Chapter 149: Holding Hands with DeBao

It was indeed a loss to one of their own. During the Spring Festival film season, DeBao’s film “Wealth Pressures Again” performed far worse at the box office compared to those from New Art City and Golden Harvest. Things improved a bit later on, but they still lost out due to the fierce competition from Happy World and Golden Harvest.

Earlier on, Shaw Brothers had prohibited DeBao from renting out its theaters to Golden Harvest and Happy World. Meanwhile, Golden Princess Theaters could cooperate with Golden Harvest’s theaters—how could thirty or forty cinemas compete against over a hundred? Just like during the Spring Festival season, “A Family Affair” lost to 160 theaters working together under the four major theater chains, not because of the film’s quality.

Now, with Yonggao, Golden Harvest, and Golden Princess allied, and DeBao excluded due to Shaw Brothers’ ban, the market was left with only DeBao and Magic Shadow facing off head-to-head. Even a fool could see this would end in defeat. A typical example was “Kung Fu,” which broke records only because it was shown in theaters across Hong Kong.

Most importantly, Pandy Sheng was gradually losing hope in Fang Ruohai’s plans for overseas distribution, especially after learning that Happy World Group had secured distribution rights in several regions and countries. It was clear he was far behind Magic Shadow, Golden Harvest, and Happy World Group.

So, he needed an ally. Xiao Ran seemed like a good candidate, and there was even an implicit hint of that in Xiao Ran’s tone earlier. With no other choice, he weighed the pros and cons before calling out to Xiao Ran, “Ah Ran, you were right—Fang Ruohai did agree to overseas distribution.”

Xiao Ran paused slightly before turning around with a smile. He had guessed correctly—DeBao needed allies far more than Magic Shadow did. Sitting back down on the sofa, he calmly said to Pandy Sheng, “He won’t allow overseas distribution for you. Haisen Group won’t give him another penny. Happy World Group has grown too rapidly and no longer has enough funds to acquire overseas distribution companies. It’s a lie from start to finish.”

Pandy Sheng smiled bitterly, blaming his own greed and that of Golden Harvest. After discussing it in detail, Xiao Ran learned that Fang Ruohai not only agreed to overseas distribution but also promised to provide 100 million Hong Kong dollars in funding to each company to secure this opportunity.

Xiao Ran was somewhat impressed. It was clear Fang Ruohai was willing to spend hundreds of millions to give to the three major companies in exchange for entry. Although raising hundreds of millions might not necessarily result in huge losses, he still had to admit it was a bold move.

“I’m sorry about what happened before!” Pandy Sheng stared at Xiao Ran, his face showing embarrassment. Making movies was also a business, and credibility was essential. The fact that their companies had betrayed Xiao Ran back then was certainly not something to be proud of.

Xiao Ran shook his head with a smile. Business was all about interests. If not about interests, then what about emotions? After thinking for a moment, he told Pandy Sheng straightforwardly, “Ah Sheng, if DeBao continues like this, it will eventually become just a production company. Why don’t you get into distribution? I think it’s worth trying.”

Pandisheng was immediately stunned. As he had thought before, businessmen cared only about profits. Yet Xiao Ran was being so open and honest about wanting to enter the distribution business, which meant DeBao would have to compete with Phantom for market share—something he couldn’t understand.

Of course he didn’t understand. Xiao Ran had long decided that he wanted not just the Phantom Film Empire but also the Hong Kong film empire. A vast empire couldn’t rely on just one pillar; therefore, as Phantom was about to become a pillar, he still needed to find and oversee the creation of other pillars for the empire.

Otherwise, even if Phantom became a global film company and monopolized the world, so what? Look at Hollywood—its strength comes from seven major companies. So, Hong Kong or Chinese-language films could never rely solely on Phantom.

Of course, by doing this, he could cultivate competitors for himself, but it could also contribute to expanding the market. Most importantly, no matter how big Phantom grew, its strength was limited, and it always needed the cooperation of other companies to build the empire he envisioned. Moreover, he was confident that no one could stop Phantom’s momentum.

