Chapter 00276: The Twin Guardians
# The Twin Guardians
Chapter 276
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 276: The Twin Guardians
"Beep beep!"
A minibus came to a stop near the Shaw Brothers Studio in Clear Water Bay.
As the doors opened, Andy Lau jumped out with a face full of frustration.
He gazed at the grand entrance of Shaw Brothers and the buildings half-hidden among the trees, a flicker of longing in his eyes.
He knew that inside lay legendary film sets where countless stars had once toiled.
He had once imagined himself among them, but now, like eggs shattered by the wind, all those dreams were gone.
"Such is my fate!"
With a sigh, he walked forward until he reached the neighboring studio—the leftist film company.
The facade was smaller, the grounds less expansive, and the bustle nowhere near as lively.
But he knew this was his only chance left.
Rubbing his face vigorously to steel himself, he strode inside.
He made his way to the main building and found an office—one that Fu Qi had specially cleared out for him.
There, he saw that Mr. Chen again.
Though resentment simmered in his heart, Andy didn’t dare show it.
Forcing a smile, he greeted, "Good morning, Mr. Chen!"
"Mmm, care for a drink?"
"Anything is fine."
"Then let’s have some tea. I brought this premium-grade broken tea from Beijing—you won’t find it in Hong Kong."
Chen Qi unscrewed a tea canister.
This was jasmine tea bought from Zhang Yiyuan near Qianmen—some sold for 4 yuan per jin, others for 6, with the most expensive at 12. He had bought the cheapest kind, at just half a yuan per jin.
After brewing two cups, Andy took a few polite sips.
Born into hardship, he was sharp-witted and knew when to speak up—after all, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
"Mr. Chen, you’ve really landed me in trouble this time!"
"How so?"
"By publicly mentioning me in the papers, my company took issue with me. The fallout from *Boat People* isn’t even over yet, and now there’s new trouble. They don’t like me anymore—they’ve already terminated my contract."
"Can TVB just unilaterally cancel your contract without compensation?"
"They claimed I was at fault first, causing the company reputational harm... But even if they breached the contract, what could I do? Sue TVB? I’m just a newcomer with no connections. I can’t even afford a lawyer..."
As he spoke, genuine grievance crept into Andy’s voice, his tone shifting.
"So you’re a free agent now?"
"That’s right!"
"Which means you can act in my film without TVB’s restrictions," Chen Qi said with a smile.
Huh?
Andy blinked.
It seemed the man hadn’t grasped his predicament.
Gritting his teeth, he decided to lay it out plainly: "Mr. Chen, I still want to pursue a career in entertainment. I don’t want to end up as a laborer after this film. Could you... take me in?"
"..."
Chen Qi pondered for a moment before replying, "I haven’t established a branch in Hong Kong yet. If I were to sign you, it’d be under Great Wall. Would you be willing?"
"Absolutely! Great Wall is legendary—I’ve admired them for ages!" Andy said eagerly.
"Good. I’ll talk to the right people. Whether it goes through will depend on your performance in this film."
"Thank you, Mr. Chen! Don’t worry, I’ll give it my all—every last bit of effort!"
Chen Qi had no doubts about Andy’s diligence—the man was famously hardworking.
His acting skills had bloomed late, making him a prime example of the "star acting" style, spending half his life playing the handsome lead.
But Chen didn’t need Andy to chase awards.
Being able to play the charming hero was enough.
With business concluded, Andy should have left, but Chen Qi asked him to wait.
Shortly after, another knock came at the door, and a young man entered.
Andy turned to look—then shot to his feet in surprise.
The newcomer was equally stunned.
"Andy?"
"Tony?"
"What are you doing here?!"
The newcomer was Tony Leung, and the two stared at each other before turning their bewildered gazes toward Chen Qi.
"Sit down. No need for theatrics."
"Have some tea too. It’s premium-grade broken tea from Beijing—you won’t find it in Hong Kong."
Chen Qi poured another cup.
