Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

"Do you think I'm like you?!"

Shao Yifu's face turned cold as he glared at Zou Wenhuai: "Two-faced, shameless, self-righteous, arrogant, and ungrateful..."

It seems that Shao Daheng really hates Zou Wenhuai to the extreme, as he immediately uttered a string of idioms.

"I could ignore your sarcastic remarks before," Zou Wenhuai said coldly, frowning. "But now you're resorting to personal attacks?"

Shao Yifu said, "So what if I am? Did I say something wrong? You traitor!"

Instead of getting angry, Zou Wenhuai smiled and pointed to the cameraman behind him: "Go ahead and yell, there are two cameras recording here!"

"You!" Shao Yifu was furious and didn't want to deal with Zou Wenhuai anymore. He just turned to Zhang Shuai'an and said, "Anzai, I've already offered two million. Isn't that enough? Make a decision quickly!"

Zou Wenhuai then said, "Anzai, don't listen to him. I've eaten his cakes before, and they're quite awful, plus they're not always reliable."

"Well then, considering you saved Ah Long... and helped him finish filming 'Young Master', I can offer you a fee of 2.5 million to make a movie!"

It's already reached 2.5 million so quickly!

Even Wang Tianlin and his son outside the door were speechless when they heard this.

He Guanchang smiled lightly, not taking it to heart. Zou Wenhuai was never inferior to anyone in terms of boldness. He would do whatever amount he asked for, and sometimes he would even exceed the amount to get things done.

Shao Yifu was different. He was very rich, but he was always stingy. Even when he poached Jackie Chan, he asked for a five million yuan salary, but there were many restrictions attached to it.

This is also why Jackie Chan ultimately chose Golden Harvest, which offered 4.8 million, instead of Shaw Brothers, which offered a higher price.

Because, in addition to his salary, Golden Harvest also promised Jackie Chan a share of the box office revenue!

Such a thing would never happen at Shaw Brothers!

Zhang Shuai'an glanced at Shao Yifu, then at Zou Wenhuai, weighing the pros and cons in his mind, and did not rush to reply.

Sure enough, after only a few seconds, Shao Yifu continued, "I'll offer 2.8 million. No need for a long-term contract, just a per-episode contract!"

This is another bombshell!

Neither Shaw Brothers films nor TVB have ever produced stars with such high salaries.

Even at the height of their popularity, when Shaw Brothers was at its most famous, the total income from all their various sources of income amounted to only about HK$20 per film, and they only received that amount once or twice.

However, Ti Lung went to Taiwan to film a movie around the same time, where he was offered HK$70. The reason Shaw Brothers couldn't retain him is self-evident.

(In 1979, Shaw Brothers loaned Ti Lung to Taiwan for filming, with a fee of HK$70.)

On the TVB side, the highest-paid actor is Zheng Shaoqiu. His salary, as mentioned before, is 5000 yuan per hour, which he earned by risking his life.

"Then I'll offer three million!" Chow Wen-huai was least afraid of competing with Shaw Brothers financially; he had experience in this area, and Shaw Brothers would never be able to beat him. "Besides, Anzai, you can also open a satellite company under Golden Harvest, and I'll split the profits 50/50 with you! Bruce Lee back then, and Jackie Chan before him, all had this offer!"

Mentioning this made Shao Yifu even angrier.

The reason Shaw Brothers couldn't secure Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan was because Golden Harvest used its "profit sharing" trump card, which precisely hit Shaw Yifu's Achilles' heel, leaving him defenseless.

Shao Yifu indeed roared angrily, "Raymond, you little brat, don't push your luck!"

"In business, the highest bidder wins."

Seeing Shao Yifu's expression, Zou Wenhuai burst into laughter. "Boss Shao, you used to do the same thing, but now the older you get in the business, the more timid you become!"

"Anzai, I haven't treated you badly, so make your decision quickly!"

As expected, Shao Yifu did not raise the price any further, because there was nothing more he could offer. He could not possibly open the door to profit sharing, as that would damage the very foundation of the Shao family business.

Boss Shao instinctively uttered another harsh threat: "You'd better think this through. If you join Golden Harvest, you'll become an enemy of the Shao family, and I never tolerate enemies!"

Zou Wenhuai still used a conciliatory strategy: "Anzai, no rush, take your time to think it over."

Zhang Shuai'an is usually the type to be persuaded by gentle persuasion but not by force. However, this time, he plans to use both.

"Both bosses offered very generous terms; I'm really having a hard time choosing!"

Zhang Shuai'an put on a thoughtful expression and said with difficulty, "No matter what, Mr. Shao has indeed given me an opportunity to become famous, and the current conditions are not bad, so I have no reason to refuse."

Shao Yifu's complexion improved slightly.

Zou Wenhuai wasn't too surprised. Shao Yifu was so stingy, yet he still managed to attract so many talented people; he certainly had some tricks up his sleeve.

