Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 582 Ah Long Suffers a Major Hemorrhage
Hong Kong.

If there's anyone who's the most infuriating, it's definitely Ho Koon-cheung.

He attaches great importance to Jackie Chan, who is currently one of Golden Harvest's most prestigious brands.

That is precisely why Ho Koon-cheung was so angry this time.

I thought Jackie Chan would rush back overnight, but to my surprise, he's still in France and hasn't returned yet!
"That kid Ah Long is getting more and more unruly."

He Guanchang rubbed his temples, feeling a terrible headache.

Everything that needed to be done had been done. Although there were countless tabloids in Hong Kong and all sorts of news every day, some things were still hard to quell.

For example, Jackie Chan getting beaten up.

Ho Koon-cheung certainly considered how to handle the situation, calling Jackie Chan back, publishing a clarification in the newspaper, stating that he would be making a film, and so on.

But now Jackie Chan hasn't come back, only a few old photos!
"What use are those few broken photos! Broken photos, broken videotapes, if this continues, how big will the impact be!"

He Guanchang didn't even dare to think about it.

However, since Jackie Chan wasn't around, he couldn't very well fly to France to teach Jackie Chan a lesson, so he could only keep it to himself.

Emerging from his office at Golden Harvest, Ho Koon-cheung was still seething with anger, walking with a brisk pace. Wherever he went, Golden Harvest employees lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Cheng Long..."

He Guanchang suddenly looked up, and at this moment he was particularly sensitive to these two words. He glanced over and saw two newcomers whispering to each other by the water dispenser, which made the supervisor next to them very anxious.

Just as he was about to speak up to remind him, Ho Koon-cheung raised his hand to tell the supervisor to be quiet.

He didn't get close; even from a distance of more than ten meters, he could hear most of it.

"I heard that Jackie Chan was kicked unconscious in France! There was blood everywhere, it was terrifying!"

"You really believe that? Why don't you just say Jackie Chan was kicked to death!"

"Don't you know? There are photos!"

"They're all fake! Stills from a movie!"

"If you say it's a still from the movie, then it's a still from the movie."

"Don't you believe me? The photos are in the newspapers! Don't look at those big newspapers, they wouldn't dare publish that..."

The supervisor leaned closer to He Guanchang, becoming increasingly uneasy: "These people are new."

Ho Koon-cheung waved his hand: "Never mind them, go and ask someone to buy me a few tabloids!"

Even though he had sold his shares to Zhou Wenhuai, his influence still lingered, and he couldn't be easily dealt with. The manager hurriedly left, while He Guanchang waited a moment before receiving a few tabloid articles.

Due to time constraints, the supervisor only had time to buy a few copies of tabloids with decent sales.

These tabloids dare to publish anything and write anything because nobody reads them. They dare to post any kind of photos, and they're not afraid of exposing themselves.

The photo, which appeared on the front page of the newspaper, sent chills down Ho Koon-cheung's spine.

You can tell at a glance that it's Jackie Chan lying on the ground, his face bruised and swollen from being beaten!

However, in an instant, Ho Koon-cheung recognized that the photo was definitely a still from a movie.

It's actually very easy to tell whether someone was genuinely beaten like that or not. Even if tabloids go to great lengths to exaggerate the incident, claiming that Jackie Chan was brutally beaten by Frenchmen in France because of a fight over a woman, the photos clearly show the difference.

Ho Koon-cheung looked at several newspapers in succession, and they were all like this, with an exaggerated front-page picture. At first glance, it looked as if Jackie Chan's head had been blown off, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that it was a still from a movie.

Even if the article is written in a flowery and persuasive style, if the cover image is a still from a movie, it becomes extremely unbelievable.

On the contrary, those high-circulation newspapers, due to strict restrictions that prevent them from publishing photos at will and from fabricating stories, are less likely to notice this. Putting down the newspaper, Ho Koon-cheung crossed his hands and pressed them to his brow, quickly summarizing the matter in his mind.

"It's quite interesting."

If everything is fake, then no one can tell which one is real.

As Ho Koon-cheung was pondering, his assistant leaned over and whispered a few words to him.

"Oh? The videotapes shipped from France have arrived? And they were even airlifted? They're certainly willing to spend money. Let's go, let's use Jiahe's land to show them!"

Ho Koon-cheung stood up first, followed by the others. The group then played a videotape that had been flown back from France in the screening room inside Golden Harvest.

The video is short, only a few minutes long, and looks as if it were taken from a complete videotape.

This video, which looks like some kind of interview, features two fabric sofas and a large screen behind them. At first glance, it appears quite formal. A French woman in a suit and flesh-colored stockings sits opposite Jackie Chan, talking fluently in French, which no one can understand.

Many people in Hong Kong can speak English, but few can understand French.

After a brief explanation on the show, footage of Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme fighting was displayed.

After the videotape finished playing for a few minutes, Ho Koon-cheung breathed a sigh of relief.

I am greatly pleased!

The moment he saw the videotape, he knew things were settled and he no longer needed to worry.

Whether the interview is real or fake doesn't matter; what matters is that it looks real.

Add to that the tabloids and newspapers outside, some of which are of dubious authenticity, and anyone with a brain will know that these things are unreliable just by looking at the newspapers, since there is just too much fake news.

If there is convincing and authentic footage at this moment, it will be easy to persuade others!
The impact of words is, after all, not as strong as that of images.

"I never expected Ah Long to have become so clever and intelligent; I didn't even realize it!"

Ho Koon-cheung had just praised her when he noticed his assistant hesitate to speak, so he couldn't help but tap his cane: "Speak your mind."

"Um, actually it wasn't Brother Long's idea, it was..."

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more."

He Guanchang understood immediately.

At this moment, the only people in France who have the ability to mobilize these resources, besides Cheng Long, are Gu Ming.

After pondering for a long time, Ho Koon-cheung let out a long sigh.

The problem is solved, but a huge financial loss is inevitable!
Otherwise, if they solve such a big problem and can't offer enough in return, we can forget about playing together next time.

He doesn't care, but Jackie Chan can't. Jackie Chan's films can't rely solely on Hong Kong; 4V and Japan and South Korea are extremely important box office markets.

"I don't have anything else to offer besides money."

Ho Koon-cheung's facial muscles twitched, and after a long while, he finally gritted his teeth and waved his hand.

Give me the money! What else can I do?
Jackie Chan's current film salary in Hong Kong is already five to six million Hong Kong dollars. If nothing had changed, he would have received an additional increase after filming "Wheels on Meals," reaching the tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars level. At that time, Hong Kong film companies simply couldn't afford Jackie Chan's salary on their own, which is why they actively expanded to produce big-budget films.

Five or six million is no small sum, but as a thank-you gift, at least half of it should be given.

After making the decision, Ho Koon-cheung felt even more heartbroken.

Fortunately, the money comes from the sheep.

As Cheng Long's adopted son, it's perfectly normal for him, as the godfather, to ask his adopted son for some money to spend!

(End of this chapter)