Chapter 111: Rapid Progress

“Nonsense!” Xiao Ran was gently stroking the heads of the two girls when he heard this. He thought he must prevent them from thinking of slacking off. Instantly, his expression turned extremely stern. “To become stars, you have to pay a price. Besides, only by learning these things can you qualify to become famous, understand?”
Fan Xiaoya, frightened by Xiao Ran’s stern tone, gave the impression that she would cry if he continued, forcing Xiao Ran to quickly soften his attitude and comfort her. Waving his hand to tell Hai Lulu to get to work, Xiao Ran began chatting with the two girls in the dance room.
Xiao Ran enjoyed this feeling. In fact, he hardly needed to do anything now—Wei Dongling had managed the company very efficiently. So, he could only wander around boredly. “By the way, did those hooligans bother you again?”
“No!” Fan Xiaoying replied softly to Xiao Ran, her gentle tone making everyone feel affectionate. Fan Xiaoya, on the other hand, was excited, jumping and shouting in the dance room. “Those hooligans seemed to have been beaten up. After that, they came to the school gate specifically to apologize to us. But there were some fierce guys watching them. Big Brother Xiao, did you send someone to teach them a lesson?”
“Well…” Xiao Ran hesitated. He thought it was better not to tell them such things, so as not to corrupt their minds. “It was just a friend of mine who found out and helped me teach those kids a lesson!”
Fan Xiaoya grinned and made a face at Xiao Ran. “Big Brother Xiao, you’re not even that old, yet you call them kids. By the way, Xiao Han really wants to be a star. Why don’t you agree to it?”
“Her? We’ll talk about it later!” Mentioning Xiao Han gave Xiao Ran a headache. This girl wasn’t as clingy to him as before—after all, she had grown up. But she still called frequently, wanting to become a star, and he couldn’t convince her family. “Are you enjoying your studies here? Don’t feel tired—these skills will serve you for a lifetime!”
The beautiful female secretary who had been following him couldn’t help but smile secretly as she saw Xiao Ran chatting so amiably with the two girls. This secretary was arranged by Wei Dongling for Xiao Ran. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but according to Wei Dongling’s reasoning, “I can’t give you a chance to disappoint Qingxia, or I’ll be guilty!”
Xiao Ran didn’t care much about beauty—so long as she wasn’t unbearably ugly. He didn’t think he would make the “mistake every man makes.” However, what troubled him was that this female secretary, An Yuxuan, was assigned specifically to him. Basically, wherever Xiao Ran went, An Yuxuan followed, making him feel as if he had a tail attached.
That night, Xiao Ran didn’t go to Lin Qingxia’s place but returned to his own home. As soon as he arrived, Wei Dongling gave him a disdainful look, as if wanting to show him the middle finger. “Sigh, someone else is competing with a poor guy like me for space. How heartless. A person worth billions is actually… actually living in such a shabby place with me. Is it even possible to live like this?”

Guan Xinqiang suppressed his smile. Wei Dongling and Xiao Ran had been arguing over this issue for days now, and it was always so entertaining. Xiao Ran was frustrated, thinking to himself, “Who am I bothering by living here?” Of course, he wasn’t unwilling to move out; he just hadn’t found a suitable place yet.

“Nana na na!” Wei Dongling jumped up from the ground with the flair of an action actor. He glared at Xiao Ran disdainfully and said, “Don’t say you can’t find a suitable place. I’ve already arranged for a real estate agent for you today. When you go to see houses tomorrow, remember to check them out for me as well.”

Xiao Ran was stunned, never expecting Wei Dongling to have taken care of everything. Truly, he was a workaholic. Wei Dongling’s expression suddenly became firm as he said jokingly, “Well, the company has been around for almost a year now. Many people here have received big bonuses, but I’m the only one who hasn’t. It’s your turn to show some initiative now.”

Xiao Ran broke into sweat again. It was true—Wei Dongling’s salary had only increased recently. In the past, whenever there were bonuses, Xiao Ran would retort, “You’re the general manager—what bonus do you need?” Now it seemed inevitable.

Seeing Xiao Ran’s depressed expression, Wei Dongling couldn’t help but feel pleased. He immediately remembered their bet and shouted, rushing toward Guan Xin. His fingers moved skillfully in front of Guan Xin, like a pianist’s: “Master, you owe me a hundred yuan!”

Xiao Ran was shocked and even more amused after asking. Perhaps influenced by “The God of Gamblers,” Wei Dongling had recently become obsessed with making bets. This time, he bet with Guan Xin whether Xiao Ran would yield. The result was obvious—Guan Xin forced himself to look serious and shouted at Xiao Ran, “Do two hundred push-ups tomorrow morning!”

