Chapter 280: Goodbye, Boss

It was a month later when You Hai handed the script to Xiao Ran. Xiao Ran had little to say about You Hai’s script—his only comment was “Great!” To ensure its quality, Xiao Ran had it reviewed by Wei Jiahui, whom he regarded as the patriarch of screenwriters. After hearing Xiao Ran’s ideas, Wei Jiahui was utterly astonished.

Now he understood why Galaxy Images could produce so many classic works—thanks to Wei Jiahui and You Hai. Wei Jiahui played a key role in making script decisions at Galaxy. Without them, it would have been impossible to create so many classics renowned for their storytelling.

It was hard to imagine that such two genius screenwriters could emerge in Hong Kong, a place that had historically paid little attention to scripts. Looking at the endless stream of new screenwriters in today’s film industry, Xiao Ran realized how many talents Hong Kong’s film industry had lost over the years.

Fortunately, his arrival changed everything. In recent years, the number of film professionals working in Hong Kong’s film industry has reached over 90,000—at least three times higher than in history—and the number of films produced each year surpassed 200 as early as last year.

The planning department was quickly overwhelmed by Xiao Ran’s script; no one could figure out what the story was about. Eventually, considering Xiao Ran’s status as an international director, they decided to proceed with filming. After discussing it with the producers, Xiao Ran changed the original plan to make an experimental film into one that balanced commerce and art.

This was Xiao Ran’s gamble. What he was betting on was simple: in his vision, the film had plenty of plot elements that allowed him to incorporate commercial elements. He was betting that, having mastered his skills through “True Colors” and becoming a truly accomplished international director, he could reach the level that every director aspires to—balancing commerce and art.

He knew it wouldn’t be easy. Many directors spent their entire lives directing commercial films without achieving anything notable, merely aiming to make profitable movies. Directors without sufficient skill wouldn’t even dare to try combining commerce and art.

Even masters like Xu Ke and Ng Yu-sun might not dare to attempt such a thing, though they sometimes could manage it. But it wasn’t something that could be done just by wanting to.

It was similar to how Xiao Ran’s films had always been superhits. If it weren’t for his familiarity with and understanding of more concise techniques, and his ability to adapt them, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve this.

Commerce and art are just separated by a thin line, yet it’s often this delicate boundary that prevents one from crossing over and reaching that peak. Commerce and art are deeply interconnected; the key lies in whether people can find that subtle connection, just as Stanley Kubrick did in “Saving Private Ryan.”

Xiao Ran longed desperately—to win Cannes again with his own strength and to take home the Best Director award once more. Most importantly, he knew well that, if nothing unexpected happened, after the Golden Statue Awards in 1998 at the latest, he would have to live the life he had envisioned with Lin Qingxia.

Since he had already let go of his ideals and dreams, perhaps it was time to let go of his worries as well! In Xiao Ran’s mind, neither Murdoch nor the Six Great Warriors were as important as this—not only because they could no longer threaten The Phantom, but also because Xiao Ran deeply understood that if he didn’t give it his all, he would regret it for life.

He approached this film with unprecedented caution in selecting the crew behind the scenes. In fact, there wasn’t much to choose from—most of them were picked from the teams he had used before. Those teams, now, had all become top experts in their fields, each busy with their own work.

The planning department had a hard time adjusting the shooting schedule to free up time for Xiao Ran. The film, temporarily titled “Reincarnation,” had an investment of 80 million and could only be considered a medium-budget production.

Finally, February 19, 1997, arrived—a day that filled Xiao Ran with fear. Historically, the leader had passed away on this very day. Having met the leader twice, Xiao Ran knew well that history wasn’t always what it was made out to be. After all, the leader had extraordinary abilities; otherwise, how could he have led a poor China to where it was today?

