1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 222 Recruitment and Subsidiary Plans (Please Subscribe!)
Given Cheng Long's status in Hong Kong, if this wedding were to be a grand affair, almost half of Hong Kong's entertainment industry would be in attendance.

But he clearly didn't intend to do that. He simply invited some familiar friends over for a get-together, and even held a celebration for his son's one-month birthday at the same time.

The reason for keeping such a low profile is partly because Chenglong's career is on the rise, and announcing the marriage would have a certain impact on his career. Another reason is that the man is more powerful than the woman.

"Ah Long, I heard you acted in that mainland Mr. Chen's movie. When can we see it in Hong Kong?"

The person who asked this question was a chubby guy named Wang Fu, who later became director Wang Fu.

He is currently a contracted screenwriter for Shaw Brothers, but he also made his debut film in 1981 called "The King of Gamblers vs. The King of Gamblers," which achieved a box office success of over five million. If it weren't for the release of Chen Fusheng's "Andhadhun" in Hong Kong that year, his film would have entered the top ten of the annual box office chart.

As for why he, a contracted screenwriter with Shaw Brothers, would attend Cheng Long and Lin Fengjiao's wedding today, it's naturally because they've known each other since childhood and have a very good relationship.

At this moment, Chenglong was about to answer his old friend's question when he suddenly saw Chen Fusheng arrive out of the corner of his eye. So the words that were about to come out became, "I don't know either. Why don't you ask Director Chen yourself, Ruozai?"

"Huh? Where is Mr. Chen? Will he be attending your wedding today, Ah Long?" Wang Ru asked with some surprise, then followed Cheng Long's gaze and indeed found that Mr. Chen from the mainland had arrived, which surprised him even more.

“Let’s go, Ruozai, didn’t you say you admire Director Chen a lot? I’ll introduce you to him.”

"Although, I am a member of the Shaw Brothers, so this is not a good idea."

"What's there to be afraid of? Today I've only invited my own people, there aren't any reporters."

"That's true."

So Wang Rui followed Chenglong and his wife out to greet them.

"Congratulations Ah Long, and congratulations to your wife, happy marriage, may you live a long and happy life together."

When Chen Fusheng saw Cheng Long and his entourage greeting them at the door, he first cupped his hands and offered his blessings to the newlyweds.

"Thank you for your blessings, Director Chen. I never expected you to come all this way to attend my wedding with Fengjiao. I'm so touched."

Lin Fengjiao had also heard her husband mention the energy and ability of the young mainland director in front of her, so she dared not be negligent and expressed her welcome with the same enthusiasm.

"It's windy outside, Director Chen, please come inside."

"Alright, alright, you guys go first."

"..."

Wang Rui, who followed them out, was dumbfounded.

"Didn't you promise to introduce me to someone?"

'Has I been tricked by that bastard Ah Long again?'

'Wait, why did I say "again"?'

Chenglong was just joking with Wang Rui. As they walked inside, he introduced Wang Rui to Chen Fusheng.

"Director Chen, let me introduce you. This is... wait, where is he?"

"Here, here, my shoelace just came undone."

Wang Ru jogged up with a smile, rolled his eyes at his friend, and introduced himself to Chen Fusheng.

"Hello Mr. Chen, my name is Wang Rui. I am a screenwriter and a novice director. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Chen Fusheng certainly knew this Fatty Wang. By 2025, in just over forty years, he had filmed and produced more than four hundred movies. Although most of them were bad movies, and he even earned the title of "King of Bad Movies," this achievement was indeed amazing.

It's no exaggeration to call him a workaholic in the directing world.

The key point is that this guy isn't a hipster; in his eyes, movies have never been art, but just a commodity.

He is a purely commercial film director.

Coincidentally, their Eastern Depot—or rather, their Eastern Company—was in dire need of such talent.

After meeting Cheng Long and Lin Fengjiao's son, Fang Zumin, and exchanging greetings with Zou Wenhuai, Hong Jingbao, and others, Chen Fusheng took the initiative to approach Fatty Wang.

"Ah Jing, your father is director Wang Tianlin, right?"

“Yes, Mr. Chen, you know my father?” Wang Rui asked, somewhat surprised.

“I don’t know him, but I know your father used to be a left-wing director…” These words almost made Wang Ru break out in a cold sweat. He thought that the man in front of him regarded his father as a traitor. He quickly explained for his father: “Mr. Chen, my father was signed with Xinlian Film Company in his early years, but the contract expired and he left in order to support his family.”

