money player

“Some things are better said out loud, so there’s no need to waste time guessing.” Xian Yaowen turned his face back and said, “I’ll take you to the hotel. The welcome banquet is arranged for tomorrow. I will introduce you to a big shot from the bank. The head office doesn’t have much funding to support Youxing, so you’ll need to deal with banks frequently in the future.”

"I will follow Mr. Xian's arrangements."

“Let’s go.” Sin Yiu-man said to Xie Zhanran, then said to Ouyang Shafei, “I’ve found someone else to partner with you, Albert O’Dell, a Jew, born in Hong Kong, the same age as you.”

He speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Sichuanese, and Shanghainese very well. He can pass for a local without looking at his face, and communication is not a problem.

He previously worked at Republic Pictures in the US, handling distribution in Singapore. Although his tenure was relatively short, he's quite familiar with cinema chains in Singapore and Malaysia, so it's advisable to consult him regarding distribution.

"Am I older, and he is younger?"

“You’re in the senior class, he’s in the junior class, and you’ll be in charge of assigning his work.” Xian Yaowen stared at Ouyang Shafei’s face with a half-smile. “If you use this person well, he’ll become your Zhuge Liang; if you don’t, your positions will be switched.”

"Understood." A resolute look appeared in Ouyang Shafei's eyes.

"Youxing needs to supervise and manage an independent performance service company, Asia-Show. If nothing unexpected happens, the manager of this company is Yang Peiyun from Xianle Getai."

Asia-Show's main business is arranging for Friendship Films' artists to perform across Asia, promoting Friendship Films while earning performance fees.

This is the official explanation. In reality, when female celebrities go to an unfamiliar place, they are bound to be coveted by others. A gentlemanly man can pretend to be sincere and use money to win them over, which is easier to handle. It depends on the female celebrity's own wishes, since everyone wants to find a rich husband.

If things get really despicable, threats, intimidation, rape, gang rape—any means are possible.

Xian Yaowen placed his hand on Ouyang Shafei's small shoulder, "My purpose in running Friendship Film Company is to make money. At the same time, I am not a stingy person and am happy to share the profits with everyone. If I eat Dongpo pork, everyone will definitely be able to eat braised pork strips."

However, I am just a boss, not a leader. Friendship Film Studio is not a bandit group, and it is impossible for us to make a big fuss over a female artist. Even if I wanted to, it seems there is nothing I could do.

Siam is ruled by a military government, and South Vietnam has warlords; I can't do anything about them. If someone is truly having a run of bad luck, all we can do is appease them, prevent them from taking extreme measures, and provide economic compensation.

"Mr. Xian wants me to do the appeasement work?"

"No, Yang Peiyun will be in charge of the main work. You just need to fill in the gaps and act as a safety net. Also, make sure the news doesn't leak out. Not many people know. The person involved will eventually calm down. If the news is flying everywhere, it will only drive them to a dead end."

Ouyang Shafei hesitated slightly and asked, "What if the female artist encounters a very bad situation, and the company does nothing?"

“Everything has a bottom line. My bottom line is that a man can be lustful, but he can’t be perverted. If he goes too far, he’s not going to let me be a coward, so I might as well fight to the death.”

Sin Yiu-man patted Ouyang Shafei's shoulder and said, "You're handling things on your own in Singapore. You'll gradually learn things you didn't know before. The fact that Friendship Films hasn't encountered the same problems as other film companies in Hong Kong isn't just because of good luck."

In 1951, Hong Kong triads had not yet made a major inroad into the film industry, but there were sporadic incidents of extorting protection money. Moreover, companies producing Cantonese films were generally struggling and were already accepting investments from triads. If things had gone any further, chaos would have ensued.

As for when things will get chaotic, you don't need to look; just listen. When you can hear loud shouting in Cantonese on set, it means things are already in chaos.

Nowadays, you can't get anywhere on a film set if you can't speak Mandarin. No matter where you're from, you have to speak Mandarin to communicate with others. Whether you graduated from a performing arts school or have experience on film sets in Shanghai, no matter where your ancestral home is, you can't be fluent in Mandarin. The more Cantonese you hear, the less professionally trained you are. If some clueless people sneak in, it means things will get more chaotic.

Regarding Sin Yiu-man's last statement, Ouyang Shafei both agreed and felt a hint of disdain. Which Hong Kong triad would dare to mess with Sin Yiu-man? When Li Caifa controlled Ritz Garden, everyone could understand how he established himself. But with Sin Yiu-man, people started to lose their understanding.

