The world begins with Hong Kong movies

Chapter 335 Too Exaggerated

"Good job, Busy Boy! That's all for today's shoot!"

On the set of an ATV urban drama, the director called out and turned to leave.

All the staff and actors present, looking relaxed, gradually dispersed and went about their own business.

Zhou Ye, who was called "Busy Boy" by the director, subconsciously huddled together with the staff from the mainland, and then left chatting and laughing.

It's not that there's any conflict between mainland employees and Hong Kong Island employees; it's just a natural occurrence.

"Brother Zhou, your acting skills are getting better and better!"

The assistant photographer, also from the mainland, laughed and said, "Plus, I'm highly regarded by several directors, so it probably won't be long before I get to play a more important role!"

"Yes, Brother Zhou's looks and temperament are particularly suitable for the urban drama atmosphere of Hong Kong Island!"

Another assistant lighting technician couldn't help but say, "Unfortunately, urban dramas are one of the main scripts for TV stations, so Brother Zhou will definitely have plenty of opportunities in the future!"

"I've read a lot of entertainment newspapers, and there are quite a few Hong Kong actors who have become household names and television stars overnight thanks to a role they played in a high-quality drama!"

"Yes, there are many film crews working on set in Hong Kong, and the filming speed is quite fast, so there are more opportunities!"

"Isn't having more opportunities a good thing? The filming subsidies alone are no small amount. I wish I could work every day!"

"Work every day? You'd probably work yourself to death on the job!"

"It's not that exaggerated. If I really had health problems, the TV station wouldn't let me continue working. Their requirements are too troublesome!"

"What a hassle! A free simple medical check-up at the hospital once a month—isn't that a great perk? Didn't Old Wang from the Zhujiang factory find out about his problems through this check-up?"

"Luckily, it was detected early. Otherwise, if we had waited until there were health problems before getting checked, it would have been too late!"

As they talked, the topic completely veered off course.

Zhou Ye didn't seem to mind at all; on the contrary, he listened with great interest.

As a "pretty boy" from Shanghai, he felt immense pressure when he first arrived in Hong Kong, mainly due to his wife.

His wife is also an actress, but she's far more successful than him.

In her very first stage play, she won one of the highest awards for mainland Chinese drama as the lead actress.

Because of his appearance, he has always played minor supporting roles.

Because the Shanghai Film Studio is not operating at full capacity, there may not be an opportunity to shoot a film or television drama even once a year.

In the arts and entertainment industry, couples where the woman is more successful than the man are more prone to problems.

All I can say is that he was very lucky. As one of the first actors seconded from Shanghai to Hong Kong, he successfully established himself at ATV.

After getting used to life here, I started with minor supporting roles, then quickly rose to supporting roles of moderate importance, and now I've even played major supporting roles. The next step is to become one of the leading actors.

His experience at ATV helped him quickly recover from his low spirits and even propelled him towards a more energetic state.

The sophisticated lifestyle of Shanghai men is perfectly captured in Hong Kong urban dramas.

In addition, with his handsome appearance and good acting skills, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to make a name for himself.

Of course, he also knew that this was not the norm.

If it weren't for the fact that ATV's boss was from mainland China and was adamant about not allowing any discord within the station, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for him to land such a leading role.

He cherishes this opportunity!
Similarly, whenever they have free time, they either watch various movies in the dormitory's public video room to enrich their knowledge or read relevant professional books to improve themselves.

There is never any such thing as luck in a person's success!
If he hadn't worked so hard, had a decent personality, and possessed a bit of social skills, how could several directors at the TV station have had a good impression of him?

Similarly, he was not very familiar with his other colleagues who were seconded from the mainland, and their relationship was only that of ordinary friends.

He is now single-mindedly waiting for the opportunity to be one of the lead actors.

Not to mention soaring to great heights, at that time, he was no longer an insignificant figure in the television station.

He even has the resources to establish a firm foothold in Hong Kong.

It's said that TVB, ATV's old rival, is paying more attention to actors from Shanghai, but it's unclear whether that's true.
He didn't care much about it!

There was no way around it; in his perception, ATV was no less powerful than TVB, and in some aspects, it was even stronger.

He also really likes the shows "Unlimited Fighting Tournament" and "Beauty Pageant," which are quite rare for him.

The only downside is that most people on Hong Kong Island speak Cantonese, so he has to spend time and effort learning it, which doesn't feel very good.

Fortunately, Mandarin and Cantonese were spoken within ATV, so the long-time employees from Hong Kong Island didn't dare to voice any objections.

"Brother Zhou, wanna go out tonight?"

After leaving the filming location, a group of mainland colleagues stood by the roadside, waiting for the company's minibus to pick them up.

In this respect, ATV did a very good job.

