So what if I work with celebrities?

Attending a family dinner, especially one hosted by his girlfriend, put Xu Zan under even more pressure.

After hanging up the phone, I kept thinking, did Sylvia Chang confront her mother? Was she trying to force her into marriage? Should I run away?

What kind of person is her mother? Will she be like most mothers-in-law who make things difficult for their sons-in-law?

They insisted on buying a villa of no less than 1,000 square meters in a certain location, demanding a bride price of 8,888,000 yuan, plus dozens of kilograms of gold jewelry, and the "change of address" fee increased to...

Xu Zan felt a headache coming on just thinking about it; he wasn't ready to put all his eggs in one basket. For a hardworking bee, orchids may be lovely, but nothing compares to the fragrance of flitting through a sea of ​​flowers.

But hearing Zhang Aijia's irresistible tone on the phone, he decided to give it a try and see what kind of power a mother-in-law could have in this era. After all, he would be mentally prepared should he ever want to get married in the future.

Xu Zan bought some dried goods, cigarettes, alcohol, and traditional Chinese medicine at Panda Plaza and put them in the trunk of his Cadillac Seville. He then went to Zhongshan North Road to pick up Zhang Aijia.

"Wow, Zan-ge has made a lot of money?" Zhang Aijia is quite knowledgeable and knows car brands, unlike many girls who only know the difference between long sedans and short sedans.

"This isn't just to give you face; I specifically borrowed the car from Wang Yu," Xu Zan said.

Sylvia Chang leaned in, wrapped her arms around Hsu Zan's neck, and they shared a passionate French kiss. They only separated after a car behind them honked at them, and then continued driving.

"I'm preparing to film a version of 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' and I'd like to invite you to play Lin Daiyu." Xu Zan asked Zhang Aijia to wipe the lipstick stains off his face.

Sylvia Chang seemed still immersed in the passionate kiss, barely listening to what he was saying, only making "oh oh" sounds.

This put Xu Zan in a bind. Could it be that Zhang Aijia wasn't satisfied with casting her as the female lead? In that instant, he thought of many movies, wondering what kind of role Zhang Aijia could play to make her shine.

Regardless of his past or present life, Lao Xu adheres to a code of conduct that is almost like that of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry): he always repays kindness, which is how he has gained a foothold in the jianghu.

The sailor put him in charge of a coffee shop, and in return, Xu Zan gave the sailor a share in a film company, making millions.

If that guy surnamed Lu causes trouble, then put him in jail and bring his father down.

At this moment, Zhang Aijia's ambiguous words made Xu Zan feel that she might have a big appetite, and he didn't know what to do for a while.

"Brother Zan, a lot of people have been asking Gu Long for scripts lately. Do you want to make a martial arts film?" Zhang Aijia asked.

"I don't have a good stunt team right now, so I'm not up to the task of making martial arts films," Xu Zan said.

In fact, since filming "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin", he has gained a certain foundation in directing action movies, and the general formula for kung fu and martial arts films is similar.

The only difference is that kung fu films emphasize precise and methodical martial arts moves, while wuxia films require more imaginative and unrestrained movements.

This involves the flexible use of props such as wires.

"What, you want to be a female knight-errant?"

"No, no, I don't have any dance background. I'm okay with making art films, but this kind of subject matter..."

Sylvia Chang has acted in kung fu films, but mostly in decorative roles. She doesn't have much of a feeling for these kinds of action-packed movies.

To put it another way, her personality is more suited to making films in Europe, for the sake of art itself.

Xu Zan drove to a villa area and witnessed the treatment of high-ranking officials. There were guards standing watch nearby. The environment here was simply superb, unlike a military dependents' village at all.

The place where he used to live was practically a slum.

At the entrance of a villa, Xu Zan got out of the car to retrieve some items. At this moment, Zhang Aijia called over the security guards there to help carry them.

As the three approached the villa, a large golden retriever ran out of the house, jumping and wagging its tail around them, showing no fear whatsoever.

Xu Zan sat on the sofa in the living room, watching his mother carry the gifts away one by one. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from upstairs and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Is this the time to meet my mother-in-law?