Zhang Shuai'an changed the subject: "However, Mr. Zou's terms are very fair, and I can't bear to refuse his kindness."

Shao Yifu grew impatient and snapped, "Zhang Shuai'an, stop wavering and make a decision!"

"Actually, the conditions of the two people do not conflict."

Zhang Shuai'an said naturally, "Mr. Shao values ​​my talent in television dramas, while Mr. Zou values ​​my talent in film. Therefore, I can accept both conditions."

These words stunned not only Shao Yifu and Zou Wenhuai.

Wang Tianlin and his son, along with He Guanchang, all looked surprised outside the door.

Shao Yifu was the first to recover, and sneered, "Young man, greed never ends well. Trying to have your cake and eat it too? Do you have such a big appetite? Be careful you don't overeat!"

Zou Wenhuai also kindly advised, "Anzai, I'm really doing this for your own good. A person's energy is limited, and talent is also limited. Even if you were Li Bai or Su Shi alive today, you might not be able to keep up."

Zhang Shuai'an is indeed not the reincarnation of Li Bai or Su Shi, but he has a system in his mind with a mall where he can exchange for a large number of classic works.

This golden finger is his greatest asset.

"I can handle it."

Zhang Shuai'an's face was full of pride. "I made a bet with Mr. Shao before. For 'Young Detective Bao Qingtian,' I offered to work for free and guaranteed to finish filming the series within a month, while also ensuring that its ratings would crush 'Reincarnated.' Mr. Shao, did I deliver?"

Shao Yifu was immediately speechless, because Zhang Shuai'an not only did it, but did it exceptionally well, leaving Shao Yifu speechless.

"I already have the script for the TV series, and I guarantee that the ratings will be no lower than those of 'Young Detective Bao Qingtian'."

Zhang Shuai'an then addressed Shao Yifu and Zou Wenhuai, saying, "I already have an idea for the movie script, and I can guarantee that the box office will be no less than seven million!"

Zou Wenhuai's eyes widened: "Do you know what you're saying? Last year's 'Drunken Master' only grossed 6.7 million at the box office."

"I know what I'm talking about." Zhang Shuai'an's expression was firm, without the slightest hint of joking: "If the box office is lower than this number, I will return your entire salary."

Zou Wenhuai asked, "Really?"

Zhang Shuai'an nodded: "It's true!"

"Really?" Zou Wenhuai was still somewhat skeptical!

Zhang Shuai'an nodded firmly again: "As expected!"

"Alright!" Zou Wenhuai pointed at Zhang Shuai'an and said, "I'll trust you this once, this deal is done."

Shao Yifu suddenly spoke up: "I'll trust you this time. The fee can even be raised to three million, but I have one condition!"

Zhang Shuai'an asked, "What are the conditions?"

Shao Yifu stared at Zhang Shuai'an and said, enunciating each word clearly, "You are not allowed to join Jiahe!"

Zou Wenhuai finally got angry and shouted, "Shao Yifu, aren't you meddling way too much?!"

"I can agree!" Zhang Shuai'an nodded and said directly, "I plan to start my own film and television company and cooperate with both of you on an equal footing, but I will not be dependent on either of you."

This answer was barely acceptable to both Shao Yifu and Zou Wenhuai.

Half an hour later.

Shao Yifu, Zou Wenhuai, and Zhang Shuai'an held a fairly large press conference at the hospital entrance.

Regardless of any major news at this press conference, the mere fact that both Shaw Yi-fu and Chow Wen-huai appeared together was already major news that shocked the entire city of Hong Kong.

Who knew that the news the three of them announced next would be even more explosive?

Shaw Yi-fu, representing TVB, and Chow Wen-huai, representing Golden Harvest, reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Zhang Shuai-an on a film and television development project with a three million dollar salary.

Zhang Shuai'an will deliver at least one TV series with an average viewership rating of no less than 65% and one movie with a box office of no less than six million Hong Kong dollars next year! Here, Zou Wenhuai voluntarily reduced Zhang Shuai'an's box office target by one million.

This news was truly a bombshell, causing an uproar throughout Hong Kong Island.

A three million yuan fee for a movie, a three million yuan fee for a TV series, that's six million yuan in total!

Is money really that easy to make?

For a moment, no one knew whether Shao Yifu and Zou Wenhuai had gone mad, or whether Zhang Shuai'an possessed some earth-shattering, awe-inspiring magic!

The following day, most newspapers on Hong Kong Island featured Cheung Sau-On on their front page.

The titles are all pretty much the same, saying things like, "[A rising behemoth in the film industry, a terrifying newcomer with a six million dollar salary!]"

Some newspapers even included a photo of Zhang Shuai'an holding a "Good Citizen" badge and posing with the police.

The name Zhang Shuai'an resounded once again throughout Hong Kong Island!