Chapter 58: Refusing to Submit

The man suddenly realized what was happening and quickly leaned back. A deafening scream pierced the air and rushed into everyone’s ears. They all turned their gaze toward the source of the sound. What they saw was an extremely bloody scene, which made them gasp in shock. Looking at Xiao Ran, who remained unbelievably calm, fear spread rapidly among them, causing them to instinctively take two steps back.

Xiao Ran hadn’t hit the leader in the face, but as the man dodged, he slashed deeply across his chest. At the same time, Xiao Ran concentrated all his strength in his fingers gripping the key and pressed down hard.

A one-foot-long wound appeared on the man’s chest and abdomen, and blood only began to flow a second later from the torn flesh. Such a massive wound caused the blood to quickly soak the man’s entire body. In sheer terror, the man glanced at Xiao Ran before collapsing to the ground uncontrollably.

Seeing those gang members charging at him, Xiao Ran smiled. With a loud roar that stunned them, he then pointed coldly at the convulsing man and said, “Tell the one who sent you—I write the script. But this is what happens when someone dares to mess with me. Take him away!”

The gang members were stunned for a moment before recalling their boss’s orders not to harm this screenwriter named Xiao Ran. Realizing the leader’s injuries were pointless, they quickly left with the wounded man.

It wasn’t until he saw them go into the distance that Xiao Ran felt dizzy. His body weakened, and he almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Fa Ge and Hua Zai rushed over to support him, preventing him from hitting the ground.

Of course, filming could not continue that day. The crew members discussed among themselves, marveling at Xiao Ran’s courage and ferocity in confronting the gangsters and remembering his performance vividly.

Xiao Ran’s head injury wasn’t serious—just a mild concussion, which didn’t usually cause amnesia. Fa Ge and Hua Zai stayed by his side out of loyalty until Lin Qingxia arrived after hearing the news.

Not long after Lin Qingxia arrived, Xiao Ran woke up. Seeing Fa Ge and Hua Zai, he immediately remembered what had happened and asked anxiously, “Fa Ge, that guy seemed seriously injured. Am I okay?”

What kind of question was that? The severity of the other man’s injuries had nothing to do with whether he was fine. But Fa Ge understood what Xiao Ran meant. He smiled and said, “You did great today. You avenged all of us in our circle. Don’t worry, you’re fine. The underworld won’t let the police know about this.”

Xiao Ran was surprised by Fa Ge’s words, but then realized it made sense. In the film industry, most people had status and influence. Aside from a few, no one wanted any involvement with the underworld. Moreover, the film industry had likely been oppressed by the underworld for too long, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to say Xiao Ran had avenged them.

With Dai Fa Ge and Huazai gone, Lin Qingxia shifted her gaze from the door to Xiao Ran’s head. Concerned, she reached out to touch his head, which was wrapped up like a zongzi, and tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re always like this. You were fine yesterday, but now you’re in this state. Do you know how worried you make me? Didn’t you say yesterday you could handle this? Why now…?”

Xiao Ran didn’t notice the change in Lin Qingxia’s tone and thought it was just an older sister’s concern for her younger brother. He quickly reassured her, “I’m fine. It’s just a small cut on my head. Look, I can still jump and move around—how can I seem sick? As for that matter, if nothing goes wrong, it should be settled now!”

After saying that, Xiao Ran jumped off the hospital bed and indeed started jumping around. To avoid worrying his sister, he was willing to make an effort. Hearing Xiao Ran’s nonsense, Lin Qingxia finally smiled a bit. “You always talk nonsense. Some small cut on your head? Be more careful next time something like this happens. We’re like porcelain; they’re just broken tiles. There’s no way we can compete with them.”

“It’s fine!” Xiao Ran was frustrated. Women were always like this. But he still patiently explained, “We don’t need to fear them at all. As long as we’re stronger than them, that’s enough. That’s the reality of the film industry. We can’t force them to leave right now, but we can act tougher to avoid being bullied!”

“Besides, they won’t be around for many more years!” Xiao Ran sneered. He didn’t believe those gangsters in Hong Kong would still dare to act arrogantly after 1997. Thinking of this, along with the support from the mainland market and the government, he decided to align himself with the Chinese government at all costs.

As the one who was injured, Xiao Ran trying to comfort Lin Qingxia was actually quite frustrating for her. After talking for a while, while Lin Qingxia was peeling an apple for him, a figure that made Xiao Ran grind his teeth with hatred entered the room accompanied by two bodyguards.

Wang Yu rudely pulled up a chair and sat far away from the hospital bed, probably out of fear that Xiao Ran might suddenly attack him. Wang Yu was completely different from the tough character portrayed on screen; he always wore a smiling face, making it hard to refuse him. “Screenwriter Wang, maybe it’s better to call you A Ran. A Ran, this incident really has nothing to do with me. Please don’t blame me!”

“Of course, it has nothing to do with Mr. Wang!” Despite his hatred, Xiao Ran managed to hide his true feelings. This place was truly deadly. “I guess it was just bad luck for me. What do you think?”

“Possible!” Wang Yu nodded seriously before becoming solemn and saying, “But I think such bad luck won’t happen again! I promise!”

“I hope so!” Xiao Ran pretended to sigh deeply, but inwardly he cursed that cunning guy sitting in the chair. “By the way, I can give you the script you wanted in a while.”

“Really? That’s great!” Wang Yu laughed heartily. He thought his threat strategy had worked—who in the film industry would dare to oppose gangsters? “With A Ran writing the script for me, this movie will definitely be a huge success!”

