1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 458 Golden Horse Awards Invitation Again

Starting today, Zhai Yuan feels he needs to get to know his brother-in-law better.

A true pragmatist.

You either lose everything, or you seize an opportunity and climb the ladder recklessly, risking everything.

Zhai Yuan had only just conceived the idea of ​​seizing the country when Ye Zhiming had already made contact and was ready to take action at any time.

That's incredibly bold!

"Such a big deal, and you only have a few gamblers you know on the casino ship?"

Zhai Yuan pursed his lips slightly and asked seriously, "This is riskier than bombarding pirates on the high seas. How confident are you?"

"A gambler? Tough luck! He's a high-ranking Soviet officer!"

Ye Zhiming said confidently, "I wouldn't dare say I'm 100% sure, but I'm at least 90% sure."

Zhai Yuan nodded silently upon hearing this. Based on his understanding of Ye Zhiming, such overconfident words from the other party should usually be taken with a grain of salt.

He said he was 90% sure, but in reality, he might only be less than 50%.

The Soviet Union certainly had a sufficient supply of military equipment.

It has always regarded the United States as an adversary, and has been engaged in frequent arms races domestically since the Cold War. To this day, its military industry remains the second largest in the world. Even in the context of global disarmament, it still claims to have tens of thousands of nuclear bombs stored in warehouses. Even if only one percent of them were used, it could send the world's people back to the Stone Age.

Later, the era of large-scale reselling did indeed begin from the top down.

The all-out development of the military industry led to an imbalance in the light industry. Armory was overflowing while store shelves were empty. So much so that a Soviet joke circulated that the Soviet Union should issue every citizen a fighter jet so they could rush to other cities to queue for bread as soon as possible.

In theory, someone who's starving would be willing to take out a nuclear warhead if they were paid.

But at this juncture, getting involved in the arms trade with a few Soviets with whom he had little to no connection is not in line with Zhai Yuan's usual practice of being fully prepared before taking any action.

Zhai Yuan stubbed out his cigarette and asked, "As far as I know, this kind of business is usually done by local military officers themselves. Why would they agree to cooperate with you?"

"I have plenty of money!" Ye Zhiming said arrogantly. "If they sell an armored vehicle themselves, they might get a few boxes of canned goods and toilet paper at most, and they'd have to worry about it being blown up. But I can buy it from them with real money in US dollars and sell it to those third-world countries that aren't on the export list. I can make ten times the profit in no time. The Soviet Union has so many weapons that it can report dozens of tons of defective products as damaged or defective every year without any problem. In the end, all of these damaged or defective products still flow out through my hands, don't they?"

Zhai Yuan understood what he meant, smiled, and said, "So you're making white gloves, huh?"

As the economy declined, Soviet border officers were unable to receive their pay and rations, and there were frequent instances of them trading airplanes and artillery for canned pork.

But no one would complain about earning less money if they could earn more. A large part of the reason why weapons don't sell for high prices is that border officers only dare to sell weapons to the nearby black market. If they could drive trucks directly to the war zone in the Third World, there would be no need for middlemen to make a profit.
Now that Ye Zhiming has filled this gap, the high seas gambling king has ample cash flow and his own shipping routes. Although he is still a middleman, the price Ye Zhiming can offer is undoubtedly far better than that of the smugglers in the border black market.

"What's wrong with being a front man? The most important thing is to make money!"

Ye Zhiming dismissively remarked, then put his arm around Zhai Yuan's shoulder and said, "How long has it been since you last visited the Natural Selection? Now, a gambling ship is equipped with four escort ships, each with at least two heavy machine guns, and I count 200-round ammunition belts by the box. Screw it, everyone knows I'm the undisputed King of the High Seas these days! Otherwise, would Dr. He have partnered with me to operate a gambling ship? Given his past behavior, he would have at least fought a battle before even discussing anything!"

Zhai Yuan had heard a little about Ye Zhiming's impressive exploits on the high seas, but now that he heard Ye Zhiming talk about it on his own initiative, he understood it more clearly.

Normally, equipping and maintaining four frigates would be a huge expense. In reality, piracy on the high seas is not very rampant. Ye Zhiming's extravagant style of traveling with the ships and being ready for battle at any time, without considering the cost, is something that most people would not do.

The only reasonable explanation is that when the Natural Selection first set sail and purchased weapons for protection, Ye Zhiming had already made contact with the Soviets.

The relationship between the two sides has gradually become closer, and the spending on weapons on the gambling ship can be seen as a sign of the other side's willingness to cooperate.

Zhai Yuanshun summarized the whole incident and nodded slightly: "In that case, you should have a 60% chance of making this deal."

