Artists under the Rebirth of the Coal Boss

Chapter 241 If you don't act, there are plenty of others who will!
Yu Wenle hung up the phone, feeling extremely angry!
He didn't expect Pang Ho-cheung, the director of "Love in a Puff," to be so stubborn!

Despite the pressure from the head of the parent company, Hong Kong Huashi Entertainment International Media Group, Lin Xingzhuo still stayed on set!
The production cost of the movie "Love in a Puff" was HK$800 million, with mainland China accounting for 28%, or HK$224 million.

According to Pang Ho-cheung and Leung Kai-yuen over the phone, this money was taken by Lam Sing-cheuk and used as payment to his policy advisors and for the theme song copyright.

Damn it! After all that hard work filming shows like "The Detective," "The Moss," and "Shamo," I've only managed to earn a stable HK$150 million per film in the Hong Kong film industry!!

This bastard came to the Hong Kong entertainment circle and didn't even film a single minute of scenes! Yet he's already received over HK$200 million!

According to last year's Ming Pao Weekly's list of Hong Kong celebrities' paychecks.

HK$200 million is close to the salary level of veteran actors such as Ekin Cheng and Tony Leung Ka-fai, and far exceeds the income of TVB's top artists.

If a newcomer receives this salary, it means they are seen by the market as a "potential superstar" and qualified to star in a mid-sized production!

…………

Chen Jianzhou looked at the furious Yu Wenle and said with a smile, "What? Did that mainland guy turn the tables on you?"

Yu Wenle could only come up with an excuse, saying, "That mainland guy hooked up with Asa from Twins and made a new song that's really popular lately, there's nothing we can do about it!"

Chen Jianzhou said, "I originally thought it was just Ah Jiao who liked to flirt, but I didn't expect Ah Sa to be the same way. She has no taste in men and only picks up trash."

Prince Ji looked terrible. He was drinking Kavalan when he heard Chen Jianzhou's words and found them extremely grating.

Of course, he couldn't say that he was secretly married and cheated on; he could only say:

"I told you about that movie of yours a long time ago, Pang Ho-cheung has OCD! He had to switch roles a few times, and his brain just couldn't keep up, so he was bound to have an episode!"

Yu Wenle was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Brother Ji! Last time you said that this art film could elevate your fashion status."

"I can also be your wingman, to woo the second female lead, Lu Shiyun, and score points in the Miss Hong Kong pageant!"

Chen Jianzhou said, "By the way, Brother Ji! How's your competition going? I've bet 100,000 NTD on you to win!"

Yu Wenle said, "Fang Ziming has won over Xu Zishan, and Xu Zuo seems to be pursuing Liang Xiaobing as well."

Chen Jianzhou looked puzzled and asked, "Liang Xiaobing?"

Prince Ji explained dejectedly, "It's Ake from 'The Deer and the Cauldron'!"

"He won the third place in the Sister Heung competition. He just celebrated his 40th birthday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wan Chai earlier this year. They met at his birthday party."

Chen Jianzhou said, "Young Master Xu is that fierce? He killed all forty people?"

Yu Wenle said, "Liang Xiaobing is actually not bad, she's just too stingy. She married for love back then."

“My husband is incompetent and has made a complete mess of things, so I have to come out of retirement and earn money to support the family.”

"In terms of competition points, Fang Ziming is definitely in first place! Xu Zishan is the 04 Miss Hong Kong winner, so being a champion gives her extra points!"

Chen Jianzhou joked, "Xu Zuo should steal Zhu Linlin! She was the champion in '77 and had a higher score!"

…………

The Miss Hong Kong contestants of that era were very willful; they would retire from acting at the drop of a hat before they had even earned much money.

Liang Xiaobing spent the best years of her life having dramatic romances, getting married, having kids, and then, as she got older and things weren't going well, she resurfaced...

After all, her husband, Chan Ka-fai, has never been very famous. In his early days at TVB, he played many minor roles but didn't become well-known.

Since marrying Liang Xiaobing in 2000, her workload has decreased sharply; she has only filmed a few movies, and several of them don't even have names...

Now he can only occasionally appear on variety shows, receiving the treatment of a completely unknown, low-level celebrity.

Since the financial crisis last year, the economic situation has worsened, forcing Liang Xiaobing, at forty years old, to still have to perform in inland areas, in the style of fourth- or fifth-tier township enterprises...

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To make matters worse, Liang Xiaobing came from a poor family.

There are two older sisters, two younger sisters, and one younger brother.

When Liang Xiaobing was born, her parents showed expressions of disgust when they saw that it was another daughter.

He once offered some financial compensation to the pregnant woman in the next bed in exchange for her son, but she refused.

I started doing part-time jobs in the sixth grade of elementary school to help ease the financial burden on my family. I handed out flyers on the street and worked as a waiter in a restaurant.

Liang Xiaobing participated in the Miss Hong Kong pageant and won the third runner-up title.

During the competition, an unexpected incident occurred when her hat fell off, but she cleverly resolved the situation by resting her chin on her hand.

This on-the-spot reaction won high praise from judge Chow Yun-fat, who called her "the Miss Hong Kong with the most acting talent".

