Chapter 187: Officially Starting Filming

Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Horse racing is a unique cultural custom in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong also has a professional Jockey Club; the selection of members for the Jockey Club is quite strict.

Having money alone is not enough; one also needs a good reputation, so becoming a member of the Jockey Club is a symbol of being a wealthy tycoon.

At this moment, Zou Wenhuai was sitting in a luxury box, drinking red wine and preparing to enjoy the sight of his beloved horse, "Goldie," galloping on the track.

The reason it was called "Goldie" was because his arch-rival Shao Yifu had a horse called "Silverie."

The two were currently fighting tooth and nail, and Zou Wenhuai also wanted to suppress Shao Yifu in the horse racing world.

At this moment, he was repeatedly flipping through the Horse Racing Classic in his hands; even the Horse Racing Classic in the Industrial Daily favored his steed.

In the box sat Sir Zhuo Baobang, Commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong, and the two were chatting and laughing.

Soon the race began, and after some competition, "Goldie" took third place.

Missing the championship by just a hair, Zou Wenhuai specially went to the stables to comfort his beloved horse after the play, then invited Golden Harvest's top general Hong Jingbao to a Nightclub to celebrate wildly.

Although it didn't win the championship, as long as he beat Shao Yifu, it was worth celebrating.

They drank until two in the morning, and the Golden Harvest group left one by one.

Ever since he got on in years, he had always slept alone. However, this did not mean that Zou Wenhuai no longer associated with women.

Although he was old, in terms of his body, his energy was still very abundant.

However, only young and beautiful girls could pique his interest now.

The next day.

For some reason, Zou Wenhuai woke up very early, and the dawn light illuminated his bedroom in a hazy glow.

At the head of the bed, there was a familiar object; Zou Wenhuai propped himself up with his elbows, and in his grogginess, he saw the outline of a horse's head, but it was still somewhat blurry, so Zou Wenhuai reached out and turned on the bedside lamp.

"What the..."

At one glance, Zou Wenhuai nearly went into shock, as if a heavy sledgehammer had slammed into his chest.

His heartbeat suddenly went haywire, and he felt waves of nausea welling up in his heart.

He vomited with a "Wah" sound, and expensive red wine mixed with food residue splattered all over the thick, high-end carpet.

The head of his purebred beloved horse, "Goldie," which had been as shiny as black silk, had been chopped off.

"Come here, someone!"

Zou Wenhuai was stunned by an instinctive fear, and out of this fear, he shrieked and called for his Filipino maid to come quickly.

Also out of this terror, Zou Wenhuai called his subordinates, unable to control himself.

He had a frantic, incoherent breakdown that terrified his family, who hurriedly called for a private doctor.

Of course, before the doctor arrived, Zou Wenhuai had already returned to normal.

Who could have the heart to chop off the head of a beast worth 1 million just like that?

Without a single word of warning beforehand.

Taking such action without any negotiation, using action to abolish negotiation.

This kind of cold-blooded behavior to the extreme, this kind of power that ignored all rules.

Besides Dalao Jun of Hong Xing, who else in Hong Kong could pull this off?

Zou Wenhuai was not a stupid man; he had simply lived under the rules for too long.

The reason was that he refused to let Dalao Jun buy a stake in his theater chain.

Zou Wenhuai had the doctor give him a sedative; the medicine helped him calm down and also allowed him to think clearly.

What truly shocked him was that Chen Jiajun could so casually order the killing of a fine horse worth 1 million.

At the thought of this, Zou Wenhuai trembled.

Perhaps he could follow the trail and eventually find Chen Jiajun, but for killing a racehorse, what sentence could the law pass?

"Wenhuai, should we call the police?"

"Dad, this is too much; it must be Sixth Brother Shao's doing."

"Are you feeling better?"

Zou Wenhuai shook his head: "It's fine, you all go out first; A Chang, you stay."

"Click." The bedroom door was closed by the doctor.

"Do you have any suspects?"

