Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 1010 No destruction, no construction; cooperate with me.

When Hideki Hanyu mentioned the faction that wanted to film in the desert, Jackie Chan greeted him with a helpless expression.

"Let's talk inside, let's talk inside."

"Then I'll have to listen to your story today."

As Hideki Yuzuru spoke, he led the three women and Cheng Long into the second floor of the restaurant.

After the group sat down at a table, Hideki Yuzuru pointed to Wenqiong Zhou next to him and said, "Ah Long, I don't need to introduce Xiaoqiong. You've met her at the Hibiscus Garden in Los Angeles."

"Of course, no need for introductions. It's been a long time since I've seen Miss Zhou. I heard that Miss Zhou has now returned to China with Ms. Liu to develop her career."

When Jackie Chan took his wife and children to the Hibiscus Garden, Zhou Wenqiong was still helping Liu Xiaoli take care of Qianqian. Although they had only met a few times, they were not strangers.

"Brother, it's been a long time. My brother-in-law said he was going to surprise me with a late-night snack, but it turns out it's your treat, brother."

After greeting everyone, Zhou Wenqiong immediately explained, "I did go back to China with my sister, but we're not together. My sister is running a song and dance troupe, while I've started an entertainment company."

At this point, Zhou Wenqiong introduced the two women beside her, "Brother, this is Ning Jing and Miss Yang. One is a signed actress, and the other is a singer I'm about to sign."

If there's an opportunity in the future, I hope you'll take good care of me, brother.

Without waiting for Hideki Yuzuru's help, Zhou Wenqiong took the initiative to introduce Ning Jing and Miss Yang to Cheng Long.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Long immediately patted his chest and said, "Miss Zhou, you're being too polite. Given my relationship with Yu Sheng, I won't just say I'll take care of you; I'll definitely help Miss Ning Jing get a role in my movies in the future."

"If you had given me a heads-up earlier, I could have arranged for Ms. Ning to participate in this movie right now."

Upon hearing Cheng Long's words, Zhou Wenqiong simply thanked him politely.

However, Ning Jing, mentioned by Jackie Chan, became visibly excited, after all, Jackie Chan's status in Chinese-language films is now so high that even in China, she is a household name.

She was well aware of what participating in Jackie Chan's films could bring her.

That would mean instant fame and instant success, saving her countless years of hard work.

Zhou Wenqiong seized this opportunity with just a single sentence.

At this moment, she finally realized how right it was to sign with Qionghua Entertainment.

Of course, she also understood that Cheng Long's attitude was not out of consideration for Zhou Wenqiong.

They made it very clear in their words that it was because of their relationship with Hideki Hanyu.

As for the relationship between Hideki Hanyu and Cheng Long, Ning Jing had no idea.

Hideki Hanyu, who had remained silent throughout, could certainly explain this.

The reason boils down to just two words: "interests".

His company, "Dragon's Son International," a collaboration with Cheng Long, has been established for over two years.

Thanks to the promotion by cloud-based media and the development and operation of the Elf series of personal IPs, "Dragon's Son International" has brought Jackie Chan at least 15 million US dollars in revenue over the past two years.

This enormous income has already exceeded the total amount Jackie Chan earned from film fees and advertising endorsements over the past two years.

Moreover, as Jackie Chan's international reputation grows, his income from this source will only increase.

Such an exaggerated entanglement of interests, coupled with the unique nature of these incomes, can only be achieved by relying on the channels and resources of Hideki Hanyu's companies.

Therefore, the relationship between the two is far more than just friendship.

Not to mention Hideki Hanyu's own power in the global entertainment and media industry.

After speaking of Ning Jing, Cheng Long then said something to Miss Yang in a very cooperative manner.

“Ms. Yang, if I were you, I would definitely sign with Ms. Zhou’s company without hesitation and learn more about Mr. Yuzuru’s abilities. I guarantee you won’t regret it.”

After visiting Universal Music, touring the set of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," and receiving a brief explanation from Zhou Wenqiong, Ms. Yang now understood just how powerful Qionghua Entertainment's background was and was already eager to sign with them.

Now, having been advised in person by a superstar like Jackie Chan, I immediately made up my mind.

