Chapter 31: A Superb Encounter

“You mean my cousin?” Liu Mei smiled. “He just joined TVB recently. His name is You Hai!”
You Hai? Xiao Ran was instantly shocked. Could it be the You Hai he had long dreamed of? After doing some calculations, he realized there couldn’t be another You Hai at TVB. Once he confirmed the other person’s identity, his heart started pounding with excitement…
You Hai was Wei Jiahui’s apprentice, but Wei Jiahui was only second among Xiao Ran’s favorite screenwriters—first place going to You Hai. Of course, this wasn’t because You Hai surpassed his master; though in some aspects, he indeed had.
You Hai was a screenwriter who had created countless classic films—ranging from his debut work *Barefoot Boy* to Galaxy Pictures’ *Covert War* and *Gunfire*, as well as *PTU* and *Big Boss*. It was hard to imagine that a single screenwriter could produce so many masterpieces.
He wrote scripts exclusively for Andrew Lau and Galaxy Pictures, producing numerous classics. Having Gu Long as his mentor, he was known as Hong Kong’s most “enigmatic” screenwriter. His scripts were filled with ingenious ideas, inspired details, bizarre twists, stunning suspense, a mysterious atmosphere, and a bold, unconventional personality.
Andrew Lau and Galaxy Pictures’ success owed much to You Hai, who had remained in the shadows. He was a genius screenwriter—without him, Andrew Lau might not have achieved anything. He was truly exceptional, with a genius-level control over his scripts.
This was undoubtedly a genius screenwriter. Xiao Ran couldn’t think of enough adjectives to express his admiration and affection for him. Without exaggeration, if Xiao Ran had to choose the film industry figure he most wanted to meet worldwide, it would definitely be You Hai.
You Hai was like a true legendary sword. If Xiao Ran could get his hands on him, he could at least become an outstanding director. If he could also get Wei Jiahui, he would have the foundation to dominate the film industry. Only a master screenwriter like Wei Jiahui could train a genius like You Hai.
“Ran Ge, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Yang Wei and Liu Mei called out worriedly when they saw Xiao Ran freeze in shock.
Xiao Ran suddenly came back to his senses. He had thought You Hai would join TVB’s training program in another year or two, but it seemed his judgment was wrong. But that didn’t matter. Since he was here now, Xiao Ran had to meet him at all costs.
After thinking this through, Xiao Ran found himself in high spirits. Smiling, he waved his finger. “It’s fine. I was just lost in thought. Xiao Mei, could you help me arrange a meeting with your cousin? I’m very interested in him!”
“Sure! I’m sure he’d be thrilled to meet you, a screenwriter worth 20 million!” Liu Mei, being naturally lively, quickly got to know Xiao Ran well, her tone no longer as polite as before.
After Yang Wei saw Xiao Ran leave, she sighed slightly and asked Liu Mei, “Are the scripts written by Ran Ge really that good?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t seen those movies!?” Liu Mei stared at Yang Wei in surprise, and when she saw Yang Wei nod silently, she laughed and said, “That’s right. Did you find them good? Did you think the story was engaging? That proves the script is good! Don’t you know that directors and actors can save a movie, but a poor script can’t be saved?”
Yang Wei didn’t frown at Liu Mei’s manly-looking terrifying smile; she simply shook her head gently and looked ahead toward the end of the road. That’s where Xiao Ran had just passed by…
“The Blade Dancer” had finished filming, and “True Heroes” was also about to be completed. But Xiao Ran’s workload hadn’t lessened—he had to think about how to write the sequel to “True Heroes.” This idea had emerged not long after filming began, and he had even planted seeds in the movie for the sequel to ensure it wouldn’t be confusing.
“A True Heroes 2” might be okay, but without Wu Yusen, the third installment wouldn’t only lack coherence in the plot but also see a significant drop in quality. Xiao Ran couldn’t go down that same path again, so he tried to create a new sequel.
After staying in his room alone for a long time, he finally realized that since the series was centered around loyalty, the sequel must uphold this theme. This was undoubtedly an opportunity to exploit, and by combining it with the approach used for the sequels of “Infernal Affairs,” Xiao Ran quickly came up with an idea.
The idea was simple, but it would likely scare Xiao Ran a bit—after all, he was about to change history! His idea was to make a prequel!
“Prequel” is an interesting word; if read backwards, it becomes “earn money.” In the context of movies, it makes perfect sense. After all, just like “Infernal Affairs” and “Star Wars,” their so-called prequels were created mainly to make money.
However, this prequel wasn’t difficult to write. Xiao Ran had already written novels and was skilled at plotting, plus he had watched many movies. If it were that hard to create a prequel based on existing material, it would be terrible.
The plot of the prequel would involve Xiao Ma Ge just starting out with Hao Ge. In the first episode, Xiao Ma Ge had already mentioned once, through gritted teeth, an experience of having a gun pointed at him, which would become one of the main themes of the prequel. In this prequel, Xiao Ran portrayed Xiao Ma Ge as not being strong enough. Of course, the bond between Xiao Ma Ge and Hao Ge would still be the central theme.
In the prequel, Xiao Ran also used a clever trick to explain why Xiao Ma Ge liked to wear a trench coat and chew toothpicks, giving it a clear prequel vibe. After finishing the basic outline, Xiao Ran didn’t start writing right away because he knew this wasn’t plagiarism anymore—he needed time to create something original.
The next day, Xiao Ran went to New Art City early in the morning. Huang Baiming, the busy man, was actually in his office. Xiao Ran pushed the door open and entered. Huang Baiming looked up and greeted him with a smile, “My twenty-million-yuan screenwriter, what great idea do you have this time?”

