Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 465 Do you think so highly of me?

"Some actors have attended TVB's actor training class before, and some have played minor roles in other movies. Two of them even introduced themselves as having played minor roles in 'The Lucky Stars'..."

Tao Yumo spoke very positively, expressing his seriousness and dedication to his work.

After a while, seeing that Tao Yushu didn't move, she stopped talking and started begging Tao Yushu again.

"Sister, can you let me be the producer of Wang Jing's movie?"

"You are allowed to be the producer?"

Tao Yushu glanced at her sister. She knew without thinking what her sister was thinking. It was nothing more than satisfying her own vanity.

"When you were not in Hong Kong, I was the one coordinating the crew's work."

Tao Yumo was afraid that his sister would disagree, so he boasted about his own contributions.

Tao Yushu pretended to hesitate for a long time, and only agreed to her request when Tao Yumo was about to act like a spoiled child.

Wang Jing is currently still filming "The Devil's Jade" for Yongsheng, but that doesn't stop him from doing two things at once, as he is already writing the script for a new film he is working on with Lam.

It is called a script, but in reality it is just an outline of the script, and all the details are edited on the spot. This is also the norm in the Hong Kong film market today.

"I met with Zou Wenhuai yesterday, and he agreed to invest 200 million Hong Kong dollars in "The Romantic Comedy". But judging from his attitude, this time he is more trying to win you over." Tao Yushu said to Lin Chaoyang.

"It's certain that he wants to win me over. Now that he needs something from us, we don't have to worry about him turning hostile."

If Lam Pictures wants to grow bigger and stronger, it will inevitably face direct competition from Golden Harvest and Cinema City in the future. Both husband and wife understand this, but they certainly do not want to go head-to-head with these two giants for the time being.

"The Truman Show was a huge success, and A Better Tomorrow looks like it will also do well. At least in the next year, we don't have to worry too much about them targeting us.

What I am worried about now is the issue of cinema chains. Just like you said, without the support of cinema chains, even if we are given another two or five years, we will still be at the mercy of others. "Tao Yushu said worriedly.

"Let's do it step by step. After the Po Hing Theatre on Nathan Road is demolished, a mini theatre will be built. We can rent it then.

Shaw Brothers still owns more than a dozen cinema chains. D&B can rent them, and so can we. The prerequisite is that we need money.”

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, Tao Yushu nodded and then sighed.

"I didn't feel that way before I started my business, but why do I feel like I'm getting more and more short of money after I started my business?"

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "It's normal since the company is just starting out. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I asked you to start a company and make movies just to give you something to do."

Tao Yushu's expression relaxed. "I don't feel pressured. I'm anxious and I want everything to be done in one go."

"You have to eat your meal one bite at a time."

Tao Yushu didn't want Lin Chaoyang to be distracted by the company's affairs, so he changed the subject and said, "Don't worry about the company's affairs. Try to finish the novel as soon as possible. I haven't read your novel for a long time."

"I see that Mr. Tao is free tonight, why don't you come and give me some guidance?"

Lin Chaoyang jokingly took Tao Yushu's hand, took out the half-written manuscript, and handed it to her.

Touching the texture of the handwritten manuscript, Tao Yushu couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions in her heart. It had been a long time since she had sat quietly on the sofa and read a novel like this.

She asked: "You are still writing this kind of urban style novel this time. Aren't you afraid that people will continue to say that you are out of touch with the people?"

"We have to see the essence through the phenomenon. Although my novel is still biased towards modern cities, its essence is to criticize the corruption and degeneration of capitalism." Lin Chaoyang said easily.

Tao Yushu smiled, stopped talking to him, and calmed down to read the novel.

She knew the general plot of Lin Chaoyang's new novel, so she read it quickly, finishing half of the novel in three or four hours in one night.

As Lin Chaoyang said, his new work is indeed a work with social critical power.

