Chapter 6: Planning for the Future

Xiao Ran quickly recalled in his mind the several films directed by You Zhi, which had captivated fans. You Zhi was a key member under Du Feng and, along with another of Hong Kong’s best screenwriters, You Hai, they were known as the “Twin Yous.” Later classics such as *Very Sudden*, *Only One Can Survive*, and *Dark Flowers* were all directed by him. He remained committed to his ideals and his own cinematic philosophy. His directing style was unconventional and fiercely distinctive, making him one of Hong Kong’s rare cinematic geniuses.

Unfortunately, You Zhi had disagreements with Du Qifeng and the creative direction of Galaxy Pictures. To protect his dignity and ideals, he left the film industry he loved to work on TV dramas in Malaysia. He later directed TVB’s popular series *The Legend of the Dragon Twins*. Without the help of Wei Jiahui, who later became the behind-the-scenes leader of Galaxy Pictures, You Zhi might not have even had the chance to direct TV dramas.

Although *The Legend of the Dragon Twins* was a failure, Xiao Ran knew it couldn’t be blamed on You Zhi, as there were differences between making films and TV dramas. In film, the director makes the decisions, but in TV dramas, it’s the producer who decides how things are done—so it wasn’t You Zhi’s fault.

He absolutely couldn’t let him get away! At that moment, that was the only thought in Xiao Ran’s mind. He had heard some rumors—that You Zhi’s subsequent classic films had poor box office results, and whenever someone mentioned him after he left, Du Qifeng would get angry. Later, as You Zhi’s works gradually became popular in the mainland and were highly admired by countless fans, Du Qifeng took credit for them.

Though Du Qifeng seemed vain and ambitious, he indeed had real talent. It was also because of Du Qifeng’s ability to lead and control things that You Zhi, who was still unknown at the time, was able to create those masterpieces later on. In short, Du Qifeng was like You Zhi’s mentor—without him, You Zhi might not have become who he is today.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran felt extremely troubled. Should he tell You Zhi that Du Qifeng would hinder him and might even drive him away in the future? After considering this, he calmed down. The future was uncertain, and worrying now was pointless. So, he set aside this tempting idea and extended his hand solemnly: “Hello, I’m Xiao Ran. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Wei Dongling and You Zhi naturally had no idea what Xiao Ran was thinking. Seeing his constantly changing expression, they thought he might be suffering from intermittent mental illness! You Zhi quickly shook Xiao Ran’s hand, but he was uncomfortable with the intense look in Xiao Ran’s eyes.

With Xiao Ran’s efforts, the three of them quickly became familiar with each other. Wei Dongling had just returned from the United States a few months earlier, intending to make a big impact in Hong Kong. After a few months, he found a job, but it wasn’t very good—just at an ordinary small company. He thought it was a waste to live in such a large house alone, so he looked for roommates, but no one had shown interest until today, when two people showed up at once.

It was a bit strange for You Zhi to appear here; he knew You Zhi should be working as a director at TVB at that time. TVB clearly had staff dormitories in Clear Water Bay’s Television City, so why would he need to rent a place outside? After hearing You Zhi’s explanation, Xiao Ran learned that he had caused a problem at TVB some time ago and was unilaterally terminated from his contract, meaning You Zhi was now free. Xiao Ran was overjoyed—this meant he had to seize this opportunity. If he let away a genius like You Zhi, he would regret it for life. In just a few words, they quickly agreed on the rent and some rules. The rent wasn’t expensive—800 yuan per person per month was enough. Yet, in that era, 800 yuan was quite a large sum. Only someone like Xiao Ran, who didn’t have much money but didn’t care about it, wouldn’t worry about it—this was a habit carried over from his dream life: no matter when or where, he had to live comfortably. You Zhi hesitated for a while, as he had only been a junior director before and didn’t have any money. Naturally, Xiao Ran wouldn’t miss this chance. He looked at You Zhi sincerely and said, “We hit it off right away. Without you, it would be less fun. I’ll cover half of it!” Wei Dongling was a generous person and immediately added, “If you don’t rent it, I still have to pay alone. Now that Aran is sharing some of the cost, that’s enough. I’ll cover half too! That way, we can live together!” You Zhi was somewhat introverted—perhaps those obsessed with film art were all a bit introverted. He argued a bit about it before finally making a decision under the pressure from the persistent Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling. You Zhi only needed to pay 200 yuan per month, with the rest split evenly between Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling. Although Xiao Ran admired You Zhi, he also intended to make an effort to get close to him. Wei Dongling, on the other hand, was truly generous, agreeing to such a co-rental arrangement despite having no prior connection—truly a loyal and kind man. But ever since hearing Wei Dongling’s name, Xiao Ran felt a vague sense of familiarity. By the time they left, he still couldn’t recall where he had heard it. After thinking for a while with no clue, he gave up. The rest was much simpler. He went straight to buy some household items and moved into his new home, which Xiao Ran called “a haven of leisure”! Computers already existed in that era, but Xiao Ran clearly didn’t think he could use them after using an old machine. He didn’t do much to decorate; he just made the room look a bit more comfortable for living. Soon, You Zhi also moved in. The matter was settled like this. When Wei Dongling suggested going for drinks, Xiao Ran refused and proposed another idea: “I don’t drink. Let’s just go eat!” “I don’t drink either!” You Zhi clearly agreed with Xiao Ran’s idea and immediately expressed his support. Left alone, Wei Dongling had no choice but to accept their proposal.

