A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

That day, Sheng Aiyi brought Chen Mengyi to Qingshuiwan Times Film Studio.

"I don't know what your dad was thinking. You're a girl, and you actually want to start from the bottom as a junior employee."

Chen Mengyi has a dignified appearance and is a typical young lady from a well-to-do family, but she said cheerfully at this moment: "Aunt Sheng, I think being a junior employee is fine. After all, I don't have much experience. If I were to take an important position rashly, wouldn't that cause unnecessary trouble for the company?"

Seeing this, Sheng Aiyi said indulgently, "The children of your Chen family are all outstanding!"

No wonder the Chen family has prospered for so long; this group of second-generation members will only become more formidable, competing with the world's major families. Of course, Sheng Aiyi admires her son-in-law Chen Wenjie the most—he is calm, steady, and capable of uniting people.

After getting off the car, Chen Mengyi said goodbye to Sheng Aiyi.

"You really don't want me to take you to your department?"

"No, goodbye Aunt Sheng, I'm taking the bus after get off work."

"This child is even taking the bus."

Chen Mengyi quickened her pace and headed towards the administration building.

Clearwater Bay Cinema has long been an important film production and tourism base in Hong Kong. It also has excellent transportation, with buses constantly connecting to various parts of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

At this point, Chen Mengyi also knew that she needed to learn to be independent and self-reliant, and she couldn't let people know that she was Chen Guangliang's daughter from the beginning, otherwise it would be difficult for her to learn real skills.

The higher her father's expectations of her, the more she had to live up to them.

In the administration department of Times Pictures, supervisor Zhong Yuanguang glanced at Chen Mengyi's resume and said, "Yan Mengyi, a Yale graduate, is a bit of a waste of her talents to come to our Times Pictures administration department!"

Chen Mengyi said with a smile, "Manager Zhong, I'm just a recent graduate with no work experience. Please give me your instructions, and I will definitely do my best to complete them."

Zhong Yuanguang's heart trembled. This was Sir Chen's daughter. Although he pretended to be unaware, he had actually been told what to do.

He said calmly, "Well, it's a good thing that a young person like you wants to improve. Okay, starting today, you're officially joining the administration department of Times Pictures. Let me introduce you to your colleagues!"

"Ok"

Chen Mengyi noticed something unusual about Zhong Yuanguang and was somewhat suspicious, but she didn't think much of it. As far as she knew, her father had long since stopped dealing with Times Film Industry and probably didn't have any subordinates.

Little did people know that Zhong Yuanguang was someone Chen Guangliang had planted in Times Pictures, and many of Times Pictures' management were Chen Guangliang's people.

Colleagues were surprised by the new colleague's good looks and the fact that she was a Yale graduate. Everyone was a seasoned professional, and seeing that the supervisor was also quite proactive, they all greeted her in a friendly manner.

Chen Mengyi still didn't notice these details, assuming that the workplace should be this peaceful.

Little did she know that as Chen Guangliang's daughter, how could Chen Guangliang not personally arrange things for her? He was practically ready to send bodyguards to Times Pictures.

Having been with the company for a month, Chen Mengyi had just figured out the work rhythm of the administration department—organizing contracts, coordinating meetings with various departments, and archiving film distribution materials. The days passed quietly in trivial but fulfilling tasks.

She gradually got used to interacting with people as "Yan Mengyi," and her colleagues grew to like this highly educated and humble girl more and more, occasionally jokingly saying, "Xiao Yan, you graduated from Yale and are doing this kind of work, don't you feel it's a waste of your talent?"

Each time, she would respond with a smile: "The real skill is being able to do the basic things well."

This tranquility was suddenly shattered one morning.

That day, as soon as Chen Mengyi arrived at the office, she found the atmosphere unusually heavy—the usually bustling office area was completely silent, and her colleagues were whispering among themselves, their faces full of shock.

Supervisor Zhong Yuanguang rushed in, his face serious as he gathered everyone together: "Urgent notice, Mr. Bruce Lee passed away unexpectedly last night at Ms. Ding Pei's home. The company's senior management has established an emergency team, and the administration department needs to immediately assist in handling the aftermath. Everyone, please split up and take action."

"Bruce Lee...is dead?" Chen Mengyi was shocked, and the document in her hand almost slipped from her grasp.

Although she had only been with the company for a short time, she was acutely aware of Bruce Lee's significance to Times Film Company—this actor, who swept across Southeast Asia and even the global film industry as a "kung fu superstar," was the company's undisputed "box office guarantee." All seven of his films broke box office records, with overseas distributors lining up to acquire the rights, and he had already made his mark in Hollywood. The sudden and bizarre passing of such a popular star was hard for anyone to accept.