Pandisheng didn’t understand why Xiao Ran was so openly exposing his own interests, but he doubted Xiao Ran’s sincerity not. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Actually, I’ve been thinking about this issue. If we’re to develop the distribution business, DeBao’s current funds definitely won’t be enough. That means I’ll have to sell off our main businesses to raise funds for distribution.”

At this point, Xiao Ran began to grasp Pandisheng’s meaning. Pandisheng was afraid that all his funds would be tied up in films and lacked confidence in the future of Hong Kong cinema. Realizing this, Xiao Ran could only sigh inwardly—seeing too clearly wasn’t always a good thing.

“Let’s not talk about this. How do you think we should cooperate?” Pandisheng clearly lacked confidence, after all, the other side was stronger. “In what specific areas?”

“It’s simple—just as we discussed before!” Xiao Ran smiled slightly. He had thought this through carefully. “We’ll unite our theaters and deliver a strong push to those three companies during the summer season. I’ve prepared two big-budget films. How about you?”

“I’ve also prepared two films now. I believe we can make a strong impact during the summer,” Pandisheng said with a smile. It seemed everyone saw the upcoming summer as a chance to compete in strength.

The next day was the preview for *Dark Flowers*, a very important film. Perhaps others didn’t realize how crucial this film was, but Xiao Ran knew well that *Dark Flowers* and *Espionage Change* were meant to address the poor quality of current Hong Kong films. He wanted to use these two films to show all the film companies in Hong Kong different filming methods and business strategies.

So, this time he would go in person to watch the preview. He wasn’t sure if audiences would accept such a style-intensive film genre. However, he had other things to do during the day, so he first checked on Lin Qingxia’s set, where she was starring in another action film.

Around noon, after eating, he went to see Li Jiaxin. With the Miss Hong Kong election just beginning, Xiao Ran immediately thought of Li Jiaxin, who was hailed as the most beautiful contestant in recent years. Although she had always been regarded as a mere figurehead, Xiao Ran believed that if he could get her, he could definitely teach her well.

Li Jiaxin was confused; she didn’t understand why this most famous bachelor in Hong Kong had his secretary call to arrange a meeting with her. At first, she thought Xiao Ran wanted to pursue her, but when she met him, she realized her guess was completely wrong. His gaze at her contained nothing but admiration for her beauty—his eyes were utterly sincere. As he looked at this most beautiful Miss Hong Kong, he couldn’t help but think to himself that she was truly breathtakingly beautiful, even more so than on screen, though he still felt she couldn’t compare to Lin Qingxia.

“Miss Li, do you think you can win the championship?” Xiao Ran chuckled and leaned back comfortably in his chair. “But I think it’s a shame for someone with your looks not to enter the entertainment industry. How about this—join Shadow Company?”

That was quite direct! Li Jiaxin thought to herself. Of course, she had no idea that Xiao Ran was extremely busy at the moment. He certainly wouldn’t waste time on such matters unrelated to business; otherwise, he could have spent that time writing scripts instead.

A smile appeared on Li Jiaxin’s face as she felt proud. While other contestants were still scheming against each other, she had already managed to sign a contract with a big company like Shadow Company—this was truly praiseworthy.

Xiao Ran smiled faintly at Li Jiaxin. She was indeed a beautiful woman, but her fate was rather tragic, as she had been played by others time and again. He wanted to sign her not only because of her looks but also because he didn’t want to see such a stunning woman fall into a miserable situation. He didn’t say much at the moment, only instructing Li Jiaxin to go to Shadow Company’s headquarters the next day to sign the contract. However, signing the contract didn’t mean she would get a role right away. Xiao Ran didn’t want another figurehead, so proper training for an artist was essential.

That evening was the preview for “Dark Flowers.” Xiao Ran, Fa Ge, Su Renyao, and Feng Feier all attended. Su Renyao actually had a certain resemblance to Liu Qingyun in terms of temperament, though with a different flavor. As for Feng Feier, although she was a supporting role this time, she was still a bit nervous.

It had to be admitted that having won Best Actor and Best Director at Cannes did carry some charm—at least the preview venue was packed. It was just unknown what the actual reception would be. For this preview, Xiao Ran invited all the well-known film critics.

