Hong Kong variety show: I Am a Tycoon

Chapter 181 Truth is always within the range of cannons.

"In times of chaos, heroes need not ask about their origins."

Chen Jiajun was quite surprised to hear this answer from Xu Ke.

He took a puff of his cigar, and seeing the few people in front of him sitting there so awkwardly, Chen Jiajun felt an overwhelming sense of pleasure.

After all, Tsang Chi-wai, Tsui Hark, and Mak Ka are all top figures in Hong Kong's entertainment industry, but even such big names are now as quiet as quails.

"By the way, what do you want from me this time?"

If I were to invest in a movie, the first condition would be that the script satisfies me, and the second condition would be that I be introduced to the female lead.

"If you meet these two conditions, five million or ten million is no problem. From now on, you lot are under my protection."

Chun, a big boss of Hung Hing, sat on a leather sofa and leisurely exhaled a puff of cigar.

What kind of big shot is he if he doesn't sleep with female celebrities?
Xu Ke swallowed hard. Boss Jun's extravagance made him somewhat tempted, because he had always wanted to make a blockbuster with a huge investment.

Putting that aside for now, Xu Ke said, "Boss, my brother was taken away by your Hung Hing people today..."

Chen Jiajun was slightly surprised, after all, Hung Hing had long since stopped collecting protection money and started a loan sharking business: "What's his name? Who hired him?"

“Zhang Shuping, he is our artistic director, and the person who invited him is Uncle Xing.”

Zeng Ziwei quickly took over the conversation, speaking very politely.

"Did you say why?" Chen Jiajun pulled out his mobile phone.

"We said we're inviting Cheung Suk-ping to come out of retirement. If Mr. Chan has any misunderstandings, we're willing to set up ten or eight tables to serve tea to the Hung Hing brothers to apologize. If he owes us money, we can pay it off for him."

Chen Jiajun's heart skipped a beat... Is Uncle Xing reliable or not?

He just wanted to hire a few designers to work at the company, so why is he making such a fuss?
"Hello, Uncle Xing." The call connected, and Uncle Xing answered the phone.

"Did you hire a designer named Zhang Shuping?" Chen Jiajun asked.

Uncle Xing glanced at Zhang Shuping, who was writing furiously in his office, and exclaimed, "That's right! This Zhang Shuping really has a knack for designing clothes!"
I even went to Malan to find him a few girls to help him recover. Don't worry, Ah Da, he definitely felt our strength and enthusiasm, right, Zhang Sheng?"

With his face covered in lipstick, Cheung Suk-ping had never felt so "happy" before. He said, "Mr. Chen, don't worry, I will definitely do my best to help your company design clothing."

"Zhang Sheng, you're so strong!"

"Mr. Zhang, mua!"

"Uuuuuuu..."

Because it was being played publicly, everyone in the meeting room could hear the sounds and suggestive music coming from the other end of the microphone...

Chen Jiajun hung up the phone, rubbed his temples, and thought to himself, "Everyone in Hung Hing is a talent."

"It's like this, our company is hiring designers to design services, and perhaps the staff under us were a bit rough around the edges, I apologize."

Although he said he was sorry, there was no trace of embarrassment in his tone.

"It's out of the way."

"It's alright, it's alright, everyone's happy, everyone's happy!"

Xu Ke, Zeng Ziwei, and Mai Jia also quickly stood up and waved, not daring to accept Chen Jiajun's apology.

The person apologizing sat down, while the person receiving the apology was filled with trepidation.

"It's all a misunderstanding. It's fate that we met. I'll treat you all to a late-night snack so we can chat."

Chen Jiajun smiled broadly; he was quite curious about the entertainment industry.

That night.

At the time-honored Fook Lam Moon restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Chan Ka-Chun invited the three young masters of Central—Leslie Cheung, Paul Chung, and Chan Pak-Keung—to accompany him. These men were all old acquaintances of Chan Ka-Chun. Among them, Paul Chung's high-interest loan from Hung Hing was waived by Chan Ka-Chun with a wave of his hand.

Fearing they might not be polite enough, Xu Ke, Zeng Ziwei, and Mai Jia invited Hong Jingbao, a bigwig and friend in the industry.

Before the group even entered Fu Lin Men, Macau gambling tycoon He Xin arrived with He Tianbao and He Tian'er for a meal.

“Ah Jun.”

"Brother Jun."

He Tianbao and He Tian'er were very affectionate when they met Chen Jiajun.

"Tian'er, Tianbao, what a coincidence?"

"Brother Xin, I'll come to visit tomorrow, let's continue playing chess."

Upon seeing He Xin and the others, Chen Jiajun first greeted He Tianbao and He Tian'er, then turned to look at He Xin.

"Okay, then I won't bother you any longer today." He Xin nodded.

The private room at Fu Lin Men was sparkling with starlight.

To express their respect for the big boss Jun, the seven oddballs of Yicheng, including Mai Jia, Huang Baiming, Zeng Ziwei, and Xu Ke, all came together. Why are they called the Seven Oddballs of Yicheng?
Because apart from Tsui Hark's girlfriend Shi Nansheng, the other six people can be described as oddly shaped.

In short, there wasn't a single good person to be seen...

As for female celebrities who are worth mentioning, Yicheng really doesn't have any.

Yicheng is a newly established company, and the cost of filming "The Witty Genius" was pieced together from various sources. Apart from the fees paid to artists from other companies, the other actors received no payment.

They don't have many resources right now. If the female celebrities they bring in are too ugly and the big boss doesn't like them, they might just kill them on the spot.

But this very company left behind one of the most legendary and flamboyant chapters in Hong Kong's film history.

When the cold dishes were served, Chen Jiajun raised a glass:
"Today is a perfect occasion, and everyone here is talented. Let's drink to our victory."

