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

"Also!" Tsuchikyou Naoko walked to her desk, picked up a pen, quickly wrote down a name and phone number, and instructed:
"Contact this person, Stephen from HSBC Hong Kong. He knows what to do. Cheng Xuemin's large sums of money coming in and out must pass through Hong Kong."

Give him a break, but also let him know that in Hong Kong, some waters aren't so easy to wade through.

A wicked smile returned to her lips as she continued, "Let him make the movie, let him make his dollars."

"But if you want to use this as a springboard to the world and shake up the existing order... you have to ask me first if I agree."

"The production line I lost in Yanjing last time, I'm going to recoup my losses and profits in Hong Kong this time. But not through petty tricks like movies."

Sato Taro took the note with both hands and carefully put it away.

He sensed the cold determination and powerful control in Tsuchino Naoko's words, which slightly eased the frustration of his previous failed negotiations.

They also realized that the dispute with Cheng Xuemin over film copyrights was merely the prelude to a much larger storm.

The real contest has already quietly unfolded at the financial, capital, and geopolitical levels, unseen by ordinary people.

"Go back!" Tsuchino Naoko waved her hand, sat back on the sofa, and picked up her wine glass. "Now that the contract is signed, we need to keep up the appearances."

"The necessary publicity and screenings must be done without fail, so as not to arouse suspicion. As for what to do next... wait for my instructions."

"Hey! I'll take my leave!" Sato Taro bowed deeply once more, then slowly and deliberately left the suite, gently closing the door behind him.

Silence returned to the room.

Naoko Tsuchino sipped her whiskey alone, her gaze fixed on the heavy curtains outside the window, as if she could see through all obstacles and lock onto the young man who had caused her to suffer a crushing defeat in Yanjing.

She murmured to herself, her voice so soft that only she could hear it: "Cheng Sang... Hong Kong's waters run deep. If you try to fish, be careful... you might get swallowed by the whirlpool."

Meanwhile, downstairs in Cheng Xuemin's suite, the atmosphere was quite different – ​​lively and enthusiastic.

Brian's team was engaged in a heated discussion with Fu Qi, Huang Jianzhong, and others about the contract details. English, Cantonese, and Mandarin were spoken in rapid succession, and the sounds of calculators clicking and papers turning filled the air.

Cheng Xuemin stood by the window in the outer room, looking at the dazzling night view below, but his mind was on other things.

Liu Xiaoli walked over with a cup of ginseng tea and asked softly, "Teacher Xuemin, things were going quite smoothly, weren't they? Why do you seem... troubled?"

Cheng Xuemin took the teacup, thanked him, and kept his gaze fixed on the window: "It's going too smoothly, which makes me feel uneasy."

"Taro Sato finally agreed to the conditions for the Japanese market, which was within our expectations, but I still feel that... he compromised too quickly, which is not like the usual style of Yamato Pictures."

Huang Jianzhong leaned closer, his face still flushed with excitement: "Xuemin, are you overthinking this?"

"The Japanese are caught in a pincer movement between you and Brian, so they're panicking! Besides, our film is of high quality; if they don't want to buy it, plenty of other people will be scrambling to get it!"

Cheng Xuemin shook his head: "There must be someone else behind Sato who can make the final decisions. I have a feeling that there's a pair of eyes watching this negotiation from the shadows. The opponents... might not just be Brian and Sato!"

After dealing with a detail, Fu Qi came over and joined the conversation, saying, "Teacher Cheng's concerns are not unfounded. In Hong Kong, various forces are deeply entrenched."

"Things have just calmed down at the Kinmen and Matsu Bureau, but it's hard to say there aren't other people interested in us. However, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Now that the contract has been signed and the first payment has arrived quickly, the pressure on my family can finally be eased a bit.

The next step is to focus all our efforts on making the global premiere of "Shaolin Temple" a success, and let the box office speak for itself!