He Guangchang was the number two man at Golden Harvest and also someone Zou Wenhuai could trust.

Zou Wenhuai gripped He Guangchang's hand: "It must be Dalao Jun; he is not someone we can deal with."

"Damn it, what should we do? Should we ask some friends from the underworld to call him out and talk it over?" He Guangchang felt a tightness in his heart.

"He even dared to play with a gun in front of the Commissioner of Police; who are you going to ask?"

Zou Wenhuai gripped He Guangchang's hand and said: "A Chang, the only way now is to sell the theater company to save our lives."

Six hours later.

Zou Wenhuai had recovered as before, and he called Chen Jiajun: "Mr. Chen, regarding the Golden Harvest theater chain, I have some brand new ideas; I wonder if you have time today?"

"This afternoon," Chen Jiajun said lazily.

In the afternoon.

When a pale-faced Zou Wenhuai arrived at Deep Water Bay with several of Golden Harvest's top generals, there were twenty demon-slave guards standing nearby, each averaging about 1.9 meters tall, all in suits and leather shoes, with sunglasses blocking their turbid, bloodthirsty eyes.

At the same time, Jing Kun, Xu Ke of Cinema City, Mai Jia, Ceng Ziwei, Wu Yusen, and others were also at the scene.

"Thump." After a short, crisp sound, the ball went into the hole.

"Great shot!"

"A hole-in-one."

Whether it was the caddy or the top generals from Cinema City and Golden Harvest, everyone applauded violently, and the caddy even took out a camera: "Mr. Chen, this is your first hole-in-one at the Deep Water Bay Golf Course; the club will present you with a medal later, and I would also like to take a photo of you as a souvenir."

"Fine."

"For all the guests at the Gaorfuqiuchang, send them each a bottle of Chen Peilinuo champagne."

Chen Jiajun took off his sunglasses with a beaming smile.

After the photos were taken, Chen Jiajun removed his gloves, raised his champagne glass, and clinked it with Zou Wenhuai's: "Boss Zou, why the sudden change of heart?"

"To help others achieve their goals," Zou Wenhuai said with a humble and polite smile.

These words, however, had a different flavor to the ears of the Yicheng Seven Freaks, Wu Yusen, and the others.

"Not bad, those who submit to circumstances are outstanding. Wouldn't it have been better if you had made this decision earlier? It would have saved me from having to find someone to mess with you."

It is said that one does not strike a smiling face, but in the eyes of Dalao Jun, this saying was a joke.

At this moment, Chen Jiajun was effectively admitting that it was his men who had dealt with Zou Wenhuai's prized horse...

"Mr. Chen is absolutely right. I wonder how much money you are prepared to pay to acquire the Jiahe Circuit," Zou Wenhuai said, forcing a smile.

"If you are the one selling, then you should be the one to name the price, so others won't say I don't respect the elderly and cherish the young."

Chen Jiajun sat down in a chair and pulled out a Cigar.

Zou Wenhuai thought for a moment: "The Jiahe Circuit has six cinemas with a total of 24 screens. Including the land, it is valued at 30 million. What do you think?"

Chen Jiajun looked up at the sea in the distance and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke from his Cigar.

Beside him, Dumu and Lao Yu smiled at Zou Wenhuai.

Zou Wenhuai felt his hair stand on end and hurriedly waved his hands: "20 million."

"This is what you said yourself; no one is forcing you, right?" Chen Jiajun looked at Zou Wenhuai.

"Of course not," Zou Wenhuai hurriedly stated.

Chen Jiajun nodded: "Not bad, sensible. Lawyer Huang, go get the contract."

"Coming," Huang Dawen called out, having his subordinates bring over the contract that had been prepared long ago.

After signing the contract and transferring the funds, Zou Wenhuai immediately had someone publish the news that "the Jiahe Circuit has been transferred" in the newspapers. At the same time, all the logos of the Jiahe Circuit were removed and replaced with the Hong Hing Cinema logo.

At the same time.

