1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 431 Eight o'clock, have backbone

"Suspected to be a dispute between gangs over land, a fight broke out on Portland Street, resulting in 2 deaths, 12 serious injuries, and many shops burned down." - Oriental Daily

"A man was having sex at a boneyard in Temple Street when a gunman broke into his private room and fired several shots. He was suspected to be involved in a gang vendetta. An insider revealed that the deceased was Sang Bo, a fierce man from the Number Gang." - Ming Pao

"Fuyi Film Company suffered another incident of set burning, the Young and Dangerous came to seize the land, Wan Ziliang angrily denounced the chaos of public security!" - "Entertainment Evening News"

'Jianghu news! The number gangs each serve their own masters, involving the internal war of the four major character groups of loyalty, filial piety, courage and perseverance. Last night, there was another incident of hundreds of people showing off their horses and cheating on their friends. Prince Ge Zhixiong sent out gold medals to demand a ceasefire, but was ridiculed by the big bosses of the character groups as "outdated old stuff." '——"Sing Tao Daily"

"Police responded to the shooting at Temple Street Boneyard. The murderer surrendered himself yesterday. He is a South Asian." - Police Magazine

"A large-scale armed fight broke out again in Tuen Mun. It is suspected that the former Tuen Mun FIT boss sent his apprentice to seek revenge. He set snakes and poured fire water on many shops of the Number Gang in Tuen Mun. The shop owners were in tears and demanded that the Number Gang return the protection fee." - "New Paper"

'Another shooting! Citizens reported that gunshots were heard in the Fuhao Restaurant in Tsuen Wan in the early hours of last night. Police patrolling nearby quickly rushed to the restaurant and found six bullet shells at the scene. It is reported that Fuhao Restaurant is run by Cai Ziming, the owner of Fuyi Film Company, and it is suspected that it is related to the previous set burning case. '——"Hong Kong Times"

"The vicious violent incidents that have occurred in Hong Kong are the worst in recent years and have seriously affected the lives of Hong Kong citizens. We urge the Hong Kong government to strengthen public security as soon as possible. Don't say that we didn't warn you." - Ta Kung Pao

"The police launched a Hong Kong-wide anti-gang operation and asked more than 100 members of social groups to return to the police station to assist in the investigation. Many well-known lawyers said that this move violated the rule of law and human rights and demanded that the police make the investigation results public." - "Hong Kong Economic Times"

One after another, the gangster murders made the headlines in major newspapers. In just half a month, twelve gangs and nearly a thousand gangsters were involved in the dispute.

According to rough statistics, nine people died in half a month, more than fifty people were seriously injured, and the number of minor injuries was countless.

Normally, gang members' beatings of friends would not involve murder, while gangsters would always use a 'drag' knife to kill people, and would stop when they saw blood.

It was also because too many people were involved this time, including some new 49ers and even young gang members who wanted to get promoted. They picked up knives without thinking of the consequences and used the "stabbing", "cutting" and "chopping" techniques, which made those underworld bosses terrified.

In the words of Ta Kung Pao, this round of gang turmoil is indeed "the worst in recent years", especially the death list plus the three new shootings, which have exceeded double digits, which is definitely a vicious incident in any region.

…………

Wireless Clearwater Bay Studios.

"Big Times" is being filmed and broadcast at the same time, and the entire series is about to be completed.

At that time, ATV launched two dramas, "The King's Guards" and "Zhong Kui Catches Ghosts". In order to surpass TVB in ratings, it also invited pillars such as Fang Gang and Liu Dan to make guest appearances.

As a result, it was crushed by "The Greed of Man", and the combined ratings of the two dramas did not exceed the exaggerated average ratings of 47 points of "The Greed of Man".

With the increasing number of entertainment programs today, it is unlikely to see a miracle in television history like the 83 "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" with a viewership of 65 points. The 47-point viewership of "The Greed of Man" has created an insurmountable obstacle for TVB, crushing ATV under its feet.

"The crew next door is great. Lau Ching Wan is just a newcomer, but Miss Fang actually treated him to milk tea yesterday. It's rare to see such a stingy person."

"If I had known that Big Times was written by Shen Tongyuan, I would have fought for the role no matter what. Now they are filming this kind of martial arts drama. It's obvious at first glance that it's a runner-up project."

"Brother Hua, how is your movie Sniper Detective? I heard that it has been suspended recently?"

A total of 11 TVB dramas have entered the production stage in the second half of the year. However, as the hit drama "The Greed of Man" is coming to an end, the TV station is afraid that there will be problems in the last few episodes, so it has transferred most of its resources to them in the past two days, causing several other projects to be temporarily suspended.

Among them is "Sniper Detective" starring Simon Yam.

