Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 139: Meeting Xia Meng and Obtaining the [Ultimate White Moonlight] (Please Subscribe)

"As for your mother—"

Xu Dunle shook his head. "It's said that they divorced the year they went to the United States, and then she disappeared. Some people say they saw her in Canada, but I don't know if it's true."

Zhang Shuai'an didn't react much after hearing these words.

After all, they were his original parents, and he didn't have much of a relationship with them.

Seeing that Zhang Shuai'an didn't react much, Xu Dunle assumed he was resentful, so he comforted him, saying, "In any case, please accept my condolences regarding your father's death."

Zhang Shuai'an said calmly, "Thank you for telling me. Actually, there's nothing to be sad about. It was all his own choice."

"Also, regarding your crime of indecent assault."

Xu Dundong finally got to the point.

Zhang Shuai'an was now genuinely interested. In the original owner's memories, this incident was one of the key reasons why he had to swim across the border illegally.

In fact, the original owner was also somewhat confused and didn't quite understand the whole situation.

Zhang Shuai'an only received a portion of the memories, so he was even less clear about what had happened.

"Before 75, you lived in Ji'an, relying on your grandmother for support. At the end of 75, your grandmother passed away, and you were taken to Shanghai by your uncle to study at Kunshan High School. During your studies, you had a romantic relationship with a female student at the same school and were given a disciplinary warning."

When Xu Dunle said this, Yu Sijia looked at Zhang Shuai'an with a scrutinizing and amused gaze, as if to say, "Like father, like son."

Zhang Shuai'an secretly regretted that he had no memory of this period and had no idea what he had done back then.

"Then, the year before last, you started dating a female teacher at the school, which was quite shocking."

Xu Dunle continued, "That female teacher did indeed get pregnant out of wedlock back then, but she never said whose child it was. However, she insisted that her relationship with you was normal. She was eighteen years old at the time, and had already graduated from high school, so it was perfectly acceptable for her to be in a relationship."

He paused for a few seconds, took a sip of tea, and continued, "But that female teacher had suitors. He couldn't stand you, so he filed a lawsuit against you with the Education Bureau and the Public Security Bureau, saying that you were a hooligan, had relationships with multiple women, and caused several women to become pregnant or even have miscarriages."

"Now the matter has been exposed, and public opinion has become completely out of control. The Education Bureau has no choice but to temporarily suspend your college entrance examination scores and application choices—"

"It was only when the police came to talk to you that they discovered you had already fled. The Shanghai authorities have indeed been searching for you during this time."

At this point, Xu Dunle stared intently at Zhang Shuai'an.

Listening to his description, Zhang Shuai'an managed to find some corresponding images from the ruins of the original owner's memories.

To put it bluntly, the original owner of this body relied on his handsome appearance and would casually flirt with any pretty woman he saw.

However, he didn't actually have any casual relationships. The only two people he interacted with were that female classmate and later, his female teacher. The former was for emotional exchange, and the latter was a friendly discussion to resolve their excess hormones.

Both of these relationships were consensual and do not constitute the crime of hooliganism.

Zhang Shuai'an chuckled and retorted, "Does Elder Xu intend to take me back?"

"You haven't committed any crime, so why are you being arrested?" Xu Dunle shook his head, then added, "The person who falsely accused you has already been arrested. He himself admitted that he fabricated a lot of lies out of jealousy."

"It's all in the past!" Zhang Shuai'an waved his hand and said calmly, "I'm doing quite well here."

Xu Dunle smiled and was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

"The two comrades I invited have arrived."

Zhang Shuai'an was a little puzzled; what kind of person required his personal greeting?

As soon as the door to the private room opened, three figures walked in.

The person in the lead looked to be around forty years old, wearing a plain-colored long dress, with a dignified appearance and elegant demeanor.

The two people beside him were probably a couple, both in their forties, with upright postures and kind smiles.

Zhang Shuai'an felt that the three of them looked somewhat familiar, and he was certain that it wasn't the original owner of this body who knew them, but rather that he had seen these three people somewhere before.

