Chapter 6 Not Favored
On the streets of Hong Kong, Jiang Heng, who was filming an outdoor scene, suddenly received a call from Liao Qizhi.

"Hey, bro, I heard you've been doing pretty well lately!"

Jiang Heng chuckled, "How can I compare to you, brother? You've even starred in a big production!"

"Stop talking nonsense, TVB guy... Hey, why am I telling you this! I have something very important to tell you. Mr. Xiang from Yongsheng wants to see you!"

"Xiang Huasheng?"

"It's him!"

"Why is he looking for me?"

Although Jiang Heng knew Xiang Huasheng's intention, he still couldn't help but say something.

Liao Qizhi smiled and said, "Then I don't know. Maybe because you are so handsome, they want to make you the protagonist!"

Jiang Heng twirled his chin with his hand, looking thoughtful, "That seems not bad!"

Liao Qizhi put away his joking tone and said, "We still have to give them face. You know what I mean when it comes to cooperation!"

"Understood, thank you!"

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Heng fell into deep thought.

He met Liao Qizhi when he was a supporting actor. Although they were much older than each other, they became good friends.

When preparing to film "The Matrix", they also considered inviting him to participate, but there was no suitable important role.

In addition, Liao Qizhi had a heavy role in "Criminal Detective Files III" at the time and his schedule was very tight, so he was invited to make a cameo appearance, but their relationship has always been very good.

The people at Yongsheng Company also knew about this relationship, so they conveyed the invitation through Liao Qizhi. They were probably really afraid that Jiang Heng, who was young and hot-tempered, would refuse it outright. That would be embarrassing!

After all, the Xiang family is famous, but Jiang Heng is just a young man.

But what the world does not know is that beneath Jiang Heng’s young and handsome appearance, he not only has a super microscopic computer, but also a heart with a psychological age of over 40 years old.

He is not a young boy who would offend others easily.

Xiang Huasheng would naturally go to meet him, but the distribution rights of the film would not be given up easily.

To be more precise, I don't want to cooperate with Yongsheng.

"What's wrong, Director Jiang? Are you worried about something?" Yuan De, who was not far away, saw Jiang Heng in a daze and walked over with a smile.

"fine!"

Jiang Heng shook his head slightly, and seeing Yuan De's strange smile, "You don't have anything to say to me, do you?"

"It's okay, it's okay!" Yuan De waved his hand and said, "Brother heard about you and wanted to get to know you and have a drink with you!"

The "big brother" that Yuan De mentioned is naturally Hong Jinbao, whose stage name is Yuan Long. There is no need to elaborate on his achievements and contributions to the Hong Kong film industry. Just talking about his connections, few can match him.

If we can get his help, many things can be done with half the effort.

In the past, Jiang Heng had no chance to drink with Hong Jinbao at all, so when he heard the other party's invitation, he was naturally happy to go.

When the crew finished work in the evening, Jiang Heng went to a date with Yuan De and Yuan Hua. At the dinner table, he met many famous film industry figures, but gained nothing.

How to put it, in the eyes of these celebrity bosses, Jiang Heng is just a young man with some spare money, a lot of courage, and a little cleverness, that's all.

Those people talked loudly as if they were competing for the dominance of the topic, not giving Jiang Heng any chance to speak.

Hong Jinbao, who called Jiang Heng over, also acted like a big boss. He gave him a few words of encouragement and then chatted with others about other things.

Yuan De, who brought Jiang Heng here, was a little embarrassed and praised the new film's special effects scenes highly.

Zeng Zhiwei, who was standing by, sneered in his unique voice, "It's a good shot, so what? Can it be better than Wang Jiawei? Still have to... pay... money? Hehehehe!"

Yuan De's face turned grim after hearing this. After all, it was he who brought Jiang Heng here, and he was also the villain and martial arts instructor in "The Matrix".

Zeng Zhiwei's words are so disrespectful!

"Hey, stop talking nonsense!"

"Is there anything wrong with what I said? The pictures of Stephen Chow's "A Chinese Odyssey" were also very good, but he still lost a lot of money! Does he have the talent of Stephen Chow? He hasn't played many supporting roles with lines, and he wants to learn to be a director. Be careful not to lose all your money!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the box became a little solemn.

After all, this was set up by Sammo Hung. By saying this, Zeng Zhiwei not only did not give face to Jiang Heng and Yuan De, but also hurt Sammo Hung's face!

But Zeng Zhiwei is just such a reckless person.

In the original history, in 2001, he was beaten up by many people and had 29 stitches, almost dying because of his big mouth.

At this point, he had not yet experienced a beating, so he became even more outspoken.

Hong Jinbao said with a cold face: "Ah Wei, that's too much!"

Zeng Zhiwei didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "I'm telling the truth, how can I say it's too much, right? Little friend, do you think what I said makes sense?"