At least, the employees seconded from the mainland have never complained about accommodation, meals, or commuting.

In fact, according to long-time employees of the TV station, they benefited from the connections of their mainland colleagues.

Previously, television stations did not have internal canteens!
Wu Feng doesn't skimp on the cafeteria; not only is the food good, but it also significantly reduces the television station employees' food expenses. Not to mention, the provision of employee dormitories and commuter buses is quite beneficial for long-term employees.

Of course, the employees seconded from the mainland didn't find it particularly strange; it was just normal logistical support.

It's just that the daily meal allowance is a bit higher, the dormitory environment is a bit better, and the minibus we take to commute is a little more luxurious.

"Aren't there rules in the dorms?"

Zhou Ye asked curiously, "Aren't we allowed to go out at night?"

"Hey, we've been here on Hong Kong Island for over a year now!"

The assistant photographer chuckled, "You seem to know the area around the dormitory pretty well!"

"What's wrong with going out for fun? It's not like you're really not coming home all night!"

"Yeah, staying in the dorm all the time is so boring!"

"Hong Kong Island has a vibrant nightlife. Brother Zhou, you haven't been out having fun before, have you?"

"Of course! Brother Zhou is always so hardworking and dedicated!"

"..."

Zhou Ye was extremely embarrassed and quickly waved his hand, signaling, "Stop talking!"

He felt somewhat speechless about his mainland colleagues.

Looking around to make sure no one else was paying attention, she lowered her voice and asked, "How expensive is it here in Hong Kong? Don't you plan to save money and send it back?"

That one sentence silenced all the other mainland colleagues.

Those who were seconded to Hong Kong Island were mostly between thirty and forty years old, and had long been married with children.

Although Zhou Ye was focused on improving his acting skills, being in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, he still knew some of the outside news.

Hong Kong Island is indeed a bustling place!

But if you want to have a good time and have fun here, you'll need to spend money.

Including him, the mainland staff on secondment present were basically those who had established themselves in the TV station and, in fact, had good incomes.

It's at least higher than the average wage level in Hong Kong Island!
It may not be the best, but it's definitely more than enough compared to the worst.

Especially for someone like Zhou Ye who's very busy, his monthly income is definitely not low. When he has scenes to film, earning over ten thousand yuan a month is quite easy.

"Aren't you guys being a little too relaxed?"

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, he quickly tried to ease it: "The TV station invited members of the local triads to give a detailed explanation of the situation in Hong Kong. Aren't you afraid of causing problems?"

Wu Feng attached great importance to this group of seconded personnel from the mainland.

Worried that they might not understand the situation on Hong Kong Island and might be misled by its glitz and glamour, the organization specifically dispatched its members to educate these mainland employees about some of the less-than-honorable practices of Hong Kong triads.

They introduced these on-the-job employees from the mainland to tricks like "fairy traps" and "pig butchering schemes," and even demonstrated them in person.

The effect was quite obvious. During the first three months after these mainland employees were seconded to Hong Kong, they basically did not leave their dormitories on their own during their rest time.

There are also various martial arts movies, which directly indicate that the content of the movies is actually based on real people, serving as a kind of warning.

Finally, he also took them to some disreputable places to let them see firsthand what kind of misfortune they would suffer if something went wrong. Wu Feng didn't want any of them to get into trouble.

"Brother Zhou, you're being too cautious!"

At this moment, the assistant photographer realized what was happening and chuckled, "The places we're going to visit are quite safe!"

Seeing Zhou Ye's confusion, he quickly explained, "The gang leader who guards the place is the one who taught us those gang tactics!"

According to him, the venues he runs have a good relationship with the ATV boss and are considered relatively reputable nightclubs!

The other colleagues who wanted to go out that evening also chimed in.

"Then you guys go have fun!"

Zhou Ye didn't say anything more, he just chuckled and said, "My wife came all the way from Shanghai!"

The mainland colleagues present immediately beamed with joy, made a few casual jokes, and then waited for the TV station's commuter bus to arrive so they could all get on and head to their dormitories.

The scale of the dormitories for mainland employees is much larger than it was at the beginning.

Still in Wutaishan, Kowloon Tong, a small community is formed by several apartment buildings of about twenty stories high arranged in a circle.

The people living here are mostly employees seconded from the mainland, and there are quite a few of them.

Of course, there were also some single employees from ATV, Fengrui Films, and other related companies.

In terms of dormitories alone, Wu Feng's company has undoubtedly done an excellent job, which has aroused the envy of many employees from other companies in Wutaishan.

Anyone with any understanding of Hong Kong Island in later generations will understand just how much pressure rent puts on ordinary wage earners. A fully furnished apartment of about 30 square meters costs a third of one's salary in a month—it's outrageous.

(End of this chapter)