money player

Yuan Wenhuai said firmly, "Mr. Xian, I am not afraid of challenges."

“Very good, I believe you can do it.” Sin Yiu-man patted Yuen Man-wai on the shoulder again. “I know that your uncle was a banker before he passed away and left behind a good fortune. I’m giving you an opportunity to buy company shares at a fair price. Think it over carefully and let me know when you’ve made up your mind.”

"Can I buy shares in the company?" Yuan Wenhuai asked in surprise.

“Why not?” Xian Yaowen chuckled. “Given the current situation, it will take you some time to get your first management shares. You know the company’s situation better than anyone. Whether it’s worth investing in or not is self-evident. Before you get the management shares, why not become a formal shareholder first, like Lu Yuntao?”

Yuan Wenhuai said thoughtfully, "I'll go back and discuss it with my mother."

"Think it over carefully. Call Li Mei over."

A short while later, Li Mei arrived, wearing a cheongsam with a red background and large white lotus flowers, her face radiant.

Her popularity rose rapidly, closely following Bai Guang and Li Lihua, and she was already showing signs of becoming a third female star. Moreover, she was a writer, actor, director, and producer all in one, and her status was higher than that of the two pure actors.

Li Mei approached Xian Yaowen and said sweetly, "Boss."

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand, "What are you doing, a big northern girl pretending to be a southern water town girl? Just speak normally."

Upon hearing this, Li Mei shed her southern accent and reverted to the spirited demeanor of a northern girl. She reached behind her waist, pulled out a pack of 555 cigarettes from somewhere, lit one, and unleashed a cloud of smoke straight at Xian Yaowen's face. "What does the boss want to say to me?"

Sin Yiu-man waved away the smoke, a half-smile on his face, and said, "You've become arrogant now that you're successful. Have you forgotten who feeds you?"

Li Mei smiled charmingly, "Does the boss want me to always have words of gratitude on my lips?"

"Take a break." Xian Yaowen waved his hand again. "You haven't had any major problems at work lately, nor have you shown anything particularly promising. There's nothing to say. I called you here to find out if you're still hanging out with Hong Bo?"

"Boss, you don't know?" Li Mei said skeptically, "I'm the most obedient person in the whole company. I even report to the company when I go to a hotel with Hong Bo."

"Who do you think you are? No one will bother checking your reporting records unless something serious happens. Besides, don't pretend to be well-behaved in front of me. Are you diligent in reporting because you're following company rules?"

Sin Yiu-man pointed at Lee Mei, “I don’t need to investigate to guess that Hong Bo’s son has a lot of debts outside. He gambles and then loses. His little bit of pay can’t last him more than a few days. He can only support two of his four butts. He’s in a real financial mess. You reported it so that it would be easier to call for help.”

Li Mei covered her mouth and giggled, "Boss, you're really something, I couldn't hide it from you."

“I’m capable, but you’re not so smart.” Xian Yaowen waved his hand. “Forget it, I’m not your father, I’m too lazy to persuade you anymore. Just drift along and get down to business.”

Li Mei laughed heartily, "I knew the boss wouldn't contact me unless there was nothing wrong."

“Sit down.” Sin Yiu-man patted the seat next to him.

Li Mei sat down as instructed, pretending to listen attentively.

"Did you know I also own a film company in Hollywood?"

"know."

“That company is about to shoot a story about Hong Kong and needs a Chinese actress, who will be the second female lead.” Sin Yiu-man pointed at Lee Mei’s face. “You have high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, making you look like a half-Tang and half-Tang people from afar; your nose is straight with a slight hook, and your lips are thin with sharp lines; you have double eyelids, almond-shaped eyes with slightly upturned corners, and exaggeratedly long eyelashes; your skin is so white that it glows, and your features are three-dimensional like a relief.”

His voice was a little hoarse from smoking too much, but it was still sexy.

You are incredibly lucky; all the current top sex symbols of Europe and America are on your face, and you look remarkably like a top Hollywood actress.

"Who?"

“Ava Gana”.

"Her?" Li Mei was speechless. "You think I look a lot like her?"

Sin Yiu-man nodded, "They look similar and have similar personalities as well."

