1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

At this moment!

Lei Juekun's mind was racing, calculating the direct economic losses from giving up these prime time slots, as well as the potential chain reaction from his films that were forced to reschedule. The more he thought about it, the more painful it became.

Those vague conveniences and promotions simply cannot make up for the real box office shortfall.

Jiang Fengqi was a man of great stature; how could he not see through the resentment hidden beneath their hypocritical words?

But she didn't point it out; instead, her smile deepened slightly, as if she was quite pleased with their pragmatism.

"Of course, that's all for later. Right now, the most important thing is to win the battle between 'Martial Arts School' and 'Shaolin Temple'."

If we win this battle decisively, routing them and proving the correctness of our strategy, then headquarters will naturally bestow even more substantial rewards. After all, the Party and the State never mistreat those who have rendered meritorious service.

She offered a few more words of encouragement to Lau Kar-leung, essentially urging him to seize the last remaining time to refine the film, pay attention to publicity strategies, and make sure to take the initiative in public opinion, etc.

Liu Jialiang naturally nodded and nodded, his gratitude almost to the point of tears, his posture bordering on fawning.

After finally getting through the night, Jiang Fengqi served tea and saw the guests off. The three of them walked out of the oppressive study one after the other.

The night outside the villa was cool and still, but Raymond Chow and Raymond Leung felt a tightness in their chests.

Liu Jialiang was still immersed in ecstasy and excitement. He walked quickly to his car and, before getting in, wanted to turn around and say a few more words of solidarity to Zou Lei and the other man.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, he saw Raymond Chow climb into his Mercedes without looking back, and the door slammed shut with a loud bang, the force of which showed the owner's extremely bad mood.

Lei Juekun didn't even glance at him, simply waving to the driver, and the stretch Lincoln silently slid into the night, leaving only a faint trail of exhaust fumes.

Liu Jialiang's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on his face also solidified.

He sheepishly withdrew his hand, touched his nose, and muttered to himself in a self-deprecating tone, "Hey... those two old foxes, they must be furious by now!"

He then opened the car door and climbed inside.

The car started and drove away from the mountainside. Liu Jialiang leaned back in the comfortable back seat, watching the neon lights flashing by outside the window. He was thinking about how to take advantage of this hard-won screening advantage to give Cheng Xuemin, that northerner, a lesson he would never forget.

He felt full of energy, as if he could already see the box office success of "Martial Arts School" and the moment when he would finally be able to hold his head high.

Inside the Mercedes ahead, Raymond Chow wearily closed his eyes, rubbing his throbbing temples.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and cautiously asked, "Mr. Zou, back to the company or...?"

"Go home," Raymond Chow uttered, his voice heavy with weariness.

He needs to calm down and think carefully about how to deal with the completely disrupted summer movie season, and how to salvage as much of his investment as possible from this mess.

As for Liu Jialiang's disgusting performance and Jiang Fengqi's empty promises, he only hoped to forget them as soon as possible.

In another Lincoln, Lei Juekun pulled out a cigar, cut it open, lit it, and took a deep drag, filling the car with thick smoke.

He took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, and roared in a furious tone, "Hello! It's me! Call all producers and directors to a meeting first thing tomorrow morning!"
Damn it, the film schedule changed! Where are we going to put all those movies? We need to figure something out! Are we just going to pile them up and starve by the end of the year?!

Hong Kong at night remains as prosperous as ever, but beneath this dazzling brilliance, the undercurrents in the film industry have become even more turbulent and unpredictable due to this forceful film scheduling order.

the next day!
The conference room at the Golden Princess Cinemas headquarters was filled with smoke, and the air was so heavy it felt like you could wring water out of it.

Lei Juekun sat in the main seat, oblivious to the long ash that had accumulated on the cigar between his fingers.

The sky outside the window was overcast, with dark clouds hanging low, as if they were about to crush this bustling city at any moment.

On the long conference table in front of him lay a newly drafted summer film schedule, marked with alarming red circles.

The prime time slots and prime-time slots originally marked as Cinema City's "Desperate Dog Jumps Over the Wall" were crossed out in large sections and replaced with the glaringly obvious Liu's Film Studio's "Martial Arts School".

The conference room door was suddenly pushed open, bringing in a gust of wind.

Karl Maka practically barged in, followed by the other core members of the Cinema City Seven: Dean Shek, Raymond Wong, Tsui Hark, Nansun Shi, Robin, and Eric Tsang.

A layer of frost covered their faces, especially Mai Jia, whose temple veins throbbed slightly, and whose eyes were like two quenched knives, shooting straight at Lei Juekun in the main seat.

