Chapter 56: Reorganizing the System

Restructuring was inevitable. The company already had quite a number of full-time employees, yet there was no overall plan—people didn’t even know which department they belonged to, which was extremely fatal. Undeniably, this was the same mistake Xiao Ran had made earlier: he failed to properly assess his company’s potential and growth capacity, nor did he estimate how many people he could recruit.

Xiao Ran had never been involved in management before; he was just an ordinary person, so of course he didn’t know how a company should be run. Such mistakes were inevitable. Fortunately, Wei Dongling quickly raised the issue, preventing any losses. This taught Xiao Ran a very important lesson.

“I’ve already written up the restructuring plan!” Wei Dongling said seriously, looking at Xiao Ran. If Xiao Ran refused to accept the plan, he would definitely resign, as that would prove the company had no future. “I’m waiting for your decision now!”

Taking Wei Dongling’s plan, Xiao Ran began to read it slowly. Strictly speaking, he didn’t fully understand the details mentioned in the plan, but he still knew what a company’s structure should be like.

Wei Dongling must have consulted experts, as the restructuring plan was very detailed, greatly broadening Xiao Ran’s horizons. As for administrative management, Xiao Ran wasn’t concerned about that—Wei Dongling was basically the top leader of the company, so he naturally had the authority to make decisions.

Relatively speaking, the other departments weren’t that important or worth focusing on the most. What concerned Xiao Ran were several other departments: the Planning Department, Production Department, Distribution Department, Finance Department, and Talent Training Department.

The Planning Department was responsible for the preliminary preparation of films—deciding what aspects needed attention and drafting the script. The Production Department handled the actual filming, requiring the most staff. The Talent Training Department focused on training newcomers and managing agents.

Only such a structure resembled that of a proper film company. Of course, this structure was similar to what Xiao Ran had envisioned for the restructuring in a year. But for now, acting ahead like this was absolutely crucial.

In the plan, Wei Dongling had even listed suitable candidates for department heads for Xiao Ran to choose from. However, Xiao Ran now wondered if the company was too small to accommodate so many people.

Of course, he quickly came to a conclusion: aside from the Production and Distribution Departments, the other departments didn’t require many employees, and there was enough space. With that in mind, he decided to leave the company in Wei Dongling’s hands—after all, the capable should do more work. Besides, he didn’t want the company to go bankrupt because of his own stupidity and lack of knowledge.

“Fang Ruohai will transfer some money tomorrow. Use it to buy the best equipment from American companies.” Even a fool knew that ten million wasn’t enough to purchase a complete set of equipment. Xiao Ran quickly added, “There definitely won’t be enough money, so let’s buy photography and recording equipment first, along with film and other supplies!”

Photography equipment and film are for visual enjoyment, while recording equipment is for auditory enjoyment. Xiao Ran couldn’t imagine himself defeating Jia He in one go, but he thought that by obtaining this equipment, he could match Jia He in terms of image quality and sound effects.
Wei Dongling chuckled and had his female secretary bring in some materials, handing them to Xiao Ran. “Take a look. You don’t need to buy these devices in the U.S.; there are companies in Hong Kong handling their distribution. Although the price is a bit higher, I think it’s still worth it compared to going to the U.S.”
Xiao Ran stared at Wei Dongling in shock. He hadn’t expected Wei Dongling to have such thorough knowledge and preparation. He also knew that purchasing them in the U.S. would definitely not be possible in the short term. So, he had been prepared to rent equipment from Jia He. But now it seemed unnecessary.
Don’t think that just because the budgets for Phantom Company’s three new films have been approved, shooting has already begun. Xiao Ran is currently waiting for Stephen Chow—“The God of Gamblers” requires him to gain weight, while the prequel to “True Men” needs him to maintain his current weight. Thus, Xiao Ran has to wait for a while. Fortunately, the actual shooting for the prequel has already been completed, and Stephen Chow is now working hard to gain weight.
Phantom Company’s restructuring proceeded smoothly under Wei Dongling’s control, and the first senior-level meeting was held three days later. Ironically, although Wei Dongling’s office was a bit larger, it still seemed crowded when several department heads were present. Everyone stayed silent on the surface, but inwardly they must have thought many times that the company was too stingy.
Xiao Ran successfully managed to break away from the production department (now renamed the production division). Unfortunately, the company still needed an art director. The so-called art director is a highly independent position, tied to the production department, with the authority to assign all its staff and oversee the establishment of the film’s style.
This challenging role isn’t easy; the art director needs to be a heavyweight figure who can command respect—someone like Xu Ke would be perfect. Unfortunately, Xu Ke clearly had no reason to work with Xiao Ran. And since Xiao Ran knew well the styles of future directors, he was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate for this role.
In short, company affairs kept Xiao Ran extremely busy. Coupled with scriptwriting, he didn’t even have time to pursue Fang Ruoxin. It wasn’t until the third day after the company’s restructuring that he finally felt relieved.
He handed the script for “The Ghost Story” to Xu Ke, and within two days, Xu Ke agreed to direct the film. By then, Yu Jiayu had already gathered the entire crew, and after a ritual to invoke blessings, shooting for “The God of Gamblers” officially began.
The film featured a strong cast both on and off screen—lead actors included Zhou Runfa, Liu Hua, Fang Ruoxin, and Zhang Min, while the villain was played by Ren Dahuà. The famous assassin Long Wu, originally portrayed by Yongsheng’s boss Xiang Qiang, was now offered a cameo role by Xiao Ran, who refused it none the less.
Originally, Xiao Ran planned to have all the company’s contracted artists make cameos in the film, but considering that Liu Qingyun and Zhou Xingchi still had a chance to win Best Newcomer, he had to give up on this tempting idea.

