Chapter 138: First Victory in Battle

Cannes is a tourist destination in southern France. With palm trees everywhere in the city, its highest award was renamed from the “Golden Duck Award” to the “Golden Palm Award” in 1957. The Cannes Film Festival was established in 1946 as a reaction against the Venice Film Festival under fascist control and was suspended twice due to financial difficulties.

However, those are just old anecdotes from the past. Today, Cannes firmly ranks among the top three film festivals. This is due to its unique characteristics—Venice places too much emphasis on art, while Berlin follows an ideological approach. Only Cannes manages to blend commerce with art, naturally attracting a large number of both commercial and artistic films.

The 41st Cannes Film Festival also drew distributors from around the world seeking profitable opportunities. Undoubtedly, even the most artistic films have a market. As long as their commercial value is properly recognized, they can be profitable.

Many people from Phantom Company participated in this ten-day trip to Cannes. As the manager of the distribution department, Ge Wenqiu placed special emphasis on this film festival under Xiao Ran’s instructions and brought his team to the Cannes fair.

For the curious citizens of Hong Kong, the focus was undoubtedly on such a large group of celebrities. Needless to say, Xiao Ran was well-known throughout the city—who didn’t know this diamond-hearted bachelor? Fa Ge and Lin Qingxia were also of great interest.

Hong Kong media found it strange—they didn’t quite understand why Lin Qingxia went to Cannes, as she hardly had a role in this field. One newspaper speculated wildly that she went to support her “foster brother” Xiao Ran.

Zhang Manyu, Liu Hua, Wang Jiawei, and the group known as “Mong Kok Carmen,” along with short film director Yang Chaoqun, clearly lacked the appeal of the “Dark Flower” team. This time, to promote Su Renyao and Feng Feier, Xiao Ran brought them along as well. Though they were all considered main characters.

Su Renyao was okay, but Xiao Ran was particularly optimistic about Feng Feier. He always thought her acting was excellent, and she was perfect for playing villainous or resilient characters, as well as beautiful and charming ones. It seemed possible she could compete with Zhang Manyu.

Don’t assume Zhang Manyu belonged to Cathay-Keris—her contract with them had ended. In fact, newcomers often need to sign contracts for several films; Zhang Manyu acted for Cathay-Keris under such an arrangement. Once her contracts were fulfilled, she became free to take on projects from other companies.

The presence of Chinese-language films at Cannes was clearly a novel sight. So when Xiao Ran and his group arrived, many foreign journalists rushed forward with their cameras, taking endless photos.

As the saying goes, “The stars shine brightly”—Cannes truly lives up to this description. Compared to Cannes, the Golden Horse Awards seem insignificant. With countless foreign filmmakers gathered here, for the locals, Xiao Ran and his group were also foreign filmmakers.

However, for Xiao Ran, it was quite fortunate to be able to see Murray Abraham, the director of “Mozart,” and Meryl Streep, who directed “Sophie’s Choice.” But he had no intention of approaching them randomly; he was more interested in the technical staff rather than actors and directors. Most importantly, he hadn’t planned to spend all this time around the Cannes Film Festival. With that time, it would have been better to go out and explore with Lin Qingxia. As a result, in the following days, no Hong Kong or Taiwanese journalists could find Xiao Ran or Lin Qingxia anywhere. Of course, Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia had rented a yacht to enjoy themselves. Although Fa Ge was quite helpless about this, he still couldn’t free himself to go out and play, so he could only complain to Xiao Ran every night. On the third day, Cannes began showing each of the films in competition. There were indeed many people who went to watch “Dark Flowers,” probably because they were curious about the Asian films in competition. Xiao Ran and the others were too lazy to go to the cinema to see what was going on—after all, nothing as ridiculous as a 15-minute standing ovation would happen. There were quite a few people in the cinema that day to watch “Dark Flowers,” likely because France has always shown interest in Mandarin films. On the screen, the audience saw something eerie, like a stunning flower of blood in the darkness. A flawless trap, two pawns whose fates were beyond their control. A gloomy and profound atmosphere, violent yet bloodless scenes. When the audience saw Su Renyao casually throw the ball, which eventually bounced back into his hands in the dusty cell, they watched in awe as the intense gunfight scenes unfolded, with rapidly alternating shots creating a strong sense of contrast and depth. Just when they thought Ah Chen might finally escape, a cold gunshot from behind cruelly shattered the only hope left in every audience member’s heart. For a moment, the entire cinema was as quiet as the bottom of the sea. People couldn’t calm down from the feeling of having their emotions manipulated, nor could they shake off that lingering sense of awe. In less than a moment, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall. Fa Ge and the others even felt the applause was more enthusiastic than in Hong Kong cinemas. Of course, Xiao Ran wasn’t very aware of the numerous praises “Dark Flowers” had received in the city. On the fifth night, Xiao Ran finally received good news from Paris: they had acquired enough control shares of Leo Company, and the announcement of Phantom taking over Leo Company would be made the next day. Xiao Ran couldn’t help but laugh heartily. He hugged Lin Qingxia, who was confused, and spun her around, saying joyfully, “We now control Leo Company! Phantom’s first step into the overseas market is finally taken!” “Really?” Lin Qingxia hadn’t fully understood what this meant before, but now she clearly realized it represented Phantom’s first step toward building a global film empire. It was a crucial step—by taking control of this distribution company, many Hong Kong films would be able to enter overseas markets.

