Chapter 96: The Ranking System

That evening, Xiao Ran went home. As expected, when the topic of Xiao Han becoming an actress came up, it was immediately rejected by Liang Shaohao. This made Xiao Han pout at Xiao Ran all night, which annoyed him yet also amused him.
The next day, Xiao Ran went to Lin Qingxia’s place. As soon as he told her he had obtained his driver’s license, she smiled and said, “A Ran, I prepared a gift for you because of this license!”
Xiao Ran was slightly surprised and followed her to the car garage, where he saw a sky-blue BMW, clearly new. Surprised, he frowned slightly, but Lin Qingxia noticed and asked, “What? Don’t you like it?”
“No, I like it very much!” Xiao Ran felt embarrassed. He had always thought it was his duty to take care of Lin Qingxia, not the other way around. Although he wasn’t a chauvinist, receiving such an expensive car from her was hard for him to accept.
Lin Qingxia was a smart woman. She quickly understood what Xiao Ran was thinking. Her joyful expression faded, and she said sadly, “So you don’t like me giving you gifts. Is it really that important? As long as we’re together, no one will care about these things!”
Hearing the deep affection in her voice, Xiao Ran’s heart was moved, and he felt everything else didn’t matter. He looked sincerely into Lin Qingxia’s eyes and said, “No, I might have been a bit unhappy just now, but I’m really happy now!”
“By the way, how did you know I like BMW?” Actually, since he was young, Xiao Ran had thought that if he bought a car when he grew up, it would be a Chinese-made Hongqi. But as he grew older, his opinion changed. Still, he really liked BMW and would always stare at others’ BMWs with interest.
“Well…” Lin Qingxia hesitated before saying, “I asked Xin Ge and A Dong; they told me!”
Xiao Ran gently held Lin Qingxia’s hand. He suddenly felt lucky to have won her favor. Perhaps, aside from supporting Hong Kong cinema, this was his greatest achievement since coming to this era.
“A Dong, when are you going to find a girlfriend? Otherwise, I won’t let you come to events like this again!”
Xiao Ran teased Wei Dongling jokingly, while Lin Qingxia beside him covered her mouth, laughing secretly. It was a charity gala, and there were usually many messy events like this, but as Xiao Ran’s status rose, he didn’t have to attend everything.
However, tonight’s charity gala was a bit different. Besides celebrities and wealthy people, important officials from the Hong Kong-British government were also present. For example, the Deputy Financial Secretary and the head of the Film and Television Department were there.
Not many people from the film industry were invited. The heads of the three major film companies were there, along with famous actors like Zhong Chuhong and Fa Ge. Aside from the three major companies, Mei Ying was the only one invited. Even Xiao Ran felt honored when he received the invitation.

Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia walked over while greeting people along the way. From afar, they saw Fa Ge and Zhong Chuhong, the best couple on screen, talking with others. Xiao Ran gave Wei Dongling a glance and then looked at the heads of the three major companies talking on the other side, signaling for him to go over and build rapport.

Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia then walked over hand in hand like a couple toward Fa Ge and the others. Fa Ge and his group clearly saw Xiao Ran as well; they greeted those two people and then came over to them. Sitting down with smiles, before Xiao Ran could say anything, Fa Ge anxiously told him, “There’s a conflict between Wu Yusen and Xu Ke!”

Lin Qingxia was slightly shocked, but Xiao Ran wasn’t at all surprised. Given Xu Ke’s domineering nature on set, Wu Yusen surely wouldn’t allow himself to be controlled by others. So, a conflict was only a matter of time.

After some discussion, Xiao Ran finally understood that Wu Yusen and Xu Ke had already disagreed during the filming of “Heroic Spirit 2.” And now, even before “Heroic Spirit 3” started shooting, they had a serious conflict over creative ideas. Wu Yusen didn’t like Xu Ke interfering too much in the filming, while Xu Ke, despite being the producer, liked to take on directorial duties, which naturally led to arguments.

Xiao Ran thought for a moment and smiled slightly. “It’s okay. As long as they don’t work together, there won’t be any problems!” He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. It wasn’t about history—it was Xu Ke’s personality that ensured such conflicts would arise.

