Chapter 00060: Audacious
# Audacious
Chapter 60
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 60: Audacious
As soon as the question was asked, all eyes turned to the young man sitting in the corner.
Fu Qi also glanced over, somewhat surprised.
Someone on the mainland was asking about box office numbers? Nevertheless, he answered, "As of now, the top spot is held by the foreign film 007: Moonraker, with over 7 million Hong Kong dollars at the box office. If we're talking about Hong Kong films, the top spot goes to Jackie Chan's The Fearless Hyena, a martial arts film with over 5 million."
"How many martial arts films are in the top ten?"
"Well..."
Fu Qi wasn't entirely sure.
He whispered a few words to Shi Hui before replying, "There should be three or four. Many Hong Kong films have martial arts elements, but they aren't purely martial arts films."
Shi Hui stared at the young man and tilted her head, asking, "Who is he?"
"That's Chen Qi!" Wang Yang chuckled.
"Oh~"
Shi Hui's eyes sparkled, suddenly looking very pleased.
"A few months ago, the factory organized a screening of the internal reference film Drunken Master, also starring Jackie Chan. Is he the most popular in Hong Kong?"
"What's with you, young man?"
Before Fu Qi could answer, Deputy Director Sun Wenjin scolded, "You're asking so many questions all at once. How are others supposed to ask theirs? And what are these questions about box office numbers? The quality and ideological value of a film are what matter most!"
"But box office numbers are important too, aren't they?"
Chen Qi looked innocent.
"As film workers, our responsibility is to art, not to chase after box office numbers. That's a bourgeois mindset!"
"Oh, you're right, of course!"
Hmph!
Sun Wenjin grew even more irritated.
Why did this young man's tone sound so sarcastic?
"Alright, alright, the young man is just curious. It's fine."
Fu Qi smoothed things over and patiently explained, "To answer your earlier question, Jackie Chan is indeed the hottest new star in Hong Kong right now, with a huge influence. Do you have any other questions?"
"Is his film popular overseas?"
"Very popular. Drunken Master grossed 1.9 billion yen in Japan and was watched by over 800,000 people in South Korea. Like Bruce Lee, he's recognized as the next big martial arts star in Hong Kong."
"Thank you for answering. I have no more questions!"
Chen Qi smiled.
His interruption left everyone unsure of what to ask next.
In the end, Wang Yang wrapped up the meeting with a few concluding remarks.
As the meeting dispersed, Wang Yang called out, "Xiao Chen, come here for a moment!"
"Sure!"
Chen Qi walked over, enduring the meaningful glances from everyone.
He rolled his eyes internally.
Office politics existed in every era! Not everyone was as kind and generous as Wang Haowei, especially since he had been a bit too cocky earlier, which didn't sit well in this conservative environment.
More and more people might start targeting him in the future.
But it didn't matter.
Struggling with others was endlessly entertaining!
Chen Qi entered the office, where the couple smiled at him warmly, their expressions almost parental.
"Xiao Chen, take a seat... This is actually the first time we've had a proper conversation."
Wang Yang started the conversation with a smile.
"But I've known about you for a while and have been looking for an opportunity to talk. Today was perfect. I've seen your The Cotton Robe. It's quite good. How did you come up with the idea to write about martial arts?"
"My parents work at the Xinhua Bookstore, so I grew up reading all sorts of books..."
He trotted out the same old excuse, lying without batting an eye. "... When I was in Lushan, I had some free time and thought of writing a story. I was afraid literary magazines wouldn't accept it, so I submitted it to Story Collection. As for the creative motivation, it's simple. Men, you know..."
Chen Qi paused, then said firmly, "What man doesn't like martial arts?"
The three of them laughed.
Shi Hui, who was from Nanjing and spoke with a southern accent, said, "That's true. We're currently working on a Shaolin-themed film and found parts of The Cotton Robe quite good. We'd like to use some of it in our story. What do you think?"
"Which parts?"
