The literary era since 1979

Clearwater Bay, TVB City.

Fang Yan and Gong Xing walked quickly to Run Run Shaw's office, and the secretary standing at the door knocked on it.

"Please ask Yanzi and the others to come in."

Then I heard Fang Yihua's voice coming from inside the house, mixed with faint sobs.

As soon as Gong Xing walked in, he took a closer look and saw that Deborah had already burst into tears. She had looked so glorious and proud at the movie celebration party a few days ago, but now her eyes were tearful and her entire makeup was smudged by her tears. Her previous proud look was gone.

Xie Xian looked pale and had empty eyes. He looked like his waist was broken and he knelt in front of Run Run Shaw with a hunched back.

"You guys get up first."

Fang Yihua asked Diborah to help Xie Xian up quickly.

Seeing his trembling legs and his haggard appearance, as if he had aged several decades, Fang Yan had vaguely guessed that the couple had been kneeling and begging for quite some time, and that they obviously regarded Run Run Shaw and Fang Yihua as their life-saving straw.

"Mr. Fang, Miss Gong."

Deborah greeted him with a sad face.

Fang Yan asked Gong Xing to lend a hand and sent them all out of the office. He stayed alone to discuss countermeasures with Fang Yihua and Run Run Shaw.

Gong Xing understood and did as she was told. Just as she closed the door, Deborah begged again in a crying voice:

"Uncle Six, Aunt Six, Fang Sheng, please help us."

"Ugh."

The moment the door closed, Fang Yihua sighed reluctantly.

"This rotten gambler!"

Run Run Shaw slammed the table heavily, looking very disappointed. "The first marriage was because of his gambling addiction. His family was ruined by gambling. Fortunately, he was lucky enough to meet Pola, who not only helped him pay off his debts but also gave birth to a child for him. I thought he would turn over a new leaf and turn bad times into good times. I didn't expect that he would be a dog that can't change its nature and hurt others and himself!"

Fang Yihua gently patted his back, telling him to calm down and not get angry, then turned to look at Fang Yan:

"Yanzi, you should know about their affairs, right?"

"I already have a general idea of ​​it."

Fang Yan couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. At first, when he heard Nicholas Tse say that Xie Xian went to Macao to gamble, he didn't take it seriously.

But who could have thought that Xie Xian would be so obsessed that he not only lost all his family fortune, but also made such a big hole. But if you think about it carefully, Xie Xian was in a very proud state at that time. Although his and her acting career had gone downhill, their precious son became an instant hit with "Baby Smart Star" and became the most popular child star in Hong Kong, and even in Asia. His financial and career prospects were just around the corner.

You should know that once a man becomes arrogant, he will generally be easily exposed to two things: one is lust, and the other is gambling. This is a mistake that most men will make, and it is also an old problem that most men will have.

But the higher it floated before, the harder it will fall now.

As soon as he thought of this, he looked at Run Run Shaw on the left and Fang Yihua on the right, "This news will definitely not be kept secret for long, and I'm afraid they won't be able to pay off the 1500 million gambling debt they owe for a while..."

"Even if they mortgaged their houses and cars, it still wouldn't be enough!"

Run Run Shaw said coldly.

Fangyan did not express his thoughts immediately, but asked about their opinions and plans first.

"Your sixth uncle came forward for them."

Fang Yihua said that she had contacted He Hongshen and waived the interest on the gambling debt. You have to know that a loan of 1500 million at high interest, not to mention the principal, the compound interest alone would be enough to overwhelm Diborah and Xie Xian, and they also managed to get an extension of the repayment period, allowing them to raise money during this time.

"1500 million is not a small amount, not to mention they have already put all their deposited cash into it."

Fangyan suggested that since the script for the second part of "Baby Smart Star" was already in the writing stage, it would be better to advance their film contract.

"Your idea coincides with your Sixth Aunt's."

Run Run Shaw took a sip of water and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Yan listened quietly. Fang Yihua was not only preparing to advance the salary for the second part, but also planned to include the salary for the third part, as well as a big red envelope in the name of the box office success of "Baby Smart Star", such as "The Thousand Kings" directed by Wang Jing, and finally get hundreds of thousands of dividends.

The reason why he was so concerned about Nicholas Tse's family troubles was because the final box office of "Baby Smart Star" involved his dividends. He had made an agreement with Run Run Shaw and Fang Yihua that part of his royalties would be settled based on the movie's box office revenue.

If I lose millions of Hong Kong dollars because of this scandal, I would really want to kill someone.

