Chapter 99: Resolving Disputes

“There’s one more thing!” Xiao Ran rubbed his nose; obviously, what he had to say wasn’t good news. “Well, how much money does the company have now? I plan to use part of it for other purposes.”
“After the ten million you took some time ago, there’s about sixty million left!” Wei Dongling looked puzzled. In fact, Xiao Ran was well aware of the company’s finances—every major expenditure required his personal signature. “How much do you want, and what do you plan to do with it?”
Xiao Ran was frustrated. What could he do with just sixty million? Six hundred million would allow him to make big profits. The stock market crash—Xiao Ran was practically eager for it, like a unscrupulous merchant hoarding goods. “How much money does the company need to keep for operations?”
Wei Dongling began to sense trouble. Such a question clearly meant Xiao Ran wanted to take all the money. After quick calculations, he stared at Xiao Ran and gave an answer: “Thirty million. Films like ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes’ are about to start shooting. If you refuse to raise funds, we’ll have to bear the risks ourselves!”
Xiao Ran was stunned. Thirty million—what could he do with that in a stock market crash? Still, Phantom Company did start shooting several films in the second half of the year, such as ‘The God of Gamblers’ and ‘Ghost Squad’. Since he didn’t want others to share the risks, he definitely couldn’t raise funds.
Silence! Under the intense gazes of Guan Xin and Wei Dongling, Xiao Ran pondered. He had originally planned to submit ‘A Fairy Tale in Autumn’ to the Venice Film Festival, which could help open up the European and American markets. But the money prepared for the stock market crash wasn’t enough. He wondered if he should release the film ahead of time to earn enough money first.
It was truly a dilemma. The benefits of the stock market crash were something Xiao Ran couldn’t give up on, but the European and American markets were even more important to him. After much consideration, he gritted his teeth in frustration and decided it was better to keep the film for the festival—it served his long-term interests better.
Xiao Ran didn’t want to release ‘A Fairy Tale in Autumn’ first and then submit it to the festival to achieve two goals at once. But he knew better—any film festival with significant influence required entries that hadn’t been officially released yet.
Money! The top priority was money. But where could Xiao Ran get it from? It wasn’t easy. Borrowing money seemed like a good idea, but he doubted banks would lend him money for stock trading. It seemed this would become a source of trouble for Xiao Ran in the short term.
The next day, he had no time to focus on this matter because he invited Xu Ke and Wu Yusen to help facilitate peaceful negotiations. Of course, Wu Yusen was essential—he still needed to direct ‘Two Lovers in Blood’.
To be honest, Xiao Ran greatly admired modern directors—not only could they direct but also write scripts. Both Xu Ke and Wu Yusen were highly talented individuals in this regard. Yet, some things were destined to become more specialized. Just as photography had both on-set and virtual shooting twenty years later.

