Chapter 29: Handsome Guys and Beautiful Girls

“Sis Lin, have you ever thought about moving your career to Hong Kong?” Xiao Ran inwardly sighed deeply, but outwardly pretended to laugh in a way befitting his age. “Taiwanese movies are gradually declining, while Hong Kong movies are booming. It would be a shame not to come here!”
Lin Qingxia was well aware that under the relentless pressure of Hong Kong movies, the already artistic Taiwanese movies naturally couldn’t compete with those commercially driven by Hong Kong. Moreover, from a certain perspective, most Taiwanese filmmakers could no longer keep up with the progress of their Hong Kong counterparts, so moving to Hong Kong for development was inevitable.
“I’ve had that idea for a while, but I’m worried about losing the Taiwanese market. That might not be worth it!” Lin Qingxia frowned slightly, her beauty turning somewhat melancholic.
Xiao Ran was momentarily stunned, then quickly exchanged a glance with Fa Ge before smiling and saying, “Sis Lin, you’re overthinking it. If we really were going to lose it, we would have lost it by now. All you need to do is move to Hong Kong and live there.”
“That’s true!” Lin Qingxia smiled. “By the way, how is Xiao Han treating you now? She’s much better than before, right?”
“Her complexion has indeed improved a lot. I really wonder what you told her!” As long as it wasn’t this topic, Xiao Ran was puzzled. Lin Qingxia had just said a few words to Xiao Han, and she suddenly treated him better. Seeing Fa Ge’s confused expression, Xiao Ran quickly explained, “Xiao Han is my sister!”
Gently cutting a piece of steak and putting it into her mouth, Lin Qingxia smiled mysteriously and said, “You want to know? Let me tell you—I said it was you who begged me to speak well of you. Do you believe it? It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I already call her my sister now!”
Huh? Xiao Ran’s first reaction wasn’t surprise but dizziness. He thought, That little girl? Is she qualified to be Lin Qingxia’s adopted sister? But still, facts were facts. Judging from Lin Qingxia’s expression, this wasn’t some frivolous joke.
Struggling to hide his astonishment, he let out a silly exclamation, “No way? That little girl?”
“What little girl…?” Lin Qingxia deliberately widened her eyes, looking extremely charming. “Now you also have to call me sister. Don’t deny it!”
Zhou Runfa seemed very interested in their playful teasing and watched quietly from the side. Xiao Ran stared at Lin Qingxia for a while before finally showing an expression of surrender. “Okay, you win. I would have called you that anyway. It’s not a loss for me!”
After Xiao Ran’s antics, the meal became less boring. Xiao Ran then grinned eerily and asked, “Fa Ge, Sis Lin, I have a very important and serious question for you two!”
Under their puzzled looks, Xiao Ran pretended to be serious. “As you know, I’m now an actor. So, I’d like to ask two masters of acting—how to handle… how to deal with bed scenes…”
“You’re going to die! Saying such things to your sister!” Lin Qingxia wasn’t angry; she just laughed and lightly tapped Xiao Ran.

The first time she saw Xiao Ran, she felt a good impression of this sunny and energetic young man. As they got to know each other better, influenced by Xiao Ran’s natural carefree attitude, she gradually began to like him too. Of course, this kind of liking was different from the others, and it must not be confused.

Fa Ge also smiled, revealing his white teeth, showcasing his masculine charm. He deliberately pretended to sigh and say, “I guess there’s little hope for you in acting. But you’re quite good at writing scripts, so you don’t need to learn anything about love scenes!”

Damn! That was definitely Xiao Ran’s first thought. He never expected Fa Ge to joke with him too. Fa Ge had brought up this topic just to see their reactions, but now their expressions weren’t good—his own expression was the only pleasant one.

“Actually, love scenes are easy to act—it depends on whether you can overcome your own shyness!” Fa Ge, as a well-known kind-hearted person in the industry, quickly changed the subject to ease Xiao Ran’s embarrassment.

Lin Qingxia smiled slightly. She was pleased to tease her younger brother a bit. “A Ran, love scenes aren’t really hard to act. It just depends on whether the person can let go. If you’re too shy, it won’t work, and if you’re too bold, that either won’t work either!”

Xiao Ran wasn’t worried about acting overly explicit love scenes these days, as there was no rating system yet. If such a system existed, adult films would really spread like wildfire.

As they were talking, a wealthy young man in his thirties, wearing an obsequious smile that even Xiao Ran found unbearable, walked over to Lin Qingxia and said, “Qingxia, so you’re here? I came all the way from Taiwan just to find you!”

He spoke Taiwanese Mandarin, which Xiao Ran understood. He immediately realized this guy must have ulterior motives toward his new “sister.” But Xiao Ran didn’t think he’d succeed—after all, Qin Han was still Lin Qingxia’s favorite.

“Wang Kaiwei, what are you doing here?” Lin Qingxia’s expression changed slightly before turning angry. “Do you know you’re annoying? Please stop bothering me!”

The man’s expression changed slightly, showing anger, but it quickly disappeared as he continued to flatter her, “Qingxia, why not give it some thought? I really like you! I won’t disturb you and your friends while eating. Goodbye!”

Just before the young man turned to leave, Xiao Ran faintly saw a cold smile in his eyes. Shocked, he thought to himself that this guy was no ordinary person. Indeed, he was extraordinary—able to leave calmly after being publicly humiliated by Lin Qingxia, showing great cunning.

