Chapter 8: The Heart of a Film Star

“I’m not crazy—you’re the crazy one!” Xiao Ran sneered at Liang Jiahui, who was less than a foot away from him. He could now sense Liang Jiahui’s strength, making his heart pound in his throat. Yet he had to continue acting: “To be defeated by one setback and give up on yourself—that’s what’s crazy!”
“What nonsense about giving up! I just don’t want to act anymore. I just want to be an ordinary person. Even that isn’t allowed!” Perhaps because of Xiao Ran’s words, Liang Jiahui wasn’t as angry as before, though he still glared at him fiercely, as if wanting to swallow him whole.
“Do you think you can deceive yourself just by not wanting to?” Xiao Ran’s cold tone was like a bucket of ice water poured over Liang Jiahui’s head. Seeing it worked, he intensified his attack: “Do you think you don’t like acting? You might fool others, but you can never fool yourself!”
Liang Jiahui gradually fell silent, even loosening his grip on Xiao Ran’s hand. Xiao Ran glanced around and saw a large crowd. Inspired, he spoke again in a teaching tone: “Lost confidence after being banned once? Ask them whether they want you to be a street vendor or an actor!”
“An actor!” Liang Jiahui had been a street vendor for days; everyone else here knew him. Seeing this former film star reduced to selling goods on the street, they felt sympathy, and those who admired his acting were even more indignant for him. Now that someone was encouraging Liang Jiahui to act, they naturally wouldn’t fall behind.
Xiao Ran noticed the uncertain look in Liang Jiahui’s eyes and realized that success hinged on this move. With a hardened heart, he said his final harsh words: “Those who don’t know how to use their strengths are fools. I’ve never liked fools. Choose—smart or foolish?”
Before his words faded, Xiao Ran turned and pushed through the crowd to leave. Only Liang Jiahui remained, head down, lost in thought. Gradually, he raised his head and saw Xiao Ran in the distance. Suddenly making up his mind, he immediately chased after him.
“Great!” The onlookers were clearly delighted to see this former street vendor-turned-star return to the screen, cheering loudly.
Xiao Ran had no idea what happened behind him. He just wished he could slow down so Liang Jiahui could catch up. This was all he could do for now. If it still didn’t work, he would truly be at a loss. He knew well that people’s wills are often hard to change, especially once they’ve made a decision.
When he heard cheers in the distance, he felt slightly nervous, thinking he might have succeeded. He could have turned to take a look, but fearing that the sense of disappointment he had created would vanish, he kept walking straight ahead.
Footsteps gradually reached Xiao Ran’s ears, slowing down as they neared. He was overjoyed. Sure enough, he saw Liang Jiahui, smiling, right beside him. Liang Jiahui smiled gently and said, “I think it’s better to be smart!”

Excited, Xiao Ran couldn’t wait to kiss Liang Jiahui right away. Everything became much simpler from there. Liang Jiahui ignored the goods at the street stall and instead went with him for dinner. After chatting casually for a while, Liang Jiahui suddenly said with a smile, “Your acting is quite good. You might consider becoming an actor in the future!”
Other than being surprised, what else could Xiao Ran think at that moment? He had been acting all along, trying to provoke Liang Jiahui. He thought he had succeeded, but it seemed it wasn’t his tactics that worked—it was Liang Jiahui who suddenly changed his mind.
Still, Xiao Ran’s move was somewhat risky. Fortunately, he believed Liang Jiahui was a decent person. Most importantly, he saw a Golden Statue award at Liang Jiahui’s home—a perfectly polished golden statue. From that, he realized Liang Jiahui loved acting, which was why he deliberately staged that scene.
Of course, Xiao Ran could only force a smile awkwardly, take a sip of his drink, and say, “There’s no other way. I think this is the only way to get you to return to acting!” It was only much later that Xiao Ran learned Liang Jiahui wasn’t moved by his act but by his sincerity.
Reflecting on it later, Xiao Ran realized he was incredibly ignorant—having no fame or money, yet still daring to ask Liang Jiahui to let him return to acting. But he knew well that Liang Jiahui had indeed thought about quitting acting until he met his future wife, who changed his mind.
“What do you want me to do?” Liang Jiahui finished the beer in his can, wiped his mouth, and asked Xiao Ran with bright eyes, “I’ve never heard of you before. You must be a newcomer!”
“That’s right. I am indeed a newcomer, and I’ve only just barely entered the industry!” Xiao Ran nodded. Being a newcomer wasn’t something to be ashamed of. It would be even worse if, like in Hong Kong movies twenty years later, there were no newcomers at all. Saying this, Xiao Ran smiled awkwardly and added, “Actually, I mainly want to get to know you. I really like your acting.”
“I’m just a person too. What’s there to get to know?” Liang Jiahui burst into laughter. “But I do think you’re straightforward. I like that!”
Xiao Ran no longer aspired to be an actor, but he still hoped for a chance to be a lead actor or director. With just one opportunity, he could make his name known.
How could he get such an opportunity? Opportunities aren’t given by heaven; they’re created and seized by people themselves. After making plans with Liang Jiahui, Xiao Ran returned to his own place. You Zhi wasn’t asleep yet, probably watching TV anxiously because he couldn’t find a job.
The TV was showing the midnight lineup, and it happened to be a rerun of Shanghai Bund. Xiao Ran sat down beside You Zhi, interested in watching this outdated black-and-white TV. Suddenly, without even looking at You Zhi, he asked, “You Zhi, do you know that Zhou Runfa is now considered a box office poison? I swear on my head—he’ll become extremely popular next year, especially in movies, and his box office earnings will break records!”