Wu Yusen and Xu Ke both rested one hand on the table. Though they didn’t greet each other with angry expressions right away, it was clear they were completely incompatible. Xiao Ran found it amusing—such a young guy trying to mediate between two top-tier directors was simply absurd.
“Want to eat something? I heard the cured meats here are great!” They were currently in a cured meat shop. His tone was teasing. “No? That’s a shame. Get me some!” The last sentence was directed at the waiter.
“Aran, just say what you want to say!” Wu Yusen said to Xiao Ran with a displeased expression. “If you’re going to talk about me and him, then there’s no need. I’ve already decided to join Phantom. I have nothing more to do with him!”
“I’m sorry, but New Art City doesn’t need directors who ignore the producer’s instructions!” Unexpectedly, Xu Ke was quite sharp in retorting. “Especially directors like you who don’t follow the script!”
Xiao Ran smiled. He felt that Wu Yusen didn’t quite understand Xu Ke, and Xu Ke didn’t quite understand Wu Yusen, which led to their current hostility. It was only after Wu Yusen entered Hollywood that he realized what constraints really meant.
In Hollywood, he didn’t even have control over the final editing. The films he made weren’t what he wanted at all. Even his famous film *Mission: Impossible II* had no editing rights—he was restricted by the producer in Hong Kong and even more so in Hollywood. It was then that he gradually understood Xu Ke.
Wu Yusen was easier to deal with, but Xu Ke was a problem. Xu Ke was stubborn by nature and not easy to handle. During the filming of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, he clashed with veteran director Hu Jinquan, to the point where even Lei Kaitai stepped in, yet Xu Ke still insisted on his own way—proof of that.
“The higher you climb, the fewer friends you have!” Xiao Ran said sincerely. Most of his friends who used to call him Aran had changed their way of addressing him. “You two are the best directors here. Do you really want to suffer from being too high up?”
“I think there’s a communication problem between you!” Xiao Ran chuckled. It was well known that Xu Ke wasn’t good with words, and Wu Yusen clearly wasn’t good at speaking persuasively either. “Otherwise, there’s no reason for good friends to suddenly become enemies. How much hatred does that take? And there’s even less reason to become enemies after working together on one or two films.”
Wu Yusen and Xu Ke immediately grew anxious. The former quickly said to Xiao Ran, “That’s not it, Aran. You don’t know him. I’m the director—of course, I decide how to shoot! But he kept interfering, saying this shouldn’t be done here or that shouldn’t be done there. What would you do if it were you?”
Xu Ke didn’t stay silent. He also glared at Wu Yusen and said to Xiao Ran, “Aran, it’s simple. His filming methods are wrong from the start. As the producer, I have every right to point that out!”
Xiao Ran smiled slightly. As he had expected, it was indeed a communication issue. After thinking for a moment, he hit the nail on the head: “Your problem is whether the producer should interfere in the director’s duties. If you can’t resolve that, you won’t be able to reconcile, right?”

Both of them nodded at the same time and glared at each other even more fiercely. Xiao Ran laughed heartily, pointing at them and saying, “What’s so hard about this? Brother Sen, you knew from the start when you joined New Art City that it operates under a production supervisor system—this is to ensure commercial success, so directors’ arbitrary decisions must be restrained! Wasn’t Liang Puzhi removed from his directing role in the same way?”
“But this is different!” Wu Yusen became anxious when Xiao Ran took Xu Ke’s side. “I followed your script exactly, yet he still insists on interfering. What am I supposed to do? Fight or argue?”
Xiao Ran nodded and smiled at the annoyed Xu Ke, saying, “Old Xu, do you find this tricky? Making a sequel isn’t easy—you need to ensure both commercial success and quality on par with the first two films. Out of concern for these factors, you’ve imposed strict restrictions on Brother Sen. But I think you might have forgotten that it was precisely because of Sen’s creativity and passion that the film was successful. If you deliberately restrict his creativity, it won’t go well.”
Making a sequel is indeed difficult, especially for a classic work. Ensuring profits while avoiding criticism of it being a poor follow-up is an extremely tough task—the difficulty lies in the invisible pressure imposed on the creators’ mindset. Xiao Ran believed that if Wu Yusen and Xu Ke hadn’t worked together on this sequel, there likely wouldn’t have been any conflict.
After Xiao Ran analyzed the situation for them, they realized that neither side had it easy. Xu Ke, as the boss, had to protect his interests, while Wu Yusen, as a creator, needed freedom to express himself. When they were at a loss for words, Xiao Ran sighed and shook his head, saying, “I think if you two switched roles, you’d understand each other’s difficulties. It seems impossible to reconcile now—I’m too lazy to say anything more!”
“But do you really have to bring work issues into your personal lives?” Looking at the two master directors, Xiao Ran smiled wryly. “Isn’t life already complicated enough? Just because there are conflicts at work doesn’t mean you can’t be friends in life. I really don’t understand you. Just stop working together when you get older!”
Wu Yusen and Xu Ke exchanged a quick glance, both finding Xiao Ran’s words compelling. Indeed, work conflicts didn’t mean they couldn’t remain friends in life. As stubborn individuals, they were determined not to back down, even without any mediator.
But now that Xiao Ran had given them a reason to reconcile, it seemed unnecessary to continue opposing each other. Still, shaking hands and making peace might feel awkward. So, they both said to Xiao Ran, “Let’s talk about this later!”
Seeing their reaction, both smiled at the same time. That smile was like the sun dispelling clouds, allowing Xiao Ran to see the light soon after and lifting his mood. He even felt proud—proud that he had managed to reconcile the two masters over a decade ahead of time.
Next, Xiao Ran invited Lin Qingxia to go find the twins’ parents. This matter was actually easy to resolve; once their parents were convinced, everything was sorted out quickly.

