Chapter 121: Conspiracy and Sniping

The entire large room was silent, with Xiao Ran smiling confidently. Whether the three major companies agreed or not didn’t affect him at all. The reason he wanted to remind them was to encourage them to work together to develop Hong Kong cinema.

Previously, Xiao Ran thought he could save Hong Kong cinema, and indeed he could. But without a sound film production system, no matter how capable he was, once he stepped back, Hong Kong cinema would likely decline again. With such a system in place, a positive cycle would form, allowing it to function smoothly even in the absence of any one person.

Given his current status and position, that was all he could say; otherwise, even more words might not be effective. So, there were still some things he didn’t mention. Rather than talk more, it was better to take action—let the three major companies see the development model of Meiying and provide them with an example. Within at most two years, Meiying would surely put pressure on them, and then they would have no choice but to listen to Xiao Ran.

Everyone in the room had strange expressions. He Guanchang shook his head and then nodded, unsure whether he agreed or disagreed. Pan Disheng wore an indifferent expression, as if unconcerned about anything, yet the thoughtful look in his eyes was unmistakable. Only Lei Kaitai smiled cheerfully, as if he didn’t take any of this seriously or had already made up his mind.

He Guanchang thought for a long time. Xiao Ran’s words made sense, but Cathay’s strategic goal was to monopolize the local Hong Kong film market, not expand to Southeast Asia or even compete with Hollywood. That certainly didn’t serve Cathay’s interests, and they didn’t have the strength for it either—at least that’s what he thought.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally shook his head at Xiao Ran: “No, your method might not work. I think we should focus on the local Hong Kong market. As for other regions, it’s lucky if we can make any money there!”

“I’m quite interested in this proposal, but I also don’t like outsiders getting involved!” Pan Disheng showed a slight smile, giving Xiao Ran and himself a half-agreement, half-refusal response.

Everyone in the room turned their gaze to Lei Kaitai, who was laughing. His eyes were wide: “Why are you looking at me? I’m pretty much of the same opinion as Old Pan—wait and see, and try not to let others enter the market!”

Xiao Ran had expected this outcome. Cathay was more cautious, while New Art City was more aggressive, and Deppa was more innovative. He shook his head slightly, smiled, and shrugged indifferently: “Good. Then, Uncle Chang, how do you plan to deal with them?”

“Same as always—unite and prevent their movies from being released,” He Guanchang said skillfully on this topic. “Warn the contracted artists under our companies not to take their roles. In short, spread the word throughout the industry—no one is allowed to take their roles, or else we’ll jointly boycott them!”

How ruthless! Xiao Ran sighed. No wonder there were only a few truly powerful film companies in Hong Kong—they must have all been boycotted in this way. If gangsters added to the harassment every day, even God couldn’t stand it, let alone just one company.