Various delicate and exquisite plot twists show the huge gap between social classes, full of black humor, while maintaining a tense and suspenseful atmosphere.

After reading the manuscript, Tao Yushu felt itchy and couldn't help asking Lin Chaoyang: "How did you design the final ending?"

"Let's make a fortune and kill people." Lin Chaoyang said.

"Profits*life?"

Tao Yushu thought about it and roughly understood what Lin Chaoyang meant. It seemed that the ending might be tragic.

She didn't ask any further questions, wanting to wait until Lin Chaoyang finished writing the ending before reading it, to maintain that sense of curiosity and mystery.

The next morning, the phone at Lin Chaoyang's house suddenly rang.

The call was from Nansun Shi, who reported the good news that "A Better Tomorrow" had grossed 184 million on its first day of release, ranking third among Hong Kong local films this year.

The first two are "The Truman Show" and "Lucky Stars" produced by Golden Harvest.

"The Truman Show" won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, while "The Lucky Stars" is a new work in the "Five Lucky Stars" series that Golden Harvest uses to compete with Cinema City's ace "Best Partner" series.

The success of "A Better Tomorrow" in its opening release really surprised everyone at Cinema City.

In fact, if it weren't for the master screenwriter Lin Chaoyang, Cinema City would not have given much publicity resources to this film that brings together the "old, weak, sick and disabled".

Now that the movie is released, it has opened with good results, which can be considered a pleasant surprise.

After finishing the call with Shi Nansheng, Lin Chaoyang reminded Tao Yushu:

"Didn't Wong Jing say he wanted Ah Fat to star in 'The Romance of the Condor Heroes'? Hurry up and sign a contract with him. His salary is going to skyrocket in a few days!"

"Know!"

After dinner, Lin Chaoyang saw Tao Yumo staring at him and asked, "Aren't you going to the company?"

Tao Yumo immediately acted very busy, "I have to go to class today."

Tao Yushu wanted to do business in Hong Kong, and Tao Yumo was his natural right-hand man, as she studied law.

Unfortunately, the legal systems in Hong Kong and the mainland are very different, so Tao Yumo’s original knowledge system is of little use and needs to be relearned.

"Okay, I'll go to the company and you can think about sending this letter to Huacheng Publishing House."

Lin Chaoyang took out a letter and handed it to Tao Yumo. The letter was written to Li Shifei.

In the past two months, Li Shifei would write to him from time to time to urge him to write new works. Now that the new works are almost finished, Lin Chaoyang has the confidence to tell him "stop urging".

He came to Lin's Pictures' office in the Prince Building, which was more popular than usual.

On the one hand, there were two more employees, and on the other hand, director Wang Jing's new play was scheduled to be released at the beginning of next month, and they were recruiting extras. Lin Chaoyang had been in the company for less than twenty minutes when three young people came to fill out registration forms.

The development of Hong Kong's film and television industry in the 1980s created a large number of young people pursuing their dreams, many of whom later became superstars renowned both at home and abroad.

For example, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Stephen Chow...

Stephen Chow?
Lin Chaoyang had nothing to do, so he looked through the actor recruitment forms he had received in the past two days. Suddenly, he was attracted by a name on the form, and his eyes were filled with surprise.

"Born in 1962, home address: Kowloon, Hong Kong, special actor of Rediffusion Television, student of TVB Artist Training Class, host of "430 Shuttle", assistant host of "Happy Tonight"..."

Lin Chaoyang read the information on the form at a glance. It must be him.

It is now 1986, and Stephen Chow should still be working as a host at TVB. He racks his brains every day to get a minor role and sends his resume to film companies everywhere.

He had heard Tao Yumo talking about the recruitment of actors yesterday, and today he came to see if there were any names familiar to later generations. Unexpectedly, he really met one, and he was an SSSR.

"Azhen, when did this actor come?" Lin Chaoyang asked Wu Meizhen, a staff member of the production team who was responsible for recruiting actors.

