1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

In the afternoon, at the Fangzhai film set.

The entire crew of "The Greed of Man" is feeling uneasy again.

This feeling is similar to that before the college entrance exam results are released. Although the result is already set and nothing can be changed now, you still want to know as soon as possible.

Yuan Yingming didn't scold them. He was worried himself, which is probably human nature, and no one can escape it.

Amidst much anticipation, Wai Ka-fai returned after the film screening meeting, walking in a hurry, a far cry from his usual composed demeanor.

As soon as he stepped into the studio, not only the production staff, but even Lau Ching-wan and the others who were filming couldn't help but look at him.

Wai Ka-fai took a deep breath, raised his hand and clapped to draw everyone's attention, then announced loudly:

"We are, the anniversary drama!"

Huo Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, even though he was a time traveler, he had been quite anxious these past few days.

The studio was silent for a moment, then erupted in cheers and applause!

Very good!

From that moment on, the value of "The Greed of Man" skyrocketed, and the entire cast and crew were promoted. They went from being easily dismissed to becoming TVB's lifeline this year.

Wai Ka-fai lowered his hands and clapped twice as well. With a reserved smile on his face, amidst the noisy discussion, he beckoned to the two core creators, "Yingming, Asheng, come with me for a moment."

He led the two into the director's dressing room, his thin face flushed, and handed them a document, speaking as calmly as possible:

"Sister Fang has already given us the schedule. Filming wraps up in August, then the business department will coordinate with GG for sponsorship, and it will officially air on October 5th during prime time!"

After saying that, he finally couldn't contain his excitement, losing his composure in front of the staff, and exclaimed joyfully, "We succeeded!"

Although each of them is a big shot that young actors would admire, at this moment, they are no different from a junior production assistant who has just started working at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

Yuan Yingming put down the schedule, breathed a satisfied sigh of relief, and said with relief, "Great, all that hard work wasn't for nothing. I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight."

Wai Ka-fai nodded and smiled, "Thank you both for your hard work in producing such a great film."

Yuan Yingming also looked relaxed and joked, "It's because Asheng's script is solid. Jia Hui, you've really struck gold this time."

Huo Sheng quickly followed suit with polite remarks.

Just like game settlement, participation is mandatory; otherwise, it would appear that there is a lack of cooperation.

He humbly replied, "It's mainly because you prepared so thoroughly and filmed so well."

The three of them started circling each other, flattering each other in the workplace, as if winning the anniversary celebration ceremony. They spun around three times before Wai Ka-fai stopped, laughing and saying:

"Alright, alright, this is the result of our joint efforts. We must continue to take it seriously and ensure that the quality meets the standards of the anniversary drama."

Huo Sheng and Yuan Yingming naturally nodded in agreement.

That's true. Filming is a marathon, and we still have over a hundred days to go. Of course, we need to maintain the quality and achieve even better results later on; otherwise, it would be a disgrace to win a TVB anniversary slot.

"There's one more thing."

Wei Jiahui was in high spirits and excitedly said, "Sister Fang increased our budget to two million."

This is fantastic news, especially for the director.

Yuan Yingming couldn't help but laugh, "That's good, now the cameraman Lao Lin and the others can take some money home to report back. I heard his wife suspects he's spending all his salary on horse racing."

Prostitution was very popular at that time, with hundreds of such establishments on Portland Street alone.

The three of them shut themselves in to talk privately. It was fine to discuss these things, Wai Ka-fai smiled and continued, "Let's discuss together how to use these funds."

First of all, actors' salaries are fixed and there's nothing that can be done about it. I've never heard of any production team giving actors extra money.

They had already saved money on actor salaries, and now with the increased budget, they've suddenly become big spenders and don't know what to do with their money.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Yingming said, "We can invest more in the filming and production."

He has the unquestionable right to use the money, after all, there is no end to the pursuit of filming quality. As long as there is money, the filming can become more and more exquisite, and even a cinematic quality can be achieved.

Screenwriters only need to buy a box of fountain pens, which can last them a year and doesn't cost much.

Wai Ka-fai nodded. "Besides supplementing the filming budget, how about changing the boxed lunches to three meals a day, and also increasing the monthly bonus?"

Yuan Yingming thought for a moment, "Two meals delivered is already quite good, as long as they can eat their fill. Let's give out more bonuses instead. People come to work to endure hardship, eating too well won't make them happy. Money is more practical."

Wai Ka-fai agreed, laughing, "Okay, then I'll tell the finance department to calculate the bonuses. Everyone's been working really hard lately, so we should give them some encouragement."

That concludes the discussion.

Huo Sheng, who only needed a fountain pen, suddenly spoke up, "Um... if I had extra money, I'd like to buy a computer."

Wei Jiahui and Yuan Yingming were both stunned for a moment.

Computers weren't common then, and they didn't even know how to type. They were all slightly surprised and asked in unison, "What do you need a computer for?"

"Write a screenplay."

Wei Jiahui and Yuan Yingming looked at each other, wondering what had gotten into him this time.

Why use a computer to write a screenplay?

All TVB screenwriters write entirely by hand, and what is Ning Wan, the assistant, even doing?

They were a bit overwhelmed and didn't understand why a computer was necessary; it was just a toy they bought with their budget.

But we've known each other for so long, and Huo Sheng has made huge contributions to this show, taking on all the screenwriting work and saving the crew from disaster. It doesn't seem like a big deal to buy him a toy.

"Ah Sheng, do you know how to use that thing?" Yuan Yingming was still a little doubtful.

"It's alright, typing isn't difficult."

Huo Sheng actually wanted to go online, but he couldn't explain it to the two people, so he said, "Writing and revising will be faster this way. If it's not suitable, I'll buy it after I get my bonus."

He was just thinking about it on a whim, wanting to see if there were any ways to make money online; he wasn't in a hurry.

Wai Ka-fai waved his hand: "It's just buying a computer, how can I let you pay for it yourself?"

Filmmakers are all meticulous; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to handle so many storylines.

Wei Jiahui lived next door to Huo Sheng, so he knew Huo Sheng's financial situation—he hadn't even bought a pager yet, and his luggage was pitifully small.

Yuan Yingming nodded, "Of course."

Whether it's a computer or a Neo arcade machine, Huo Sheng will buy whatever he wants; he's not the kind of person who constantly asks for this or that.

That concludes the production meeting.

Not only was the schedule confirmed, but all team members will also receive different monthly bonuses based on their job titles, and Huo Sheng somehow ended up with a computer.

This is quite interesting. He needs to study it carefully. A genuine 486 machine costs 30,000 to 40,000 yuan. He can't buy it like this.

A 368 is fine too. We'll get a decent one later and use it to browse ancient websites.

I heard that people are afraid to post pixelated images online right now, but I don't know if that's true.