He Guanchang smiled and said to Xiao Ran and the others, “Let’s leave this to the people below. We’ll go out and enjoy ourselves. Coming here, if I don’t give you a good beating, I really won’t be satisfied!”
Xiao Ran was stunned—He Guanchang was quite amusing when joking. Lei Kaitai also stood up, stretched his limbs, then continued teasingly, “President Xiao, you’ve done well! You’ve already won this year’s box office title and secured five spots among the top ten—really impressive for someone so young!”
Among the four bosses, Pan Disheng might have been the most frustrated. In 1987, only one film from Debao made it onto the top ten list—“Wealth Forces People”—which barely helped restore a bit of face for the three major studios. Undoubtedly, the most successful ones were Xiao Ran and Meiying. Who would have thought such results would come when the company first opened?
As they chatted and laughed, they arrived at the banquet hall. From afar, Xiao Ran saw this guy named Mo Huaien clinging to Lin Qingxia like glue, which annoyed him slightly. He excused himself from the three bosses and walked over to Lin Qingxia.
Lin Qingxia was already annoyed by Mo Huaien’s persistence. Seeing Xiao Ran approaching with a serious expression, she was almost overjoyed. As Xiao Ran got closer, he completely ignored Mo Huaien and gracefully extended his hand to Lin Qingxia, “May I ask you for a dance?”
“Of course!” Lin Qingxia knew Xiao Ran couldn’t dance at all but pretended otherwise, much to her amusement.
Mo Huaien was furious that he hadn’t been able to ask Lin Qingxia for a dance after all that time, only for Xiao Ran to succeed right away. But fortunately, he wasn’t easily discouraged. He just watched as Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia disappeared into the crowd.
Xiao Ran certainly couldn’t dance. After groaning in frustration, Lin Qingxia covered her mouth and laughed softly, her expression incredibly charming, leaving Xiao Ran momentarily stunned. Lin Qingxia teased, “What are you looking at?”
“At you!” Xiao Ran gently wrapped his arms around Lin Qingxia’s slender waist, smiling cheekily, “Whether here or anywhere in the world, you’re the only one in my eyes!”
“You’re just talking nonsense!” Lin Qingxia guided Xiao Ran’s steps while bringing her face closer to his. “What were you talking about earlier? Why did it take you so long? Xingzi and the others were looking for you!”
“I went to discuss with them when I’ll marry my sister Lin!” Sniffing her delicate fragrance, Xiao Ran became even more intoxicated—this felt completely different from being with Fang Ruoxin. He knew this was the feeling of fully immersing oneself in love. “Why were Xingzi and the others looking for me?”
“Who knows!” Even though Lin Qingxia was bold, she blushed under Xiao Ran’s teasing in public. Thankfully, he spoke softly, so no one could hear. “Maybe it’s about the new movie!”
After dancing reluctantly for a while, Xiao Ran stumbled a few times and, out of pain, stopped dancing altogether. Just as he sat down with Lin Qingxia and grabbed two drinks, Wei Dongling and a middle-aged man approached. The middle-aged man was Chen Jiale, the general manager of Tianlai Records—a person Xiao Ran rarely saw.

However, Xiao Ran really appreciated Chen Jiale’s ability to handle things. Tianlai had only been established not long ago, yet it already had the appearance of a large company. Still, the company didn’t have any truly famous singers. Xiao Ran had suggested to Zhang Guorong and Ye Qianwen that he switch companies, but both refused. He understood—friendship was one thing, and work was another.

After all, Tianlai Records had just been founded. Although it had Meiyin as its backing, Meiyin’s success in movies didn’t necessarily guarantee success in music. Fortunately, Tianlai had hired some famous lyricists, composers, and producers like Huang Shangwei.

Of course, on this basis, Xiao Ran still insisted on supporting newcomers as much as possible. Chen Jiale really didn’t understand Xiao Ran. If he was stupid, there was no way he could go from an outsider to a boss who could talk directly to the three giants in just two years. If he was smart, then Xiao Ran left him alone, not interfering at all. Chen Jiale had never encountered such a laissez-faire working environment before.

Chen Jiale didn’t know Xiao Ran’s difficulties. He certainly wanted to take control of Tianlai, but he didn’t know how to manage it. Interfering would be utterly foolish. Moreover, Xiao Ran believed he didn’t need to make decisions on everything. Most importantly, he had always wanted to find investment partners for Tianlai to establish a board of directors for oversight.

Chen Jiale’s visit was mainly to report on the company’s recent situation. Suddenly, Xiao Ran remembered something and quickly asked, “Do you know a young man named Lei Songde? He’s probably working on advertising with Uncle Zhan now. He’s a good musician—you should definitely hire him for music work. Trust me!”

After dealing with this matter, Wei Dongling took a Martini, his eyes filled with resentment. “I can’t believe they’re really that ruthless. Luckily, we weren’t banned back then; otherwise, no amount of money would have saved us.”

If Xiao Ran claimed he wasn’t scared, it would be a lie. But now that Meiyin was destined to grow, he wasn’t worried about the three giants targeting it. He already had a theater chain in the film industry and was actively negotiating with Taiwan for distribution—only Japan and South Korea, larger markets, remained.

It was only then that Xiao Ran realized how important it was to first break into the industry and then build a good reputation. Otherwise, Meiyin might not have survived. He smiled now and said, “It’s fine. If Fang Ruohai can be easily stumped like this, he can’t threaten us!”