When Yu Sijia saw the three people, she was taken aback for a moment, and then her eyes showed a mixture of fear and respect.

"Let me introduce you, this is Comrade Zhang Shuai'an."

Xu Dunle pointed to Zhang Shuai and the other two and introduced them.

The elegant woman in the lead smiled and said, "Comrade Zhang has been making quite a splash lately. Who in Hong Kong doesn't recognize his face?"

Xu Dunle smiled and said to Zhang Shuai'an, "Shuai'an, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Xia Meng, who used to be a famous star in Hong Kong."

Sure enough it was her!

Screen goddesses of the 50s and 60s!

The white moonlight in Jin Yong's heart for a lifetime!

Zhang Shuai'an had already guessed in his mind that it was her.

"Is Brother Xu mocking me?" Xia Meng gently shook her head.

Zhang Shuai'an greeted her respectfully: "Hello, Ms. Yang. I'm a fan of yours. Mr. Xu's words are not an exaggeration at all. You are a true superstar."

"You've got a good tongue," Xia Meng said with a smile. "You're the hottest celebrity right now."

Xu Dunle then pointed to two other people and introduced them: "These two are Comrade Fu Qi and Comrade Shi Hui, who are also capable assistants in my left-wing films."

"Mr. Fu, Ms. Shi," Zhang Shuai'an greeted them with equal respect.

These two individuals did indeed contribute to the development of left-wing cinema and, later, to the development of mainland Chinese cinema.

Yu Sijia followed behind Zhang Shuai'an and bowed respectfully in return.

"Sit down, everyone, sit down and talk," Xu Dunle invited.

The group sat down according to their status as host and guest.

Of all those present, excluding Yu Sijia, Zhang Shuai'an was the youngest in terms of seniority.

However, Xu Dunle still arranged for him to be the guest of honor.

Xia Meng was next to him, and Yu Sijia was next to her. Fu Qi and Shi Hui, the couple, were sitting on the other side.

Xu Dunle continued, "This invitation isn't just my idea; it's also because the three of them want to get to know you."

Zhang Shuai'an remained silent, waiting for his next words.

As expected, Xu Dunle continued, "Comrade Xia Meng opened a film company called [Bluebird Pictures] two years ago."

At that time, she planned to make a film to mark her entrepreneurial journey. However, her personality has always been one of striving for perfection, and the script remained unfinished even after several drafts. Because it required filming on location in mainland China, many directors were hesitant to take on the project due to concerns about the Taiwanese market.

At this point, he glanced at Xia Meng.

Xia Meng immediately took over the conversation and continued, "Several screenwriters have been replaced already. Currently, Comrade Qiu Gangjian has taken over and has written the first draft, but I feel it's still not perfect enough."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuai'an knew which movie Xia Meng was referring to; it should be "Boat People," one of Xu Anhua's "Vietnam Trilogy."

This was Zhang Shuai'an's first reaction, so he asked, "Ms. Xia wants me to write a script?"

"As for the script, Qiu Gangjian is still writing it. The second draft should be finished soon, so there's no need to change the scriptwriter for now."

"7

Xia Meng smiled gently and said, "The director of this film is Xu Anhua, and she suggested that you play the male lead."

This surprised Zhang Shuai'an quite a bit.

Originally, Xu Anhua had his eye on Chow Yun-fat for the role, but now he has snatched it away from Xu Wenqiang in "Shanghai Bund".

Chow Yun-fat was filming "Shanghai Bund 2" and had no contact with An-hua Hui.

"The Story of Hu Yue" hasn't even been filmed yet, let alone "Boat People".

It seems that his appearance might lead to the release of "Boat People" first.

Xia Meng bluntly warned, "This movie will be filmed in mainland China. If you act in it, you'll most likely be blacklisted in Taiwan. Any future works you act in or produced by your company will be rejected by the Taiwanese market. You need to think this through."

