1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 516 Even a God Couldn't Save Me
3 month 5 day.

Jurassic Park, which had been playing in theaters for three months, has finally been released.

The ninety-odd days of availability were well spent.
Jurassic Park's box office first broke 4000 million, then 5000 million, and finally settled at over 5200 million, breaking two major Hong Kong box office records in the tens of millions.

Thanks to the film's release in the later stages of its run, it was distributed to independent theaters in lower-priced areas.
The number of viewers for a single film, Jurassic Park, surpassed that of Aces Go Places.
With a record-breaking 219 million attendees, it topped the all-time list, a feat that is unlikely to be repeated.

"Finally defeated 'Aces Go Places'!"

Inside the 91 Entertainment office building,

The colleagues high-fived in celebration.

In an era of ever-increasing ticket prices, box office revenue, despite cumulative inflation, continues to rise.
However, in terms of audience numbers, "Aces Go Places" remains a top contender in Hong Kong cinema.

Now that Jurassic Park has dethroned 91 Entertainment and broken New City's historical record, it truly deserves the title of industry leader, without question.

But it was too late to celebrate Jurassic Park breaking records.

March 6th, the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects).

When the first spring thunder rumbles, the earth stirs and the energy flows freely, startling all the hibernating insects.

"The Life of Deng Amei, the Disliked Woman," directed by Zhai Yuan himself, is a collaborative effort of the entire Film Association.
The film was produced and distributed over a period of one and a half months, with publicity and production proceeding simultaneously. Just as the last episode of the "Women's Voice" program finished airing, the film smoothly took over and announced its official release.

The actress playing the female lead, Deng Amei, is divided into two actresses: one playing her as a teenager and the other as an adult.

The adult version of Deng Amei was played by Maggie Cheung, a 1991 Best Actress winner.
As for child stars in their youth, a wide call for talent was issued to select candidates from all over Hong Kong. In the end, Zhai Yuan made the final decision to choose a nine-and-a-half-year-old girl from a bunch of candidate photos.

Cecilia Cheung.

To be honest, this production of "Deng A-mei" mobilized most of the resources in the Hong Kong film industry, with even the production crew splitting into five separate units.

If Cecilia Cheung's acting hadn't been so immature and raw, filming would have wrapped up at least half a month earlier.

Early in the morning,
The entrance to the 1024 Theater, where promotional posters for "Deng A-mei" were hung, was already crowded with people.

This is yet another movie that didn't even have a midnight screening before going straight to the big screen.

From initial production to post-production editing, the entire process was accompanied by the heated discussions sparked by "Women's New Voices," with feminism as a catalyst and explosive social media buzz, making "Deng A-mei" the grandest film promotion and distribution event since the opening of the port.

then,

Executive Producer: Zhai Yuan

Director: Zhai Yuan

Screenwriter: Zhai Yuan

Just looking at the quality of this list, even male moviegoers who aren't interested in female-centric themes would find it hard to resist buying tickets and going to the theater.

Which Hong Kong movie fan doesn't know this?
Screenwriter Zhai Yuan > Producer Zhai Yuan, and this time he also has the title of director. If you don't buy a ticket to appreciate it, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself a movie fan!

Around noon, Zhai Yuan arrived at the 1024 Theatre in Ngau Tau Kok with his cast and crew.

There was still a long queue outside the theater, and as expected, it was an unusually large number of men and women, with female audience members even slightly outnumbering male audience members. This is a rare sight in the Hong Kong film industry.

"The main cast and crew are here!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and the queuing audience and the reporters waiting all turned around and then swarmed forward.

As is customary, the actors would interact with the audience and reporters according to the scripts they had memorized in advance.

Nine-year-old Cecilia Cheung had never seen such a scene before. Her parents had just divorced, and although she lived with her mother, the biggest scenes she had ever witnessed, apart from the school's opening ceremony, were when her father, Beard Yung, was constantly in debt from gambling, and the loan sharks would repeatedly come to their door to collect the debts.

"Godfather".

Faced with the enthusiasm of the audience and media, Cecilia Cheung's face was filled with nervousness. She subconsciously grasped Zhai Yuan's hand and timidly called out a greeting.

That's right, even when he got into a fight with Liu Huang to the point of life and death, it didn't stop President Zhai from continuing to have more children.

Following Noriko Sakai and Li Zi, Zhai Yuan has added another goddaughter, Zhang Baizhi, who is currently the only goddaughter whose age matches the description.

The godfather was twenty-five years old, and the goddaughter was nine and a half.

"With so many of you surrounding me, you might scare my newly adopted goddaughter!"

Zhai Yuan patted Zhang Baizhi's head, smiled at the reporters and audience in front of him, and patted his chest: "Come at me if you have any problems!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

The reporters first asked a few more questions about Cecilia Cheung's goddaughter.
Then the conversation shifted.

"Mr. Zhai, this film, 'The Life of Deng Amei, Who Was Disliked,' is said to be adapted from the story of Deng Amei in Tai Shu Village, New Territories. Will Ms. Deng be present at the screening?"

