Chapter 55: Annual Champion

Since arriving in this era and delving deeper into the film industry, Xiao Ran had come to understand it even better. In the film world, having talent alone didn’t guarantee success—opportunities and connections were crucial. For example, Xiao Ran had heard Lin Lingdong complain that someone, because of his familial ties with a high-ranking executive at a film company, hastily wrote an ordinary script, which was quickly approved, allowing him to enter the film industry.
Even highly technical roles like cinematography and art direction could be secured through connections, which Xiao Ran naturally despised. If one truly had talent, relying on connections wasn’t a big deal, but if one was just average, it became meaningless.
Thinking back to films from the 1980s and 1990s, Xiao Ran realized that many of those films were quite mediocre in terms of art direction and cinematography. He had initially thought it was due to tight production schedules, but now he saw that while there were many mediocre people, those who got in through connections also blocked the path for those with real talent.
This situation was undoubtedly abnormal. For instance, why could Huang Letai and Du Kefeng each win four or five cinematography awards in just over twenty Golden Horse Awards? The reason was simple: there were too few photographers in Hong Kong with their style and ability. With no other choice, anyone who wanted to make good films turned to them, so naturally, only they won awards.
After the launch of Meiying, it aggressively advertised to recruit various film talents—producers, cinematographers, art directors, action choreographers, and more. As long as they brought their work, passed the interviews, and received positive evaluations, they had a good chance of signing with Meiying. Thus, there were quite a few filmmakers under Meiying’s contract that Xiao Ran wasn’t even aware of.
Back to Mo Tianxin—she was quite interesting. She actually chose Xiao Ran, the boss, as the second lead. Her reasons were sound and justified: “Boss, your image is very suitable, and you have acting experience. Your salary isn’t high, so this casting decision is made to keep costs in check.”
Xiao Ran was lucky enough not to spit blood, as he found his resistance much stronger than before. Still, he inwardly groaned—dealing with such a meticulous person wasn’t easy. He was too busy to even find time for Fang Ruoxin, let alone become an actor—absurd!
Considering he was still filming *The God of Gambling*, Xiao Ran declined the offer. Mo Tianxin didn’t insist and immediately replaced him with Leung Ka-fai, arguing that he was perfect for such a refined character. Xiao Ran admired Mo Tianxin’s taste, knowing that *Prison Storm* was indeed starred by Sammo Hung and Leung Ka-fai, and their chemistry had sparked great performances.
Thinking of Sammo Hung, Xiao Ran smiled. Sammo was extremely loyal. New Art City had made him famous, so he only acted for them until New Art City ceased operations. Fortunately, thanks to his relationships with New Art City and Sammo Hung, he was successfully borrowed this time. Sammo even promised his benefactor that once his contract with New Art City ended, he would join Meiying.

New Art City’s contract with Fa Ge still required two more films to be produced, namely the prequel and sequel to “Heroic Spirit.” With Fa Ge and Lin Qingxia on board, Shadow could have its core members and potentially compete with New Art City.

However, all this was still a long way off. What Xiao Ran faced now was a funding issue. Audiences wanted visual excitement, and aside from Cathay, no one was willing to spend a lot of money on the most advanced equipment in the U.S. Even New Art City and Deppa only used relatively better equipment to cut costs.

Xiao Ran remembered this from the video tape era—when Cathay produced its own films, the picture quality and film quality were often better than those of other companies. That was an advantage, a true sign of a major company’s scale.

Xiao Ran really wanted such top-notch equipment. No audience would want to watch films with blurry images. Even action movies needed clear visuals and good audio-visual effects to excite the audience. But he had no money, so he decided to discuss this issue with Fang Ruohai.

Fang Ruohai really knew how to enjoy life—staying in hotels every day, with sunshine and beautiful women around him. But if Xiao Ran wanted to talk about money with him, it could have been done over the phone. As for his intentions, that was still unknown for now.

Upon arriving at the Regal Hotel, Xiao Ran made a call to Fang Ruohai in the lobby and quickly learned that the guy was sunbathing by the pool with his sister. Delighted, Xiao Ran rushed over and saw Fang Ruohai lazily lying on a chair, looking extremely relaxed.

But what caught Xiao Ran’s attention wasn’t Fang Ruohai—it was the woman beside him, Fang Ruoxin, who was stunning in both figure and appearance. After briefly greeting them, Fang Ruohai asked his sister to give her seat to Xiao Ran. Xiao Ran took off his clothes and lay down, feeling great.

“You should enjoy yourself more when you have time. Working all day is boring!” Fang Ruohai waved his right hand as if showing off how beautiful everything was. “What’s the matter this time?”

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Xiao Ran faintly smelled a strange scent of virginity. Glancing at Fang Ruoxin sitting on the chair beside him, he then spoke up: “In short, Shadow is short of money now. You need to transfer more funds right away.”

“Spent ten million in just one month?” Fang Ruohai wasn’t surprised. He was just teasing Xiao Ran. “You’re much more extravagant than me. By the way, have you seen today’s newspaper? The top ten box office hits are listed.”

Before he finished speaking, Fang Ruohai handed Xiao Ran a newspaper with a smile. Xiao Ran flipped through it and found the entertainment section. The top ten box office hits of 1986 were indeed listed, with “Heroic Spirit” at the top. Four of the films on the list were written by him.