"Mr. Chen, you're too kind." Xu Ke was flattered.

"Mr. Chen, let me offer you a toast."

Mackay, Hung King-po, Tsang Tsz-wai, and the "Three Heroes of Central" all felt that the big boss was very approachable and raised their glasses. After finishing their drinks, the waiter brought out delicacies. During the meal, Tsui Hark glanced at Tsang Tsz-wai, Tsang Tsz-wai glanced at Mackay, and finally Mackay stood up, holding his glass:

"Mr. Chen, when you said you wanted to invest in movies, was that true or false?"

"Of course it's true. What's up? Do you have a good script?"

Chen Jiajun clinked glasses with Mai Jia and moistened his lips.

As a newly established company, Art City Company faces a severe shortage of funds.

Take their current project, "The Mischievous Genius," for example; it's already exceeded the budget before filming is even finished.

Seeing that Chen Jiajun was so easy to talk to, the group wanted to ask him to give them a hand.

"Mr. Chen, we have great confidence in [The Wise and Genius], but we are currently short of funds. We would like to invite you to invest in us, and we guarantee your satisfaction!"

After Mecca finished speaking, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Chen Jiajun exhaled a puff of cigar: "Since your Yicheng Company has just been established, why don't I just invest in Yicheng Company directly? I won't be responsible for management; I'll just invest money as long as the script is up to standard."

Upon hearing this, Mai Jia, Huang Baiming, Xu Ke, Zeng Ziwei, and others exchanged glances, realizing that it was good to have a powerful backer.

Since the 1960s and 70s, Hong Kong's film industry has been involved with triad forces, the most famous of which is Win's Entertainment under Sun Kee.

Faced with Chen Jiajun's financing request, Mai Jia, Xu Ke, Zeng Ziwei and others agreed on the spot without the slightest hesitation.

The final cooperation framework agreed upon by both parties was that Chen Jiajun would invest 500 million yuan, and together with Yicheng Company, the two parties would jointly establish Hongxing Film Company, with Chen Jiajun holding a 51% stake. He himself would not hold any specific position in the company, and Liang Kun would serve as the president of Hongxing Film Company.

That night.

Slightly tipsy, Chen Jiajun returned to the manor.

Upon arriving at Huang Bi'an's suite, Huang Bi'an was sitting on the sofa on the balcony, her dress fluttering, gazing at the surging sea. Hearing footsteps, she said, "You've arrived?"

Have you thought about how you're going to tell me the truth?

Chen Jiajun picked up the whiskey on the table, poured himself a glass, and added a lot of ice.

"When did you find out?"

Huang Bi'an's eyes were red as she said that she had been under house arrest in the manor for the past few days and could hardly move an inch except for daily activities.

"Too many coincidences," Chen Jiajun said, shaking his glass.

“I am an agent from the Political Department.” Huang Bi’an looked straight ahead, her voice almost inaudible.

“Say it louder,” Chen Jiajun said.

“MI5 member, Hong Kong Political Department S2 Group, hostile intelligence team.” Huang Bi’an took a deep breath.

"Your ancestors were from the Qing Dynasty's Sticky Rod Office, and you're a special agent in the Political Department. It really is a case of a woman inheriting her family's business," Chen Jiajun said with a laugh.

Huang Bi'an said, "But my feelings for you are real."

Chen Jiajun asked, "What is your purpose in approaching me?"

“We will gather intelligence on Hung Hing, then completely control you, turn you to serve the British, and also use Hung Hing to collect the dragon head sticks of the Hong Kong Wo tribe.” Wong Bik-an revealed everything.

Chen Jiajun was speechless: "What intelligence have you gathered?"

Huang Bian shook her head and said, "I told you my feelings for you are real. I fell for you first."

The implication is clear: she did not obtain any favorable evidence, and Huang Bi'an did not even report the incident involving the armed helicopter.

After a moment of silence, Chen Jiajun asked, "What's the use of collecting dragon-headed sticks?"

Huang Bian shook her head: "Only the higher-ups know."

"Alright, since you've been honest, you can decide for yourself whether to stay or leave."

After saying this, Chen Jiajun got up to leave.

Huang Bi'an rushed up from behind and hugged Chen Jiajun without hesitation.

After Chen Jiajun discovered the clues, Huang Bi'an knew very well that her undercover mission was over.

However, the reason she didn't choose to leave these past few days is because she fell in love and wanted to stay by Chen Jiajun's side.

Being with Chen Jiajun, she felt a sense of security she had never experienced before.

Chen Jiajun's handsomeness, talent, and ability all attracted her.

As a secret agent, she knew she couldn't fall in love, but since falling into the trap of love, she no longer knew how to leave Chen Jiajun.

"Brother Jun, I beg you to let me stay!" Huang Bi'an cried bitterly, clinging to Chen Jiajun's leg.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t stay,” Chen Jiajun said with a smile.

Seeing Chen Jiajun's cold gaze, Huang Bi'an knew that her husband had made up his mind.

Huang Bi'an knelt down and walked forward, her face streaked with tears: "Brother Jun, I don't want to leave you, please, I'll do anything for you."

Huang Bi'an crawled on all fours, kneeling forward.

The usually aloof female agent from the Political Department was now completely tearful and begging for mercy; her appearance could ignite a man's most primal protective instincts.

Seeing Chen Jiajun hesitate, Huang Bi'an grabbed Chen Jiajun's leg and climbed up: "I don't want to lose you, I really love you so much!"

An hour later.

"Can I stay?"

Huang Bian, lying naked next to Chen Jiajun, was curled up, clinging to his arm.

As the saying goes, a single shot can bury the hatchet; truth always lies within the range of cannon fire…

(End of this chapter)