Zhang Shuai'an certainly knew that in the original timeline, Chow Yun-fat was afraid of losing the Taiwan market, so he recommended Andy Lau, who was a newcomer at the time, to play the role. Andy Lau was also afraid of losing the Taiwan market, but Chow Yun-fat retorted, "What Taiwan market do you have?"

After the film was released, everyone from the director to the actors was indeed blacklisted by Taiwan.

This ban didn't last long; it was lifted almost immediately after a few years.

Those whose petitions were revoked earlier did so by writing "letters of repentance," while those whose petitions were revoked later did so because times had changed and the leaders in charge of film in Taiwan had been replaced.

Chang Shuai-an isn't that enthusiastic about the Taiwan market, but the role in "Boat People" doesn't quite fit his current public image.

Moreover, Zhang Shuai'an is now the boss of a company, so he can't just think about himself.

Zhang Shuai'an did not agree hastily, and said, "I need to think about it."

"That's no problem at all." Xia Meng nodded with a smile: "Anyway, the movie probably won't start filming anytime soon. The earliest it can start filming is early next year."

Xia Meng was still somewhat optimistic. In fact, the original timeline of this movie only started filming three days before New Year's Day in 1982, and it took three months to film in Hainan Island before it was released in October of that year.

After discussing Xia Meng's matter, Fu Qi and Shi Hui naturally made a request.

"Last year, Mr. Liao made a suggestion to us Hong Kong filmmakers, which was to make a movie about Shaolin Temple and Tai Chi."

Fu Qi explained to Zhang Shuai'an, "There have been some setbacks in the preparation for 'Shaolin Temple,' and we haven't been able to find a suitable director."

Zhang Shuai'an was stunned, and said, "Wasn't Zhang Xinyan already cast as director?"

"We did intend to select Comrade Zhang Xinyan before." Fu Qi looked helpless and kissed his forehead in fear: "But because your 'Shanghai Bund' was so popular, a company invited Director Zhang Xinyan to make a film about the struggle for power in Shanghai."

"Ah, this—"

Unexpectedly, it was because he created a butterfly effect.

"I can't take this role."

Zhang Shuai'an replied earnestly, "It's not that I lack ability, but rather that I lack experience. This film, 'Shaolin Temple,' still needs to be directed by Zhang Xinyan."

Fu Qi and Shi Hui exchanged a glance, not particularly surprised. After all, the suggestion to have Zhang Shuai'an direct was only Xu Dunle's idea.

In fact, left-wing filmmakers don't have a high opinion of Zhang Shuai'an, one of the reasons being that he is too young and they are afraid that he won't be able to hold his own.

"However, didn't Liao Gong say he was going to make a movie about Shaolin Temple and Tai Chi?"

Zhang Shuai'an said, "I can't film Shaolin Temple, but I can give it a try for a Tai Chi movie."

"Is this really true?" Fu Qi and the others looked surprised, not expecting such an unexpected surprise.

"My schedule is already full for this year. We'll need to discuss the details next year."

Zhang Shuai'an explained, "I'm going to the United States in a few days to shoot a film that's aiming for awards at the three major international film festivals."

"That's a good thing," Xu Dunle said with a smile. "We also have acquaintances in the United States. Do you need me to introduce you to a few people? It might save you a lot of trouble."

Zhang Shuai'an didn't refuse: "That would be great."

The guests and hosts then enjoyed themselves immensely.

At the end of the banquet, Xia Meng solemnly shook hands with Zhang Shuai'an: "Regarding the matter of playing the male lead in 'The Story of Hu Yue,' I would appreciate it if you would give it serious consideration, Comrade Zhang."

Just as Zhang Shuai'an was about to say something, a notification sound rang in his mind. In addition to gaining 99 starlight points, his [White Moonlight] buff had actually been upgraded and turned into [Ultimate White Moonlight].

"【Ultimate White Moonlight】: When someone of the opposite sex has feelings for you at first sight, it creates the White Moonlight effect, which grows stronger over time and lasts a lifetime. During this period, any request the host makes has a very high probability of being granted by the other person."

Good heavens, this is a divine buff for cultivating sycophants and die-hard fans!

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