money player

Aiguo East Road.

During the Japanese occupation, this area was a film production hub. After the Nationalist government took over, some film studios retained their original functions. For example, the Agricultural Education Bureau took over the film studio of Taiwan Film Co., Ltd.

Not far from the agricultural education center, there was another film set, a photography studio with a three-story office building attached. It had been empty and unused, so Lan Yingying rented it as an office for the other station.

Before arriving, Sin Yiu-man made a phone call. He got out of the car, and a man and a woman came to greet him.

"Mr. Xian, I am Zhang Yiyang."

"Manager Zhang, hello." Xian Yaowen shook hands with the man, looked at the woman, and chuckled, "A handshake, or a hug?"

The woman was Bai Wei, but also Qian Muhong, and also Muhong, the gift Wu Huoshi gave him when they first met.

Mu Hong giggled, leaned forward and hugged him tightly, her bright red lips close to his ear, "Boss, you're welcome to knock on my door anytime."

"Keep your door closed and don't open it for men easily." Xian Yaowen slapped Mu Hong's buttocks, then released her and said to Zhang Yiyang, "Manager Zhang, as you can see, my relationship with Mu Hong is not ordinary, but that doesn't mean she can enjoy special privileges in the company."

He pointed to the office building, walked ahead, and said as he walked, "Manager Lan put a lot of effort into building relationships with farmers and education institutions so that Friendship Films could establish a branch in Taiwan. The purpose of establishing the Taiwan branch is very simple: to make a profit."

The criteria for evaluating merit in Taiwan's alliances are very simple: it's based on the amount of contribution made to the goal of profit. Those who contribute more can receive higher incomes and enjoy certain privileges.

He paused on the steps and pointed at Mu Hong, "For example, if the play she starred in is a big hit, she will automatically have priority in choosing roles for the company's next play. Even if a role is not suitable for her, she can only play it."

He then pointed at Mu Hong, "Don't be too happy yet. If the play doesn't sell well, the company will have to hold a meeting afterwards to analyze the reasons for the failure. If it's because of her, then her privileges will be gone. Depending on how much the company loses, she will need to do something to make up for the losses."

For example, she might play villainous roles in movies starring other actresses. Moreover, for the sake of box office success, she might make herself look ugly, act seductive, or even get beaten up. She might even use real beatings as a gimmick, breaking her arms and legs or turning her head into a pig's head.

Just grasp one premise: this is done for box office considerations.

He stared at Zhang Yiyang's face. "Manager Zhang, was my explanation of the privilege clear?"

Zhang Yiyang nodded. "You only get special privileges if you can sell well, but you can't abuse those privileges."

"In the company, those who work in the film production process do not have hard work, only merit. If the film is a box office success, everyone can get their due bonus, which is the so-called reward based on merit. Merit is paid out in time, and there is no opportunity to accumulate hard work."

Sin Yiu-man pointed at Cheung Yee-yeung and said, “Please note the word ‘deserved.’ Friendship Film Company’s logo is a slanted scale. The company is light, and the employees are heavy. The employees’ compensation often exceeds their contributions. This is the mission of Friendship Film Company.”

The company conducts a performance evaluation for each employee every quarter. If a performance is deemed too low or too high, an evaluation is conducted for another quarter. Adjustments are made on a six-month cycle to ensure no one is unfairly treated and to prevent incompetent individuals from being overlooked.

Then, climbing the stairs, the company's policy on talent recruitment is to appoint people regardless of kinship. Manager Zhang can hire anyone he thinks is suitable, even friends and relatives...

Before entering the office, Xian Yaowen explained everything to Zhang Yiyang, clarifying his and Friendship Films' stance to save Zhang Yiyang from guessing and to make it clear what should and should not be done.

Upon entering the office on the second floor, the vast space contained only a few desks, all of which were empty and unused.

After being led to sit down at Zhang Yiyang's desk, Xian Yaowen smiled and said, "Manager Zhang used a stage name when filming a movie about rural education before?"

“When filming ‘Nightmare Awakens,’ we used the name Zhang Che.” Zhang Yiyang frowned and said, “I regretted it afterward. I really liked the name Zhang Che, and I shouldn’t have used that name.”

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “Manager Cheung, actually it’s all thanks to the name ‘Cheung Che’ appearing on the movie poster. I saw it at the theater entrance and thought the name was very special. Later, when Manager Lam was looking for a manager for a partner station, I saw the name ‘Cheung Che’ again in the report she submitted, so I asked Manager Lam to inquire about your situation first.”

Zhang Che chuckled and said, "So, I was chosen because of Zhang Che?"

“That’s not entirely wrong.” Xian Yaowen nodded slightly. “What impressed me most about Manager Zhang, besides his name Zhang Che, was his song ‘High Mountain Green.’ I really like that piece.”

"Mr. Xian may have misunderstood. The song 'Green Mountain' was actually pieced together by the crew members sitting together, humming a tune here and there, discussing and piecing it together little by little. It was not written by me personally. It was just that at the time, we needed to report the copyright, so the authorship of the music and lyrics was credited to me and Deng Yuping."

