1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 485 Debauchery
"The market really changes every year. I remember someone telling me last year that Brigitte Lin can't be an action star, and that it would be enough for the company to promote Sibelle Hu. In the end, movies are still mainly male-dominated."

In Jiahe's director's office.

Zou Wenhuai leaned back in a black leather swivel chair, squinting as he flipped through a fax copy on the table.

The above is the prime-time movie schedule of Formosa Cinemas, which is almost entirely filled with "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".

“Chen Yanquan, huh?” He Guanchang sat on the sofa, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and said, “He moved from Zhao’s to Jiahe and has always been dissatisfied with actresses receiving high salaries. Hu Huizhong is both good at fighting and can dress up as a pretty girl, so she is definitely more cost-effective than Lin Qingxia.”

Zou Wenhuai laughed and said, "That's right. He had also planned to ask Li Saifeng to film a movie called 'Wesley's The Overlord's Armor Removal'. He must have had the same idea."

"Where can he afford Li Saifeng now? Does he think the woman Zhai Yuan slept with is still the same little girl from the Zhao family?"

He Guanchang smiled meaningfully and couldn't help but sigh, "It's so good to be young."

Zou Wenhuai laughed heartily, and the two old men, perhaps recalling the romantic days of their youth, remained silent for a long time, savoring the memory.

“Your godson Ah Long was quite the womanizer a couple of years ago, you know.”

"I've toned it down a lot in the last two years, after all, I got married and had a little dragon."

"Yeah, but in this line of work, these things are unavoidable. Picking up girls isn't the main issue; the important thing is to avoid scandals..."

After chatting for a while, Zou Wenhuai looked at the movie schedule on the table and sighed softly.

He Guanchang asked, "Then let's take advantage of Brigitte Lin's low price now and sign her for two movies, following the trend of cross-dressing as Dongfang Bubai?"

“Okay.” Zou Wenhuai nodded and said, “Continue making martial arts films, raise the budget, and see which director is better.”

He Guanchang nodded: "I'll make the arrangements."

Zou Wenhuai paused for a moment, then asked, "I heard from my secretary that Hong Xinbao's film 'Dragon and Phoenix' did quite well at the box office."

During the first half of the summer season, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" grossed over eight million yuan and was quickly pulled from theaters. Hong Xinbao's "Dragon and Phoenix" took its place, and in just over a week, it has already grossed over five million yuan, with ten million yuan just around the corner.

On the other hand, since he used his own people, such as Lam Ching-ying, a popular Taoist priest who now charges a million dollars just for sticking on eyebrows, Hung Hsin-pao saved a lot of money by using his face. "The Dragon and the Phoenix" is one of the more lucrative works he has made in recent years.

He Guanchang responded, "Indeed, it's quite good."

Zou Wenhuai said, "Why don't we have him direct a film about Brigitte Lin?"

“I’m afraid it will be difficult.” He Guanchang smiled with difficulty and said, “I heard that Zhai Yuan is going to put on a play for him, and Sanmao specially went to the celebration banquet of ‘Swordsman’ tonight to congratulate him.”

Zou Wenhuai paused for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head: "Fine, he's a long-time employee after all. It's not appropriate to keep him in any position in the company. Let's see if Zhai Yuan has the ability to help Jiahe make him famous again this time..."

…………

The Peninsula Hotel, the celebration banquet for the TV series "Swordsman".

When Hong Xinbao entered the venue with several martial arts brothers, the reporters waiting outside were somewhat taken aback.

Some people thought that Boss Zhai really had connections in the industry, even Jiahe's big brother came to show his support.

Others, however, were somewhat disdainful. They thought, "They're having a celebration banquet on September 1st. What are you, a Jiahe actress, trying to do dressed like a feather duster?"
In the banquet hall on the second floor

In the center was a cake tower, with the words "Congratulations, Swordsman, box office of 30 million" drawn on it in cream.

After a month in theaters, "Swordsman" has grossed over 30 million yuan at the box office!

Following "High School Musical", it has once again broken the summer box office record, and its performance is heading straight for the Lunar New Year season.

This clearly demonstrates how deeply Brigitte Lin's portrayal of Dongfang Bubai left an impression on the audience.