Having managed to subdue the Shanghai gang, the business at Ritz Garden reached new heights. They added an octagonal cage and even opened an external gambling den. Li Caifa's drug business was taken over by Zheng Yueying. This meant that they had successfully established connections with the British, Shanghainese, and Cantonese.

On the surface, they were running legitimate businesses such as Chung Hwa Garment Manufacturing and Friendship Property Development. Each of the concubines had their own business, and Cen Peipei was renowned for her good deeds. Other squatter areas envied Shek Kip Mei. The Sin family's influence was ubiquitous in Hong Kong. They were not afraid of death, so who would bother Friendship Film Company?

Besides, everyone in the company knows that the major shareholder is the daughter of HSBC. Even if you gave the triads eight lives, they wouldn't dare to covet a British business.

The two chatted all the way to the Dahua Hotel, where Xian Yaowen escorted Ouyang Shafei to her room before leaving.

Hong Kong.

Hu Jinquan hosted several dismissed employees of Yonghua at Shanjinlou Restaurant, including photographer Yu Shengsan, costume designer Lu Shihou, and sound engineer Shi Jianming. The three were the creative backbone of Yonghua and were already well-known figures in the industry during their time in Shanghai.

The reason these people were fired was that they asked Yonghua for back wages without keeping it a secret, which offended Li Zuyong. Young Master Li was furious and fired them on the spot.

Lu Shihou took a sip of tea and was secretly amazed. It was indeed a pre-Qingming Dongting Biluochun tea, made from the first bud and one leaf. This tea was probably prepared for him, a native of Nanjing. Others could not afford to drink such a delicate tea.

He came from a family of financiers. His father, Lu Mingzhi, was the president of the Daqing Bank and was still the managing director of the Bank of China during the Republic of China era. His brothers all held important positions in the banking industry. He himself had also worked at the Zhongnan Bank, but he was so engrossed in painting that he became a rebellious son and entered the film industry.

He gently brushed the front of his brocade robe to disperse the tea droplets, then pulled out a Zhonghua cigarette from a hidden pocket—a product of the Shanghai British American Tobacco Company—and handed it to Hu Jinquan, saying, "Little Hu, have one."

Hu Jinquan raised his hand to block, "Professor Lu, I don't smoke."

Lu Shihou withdrew his hand, put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it, took a puff, and said self-deprecatingly, "I know that Great China is a 'domestic product' produced by a joint venture between British and American tobacco companies, but I'm just deceiving myself and I like smoking this brand."

“The brand name ‘Great China’ is rarely seen nowadays,” Hu Jinquan replied.

Lu Shihou took another drag of his cigarette and flicked off the ash. "They're smuggled from the mainland. They can only be found for sale in North Point and Wan Chai."

"You don't see anyone smoking this brand at Friendship Store, and they rarely smoke other brands either. I heard that the company signed a contract with the Hong Kong Tobacco Factory, so in Friendship Store's films, any cigarettes or smoking scenes will only feature the Hong Kong Tobacco Factory's brand."

"Oh?" Lu Shihou asked in surprise, "What brand?"

"I don't know yet. A couple of days ago, the cigarette factory delivered a few boxes of cigarettes. They were packaged in white boxes and had no labels on them."

"Anyone who wants to smoke can take one," Yu Shengsan said, revealing a mouthful of large black teeth.

"Each person can receive two packs a day. They can take them or not, but they can only smoke them themselves or give them away. If they dare to sell them, they will be expelled."

"Two packs are enough, enough," Yu Shengsan said cheerfully.

He was a heavy smoker, able to smoke only once a day. Two packs weren't enough for him, but on set he could get some from people with less of a smoking habit. He'd get one here, two there, and then save money on cigarettes.

Lu Shihou wasn't a heavy smoker, going through a pack every two days. Buying cigarettes wasn't a burden for him, and he had no intention of switching to other brands. He didn't feel much about the perk of cigarettes, but he still said, "The Hong Kong cigarette factory is learning from the American tobacco industry in Hollywood, but it probably won't be very effective. Foreign companies won't let it grow big."

"I don't know about that, but everyone was happy because there were free cigarettes."

"Xiao Hu, I heard that Friendship Filming provides late-night snacks when shooting night scenes?"