How do you know that we have similar personalities?

Sin Yiu-man glanced at Lee Mei and said, "I know her better than you do."

"You and her?" Li Mei gave her an ambiguous look.

"you guessed right."

"Oh," Li Mei drawled, silently saying, "I knew it would be like this."

"I've built you the ladder to Hollywood; whether you climb it or not is up to you. There are pros and cons to going there. The pro is that it's relatively easier to make money, but the con is that the environment is more complex, and every opportunity requires you to put in some effort. You know what I mean?"

Li Mei nodded. "Can I not go?"

"This opportunity is for you to peek out and see for yourself. Whether you climb the ladder or retreat after seeing the spectacle is up to you. What you need to do now is improve your spoken English."

"it is good."

"Regarding this matter, call out to Yoshiko Yamaguchi."

Five minutes later, Yoshiko Yamaguchi arrived, her hair loose, wearing a black sleeveless cheongsam.

Sin Yiu-man pointed to the seat next to her and asked her to sit down.

As soon as Yamaguchi Yoshiko sat down, Sin Yiu-man put his arm around her shoulder and asked, "Are you and your boyfriend doing well?"

Yoshiko Yamaguchi shook her head. "It's better to remember than to meet again. He's no longer the person I imagined. I broke up with him, bought him a plane ticket to Tokyo, and saw him off at the airport."

"It's better that we broke up; there are even better views ahead."

Yoshiko Yamaguchi gently brushed her hair aside. "Perhaps."

“You’ve spent too much time and too much budget on the ‘Li Xianglan’ project. If it doesn’t create a box office miracle, I’ll have a hard time letting you take charge of new projects. In fact, I don’t think a miracle will happen.”

Yamaguchi Yoshiko said calmly, "What are your plans for me?"

“You can stay with Friendship Films as an actor and no longer be in charge of projects, or I can sell your contract to a Hollywood company, which is also my company. That way, I can fulfill the promise I made to you.”

After a moment of silence, Yoshiko Yamaguchi asked, "Do you think I'll have a great career if I go to Hollywood?"

"To be honest, it's difficult, but it's not that there's no chance."

"Do we have to make a decision today?"

“You can take your time to consider it, but while you're considering it, you need to participate in two new projects: ‘Night Fragrance’ and ‘Assassination of Hirohito.’ You have to choose one…”

[Synopsis of both films was written in Chapter 158]
Yoshiko Yamaguchi's eyes widened as she asked, "You want me to die?"

Xian Yaowen chuckled and said, "Why do you say that?"

Yamaguchi Yoshiko glared at Sin Yiu-man, "Just from the name, I know what you're up to. If I act in this kind of film, how am I supposed to go back to Japan?"

"The name is just a gimmick. Don't be too hasty. Read the script before making a decision. That's all I wanted to talk to you about. Call Gu Mei for me."

"After all this time, all you say to me is a few words?" Yamaguchi Yoshiko said resentfully.

"Otherwise, do you intend to rekindle our past relationship?"

Yamaguchi Yoshiko rolled her eyes at Xian Yaowen and said irritably, "Did we have a past life connection?"

"It seems like there was, and it seems like there wasn't. Whatever the case, I wish you a smooth journey in your love life from now on."

Yoshiko Yamaguchi stood up, her eyes revealing deep resentment. "Thank you for your blessing."

Before he finished speaking, he had already taken a step.

Xian Yaowen glanced at Yamaguchi Yoshiko's retreating figure, his heart unmoved. He had already lost all allure for her, stripped away any special attributes, and viewed her merely as a woman. She was utterly ordinary, and there was no way he would ever rekindle this relationship.

On the other hand, he didn't want to be ridden like a donkey while reading the script.

He met with Gu Mei and Wang Tianlin, one after another, the key figures of Friendship Film Company. He offered encouragement when necessary and made promises when appropriate. He spent the entire morning in the stands, but he didn't manage to meet them all.

Several film crews were filming at the same time, and many people were not even there.

At noon, he arrived at Pottinger Street.