This guy actually asked Jiang Heng shamelessly.

"That makes sense!"

Jiang Heng sneered and stood up suddenly.

The core meaning of what Liu Zhenwei said is actually similar to what Zeng Zhiwei said.

But the former was advice from seniors to juniors, while this one was just pure sarcasm and fun!

Jiang Heng can give face to Liu Zhenwei.

The one in front of me doesn’t need it!

Zeng Zhiwei was really angry. Although he is small in stature, he is also a big figure in the Hong Kong film industry.

How could she bear being scolded by Jiang Heng almost pointing at her nose?

He sneered and said, "Boy, if you don't take this movie off the screen early, I'll take your last name!"

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "You wish you could take my last name!"

"Pfft!"

"Ha ha!"

Many people in the room laughed, not giving Zeng Zhiwei any face at all.

Even Sammo Hung, who was trying to smooth things over, was laughing so hard.

Zeng Zhiwei's cheeks turned red with anger. He pointed at Jiang Heng with a fierce expression, said something harsh, and slammed the door and walked out angrily.

The scene became like this and everyone dispersed.

Hong Jinbao encouraged Jiang Heng a few more words and then left.

Yuan De was quite annoyed: "If I had known this guy was here, I wouldn't have brought you here. This is what happened!"

Jiang Heng didn't take it seriously, "It's just a clown who's trying to stir up trouble. It won't cause any trouble!"

Yuan Hua patted Jiang Heng on the shoulder and said, "Be careful!" Then he left.

……

At Yongsheng Film Company, Xiang Huaqi was standing by the window smoking a cigar, looking at the scenery outside, and suddenly said, "I heard that you invited that guy, but not only did he not come, he also went to Sammo Hung's place and was ridiculed by Eric Tsang?"

The gentle Xiang Huasheng behind him said, "It's just a simple invitation. The time hasn't been decided yet!"

Xiang Huaqi said: "You don't think Hong Kong can produce another genius, do you?"

"Will it not?" Xiang Huaqi shook his head slightly, "There will never be another genius like Stephen Chow in the Hong Kong film industry!"

As he said this, he slowly exhaled a puff of cigarette, and his expression seemed somewhat lonely.

Speaking of Yongsheng Company a few years ago, it was a prosperous company with flourishing business.

The annual box office revenue is around 100 million to 200 million, which is a huge profit.

What’s even more gratifying is that Zhou Xingxing, who helped them earn this huge fortune, received a salary far below the market price. One can imagine the huge profits made by Yongsheng Company back then!

Unfortunately, the contract has an expiration date. After Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat, Wang Jing and others left one after another, the huge Yongsheng Film has become an empty shell.

Xiang Huaqiong started a new company, Yongsheng Entertainment, which later became China Star Company.

I would come over to Yongsheng Cinema occasionally to take a look.

Xiang Huasheng pulled over a chair, sat down slowly and said, "How could I dare to count on that? I just heard that Hollywood in the United States is very good at making special effects blockbusters, and they have a lot of box office around the world. Since this guy knows about special effects production, I called him over to talk and train him."

Xiang Huaqi said, "I was just about to tell you that Old Monster Xu, as you know, has always been obsessed with special effects blockbusters. I ran into him a while ago and chatted with him for a while. He plans to shoot "The Legend of Swordsman in Shu Mountain" and bring a real fairy world to the big screen!"

Xiang Huasheng was puzzled, "Swordsman of Shu Mountain? Didn't he film it before?"

Xiang Huaqi said: "That movie was shot too early. The funds were insufficient at the time, and the special effects were not good. He plans to make a new one!"

Xiang Huasheng shook his head. "That old weirdo Xu always goes over budget when making films. I really don't like him!"

Xiang Huaqi was puzzled, "You don't believe Old Monster Xu, but a young boy?"

"No, I just think that if we strictly control costs, there will be no risks!"

Seeing that he couldn't convince his brother, Xiang Huaqi gave up and said, "In that case, I'll find someone else. When "Swordsman of Shu Mountain" becomes a big hit in the future, don't say I didn't bring you with me!"

Xiang Huasheng smiled, "Then I can only congratulate you!"

After the brothers left, Xiang Huasheng called and instructed: "Notify him, tonight!"

At the Qingshui Bay Studios, Jiang Heng received another invitation with an exact time and place.

Knowing that I couldn't refuse, I naturally arrived at the appointment on time.

In a restaurant with retro decoration and elegant environment, Xiang Huasheng sat alone at a large table, slowly opened a medicine bottle, and took a few pills.

When Jiang Heng came over and saw this scene, he couldn't help but say, "Mr. Xiang...!"

"Oh, the same old problem. Sit, sit!" Xiang Huasheng looked gentle and had a smile on his face.

