Hong Kong film: Rise of Prison Break

Zhang Wenjie continued chewing, opened the passenger door, and ducked inside.

The car was filled with a faint mixture of perfume, cigarette smoke, and some kind of cosmetic.

He casually tossed the convenience bag to his feet, ignoring the seatbelt—in this day and age, it's still considered a burden by many.

"Wang Pangzi, not bad." Zhang Wenjie looked at the person in the driver's seat with a smile. "It's different working with your dad. Now you can handle things on your own and even operate the controls yourself?"

Wang Rixiang, nicknamed Fatty Wang, immediately broke into a smug and slightly boastful smile upon hearing this, his eyes behind his round glasses narrowing into slits: "Hey! Brother Jie, you have no idea, over on set, there are so many female celebrities...tsk tsk, so many beautiful ones..."

When the topic came up, he became animated, almost spitting saliva onto the steering wheel, completely forgetting the "director's demeanor" he had been deliberately maintaining.

In this situation, the conversation between two men naturally tends to drift towards romantic and sentimental topics.

Fatty Wang knew them all like the back of his hand, from the newly crowned Miss Hong Kong to the leading ladies of the TV station, speaking in a familiar tone as if they were all his possessions.

"You don't need to report your romantic history to me, I'm not interested."

Zhang Wenjie interrupted his rambling, glancing at the electronic clock in the car, the green numbers indicating the late hour.

He patted the plastic panel inside the car door: "Drive, to the place I told you to go."

"Hey, Brother Jie, I can tell what you're trying to say just by looking at your face. Don't talk to me about 'true love'," Fatty Wang said dismissively, starting the car. "Actors are heartless, prostitutes are ungrateful. I don't need to explain the last part, do I? I know this industry better than you!"

The car drove onto a road where traffic still flowed through the night, with light and shadow moving outside the window.

"While your dad still has influence and a wide network, get to know some truly powerful business owners and investors."

"Don't give those arrogant so-called celebrities and those poor directors who suffer for the sake of saving face too much."

Zhang Wenjie gazed calmly at the rapidly receding neon lights outside the window.

"This industry is about to change drastically. Those without real skills and strong backing won't last long."

Wang Rixiang, also known as Fatty Wang, is the son of a director who is quite influential in the Hong Kong film industry. Although not a top-tier director, he is still well-known.

Wang Pangzi grew up on film sets and, through constant exposure, actually learned some of the tricks of the trade. He also harbored a dream of following in his father's footsteps and bringing glory to the family.

In this day and age, those with some family wealth always hope that their descendants will carry on the family line.

Unfortunately, a man remains a boy until death, let alone a spoiled brat like Fatty Wang who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and pampered since childhood.

He had almost all the bad habits that men are prone to develop.

In addition, many people rely on his father for their livelihood or to seek cooperation, so they inevitably have to flatter and fawn over him. Many aspiring actors and models who dream of becoming stars or have other motives are also willing to associate with him.

The land of gentle pleasures is a graveyard for heroes, and even more so a haven for lazybones.

As for why such an arrogant fat man was so polite to Zhang Wenjie, a former gangster, and even showed a bit of inexplicable awe, that's another story of "becoming friends after a fight".

After several encounters, Zhang Wenjie and the fat man developed a seemingly unreliable but actually quite subtle "loyalty" relationship.

"A true man's ambition should be like the Yangtze River, flowing eastward to the sea; why yearn for a gentle, tranquil place?"

Looking at the dazzling lights and ambiguous "GG" signs rushing past outside the car, Zhang Wenjie suddenly made a seemingly random remark.

"Come on, Zhang Wenjie!" Fatty Wang sneered without any politeness, skillfully steering the car past a truck. "Don't I know you? You're a fucking bastard! And you're trying to be all high and mighty with me... What's wrong with a harem? A harem is a man's dream! What kind of grand ambition is that? Can it feed you or just be used to pick up girls?"

He pursed his lips, finally remembering the important matter: "So, what's the matter that you called me out so late?"

Wang Pangzi, engrossed in his own glamorous world, rarely paid attention to serious social news, let alone watched any boring police announcements. Therefore, he was completely unaware of the earth-shattering changes that had occurred to Zhang Wenjie.

"Someone as good-for-nothing as me is destined to become rich and powerful."

Zhang Wenjie adjusted his posture, speaking casually as if they were discussing what to have for breakfast the next day.

"I'm planning to start a film production company. You're the first person I thought of. I won't worry about how the company runs itself; I'll provide the capital, and you provide the work. You'll get 20% of the shares."

Leave professional matters to professionals; this is Zhang Wenjie's guiding principle.

Of all the people he knew, Fatty Wang was the most suitable candidate for this "professional" requirement.

As for whether or not we have truly let go completely?

That depends on whether this fat guy is sensible and knows the rules.

"Brother Jie?" Fatty Wang nearly slammed on the brakes. He turned around, his round face screaming, "Are you out of your mind? Starting a company? Did you strike it rich?"

He shook his head repeatedly: "Do you think I don't know you? Since I met you, I haven't seen you do anything 'good'! Even if you really have money, wouldn't it be better to just give it to me? Start a movie company? In this market, what's the difference between that and throwing money into the saltwater ocean!"

He spoke earnestly and patiently.

"The streets are teeming with wolves and tigers. Without connections and connections, you'll be devoured whole in no time!"

"That's why I join clubs."

Zhang Wenjie replied matter-of-factly, then waved his hand impatiently.

"Enough with the nonsense. Just tell me, are you going to do it or not? If not, I'll find someone else right away."

Zhang Wenjie (both the original and the current version) has a deep understanding of this fat guy's nagging and hesitant personality.

No wonder his predecessor once beat him into a pig's head because he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Do it! Do it, do it, do it!" Fatty Wang immediately became anxious when he heard that someone else was needed.

This "semi-entrepreneurial" opportunity, where someone else would provide financial backing and he could indulge in being both a boss and a director, instantly ignited the flame in his heart that had been temporarily suppressed by his desire for wine, women, wealth, and power.

"Brother Jie is giving me money to use, how can I refuse? I have to do it! But let's make it clear, if I lose money, you can't blame me..."

"Loss?" Zhang Wenjie chuckled, his gaze sweeping over an old tenement building with an ambiguous pink sign hanging outside the car window, when a sudden idea flashed through his mind.

"You won't lose money. Let's start with erotic films to practice. They're low-cost, quick to pay off, and have a solid audience base..."

"An erotic film...?" Fatty Wang was taken aback, then a lewd, excited, and knowing smile spread across his face. "Hehe... Brother Jie, you have good taste! You've got a good gimmick! This is great, this is great!"