Chapter 92: Guidance on the Script Amazing! Xiao Ran couldn’t help but praise Liu Zhenwei’s script. Truly, he was indeed Hong Kong’s most enigmatic director after Xu Keji—capable of creating such a script at the very beginning of the gambling film genre. Watching Xiao Ran’s unpredictable expression, Liu Zhenwei grew increasingly uneasy. He had always thought the script was good, but seeing the face of this renowned top screenwriter in Hong Kong, it was clear it wasn’t as good as he had imagined. What does a person need most? It’s not money, love, or family ties—it’s confidence. Money, love, and family are all sources of this confidence. Xiao Ran liked to praise his subordinates to give them enough confidence. Of course, as a director, he couldn’t give others much confidence, but as a screenwriter—given that almost everyone recognized him as Hong Kong’s number one screenwriter—such recognition from a “god’s hand” was undoubtedly a source of great pride. “A good script!” After pondering for a while, Xiao Ran snapped back to reality and exclaimed. This approval immediately excited Liu Zhenwei. After taking a sip of his ice milk tea, which the ice had already melted in, Xiao Ran said, “Your script has a great concept and an excellent theme. To think so deeply at this time shows you have real talent! But…” Liu Zhenwei, who had been overjoyed by the praise, immediately grew nervous upon hearing “but.” Xiao Ran stirred his straw, thinking whether to adapt the script directly for the screen or turn it into a comedy version. After hesitating for a moment, recalling how Stephen Chow became famous in this way, he stopped hesitating. He stopped stirring his straw and said casually, “Under normal circumstances, I would definitely give you this script. But now, I want to promote someone—a talented comedian.” Liu Zhenwei was extremely smart and immediately understood Xiao Ran’s meaning. He asked cautiously, with a hint of concern, “Boss, do you mean turning it into a comedy? That might be… a loss!” A loss! Xiao Ran sighed, silently completing the unspoken words. Now he understood why film companies always liked to produce mediocre films—most famously, *Crazy Magic* made to promote a girl group. He was in the same situation, except Emperor Entertainment Group didn’t have his vision. “It’s indeed a pity, but I’m sure that actor will become famous!” After pondering for a while, Xiao Ran realized there was room for compromise. The key was whether the director could balance comedy with a profound theme. “Actually, you don’t need to feel regretful. This theme can be applied to other scripts. The most important thing is that we can find a compromise—something that’s both entertaining and artistic!” “Huh?” Liu Zhenwei was stunned. Xiao Ran’s demands were absurdly high; he certainly didn’t think he could handle them. “Boss, isn’t this too difficult?” “Too difficult?” Xiao Ran was surprised. He didn’t think it was difficult. But after careful consideration, he realized it was indeed a very challenging task.

Entertainment and artistry are the pinnacle that every director strives to achieve. Yet, few can actually accomplish this. It’s no exaggeration to say that those who can do so consistently are already absolute masters, widely recognized as such. As the saying goes, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Theoretically, there’s no conflict between entertainment and artistry, but in practice, achieving balance is an almost impossible task. For example, in a pure romance film, adding comedic elements increases the chances of it becoming a mess by over 99%; the most likely outcome is something that doesn’t resemble any of the original genres. A typical example is “The Little White Dragon.” Its director genuinely intended to create a touching love story. The scene in the wooden cabin is the essence of the film, but unfortunately, excessive and ridiculous comedy elements turned it into a complete disaster. Even with its deeply moving moments, it couldn’t escape this tragic fate. Is there really no compromise? The answer is no—at least not for Liu Zhenwei, who has little directorial experience. It’s an impossible task unless Xu Ke takes over as director. Xu Ke is currently the only one who can somewhat handle directing, but his works remain highly entertaining and fail to achieve true balance. Films that truly balance art and commerce are extremely rare. Xiao Ran, having directed twice, gradually understood the hardships of the job. In his view, one of the Hong Kong films that comes closest to true balance is definitely “Big Boss.” This film handles elements such as action, romance, comedy, religion, and fantasy exceptionally well, blending them together to create something both entertaining and artistically rich. Xiao Ran admired the directors Du Zifeng and Wei Jiahui greatly. Unfortunately, this was their work nearly twenty years later. “Well then…” After some thought, Xiao Ran realized it was unattainable. To promote the young star, he had no choice but to make a reluctant decision: “Let’s go with comedy. Remember, make it as funny as possible. Show it to me after you finish. As for your theme, it’s great. Next time there’s a gambling-themed film, we can incorporate it.” Liu Zhenwei was frustrated, but this was a suggestion from his most admired screenwriter, so he had no choice but to accept it. Seeing his gloomy expression, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but laugh, having overlooked Liu Zhenwei’s emotions. He tried to comfort him, “Liu, I want to tell you something—writing a script means creating within certain constraints, and you yourself set those constraints.” “Most importantly, to prove oneself as a screenwriter, one still needs to write serious dramas,” Xiao Ran said with a faint smile. Only those who can create truly funny scenes are true masters: “Whether it’s comedy or anything else, achieving a high standard is a sign of skill.”

