Chapter 60: The Xiang Family's Move

At two in the morning, the lights in Xiang Qian's apartment were still on. He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, the cigarette at his fingertip already burned to the end. His phone screen lit up, showing an incoming call from "A-Min."

"Still not asleep?" Zhou Huimin's voice carried the soft, drowsy warmth of sleep.

Xiang Qian pinched out the cigarette butt: "Just got back from a meeting. Shaw Brothers wants me to hand over three film scripts and two albums."

From the other end came the rustle of fabric, as if Zhou Huimin had sat up straight: "Have they lost their minds?

"A capitalist's arithmetic problem." Xiang Qian gave a cold laugh. "The buzz from the Palme d'Or has to be converted into box office, and artistic value discounted into numbers on a report."

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

Outside the window, the neon lights of Victoria Harbour bled through the rain and fog. Xiang Qian stared at his own reflection in the glass: "Complete the mission." He paused. "Enough for me to leave them a few 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, on a crumpled napkin, jotted down ten song titles: "The Girl Across the Way," "Wish," "Don't Wait in Vain," "Spring Breeze for Ten Miles," "Youth," "Hotel," "Years," "A Thousand Years," "Butterfly Among Flowers," "Flowers Will Bloom."

"Five songs per set, make it into two albums." Xiang Qian slid the napkin to Sun Li. "Find musicians you can trust, record under aliases."

Sun Li's eyes went wide: "You want to, in such a short time...?"

"Didn't Shaw Brothers want albums?" Xiang Qian flashed a sly grin. "Complete the mission with both quality and quantity."

In an abandoned factory in Kowloon Walled City, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was being filmed. Before the monitor, Xiang Qian called "Cut" with an expressionless face.

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

The director waved a hand: "Leave it, keeping to schedule is what matters.

Trustworthy Ah-Zhong pushed open the door to Xiang Yan's office with a solemn expression. The door let out a "creak," as if foreshadowing that what came next would be no simple matter.

In the office, Xiang Yan sat at his desk, with Xiang Sheng and Xiang Qiang seated across from him. Ah-Zhong walked straight up to Xiang Yan without the slightest hesitation and slammed the documents in his hand heavily onto the table.

"Boss, this is the detailed report on Shaw Brothers exploiting Xiang Qian." Ah-Zhong's voice was low and grave, tinged with anger.

Xiang Yan frowned, picked up the documents, and flipped through them rapidly. As he read, his face grew darker and darker.

Xiang Sheng and Xiang Qiang, seated to one side, exchanged a glance, each catching a glimpse of worry in the other's eyes.

"Big Brother, this is going too far!" Xiang Sheng finally could not hold back, slamming the table and leaping to his feet. "Shaw Brothers bullying Fei-Zai like this—I absolutely cannot tolerate it!"

His voice echoed through the office, brimming with fury and resolve.

Xiang Yan raised his head, looked at the agitated Xiang Sheng, and said slowly: "Ah-Sheng, don't be impulsive. We need to handle this calmly."

Yet Xiang Sheng clearly could no longer stay calm. He glared at Xiang Yan and said: "Big Brother, what are you waiting for? Let's go wipe out Shaw Brothers right now and give Fei-Zai an answer!"

Xiang Yan was silent for a moment. He knew Xiang Sheng was impulsive by nature, but this matter had indeed made him feel furious as well.

Xiang Qiang, his face anxious, held Xiang Sheng back. His brows were tightly knit, and a trace of worry showed in his eyes. His gaze passed over Xiang Sheng and landed squarely on Xiang Yan standing to one side, as if waiting for his instructions.

Xiang Yan's expression, however, appeared very composed. His eyes flickered slightly, revealing a thoughtful look. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke: "Ah-Sheng, what you need to do right now is immediately go and reorganize Wing Sing Film Company. I believe you have the ability. You must manage the company well."

Xiang Sheng, hearing Xiang Yan's words, felt some doubt in his heart, but still nodded at once and replied: "Understood, Big Brother. I'll see to it as soon as I can."

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

Xiang Qiang hurriedly replied: "Understood, Big Brother. I'll keep a close eye on Fei-Zai's situation. The moment he successfully terminates the contract, I'll act at once."

"Ah-Zhong, prepare 160 million HKD," Xiang Yan looked again at Ah-Zhong, Xiang Qiang, and Xiang Sheng. "Prepare to ransom out your nephew and his wife."