"We are all third-class horses, so of course we have to give way to first-class horses~"

In the cafeteria of the film set, Ren Dahua sat at a table with several actors from other crews, with a bowl of curry chicken rice and a cup of Yuanyang milk tea in front of them.

When asked about the drama he was starring in, Ren Dahua bit his straw and said, "People have been transferred there, so I may have to wait until next week to start work."

The actor next to him smiled and said, "Not bad, just think of it as a week's rest."

"You have to make money, boss!" Ren Dahua said helplessly, "I've been suspended for a week, and I'm not allowed to go out for odd jobs, nor am I allowed to take on other projects. I have to be on standby at all times and wait for notifications. There are also people coming to the dormitory to check on me every day. It's no different from being in prison... Damn it! I might as well find a way to make a movie next year!"

The actors at the same table echoed the comment with deep agreement.

Not allowing vacations even when work is stopped has always been a tradition of TVB. Unfortunately, TVB is now the only dominant player and the rules are the rules. Otherwise, no one would be scrambling to enter the film industry.

"Yesterday, the Gold Medal Martell Winery called me and wanted to invite me to shoot a commercial. The salary is 5,000 yuan."

Ren Dahua mentioned this matter, and he became increasingly resentful: "Then I went to find Commander Jimao? I planned to take three days off to make some extra money, but he was useless no matter how hard I tried. He had to make me stay in the dormitory and wait for notification. I'm going to fail!"

The "chicken feather commander" refers to TVB's top producer Li Tiansheng at the time. He followed the example of his superiors and made things even more outrageous based on Fang Yihua's stinginess, using chicken feathers as a token of authority.

"Wow! Five thousand? That's enough for two months' salary!"

The actors at the same table cried out in unison, and then began to speak up for Ren Dahua.

"Brother Hua, if I were you, I would never let this money go away."

"Yeah, making 5,000 yuan in three days is worth it to quarrel with Commander Jimao."

"Commander JiFeo is really going too far..."

Amidst the instigation, Ren Dahua, who had already accepted his fate, was moved again. He has now made a name for himself in the television circle with several dramas, but his pay is still around 2,000 yuan. His several requests for salary increase were all perfunctorily rejected. At the same time, people from ATV also contacted Ren Dahua privately, saying that if he was willing to switch to the show, his salary would at least double.

"Fuck you!"

Ren Dahua became angrier and angrier, and threw the soup spoon into the plate. "I'll go find him now. At worst, I'll tell Miss Fang about it. Anyway, you must give me a vacation this time!"

"Great, Brother Hua! We really support you!"

The actors at the same table all spoke up.

Ren Dahua nodded, stood up and walked out of the cafeteria, planning to ask Li Tiansheng for leave again.

At the dining table behind them, several actors looked at each other and communicated in low voices.

"It's rare for someone to take the lead. Let's see how the top management reacts this time. It would be best if we make a big fuss. Ren Dahua and Li Tiansheng will both leave, leaving multiple male lead positions vacant..."

…………

When Zhai Yuan drove to the Qingshui Bay Studios, a group of people had already gathered near the adjacent studio of the crew of "Big Times" and were talking loudly.

From time to time, there were some angry exchanges.

"Miss Fang, is that the legendary Commander Chicken Feather?"

Zhai Yuan lowered the car window and looked through the crowd, first catching a glimpse of the familiar Ren Dahua, and then seeing another middle-aged man with a shaved head standing opposite him.

"What a chicken-feather commander! He speaks as if I ordered him to do this."

Fang Yihua rolled her eyes at Zhai Yuan. As The Greed of Man became increasingly popular, she found the young man next to her more pleasing to the eye.

She went on to say, "Actually, I've always been against being too harsh on actors, but the producers have their own ideas, how can I influence them?"

Zhai Yuan grinned and said, "It doesn't matter. I'm not working as a part-time worker in TVB anyway. Whatever you say is fine."
Fang Yihua glanced at the still heated argument, retracted her gaze, and asked, "Do you have a personal grudge against this actor named Ren Dahua?"

"of course not."

"Then why did you ask him about it for no reason and made Li Tiansheng embarrassed..."

"Don't talk about that, Miss Fang. Will Commander Jimao let me go if I don't speak up?"

Fang Yihua was silent for a moment, with an unfathomable smile on her face.

Let them go? Two thousand yuan a month for free? Stopping work is not a vacation. Even if there is no work, we still have to report on time. Otherwise, how can everyone go out to make extra money?
But she still didn't understand why Zhai Yuan was interested in Ren Dahua, an ordinary TV actor.

In terms of influence, even when Wan Ziliang was at TVB, he was more popular than Simon Yam today, not to mention the station's top pillars like Adam Cheng.

Zhai Yuan did not explain much. He saw that the argument between Ren Dahua and Li Tiansheng was becoming more and more intense, to the point where they were poking each other in the chest.

