Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

At this moment, the sound of mahjong tiles clattering is filling Wang Fei's home.

The other three are Qiu Li-kuan, Chen Jia-ying, and La-ying. Officially, they are colleagues; privately, they are also friends who are almost like family.

You can speak more casually, and speak more truthfully.

From the very beginning, Qiu Li-kuan and Chen Jia-ying worked together to persuade Wang Fei to win Yang Che back, discussing everything from personal feelings and life to career development.

In short: Wang Fei, you are incredibly charming, you could easily steal him away. Yang Che's refusal to let go of his girlfriend precisely demonstrates his loyalty and affection.

Even before she became so arrogant, Spicy Ying couldn't help but lash out at her boss and manager, Chiu Li-kuan: "Are all the men dead?"

Wang Fei: "I'm not in the mood to talk anymore. At least not right now. You don't need to worry about me being upset or anything. I'm not that fragile. Let's play mahjong, and as for the rest, let's just leave it to fate. Yeah, let it be."

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye, October 10th.

Yang Che, who was having breakfast at the hotel restaurant, felt several probing gazes, but he didn't care. He continued to eat his boat congee and radish cake while looking out at Victoria Harbour at the window table.

While I was eating, I smelled a mixture of orchid perfume and pineapple bun. I looked up and saw a young woman with a striking face, somewhat resembling Charmaine Sheh, but even more beautiful. She was wearing a black fitted sweater that accentuated her figure, and she was about 1.7 meters tall.

"Hello, may I sit here?"

Yang Che withdrew his gaze: "Please do as you wish."

"Hello Mr. Yang, my name is Xu Ziqi. My main job is a student at the University of London, and my side job is a model and actress. I have acted in two films, one of which was directed by Gordon Chan."

Yang Che swallowed the porridge in his mouth and looked at her. She looked somewhat familiar, but there were many beautiful but unknown actresses like her in Hong Kong. However, this girl had bright eyes and straight teeth, so she obviously came from a good family background, at least middle class.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense that her eyes and body revealed an undisguised desire to climb the social ladder.

"Oh, hello."

Seeing his lukewarm reaction and the way he kept his head down and ate his porridge, Cathy Tsui felt very frustrated.

But it doesn't matter.

Yang Che really wasn't in the mood for flirting. Not to mention that Wang Fei had dampened his spirits, his two girlfriends had also arrived at noon, and he didn't know what to do next.

Cathy Tsui also didn't speak to Yang Che again, adhering well to the principle of not speaking while eating.

After finishing breakfast, Yang Che smiled at her and then left.

During this time, the restaurant's diners frequently cast curious and puzzled glances at him. They wondered why he was having breakfast with a beautiful woman, since he was supposed to be the diva's new boyfriend.

Just as Yang Che got up, Xu Ziqi stopped eating and followed him out of the restaurant at a distance.

Of course, Cathy Tsui did not follow Yang Che into the elevator to go upstairs. Instead, she walked towards a young man in the corridor who was holding a camera. After seeing the young man make an OK sign, Cathy Tsui smiled happily.

At 9:15 a.m., Yang Che hurried downstairs and saw Jiang Zhiqiang, a short man with his hair neatly combed and wearing a sharp suit, outside the hotel. Although he was forty-five years old, he looked very young, like he was thirty-five.

"Boss Jiang, you're really making me feel too good for you."

"No, Hong Kong is such a small place, I always take the bus and the subway, there are no drivers. Mr. Yang is truly a man of great talent, his brilliance is like a sword."

Jiang Zhiqiang looked him up and down and remarked with emotion.

Yang Che chuckled and shook his head, then followed Jiang Zhiqiang into his car, a Camry with a very ordinary license plate...

Yang Che greatly admires this de facto godfather of Chinese-language cinema after the turn of the millennium.

After starting the car, Jiang Zhiqiang said, "I wasn't in Hong Kong on the day 'My Sassy Girl' was released on Christmas, but I did go to the cinema to see it that day."

Yang Che was quite surprised: "I don't know whether to say you're carefree or not serious enough."

"Of course we value it. The HK$155 million for the copyright was my wife's secret stash, haha."

"Then your sister-in-law has made a fortune."

"Yes, they've made a fortune! It'll be HK$2000 million soon. The Hong Kong film market these days is really something; they've been making films for 99 years and are already ranked fifth."

"It's not just Hong Kong; isn't the situation the same on the mainland?"

"It's still different; there are very few commercial genre films in mainland China."

"Is this why Boss Jiang imported 'My Sassy Girl'?"

"No, I don't care about genre when I import movies. Commercial films are fine, art films are fine too, but they have to be good."

Yang Che nodded, as did the film investor.

Was Mr. Jiang in Beijing on Christmas Day?

"Yes, I went to the wrap party for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Li An and Michelle Yeoh."

"No wonder, what's the progress of the movie now?"

Jiang Zhiqiang glanced at Yang Che in surprise, who seemed completely unconcerned... and then said gently, "Post-production is done in Hong Kong, visuals in Beijing, story in New York, and music in New York. I just got back from Park City the day before yesterday."

Yang Che was taken aback, then laughed: "The global distribution rights for 'Saw' belong to Lionsgate, so even if Boss Jiang comes to me, there's nothing I can do."

Jiang Zhiqiang also laughed: "It's filmed quite well, but I won't release it in theaters, though it's available on videotape."

This guy really knows what he's doing; horror movie videotapes definitely sell better than movie tickets.

As we spoke, the Camry arrived at Chun Fat Garden in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, where there was a white-walled building that seemed out of place in the surrounding commercial world.

The front of the wall features a special film exhibition by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar.

"This is?"

"Broadway Cinematheque, which I founded in 96, has four theaters with a total of 640 seats, as well as Kubrick Bookstore and a café."

Afterwards, Yang Che followed Jiang Zhiqiang into the center, where he saw that all the films being shown were Almodóvar's films, six art films about women.

The posters and trailers on the wall featured Iranian and Thai films, and even the DVDs in the bookstore were all art films that you would never see in mainstream theaters.

Of course, there is no "My Sassy Girl".

There weren't many moviegoers, both men and women, mostly fashionable, artistic, and young, and many of them cast long glances at Yang Che.

"You can't make money here."

"It's our own property, so we won't lose much, haha."

Yang Che shook his head. Being in such a commercial center, not making money is equivalent to losing money.

After Jiang Zhiqiang led Yang Che into the coffee shop and they sat down, he said, "My initial idea was to cultivate a mature audience for art films, without considering making money. After four years, this idea has basically achieved some success, but I feel that I have gained something even more precious."

Yang Che replied dismissively, "Oh?"

"Would you like a cigar?"

"Just started learning, haha."

So Jiang Zhiqiang lit a torpedo for Yang Che, not knowing what brand it was, and he lit one for him too.

"Screening art films and debut works by new directors here allows me to directly experience the audience's reaction, the film's quality, and the director's potential from the front lines of the theater. This kind of decision-making based on professional judgment and on-site perception goes far beyond simply reading scripts or reports. I can clearly grasp the current audience's preferences, and also whether these young directors are worth investing in, haha."