"Sixty percent?" Ye Zhiming said unhappily, "I already said it's ninety percent! Why not one hundred percent? Because the KGB is still operating. If even they are willing to take my money, then I'm not the Lord of War, the King of Arms, little brother!"

Zhai Yuan smiled and shook his head upon hearing this. His brother-in-law was oversimplifying things. Becoming the king of arms was not that easy.
On the surface, the connection between the KGB, the military, and money laundering channels does indeed appear to be a complete industrial chain.

However, another risk is that agencies like the CIA, MI6, and Mossad might also be doing this kind of business, and could easily find a pretext to eliminate their competitors.

Moreover, there was the change of power between the old and new factions in the Soviet Union, and it was not surprising that they would turn their backs on each other and settle scores later. From officers to warehouse managers to contact persons, the entire line could be wiped out.

"Even if we disregard all these factors, everything will go smoothly."

Zhai Yuan raised his glass and clinked it against Ye Zhiming's, then took a sip and said, "Unless you know those Soviet big brothers with the same relationship as me, you'll still have a 60% chance of success when doing business with outsiders."

This time, Ye Zhiming did not continue to refute. Instead, he remained silent for a long time, picked up the cigarette case on the bar, lit one, and began to ponder as he puffed out smoke.

"You mean..." After smoking a cigarette until the butt was gone, Ye Zhiming looked at Zhai Yuan again and asked, "When Li Jiacheng switched from plastics to real estate, did he consider so many risks?"

Zhai Yuan laughed and said, "No matter how high the risk is in real estate, it won't be higher than your current business."

"So Dr. He is running a casino in Malaysia?"

Ye Zhiming asked another question, and before Zhai Yuan could answer, he patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "When you started your video arcade business, you had to bear the risk of being schemed against by those thugs! Back when we were running the gambling ship, there was this guy named Axe Jun who wanted to buy our whole family. Yuan, how can business be smooth sailing? If you consider everything so clearly, you might as well worry about a meteorite falling from the sky tomorrow and everyone going to be wiped out!"

Zhai Yuan forcefully swept his hair back and exhaled, "I don't know if you're comforting yourself or trying to convince me. But in the end, it seems you're just unwilling to give up this business?"

"I've already signed an order with the Soviets, and with the expenses of bribing the people in charge at each stage, it's cost me about seven million US dollars." Ye Zhiming grinned and said, "This time, the goods will be shipped from Odessa to the Middle East, stop in Panama to change flags, and finally delivered to the Liberation Front in El Salvador. It will take at most two or three months. There's a first time for everything, even an old maid has to get married, so let's give it a try!"

Zhai Yuan shook his head noncommittally, while Ye Zhiming was determined to sign the order; saying anything more would be meaningless.

Risk and reward go hand in hand!

It's just not suitable for me to take risks, especially to get involved as a legitimate businessman.

Zhai Yuan pondered for a moment, then smiled at Ye Zhiming: "Sounds good, but I don't plan to develop in the Soviet Union for the time being, so I can only wish you good luck with your business in advance. But if you run into any trouble, remember to call me anytime. I may not have much, but I can always lend you money in an emergency."

"Ha! Who was just making fun of me for being a coward?"

Ye Zhiming took a swig of wine and said with a relaxed smile, "Don't worry, now that you've reminded me, I realize there are quite a few things I didn't consider before. Let's pretend I never mentioned giving you a share, otherwise, if something really goes wrong, wouldn't I be scolded to death by Aqing?"
However, on the other hand, if I were to actually become the Lord of War, it wouldn't be you supporting me anymore. Even if the Governor bullied you in Hong Kong, a single word from him would be enough for me to turn my cannons on Government House in a heartbeat!

Zhai Yuan laughed along with him, teasingly saying, "Hey, why don't we aim the cannons at that meddlesome old woman's mansion? One shot into her bed, one into her dining table, and the last one into her sheep pen. That would be truly impressive, Lord of War!"

…………

Ye Zhiming is recklessly pursuing dangerous paths, from oil to gambling ships to money laundering, and now he's directly involved in the arms trade.

For Zhai Yuan, it was natural to hope that he could take on this business deal. In at most two years, the Big Brother's economy would completely collapse, leaving behind a mess and a large amount of unclaimed wealth. He himself would also have to consider doing trade with the Soviet Union. At that time, having such an ally would undoubtedly allow him to act more freely.

Lee Kun-hee of Samsung talks about influence, while Ye Zhiming talks about deterrence.

If it has both influence and deterrence, wouldn't it soar to new heights?
That evening, Zhai Yuan took Ye Yuqing to the island and spent the night at his hotel reinforcing their relationship.

