Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Meanwhile, Yang Che's other "old friend," Kazuo Fukasawa, was chatting with Jiang Zhiqiang about a future collaboration on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Also listening in were Wu Shixian, who had returned from the United States; Ye Guoqiang from Singapore; Chen Henghua from Malaysia; and Lei Zhijian from Indonesia.

Yu Dong was whispering something with Wen Jun and Wang Jing in a corner, while Shu Qi, who was resting his chin on his hand, seemed to be lost in thought.

Fortunately, the film critic invited by Jiang Zhiqiang was Paul Fong instead of Shu Qi, otherwise a fight would have definitely broken out.

Shu Qi has been criticizing Wang Jing for over a decade...

So Lin Li-hui's stage name, Shu-chi, was given to her by Wang Jing to disgust film critic Shu-chi. As for Shu-chi saying something like "Shu-chi" and Wen Jun changing it to "Shu-chi" or something, it was just that Wen Jun gave all parties a way out, and he had always been very good to Shu-chi.

It's not that kind of good. Shu Qi's current boyfriend is Leon Lai. Although it's a secret relationship, everyone in the industry knows about it.

As for Yang Che, he was discussing the remake rights of "My Sassy Girl" with a Thai filmmaker named Niru, who wanted to adapt it into a TV series.

He regretted not acquiring the film rights; it was only $20. But it's too late now, because pirated DVDs of "My Sassy Girl" are already everywhere in Thailand, and it's incredibly popular.

Therefore, it's a smart choice for Niro to capitalize on the popularity and remake the TV series.

Yang Che and Niru reached a top-tier deal of $10 for the 10-year Thai television adaptation rights to "My Sassy Girl," which also included distribution rights in five Southeast Asian countries. Otherwise, Niru would have only offered $2, saying that Thailand's market size was too small...

Just as Yang Che called Liu Chang over to give instructions for what to do next, Jiang Zhiqiang walked over.

"Ache, Amei and Wang Fei are here."

Yang Che paused for a moment and nodded. He gave Liu Chang a few instructions and then followed Jiang Zhiqiang out of the cigar bar and into the steakhouse, a Western restaurant and bar on the same floor, where the victory celebration banquet was held.

Meanwhile, waiters and staff from Edko Films hurried around the dining room, making final preparations for the banquet that would begin in half an hour.

They would occasionally glance at one of the booths, and at that moment, the people in the booth stood up one after another.

Amei spoke first with a smile: "Congratulations, Zhiqiang."

Anita Mui and Bill Kong were indeed very good friends. During the most difficult period when Bill Kong took over Edko Films, Anita Mui always stood up for him and helped him find people, providing timely assistance.

Anita Mui ignored Yang Che, which was not just out of loyalty, but also out of empathy.

When she was with Masahiko Kondo, his official girlfriend was Akina Nakamori, but his private girlfriend was Akina Nakamori's rival, Seiko Matsuda.

Anita Mui knew all of this, and in an interview she said that of her dozen or so relationships, her relationship with Masahiko Kondo was the most unforgettable.

Indeed, he made a special trip to Japan before he died to say goodbye to Masahiko Kondo.

After learning about Kondo Masahiko and Matsuda Seiko's affair, Nakamori Akina went to the Kondo family home with a knife and, in a fit of rage, slit her wrists... After that, both Nakamori Akina and Matsuda Seiko left Kondo Masahiko.

Of course, Anita Mui disliked Yang Che also because of Nicholas Tse. Nicholas Tse, who admired Fei so much, was almost a couple with her thanks to her recommendation, but Yang Che interfered, and things didn't even work out...

Yang Che didn't look at Anita Mui; he was looking at Wang Fei.

She had her hair tied in a high bun and was wearing a brightly colored knitted top, looking very trendy.

She seems to have changed, becoming more charming... well... mainly because her face is rounder, which makes Yang Che feel a little uncomfortable.

I often lose my appetite because of you, and you, on the other hand, have actually gained weight.

Wang Fei glanced at him and then looked away, her heart churning with turmoil. She couldn't understand why she was there, just like why she had told Wang Xiufang in advance that she was returning to Beijing the next day.

Of course, as a semi-host, and given the occasion, Yang Che naturally had to greet the guests first. Besides the two of them, there were also Liu Jialing, Xu Laoguai, and Liu Dehua.

Apart from Wang Fei and Liu Jialing, they all addressed him affectionately as "Boss Jiang," showing how influential the cinema mogul is.

Tsui Hark and Lau Tak-wah were extremely polite to Yang Che, calling him "Boss Yang." Of course, Yang Che was even more polite to them, as they were rare people in the Hong Kong entertainment circle who had a good impression of him.

Among the three women, Yang Che greeted Liu Jialing first, who took the initiative to approach him: "Sister Jialing, it's been a long time."

Liu Jialing held his hand and smiled brightly: "Congratulations on your instant fame."

Yang Che smiled and said, "Thank you."

He then looked at Anita Mui and extended his hand: "Sister Mui, thank you for coming."

Anita Mui didn't shake hands, but just gave a forced smile and looked away.

This made the atmosphere somewhat awkward, especially for Jiang Zhiqiang, who seemed quite bewildered.

Yang Che smiled dismissively, withdrew his hand, and looked at Wang Fei with a relaxed expression.

"Haven't you written any music lately?"

He wasn't putting on airs; he genuinely felt nothing, neither angry nor happy. It wasn't that he was cultured, but rather that Anita Mui wasn't in his eyes, even though her wealth, influence, and achievements far surpassed his.

This scene, witnessed by the people present, unconsciously raised their opinion of Yang Che and left a deep impression on them, making them feel that he had a great presence.

Indeed, everyone has been young. If they achieved such success at the age of twenty, they would not be able to remain so calm and composed, even if they were in the world of fame and fortune.

However, Wang Fei didn't think too much about it. Looking into his smiling eyes, she immediately felt less nervous and nodded: "I've finished writing one."

"Shall I write the lyrics for you tomorrow?"

Wang Fei tilted her head: "Are you sure you can do it?"

Yang Che grinned: "Why not? I promise."

"OK."

The people who were talking gradually quieted down and just watched the two of them talk back and forth. Those who didn't know the reason or had heard about it but were unsure suddenly understood.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

At this moment, Liu Dehua said with a smile, "Boss Yang, may I ask you to sing a song for me?"

Yang Che said very seriously, "You're not my girlfriend."

"Hahaha."

Everyone immediately looked at Wang Fei and laughed.

Wang Fei was quite embarrassed and annoyed: "Go to hell."

Yang Che looked at Liu Dehua and changed the subject: "Brother Hua, I'm not very good at custom-made works. What I write reflects my emotions at the time. If there's an opportunity and a suitable piece, I'll have to ask you to do me the honor. I hope you understand."

Seeing how serious and humble he was, Liu Dehua quickly nodded in understanding and joked, "If you can write me a song on par with 'Fleeting Years,' I'm willing to pay any price for Wang Fei..."

Wang Fei immediately picked up a plate from the table and threw it at Liu Dehua.

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Anita Mui and Carina Lau exchanged a glance. Well, it seems they're mutually attracted and still have feelings for each other.

At this time, people began to enter the demolition room.

Besides the group from the cigar bar, there were also three art-house film directors: Xu Anhua, Yan Hao, and Chen Kexin, as well as Liu Weiqiang, another partner of Manfred Wong.

After telling Liu Dehua that they would talk later, Yang Che went with Jiang Zhiqiang to meet the people.

And then there were the chubby boy and Huang Haibo who arrived late.