"You just scared my goddaughter, and now you're trying to scare Miss Deng? She's only seventeen!"

Zhai Yuan's smile remained unchanged as he continued, "This drama is based on Ah Mei's life, adapting the tragic experiences of a group of women in the New Territories. Ah Mei is still young, and I'm sure you've all heard about her experiences on 'Women's Voice.' I don't want her to be hurt a second time because of this drama, so I can tell you very clearly that Deng Ah Mei will not appear in any subsequent promotional activities for this drama. I also hope that all my friends in the media will leave her alone and let her be a normal person, okay?"

At this point, apart from a very few people, even the paparazzi hadn't managed to get any information about Deng Amei being assaulted.

After Zhai Yuan finished speaking in a joking tone, the atmosphere at the scene remained relaxed and peaceful.

Some audience members jokingly said, "Without the movie's real-life inspiration for promotion, Mr. Zhai, you'll earn a lot less money from this film."

"At most, it'll just be a loss of a few hundred thousand."

Zhai Yuan laughed heartily, "The starting point of this play is charity. The Deng Amei Foundation, established by 91 Entertainment, will help many women from the New Territories who have moved to the city. If you wealthy gentlemen would be so kind as to give me, Ah Yuan, a few extra tickets, then you'll not only make up for my losses but also do charity work. It's all good!"

Everyone laughed again and expressed their support.

A female reporter seized on a loophole in Zhai Yuan's words and sarcastically added fuel to the fire: "Mr. Zhai just said that this film is adapted from the tragic experiences of a group of women in the New Territories. Isn't the word 'tragic' a bit too strong?"

"Wow! You're a reporter and you don't read the news? It's not just the women of the New Territories, I heard even the Tanka people are rebelling! Isn't that tragic? Well, then as a reward, you'll be allowed to live permanently in the New Territories!"

Amidst a burst of laughter,
Zhai Yuan composed himself and spoke again: "In short, in my opinion, this film, 'Deng A-mei,' is not only a movie, but also a profound examination of the current social structure of Hong Kong. I hope to use the film as a medium to contribute a small voice and break the shackles of silence in the New Territories... So, dear Financial Secretary, please buy more tickets!"

…………

More and more audience members entered the screening room.
The lights were still on, but the theater was already packed.

"The premiere was 100% full, and there were still long lines outside. Who else but the prodigy Yuan has this kind of appeal?"

"Of course not! The New Treasure Cinema Alliance put on quite a show during the Lunar New Year, giving away stickers with every 'Batman' movie, but what happened? They got completely wrecked by 'Jurassic Park'!"

"That's true. The scene where Wanzi and Honggu are chased and bitten by dinosaurs was really intense. Who's that foreign actor in 'The Batman'? Do I recognize him as Kakashi Hatake?"

"I wonder how this version of 'Deng Amei' will turn out..."

Even before the movie started, the theater was filled with the hushed chatter of the audience.

Zhai Yuan and the main cast sat in the last row corner.
On the left is Chung Chu-hung, currently the most popular actress, and on the right are Maggie Cheung and Cecilia Cheung, who are now known as "Deng A-mei" (two different actresses).

"Sister Hong has become Aunt Hong. If I were you, I would definitely be anxious that I still can't get married."

Hearing the audience address Zhong Chuhong, Zhai Yuan turned to her and teased, "Hey! That's very disrespectful to women~ Why are you so desperate to get married?"

Zhong Chuhong frowned and glared at Zhai Yuan, then said with dissatisfaction, "Besides, I changed my nickname 'Hong Gu' myself, and I let my fans call me that. You don't care about my news at all."

"I've been busy advocating for the people lately..."

"I changed this nickname when I filmed 'Once a Thief'."

"Really!" Zhai Yuan exclaimed, feigning surprise, and turned to look at Maggie Cheung: "Maggie, was filming 'Green Snake' fun? Did Lao Xu and Li Lianjie bully you? Tell me, and I'll teach them a lesson!"

Zhai Yuankou flirted with the company's two female stars.

The lights in the theater gradually dimmed.

The whispers subsided, and everyone's eyes were focused on the big screen.

The Life of Deng Amei, Who Was Disliked

A film that adapts and localizes Japanese style, aiming to expose the harsh plight of women in the New Territories.
It has officially started airing.

…………

Sha Tin, Che Kung Temple.

The temple courtyard is designed in the style of a traditional Chinese temple, complete with incense burners and altars.
Directly in front is a large hall, which enshrines statues of Marshal Che, the Five Gods of Wealth, Doumu Yuanjun, and the Sixty Tai Sui, among other deities.

With the Lunar New Year just over, the incense at Chegong Temple is no longer as abundant as it was two days ago.

Liu Huangfa led his eldest son, Liu Yeqiang, into the hall, where they knelt on a prayer mat at the feet of Grand Marshal Che, respectfully kowtowing and offering incense.

The temple keeper waited quietly for the two deities to get up, then took a divination stick from the altar and handed it to Liu Yeqiang with a smile.

Liu Yeqiang then handed the divination sticks to Liu Huangfa and whispered, "Dad."