"OK, it's my turn to play the good guy~"

Zhai Yuan smiled at Fang Yihua, opened the car door and got out, then walked straight towards the fire.

Outside the studio,

Ren Dahua's dark skin flushed with excitement: "I go to work on time every month, and sometimes I work overtime until the early morning. I have a clear conscience! Why can't I go out now that the crew has stopped filming?"

Li Tiansheng, who is now middle-aged, looks gentle, but his hairline is a little worrying. He remained calm when Ren Dahua's spit splashed on his face, but what he said was very unpleasant to hear: "The company has regulations. If you must take a leave, wait until the filming of "Sniper Detective" is finished. I hope you will send me your leave application and resignation report together. Also, don't think that being mean to me in front of everyone will work. Even if Qiu Guan comes, the rules are the same."

As he spoke, he knocked on the surrounding actors.

Zhai Yuan walked silently to the edge of the crowd, squeezed past a few actors and stepped forward.

"Pick! You..." A male actor who was watching the show was pushed away. He was about to get angry, but when he saw Zhai Yuan's appearance clearly, the second half of the sentence immediately returned to his throat.

Later, more people discovered that the TV station’s second largest shareholder was present at the scene.

"Mr. Zhai."

"Director Zhai."

"Boss Zhai."

Amid the continuous greetings, the crowd took the initiative to make way for Zhai Yuan.

The verbal battle between Ren Dahua and Li Tiansheng also came to an end.

"I came to visit the set of Big Times and saw that it was very lively here, so I came to take a look."

Zhai Yuan stood there, looking at the two of them with a smile, and made a gesture of invitation: "Don't worry about me, just continue~"

…………

"Mr. Zhai is so handsome!"

As the verbal battle between Simon Yam and Li Tiansheng ended, a few pretty girls gathered together and chattered in the dispersing crowd.

The heroine of "Sniper Detective", Qiu Shuzhen, clenched her fists and held them to her chest, and said with a silly look on her face: "Just keep going. Did you see the face of Commander Jimao? He was so scared that he changed at least seven expressions in one second. He is definitely at the level of an actor!"

Zhai Yuan asked Fang Yihua to target Ren Dahua a little, and Fang Yihua then told Li Tiansheng to do something. Li Tiansheng had no idea that the argument with Ren Dahua on the set today was originally the idea of this young shareholder.

Therefore, when he saw Zhai Yuan appear on the set, Commander Jimao felt terrified.

"It's not the people who are stylish, it's the money that is stylish~"

Wu Jiali, who followed Qiu Shuzhen and acted in the 91 Entertainment's "Dragon Tiger Storm", laughed and said: "The commander's feather order was given by Miss Fang. Mr. Zhai, as the second largest shareholder of the TV station, is on an equal footing with Uncle Zhao Liu. When his boss's boss saw him arguing with an actor regardless of the consequences, how scared do you think he would be at that time?"

Luo Huijuan, who was filming "Crazy Ade", also said: "It would be best if Mr. Zhai fired him for this incident and got rid of this evil for the people!"

Just a few words are enough to show that Li Tiansheng is notorious among actors.

It's a pity that he has the real talent and is known as a great producer who can turn stones into gold, but he is also stingy and has been ordered to do so. This time he will definitely disappoint the pretty girls.

Among the pretty girls, there was a young girl with an extremely hot body. When she heard her friends talking about Zhai Yuan, she couldn't help but frown.

Hou Weiyun, a young girl who also starred in "Crazy Ade", had her hair permed into big waves for the show.

She asked softly, "Is this Mr. Zhai really that powerful?"

"Of course!" Yau Shu-zhen immediately said, "Even if he's not a TV station director, he's still the boss of the 91 Entertainment Group. Everyone who's been in the TV industry wants to try their luck in the film industry, right? The biggest and richest person in the film industry right now is this Mr. Zhai!"

"Alas!" Hou Weiyun sighed upon hearing this, his face becoming even more worried: "Oh my god! Xingzai could have offended anyone else, but he offended me, what shall I do in the future?"

Yau Shu-ching, Luo Huijuan and Wu Jiali looked at each other and shrugged helplessly.

Hou Weiyun, who was only fourteen or fifteen years old, looked mature and was in love with Zhou Xingchi. It was no secret in the circle.

With the role of "God of Gamblers", everyone thought he was going to soar to the sky. The sisters in the same crew were still envious of Hou Weiyun's keen eye for talent the day before. Then, it was reported that Xingzai had moved to Fuyi Film Company and turned down the TVB anniversary drama "Crazy Admirer" which invited him to participate this year.

Luo Huijuan patted Hou Weiyun on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry, you should talk to Xingzai when you have time. After all, he was wrong in this matter. He should just go back to Jiuyi Entertainment and admit his mistake. I don't think Mr. Zhai is a petty person."