“Thank you for your advice. I think I understand now!” Liu Zhenwei’s displeasure vanished as if swept away by a strong wind, leaving only joy from Xiao Ran’s guidance. In fact, the script he had written was greatly influenced by Xiao Ran’s “The God of Gamblers,” which is why he tried hard to make it a serious drama. He even wanted to use the same type of film stock as Xiao Ran did for “The God of Gamblers” during filming to achieve a similar solemn effect.

Over the following time, Xiao Ran and Liu Zhenwei had a long chat about directing. Unnoticed by anyone, Xiao Ran learned a lot about Liu Zhenwei’s creative concepts and his relatively conceptual directing techniques (of course, very conceptual since it wasn’t actual filmmaking).

This was what Xiao Ran intended to do. He didn’t have to learn music from Uncle Zhan, nor photography, but as a director, he had to improve his skills. It was generally agreed that without his own style, he couldn’t be considered a first-class director.

Xiao Ran didn’t want to live his life without any skills. Moreover, his interest in directing grew stronger as he understood that a director, when filming a movie, is essentially like God—controlling everything to achieve the desired effect and influencing people’s emotions.

During this period, he humbly learned from every director he knew. Combined with his own insights, he believed his directing skills were actually quite good. His creative concepts were solid; what was lacking was the ability to handle the specifics of actual filming. This shortcoming was gradually being addressed through his efforts.

He even wanted to seek advice from Wang Jiawei—not on how to make a movie extremely slow, but on how to develop a sharp eye for art direction and cinematography. In short, any talented director was someone he could learn from.

Two days later, a preview of “Prison Storm” was held. Xiao Ran had previously seen an unfinished version of the film and thought it wasn’t much different from what he had seen before. Still, he wanted to go to the cinema to watch it again—not only because the movie represented the second success for Shadow Company but also because he really wanted to appreciate it once more.

He couldn’t forget the scene where Fa Ge played the erhu and sang happily in the sunlight, nor could he forget his explosive performance at the end. Honestly, now that he was gradually understanding directing techniques, he greatly admired the oppressive atmosphere created by Lin Lingdong in the film.

That wasn’t easy to achieve—maintaining an oppressive mood throughout the entire movie to make people feel heavy-hearted. Only at the end would there be a climax, an explosive moment that allowed all the audience to release their pent-up emotions. It was a sophisticated technique that required great control, something Xiao Ran was far from capable of at the moment.

However, this time Xiao Ran went to watch it secretly by himself, not even bringing Lin Qingxia along. He felt that these movies were the only things that still connected him to his dreams. This moment belonged entirely to him.

Although there was no director in this cinema, the audience still gave it the biggest round of applause. Xiao Ran was slightly moved; he felt that today’s audience was very easy to satisfy. If “Prison Storm” were released twenty years later, he would even bet his life that its box office earnings would not exceed ten million.

It was precisely because of the audience’s lack of pickiness that many classics with both entertainment value and artistic merit had been created—classics that made Xiao Ran sneak a cigarette as a teenager and be utterly overwhelmed with joy or emotion in the dark video room.

Meanwhile, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Wang Minggui was scolding Wang Yang, who tried to sneak out to have fun: “Do you want to die? Stay at home obediently and don’t go anywhere!”