This street features steep stone steps, old gas lamps, and tenement buildings that blend Chinese and Western styles. It is a living fossil of 19th-century Hong Kong urban planning and has a rich cultural atmosphere. The office of the screenwriter's firm is located here.

Beside a steep stone staircase, next to the entrance of an air-raid shelter, stands a tenement building with British-style walls and windows. The firm's offices are on the second floor, facing a bookstore on the second floor.

The bookstore is called Zhang Li Ji, a name that is neither fish nor fowl, taken from the phrase "Zhang mistakenly takes the name of Li". Since it is an affiliated property of the firm, it was not appropriate to use anyone's surname, so this name was chosen.

Instead of going into the firm's office, Sin Yiu-man went into the bookstore, went to the cashier, and asked, "Have you eaten?"

Eileen Chang, clutching a large tome and huddled behind a pile of old books, looked up at the sound, adjusted her glasses, and stared at Sin Yiu-man's face. "What brings you here?"

"Knowing it's your turn to mind the shop this month, I came over to patronize your business."

The reason Zhang Li Ji was established was that the office was too big to use and they didn't want to rent it out to others and disturb their peace. Coincidentally, the screenwriter needed cultural background, experience, and life experience, so they brainstormed and opened a bookstore to sell some unpopular second-hand books.

If sales are slow, there won't be many customers, but it won't be deserted either. Occasionally, a customer will come in, and if the shopkeeper is interested, they can chat with them for a bit; if not, they can simply sit and observe the various characters on the street.

Eileen Chang put down her thick book and asked, "Come have dinner with me?"

"Ah."

"There's no one in the office. They've gone to the film set or to do field research, so I can't leave."

What kind of folk art are you going to collect?

Eileen Chang playfully remarked: "Not the wind, but the phoenix."

"The phoenix in 'one phoenix per floor'?"

Eileen Chang nodded slightly. "The firm collectively conceived a script about a brothel, but none of them had any real life experience, and even if they did, they dared not admit it, so they had to go and experience life."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and asked, "How do I experience it?"

"They just happen to be men, who knows?"

"Oh, the experience will probably be very profound, and a good script is about to be born."

Eileen Chang glanced at Sin Yiu-man and said, "You're quite boring."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "What do you want to eat? I'll go buy it."

"Suddenly craving vegetarian stew from Xiaozhiyuan and soft-boiled century eggs from Yung Kee. Walk along the stone steps to the highest point, and you'll find a stall selling egg waffles. Their egg waffles are the best. Today is Saturday, and Lin Heung Restaurant is having them..."

“You can write it like this in your next script: There’s a man who’s madly in love with me and is willing to run all over Hong Kong to buy me food.” Sin Yiu-man spat lightly, “You think you can take advantage of me just because I gave you a little taste? Think again. If you can’t think of wonton noodles, keep thinking about them.”

Eileen Chang smiled and said, "If you don't come, I can eat at Yung Kee; if you do come, I'll end up eating wonton noodles."

"Just have a quick meal at work, you can have something better for dinner." Xian Yaowen waved his hand at Xie Zhanran, picked up a Kangxi Dictionary and placed it on the low pile of books on the stool, then plopped down on it.

Zhang Ailing's face showed disappointment. "Aren't you coming to my place tonight?"

"I rushed back to deal with an unexpected incident, and my schedule is very tight." Xian Yaowen glanced at his watch deliberately. "I have a meeting at two o'clock, so I have some time. If you'd like, we can meet here..."

Eileen Chang spat out, "What kind of person do you take me for?"

Sin Yiu-man scoffed, "Then shall I take this opportunity to back down?"

"You've finished cooking." Eileen Chang's face flushed. "Who cares?"

"Alright, I'm not kidding you. I'm having dinner with my daughter tonight, and I'll come to your place after dinner, which will take two hours."

Zhang Ailing uttered a soft "hmm" through her nose, then immediately asked, "You came here to see me on business?"

"Both public and private matters need you to write a script."

"What script?"

"A love story in the form of a musical, with both the male and female leads being Malays, and the story set in Malaya." Sin Yiu-man took out a photograph from his suit pocket and handed it to Eileen Chang, "She created the portrait of the female lead."

