Chapter 154: Reveal Your True Colors

Yang Wei—truly Yang Wei! Still beautiful and charming. Yet, her face now carried a noticeable sense of maturity, suggesting she hadn’t had a happy time during this period.
“Ran Ge, Dong Ge, it really is me!” Seeing Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling frozen in shock, Yang Wei chuckled, instantly making the entire office seem much brighter—proving that youth is contagious.
Xiao Ran wasn’t surprised to see Yang Wei, but rather that she came to see him at such a critical moment, especially since he hadn’t heard from her at all before. Staring at the girl who had grown so much, he thought to himself: Time truly is the most powerful tool.
Yang Wei also stared intently at Xiao Ran, wanting to see if her first love had lost weight or gained weight, or if he was happy or not. First love is always unforgettable. Though she knew clearly she no longer loved Xiao Ran, those feelings remained indelible.
Upon seeing Xiao Ran now, Yang Wei realized that without her, he would be even happier. She asked him to sit down and had An Yuxuan bring coffee. Only then did Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling sit across from her and ask, “Xiao Wei, where have you been all this time? Why won’t your brother tell me anything?”
Yang Wei couldn’t help but smile, her presence as soothing as a spring breeze: “I’ve been in the United States with my parents. Of course you wouldn’t know. By the way, Ran Ge, my brother asked me to tell you that he’s always been on your side!”
Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling were stunned. Yang Qi was on the same side as him? That was hard to believe. Everyone in the industry knew that Yang Qi’s Tianluo Company was targeting Shadow.
“Actually, we know everything about you…” At this point, Yang Wei’s face turned slightly red. It wasn’t really that she couldn’t forget Xiao Ran while in the U.S. that made her inquire about him—it was simply her curiosity: “My brother regretted hitting you after that… and later learned about you and the Fang family!”
Back then, Yang Qi thought Xiao Ran had done something to Yang Wei, so in anger, he rushed over and beat Xiao Ran severely. After returning, upon hearing Yang Wei’s explanation, Yang Qi realized he had wronged Xiao Ran.
Still, they went to the United States. But Yang Qi was someone who clearly distinguished right from wrong. Knowing he owed Xiao Ran, he couldn’t let it go. Even after hearing about the conflict between Xiao Ran and the Fang family—though he couldn’t figure out the full details—he guessed some of the truth.
Especially when news of an impending wedding spread, Yang Wei, who still hadn’t fully let go of Xiao Ran, was deeply saddened for a long time. To comfort her, Yang Qi had to share his suspicions. His analysis was quite thorough: “Given Ran’s personality, he’d never be able to tolerate Fang Ruoxin, let alone submit to Fang Ruohai. Even if they got married, divorce would be inevitable!”
Sure enough, just a few days after those words were spoken, they received news of a marital crisis. Being in the U.S., they easily learned about the Fang family’s background. They thought that would be the end of it. Unexpectedly, Fang Ruohai engaged in a stock market battle with Xiao Ran.