Thus, Guan Xin passed on the pain to Xiao Ran. But as Wei Dongling gloated, watching Xiao Ran deliberately contort his face in a twisted expression, Guan Xin pointed at him and said, “You too! That’s what happens if you dare win my money!” Wei Dongling was instantly stunned, realizing that betting money with his master was nothing but seeking trouble.

After the commotion, Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling started discussing serious matters. Wei Dongling looked at Xiao Ran seriously and said, “Aran, I think the company must be prepared to compete with other companies. As the company expands, other companies will surely feel threatened. You need to think carefully about how to deal with them in the future!”

How to deal with them? Xiao Ran had thought about it. He had two options: either suppress other companies until they were completely overshadowed by Shadow and thus control the Hong Kong and Southeast Asian markets, or ally with other companies to close the gap as Hollywood advanced rapidly.

It wasn’t an easy choice. If he chose the first option, he would have to confront the other three major companies head-on. Moreover, Shadow would need to produce countless successful and award-winning films to possibly take away their market share.

If the second option is chosen, New Art City can be won over, and Debao might also have a chance. But Cathay-Keris will absolutely not cooperate with Xiao Ran, as Shadow also focuses on distribution. Moreover, Shaw Studios, which has stopped production, will be rebranded next year; with Shaw’s financial strength, Shadow won’t stand a chance in competing against them.

Thinking of Shaw Studios, Xiao Ran immediately remembered something extremely important. Shaw’s film library is a treasure of great value. Just consider Disney’s few classic animated films—selling them once a year would generate huge profits.

In Hollywood, film libraries and real estate are tangible assets for film companies, especially the former. With such a library, it’s even possible to use it as collateral at banks. Therefore, Xiao Ran believed it was very necessary to buy out Shaw’s film library, as selling DVDs or VCDs from it in the future could yield enormous profits.

After making up his mind, Xiao Ran continued with his choices—it wasn’t easy. After some thought, he decided it was better to adopt a compromise approach. After all, if he wanted to support Hong Kong cinema, he had to back other film companies rather than destroy them.

1988 would be the year Shadow focused on developing the Southeast Asian market. Once it established a solid foothold, Xiao Ran was confident it could defeat the other three major companies. Then it could engage in direct negotiations with them in a strong position. Once those three companies were under control, it would mean indirect control over Hong Kong’s film industry, and that would be the time to enter Hollywood.

“I think we should do it this way!” After pondering for a long time, Xiao Ran finally said to Wei Dongling, who had been waiting for an answer, “Don’t conflict with them in the local market. First, secure the distribution rights for major Southeast Asian theaters. Then put pressure on them. Once they can’t withstand it, they’ll naturally come to negotiate with us!”

Wei Dongling nodded. He had thought the same way—there was no need to conflict with the three major companies, as that would only lead to joint suppression. Thinking about New Treasure Theaters, he hesitated for a moment and asked, “We’ve taken over New Treasure’s parent company, but it’s losing money. Should we dissolve it and sell it off?”

That question was much easier. Xiao Ran answered without hesitation, “Dissolve it and sell it off; just keep New Treasure. It’s not my goal, so there’s no need to keep it! By the way, has that Art Theater deal been settled?”

“Basically, there are no issues left. It’s already been agreed upon. We can just acquire it through New Treasure!” Wei Dongling was a bit stressed due to the many company matters lately. “Oh, and Tianlai has signed some artists from the talent training department, but we still lack famous singers, composers, and lyricists with enough influence.”

Xiao Ran was troubled again. He really didn’t understand music. But he knew the most popular singers were beyond their reach. After hesitating for a moment, recalling that New Art City’s New Art Treasure had won its first battle with movie songs, he had a basic idea.

“My idea is…” Seeing Xiao Ran silent, Wei Dongling smiled slyly, “You’re so talented—why not help compose a song?”

Xiao Ran was sweating profusely. Having to handle such things himself, how could he still be considered the president? He was simply the worst boss in the world. Wei Dongling was even more frustrated. Before Tianlai had a general manager, he had to take care of everything there—how easy was that for him!

Of course, Wei Dongling didn’t expect Xiao Ran to compose any music; it was just a joke. After pondering for a while, Xiao Ran finally made a decision: “Simply put, it’s one sentence—talent is everything. Set aside rules and dignity to recruit talent.”

