Chapter 119: The Three Giants

On December 14th, Shadow held a banquet at Xiangglari as a celebration for the company’s anniversary. The company spent nearly a million on this event, showing great effort. On that day, all the contracted actors of Shadow Company, along with all employees, attended.

In the lavishly decorated lobby, everyone gathered around a temporarily set up stage to watch Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling on stage. Looking at the sea of people below, Xiao Ran smiled in satisfaction. After clearing his throat, he said, “January 1st marked the first anniversary of the company. Unfortunately, at that time, we were all so busy that we wished we had more hands. Of course, it was also to save money…”

At these words, the crowd burst into laughter. Xiao Ran continued with a smile, “So, I decided to hold this banquet this year to celebrate our outstanding achievements. It also allowed us to save money on New Year’s celebrations—what a bargain!”

His tone was clearly teasing, causing more laughter from the crowd. After glancing around, Xiao Ran’s smile suddenly faded, and he spoke solemnly, “Our success this year is the result of everyone’s joint efforts. I hope we can do even better next year. This year, as the company was just starting out, we couldn’t assign tasks to everyone. But I promise that next year, everyone will have work. Of course, remember—Shadow only accepts the best and strives for excellence!”

“We are the best! We do only the best!” someone in the crowd shouted, prompting everyone else to join in.

Xiao Ran was overjoyed and couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “That’s all I have to say. Everyone here will receive a gift today, and there will also be a raffle—don’t miss it. Have fun! This is a reward for each of us, including me.”

After stepping down from the stage and chatting with everyone for a while, Wei Dongling approached Xiao Ran with a frown. “A Ran, He Guanchang has come with a few people!”

“What does he want?” Xiao Ran was equally puzzled, but the answer would soon be clear. Nodding at Wei Dongling, he headed toward the exit.

From afar, he saw He Guanchang, Cheng Long, Hong Jinbao, and several assistants walking over smiling. Xiao Ran rushed forward, shook He Guanchang’s hand with a laugh, and patted Cheng Long’s shoulder. “Uncle Chang, Brother Long, Brother Hong—what brings you all here?”

“What?” Hong Jinbao narrowed his eyes, looking displeased. Xiao Ran chuckled. He knew Hong Jinbao liked to joke around, so he certainly wouldn’t take it seriously. Sure enough, Hong Jinbao gradually smiled and punched Xiao Ran’s chest hard. “You really are capable! I didn’t expect you to achieve so much in just two years!”

Cheng Long also laughed and punched Xiao Ran, making him groan. “Did I learn martial arts just to take your punches?” Smiling, he invited them to sit down. Just as he was about to speak, the perceptive Wei Dongling looked toward the door and said helplessly, “A Ran, Lei Kaitai and Xu Ke have arrived!”