“Damn it!” Xiao Ran cursed silently, his mind racing as he considered which movie could make this guy suffer huge losses. But for now, it seemed better to maintain a good relationship with him. The thought filled him with hatred.

A few days later, Xiao Ran returned to the set to continue filming. This time, he took the opportunity to give Hua Zai some advice on acting. Only then, during a break, did he ask Fa Ge if he knew anyone in the industry who knew much about the underworld. Fa Ge’s answer surprised Xiao Ran slightly: “Of course, there’s one—he’s a crew member.”

A day later, Xiao Ran decided to visit that crew member. The man lived in public housing and didn’t seem like a wealthy person at all. After knocking on the door, it opened, and an old man in his fifties appeared before Xiao Ran. The old man clearly recognized Xiao Ran and was shocked to see such an important person visiting him.

“Are you Xiao Kun?” Xiao Ran was always polite to strangers, believing that manners were a way to maintain distance. “I’m Xiao Ran. I’m here to see you.”

“I’ve seen you in magazines. What do you want from me?” Xiao Kun looked exhausted, his tone unfriendly and even wary.

“Can we talk inside?” Xiao Ran smiled slightly. Inside, he took in the surroundings and found them extremely shabby, beginning to doubt whether Fa Ge’s story was true.

Fa Ge had told Xiao Ran about Xiao Kun’s background. It was said that Xiao Kun used to be a famous figure in the underworld with a legendary reputation. According to Fa Ge’s hearsay, Xiao Kun started as a small thug but later went to a boxing gym and gradually became a powerful enforcer for a certain faction of the 14K gang.

It was already remarkable for an ordinary thug to reach such a status. But Xiao Kun was even more formidable. Later, when their leader became the head of the 14K gang, he was ambushed in a theater while negotiating with another gang. Xiao Kun rushed in with two machetes, saving his leader by fighting alone against ten men. It was said that he killed or injured at least ten people in that fight—truly a fierce warrior.

During that battle, the gang leader still showed loyalty by pushing others forward as scapegoats. But it was said that once, when the 14K leader went to the docks to receive drugs, he was caught by the police. Since the police insisted that the 14K hand over their leader, Xiao Kun stepped forward as a scapegoat.

He spent ten years in prison, but fortunately, due to his good behavior, he was released after six years. Yet, to Xiao Kun’s disappointment, his leader didn’t visit him even once during those six years. Even when his wife and children were killed in revenge, the leader showed no concern. Thus, Xiao Kun resolved to leave the underworld and never return.

Anyway, it was precisely because the 14K leader lacked loyalty that the gang’s strength declined rapidly. Its influence in the underworld was gradually overtaken by other gangs. Basically, the two most powerful gangs now were Xin Yi An and Lian Ying, while the 14K had been excluded from the major gangs. And that unlucky leader, while trying to find a prostitute, was ambushed by his enemies and stabbed thirty-seven times—dying in the most brutal way possible.

“Just say if you need anything!” Xiao Kun didn’t seem to welcome Xiao Ran at all, not even willing to offer him a cup of boiled water.
“I hope you’ll work for our company!” Xiao Ran wasn’t bothered at all. It was just water—once he left here, he could get whatever water he wanted. “You know the harm the underworld can cause to film companies. So, we need someone who knows the underworld well but has no connection to it! I think you’re the perfect candidate!”
Xiao Kun didn’t refuse. Instead, his expression changed as he fell into thought. Xiao Ran didn’t disturb him. It wasn’t news for underworld figures to enter the film industry, nor was it unusual for those who left the underworld to do so as well.
At least Xiao Ran knew that the two martial arts advisors in the “Crazy Gang” series used to be gangsters. For example, Li Zhaoji and Wu Zhixiong were both gangsters; Li Zhaoji used to be one of the famous “Thirteen Guardians of Ciyun Mountain.” The story of these thirteen underworld figures was even adapted into a movie.
“If you agree, you’ll get the title of market advisor!” Xiao Ran smiled confidently. Everyone has a price, just higher or lower. “And I think the salary will be enough for you to live a comfortable life!”
These words tempted Xiao Kun. He was in a very difficult situation now, and the money he could earn as a crew member wasn’t much. After suffering so much in his early life, he wanted to live more comfortably in his later years. Anyone would reject such an attractive offer. But he put forward a condition: “I won’t be directly involved in your company’s conflicts with the underworld!”
“No problem!” Xiao Ran rubbed his nose and smiled gently. “Shadow Company is a legitimate film company. We won’t get involved in underworld affairs, as long as they don’t bother us! But you don’t need to get involved either—we won’t!”
Perhaps because Xiao Ran’s tone didn’t sound entirely sincere, Xiao Kun looked at the young man before him with suspicion before finally nodding in agreement.
*****
Fictional name — Teddy Robin
Real name — Teddy Robin
Professions — Director, actor, musician
Teddy Robin is one of the seven giants of New Art City. He’s very short and is a highly entertaining actor. However, the saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” applies perfectly to him. He’s not only an excellent actor but has also directed several well-regarded films and is a talented producer. Additionally, he’s a famous musician in Hong Kong. The “Music Giant” in “Eight Stars Bring Good News” is actually Teddy Robin playing himself. His 1995 film “Night in Hong Kong” depicts the music industry.
Works: “The Working Emperor,” “I Love Night-blooming Flowers,” “The Treasure Hunt” and more