Later on, Yang Qi heard that Fang Ruohai wanted to go to Hong Kong to enter the film industry. He was immediately intrigued. As a friend of Xiao Ran, he had heard Xiao Ran talk about Hong Kong movies many times. So he decided to return to invest and help Xiao Ran at the same time.
“But because of exclusion, my brother couldn’t establish himself in the industry. So he decided to temporarily ally with Fang Ruohai and act as an undercover for you.” At this point, Yang Wei smiled—just as Xiao Han admired Xiao Ran, she had always admired Yang Qi.
“The day before yesterday, he called me and asked me to fly over.” Yang Wei glanced at Xiao Ran; actually, she had come mainly because she wanted to see him again. “After I arrived, he told me he was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle the alliance of those three major companies. So he had to step in and help you.”
Xiao Ran smiled in satisfaction. At first, he thought Yang Qi had guessed that he planned to take down Fang Ruohai in this battle. Now it seemed Yang Qi hadn’t thought that far ahead, which gave him some relief. If Yang Qi could figure it out, then Fang Ruohai should be able to as well.
“Tianluo Company didn’t release any films during the summer season this time, nor did they show their own movies, just to make room for you!” Yang Wei wasn’t very good at business. She frowned a few times before understanding Yang Qi’s meaning.
Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling exchanged a look, both overjoyed. Although Yang Qi didn’t know that Shadow Company had already won over Debao, Debao’s decision to release its summer film early was precisely to make room for Shadow Company. With Debao’s cooperation, Xiao Ran wasn’t afraid of the alliance of those three major studios at all.
Moreover, with Yang Qi’s Yonggao Studio now on his side, it was like having an extra wing to his sword—winning would be extremely difficult otherwise. Looking at Xiao Ran, who exuded the charm of a mature man, Yang Wei no longer felt the same emotions she once did, but she still smiled and said, “My brother said you don’t need to worry about distribution. Give him half a month, and he’ll definitely get the distribution rights from Hailuo Group!”
Xiao Ran was stunned, as was Wei Dongling. Originally, Xiao Ran was already pretty sure he could drive Hailuo Group out, and now with Tianluo taking over Hailuo’s distribution rights, it would be hard for Hailuo to survive.
In fact, even without Debao and Tianluo’s cooperation, Xiao Ran might not have been afraid. After finishing the promotion for “Dark Flower,” the marketing department immediately devoted all its efforts to promoting “Spy Change.” Of course, Shadow Company hardly spent any money on promotion—even the subsidiaries under Cheung Shing were willing to pay to advertise this film.
People still had great confidence in the combination of Xiao Ran and Stephen Chow. None of the films they had made together had earned less than 30 million at the box office. That was a guarantee of success, making it easy to fund advertising. Plus, with the five-minute opening advertisement before “Spy Change” premiered, it was the first time for Shadow Company—and indeed all Hong Kong film companies—to make money from advertising.
It’s no exaggeration to say that thanks to the meticulous planning of the marketing department, the usual three trailers, several posters, and various merchandise sold even before the film’s release, the whole of Hong Kong was looking forward to this film, which had the largest investment in history.

Although Hailuo made great efforts to learn Phantom’s systems and advanced management methods, it failed to recruit anyone from the marketing department, so it had no idea about the cutting-edge marketing concepts taught by Xiao Ran to that department. In this battle, Hailuo lost its momentum even before it started.

This was an extremely crucial battle—a contest between the five major film companies. Though no one mentioned it, everyone in the industry was well aware of it. Winning this battle would grant true decision-making power, making one the real number one.

Yet that wasn’t enough. Xiao Ran also prepared a trap for Fang Ruohai—a trap that would plunge Hailuo Group into trouble. Although it might seem somewhat sinister, Xiao Ran no longer cared about such things. In business, people only respect the winners; losers are never remembered.

The next day, Phantom Company held a premiere for “Spy Change.” To those in the know, it wasn’t just a premiere but also a display of strength. It was time for the stars to choose their sides. Everyone knew Phantom Company was aiming for a decisive battle with Hailuo, and this time they had to make a choice.

“Passion Unleashed,” which also had its premiere on the same day, looked desolate. As one of the competing sides, Fang Ruohai attended in person. The scene was bleak—aside from a few media outlets with poor sales, only Hailuo’s newspapers, magazines, and TV stations were present.

Even fewer stars showed up. Aside from some second-rate actors trying to find a breakthrough here, not a single top-tier star was there. What shocked Fang Ruohai even more was that even the artists under Hailuo’s Asia Television refused to come, declining with various excuses.

Wan Ziliang and several actresses from Golden Harvest preferred to risk breaking contracts rather than attend. This was an absolutely terrible start. With so many lead actors absent, what was the point of this premiere?

Was Xiao Ran really that powerful? It was hard to tell whether Fang Ruohai was trembling with anger or fearing Xiao Ran’s immense influence in the industry. Looking at the desolate scene at the premiere, Fang Ruohai realized he had lost the first round, and he was extremely unwilling to admit it. What surprised him even more was that Deppao and Tianluo both gave way to Xiao Ran. Now he finally understood why Deppao released its film early, and why Tianluo never intended to form an alliance during this period.

Lu Canyi also showed up, now filled only with regret. He hadn’t realized anything before and had been lured by the price Fang Ruohai offered. But now he finally understood what Xiao Ran, the boss, had been up to all along. He regretted resigning soon after, even though Fang Ruohai had given him plenty of space to work. Yet the hurt to his pride caused by arrogance was irreparable.