…………

The Liang family's tradition is to be diligent and thrifty, and to endure hardship even if it means doing something difficult.

She filmed "Full Moon Scimitar" with Louis Koo.

Surprisingly, after finishing work, instead of taking on advertising or running commercial orders, he went home to take care of his younger brother as his parents asked, and even went to a tea restaurant in the evening to help his mother serve dishes.

After this "Miss Hong Kong with the most acting talent" left TVB upon the expiration of her contract, her career quickly declined.

…………

Because Liang Xiaobing inherited her family's tradition of saving money, she didn't sign with a management company or have an assistant.
She actually takes on different jobs all day long, running around doing everything herself – driving, marketing, makeup, negotiating deals!

What about her husband, Chan Ka-fai?
Yes, I'm staying home to take care of the kids because I'm unemployed!
On the one hand, they have to go out and work hard to earn money, but on the other hand, they can't bear to hire a part-time worker and still have to do housework when they get home.

…………

A few years ago, I registered a Sina blog in mainland China. My personal profile was full of advertisements for various commercial performances and my sales skills, etc. It was once commented on in a popular post on Tianya Forum.

This former beauty queen, peddling "Sai Sha Li Oxygen Capsules" on her blog, exudes an almost palpable eagerness to make money...

…………

The essence of being poor is that you spend your whole life dealing with low-value things.

Why are many poor people poor their whole lives?
Because they don't even have the ability to judge value.

90% of the lives of 90% of the people in this world are wasted on things of low value.

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In fact, after driving the car a few times, Xu Zuo had a very good opinion of this veteran Miss Hong Kong from the 90s.

The old A6 is still an A6!
Don't expect it to have as many features as a brand new car, or be perfect.

The driving experience is excellent.

You won't save a single penny on repair costs or fuel costs!!

........................

Normally, Prince Ji would definitely go up and chat for a bit.

But now I see reports about Ah Sa and Lin Xingzhuo in the newspapers every day, and they've even been photographed kissing by reporters.

When I got home, I found my marriage certificate, which I had obtained in the United States, in the drawer.

He felt a greenish tinge on his forehead, a heavy head, and a dizzy feeling, so he quickly interrupted and said:
"Oh dear, we'll talk about the Miss Hong Kong pageant later!!"

"Actually, Gold Typhoon's film and television investment department kept saying it was inappropriate to invest in this project. I never expected that Pang Ho-cheung's mental illness was so serious!"

"Ah Le, our company has decided to withdraw from the 'Love in the Buff' production team."

Cough!

Yu Wenle, who was drinking water, coughed suddenly: "Gold Medal Typhoon is withdrawing?"

Crown Prince Ji, steeling himself, falsely claimed to be conveying an imperial edict, saying, "My father said! The director's gone mad! Of course, we have to quit!"

Yu Wenle said, "Then what am I supposed to do? Are you kidding me?!"

"Prince Kei, I turned down Andy Lau's offer for 'Gallants' back then! The lead actors in that movie were Teddy Robin and Leung Siu-lung!!"

Prince Ji inwardly scoffed, "Damn it! This bastard really knows how to shirk responsibility!" But aloud he still said:

"There's a recent co-production with Huayi Brothers called 'Deadly Island' in the industry."

"The female lead is Huo Siyan, a famous socialite in mainland China. The supporting role is Lin Xue, whom you've acted with before. Are you interested? I can introduce you."

Yu Wenle made a quick decision and said, "Great! Deadly Island is great!"

"That pathetic 15-day movie, 'Love in a Puff'! I'm not making it anymore! Fuck your mother! It's a total flop!"

Prince Ji knew that the matter had been accomplished!

…………

The male lead, played by Yu Wenle, quit.

Then, he also made Lu Shiyun, the second female lead he recently dated, and Huang Debin, the second male lead with whom he had close ties to his own company, withdraw...

The male lead, the second female lead, and the second male lead all quit the show.

Such a huge risk! The whole project is clearly doomed to fail!

Even if Gold Typhoon Film Investment Department wanted to hold on, it wouldn't make sense now!

…………

World Boy is essentially a Pinduoduo version of Wen Zhang.

Yu Wenle dislikes "Gallants" for a simple reason.

Although "Gallants" was invested in by Andy Lau's Focus Entertainment and starred Teddy Robin and Leung Siu-lung.

However, this is a non-profit project to revitalize veteran filmmakers, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Stunt Performers Association.

The total investment was only HK$300 million, and everyone basically sold or gave it away for free, without receiving any payment.

"Love in a Puff" paid Yu Wenle a whopping 150 million yuan for her!
Now, he's left "Love in a Puff" again to film "Deadly Island"...

…………

In fact, actors like Yu Wenle are prone to overestimating their own importance.

The four major occupations of humankind:

Machine girl, liar, thief, robber.

Most professions are sub-categories of these four main areas, or combinations thereof...

However, the entertainment industry is a very special one.

This industry is a universal career change option for all four professions, meaning that all four professions can switch to this industry.

So, how can the entertainment industry possibly lack actors?

If you don't act, there are plenty of others who will!
(End of this chapter)