Hong Kong variety show: I can boost loyalty, the most generous boss.

Chapter 70, 69. A Turmoil in the Film Industry: The Lead Actor Refuses to Give Face?

Yang Jun ignored him and instead ordered Wang Jianjun:

"Finish it off properly, don't leave any openings!"

Wang Jianjun and two teammates loaded Liang Kun into an oil drum, then poured cement on it, and then carried the cement onto a speedboat.

They drove the speedboat to the middle of the sea, pushed the cement bucket into the water, and splashed up waves.

Soon, the cement bucket sank into the sea, leaving only ripples on the surface before disappearing without a trace.

Leung Kwan's body will forever remain in the sea, like an oil drum covered in cement, it will never float to the surface.

Hong Kong Island has gained one more missing person, but lost one less menace.

Why are there two oil drums?

Upon seeing another oil drum on the shore, Daozai immediately turned pale and begged Yang Jun for mercy:
"Brother Jun, I'll follow you from now on."

“I’m very capable. I’ve done a lot of things for Liang Kun. I’m the one who refined a lot of his milk powder. I have the skills!”

"Just a milk powder technician?" Yang Jun sneered. "That makes him even more deserving of death."

Daozai was unaware that Yang Jun didn't deal with drugs and was still showing off his abilities.

I am mortal with gambling and drugs!

Knife Boy retreated repeatedly, all the way to the beach, his body trembling.

"Don't come over here!"

Wang Jianjun, holding his MP5 submachine gun, pulled the trigger at Daozai. (This was during the British colonial era in Hong Kong, and the target was a drug dealer. Let's downplay the positive energy and avoid censorship.)
Bang! Knife lay on the sea surface, rising and falling with the waves.

Wang Jianguo and the others rushed over, lifted the knife, skillfully put it into an oil drum, and then threw it into the seabed.

Wow! Jianjun adapted really fast!

Yang Jun thought to himself, if he hadn't recruited Wang Jianjun and his group, these potential bandits would definitely have gone astray. It was too much.

That's a wrap! Another fruitful day.

At Yang Jun's command, the group drove the truck loaded with Hong Kong dollars back and stored it in a warehouse, where they assigned someone to guard it.

Next comes the division of spoils—no, wait! It's harvest time.

After returning to the nightclub, Yang Jun booked a private room and said to Wang Jianjun;
"We can't use this stolen money right away; we need to deal with it first!"

The so-called "handling" is actually money laundering. Yang Jun now owns Yang's Cinema Circuit, and he can easily get 130 million yuan sorted out.

"Yes, boss!"

Wang Jianjun naturally had no objections. Even if Yang Jun didn't give him a single penny, he wouldn't complain. That's the value of a true assassin.

"Don't worry, one million each, I won't treat you unfairly."

Yang Jun was very generous and gave each person a million, but only after the money was cleaned up. All of this was planned by Yang Jun, and Wang Jianjun was already very happy to receive a million.

"Thank you, Brother Jun~"

Wang Jianjun was so excited that his face turned red. He had become a millionaire without even realizing it. In mainland China, a million yuan could buy many, many houses, and he could never spend it all in a lifetime.

He simply lay down! Wang Jianjun was very excited; he wanted to go back and buy jewelry for his wife.

Yes, Wang Jianjun is married. His wife is an ordinary rural woman. Wang Jianjun brought his wife to Hong Kong Island so that she could start enjoying a comfortable life.

"If you have money, you can buy a house on Hong Kong Island. But in a few years, one million won't be enough to buy a house on Hong Kong Island."

Yang Jun kindly reminded him that in a few years, housing prices would be unaffordable for the middle class, so the sooner you buy a house, the better.

“Okay, I’ve been looking at houses recently and I’m thinking of buying a small villa to improve my family’s life.”

Wang Jianjun is doing well now; he's been able to buy a villa and live a peaceful and prosperous life! Only a house can bring a sense of security to the Chinese people.

Wang Jianjun has saved quite a bit over the past six months, enough to buy a villa. Smaller villas now cost only two or three million.

"Ah Guo, learn from your brother, don't squander money!"

Yang Jun turned to look at Wang Jianguo. This younger brother was not as mature and steady as Wang Jianjun. He liked to go to nightclubs and often hung out with Luo Tianhong.

Wang Jianguo instinctively wanted to argue back, but when he saw that it was Yang Jun who spoke, he swallowed his words and obediently nodded.

"Brother Jun, I understand!"

Wang Jianguo also regarded Yang Jun as his own brother. He could disobey Jianjun, but he had to listen to his boss.

Seeing his younger brother so obedient, Wang Jianjun smiled bitterly to himself, thinking that only his brother Jun could discipline this younger brother.

As Yang Jun entered the office building of Giant Film Company, the two beautiful receptionists at the entrance immediately perked up.