“Of course it’s true!” After getting emotional for a moment, Xiao Ran quickly calmed down and looked at Lin Qingxia with a smile. “Should we celebrate now? Maybe in some special way?”
Lin Qingxia obviously understood what Xiao Ran meant and said reproachfully, “What are you talking about? How can we act recklessly here?”
Just then, Fa Ge pushed the door open and saw the two of them hugging affectionately. He couldn’t help but show a strange smile. “If you want to be affectionate, wait until we’re back in Hong Kong. It’s a bit inconvenient here!”
Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia were extremely embarrassed. Lin Qingxia even rolled her eyes in celebration of Xiao Ran’s “success.” After sitting down, Xiao Ran pondered for a while. He thought it might be time to let Fa Ge know about some of his plans to facilitate them.
“You two are always slacking off. That’s not a solution!” Fa Ge smiled weirdly, clearly teasing them. “I and Ah Yu are suffering outside every day. You have no idea how hard it is!”
“Today, I officially took control of the French Rio Distribution Company!” Xiao Ran stopped smiling and said to Fa Ge seriously, “Fa Ge, what’s your opinion?”
“The French Rio Distribution Company?” Surprised, Fa Ge couldn’t keep up with the rapid change in Xiao Ran’s expression and repeated it softly. Suddenly, he understood and pointed at Xiao Ran in astonishment, “Ah Ran, are you planning to…”
“That’s right. I indeed plan to enter the European market!” Xiao Ran stared at Fa Ge with a smile, stood up, walked to the window, and said slowly, “I want not only Europe but also North America and the whole world!”
Staring at Xiao Ran’s back, Zhou Runfa really felt his brain wasn’t enough for this. When he first met Xiao Ran, he was just an unimportant junior screenwriter. But now, Xiao Ran had not only changed the status of screenwriters but also become Hong Kong’s top screenwriter and the owner of the four major Hong Kong film companies, with a fortune of billions.
Sometimes he really thought the world changed too fast. In just over two years, Xiao Ran had achieved such success. This was unimaginable to Fa Ge, but the facts were right in front of him, leaving him no choice but to admit that Xiao Ran was indeed a genius.
“So…” Xiao Ran suddenly turned around and stared at Fa Ge, then glanced at Lin Qingxia. “You two must learn English, at least understand it. Otherwise, it will be hard to establish yourselves in the international film industry.”
“Do I have to learn too?” Lin Qingxia was very surprised. Pointing at her round nose, she asked, “I don’t need it, right? I hardly get any roles anymore!”
“No, you must learn!” Xiao Ran’s tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal. Right now, the two most powerful actors in his hands were Fa Ge and Lin Qingxia. No matter what, he had to make them international stars. To become big stars in the international film industry, English was essential. Otherwise, it would happen again what happened to Fa Ge more than a decade later—his poor performance in Hollywood due to his lack of English skills.
“I’ve never touched a foreign language in my life, and now I have to learn it… It’s really…” Fa Ge was frustrated. What Xiao Ran was doing was like forcing ducks onto a rack—whether they could do it or not, they had to.