Hu Jinquan nodded. "The crew, who are rushing to finish the film, have four meals and one soup a day, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late-night snack. There is sweet soup during afternoon tea time. Breakfast is bought from outside. Each person has a budget of 25 cents. What they want to eat is decided the day before, and there is a special person in charge of purchasing it."

We eat lunch and dinner at a catering service, changing the restaurant every two weeks so we don't get tired of the food.

The sweet soup was made by the crew's tea service, a perk provided by the company. The tea service could earn a little money from it, so they would put their heart into making it. I like to drink mung bean soup; it tastes better than what you get outside.

The cost of late-night snacks comes from the production crew's budget. Whether they can eat well depends on the director and cinematographer. If they use film sparingly, they can afford to eat at street food stalls; if they overspend, they'll starve.

Lu Shihou chuckled lightly, "That puts more pressure on the director."

"Teacher Lu, you should have heard that Friendship operates on a profit-sharing system. When a film is a big hit, everyone from top to bottom—the director, cinematographer, and lead actor—gets a share of the profits, while others receive large bonuses of varying amounts based on their contributions."

Even without the late-night snack incident, the director would still be under considerable pressure. Poor box office performance would lead to accountability from the company, and without bonuses, people wouldn't want to work for him.

"Can you really refuse a director?"

“I can’t refuse.” Hu Jinquan shook his head. “Teacher Lu, after you start working, you’ll be in the same department as me. The department head will decide which film crew you work for.”

However, when producers and directors are assembling a production crew, they will consult with the section chief to specify who they want. The section chief will ask the person in charge for their opinion. If they agree, they will put the name on the form. If they disagree, they will replace it with someone else. This can be adjusted.

If no one wants to go, there's no way to arrange it. The section chief will have to have everyone draw lots; whoever is unlucky will have to go. People have to be sent. If anyone doesn't cooperate with the crew, the company will definitely hold them accountable, and everyone will be in trouble.

“Holding people accountable is the right thing to do; you have to obey whoever pays your bills.”

The two chatted casually, and Hu Jinquan revealed to those present how Friendship Film Company operated and what benefits it offered, which served as a preliminary training for the personnel department on new employees.

It must be said that Li Zuyong is quite capable. After Zhang Shankun led his people away from that period, Yonghua's personnel were quite stable. Although Yonghua's salary arrears became the norm in the second half of last year, and no salary was paid on time every month, people's morale did not waver.

Of course, this is also related to the current state of the Hong Kong film industry. Although there are many film companies in Hong Kong, most of them are makeshift operations. Some only have the budget to make one film. If the film is not a box office success, the company will immediately go out of business. Others only have people but no equipment, let alone a film set. They have to find money on the spot if they want to make a film.

Wing Wah is the only company in Hong Kong that owns its own film studios for "self-use" and doesn't rent them out at all. They just keep up appearances and can't afford to lose their airs.

In this respect, Friendship Film Studio, which owns the Friendship Overseas Chinese Film Studio, seems petty. As soon as the film studio is idle, it is immediately rented out. When no one rents it, it will actively look for tenants. If the film crew does not need it, it will turn to photo studios. Anyway, it cannot be idle. It is best to generate profits every day.

Singapore.

The office of HK Consulting Singapore branch is located on the third floor of MacDonald Building.

Deputy Manager Yu Liying is reading a stack of documents.

A few days ago, Friendship Films gave its Singapore branch a package deal, which included looking for several senior executives, as well as actresses and film and television industry personnel.

She was looking at the resumes of actress candidates, some Chinese and some Malay.

The Singapore branch has a small staff: manager He Yanxing, deputy manager Yu Liying, and two clerks, making a total of four full-time employees, yet they are responsible for a wide range of business operations.

One type is Class A business, which is an internal order, a request sent by a sister unit.

Another type is B-type business, which is external orders. It mainly finds senior executives for companies, i.e., headhunters, and charges one-third of the annual salary. Because such orders are rare in Singapore, in order to increase revenue, we also do labor orders, which recruit workers for factories and workshops.

Yu Liying is Yu Dongxuan's daughter. Although her mother divorced Yu Dongxuan early on and did not receive any inheritance, she cannot call herself a member of the Yu family and does not live as well as the direct descendants. However, she can still wear the hat of a young lady.

Poor young lady, she worked like a beast of burden. As a deputy manager, she only enjoyed the benefit of leaving get off work on time for the first three days after joining the company. From the fourth day onwards, she had to leave work before dawn and dusk.

There was a cocktail rice on the table, and she would occasionally take a bite, but her eyes remained fixed on the resume.