"I heard about what happened two days ago. Director Jiang, is there anything you need help with? I'm sure you've heard of the Xiang family's name. They've helped a lot of people!"

Jiang Hengxin said: "You guys helped a lot, but the problem is that you took a lot too!"

He smiled and said, "I can still hold on. If one day I can't hold on any longer, I'll come to Mr. Xiang and ask for food!"

Xiang Huasheng smiled slightly and thought to himself, "That's not today's price!"

As the film company has been going downhill in recent years, he has become obsessed with stock trading, and is well aware of the principle of buying low and selling high.

Even if you want to recruit Jiang Heng, you have to make sure of his talent and take action when he is in trouble, in order to maximize the benefits.

So although I was a little curious, I didn't ask to see the sample film.

The two of them ate their meal while chatting about meaningless things.

If someone who doesn’t know sees this, they might think they are just very good friends!
After the meal, a driver took Jiang Heng out.

The restaurant owner came over and said, "This kid doesn't look like a young man. He speaks in a very slick way!"

Xiang Huasheng nodded slightly, "I have the same feeling, as if the person sitting in front of me is a person of the same age!"

The boss said, "Even if his father died and his mother remarried, he shouldn't have grown up so fast!"

Xiang Huasheng smiled and said, "Maybe it's because I'm mature beyond my years, and no one understood me in the past!"

"Are you going to recruit him?"

"It's not ready yet, let's wait and see!"

The Hong Kong film industry was in a clear decline in 97, and major film and television companies cut production.

In such a situation, a shell company claiming to be making a special effects blockbuster sounds more like a gimmick and will not cause much stir.

Only Yongsheng still looked for Jiang Heng to talk to him, but old overlords like Jiahe ignored him altogether.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the filming of "The Matrix" was finally completed. The main creative staff of the crew had a meal together and then went their separate ways.

Only Li Meiqi was left. Her agency contract was signed under Jiang Heng's Youteng Company, and she was still waiting for her boss to arrange a future for her!
Jiang Heng had no time to make arrangements for Li Meiqi at the moment, because according to the progress of the film, he had to rush to a foreign "special effects production company" to oversee the special effects production. In reality, he was traveling around the United States and Australia, enjoying various pleasures.

During this period, I neither thought about the script for the second film nor did I do any other work. I just simply gave myself a vacation.

In life, you should always enjoy it when you should!
Otherwise, you might not have the chance one day!

After all, I have never lived past fifty in both my past and present lives!

In early June, Jiang Heng was sunbathing on the beach in Hawaii when he suddenly received a call from Yuan De, saying that "Ma Yongzhen" would be having a midnight preview and invited him to watch it.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng instantly stood up from the sun lounger, said that he would definitely go over to show his support, and then booked a return ticket.

From the perspective of the film, "Ma Yongzhen" is not that excellent. The male lead played by Kim Sung-woo is handsome, but looks very pale and has no growth at all.

However, the character of Mr. Tan Si, played by Yuen Biao, is very three-dimensional and his charm overshadows the male lead.

Even the villain Yang Shuang, played by Yuan De, has sharp movements and outstanding martial arts effects.

In 97 when Kung Fu movies were declining, Jiang Heng was willing to fly back specially to see such a Chinese-language movie with excellent action scenes.

At the Jade Cinema, Jiang Heng walked into the theater with Li Meiqi, holding a Coke and popcorn.

In this era, Hong Kong films did not yet have fancy premieres, and midnight screenings were generally used to gauge the audience's reaction.

This process is very depressing for the creators. If the audience keeps laughing, the creators can be happier, but if they just keep scolding, they can only leave in shame.

So the main creators all found places to sit down instead of gathering together.

Jiang Heng and Li Meiqi sat down in a corner. The latter first asked about the post-production situation and then talked about his recent situation in Hong Kong.

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "By the way, Grandpa has been asking me out for dinner lately!"

"Oh, so how did you respond?"

"Of course I don't have time. I can't start work, and I have nothing to do. The future is uncertain, so how can I have the energy to go out and play!"

Jiang Heng smiled, "Just bear with it for another two or three months, and you will become a big star!"

"Just fool me a little, I've almost been fooled by you!"

"What did I lie to you about?"

"Heart!"

"What did you say?"

The sound effects in the theater suddenly rang out. Jiang Heng only saw Li Meiqi open her mouth but didn't hear what she said at all.

After asking, the latter just shook his head and looked at the big screen.

Not far away, Liu Zhenwei was holding an unlit pipe in his mouth, looking around from time to time, observing the reactions of the audience, with his heart hanging on his shoulders.

Occasionally when the light was good, she would see Jiang Heng's happy expression and think to herself, "Once your movie is released, I'm afraid I won't be able to be so relaxed anymore!"

(End of this chapter)