Chapter 57: Gangster Provocation

“It’s no big deal. I really admire the scripts you write, so I thought of asking you to write one for my company!” Wang Yu smiled warmly at Xiao Ran, appearing very friendly.
Xiao Ran hated such smiles, knowing they often hid harmful intentions. However, he saw no need to enter into a deal with this strange and once-famous actor. “I’m sorry, but all my scripts are already assigned to my company. I can’t write one for you!”
No one had ever asked Xiao Ran to write scripts before, as he worked with large companies like New Art City and Jiahe. Smaller companies knew they couldn’t afford high fees and thus didn’t bother trying. Now that Xiao Ran was the boss of Shadow, even smaller companies wouldn’t dare approach him for scripts.
Wang Yu, who seemed easy to talk to, thought for a moment without changing his expression before continuing with a smile, “I heard you’re filming your debut movie recently. There are too many gangsters demanding protection money these days—you need to be careful!”
After saying that, Wang Yu stood up and left as if nothing had happened, leaving Xiao Ran stunned. When Wang Yu was far away, Lin Qingxia urged him anxiously, “A Ran, hurry up and go after him! Agree to it quickly!”
“Why?” Xiao Ran was confused. Though he could hear the threat in Wang Yu’s words, he didn’t take it seriously. “He’s just an actor, and a former one at that. Who cares about him?”
Lin Qingxia’s fear and worry grew even stronger. Seeing Wang Yu get into a car in the distance, she sighed heavily. “Do you know who he is? He’s the biggest gangster boss in the film industry. No one dares to offend him.”
“Him?” Xiao Ran nearly jumped up in shock. He knew he would eventually encounter the gangsters, but not so soon. Even the plans he had made earlier were useless now. “Wasn’t he an actor? How did he become a gangster?”
“You know he used to be a very famous action star. Back then, he gathered many martial artists, and many boxing clubs were under his control,” Lin Qingxia explained slowly, looking at Xiao Ran. “With his power, even New Yian wouldn’t dare to offend him easily.”
“Back then, Wang Yu was poached by another film company. He used his power to remake Shaw Brothers’ movies and was sued by them.” Lin Qingxia was now not just worried—she seemed to imagine Xiao Ran dead on the street. “Even Shaw Brothers, who dominated for decades, didn’t dare sue him directly. They only sued that company. Now you know how powerful he is, right?”
No way… Xiao Ran immediately remembered that lawsuit involving Shaw Brothers. It seemed true as Lin Qingxia said. Suddenly, he remembered something else—there were rumors that Liu Hua, Cheng Long, and Leung Ka-fai were all forced by this powerful gangster boss to work together on a movie, rumored to be ‘Fire Island’. Could it have been Wang Yu who did this?

It’s over! Xiao Ran’s face turned pale in an instant, his hands and feet freezing cold. He had a deep understanding of Hong Kong movies, which was an advantage, but precisely because of that understanding, he was even more aware of the influence and actions of the triads in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. The criminal forces were nothing he could confront; even Cheng Long, the most respected actor in Hong Kong, was forced to act, showing just how terrifying Wang Yu’s power was. What to do? Xiao Ran’s mind raced as he realized this issue needed to be resolved quickly, or trouble would ensue. Thanks to his interest in movies, he did have some knowledge of Hong Kong triads. If he remembered correctly, Hung Sing in the “Crazy Gang” series referred to the Sun Yee On, the largest and most prominent triad in Hong Kong. Dong Sing would be the Lian Ying, followed by the 14K. Xiao Ran wasn’t very familiar with the Lian Ying and 14K, but he knew the Sun Yee On was led by the Xiang family, which had thirteen brothers. Xiang Qiang, the tenth in line, and two other brothers worked in the film industry. Realizing this, Xiao Ran had an idea—he could build a relationship with Xiang Qiang. With the Sun Yee On’s backing, things might not be impossible to handle. But how could he establish a connection with Yongsheng Film Company? It was undoubtedly a daunting challenge. That night ended in disappointment. After sending Lin Qingxia home, she just stared at Xiao Ran and warned, “A Ran, you’d better agree to Wang Yu’s request. Otherwise, trouble will come soon!” “Sister Lin, don’t worry. I’ll definitely figure it out!” Xiao Ran still had no concrete plan; feeling uneasy himself, he could only comfort Sister Lin. Unfortunately, before he could approach Wang Yu to accept, trouble struck. It was the next day during filming—a scene set after the God of Gamblers lost his memory. Xiao Ran had refined the original script to make it more polished. For example, regarding the character’s amnesia, he had planned to turn “The God of Gamblers” into a series or even a trilogy like “Infernal Affairs.” So, he made some adjustments, having the doctor diagnose it as a recurrence of the illness. Influenced by future figures like Wei Jiahui and You Hai, he paid special attention to the script’s details, removing overly chaotic scenes and adding more intricate elements to make the film more refined. He also used the best film stock available, resulting in quality comparable to that of Jiahe Pictures at the time. However, due to technical limitations of the crew, the quality was still slightly inferior to Hollywood standards. Yet, he had a way to prevent the film from becoming frivolous due to comedy—he told Zhang Shuping and Huang Yongheng that he wanted a pure, grand, and mythic atmosphere. With their expertise, they considered it for a while and delivered the effect Xiao Ran desired.