"Don't be nervous. I have no ill will towards your father, only respect. No matter what, he made great contributions to Chinese cinema. As for his later departure, given the circumstances at the time, it was only natural and has nothing to do with right or wrong."

Hearing Chen Fusheng say this, Wang Ru secretly glanced at the two bodyguards he had brought, who were clearly experts, wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, and forced a smile, saying:

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Chen."

Chen Fusheng patted the other person on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

Then, he patiently explained, "Now that China has reformed and opened up, everything is moving in a positive direction. As for the Hong Kong issue, China and Britain are already negotiating. But I know that no matter what conditions Britain offers, there is one bottom line that will never change: Hong Kong must return to China."

At this point, Chen Fusheng noticed that Wang Rui was wiping his sweat again, and this time he was really sweating. He stopped and asked, "A-Jing, are you hot?"

"It's not hot... well, it is a bit hot. Maybe the air conditioning in this room is set too high. I've gained weight, so I'm a bit sensitive to heat, hehe, hehehehe."

It was obvious that Wang Rui's words were not clear enough, indicating that he was somewhat flustered.

However, Chen Fusheng pretended not to see it and finished speaking.

"Since you're afraid of the heat, Ah Jing, why don't you come to the capital with me for a visit? It started snowing in the capital last month, and it's not hot there either, plus the snow scenery is quite beautiful."

At this moment, Wang Ru felt like she was about to cry: "Mr. Chen, I'm timid, please don't scare me. Just say what you want to say."

"Just kidding, don't take it seriously. But if you ever come to Beijing, Ah Jing, I'll definitely do my best to be a good host."

After saying this, Chen Fusheng finally stopped being mysterious and stared at Wang Rui, saying, "It's like this, the Oriental Film Export Company, which I'm in charge of, plans to open a subsidiary in Hong Kong, but we haven't signed a director yet. I wonder if Director Wang Rui would be willing to leave Shaw Brothers and come to my Oriental Company to create a future together?"

Wang Ru never expected that this person, who went through all that trouble, was actually trying to poach him.

He was on tenterhooks for so long just now.

However, he also had new doubts at this time.

That is, he doesn't understand why Mr. Chen wanted to recruit him. After all, he is not famous. Even though his debut work achieved some good results, he himself believes that it was only because of his father's influence and the fact that he was able to get Xie Sige, who was very popular at the time, to be the lead actor.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have continued as a screenwriter over the past year; he would have started his second film much earlier.

"Are you curious why I invited you?" Chen Fusheng asked, noticing Wang Rui's confusion.

"Please enlighten me, Mr. Chen."

"There are three reasons."

Chen Fusheng counted on his fingers, speaking with a serious but earnest tone—no, with a sincere look in his eyes—"First, I've seen your film 'The King of Gamblers vs. The King of Gamblers.' Although some of the handling still shows signs of a novice, your film has a fast pace and clear commercial elements, which proves your control and narrative talent. If you keep it up, I believe you have the potential to become a great commercial film director. Second, Shaw Brothers is a large and powerful company, and seniority matters. How long are you going to wait? Come to me, and resources will be directly allocated to you. Third, and most importantly, as long as you come, I will personally write a script for you to practice with."

Having stated this last condition, he clearly saw that Wang Rui was already interested.

Pressing his advantage, he asked, "So, do you want to stay at Shaw Brothers as a screenwriter, or come work for me as a director?"

Wang Rui was indeed tempted at this moment.

But the invitation came too suddenly, and he was a little incredulous, or afraid it was a trap, so he hesitated.

After calming down a bit, he looked at Chen Fusheng with a complicated expression and said, "Thank you for your high regard, Mr. Chen. I... I'd like to think about it first. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course! I'll stay in Hong Kong for three more days. If you've made up your mind, Ah Jing, feel free to contact me anytime."

Chen Fusheng naturally knew that Wang Rui wouldn't give an immediate reply, and he had already achieved his goal. After giving the other party a phone number that could be used to contact him, he began to communicate with the others.

As for this recruitment, it was undoubtedly a spur-of-the-moment decision.

However, his statement about opening a subsidiary in Hong Kong suggests that he had planned it for a long time.

Although no action has been taken yet, it's fine for him to bring it up.

Of course, this would depend on whether Wang Rui agreed.

He would naturally keep his promise and open a subsidiary of Oriental Company in Hong Kong.

This way, their Eastern Company can also accumulate some foreign exchange reserves...

(End of this chapter)