"Hello, Mr. Yang!"

Yang Jun smiled faintly and greeted the receptionist.

"Good morning!"

The two female receptionists were stunned, and after Yang Jun entered the company, they began to whisper among themselves.

"The boss is really handsome! His smile is so beautiful~"

"Yes, yes! The boss is very nice and easy-going."

The two receptionists were infatuated, fantasizing about having some kind of story with the boss, but Yang Jun was clearly not interested in the two random passersby.

Giant Pictures has already approved the project "A Better Tomorrow" with a total investment of ten million, which can be considered a big production.

"Boss, let me introduce you. This is director Wu Yusheng."

Wu Yusheng, 30 years old, with an ordinary appearance, squinty eyes, and wearing an inexpensive suit, was very curious about his new boss, Yang Jun.

Wu Yu-sheng was originally slated to star in New City Films, but New City Films primarily features comedies, so Wu Yu-sheng felt like a hero whose talents were going to waste.

"Hello, Ah Sheng, I'm Yang Jun!"

"Hello, boss!"

Wu Yusheng was very excited. He had always been an assistant director, and this was the first time someone had asked him to direct a movie, especially one with such a large budget.

"Boss, the investment for this movie is ten million? Isn't that a bit too much?"

Wu Yusheng was very nervous. It was his first time directing a film with such a large investment. What if it lost money?

After losing money, no one dared to ask me to direct anymore; the pressure was immense!
Films in Hong Kong typically have an investment of 2 to 3 million, with 5 million considered a large investment. "A Better Tomorrow" reportedly had an investment of 10 million, making it the most expensive film ever made in Hong Kong.

Wu Yusheng was a little scared. What if he lost money? He had heard some rumors that his boss had a powerful background.

Wang Jin is Wu Yusheng's friend. He had previously reminded himself not to offend the boss, as the boss has a triad background!
That's why Wu Yusheng asked that question, looking at Yang Jun with fear in his eyes.

Although Yang Jun didn't know Wu Yusheng's thoughts, he could glean some information from them, and he smiled encouragingly:
"It's okay! Go ahead and film with confidence. I'll cover any losses."

Yang Jun knew Wu Yusheng's abilities; he was the future founder of violent aesthetics, a godfather-like figure in film. However, Wu Yusheng was currently just a middle-aged man dissatisfied with his life, at the lowest point in his life.

Moreover, the actual production cost of the movie "A Better Tomorrow" was only 2.3 million. Some costs were inflated in the accounting records. The cost was fabricated by falsifying accounts, and the investment was claimed to be 10 million.

Later generations have grown tired of these things; those who know, know—these are all methods of money laundering.

Yang Jun's words of comfort made Wu Yusheng's expression much better. Was the boss not so fierce after all? Or was Wang Jin deliberately trying to scare me?
"Come on, introduce me to the others!"

Yang Jun looked around and spotted a few familiar faces, one of whom was a relatively young Chow Yun-fat.

"I've heard so much about you! You must be Ah Fa!"

Yang Jun grasped Zhou Ruifa's hand, making Zhou Ruifa feel flattered and his mouth twisted into a smile.

"Mr. Yang, it's a pleasure to cooperate with your company!"

Yang Jun was taken aback. Your company? Then he remembered that Zhou Ruifa wasn't an employee of his film company.

Apart from director Wang Jin and Wu Yusheng, most of the main cast and crew of "A Better Tomorrow" were not artists of Giant Film Company.

Chow Shui-fat is an artist with TVB, which is the TVB Artist Training Class. Most of the artists in Hong Kong come from the TVB Artist Training Class.

Zhou Ruifa became an overnight sensation with the TV series "The Bund," becoming a household name across China and, along with Zhao Yazhi, a pillar of TVB.

However, in the following two years, Zhou Ruifa starred in several movies, all of which flopped at the box office!

Those in the film industry secretly called Zhou Ruifa box office poison. Given this situation, Yang Jun's decision to cast Zhou Ruifa in a supporting role was quite touching for Zhou Ruifa.

"Ah Fa, have you ever thought about coming to my company?"

Yang Jun went straight to the point and extended a job offer to Zhou Ruifa.

Zhou Ruifa was stunned. Of course he wanted to leave TVB, mainly because Boss Shao's way of doing things was too bizarre.

Shaw was known for being stingy with his employees. Artists received fixed salaries, even established stars like Chow Shui-fat, who only earned a few thousand dollars a month.

The production team of "A Better Tomorrow" paid Zhou Ruifa 15 yuan, which is equivalent to two years' salary for him.

"Mr. Yang, I have no problem with that, but I..."

Artists all sign contracts, which include breach of contract clauses. Zhou Ruifa signed a contract with TVB that stipulated he would have to pay a penalty of HK$10 if he switched companies.

