The literary era since 1979

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa."

At this moment, there was thunderous applause. The duet dance of Fang Yan, He Chaoqiong, and He Xin and his wife won the whole house's applause.

Of course, there was also Zhang Guorong who performed passionately on the spot and brought the atmosphere of the whole dance party to a climax with the song "Monica".

Seeing Gong Xing clapping excitedly, Wang Zuxian was very curious: "It seems that Sister Gong Xing likes Zhang Guorong very much?"

"Yes, our whole family likes his songs very much, especially my little sister."

Gong Xing was referring to Fang Yan, but Gong Chu liked the songs of Principal Tan Yonglin more.

Wang Zuxian asked: "When the two of them meet, will they quarrel or fight?"

"No, why would they quarrel and fight?"

Just when Gong Xing was puzzled, Lin Qingxia gave the answer directly.

This was the first golden age of the Hong Kong music scene, and it was also caught in the vortex of the "Alan Tam and Cheung rivalry". Alan Tam and Cheung Kwok-wing monopolized all the major and minor music awards in the Hong Kong music scene at that time. Whenever the two appeared at the same time, there would be applause and boos. Fans on both sides often engaged in verbal battles, quarrels, swearing, and even physical conflicts, so that the competition between them reached a fever pitch.

Therefore, fans of Patrick Tam must not like Rongsheng Cheung, and fans of Rongsheng Cheung must boycott Patrick Tam. It's either me or him.

The degree of madness is no less than the fights between idol fans in later generations, and may even be worse.

"No wonder I don't see any trace of Tan Yonglin."

Gong Xing suddenly realized and waved his hands, "We only listen to songs, not chasing stars. We will listen to whoever's songs are good."

After the song was over, He Xin enthusiastically introduced Zhang Guorong to Fang Yan when they were leaving the stage, and they shook hands with each other.

Gong Xing was surprised and asked, "It seems that Mr. He and Zhang Guorong have an unusual relationship?"

"It's more than just extraordinary. He almost wants to marry Miss He to him. Sister Gong Xian, haven't you heard of 'Two Kings Fighting for a Son-in-Law'?"

Joey Wong took a sip of her martini.

Gong Xing shook his head and listened to her and Lin Qingxia chatting about their family's treasures. Hong Kong watch tycoon Yang Shoucheng and Macau gambling king He Xin both praised Zhang Guorong's talent, and even publicly stated that if they had a daughter, Zhang Guorong would undoubtedly be the best choice for a son-in-law.

As Zhang Guorong attended family banquets of both families many times, rumors about "two kings competing for a son-in-law" gradually spread.

"But Miss He likes someone else."

Wang Zuxian smiled with eyes curved in the center, and the fire of gossip was burning in her eyes.

"I see."

Gong Xing saw Fang Yan, Zhang Guorong, He Chaoqiong and others walking towards him.

Along the way, Fang Yan listened quietly to He Xin and He Chaoqiong's praise for Zhang Guorong. It was not only a recognition of his musical and performing talents, but also an affirmation of his personal charm. He occasionally interjected a few words, offered praise generously, and asked him to call himself "teacher."

"No, no, no, in front of Teacher Fang, my singing talent is nothing."

Zhang Guorong said that he likes dialect literature, movies and music, especially the songs he wrote, such as Teresa Teresa's currently popular Christmas song, and Keiko Matsuzaka's "Sunset Song" and "Snow Flower". He has asked the record company to strive for the adaptation rights.

"Writing lyrics is just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning."

The dialect is not surprising at all. Most of Hong Kong's record companies are multinational music groups, and they often use the same song in multiple ways. Therefore, the Hong Kong music scene is rich in lyricists, such as Huang Zhan, Lin Xi, and Li Zhaoxiong, but they do not focus on composing music, so that "Chinese cover songs" were very common in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Haha, Mr. Fang, please help this young man if you have the chance."

He Xin said casually, "Just this one time, I think it will be enough for him to benefit endlessly."

"Since Mr. He has spoken, there is naturally no problem."

Fang Yan said, "If there is a chance, we can start with a small cooperation and then a big cooperation."

Everyone walked through the aisle and returned to their original seats. He Chaoqiong specially asked the waiter to add a seat for Zhang Guorong.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gong Xing, Lin Qingxia, Wang Zuxian and Zhang Guorong got to know each other, but they only got acquainted for a moment and the atmosphere soon became dull. Fortunately, Fang Yan intentionally told some jokes and funniness, which gradually narrowed the distance and broke the barriers and strangeness.

He Chaoqiong took the opportunity to say that Zhang Guorong now wants to shift his work focus from the music industry to the singing industry.

Lin Qingxia, Gong Xing, Wang Zuxian and others were all shocked, "Why would he cross over to become an actor?"

