Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 376 Cao Sheng's occupational hazard flared up again.
What the final editor Chen Maolin didn't know was that before he reviewed Cao Sheng's new book "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts," his boss Lan Tianhu had already signed the contract and even offered Cao Sheng a 2% royalty split.

Therefore, his final opinion was actually worthless, and the boss wasn't even interested in glancing at it.

……

noon the next day.

In Hong Kong, arranged by Wang Zuxian, Cao Sheng hosted a banquet at the Peninsula Hotel that noon to thank Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang for their help in completing the first draft of the script for "Infernal Affairs".

Cao Sheng had previously said that he would host a banquet for them when he came to Hong Kong this month, and today he is fulfilling that promise.

At the same time, Cao Sheng himself wanted to come to this hotel to broaden his horizons.

Before his rebirth, he had read in many Hong Kong entertainment novels that the male protagonists would come to this hotel to spend money, saying how famous and high-class the Peninsula Hotel was in Hong Kong.

At that time, he remembered the name of the hotel.

When I came to Hong Kong this time, I was thinking of treating Mak Yiu-fai and Chong Man-keung to dinner, so I decided to try this hotel.

It's also a way to accumulate writing material!

As a professional writer, his experience and perspective can be very useful when he is writing certain novels.

Especially when writing novels set in urban areas, his experience and vision determine the extent to which he can depict luxurious scenes in his books.

There are also negative examples.

For example, some authors who grew up in cities find it difficult to write rural novels if they follow the trend.

This is also why many traditional writers enjoy experiencing life and gathering inspiration.

Of course, for him as an online novelist, experiencing life and gathering material is not actually necessary, because there are many themes for online novels.

If you keep writing fantasy, martial arts, and other fantasy-themed works, then some real-life experiences become unnecessary.

However, he occasionally thinks about novels set in urban environments, such as his new book "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts," which is set in a modern city.

Therefore, he has been consciously increasing his experience over the past two years.

"This is Tsim Sha Tsui. The Peninsula Hotel is right in front of the beautiful Victoria Harbour. The view is stunning. Look here..."

On the way to the Peninsula Hotel, Wang Zuxian, dressed in jeans, sat next to Cao Sheng and pointed to the bustling streets outside, whispering to Cao Sheng, "These are all places for shopping, business and entertainment. Tourists who come to Hong Kong will basically come here to stroll around."

The streets outside the car window were indeed lined with tall buildings and very bustling.

But when Cao Sheng heard the name "Tsim Sha Tsui", he thought of "Duan Kun of Tsim Sha Tsui".

And Tsim Sha Tsui, which is frequently mentioned in the "Young and Dangerous" movies.

Thinking about all this, a smile appeared on his lips, and he felt that this was probably just his occupational hazard.

Whatever you see or hear, it's easy to associate it with movies or TV shows, or the content of a novel.

Meanwhile, Mak Yiu-fai and Chong Man-keung had already arrived at the entrance of the Peninsula Hotel to wait.

The two waited for Cao Sheng to arrive while exchanging words in hushed tones.

Chong Man-keung: "Hey! I heard that Andy Lau and Tony Leung have agreed to star in 'Infernal Affairs,' is that right?"

Mai Yaohui hummed in agreement.

He whispered, "You have no idea how many award-winning actors and actresses wanted to play this role after it spread in the industry. Ah Fa, Adam Cheng, Ching Wan, Lai Ming, Manyu, Ching Ha... a whole bunch of people were trying to get a major role. If it weren't for the fact that Cao Sheng specifically requested Andy Lau and Leung Chiu-wai to play the two main roles, they probably wouldn't have been able to get one."

Zhuang Wenqiang listened with a smile, but also with some emotion, "That's normal! In recent years, Hong Kong films have not been as good as before. Big productions and good projects are becoming increasingly rare. Famous directors and actors have either gone to Hollywood or to the mainland to make money. Now it's rare to have such a good project, especially with Cao Sheng's script. It would be strange if they didn't fight tooth and nail for it. By the way, I heard that Jackie Chan also wants to play a male lead? Is that true?"

Mai Yaohui's lips curled up as he whispered, "This isn't an action movie. Jackie Chan has very little advantage if he wants to play the male lead. After all, he's not known for his acting skills. When audiences watch his movies, what they look forward to most are scenes of him jumping off buildings or fighting in furniture stores, right? If he suddenly spends the entire film acting in dramatic scenes, no matter how brilliantly he acts, it will disappoint many movie fans."

Zhuang Wenqiang also laughed.

"That makes sense, what a pity! With his strong box office appeal, if he had played the male lead, even if the film's reputation suffered a bit, the box office would have been tens of millions more, and it might even have had a chance to be released in the US, don't you think?"

Mai Yaohui nodded, "Yes! But this time it's an all-star lineup, so losing him won't have a big impact on the box office."

……

As the two were chatting, they saw a nanny van pull up in front of the hotel.

The car door opened, and two young men in suits and ties, who looked like bodyguards, got out first. Then they opened the car door, and Mai Yaohui caught a glimpse of Cao Sheng inside. Startled, he quickly pulled Zhuang Wenqiang aside and hurried over to greet him.

To their surprise, Wang Zuxian was also in the car.

This reminded them of a scandal that Hong Kong media had previously reported on – the rumored affair between Cao Sheng and Wang Zuxian.