They found a street-side food stall, ordered some dishes and drinks, and You Zhi couldn’t wait to ask Xiao Ran, “A Ran, it seems you heard my name when we met at lunch today. Is that right?”
Xiao Ran was stunned. How should he answer? Could he say he was from the future? Even the stupidest person would doubt that, and even if they believed he was an alien, they wouldn’t think he came from the future. As he racked his brains, he chuckled to hide his thoughts. “There’s nothing strange about it!”
At that point, he gently raised his hand to signal the two of them to lower their heads. When their three heads were close together, he smiled mysteriously and said, “Let me tell you—I have a sixth sense that allows me to predict the future!”
“Really?” You Zhi and Wei Dongling exclaimed in disbelief, quickly thinking of a test. “Can you predict what will happen to Hong Kong in the future?”
Xiao Ran smiled. Ever since the Chinese government started negotiating with Britain over Hong Kong, the people of Hong Kong had been filled with fear and doubt, and these two were no exception. So he simply smiled and said, “But I can’t predict everything. Basically, I can only sense what achievements a person might have in the future.”
“What do you sense about my future?” You Zhi and Wei Dongling might not believe in such things, but Chinese people tend to believe in them rather than deny them, especially those in Hong Kong.
“You!” Xiao Ran closed his eyes as if he were a wise sage, looking quite amusing. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and shook his head, causing You Zhi’s heart to sink. “Don’t worry. Someone will help you return to TVB soon! That’s as far as I can see.”
You Zhi naturally didn’t believe it. With TVB’s domineering attitude, how could they possibly yield to him? But Xiao Ran knew that the two You brothers had worked under Du Feng, which meant they had also been working for TVB before Du Feng left.
Wei Dongling, having spent time in the United States, was generally skeptical about such things. But he seemed to see it as a fun game and curiously asked, “What about me? What do you see for me?”
Xiao Ran wasn’t a fool; he obviously knew the two of them didn’t believe him. But he didn’t care. He had said it just to dispel You Zhi’s doubts. So just as he was about to speak, his whole body trembled slightly.
This tremor was significant because Xiao Ran suddenly remembered where he had heard this name before! Wei Dongling was an unknown name to most people. In Xiao Ran’s memory, this man had first tried his luck in Hong Kong but, after failing, went to the United States in disappointment.
There, thanks to his outstanding abilities, he gradually became prominent in the American film industry. By the mid-1990s, Wei Dongling became part of Warner’s senior management. He was very insightful and skilled at managing companies. A typical example was when Warner proposed merging with AOL—he immediately saw the risks of such a merger and strongly opposed it, only to be fired anyway.

Warner suffered a huge loss as a result, and only then did they think of Wei Dongling, trying to bring him back. But Wei Dongling had already lost heart and never returned to the industry. Warner regarded this as a great shame and rarely mentioned it, so aside from some high-ranking industry figures, few outside knew about it.

Shao Ran, shocked, stared intently at Wei Dongling in front of him, wondering if this was really the remarkable person from his dreams. Regardless, Shao Ran made an immediate decision: whether it was him or not, he had to recruit him and prevent him from leaving Hong Kong.

So, the scheming guy started his nonsense again: “I sense that you won’t be satisfied in Hong Kong during your first few years. As long as you persevere, you’ll surely achieve great things!”

Obviously, no one thought Wei Dongling would believe this, but he was still influenced. Shao Ran had hit on a key point—Wei Dongling indeed had little patience to stay in Hong Kong anymore.

Of course, Shao Ran had no idea that his deliberate words had made Wei Dongling thoughtful; otherwise, he would have surely jumped for joy. He finally had a peaceful place of his own, and now he had time to think about his future!

Seeing the two of them in silent thought, Shao Ran realized that his so-called “perception ability,” which he had used to change the subject, seemed to have been taken seriously. He quickly burst into laughter: “I was just joking. You really believe that? No way.”

In his “dream life,” Shao Ran had been a carefree wanderer. Coming here meant a brand new life. In this environment, he decided to become an actor. But now he suddenly realized his decision was very inappropriate, as the whole world knew that Hong Kong cinema was on the verge of collapse twenty years later.

“What do you like?” Shao Ran asked himself, hoping to find his path forward through self-reflection. Of course, it was movies—Hong Kong movies. Hong Kong cinema had influenced an entire generation of people on the mainland, and Shao Ran had been part of that passionate group at that age.

Shao Ran remembered the last Hong Kong movie he watched before “waking up” was a complete mess. He even felt the urge to smash his computer. He recalled his angry outburst: “Even if I made movies, I could do better than you!” He also remembered various articles analyzing the reasons behind the rapid decline of Hong Kong cinema.

At that moment, as if a flash of inspiration struck him, he suddenly had an epiphany. Since he was in the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, how could he just stand by and watch it die?

He decided to do everything in his power to save Hong Kong cinema. Perhaps it couldn’t be called saving—it wasn’t even sure he had such great power. But he believed that in this era full of opportunities, he had a chance to make it happen.

Rather than saving Hong Kong cinema, it might be better to say he was saving the memories and innocence of an entire generation. Hong Kong movies were the collective memory and shared legacy of our generation.

In Hong Kong movies, there is the recklessness of our youth, the fruits of our innocent first loves, our passionate or indignant emotions, and the youthful exuberance of unrestrained celebration… These are the Hong Kong movies that can never be forgotten!