“Do you really want him to get involved?” Wei Dongling grew more confused about Xiao Ran’s thoughts. “If he really enters, he’ll definitely oppose the company. That will cause a lot of trouble!”

“I think Dong has a point!” Lin Qingxia agreed, her expression showing deep concern. She remembered how Fang Ruohai had said he was just investing a few million in “Dream Lover” casually—just for fun. “If we really let him in, it will bring endless problems!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Xiao Ran smiled mysteriously—more like he was confident than mysterious. “With him in the competition, it becomes interesting. Otherwise, we’d have no opponent!”
If it weren’t for the constant movement of people in the banquet hall, Wei Dongling might have punched Xiao Ran hard to vent his frustration. But of course, he had no idea what Xiao Ran was thinking. In fact, Xiao Ran’s thoughts were quite simple. Fang Ruohai was a formidable figure—no doubt about it. If he were to make movies, he would surely do well.
Given the hostility between the two, Xiao Ran was sure Fang Ruohai would oppose him. This suited his plans perfectly. As long as Fang Ruohai competed with him, it would indirectly help Xiao Ran expand the market for Hong Kong films. Xiao Ran had no reason to refuse such a capable person to help him. Besides, the best battlefield to deal with Fang Ruohai was, of course, where he was strongest.
As they talked, Zhou Runfa arrived. Although Fa Ge hadn’t signed a contract with Shadow yet, he was essentially considered part of Shadow, as everyone in Hong Kong knew he had a very good personal relationship with Shadow’s president.
He sat down next to Xiao Ran, glanced at Lin Qingxia and Xiao Ran, and couldn’t help but tease, “You two look so happy… How about finding a quiet place to talk about love?”
The two immediately felt embarrassed. After looking around and seeing no one, they relaxed. Fa Ge straightforwardly asked Xiao Ran, “A Ran, Xiang Qiang asked me to make movies for their company. What do you think? Should I take it or not?”
“Why do you ask me?” Xiao Ran was frustrated. For such matters, Fa Ge should ask his agent. “Anyway, as long as it doesn’t clash with the company’s projects, it’s fine!”
“Forget it. Who in Hong Kong doesn’t know you’re a ‘god’s hand’?” Fa Ge seemed very happy. In just one year, he had become Hong Kong’s top actor. Although he wasn’t vain by nature, this was still good news, so how could he not be happy? “Give me some advice. I’m really hesitating.”
“What’s there to hesitate about?” Xiao Ran gave Fa Ge a glance. Still hesitating over such a thing? Glancing at Lin Qingxia, who was smiling at their argument, he explained to Fa Ge, “Do you want a clean environment in the film industry? Do you want to cherish your reputation or make money?”
“I understand the first part. You mean he’s from the underworld, so it’s better to stay away from him!” Fa Ge looked confused. “But what does the second part mean?”
Xiao Ran chuckled and explained, “If you want to make money, take advantage of your current popularity and make more movies. If you want to cherish your reputation, take on as few projects as possible and strive to make each movie the best it can be. Just look at the company—this year they only released five movies, but each one made it to the top ten list.”
Fa Ge looked thoughtful before smiling and punching Xiao Ran hard. “Why do your words always seem so reasonable?”

Xiao Ran took a punch from Brother Fa but didn’t care at all. He was thinking that Xiang Qiang and the others would finally take action. With Lianying and Thirteen K added in, the film industry was likely to face chaos once again. He didn’t care about Fang Ruohai, but he was very nervous about the entry of those three major gangs.
He knew Fang Ruohai’s character well enough to understand that he wouldn’t be so short-sighted. The reason Fang Ruohai had made the decision to withdraw investment so quickly was certainly due to Fang Ruoxin, but it also meant Fang Ruohai understood that Xiao Ran would never submit to such a contract and would definitely turn against them sooner or later.
By the time Fang Ruohai decided to withdraw investment, he even understood why Xiao Ran didn’t allow him to own shares in the company and only allowed a profit-sharing arrangement in the contract. It was simply out of concern that Fang Ruohai might one day use his substantial financial power to take over Shadow. Before making that decision, Fang Ruohai had already admired Xiao Ran greatly.
*****
I would be extremely happy if everyone could vote for my new book, “The Legend of the Gambling God.”