His eyes were fixed on the stairs. He first saw a pair of feet, not a woman's. When the person came down, he realized it was Master Wei.

Wearing a shirt and trousers, Master Wei nodded at him, and Xu Zan immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Wei!"

"Hehe, just call me Grandpa, just like Ai Jia," said Third Master Wei with a smile.

"Um, Grandpa."

Just as Master Wei sat down, Zhang Aijia came out of the dining room with two cups of tea. "Grandpa, Brother Zan, have some tea!"

Seeing this, the old woman rushed over anxiously, "Oh dear, miss, why are you doing this? Let me do it!"

"It's alright. I saw you going to move the gifts Zan-ge brought, so I went to make some tea," Zhang Aijia said with a smile. But the old woman just smiled awkwardly, glancing at Wei Sanye's expression from time to time.

"You go ahead and do your thing!" said Third Master Wei.

After his mother left, he chatted with Xu Zan about everything from his childhood to the changes in society and his work.

Clearly, Master Wei knew Xu Zan's past, and even the history of the Lianzhu Society.

"You're right. The people care most about their rice bowls; everything else is secondary. Only when their rice bowls are secured will they start to care about their spiritual well-being," Master Wei nodded.

"Grandpa, I've reached a bottleneck in my career and want to break through, but I don't know what to do. Could you give me some advice?" Xu Zan wanted to hear what the higher-ups were saying.

With his legs crossed and a teacup in his hand, Master Wei said with a smile, "You're not just a director, you're also the boss of a film company. A boss should have boss friends."

He said that the development of a region's film industry is not achieved through monopoly, but rather through competition.

Master Wei gave an example: the 1950s and 60s were the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, when Shaw Brothers and Cathay Organisation competed and produced many excellent works.

"With Cathay Organisation gone, what kind of films is Shaw Brothers making?"

Xu Zan nodded. In the 1970s, Shaoxing seemed to have contracted some kind of strange disease, producing almost no good works. Li Hanxiang focused on making erotic films, which gave him the opportunity to direct historical epics like "Yingtai Crying Blood".

Zhang Che's martial arts films are all cut from the same mold. Liu Jialiang's films have some originality, but only a little.

Jiahe lost its foundation after losing Li Xiaolong. Although Xu Guanwen had many ideas, and his career progressed rapidly, from joke-filled plots to satire of social realities, comedy films were limited to the Chinese-speaking world, making it difficult to break into a wider audience.

Ultimately, the Chinese-speaking world is too narrow, and the market is limited by the left-right struggle. Hong Kong can only pursue small- to medium-budget films, and its development space will inevitably be compressed compared to Hollywood films that often cost tens of millions of US dollars.

"Have you heard of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association?" asked Master Wei.

Xu Zan was taken aback. He had naturally heard of it; anyone who worked in the film industry in Hong Kong and Taiwan would know about this place.

With the support of Taiwan's huge box office market, Hong Kong film companies had no choice but to submit to the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association, a place whose power was almost comparable to that of the future Guangdong.

Any Hong Kong film that wants to enter the Taiwanese market must have its script and film reviewed in advance. There will always be things that are not satisfactory, and they must be revised. Otherwise, don't even think about making a penny in Taiwan.

In 1953, the Hong Kong Free Filmmakers Association was established. This association often took its members to participate in some important ceremonies in Taiwan, which naturally attracted many stars to join.

In order to gain complete control, Taiwan established the Hong Kong and Kowloon Freedom Association three years later, with the Government Information Office directly funding its operation. In the late 1960s, the Freedom Association forced Hong Kong Head Film Company to sign a treaty severing ties with the other side.

In addition to some controversies, film professionals in Hong Kong were suppressed, and the company had almost no influence in Hong Kong.

At this moment, when Master Wei mentioned this association, Xu Zan knew that those who wield swords will inevitably die by their own swords, and that once one gets involved in politics, one must be prepared to be swayed by politics.

"You need to understand that movies are not simple commodities. I think with your intelligence you should understand what I'm saying. The Government Information Office will take the lead in making you a director of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Freedom Association. You can keep that position for now."