[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hong-kong-1984":3,"chapter-hong-kong-1984-hong-kong-1984-building-a-cultural-empire-chapter-49":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Hong Kong 1984",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2224033,4066,"Chapter 49: Island of Fire Suffers a Devastating Box Office Defeat","hong-kong-1984-building-a-cultural-empire-chapter-49",49,"\u003Cp>Xiangjiang, Shaw Brothers Studio conference room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Slap!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Fang Yihua slammed a box office report heavily onto the table; the paper slid half a meter across the solid wood surface before stopping right in front of Shao Shaw Yifu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One point five million!\" Her voice carried rare excitement. \"Island of Fire didn't even earn back the cost of the film stock!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Shaw Yifu slowly removed his reading glasses and gently wiped the lenses with a velvet cloth. This film tycoon, accustomed to weathering storms, rarely showed even a hint of a smile: \"Twenty-three cinemas across all of Xiangjiang, with an average occupancy rate below twenty percent. This time, Wang Yu...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Serves him right!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conference room door was pushed open, and Cheng Long strode in, a lingering bruise still visible on his right cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those bastards pointed guns at us every day while we filmed!\" Cheng Long's voice trembled slightly with anger. \"If Leung Ka-fai messed up more than three times, they would smash his back with rifle butts!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Lin Qingxia followed closely behind, clutching the latest issue of Ming Pao. She spread the newspaper out on the conference table, her fingertip pointing to the film review column: \"The famous critic Sek Kei says Island of Fire is 'a cinematic disaster coerced by triads,' giving it one and a half stars.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian had just returned from the mainland with the others. Wang Jing took the report, his fingers sliding over the figures, then suddenly laughed aloud: \"Interesting. To secure screening slots, Wang Yu sent Rolex watches to cinema managers, but they were all returned?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not all!\" Cheng Long plopped down onto the conference table, his leather shoes leaving several scratches on the expensive rosewood surface. \"I heard Xiang Qiang made it clear: any cinema daring to screen Island of Fire would have their film supply cut off! Even the developing labs refuse to take their jobs!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Chai Pier, torrential rain pouring down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crash!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latest model brick phone shattered on the concrete ground, its battery pack bouncing far away. Wang Yu's face was gloomier than the cloud-choked sky; he tugged at his constricting tie, the expensive silk already soaked with rainwater and sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it! This whole lot in Xiangjiang is ganging up on me!\" His voice seemed squeezed out through clenched teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Yuan Biao, the henchman beside him, cautiously edged closer, his black suit drenched by the rain: \"Boss, just got a call. The Bamboo Union's three venues in Macau were swept by the 14K... losses exceeding twenty million...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shut up!\" Wang Yu kicked over the LV suitcase beside him; several stacks of US dollars spilled from the cracked case, immediately soaked by the rain. He turned and roared at another henchman: \"Book tickets! Back to Taipei tonight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a black Mercedes S600 slowly pulled up nearby. The window silently descended, revealing Xiang Yan's face, caught between a smile and a sneer. The cigar held in his hand flickered in the rain curtain, its smoke shattered and scattered by the falling water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boss Wang, leaving so soon?\" Xiang Yan's voice was not loud, yet exceptionally clear amidst the sound of rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu's face instantly turned iron-blue; he instinctively stepped back half a pace, then immediately forced himself to stand firm: \"Xiang Yan, don't get too cocky...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The window slowly rose, and the Mercedes drove away silently, leaving Wang Yu standing alone, his fists clenched until they turned white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tongluowan Cinema, a surging crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Make way! Make way!\" Cheng Long, wearing sunglasses, struggled to force a path through the throng. His Gucci shirt was soaked with sweat, sticking to his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the VIP hall entrance, Zhou Zhou Huimin was anxiously scanning the area. Spotting Cheng Long, she immediately waved: \"Brother Long! Over here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where's Qian-zi?\" Cheng Long asked while wiping sweat from his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhou Huimin pointed toward the backstage area of the IMAX hall: \"He's talking to someone inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Lin Qingxia suddenly tugged Zhou Zhou Huimin's sleeve: \"Look quickly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the massive IMAX screen, the seven blood-red characters \"Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Ancient City of Jingjue\" slowly materialized. Accompanied by deep, earth-shattering music, the entire auditorium erupted in applause and screams like a mountain tsunami. Audience members in the front rows even stood up in unison, some beginning to whistle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two o'clock in the morning, yet the offices at Shaw Brothers Studio remained brightly lit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Telephone bells rang one after another:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kowloon Tong Cinema requests three additional screenings!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Midnight show tickets at Tsim Sha Tsui are sold out!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fans in Mong Kok have started queuing to buy tickets for tomorrow morning!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long stared at the box office display with its constantly jumping figures, suddenly letting out a strange cry: \"Five hundred! Five million on the first day!\" He turned to hug Zhou Zhou Huimin, but Xiang Qian stepped in between them in a single swift stride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian, however, frowned: \"It's still too early...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, the huge headline on the front page of Oriental Daily occupied nearly half the page:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ghost Blows Out the Light Breaks Records on First Day! Sets New Record for Hong Kong Films\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Shaw Yifu put down the newspaper and took a slight sip of Pu'er tea: \"Sixty years, and this circle remains the same.\" He gazed out the window at Weiduoliyagang, \"Some leave, others arrive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian stood behind him; sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a long shadow at his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>",916,"2026-06-17T20:39:14.290Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","fa0b7e09658fac3c0d4442e71a72d49030b4512ce276847ae7f66d7f7a6a803d","hong-kong-1984-building-a-cultural-empire-chapter-50","hong-kong-1984-building-a-cultural-empire-chapter-48",152,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhong-kong-1984-cover.jpg"]