1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

However, Lau Ching-wan was very polite.

As Huo Sheng's mentor in entering TVB, he consciously took on some things he shouldn't have done and provided Huo Sheng with a lot of convenience.

The two came out of the dormitory together and walked down the stairs. Liu Qingyun was still talking about some trivial things, "When you move in, you can eat at the cafeteria in the administration building. It's 15 yuan for two meals and 10 yuan for afternoon tea. When we're filming, you won't have to pay for it yourself. The crew will provide boxed lunches for three meals a day."

Huo Sheng walked beside him, nodding repeatedly.

Although Lau Ching-wan looks like a butcher, with rugged features that look like they were carved with a knife, he is actually very meticulous.

Amy Kwok should be your boyfriend!

As he was thinking, he suddenly bumped into a man in his forties wearing glasses, coming up from downstairs.

Lau Ching-wan immediately stopped and bowed slightly to greet him, "Producer Leung, hello."

"Um."

The man nodded slightly, his narrowed eyes sweeping over Huo Sheng, sizing him up before asking in surprise, "A new person has arrived?"

"Yes, his name is Huo Sheng, and he is the lead screenwriter for Producer Wei's new drama."

After saying that, Lau Ching-wan turned to Huo Sheng and introduced him: "Sheng, this is Leung Ka-shu as the producer."

Huo Sheng's eyebrows twitched after hearing this.

A celebrity!

A prominent figure at TVB, the Director of Production, wielding considerable resources, and a truly influential figure within the station. She is the only other faction leader who can rival Sister Jane.

Originally, he was just an assistant director, but when Run Run Shaw saw that Catherine Tsang's family was all-powerful, he made an exception and promoted him to be on equal footing with Catherine.

Louis Koo, Ron Ng, and Myolie Wu are all under his command.

Now, Liang Jiashu was standing right in front of him, and his various deeds were quickly recounted. The person involved was completely unaware, but he just carefully looked at Huo Sheng and his lips curled down slightly.

"So young, and already promoted to a key creative role?"

Leung Ka-shu's voice wasn't loud, but a hint of disdain could be heard: "Wai Ka-fai is inexperienced himself, and he's bringing along someone even more inexperienced. Aren't you afraid of ruining the show?"

As soon as he said it, Huo Sheng frowned slightly.

Although I had anticipated encountering a frog in a well who would kick me while I was down, I still felt a bit of a headache when I actually did.

Lau Ching-wan paused for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "Although Ah Sheng is young, his script is indeed well-written. Producer Wai was very satisfied with it, which is why he was given this special opportunity."

"Yeah?"

Leung Ka-shu pushed up his glasses and laughed, "Wai Ka-fai didn't use a talented screenwriter like Tsang Kam-cheung, but instead chose a young man with no experience like him. Is this what he learned at ATV?"

"Newcomers also need a chance..."

"Is that what Wai Ka-fai thinks?" Leung Ka-shu interrupted impatiently. "No wonder he's a hopeless case. I think he recently had a flop, what was it called again? It was a complete failure, it didn't even reach 10% viewership."

Lau Ching-wan's expression stiffened slightly, but he remained respectful. "It's called 'Burning Rain.' Although the ratings were only so-so, the word-of-mouth was quite good..."

Leung Ka-shu waved his hand casually and laughed, "If you can't even break 10%, what kind of reputation are you talking about? I really don't know why Mr. Shaw brought him back to snatch the anniversary drama."

Then, he added with interest, "However, having chosen such a greenhorn screenwriter, I doubt he'll get any qualifications."

That's definitely the truth. Wai Ka-fai just returned from ATV and didn't have any factions or connections within the station. Now they've even brought in a newcomer.

A flop producer and a rookie screenwriter – this combination seems destined to fail.

But facts are facts, and it's too impolite to say them out loud, especially when the person in question isn't present.

Lau Ching-wan took a deep breath and stood there with his usual composure. After all, his career was entirely in the producer's hands; if he could be blacklisted, he would be blacklisted without hesitation, and he would never be given a second chance.

"Alright."

Liang Jiashu's eyes swept over Liu Qingyun. He had only been complaining about Wei Jiahui and had no problem with Liu Qingyun. His expression softened slightly, carrying a hint of pity.

"Qingyun, what a coincidence! I'm still missing a small role in my drama 'Human, Ghost, and Fox.' It's not a big part, but you can get some screen time. Would you like to come and give it a try?"

Liu Qingyun was stunned for a moment.

Normally, Leung Ka-shu would carefully consider even a minor role.