Who could have imagined that just a month ago, this "Eastern Cult Leader" was on the verge of suicide and so depressed that he wanted to retire from the entertainment industry...

The eating and drinking at the banquet goes without saying.

Champagne was continuously poured from the ice bucket, waiters in white uniforms moved about, and the guests were all handsome men and beautiful women, making the whole banquet feel like something out of the movie "The Banquet".

"Xianglin's wife has finally gotten her revenge!"

Zhai Yuan, Shi Nansheng, Chen Lan, and a few others sat in a private room.

As soon as the door opened, Lin Qingxia, who had just returned from toasting guests outside, walked in and was immediately teased by Zhai Yuan.

After a few drinks, Lin Qingxia's face was flushed, her eyes were hazy with a smile, and she glanced at Zhai Yuan.

The charm remains.

Chen Lan, who was standing nearby, noticed that President Zhai's gaze swept over Lin Qingxia. She immediately stood up from the chair next to him, took Lin Qingxia's hand, and pressed her down to sit next to Zhai Yuan.

Chen Lan said with a smile, "Of course, the leading lady should sit in the main seat tonight."

Sitting in the corner, the male lead, Li Lianjie, looked up at Chen Lan, then silently lowered his head and proudly displayed a plate of braised scallops and vegetables in front of him.

Tonight, Brigitte Lin wore a fitted red dress that accentuated her shapely figure. The deep V-neckline plunged all the way to her chest, revealing a large expanse of her fair skin when she lowered her head.

Zhai Yuan sometimes just doesn't understand why female celebrities have to dress so revealingly when attending events.
Exposing such pale skin to poor people is a sin!

"The Swordsman broke the summer box office record in Hong Kong this time, and it became a huge hit in Taiwan, making us at Yong Sheng envious."

Chen Lan moved aside for Lin Qingxia, and seeing that the atmosphere had cooled down a bit, she seized the opportunity to laugh and say, "But Qingxia, when you were toasting the guests outside tonight, why did you neglect the person who should have been toasted the most?"

As they spoke, he poured Lin Qingxia a glass of red wine, handed it to her with a smile, and gestured to Zhai Yuan.

Zhai Yuan glanced at Chen Lan, who was trying to liven things up, and waved his hand with a smile: "Oh, no pressure, no pressure~"

Lin Qingxia turned to look at Zhai Yuan, smiled with lowered eyes, raised her glass and said, "Mr. Zhai, thank you for making Dongfang Bubai what he is today."

After saying that, she tilted her head back, revealing her fair swan neck, and drank the red wine in her glass in one gulp.

Seeing this, Chen Lan immediately pretended to pour Lin Qingxia another drink, saying with a smile, "Yes~ without Mr. Zhai, there would be no Qingxia looking so glamorous tonight. You should toast him a second time, that would be a proper way to take your final bow."

Upon seeing this, Shi Nansheng frowned slightly and looked at Chen Lan with displeasure.

However, Chen Lan ignored the housekeeper's eye contact and continued to refill Lin Qingxia's wine glass.

So what if I'm a shareholder of an entertainment group? I'm still the wife of the head of Sungi!
Lin Qingxia had already drunk quite a bit while socializing outside, and her slightly tipsy state made her eyes increasingly glazed over, but she didn't refuse anyone's request and raised her glass again to clink glasses with Zhai Yuan.

"That's enough." Zhai Yuan patted Lin Qingxia's wrist and placed the wine glass on the table, preventing her from putting it to her mouth.

His gaze swept around, and Zhai Yuan chuckled and teased, "I just remembered, there's a writer from Taiwan named Li Ao. He said that he wanted to divorce his wife because he saw her constipated, which ruined the image of her as a pure and innocent woman in his mind. I'm different. When I think of a woman like Dongfang Bubai, who gets drunk and has to go to the bathroom to vomit, ugh~ so filthy and messy, I lose all interest."

A burst of laughter erupted from the men in the private room. Shi Nansheng and the others glared at Zhai Yuan, then put down their chopsticks, finding the description utterly unacceptable.

Lin Qingxia paused, looked at Zhai Yuan with slightly drunken eyes, smiled, and gently released her grip on the wine glass.

