Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 262 The Approaching Eighteen Million Box Office
"Lingxi, your film is quite good."

Wang Dalin looked at his apprentice with admiration.
"I didn't expect your second movie to break 20 million."

Lin Lingxi quickly said:

"Teacher, you can't say that. The box office is only 15 million so far."

Wang Dalin shook his head:

"Wang Sheng of Qiankun Films is amazing. Although he is young, he is very capable. His predictions about box office revenue are very accurate."

"Putting everything else aside, both Ah Jing's and your movies have correctly predicted box office results."

"This skill is not something that ordinary people can possess."

Lin Lingxi quickly said:

"I'm not as good as my junior; my first film barely broke even."

"My junior's first movie grossed over ten million!"

The chubby boy disagreed:
"Senior brother, do you have to be so modest?"

"You're so much better than me, why are you being so humble?"

Lin Lingxi could only manage a wry smile.

The chubby boy laughed:
“I asked Brother Dao, and he predicted that the box office of ‘The Emperor’s Disciple’ is very likely to exceed 20 million.”

Wang Dalin disagreed:
"If it reaches 18 million this month, wouldn't it be normal for it to reach 20 million in box office revenue with only 10 days left in the theatrical run next month?"

The chubby boy said speechlessly:

"Dad, we're all experts here, you don't need to try to fool us with these kinds of things."

"I wish it were really like that, right?"

Wang Dalin laughed and said:
"You're quite cautious, aren't you?"

"However, judging from the momentum of this movie, breaking 20 million should not be a problem."

Lin Lingxi was very cautious:
"Teacher, this movie still relied on the hype surrounding the Long Fei incident. After the movie was released, the company received a lot of letters and calls from readers, all of them complaints."

Wang Dalin exclaimed in surprise:

"What are you complaining about?"

The chubby boy chuckled:
"What else can I complain about?"

"It's nothing more than a complaint being used as a pretext to sell something else."

"What do you mean, Long Fei and A He have been offline for a long time? What do you mean, that's not the Hongxing family but the Hong'an family? Anyway, that's all sorts of nonsense."

Wang Dalin asked:
"How did Qiankun Films respond?"

The chubby boy shrugged:

"The movie clearly states at the beginning that it is based on a true story."

"Is it our fault that they didn't see it?"

Wang Dalin laughed heartily:
"Wonderful!"

"How are things going at the company?"

The chubby boy was very happy:
"It's as comfortable as you want."

Wang Dalin admonished:

"Mr. Li hired you to make money by filming a movie, so don't take it lightly."

The chubby boy was extremely upset:
"I really didn't just go through the motions; I tried my best."

"The company has many scripts, and we basically produce one film per month."

Lin Lingxi also said:
"Companies like Qiankun Film and Television are basically nonexistent in the industry. My fellow apprentices and I work very hard."

The chubby boy nodded vigorously:
"The company took a cut of the net profits from my movie."

"Where can you find such a great company?!"

Wang Dalin did not understand:

"The company was split up?"

The chubby boy explained:

"The company shared all the profits from 'Chasing Girls,' saying that since it was our first film, we should keep it as a memento."

Wang Dalin's mouth dropped open:

"what?!"

Lin Lingxi quickly said:

"It's true, even signed directors like my junior brother have received hundreds of thousands in commissions."

The chubby boy couldn't stop smiling!
He was the first director of Qiankun Film and Television, and he received the most money.

Wang Dalin sighed:

"A thousand pieces of gold to buy a horse's bones!"

The chubby boy disagreed:

"Spending a fortune to buy horse bones only benefits one person; the company is truly generous!"

"Purely people-oriented."

Wang Dalin said speechlessly:

"When have you ever seen the boss invest so much money and then work for nothing?"

The chubby boy said seriously:

"Li Sheng said that he doesn't just want to make money himself, he wants everyone in the company to make money."

"Our company is people-oriented. Our greatest asset is not our film library, but us, our employees."

"This is part of the company's corporate culture."

Wang Dalin stared speechlessly at the chubby boy. He never imagined that he would have such a silly son.

She seems quite shrewd usually!
Just as Wang Dalin was about to speak, Lin Lingxi also said:
"Li Sheng and Wang Sheng value their workers very much. Our treatment is the best in the industry, and we can even earn some extra money from time to time..."

Wang Dalin was extremely nervous:
"Extra money?"

"A gang's business?"

