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Chapter 363: Hijacking "Infernal Affairs"?
Cao Sheng looked at Zhao Wenzhuo, and as he looked, a silent smile appeared on his face. He felt that Zhao Wenzhuo wanted to repay him by making a cameo appearance in "The Mistake".

Although Cao Sheng didn't need such a reward, he was still happy that Zhao Wenzhuo had such a kind heart.

Cao Sheng: "I'll talk to the director about this later and ask him to find you a role!"

After a pause, Cao Sheng added, "Actually, you don't need to thank me in this way. I only sold the script for this movie and didn't participate in the investment, so the final box office results have little to do with me."

Zhao Wenzhuo smiled and said, "I know, but if this movie does well at the box office, wouldn't that be a bonus for your reputation?"

Cao Sheng nodded.

Raise your glass! "Come on! Let's drink! Let's drink!"

……

noon the next day.

When Cao Sheng was eating in the school cafeteria, his assistant Cui Xinyu came over. She also got a meal and sat down opposite Cao Sheng with her food.

When Cao Sheng looked up at her, she lowered her voice and said, "Boss! There's something important that I need you to decide."

Cao Sheng lowered his head, shoveled some rice into his mouth, and asked indistinctly as he chewed, "What is it?"

Cui Xinyu: "Andy Lau's agent called last night and said that he and Andy Lau both hope that you can participate in the investment of 'Drishyam'. If you are not interested in investing, they hope that you can invest in the script fee and participate in the box office revenue sharing after the movie is released."

Cao Sheng: "???"

Cao Sheng looked up at Cui Xinyu, "What's going on? Is the movie starring Andy Lau still short of investment? Didn't the news say that more than a dozen film and television companies participated in the investment? Can't even these dozen or so film and television companies raise enough money? They can't be that poor, can they?"

Cui Xinyu chuckled and shook her head. "No! How could a script you wrote, a movie starring Andy Lau, not have enough money? It's Andy Lau and his agent who want you to share in the box office revenue. I think they're trying to win your favor, probably hoping to continue working with you in the future. I think that's a good thing."

Cao Sheng looked at her.

He doesn't need her opinion.

But he himself felt that this was the truth.

Huang Baiming was willing to give him a share of the box office revenue in the past, but he wasn't interested and refused outright.

The reason was that he had heard before that the film industry was very murky, and that some individuals or companies that invested in blockbuster movies did not receive a single penny of box office revenue.

Because the companies that produce these films are very good at accounting.

Even if a movie is a huge hit, they can still make it appear as a loss on paper.

For example, a famous straw hat worn by a certain film crew cost $6000 to purchase.

With such accounting practices, what investor could withstand it?

Therefore, Cao Sheng was not interested in box office revenue sharing before; he only wanted a fixed script fee, which he would pay exactly as agreed, not a penny less.

No matter how good you are at bookkeeping, I won't look at the ledgers or split the money with you. You can't cheat me, can you?

But today, Cao Sheng suddenly felt a little tempted.

He didn't want a share of the box office revenue before because he was afraid that others would cheat him on the accounts.

Now, as his fame grows and more and more people want his scripts, he has begun to believe that no one would dare to cheat him on the books.

Unless you never want his scripts again.

After a few seconds of contemplation, he nodded. "Forget about the investment. Just have them convert my script fee into an investment. You can help me negotiate with them about how much of the box office revenue I'll get."

He wants to give it a try this time.

Cui Xinyu nodded quickly, "Okay, boss! I'll talk to them about this in a bit."

……

afternoon.

In the rented teacher's dormitory.

Cao Sheng sat in front of his computer, ready to type.

But I couldn't stop thinking about the box office revenue sharing.

Compared to a fixed screenwriting fee, the potential earnings from box office revenue sharing are certainly higher, provided that others don't cheat him on the books.

Now, there probably aren't many people who would dare to cheat him on the accounts.

If he could assign someone to oversee the film crew's accounts after the project was approved, the chances of someone trying to cheat him on the accounts would be much smaller.

With that in mind, he decided to pull off a big heist.

While the Chinese film and television industry is still enthusiastic about his scripts, he should make a quick buck.

Otherwise, as time goes by, he will be able to write fewer and fewer good scripts, and it will be difficult to have such an opportunity again.

The movie "Infernal Affairs" began to flash frequently in his mind.

Original Timeline: This is the savior of Hong Kong films.

Not only did it have high box office returns, but it also received outstanding reviews.

Moreover, it's a film series.

After filming, many film companies from other countries will want to buy the remake rights.

Therefore, if he produces this film ahead of time and invests in it, and receives box office revenue and copyright royalties, his future profits will be very substantial.

The biggest question now is—has the script for this movie been written yet?
Although the movie has not been released yet, and there is no news of filming, before his rebirth, he heard that after the script for the movie was written, it was difficult to find investment for a long time.

Because Hong Kong films were declining at the time, Hong Kong film companies were very cautious about investing in new films.

Because of the subject matter of "Infernal Affairs," at first glance it seems like a police and gangster film that Hong Kong has made to death, and one that doesn't have many exciting scenes. Judging from the script, it looks like it's going to flop.

