Chapter 206: The Movie is a Hit!

At this moment, Dalao Jun was wearing sunglasses and holding a bucket of popcorn, accompanied by his three girlfriends—Guan Jiahui, Lu Yongyu, and Huang Bi'an—as well as Deng Yongqiang, He Tianbao, and He Tian'er.

"Boss, this is Lin Qingxia from Taiwan, the lead actress of the 【Shushan Jianxia Zhuan】 I filmed."

"Lin Qingxia, this is my Boss, Chen Jiajun."

Just then, director Xu Ke led a beautiful woman wearing a mask and mysteriously arrived at Dalao Jun's side.

"Oh?"

The current Lin Qingxia was at the peak of her beauty, with an outstanding temperament that could be called the best in Southeast Asia.

Lin Qingxia had long since become a hit in Hong Kong, and major Hong Kong newspapers frequently featured news about the beautiful Miss Lin from Taiwan.

Chen Jiajun often saw her when flipping through newspapers, but in reality, this was his first time seeing Lin Qingxia.

"Mr. Chen, hello."

Lin Qingxia had actually been in Hong Kong and joined Hongxing Film for some time, but Dalao Jun had been busy at the end of the year, so this was the first time the two had met.

"Goddess Lin, if you need anything at Hongxing Film, just say the word."

Coming back to his senses, Chen Jiajun took Lin Qingxia's slender, jade-like hand; it was very delicate.

"My God, are you Lin Qingxia?"

At this moment, a scream came from nearby, very close to Chen Jiajun's ear...

Chen Jiajun frowned, feeling his ear ache. He turned to the side, and the woman who had screamed was none other than He Tian'er; she appeared to be in a state of frenzy upon seeing her idol...

It would have been fine if she hadn't screamed, but once she did, the men and women queuing at the cinema entrance realized what was happening and surged toward them one after another.

Members of Hung Hing Security, a large group of young demon slaves, immediately held hands and inserted themselves into the crowd to form a human wall.

Under the protection of the young demon slaves, Dalao Jun pulled his girlfriends and squeezed into the cinema.

With Guan Jiahui on his left and Huang Bi'an and Lu Yongyu on his right, Dalao Jun was practically surrounded by beauties.

Soon, the lights dimmed.

The four large characters 【A Better Tomorrow】, produced by Hongxing Film.

The music of 【The Wind Continues to Blow】 began to play.

"I advise you to return early."

"You say you don't want to return."

"Only asking me to hold you."

"The lingering sea breeze blows gently."

The voice was very light and soft, and the film's visuals unfolded accordingly; the background music did not overshadow the scene.

Xiao Ma Ge, with a roguish look on his face, wearing a trench coat with the Youngor logo and sunglasses, stood on a street in Central smoking, with the Huifeng Dalou behind him.

Then, a Rolls-Royce slowly drove over, with Song Zihao sitting in the back.

This Rolls-Royce was contributed by Deng Yongqiang.

Actually, he didn't know that this car was meant to be used as a hearse; he didn't bother to think about why Dalao Jun, who had a total of four Rolls-Royce Silver Spurs in his garage, wouldn't contribute one of those.

When the film was released, Dalao Jun specifically invited Deng Yongqiang: "Qiangge, come watch the movie. Your driver and the big Rolls are in it. There's a celebration banquet tonight; I'll have Afa give you an autograph then."

"OK."

On the screen, the film's plot continued, and one vivid character after another appeared. Without exception, these people were all wearing brands under the Guojun Clothing Factory. The relevant clothing advertisements had already been filmed and were just waiting to be broadcast on Asia Television and the wireless channel tomorrow.

Song Zihao went to Taiwan to trade with a local gang, not knowing that Tan Cheng had already colluded with the Taiwan gang and betrayed Song Zihao.

The film reached its first climax here.

Xiao Ma Ge learned the news of Haoge's failure while reading a newspaper on the street. He threw the newspaper down and walked across the footbridge expressionless, his back lonely, his steps firm.

In this segment, Wu Yusen's violent aesthetics, romance, and brotherhood were vividly displayed before the audience.

In Fenglin Ge, the Southern Night Melody was intoxicatingly lush. Xiao Ma Ge held a songstress and paced back and forth in the corridor; Wu Yusen's classic slow-motion made this scene appear exceptionally elegant and charming.

The transition from Xiao Ma Ge's frivolous, roguish smile to his ruthless gaze was so natural and fluid.

The graceful dance steps and the surging murderous aura perfectly interpreted what is called violent aesthetics.

Three years later, Xiao Ma Ge had put aside his former pride, wearing tattered clothes while carrying a bucket and rag. He calmly picked up the banknotes A Cheng had thrown on the ground, limped as he pushed a small cart back to the basement, and wolfed down a boxed meal.

At this time, Haoge appeared: "Xiao Ma, the letter you wrote to me didn't say that."

The moment of a hero's greatest loneliness.

Dalao Jun's father-in-law—Guan Jiahui's old man—also had a cameo role in the film. The old man had depleted his private treasury doing business over the past two years, so Chen Jiajun paid off his debts and let him take on some bit parts in his spare time to make use of his remaining energy.

Guan Jiahui's old man was also happy to do it.

The cliché plot of a hero falling on hard times is the most capable of stirring people's emotions, whether they are men or women.

"Xiao Ma, the letter you wrote to me didn't say that." When Haoge's voice appeared.

Xiao Ma Ge lifted his face in astonishment.