He immediately stated, "I am very grateful for Ms. Zhou's appreciation of me. I will sign a contract with Qionghua Entertainment as soon as I return to China."

"So it turns out that Ms. Zhou's company is called Qionghua Entertainment. We can cooperate in the future if there is an opportunity."

Cheng Long immediately added a sentence.

Hideki Hanyu then spoke up at the opportune moment, "Alright, there will be plenty of opportunities to collaborate in the future. We haven't even ordered any food yet. I've been running around since this morning, and I'm getting a little hungry."

As soon as Hideki Hanyu said this, Jackie Chan immediately called the restaurant owner to order food.

This restaurant is actually the place where Jackie Chan booked out a private dinner for Hideki Hanyu years ago.

Because we didn't give them advance notice, we didn't book the entire shop today. There were still quite a few customers on the first floor, so we reserved the second floor for them.

Actually, this wasn't for Hideki Hanyu's sake, since he's not the kind of pretentious person who can't eat when he's with strangers.

The main purpose of doing this was to protect Cheng Long's privacy.

When it comes to fame in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan is far more famous than Hideki Hanyu.

As celebrities who are the focus of public attention throughout Hong Kong, it's inconvenient for them to chat in a crowd. If they say something and it gets spread, Jackie Chan will be in trouble.

While ordering food, Hideki Yuzuru hurriedly told Jackie Chan, "I also invited Leslie Cheung before I came. He'll probably come over after the crew finishes filming."

Cheng Long said with some surprise, "Ah Rong, I haven't seen him in a long time either. Since we're friends, let's chat."

Hideki Hanyu asked, "Have you ever worked with him?"

In his memory, the two of them had never worked together.

Jackie Chan replied, "When I was filming Armoury, I invited him to be the lead actor, but he declined."

However, the following year, he starred alongside Anita Mui in "Rouge," for which I was a film investor.

Hideki Hanyu said, "That movie seems to have done well at the box office."

"I'm very popular in Taiwan, which helps me make money."

As Cheng Long spoke, he asked with some surprise, "Why did you think of inviting Ah Rong?"

Hideki Yuzuru pointed to the three women beside him and said, "They wanted to see how Hong Kong movies are filmed, so I took them to visit the set. We met them on set and then I invited them over."

"Which movie?" Jackie Chan asked curiously.

"A film invested in by Golden Princess, directed by John Woo, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, and Cherie Chung."

When Hideki Yuzuru spoke of Cherie Chung, he glanced at Jackie Chan with a rather amused look.

According to legend in the Hong Kong film industry, Jackie Chan went to great lengths to get close to the beauty Cherie Chung, adjusting his schedule and coordinating with other production companies before finally achieving his goal in "Winners and Sinners".

Then, during the filming of the movie, it is said that he fulfilled his wish to hook up with her. Later, a driver from the crew revealed that he would personally take the two of them to a hotel.

But the most sensational rumor is that after Mrs. Fang from Los Angeles found out about their affair, she rushed back to Hong Kong from America, stormed into the film set, and pointed her finger at Cherie Chung and berated her.

Upon learning that Jackie Chan was married, Cherie Chung decisively ended her relationship with him.

Of course, all of the above are just rumors.

However, it is likely that Cherie Chung and Jackie Chan had a relationship.

This is why Hideki Hanyu is unlikely to invite Cherie Chung to his late-night snack tonight.

However, when he saw the fleeting look of surprise on Cheng Long's face as he was ordering food, he felt that the rumors in the martial arts world were probably true.

Thinking about these rumors, Hideki Yuzuru felt deeply that it was the right thing for him not to choose to get married.

To survive in the world of gangsters, it's best to stay single—truly a wise saying.

As long as the playboy/scumbag image is established, he will never have to worry about his reputation collapsing, nor will he care what outrageous things the women who depend on him might do.

After all, he'll kick anyone who messes around as soon as they're done.

"This lineup sounds like it's going to be a huge hit. I've ordered a few dishes, see if you want anything else." Cheng Long abruptly changed the subject. Yu Sheng Hideki was just saying it casually, and naturally wouldn't gossip about other people's love affairs.