Shi Nansheng breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Fortunately, Boss Zhai was a gentleman! Otherwise, if Chen Lan and her ilk continued to stir up the atmosphere, Lin Qingxia would not have escaped her clutches tonight!

About ten minutes later,
The people in the private room went out one after another to socialize with their friends outside.

Soon only Brigitte Lin and Shih Nan-sheng remained.

"Chen Lan is a woman who really knows how to flatter people."

Shi Nansheng sat down next to Lin Qingxia and said in a slightly annoyed tone, then asked with concern, "How are you? Should I take you home to rest?" Lin Qingxia smiled and shook her head, "That's just how this industry is. Everyone's here to congratulate me tonight, how can I leave early?"

Shi Nansheng sighed helplessly, unscrewed a bottle of Yuquanshan mineral water, and joked, "Here you go, this is healthy water, drink more and you'll live a long life."

Lin Qingxia took the water, sipped it, and asked, "Sister Nan, do you think I'm getting old?"

Shi Nansheng glanced at her V-neckline and said with a smile, "You look quite voluptuous~"

“But your boss doesn’t seem interested either.” Lin Qingxia glanced down at her chest and sighed, “Well, that makes sense. Men usually prefer women in their teens and twenties, with a firm and bouncy feel…”

Shi Nansheng let out an exaggerated "whoosh," slapped Lin Qingxia's arm in an annoyance, and said with a laugh, "You're really drunk! How can you say something like that! Mind your image as a pure and innocent lady!"

Lin Qingxia shrugged, her gaze momentarily lost in thought, and then she laughed: "After spending time with him recently, I've found Zhai Yuan to be quite interesting, it's just a pity he's a bit too young."

Shi Nansheng rolled his eyes, opened his bag, and flung out his boss's business card: "Here! If you're not afraid of being laughed at for being an old cow eating young grass, call him tonight!"

Through her wine glass, Brigitte Lin drowsily glanced at the distorted business card on the table, a smile returning to her eyes.

……

Tonight's celebration banquet booked the entire Peninsula Hotel. When Zhai Yuan appeared in the second-floor lobby, he attracted even more attention than Lin Qingxia had earlier. A huge crowd thronged around him, all with smiles on their faces, eager to get acquainted with him.

"Mr. Zhai's Midas touch is indeed well-deserved. Even the Hollywood blockbuster 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' was crushed by 'Swordsman.' I'd like to see who dares to criticize Hong Kong films in the future!"

“I’ve always told experts that if Mr. Zhai had been born ten years earlier, Hollywood would never have had the chance to break into the market.”

"Sister Qingxia has gone through many ups and downs in recent years, and it is all thanks to your discerning eye, Mr. Zhai, that she has left behind a golden reputation in the film industry!"

"Chairman Zhai, these models from my company heard they have a chance to meet you tonight. They're all dressed more formally than Cannes stars. If you're interested, could you give them some pointers sometime?"

Indulging in sensual pleasures and flattery.

Several independent producers from the film association were even more eager to push their upstart stars into Zhai Yuan's arms, behaving even more blatantly than Chen Lan had just done.

Zhai Yuan dealt with several groups of people in the industry, and there was still more than half a glass of champagne left in his hand.

He's not an actress of Brigitte Lin's caliber, after all. Even if someone is a big star, they still have to smile and drink with her. As a boss, there's no need to accept everyone's business. That's the biggest difference between him and a celebrity.

Amid the bustling crowd, a group of beautiful girls, led by Qiu Shuzhen and Li Jiaxin, kept glancing in this direction.

Several up-and-coming female celebrities, besides taking on TV dramas and movies, have shifted their focus to UFO's short drama company. They came to the celebration party tonight to join in the fun, also hoping to build connections.

And now, the biggest connections in the industry are right in front of you.

Li Jiaxin tugged down the neckline of her dress, picked up the champagne glass, and took the initiative to approach Zhai Yuan. As soon as she made her move, Qiu Shuzhen, Zhang Min, and others behind her also stood up.

In an instant, several unknown minor celebrities around Zhai Yuan were pushed aside.