Lin Lingxi asked, puzzled:

"What kind of gang's business?"

Wang Dalin frowned and said:

"Didn't you just say you were talking about extra income?"

The chubby boy and Lin Lingxi exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

Wang Dalin said solemnly:

"Don't take this lightly."

Lin Lingxi had no choice but to explain:

"Master, it's not what you think."

"The company has absolutely no connection with any organization."

“Mr. Li usually stays at the company and doesn’t contact any organizations at all.”

"The so-called extra income is that Mr. Li and Mr. Wang would occasionally give out red envelopes as a way to make money."

Wang Dalin was dumbfounded:
"Are they so rich they're just being arrogant?"

Lin Lingxi thought for a moment:

"That makes sense."

"It seems they really do have too much money!"

Are you kidding me?! Wang Dalin looked at Lin Lingxi incredulously. It's one thing for the chubby guy to be unreliable, but why are you starting to be unreliable too?

The chubby boy explained:

"Wang Sheng is very lucky; he makes a little money every now and then."

"Every time he received unexpected wealth, Wang Sheng would always give out red envelopes at the company."

"Whoever gets it is lucky."

Wang Dalin breathed a sigh of relief:
"That's actually the case."

"However, why do we say that who gets it is a matter of luck?"

The chubby boy shrugged:

"Mr. Li arrives at work on time and leaves on time."

“Wang Sheng is different; he’s often late.”

"We are a film and television company, and we can't stay in the company all the time. Sometimes we will take on advertising contracts or something."

"If Wang Sheng gives out red envelopes, then whoever is in the company will naturally benefit."

Wang Dalin suddenly realized, and he shook his head, saying:

"How can this kind of side income, which you only see a few times a month, be considered your main source of income?"

The chubby boy pouted:

"Dad, don't compare your luck to Wang Sheng's luck."

Wang Dalin was unconvinced:

"He can't possibly send out red envelopes every few days, can he?"

The chubby boy held up two fingers.

Wang Dalin let out a long "Oh":
"They issued it twice this month, but that's not much."

The chubby boy said speechlessly:

"What, twice?"

"Wang Sheng only didn't send out red envelopes on two days this month!"

Wang Dalin was dumbfounded:
"what?"

Lin Lingxi sighed:
"Wang Sheng's luck is truly enviable. To put it simply, he could win the lottery if he found a lottery ticket while walking."

Wang Dalin pressed further:

How big is the red envelope?

The chubby boy thought for a moment and said:
"That's not necessarily true. Sometimes it's three or five, sometimes it's a dozen or so."

Wang Dalin glared at him:
"speak English."

The chubby boy said, feeling wronged, "Big Golden Bull!"

"Brother Dao's red envelopes always contain big gold bulls."

Wang Dalin said incredulously:
"Does that mean that some people in your company earn more from red envelopes than Chai Shui?"

The chubby boy nodded vigorously:
"Not only that, but the company's four receptionists have never been seen asking for leave."

"The four of them earn several times their own salaries just from the red envelopes they receive."

Lam Ling-sze added:

"I heard that they earned the equivalent of three years' worth of firewood and water in just three months of work."

The chubby boy opened his mouth wide:

"How did you know, senior brother?"

Lin Lingxi said indifferently:
"I was talking to them."

"I heard that other companies offered them high salaries, but none of the four of them wanted to go."

The chubby boy stroked his chin and asked curiously:

"Why poach the receptionist of all people?"

Lam Ling-Sai explained:

"They must have poached a lot of people, but others just haven't said it out loud."

The chubby boy was indignant:
"Why isn't anyone trying to recruit me?"

Lin Lingxi said speechlessly:

"You're the company's first signed director, would you consider switching jobs?"

The chubby boy decisively said:

"Nope!"

Lam Ling-sze spread his hands:
"That's it!"

The two men looked up and were startled to see Wang Dalin holding a slipper, ready to beat them up.

The chubby boy asked, puzzled:

"Dad, what are you doing?" Wang Dalin sneered.

I'll beat you two brats to death!

The chubby boy quickly said:

"Dad, the company treats me so well, I'm not stupid, why would I think about changing jobs?"

Wang Dalin sighed:
"If I were to switch companies, I would just switch jobs."

"Qiankun Film and Television Company, you just switched jobs and now you're being reincarnated!"

The chubby boy chuckled:
"Dad, you're really joking!"