"The romantic subplot between the male and female leads. We'd like to borrow a bit, especially the ending. We might even use it directly. Don't worry, we'll compensate you fairly."
"No, no. I've heard about your work and deeply admire you. It's just a few lines of text. Feel free to use it. Talking about money would be an insult. Of course, I do have a small request."
"Go ahead!"
"Could my name be included in the credits, even if it's just at the end?"
"Of course! Your story has been a great help to us. Your name should definitely be there," Shi Hui agreed readily.
Ah!
Chen Qi sighed inwardly.
In this era, intellectuals were truly respected.
In later years, big-name screenwriters would have a team of ghostwriters.
The main writer would outline the story, and the ghostwriters would fill in the details, often without any credit.
Respect? Forget about it.
Many screenwriters would crawl on the ground just to get their names on the credits...
Fu Qi liked this young man and, after some thought, said, "How about this? I think The Cotton Robe is quite good. I'd like to buy the rights to it, and you can write an additional ending."
"That works. We're always swamped with scripts anyway," Shi Hui added.
Wang Yang chimed in, "The folks in Hong Kong don't even write scripts for you?"
"No, they don't. Occasionally, they help out, but it's all done secretly, using pseudonyms. They're afraid of being found out!"
"That's tough!"
Wang Yang sighed.
After a bit more small talk, Fu Qi said, "But let me be clear. Buying the script is one thing. We have a specific filming schedule each year, so The Cotton Robe won't be produced anytime soon."
"That's fine, that's fine. I'm already honored that you're interested!"
Chen Qi said this, but in his heart, he was mocking them.
Specific schedule? More like they were too poor to make more films!
He was actually quite surprised by how things had turned out.
Parts of The Cotton Robe and its ending were being used for Shaolin Temple, and all he had to do was write a new ending.
This was simple.
Back when Shaolin Temple became a hit, all the subsequent Shaolin-themed films were just copycats, with endings where the male lead becomes a monk and the female lead sheds tears...
There's nothing wrong with following trends, as long as the quality is good.
The real problem is when bad films try to ride the coattails of successful ones...
Shanghai Fortress, I'm looking at you!
After Fu Qi and Shi Hui finalized the deal, they chatted for a while longer before leaving.
Chen Qi handed over The Cotton Robe without even asking about the payment.
He knew they wouldn't shortchange him.
And having The Cotton Robe produced by the leftist faction suited him just fine.
He could even bring Xu Xiaoming on board.
Anyone labeled as a "collaborator" by Taiwan was on his side!
"You're a clever one, knowing how to get your name out there. If Shaolin Temple succeeds, you'll gain some fame too."
"Heh, just a bit of cleverness. You're too kind."
"No, no. It's not an underhanded tactic. Your request is perfectly reasonable. But they take their time with filming, even slower than us. You'll have to wait a while!"
Wang Yang had initially wanted to discuss Chen Qi joining the Beijing Film Studio, but he decided to wait until Romance on Lushan Mountain was released.
He also needed to consider the opinions of others in the studio.
Just as he was about to end the meeting, Chen Qi hesitated.
"Do you have something else to say?"
"Director, I'm an outsider, and this is my first time talking to you. I shouldn't overstep, but I really have an idea."
"What is it?"
"You heard earlier that martial arts films are very popular in Hong Kong and overseas. Drunken Master made 1.9 billion yen in Japan and had over 800,000 viewers in South Korea. Do you think Shaolin Temple could do the same?"
"That's hard to say. There are too many variables in filmmaking. One film might succeed, and the next might flop," Wang Yang shook his head.
"Right, right. But after listening to the discussion, I had a thought—maybe it's nonsense, but hear me out... If foreigners like our martial arts films, why don't we make more of them?"
Chen Qi looked at the old director and said, "Domestically, they'd definitely be popular. And if we could take them overseas, who knows? Maybe we could even earn some foreign currency."
"What did you say?!"
Wang Yang stood up abruptly.
(End of chapter...)