Chapter 214: Careful Planning

In desperation, Xiao Ran didn’t even think twice—he immediately twisted his body with all his strength to shield Lin Qingxia’s body. Bang! Bang! Two sharp gunshots rang out almost simultaneously. Xiao Ran felt a sudden burning sensation in his arm, followed by intense pain.
Mo Huaien was shot in the left wrist, blood gushing out as he knelt helplessly on the crimson carpet. The madness in his eyes vanished instantly; he knew he had no way out—his fate had been sealed the moment he kidnapped Lin Qingxia.
Lin Qingxia didn’t understand why Xiao Ran had turned around. It wasn’t until gunshots rang out behind her that she realized his intention. Tears streamed down her face as she quickly turned to look at Xiao Ran’s exhausted face. Seeing that he was unharmed despite his pounding heartbeat, she cried even more intensely.
“Don’t cry! If you keep crying, you’ll look like a calico cat!” Xiao Ran glanced at Mo Huaien, who was kneeling on the ground as if atoning for his sins, confirming there was no danger before taking a deep breath and trying to pull Lin Qingxia away. Suddenly, he heard Mo Huaien’s voice filled with defeat: “Xiao Ran, can I talk to you?”
Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia paused briefly before turning to stare at Mo Huaien, who sat dejectedly on the ground. Mo Huaien raised his head and said in a low voice, “I can no longer threaten you. Before the police arrive, can we talk? I have many questions for you.”
Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia exchanged a look, both filled with anger and sympathy toward Mo Huaien. He was a man of great tragedy—extremely pragmatic yet also romantic. Such people often tend to isolate themselves, ignoring others’ feelings.
He truly loved Lin Qingxia, but jealousy is what easily drives people insane. Subconsciously, he saw Xiao Ran as a fierce rival in love or in business. But fairy tales are just that—fairy tales.
Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia sat down on the sofa, quietly watching Mo Huaien struggle to stand up, trying to calm down after the chaos and crisis: “Ask whatever you want—I’ll give you answers!”
“I lost, but I want to understand where I lost!” Mo Huaien had never looked at Lin Qingxia so honestly before. Perhaps facing death made him much calmer. “I don’t want to die without understanding why!”
“Your injury isn’t serious. As long as you leave now, you’ll be fine!” Xiao Ran felt a dull pain in his arm and couldn’t help twitching slightly. Lin Qingxia quickly tore a piece of cloth to bandage it. “Actually, I never intended for you to die from the start!”
“I know, and I believe you!” Mo Huaien found it strange. In the past, he would have thought Xiao Ran was extremely hypocritical. But now, it seemed he had realized the truth—he knew Xiao Ran really didn’t intend to kill him. Otherwise, just one word from a gang assassin would have been enough to kill him a hundred times over.

Realizing this, he finally understood that Xiao Ran was not the despicable scoundrel he had imagined before. Otherwise, Xiao Ran could easily have had the underworld create some minor trouble for Hongguo, and that would have been no problem at all.
“Thank you for your trust. Feel free to ask if you have any questions!” Watching Xiao Ran talk to Mo Huaien with such courtesy, Lin Qingxia began to understand that there has always been a bond of mutual respect among men, only hidden by some people’s personalities.
“I know that Zhou Runfa and the others were sent to Hongguo by you, but I can’t figure out how you knew I intended to poach them!” Mo Huaien leaned back on the sofa, breathing heavily. There were many things he didn’t understand about this confrontation with Xiao Ran, and he hoped to figure them out before dying.
“It probably started when you tried to frame Ming Xuan. At that time, I found out you had good relationships with Liyou and Guoli, and Guoli controlled Korea Xijie.” Xiao Ran smiled slightly, the blood stopping on his arm easing his pain a bit. “Xijie had previously tried to enter Hong Kong’s film industry by seeking financing!”
“And before that, Guoli had just increased its investment to gain absolute control of Xijie. I guessed that Guoli planned to use you to enter Hong Kong’s film industry, then increase investment to force you to hand over control.” Xiao Ran nodded confidently. “Moreover, you were probably afraid of leaks, so you poached talents after founding Hongguo. I predicted you would do this!”
“Every movie needs actors. In Hong Kong’s film industry, other companies are reluctant to welcome outsiders, so your only option was to poach talents. If so, Meiying would definitely be the first choice. That’s why I arranged this as soon as I returned to Hong Kong! But I still don’t understand why you tried to frame Ming Xuan.”
Mo Huaien felt a bit proud—turns out even Xiao Ran had things he didn’t understand. But he soon became disappointed. He hadn’t expected that as soon as he founded Hongguo, Xiao Ran already had a strategy: “I framed Ming Xuan for that piece of land. I didn’t trust Guoli, so they agreed to jointly invest in that land and share the profits with me, on the condition that I produce movies!”
Only then did Xiao Ran realize everything. He had never understood it before; the reason was so simple. It made sense—given Mo Huaien’s personality, how would he risk agreeing to produce movies without real benefits?
“I heard that Pan Disheng and the others approached you, hoping to unite to resist Hongguo. Why didn’t you agree?” The moment Mo Huaien thought of this, he grew depressed. When he first learned that Xiao Ran controlled Hong Kong’s film industry, he thought that with a joint boycott, Hongguo would surely fail. Then he could take the opportunity to show Guoli his helplessness and withdraw his investment, gaining the profits from that land for free. But he didn’t expect Xiao Ran to do nothing, forcing him to fulfill his contract with Guoli.
“It’s simple. I needed Korea Xijie. Forcing a takeover might not succeed, and it would cause heavy losses. Since Guoli brought Xijie to me, why bother?” After saying this, Xiao Ran paused, gently wrapped his arm around Lin Qingxia’s waist, and smiled. “Besides, your moves have always been under my control. There’s no need to go to extra lengths.”