Wang Dalin snorted coldly:

"I'm joking?"

"I really hope I'm joking."

The chubby boy and Lin Lingxi looked at each other, and whispered to each other:
"Isn't that a huge exaggeration?"

Wang Dalin asked:
Do you know anything about the background of Qiankun Film and Television?

The chubby boy nodded:

"I know, Brother Kun is the leader of Hung Hing, right? I knew that when I was filming the movie."

The chubby boy really knows.

When he was filming "Chasing Girls", he went to Kwai Tsing for location shooting. There was a small gang with the character "福" (fú) in their name who wanted to collect protection money from them and also misbehaved towards Bozi.

And that little club disappeared that very day!

From then on, the chubby boy learned about his company's background.

Wang Dalin cursed:
“You know nothing.”

“Li Sheng is not only the leader of Hung Hing, but also the current leader of Hung Hing, Jiang Sheng, who was supported by Li Sheng to get to the top.”

"Li Sheng is the Grand Marshal of Hung Hing!"

The chubby boy asked incredulously:
"how is this possible?"

"Kun is only a few years older than me."

"Can Marshal Dalu give it to Brother Kun?"

Wang Dalin said sternly:

"Listen to me, you must listen to Li Sheng and Wang Sheng no matter what."

“You have no idea how famous he is in Yau Tsim Mong.”

The chubby boy exclaimed in astonishment:

"Isn't Yau Tsim Mong owned by the Ni family? How could Brother Kun's reputation be more renowned than the Ni family's?"

Wang Dalin smiled wryly:

Even if it's not there, it's close enough!

The chubby boy and Lin Lingxi were startled:
"Is Brother Kun really that powerful? He's always smiling."

Wang Dalin said irritably:
"He's a big shot, very humble, why would he take his anger out on you?"

The two chubby boys immediately fell silent.

Wang Dalin added:
"Don't think that just because Mr. Li is amiable at the company, you can act recklessly in front of him. In all of Hong Kong, there are practically no people who dare to act recklessly in front of him."

"Sixth Uncle... his face was full of fear when he talked about him."

The chubby boy's mouth gaped open:

"Even Uncle Liu is wary of Brother Kun?"

Wang Dalin said irritably:
"Now you know you're afraid, right?"

The chubby boy asked curiously:
Why should I be afraid?

"Brother Kun is so powerful, and I'm his underling. There aren't many people in Hong Kong who would dare to mess with me, right?"

Wang Dalin stared dumbfounded at the excited chubby boy:

What are you so happy about?

The chubby boy said seriously:

"The biggest threat in Hong Kong is the triads. With my boss being so powerful, would any triad dare to mess with me?"

"Scare them to death by revealing your name!"

The chubby boy looked arrogant.

Wang Dalin really didn't care about his son's thought process. What does Liang Kunwei have to do with you?

Are you his son?

The chubby boy urged:

"Dad, what else did Sixth Uncle say?"

Wang Dalin was defeated by him and had no choice but to say...

"When I attended your celebration banquet at the beginning of the month, Uncle Liu made a bet with Wang Sheng. If Lingxi's film reaches 18 million in box office this month, Qiankun Film Company will have the priority purchase right of Uncle Liu's theater chain."

The chubby boy was taken aback:
"Is there such a thing?"

He turned to look at his senior brother, Lin Lingxi, who shook his head to indicate that he knew nothing about it.

Wang Dalin said calmly:

"It's understandable that you don't know about the things that happen between important people."

"At the time, Uncle Six didn't think much of it. We're all in the industry, and we all know what it means for a box office of 18 million in just over half a month."

The chubby boy bluntly stated:

"This means that this movie is very likely to be the highest-grossing film of the year, or at least in the top three!"

Wang Dalin nodded slightly:
"Yes."

"Qiankun Films only made two movies. The first one was yours, and it grossed eleven million at the box office."

"How could the second movie have already grossed over 20 million?"

"Statistically speaking, it's practically impossible."

"Sixth Uncle has made the bet!"

The chubby boy was indignant on behalf of Ringo Lam:
"Sixth Uncle underestimates my senior brother."

Wang Dalin sighed: "It's not Uncle Liu's fault. The first film from Lingxi really didn't meet expectations."

Lin Lingxi quickly said:

"This is not my achievement alone; to be honest, it is Brother Dao's achievement."

Wang Dalin said incredulously:
"What's going on with Guan Wangsheng?"