Cheng Xuemin nodded and downed the ginseng tea in his cup in one gulp: "That's right! The premiere must be absolutely flawless."

"Mr. Fu, double-check the media invitations and on-site security. Lao Huang, the copying, transportation, and storage must be flawless."

Also, a reminder to our people: please be cautious lately. Hong Kong is a mixed bag.

The other side!
After leaving Tsuchino Nako's suite, Sato Taro did not go directly back to his own room.

Instead, he went around to a quiet corner in the hotel's fire escape, took out his encrypted mobile phone, and dialed a Tokyo number.

The phone was answered after three rings, but there was no sound from the other end.

“It’s me, Sato.” Sato Taro lowered his voice and quickly reported in Japanese, “The contract has been signed, and the terms are as stated before.”

Ms. Nako has instructed that a covert operation be launched, focusing on monitoring the target's activities in North American theaters and attempting to create necessary obstacles in the flow of funds.

After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, a low, processed electronic voice came through: "Understood. The personnel in North America have been activated. Stephen from HSBC Hong Kong will handle the fund monitoring."

"Please note that Ms. Naoko's whereabouts are top secret. You know the consequences if this is leaked."

"Yes!" Sato Taro felt a chill run down his spine and quickly assured him, "Absolutely foolproof!"

After hanging up the phone, Sato Taro leaned against the cold wall and let out a long sigh.

The pressure of confronting Cheng Xuemin face-to-face is far less terrifying than dealing with the invisible pressure from Miss Naoko and the forces behind her.

He knew that he was now completely embroiled in a contest that went far beyond the realm of business.

Meanwhile, in Cheng Xuemin's suite, Brian's team finally reached an agreement with Fu Qi and others on the last few points of contention in the contract.

The two sides shook hands and made peace in a warm atmosphere.

Brian patted Cheng Xuemin on the shoulder forcefully and laughed loudly:
"Cheng! It's a pleasure working with you! I believe 'Shaolin Temple' will sweep the globe! I can't wait to see the box office numbers on opening day!"

Cheng Xuemin responded with a smile, but exchanged a knowing glance with Huang Jianzhong beside him.

After seeing Brian and his group off, only the core group remained in the room.

Cheng Xuemin's smile gradually faded. He said to Fu Qi, "Mr. Fu, try to find out if any important Japanese business figures have secretly arrived in Hong Kong in the past few days, especially those related to major conglomerates like Mitsubishi and Mitsui."

Fu Qi was taken aback: "Teacher Cheng, what do you mean?"

“It’s just a gut feeling.” Cheng Xuemin walked to the table, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the agreement signed with Brian. “Sato Taro’s final concession must have been instructed by someone of a higher level.”

Although Daiwa Studios is an independent publicly traded company, it has intricate connections with several major conglomerates.

I suspect that this person who came might be an old friend of ours.

Huang Jianzhong gasped: "You mean... that Japanese woman in Yanjing last year?"

Cheng Xuemin nodded, his eyes sharp: "That woman is ruthless and vindictive."

"Having suffered such a great loss in Yanjing, she will never let it go. Hong Kong is an international free port with convenient capital flow, making it the perfect place for her to get revenge. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. We must prepare in advance."

Liu Xiaoli said worriedly, "What should we do? We don't know anyone in Hong Kong, how can we fight against her?"

Cheng Xuemin pondered for a moment and said, "We need to prepare in two aspects. First, commercially, we will proceed as planned. The premiere, publicity, and distribution will all proceed as scheduled."

Secondly, privately, we need to leverage the influence of Sir Shaw and local community groups.

Mr. Fu, tomorrow morning, under the guise of thanking them for their support of *Shaolin Temple*, please visit Sir Shaw to sound them out and, incidentally, remind them that someone might be trying to stir up trouble in Hong Kong. They are locals, and their information network is better than ours.”