Wang Yang looked aggrieved. In his opinion, this was Kaohsiung, not Taipei—why should he be afraid? Of course, he didn’t know that Wang Minggui wasn’t afraid of Lin Guiyun but of Xiao Ran. Seeing his son’s reaction, Wang Minggui sighed deeply. He really didn’t understand how Xiao Ran could escape that day, with such an extraordinary expert involved.

However, there were rumors in the Hong Kong underworld that that top expert was Xiao Ran’s subordinate. Wang Minggui couldn’t help but believe it—the four unlucky guys were good evidence of that. Shaking his head, he pulled his son onto the sofa and said, “Wang Yang, don’t go out casually from now on. At least don’t go out to play without bodyguards’ protection.”

“Why? This is Kaohsiung, not Taipei!” Wang Yang immediately protested angrily. “Are you afraid of Lin Guiyun’s men coming? I’m not even afraid!”

Wang Minggui shook his head and said slowly, “It’s not Lin Guiyun. I’m worried that Xiao Ran might pull some underhanded trick. Remember when he was taken to the police station? He clearly saw us, but he denied it. I think he’s trying to tell us that underworld matters should be resolved according to underworld rules.”

“Then there’s no need to be afraid!” Sometimes Wang Yang really acted like an idiot, but this usually happened when he was in a bad mood. “This is Taiwan. Why should we fear some Hong Konger daring to mess with us?”

Wang Minggui sighed heavily. Wang Yang was always too impulsive when angry. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to send people to assassinate Xiao Ran last time. To be honest, if it weren’t for Wang Yang’s insistence, he wouldn’t have wanted to deal with the kidnapping at all. After all, in many ways, he was a businessman who valued profits, not a gangster.

But Wang Yang did have a bit of a gangster vibe. Wang Minggui shook his head helplessly and explained, “Don’t think nothing will happen. Last time, it was Xiao Ran who deliberately prevented the legitimate forces from investigating. Otherwise, with Lin Qingxia’s influence, we would be in big trouble. If Xiao Ran sent one of his subordinates to assassinate us, it would be very difficult for us to survive!”

At the thought of this, Wang Minggui broke into sweat. Last time, the police showed him photos of the scene where those four kidnappers were killed. To be honest, if it weren’t clear to everyone that it was either Xiao Ran or his subordinates who did it, the police would have suspected professional killers.

Because that guy was extremely ruthless in his actions—more accurate to say he was fast, precise, and merciless, always hitting the vital points. Based on the police’s thorough investigation of the scene, it is inferred that the killer appeared suddenly and killed all four kidnappers within just over ten seconds. This is indeed a very serious issue; anyone who wants to take on Xiao Ran must carefully consider whether they have the strength to deal with that mysterious person. Wang Minggui hadn’t thought about seeking death, but he also didn’t understand why Xiao Ran hadn’t attacked him. After some thought, he sternly warned his son, “Wang Yang, I’m telling you—never go out and cause trouble. Right now, Lin Guiyun’s men and the Zhulian Gang have wiped out many of the gangs that had connections with us. Now hardly anyone dares to help us. If you keep acting recklessly, I won’t be able to protect you!” Just then, a servant suddenly came in and said someone had come to visit. Wang Minggui was a bit puzzled but still carefully took two bodyguards with gun licenses to meet the visitor. The man appeared to have a business-like demeanor and smiled at Wang Minggui upon seeing him, “Mr. Wang, my boss wants to talk to you!” “Who’s your boss?” Wang Minggui was utterly confused. He didn’t expect the visitor to be so straightforward about his purpose. “Why should I meet him? What’s in it for me? And who are you?” “I’m just a minor figure, not important, but my boss is very important to you!” The visitor smiled confidently. “You have a common enemy. I think you’ll be glad to meet him. By the way, my boss’s name is Fang Ruohai!” Fang Ruohai? It seemed familiar! Wang Minggui’s mind raced, and soon he showed signs of delight. He remembered that Fang Ruohai was the brother of the heroine in the marriage scandal that caused a sensation in Southeast Asia last time… Recommended book: 《Phoenix Dance》http://www.feiku.com/showbook.asp?bl_id=23434 I’ve read this book before; it’s quite unique among online games and worth reading.