"Boss Lei!" Mai Jia's voice was like sandpaper scraping across a table, hoarse and filled with suppressed anger. "What's the meaning of this film schedule?"

"We at Cinema City have been preparing for 'Desperate Dog Jumps Over the Wall' for over half a year, investing more than five million! It was supposed to be released in the core theaters during the summer season, but how did it just disappear like that? Did it all go to that guy Lau Kar-leung?!"

Lei Juekun raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze sweeping over the group of loyal followers he had personally promoted. His face twitched slightly, but he did not answer immediately.

He took a deep drag on his cigar, slowly exhaling a thick white smoke ring, before speaking in a weary voice, "Ah Jia, sit down first. It's not that I want to do this, it's a strict order from above."

His short, chubby fingers slammed heavily on the film schedule for Liu Chia-liang's "Martial Arts School," and he continued, "The Golden Horse Film Bureau has spoken, and Raymond Chow's side is willing to cut their losses. How are we supposed to compete?"
"Am I supposed to go and tell the Golden Horse Awards administration that we need to protect our own films and ignore their supposed orthodoxy?"

"Beat it? How can you beat it, Lei Sheng!" Shi Tian slammed his hand on the table, making the ashtray jump. "Our 'Desperate Dog Jumps Over the Wall' is a lifesaver!"

"The Spring Festival film season was such a disaster, the company was counting on the summer season to make up for the losses! Now you're taking away all the prime theater slots, leaving us only some obscure and unpopular screenings. What's the difference between that and a death sentence? Are we just waiting to go bankrupt?"

Raymond Wong adjusted his glasses, his tone relatively calm, but the sharpness in his words remained undiminished: "Mr. Lei, I understand you have difficulties."

"But if the Golden Horse Awards want to promote Lau Kar-leung, do they really need to use our Cinema City as a sacrifice? 'Desperate Dogs' is a labor of love for the seven of us. The script was revised more than a dozen times, and we invested heavily in special effects! Our target audience was the students and young people during the summer season!"

"If you put us in those early morning, daytime, and late-night shows, what young person would watch that? What's the difference between that and just killing us at knifepoint?"

Robin had been silently leaning against the window, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the window frame. Now he spoke softly, his voice carrying a hint of coldness: "Lei Sheng, when we're making a film, we need the right timing, the right place, and the right people."

"The summer movie season is the perfect timing, and prime theaters are the perfect location. Now that's all gone, and all we have left is this group of people. How are we supposed to compete with others?"

Are we supposed to follow Liu Jialiang's example, publish our loyalty in newspapers, and offer a pledge of allegiance before we can even have a chance to succeed?

His words were like a needle, piercing the false calm in the conference room.

Lei Juekun's facial muscles twitched violently as he stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, sparks flying everywhere.

He jumped to his feet, his obese body trembling slightly with excitement, and pointed out the window, shouting, "What's the use of telling me?! Do you think I want this?! Don't I want to make money?!"
It's that guy from the Golden Horse Awards! It's Jiang Fengqi! She gave the order! She said to provide equal support! To show consideration for the bigger picture! They'll have to bleed money from Raymond Chow's side too!

"If you're so capable, go to the Golden Horse Film Studio and talk to that woman! Tell her how amazing your show is! See if she'll even listen to you!"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, and his voice rose in anger: "I'm telling you! This is a political mission! Not a business deal! It's not something you can do whatever you want with!"

They have a market of over 30 million people in Kinmen and tens of millions of people in Southeast Asia, and they're using import quotas to negotiate with us! How can I refute them?
If you argue back, believe me, the Golden Horse Awards will say our films have problematic content tomorrow and ban them all! Then it won't just be the summer season, it won't be any season after that!

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence, with only Lei Juekun's heavy breathing echoing in the background.

As if all his strength had been drained, Maka slumped into a chair, clutching his head in his hands.

How could he not know Lei Juekun's predicament?

In Hong Kong, who can truly bypass the formidable obstacle of the Golden Horse Film Bureau?

"But...but you don't have to go this far..." Shi Nansheng's voice choked with emotion as she fought back tears. "Lei Sheng, are you really not leaving any prime time at all?"

"Even if it's just one or two theaters, it would be good if it could help us gain some positive word-of-mouth! We really put a lot of effort into our film!"

Looking at the despair on the faces of his trusted subordinates, Lei Juekun sighed heavily, his tone softening slightly, but with a deep sense of helplessness: "Nansheng, I know, but there's nothing I can do."