However, before ordering, he still said, "I have a feeling this will be a big hit."

In the Hong Kong box office market in 1991, John Woo did indeed make a comeback with "Once a Thief," and it was this film that brought him to the attention of Hollywood.

However, "Once a Thief," which ranks fourth at the box office, is definitely not as good as Cheng Lung's "Project A."

Of course, although both films were successful, they were overshadowed by the rapidly rising Stephen Chow. "Fight Back to School" grossed 44 million, and Stephen Chow broke his own box office record.

With Stephen Chow occupying three spots in next year's Hong Kong box office rankings, along with Jackie Chan's big-budget "Armour of God" and the first installment of the "Once Upon a Time in China" series, the box office market is sure to be booming.

Hideki Hanyu felt that the matter of dividing the pie among Asian cinemas could be postponed, as they would definitely be able to sell more next year.

However, he quickly suppressed the thought, realizing that his grander plans for the future seemed more important than such a small gain.

He now has more money than he can spend, so selling a few hundred million more Hong Kong dollars seems pointless.

After banishing these chaotic thoughts, Hideki Hanyu began to talk to Jackie Chan about his filming of "Project A," a movie about flying eagles.

However, as soon as the conversation started, Cheng Long began to pour out his grievances to Hideki Yuzuru.

The various difficulties and unexpected events during filming, as well as some things related to the Cheng Family Team.

"Before filming in Morocco, many of them made excuses to ask for leave, simply because they didn't want to go due to the hardship."

But the stuntmen in Cheng's troupe are different from those in other film crews. I pay them not only when they are working, but also when they are not working.

When they ran out of money and their wives ran away with all their savings, they all came to me for help. And I helped them all, even setting up bank accounts and mutual funds for them.

When someone wants to stand out, wants to be the lead actor, wants to be the director, when have I ever not supported them?

After founding Weihe, I made Chen Xunqi's "Twins in Eight Trials", "Young Master Dragon" with Mars as the dual male lead, and later I also made "Twisted Army" for him, and "Rat Street" directed and starring Feng Ke'an...

As Jackie Chan spoke, he became increasingly excited, mentioning the names of the people who had helped invest in his films and even personally promoted his brothers' movies.

Finally, as if deflated, he said, "But that's how the film industry is; sometimes you can't just make someone famous just because you want to."

They won't become famous, and I don't force them to just work for me. I also always allow them to take on acting roles.

I've done so much, I don't want anything from them, but at least they should support me in crucial moments.

As a result, on this trip to Morocco, one or two of them didn't want to go because they thought it was too hard, and once they got there, they threatened to demand more money or they wouldn't work because of the hardship. This is truly disheartening.

At this point, Cheng Long sighed, but did not say anything to blame him.

Instead, she remarked, "I can understand them. They have families to support, and it's normal for them to have their own ideas."

So I've thought it through. For the sake of our brothers' future, I won't force everyone to follow me. After this "Flying Eagle Project" is finished filming, we'll all go our separate ways, and there won't be a Cheng Family Team anymore.

Hideki Yuzuru had seen countless rumors about Jackie Chan and his stunt team on the internet in his previous life.

In fact, many of the seemingly plausible but actually fabricated smears against Jackie Chan are just stories made up by Hong Kong gossip media and then borrowed by internet media.

The infamous Next Magazine was particularly outrageous, spreading the most exaggerated rumors about Cheng Long and Lo Wai-kwong.

They said that Cheng Long didn't support Lu Huiguang, slandered Cheng Long for not bringing Lu Huiguang with him when he went to develop his career in mainland China, accused him of kicking someone after they've served their purpose, and fired him for 100,000 yuan, etc.

The truth is that in the late 1980s, Jackie Chan's Golden Harvest signed Lo Wai-kwong and supported him in making more than 20 films outside of the Jackie Chan film crew, but he never became famous.

In the end, he relied on Jackie Chan's help to become famous for playing a villain with powerful leg skills in Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master II".

As for Cheng Long going to develop his career in mainland China, what about abandoning Lu Huiguang after using her?