"Furthermore!" Cheng Xuemin looked at Huang Jianzhong. "Old Huang, I've written a secret telegram here. You should immediately send an encrypted telegram to Yanjing and report it directly to Lord Liao through special channels."

Huang Jianzhong nodded solemnly: "Understood! I'll take care of it right away!"

Cheng Xuemin's invitation to global film distributors to watch the film has attracted great attention from all filmmakers in Hong Kong.

Everyone is eagerly awaiting the mainland boy's downfall.

However, the results of the negotiations were quickly spread by Cheng Xuemin's side under their deliberate arrangement.

Inside the chairman's office of Golden Harvest Pictures, Raymond Chow sat behind a large mahogany desk, a nearly burnt-out Havana cigar between his fingers, its ash piled up long but he seemed oblivious.

The day's newspaper was spread out in front of him, but his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses was somewhat unfocused, not on any of the numbers.

There was a gentle knock on the office door. Before he could respond, He Guanchang pushed the door open and strode in, his face showing a mixture of shock and disbelief.

They couldn't even maintain their usual etiquette.

"Mr. Zou! I just received definite news!" He Guanchang's voice trembled slightly as he placed a thin telegram in front of Zou Wenhuai. "Cheng Xuemin... that northerner, his 'Shaolin Temple'... the overseas rights have been signed!"

Raymond Chow frowned slightly, somewhat displeased with his assistant's lapse in composure, and calmly picked up the telex:

"Oh? How much did it sell for? It must have been around a million US dollars, right? After all, it has the foundation of 'Tai Chi'."

His tone was indifferent, as if he didn't care much.

“Not a million or so!” He Guanchang almost lost his voice, his finger pointing hard at the numbers on the telex. “It’s twenty million! US dollars! Guaranteed profit sharing! Buyout of distribution rights in Europe and America, excluding Japan!”

Furthermore, the Japanese market was spun off separately and sold to Daiwa Studios, with a minimum guarantee of eight million US dollars, plus 35% of the box office revenue! That adds up to... twenty-eight million US dollars!

"How many?!"

Raymond Chow suddenly sprang up from his leather seat, the movement so forceful that it knocked over a purple clay teacup on the table, the dark tea instantly soaking the expensive pear wood tabletop.

He snatched the telegram, his gold-rimmed glasses slipping down his nose, his eyes fixed on the few lines of brief English letters and numbers, as if trying to see through the paper. "Twenty-eight million... US dollars?" he repeated, his voice dry and tinged with absurdity.

This figure even exceeds the total overseas distribution revenue of all of Golden Harvest's films last year!

This doesn't even include the astronomical sums that may follow in the future!
He gripped the edge of the table and slowly sat back in his chair, his fingers trembling slightly from the effort.

The cigar ash finally gave way under the weight, broke, and fell onto the report without him noticing.

"The source of the information... is reliable?" Raymond Chow took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples vigorously.

"Absolutely reliable! It came from our inside source at the Peninsula Hotel. The contract was signed late last night, with Brian's team from the US and Sato's people from Japan present."

On Cheng Xuemin's side, Fu Qi and Huang Jianzhong signed on his behalf. The details may still differ, but the guaranteed figure of 28 million is a done deal!

He Guanchang spoke very quickly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Raymond Chow leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the only sounds in the office were his heavy breathing and the faint sound of traffic outside the window.

A few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes, the previous shock in them replaced by a deep sharpness.

"A brilliant move... truly a brilliant move!" he muttered to himself, a smile playing on his lips that was hard to decipher as either admiration or bitterness. "Avoiding the murky waters of Hong Kong, we can go straight out to sea to fish."

"Using Brian to pressure Sato, then using Sato to elevate Brian, and finally separating the Japanese market to sell at a high price... This tactic of feigning one move while secretly making another was brilliantly executed! Absolutely brilliant!"

He stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the dazzling lights of Victoria Harbour.

