[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hong-kong-1984":3,"chapter-hong-kong-1984-hong-kong-1984-entertainment-empire-chapter-38":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},2223701,4066,"Chapter 38: Madness","hong-kong-1984-entertainment-empire-chapter-38",38,"\u003Cp>Inside Studio 3 of the Shaw Brothers Film City, the lighting technician was adjusting the overhead lights, casting the basement set in half-light and half-shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long crouched in a corner, wearing a wrinkled, cheap suit, his hair greasy and disheveled, his face deliberately made up to look haggard. He practiced expressions repeatedly before the mirror—shifting from humble flattery to sinister calculation, then to the restraint before an outburst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian walked over, sat behind the monitor, and picked up the walkie-talkie: \"Brother Long, are you ready?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long gave an OK sign, then suddenly shouted, \"Wait!\" He jogged over, pointed at a line in the script, and said, \"Qianzai, here—where the poor father secretly spits into the rich man's red wine. Should we add a close-up?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian shook his head. \"No need. The audience will notice it themselves; that's what makes it truly disgusting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long suddenly understood and rubbed his hands together excitedly. \"That makes sense!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clapperboard operator snapped the board. \"Parasite, Scene 17, Action!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the camera, Cheng Long, playing the poor father, bent down to pour wine for Ti Lung, playing the rich man. His face was piled high with a fawning smile, yet his fingers subtly brushed against the mouth of the bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut!\" Xiang Qian suddenly called a halt. \"Brother Long, the expression is too exaggerated. Rein it in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long was stunned. \"Not evil enough?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Evil must be hidden in the bones.\" Xiang Qian walked over to demonstrate. \"Like this—\" He suddenly broke into a brilliant smile, yet his eyes were as cold as a viper's. \"The more respectful you appear, the more chilling it becomes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire set fell silent for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the B-unit set, Zhou Xingchi had already NG'd for the eighth time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wrong!\" Xiang Qian rarely lost his temper, but he did now. \"Xingzai, right now you are playing a depressed youth crushed by reality!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xingchi, drenched in sweat, said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui Yinghong suddenly grabbed a prop beer bottle and smashed it on the ground. With a loud bang, glass shards flew everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Smile now?\" She grabbed Zhou Xingchi by his collar and roared, \"Your mother has terminal cancer, your father is a good-for-nothing, and your whole family lives in a basement eating instant noodles—damn it, try smiling for me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xingchi was shaken; his eyes gradually turned red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing the moment, Xiang Qian called for the camera to roll. This time, Zhou Xingchi entered the frame with a hunched back, his fingers twitching nervously, even his breath carrying the shrinkage of the lower class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perfect,\" Xiang Qian said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late-night filming, a rain scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qingxia, playing the poor daughter, stood outside the mansion gate, soaked to the bone. She had just been publicly humiliated by Liu Jialing, who played the rich daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Action!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qingxia suddenly laughed. Rainwater slid down her exquisite face, but her smile grew increasingly grotesque. She slowly squatted down, grabbed a handful of mud, smeared it on her face, and then let out a hysterical laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the monitor, Xiang Qian felt his hair stand on end—this was not in the script!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut!\" He rushed over. \"Sister Qingxia, this...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is reality.\" Lin Qingxia wiped the rainwater from her face. \"When poor people are driven to a dead end, they either go mad or die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian fell silent for a moment, then nodded heavily. \"Keep this take.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dining room scene at the rich man's house. Ti Lung, wearing a silk robe, sat at the head of the table, methodically cutting his steak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know why the poor are poor?\" He suddenly looked up, his gaze stabbing like a knife toward Cheng Long, who was off-camera. \"Because they don't even dare to hate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long instinctively stepped back half a pace—this wasn't acting; he was genuinely frightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian stared at the monitor, holding his breath. Ti Lung's presence was too overwhelming, so strong that even the air seemed to turn viscous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the third week of filming, Ni Zhen suddenly arrived with reporters to visit the set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard Brother Cheng Long was scolded to tears on set by a rookie director?\" A gossip reporter asked while chasing him with a camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Cheng Long could open his mouth, Zhao Yazhi suddenly splashed her coffee onto the reporter's camera. \"Get out!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene descended into chaos. Xiang Qian walked over with a cold face. \"Young Master Ni, resorting to such underhanded tactics?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ni Zhen smiled. \"Just concerned about the film's progress.\" He leaned in and whispered, \"I heard you're over budget? Would you like the Ni Film Industry to inject some capital?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No thanks.\" Xiang Qian looked straight into his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final scene, the bloody party. All the actors had entered a state of frenzy—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long, face covered in blood, laughing wildly;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xingchi banging his head against the wall;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qingxia dancing on the piano;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui Yinghong chasing Liu Jialing with a knife;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the child actor playing the little boy was so scared he was crying for real...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut! That's a wrap!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire set fell silent for three seconds, then suddenly erupted in screams and sobs. Cheng Long plopped down on the ground. \"I've never been this tired in my entire life...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Qian looked at the distorted images on the monitor and knew they had succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not a movie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a mirror reflecting demons.\u003C\u002Fp>",907,"2026-06-17T20:24:38.058Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","9232c0bf82e2157111283d2920f1763dcc43845e1d0e0bb0bc817e1cd6334855","hong-kong-1984-entertainment-empire-chapter-39","hong-kong-1984-entertainment-empire-chapter-37",152,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhong-kong-1984-cover.jpg"]