However, in history, this conflict between Wu Yusen and Xu Ke caused them to become enemies, refusing to have anything to do with each other for over a decade. Xiao Ran definitely didn’t want that to happen. Wu Yusen was his target, and Xu Ke was someone he also hoped to win over. Moreover, in the long run, it would be better if these two master directors got along.

“This time, when they heard their names among the invited guests, they even refused to come!” Fa Ge said with a wry smile. Wu Yusen was a friend who shared his ideals, and Xu Ke was a director he admired—this really put him in a difficult position.

In Fa Ge’s view, the only person who could influence both Xu Ke and Wu Yusen was Xiao Ran. Fa Ge knew that both Wu Yusen and he felt grateful to Xiao Ran for recognizing their talents and shared a sense of understanding. As for Xu Ke, he was the one who had introduced Xiao Ran into the film industry, so their relationship was naturally very good.

“Trust me, they’ll be fine!” Xiao Ran smiled. After this conflict, Wu Yusen would become part of Shadow Company, not New Art City, nor would he be taken away by Lei Kaitai’s favor.

“Fa Zai, Hong Gu, when did you arrive?” A deep voice rang out—it was Wan Ziliang, the top star of ATV, whom they had never had the chance to meet. He showed Xiao Ran a smile he recognized very well and said, “Wow, I didn’t expect the Hand of God to be here too. I’ve always wanted to meet you!”

“Liang Ge, it’s me who’s always wanted to visit you, but I’ve lacked the opportunity and reason!” Xiao Ran laughed. He indeed had always wanted to meet Wan Ziliang. Unfortunately, since he had a good relationship with TVB, it wasn’t appropriate for him to get too close to ATV, so he never really had the chance to meet ATV’s people.

Looking at Wan Ziliang’s face, Xiao Ran had always felt that aside from Fa Ge, Wan Ziliang was the one who best embodied the aura of a “big brother” these days. Yet, there had been few opportunities for collaboration. There had been one last time—the script for “Jianghu Qing” that Wang Yu brought was starring Wan Ziliang. But Xiao Ran didn’t need to go to the set personally, and besides, he hadn’t even signed his name on the script.

What amused Xiao Ran was that when he first met these big stars and directors, he used to be extremely excited. But now, his emotions remained calm. He wasn’t sure if this counted as a decline in his aesthetic sensitivity.

“You can’t say that!” Wan Ziliang smiled mysteriously, with a hint of cunning in his expression. “The new movie that just came out a few days ago—well, we can consider that a collaboration!”

Mentioning collaboration reminded Xiao Ran of Zhang Guorong and Wang Jing. If his memory served him right, these two had hardly ever worked together since they started their careers, which was quite surprising. There had been a couple of indirect collaborations, such as Wang Jing playing a minor official role in “Qian Nu You Hun.”

Xiao Ran smiled, but it was a cold smile. Wang Yu had used his influence to coerce him, and after leaving a deep impression on Wang Yu, he had given in. But that didn’t mean he had truly given up. Come on, if he had given up so easily, he wouldn’t be Xiao Ran.

The script for “Jianghu Qing” was indeed good, but what Xiao Ran gave Wang Yu wasn’t necessarily complete. Offending the screenwriter meant the movie would fail outright. Xiao Ran had removed many details and altered the rest, so that if the editing was poor, the final result would seem disjointed.

Who in the world could surpass Xiao Ran in understanding artistic atmosphere? Remember, after 1997, Xiao Ran was most fascinated by Galaxy’s works, which emphasized artistic atmosphere. He intended to play tricks on Wang Yu in this regard—unless the director was smart enough, no one could change that fact.

Obviously, this wasn’t enough to push “Jianghu Qing” into oblivion, so Xiao Ran arranged for “Prison Storm” to be released simultaneously with it. When it came to competing films, in 1987, few movies could surpass “Prison Storm,” which was the runner-up at the box office that year.

Although it wasn’t yet time to determine the ultimate winner, just ten days after release, “Prison Storm” had already earned 15 million in box office revenue. Meanwhile, “Jianghu Qing,” released at the same time, had only earned 5 million so far—making the outcome almost certain.

“However, I really admire you!” Wan Ziliang seemed utterly unconcerned about “Jianghu Qing’s” box office performance. Instead, he said with a smile, “You were able to predict that this movie wouldn’t do well, so you simply refused to sign your name. I even wonder now if you had it planned all along.”