“Yes, I would make the same choice if I were in your position!” Mo Huaien could only force a bitter smile; his face grew increasingly pale due to excessive blood loss. If he were in Xiao Ran’s shoes, he would definitely make the same decision.

How could he not understand now? Shadow had taken control of distribution agencies across all of Asia, and in Southeast Asia, the key region, it even controlled theaters and distributors directly. Even Japan had been seized by Shadow during its conflict with Cathay-Keris. The only country where Shadow hadn’t taken control of the local distribution company was South Korea, and there was no reason not to seize this opportunity that came knocking.

Indeed, once South Korea fell under Shadow’s control, it would truly become the multinational film company that ruled Asia. The distribution of the vast majority of films had to go through Shadow’s company—whether they were Shadow’s own films or foreign movies—any film wanting to enter Southeast Asia or even the entire Asia needed Shadow’s distribution.

In this way, a true defense network was formed. Recalling Xiao Ran’s occasional remarks targeting Hollywood in public, Mo Huaien suddenly realized that Xiao Ran had gone to such lengths to build a tight defense network.

He understood even better why Xiao Ran was so sensitive to South Korean capital and why he pretended to be weak in auctions and other settings. This was all part of a psychological strategy to lure him step by step into the massive vortex of the film industry—a vortex created by Shadow. If Xiao Ran wished, he could create hundreds or thousands of such vortices for Hongguo to choose from.

“Then why did you let Zhou Runfa and the others join Hongguo? It shouldn’t benefit you at all! Besides, Fa Ge and the others are so close to you—how can you be sure I won’t suspect this is a plot?” Mo Huaien still had many questions, and this was just one of them.

“If you keep losing blood, you probably won’t last long!” Seeing Mo Huaien’s persistent expression, Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia couldn’t help but sigh lightly and explained, “Whether you suspect it or not, Hongguo needs actors. Once you get their contracts, you can dispel some of the doubts. Even if you continue to doubt, it won’t help.”

“Besides them, you have no one else to use. Hongguo is a new company; it can’t cultivate suitable actors in the short term. Moreover, you need to use their fame to build Hongguo’s brand—there’s no choice.” At this point, Xiao Ran smiled, and Lin Qingxia finally understood: “If I didn’t have a backup plan to get their contracts back, I definitely wouldn’t have let them join.”

“Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to test how many of Shadow’s artists would betray their loyalty for money. Besides, raising actors’ salaries has always been something I wanted to do, but I couldn’t raise them much at first. So having you help me is actually a good thing.” Xiao Ran smiled gently, but as his eyes fell on the bloodstains on the carpet, turning crimson, he gradually felt a sense of sadness.

“Most importantly, those celebrities currently in the industry are hindering the promotion of new talents!” Xiao Ran smiled softly. Promoting new talents was one of his main reasons. With Fa Ge and the others around, it would be difficult for him to push through these established stars to bring up more newcomers. After all, there were only about a hundred films produced in Hong Kong each year, with roughly 20% being R-rated.

Only a few films truly qualify as high-quality in terms of production costs. With a production cycle of half a year, each star would have to act in two films per year. If certain people take up all the spots, as more stars emerge, opportunities for newcomers become increasingly rare. Taking advantage of the time when those stars are gone to give newcomers some chances over these nearly six months is definitely one of his main considerations.

He disagreed with the idea that losing meant death; those who held such a belief were merely people lacking confidence in themselves, needing death as motivation. If one lost, as long as they were still alive, there was always a chance to rise again. However, he also knew it was impossible to stop those determined to seek death.

Mo Huaien’s snow-white face showed a faint smile as he nodded thoughtfully. He understood Xiao Ran’s point: since Hongguo had acquired a large number of artists, directors, and film professionals, it would need to spend a lot of money on contracts.

Beyond contracts, the fatal issue was that they had to produce many films. Hongguo was currently filming or had already finished eight films, with an average investment of 20 million per film—another huge sum of money. Under such circumstances, Hongguo’s already limited cash reserves became even more precarious.

