Chapter 113: Roles Locked In

"Ding-dong—" Xiang Fei rang the doorbell of Wu Junru's home.

The door opened, and Wu Junru, wearing pajamas, widened her eyes: "Wow! A-Fei?! What a rare guest!"

"Sister Junru," Xiang Fei smiled and held up a script, "there's a role that only you can play."

Wu Junru, while letting Xiang Fei into the house, shouted: "Mom! Pour tea! The director is here!"

Wu's mom poked her head out from the kitchen: "Oh, Director Xiang! A-Ru has been worrying about no jobs lately!"

Xiang Fei placed the "God of Gamblers" script on the coffee table: "The role of A-Ping—feisty and hopelessly devoted—only you can play it."

Wu Junru quickly flipped through the script, then suddenly slapped the table and laughed out loud: "Hahaha! This A-Ping is hilarious! Getting thrown into a mess by supernatural powers!"

"Fifty thousand for the role," Xiang Fei quoted directly, "join the set next Monday."

Wu Junru's eyes went wide as saucers: "F-fifty thousand? Director, are you serious?"

"Think it's too little?" Xiang Fei raised an eyebrow.

"No, no, no!" Wu Junru waved her hands repeatedly, "I mean... this is just too..."

Wu's mom came out carrying tea: "Director Xiang, have some tea! A-Ru, hurry up and agree!"

"I'll do it!" Wu Junru hugged the script tightly, "Thank you, Director!"

At three in the afternoon, Xiang Fei knocked on the door of Ng Man-tat's apartment.

"Brother Da, long time no see."

Ng Man-tat, cigarette dangling from his lips, eyes still drowsy: "A-Fei? What a rare guest! Come in, sit down!"

The apartment was a mess, with scripts piled all over the coffee table. Xiang Fei glanced over: "The 'Detective Chinatown' script?"

"You bet!" Ng Man-tat suddenly got worked up, "A-Fei, we've been preparing this for so long—when does filming actually start? I've already memorized all my lines!"

Xiang Fei unhurriedly took out the "God of Gamblers" script: "Take a look at this first—the role of Uncle Three."

Ng Man-tat opened the script, his eyes lighting up: "Oh! This Uncle Three is interesting! Greedy and lecherous..."

"Sixty thousand for the role," Xiang Fei pressed on while the iron was hot, "join the set next Monday."

Ng Man-tat set down the script: "Then 'Detective Chinatown'..."

"It will definitely start filming this year," Xiang Fei said with iron resolve, "filming on the mainland requires coordination. Brother Da, trust me—shoot 'God of Gamblers' first, it'll be better for your career."

Ng Man-tat nervously scratched his hair: "But..."

"The role of Uncle Three," Xiang Fei lowered his voice, "I specifically tailored it for you. The King of Comedy needs a classic supporting character."

That line hit home for Ng Man-tat. He slapped his thigh hard: "Alright! I'll do it! But 'Detective Chinatown'..."

"It's a deal!" Xiang Fei extended his hand, "I never go back on my word!"

At dusk, Xiang Fei arrived at Yuen Kwai's martial arts studio.

"Fish Seller Sheng?" Yuen Kwai wiped his sweat, "A-Fei, it's been years since I acted..."

Xiang Fei handed over the script: "Precisely because you haven't acted in years, the audience is looking forward to it even more."

Yuen Kwai flipped through the script, then suddenly laughed: "Hahaha! This bit where Fish Seller Sheng gets pranked by supernatural powers..."

"Thirty thousand for the role," Xiang Fei said, "not many scenes, but very memorable."

Yuen Kwai set down the script: "A-Fei, it's not about the money..."

"Brother Kwai," Xiang Fei said seriously, "Wing Sing needs you. Just do your little brother a favor."

Yuen Kwai sighed: "You... alright, I'll do it. But not too many fight scenes—my old back..."

"Don't worry," Xiang Fei smiled, "all comedic scenes."

At eight in the evening, Xiang Fei rang the doorbell of Li Jiaxin's home.

"Director Xiang?" Li Jiaxin, wearing loungewear, looked surprised, "So late..."

"Sorry for the disturbance," Xiang Fei handed over the script, "the role of Dream—only you can play it."

Li Jiaxin took the script, frowning slightly: "Another eye-candy role?"

"No," Xiang Fei shook his head, "this time it's a sexy and mysterious female lead."

"The pay?" Li Jiaxin got straight to the point.

"1.2 million." Xiang Fei quoted the number.

Li Jiaxin raised an eyebrow: "That high?"

"The role is important," Xiang Fei said sincerely.

Li Jiaxin pondered for a moment: "Alright, I'll do it. But I want to personally oversee the costumes."

"No problem!" Xiang Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

At eleven at night, Xiang Fei found Tsang Chi-wai in a bar, drinking and having a great time.

"A-Fei!" Tsang Chi-wai, drunk, beckoned, "Perfect timing! Let's drink together!"

Xiang Fei sat down and directly took out a script: "Hung Kwong, the big villain—do you want it or not?"

Tsang Chi-wai squinted at the script: "Oh! A big boss in a wheelchair? Interesting!"

"One million for the role," Xiang Fei said, "join the set next Monday."

Tsang Chi-wai suddenly leaned in: "A-Fei, I heard you're preparing 'Detective Chinatown'? That one..."

"Second half of next year," Xiang Fei caught on immediately, "the role of Kwan Tai is reserved for you."

Tsang Chi-wai burst out laughing, patting Xiang Fei's shoulder: "Now that's what I call loyalty! I'm definitely playing Hung Kwong!"

The next morning, Xiang Fei had just returned to his office when Wang Jing and Zhang Li pushed the door open and walked in.

"A-Fei!" Wang Jing shouted in his loud voice, "I heard you signed half the stars of Xiangjiang?"

Zhang Li added with a smile: "Everyone outside is saying the cast of 'God of Gamblers' is terrifyingly lavish."

Xiang Fei poured three cups of coffee: "Basically locked in. What brings you two here?"

"To get the inside scoop on the mainland," Wang Jing made exaggerated facial expressions,

Xiang Fei nodded. "With Cai Wen keeping an eye on things, Jingcheng won't have any trouble."

Zhang Li asked curiously, "Is the mainland market really that good?"

"Better than you could imagine," Xiang Fei said seriously. "In ten years, the mainland box office will surpass Xiangjiang's by more than tenfold."

Xiang Fei stood by the window, gazing at the view of Victoria Harbour. The cast of "All for the Winner" was now complete, and this great vessel of a film, laden with laughs, was about to set sail.