Xiao Ran rubbed his nose, thinking that Fa Ge really didn’t seem too interested in English. With that in mind, he felt it was necessary to reassure him: “Fa Ge, the company now controls the major French film theaters, so there’s no need for you to master French. But English is necessary to help you gain fame internationally.”
“Okay, I understand!” Despite his complaints, Fa Ge knew full well that Xiao Ran was doing this for his own good.
“Besides…” Xiao Ran smirked cunningly, “from now on, all artists in the company must pass an exam requiring proficiency in Mandarin and at least one foreign language to graduate. If you don’t want to fall behind the times, the best way is to stay ahead of them!”
“I really don’t get why you want to acquire that company!” Fa Ge took the red wine handed to him by Lin Qingxia, took a sip, then walked over to Xiao Ran and gazed at the scenery outside the window. “Isn’t it better to focus on developing business in Southeast Asia? Getting involved in Europe—you definitely can’t compete with Hollywood!”
Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment. Since Fa Ge didn’t know about his general direction or even the extent of his ambitions, it was natural he wouldn’t understand. At that time, Lin Qingxia handed Xiao Ran a glass of water, surprised. “Fa Zai still doesn’t know your ideals and ambitions?”
As Fa Ge stood there pondering what Xiao Ran’s ambitions might be, Xiao Ran shook his head slightly. He had always thought it unnecessary to discuss such things with Fa Ge—even Lin Qingxia wasn’t very clear about them. Perhaps the only one who could truly understand him was Wei Dongling.
Why not tell them? What Xiao Ran wanted to say at that moment could actually be summed up in just one sentence. He stared at Fa Ge and said calmly yet firmly, “Fa Ge, I want to take Chinese-language movies to the whole world and replace Hollywood movies or English-language movies.”
Fa Ge was perceptive. Despite being shocked by Xiao Ran’s ambition, he couldn’t help but confirm, “You mean Chinese-language movies, not Hong Kong movies?”
Xiao Ran glanced at the two of them and sighed slightly, thinking they still had doubts about the mainland. Otherwise, why would they insist on that distinction? After hesitating for a while, Xiao Ran didn’t fully reveal his stance and simply said, “Aren’t Chinese-language movies the same as Hong Kong-produced films these days?”
The next day, in a commercial building in Paris, France, Wei Dongling smiled as he answered reporters’ questions. Among them were some astute Hong Kong reporters who had come specifically for the news, such as Leung Ka-bau.
“Mr. Wei Dongling, I believe Shadow Company might be the first company to acquire and distribute a company in Europe. Could you tell us why you did this?” asked a French reporter in French.
After understanding the question through translation, Wei Dongling replied calmly, “I haven’t checked if it’s the first, but I suppose it might be. We needed a distribution company to reach European audiences, so we acquired the promising Leo Company!”

“What will you bring to the struggling Rio Company? And what can you bring to France?” asked another French journalist in English. They were all very interested in Phantom Company, which had suddenly acquired Rio Company. “And it’s the Cannes Film Festival right now. Is there any special reason for you to make this acquisition at this time?”
“Of course not. It’s just a coincidence!” It had to be admitted that Wei Dongling was showing more and more of a leader’s demeanor, though this was the result of gradual training. He smiled slightly and continued, “Films produced in France are among the best in the world. While Phantom Company brings excellent Chinese films to French audiences, it also brings outstanding French films to the East.”
The reporter from Oriental Daily couldn’t hold back anymore and asked urgently, “President Wei, why isn’t President Xiao here this time?”
“He? He’s enjoying the sunshine in Cannes right now. If it were you, I doubt you’d want to come either!” Wei Dongling laughed heartily. At such times, Hong Kong journalists always seemed more approachable, and he didn’t need to be so cautious when answering questions.
The French journalists were even more shocked when they learned that the owner of Phantom Company was none other than the director of one of the official films competing at Cannes this year. For a big company’s owner to direct a film and still be able to compete at Cannes was definitely very interesting news.
Of course, Wei Dongling had no idea how much trouble his words would cause for Xiao Ran in terms of journalists. Even if he had known, it’s possible he would have continued to act even more aggressively. In any case, Xiao Ran was definitely not going to have an easy time now.
*****
Recommend xx’s work “The Legend of the Gambling God,” http://www.feiku.com/showbook.asp?bl_id=42993