However, Xiao Ran was unaware of something that had happened at the company. While Wei Dongling was working in the office, Wang Yu and two of his men barged in arrogantly. Looking around and not seeing Xiao Ran, Wang Yu glared angrily at Wei Dongling, “Where is Xiao Ran?”
“He’s out on business. Do you need to see him? Talking to me is the same!” Wei Dongling naturally recognized Wang Yu; Xiao Ran had also mentioned to him the plan to frame this guy. He couldn’t help but think: Things have escalated, and they’ve come after me.
Not here? Wang Yu was extremely annoyed. His movie had been forced to be withdrawn by the producers due to abysmal box office results. He wasn’t stupid; after some thought, he realized it must have been Xiao Ran’s doing—otherwise, why use a powerful film like Prison Storms as a countermove?
Seven million! Wang Yu was heartbroken. The total box office revenue was only seven million, not even covering the costs. It had made some money in other regions, but all that combined barely covered the expenses. After deducting taxes, he was actually in the red.
He didn’t care about the losses; he just hated that Xiao Ran had secretly played a trick on him. But he hadn’t realized that it was he who had forced Xiao Ran to write the script. How many people in the industry didn’t dislike him? Perhaps only those half-martial artists, half-gangsters under his command.
“Call yourself Xiao Ran, but be more careful where you walk—don’t get into any trouble!” Wang Yu spat these words viciously before leaving with his men, leaving Wei Dongling to reflect on how such people showed their true ugly faces whenever their interests were threatened.
But things clearly weren’t as Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling understood them. As soon as Wang Yu stepped out of the building, his path was blocked by a luxury RV. Just as he was about to vent his anger, a head poked out of the car window with a smile, saying, “Mr. Wang, our boss wants to talk to you!”
Wang Yu looked down at the window and saw a vaguely familiar face. He remembered something—a scandal that had shocked Southeast Asia. He wasn’t slow to think and quickly figured out why they wanted to see him. Nodding politely, he got into the car…
These days, the Miss Hong Kong competition was in full swing. The top favorite, Qiu Shuzhen, was exposed by an old classmate to having her chin altered, forcing her to withdraw in tears. Xiao Ran considered Qiu Shuzhen to be a quite interesting actress in Hong Kong, but unfortunately, he wasn’t interested in her.
Perhaps it was better to say that Xiao Ran was currently focusing more on building his own strength. That weekend, he took his two sisters to meet Hai Lulu, the head of the talent training department—a woman full of charm.
Shadow Company had only temporarily rented a place as a training venue and still didn’t have its own space. But this didn’t seem to bother Hai Lulu, a highly capable woman. Shadow Company spent a considerable amount each month on the talent training department.
Xiao Ran spared no expense in hiring top experts in etiquette, performance, and dance to conduct training, with each session lasting half a year—showing just how much importance he attached to this. Every artist who was confirmed suitable for a contract had to sign a three-year agreement with Shadow Company.

Three years is actually a quite normal period of time. Compared to wireless, the conditions here are undoubtedly much better. The only drawback is that, due to limitations in capability, everything doesn’t seem as secure as one might imagine.
Phantom offers few acting training programs, but they are absolutely highly professional. For example, the acting courses include aspects such as etiquette and psychology. Xiao Ran is well aware of how important it is to build up one’s skills.
There was once an actor in Hollywood who thanked his acting teacher after winning an Oscar. But the teacher simply pointed to passersby outside and said, “Every actor walking outside can act just as well as you, but you had luck, that’s why you won the award!”
*****
Fictional name — Hu Jinquan
Real name — Hu Jinquan
Before the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong had three true master directors. One of them was Hu Jinquan, who created the true art of modern wuxia films. He was the most skilled in wuxia among the three masters. The famous “Bamboo Forest Battle” we often see today originated from his work “The Heroine”. Without him, Hsu Ke wouldn’t have been able to achieve further creative success. He is undoubtedly a master director!
One more thing: I took some time off a few days ago and was unable to post a new chapter. Please understand!