Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 488: Public Opinion
Looking at the neatly stacked copies of Big Times on the bookshelf, Tao Yushu thought that she had been busy with work these days and didn't expect that her husband's new work had already been launched in the mainland.

She took a book off the shelf and went to the counter to pay, and asked again, "How many days has this book been on the shelf?"

"Just two days ago."

“How are the sales?”

The salesperson smiled and said, "How can there be any books that sell well in the airport bookstore?"

Tao Yushu thought so too.

At this time, the salesperson said, "However, Xu Lingjun's books are selling well. Although they are not as popular as those sold outside, they are still quite popular here."

After hearing this, Tao Yushu happily paid the bill and walked out of the bookstore.

After landing in Hong Kong, she took a taxi home. Along the way, there were neon lights and heavy traffic. There was still a huge gap in the economy between the two places!

After arriving home, she first spent some time intimately with the two little ones, and then talked to Lin Chaoyang about what she had gained from attending the Chinese Film Festival.

"Their request..."

When Lin Chaoyang heard Teng Jinxian's request, he burst out laughing, "If we win these awards, who would care about the domestic box office?"

Tao Yushu said: "It's better to have something than nothing, and the domestic film industry will not be open in the short term."

"Okay, just consider it as the icing on the cake."

"By the way, I read Kaigo's new script. It's not very well written. I told Lao Chen about your idea."

Lin Chaoyang sighed lightly. If it weren’t for the purpose of developing the mainland market, who would be willing to cause trouble for themselves?

The domestic film market is still in a closed state, so Lin's Pictures' investment in the mainland can be considered as an early positioning.

There are not many capable directors in China at this stage. Lin Chaoyang actually wants to support Zhang Huaxun, Li Shaohong and other Chinese first batch of commercial film directors.

But the problem is that even if Lin Pictures invests in their commercial films, it will not be able to share the profits in the mainland, and their level is only enough to compete in the mainland market.

Investing in commercial films and commercial film directors is simply not feasible at the moment. Art films and art film directors are the only option.

No matter what flaws Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige each have, at this stage, they are indeed the few "big guys" that Lin Chaoyang can pull out from the pile of dwarfs.

The two chatted for a while, and Tao Yushu took out the book "Big Times" that he bought at the airport bookstore.

“Your new book is out.”

"Xiangjiang has just come up as well."

Tao Yushu put the two versions of the novel, one from Hong Kong and one from the mainland, together and said to Lin Chaoyang with a smile on his face, "You should be more careful in the future and collect all the versions of each of your novels."

“This is a lot of work.”

"It's okay, just leave it to Yu Mo."

Tao Yumo, who was coaxing Yanyan to sleep, felt a chill on her back for some reason. She looked around and got up to close the window.

The next morning, Tao Yushu went to work in high spirits. The company's affairs had been piling up for so many days and had to be dealt with quickly.

As a result, as soon as she arrived at the company, she saw Chow Yun-fat waiting there, accompanied by his new wife Kelly Chen. The couple had just got married in June.

"Mrs. Lin!"

Seeing Tao Yushu coming, Chow Yun-fat and his wife stood up.

"Ah Fa! Ah Lian! How come you have time to come to the company today?"

Tao Yushu asked with a smile, then invited the couple into his office.

After entering the office, they exchanged a few pleasantries. Chow Yun-fat hesitated to speak, and finally Kelly Chen spoke up:
"Mrs. Lin, Ah Fa may not be able to take on Lin's roles anymore."

Tao Yushu frowned slightly and asked calmly, "Has the Freedom Association caused trouble for Ah Fa?"

"Yes, Feng Cuifan came to see Ah Fa before. At that time, Ah Fa had already signed the contract, so he didn't pay much attention to it. Feng Cuifan came again two days ago, and this time his attitude was very tough.

They said that if Ah Fa cooperates with Lin again, he will be blacklisted. "

Tao Yushu had a headache. This group of people were really pressing forward!