“I do have a script, but I want to direct it myself. What do you think?” Xiao Ran handed the script of 《Eight Stars Bring Good News》 to Huang Baiming, adding quickly, “Could we stop calling yourself a ‘20-million-yuan screenwriter’? It feels so awkward!”
“You want to be a director?” Huang Baiming showed no sign of surprise, only smiling as he stared at Xiao Ran. “I knew you weren’t content to be just a screenwriter!”
Xiao Ran was speechless. Which of the seven giants of New Art City wasn’t a good director? This Huang Baiming alone had directed and produced countless classic comedies and tragedies; even 《Ah Lang’s Story》 was written by him. But Huang Baiming didn’t come from the film industry—he was originally just a manager at a trading company, also rising from screenwriter to director.
“I’ll take a look at the script first!” Huang Baiming clearly didn’t reject Xiao Ran’s idea. He chuckled, flipped open the script, and quickly skimmed through the general plot, his eyes showing signs of deep thought. After a while, he raised his head and said, “Your script is quite good…”
“Mr. Huang, the screenwriters you asked for—Wang and Liu—have arrived!” The voice of the female secretary came through the phone on the desk. Huang Baiming waved his hand, his expression gradually turning stern. “Let them in! Ah Ran, wait for me.”
Two young men pushed the door open. Upon seeing them, Xiao Ran was slightly surprised, as he thought they should be from TVB. After all, those who entered were Wang Jiawei and Liu Zhenwei, those inseparable friends.
Wang, the sunglasses-wearing one, wasn’t as cool as he would become later; he had a fairly average build and looked somewhat troubled. Liu, the “grape”-shaped-faced one, wasn’t as fat either, though he still hadn’t gone bald. Both of them had a strange expression, as if they didn’t know what awaited them.
Xiao Ran’s changing expression luckily went unnoticed by Huang Baiming, though Liu Zhenwei caught a glimpse of it and found it strange. Huang Baiming’s stern expression was clearly aimed at the two of them. He said coldly, “Screenwriter Wang, you’re really talented—making a production team wait over a month for your script!”
Wang Jiawei’s face turned pale and blue as he slowly lowered his head, showing no sign of defending himself. Liu Zhenwei muttered something, seemingly wanting to speak up but knowing it wasn’t the time to defend Wang Jiawei.
“Do you know how much time you’ve delayed the production team and how much money the company has wasted?” Huang Baiming angrily slammed the desk and pointed at Liu Zhenwei. “And you! What are you doing to help him? You can’t even do your own job properly, yet you still dare to help a fool like him!”
Xiao Ran felt dizzy. Wang Jiawei was being called a fool? Liu Zhenwei was being dragged down too? He felt like he was about to collapse. The future award-winning superstar was being scolded like a dog right in front of him—something he truly never expected.
Judging by Liu Zhenwei’s expression, he was clearly helpless and lacked the strength to argue. As for Wang Jiawei, he simply kept his head down, his face alternating between pale and blue, looking extremely ashamed.

Huang Baiming grabbed a script from the table and threw it at Wang Jiawei’s feet, saying in a bitterly cold tone, “Take a look at what kind of script you wrote—complete mess, worse than a primary school student’s essay. Starting today, you don’t need to come to the company anymore! Liu Zhenwei, go back and reflect properly!”
Wang Jiawei picked up his script, exchanged a silent glance with Liu Zhenwei, and then they left that desolate place together. The scene was truly pitiful, especially in Xiao Ran’s eyes, which made it even more tragic.
There’s little need to introduce Wang Jiawei—he’s the extremely famous “Sunglasses King” known to everyone in China. As for Liu Zhenwei, if one word had to describe him, Xiao Ran thought it would definitely be “genius.” Yet these two future superstars left, scolded mercilessly, like lost dogs right in front of him.
He absolutely couldn’t let these two talents go. With this persistent thought in mind, Xiao Ran suddenly stood up, startling Huang Baiming. Without even looking back, he said, “Old Huang, wait a moment—I’ll be back soon!”
Before his words faded, Xiao Ran left the office like a whirlwind, leaving Huang Baiming utterly confused. However, seeing Xiao Ran’s extraordinary speed, he thought to himself: Ah Ran is agile—seems suited for action movies!