Jing Kun, the president of Hongxing Film, announced to the public that Hongxing Film would spend 100 million to expand its cinema circuit.

One week later.

Hongxing Film conference room.

Chen Jiajun took the storyboard that Director Wu Yusen had drawn for *A Better Tomorrow* from his hands.

After flipping through it, Chen Jiajun coughed and said: "I have gathered everyone here today for a meeting to study how to insert advertisements into this film."

"Insert advertisements?"

The Yicheng Seven Freaks, Xu Ke, and Wu Yusen were all a bit confused.

Chen Jiajun explained: "Film is an art of light and shadow. If our film has high box office returns, and if the film we shoot is a classic, the advertising effect it brings cannot be measured in money."

"A Sen, you often watch Chaplin's films, right?"

Wu Yusen, who was indeed a famous Hong Kong director remembered by later generations, said: "Mr. Chen, I understand what you mean. You want to insert advertisements into the film?"

"Won't the audience feel it's too abrupt?" Mai Jia asked hesitantly.

Chen Jiajun shook his head: "No. Sometimes an inserted advertisement only needs a logo or a line of dialogue to achieve an unexpected effect."

"We are holding this meeting today to study every scene and every frame to see where we can insert advertisements."

Following this, everyone held a meeting for two full days to discuss the issue of how to insert advertisements into the film.

First, it was confirmed that several brands from the Guojun Clothing Factory would sponsor all the costumes for this film.

Two days later.

The conference room was filled with a thick smell of smoke, so thick that it had even permeated everyone's clothes. The ashtrays were piled high with cigarette butts and ash, and several lunch boxes were placed in the corner.

Over these two days, everyone brainstormed and analyzed the entire film frame by frame and scene by scene, analyzing which shots could have advertisements inserted, what type of advertisements to insert, and how to position the cameras.

After the meeting, although everyone's bodies were exhausted, their spirits were exceptionally high.

According to Chen Jiajun's plan, after analyzing and deconstructing the film, everyone discovered one thing: the advertising revenue from the film alone could cover most of the production costs.

Everyone was absolutely impressed by Chen Jiajun.

After rinsing his mouth, Chen Jiajun said spiritedly: "By the way, while everyone is here, there are some things I want to take this opportunity to talk about. From now on, Hongxing Film will benchmark itself against Hollywood. We must use the latest film and television technology and the latest, most cutting-edge special effects technology."

"At the same time, we must have our own studio and filming base."

"I have already found the studio: Diamond Hill Studio."

"Diamond Hill Studio has a market value of 500 million and is currently in the hands of the Aoyu Group."

"I am a shareholder of the Aoyu Group, and I will do my best to negotiate the price down."

"In order to cope with the major changes coming to the group, I propose that Hongxing Film increase its share capital, with a capital injection of at least 500 million."

The current shareholding structure of Hongxing Film is as follows: the Yicheng company formed by the Yicheng Seven Freaks holds 49%, and the Hongxing Group holds 51%. At the time, the name Hongxing Film was chosen to avoid people associating it with the Hongxing Group.

As for Diamond Hill Studio, it was once the property of Hong Kong film tycoon Cao Dahua, but Cao Dahua was a compulsive gambler and lost his studio to the Gambling King He Xin.

As soon as these words were spoken, the Seven Freaks of Yicheng Film were stunned, especially Mai Jia.

Their financial strength was far behind Chen Jiajun's, and besides, Chen Jiajun was the Headman of Hongxing Film. If they wanted to prevent their shares from being diluted, they would have to come up with the money.

Mai Jia was speechless for a moment; this was clearly discarding the horse once it had served its purpose.

Chen Jiajun continued: "Of course, there is another option, which is that I acquire the Hongxing shares owned by the Arts City Company, and then I will provide a portion of the funds to help you establish your own studios. From now on, Hongxing Film will invest in everything your studios produce."

In other words, Hongxing Film will operate under a partnership system from now on.

It was indeed discarding the horse once it had served its purpose.