Tony took a polite sip, his reaction even more transparent than Andy’s. *This* was premium-grade broken tea?
"Mr. Leung, this is our first meeting, but there’s a connection between us. Your girlfriend’s father is Li Han-hsiang, and Director Li and I are peers. By rights, you should call me uncle."
*Pfft!*
"Mr. Chen, please don’t joke around."
Tony nearly spat out his tea.
His failed magazine venture had already folded, and he’d taken a job at an advertising agency, resigning himself to office life—until out of the blue, someone approached him about acting.
He, too, harbored dreams of the entertainment world, so he’d seized the opportunity.
Running into Andy here felt surreal, as if an invisible hand was orchestrating everything.
"Alright, let’s get down to business."
Chen Qi chuckled, looking between the two.
"This film is called *Ghost Love*, and you two are my leads—one protagonist, one antagonist, with roughly equal screen time. Since you’re both here, let’s skip the small talk."
"Though the film has supernatural elements, it’s an urban romance. Hong Kong’s films these days are too dated—nothing but late Qing/early Republic-era kung fu flicks. This is a rapidly modernizing city, yet there are barely any contemporary films."
"So our tone must be stylish, trendy, appealing to students and office workers alike. Your characters are young elites—but look at you two. You couldn’t look more out of touch. I’ve already made arrangements. First, you’ll get makeovers, then spend a month in Central observing the daily lives of professionals. Pay close attention!"
"..."
The two exchanged baffled glances.
Chen Qi frowned.
"Didn’t they teach you this in training? What *did* you learn?"
"No, no!" Andy quickly explained.
"We had imitation classes and performed classic plays, but filming schedules are always so tight—we never had opportunities like this."
"Actually, I’ve always wanted to try this. It sounds fascinating!" Tony said eagerly.
"Good. Then here’s another task—write character biographies based on your roles. I don’t care how you write them, but they must be done."
Andy noticed Chen Qi’s gaze lingering on Tony as he said this.
It struck him as odd—he was the one with prior dealings with Chen, so why did the man seem more interested in Tony?
With discussions wrapped up, Chen Qi said, "That’s all from me. Head out and turn right—someone will handle your contracts and pay."
The two left.
After some back-and-forth, the basics were settled.
Both were offered the same fee—10,000 dollars.
This was no small sum.
When Andy first joined TVB, his base salary was just a few hundred dollars, later rising to 1,800. After gaining popularity, TVB had tried to lock him into a five-year, million-dollar contract—effectively 200,000 a year to work like a dog.
Naturally, he refused.
The "Five Tigers" of TVB had collectively rejected contract renewals, but then Tony Leung defected, breaking their united front...
By evening, the two left Clear Water Bay.
On the minibus, they shared their woes, sighing over their twists of fate.
Tony asked, "So you’re set on signing with the leftists?"
"Yeah, I want to keep acting. What else can I do? You’re not planning to?"
"I haven’t decided. No rush—I’ll think about it after this film."
Andy envied that about him—Tony could always fall back on office work if acting didn’t pan out.
Without acting, Andy would be stuck in a factory.
Sighing, he said, "Let’s hope this film hits big. Then we’ll be stars... By the way, any idea who the female lead is?"
"No clue. I was going to ask you!"
"Maybe it’s Angie Chiu?"
"Ha! Might as well wish for Liza Wang!"
Tony paused, then said, "I think this film has real potential. Mr. Chen’s vision—an urban romance with a modern edge—is spot on. Hong Kong’s drowning in kung fu flicks these days."
"He mentioned giving us makeovers. I could do that—I’ll give you a haircut myself. Save money and look good."
Andy had once worked in a salon, properly trained in hairdressing.
"I don’t trust you. Save it for the female lead!"
"If she’s pretty, I’ll do it. Hey, I can even do an Audrey Hepburn-style cut. My skills are top-notch."
Laughing and joking, the two rode the minibus.
As greenhorns, whatever their past struggles or political leanings, landing this film was all that mattered now.
Their hearts brimmed with boundless hope.
(End of Chapter)