Chapter 126: Facing Poaching

While Hong Kong was curious about this film, Xiao Ran continued his work as a director without fanfare. With the crew becoming more skilled, progress was rapid. Interestingly, among the extra actors, Xiao Ran discovered a promising talent—a good performer.

Today’s shoot featured a crucial scene: the final gunfight. For some reason, Xiao Ran suddenly thought of the movie “Initial D” and came up with the idea of using racing as a theme. Once he thought of racing, he immediately thought of Hong Kong’s famous racing legend. This legend was a gangster, and although Xiao Ran wasn’t sure which gang he belonged to, he had heard that this racing expert was extremely skilled—having even competed with others while blindfolded, still managing to win.

With such a racing expert as a guide, the results would surely be excellent. As Xiao Ran thought this, You Zhi called out, pulling him back to reality. He glanced around and saw that the crew was all ready. It was a large warehouse, with six cameras in place, along with lighting and sound recording equipment.

Xiao Ran called Fei Ge and Su Renyao over and gave them one final instruction: “When you start shooting the gunfight, remember not to blink!”

Looking at the numerous mirrors in the room, Xiao Ran smiled in satisfaction. Many action directors liked to use props to create a romantic atmosphere. For Wu Yusen, pigeons and churches were common choices, while Xiao Ran planned to use glass powder.

When he gave the signal to start, Xiao Ran saw the six cameras capturing the scene from close-ups and wide shots. In fact, shooting such gunfight scenes wasn’t done in one continuous take but in segments. The script supervisor behind Xiao Ran kept track of the previous scene, the actors’ emotions, and the positions of props to ensure smooth continuity.

Shooting was a tedious task, just like writing—both required patience, waiting until the final result was achieved to bring relief and joy, which was what writers and directors sought.

After shooting the gunfight in segments, Xiao Ran moved on to the scene where Yao Dong’s head and body were separated. This scene demanded high-speed camera movements and special effects support. Initially unsure if he could pull off the special effects, Xiao Ran felt relieved after Lan Naicai said, “It’s simple!”

He didn’t want his film to resemble most Hong Kong movies of the era, where the fake bodies were obvious even to blind people. Lan Naicai had gathered materials like flour, and after days of meticulous work, the head now looked very realistic.

What remained was the actual execution. After discussing it with the special effects team, they finalized the details for the scene. When shooting began, Fei Ge and Su Renyao personally performed on the rooftop. To ensure everything was captured, Xiao Ran used all six cameras to capture the intense action.

The final scene finally started filming, with everyone on the set waiting for Xiao Ran’s instructions. The scripts they had were incomplete, so they had no idea how the story would end. Therefore, Xiao Ran had to improvise on the spot, directing various teams to arrange appropriate set designs and more.

After everything was set up, Xiao Ran glanced at the supporting actor who had gone to meet Yao Dong—this was the actor he admired. Once everything was in place, he called over Fa Ge, who had a shaved head, and the actor named Zhang Wenle to brief them on the final scene: “In this scene, Fa Ge will die, shot in the back of the head by A Le. Fa Ge, when you get shot, fall to the ground immediately—don’t hesitate at all. And A Le, here are your lines!”

He handed a piece of paper to Zhang Wenle and looked seriously at the two stunned actors. “What? Don’t you like this ending?”

“A Ran, you…” Zhou Runfa didn’t know what to say. With so many traps in this script, he thought his character had escaped death in the fierce battle and would surely be safe. He never expected Xiao Ran to pull such a trick at the end.

“It’s okay, trust me!” Xiao Ran waved his hand, signaling them to study this final part of the scene. It was a truly shocking ending that absolutely couldn’t be messed up.

Fortunately, the scene ended perfectly as Zhang Wenle raised his hand and shot Fa Ge in the back of the head. However, Xiao Ran called a few stops, and it took the crew a while to recover from the shock. No one could have imagined such an ending.

Glancing at Zhang Yaozong and Lin Daoyun, who were standing beside him in shock, Xiao Ran chuckled. He thought it was really good—being able to surprise everyone meant the script was already 30% successful. “Well? A Zong, A Yun, now that the filming is done, it depends on your performance. You’ve been with us for so long; you should know what to do!”

Editors and composers always tried their best to follow the director whenever possible, so they could discuss where to cut scenes and where to add music. It was industry practice—though no one had written it down, everyone followed it.

The next day, at 9:30 a.m., Wei Dongling called urgently, delivering grim news to Xiao Ran: “New Art City has been acquired. Fang Ruohai is here!”

New Art City acquired by Fang Ruohai? If not for his strong self-control, Xiao Ran would have jumped three feet in the air. But now, he was equally shocked. He never expected Fang Ruohai to pull such a move.

Lei Kaitai had no reason to betray New Art City, so why did this happen? Xiao Ran didn’t know, but he wanted to find out. So he immediately asked An Yuxuan to buy boat tickets—he had to rush back right away!

After instructing You Zhi and Yu Jiayu to finish the cleanup work here and return to Hong Kong immediately, Xiao Ran left for Hong Kong under the protection of Yang Guang and the monkey. As soon as they disembarked, they saw Wei Dongling coming to pick them up in person. Xiao Ran knew things were likely more complicated than they seemed.

Getting into Wei Dongling’s Mercedes, Xiao Ran remained silent, staring at him with a calm expression. “What exactly is going on? Explain in detail!”