“Impossible!” You Zhi immediately objected to Xiao Ran’s view. How could he not know that Zhou Runfa had acted in many films over the years, most of which had received excellent reviews? Yet their box office performance was terrible; the only film to earn over 10 million at the box office relied on New Art City.
“Great, then let’s make a bet!” Xiao Ran smiled like a fox spirit that had lived for thousands of years. He raised a finger and shook it gently. “If he really achieves these results next year, then you’ll listen to me from now on. Do you dare to bet?”
You Zhi was still young, and his fighting spirit was immediately stirred. He shouted, “Let’s bet! If he doesn’t achieve these results next year, then you’ll listen to me!”
“Very good!” Xiao Ran clicked his tongue, looking disappointed. “Winning you like this isn’t very honorable. I’ll add one more condition: he must win Best Actor at both the Golden Horse and Golden Statue Awards!”
By now, You Zhi’s gloomy mood had vanished. He laughed loudly, pointing at Xiao Ran and saying, “It’s impossible for it to be that coincidental. You’re doomed to lose this time!”
“Really?” Xiao Ran just smiled meaningfully, a smile that made You Zhi shiver with unease, making him doubt whether he would lose this bet. Anxious as he was, he naturally didn’t have the long-term vision of Xiao Ran, who aimed to bring You Zhi under his control. Of course, such tactics weren’t suitable for everyone.
“Have you found a job?” Xiao Ran seemed unconcerned, but he knew what he was thinking.
You Zhi shook his head. “No. It’s not hard to find a job, but it’s not easy to find one I like.”
Xiao Ran couldn’t help but whistle, trying to appear more like a lively young man. “What? Still thinking about going back to TVB?”
You Zhi shook his head again and fell silent, ruining the relaxed atmosphere Xiao Ran had tried so hard to create. Xiao Ran could only sigh lightly. He thought he knew what You Zhi was thinking, but right now, he had nothing but his future. Even if he wanted to do something, he didn’t have the ability.
The next day, Xiao Ran read a news article in the newspaper about Biao being arrested for murder—probably because he had followed Xiao Ran’s advice. He thought he might have to rely on Biao in the future, as some things couldn’t be done openly.
He still hadn’t gone anywhere. He had thought about it for a long time last night, feeling that accumulating initial capital would take a long time. But what he lacked most right now was time, even though he didn’t seem busy at the moment. He knew very well that if he didn’t start building capital now, it would be difficult for him to establish himself in the future.
So, he didn’t have time to wait for *True Heroes* to be released. He had to try his best to become a leading actor on screen in the short term. Of course, it wasn’t out of a desire to act, but for money. He knew very well that in this era, actors were the most important and could earn a lot of money.

So, he decided to take the risk of writing the script for “Mr. Zombie,” which was set to release at the end of the year, and send it to Deppa Films. There was also “Police Story,” also due for release at the end of the year, plus “Happy Ghost Meets Ghost,” which was scheduled for release the following year. Except for the latter, the box offices of the first two films ranked among the top ten of 1985.

In the following days, he didn’t go anywhere; he just stayed at home, furiously typing on paper. Writing a script in a week wasn’t difficult, but for Xiao Ran, it was more painful than anything else.

Wei Dongling continued to go to work and back every day in boredom, clearly feeling frustrated by being underutilized. You Zhi was also depressed, but he managed to find a job to work at.

When they finally saw Xiao Ran walk out of his room with a smile after a week, they all had the illusion that he had achieved great success through seclusion and cultivation. Xiao Ran explained his unusual behavior over those days and then showed them the script.

Wei Dongling and You Zhi were clearly shocked. They never expected Xiao Ran to be a screenwriter, and judging from the script he had written, it wasn’t bad at all. As Wei Dongling read the script, his eyes grew brighter, and he suddenly developed an interest in movies.

As for You Zhi, after reading the script, he said to Xiao Ran only one thing: “You’re amazing—more amazing than someone I know!”

You Hai! That was the first name that came to Xiao Ran’s mind. He barely suppressed his excitement and asked, “Who is that person? Tell me, I’m very interested in meeting them!”

You Zhi laughed and stared at Xiao Ran, saying, “I think you might have heard of his name—he’s Wei Jiahui!”