Go Places would hit theaters, breaking attendance records and raking in 26 million at the box office.
Then, Aces Go Places 2 and 3 would dominate the next two years, marking Cinema City’s golden age.
He needed to dismantle their momentum early—poaching talent was one thing, but he also had to prove his own strength.
Otherwise, if he only focused on foreign exchange films like The Orphan, which likely wouldn’t perform well in Hong Kong, he wouldn’t be able to attract top talent.
He had to establish dominance in Hong Kong too.
"Alright, one Hong Kong film it is!"
"Perfect timing—I’ve been meaning to recruit Andy Lau and Tony Leung anyway!"
With that, Chen Qi decisively marked down four films: Tai Chi 3, the North America special, the prestige film, and the Hong Kong flick.
---
The next day, on set.
Anita Yuen was feeling unusually out of sorts because her master hadn’t shown up.
She had been restless since morning, barely managing to film a few scenes.
By lunchtime, there was still no sign of him, so she couldn’t help but ask a crew member, "Where’s my master?"
"No idea, I’m just here to deliver food!"
"Did my master have something to do today?"
"Still no idea, I’m just here to eat!"
After asking around, she finally got an answer from the assistant director: "Mr. Chen went out to gather inspiration!"
"Gather inspiration?"
She didn’t understand the term.
"Oh, it means he got a new idea and went out to look around, collect some material."
Tsui Hark happened to overhear and asked curiously, "Is he writing a new script?"
"Seems like it, but I’m not sure. Either way, he won’t be coming today."
"Mmm..."
Anita pouted, clearly unhappy.
---
Nighttime, Temple Street.
Temple Street, located in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, was home to Hong Kong’s most famous night market.
The goods were cheap, and the crowd was a mix of all walks of life—anything and everything could be found here.
Many films had used Temple Street as a setting, like C’est la vie, mon chéri, The God of Cookery, and Prince of Temple Street, among others.
Chen Qi, along with Xiao Mo and Xiao Geng, had already spent the whole day exploring.
They had visited famous spots like the Wong Tai Sin Temple, Man Mo Temple, and Po Lin Monastery, chatting with every Taoist priest and Buddhist monk they came across—discussing everything from Four Pillars of Destiny to Plum Blossom Divination and Purple Star Astrology, talking so much they nearly lost their voices.
Xiao Mo had almost dragged him to the ground, ready to haul him back to Beijing.
A state-owned enterprise official dabbling in fortune-telling and divine inquiries—what the hell are you thinking? Where’s your faith? Where’s your revolutionary spirit? Are you trying to revive feudal superstition?!
Chen Qi had explained over and over—This is gathering inspiration! Gathering inspiration!
Now, the three of them had just finished a bowl of authentic Stephen Chow-style "chop suey noodles" with beef meatballs and were strolling through Temple Street.
Divided by the Tin Hau Temple, one side of the street was lined with fortune-telling stalls, each proprietor looking every bit the part of a mystic, their businesses thriving with devoted believers.
The other side was a gathering place for Cantonese opera performances—a simple open-air stage with a microphone and live musicians.
A woman was singing in a high-pitched, theatrical voice.
Entry required a ticket, and requesting a song cost extra.
"Hey, let’s go in and take a look!"
"It’s not your money anyway—I’ll treat you!"
"What’s so interesting about this? Don’t waste state resources!"
"Oh, so when you’re scarfing down steak rice, you don’t care about state resources, huh?"
Xiao Mo, stone-faced, forcibly pulled Chen Qi away.
Disappointed, Chen Qi could only listen from outside—it sounded like a famous Cantonese opera piece, The Perfumed Sorrow:
"Falling blossoms veil the moonlight, a cup offered before the phoenix terrace, the imperial princess ascends with tears..."
With no other choice, he wandered over to the fortune-telling side.
Men and women, young and old, sat shoulder-to-shoulder at their stalls, their faces practically screaming "con artist." Their titles were grandiose—"Temple Street Divine Physiognomist," "Auntie Tam, Master of Fate and Feng Shui," "Lucky Charms for Good Fortune"...
Xiao Mo and Xiao Geng were stunned.
"Is this capitalist society? This feels more like feudal society!"
"Didn’t your history books teach you? This is called semi-colonial, semi-feudal society. Did you skip school? Come on, let’s check it out!"
Chen Qi randomly picked "Auntie Tam, Master of Fate and Feng Shui."
A middle-aged woman sat on a folding stool, dressed in a traditional Chinese blouse, fanning herself while wearing a pair of dark sunglasses.
Before even speaking, she smiled warmly.
When she saw a customer approaching, she gasped dramatically.
"Oh, sir, you have an excellent face!"
"How so?" Chen Qi grinned.
"Your forehead is full and broad, your lips are square and red, your nose bridge is straight with no flaring nostrils, your cheekbones are high yet fleshy, your eyebrows are refined and slightly raised—dragon’s head, phoenix eyes! Truly the face of great wealth and nobility!"
"You could rise to the highest ranks of power or live a life of luxury, surrounded by wives and children. However... I see darkness gathering between your brows, a baleful star looming overhead. I fear you may face a calamity soon..."
"Alright, alright. Besides face-reading, what else do you do?"
"Here!"
Auntie Tam flipped up a sign listing her services: feng shui arrangements, residential/commercial/industrial consultations, Eight Characters destiny analysis, child name changes, auspicious date selection...
"Quite the range!"
Chen Qi chuckled.
"Do you know anything about spiritual mediums?"
"Sp-spiritual mediums?"
"You know, summoning the spirits of the deceased to possess someone and speak with the living."
"Oh, you mean soul-calling! Communicating with the dead isn’t my specialty—you’ll need to find someone else for that."
"Does anyone here do it?"
"This is a public place—of course not! You’d need to visit a private residence and find one of those spirit channelers or rice diviners."
"Rice diviners?"
Chen Qi nodded.
He had gathered enough material.
Though he didn’t get his fortune told, he still left some money as a consultation fee.
Auntie Tam was quite enthusiastic, waving as he left.
"Sir, my readings are very accurate! You truly have the face of wealth and nobility—wives and concubines galore! Don’t forget me when you make it big!"
After a long walk, they were exhausted.
On the way back, as Xiao Geng drove, Xiao Mo couldn’t help but ask, "Qi-ge, are you really making a movie about feudal superstition? Won’t the higher-ups have a problem with it?"
"The leadership gave me special discretionary powers. I’m not releasing it on the mainland—what’s there to fear in Hong Kong? Look at this place—people here love this stuff. It’s all for foreign exchange anyway."
"Besides, my story isn’t about superstition—it’s deeply moving!"
(End of chapter.)