Chapter 246: Premiere

Three days later, the premiere of "Central Heist".

Because it's his first film, Chen Mo places great importance on it.

The premiere actually consisted of two simultaneous events.

One was in Causeway Bay, handled by the Xinbao cinema chain, with the main crew there.

At the same time, they invited media and some entertainment figures, making it a standard premiere.

The other was organized by Chen Mo himself, at the Xinbao theater on Mi Dun Dao in Wang Jiao.

This event was specifically for members of the Triad Society.

Chen Mo paid out of his own pocket to rent the entire theater, giving tickets to many of Great Prosperity's internal bosses and big players.

Other Triad Societies also contributed some tickets.

Chen Mo arranged this premiere not for promotion, but to greet some Triad Societies on Gangdao.

He told them he had started a film company, and that this film belonged to him.

So they wouldn't target him for the film's copies.

Nowadays, many films on Gangdao are pirated by Triad members within days of release, and bootleg tapes flood the market.

This heavily affects box office.

If you can spend a few bucks to rent a tape and invite friends to watch, who would still pay for a ticket!

By holding this premiere, Chen Mo is telling them the company behind the film is his.

Out of respect for Chen Mo, some societies will think twice before acting, weighing whether offending Chen Mo over a film copy is worth it.

Of course, some aren't afraid to offend Chen Mo, and some think they can get away with it.

Thus this cannot completely stop piracy.

But if the bootleg tapes appear a few days later and in smaller numbers, it's still beneficial for box office.

Chen Mo's premiere seemed to have no reporters, no news coverage, nothing big—but the attendees were far from ordinary.

Great Prosperity's bosses, except those far in Macau and the disgruntled Yi Jian, all showed up.

Jiang Tiansheng also came.

Although there were hidden tensions, the outward relations still had to be maintained.

Besides Great Prosperity members, many Triad Societies operating in You Ma Di, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Wang Jiao came.

Chen Mo personally stood at the entrance to greet guests; Shen Guodong, Da Tou, A Hu, A Long and a few smooth‑talking underlings followed behind him to guide the way.

"Thirteen Sister, Brother Han Bin, you're here!"

Seeing Thirteen Sister and the Han Bin brothers approach, Chen Mo warmly greeted them.

"Ah Mo, your film is out; we'll definitely come to support! And we'll see how you shot it—if it makes money, I'll start a film company too!" Han Bin teased.

"You'd better drop it; there are plenty of ways to make money. After a while, we'll team up on a big deal and guarantee you earn enough."

At the mention of profit, Han Bin instantly showed interest: "Tell me the details!"

Thirteen Sister punched Han Bin's back: "Why are you in such a hurry? Can't you see what kind of setting this is!"

"Ah Mo, when did making money fall behind you!"

"Oops, sorry, sorry, I forgot!" Han Bin apologized repeatedly.

Chen Mo waved his hand: "No problem, just wanting to make money is normal. But the profit I'm talking about is still far off, probably not until next year.

When the time comes, I'll find you."

As they were talking, a few more people walked over.

"Mo Ge, the box office is booming!" The congratulatory shout from Chui Shui Ji reached them before anyone got close.

"Thanks, Ji Ge, for coming to support!" Chen Mo bowed to Chui Shui Ji, then looked at the person beside him, "Ji Ge, who is this?"

Chui Shui Ji quickly introduced, "Let me introduce: this is Min Ge, the Dragon Head of the Number Gang, Heng‑character head."

"Ah, Min Ge, great to meet you, long admired!" Chen Mo warmly greeted Chui Shui Min.

If it weren't for Chui Shui Ji's introduction, Chen Mo would have thought it was a camel returning to Gangdao.

Chui Shui Min likewise said with a smile, "You're welcome, I've long heard of Great Prosperity's Chen Mo. Not only is he fierce in grabbing territory, his business sense is also impressive!"

"Min Ge, you're flattering me; you're a senior in the underworld, and I, as a junior, still have much to learn from you!"

Chui Shui Min's nickname is similar to Chui Shui Ji's; he appears harmless, but Chen Mo knows this old fellow is far from simple.

He's an old silver coin with a personality much like Jiang Tiansheng's; otherwise he couldn't continuously hold the Heng‑character head Dragon Head position.

"Ji Ge, could I trouble you to host Min Ge properly? I've prepared a feast; after the film we'll have a good chat."

"Sure, sure."

No one needed to usher them; Chui Shui Ji led Chui Shui Min into the theater.

Seeing Chui Shui Min, Chen Mo recalled a person known as the 'Most Vicious 49th Kid of You Ma Di', Heng Zi Yaowen.

Back then Chen Mo also tried to recruit Yaowen, but he debuted earlier and had a bigger reputation.

When Chen Mo first started, Heng Zi Yaowen's name had already resonated throughout You Ma Di.

At that time, Chen Mo's wish to have Yaowen as a subordinate was a pipe dream.

Now that Chen Mo has risen, he isn't short of men, and having heard no news of Yaowen, he's forgotten about him.

It seems Yaowen now sees through Chui Shui Min's character and has curled up in the fruit stall like a salted fish.

"Hmm, later I'll see if I can dig Yaowen over."

Chen Mo busied himself at the entrance for over an hour; most guests had arrived, and the film finally began.

During the screening, Chen Mo kept an eye on everyone's movements.

Fortunately the result was good; everyone's appraisal of the film was positive.

These were their low‑key comments, not said directly to Chen Mo, with little polite flattery—the film truly was good.

However, Chen Mo also heard some dissatisfied voices.

They felt the ending should have Longwei beat those two cops to death, then set the police station on fire, take the money and leave—that would be satisfying!

Uh, Chen Mo could only say, they were overthinking it; that wouldn't pass review.

The next day, Chen Mo went to the film company.

As soon as she saw Chen Mo, Liu Piaopiao excitedly lunged forward and planted a hard kiss on his face.

The other people in the company also had smiles on their faces.

Li Yaofu swept away his previous fatigue, his face glowing with joy, feeling refreshed as if encountering a happy event.

"Looks like your premiere yesterday went well!"

"Mo Ge, I'm going to become famous, I'm going to become a star!" Liu Piaopiao hugged Chen Mo's arm and jumped up happily.

After last night's premiere, many media interviewed Liu Piaopiao, letting her experience what it's like to be famous.

Li Yaofu also smiled and said, "Boss, the media last night gave us face; after watching the film, the reviews were good—our movie will definitely be a hit."

Chen Mo lightly nodded and said, "Good, then. Has last night's box office tally come out?"

"Hehe, I haven't had a chance to ask yet." Li Yaofu gave an embarrassed smile, "But last night I saw that the theater was packed with moviegoers, so the box office definitely won't be low."

Moreover, you rented out the entire theater for just one night, so the box office figures might not be accurate.

"That's true." Chen Mo nodded, "I'll go ask Boss Chen later."