Xiao Ran focused on the base color of the visuals. While using natural light, he employed filters. The effect of filters was remarkable; a typical example is the use of blue filters in “Infernal Affairs,” which gave the scenes an indescribably solemn atmosphere. In fact, few directors use filters, and Xiao Ran’s bold use of them was aimed at leveraging his knowledge of advanced techniques. The result was an outstanding visual effect, with an overwhelming sense of pressure that emerged whenever Stephen Chow appeared. To enhance this sense of pressure, Xiao Ran even removed many lines of dialogue to avoid disrupting the atmosphere. He was now coaching Zhou Runfa and Liu Hua on their acting. He had few requirements for Stephen Chow, simply telling him to portray a legendary character. Stephen Chow’s performance was excellent, fully capturing Xiao Ran’s vision. Unfortunately, Liu Hua wasn’t yet the future best actor; his acting was quite rigid and lacked variation. Xiao Ran recalled when Liu Hua collaborated with Du Qifeng on “Dark Battle,” Du Qifeng had given him a sharp critique: “Liu Hua, you don’t need to do anything—just be yourself!” However, this advice wasn’t suitable for his current role nor for Liu Hua’s still-improving acting skills. Xiao Ran quickly came up with a way for Liu Hua to understand—by demonstrating himself! When he went to the performance area, Liu Hua’s acting method was theoretically correct but too conventional. For instance, he should have shouted at the Kuwaiti man on the mountain, with those lines meant to convey his character’s ambitions. But Liu Hua delivered them in an angry and passionate manner. While this common acting style could have some effect, it wouldn’t achieve the best result. After planning everything, as soon as Xiao Ran entered the performance area, he saw a group of strong-looking men with hostile expressions rushing over. Before the crew could react, two cameras were smashed with sticks. Xiao Ran’s heart tightened—what was to come had arrived. Such incidents happened right after he rejected Wang Yu; even a fool could see the connection. He felt terrified, but upon glancing at the crew, he saw that everyone was equally scared. Under these circumstances, Xiao Ran had no choice but to step forward himself. Fortunately, the men stopped and began beating a wardrobe box with an iron stick, shouting, “Who’s the director? Come out!” Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ran’s rapidly beating heart gradually returned to normal. At that moment, he decided he couldn’t let the gang destroy everything he had built. Since he had chosen this path, he had anticipated the difficulties ahead. What was happening now was just a minor setback; if he couldn’t overcome this, how could he achieve success? To deal with this situation, he couldn’t show weakness. Although Xiao Ran had no experience dealing with the underworld, even a fool knew that gangs relied on strength to oppress the weak. As long as he could appear stronger, it wasn’t certain who was in fear of whom! Though he lacked strength at the moment, Wang Yu’s reliance on him was a form of strength.

Of course, one must strike the right balance here. Xiao Ran smiled slightly and stepped forward to face the man with scars on his face: “I’m the director. If you have something to say, speak up. If not, get lost!”
Bang! The man swung a stick hard at Xiao Ran’s head. Xiao Ran felt as though his head was about to burst instantly, followed by a roaring noise in his ears, as if the world was moving away from him. Only then could he gradually hear sounds again, seeing red liquid covering his eyes.
“Talking to me like that? You damn fool want to die!” the man cursed. After being snapped at by Xiao Ran, he even forgot Wang Yu’s instructions and shouted at his men, “Brothers, attack! Beat him!”
“Wait!” Seeing his equipment worth hundreds of thousands about to be destroyed, Xiao Ran suddenly found strength somewhere and let out a fierce roar. The others were stunned by this thunderous cry, even Zhou Runfa and Liu Hua, who were about to step in to help, were shocked. Xiao Ran stared straight at the leader and suddenly burst into laughter.
The laughter came out of nowhere and gradually turned into a cold sneer. Xiao Ran’s appearance was terrifying—his head and face covered in blood, with blood-soaked eyes that made the leader feel uneasy.
Xiao Ran stepped forward boldly, pressing his body tightly against the man, their eyes inches apart. At that moment, his mind was eerily clear. He knew that if he didn’t do something now, everyone in the film industry would dare to trample on him in the future.
His hand unconsciously reached for the keys, gripping one of them tightly. He suddenly raised his hand and stabbed it at the man’s head…