Fang Ruohai still overlooked one thing: he was never part of this industry, had no connections with any big names in it, and was even looked down upon by those in the industry. He might have bought actors’ contracts with money, but he could never buy popularity.

If there were those who dared to take on his projects before, it was partly due to the support from Cathay-Keris and Diamond Films, and partly because Xiao Ran hadn’t taken a stance. But now that Xiao Ran has made his position clear, and those actors still want to get involved, it’s better not to stay in the industry at all. Another reason is that the support from Cathay-Keris and Diamond Films has almost vanished. Ho Kwan-cheung and Zou Wen-huai decided to use this battle to determine whether it was still profitable to support Hero Pictures, so they ordered the stars not to attend. At the premiere of “Spy Change,” however, there was a completely different atmosphere. Xiao Ran, as usual, greeted everyone with a smile—this is why his popularity and reputation in the industry keep growing, as in private, he is a genuine friend to everyone. It’s not the closeness between a boss and his subordinates, nor the arrogance of the wealthy. Almost all media outlets related to movies in Hong Kong rushed there upon hearing the news. Shadow Company always has some interesting and fun gifts for each premiere. Plus, this was a good opportunity to get closer to Shadow Company; if they didn’t know how to choose, they would truly be foolish. After the excitement, it was finally time for questions from the reporters. The reporters first asked questions to Stephen Chow, Daisy, and the American actor who played the villainous doctor in the film, before focusing their attention on Xiao Ran. It was clear they were extremely interested in this war between Shadow Company and Hero Pictures. “Director Xiao…” Everyone knew that in such occasions, Xiao Ran preferred to be called Director Xiao rather than President Xiao. “Shadow Company has invested 30 million this time—this is the most expensive movie in Hong Kong film history. Do you think it’s worth it?” “Of course it is!” Xiao Ran smiled cheerfully and handed the microphone to Ge Wenqiu beside him. “Why don’t you ask Manager Ge from our distribution department? He’ll give you a detailed answer!” “I…” Suddenly, many microphones were thrust at Ge Wenqiu, leaving him stunned. It was his first time facing so many reporters. After hesitating for a moment, he finally calmed down. “Of course it’s worth it. Moreover, President Xiao said we will produce blockbuster movies worth hundreds of millions in the future.” As these words spread, the entire room fell silent, with only sounds of gasps heard. Blockbuster movies worth hundreds of millions—those are truly superblockbusters. Nowadays, 100 million isn’t a small amount. Anyone with 100 million would already be considered a billionaire. “100 million… Aren’t you afraid of losses?” One reporter from Ming Pao was the first to regain his composure and quickly asked the question everyone wanted to ask. “You know, current large-scale productions in Hong Kong only cost around 8 million!” This time, Ge Wenqiu was at a loss for words and glanced at Xiao Ran for help. Xiao Ran gently clapped his hands to draw the reporters’ attention, then stretched out his right hand with five fingers, as if he could hold the whole world in his hands. “As long as you control the world, 100 million is just a trivial number!”

Tomorrow’s headlines are set! Any reporter with even a slight sense for tone could detect the ambition in Xiao Ran’s words. Not only the entertainment section but also the finance and economics sections decided this quote must be included.
“‘Spy Change’ by Mei Ying and ‘Unstoppable Passion’ by Hai Le are both releasing on the same day. Could there be competition between them?” One reporter pushed the microphone closer. “President Xiao, do you think you can beat ‘Unstoppable Passion’? What do you think the box office earnings will be?”
“Of course there’s no competition!” Xiao Ran laughed. Of course no one believed him, but the question was rather stupid. “I’m confident ‘Spy Change’ will become the summer’s top-grossing film. As for the box office figures… it’s hard to say for now.”
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Recommendations: Saling Dada’s new work ‘Play You to Collapse’ http://www.feiku.com/showbook.asp?bl_id=48596 Zichai Hen Dada’s new work ‘Three Thousand Beautiful Ladies’ http://www.feiku.com/showbook.asp?bl_id=48502