"Mr. Lin, this person... I can't remember him either, maybe he was from yesterday."

Seeing that Ah Zhen had no clue, Lin Chaoyang stopped bothering with the details and said to her, "Call him and tell him that there is an important role for him to audition for."

Wu Meizhen was full of confusion. The crew only hired extras, so how could they give them important roles?
But since Lin Chaoyang was the boss, she asked, "Mr. Lin, when is the interview scheduled?"

"Tell him to come here now."

Wu Meizhen grumbled in her heart, why is it so urgent?

After she contacted Lin Chaoyang using the phone number on the form, she said, "Mr. Lin, I've already contacted him. He should be here before 10:."

"Okay, call me when you come."

After arranging everything, Lin Chaoyang ran to the office to rest.

Before 10:, Wu Meizhen knocked on the door and walked in, "Mr. Lin, he's here."

"Let him in."

Wu Meizhen led him into the office. Stephen Chow was only 24 years old now, with delicate features, a middle-parted hairstyle, and what looked like hairspray.

He looked nervous since he entered the door, and became even more nervous when he saw Lin Chaoyang staring at him without saying anything.

After hesitating for a long time, he called out helplessly, "Hello, Mr. Lin!"

Lin Chaoyang nodded and asked softly, "Zhou Xingchi, right? What's a better way to address you?"

"They all call me Xingzai and Mr. Lin." Stephen Chow said, shrinking his body.

"Then I'll call you Xing."

Feeling Lin Chaoyang's kindness, Zhou Xingchi's nervousness faded a little, and he pursed his lips and said, "Thank you, Mr. Lin."

His voice was low, and both his facial expression and body movements were full of restraint, making it hard to associate him with the exaggerated and funny image on the screen in Lin Chaoyang's impression.

"Don't be nervous. I asked you to come here today just to see your image and acting skills. Have you ever acted in a play?"

"Yes," Stephen Chow blurted out, and then lowered his voice twice, saying, "I played a minor role in a TV series on Jade Channel."

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Being an extra is also acting."

Hearing this, Stephen Chow's eyes brightened and he couldn't help but feel a little closer to the boss in front of him.

"Our company is going to start a new play soon. There is a role for the third male lead, which is quite suitable for your image. Do you want to play it?"

This sounded like nonsense. When Stephen Chow heard the "male number three", his head almost broke off and he was almost hooked.

Lin Chaoyang's smile became even kinder, and he praised: "Young people are ambitious! Then sign a contract with the company, and the No. 3 male position will be yours."

Sign up?

Stephen Chow looked confused. Is this how they signed the contract? Isn't it based on acting skills?

"Sign a film contract?" Stephen Chow asked blankly.

"Almost. The company's development really needs young people with potential like you. I think you have a good image and you came from TVB. You should sign with our company in the future."

Only then did Stephen Chow realize that Mr. Lin actually wanted to sign him.

He was happy at first, but then became a little alert.

Just a few words and you can sign a contract? Isn't that too ridiculous? Is there some trap?
"Ah Xing, I still have high hopes for you.

You are the first actor signed by Lin's Film Company. You must work hard to perform well in this play. When you become famous in the future, I will make a play with you as the leading actor!"

What is the most important quality for a boss?
Paint a big cake and spread chicken soup.

The boss is not afraid of you having brains, but is afraid of you having no dreams. Stephen Chow is just a man with dreams. All his vigilance was wiped out when Lin Chaoyang said the three words "male leading role".

Stephen Chow is penniless and has nothing. Is there anything worth cheating about?
What could the film company cheat him of? To make a pornographic film?
As long as I can make movies and be the leading actor, what does it matter if I make pornographic films?

Stephen Chow's mind was full of "male leading role" and he was about to agree to the role without hesitation, but he suddenly thought of TVB.

"Mr. Lin, I still have work to do at TVB..."