Moreover, they chose to do this just before the filming of "Parasite" started, and the timing was really accurate.

She thought to herself that Chow Yun-fat was very popular at the moment, had strong box office appeal, and the several films he had collaborated with Lam Pictures had all been relatively successful.

If possible, she didn't want to let Chow Yun-fat go.

But freedom can always be pushed too far now, and she can't completely ignore Chow Yun-fat's life or death and force Chow Yun-fat to act with a contract.

If that were the case, the filming might not be completed and the people might even run away.

"Ah Fa, you still have two contracts with us..."

Chen Huilian said anxiously: "Mrs. Lin, we don't want to break the contract, but you have to understand that we have no choice..."

Tao Yushu waved his hand and said, "Alian, don't worry."

Her tone was gentle, without any worldly air, and Chen Huilian quieted down upon hearing this.

"Of course I understand that you are forced into a corner. All right, Ah Fa will not act in Parasite for now. I will try to transfer those two film contracts to other companies for you."

After listening to Tao Yushu's words, Kelly Chen relaxed and pulled Chow Yun-fat aside to express her gratitude to her.

Tao Yushu's expression was calm and generous. "Afa has collaborated with us on so many projects, so he is considered one of our own. I certainly won't make things difficult for him."

Upon hearing this, Chow Yun-fat looked ashamed, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Lin, this matter..."

Tao Yushu interrupted him with a smile, "It doesn't matter. Freedom has been pushing us too hard lately, so it's okay to suspend our cooperation for a while. It won't be too late to continue cooperating after the storm has died down."

Chow Yun-fat nodded, and Kelly Chen took him and thanked Tao Yushu twice before leaving the Prince Building.

"I didn't expect Mrs. Lin to be so easy to talk to."

After the couple got in the car, Kelly Chen pulled the door shut and sighed.

"Yes. I have worked with Lin on several films, and I have never seen anyone in the crew say anything bad about Mrs. Lin. A boss as generous as Mrs. Lin is rare in Hong Kong!"

Kelly Chen agreed with her husband's words. She had been in charge of Chow Yun-fat's agency since before their marriage, and she knew that Chow Yun-fat had starred in three of Lam's films.

These three movies were all huge hits, and the pay was much higher than filming for other companies.

Moreover, Mrs. Lin would send red envelopes to every movie before the movie was finished in theaters.

If there had been no pressure from the Freedom Federation, she would not have wanted her husband to give up his cooperation with the Lin family.

Thinking of this, she was filled with disgust towards the Freedom Association.

"It doesn't matter. As long as the Lin Group doesn't fall, there will definitely be opportunities for cooperation in the future."

After Chow Yun-fat and his wife left, Tao Yushu leaned back in the big chair and closed his eyes to think.

A star of Chow Yun-fat's level has more than one film contract with the Lam family. If Feng Cuifan dared to issue such an ultimatum on behalf of the Freedom Federation, he would risk offending some WD film producers.

Although the current situation is very unfavorable to the Lin family, it also proves that they really have no way to deal with the Lin family now.

The only way to trip up Lin is to use this method, even at the cost of offending others.

What she said to Chow Yun-fat just now was half true and half false. It was true that she transferred Chow Yun-fat's contract to another company, but this company was called Metropolitan.

Metropolitan Pictures is a joint venture established by Lam and Shaw Brothers, but Lam holds shares indirectly, and on the surface this company has nothing to do with Lam.

Chow Yun-fat is now a box office lucky star, how could she let him go so easily.

This kind of thing must be kept secret, so Tao Yushu would definitely not tell Chow Yun-fat directly.

The meat will rot in the pot anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

But Chow Yun-fat definitely can’t star in “Parasite”, so we have to find someone else.

The main reason why we considered asking Chow Yun-fat to play the role of the chairman was because of his strong box office appeal.