When the two men's hands gripped together and the music reached its climax, Xiao Ma Ge pursed his lips on Haoge's shoulder, and many of the audience members present wished they could cry out for him.

In the film 【A Better Tomorrow】, Haoge is true to his name, representing great righteousness and loyalty. Xiao Ma Ge represents speaking out for justice, being unrestrained and free, and valuing relationships and loyalty.

And A Jie represents the image of the younger brother; he is persistent in his beliefs, eliminates evil to protect the good, and insists on justice.

When three such distinct men collide, the romance created by their collision is itself unforgettable.

Xiao Ma Ge suddenly turned the speedboat around, holding dual guns, and joined the fire-engulfed battlefield with a boom.

A Jie was stunned, and Haoge was stunned too. At this moment, Xiao Ma Ge turned his head slightly, a firm, faint smile appearing on his scarred face; everything was understood without words.

In the end, Xiao Ma Ge died before A Jie's eyes. A Jie's emotions were suddenly ignited, and he finally understood the meaning of "loyalty and righteousness."

So when Tan Cheng faced the police with the posture of a winner, A Jie just quietly handed the gun to Haoge.

And after Haoge took out Tan Cheng in front of the police and took the handcuffs from behind A Jie, A Jie, in addition to his surprise, also understood why Haoge did it.

The music of 【Years of Emotion】 began to play, and the whole theater was silent. Everyone sat quietly, many still intoxicated by the film.

That year, Wu Yusen had moved from Shaw Brothers to Golden Harvest, but could only film some aimless comedies to make a living, his heroic aspirations having nowhere to be displayed.

That year, Di Long was 40 years old. A year earlier, he had left Shaw Brothers, where he had served for eighteen years, holding a dismissal letter in his hand: Thank you for the achievements you have made for the company over the years.

The once most beautiful youth in Hong Kong was tasting the desolation of being past his prime.

That year, Zhou Runfa was at the lowest point of his career; his second attempt at life was so difficult, and people in the underworld called him "Poison Fa."

That year, Zhang Guorong, who was red-hot in the music scene at the time, joined with passion, lowering his own salary, and lowering it again when filming began.

A frustrated director, a washed-up star, and a box-office poison gathered together in adversity, let out a heaven-shaking cry, and became an overnight sensation.

The film ended.

The whole audience stood up and applauded.

Hearing this thunderous applause, tears almost spilled from Wu Yusen's eyes.

Zhou Runfa, Di Long, Zhang Guorong, and others all showed joy on their faces.

A Better Tomorrow is a hit!

The next day, film critics from major newspapers in Hong Kong praised the movie one after another, and word of mouth spread like a virus.

At the ticket window of Hong Hing Cinema, the queue of people waiting to buy tickets stretched for more than two hundred meters, blocking a shop next door, which provoked the Boss of that shop to come to the cinema to complain.

Most of the people in line were students, but there was also a large portion of adults. Those at the front were fine, but those at the back had long since lost their patience.

"Hey, cutting in line, someone is cutting in line at the front."

"Who is cutting in line? Come out now."

"Quick, drag that punk out and beat him flat."

"Who dares to touch me? My boss is Wanzai Dumu."

"It's you I'm hitting."

The ticket-buying queue immediately fell into chaos; some took advantage of the confusion to cut in line, some took the opportunity to grope others, and the sounds of arguing and cursing rang out everywhere.

Zou Wenhuai had been very irritable these past two days; due to the aggressive release of A Better Tomorrow, it had snatched away all the audience, causing the attendance rate of the movies showing at Golden Harvest to be less than 40 percent.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound of knocking on the door rang out.

Zou Wenhuai put down the pen in his hand and said, "Come in."

The person who entered was Zou Wenhuai's assistant, who walked in quickly and said, "Mr. Zou, the news just came in: the first-day box office for A Better Tomorrow is 3.5 million."

"A single-day box office of 3.5 million?"

Zou Wenhuai looked at his assistant in shock; he thought his ears had misheard.

Hell, so many movies were released in Hong Kong in the first half of the year, and only 8 of them had a box office over 2 million.

A Better Tomorrow actually broke 2 million in a single day; this sounded simply like a fantasy.

The assistant said with a certain tone, "It is indeed a single-day box office of 3.5 million, and today, although the attendance rate of A Better Tomorrow has dropped slightly, the number of viewers has been surging."

Zou Wenhuai was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth, unable to speak for a moment.

"You all go out first."

He waved his hand weakly to let the assistant go out first, only feeling that he could no longer understand this market.

Before the assistant had even closed the door, He Guangchang walked in, pulled out a chair, sat down, and said, "The box office for A Better Tomorrow this time is too bizarre."

Zou Wenhuai leaned back on his chair weakly and said, "The box office is ridiculously high; those audiences are like they've gone crazy. We are outdated."

"Indeed outdated," He Guangchang also couldn't say anything.

Actually, Chen Jiajun himself had not expected this situation to occur.

Because the box office of the original A Better Tomorrow was 34.65 million, and the movie ticket price at that time had already risen by more than double compared to now.

Even if it was because of effective promotion, no competitors, and other reasons, Chen Jiajun felt that a box office of around 20 million would be about right.

But the current momentum showed signs of heading toward 30 million.

How popular was A Better Tomorrow?

Even television hosts and magazine columnists were inadvertently mentioning A Better Tomorrow.

To increase the ratings of their variety shows, Rediffusion Television specially invited the creators of A Better Tomorrow as guests, and even Chen Jiajun was invited to the program set.

(End of this chapter)