They remembered that after the rumors came out, Cao Sheng and Wang Zuxian both denied them, but today they came in the same car. What?

Aren't they going to avoid suspicion at all? "Mr. Cao! Welcome to Hong Kong! Ah Xian, it's been a long time!"

"Mr. Cao! It's a pleasure to meet you! Ah Xian, hello, hello!"

Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang, whose minds were filled with the rumors about Cao Sheng and Wang Zuxian, showed a fleeting look of surprise on their faces. When they arrived at the car door, they were both very polite and their words showed respect.

No one asked Cao Sheng why he came with Wang Zuxian.
"Mr. Mai! Mr. Zhuang, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Cao Sheng got out of the car and reached out to shake hands with them one by one. He extended his right hand, but they both extended both hands to shake his, just like a superior meeting his subordinates.

Seeing this, Cao Sheng added his left hand, which made the situation much more harmonious.

A moment later, the group walked into the Peninsula Hotel while talking. Sun Liang and Lei Zhen, the two sports students, imitated the bodyguards in the movie, leading the way with expressionless faces. They were clearly nervous, but their eyes were cold and fierce as they looked at everyone.

At the hotel entrance, the lobby manager was already there to greet us.

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group arrived at the private room upstairs that Wang Zuxian had reserved.

One wall of the private room is made up of floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the legendary Victoria Harbour, where many ships of all sizes are moored, including cruise ships commonly seen in Hong Kong movies.

Cao Sheng curiously went to the window and looked out at the scenery. He saw some seagulls flying over the sea and the beautiful scenery where the sea and sky met.

Because he came to the window, Zhuang Wenqiang, Mai Yaohui, and Wang Zuxian also came to the window.

Zhuang Wenqiang laughed and said, "Has Mr. Cao been to Victoria Harbour before? It's a pity it's daytime now; the most beautiful view of Victoria Harbour is at night."

Mai Yaohui chimed in, "Yes! The scenery during the day is nice, but the night view is even more magnificent. How about I accompany Mr. Cao here tonight to enjoy it?"

Cao Sheng put his hands behind his back and smiled, "I've seen the night view of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong movies many times before, and it really is beautiful! Seeing it during the day today is quite an eye-opener!"

While he was saying these words, what he was really thinking was: This place is so beautiful, like a beautiful woman's back. It would be a shame not to get cupping done here. Could I arrange a scene from my new book, "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts," to take place here? For example, under the cover of night, the male protagonist is on a date here when he is surrounded by a local Hong Kong martial arts gang. One of the gang's spoiled rich kids arrogantly declares that he wants to see how many the famous Wang Chao can take on. Then, at the height of the battle, a fire burns down many ships in Victoria Harbour, including the Peninsula Hotel right there at their feet.

Mai Yaohui, Zhuang Wenqiang, and Wang Zuxian, who were chatting with Cao Sheng, could never have imagined what kind of crazy scenarios Cao Sheng was thinking while he was chatting with them with a smile.

They were unaware that when Cao Sheng saw Wang Zuxian's smile, he automatically imagined Wang Chao's date in Victoria Harbour as a stunningly beautiful woman like Wang Zuxian.

At the same time, the gang's second-generation rich kid is also set up as the admirer and simp of this beautiful woman.

Upon learning that Wang Chao was on a date with her, the spoiled brat was consumed by jealousy. That's why he gathered a group of thugs to surround Wang Chao, intending to beat him to death in front of the woman he loved.

……

"Come on! Mr. Mak, Mr. Chong! Let me toast you! Thank you both for your contributions to 'Infernal Affairs'! I'll drink first!"

After the food and drinks were served, Cao Sheng first raised his glass and stood up to toast Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang.

Mai and Zhuang quickly stood up, picked up their glasses, and said they didn't deserve it, readily offering polite words.

Wang Zuxian sat to the side, her gaze towards Cao Sheng like that of a little fangirl, staring straight at him, completely unconcerned about the presence of Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang.

At this moment, she felt very conflicted.

Although she is a dazzling superstar in front of her fans.

But she knows that she has always been the weaker party in front of directors and screenwriters.

In the past, she would have been the one to take the initiative to offer a toast at such a gathering, but now? Although Cao Sheng was the one who took the initiative to offer a toast, Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang's humility was immediately apparent.

Sure enough, not long after the drink was finished, Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang got up one after another and kept toasting Cao Sheng, showering him with compliments.

During the event, Mai Yaohui and Zhuang Wenqiang repeatedly toasted Wang Zuxian, treating her in the same way they would treat Cao Sheng's girlfriend.

This made Wang Zuxian feel both embarrassed and happy.

Although she knew she had no future with Cao Sheng, at least for today, in this hotel, two people treated her as Cao Sheng's girlfriend.

For a moment, she wished the banquet would never end.

She was often distracted, and in a daze, she heard Mak Yiu-fai and Chong Man-keung talking to Tsao Sheng about the preparations for the film "Infernal Affairs".

They also talked about some interesting anecdotes, such as: a certain celebrity wanted to play a certain role and contacted so-and-so in private.

and many more.

……

As it turns out, Hong Kong paparazzi are indeed incredibly resourceful.

While Cao Sheng and his group were having dinner and drinks at the Peninsula Hotel, related news had already appeared on some Hong Kong media websites.

The most popular news headline was: "Ah Xian! Do you still dare to say that you and Zhongyuan Yidianhui are just ordinary friends?"

(End of this chapter)