"We can only do so much to help. We can't just tear up the contract and give Fengzai three or five hundred thousand yuan in salary according to the current market conditions, right?" Fang Yihua said, "If we open this door, then Stephen Chow, Ng Man-tat and the others will all make a scene. How can we still make this movie?"

Fangyan nodded in agreement, and it was precisely because of these considerations that he suggested that Shaw Brothers sign long-term contracts with the leading actors for at least three films.

“Maybe you can sign a longer one?”

"Yanzi means..."

Fang Yihua couldn't help but be tempted, but Run Run Shaw waved his hand, "No, no, this is a bit like taking advantage of someone's misfortune."

“But it did save them from the dire situation.”

Fang Yan disagrees. When Nicholas Tse was 16 years old, he signed a 10-year indenture contract with Ying Huang in order to pay off the debts of Xie Xian who failed in gambling and investment. With such a "treacherous" father, Nicholas Tse will sooner or later face this disaster.

However, after careful consideration, Run Run Shaw felt that it was not worth it for Shaw Brothers to sign Nicholas Tse's youth with 1500 million.

Today's wireless artist training classes are full of talented people. Even Andy Lau, the leader of the Wireless Five Tigers, was shelved despite TVB spending so much effort and resources to train him. Can Nicholas Tse still compare to Andy Lau?
What's more, although Nicholas Tse is famous now, he is still a child star after all. Many child stars who were once famous eventually became ordinary people after growing up. Run Run Shaw, who has been in the film industry for so many years, knows very well that the "mortality rate" of child stars is far greater than their "success rate".

If Xie Xian owed 150 million, Run Run Shaw was willing to pay for them out of his own pocket for the sake of Nicholas Tse's lottery ticket.

But this is 1500 million. The cost of scratching Nicholas Tse's lottery ticket is too high. Maybe it's not as high as the TVB artists who earn a few hundred yuan a month.

"What Sixth Uncle said makes sense."

Fangyan held his forehead with his hand, his headache wouldn't stop.

"Forget it, Yanzi, let's just leave it like this."

Run Run Shaw waved his hands, "In fact, if it was me when I was younger, I would probably cancel the contract immediately, give them some compensation, and then hold a new audition like the Miss Hong Kong pageant to select a child who can replace Nicholas Tse."

Fangyan muttered to himself, why not just choose two more to form a "sewer boy" training group?
But before he could speak, Fang Yihua was the first to disagree:

"How can this be possible!"

"Golden Harvest and Cinema City don't dare to easily replace the leading actors of "Best Partner" and "Lucky Stars Series". If we replace the leading actor of "Baby Smart Stars", it will definitely affect the box office of the second and third films. Yanzi, do you think I am right?" "Sixth Aunt has some truth in what she said."

The dialect says that the eyes follow the nose and the nose follows the heart, and the main idea is not to offend either side.

"I'm just saying that."

Run Run Shaw said: "Anyway, we have done our best. They can figure out how to settle the remaining gambling debts themselves."

The three of them discussed for a while and learned that Xie Xian borrowed money from He Hongshen's casino, which actually meant he owed money to He Hongshen.

As long as he is willing to write off his gambling debts, those debt collectors, code-jackpotters and gangsters will never dare to come to collect the debts again.

But it is not easy to get Ho Hongshen to ask for this. I am afraid that Run Run Shaw will have to do it himself. But why should he owe this favor?
Deborah knew it very well. After thanking Run Run Shaw, Fang Yan and others, she resolutely decided:
"I'll go and ask Mr. He to show some mercy!"

"This……"

Fang Yan and Gong Xing and others looked at each other in confusion.

Deborah explained that she had once been Stanley Ho's exclusive dance partner and that the two had a deep friendship. They certainly could not repay such a huge debt, and they only hoped that Stanley Ho would forgive Xie Xian's gambling debts for the sake of their former friendship.

Fang Yihua thought about it and decided to call Ho Hongshen again on behalf of Deborah.

Unexpectedly, Stanley Ho welcomed Deborah very much and even specifically invited Fang Yan and Gong Xing to visit Macau.

Facing Deborah's pleading eyes, Fang Yan glanced at Gong Xian who was standing beside him. Gong Xian said bluntly:
"Go! We can't refuse such a kind invitation!"

………………

The ferry terminal from the Hong Kong River to the Macau River was officially opened in September this year and is located at the Shun Tak Centre on Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island.

On New Year's Day, Fangyan and his group took a high-speed passenger ferry and quickly arrived at the port.

Unexpectedly, Ho Hongshen not only sent an extended luxury car to pick them up, but also sent Ho Chiu-chiung to greet them.

"Miss He."

"Hello, Lagu."