"You can quit your job at TVB. Even if you don't work at Lam, you can still get 5000 yuan a month. If you start acting, the salary will be calculated separately. It should be better than your salary at TVB, right?"

Stephen Chow nodded without hesitation. It was more than good, it was extremely good.

He has been at TVB for five years, earning a monthly salary of 2000 yuan for five years. Even though he has become the mainstay of the children's program "430 Shuttle", he dares not ask for a salary increase.

Why don't you dare to ask? Because TVB has never been short of people. You want a raise? Sorry, you will be replaced tomorrow. If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will do it.

But what can you do with 2000 Hong Kong dollars?

In Hong Kong today, a bowl of wonton noodles costs more than ten Hong Kong dollars, and watching a movie costs twenty or thirty Hong Kong dollars. Hong Kong dollars, 2000 yuan, is barely enough to solve the problem of food and clothing.

It’s not like Stephen Chow has never thought about leaving TVB, but he doesn’t know where he can go after leaving TVB.

In the past few years, he has sent out his resume to all the big and small film companies in Hong Kong when they were recruiting actors, but he rarely received a response. Even if he received a phone call, it was always for a minor role, the same treatment as in TVB.

After being beaten by reality for several years, he was just giving it a try when Lin's Pictures recruited actors for the new movie.

Who could have expected that he would get lucky and be noticed by the company boss.

In the past, he couldn't even dream of getting a well-known supporting role, but now he can play the third male lead, and his boss even said that he would give him a role in a play and make him the first male lead!
It all feels like a dream!
Seeing Zhou Xingchi's performance as Fan Jin passed the imperial examination, Lin Chaoyang patted his shoulder earnestly.

"Okay, go back and resign from TVB, then come to the company to sign the contract."

Stephen Chow finally reacted and nodded instinctively, but hesitated again after a few seconds, his face hesitant.

"Mr. Lin, can I...sign with the company today and then resign?"

The rabbit insisted on hitting the tree, and Lin Chaoyang couldn't stop it. He naturally understood what Stephen Chow was thinking.

He was simply afraid that if he resigned first, Lin's Pictures would suddenly change their mind and not sign the contract with him, and he would end up losing everything.

"Sure." Lin Chaoyang said happily.

After hearing his answer, Stephen Chow's uneasy heart finally settled down, filled with joy and excitement.

"Ah Zhen, call Zhuang Sheng and ask him to draft a contract and send it over."

Although Lin's Pictures is small, it has everything it needs. It also has its own law firm that it cooperates with, which was introduced by Li Hanxiang.

More than two hours later, the freshly-made contract was delivered. Stephen Chow looked at the "10-year" contract period clearly written on it and felt a little overwhelmed.

Mr. Lin, do you think so highly of me?
"Mr. Lin, is this penalty too high?" Stephen Chow asked cautiously.

"Ah Xing, the company promises you will have at least two roles to play every year, with a role of at least the third male lead, and a salary and pay. These conditions are clearly written in the contract. What do you think of these conditions?"

Lin Chaoyang's tone was deep and serious, which made Stephen Chow feel uneasy. He was just asking tentatively and did not want to displease his future boss.

"Very good!" Stephen Chow said sincerely.

Lin Chaoyang nodded slightly, then pointed his finger at the series of penalty figures in the contract.

"Do you think these are just liquidated damages? Do you think we give you such generous conditions just to train an ordinary actor?
No! These are all your future potentials! Your potential is unlimited!

What we want to train is not just an ordinary actor, but a future superstar in the film industry!"

Lin Chaoyang's eyes were sincere, and his tone was sonorous and powerful. Stephen Chow was stunned.

I have unlimited potential?
My Tomorrow's Star?
"Sign it, Xing! After you sign it, you'll be a big star!"

The Lin Chaoyang in front of Stephen Chow seemed to have grown two horns, a green face and fangs, and the words in his mouth were full of bewitching power.

