Chapter 69

（Thank you for your support, brothers! I need some votes! Thanks!）

Wu Cheng's combination of moves directly left Jiahe with a bruised nose and swollen face, making Zou Wenhui extremely angry but helpless, as the difference in theater chains was too great, and the outcome was inevitable.

From this result, Zhao Yazhi could see that Wu Cheng's worries that day were just an act, with the purpose of wanting to sleep in the same bed with them. Although she was somewhat annoyed, seeing his happy smile, she did not say anything more. Of course, at this time, she had already reported to the "Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge" production team.

The company's financial management was handed over to her deputy, Ma Xinlian. Ma Xinlian was a woman in her mid-twenties, with a passable appearance and excellent abilities, being a returnee from abroad. Of course, returnees were not uncommon in Hong Kong, as studying abroad was indeed very convenient here.

Ma Xinlian's work ability was quite strong. Although she had always been Zhao Yazhi's deputy, she actually handled most of the matters. She was also clear that although Zhao Yazhi was the company's financial manager, she was actually the boss, and even the boss sometimes had to consider her mood.

Who in the entire company did not know that the boss respected the boss lady very much?

Therefore, although she was just a deputy, Ma Xinlian did not feel underappreciated. Instead, she was very respectful to Zhao Yazhi, and when Zhao Yazhi had any questions, she answered them very carefully.

Now, the financial management of Feilong Cinema was led by her.

In fact, on the eleventh day of "Zajia" being in theaters, the Shaw Brothers had already taken it off the screens. With so many theaters, taking it off after ten days was actually normal.

If it weren't for the viewing lottery event that Wu Cheng organized in his Feilong Cinema during the third week, "Zajia" would have reached its box office peak.

By the end of the third week, "Zajia" had to be taken off the screens early, as the box office potential in all of Hong Kong was limited, and the "lottery event" was essentially squeezing out the remaining potential.

Wu Cheng was already very satisfied, as "Zajia" had already grossed over ten million, even though it did not break the record set by "Five Lucky Stars," it still performed well.

In fact, if it had been released under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for the box office to break ten million. However, Wu Cheng spent 500,000 on the lottery event, so it barely broke the record.

As for "Ban Jin," its momentum was not small. Despite being hit hard by "Zajia," it still managed to gross nearly seven million, which was about one million less than its historical box office, but it also demonstrated its significant box office potential.

This result made Zou Wenhui's heart break. If he hadn't been so stubborn, the outcome would not have been like this. If he hadn't rushed to announce his plans, Wu Cheng wouldn't have collaborated with Shaw, and without Shaw's support, he would have had an advantage in the theater chains.

Too many "ifs" made Zou Wenhui hate Wu Cheng to the point of gnashing his teeth.

Because, if you calculate carefully, "Ban Jin" had a greater box office potential than "Zajia," but the final box office was still three million less, which couldn't help but make him angry.

After "Zajia" was taken off the screens, Wu Cheng did not let "Drunken Master" take its place, as the box office potential in Hong Kong had been squeezed by these two films, and it would take at least one to two months to recover.

Otherwise, Zou Wenhui wouldn't have had to take "Ban Jin" off the screens early.

If it weren't for the "miracle" of "Zajia's" box office, "Ban Jin's" nearly seven million box office would have been very impressive, and even the Hsu brothers would have been quite satisfied.

But seeing "Zajia's" box office of over ten million, they could only laugh bitterly. Who could blame Zou for not having the courage to spend the money!

Originally, Hsu Guanwen thought that if East Dragon spent money on events, they could do the same, but Zou Wenhui directly rejected it. 500,000 was not a small amount, and whether it could generate a million in box office was uncertain, as the potential had already been squeezed out.

Moreover, he didn't want to be seen as imitating Wu Cheng, like Dongshi imitating Xi Shi.

Therefore, in this battle, Wu Cheng's East Dragon completely defeated Jiahe, and East Dragon firmly established itself in Hong Kong, attracting many filmmakers to join, and the theater chains no longer lacked film sources.

The distribution rights of "Zajia" in Southeast Asia were given to the Shaw Brothers, while the rights in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan were kept by Wu Cheng. However, the distribution in Taiwan was affected by Jiahe, making it a bit difficult.

If it weren't for Shaw's help, East Dragon International would have had to hand over the distribution in Taiwan to Shaw.

This situation made Wu Cheng somewhat awkward, and it also reminded him of the film that opened the market in Taiwan in the future— "A Better Tomorrow."

However, his situation seemed different from that of New Cinema City. His films had a market in Taiwan, but the distribution was affected by Jiahe. New Cinema City had to produce "A Better Tomorrow" to open the market in Taiwan.

"A Better Tomorrow" was produced specifically for the large market in Taiwan, and the script was written by Wong Jing in just two days, causing a viewing miracle in Taiwan.

