1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

The next day was a bright and sunny day.

This was a good omen, and Huo Sheng was in a good mood, feeling that his wishes were coming true and that something good was bound to happen.

He added water to the kettle and turned on the mechanical knob. While waiting for the water to boil, he rummaged through the corner cabinet and found a bag of Jinwei 3-in-1 nutritional oatmeal, tore open the bag, and poured it into a bowl.

As soon as the kettle is heated, white steam hisses out from the rim of the lid.

This cereal doesn't taste very good, and it's nothing like the Calbee cereal I ate when I was a kid, but it's very filling. One bag lasts me all morning, and Huo Sheng has been eating it for several weeks now.

After finishing his meal, he changed into his only suit, carefully folded the manuscripts he had written over the past few days, put them into his worn-out backpack, combed his hair in front of the mirror, shaved his beard, locked the door, and rushed to the film set.

The address Lau Ching-wan gave me is in Clear Water Bay, Sai Kung, where I can catch the Hong Kong Island bus downstairs.

After swaying and staggering for more than ten stops, he arrived at the TVB headquarters, which was about 100 meters away from the film set, around 9:30 a.m. He stood at the entrance waiting for Lau Ching-wan and took a good look at the place where he might be working.

TVB's headquarters were originally built on Broadcast Drive in Kowloon Tong, sharing the space with RTHK, Commercial Radio Hong Kong, ATV, and CTV, hence the name "Five Stations Mountain".

However, due to limited space in Wutaishan, the first-generation TVB headquarters could only be squeezed into a small valley next to RTHK. The entire headquarters consisted of only one administrative building, which could no longer meet the needs of daily filming.

So in 1988, TVB leased land in Tai Po Tsai from television companies and Shaw Brothers, and moved to Clear Water Bay to build Clear Water Bay TV City.

This TV city is divided into three areas: the administrative area, the production area, and the outdoor shooting area. He is currently standing at the entrance of the Shaw Brothers administrative building.

There is another low-rise building next to it, which is TVB's television broadcasting building.

Although the two buildings have impressive names, they are not tall, only four stories each. However, they are quite new and use the currently popular arched shape for the roof windows.

The elegant light gray and off-white exterior walls are complemented by large areas of glass. The entrance features the TVB tricolor logo, and the ground floor houses the lobby, bank, and security post, all connected by a circular staircase.

As expected of Hong Kong's premier television station, it's truly impressive.

Huo Sheng was engrossed in watching the show, wondering when TVB would move next, when Lau Ching-wan arrived late.

From afar, he called out loudly, "Ah Sheng, have you been waiting long?"

Huo Sheng went up to him and said with a smile, "No, I just arrived."

Lau Ching-wan was wearing a stylish gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses today, unlike his usual style. He looked like he had just come from the set of "Dancing with the Man," exuding an elite air.

After exchanging a few polite words at the entrance, Lau Ching-wan led Huo Sheng inside like a tour guide, saying with a smile as they walked, "Let me introduce our headquarters to you. The first floor has an employee cafeteria, the second floor is the newsroom, the third floor is the production department, where the director and screenwriters work when they're not filming, and the fourth floor has the offices of several producers and Mr. Shao."

After listening, Huo Sheng asked with great interest, "So, after filming, does the screenwriter need to stay on the third floor to work?"

Lau Ching-wan hesitated for a moment, then said tactfully, "Screenwriting is a profession that requires a lot of inspiration. Apart from assistants, most screenwriters choose to work from home or in other places after filming."

Huo Sheng nodded knowingly. It wasn't a 9-to-5 job to begin with. Filming was exhausting, and expecting people to be on time every day was just inhumane.

In other words, as long as you meet your KPIs, the screenwriter can go wherever they want; they have complete freedom.

He continued listening to Liu Qingyun speak while he was thinking about it.

"However, most screenwriters at TVB are not very relaxed. They have to write at least two works a year, and some screenwriters can even write four. Otherwise, they will be eliminated very quickly."

"I see."

Huo Sheng nodded repeatedly; Liu Qingyun was reminding him that he couldn't let his guard down even after coming in.

However, he wasn't worried about this, since he had enough scripts in his head to make films for ten years or so.

As they talked, they arrived at the door of the third room on the fourth floor. Lau Ching-wan pointed inside and introduced, "This is Producer Wai's office."

After saying that, he knocked three times.

"Please come in!"

The door wasn't locked, and the two pushed it open with a creak and entered.

Inside was a spacious office, but things were in a mess. The floor and table were covered with manuscript papers, and the walls were covered with storyboard designs. A young man was writing at his desk. Hearing the noise, he looked up, his eyes still showing a dazed look as if he hadn't quite pulled himself out of the script.

Wei Jiahui is 29 years old this year.

That's right, this person, who sounds quite respected in TVB, is still considered a young man at this time.

He entered TVB's screenwriting training class at the age of 19, and became a full-time employee before graduating, responsible for adapting episodes of the 83 version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Step by step, he rose through the ranks, becoming a script editor at 23 and one of TVB's youngest creative directors at 25. Two years ago, he produced his first TV series, "Looking Back in Anger," which became a sensation in Hong Kong. He was then poached by ATV, but was only invited back at the beginning of this year to work with Catherine Tsang and Leung Ka-shu as a producer to prepare for the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Gala.

Right now, he's holding "The Greed of Man" in his hands, with a bunch of notes scribbled all around him. It looks like he's read it over and over again, and as he reads, he's busy jotting down his inspirations. He's even started designing storyboards and writing lines for some parts.

He looked at Huo Sheng, somewhat bewildered, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

Huo Sheng moved aside to make way for Liu Qingyun before introducing himself: "My name is Huo Sheng, and I am the author of 'The Great Era'."

"Whoa!"

Wai Ka-fai suddenly stood up, his voice filled with surprise and delight, and exclaimed, "You've finally come!"

He walked quickly around the desk, looked Huo Sheng up and down for a few moments, and asked with some surprise, "Excuse me, how old are you this year?"

Nineteen years old!

"So young and promising!"

Wai Ka-fai sighed. When he was 25, he was already considered the youngest screenwriter at TVB. He never expected there to be someone even more talented.

In the TV drama industry, experience is essential in any job. Older age means more experience. Huo Sheng was able to write scripts at the age of nineteen, which sounds like the Soviet Union became the world's number one in twenty years.

"Hello, nice to meet you." After exclaiming, Wai Ka-fai extended his hand and introduced himself, "I'm Wai Ka-fai."

Huo Sheng shook his hand back and smiled, "I've long admired Producer Wei's name. I really enjoyed watching 'Looking Back in Anger' directed by you."

I've heard so much about you.

Huo Sheng only had a general impression of "Looking Back in Anger," but he couldn't very well say, "I watched your film 'Detective Wars' in theaters in 2022!"