"That woman gave a strict order: the scale of screenings and the number of screens must be equal to the support Shaw Brothers gave for 'Shaolin Temple'!"
Raymond Chow's side is being ripped off even more than we are. They're demanding that Golden Princess and Golden Harvest combine their resources to create a theater chain of equal size! Tell me, how am I supposed to keep it? If I leave it to you, how am I supposed to explain this to my superiors?"

He walked over to Mai Jia, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Jia, accept your fate! We have to suffer this loss whether we like it or not. Let's avoid their sharp edge."

“Once Lau Kar-leung and that northerner have finished their duel and the winner is decided, I’ll concentrate resources and arrange for your film to be released. I’ll give you the best theaters then.” “Avoid the limelight? Wait?” Karl Maka suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse. “Wait until when? September? October? What summer movie season will be left then?! Who will even remember our ‘Desperate Dog’?!”

"Mr. Lei! If we miss this window, the film is doomed! Five million! We at Cinema City can't afford to lose twice!"

Zeng Zhiwei, who had been wearing a gloomy face, suddenly interrupted, his tone filled with a desperate, reckless edge: "Brother Kun! Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well take a gamble!"
Isn't the Golden Horse Awards trying to promote Lau Kar-leung? Well, we'll go for it! We'll use the remaining garbage screenings to fight them! I refuse to believe that the quality of our "Desperate Dog Jumps Over the Wall" will lose to Lau Kar-leung's outdated Southern Fist style!

Reputation is earned through one's own efforts, not bestowed by the Golden Horse Awards!

Shi Tian also chimed in, "Yeah! Brother Kun! Brother Jia! We've worked so hard all these years, when have we ever been afraid of competing with others?"
We've never been afraid of fighting Shaw Brothers or Golden Harvest before! Are we going to surrender before the battle even begins? I refuse to accept this!

The meeting room erupted in chaos. The seven members of the New Art City group were indignant. Some advocated a head-on confrontation, some demanded to negotiate with Lei Juekun again, and others desperately calculated the losses from rescheduling.

Amidst the chaotic arguing, Maka suddenly stood up and slammed his hands on the table with a loud bang!
"Enough!" he roared, drowning out all other voices.

His eyes were bloodshot as he scanned each familiar yet anxious face, his teeth grinding together: "What's the use of arguing? What's the use of arguing with Lei Sheng? He was forced into it!"

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth:

“Lee Sang has his own difficulties, and we really can’t afford to offend the Golden Horse Awards. But do you expect me, Karl Maka, and Cinema City, to just admit defeat and postpone the release of our hard-earned film, waiting for those two guys to finish their battle and gather dust? I can’t do that!”

He grabbed the film schedule on the table, which was completely scribbled over, and tore it to shreds in a few quick movements, sending scraps of paper flying everywhere.

"Just because prime cinemas are gone, does that mean we don't know how to make movies anymore? Does that mean we don't know how to promote them anymore? We used to hand out flyers on the street and just talk to people, and we could still sell our movies!"

His gaze swept over Tsui Hark, Raymond Wong, Dean Shek, and the others, his voice carrying a do-or-die determination: "What do you say?"

Should they avoid direct confrontation and wait for the storm to pass before launching their attack, or should they grit their teeth and use those low-budget screenings to have a real, hard-fought battle with Lau Kar-leung and that northerner this summer?

Tsui Hark's lips curled into a cold smile: "I don't care. A film is made to be seen. If the screenings are bad, we can rely on word of mouth to make a comeback. I have confidence in my film."

Raymond Wong adjusted his glasses and pondered, "Going ahead with it... is extremely risky. But rescheduling doesn't eliminate the uncertainty either."

Moreover, the focus of the entire city is currently on "Shaolin Temple" and "Martial Arts School". If we change the date quietly, we might not even make a ripple.

How about... we try to generate buzz and become... the third dark horse?

Shi Tian slapped his thigh and said, "Let's take the risk! Do you think we, the seven-man Cinema City group, are afraid of Lau Kar-leung and that mainland guy? Let them fight to the death, and we'll be the ones who get the spoils!"

Nansun Shi, Teddy Robin, and Eric Tsang also expressed their support, their eyes rekindling their fighting spirit.

The people at Cinema City were originally from humble backgrounds. They had worked their way up in the Hong Kong film industry and had seen all sorts of ups and downs.

Desperate situations only fueled their ferocity and resilience.

Looking at the reunited team, Mai Jia nodded emphatically: "Alright! Since everyone says we should give it our all, let's give it our all!"

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "Liu Chia-liang has the backing of the Golden Horse Film Bureau, that northern guy has Shaw Brothers and Lao Zuo's endorsement, and we, Cinema City, rely on these brothers and this movie!"