This world, which he had cultivated for decades and thought he had firmly in control of, now seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

A young man from the north, defying convention, easily leveraged an unimaginable amount of capital with just one film.

“Mr. Zou, what are we doing now…” He Guanchang asked cautiously.

"Now?" Raymond Chow turned around, his face regaining its usual composure, but a strong sense of crisis ignited deep within his eyes. He said:

"Now we realize that we all underestimated Cheng Xuemin. What he wants is probably not just to make a few movies and earn some US dollars."

He walked back to the table and tapped the telegram with his finger: "Twenty-eight million dollars, that's enough for him to set up a decent operation in Hollywood."

"If he uses that money to build his own distribution network in the United States... then it won't be us selling films to foreigners anymore, but the foreigners having to cater to his whims when scheduling screenings!"

He Guanchang gasped: "You mean... he wants to follow the model we used for Golden Harvest and plant his flag directly in North America?"

"It's not just thinking, it's already happening!" Raymond Chow said sharply, continuing, "..."

"With the money from 'Tai Chi' last time, plus the huge sum from 'Shaolin Temple' this time, his aunt Gu Qiuna in the United States is definitely not just traveling around. We must reassess this opponent, no, this potential... behemoth."

He pondered for a moment, then quickly gave the order: "Two things. First, immediately reassess all possibilities and models of cooperation between us and Cheng Xuemin, or rather, with the North. We must completely abandon that condescending attitude we used to have."

Second, we must strengthen our control and investment in our own distribution channels in the North American market, and we must not allow Cheng Xuemin to gain a foothold easily.

Also… I'd like to privately contact Brian to sound him out and see if there's any possibility of cooperation.

"Understood! I'll take care of it right away!" He Guanchang accepted the order and hurriedly left.

Raymond Chow remained alone in his office, gazing out the window once more. Hong Kong at night remained as vibrant as ever, but he felt an unprecedented pressure surging from the young man in the north.

At almost the same time, Raymond Kwan, the owner of Golden Princess Cinemas, was enjoying a late-night snack in the dining room of his mansion.

He had only eaten half of a steaming bowl of wonton noodles when his trusted subordinate rushed over and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Dangdang!"

Lei Juekun dropped the spoon in his hand into the bowl, splashing soup and staining his expensive silk pajamas.

He jumped to his feet, his large body trembling slightly with excitement, and stared wide-eyed at his subordinate: "What did you say? Twenty-eight million? US dollars? You're crazy! Where would you get that much?!"

"It's absolutely true, Mr. Lei!" his subordinate exclaimed urgently. "The news has been confirmed through several channels! Cheng Xuemin's 'Shaolin Temple' has already sold out even before it's been released in Hong Kong!"

Lei Juekun plopped back into his chair, his chest heaving violently, his face flushed red.

He recalled that just a few days ago, he had secretly mocked Cheng Xuemin for being desperate and rushing to sea, hoping he could sell his goods for a pittance.

Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the other party delivered a resounding slap that made him see stars.

"Damn it! That bastard Liu Jialiang! And that damned woman Jiang Fengqi!" Lei Juekun's pent-up anger instantly turned to the culprits who had forced him to give up his prime time slot, and he cursed:
"They forced me to give up so many good matches to 'Martial Arts Academy'! Now look what's happened, those Northerners are just refusing to play with us anymore and are going out to make big money! We're still fighting tooth and nail here for scraps!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, and swept the bowls and chopsticks off the table, the sound of shattering porcelain particularly jarring in the dead of night.

The maid was so frightened that she hid to the side, not daring to make a sound.

“Those bastards from Cinema City! They’re still arguing with me about not having enough screenings! Look at them! Look at them!” Lei Juekun roared, panting heavily like a trapped wild beast, “You immediately pass on a message to Karl Maka, asking for better screenings.”
"Fine! Let his 'Desperate Measures' make sure it grosses twenty million dollars! I'll show it in the entire Golden Princess theater chain!"

