Chapter 63

"Xuan, let me tell you, the owner of Fulinmen, Xu Fuquan, started working as a chef in the home of a Qing Dynasty magistrate in Guangdong when he was not yet twenty. Later, he became the head chef at Sir Ho Tung's house. The banquet standards at Fulinmen are renowned throughout Hong Kong, especially for their shark fin and abalone dishes. Waiter, bring us six double-headed abalones for six people!"

Zeng Zhiwei chuckled as he introduced this to Li Xuan, who was sitting next to him.

"Zeng Zhiwei, you're driving me crazy! Who in Hong Kong doesn't know that Fulinmen is a dining place for the rich? I'm not Li Ka-shing, so you pay for the double-headed abalones yourself!" Tan Yonglin almost spat out a mouthful of blood and quickly cut off the conversation.

"Ah, I knew you were stingy, it was just a joke!" Zeng Zhiwei grinned, "Nine-headed abalones are too small, I guess you wouldn't be embarrassed to order them either. Let's have six five-headed abalones instead!"

The grade of abalone is measured by the number of "heads" per pound. The fewer the heads, the more expensive the abalone. As the saying goes, "A thousand gold pieces can't buy a double-headed abalone," which shows how precious double-headed abalones are.

During the Qing Dynasty, officials from coastal areas who went to the capital to pay homage mostly presented dried abalone as gifts. First-rank officials would offer one-headed abalone, while seventh-rank officials would offer seven-headed abalone. Thus, the size of the abalone was linked to the rank of the official, further establishing abalone as the "crown of seafood."

"Ah Hong, as a Miss Hong Kong runner-up, have you tried out for TVB yet? Ah Le just signed with TVB to host 'Happy Tonight.' You should appear on his show to get some exposure!" Zeng Zhiwei said to Zhong Chuhong, who he was very familiar with.

"I tried out last year, but I didn't succeed!" Zhong Chuhong shook her head, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, don't worry, you're so beautiful, you'll make it eventually! Gain more experience now, and when I direct a film next time, I'll definitely invite you to act!" Zeng Zhiwei quickly added, realizing he had touched on a sensitive topic.

He pointed to Tan Yonglin sitting across the round table and subtly changed the subject, "Last year, Alan and Ah Le both participated in TVB's singing competition. Surprisingly, Alan, the lead singer of the Wynners, lost to Ah Le, an amateur singer!"

"Ah Le is no amateur! When we formed the Failures band in 1971, he was already the lead singer. That year, at the Hong Kong Youth Music Festival, he even beat the Lotus band led by Sam Hui! I lost to him with no regrets!" Tan Yonglin's face turned red as he quickly found a way to defend himself.

"Ha, that's right, I'm very talented!" Chen Baoxiang also laughed, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"He hasn't held a microphone for years, isn't it embarrassing to lose to him!" Zeng Zhiwei immediately countered, "Have you been so charmed by the beautiful girls in Taipei that you can't even remember your scales?"

Although they were all old friends and could joke around without hurting feelings, Li Xuan saw Tan Yonglin's face turn red and quickly changed the topic to Zhong Chuhong's new film.

"Ah Hong recently received a call from director Johnnie To, asking her to try out for the lead role in a new martial arts film!"

"Johnnie To? I know! He's been learning from Wong Tin-lam for years, and this is his first time directing. The script for the film was written by Zhu Yan, and Liu Songren got some funding from the leftist film company New Union. Johnnie To and Liu Songren are good friends, so Liu Songren decided to help his old friend by making him the director and starring in the film himself!"

Zeng Zhiwei immediately explained the background. He had switched to the film industry in 1974, starting as a stuntman, then working as a screenwriter, assistant director, and producer. Last year, he directed his first film, "Challenge," and had a wide network of contacts and access to a lot of information in the industry.

"The budget for the film is one million Hong Kong dollars, but New Union only provided 700,000, leaving a 300,000 shortfall. Johnnie To and Liu Songren have been looking for investors everywhere. They've only managed to raise 150,000 so far, so the film won't start shooting for a while!" Zeng Zhiwei said slowly, sipping his tea.

"Do you have Johnnie To's phone number?" Li Xuan asked.

"What? You're not thinking of investing 150,000 to support Ah Hong, are you!" Zeng Zhiwei laughed, "I'm not very close to him, but I can call him for a meal..."

Zeng Zhiwei stopped mid-sentence when he saw Li Xuan nod. He then exclaimed, slapping Li Xuan's shoulder, "You sly dog, you're a rich tycoon!"

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to them.

"Xuan, are you serious?" Zeng Zhiwei asked again.

"150,000 is a small matter, but I want to ensure Ah Hong gets the lead role!" Li Xuan smiled nonchalantly.

Under the table, Zhong Chuhong tugged at Li Xuan's sleeve, "Xuan, I don't want to do that film anymore!"

"Brother Wei, when the time comes, can you call Director To and arrange a meeting? Whenever he's free, we can have a coffee and chat!" Li Xuan smiled at Zeng Zhiwei and then turned to his girlfriend, "The director might not even consider you for the lead role, so don't rush to refuse. Let's talk about it first!"

"Why wait? Le, you have To's number, call him right away and tell him there's a big investor for his new film. He should bring the script over immediately!" Zeng Zhiwei shouted at Chen Baoxiang.

"Bro, we're here to play soccer today, I didn't bring my phone book!" Chen Baoxiang laughed and shook his head.

"Figure it out yourself!"

Chen Baoxiang returned after about ten minutes, "I called several people to get in touch with him, and they're on their way!"

"Miss, please tell the kitchen to delay the meal. Also, bring me the menu, I want to add a few dishes!" Li Xuan called the waiter at the door and instructed him.

The group continued to chat and drink tea. Zeng Zhiwei shared many gossip stories from the film industry, while Tan Yonglin and Zhong Zhentao talked about some interesting experiences from filming in Taiwan. Time flew by quickly. About half an hour later, the door to the private room opened again.

The first person to enter was a slightly round face with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses hiding a pair of smiling eyes. Li Xuan immediately recognized this as the fat man Wang Jing. The person following Wang Jing had a square face and a smile that exuded sincerity. Li Xuan guessed this must be Johnnie To.

In his previous life, Li Xuan had only heard of Johnnie To but never seen him. Of course, the fat man Wang Jing was an exception, but the Wang Jing standing in front of Li Xuan now was not fat at all.

"How did you end up with Ah Feng? No wonder you're so late. We've been waiting for you, and we're starving!" Zeng Zhiwei laughed and scolded when he saw Wang Jing enter.

"Ah Feng was having dinner at my place. We were halfway through when Ah Le called and said someone wanted to invest in his new film, so we rushed over! Where's the investor?" Wang Jing's small eyes scanned the room and finally settled on Li Xuan.

Unlike Wang Jing, Johnnie To's eyes were fixed on Zhong Chuhong next to Li Xuan.

"Director To, hello, I'm Li Xuan!" Li Xuan politely stood up and shook hands with Johnnie To.

Johnnie To finally reacted, looking embarrassed at Li Xuan and repeatedly apologizing.