I want everyone in Hong Kong to know that the summer movie season isn't just about those two films! There's also our "Desperate Measures"!

After the meeting, the seven members of Cinema City left the Golden Princess headquarters with a sense of tragic heroism.

Lei Juekun stood by the window, watching them disappear around the street corner. He sighed and instructed his secretary:

"Try to give them more support in terms of publicity resources. These young people have it tough."

Meanwhile, on the set of "Redemption" at the Great Wall Hotel, Cheng Xuemin had just finished filming a long take.

Fu Qi hurried over and whispered to him about the internal turmoil at Golden Princess and the news that Cinema City might stubbornly insist on showing "Desperate Dogs" despite its poor screening schedule.

Cheng Xuemin was communicating with the cinematographer about adjusting the next shot position via walkie-talkie. Upon hearing this, he merely raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone flat and indifferent, and said:

"Cinema City is getting involved too? That's even more interesting."

He put down the walkie-talkie, his gaze sweeping over the set simulating prison bars on the film set, a cold, stern smile playing on his lips:

"Later, I'll add fuel to the fire and completely escalate their conflict over theater scheduling, so as to dismantle the Golden Horse Awards' dominant position in the Hong Kong film industry in one fell swoop!"

"Can it work?" Fu Qi's eyes lit up and he asked excitedly.

If this can dismantle the influence of the Golden Horse Bureau in Hong Kong in one fell swoop, it would be an unprecedented victory for the old leftists!

"We'll see when we try!" Cheng Xuemin nodded and added, "Let's give it a try later, it might just work!"

He then turned around, clapped his hands at all the staff, and said in a clear and strong voice, "Okay, ten-minute break."

"Next scene, we're going to film the one where Andy looks up at the stars in the rainy night, searching for hope. For the lighting, I want that sharp, piercing feeling that cuts through the darkness! For the props, make the rain even heavier!"

The set instantly sprang into action again.

The smoke in the conference room of Cinema City was even thicker than in Lei Juekun's office.

Seven people sat around a simple table with a map of Hong Kong spread out on it, marked with the locations of various cinemas and their respective chains in red and blue pencils.

"All that Princess Jin left us were these scraps."

Raymond Wong tapped on several small cinemas scattered across Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, and Tuen Mun on a map with a pencil, saying, "The locations are remote, the theaters are small, and the equipment is old. The best one is only in Yau Ma Tei, and that's during the midnight off-peak hours."

Mai Jia took a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke: "Damn it, they're trying to kill us. For these shows, let alone selling tickets, even giving them away for free, hardly anyone would be willing to travel that far to see them!"

Tsui Hark stared at the map and suddenly spoke up: "Since the regular cinema model isn't working, can we think of some other ways?"

"What approach?" Everyone looked at him.

“Students,” Tsui Hark uttered. “The biggest audience for the summer movie season is students. They have a lot of free time, are very curious, and are price-sensitive.”

Could we collaborate directly with student councils at universities and high schools to organize special screenings? Even if the ticket prices are lower, as long as there are enough people, we can build a good reputation.”

Shi Tian's eyes lit up: "That's right! We can also contact those workers' night schools and labor unions! Our play is about ordinary people struggling to survive, they'll definitely resonate with it!"

Nansun Shi added, "The posters and flyers at the theater entrance need to be even more sensational!"

Since there are limited screenings, we need to make sure everyone who knows about our film tries their best to see it, creating a feeling that tickets are extremely hard to come by!

Eric Tsang rubbed his hands together, revealing his signature sly smile: "We can also find some shills! Make sure there are plenty of people queuing up at the premiere to create a lively atmosphere!"
Then, have familiar reporters write a few articles about the seven heroes of Cinema City surviving against all odds and the sold-out tickets for "Desperate Measures," turning the tragedy into attention!

Teddy Robin slammed his fist on the table: "Let's do it! Damn it, if we don't have a prime cinema chain, we'll build one ourselves! Let's vote with our feet and let our reputation speak for itself!"

Looking at his companions who had regained their fighting spirit, Mai Jia felt some of the gloom in his heart dissipate.

He stood up and forcefully stubbed out his cigarette: "Okay! It's settled then!"

"Bai Ming, you're in charge of contacting the school and the labor union! Xu Ke, you take the lead and edit a more explosive trailer!"

Ah Tian, ​​go find a theater manager you know and see if you can add a few more early morning or midnight screenings outside of those off-peak times! Even if we get a smaller share of the revenue!

Avi, the publicity and promotion are yours! Nansheng, you oversee all materials and the budget! Teddy, you and I will go and plead with Boss Lei again, see if we can squeeze out a little more money for publicity!

……

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