Chapter 2: Looking for Cindy

In 1997, Jin Chengwu was truly handsome, while Liu Zhenwei was somewhat down on his luck. The failure of *A Chinese Odyssey* dealt him a heavy blow; he had hoped to salvage some face with his forte, ghost‑film themes, but the box office of *Night of the Returning Soul* still fell short of twenty million.

His subsequent films also received only lukewarm responses.

As for the film *Ma Yongzhen* that he wrote, its box office in Xianggang was only a little over three million—basically a flop that sent him back to his grandmother's house.

Then in 1998, he lost even more with the film *Super Space-Time Love*, which earned only 520,000 at the box office, causing his company to go bankrupt and forcing him to retire and live in seclusion in Canada.

But at this moment he still retained some big‑shot poise. Upon hearing that Jiang Heng had only played a few walk‑on roles and wanted to become a director, he puffed on a cigar and drawled, "Young man, don't aim too high—filmmaking isn't that easy!"

Jiang Heng adopted a humble, polite junior demeanor, smiling and saying, "I understand—I just want to use money to realize my dream; profits and losses don't really matter to me!"

Cough—cough!

Liu Zhenwei coughed violently a few times, then turned away and ignored Jiang Heng.

Yuan De then continued with the information he had gathered: "Over in Treasure Island, we actually found a few Asian‑female models; the head of Scholar Film Company, Mr. Cai, is willing to help and has already had someone fax over the prepared data!"

Jiang Heng was overjoyed and asked, "Where is the fax?"

The president of Scholar Film Company, Cai Songlin, is a veritable giant in the Chinese‑language Hong Kong‑Taiwan film market; the company has produced over a thousand films and released more than sixty‑six hundred, and works such as Wong Kar‑wei's *East Evil West Poison* and Liu Zhenwei's *East Success West Just* are all Scholar Film Company productions.

With such a big shot pulling strings, Jiang Heng believed finding Li Meiqi would not be difficult.

After all, he had set extremely specific requirements: Asian ethnicity, height over 168 cm, fluent English—it was almost as if he had named her outright.

Yuan De pointed to the Rolex on his wrist and said, "Of course it's at the company—do you really expect to send the fax to the set?"

Jiang Heng laughed and said, "Then let's have a late‑night snack together later!"

"Good, perfect timing for someone to bring the fax over."

Yuan Hua, Yuan Kui, Yuan De, Yuan Bian, Liu Zhenwei, Jin Chengwu, Xuanxuan and the others joined Jiang Heng for a hot‑pot meal.

Inside the antiquely decorated private room, the stove burned beneath a clay pot; long chopsticks tossed fresh ingredients into the rolling broth, and everyone ate with great relish.

Yuan Bian suddenly asked, "We've got gorgeous women everywhere in Xianggang—why insist on looking for an Asian?"

Yuan Hua, having the air of a landlord, chuckled and said, "Exactly—take Xuanxuan, a great beauty: she's got the looks, she's got the figure, and her English flows fluently; she could easily be the female lead!"

Jiang Heng gave an embarrassed grin, instinctively glancing at Xuanxuan, who returned a sweet smile full of hope.

"Um, I place great importance on this film's performance in the European and American markets, so the female lead…!"

Before Jiang Heng could finish, Liu Zhenwei couldn't help but snort coldly.

After several consecutive box‑office disappointments that severely damaged his confidence, he now didn't even dare guarantee success in the Hong Kong market, so hearing Jiang Heng talk about Europe and America was truly hard to bear.

"Young man, I don't know where you got your funds and courage, but I still have to give you this advice: don't aim too high in life!"

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room instantly grew solemn.

Jiang Heng may be only a minor figure in the Hong Kong film world, but given the current unfavorable climate, even someone of Yuan Bian's stature would not lightly offend a film investor.

Even if he didn't care, there were friends waiting to start work and support their families; he laughed and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Hey, why does having a drink lead to ordering more? Let's just eat our vegetables, eat our vegetables!"

Jiang Heng wasn't angry, first because he had worked with Liu Zhenwei in his previous life and their relationship was still decent.

Second, knowing he has a good temper, I realize it wasn't a deliberate attack—it's just honest advice that's hard to hear!

If it weren't for his rebirth and the Super Microcomputer he carries, his current approach would be outright suicidal.

"I know I'm not aiming too high; I just want to work out how to shoot the film so it sells as many copies as possible!"

Liu Zhenwei was about to retort, but then thought, "It's not my dad's money—I don't care whether you lose or profit," and ate his meal in silence.

Seeing this, Yuan De also dropped the idea of discussing the script. He is merely the main villain and martial arts coach; his pay isn't affected by the film's box‑office success or failure.

Although Jiang Heng's script sounds creative, that's about all it has—could even more imagination still surpass Old Monster Xu?

The meal was eaten in oppressive silence, but fortunately, at the very last moment, the person delivering the fax finally arrived.

Jiang Heng took it, flipped through, and found only three sheets; the first one, to his surprise, was Li Meiqi's—it included not only her photo and bio but also her contact number.

He restrained the urge to call right then; after the meal ended and he returned to his car, he finally dialed Li Meiqi's number.

In Treasure Island, inside a shabby rented room, Li Meiqi leaned anxiously against the headboard, her eyes fixed on her phone.

Her bunkmate swung her two pale legs and said seriously, "Ah Qi, I think you shouldn't worry so much—if you're Asian, over 168 cm tall, and fluent in English, I've never heard of such an outrageous casting requirement!"

The girl opposite, holding a washbasin, replied, "Exactly—it sounds totally like a scam!"

Li Meiqi gave an embarrassed smile and said, "A big company like Scholar Film wouldn't deceive me, would it?"

"That's hard to say!"

Li Meiqi remained silent; in fact she also thought the whole thing was outrageous, yet she desperately wanted it to be true.

Her family background wasn't great, her conditions weren't outstanding, and at 168 cm she was actually a bit short for a model; consequently, when she first entered the industry she could only do print work, with few opportunities and a meager income.

Even after coming to Treasure Island, although she could participate in runway shows, her income remained low and her prospects bleak.

Just as she was lost in thought, a pleasant ringtone suddenly sounded; Li Meiqi's breath quickened, and a young voice asked, "May I speak with Miss Li Meiqi?"

"Yes, yes, I'm Li Meiqi. Who is this?"

"Hello, I'm Jiang Heng, a director from Xianggang. Earlier I asked the Scholar Film Company in Treasure Island to help find an actress; after seeing your materials, I think you'd be perfect for the female lead in my new film. Would you have time to come for an audition?"

"Yes, yes—I'll book a ticket right now and can be there tomorrow!"

"Good—remember to send me your flight details before you board, and the company will arrange someone to pick you up at the airport."

After hanging up, Li Meiqi remained in a dazed state, as if what she had just experienced were merely a dream, feeling utterly unreal.

"He really did call you—did he say which company? Jiahe, Yongsheng, or some new outfit?"

"Uh, he didn't say!" Li Meiqi looked bewildered.

"If he didn't say, maybe it's just a shell company?"

……

The company Jiang Heng registered really is a shell company.

After all, Xianggang was once a place of heroes and tumult.

Although things are different now, he still feels that after making money he should head north as soon as possible.

One reason is to take part in the great wave of domestic entertainment's rise; more importantly, it's out of concern for his own safety and property.

Before the millennium, Xianggang's film circle wasn't very peaceful; popular stars, in the eyes of various forces, were essentially walking money trees.

Although Jiang Heng took the director's path, in the overall slump of the Hong Kong film market, if he made a lot of money from the box office success of The Matrix, he would still have plenty of trouble.

(End of chapter)