Indeed, he had no choice. Other than these artists and directors, he didn’t dare risk promoting newcomers. Even when Mirage was first established, Xiao Ran had many successful script options and the resources in terms of time and money, yet he still hesitated to bet on newcomers—let alone someone like him.

As for the contracts of the film professionals, Mo Huaien believed Xiao Ran could obtain them. With Hongwei going bankrupt, Hongguo would surely face asset seizures as a consequence. If Xiao Ran intended to take over Hongguo, he could easily buy everyone’s contracts at that time. Even if Hongguo went bankrupt, those contracts wouldn’t disappear.

Mo Huaien couldn’t say whether he was regretful or calm now, but he was well aware that when he first studied Xiao Ran, he had concluded that Xiao Ran had a highly patient personality. Unexpectedly, after being repeatedly provoked by Xiao Ran, he had overlooked this trait.

Whether patient or not no longer mattered. Mo Huaien knew that if he had realized this earlier, he might not have gone bankrupt, but Hongguo would still have been destined to belong to Mirage. Because Guoli was already doomed to fall, he even speculated that the scandal at Liyou Bank was closely related to Xiao Ran.

Currently, the direct beneficiary was Xiao Ran’s Mirage Company. This move directly targeted their weak point. Coupled with Xiao Ran’s early preparations and his gradual use of various tactics to freeze their available funds in various industries, it ultimately led to a shortage of liquid capital, forcing them to lose to Xiao Ran.

Yet, given Xiao Ran’s deep scheming, Mo Huaien began to suspect that today’s abduction of Lin Qingxia might also be under Xiao Ran’s covert control. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, “Did you predict my actions today? Or is forcing me into desperation one of your methods to bring me down?”

Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia were utterly astonished. Mo Huaien could really think this through—judging others by oneself is never a good thing. At this thought, both Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia broke into bright smiles. They exchanged a glance, and Lin Qingxia felt even more sympathy for Mo Huaien. She hadn’t expected him to have such despicable thoughts before seeking death; no wonder he ended up like this.

Lin Qingxia believed Xiao Ran would never risk her safety for amusement—absolutely not. Xiao Ran couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “I don’t think I’m vile enough to exploit my own wife, right? Actually, I did guess you might act recklessly after losing, but I thought your target would only be me. So initially, I planned to use myself to lure you into committing a crime if you didn’t go bankrupt.”

Seeing the smiles on Lin Qingxia and her husband’s faces, Mo Huaien realized he had been utterly wrong. He thought of how Xiao Ran had shielded Lin Qingxia from bullets earlier—that was already irrefutable evidence. Scolding himself for still thinking like that on his deathbed, he gave a sad smile. “I’m sorry. When did you start plotting against me?”

“I started planning as soon as I guessed you, Guoli, and Liyou might enter the film industry. But back then, it was just precaution!” Xiao Ran shrugged, feeling a slight pain in his arm. “I’m used to preparing targeted plans in advance to deal with crises. The Jiahe incident was planned long ago too! In fact, if you hadn’t entered the industry, I might have tried to trick you in through Xi Jie.”

Mo Huaien’s expression grew even more grim. He never expected Xiao Ran to have meticulously planned everything just for Xi Jie and an uncertain possibility—showing such deep scheming. Nor did he expect Xiao Ran to have started planning half a year earlier.

He lost this battle completely and had no choice but to admit it. In every aspect, the traps set by Xiao Ran forced him to step in, no matter what. Just like Brother Fa and the others changing jobs—although he had always suspected it, he still had no choice but to go along.

He thought this might be Xiao Ran’s brilliance—having a plan for everything and being able to adapt on the fly. Finally, he realized he wasn’t the hero saving the princess in a fairy tale, but rather the evil dragon.

“Was that box office failure in June also your doing?” Mo Huaien understood the whole situation now. He realized he had lost because Xiao Ran had gradually trapped his liquid assets, leading to a chain reaction that forced him into bankruptcy. But he didn’t know if that failure in June was intentional by Xiao Ran as a psychological tactic or if it was really a loss.

“June…” Xiao Ran pondered for a moment. That failure was due to various factors. First, he did use it as a psychological tactic. Second, the animation market was indeed small at the time. Third, that Iron Dragon was really good, and their films were excellent. He looked up and nodded at Lin Qingxia, who was worried about his injuries, signaling he was fine. Then he stared at Mo Huaien, who was slumped on the sofa, and said, “Half and half. I did plan it, but those films were truly great.”

Mo Huaien forced a smile. It seemed he had indeed stumbled upon a treasure. He had long noticed Tie Long’s ambitions. If it weren’t for his need for someone familiar with the film industry to handle things, he would have dismissed Tie Long long ago. With a pained smile, he said, “You guys go! I think we won’t see each other again! Xiao Ran, be careful of that Tie Long.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go out?” Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia stood up and took a few steps away, but since he wasn’t someone who liked violence, he couldn’t bear to leave and turned back to ask, “If we go out now, there’s still a chance to save ourselves! There’s no need to seek death!”