“Check out the Ming Pao Weekly too. They analyzed these results and praised you highly!” Fang Ruohai was impressed with his own judgment for spotting Xiao Ran, this talented screenwriter, among so many filmmakers in Hong Kong. He thought that even if Shadow was mediocre, having Xiao Ran as its star writer would still ensure profits.

Xiao Ran glanced through it and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Another article in Ming Pao Weekly was a transcript of Liang Jiabao’s previous interview; it seemed they had planned this all along. In that article, Liang Jiabao even considered Xiao Ran the best screenwriter in Hong Kong, with the only regret being that he hadn’t won any awards—otherwise, that title would indeed be well-deserved.

What caught Xiao Ran’s attention was that “North and South Shaolin” also made it onto the top ten box office lists, while Li Lianjie fell quiet after that film until “Huang Feihong” became a huge success. He thought it was time to bring Li Lianjie on board; otherwise, missing out on such a talent would be a real loss.

“It’s all just luck!” Xiao Ran knew well that in the Chinese world, humility was more important than anything else. Even if he saved the world, it was best to downplay it as a trivial matter.

“There’s something that might require your consent and help, but I think it shouldn’t be a big problem,” Fang Ruohai said, looking at Fang Ruoxin. The affection in his eyes moved Xiao Ran slightly: “You know, Aixin loves to have fun. Today, after seeing this news, she suddenly had the idea of becoming an actress and acting in a movie. I think you won’t refuse, right?”

Her? Xiao Ran was utterly stunned. Unconsciously, he turned to look at that face and delicate figure that fascinated him so much—yet she remained cold and aloof, as if they weren’t talking about her.

Of course, there was no problem with her becoming an actress; surely no one could resist such charm. The question was… Xiao Ran couldn’t help but speak to Fang Ruoxin: “Aixin, you need to tell me—are you doing this just for fun, or do you want to continue? This is very important.”

Fang Ruoxin turned her head slightly to glance at Xiao Ran, her captivating gaze almost driving him crazy: “Let’s have some fun first, and talk about it later!”

Cold and aloof! That was all Xiao Ran could think of. This woman’s temperament was undoubtedly excellent, and thanks to her good background, she wasn’t even inferior to Lin Qingxia. And what moved him the most was precisely that.

Fortunately, after getting to know Fang Ruohai, Xiao Ran saw Fang Ruoxin often and gradually got used to being surrounded by such beauty. Otherwise, he might have been completely bewitched by her gaze. After calming himself down a bit, he pondered for a moment. In that case, signing a long-term contract with Fang Ruoxin wouldn’t be a wise move for “Shadow”.

But for the woman of his dreams, doing it just once wouldn’t matter. Moreover, Xiao Ran thought that if he could act with Fang Ruoxin, it might deepen their relationship, giving him a chance to pursue her.

“No problem, Aixin. Come with me to the company later to sign a short-term contract!” Xiao Ran made his decision quickly. His gaze toward Fang Ruoxin grew increasingly dreamy. Only when she turned away coldly did he snap back to reality. He then said to Fang Ruohai, “Ahai, ‘Shadow’ plans to shoot three films at the same time. It’s time for your funds to arrive. Also, it’s time to transfer ten million into the account as per the contract terms!”

He handed the budget report to Fang Ruohai, who glanced through it before nodding in agreement: “No problem. I’ll transfer the money to you tomorrow!”

Xiao Ran didn’t like this feeling. Real big companies, like Jiahe, had enough money to invest in making movies. This way of seeking investment wasn’t as pleasant as he had imagined. However, since they had a contract in place, it seemed inevitable to carry it out.

He asked Fang Ruoxin to return to the company with him. Along the way, Xiao Ran told her countless jokes from the future, but never managed to achieve his goal, which frustrated him greatly. Could it be that Fang Ruoxin was naturally indifferent? Xiao Ran refused to believe it.

With no other leading actress available for Fang Ruoxin, after much thought, Xiao Ran decided to give her the role of Wang Zuxian from “The God of Gambling.” As for Wang Zuxian, Xiao Ran decided to do her a huge favor—allowing her to sit in the office like a fairy untouched by the world. He called Wang Zuxian and told her the role was canceled. Instead, the company decided to cast her in another big-budget new film.

Wang Zuxian wasn’t disappointed by losing the role; she was actually quite happy. After sorting everything out, Xiao Ran called Yu Jiayu to sign a short-term contract with Fang Ruoxin, thus bringing it to an end. But when he offered to take Fang Ruoxin back, she coldly refused.

Wei Dongling walked into the office with a worried expression and complained bitterly to Xiao Ran, “A Ran, I really can’t continue working here. The company’s management is in complete chaos. I really don’t understand how you could think of staying and restructuring it a year later!”

Xiao Ran remained silent. He wasn’t good at management anyway; the plan before the company was founded was just his general direction. But he hadn’t expected to make a mistake right from the start. It seemed life was indeed full of uncertainties.

“Do you know that everyone outside is mocking our company for its poor management?” Wei Dongling was furious. Xiao Ran understood—given the presence of a top management expert like A Dong, such chaos was truly unacceptable…

After listening to Wei Dongling’s description and pondering for a while, he finally made a decision: “Restructure!”

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