After all, "Parasite" plans to invest 2000 million Hong Kong dollars, and the investment risk is still very high. If the awards are not successful, at least it can still rely on celebrities to make a profit.

Now that Chow Yun-fat has quit, the investment can be reduced a lot.

As for the candidate, Tao Yushu thought for a moment and thought of Tony Leung Ka Fai. His image and acting skills are very suitable for the role of chairman, but he is a little young.

These are minor problems that can be solved with makeup.

After deciding on the candidate, Tao Yushu called Tony Leung Ka Fai.

Tony Leung was banned by WD a few years ago for starring in Li Hanxiang's movie. Although the ban was lifted in the past two years, the film resources he received were not very good.

Previously, Tao Yushu gave him the role of Vincent in "An Autumn Fairy Tale", which was the role played by Danny Chan in the original version, the second male lead. The movie received a lot of praise after its release.

Upon hearing that he could play the second male lead in "Parasite", Tony Leung agreed without hesitation.

Tao Yushu said, "Ah Hui, don't rush to agree..."

She shared the details of Chow Yun-fat’s resignation, and then said, “Our current play has been targeted by the Freedom Federation, and after the cast is announced, they will probably ban it by name.

By then, no film company will dare to hire you. The company will give you two film contracts every year, both of which will be the leading male or the second male lead, as compensation for you."

This condition was originally formulated by the Lin family in response to the ban by the Freedom Association, but it has never been actually used since the ban. Tao Yushu knew that this time it might be for real.

With her promise, Tony Leung agreed with more confidence.

Just as Tao Yushu contacted Tony Leung Ka Fai, the phone started ringing one after another.

It turned out that several main actors who participated in "Parasite" received an ultimatum from the Freedom Federation, saying that if they dared to star in "Parasite", they would be banned by the Freedom Federation.

Tao Yushu did not stop those who were determined to withdraw, and she tried her best to comfort those who were hesitant.

It took a whole day to sort out the situation.

It was past nine o'clock in the evening when she returned home. She sat on the sofa tiredly and told Lin Chaoyang about the current situation.

Lin Chaoyang thought for a moment and asked in confusion: "Why are they working so hard all of a sudden?"

"I don't understand it either." Tao Yushu rubbed his temples.

As for WD and JY, many of their original authoritarian means of controlling the cultural industry are no longer applicable, which naturally leads to their control over the Hong Kong film industry gradually weakening.

The Freedom Association suddenly did this now. Even if it dealt a blow to the Lin family, how much benefit would it bring to me?
Aren’t they afraid that a large-scale ban will cause disgust and resistance among Hong Kong’s film and television industry, cultural circles and the general public?

After much thought, the couple could only attribute this behavior to the fact that WD might have realized that its control was loosening, so it wanted to use Lin to establish its authority.

Lin Chaoyang said with a relaxed expression: "If they really ban all the actors from the Parasite crew this time, I have to thank them."

"Why do you say that?"

Lin Chaoyang showed a mysterious smile and said, "You will know in a few days."

Two days later, Parasite officially started filming and held a grand press conference at the Clearwater Bay Studios of Silver Metropolis. Reporters present found that the cast of Parasite had changed significantly compared to previous rumors.

Apart from the male lead Xu Guanwen, Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung are gone, replaced by Tony Leung Ka-fai and Paw Hee-ching.

These reporters had heard rumors long ago that the Liberty Federation was targeting Parasite.

Seeing this situation, the situation was self-evident. Smelling big news, these reporters were like sharks smelling blood, surrounding the crew's main creators and asking questions non-stop.

As a result, the Hong Kong Times published a report the day after the press conference of "Parasite" ended at the Clearwater Bay Studios.

Actors such as Xu Guanwen, Tony Leung Ka Fai, and Paw Hee Ching who participated in "Parasite" have been included in the WD** Bureau's ban list.

