Chapter 67: The Desire Yacht

Zhang Wanding excelled at gentle, delicate techniques, while Xu Ke was skilled in clean, straightforward, and concise methods. As for Lin Lingdong, he used a highly brutal, realistic approach. Each had their own style. It’s no exaggeration to say that if Xiao Ran could master even one of their skills, it would be enough to make him a great director.

Moreover, he now sought advice from renowned directors whenever he encountered them. However, he believed that all great directors shared one common trait—subtlety. That is, they didn’t depict things directly, such as romantic relationships between men and women, but instead conveyed them through other dialogue and secondary elements.

In fact, directing requires great skill—where people stand, where props are placed, all play different roles. This involves meticulous on-set coordination. It’s like the director in “A King of Comedy” manipulating the homing pigeons; the proper placement of props can elevate the film’s atmosphere.

Atmosphere is the essence of a film and one of the indicators of a director’s excellence. It is both the mood of the film and the intangible elements that can only be understood, not expressed in words. If Xiao Ran wanted to become a great director, mastering atmosphere was key.

After all, he wrote about movies in his dreams, and in this regard, he was absolutely clear about the challenges ahead. If he overcame this hurdle, he could truly become an outstanding director. Otherwise, he would have to settle for being a screenwriter or start a new business.

A few days later, the day for fishing at sea arrived. As soon as Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia arrived at the dock, they saw Fa Ge with a very familiar face and what would soon become Fa Ge’s wife. Xiao Ran smiled slightly—what was meant to happen eventually happened.

He let Fa Ge, who was smiling, introduce the familiar, sharp-looking man silently: “This is Xiang Qiang. You might not know him—he’s also the boss of a film company! As for this one, Brother Qiang, I think no introduction is needed.”

“I wouldn’t dare not know him—the boss of Shadow Company, Hong Kong’s top screenwriter!” Xiang Qiang laughed heartily as he extended his hand to Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia. After shaking hands, he said with a smile, “It’s really strange to meet you and Hong Kong’s most beautiful woman here!”

“It’s great to meet you. Fa Ge has mentioned you to me before; I’ve long wanted to get to know you,” Xiao Ran said with a bright smile. He then said to Xiang Qiang and Fa Ge, “I guess Fa Ge did this on purpose this time!”

After chatting for a while, Xiao Ran remembered something. Seeing that Xiang Qiang had a cell phone, he borrowed it to make a call back to the company. He asked Wei Dongling to find Zhang Min immediately and tell her to come right away.

“What’s so urgent that even during his vacation, Boss Xiao has to make this call personally?” Given Fa Ge’s relationship with Xiao Ran, they could joke freely. “Can we go on the boat now? It’s getting late.”

“Wait a bit. Oh, by the way, you still haven’t introduced me to her!” Xiao Ran grinned mischievously at Chen Huilian, who had been clinging to Fa Ge’s side, then said seriously, “My dear Fa Ge, don’t hide your beauty in a golden house—or else I might leak it to the newspapers!”

Fa Ge chuckled. Everyone knew that Chen Huilian was his girlfriend; Xiao Ran was just teasing them. Lin Qingxia couldn’t help but laugh, while Xiang Qiang gazed at Fa Ge and his future wife with a flirtatious expression.

Fa Ge looked at Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia, ready to use them as a counterattack, but then remembered Fang Ruoxin as a fatal obstacle and shook his head, saying nothing more. Still, he couldn’t help but feel admiration for Lin Qingxia.

After a short while, the plump Zhang Min arrived, and Xiang Qiang’s eyes lit up at the sight of her. Xiao Ran introduced them briefly before setting sail. Gazing at the rippling sea, Xiao Ran lay on the deck with his face to the sky, feeling deeply moved—this was indeed the life he desired.

Not long after setting off, Zhang Min and Xiang Qiang slipped to the stern of the boat, obviously to be intimate. They would end up together sooner or later; Xiao Ran was merely giving them a little push. Of course, it had to be admitted that he also wanted to take this opportunity to improve his relationship with Xiang Qiang.

A close relationship was necessary, but he tried to keep the company’s affairs separate from Yongsheng. Xiao Ran didn’t want Yongsheng to get involved in money laundering and drag Shadow into it. Ugh! He wished he could slap himself—he was here to relax, not to work.

Yet he never expected that after working for so long, it would become second nature. Even though he didn’t need to handle the day-to-day operations, he still had to set the overall direction and strategy. Under such circumstances, there was no reason for him to relax.

Sunshine, blue sky, sea, beautiful women… With all these, Xiao Ran naturally hoped to enjoy himself. First, he changed into swimwear with Lin Qingxia and dived in to cool off, then came up to bask in the sun—it felt great!

Lin Qingxia and Chen Huilian were chatting, while Xiao Ran and Fa Ge sat on the railing at the bow, laughing and joking. Such a peaceful and serene life was indeed something everyone dreamed of. Fa Ge gazed into the distance and sighed, “If every day could be like this, it would be the greatest joy in life.”

“In novels, there’s always sorrow before happiness, setbacks before victory. Some contrast is needed to truly appreciate joy!” Xiao Ran suddenly felt like it was all a dream, a wonderful dream. What he feared most now was waking up and finding it all false.