To go a step further, Chen Jiajun did not want the loss of talent like Ceng Ziwei and Xu Ke in the future due to the equity issues of the Arts City Company.

The equity of the Arts City Company was very complex. Mai Jia was undoubtedly the Headman of the Arts City Company, holding 60% of the equity, while talents like Xu Ke and Ceng Ziwei had no shares in the Arts City Company at all.

In the short term, it seemed there was no problem, but in the long run, people like Xu Ke and Ceng Ziwei would inevitably quit the Arts City Company, or even quit Hongxing Film.

Therefore, Chen Jiajun had to state some ugly truths upfront, taking advantage of the fact that Mai Jia had not yet grown big and strong to nip this trend in the bud.

After Chen Jiajun finished speaking, the faces of Ceng Ziwei, Xu Ke, Mai Jia, and the others each wore different expressions—joy, conflict, bewilderment, and so on.

Mai Jia struggled for a moment, then finally said readily, "Mr. Chen, Arts City Company is willing to sell the equity to you. How does 5 million sound to you?"

The encounter with Boss Zou of Jiahe was still fresh in his memory; even a film tycoon like Zou Wenhuai had bowed his head before Dalao Jun, so Mai Jia naturally chose to bow his head as well.

"That's acceptable."

"Rest assured, I have always been fair in my dealings. As long as you work diligently under me from now on, I will grant you great autonomy."

Chen Jiajun nodded, readily took out his checkbook, wrote down the figure of 10 million, and handed it to Mai Jia.

Immediately following this, Chen Jiajun added:

"Alright, we have tentatively scheduled the film for Christmas. Looking at the time, it is already not very generous. A Kun."

"Ada." Jing Kun raised his hand.

"Go and establish Hongxing Advertising Company and recruit some talent from the advertising industry. During this period, you all go and negotiate sponsorships with the major brands in Hong Kong."

"Additionally, everyone present must sign this non-disclosure agreement."

"For the movie A Better Tomorrow, I have only one requirement, and that is to strive for perfection."

Pausing, Chen Jiajun looked toward the art director: "Zhang Shuping."

"Boss, I am here."

Chen Jiajun assigned the task: "Immediately customize the relevant costumes based on the leads we have confirmed and the tentatively decided supporting roles. Our brand clothing will subsequently open specialty stores throughout Hong Kong. Strive to become an overnight success after the movie is released."

"Understood." Zhang Shuping nodded.

"Alright, everyone go back and get some good rest. Starting from today, the Hong Kong film industry will have its history rewritten by us, Hongxing."

Having finished assigning all the tasks one by one, Chen Jiajun announced the end of the meeting.

……

The soil of Hong Kong is known as the Hollywood of the East, and many, many film and television superstars have been born on this soil.

Cao Dahua was one of them.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of the Hong Kong film and television industry knows how much weight these three characters carry.

Even now, his name and that of his former screen partner Yu Suqiu are still occasionally used as "gags" in various film and television dramas.

In the sixties, Cao Dahua was a true film tycoon.

He began acting at the age of 15, averaging over 20 movies a year. Because he was not afraid of suffering at work and was willing to put in the effort, everyone on set was willing to help him.

In 1939, he welcomed his first male lead role in the film Biographies of Heroic Women.

Since then, Cao Dahua had smooth sailing, and his business acumen gradually revealed itself. His prominence was unmatched for a time, while Shao Yifu had only just established Shaw Brothers not long before.

At his peak, Cao Dahua owned the entire Diamond Hill Studio, several cinemas, and half a street of properties, with a total value exceeding 300 million.

You must know, that was 300 million in the sixties.

In 1972, it only cost Bao Jueshi 300 million to invest in the construction of the Hung Hom Tunnel.

Ordinary people could not save up this much money in ten lifetimes.

So, how long would it take to squander it all away?

The answer is, one year.

In 1964, when Cao Dahua was filming Cape of Mystery in Macau, he played blackjack and won several rounds in a row, which caused his gambling addiction—he already liked to gamble a little—to become uncontrollable from then on.