“There’s actually nothing much to worry about with Tianlai. We don’t plan to expand it for now,” Wei Dongling said with a smile. “But the company does have some problems—some artists don’t have much work.”

“No problem, I have an idea!” Xiao Ran’s idea was simple. Since Meiyin would focus on releases, there was no need to be too greedy when it came to production. Besides outsourcing, they could also invest in some production companies.

The next day, Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia went to see a real estate agent. The agent wasn’t very old, only in his thirties. As soon as he saw Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia, he took out a notebook to ask for signatures, not even sparing Xiao Ran.

Saigon was one of the best residential areas in Hong Kong. After walking around a few times, Lin Qingxia, being picky as a woman, made Xiao Ran’s face turn green. It wasn’t until they came to a house by the sea that Lin Qingxia really liked it—this two-story villa, with its seaside location and surrounding greenery, was perfect for her.

Lin Qingxia went to the balcony, feeling very happy. She thought Xiao Ran was really good to her now. Although they had been together for a short time, he always thought of her. The more she thought about it, the more she fell in love with it. It wasn’t until Xiao Ran came over and gently took her hand that she snapped out of it, taking a deep breath of fresh air. “Ah Ran, let’s choose this place!”

“If you say so, then it’s this place!” Xiao Ran nodded indifferently. He didn’t really care, but he liked the environment so close to nature. However, they didn’t notice that the agent was watching them affectionately from behind, looking puzzled.

Later, they bought a house for Wei Dongling in the vicinity in the company’s name. On the way back, Xiao Ran complained bitterly, “That kid Ah Dong has already extorted a car from me, and now he’s gotten me a villa too. I can’t stand it!”

“What’s there to be unwilling about? I think you’re more than happy. You just can’t accept losing to Ah Dong once!” Lin Qingxia found it amusing. She thought Xiao Ran was sometimes terrifyingly mature and other times very childish. “Besides, I think even if Ah Dong didn’t want it, you’d probably give it to him yourself!”

Xiao Ran, caught off guard by Lin Qingxia’s words, smiled awkwardly. In fact, he wasn’t very strict in controlling the company; he mainly wanted to give everyone more room to express themselves. He knew that throughout history, many talents had been overlooked simply because they didn’t have the chance to show off their abilities.

“By the way, do you want to move here?” Xiao Ran grinned mischievously. Being persuasive was his specialty. “I don’t want you to live so far away. It would be inconvenient to talk to you then.”

“Go to hell!” Lin Qingxia spat lightly at Xiao Ran before saying with a smile, “If you’re not afraid of our relationship getting exposed, then I’ll move here!” That was indeed a tricky issue. The thought of Lin Qingxia moving in to live with him made Xiao Ran feel excited; he longed to take control of Hong Kong’s film industry right away.

Lan Naicai had an ordinary appearance and seemed very humble. Xiao Ran kept observing this greatest special effects master of his era, secretly delighted. With Lan Naicai around, many themes would now have the opportunity to be filmed.

Lan Naicai found it strange why the boss of this Phantom Company kept staring at him. He was quite interested in the company—after all, standing before him was not only the boss of a film company but also Hong Kong’s most renowned screenwriter and director. He knew Xiao Ran was talented, but he didn’t expect him to be so young.

In fact, Xiao Ran didn’t seem to be over twenty-four years old. The mustache on his lips added to his mature charm. However, beards could look different depending on the person—like in “Two Lovers in Blood,” where Stephen Chow wore a mustache while sniping at targets at sea, appearing like a mature and experienced hunter.

Clearly, Xiao Ran’s mustache suited him well—not only making him look more mature and experienced but also giving him a very masculine vibe. Xiao Ran sat back down in the leather chair with a smile and asked, “Mr. Lan, I’ve always been curious—how did you create the special effects for the movie ‘The Hero and Wesley’?”

*****
Novel title: Lan Naicai
Real name: Lan Naicai
Not much is known about Lan Naicai outside of this world, and my knowledge of him is also limited. I’ve only seen a few of his directed and special effects works, such as “Old Cat.” It’s true that in terms of directing skills, Lan Naicai might not be that great. But when it comes to makeup and special effects, he’s truly exceptional. In the 1980s, when computer-generated special effects didn’t exist yet, the effects he created using traditional methods were only slightly inferior to those of Hollywood—all despite limited manpower, resources, and funding. Unfortunately, after the early 1990s, he disappeared from the film industry!

Recommendation: “Ming Zun” by Hu Wang Liena. Link: http://www.feiku.com/showbook.asp?bl_id=39305