Then he contacted Chan Ka-lok, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and asked him to accompany Yip Chi-ming on a sea voyage to do this business. He was told to contact him immediately if any trouble arose, otherwise, given Yip Chi-ming's current complacent and arrogant state of mind, who knows if he could last long.

Having more friends means having more options, and having more brothers-in-law in the arms trade means having even more opportunities!
Once Ye Zhiming's matter is temporarily settled,

Zhai Yuan put his mind at ease and focused on his main business. Although it might not sound as lucrative as the arms trade, it was still his core business and needed to be developed steadily.

"The filming of 'Jurassic Park' can resume."

With the completion of Jurassic Park, the immediate priority is to produce a movie in sync with its release and promotion to raise awareness for the amusement park.

The film's production was carried out concurrently with the commencement of the park project. For a whole year, apart from "A Chinese Ghost Story," which he co-starred in with Chen Xiaodong, Xu Ke had virtually no output, focusing all his energy on creating CGI models and special effects for "Jurassic Park."

As the executive director of the film, Wong Jing also frequently visited the park with his crew during its construction, filming a large number of outdoor scenes in advance.

Overall, the film production has been partially completed, especially in the most challenging area of ​​special effects, where progress has been rapid. The remaining part is the filming of the actors' performances. The script of this film does not rely solely on the story; its main strength lies in the large-scale special effects visuals.

11 month 3 day,
Shi Nansheng delivered an invitation to Zhai Yuan's desk.

"WTF?"

As Zhai Yuan tore open the envelope, he asked the question.

"An invitation to the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan".

Shi Nansheng sat in the chair opposite Zhai Yuan and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhai, you won't throw away their invitations like trash this time, will you? As you instructed, the films 'Women at Forty' and 'Days of Being Wild' have already been sent to the Golden Horse Awards committee. The Freedom Society is now practically defunct, and Taiwan also wants to expand into the Hong Kong market. The person in charge has already made a guarantee that as long as you, Mr. Zhai, are willing to attend and promote film exchanges between the two places, both of our films will definitely win awards this year."

"They'll only award the prize if I go there. Does that mean they won't give it to me if I don't go? Besides, this is one of the most professional film awards in East Asia. How can they do this?"

Zhai Yuan said a couple of sarcastic remarks, patting the gilded invitation in his hand. It had a familiar feel to it; he remembered that when he threw it into the trash can last time, it flew quite far.

"Speaking of which, I remember that the movies 'Women at Forty' and 'Days of Being Wild' haven't been released yet, right?"

Zhai Yuan looked at Shi Nansheng again and asked, "Can a film that hasn't been released yet win an award?"

These two films can be considered old stock from 91 Entertainment's warehouse. "Women at Forty" was completed when Zhai Yuan clashed with the Freedom Society, and was waiting to be submitted to Taiwan for censorship. However, various reasons caused repeated delays. Even Wong Kar-wai's "Days of Being Wild" underwent numerous reshoots, resulting in three versions. This forced Leslie Cheung to flee to Beijing to avoid the storm. The total runtime was cut from over 300 minutes to the current 90 minutes, leaving a wealth of material for future 'remastered', 'extended', 'director's cut', and 'ultimate cut' versions…

Shi Nansheng nodded and said matter-of-factly, "It will be officially released today, let it gain some traction tomorrow, and then it will be featured at the Golden Horse Awards ceremony the day after tomorrow."

Zhai Yuan chuckled and said, "So casual?"

Shi Nansheng laughed and said, "There's nothing we can do. Before, 'A Chinese Ghost Story' and 'High School Musical' filled the schedule. Anyway, art films have never been good at box office. Putting them together just lets everyone know that there are these two films. Whether they can win awards is ultimately up to the jury."

"Actually, I've long since buried the hatchet with Taiwan..."

Zhai Yuan smiled as he fiddled with the invitation in his hand, reminiscing about the past events at the Freedom Association.

Today, the "September 1st Daily News" is thriving in Taiwan, while its competitors have even had their signs torn down.

"But now I have the opportunity to stand on the awards stage, to give an acceptance speech to film fans across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, to reminisce about the past and look forward to the future, I think it's not bad." Zhai Yuan threw the invitation on the table, stretched, and said casually, "Alright, then let's do them the honor. Thank you, Sister Nan, for booking everyone's plane tickets. Let's bring back a few trophies from the last Golden Horse Awards."

Shi Nansheng was taken aback: "The last one?"

“Yes, right~” Zhai Yuan nodded with a smile and continued, “Because I plan to compete for the Hong Kong Film Awards starting next year. It’s all for everyone’s sake, so that we don’t have to fly to Taiwan every time there’s an award. It’s such a hassle. The company will reimburse our airfares, so we don’t have to pay for them!”

(End of this chapter)