Based on some of the future political landscapes and developments Xiao Ran had indirectly hinted at, the leader had done much over the years to prevent certain events from happening. On this day, when Xiao Ran woke up, he even noticed his eyes were red.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qingxia was the first to notice Xiao Ran’s unease. She had never seen him look this way in all those years. “If you have something on your mind, tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

Xiao Ran forced a smile and shook his head. How could he talk about such things? Still disturbed, he went to the company. In the office, he couldn’t focus on any work. After trying to calm himself down, he thought that if it was meant to happen, he couldn’t stop it, so he managed to comfort himself.

Yet, the thing he most wanted to avoid eventually happened. With a beep, the secretary’s voice reached his ears: “President Xiao, Mr. Huang Qun from Beijing is on the line.”

Huang Qun calling! Xiao Ran’s face paled, his mind instantly in chaos. What could Huang Qun possibly want to talk about at this time? Thinking about how much humiliation China would suffer in the future without that wise old man and what path it would take, Xiao Ran felt immense pain.

“Xiao Ran, come to Beijing quickly…” Hearing this, Xiao Ran took deep breaths, preparing himself for the terrible news. But Huang Qun’s words left him stunned: “The leader is ill. He wants to see you once!”

Didn’t it happen? Haha! Xiao Ran couldn’t help but laugh heartily, much to Huang Qun’s utter confusion. Xiao Ran laughed so hard that tears were about to fall; he realized he had been foolish—since so much in history had changed, it wasn’t surprising that the leader could have survived!
In the afternoon, Xiao Ran’s private plane landed at Beijing International Airport. As soon as he got off the plane, he saw Huang Qun rushing up anxiously: “You’re finally here! The leader has been insisting on meeting you all day!”
“The leader’s illness…” Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment before asking after getting into the red-car: “Is his condition serious?”
“It’s hard to say. Maybe he can hold on, or maybe not…” Huang Qun shook his head slightly and sighed. “I hope he can persevere and see Hong Kong’s return.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, Yang Guang and Monkey were kept outside. After passing through several layers of security, Xiao Ran finally entered the ward. Huang Qun nodded at him. Xiao Ran gave him a look, asking if he couldn’t go in. Huang Qun shook his head.
Xiao Ran then carefully pushed open the door, trying not to make noise. The ward was quite large, filled mostly with medical equipment, along with the leader’s relatives. The leader seemed to be talking to his family when he saw Xiao Ran and waved for them to leave.
“Leader, I’m here. Is there something you want to talk to me about?” Xiao Ran spoke in a low voice, not out of fear, but to avoid disturbing this respected elder too much. “Your illness…”
“Getting old means having many illnesses!” The leader’s dialect sounded familiar to Xiao Ran. His condition didn’t seem too serious, and his complexion was good too. “You’re a smart man and a source of pride for the Chinese people. But now that you’re wealthy, don’t forget your roots!”
“I won’t. I’ll do my best to help the country! If the country accepts it, I’m even willing to donate half of my wealth!” Xiao Ran said sincerely to the elder. He wasn’t just talking empty words—so long as he could keep the entertainment and media industry running, he was willing to give everything else to the country. After all, he remembered growing up under the red flag.
The leader coughed twice, showing a amused expression, and slowly said, “What does the country need your money for? Do you think we really practice communism and communal marriage? We brought you here from Hong Kong specifically to discuss some future matters. I don’t know how you figured out those things, but it seems most of them have already happened.”
Seeing the leader’s meaningful expression, Xiao Ran broke into cold sweat. If not for his strong composure, his face would have turned pale. But the leader clearly noticed his panic and reassured him, “I’ve read your report. You’re smart—it’s normal for you to guess such things! Don’t worry. We welcome such speculation.”
Xiao Ran’s racing heart gradually calmed down. If the leader insisted on making an issue out of this, he might… But he soon realized that he had spoken carelessly back then, indirectly revealing many things. Now, since some of those things hadn’t happened, the leader thought he was just guessing, not…