“I see.” Xian Yaowen nodded slightly. “I have an idea to adapt this piece. Manager Zhang, when you have some free time, talk to someone who is involved in copyright matters and find out what the copyright fee structure is.”

Zhang Che nodded, "I'll take care of this when I have time."

“Good.” Sin Yiu-man nodded again. “Do you already have ideas for our station’s first project?”

"I have the basic idea, and now I want to tell two stories about restaurants."

"Give me a brief overview."

"A Shanghai restaurant and a Beijing restaurant were located opposite each other on opposite sides of the street. The two owners were enemies, but their children became lovers."

"Gone?"

That's the gist of it.

"Concise enough," Sin Yiu-man joked. "Is it that one family is surnamed Luo and the other Zhu?"

Chang Cheh gave an awkward smile, "The story structure is indeed based on Romeo and Juliet, but there will be significant differences in the details."

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand, "Structure is not a problem; Shakespeare's stories stand the test of time. It's just that setting the scene in a restaurant is a bit inappropriate, as Taiwan is currently advocating for thrift."

Filming restaurants inevitably involves scenes of eating and drinking; too shabby a scene seems unrealistic, while too extravagant a scene is likely to be criticized and might even fail censorship.

"That's right, I didn't think it through. Mr. Xian, what do you think should be done?"

Xian Yaowen glanced at Zhang Che and said, “Manager Zhang, the social hierarchy is scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants. Scholars are ranked first and merchants are ranked last. I think this ranking is very reasonable. Scholars are mostly learned gentlemen who know everything about astronomy and geography. They pay attention to the style of life. Even when they keep mistresses, they can cultivate a unique and interesting lifestyle.”

The house was purchased with funds allocated for the Yellow River flood control efforts, the cosmetics were purchased with funds from the bandit suppression rations, and the cat food was a tribute from the grain requisition team…

Mu Hong chuckled.

Xian Yaowen glared at her and continued, "Merchants are different. Most of them are incompetent and ignorant people who are incapable of holding office. They don't know how to appreciate nature, they only know how to keep an eye on their money bags. They will do anything to cheat and swindle, with only one goal: to make their money bags a little fatter."

Merchants are crude and vulgar, always talking about money, like wild boars that are used to eating all sorts of food and can't stomach fine food.

Manager Zhang, I'd like to reiterate that the purpose of Friendship Film Company establishing its Taiwan branch is very simple: to make a profit.

Zhang Che nodded solemnly, indicating that he understood Xian Yaowen's subtext.

“You have a week to come up with a script. Otherwise, I’ll have a screenwriting agency take over the scriptwriting work, and you can just wait to film someone else’s story.”

"learn."

Sin Yiu-man took out an envelope and placed it on the table. He stood up calmly and said, “Since this is our first meeting, I should treat you both to dinner. Unfortunately, I already have plans for the evening, so please make your own arrangements.”

Judging from the implication, Zhang Che already understood what was in the envelope: "Mr. Xian is leaving?"

"It's time to go, Manager Zhang, please see me off."

The two went downstairs together, and Sin Yiu-man spoke to Chang Cheh in private.

"Manager Zhang, Friendship Film Company has many branches, and Friendship Taiwan is a rather special one. The box office revenue generated in the Hong Kong local market is limited, and it can only barely break even. If it wants to make a profit, it can only look to other regions."

Taiwan has a population of nearly 800 million. Taiwanese and Hong Kong people mostly share the same roots and culture. A movie that is a hit in Hong Kong is likely to be a hit in Taiwan as well. Taiwan is a box office market that Friendship Films needs to stabilize.

YouTai has a lot of autonomy, with independent creation, independent distribution, and independent accounting. It is basically an independent company. As long as you can guarantee profitability, YouTai is a rough gem that you can polish as you please.

However, one thing is crucial: do not include content in the drama that the Nationalist government dislikes. Once the framework of the friendly television station is complete, at least a hundred people will be relying on the company for their livelihoods; do not treat everyone's jobs lightly.

"Mr. Xian, you can rest assured. I come from an agricultural education background and know what's important."

“It’s not just you, it’s everyone else too. We must supervise them closely. The company needs to assign review positions to review the filmed content in a timely manner. I don’t want the company to discover problems only after filming is finished.”

"clear."

Sin Yiu-man stopped and patted Chang Cheh on the shoulder affectionately. "I look forward to seeing your masterpiece on screen soon. That's all for now, please go back."

After leaving the other station, Sin Yiu-man went straight home.

It was still early, and the game hadn't ended yet. He noticed the people around the table and was slightly surprised. Fei Baoqi was sitting in the south position, Fei Baoshu was behind her, and Wang Youjia, Madam Lan Liang Huilan, and Lian Qing were sitting in the east, west, and north positions, respectively.

He took off his suit jacket and handed it to Quan Danru. He went behind Wang Youjia and saw that her hand was open, and her hand consisted of seven pairs with a single tile waiting for the one-of-a-kind.