Eileen Chang glanced at the photo and thought, "She's a Malayan actress?"

“Nurna Ningsi, an Indonesian, the script you are writing is for both the Malayan and Indonesian markets.”

"Since it's targeting two markets, why not cast an Indonesian as the female lead?"

Sin Yiu-man pointed to the photo, “Nurna Ningxi has never acted in a movie, but she started as a model and performed in stage plays ten years ago and became famous for her sexy charm. She is quite open-minded and her private life is a bit unclear. I plan to promote her as a sex symbol.”

"Let her make erotic films?"

“Hmm.” Sin Yiu Man nodded. “Indonesian society is relatively conservative. If she becomes a porn star, she will become a target of public criticism in Indonesia. She will mainly develop her career in Singapore in the future.”

Eileen Chang nodded, "I've never been to Malaya, and I'm afraid I won't be able to write a good story about Malaya."

Sin Yiu-man came to Eileen Chang's side, took her chair, and hugged her, gently rubbing his nose against her cheek. "The Hays Code stipulates that a kissing scene cannot exceed 3 seconds, and at least one person must have one foot on the ground while kissing; neither person can lie flat or be prone at the same time."

Hollywood cheats by cutting shots, showing a side profile, a back view, a long shot, another person's reaction, and then cutting back to continue the kiss. This extends the perceived duration to 12 seconds, but each actual lip contact must still last less than 3 seconds.

Kissing is the soul of the story; the intimacy between the male and female protagonists is expressed through kissing, progressing from awkwardness and shyness to skill and passion.

He lightly touched Eileen Chang's lips, saying, "As your little lover, I'm using my power to send you on a business trip to Singapore for a while. You can go to the villages where there are many Malays to experience the Malayan culture and, by the way, find a Malayan actor to portray the male lead."

Eileen Chang caught a dragonfly and took a sip, "Why not go to Malaya?"

"The film was shot in Singapore."

Why should kissing be considered the soul of a relationship?

"Malay films haven't yet developed this selling point. The first one can garner good box office returns, but it can't be vulgar. Kissing is just an embellishment; love is the theme, and it needs a captivating love story."

"Ah."

After having a bowl of wonton noodles with Eileen Chang, Sin Yiu-man went to the Kam Chi Trading Company.

In Cheryl's office, he and Sophia exchanged a cheek kiss, and then the three of them sat around the executive desk.

"Sophia, you get 30% of the profits from this naval deal, and the rest will go into the merchant guild's public account."

“I have no objection.” Sophia handed over a piece of paper. “This is the expense breakdown.”

Xian Yaowen took the paper, glanced at it hastily, picked up the lighter on the table, lit it, and after it burned halfway, threw it into the ashtray.

"The oil smuggling channels in Indonesia have already been established. There are only a few routes that oil tankers can take, and they can't escape the eyes of the East India Fleet."

Sofia chuckled and asked, "I'm flying to Singapore. What's the standard for a gift?"

"Do not exceed 30%."

"OK."

"Was last night's operation tacitly approved?"

The navy has the responsibility of combating smuggling, but against the backdrop of condoning smuggling into the mainland, smuggling cases are usually handled behind closed doors. When a naval patrol boat intercepts a smuggling vessel, the procedure requires the transfer of the stolen goods and personnel to the marine police. After that, it's hard to say where they go next. The destination varies depending on the "value of the case." In short, the principle is the same: everyone gets the spoils.

As for the "suspects," those with more serious circumstances and higher case values ​​are often let off lightly with some of the stolen goods, while regular customers enjoy VIP treatment.

For minor offenses involving low-value smuggling, where the perpetrator may not repeat themselves after this one time, there's no question about it. Severe punishment will be meted out, the stolen goods confiscated, and the perpetrators imprisoned. The majesty of the law cannot be trampled upon.

"We gave advance notice that this was to benefit retired sailors, but neither the people nor the cargo were handed over; the people were detained at the dock."

Sin Yiu-man nodded. "The leader is Lam Man-king, Lam Siu-leung's right-hand man."

"Lin Shaoliang is the largest supplier in Indonesia."

