Chapter 82

In recent years, Yongsheng's film investments could only be described as barely satisfactory, relying on a few veteran actors and directors. The resources in Xiang's hands were still quite good, but with the Hong Kong film market shrinking day by day, if they didn't develop external markets and transform, even Yongsheng would struggle to survive. The current situation was that Jiahe was already on the brink of collapse, having sold its film library.

So when Shen Zhenghui received such an enthusiastic call at the Chunri Film Company's Hong Kong office, he naturally gained a deeper understanding of this capitalist society. The bigwigs in the Hong Kong film industry on the phone were very polite and热情无比. When Lin Jian called, he specifically mentioned that Shen Zhenghui shouldn't bring a female companion to dinner. Shen Zhenghui could only smile and politely say that it was impossible because his bodyguards were all female.

Shen Zhenghui found this excessive enthusiasm somewhat uncomfortable. In his previous life, he was a nobody, and in this life, things had gone smoothly, so he had never experienced the loss of dignity among respectable people. Although he was about to have the opportunity to witness it, he was still somewhat fearful of such a scene. Therefore, he asked Lin Jian on the phone if he could combine the meetings with Mr. Xiang and Mrs. Xiang, and if possible, even include the meeting with Wang Jiasheng. These people were not the main purpose of his trip, but from a business perspective, it was clearly not a wise decision.

Lin Jian was also frustrated about this, but he thought that there were benefits to meeting together, and he could find another opportunity for private meetings. After all, Shen Zhenghui would be staying in Hong Kong for some time. He had heard that Chunri Film Company wanted to invest in a few Hong Kong films. This new owner of Huanya was still short on funds, and for such a potential investor, he was very attentive. In contrast, Yongsheng was not short on funds; they had tasted the sweetness of releasing films in Japan. Although Chunri Film Company was still a small player in the Japanese film industry, it seemed to be developing rapidly and seemed to have a special interest in Hong Kong films. Therefore, Yongsheng wanted to build a relationship and leverage this Japanese distribution channel.

"Gambling Hero 1999" and "Gambling Hero: Battle of Las Vegas" were just appetizers. Yongsheng hoped to establish a long-term partnership to sell all their films to Japan.

So Lin Jian invited Mr. Xiang to dinner, and Mr. Xiang and his wife readily agreed. They made meticulous preparations, and Mrs. Xiang even called her goddaughter, Zhang Zizhi, to join the dinner.

On the other side, Lin Jian had a rough idea that Shen Zhenghui would bring a female companion, so he only brought his own companion, Lin Xi, to the banquet for Shen Zhenghui.

Lin Jian and Mr. Xiang were both big shots. Besides bringing people into the hotel, they also had bodyguards waiting in the lobby. Shen Zhenghui, on the other hand, was much more modest. Including his people and Suchi Masahiro, there were only four of them, plus a driver. At the Regent Hotel, Lin Jian and Lin Xi, Mr. Xiang and Mrs. Xiang stood at the door to warmly welcome Shen Zhenghui. Shen Zhenghui shook hands with these bigwigs he could never have approached closely in his previous life, while the driver was taken care of by Lin Jian and Mr. Xiang's driver. Shen Zhenghui, along with the two women and Suchi Masahiro, who was acting as his assistant, was warmly welcomed into the reserved suite.

Chinese dining is always complicated. They argued over seating arrangements for a while. In the end, Lin Jian, as the host, invited the guests to sit in the main seat—according to Shen Zhenghui, the seat that pays the bill. Shen Zhenghui sat to Lin Jian's right, Mr. Xiang naturally sat next to Shen Zhenghui, and Mrs. Xiang sat next to Mr. Xiang. Lin Xi sat to Lin Jian's left, and Lin Jian asked her to entertain Seinuma Tomohiro, who sat next to Lin Xi. Mrs. Xiang originally wanted Zhang Zizhi to sit next to Shen Zhenghui, but the plan failed, so Zhang Zizhi had to sit next to Seinuma Tomohiro. Suchi Masahiro and Fujido Kaoru sat in the seats facing the door, and Shen Zhenghui's group was thus separated.

The Chinese characteristic of discussing business over dinner was evident, and the main person to talk business this time was Mr. Xiang. Lin Jian had just taken control of Huanya, and with a lack of funds and weak strength, he was now thinking of tricking some Japanese money to invest in films and sell them to Japan, feeling very insecure.

Mr. Xiang was different. Relying on its special relationships in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, Yongsheng used stars to make films every year, maintaining a steady production volume. Mr. Xiang had no significant financial pressure, and what he most wanted to discuss was distribution in Japan. So far, Chunri Film Company had bought the rights to "Gambling Hero 1999" and "Gambling Hero: Battle of Las Vegas" from Yongsheng and helped Jiahe distribute "Storm Riders" and "The Chinese Hero" in Japan. Jiahe earned much more through box office splits than Yongsheng, which made Mr. Xiang very不服气. He now had two films to be released at the end of the year, and he felt confident enough to recommend them to Chunri Film Company: "Racing with the Moon 2: Speed Legend" and "Dark War." One starred the currently hottest Zheng Yimei, and the other starred the King of Pop, Liu Tianwang. Mr. Xiang believed that recouping the costs was not a problem, and now he wanted more.

Coincidentally, the two female leads of "Racing with the Moon 2: Speed Legend" were present.

Mrs. Xiang enthusiastically introduced her goddaughter to Shen Zhenghui and asked Zhang Zizhi to toast him.