Zhou Ruifa's family is not well-off, so it would be quite difficult for him to come up with 10 yuan.

Yang Jun spoke directly and frankly:
"No problem with the penalty for breach of contract, I can pay it for you!"

Yang Jun knew that after Chow Shui-fat starred in "A Better Tomorrow," he took off in the film industry, officially establishing the status of "Two Chows and One Jackie" in the industry.

Even decades later, people still talk about the image of Chow Yun-fat.

If you want to poach Chow Shui-fat, you need to do it now, when the movie is released and TVB is even less likely to release him.

What? Mr. Yang is willing to pay the breach of contract penalty for me? What's there to hesitate about?
Zhou Ruifa had already repaid the debt he owed Shao Yifu several years ago.

"Mr. Yang, I do!"

"Give me back my 'I do'? It's like a marriage proposal," Yang Jun smiled.

Having successfully poached Zhou Ruifa, who was destined to become a big star, he is now his cash cow.

Dillon, who was slightly older, said happily to Zhou Ruifa:

"Great, Ah Fa, we'll be in the same company from now on."

Dillon was originally a member of Shaw Brothers Studio, but now that Shaw Brothers Studio has been acquired, Dillon naturally became an artist under Yang Jun.

Yang Jun discovered several talents at Shaw Brothers, such as Du Qifeng, who was still doing odd jobs, and Zhou Xingxing, who was playing minor roles.

"Hello, Mr. Yang!"

A sweet, coquettish voice rang out. Yang Jun turned his head and saw a graceful girl looking at him, with big eyes and a delicate face.

Taiwanese girl? This girl speaks with a Taiwanese accent, which is very sweet. She has a pure and innocent look and is the type of well-behaved girl.

"Boss, her name is Zhu Baoyi, she's from Taiwan, and she's already signed a contract with our company."

Wang Jin's eyes were fixed on her, clearly showing that he was interested in this Taiwanese girl.

Yang Jun smiled. He could doubt Wang Jin's character, but he couldn't doubt this chubby boy's taste. This Zhu Baoyi was really a beautiful girl.

"If you don't object, why don't you let her play the female lead?"

The director of the film crew had to consult with the investors when casting. Yang Jun was both the owner of the film company and a major investor.

The surrounding lead actors pricked up their ears, especially Zhu Baoyi, who nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes; this was her first big production.

Although "A Better Tomorrow" is a male-centric drama, Zhu Baoyi also has a significant role in the series, making her a female lead.

Zhu Baoyi looked at Yang Jun with longing in his eyes, a longing for fame.

Yang Jun glanced around, taking in everyone's expressions, and said with a faint smile:
"We should be careful when casting the female lead, as long as it doesn't affect the schedule!"

"How about this, I'll look at a couple more actresses and compare them!"

Actually, the crew has already started filming, but they're filming Zhou Ruifa and Di Long's gangster scenes first, and haven't filmed Zhang Guorong and Zhu Baoyi's scenes yet.

"No, where's Leslie Cheung?"

Yang Jun has already met all the main actors in the crew, but he hasn't met the big star Leslie Cheung yet.
Wang Jin stammered and couldn't get a word out for a long time.

"Tell me quickly, is it because Leslie Cheung is being arrogant and refusing to come?"

Yang Jun frowned. Among the main actors in "A Better Tomorrow", only Leslie Cheung had the most prominent position. He was already famous in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and his song "The Wind Continues to Blow" became a hit in Hong Kong.

"No! It's another actor from Tung Sing Film Company, Sha Meng Deng. He said that Leslie Cheung also starred in his film 'The Best Partner: The Legend of the Flying Tiger'."

What the hell? What kind of movie is this? It's obviously a trashy movie trying to ride the coattails of a trending topic.

Leslie Cheung actually took on this kind of trashy movie? How much did he pay?

"How much did Sandman Deng pay? Our Giants Movies paid ten thousand more than them."

Previously, Giant Film Company quoted Leslie Cheung's agent a salary of 30 yuan, which was already a high price in the industry, considering that film investment in this era was only one or two million yuan.

Unlike later generations, when actors were paid millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of yuan, and their acting skills were terrible.

The atmosphere in Hong Kong's film industry is still very good. Even top-tier stars like Leslie Cheung only earn 200,000 to 300,000 HKD per movie. Giants Films is offering a high price.

Wang Jin swallowed hard and said to Yang Jun:
“Boss, Sha Mengdeng paid less than us; he only gave us 10 yuan as his fee.”

Yang Jun's face darkened. Sha Mengdeng only offered 10 yuan in payment? How could Leslie Cheung's agent get to make movies for Dong Sheng Films?

Dong Sheng Cinema? The "Dong" in Dong Xing (East Star).
This was clearly disrespectful to him. Yang Jun looked at Wang Jin, who was already pale with fright.

(End of this chapter)