It turned out this man was the son of a wealthy businessman from Taiwan. He was quite capable, but for some reason, he was deeply infatuated with Lin Qingxia. However, Lin Qingxia knew full well that he was a notorious playboy who had ruined many women, so she naturally didn’t like him at all.

“Although I know his character, I still didn’t dare to offend him too much when I was in Taiwan!” Lin Qingxia let out a soft sigh, longing to be hugged and comforted. “Since some of the films I starred in were funded by him, neither the company nor my agent would allow me to offend him.”
“But now it’s different!” At these words, Lin Qingxia suddenly seemed much more relaxed, smiling brightly like a young girl. “Now that I’ve decided to develop my career in Hong Kong, I don’t need to worry about offending him anymore!”
It’s probably not that simple! Just by thinking about this person’s scheming nature, Xiao Ran came up with a completely different answer and couldn’t help but warn her, “Sister Lin, I think it’s better if you stay cautious. People like him are capable of anything!”
“A Ran is right. I think it’s better to be careful!” Brother Fa also seemed to have no good feelings toward that guy and immediately supported Xiao Ran.
It’s really sad to have no friends. Of course, Xiao Ran had friends. But these friends obviously couldn’t share his greatest secret or help him figure out how to rise higher. So, he had to handle such difficult tasks on his own.
He thought that he had already written quite a few scripts, all plagiarized from classic blockbuster films. Since he had already gained some fame in the film industry, maybe he didn’t need to plagiarize all the time—otherwise, it might accelerate the decline of Hong Kong cinema.
Still, no matter what he thought, he still had to deliver the scripts Wang Jing wanted. Xiao Ran was prepared for this. He planned to write “Luxury Romance” about a group of garage boys pursuing girls for Wang Jing. After all, that film was originally Wang Jing’s idea; he was just giving it to him a bit early.
In the following years, many classics emerged in Hong Kong, such as “A Fairy Tale in Autumn” and “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” all of which were originally Xiao Ran’s goals. Of course, now he rationally realized he couldn’t control any of this—it was frustrating.
Strictly speaking, Xiao Ran really wanted to win an award—not as a director or actor, but as a screenwriter. Winning such an award would multiply his value by a hundred. Although some true masters remained respected even without awards—like Wei Jiahui’s “Unforgiving Love,” which became a textbook for Hong Kong screenwriters to study—those were true masters.
Of course, Xiao Ran didn’t think he was Wei Jiahui, nor did he believe he could become one. He did have some good ideas, but they clearly didn’t suit the current Hong Kong film industry. After all, his brilliant ideas needed film techniques to bring them to life.
The years to come would be turbulent. If Xiao Ran couldn’t seize this excellent opportunity to rise, he might as well continue plagiarizing scripts to make a living! At least that’s what he thought.
With that in mind, his thoughts quickly wandered to “Eight Stars Bring Good Luck,” a film that definitely couldn’t be underestimated. Many people thought absurd humor was invented by Zhou Xingchi, but in fact, this comedic style already appeared in a film in the early 1980s. It wasn’t until “Eight Stars Bring Good Luck” that a relatively clear framework was established.

Xiao Ran wasn’t too worried about the crew behind this film. For a comedy like this, many roles don’t require exceptionally talented filmmakers. Instead, the performance of the actors and director is particularly important. However, for Xiao Ran, an experienced assistant director was clearly what he needed most.
Unfortunately, Xiao Ran didn’t know much about the 1980s, let alone which assistant directors were outstanding. He knew a few who would become great directors in the future—like Chen Guo, Guan Jinpeng, Chen Musheng, and others—but their styles clearly didn’t suit “Eight Stars Bring Good News.”
It was tough! Xiao Ran sighed softly as he lay by the window. After thinking for a while, he smiled. Things in the world were truly strange. If his rebirth had taken place on the mainland, he would likely have been destined to be an ordinary person who couldn’t do much, as he didn’t know much about mainland history.
In his “dreams,” Xiao Ran liked Hong Kong movies and occasionally wrote film reviews, sometimes earning some money from them. His knowledge of Hong Kong movies wasn’t very deep either, but because he often hung out on a film forum called “Hong Kong Made,” filled with many experts and gossip experts, Xiao Ran was able to learn some lesser-known things over time.
As he thought, he gradually fell asleep, not knowing what tomorrow would bring. Anyway, Xiao Ran always believed he could handle it…
(I swear on my life that I have no intention of disrespecting Lin JJ at all. My admiration for her is pure and sacred!!! I’m sorry for using the inappropriate word “hook up,” which is extremely disrespectful. In short, quality matters more than quantity when it comes to women. If I’m to be with Lin JJ, it must be out of love. Also, I’d like to clarify that aside from Lin JJ, Xiao Ran won’t develop feelings for any woman in the entertainment industry!)
(Also, Tin Shui Wai was indeed a place where people from the mainland settled after moving south, and there were no public housing units there. I apologize to all my readers for this mistake. I hope those who are familiar with Hong Kong or have friends there can give me some guidance, provide relevant information, and point out any errors in the book. Thank you all for your support!)
(Finally, I’m begging you—this book has dropped off the bestseller list. Don’t you have any sympathy? 5555555555)
Friendly recommendation: The xianxia novel “Guardians of the Nine Realms,” book number 21326