Shen Zhenghui only gave a faint smile in response. She was once the goddess in the hearts of many otakus, including Shen Zhenghui. At nineteen, Zhang Zizhi looked not yet mature or sexy, but she was youthful and innocent. However, if one knew what would happen to her in the future, no matter how beautiful she was, it couldn't erase the bad impression.

Shen Zhenghui had no intention of saving her. After drinking a toast with her, he raised his glass again and looked at Lin Xi, "Miss Lin, it's nice to see you again. You look even more beautiful than the last time in Tokyo."

Lin Xi smiled and stood up, raising her glass, "Thank you for your compliment, and for your hospitality last time."

"Not at all," Shen Zhenghui patted Lin Jian's shoulder, "I was too busy last time and didn't treat Chairman Lin well. Now I'm in Hong Kong, and I'm troubling you again."

Lin Jian smiled, "It's my honor to entertain Mr. Shen and Miss Seinuma."

Mrs. Xiang couldn't help but wonder, does he prefer mature women? Is Zhang Zizhi too young and inexperienced for him?

Mr. Xiang also raised his glass and stood up, "Mr. Shen, as a Chinese representing a Japanese company, you should promote cooperation between Hong Kong and Japanese films. If you want to make films in Hong Kong, just let us know, and we can get any star for you."

Lin Jian quickly added, "If you need any Hong Kong actors for your films in Japan, just let us know."

"Right, right," Mrs. Xiang also stood up, "Zhang Zizhi and Miss Lin Xi are both excellent actors. Have you seen their works? I'll send you VCDs."

Mr. Xiang added, "I'll send you VCDs of all Yongsheng's films."

"Thank you very much," Shen Zhenghui smiled, "I bought 'Gambling Hero: Battle of Las Vegas,' so I must have seen Miss Lin's performance."

Lin Xi smiled, and Zhang Zizhi looked a bit awkward.

"I also like Stephen Chow. I've seen all his films, and Miss Zhang's performance in 'King of Comedy' was very good."

Zhang Zizhi smiled somewhat勉强.

Mrs. Xiang immediately interjected, "Mr. Shen, you don't know how much Zhang Zizhi suffered while filming Stephen Chow's movie. Stephen Chow has a very bad temper, he's irritable and rude. When he wasn't famous, we took good care of him, but now that he's a boss, he doesn't respect anyone."

Mr. Xiang patted her hand and smiled, "I apologize, my wife is very emotional."

Mrs. Xiang started wiping her tears with a tissue, "I can't provoke him now," she cried, "He treats others like they're nothing. Look at Zhang Zizhi," she pointed at Zhang Zizhi, "He made her shave her head and forbade her from taking any roles for half a year. Such a person..." Mrs. Xiang didn't continue, as Mr. Xiang whispered something in her ear. She then used the typical female sobbing to intensify the emotion. The scene became awkward.

Shen Zhenghui then turned to Lin Jian, "Mr. Lin, are your connections at ATV still intact? We have a few Japanese dramas. I wonder if ATV is interested?"

"Mr. Shen, is it 'My Boyfriend's Sister'?" Lin Xi, who was next to Lin Jian, reacted first, "The girls in it are so cute."

"Thank you. Actually, the second season is also ready and will be released soon. I and Seinuma are the main actors in this one," Shen Zhenghui said.

Lin Xi's gaze met Seinuma's, "I heard the first season had a 20% viewership. If the second season is the same, that would be amazing."

"We have to thank the Hong Kong director, Wong Kar-wai. If he hadn't taken away Kimura Takuya this year, we wouldn't have achieved such results."

"Not at all, the show is also very good," Lin Xi quickly responded.

Lin Jian then interjected, "I'm just a shareholder at ATV. I'll ask for you. If it's such an excellent drama, I think ATV will be interested."

"The ratings for 'My Zombie Boyfriend' at ATV are also very good!"

Lin Jian smiled, "The two main actors have left. How useful is that?"

Seeing the lively discussion about TV dramas, Mrs. Xiang realized she might have made a mistake. She composed herself, stood up, and pulled Zhang Zizhi to toast Shen Zhenghui again. Mr. Xiang also drank a toast to apologize for his wife's emotional outburst. Shen Zhenghui naturally remained calm and said it was no problem.

Mr. Xiang then continued, "Next year, I plan to gather the top stars from Hong Kong and the mainland to produce a big-budget film, in collaboration with the China Film Company. I wonder if Mr. Shen is interested."

"Oh? Which stars?" Shen Zhenghui showed interest.

"Zheng Yimei and Liu Tianwang, and from the mainland, Zhao Weiwei," Mr. Xiang glanced at Lin Jian, "Wang Zhenzhen from 'My Zombie Boyfriend,' and for now, these are the ones confirmed," he looked at Seinuma, "Mr. Shen, are you interested in investing?"

"What kind of film is it?" Although he already knew which film it was, Shen Zhenghui pretended not to know.

"A historical martial arts film," Mr. Xiang said, "Mr. Wen Jun's research shows that audiences still want to see martial arts films, so we plan to invest in a grand martial arts production."

"What's the budget?"

"60 million Hong Kong dollars." Mr. Xiang answered succinctly.

"Over 800 million yen, indeed a grand production." Shen Zhenghui nodded.

"Based on a story from Gu Long's novel, it will definitely have a market." Mr. Xiang continued to persuade.

Shen Zhenghui smiled, "Mr. Xiang," he said, "I'm very interested in the two films you mentioned, 'Dark War' and 'Racing with the Moon 2: Speed Legend.' Why don't we discuss them in more detail sometime?"

"Sure, sure." Mr. Xiang smiled, not at all embarrassed by the change of topic.