Li Jiaxin: "Mr. Zhai, Director Zhu Yanping has recently started a new short drama. When would you be free to visit the set?"

Zhang Min: "Mr. Zhai, what do you think of my acting in 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'?"

Chingmy Yau squeezed in last, holding a wine glass and flashing a sweet smile: "Mr. Zhai, I also have a role in director Chu Yen-ping's new drama. Do you remember me? I brought you coffee on set last time~"

As luck would have it, a fat man walked by at that moment.

Wang Jin rushed over excitedly and said, "Mr. Zhai, I've got it! Let Stephen Chow play a loser who's possessed by a ghost. Cheng Yu-tung met him at a party like this, and the two of them will become a bickering couple. This movie will be called 'Mr. Possessed'!"

Zhai Yuan glanced at Qiu Shuzhen, who was all smiles and eager to please, and then at Wang Jin, who was eager to share.

Ah, the sword of unrequited love...

The next second, on a whim, Zhai Yuan snapped the most famous 'sword' in Hong Kong's entertainment circle in two.

He reached out and put his arm around Qiu Shuzhen's slender waist, ignoring the look of surprise in the beautiful woman's eyes, and said to Wang Jin with a smile, "Mr. Possessed is so amazing? It sounds like it'll be a box office hit. Hey, hurry up and help Ms. Fang get this movie sorted out, then go back to the company to help out. Hurry up, let's run!"

"understand!"

Wang Jin responded, his gaze sweeping over Qiu Shuzhen's face, and he noticed that the girl had taken the opportunity to cling to Zhai Yuan's arms.

I recognized her; she was an actress from the Zhao family, and we had crossed paths before.

Wang Jin's thoughts shifted, and a hesitant expression appeared on his face. It wasn't that he had any impure thoughts about the pretty girl in his boss's arms, but rather that he suddenly remembered that this girl named Qiu Shuzhen seemed to have a boyfriend...

…………

The grand victory celebration banquet was drawing to a close.

As night deepened, the crowds dispersed.

A Honda Civic was parked on the side of the road opposite the Peninsula Hotel.

Shao Zhongheng, one of TVB's so-called "Galaxy Ten Stars," leaned against the car, lit a cigarette, and occasionally glanced into the hotel.

He's here tonight to pick up his girlfriend, Chingmy Yau.

The two had been together for several years, but since Chingmy Yau participated in the Miss Hong Kong pageant, she gradually distanced herself from him. As her boyfriend, Shao Zhongheng had not spoken to her face-to-face for nearly half a year.

One of the curses in the entertainment industry is that you break up as soon as you enter the business.

No matter how deep the relationship was before, as soon as one of them enters the entertainment industry and sees another world, they will immediately say goodbye to their boyfriend/girlfriend.

There are very few exceptions.

However, Shao Zhongheng did not believe in such things. He claimed to be a graduate of a prestigious university in California and a rising star currently being promoted by TVB. He had never been tempted by the many suitors who surrounded him.

My relationship with Chingmy Yau has cooled recently, but it's just because we're both busy with work.

He offered to drive over to pick her up tonight; wouldn't Ah Zhen be incredibly touched? Maybe he'll even have a chance to kiss her!
Shao Zhongheng grinned, struck a nonchalant pose with a cigarette in his mouth, and observed his industry peers walking out of the hotel.

Immediately afterward, the smile on his face froze.

Chingmy Yau appeared.

But he was not alone.

Wearing a black backless dress and with her hair up, Chingmy Yau looked stunningly beautiful tonight, almost like a stranger.

She was arm in arm with a man, her steps light and her smile radiant. Her charming appearance was nothing like the Ah Zhen I remembered, who would call several times to ask permission before slowly changing clothes and leaving the house for every date.

As for the man beside her, although they had no connection, she recognized him at a glance.

Zhai Yuan is the focus of tonight's celebration banquet.

Shao Zhongheng stared blankly at Qiu Shuzhen, who was almost pressed against Zhai Yuan's chest, her slender arm linked with his. She turned her head and said something joking, but Zhai Yuan didn't react. Instead, she made herself laugh so hard she was shaking.

blah blah blah!

The cigarette that Shao Zhongheng was holding, which had burned down to his fingers, fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)