The Hong Kong Times is a media controlled by WD, and its stance has always been clear-cut and FG.

Since the 1980s, sales have been declining due to outdated reporting content and poor printing quality.

According to historical trends, it will cease publication in a few years.

However, this time the actors were named and banned, which gave them a rare opportunity to shine in public.

For two or three consecutive days, the headlines of major media in Hong Kong were dominated by the Freedom Federation's massive ban.

Prior to this, the Freedom Association had not yet seen such a large-scale ban, except for the one targeting the Yindu Organization (Changfengxin).

For a while, it caused an uproar in Hong Kong society.

Since the 1970s, due to economic development and government promotion, the indigenous consciousness of Hong Kong people has gradually become stronger over the years.

It’s nothing that the Freedom Federation banned young actors like Tony Leung and Paw Hee-ching, but Xu Guanwen is the first international film emperor since the founding of Hong Kong.

People who have brought glory to Hong Kong, can you, the Freedom Association, just ban them?
Z-faction newspapers such as Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po and Xin Wan Bao began to publish articles criticizing the Freedom Association in succession.

The article in Ta Kung Pao wrote: The Freedom League has been using the WD market to control Hong Kong and has become the biggest cancer in the Hong Kong film market.

The Wen Wei Po reported that the Freedom Federation is called a trade union, but in reality it is WD's thug to control the Hong Kong film industry.

In addition to the Z-faction media's ruthless criticism, even many neutral media could not stand the Freedom Association's overbearing behavior.

After two days of silence, newspapers such as Ming Pao, Jing Bao, Commercial Daily and Sing Tao Daily were sensitive to the anti-WD sentiment among the Hong Kong people and began to publish articles criticizing the Freedom Federation's overbearing behavior.

The criticisms from these neutral media were milder than those from Z-wing newspapers such as Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po.

But in the face of surging public opinion, even mild criticism can become a sharp weapon.

The Freedom Federation originally wanted to establish its authority by banning the actors who starred in "Parasite", but it did not expect that it would cause such a strong reaction from the Hong Kong press and the public.

They thought about it for several days but couldn't figure it out. So many Z-school filmmakers had been banned before and nothing happened, so why did it seem like they had hit a wall this time?
In just a few days, this wave of public opinion driven by the Z-faction media will make the Freedom Association suddenly embarrassed.

The Freedom Federation originally wanted to play dead for the time being and avoid the spotlight of public opinion.

Unexpectedly, at this time, Xu Guanwen suddenly held a press conference and publicly spoke to the media and the public:

His participation in Lam's films did not violate any of Hong Kong's laws and regulations, and he had no intention of participating in ZZ.

As a member of the Freedom Federation, he hopes that the Freedom Federation can put aside their political differences and not affect his creative freedom as a filmmaker.

Instead, we should find ways to protect the rights of filmmakers and help Hong Kong films be exported to WD. We should all work together to promote Hong Kong films to Asia.

Since the 1950s, the Freedom Federation has required Hong Kong filmmakers entering the WD market to register with the Federation and be issued a qualification certificate to become a member.

To date, the vast majority of Hong Kong filmmakers are members of the Freedom Federation, and Xu Guanwen is naturally one of them.

The "ban" that the Freedom Association has always emphasized is actually the two methods of "suspension of membership" and "joint boycott".

A few days ago, they specifically banned Xu Guanwen by "suspending his membership", which is also their usual tactic.

"Stop" is not "cancel". If there is "stop", there will be "restore". As long as you are willing to write a "confession" and draw a clear line with the regime or individuals that are always hostile to freedom, your qualifications can be "restored".

Xu Guanwen spoke freely at the press conference. His speech was calm and powerful, and his demeanor was confident and determined. He seemed not to be affected by the ban by the Freedom Federation at all.

After media reports, his brilliant influence immediately appeared on the headlines of major media in Hong Kong.

Xu Guanwen's sudden move caught the Freedom Federation off guard, but won strong support from the people of Hong Kong.