Xiao Ran was slightly surprised. He had indeed done it too obviously. By releasing his movie to compete with Wang Yu’s, and considering the box office differences along with Xiao Ran’s refusal to sign, it was easy to conclude that he had done it on purpose. And Wan Ziliang had guessed it.

He silently scolded himself for being too forward, warning himself not to be so obvious next time before smiling and denying it: “There’s nothing like that. Besides, I wasn’t the screenwriter for this film. Otherwise, the box office would definitely be much higher.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Anyway, Wang Yu is in a bit of a mess now!” Wan Ziliang laughed maliciously, and Zhou Runfa and Zhong Chuhong nodded in agreement—they both had little goodwill toward Wang Yu. “If it weren’t for the money, I’d never bother shooting this film. As it stands, it’s good enough; he probably won’t come to me again next time!”
Xiao Ran was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected that although Wang Yu had power, he had no popularity at all. Thinking of this, he seriously warned himself to build good relationships. But he was overthinking it—when it came to popularity, he was definitely one of the best in the film industry.
After discussing things and finalizing the next collaboration with Wan Ziliang, Xiao Ran was called over by the head of the film department. He guessed what the matter might be and was slightly shocked when he arrived in a corner.
Not only was the head of the department there, but also Lei Kaitai, Pan Disheng, He Guanchang, the top manager of Cathay Group, and Wei Dongling. Xiao Ran smiled and nodded at them all before sitting down next to Wei Dongling.
Seeing that everyone was there, the head of the department chuckled and said, “This time, the government has decided to strengthen regulation in the film industry. So, some companies were shut down after audits earlier. Given the current number of violent and pornographic films, higher authorities have made a decision. Since everyone is here, let’s exchange opinions first!”
A film rating system? That was the first thought that crossed Xiao Ran’s mind. He thought it was indeed time for such a system, as it would be difficult to regulate pornographic and violent scenes in films otherwise.
What pleased him was that he was included in this discussion. While luck played a role, it also proved that the industry was gradually recognizing the potential of Shadow Company. He might not be strong enough to compete with the three giants, but he definitely had the potential.
This was something that delighted Xiao Ran greatly. It wasn’t hard to make good films; the real challenge was gaining industry recognition. Just like Wang Yu, who, despite having power, lacked recognition and struggled even with each film he made.
Xiao Ran was underestimating himself. He was already recognized as a “god’s hand” in Hong Kong. With his own scripts as a backing, no one dared to ignore Shadow Company’s potential. Moreover, it was well-known that celebrities like Zhou Runfa, Wu Yushen, Lin Qingxia, and Zhong Chuhong had good relationships with Xiao Ran—otherwise, they wouldn’t have signed long-term contracts with New Art City while also filming for Shadow Company.
Most importantly, Shadow Company’s first film broke Hong Kong’s box office record, and its second film was an outstanding success both in terms of box office earnings and critical acclaim. Few people still doubted Shadow Company now. The example of New Art City, which started with a film whose box office performance wasn’t particularly good—“The Comic Era”—and quickly became one of the three giants was still fresh in everyone’s mind.

“We plan to introduce a grading system, and I believe it will be officially launched within a month at most!” After inspecting the area for a week, the director finally focused his gaze on the three big players: “What are everyone’s thoughts?”
Although his words seemed to seek opinions, his tone was unambiguous. Clearly, the Hong Kong-British government believed it was imperative to implement this grading system. Pandy Sheng remained indifferent, while Lei Kaitai smoked his cigar without saying anything. He Guanchang, on the other hand, was deep in thought.
*****
Fictional name — Lei Kaitai
Real name — Unknown
In Wong Pai-ming’s memoirs about New Art City, it is clear that the behind-the-scenes boss has the surname Lei. However, strangely, other sources suggest that there might be another person behind the scenes. After some speculation, I arrived at an answer. Longxiang Film Company is from Taiwan, and it has good relationships with New Art City, Deppa, and other companies, often participating in investments. I believe one of these so-called behind-the-scenes bosses refers to the owner of Longxiang. The boss of New Art City should be the one with the surname Lei; it is said that this person is extremely wealthy and serves as the president of the transportation associations in Kowloon or Hong Kong. This Mr. Lei is very cunning—the films he invests in can earn him huge profits. It’s unknown why he might have rushed to stop his film business, perhaps due to emigration.