After venting his anger, Lei Juekun slumped in his chair, a tremendous sense of powerlessness washing over him.

Faced with absolute financial power, his previous methods of dominating the Hong Kong film industry seemed to have become pale and powerless.

Cheng Xuemin's move to undermine Hong Kong's film industry not only brought him substantial profits but also showcased a completely new and overwhelming approach to the industry.

Meanwhile, at the Shaw Brothers Studio in Clearwater Bay, on the top floor of that iconic administrative building, Sir Shaw's office was still brightly lit.

Mona Fong took a document and gently placed it on Run Run Shaw's desk.

"Sixth Brother, Cheng Xuemin has secured the overseas rights to 'Shaolin Temple'." Fang Yihua's voice was as calm as ever.

Sir Shaw looked up from a television program budget sheet, took the document, and quickly glanced through it.

His face showed no obvious emotional fluctuations, only his gray eyebrows twitched slightly, and his gaze lingered on the figure of twenty-eight million US dollars for a few seconds.

"The younger generation is truly formidable." After a long silence, Sir Shao put down the documents and uttered only four words.

He picked up the small purple clay teapot on the table and took a sip of the already cooled strong tea from the spout.

“I heard that Raymond Chow and Lei Juekun have reacted very strongly,” Fang Yihua added.

Shaw smiled, a smile that carried a hint of world-weariness and wisdom: "Wen Huai has misjudged this time."

"They thought he was just a fish in a pond, but he turned out to be a dragon crossing the river. Lei Juekun was even more short-sighted."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the scattered lights on the set.

This place was once the dream factory of Hong Kong cinema, where countless glories were born. But times are changing, and so are the winds of change.

“Yihua,” Shaw said slowly, “it was the right thing for us to turn to television. The landscape of the film industry is about to change.”

"In the past, it was about competing for box office revenue, celebrities, and theater chains. In the future... it will probably be about competing for distribution channels, capital, and the global market. Cheng Xuemin's move is not the end, but just the beginning."

He turned around and looked at Fang Yihua: "Pass the word that the projects we discussed with the mainland can be expedited."

We can offer some further discounts. This young man is worth our serious investment. Hong Kong, after all, is too small a place.

A hint of surprise flashed in Fang Yihua's eyes, then he nodded knowingly: "Understood, Sixth Brother, I will personally follow up on it tomorrow."

Shaw sat back down in his chair, picked up another document, as if the news he had just heard was just a trivial little episode.

But only he knew that his heart was far from as calm as it appeared.

Cheng Xuemin's brilliant overseas copyright battle heralded the powerful rise of a new player, whose resources and vision may far exceed the imagination of these veteran tycoons.

The balance that Hong Kong's film industry has maintained for more than a decade is likely to be completely shattered.

That night, countless encrypted phone calls crisscrossed the night sky over Hong Kong, and numerous emergency meetings were held in secret rooms.

Cheng Xuemin and his film "Shaolin Temple," which has not yet been officially released locally, were like a thunderclap, shaking the already turbulent skies of Hong Kong.

Envy, jealousy, vigilance, fear, and a sense of urgency to reassess and reorganize are intertwined in the minds of every film mogul.

Cheng Xuemin, who was at the eye of the storm, was unusually calm at this moment.

In his suite at the Peninsula Hotel, he had just seen off the last group of publisher representatives who came to confirm the details.

Outside the window, the first rays of dawn were breaking in the east.

Liu Xiaoli poured him a freshly brewed cup of hot tea, and looking at his slightly tired but bright-eyed profile, she asked softly:
"Teacher Xuemin, now the pressure at home should be relieved, right?"

Cheng Xuemin picked up his teacup, and amidst the rising steam, he looked northward and slowly said:
"The pressure will never disappear, it will only shift. The next step is to see if 'Shaolin Temple' can truly move audiences around the world on the big screen. After all, box office is the only true test of truth."

……

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