But now, "The Greed of Man" is about to be approved, and the role of Fong Chin-bo is still waiting ahead. How could he possibly take on another role?

Lau Ching-wan took a deep breath. "Thank you for your concern, Producer Leung. I'll probably be joining a new production soon, so I won't be able to go for the time being."

"Oh?"

He adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping between Lau Ching-wan and Huo Sheng before finally settling on Lau Ching-wan's face. "No wonder you're hanging out with that young screenwriter. Looks like you're going to be filming a Wai Ka-fai movie?"

"Yes, thanks to Producer Leung's high regard, we will definitely collaborate if the opportunity arises..."

"Oh."

Liang Jiashu gave a soft snort and impatiently interrupted, "Fine, it seems you've made up your mind. Good luck then."

He paused, then added, "If you regret it, come report anytime, but the role won't be the same then, you understand."

After saying that, without waiting for his reply or paying any attention to Huo Sheng, she strode away.

Once he was out of sight, the hallway became quiet.

"How are you?"

Huo Sheng asked.

Actually, he wanted to say something earlier, at least to offer some support; he has a strong sense of teamwork.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw Liu Qingyun secretly shake his hand at him, as if afraid that he was young and impetuous and might quarrel with Liang Jiashu, causing unnecessary trouble.

The production director is, in effect, Huo Sheng's direct superior, someone you can't afford to offend.

However, even if you understand it, it's still inevitable to feel bad.

Leung Ka-shu practically pointed his finger at them and said, "This play is garbage. What does Wai Ka-fai know about plays?"

It's utterly baffling.

After a long pause, Lau Ching-wan finally looked up, took a couple of deep breaths to compose himself, and then comforted him, saying, "Don't take it to heart. Producer Leung's mouth is just a bit..."

"I'm fine, but is it okay if you refuse to act in his movies?"

Huo Sheng asked with concern.

Lau Ching-wan continued walking with him outside, smiling and saying, "It's nothing, at most it'll just mean missing out on a couple of minor roles. Leung Ka-shu's wife, Sister Ba, is the artist director, and she loves to block our film contracts."

So that's who manages the actors, no wonder he's so arrogant.

It seems that Lau Ching-wan is already used to this kind of treatment, and being scolded or ridiculed by the producer is a normal thing - which is why he seemed so conflicted when he was first suggested to help submit the script to the producer.

The work environment at TVB is truly terrible.

Huo Sheng nodded knowingly, then asked, "Does he and Wei Jiahui not get along?"

"Yes."

Lau Ching-wan thought for a moment and said, "Initially, both Sister Chan and Leung Ka-shu tried to recruit Producer Wai, but Producer Wai refused."

Sister Zhen is alright; she has many capable people under her. But Liang Jiashu had no one he could rely on, so he was quite unhappy about it.

Huo Sheng nodded silently. It seemed that Wei Jiahui's situation was not easy, since he had to endure being targeted even if he was not in a faction.

He stopped dwelling on that point and instead asked, "What's the deal with the 'Human, Ghost, and Fox' he mentioned earlier?"

"This is Leung Ka Shu's first period martial arts drama. I heard that he has invited many popular actors to star in it and wants to put it on TVB's anniversary slot next year."

Who are they?

"It seems like Francis Ng and Ng Wing-hung are in it..."

"oh."

Huo Sheng nodded knowingly. He had just gone through the story carefully in his mind and realized that he didn't even have a strong impression of the title "Human, Ghost and Fox".

It's easy to imagine that this is a play built on connections, destined to flop badly, nothing to worry about.

He doesn't take such people seriously; those who are obsessed with factions and don't value the play itself never end well.

Huo Sheng laughed directly, "Then we'll beat him and teach him a lesson, showing him that even a rookie can create a hit show, so he'll be more polite to you in the future."

Liu Qingyun was speechless for a moment. Defeating a faction leader like Liang Jiashu was something only a hothead like Huo Sheng could say. However, he was still very pleased with himself and said with a smile, "Keep it up, we can definitely do it."

"It will definitely work!"

Huo Sheng took a deep breath.

I wonder how many people already know that Wai Ka-fai hired a rookie screenwriter. It's definitely not just Leung Ka-shu who knows; he just had more confidence to say it to people's faces. There are probably quite a few people secretly laughing at him behind his back.

However, this only fueled Huo Sheng's fighting spirit.

He originally just wanted to film a good drama at TVB and establish himself. But now, the less people believe in him, the more determined he is to do better.

He wants to be a good screenwriter so that the TV series he produces can be seen by the world!