1987 finally arrived. Xiao Ran welcomed it with great joy, yet also deep frustration. Of course, the day before, he had deliberately gone home once. Today was New Year’s Day, and Xiao Ran didn’t know where to go.
Fortunately, Lin Qingxia called to invite him out for dinner, relieving his loneliness. At a restaurant they often visited, as soon as Xiao Ran sat down and took in Lin Qingxia, who looked even more charming than usual, he couldn’t help but rub his nose.
They ordered food and chatted. After discussing some gossip, Xiao Ran quickly brought up matters related to the company: “Sis Lin, you have no idea—I’m so exhausted these days! Maybe one day I’ll even need to see a psychologist!”
Lin Qingxia naturally didn’t realize that Xiao Ran was exaggerating. Wei Dongling was handling all the company management issues, so why would Xiao Ran be tired? Still, she spoke gently out of concern, “A Ran, if you feel tired, stop working. Actually, I think you’re doing great as a screenwriter—you don’t need to push yourself so hard!”
“A man should prioritize his career!” Xiao Ran waved his finger dismissively, though in truth he might not be entirely selfless. In his view, success in his career was undoubtedly an asset if he wanted to pursue Fang Ruoxin. “By the way, Sis Lin, there aren’t any projects suitable for you at the company right now. Maybe you should take a break!”
“Exactly! I was thinking of taking a break anyway!” Lin Qingxia smiled; it suited her plans perfectly. “But it seems Shadow Company is doing quite well. I didn’t expect your junior to be so capable!”
“Too kind, too kind! To be honest, Sis Lin, what kind of roles and movies do you want to act in? Maybe I can tailor a script just for you.” Xiao Ran shook his head thoughtfully before finally coming up with the rest of his words: “Something more artistic? Or more commercial?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m tired of acting in so many artistic films in Taiwan.” Lin Qingxia sighed softly.
Xiao Ran thought of Fa Ge, who would win consecutive Best Actor awards for *True Colors* and *A Fairy Tale in Autumn*. He hoped to create a myth for Hong Kong cinema—a true legend. He wanted Fa Ge to win the award three times; that would be an indestructible myth.
However, that wasn’t easy. Fa Ge’s peak year was 1987, when three of his films were nominated for Best Actor. Now that circumstances had changed, Xiao Ran had to prepare everything for Fa Ge to win the award a third time.
Similarly, Lin Qingxia’s acting skills were excellent, yet she had never won an award. This had always been a source of regret for Xiao Ran. Fortunately, he now controlled a film company, so it wasn’t difficult to help Lin Qingxia win an award, especially since she wasn’t picky about roles.
“But I don’t understand why you hired screenwriters and even photographers,” Lin Qingxia said. She wasn’t good at business, and even experts might not grasp Xiao Ran’s deeper intentions. “This will surely increase the company’s expenses!”

Xiao Ran smiled slightly, exuding an air of a great general: “It doesn’t matter. Cinema is an art that values creativity. Without them, there would be no better movies. Only high-quality films can win the favor of audiences! So, in film creation, they are the most important.”
Lin Qingxia shook her head. She understood what Xiao Ran meant, but she didn’t think it would do any good for Shadow Company: “In a while, the Golden Horse Award nominations will be announced. Maybe this time you’ll win an award!”
Win an award? That was Xiao Ran’s greatest regret. He certainly hoped to win the award, but not by plagiarizing others’ success. After chatting for a while, they suddenly saw a middle-aged man who looked very familiar approaching, accompanied by two men. The middle-aged man sat down beside Xiao Ran with a smile: “Boss Xiao, I finally found you!”
Seeing this familiar face, Xiao Ran suddenly remembered that this was Wang Yu, a highly famous star from the Shaw Brothers era. He glanced at Lin Qingxia, only to see her shake her head gently. Thinking she didn’t recognize Wang Yu, Xiao Ran was puzzled when Wang Yu chuckled and introduced himself: “My name is Wang Yu. I also run a film company now. We’re all in the same business!”
Glancing at the two tall men behind him, Xiao Ran frowned slightly. This Wang Yu really liked to show off, even bringing bodyguards with him. Of course, on the surface, he didn’t show any annoyance at having his dinner disturbed: “I’ve long heard of Mr. Wang’s fame. What can I do for you?”
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