Lin Lingxi smiled wryly:

"That movie was something I came up with through a conversation with Wang Sheng. He provided the script, and he drew many of the storyboards."

"With a storyboard, it doesn't really matter who directs it."

"Actually, it's more accurate to say that this is a film that Dao Ge and I collaborated on rather than my own movie."

Wang Dalin shook his head:

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself; you have a great grasp of the rhythm of camera language."

“I can see you grow.”

Lin Lingxi was overjoyed to receive Wang Dalin's praise.

"Thank you teacher."

Wang Dalin asked:
Do either of you still have the script?

Without hesitation, the chubby boy replied:
"Brother Dao has a bunch of scripts waiting for us to film!"

Wang Dalin said incredulously:
"A whole bunch?"

"Are they all like the previous 'Disciples of the Emperor'?"

The chubby boy nodded:

"Yes, for example, the movie I'm currently filming, 'High Risk,' is based on the story of the notorious doctor who was shot and killed by Superintendent Chan Kwok-chung."

"There are also a few previous stories, such as 'Dragon on the Edge' adapted by Hong Fu and his team, and 'Dragon in the Jianghu' adapted from Wei Jixiang's story..."

Wang Dalin's brow twitched slightly:
"That's incredibly bold!"

"If it were a typical film company wanting to make a movie like this, they would definitely need to make arrangements with the relevant personnel beforehand..."

"It's obvious that Mr. Li didn't care about these things."

The chubby boy was very proud:
"Kun Ge is awesome!"

Wang Dalin was too lazy to pay attention to his foolish son:

"Work hard at Qiankun Film and Television, and don't think about switching jobs."

The chubby boy chuckled:
"Knowing the company has such a powerful background, only a fool would think about switching jobs."

Wang Dalin sighed:
"I think Uncle Liu will most likely sell his cinema chains to Qiankun Film and Television. I just don't know if Mr. Li and Mr. Wang have enough funds."

The chubby boy immediately fell silent.

He can brag to Liang Kun and Wang Dao, but it's easy to talk big, but it would be embarrassing if he couldn't deliver on his promises.

Uncle Liu was not an easy person to get along with.

Wang Dalin looked at the chubby boy speechlessly and cursed:

"Are you stupid?"

"If Mr. Wang dares to ask, then it means he has sufficient funds."

The chubby boy thought about it and realized that the boy was right; he must have wanted to buy it to ask the price.

Wang Dalin instructed:

"You two must cultivate a good relationship with Mr. Li and Mr. Wang; they are important people in your lives."

The chubby boy nodded quickly.

Wang Dalin had been talking for a long time and was tired—he was already overweight, and it must have been hard for him to say so much.
"You two brats, get out of here!"

"Work hard."

The chubby boy grabbed Lin Lingxi and ran out, urging her on as they ran:
"Senior, hurry back to the company."

Lin Lingxi asked, puzzled:

Why are we in such a hurry?

The chubby boy said impatiently:

"Dad is sending a message to the two of us. Uncle Liu is going to sell his movie theater chain."

Lin Lingxi said in astonishment:

"Is that so?"

The chubby boy jumped into the car, and as soon as Lin Lingxi arrived, the car sped off:

"Don't you know how tight-lipped Dad is?"

"When did you see him casually saying things about Uncle Liu?"

"This is information leaked to us, so we can become spies."

Lin Lingxi said speechlessly:

"Junior brother, what spy? Can you watch your mouth?"

The chubby boy laughed heartily:
"It's all the same, it's all the same!"

The chubby boy drove incredibly fast, taking ten minutes to complete a twenty-minute journey.

He arrived at Wang Dao's office, panting, and explained what had happened:
"Brother Dao, that's all my dad said."

Wang Dao chuckled and pulled two red envelopes from the drawer, tossing them to the two men:
"Uncle Dalin is a kind and honest elder, and he would never talk about people behind their backs."

"What did you say?"

The chubby boy was also a clever little fellow, and he grinned and said:

"I didn't say anything!"

Wang Dao laughed and said:

"Get back to work!"

The chubby boy and Lin Lingxi walked out with smiles, took out their red envelopes, and were surprised to find five large gold bull bills inside:

"Senior brother, I'd like to invite you to Night Paris."

Lin Lingxi sighed:
"You still need to save money for baby formula, so let's skip Night Paris and go to a street food stall instead, it's on me!"

(End of this chapter)