"Xiao Yan, you and Sister Li will be in a group and responsible for compiling information on Mr. Bruce Lee's public activities, including box office data for the films he starred in and media interview records. We'll hand it over to the public relations department later for the release of his obituary." Zhong Yuanguang's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Okay...okay." Chen Mengyi composed herself and quickly walked towards the archives room. While searching through the files with her colleague Sister Li, she looked at the densely packed records in the folders—the contract she signed to join Times Film Company in 1969, the box office report showing the huge crowds when "The Big Boss" was released, and several boxes full of letters sent by overseas movie fans. A wave of regret washed over her.

"What a pity, he's only 32 years old." Sister Li sighed as she sorted through the documents. "His seven movies were released not long ago, and the eighth one is already halfway through filming. This is not only a loss for the fans, but the company will also have to readjust its film schedule and distribution."

Chen Mengyi nodded silently. She recalled what her seniors had said during her onboarding training: "Bruce Lee's contribution was indispensable in enabling Era Films to completely surpass Shaw Brothers"—his kung fu films not only pioneered a completely new genre but also made "Hong Kong cinema" known internationally. Now that this "box office pillar" has suddenly passed away, Era Films will undoubtedly face a huge impact, and subsequent film production, overseas collaborations, and market share may all be affected.

The entire day was spent in a flurry of activity in the administration department. Chen Mengyi ran around with her colleagues, sometimes helping to verify the procedures for the fan memorial event, sometimes compiling the contact list for media interviews, and even only managing a few hurried bites for lunch. As evening approached, when she finally stopped working and looked at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, the agile figures from Bruce Lee's movies flashed through her mind, and her heart was filled with complex emotions—both a sigh for the sudden passing of a superstar and a vague worry for the company's future development.

"You've worked hard, Xiao Yan." Zhong Yuanguang walked over to her workstation and handed her a bottle of water. "Everyone is exhausted today. Get some rest. There will be a lot to do tomorrow."

Chen Mengyi took the water and thanked him softly. Unbeknownst to her, in the conference room of Times Pictures' senior management, Zhuang Zhujiu and Zou Wenhuai were urgently discussing how to deal with the market turmoil caused by Bruce Lee's passing, how to appease partners, and how to fill the void in "kung fu films."

This "invisible" Miss Chen experienced a major test at the company early in her employment. This incident made her truly feel the complexity of the workplace and the ever-changing nature of the film and television industry.

When news of Bruce Lee's death reached Shaw Brothers headquarters, Run Run Shaw was sitting in his office. "Run Run, we have news!" Mona Fong strode into the office, her face beaming with excitement, her voice louder than usual. "Bruce Lee passed away unexpectedly last night at Betty Ting Pei's house! Times Pictures is in complete chaos!"

Shaw suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which then turned into an undisguised smile. He put down his pen and tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Ding Pei's move was a lucky accident that actually made a great contribution!"

Fang Yihua sat down to the side, picked up her teacup and took a sip, her tone tinged with emotion: "Speaking of which, when we sent Ding Pei to contact Bruce Lee, we didn't expect it to amount to anything. Back then, Times Film Company was suffocating us with Bruce Lee's influence. I thought that even if we could just get him to collaborate on a film with Shaw Brothers, we could still get some market share. But I never expected... he really lived up to the saying, 'To die under the peony flower is to die a romantic death.'"

The two men exchanged a smile, showing no regret for the deceased, only relief at the "loss of their rival"—the Shaw Brothers had been living a very frustrating life these past few years.

Since Bruce Lee joined Times Film Company in 1969, he swept the market with kung fu films such as "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury," repeatedly breaking box office records in Hong Kong. Overseas distribution covered Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and even Europe and America. Times Film Company's market share in Hong Kong was once more than twice that of Shaw Brothers, not to mention overseas. In 1972, Li Hanxiang returned to Times Film Company and produced "The Great Warlord," which became the second highest-grossing film that year. Shaw Brothers could only survive in the cracks of its "old business" of martial arts films. Even the few "follow-up kung fu films" personally produced by Mona Fong suffered poor box office results due to the lack of a "soul figure" like Bruce Lee.

“Without Bruce Lee, Times Films is like a broken arm.” Run Run Shaw picked up his teacup and said slowly, “Their kung fu film genre has always relied on Bruce Lee. Now that their ‘box office guarantee’ is gone, their overseas distributors will definitely waver, and their upcoming screening schedule will be completely disrupted. Our opportunity has arrived.”

Mona Fong immediately chimed in: "I've already asked the distribution department to contact cinemas in Southeast Asia to move up the schedule of our martial arts films for the second half of the year, and try to fill the slots that Times Pictures has vacated; in addition, it's time to put the signing of several martial arts actors we've been talking to on the agenda. Taking advantage of this time to snatch them up can also help us lower their salaries."

“Well done.” Run Run Shaw nodded, a shrewd glint in his eyes. “Also, we need to appease Betty Ting. After all, she did us a favor. Send her some money and tell her to keep quiet in the media and avoid causing too much trouble, so as not to damage our image.”