One must not underestimate the role of film reviews. According to surveys, reviews can have a significant impact on box office performance. Whether it’s harsh criticism or praise, both can have the same effect. So, this was clearly a valuable resource to utilize.

“Dark Flowers” has its first mainland screening rights purchased by China Film Group, reportedly to promote themes such as capitalist corruption, though the price wasn’t very high. Xiao Ran didn’t care much about it; he considered it half a bargain. After all, the priority now is to build the market rather than rush to reap profits.

The logo, just as beautifully crafted as those of Hollywood’s big seven studios, appears first, with “Xiao Ran’s Work” displayed, followed by “Produced by Xiao Ran.” The distributor isn’t necessarily the producer, who must be a film company that has invested in the project. But in most cases, the producer is also the distributor.

As the owner of Shadow Pictures, Xiao Ran naturally became the producer. For Jiahe Films, the producer’s name is usually Zou Wenhui or He Guanchang. Simply put, if Shadow Pictures is the producer, it means the film’s rights are in their hands.

In the darkness on screen, a car drives away in the distance, with the subtitles changing accordingly. It isn’t until Stephen Chow’s narration—“An old man who hasn’t returned to Macau in many years…”—that classic line appears, and then the film’s title, “Dark Flowers,” is revealed.

The story unfolds in parallel threads. Stephen Chow enters a restaurant and spots the man trying to obtain the Dark Flowers at a glance. He walks over and beats him mercilessly, his cold, almost inhuman tone creating a strange sensation.

When the audience sees Stephen Chow smashing the man’s hands expressionlessly, the scene is shown raw and unadorned. It’s so sudden that it shocks every viewer, prompting bursts of astonishment in the audience.

The camera shifts away from Stephen Chow to follow Su Renyao. The visuals are clear but give off a cold vibe. Watching Su Renyao’s silent movements, some viewers are patient at first. But as boredom sets in, the plot picks up again.

The plot progresses rapidly, but it’s somewhat confusing for the audience. They don’t understand why these things happen or what Su Renyao is up to. In their confusion, they look forward to the climax!

Xiao Ran is completely immersed in the world he’s created. To him, this is a fantastic film. Su Renyao’s performance is quite good, but it’s Feng Feier who truly shines as another key character. Especially when she pretends to be pitiful and confused at the police station—that’s truly amusing. Xiao Ran even thinks Feng Feier deserves the title of Best Newcomer tomorrow.

This is a film that takes a unique approach, strange and eerie, like a mysterious black pearl. Right now, Xiao Ran feels like a god—he knows, he clearly feels he controls the film, controlling the lives and deaths of everyone on screen.

He thinks he truly understands how You Zhi and Du Qifeng feel when creating this type of film—it’s an unparalleled thrill. When you see the characters on screen changing identities and roles according to your needs, manipulating them in schemes and counter-schemes, that feeling might only be comparable to God creating the world.

He understood even better why it was necessary to play various tricks with the plot, as he experienced firsthand how, after leading the audience astray in what they thought was the right direction, he could then use a tiny but undeniable piece of evidence to turn everything around. He knew this was an extreme pleasure of manipulating the audience at will.
At first, the audience’s impatience gradually turned into tension as the plot progressed; they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, fearing it might disturb what was happening on screen, or that a single breath might cause them to miss something exciting. On screen, they seemed trapped in one conspiracy after another.
Countless doubts surrounded them, filling their minds. Like Fa Ge on screen, they began to ponder, trying to find clues among seemingly unrelated details. When they saw the moment Fa Ge encountered George, they realized they had been tricked—their hearts felt as if squeezed by a demon’s hand laughing coldly, as everything turned out to be completely different from what they had imagined.
By the latter half of the film, everyone was suffocated by the grim atmosphere. Xiao Ran stared at the big screen; this film gave him an extreme sense of satisfaction. Who says classics can’t be replicated? With enough skill, anything can be recreated.
However, whether this film with its extremely unique style would be accepted by the audience was a question—at least no one knew until the film was completed…
*****
Recommendations: Sa Leng Da Da’s new book *Play You to Collapse*, http://www.feiku.com/showbook.asp?bl_id=48596; Ye Tingyu’s new book *Seng Long Dao*, http://www.feiku.com/showbook.asp?bl_id=48263