Lu Huiguang herself explained in an interview that she couldn't leave Hong Kong because of the birth of her child, which is why she didn't go to the mainland with Jackie Chan.

But this "you're nice to me, I'm nice to you" kind of talk doesn't have much of a story to tell. It can't compare to the sensationalism of ingratitude and betrayal. So, it was naturally ignored by the media.

Thinking of this, Hideki Yuzuru saw Cheng Long pick up his wine and drink it all in one gulp. Instead of trying to comfort him, he spoke frankly.

"The reason for this outcome is mostly your fault, Ah Long."

"Blame me? Haven't I been good enough to them?" Cheng Long asked, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

"What's good or bad?"

Suddenly a voice rang out from the stairwell.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Hideki Yuzuru knew that it was Leslie Cheung.

"Leslie, hurry up and get to work. How come you're here so quickly? I thought it would take a long time to finish."

Hideki Hanyu gestured for Leslie Cheung to sit down.

Leslie Cheung also noticed Jackie Chan on the table and immediately greeted him, saying, "So it's you who's treating us today, Big Brother."

Cheng Long quickly said, "Ah Rong, you should just call me Jackie."

The two exchanged a few words, and then Leslie Cheung asked what they were talking about. Jackie Chan then briefly recounted what they had just said.

Leslie Cheung then asked Hideki Hanyu out of curiosity, "Mr. Hanyu, I also think Jackie is very good to the Cheng family team."

Upon hearing this, Hideki Yuzuru did not directly answer the two men's questions, but instead asked Jackie Chan a question in return.

"Ah Long, have you ever read Sun Tzu's Art of War?"

Cheng Long shook his head and honestly admitted, "I have bought books, but they were all for decorating the house; I haven't even opened them."

Both Leslie Cheung and the three women beside him looked at Hideki Hanyu with curiosity, wondering why he suddenly brought up Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Hideki Hanyu didn't keep them in suspense and spoke directly to them.

"In the Terrain chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War, there is a section on the principles of military administration."

If one is generous but cannot command, loving but cannot order, and chaotic but cannot govern, he is like a spoiled child and should not be used.

That perfectly describes your current situation, Ah Long.

After Hideki Yuzuru finished speaking, he saw that the people present were all completely bewildered, and he thought to himself that he had overestimated their level of education.

He had to explain, "Simply put, if you treat soldiers too well and care for them, but don't drive or command them, and watch chaos unfold without punishing them, the soldiers will become like spoiled children who are useless."

After he finished speaking, seeing that Cheng Long seemed to be deep in thought, Hideki Yuzuru continued.

“Ah Long, managing the Cheng family team is the same as managing soldiers.”

You are no longer just an actor, nor can you limit yourself to the role of the boss. If you want to lead everyone to a better life, you must have the mindset of someone in a position of authority, which means you should think about how to be a boss.

Sometimes, simply saying something is "good" doesn't mean it's truly good.

Some rules that seem unreasonable are not necessarily 'bad' to them.

This is why ancient Chinese management philosophy always emphasizes "a combination of kindness and severity, and a balance between strictness and leniency."

After finishing his speech, Hideki Yuzuru ignored Jackie Chan, who was deep in thought, and instead chatted with Leslie Cheung and others while enjoying the dishes served by the owner.

After a while, Cheng Long, who seemed to have grasped something, looked at Hideki Yuzuru with admiration.

"Yusuke truly deserves to be called a great writer. He knows so much. After listening to you, I feel like I've learned a lot. I must study Sun Tzu's Art of War properly later."

At this point, Cheng Long followed up with, "Then can I not disband the Cheng Family Troupe and try your method first?"

Hideki Yuzuru shook his head. "The Cheng family troupe is now deeply entrenched in its old habits and it's impossible to change them now."

Your decision to disband the Cheng Family Troupe wasn't wrong. After all, you can't build something new without breaking down the old. Disbanding doesn't mean you can't regroup. Just gather the old brothers who want to follow you, recruit new members, and start over.

Cheng Long nodded. "You're right."

Hideki Hanyu then added, "And I have another suggestion: if there are things you can't bear to do, you can actually choose to cooperate with me."

(End of this chapter)