These days, everyone is fed up with the Liberty Association, a traitorous bastard.

As a result, because the Hong Kong film industry is closely related to their own interests, no one has stood up to speak out, which makes the people even more unhappy.

Now that Xu Guanwen dares to stand up publicly and ask for justice from the Freedom Association, the people naturally give him overwhelming support and applaud his spirit of not fearing power.

Xu Guanwen's move can be said to have hit the Freedom Federation's weak spot, and suddenly put the Freedom Federation, which has always been extremely powerful in the Hong Kong film industry, in a dilemma.

Although Xu Guanwen's speech at the press conference was very restrained and rational, his words put himself on the same level as the Freedom Federation, which was used to dominating the Hong Kong film market, still made the Freedom Federation, which was used to dominating the Hong Kong film market, feel extremely uncomfortable.

In the past, when they banned directors and actors, who didn’t have to use connections, find friends, treat them to meals, and say all kinds of nice things to get the ban lifted?

How dare you, Xu Guanwen, openly challenge us?
If it were two years ago, if Xu Guanwen had dared to confront the Freedom Association so openly, he would not only face being banned, but his personal safety would also be threatened.

But the situation is different now. Xu Guanwen has become Hong Kong's first international film emperor and enjoys a high reputation among the people.

Moreover, his actions this time have also received full support from the citizens. If anything happens to him at this time, even if it is not what the Freedom Association did, the angry citizens will put the blame on them.

What puzzles the Freedom Association is why Xu Guanwen did this?
What are you afraid of being banned? Just write a letter of repentance and that will be fine!
Besides, Xu Guanwen, aren’t you really afraid of being completely banned by WD?
Public opinion is now very heated, and freedom will never be able to do anything to you. What will you do after this wave of public opinion passes?
The Liberal Party cannot understand the purpose of Xu Guanwen's actions. The most important thing for them now is how to deal with the surging public opinion aroused by Xu Guanwen.

In just a few days, the reputation of the Freedom Association among the WD citizens plummeted, and it almost became a rat crossing the street that everyone wanted to kill.

If they continue to allow the situation to develop in this way and public opinion to ferment, they will not be able to bear the accountability of the WD government alone.

The mainland talks about TZ, and WD actually also talks about TZ. Over the past few decades, Hong Kong has been both the stage for the two sides to fight and the object of competition for both sides.

WDZF will not do such a loss-making business as to offend millions of Hong Kong people just for the banning of a few actors.

On the seventh day after Xu Guanwen and others were named and banned, a reporter photographed Xu Guanwen being invited by the current ZX of the Freedom Federation, Luo Bin, to his home in the Repulse Bay villa.

The next day, Clearwater Bay Golf Course.

Luo Bin swung hard, and with a crisp sound, the golf ball drew a graceful arc in the air and landed on the open lawn in the distance.

He looked at where the golf ball landed, nodded with satisfaction, then turned around and asked Lin Chaoyang.

"Mr. Lin, you really don't want to play two strokes?"

Lin Chaoyang smiled calmly and waved his hand, "I'm not used to it. I prefer playing table tennis."

Luo Bin looked at Lin Chaoyang meaningfully. How could he not hear the subtle meaning in Lin Chaoyang's words?

The two have been meeting for more than twenty minutes, and it has always been like this.

Seeing that Lin Chaoyang remained indifferent, Luo Bin felt helpless. This man looked young, but his words and actions were flawless.

"Mr. Lin has been in Hong Kong for two years, right?"

“This is the second year.”

"It is truly amazing that Lin's Pictures has achieved such great development in the second year."

"It is my wife's credit that the Lin Group has achieved its current development, but compared with Luo Sheng's assets, the Lin Group's achievements are nothing."