He Chaoqiong first greeted in Cantonese, and then in fluent Mandarin and dialect, Gong Xing question mark.

Gong Xing was very surprised, for he had heard about the gambling king's second eldest daughter from Fang Yihua, Deborah and others.

When he was just born, Stanley Ho had just taken over the casino business in Macau. He was regarded as his lucky star and was doted on.

After returning from his studies, he first joined the French Banque de l'Indochine in Hong Kong. He is now responsible for running the family's charity work. He often accompanies Ho Hongshen to attend some important social events, meets celebrities, builds connections, and maintains close contact with the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

So I never expected that she could speak Mandarin so well!

"Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Fang."

He Chaoqiong smiled and explained that he had originally planned to study in the United States, but he knew that if he went to the United States, he might not have the opportunity to learn Mandarin for a long time, so he discussed with He Hongshen and Lan Qiongying to learn Mandarin well before studying abroad.

I know the dialect but I don’t speak it out. In fact, I am just like Jimmy, “I can learn it, and I can be patriotic.”

He Chaoqiong shook hands with him and claimed that he was a fan of Mr. Fang's books, especially when he was studying in the United States, he often heard about what he saw and heard. His favorites were his "Farewell My Concubine", "Guns, Viruses, and Steel", and the "Once Upon a Time in China" trilogy.

"I am very happy to be liked by Miss He."

Fangyan got into the car and found that the extended version of the car was quite spacious.

He Chaoqiong said excitedly: "I applied to Vassar College because I liked literature and drama, but my father wanted me to choose a business-related school, so I changed to Santa Clara University School of Business. However, when I was in school, I always paid attention to literature..."

Seeing them discussing literature and movies, Deborah was anxious and could not help interrupting:
"Ms. He, about my husband in the casino..."

"Lagu, you know that I have never been involved in my family's casino business."

He Chaoqiong showed a helpless expression. This matter might require Deborah to talk to Ho Hongshen face to face.

Seeing Deborah so dejected, Gong Xing felt very upset and was very hostile to the casino that caused others to lose their fortunes and families.

But when I got off the car and arrived at the Lisboa Casino Hotel, I was still shocked by the bright lights and magnificent Portuguese-style buildings.

From a distance, the main building looks like a birdcage, with an annex building on each side, connected to the cylindrical main building.

"There's something special about this place. Does it look like a birdcage?"

Fang Yan simply introduced it, "When this person enters the casino, he is like a bird in a cage. If you look at it from the side, it looks like a big ship. The column behind the 'bird cage' is the chimney of the ship. When this person enters the casino, it is like boarding a ship and handing his life over to the captain."

"You're saying that too weirdly."

Gong Xing disagreed with this Feng Shui superstition.

He Chaoqiong said with a smile that there are almost no gamblers who do not believe in Feng Shui and metaphysics.

"Rather than feudal superstition, it's more like psychology and mathematics..."

Fangyan pointed to the magnificent hotel decoration.

The casino will first work on the visual aspect. For example, the carpet will use wild patterns with warm tones as the main theme, and there will be flashing lights everywhere, in order to stimulate the gambler's nerves, lower their vigilance, and stimulate their desires. The next step is the taste. The casino is also a disguised cocktail party, providing gamblers with a variety of free drinks. After three rounds of drinks, the alcohol takes effect, people's rational judgment decreases, and they are easily impulsive, thus continuously increasing their bets and borrowing money.

The second is the sense of smell. Casinos will spray perfume on slot machines and inject oxygen into the room. When the indoor oxygen concentration exceeds 30%, it can increase the excitement of players and increase the amount of bets. The last is hearing. When you win money, the gold coins that fall out hit the metal plate and make a loud noise, giving people the illusion that winning is easier than losing. Even if you lose money, some game machines will use verbal humiliation to stimulate the player's desire to win and make the player gamble more.

"Sigh~"

Gong Xing took a deep breath. He had no idea that a casino could have so many tricks.

Deborah smiled bitterly. Xie Xian won hundreds of thousands of dollars at the beginning and thought that good fortune had come to him. He felt that he was already a gambler god on the pedestal. What's more, he had starred in gambling movies such as "King of Gamblers". Gradually, he brought the characters in the movies into reality.

"Gambling tricks keep people here, just like the appearance of this hotel, it is a cage, using money, fame and fortune as bait."

In the dialect, he said: "In the end, the gambler is trapped in a cage and becomes a beast bound by money, fame and fortune..."

"Mr. Fang is worthy of being Mr. Fang. He really hits the nail on the head."

He Chaoqiong's surprised look was mixed with a bit of admiration. (End of this chapter)