By the time he reacted, his name was already clearly signed on the contract.

For a moment, Stephen Chow felt a little regretful.

"Ah Zhen, ask the finance department to transfer 1 yuan to Ah Xing's account as a signing fee!"

"Okay, Mr. Lin," Wu Meizhen responded.

Stephen Chow's regret disappeared. 1 Hong Kong dollars was equivalent to his five months salary at TVB.

You are wise, sir!

"Mr. Lin, what should I do next?" Stephen Chow asked Lin Chaoyang eagerly.

“First, go to TVB and resign.

Second, spend the money.

Third, wait for my news, the new play will be released in early September, and you will be the third male lead from now on!"

Stephen Chow felt that every move of Mr. Lin was full of dominance. Following a boss like this, why would he worry about not having any movies to shoot?
"Okay, boss!"

Before leaving the office, Zhou Xingchi turned around and asked Lin Chaoyang seriously, "Boss, why are you so optimistic about me?"

Lin Chaoyang looked at him with a warm smile on his face, "Because my son likes to watch your "430 Shuttle"."

Stephen Chow walked out of the Prince's Building with a bright smile. He didn't believe that his boss signed him just because his son liked to watch "430 Shuttle".

The boss had clearly said before that he must have discovered the huge potential in himself!

That night, Tao Yushu heard that Lin Chaoyang had signed an actor, and was full of curiosity, "Why would he want to sign an actor for no reason?"

"Ah Xing is a young man with a lot of ideas. In the future, the company will produce several dramas a year and will need to sign a few actors, otherwise all the benefits will go to outsiders."

Tao Yushu felt that what Lin Chaoyang said made sense, "Then let's sign a few more actors later."

"can."

Lin Chaoyang doesn’t plan to worry about signing more actors. Signing Stephen Chow in “Two Weeks Away” is enough.

During the golden age of Hong Kong movies, there was a saying of "Two Zhous and One Cheng". Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat and Jackie Chan were not only a guarantee of box office success, but also represented influence.

Why was Golden Harvest able to recover quickly and rise rapidly after Bruce Lee’s death?

This is largely due to the rise of Jackie Chan.

Why was Yongsheng able to sweep the Hong Kong film industry in the 1990s?
It is also because of the rise of Stephen Chow.

Having just signed Wong Jing a few days ago and signed Stephen Chow today, Lam Films has already laid the foundation for take-off.

The next day, Lin Chaoyang received a call from Kitamura Miyu from Japan.

"Crossing the Guandong" was published in Japan for half a year and performed excellently.

Last month, Kitamura Miyu wrote to him and said that Kawaide Shobo hopes to continue to introduce his novels. In his reply, Lin Chaoyang talked about the issue of royalties and hoped to sign a contract in the form of a tiered royalties. This time, Kitamura Miyu called to discuss this matter.

After some discussions, Kawade Shobo decided to introduce Lin Chaoyang's two works "Lai Zi's Summer" and "Crossing Boat" again, and the royalties will be settled in a tiered manner.

销量6万册以下，8%版税；销量6万册到15万册，12%版税；销量15万册以上，15%版税。

In the Japanese book market, it is not easy to sell 15 copies of a pure literary work, which is almost equivalent to the sales of hundreds of thousands of copies of a general bestseller.

This condition may sound a bit harsh, but the return is quite good, ranging from 8% to 15% royalties, which is a significant range.

"Yumo, you are going to Japan in two days."

After Lin Chaoyang discussed the publishing matters with Kitamura Miyu, he assigned tasks to his sister-in-law.

"Where are you going?" Tao Yumo asked.

"Sign a contract for me. Kawade Publishing will continue to publish my novels."

Tao Yumo became excited, "So I'm going abroad?"

"This is a business trip, not a place for fun." Lin Chaoyang reminded.

Tao Yushu also said: "Your brother-in-law wants you to do serious work, not to go to messy places."

"I know, I know."