“Yes.” Xian Yaowen tapped the table lightly. “Our middleman, Xu Shaoyu, was arrested and interrogated the night before last. He is probably dead now. From now on, we will need to contact him directly for business with Indonesia.”

"So, last night's operation was a trap to lure us in?"

"Using someone else's flowers to present to Buddha is more apt." Xian Yaowen chuckled and said, "Sophia, why don't you try to get the East India Fleet to tighten its operations for half a month? There are too many smuggling ships in Indonesia, and we can't investigate them all. Tightening the operations will make it easier to count them, and we can also find out exactly how many competitors we have."

Sofia looked at Cheryl. "I need a small money order."

"I'll prepare it for you."

Sofia then looked at Sin Yiu-man, "When will the Eagle Dollars from last night be shipped to Indonesia?"

"The quantity is too small. Let's wait until we have a million pieces before setting off. Let Lin Wenjing suffer a bit, but don't go too far. If we find out anything, it will be difficult to handle."

“OK.” Sophia nodded slightly. “How long do you think it will take for Lin Shaoliang to receive the news?”

"Three tons of gold may have tied up all of Lin Shaoliang's working capital, so it shouldn't be too slow."

"How much gold do you plan to return to Lin Shaoliang?"

"Two tons or two and a half tons, depending on how the conversation goes."

"Why not leave half? We spent £10 last night."

“Sophia, don’t be so greedy. Half a ton of gold is already worth more than £10.”

“Okay, you’re the boss.” Sophia shrugged. “Another question: you’ve been planning to speculate on gold for a long time, why hasn’t it started yet?”

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “Plans can’t keep up with changes. The expected profit from gold trading is at most a million or two million Hong Kong dollars, while part of our current plan’s expenses is 10 pounds, so gold trading is no longer that important.”

Of course, I don't mean to give up, but rather that it's not worth our or your focus. The trading company has a subsidiary, Yu Tak Seng Kee, specifically responsible for buying and selling gold at the Gold and Silver Exchange. The gold trading plan has been delegated to Yu Tak Seng Kee for execution.

Sofia smiled and said, "Adam, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Sin Yiu-man flicked his wrist in a gesture of thanks, saying, "It's my pleasure."

"Are we going to discuss the mundane, routine business next?"

"uh-huh."

"You guys chat, I'm going to the bar for a drink."

After Sophia left, Cheryl took out a folder. "I've made an agreement with Qi Lizhuo. He and his colleagues from the Public Works Department will get 55% of Lucky Star Transportation. I plan to keep the 200 trucks in the best condition. Once the trucks are running, each truck can generate HK$180 in profit for the company every day."

"Excluding stock dividends?"

"Yes."

"The profit is not bad. How many days a year do you estimate you can operate?"

"We have many projects now, and we can run continuously for more than 200 days. The estimated net profit is over HK$500 million."

"Not bad. Once this market rally is over, we'll distribute dividends immediately. You should give Qi Lizhuo a heads-up beforehand: the shares are tied to his position. Once he steps down, the number of shares will be significantly reduced."

“I have already mentioned it, and he said he understood, but he did not mention a specific amount.”

"It's good that he understands. There's no need to bring up the specific amount too early. Once the new person is in place, we can all sit down together and discuss it amicably. The new person should be happy, and the old person shouldn't cry. We don't do things like crossing the river and then burning the bridge."

Cheryl frowned and said, "Adam, the shares won't withstand several divisions."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "This is not a business that can last long. If it is profitable, we will continue to do it. But if the profit becomes meager one day, we will shut down Lucky Star Transportation or sell it off in a package."

Hong Kong is too small, lacks government projects, and relies solely on private businesses; the prospects for its transportation industry are not very optimistic.

"It's not very optimistic. This time the military released over a thousand vehicles, but less than three hundred were sold to the mainland. Too many remained in Hong Kong, and the transportation demand may not be that high."

“Even though Hong Kong is small, a few hundred trucks won’t saturate the market, but the transportation business is definitely not as optimistic as we imagine. How many trucks are still unsold?”

"There are still over four hundred vehicles left, and quite a few people want to buy them. Once they're repaired, someone will want them; they should sell out in at most half a month." (End of Chapter)