Looking up, he indeed saw Lei Kaitai and Xu Ke from New Art City approaching this way. Xiao Ran was stunned. What day was it today, what wind was blowing that both top executives from these two major companies had arrived so suddenly? Without wasting time, he left Wei Dongling behind and went to greet He Guanchang and the others. Xiao Ran immediately stepped forward, shook Lei Kaitai’s hand firmly, and then smiled at Xu Ke and Huang Baiming. In front of these familiar people, he felt much more at ease speaking: “Why are you all gathered here?” Lei Kaitai glanced at He Guanchang and chuckled, “I’m here to see you. They’re here to congratulate you.” “That’s right. You weren’t upset that we didn’t bring you a flower basket, were you?” Huang Baiming laughed slyly, leaving Xiao Ran with no choice but to force a smile. It was truly strange to have two groups of people arrive all at once tonight. Thinking of this, Xiao Ran’s gaze shifted toward the entrance, which puzzled Xu Ke greatly: “A Ran, what are you looking at?” “Oh?” Xiao Ran paused before saying with a grim face, “I was wondering if Boss Pan from Debao would bring people along. It seems unlikely now!” Huang Baiming glanced at the entrance and almost burst into laughter. He nodded seriously and said, “A Ran, you might as well switch to fortune-telling—it’ll surely make you successful! Look at the entrance!” An ominous feeling immediately arose. Xiao Ran awkwardly turned his head and saw Pan Disheng leading his girlfriend Yang Ziqiong, as well as Cen Jianxun, the head of Debao Company, along with several high-ranking executives from Debao, all at the entrance. This was a huge shock. Xiao Ran quickly tried to think of another explanation—what could these three top executives be doing here? Although he was a film industry professional, he was also a businessman and understood somewhat the habit of businessmen to show up unannounced. It should be noted that the three companies had long-standing grudges against each other. For example, in the past, Golden Harvest had allied with Debao and Shaw Brothers to suppress New Art City. Golden Harvest was also dissatisfied with Wu Yushen working for New Art City under a fake name, so there were various conflicts between them. Indeed, Golden Harvest had significant grievances against Wu Yushen. Back then, Golden Harvest had lowered its pride to team up with Shaw Brothers for the film *Eight Colors of Lin Yazhen*, starring Xiao Fangfang and Xu Guanying, which suffered a crushing defeat against New Art City’s *Little Fear*. How could Golden Harvest not be angry with Wu Yushen, the director of that film? In 1983, Wu Yushen directed *Heroes Without Tears*, which featured early elements of violent aesthetics. During filming in Thailand, he used real guns instead of props to save money, resulting in an actor being shot in the leg. Once the film was completed and returned to Hong Kong, Wu Yushen was immediately fired by Golden Harvest. These grudges were extremely complicated. In fact, the relationship between the three companies was very delicate—neither friendly enough to be brothers nor completely hostile. Their simultaneous arrival really left Xiao Ran confused about the meaning behind it. The unexpected meeting of the three company leaders caused slight shock among everyone, but they quickly resumed chatting as if nothing had happened. Wei Dongling quietly leaned in to Xiao Ran’s ear and said, “It seems they have something to discuss. Let’s invite them into the room to talk.”

Xiao Ran nodded and led them inside to discuss matters in a room, as it was too noisy outside to have a proper conversation. Xu Ke and the others ignored Xiao Ran and continued searching the dining table for dishes that suited their tastes.

Only the three major bosses and their company heads accepted Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling’s invitation and entered a spacious room, where they each found a seat. Xiao Ran had a huge question mark in his mind but still smiled as he poured red wine for the three of them.

As they sipped their wine, Xiao Ran asked jokingly, “Now you can tell me why you three came here, right? Holding it in is bad for your health!”

Pan Disheng glanced at Lei Kaitai and He Guanchang, who were sitting on the other two sofas, gave them a signal, and said with a hint of a smile, “You know the three major gangs in the industry. Now they’re all planning to make a big push into film production.”

Xiao Ran smiled dismissively. He had expected this already. The financial reports of Shadow Company were still under review. Once they came out, the profit figures would surely tempt businessmen across Hong Kong.

Seeing no reaction from Xiao Ran, He Guanchang was slightly surprised. Not knowing what Xiao Ran was up to, he continued Pan Disheng’s words while quietly observing his expression. “Fang Ruohai will be back soon!”

This statement really surprised Xiao Ran. All the investigation reports showed that the Fang family only had $1 billion in assets, and they had already lost $500 million last time. There was no reason for Fang Ruohai to be foolish enough to confront him again. Although their feud was irreconcilable, Xiao Ran didn’t think Fang Ruohai, with his personality, would dare to attack him under such difficult circumstances.

Seeing the surprise in Xiao Ran’s eyes, the three of them heaved a sigh of relief, thinking, So this kid isn’t invincible after all. Wei Dongling, who was nearby, was also shocked. He had always considered Fang Ruohai a formidable rival. Last time, Xiao Ran had barely managed to defeat him through precise calculations after coming back from the dead. If Fang Ruohai came again now, he would surely be well-prepared.