"Ah."

Liu Huang responded, looked up at the majestic figure of Grand Marshal Che, which was covered in gold paint, and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He gently shook the divination stick container in his hand until one of the sticks fell to the ground.

Liu Yeqiang quickly bent down to pick it up and presented it to Liu Huangfa with both hands.

Liu Huangfa glanced at the divination slip and his heart skipped a beat.

The divination slip reads:

'A four-horse carriage set out on a long journey, today I return barefoot to my humble abode. Perhaps I've failed the imperial examinations and am now returning home, or perhaps my efforts have been in vain.'

"Dad, what does the divination mean?"

Liu Yeqiang asked in a low voice.

Drawing lots at Che Kung Temple is an essential activity in Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year.

Every year at the beginning of the year, the Hong Kong government sends a civil servant who fasts, bathes, wears black clothes and cloth shoes to the temple to divine the fortune of Hong Kong for the coming year.

However, this time Lau Wong-fat is not acting for Hong Kong, but for himself.

"Master."

Liu Huangfa did not answer his son directly, but turned to look at the temple keeper beside him.

The temple keeper was old, thin, and gaunt.

Liu Huangfa handed the divination sticks to the other party and asked softly, "What do you think of these divination sticks?"

The temple keeper reached out and took the divination slip, examined it carefully, and frowned slightly: "The 95th divination slip from Che Kung Temple, an unfavorable one."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Liu Huangfa again and pondered, "If a person travels far by carriage but returns home barefoot, he may fail to pass the imperial examination or lose everything in business. But judging from your birth chart, Councilor Liu, the losses indicated by the divination may be even more severe."

The four-horse carriage traveled a long way, and today we return to our humble abode barefoot.

Liu Huangfa suddenly recalled the news that came back from London last month: Cao Shaowei and his group went to the High Court in a big way, but the court session lasted only three minutes from opening to closing. The foreigners ended the entire case on the grounds that they had no jurisdiction to hear international treaties.

He nodded slightly and looked at the temple keeper, asking, "Master, is there a way to resolve this?"

"Life is unpredictable. Although the divination slips may have some meaning, they should not be taken as gospel. As the saying goes, fate is uncertain and there is always a chance for change."

The temple keeper hesitated before speaking, "This is an unfavorable divination result. Perhaps it's a test from Heaven. Therefore, I advise Councilor Liu to consult the oracle again. If he receives a favorable result, he might be able to turn misfortune into good fortune. But if he receives another unfavorable result, I'm afraid..."

Although he hadn't finished speaking, Liu Huangfa nodded in understanding.

He shook the bamboo tube in his hand again, and the bamboo sticks made a crisp clinking sound.

Shortly after, the second divination slip fell to the ground.

Letter:

'I heard tonight is the Lantern Festival, a time when silver lanterns and fiery trees illuminate the sky. But then, a sudden storm rages, extinguishing all the lights and silencing the music.'

The first two lines depict a grand scene, while the last two lines take a sharp turn for the worse.

"Hiss—" The temple keeper took the divination slip, looked at it, and took a deep breath: "The thirty-second divination slip of Che Kung is another bad omen."

Liu Huangfa remained silent for a moment, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

A sudden storm raged, extinguishing the lights in every home and silencing all music.

The mainland's statement, "Hong Kong people should have the ambition to develop Hong Kong well," brought the delegation of gentry visiting the north back to reality. The release of "The Life of Deng Amei, the Disliked Woman" in theaters today, October 1024, has stirred up a new storm. The announcement of textbook reform by Chunqiu Academy will undoubtedly add much more weight to the upcoming public opinion polls and consultations.

Even Liu Huangfa knew that feminism and human rights were just temporary trends.
Only the reform of literary and artistic works and teaching materials has a truly lasting impact.

"Dad, why don't you try a few more times?"

Liu Yeqiang noticed the change in Liu Huangfa's expression, grabbed the divination tube again, and handed it over with a slightly arrogant tone, saying, "Man can conquer nature! I refuse to believe that every time it's an unlucky draw!"

The temple keeper smiled slightly upon hearing this, his tone revealing his experience and composure: "What the eldest young master said makes sense. Under heavy pressure, there may be hidden strengths. Councilor Liu, perhaps this third divination will reveal to you the way to break through the current predicament."

Liu Huangfa took a deep breath and smiled at his eldest son: "Okay, listen to my son, let's try a few more times!"

Shake the divination tube for the third time.
The third divination slip landed.

Inside the hall, the three of them looked at the divination slips on the ground. After a few seconds, Liu Yeqiang finally bent down and picked them up.

Liu Huangfa and the temple keeper stepped forward.

The divination slip reads:

'The path I came from is both clear and unclear; if it is unclear, do not take it seriously. The mud wall has collapsed, returning the city to its earthen walls; even with divine assistance, it is difficult to proceed.'

The 49th divination slip from Che Kung Temple is an unfavorable slip.

The interpretation is: many evil causes lead to a bountiful harvest of evil results; the family business collapses, and even gods cannot save them!
(End of this chapter)