Although its box office in Hong Kong was average, in Taiwan, it was re-released eight times over five months and became the first Taiwanese film to be shown in mainland China the following year.

One could say that this film made the name of New Cinema City and Wong Jing, and Wong Jing's creativity became a benchmark for Hong Kong filmmakers.

Thinking of Wong Jing, Wu Cheng felt that he could attract this talent. At the time, Wong Jing was still a screenwriter at a TV station, and there was a possibility of attracting him.

While Wu Cheng was pondering these matters, Hong Jinbao came to him with a script.

"Cheng, do you think this script can be filmed?"

Hong Jinbao was somewhat excited because this script was something he came up with while filming "Zajia." Although it was a bit rough, as long as it could be filmed, it was fine.

When Wu Cheng saw the words "Defeat the Prodigal Son," he was somewhat stunned. He knew this film and its script, which was written by Hong Jinbao and another person, Huang Bingyao, who was Hong Jinbao's regular screenwriter.

However, Huang Bingyao had not appeared yet, and he didn't expect Hong Jinbao to write it himself.

Although the script looked a bit rough, it was already much better than other filmmakers' scripts, partly due to Wu Cheng's influence.

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Brother Sanmao, don't you want to rest? I just filmed 'Drunken One,' and I'm not very interested in filming 'Drunken Two'!"

Hong Jinbao smiled and said, "How can I compare to you? You have so many things to manage, while I just need to film. Cheng, do you think this script can be filmed?"

"Of course it can be filmed, but I think we should write out the dialogues first. Adding dialogues on the spot will definitely affect the quality and progress of the film."

Hong Jinbao rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "I want the company's screenwriting team to polish the dialogues. Once the script is finalized, I'll make the budget!"

"You decide, after all, you are the deputy manager of production!" Wu Cheng smiled and said, "The box office split from the Shaw Brothers has already come in. We can celebrate with the team tonight, and distribute the bonuses to boost morale."

Hong Jinbao smiled and said, "I didn't expect Uncle Six to be so straightforward! I heard that Jiahe still owes the Hsu brothers some overseas box office splits! Fortunately, we didn't choose Jiahe. With these bonuses, those guys will probably be smiling in their dreams tonight!"

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Uncle Six doesn't need to tie us to his ship, so he won't casually delay the splits. Otherwise, where would his old face go!"

"By the way, Cheng, when do you plan to release 'Drunken Master'?"

Wu Cheng pondered for a moment and shook his head. "In July! It's the summer season, and the box office potential in Hong Kong has been squeezed out. Releasing 'Drunken Master' now wouldn't be suitable."

Hong Jinbao nodded and said, "I'll talk to Ah Long. He's been a bit unbalanced lately. This kid is always so impatient!"

Wu Cheng chuckled. Although he didn't understand Ah Long as well as Hong Jinbao, he was also clear about his personality. "Brother Sanmao, tell him that if he wants to make a name for himself in the West, he needs to hone his acting skills, so he doesn't embarrass himself."

Hong Jinbao was somewhat stunned and then said with some concern, "Cheng, you're not thinking of taking us to Hollywood now, are you? Isn't it a bit too early?"

Wu Cheng looked at Hong Jinbao and saw that he also had a strong desire for Hollywood. He paused and said, "Conquering Hollywood is definitely a goal, but not now. We still have a big enemy in Hong Kong, and they will definitely try to make a comeback. We haven't firmly established ourselves yet. So, we need to take it step by step! Taking too big a step can be risky!"

Hong Jinbao chuckled and felt relieved. At least Wu Cheng wasn't blinded by victory. He was worried that Wu Cheng, being young and ambitious, might lose his way.

But now, it seemed his worries were unnecessary!

It was hard to imagine that someone his age could be so steady. Sometimes, Hong Jinbao felt that the person sitting in front of him was not a young man but an old man.

While Wu Cheng and Hong Jinbao were chatting in the office, the secretary, Wang Wanyi, dressed in an office lady's outfit, knocked and entered, saying, "Boss, it's almost lunchtime!"

Wu Cheng was stunned and stood up, saying, "Brother Sanmao, I have a lunch appointment with Ms. Chen. Are you interested in joining me?"

Hong Jinbao asked, puzzled, "Which Ms. Chen?"

"Ms. Chen Shufen!"

Hong Jinbao was stunned for a moment and then came to his senses, saying, "Is she the Ms. Chen Shufen who rejected your invitation to join East Dragon International last time?"

"Yes, it's her!"

"How did you get in touch with her again?" Hong Jinbao was stunned for a moment and then shook his head, smiling. "Forget it, I won't join you. Let's celebrate after things are settled."

"Then I'll go first!"

...

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