In fact, Wei Dongling didn’t even know what exactly had happened, as it all came so suddenly. Just after 9 a.m. today, Xinyi City announced that it had been acquired by a company named Haisen Group, and the new leader who appeared at the press conference was Fang Ruohai.
“What exactly is Haisen Group?” Xiao Ran rubbed his nose—everything had happened so abruptly. He thought Fang Ruohai would start over from scratch, which wouldn’t require much money, but he never expected him to simply acquire Xinyi City outright.
Wei Dongling also looked utterly confused; he clearly didn’t know much about Haisen Group either. As soon as he returned to the company, Guan Xin, whose injuries had mostly healed, rushed over with some documents: “These are the details about Haisen Group. You’ve gotten into trouble this time!”
Haisen Group was formed at the end of 1987 from the merger of Fang’s International Company and Bowen Group. Fang’s Enterprise held 20% of Haisen Group’s shares with assets worth 800 million dollars, while Bowen Group was the actual major shareholder.
“The most important thing is, look at the last line!” Guan Xin’s expression was very serious. Ever since he realized he might have to continue this mission for a long time, he had basically given up hope. Since he liked Xiao Ran and A Dong so much, he felt an even stronger sense of belonging to Shadow.
“On September 15, 1987, Fang Ruoxin, the youngest daughter of the Fang family, married the son of Bowen Group’s president.” By reading this, Xiao Ran already understood everything. Now he thought he really knew where Fang Ruohai’s subsequent 500 million dollars came from during the stock crisis. However, he was still wrong—those funds weren’t entirely from Bowen Group.
From these documents, Xiao Ran learned that Bowen Group had always tried to acquire Fang’s Enterprise but failed each time. So after the marriage alliance, Fang Poli and Bowen Group’s president, Wen Bowen, agreed to merge and work together to make money.
“This time, persuaded by Fang Ruohai, Fang Poli and Wen Bowen both agreed to his plan to invest in movies. So Fang Ruohai raised about 300 million dollars from Haisen Company!” Guan Xin’s expression remained unchanged, but what he said wasn’t very encouraging.
Xiao Ran knew, of course he knew. Fang Ruohai came not only to make money from movies but also to seek revenge. It wasn’t originally such a deep grudge, but after the stock crisis, even the slightest friction could escalate into a full-scale war.
“What are their next moves?” Xiao Ran turned to Wei Dongling with a stern look. “I absolutely don’t believe Fang Ruohai took control of Xinyi City just to make an appearance. He must have another plan!”
“I don’t think so!” Wei Dongling really wasn’t sure. He couldn’t gather any information right now and hesitated before saying, “By the way, Fang Ruohai didn’t just acquire Xinyi City—he also bought Xinyi Bao!”
Xinyi Bao was a record company invested in by Lei Kaitai and was directly related to Xinyi City. So Xiao Ran wasn’t too concerned about the acquisition of this record company. The real issue was that he was now eager to figure out what else Fang Ruohai was up to!

Soon, Xiao Ran figured out what Fang Ruohai was up to. Lu Can, the manager of the production department, knocked on the door, entered, and handed over an envelope. Following closely behind were Tang Wenjing, the head of the planning department, and Hai Lulu from the artist training department.

While Guan Xin was still confused, Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with anger. At this point, if they still didn’t know what Fang Ruohai was trying to do, they were simply too stupid.

Lu Can clearly had been chosen as the spokesperson. He gave an awkward smile, handed the envelope to Wei Dongling, and then said to the two of them, “I’m sorry, President Xiao and President Wei. Haishen Group is offering us twice our current salary to poach us.”

Wei Dongling became furious instantly, slamming the table and shouting, “Lu Can, what does this mean…?”

Xiao Ran stopped Wei Dongling from continuing his outburst by raising a hand. He took a deep breath, thinking that Fang Ruohai’s move was truly ruthless—stealing away the most important executives from Shadow Company right away. It wasn’t something trivial; although administrative matters might not be a big concern, Fang Ruohai probably didn’t even value Shadow Company’s administrative staff.

However, the production department was crucial for film production and needed a supervisor who could organize everything efficiently. The planning department required artistic sensitivity, as it handled scripts and other creative aspects. The artist training department was also a source of new talent for Shadow Company. Having all of them poached at once was definitely a vicious move.

Xiao Ran smiled faintly, tapping his fingers gently on the table, creating a strangely rhythmic sound in the silent room. After being stared at for a long time, Lu Can and the others felt ashamed.

While poaching employees was common, it should not be forgotten that, aside from administrative staff, Shadow Company relied on newcomers in all film-related departments. It was Shadow Company that had promoted them, allowing the world to recognize their abilities. Yet now they were leaving the company at such a critical moment, which was morally reprehensible.

There was a hint of mockery in Xiao Ran’s smile as he finally stopped tapping and said calmly, “Haishen Group might indeed be a good place to work. You can be ungrateful, but I can’t be heartless. I approve of your resignations!”

Wei Dongling sighed deeply. He never expected such a thing to happen in just one year. Business was like a battlefield—films were also products, part of the business world. Where there was profit, there would inevitably be conflicts.

Hearing Xiao Ran’s words, Lu Can and the others lowered their heads even further. This wasn’t a honorable situation, especially when their boss was so principled. Of course, they had no idea that Xiao Ran actually wanted to destroy them—everything he showed on the surface was just an act.

Lu Can, chosen as the spokesperson for resignations, glanced at the managers around him, mustered up the courage to speak, but his head dropped even lower. “President Xiao, it’s not just us who are resigning this time. A few people from our department and other departments also want to quit!”

Xiao Ran was suddenly shocked. If that was the case, wouldn’t it mean half of the entire Shadow Organization would be removed? Wouldn’t it destroy the company structure he had spent over a year building? Anger flared in his heart, and he immediately stepped forward!
As Xiao Ran widened his eyes and took a step forward, Lu Can, Hai Lulu, and the others were all intimidated by his presence and involuntarily stepped back several times. Only when Xiao Ran stopped moving did they reluctantly cease retreating.
*****
Please vote for my new work, “The Legend of the Gambling God.” It needs your support even more.