A few days ago, the head office issued a notice stating that in order to expand its scale, HK Consulting acquired and invested in several headhunting companies, and encouraged its senior executives to establish satellite companies. They were to submit a business plan to the head office for review. Once approved, the head office would provide start-up capital and resources to establish the personal company, with the head office holding 51% of the shares but not participating in the company's management.

She wanted to prove herself and her mother, and she wanted to start her own satellite company.

In the manager's office directly opposite her, He Yanxing was writing a report under the desk lamp, a cigarette between his fingers.

In one corner, an English song drifts from a gramophone.

He was a pioneer sent from Hong Kong. Before he set off, he was told that he would be transferred elsewhere after completing his pioneering work. Now his next destination is set: to pioneer in West Berlin. His next goal after that is to become a senior partner at the New York headquarters. His future is bright.

but……

He glanced up at He Yanxing's workstation, realizing that his trip to West Berlin would likely be postponed.

Ring ring ring.

The phone rang.

He picked up the phone, listened for two seconds, and said, "I'm coming over now."

He also had a date, inviting the "intelligence chief" to dinner.

The files and resumes on the desktop cannot all be collected by the four people sitting in the office. There are secret societies and idle people outside doing intelligence gathering and background checks. These relationships need to be well maintained.

Sin Yiu-man returned to Narcissus Manor and looked towards a corner of the garden, where Yi Shui, the proprietress of Yi Shui Cafe, was squatting, watching the fish swimming in the stream.

"It's probably going to be a bit hot in Tokyo today," he muttered to himself as he walked over.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Yi Shui turned her head and glanced at him, then stood up and bowed slightly, "Long time no see."

Xian Yaoming asked knowingly, "Is business good at the coffee shop?"

"The transfer was just completed not long ago, and I'm already working at Yaoyi Investment."

"That's good too. Although there are many coffee drinkers in Singapore, they are mostly low-income consumers. Even if coffee shops open everywhere, there won't be much profit."

Yi Shui nodded, "Yes, sir."

The word "Hai" made Sin Yiu Man sense Yi Shui's deliberate intention. The Japanese who still lived in Singapore after the war would carefully hide their Japanese characteristics. They spoke Hokkien or Teochew better than the locals, so how could they speak Japanese?

He looked Yi Shui up and down, then down and up, before returning his gaze to her face. He smiled faintly and said, "The first time I saw you at the coffee shop, I fantasized about stripping you naked. I still have that urge today, but times have changed, and our relationship has changed."

I have a principle: I don't sleep with female subordinates. If you want anything from me, just do your job well and state your requirements. No need for seduction.

Yi Shui bowed deeply, "Hai!"

Once Yi Shui stood up straight, Xian Yaowen patted her shoulder. "The food should be almost ready. Let's go to the dining room."

"Hay."

Yi Shui followed Xian Yaowen a step behind and went inside.

There is a guest in the living room.

"Customer?"

"Tunku Kathijah, an apprentice at the beauty salon affiliated with the Shiran Lee Department Store, is a Malayan woman."

"Tung-ku?" Sin Yiu-man asked thoughtfully.

"Hay."

Tunku is neither a given name nor a surname; it means prince or princess. The presence of Tunku in one's name indicates that one's ancestors were at least sultans of a particular region, and that these ancestors were either hundreds of years apart or within three or four generations. Tunku Khatijah's earliest ancestor must have been a sultan.

Narcissus was tasked with finding a Malayan woman, but unexpectedly, she found such a powerful one. Narcissus is reliable. This Katiya is probably a descendant of a son of a concubine who has no right to inherit the Sultanate, but it is unknown which state she is from.

Upon entering the living room, Sin Yiu-man saw Narcissus talking to a woman. The woman's figure was similar to Narcissus's, she had permed hair, dark skin, and was wearing a dress.

The Sultans of all Malaya are Sunni Muslims, a religious status that has remained unchanged since the Malacca Sultanate in the 14th century, and the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya explicitly stipulates that the rulers of each state must be Muslims.

Tunku Khatijah may not be a Muslim, but she must have lived in a Muslim family. The religious constraints on Muslims in Malaya are not as strict as those in the Middle East. Whether or not women wear headscarves is a matter of personal choice, and the doctrine does not impose any restrictions. However, the fact that Muslims perm their hair seems to be taking a rather big step.