Tao Yumo agreed verbally, but it was clear from his expression that he didn't listen and was acting like a rebel.

Lin Chaoyang was worried and planned to contact Kondo Naoko to be his tour guide, since she was an acquaintance after all.

Two days later, Tao Yumo packed up and planned to return to the mainland to apply for a passport and visa, and then go to Japan. Lin Chaoyang suddenly received a call from Nie Weiping from the mainland.

"Why did you go to Hong Kong again? When will you be back?"

In his first sentence, Nie Weiping's tone was very resentful, and one could feel his anxiety through the microphone.

"what happened?"

"What's wrong? Did you forget about the ring match?"

Lin Chaoyang said speechlessly: "What does your Go team's game have to do with me?"

"Why is it okay? If you hadn't come, we wouldn't be able to stop the Japanese. Our Chinese team would have been wiped out by them."

After Japan was defeated in the first China-Japan Go Challenge Tournament last year, it was furious and started the fight again in March this year, launching the second challenge tournament.

Despite last year's victory, more than half of Go fans still predicted before the game that the Japanese team would win, which put a lot of pressure on the Chinese team.

After the competition started, the situation was not optimistic.

Rui Naiwei, who played in the first match, won two consecutive victories over her opponents, but was defeated by Imamura Toshiya. At the end of the fourth game, the two sides were tied 2:2.

The Chinese team thought that this year's game might be a back-and-forth match, with the scores rising alternately. Unexpectedly, a "Jiang Zhujiu"-like figure also appeared on the Japanese team this time.

After the start of the sixth game, Japan's Kobayashi Akira, 7th dan, defeated Qian Yuping, Shao Zhenzhong, Cao Dayuan, Jiang Zhujiu and Liu Xiaoguang in succession.

In a blink of an eye, only Ma Xiaochun and Nie Weiping are left on the Chinese team, while the Japanese team still has six players who have not yet played.

If Ma Xiaochun also loses to Kobayashi Akira, Nie Weiping will have to face six of the top players in Japan's chess world alone. This difficulty is more than twice as high as last year's one-on-three match.

You can imagine the pressure he is under!

"Old Nie, I've told you so many times not to believe in superstition or metaphysics. I'm just a spectator."

"I know you are a spectator, so don't say these things and come back first."

"What should I do when I go back? To be your mascot! Besides, don't we still have Ma Xiaochun?"

Nie Weiping thought about it and it seemed to be right.

"Then come back when I'm on stage!"

"I……"

Lin Chaoyang hung up the phone in great sorrow. How could the atmosphere in the national Go team become like this?
After Tao Yumo left, there was no one to look after the children. Tao Yushu and Lin Chaoyang felt a lot more pressure. She thought about finding a Filipino maid.

But the house is so small, it would be crowded if there were more people.

The housing area in Hong Kong is definitely not comparable to that in Yanjing, but it can't be too shabby. After thinking about it, Tao Yushu felt that he should change houses.

The Oriental Garden where they currently live was rented to them by Li Hanxiang and his wife. In order not to bother two persons with the same matter, Tao Yushu called Zhang Cuiying to ask if the couple had any larger property.

Upon hearing that Tao Yushu wanted to move house, Zhang Cuiying invited the couple to her home.

After meeting, Zhang Cuiying took out the key to a house.

Li Hanxiang said, "Look, this is the Mid-Levels luxury house that your sister-in-law just bought at the beginning of the year. It was originally planned for the two of us to use for our retirement. Let's give it to you to live in first."

"I don't feel comfortable doing this." Lin Chaoyang said, but he took the key directly in his hand.

"Can you at least be polite?" Li Hanxiang said dissatisfiedly.

"I've already been polite to you."

Li Hanxiang shook his head angrily, "If it weren't for the fact that you helped me make so much money, I wouldn't bother with you."

"You are grateful for what I have done for you."

"Push to the street!"

(End of this chapter)