"Eye card, are we playing Jiangnan cards today?"

“Yes.” Wang Youjia turned around. “Yaowen, can you check if there are any more Yaoji? I’ve circled around three times and still haven’t found one.”

"We've already got all the tiles, and we can't change our winning hand. We'll just have to see if the right-hand sister has any tiles left."

“It’s going to be difficult for Madam Tang to touch a bird,” Lian Qing said gloatingly. “My house is practically a bird’s nest.”

Wang Youjia retorted directly, "Even a young lady's family wouldn't have three birds, would they? How could they possibly manage them all?"

"Not all birds are the same."

"I refuse to believe I can't draw a bird." When it was Wang Youjia's turn to draw a card, she picked up a card, rubbed it with her fingers, and then discarded it in disappointment, "Bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork."

"Bang."

The player to the left, Fei Baoqi, pushed out three twos from his hand, drew a card from the end of the wall, and instantly his face lit up with joy. He then played the closing card, East Wind.

Xian Yaowen came up behind Fei Baoshu, put his hand on her small shoulder, glanced at Fei Baoqi's hand, and said that she had a "Pu Hu" hand with three of the same suit on the edge, and a single tile with a bonus, so she didn't need to declare "ready".

In Jiangnan Mahjong, a winning hand starts with a single point. A "pi hu" (a winning hand in Mahjong) is not a single hand without points. To win, you must declare "ting dong" (ready to win), which means telling others that you have a winning hand. You can then take the discarded tile from someone else. However, when it's your turn to draw a tile, unless you win by self-draw, you can only discard whatever tile you draw, making it extremely easy to give someone else a winning hand.

You can choose not to declare "ready" if you have a winning hand, but you can only win by drawing the winning tile yourself; you cannot win by discarding a tile that allows another player to win.

"How's your luck with the lottery today, sister?"

Fei Baoqi opened the drawer, revealing two lonely banknotes. "I'm not far from begging."

"There's no need to worry about food. My sister can send her husband here to collect leftovers."

Fei Baoqi turned and glared at Xian Yaowen, "Your mahjong tiles are unlucky, buy a new set."

Liang Huilan laughed and said, "Madam Chen didn't say that last time when she won against three other players. She said that the mahjong tiles were lucky for her and that Madam Xian should take good care of her."

Fei Baoqi retorted directly, "Mrs. Lan, don't be too happy yet. There's still one round left. Be careful you don't lose your bra."

"Haha, Madam Chen is the one who needs to be careful."

Fei Baoqi's face fell. She was helpless against Liang Huilan's arrogance. She was having a bad day and it would be difficult to turn the tide.

Hearing the unrestrained conversation between the two, Sin Yiu-man knew that they were playing a serious mahjong game today. The mahjong table had become a mirror, revealing the vulgarity of those involved.

Women can be even more foul-mouthed than men, and his presence on the side was an eyesore. He whispered something in Fei Baoshu's ear, then told the others, before settling down in the pavilion in the courtyard.

A moment later, Fei Baoshu came over and sat down next to him.

"Master is back so early."

"I came back as soon as I finished work." Xian Yaowen hugged Fei Baoshu. "Why were you together at noon?"

“Wang Youjia called to invite us. My sister happened to be there too, so we went together. Who knew there were other people there? I think Wang Youjia did it on purpose; she’s scheming against the master.”

"It might not be a scheme, but it was probably intentional. I offered her a way out at noon and she took it. I politely called her Sister You, and she immediately responded. I guessed that her relationship with Tang Jishan might have changed."

"divorce?"

"Possibly. Have you heard any rumors about Tang Jishan lately?"

"No, should we ask around?"

“No need.” Xian Yaowen patted Fei Baoshu’s soft hand. “Now that we’ve recognized each other as siblings, the older sister should ask her younger brother for advice in a couple of days. We’ll soon find out what the Wang You family is planning.”

"Does the master have his eye on the Wang You family's connections?"

“Yes, Wang Youjia has connections but no way to monetize them; she needs a way to do so.”

"So, she and Tang Jishan had no feelings for each other?"

"Tang Jishan is no match for Luo Longji. Even the most proud socialite needs to eat. Tang Jishan's choice was probably out of necessity. There might be some feelings involved, but they probably weren't very deep."

"That's true. Tang Jishan already has a bad reputation, so it's unlikely that the Wang You family would be interested in him."

Xian Yaowen gently stroked Fei Baoshu's hair, "My reputation outside isn't much better either, I'm sorry you had to suffer."

Fei Baoshu smiled and said, "I was not wronged at all. Many people envy me, saying that I am an old cow eating young grass, and that I am lucky to still have someone to take care of me even when I am old and faded."

“You’re far from old and faded, I still adore you.” Xian Yaowen stroked Fei Baoshu’s face. “When the weather gets a little better, let’s go for a walk in the countryside of Tainan.”

“Great! My husband and I have never been to the countryside together before.”

"The countryside has its own romance, in haystacks, on hillsides, in fishponds..."

"How annoying." (End of Chapter)