He quickened his pace and walked up to a good angle where he could see Katjah's face clearly. It was a face that was half Malay and half Chinese, a blend of features from both races, with the shyness and conservatism of a Malay and the gentleness of a Chinese.

Her appearance is far from being stunningly beautiful, and while she might catch someone's eye, she's definitely not unattractive. You could say she's beautiful without being overly aggressive, not so much so that she could use her beauty to commit a crime. She has a refined and gentle beauty that comes from a good upbringing, and she probably wouldn't utter such words over the phone.

He approached the coffee table, nodded slightly to Katya, and Shui Xian spoke at the opportune moment, "Sir, this is my friend Tunku Katya. Katya, this is my husband, Sin Yiu Man."

Sin Yiu-man nodded to Katiya again, "Hello, Miss Katiya."

"Hello, Mr. Xian."

Katya spoke Mandarin with a slight Teochew accent from the very first word.

“Miss Katya, please have a seat. Excuse me for a moment.”

"Ok."

Sin Yiu-man went upstairs, entered the bedroom, took off his suit jacket, and had just taken off his shirt when Narcissus came in.

"Why are you here?"

As Shui Xian helped Xian Yaowen take off his vest, she asked, "Is the master satisfied?"

Xian Yaowen pulled his head out of his vest, took off his watch and handed it to Shui Xian, saying in a calm voice, "If you don't want to give me half of the Shui Xian Manor, you can continue like this."

Shui Xian hugged Xian Yaowen and said softly, "Master, what did I do wrong?"

"At home, I want to relax. I only need to use my brain when I'm sitting in the study. Don't try to surprise me next time. Just tell me in advance about everything."

Narcissus suddenly realized and chuckled, "Master is talking about Katya. Today is the fourth night market in Ranli, and I'm not sure if I can invite her over."

However, in order to comply with the colonial government's "Thursday Night Market Shopping" policy and to make it convenient for European office workers' wives to shop and get beauty treatments after get off work, Lizhi Department Store would stay open until 9 p.m., while it would close at 6:30 p.m. on other days.

Xian Yaowen pinched Shuixian's nose, "Still trying to be clever and avoid the important points? I'm a bit tired today, so hurry up and tell me what you need to say."

Shui Xian pried Xian Yaowen's hand away, freeing her nose, and pouted, saying, "The scent of your mistress's perfume on you hasn't dissipated yet, so it's normal for you to be tired."

"Nonsense, I took a shower."

"Oh~" Narcissus drawled, "You've taken a shower."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, "She's just a passerby in Singapore. Nobody's trying to take your territory. Why are you being jealous?"

“I’ll eat it,” Narcissus said coquettishly.

"You can eat slowly, I'll go downstairs to serve the guests."

Shui Xian hugged Xian Yaowen tightly, "Master, wouldn't you like to hear about Katya's information?"

Do you think I can't get the answer out of him?

Sin Yiu-man was already a little annoyed. He could be jealous, but he couldn't let serious matters get in the way.

Shui Xian sensed Xian Yaowen's dissatisfaction, suppressed her discomfort, released Xian Yaowen, and said seriously, "Katija is the granddaughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halin Shah of Kedah, and the daughter of his illegitimate son, Donggu Abdul Rahman."

Rahman is the Chief Justice of the Selangor State Court and a key member of UMNO.

Sin Yiu Man said seriously, “No, Rahman is not an important member of UMNO, but the president of UMNO. At the UMNO general meeting held in Kuala Lumpur today, Rahman received 57 votes, while his closest competitor only received 11 votes.”

Narcissus asked in surprise, "Is Rahman really that influential in UMNO?"

“Politics is the art of weighing and compromising. I can only say that at this point in time, the UMNO leadership believes that Rahman is the most suitable successor to Onn.” Sin Yiu Man patted Shui Xian on the back. “What I need is a bridge, not a climbing the social ladder. Kathijah is not suitable. We’ll find someone else.”

"Is Rahman just a son of a Sultan, a high-ranking official?"

“I mean UMNO.”

"So what if it's UMNO? Does it mean it can gain control of Malaya?"

“The chances are great.” Sin Yiu Man nodded. “In February of this year, the British Parliament debated Colonial Secretary Littleton’s annual policy statement, which proposed a timetable for gradual self-governance. Although the timeline was vague, the real purpose was to buy time to deal with the Malayan Communist Party. But this world is no longer the era of the British Empire. When Britain talks about self-governance, there are people urging it to complete it.”

"USA?"

"Hmm." (End of Chapter)