As early as the 1940s, Luo Bin opened the Global Publishing House in Shanghai. After moving to Hong Kong in the 1950s, he published many publications including "Da Hua Bao", "Wuxia World" and "Xin Bao". He was a well-known newspaper owner in Hong Kong.

In addition to running a newspaper and a publishing house, he also opened a film company. His Xianhe Ganglian Film Company produced films such as "The Magic Crane Needle", "The Six-Fingered Demon", and "The Golden Hairpin".

In February of this year, Tong Yuejuan, the former ZX of the Freedom Federation, returned to WD to participate in politics, and he took over the position of ZX of the Freedom Federation.

Luo Bin handed the golf club to the caddy. It seemed that today's meeting had finally gotten to the point.

"I think Mr. Lin should also understand why I asked you to meet today."

"Since we have met, we naturally want to have a good talk."

Luo Bin narrowed his eyes and asked, "I really didn't expect that Mr. Lin has friends all over the Hong Kong news industry?"

Lin Chaoyang shook his head. "Luo Sheng's words are not objective. How many friends can I have as a writer? I believe that many media are just seeing injustice."

Being choked by him, Luo Bin did not get angry and asked, "Mr. Lin, do you think that this can shake the influence of our Freedom Association? I am very curious, what benefits did you promise to Michael to make him work so hard for you?"

Lin Chaoyang sighed softly and acted distressed, "Luo Sheng has reversed cause and effect. It's not me who is trying to shake the Freedom Association, but the Freedom Association that is forcing us, the Lin family!"

"As for Michael, he doesn't work for me, he works for himself."

Luo Bin looked at Lin Chaoyang with strange eyes, wondering in his heart what Lin Chaoyang meant by the words "selling his life". The first thing he thought of was the ten-year period, and he thought Xu Guanwen had reached some deal with the mainland through Lin Chaoyang.

Thinking of this, there was an unnatural look on his face.

It is true that he is a staunch member of the Y faction, but he is also a wealthy capitalist with a natural fear of the behemoth on the other side of the strait.

The closer he got to the ten-year deadline, the stronger his fear became.

Luo Bin hesitated for two seconds, and his tone softened, "Mr. Lin should also understand that everyone serves their own master."

Seeing that Luo Bin had a misunderstanding about Lin's background, Lin Chaoyang shook his head again, but did not explain anything.

The Freedom Association had already made up its mind from the beginning, so no matter how much he explained, Luo Bin probably wouldn't believe it.

"Luo Sheng, there is something I want to ask you. I don't know whether I should ask you or not."

Luo Bin extended his hand and gestured, "You can talk about it."

"Is Luo Sheng a businessman?"

Luo Bin frowned slightly, "Of course he is a businessman."

"Since you are a businessman, I think Luo Sheng should understand the saying 'harmony brings wealth' better than me."

Luo Bin didn't rush to speak, his expression was thoughtful.

"It's a pity that none of our Lin's films have been shown on WD yet. As the chairman of the Freedom Association, Luo Sheng has made an indelible contribution!"

Luo Bin has been in business for most of his life, so he naturally understands the subtext behind Lin Chaoyang's words:
No film produced by Lin has been released in WD so far. Your work performance is enough to report to the people behind the scenes.

Lin Chaoyang added: "Luo Sheng should also understand that the recent public opinion is largely because the Freedom Association is too strong, which has aroused the disgust of the people of Hong Kong.

I think no one should add fuel to the fire at this time.

The prosperity of Hong Kong films requires the joint efforts of all of us.”

Lin Chaoyang's previous words were to let Luo Bin quit while he was ahead, and the following words gave him a way out.

Both parties should discuss the conditions, just do it for show and then call it a day, so as not to delay everyone from making money.

The reason why Luo Bin met with Lin Chaoyang today was that Tong Yuejuan behind him felt the pressure from Hong Kong public opinion and asked him to calm the situation as soon as possible.

Now that Lin Chaoyang has made his attitude clear, he is no longer reserved.

(End of this chapter)