At first, Cao Dahua was on a winning streak, winning almost every game.

But soon he began to lose, and by the time he realized it, there was no turning back.

Cao Dahua first lost all his cash, then his studio, his properties, and even his wife's private savings.

In the eyes of a gambler, the more you lose, the more you must gamble; if you gamble, you are not necessarily losing.

This played right into the hands of the casinos; they were never afraid of you winning money, they were afraid of you not coming.

Let alone Cao Dahua, even the Ghost King Nie Aotian had lost a billion in the casinos.

Just like that, in the end, Cao Dahua successfully lost the entire Diamond Hill film studio to He Xin.

"Thanks to gamblers like Cao Dahua, our Aoyu Group was able to survive the difficult years in the beginning. Later, when I saw that Cao Dahua had lost his entire fortune, I couldn't bear it and gave him a VIP card, letting him eat and drink for free at the properties under Aomen Entertainment."

Speaking to this point, He Xin's tone also held some sighs: "I understand the word 'gamble' too well, so I never gamble. Not gambling is winning."

After pondering for a moment, Chen Jiajun took a sip of tea and said: "Xin Ge, can you sell the Diamond Hill Studio to me?"

He Xin had also heard that Chen Jiajun had acquired the Jiahe Circuit, and he smiled slightly: "It is not impossible to sell it to you, but before that, will you play a game of Chinese chess with me?"

For the Gambling King He Xin, the Diamond Hill Studio had no value in his hands.

"Fine, playing Chinese chess with you is fine, but if I win, can it be a bit cheaper?"

Chen Jiajun immediately put forward his request.

"As long as you beat me, you name the price," He Xin said very generously.

Two days later, Chen Jiajun, who had been sponging off meals at the Repulse Bay No. 1 villa for two full days, successfully beat He Xin at chess.

"Damn it!"

"If I didn't have business to attend to in Macau today, I would definitely have won this game."

For two full days and nights, the two did nothing but eat and play chess. However, the actual time spent playing was only the first five minutes; the rest of the time was spent wearing each other down, wasting time, as neither was willing to admit defeat.

During this period, He Tian'er, He Tianbao, and even A-Mei had come to persuade the two, but since they were "well-matched opponents," who would be willing to admit defeat?

Just like that, Chen Jiajun took down the Diamond Hill Studio, which would later be worth hundreds of billions, for the price of 400 million.

The land price of the Diamond Hill Studio was even more expensive than that of the Shaw Brothers studio and the TVB City.

After taking down the Diamond Hill Studio, Chen Jiajun purchased a set of BETACAM camcorders produced by Sony in Japan for Hongxing Film, along with many brand-new pieces of photography equipment.

One month later, Diamond Hill Studio.

Chen Jiajun, Jing Kun, Da Fei, Wu Yusen, Xu Ke, Zhou Runfa, and a group of others were holding the opening ceremony for A Better Tomorrow.

A Better Tomorrow

Directors: Chen Jiajun, Wu Yusen.

Producer, production manager, screenwriter: Chen Jiajun.

Starring: Zhou Runfa, Di Long, Zhang Guorong, Zhu Baoyi, He Tian'er.

Before every film starts shooting, the directors and actors all feel confident.

But every year, perhaps only one or two become massive hits, while the vast majority are submerged in the boundless sea.

Therefore, before every film starts shooting, everyone hopes it will be a big hit; the directors and investors hope it will be a big hit to make money, and the actors hope it will be a big hit to become famous overnight.

Yet there are simply too many uncertainties in the market, so they can only pray to the gods for a big hit; in most cases, this is just going through a ritual, as the success of a film has a great deal to do with resources.

Amidst bursts of firecracker sounds, Chen Jiajun picked up a kitchen knife to slice the roasted pig and pulled off the red cloth covering the Sony BETACAM.

A Better Tomorrow officially begins filming.

(End of this chapter)