Disturbed, Xiao Ran closed his eyes slightly and paced around the room with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, looked at He Guanchang, and smiled easily, showing no trace of the surprise he had just shown. “Uncle Chang, I’m afraid there’s still something you haven’t told me. Let’s talk about it together. I’m strong enough to withstand any blow!”

The three of them were amused by Xiao Ran’s humor, and the tense atmosphere in the room dissipated considerably. He Guanchang laughed heartily and said, “Indeed, it’s more than that. The problem is, it’s said he’s bringing a large sum of cash to invest in film production this time!”

At these words, everyone in the room turned their attention to Xiao Ran. Everyone in the industry knew something about the ins and outs of the previous marriage scandal, though very little. Still, they were clear that Fang Ruohai’s arrival was definitely aimed at Xiao Ran.

But Xiao Ran knew it was definitely not just that. Fang Ruohai was a very determined person who would always try to get back up wherever he fell. Xiao Ran and Fang Ruohai were similar in many ways. If it weren’t for their fated estrangement, they might even have had a chance to become good friends.

If Fang Ruohai came mainly for him, Xiao Ran would never believe it, because he himself would hardly do such a thing. Instead, Xiao Ran thought Fang Ruohai was mainly aiming to make a profit in the Hong Kong film market and lay the groundwork for future investments in the mainland.

Xiao Ran put on a helpless expression. “If he wants to come, there’s no way I can stop him. Uncle Chang, you guys should know this—why come to me personally?”

He Guanchang stared at Xiao Ran for a long time before bursting into laughter. “A Ran, stop pretending. You’re even more anxious about this than we are. Be honest—we don’t welcome outsiders. Do you understand what I mean?”

Xiao Ran was momentarily stunned, wondering who these so-called outsiders referred to… Suddenly, he realized what He Guanchang meant: those not part of this circle shouldn’t be allowed in.

Xiao Ran really wanted to laugh out loud. He thought only Hollywood was resistant to foreign film companies entering due to environmental factors, but he didn’t expect the Hong Kong film industry to be the same. Realizing this, he knew he would have a few more helpers. He nodded at He Guanchang and the others. “I get it!”

Lei Kaitai laughed heartily and told Xiao Ran one last thing: “There’s one more thing—six or seven companies with considerable strength have merged at this time. What do you think this means, A Ran?”

Xiao Ran was too tired to be surprised. Anything strange that happened today was understandable. After all, what could possibly warrant the three giants coming in person? His first thought crossed his mind, and he immediately asked, “Was it Fang Ruohai who did this?”

Pan Disheng and the others understood Xiao Ran’s meaning. Without a powerful consortium backing them, mergers among film companies with delicate relationships within the circle would be unlikely. So, when they heard these two pieces of news, they all had the same thought.

Lei Kaitai shook his head fiercely and couldn’t help cursing, “It’s not the Fang family. I really don’t know which bastard would come to stir things up at this time.”

Xiao Ran finally understood, and a sense of amusement welled up in him. No wonder the three giants came to him personally. The merger of six or seven film companies would directly create a huge film company—one whose strength lay not in scale but in talent control.

With the talent and strength of several companies combined, along with strong backing, it would be enough to challenge the three giants. Of course, the three companies would never sit idly by and let this happen. For them, having three competing companies was already chaotic enough; adding two more powerful film companies would surely disrupt their monopoly.

Not to mention the three companies, even Xiao Ran didn’t want any spoilers to appear at a time when Shadow was about to make a full push. So, it was inevitable that the three companies, long entangled in conflicts, would now unite to suppress other companies.

What Xiao Ran is thinking about now is Fang Ruohai’s intentions, as well as the mysterious person behind the merger of the seven film companies. He is well aware that aside from the three major companies and Shadow, there aren’t many truly powerful film companies in Hong Kong. For that mysterious person to be able to acquire seven medium-sized companies right under their noses is by no means an easy task.
What adds to Xiao Ran’s headaches is that the three major syndicates are also about to get involved in the film industry. This further complicates an already unstable situation, adding many unpredictable variables to Xiao Ran’s efforts to dominate the film world.
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