“Have you ever thought about becoming…” The leader smiled happily, as if he had already seen through Xiao Ran: “Have you ever thought about becoming the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region?”
Xiao Ran trembled all over. He stared in disbelief at the leader’s smiling face, his mind in complete chaos for a moment. He could confidently say that he had never considered becoming the chief executive of the special region—it wasn’t a matter of whether to do it or not, but rather that he had never thought he was qualified for such a position.
The chief executive of a special region! That was a high-ranking official! Unfortunately, Xiao Ran had no interest in it at all. After a brief shock, he quickly regained his composure. “Leader, do you think it’s necessary for me to become the Chief Executive?”
In fact, not even in Hong Kong did anyone think Xiao Ran would become the first chief executive, although many media outlets considered him the most suitable candidate. Moreover, if the key members of the Shadow Group were brought into the government, it would form a perfect team. But obviously, no one thought Xiao Ran would take on this role—firstly, he wasn’t old enough, and secondly, as the world’s richest man, would he really be foolish enough to become a chief executive?
“Yes!” The leader sighed slightly and said to Xiao Ran, “The first time I met you, I saw how clearly you understood various political and economic situations, and I thought it would be good if you became the chief executive. Unfortunately, you’re not yet forty, and with your business growing bigger and bigger, you surely won’t want to take on this role. Right, King of Hong Kong?”
King of Hong Kong! Xiao Ran’s face turned deathly pale instantly. The so-called “King of Hong Kong” was actually just a joke—Li Ka-shing had used it as a playful nickname for him at a banquet. The next day, the media published this news as the top headline, and even more exaggeratedly, Time magazine used this nickname on its cover featuring Xiao Ran.
What did this mean? What else could the leader’s words imply? Naturally, it meant he was extremely displeased! Xiao Ran forced a bitter smile, as if ready to face death. “Leader, you know that was just a joke. I’ve never even thought about being some so-called King of Hong Kong!”
The leader sighed gently and stared at Xiao Ran’s eyes, which clearly showed stubbornness, defiance, and sincerity, before saying after a long while, “It may be a joke, but it has already become an ironclad fact!”
Xiao Ran immediately smiled bitterly. He did enjoy power and liked the feeling of controlling everything. But that certainly didn’t mean he wanted to get involved in politics—politics was something one could never escape from.
However, what the leader said was completely true. The current governor of Hong Kong, if not completely subservient to Xiao Ran, was at least extremely respectful to him, not daring to offend him in the slightest. Even the secretary for security would address him as “Brother Ran” whenever they met.
The legitimate world had completely submitted to him. As for the underworld? There was no need to mention it. Without exaggeration, if the central government agreed and Xiao Ran was willing, he could even order hundreds of thousands of gangsters in Hong Kong to stage a riot at any time. Among ordinary citizens, Xiao Ran’s reputation continued to soar—he was undoubtedly the most influential figure in Hong Kong.

Xiao Ran fully understood that a local tyrant like this would surely not bring peace to the country. Yet, he didn’t want it that way either. Controlling the underworld was a last resort; without it, problems would arise, not because he craved power. If Liang Kun had been willing to propose directly to Xiao Ran to take control of the underworld without using it for personal gain, Xiao Ran would have definitely agreed.

Thus, calling Xiao Ran the King of Hong Kong was by no means an exaggeration. Seeing that Xiao Ran hadn’t spoken for a while, the leader finally spoke again, “Your reputation in society comes from your dedication to public welfare, which is commendable. But as for this underworld…”

Xiao Ran sighed deeply. “Leader, due to Hong Kong’s geographical conditions and various other factors, the underworld cannot be eradicated. Even the mainland is soon facing the emergence of such groups. Instead of using force blindly, it’s better to keep them under control to prevent them from causing too much harm and to reduce their influence as much as possible. As the ancients said, it’s better to divert than to block, and better to guide than to divert.”

The leader closed his eyes and thought quietly. Xiao Ran was no longer afraid, as he knew very well that as the world’s richest man, he was safe from danger. His previous fear was purely due to the pressure from the leader.