The two quickly finalized their "market grabbing" plan in a lively exchange, the atmosphere in the office a stark contrast to the somber atmosphere at Times Pictures.

For them, Bruce Lee's passing was not a tragedy of "the fall of a superstar," but an opportunity for Shaw Brothers to "turn the tide"—in the cruel "arena" of the Hong Kong film industry, commercial interests always come first, and the so-called "friendship among colleagues" has long been worn away in the years of competition.

While Run Run Shaw and Mona Fong were busy planning their "counterattack," Shaw Brothers employees also noticed the changes in the top management—the boss, who usually frowned due to box office pressure, finally had a smile on his face today, and there were more energetic instructions in departmental meetings such as "seizing the market" and "expanding screenings."

No one dared to ask the reason, assuming it was just a "new move" by the company. Little did they know that behind all this was a "brief celebration" brought about by the "loss of power of competitors."

At this time, the Hong Kong film and television industry was in a state of turmoil. On one hand, Times Pictures was in a state of panic due to Bruce Lee's death, busy dealing with the aftermath and adjusting its strategy. On the other hand, Shaw Brothers was gearing up, taking advantage of its opponent's "growing pains" to launch a counterattack.

Miramar Hotel, Kowloon.

Chen Guangliang and Zhuang Zhujiu sat together, drinking afternoon tea and discussing matters.

During the early stages of TVB's preparation, Chan Kwong-leung discussed with Chong Chu-kau things like "Enjoy Yourself Tonight" and "Artist Training Classes," which gave Chong Chu-kau some inspiration.

The two families were originally related by marriage, so Hong Kong citizens even used the idea that the Chan family was behind TVB as a topic of conversation. In reality, the Chan family does not own a single share of TVB.

Of course, many citizens also refer to Chong Chu-kau as Hong Kong's 'media tycoon,' after all, Chong Chu-kau was knighted by the British Royal Family in 1970, making him one of the few knights in Hong Kong.

Zhuang Zhujiu is 74 years old this year and has no health problems. It seems that he died young in his previous life for other reasons.

"Times Pictures must also have a corresponding strategy in place following Bruce Lee's death."

Zhuang Zhujiu immediately said, "I've spoken with Raymond Chow. Besides continuing to support Li Hanxiang, we also think that Michael Hui has great potential to become a box office superstar. So, Michael Hui could establish a satellite company later and cooperate with Times Films."

Chen Guangliang said, "That's not bad, it's just that the kung fu movie is missing someone. But maybe people's tastes have changed from watching pure kung fu movies to enjoying comedy movies instead!"

"Yes. Bruce Lee is, after all, irreplaceable."

Then, Chen Guangliang asked, "How are Raymond Chow and his team doing with the company?"

Zhuang Zhujiu immediately said, "With such a high salary, there shouldn't be any complaints."

Chen Guangliang thought about it and realized that it was unlikely that Raymond Chow would leave immediately. After all, the duo of Li Hanxiang and Michael Hui were with the company, not with him; if he wanted to go independent, he definitely wouldn't have a future. Moreover, the salaries offered by Times Film Company were far more generous than those at Shaw Brothers in his previous life, mainly because Times Film Company was also a real estate company.

On the other hand, Chen Guangliang wasn't worried. He figured that once Jack Cheng emerged in a few years, he could simply poach him with a check. Of course, "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" and "Drunken Master" would also be produced by Time Pictures.

"With the proceeds from the sale of these two properties, Times Pictures will continue to distribute dividends as usual. In addition, now that cinemas have entered the multiplex era, many of Times Pictures' properties need to be rebuilt. After the reconstruction, not only can the cinemas be preserved, but more properties can also be rented out."

At its peak this year, Times Pictures' market value reached nearly 2 billion, significantly higher than that of Sun Hung Kai Properties, New World Development, and Hang Lung Properties.

Why?

It's very simple. Era Pictures is also a real estate company, owning vast properties, cinema chains, and amusement parks in Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea.

Last year, at its peak, the sale of two cinema properties for a staggering HK$1.8 million (both sites suitable for commercial buildings) dealt a heavy blow to Hang Lung Properties.

Because he was afraid of dying, Henglong took longer to recover in this life than in his previous one.

"Yes, I'll hold a meeting at Times Pictures later to talk to everyone about this."

Zhuang Zhujiu knew that Times Film Industry was ultimately controlled by his father-in-law, and he had never thought of vying for power, since it was originally founded by his father-in-law; later, his father-in-law gradually withdrew due to the influence, so as not to make the Chen family too prominent.

However, Chong Chu-kau also had his own ideas. He was currently the general manager of TVB, and although the Lee family was the chairman of the board, it was still uncertain whether TVB would eventually be owned by the Chong or the Lee family. He had two grandsons, and perhaps he could groom one to succeed him at TVB.

Of course, he needs to live for another 20 years or more, because his eldest grandson is only 13 years old. (End of Chapter)