Moreover, anyone in the know can see at a glance that to make this script well, it requires many excellent actors. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to portray the many inner emotions depicted in the script.

But how easy is it to invite a group of excellent actors with outstanding acting skills?
The success of the original "Infernal Affairs" was not only due to the script, but also to the strong cast of stars, which was a major reason for the film's high quality.

If a different cast were used, it would most likely turn into a terrible movie.

However, Cao Sheng is not worried about the cast.

His recent film, "Drishyam," which he directed for Andy Lau, has attracted so many top stars from Hong Kong and mainland China who want to star in it, giving him confidence.

He was convinced that if he wrote the script for "Infernal Affairs," he could reunite the original cast and crew of the original "Infernal Affairs."

The question now is—has the script for "Infernal Affairs" actually been released yet?

He did remember who the screenwriter of the original "Infernal Affairs" was.

One is Mak Yiu-fai, and the other screenwriter is Chong Man-keung.

Cao Sheng decided to find out how to contact the two men and first try to subtly probe them over the phone to see if they had written "Infernal Affairs".
If it has already been written, then naturally it has nothing to do with Cao.

But if it hasn't been written yet, then don't blame him for stealing it.

However, Cao Sheng remembered that Mak Yiu-fai was also one of the directors of the original "Infernal Affairs". Therefore, even if he hijacked the script of "Infernal Affairs", in order to restore the original "Infernal Affairs" as much as possible, he would suggest that Mak Yiu-fai be one of the directors.

……

For Cao Sheng now, finding out Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang's contact information is very simple.

Many celebrities in Hong Kong's film and television industry are already his friends.

For example, Huang Baiming, Hong Jinbao, and Hua Zai, etc.

He made a phone call and got the two people's phone numbers.

That evening.

Cao Sheng then dialed Mai Yaohui's number.

"Mr. Mai! Hello, I am Cao Sheng. I have something I would like to ask you. I wonder if you could enlighten me?"

When the call connected, Cao Sheng spoke politely.

"Oh, hello, hello! Mr. Cao, hello! Hua Zai already told me today that you might call me. I wouldn't dare to offer your advice, but please let me know if there's anything I can do to help!"

Cao Sheng's industry standing was fully demonstrated by Mai Yaohui's enthusiastic attitude and these words.

Although they had never met before.

But Mak Yiu-fai is not only a screenwriter and director, he also has another identity—an actor.

He has acted in films such as "The Tasteless Detective" and "The Gunman".

It's just that he's not very famous as an actor.

In fact, before the movie "Infernal Affairs" came out, he was not well-known in any of his roles. But Cao Sheng? He has become the highest-paid screenwriter in Chinese film and television, without exception.

Most importantly, Cao Sheng's scripts have yet to fail, and almost every Chinese-language film and television director and actor wants his scripts.

Therefore, his enthusiasm for Cao Sheng is completely understandable.

Sensing his enthusiasm, Cao Sheng smiled and said, "Mr. Mai, it's like this, I'm thinking of writing a screenplay for a crime thriller, and I'd like to set the story in Hong Kong. I've heard that you have a lot of experience with crime thrillers, and I hope you can give me some ideas. If you'd be willing to co-write the screenplay with me, that would be even better. By the way, don't worry, once the screenplay is finished, we can both be credited. I wonder if you would be willing to do me this favor?"

Mai Yaohui did not respond for a moment.

He probably didn't expect Cao Sheng to want him to help write a script.

His feelings at that moment were like those of a struggling writer who suddenly received a call from Shenji, who asked him to help write a novel together.

I was very confused.

Can't believe my ears.

I even started to doubt if I was dreaming.

It's not that he lacks confidence; Cao Sheng is just too famous now, while Mai Yaohui, although he acts, writes scripts, and has directed several films, is far less famous than Cao Sheng.

The key issue is his screenwriting; of his screenwriting works, only one, "Love and Sincerity," has been released.

And what about Cao Sheng?

"Kung Fu Jungle," "Ip Man," "Ong-Bak," "If You Are the One," "A World Without Thieves," "The Hunger Games," "Pacific Rim," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," "Twilight," and many more.

It has long been a legend in the screenwriting world.

He was so flattered and overwhelmed that such a young and legendary screenwriter had asked him to co-write a script with him. He was so surprised and overwhelmed that his head was spinning.

After a moment of silence, he asked weakly, "Mr. Cao, are you sure you've got the right person? I'm Mai Yaohui. Are you sure you're looking for me? Also, who told you that I have a lot of experience with police and gangster films? I don't! I've never written a police and gangster film script, really, I've never written one."

Cao Sheng: "..."

Cao Sheng was sitting in front of his computer, on which Mai Yaohui's public information was displayed.

According to the information, Mak Yiu-fai has indeed never written a script for a police or gangster film.

He wrote and directed only one film, "Love and Sincerity," which is a romance film.

The movies he acted in or directed in the past, such as "The Murderer of 20 Years", were horror and thriller films.

Weekend Fever is a suspense film.

The only films he starred in were "The Tasteless Detective" and "The Gunman," both of which were police and gangster films.

But with so many actors who have acted in police and gangster films, can every actor who has acted in a police and gangster film claim to have a lot of experience with the genre?
(End of this chapter)