Zhang Guorong smiled bitterly and explained that the twists and turns of the music industry competition had exhausted him physically and mentally, so he planned to change to a new environment and start over, which might reduce some disputes. However, he did not expect that the change from singer to actor would bring even greater criticism.

"If you act well, everything will be good."

Fangyan said: "But if it goes wrong, it will be a disaster and a laughing stock."

He Chaoqiong said: "Mr. Fang is right. It is because of the consequences that Young Master Rong did not take action immediately."

Fangyan clapped his hands in sudden enlightenment. No wonder He Xinhui had asked him to look after Zhang Guorong. It turned out that the roots were here!
Zhang Guorong and He Chaoqiong looked at each other, with a trace of nervousness on their faces, "Mr. Fang, actually..."

"To be honest, if Bihua knew the good news that you have crossed over to become an actor, she would definitely be very happy."

Fang Yan raised his hand to interrupt.

Seeing Zhang Guorong in a daze, Gong Xing reminded him, "It's Li Bihua, who co-wrote Farewell My Concubine with him."

"So it was her..."

Zhang Guorong said that although he had never met Li Bihua, he knew that she was his loyal fan. She was so loyal that she always used her as the prototype of the male protagonist in her novels. It is said that the rich young man "Chen Zhenbang" in "Rouge" was written based on her.

"And the character Cheng Dieyi in Farewell My Concubine."

Fang Yan said: "Before we co-wrote the novel, she wrote a script for a TV series first."

All the women present, including Gong Xing, were surprised. They had never known that there was such a story behind "Farewell My Concubine".

Fang Yan smiled and said, "Bi Hua specifically wanted you to play the role of Cheng Dieyi."

Zhang Guorong recalled in detail and said that he had originally agreed to star in "Farewell My Concubine" to test the waters in the field of TV dramas, but he did not expect that after only two days of filming, his former agent came forward and insisted that he quit the role because the role of Cheng Dieyi damaged his image as a singer at the time.

"So if there is a movie called Farewell My Concubine, would you be willing to play Cheng Dieyi?"

Fangyan cast a meaningful look.

The eyes of Gong Xing, Lin Qingxia, He Chaoqiong and others suddenly lit up. They had all seen "Farewell My Concubine" and had watched it over and over again. Some of the story plots were even unforgettable. When they thought of Zhang Guorong playing "Cheng Dieyi", the picture was so beautiful that they could not even imagine it.

Zhang Guorong was moved, but his reasoning prevented him from agreeing immediately:
"Mr. Fang, I'm sorry, I need to discuss this with my current agent before I can decide."

Then he changed the subject, "But I think there shouldn't be any problem. As long as it's not a period film, I can basically take it."

“Why don’t you take on period films?”

Wang Zuxian opened her watery eyes wide.

Facing the gazes of Gong Xing, Lin Qingxia and others, Zhang Guorong gave an awkward but polite smile, but he just couldn't speak.

He Chaoqiong simply said for him that when Zhang Guorong just debuted, he was tricked into making a movie. It was clearly agreed that the subject matter was about "Dream of Red Mansions", but when he arrived at the set he found out that it was a brothel movie called "Spring on the Spring Mansion". From the name, you can tell that it is not a proper "Red Mansion" at all, but a "brothel". The Jia Baoyu he played was not only dissolute, but he was even asked to take off his clothes.

"Unfortunately, I was just a small figure at that time. If I broke the contract, I would have to pay a high penalty. There was nothing I could do. I had to continue acting even if I didn't want to." Zhang Guorong felt helpless and ashamed, so that after finishing the performance of Dream of the Brothel, he was left with a psychological trauma towards costume dramas.

"I remember Qingxia, you also played Jia Baoyu in Dream of the Red Chamber, right?"

Dialect is spoken in a joking tone.

The one he played was the serious Jia Baoyu!

Lin Qingxia blushed and rolled her eyes in embarrassment, "Mr. Fang, just say your own things and stop making fun of me."

"Haha, sorry, sorry, it's abrupt."

Fang Yan picked up the wine glass and said, "I'll toast you and apologize."

Seeing the two clinking glasses and drinking, Gong Xing secretly tugged at the corner of his clothes under the table and whispered in his ear:

"You are going to shoot Farewell My Concubine next? What about God of Gamblers and Baby Smart 2?"

"Don't worry."

Fang Yan frankly confessed to everyone present that the script of Farewell My Concubine had not been written yet. In addition to the preliminary work such as script review, revision, fund raising and selection, it would take some time to shoot Farewell My Concubine.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"No...it's okay, Mr. Fang, I can wait." There was a look of disappointment in Zhang Guorong's eyes.

Gong Wei whispered, "Are you being too hurtful to him by saying this?"

Fangyan winked and said, "What's the harm? He should thank me."

