Chapter 60: The Xiang Family's Move

At two in the morning, Xiang Qian's apartment was still lit. He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, the cigarette between his fingers burned down to the filter. His phone screen lit up, displaying an incoming call from "Ah Min."

"Still awake?" Zhou Zhou Huimin's voice carried a soft, sleep-blurred quality.

Xiang Qian crushed out his cigarette butt: "Just got back from a meeting. Shaw Brothers wants three film scripts and two albums from me."

A rustling of fabric came through the receiver; Zhou Zhou Huimin seemed to sit up straight: "Have they gone mad?"

"The arithmetic of capitalists." Xiang Qian let out a cold laugh. "The buzz from the Palme d'Or must be converted into box office receipts; artistic value must be cashed out into spreadsheet figures."

Zhou Zhou Huimin fell silent for a moment: "What do you plan to do?"

Outside the window, the neon lights of Weiduoliyagang blurred in the rainy mist. Xiang Qian gazed at his own reflection in the glass: "Complete the task." He paused. "It will be enough for me to leave them some souvenirs."

Under the red lights of the recording studio, Xiang Qian's profile flickered between light and shadow. He suddenly picked up a pen and wrote ten song titles on a crumpled napkin: "Girl Across the Way," "Wish," "Do Not Wait Idly," "Ten Miles of Spring Breeze," "Youth," "Hotel," "Years," "A Thousand Years," "Flower Butterfly," and "Flowers Will Bloom."

"Five songs per set, making two albums." Xiang Qian pushed the napkin toward Sun Li. "Find trustworthy musicians and record them under pseudonyms."

Sun Li widened her eyes: "You want to... in such a short time?"

"Didn't Shaw Brothers ask for albums?" Xiang Qian flashed a cunning smile. "I'm just completing the task with guaranteed quality and quantity."

In an abandoned factory in Jiulongcheng, "Red Kid Dragon" was being filmed. Before the monitor, Xiang Qian expressionlessly shouted, "Cut."

"Director, should we do another take?" the assistant director asked cautiously.

The director waved his hand: "Let it be. Keeping to the schedule is more important."

Xin Yi'an and Ah Zhong, their faces grave, pushed open the door to Xiang Yan's office. The door emitted a creaking sound, as if foreshadowing that the matters to follow would not be simple.

Inside the office, Xiang Yan sat behind his desk, with Xiang Sheng and Xiang Qiang seated opposite him. Ah Zhong walked straight up to Xiang Yan without hesitation and slammed the document in his hand heavily onto the table.

"Boss, this is a detailed report on Xiang Qian being exploited by Shaw Brothers." Ah Zhong's voice was low and serious, laced with a hint of anger.

Xiang Yan frowned, picking up the document to skim through it quickly. As he read, his expression grew increasingly gloomy.

Xiang Sheng and Xiang Qiang, sitting nearby, exchanged a glance, each seeing worry in the other's eyes.

"Big Brother, this is too much!" Xiang Sheng finally could not hold back; he slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "Shaw Brothers actually bullying Fei like this—I absolutely cannot tolerate it!"

His voice echoed through the office, filled with rage and resolve.

Xiang Yan lifted his head, looking at the agitated Xiang Sheng, and said slowly: "Ah Sheng, calm down first. We need to handle this matter calmly."

However, Xiang Sheng was clearly unable to calm down; he glared at Xiang Yan and said: "Big Brother, what are you waiting for? Let's go raid Shaw Brothers right now and give Fei an explanation!"

Xiang Yan fell silent for a moment. He knew Xiang Sheng's impulsive nature, but this incident had indeed made him feel extremely angry as well.

Xiang Qiang, looking anxious, blocked Xiang Sheng. His brows were tightly knitted, revealing a trace of worry in his eyes. His gaze passed over Xiang Sheng and landed directly on Xiang Yan, who stood nearby, as if waiting for his instruction.

Xiang Yan's expression, however, appeared extremely steady. A slight flash in his eyes revealed a look of deep contemplation. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke: "Ah Sheng, what you need to do now is immediately go and reorganize Wing Shing Film Company. I believe you have the capability; you must manage the company well."

Hearing Xiang Yan's words, although some doubt lingered in his heart, Xiang Sheng immediately nodded in agreement: "Understood, Big Brother. I will go handle it as soon as possible."

Then, Xiang Yan turned to look at Xiang Qiang and said with firm tone: "Ah Qiang, once Fei terminates his contract with Shaw Brothers, you must sign him immediately."

Xiang Qiang hurriedly replied: "I understand, Big Brother. I will keep a close watch on Fei's situation; as soon as he successfully terminates his contract, I will act immediately."

"Ah Zhong, prepare 160 million Hong Kong dollars," Xiang Yan said, looking again at Ah Zhong, Xiang Qiang, and Xiang Sheng. "Prepare to ransom your nephew and his wife."