Chapter 17: with translation of chapter title

Returning to the Causeway Bay company, I arranged the affairs of the two companies.

Needless to say, Jimi is really handy; the real estate agency's affairs require no worry at all—he himself has arranged everything in perfect order.

Li Xin just likes such a good employee—low salary, works hard, and can even find time to study at school; this is a heaven‑chosen worker!

In just a few days, he had the agency spread out across Yau Tsim Mong and Tsuen Wan.

He even stubbornly insisted that Big Brother B cut down the renovation expenses a little.

Li Xin didn't shortchange him either, giving him an 800‑square‑foot luxury mansion in Xi Gong together with a car, and told him that after ten years of service the house and car would be his.

In Xi Gong, Li Xin owns a large amount of land; the land prices here are moving, so cheap it's practically half‑price giveaway.

Following the layout of his old home from his previous life, he built two six‑unit, six‑story apartment buildings.

One building was allocated to his subordinate parking lot backbone so they could live there.

In the other building he lives on the fifth floor, with gunmen from his hometown above and below, and several units left empty, giving him an overwhelming sense of security.

Other parcels of land were left untouched for now, to be developed immediately if more space was needed.

This is his chosen rear base; the instructor used his actual actions to tell us that having a stronghold is essential.

From now on, outstanding employees will be rewarded with Xi Gong mansions—no exceptions—and as for what he thinks, who knows!

Just this much moved Jimi to tears; he swore to serve the boss like an ox and horse, and that very day he brought his mother from the pigeon cages of Sham Shui Po to Xi Gong.

Although Xi Gong is a bit out of the way, lacking the city's neon‑lit nightlife, the house is huge—something he never dared to dream of before.

His mother also urged him, 'Work hard for the boss—look, you already have a car and a house; you might even get a wife, so be sure to perform well.'

Jimi listened, laughing and crying at once—'Which company hands out wives? A company like that would be swarmed by people.'

After briefing Jimi, he had Ah Xing hitch up a vehicle and went to the filming site at Tsz Wan Shan to have a look.

The shoot is almost finished, yet he hasn't been there a few times!

This triad film has a strong cast—there isn't a single proper actor; they're all playing themselves!

The pocket‑sized Five Tigers of Causeway Bay, played by himself, although he'd taken a beating, still came for the money.

The lead gets eight thousand, the supporting roles five thousand; apart from Handsome Nan, the rest all jumped at the high pay.

Don't look at the fact that seven are dissatisfied and eight are resentful each day—the remaining four have pockets cleaner than their faces!

The Prosperity gang's dragon head had twelve Leaders, but now it's thirteen—after Lu Tianhong finished his initiation, he automatically became the Leader of Xi Gong.

They were all lured by Li Xin over a drink to become supporting actors; only my Brother Kun was reluctant, because the role would damage his image!

Where does all this anger come from?

Are we supposed to vent our anger in a freaking mortuary?

And what about my drug‑dealing—can that be put in the movie?

In the end, the two argued it out and added thirty seconds to the mortuary scene.

It can't be any longer!

Any more would be too fake!

This has increased tenfold! …

Because of the Mong Kok matter, Brother Kun clenched his nose and accepted it.

Just as he got out of the car, he saw a bunch of shorties gathered around the crew, watching the excitement.

Those who had seen Li Xin hurriedly greeted, 'Brother Xin, how do you have time to come hang out today?'

And those wanting to become his disciples shouted loudly, 'Brother Xin, can I follow you?'

Li Xin lifted his leg and walked toward the shabby bar by the road, laughing and scolding, 'Are you brain‑dead? You want to follow me? Come sell fish with me in Xi Gong—I'll starve you, you bastard!'

That bunch of shorties didn't take it seriously, joking and laughing, taking a couple of swings whether there were dates or not—if Immortal Trust agreed, they'd strike it rich.

Carrying his name's weight when doing business outside, they inevitably get shown some respect.

Walking up behind Wang Jin, he asked, 'Ah Jin, how much more is needed?'

Wang Jin took off his earpiece, smiled and replied, 'Boss, it's finished; I came today just to patch up a shot.'

'Mm, how many days until it can be released?'

'It'll be done within three days, but boss, have you secured the theaters?' Wang Jin asked.

Li Xin patted his shoulder to reassure him.

'I've already lined them up the past two days—Shaw Brothers, Jiahe, Golden Princess—all the talks are done; we're just waiting for your film.'

'Shoot it well; if this one turns out good, I'll hand the whole series over to you.'

'Let those shorties give you some material; you can improvise freely, giving you maximum autonomy.'

The little fatty's face flushed red with excitement, the corners of his mouth nearly reaching his ears.

It would be better not to laugh; this smile is even more lewd.

Seeing Li Xin arrive, Chen Haonan and the others felt a bit embarrassed—just days after being beaten, they were now filming for him, and still taking his pay.

One can imagine their mood.

Li Xin waved at them, waited until they came close, and asked with a smile, 'Are you used to life on the set?'

Before Chen Haonan could reply, the bespectacled Baopi spoke up first: 'Brother Xin, we're used to it—we know how to find camera angles, and when idle we help the crew move equipment.'

After Baopi finished, the others nodded as well.

Li Xin pulled two Big Gold Bulls (each worth a thousand) from his pocket, handed them to Chen Haonan, and said, 'If you're used to it, keep working hard—you might even make a living from this someday. Take this money for tea.'

After Li Xin left, Chen Haonan looked at the two thousand in his hand, feeling a bit conflicted—this was a month's wages for many people, not a small amount.

The hill chicken gave a lewd chuckle and said, 'Brother Nan, Brother Xin is pretty generous—just pulling out two Big Gold Bulls; shall we hit Bolanjie tonight for some fun?'

Chen Haonan rotated his thumb over his ear, thoughtfully saying, 'Sure, tonight we'll invite the director to Bolanjie for some fun.'

Datian Er was a bit displeased and said, 'Why bring an outsider when brothers go out to play?'

The hill chicken slapped him on the head and lectured, 'Are you brain‑dead? You think we won't be filming anymore? Just because we're in the same gang as Brother Xin doesn't mean there'll be no problems.'

Xin Ge didn't even give Leader face, daring to give Fei Lao Li a bucket smack in the main hall—let alone us few!

In the future, when filming, don't we have to listen to the director? We've gotten on good terms with him; are we still afraid of having no work in the future?

Isn't this much better than going out and chopping people? Damn, they don't even give much money, all kinds of hassle—isn't acting much better than fighting? No need to lie in bed injured.

It's only been a few days, and we already got five thousand bucks.

「Once we're famous, won't Xin Ge still raise our pay? 」 Shan Ji analyzed for Da Tian Er.

Bao Pi interjected: 「If we become famous, there'll definitely be people coming to find us for acting gigs. 」.

Chen Haonan looked at Bao Pi speechlessly, Shan Ji glanced left and right, there was no one around, he slapped Bao Pi's face with a palm, he whispered, scolding: 「You idiot? Do you want to die? 」

Bao Pi covered his face, shouting indignantly: 「What's wrong with me? 」

Angry, Shan Ji gave him another smack.

「Don't yell, who is Xin Ge? You still don't know? Even if you really become famous, without his word, do you dare to take a job without his permission?

You damn well take a gig by day, and by night Luo Tianhong will come and chop off your hand.

B Ge won't even speak up for you! Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a short mule! Acting like this is just ungrateful and treacherous. 」.

Honestly, among these few, Shan Ji is the clearest! He knows what he wants.

He also knows what can be done and what cannot be done.