“I’ve always wondered why you want to run a film company,” Fa Ge said, resting his hands on the railing and staring at Xiao Ran. He couldn’t help asking the question he’d been holding in for a long time. “With your talent, you could surely succeed effortlessly. There’s no need to work so hard!”

Xiao Ran sighed deeply. He never wanted to endure such hardship. In his dreams, he wandered around seeking freedom and closeness to nature. But facing such a perfect opportunity to realize his dream, if he gave it up, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

He took a deep breath of the fresh sea breeze before answering solemnly, “The profit distribution in New Art City is unfair, and it will eventually fall apart. Lei Kaitai might want to play the long game, but his main business isn’t in movies, so losing there won’t cause much harm to him. Pandi Sheng has enough financial resources to acquire Shaw Studios or any other theater chain without difficulty. But his lack of long-term decision-making only proves that he aims to make quick profits in the film industry!”
“Shaw Studios has stopped production for now; it might return in the future, but even if it does, it’s unlikely to turn things around. As for Golden Harvest, with its large scale and being the only local company with a distribution network in Europe and America, it certainly has great potential,” Xiao Ran said eloquently, completely forgetting he was on vacation. “However, even with its advantages, it’s vulnerable too. If the market conditions worsen, Golden Harvest will surely scale back its operations and focus on areas other than production.”
Xiao Ran’s voice grew louder, and Lin Qingxia and Chen Huilian, who were not far away, heard him. Listening to his analysis of the situation, Lin Qingxia’s eyes sparkled, and she kept looking at him intently.
Eddie could hide his surprise not well, stammering, “It can’t be as bad as you say. At least Hong Kong movies are still thriving. The three major companies are still very strong. Besides, with the market doing so well now, the possibility of a downturn is minimal! But you still haven’t explained why one would start a film company!”
Xiao Ran subconsciously shook his head slightly, gazing into the distance with a distant expression. His tone was calm, but he didn’t directly answer Eddie’s question. “Everyone calls Hong Kong ‘Oriental Hollywood,’ but in my opinion, not a single person in Hong Kong truly understands how Hollywood operates. Their movies seem to come off assembly lines, continuously distributed worldwide through their global distribution network.”
“Nowadays, the world has long been accustomed to Hollywood movies, and this mindset is deeply rooted. Even if the North American market collapses, they can still make profits through their established overseas markets.”
At this point, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but sneer, which made Eddie, who was used to his cheerful smile, feel uneasy. “Hong Kong movies lack such advantages. The local companies each operate independently, without a proper system. If the overseas markets collapse, the local market simply won’t be enough to support them.”
“But Hong Kong is Hong Kong, and Hollywood is Hollywood. Some things can’t be copied,” Eddie said, gradually becoming thoughtful under Xiao Ran’s words. “In Hong Kong, there are its own rules. Importing Hollywood’s rules is useless! Besides, the Southeast Asian market is booming right now—how could it collapse all at once!”
“That’s right!” Xiao Ran exclaimed, slapping his thigh in realization. Thanks to Eddie’s reminder, he immediately understood the core issue: “The problem lies in the rules of the game. When promoting our movies, we focus only on short-term gains and forget to impose our rules on Southeast Asia, making them follow our ways!”

“It’s just like watching movies; we can’t let the audience decide what movies to watch!” Xiao Ran thought back to the early 2000s, when urban comedies flooded Hong Kong’s film market after the success of *Lone Man, Lonely Woman*. Film companies claimed that it was what the audience needed—light-hearted comedy and romance to lift their spirits, but it was complete nonsense.
No matter when, as long as movies exist, there will always be various choices. Perhaps one genre might become more popular temporarily, but the audience will never refuse other genres.
“What film companies should do is not simply cater to the audience, but make appropriate adjustments at the right time to indirectly influence their tastes. At least in the mainstream market, this must be ensured; otherwise, things will go haywire.”
“Why can’t we lose foreign markets? If they have their own film systems and talent, they can also produce equally great movies.” Xiao Ran spoke with growing sarcasm. If it weren’t for the incompetence of most people in Hong Kong’s film industry, Hong Kong movies wouldn’t have fallen to such a state: “By then, Hong Kong movies would be like Hollywood today, unable to succeed in Hong Kong!”
“If the movies sold to them are of poor quality and producers can’t make money, their demands will become increasingly harsh until it becomes unprofitable. By then, Hong Kong movies will be… dead!” Xiao Ran’s tone was less sorrowful and more mocking, mocking the fact that none of the shrewd film businessmen currently saw this imminent crisis.
Within a month of *Kung Fu* being released in 2004, no new movies were released in Hong Kong. From mid-May to mid-June 2005, again, no movies were released, not even complete flops. Saying Hong Kong movies were dying might not be an exaggeration.
Lin Qingxia and Fa Ge grew more and more alarmed as they listened, their faces paling. When they heard the last sentence, their hearts skipped a beat. Just as they stared at Xiao Ran in shock, Chen Huilian called out curiously, pointing at a yacht not far to the starboard side: “Hey, that person looks familiar!”
Xiao Ran turned his head to take a look. At first, he was surprised, then anger immediately flared up in him…