"How about this!" Qiu Shuzhen rubbed her hands, smiling slyly, "I'll sacrifice my looks to get Mr. Zhai, and then I'll help your boyfriend to persuade him!"

Wu Jiali and Luo Huijuan burst out laughing.

Wu Jiali raised her middle finger: "Hey! You wish! I was filming "Dragon Tiger" which was a big production, and I never met Mr. Zhai during the whole process. With his level, first-line movie stars have to make an appointment to meet him, how can you get the chance~"

After that, she immediately comforted Hou Weiyun: "But don't be disappointed, Ah Yun. What Ah Juan said makes sense. Big bosses are usually not petty..."

…………

"I am known for being petty!"

After settling the dispute between Li Tiansheng and Ren Dahua, Zhai Yuan took the initiative to invite Ren Dahua to his office for a chat.

Although it was his first time at the Clearwater Bay Studios, they had already prepared a separate office for him, which was kept spotlessly clean even though he didn't live there all year round.

At this time, Zhai Yuan was sitting at his desk, and he said to Ren Dahua righteously, "This guy named Li Tiansheng is really too much! Don't worry, if you know me, you will know that I always respect actors. In addition to what I just said, what other bad things Li Tiansheng has done in the past? Tell me everything, and I will tell him in person after I meet Uncle Zhao Liu!"

The 33-year-old Ren Dahua was deeply moved by the 23-year-old Zhai Yuan.

But if you think about it carefully, Commander Jimao doesn't seem to have done anything excessive except being stingy.

"It's mainly because the work is too hard and they don't allow us to take vacations, which makes everyone complain."

Ren Dahua reported his work to Mr. Zhai, the Justice, and at the end he said awkwardly, "In fact, if it weren't for you, Mr. Zhai, coming here to preside over justice today, I would have planned to finish my argument with Lee Tim-sing and go directly to ATV."

"What's so good about ATV?" Zhai Yuan looked down on his rival, then said loudly, "How about this, you sign with 91 Entertainment and get a long-term film contract, then go to the company tomorrow to find Miss Shi Nansheng and tell her that it was me who said that."

The expression on Ren Dahua's face suddenly froze.

Oh my god! Is there such a good thing?
"What, you don't want to go?"

"No, no... Thank you Mr. Zhai for the opportunity!"

“No need~” Zhai Yuan waved his hand and praised: “As an actor, you have the guts to get angry with the big producer. I can tell at a glance that you are an upright person, just like me!”

After that, he casually asked, "Which school did you graduate from?"

Ren Dahua agreed with a smile and replied, "The Government School for Policemen on Junqichang Street."

"Oh? Someone in your family is on duty?"

"Yes, my father used to be a detective and died in the line of duty. My brother is still serving in the police force."

"So they are from a family of policemen, no wonder they have such a righteous aura!"

Zhai Yuan was generous with his praise, which made Ren Dahua feel even more embarrassed. He kept waving his hands and saying he dared not. He just felt that this boss Zhai was very approachable and was a breath of fresh air in the circle.

In the con business, usually in this situation, once the con man has gained the other party's trust, his true nature will be exposed.

Zhai Yuan smiled and asked the questions he had already investigated: "Brother Hua, what is your brother's name? What position does he hold in the police force now?"

"My brother's name is Ren Darong."

When Ren Dahua mentioned the boss, he faintly revealed a proud smile, straightened his back and said: "I am now the deputy director of O Ji."

Zhai Yuan nodded in understanding.

Seeing Ren Dahua's confident smile,

Zhai Yuan thought to himself, the outside world is in chaos right now, and your boss, the head of Organized Crime and Detective Agency, looks like he's dead, and you still have the nerve to smile?

But this is the time when Ren Darong can be of use...

In this incident, Zhai Yuan told Xu Jiaqiang one third of the truth and only one third to Shi Nansheng.

The last one third will be used on the boss of Brother Hua in front of him.

His rank in the entire police system is pretty good, and he has never been to the British military intelligence department for training or internship.

Zhai Yuan chose and selected, and finally chose Ren Darong.

"Take advantage of this underworld storm and give Ren Darong a chance to solve the case and make meritorious contributions. Maybe there will be a chance to select the next Commissioner of Police."

Again, Cai Ziming’s death must be valuable.

That seems to be enough for now.

Zhai Yuan narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then looked up and smiled at Ren Dahua again: "How could it be such a coincidence? There has just been some turmoil in the film industry recently, which has made me very anxious. I was planning to find the Commissioner of Police to ask for an explanation. Now, since you are in charge of Organized Crime, I don't have to go to the police station again. Brother Hua, please help me ask Sir Ren out for a chat. I'll be waiting for him at 8 o'clock tomorrow night..."

(End of this chapter)