Gong Xing reminded: "Do you really think he will act in the movie "Farewell My Concubine"? He refused to act in a TV series before..."

"So we have to give him some sweet treats first, and then we can play the long game to catch the big fish." Fang Yan said, "Even if he wants to refuse, it will be difficult for him to do so."

Just when Gong Xing was curious about what this sweet treat was, Fang Yan deliberately left it in suspense, and the answer would be revealed at the premiere of "Police Story". Lin Qingxia, Wang Zuxian, He Chaoqiong and others looked at each other, completely unable to guess what he was up to.

But Zhang Guorong was overjoyed. Although he didn't know what movie Fangyan recommended him to star in, and didn't even know the name, just based on the name of "Mr. Fang", he knew that this movie was definitely not an ordinary one. So he didn't ask any more questions, but thanked him repeatedly.

"You are welcome."

Fangyan clinked glasses with him and drank the wine confidently.

………………

The song ended and everyone left with great pleasure. The first charity ball organized by He Chaoqiong came to an end.

The slightly tipsy Fang Yan held Gong Xing's hand and returned to the suite. Before entering, he waved goodbye to Lin Qingxia and Wang Zuxian who lived on the same floor.

As the lights came on, the warm room allowed Gong Xing to take off his fur coat and hang it on the coat rack.

"What movie are you going to have Zhang Guorong star in?"

"You three have been asking questions in a roundabout way all this time. Aren't you tired?"

"Of course I feel tired, but that's because you don't want to tell me. You're so secretive and won't tell me, Qingxia, and Xiaoxian the whole story."

"Okay, I'm going to call Xu Ke now."

"You want him to act in A Better Tomorrow!?"

Gong Xing suddenly realized something, and saw Fang Yan pick up the phone and dial the number of Xu Ke's studio.

After a long while, the call was connected, and Xu Ke's voice came from the receiver, with a bit of surprise:

"Teacher Fang, shouldn't you be at the gambling king's charity party at this time?"

"It has ended."

Fangyan went straight to the point and asked about the current progress of "A Better Tomorrow".

"I have already found a director, he is my good friend in Cinema City, his name is Wu Yusen."

Xu Ke was worried that he knew nothing about Wu Yusen, so he took the initiative to introduce him to him.

Fang Yan said, "Director Xu wants to help him?"

"Nothing can be hidden from Teacher Fang."

Xu Ke said that Wu Yusen is now at the lowest point in his career and life. He was previously arranged by Cinema City to go to Taiwan to develop the market, but he ended up filming comedies, which he is not good at. Several of his films failed in succession and he has been regarded as "box office poison" by investors.

In order to help him make a comeback, the company specially invited Pan Yingzi and offered her a million-dollar salary. In addition, Wong Pak Ming wrote the script himself and invited Teddy Robin, Xu Ke and others to make guest appearances. Almost all the Seven Monsters of Cinema City were involved, but things did not go as planned and the movie flopped.

I'm on the brink of collapse, so I'm going to take this opportunity to help my brother!
"But a director like him who has failed repeatedly will probably have a hard time attracting investment for his films, right?"

Dialects raise a key question.

Xu Ke was speechless for a moment. The cost of "A Better Tomorrow" is estimated to be around 850 million to 900 million Hong Kong dollars, and this is when Fang Yan squeezed all his royalties into the box office share. Not only is it difficult to raise funds, but casting is also in trouble. The protagonists in the movie, the two brothers Song Zihao and Song Zijie, are still undecided. At present, it is only confirmed that "Xiao Ma Ge" will be played by Zheng Haonan, an artist signed by Xinyicheng.

Zheng Haonan’s English name is “Mark”, and people in the industry call him “Brother Mark”, so the name of this character is “Brother Xiao Ma”.

However, if everyone from the director to the actors are out of date, I'm afraid no one will be willing to invest money.

"I think, let's do this..."

Fang Yan planned to take out a portion of the box office revenue from "Baby Smart Star" and the subsequent "Police Story" and use it to invest in "A Better Tomorrow" which had difficulty in raising funds through the "Ming Kong Film Company" founded by Gong Xing. This would also be the opening shot for Ming Kong Film Company.

"Teacher Fang, that's really great, we couldn't ask for more!"

Xu Ke kindly reminded that the film industry is very complicated and investment requires caution.

"If we don't have confidence in our own work, then I don't care whether to shoot this movie or not. Besides, I have brought in an outside helper at the charity gala this time." Fang Yan clamped the phone between his shoulder and ear and reached out to take the sobering tea handed to him by Gong Xing.

"Who?"

Xu Ke asked impatiently.

Dialect: "Zhang Guorong."

"he!?"

Xu Ke was shocked at first, but after careful consideration, he felt that Zhang Guorong was indeed the most suitable candidate for Song Zijie and could be favored by investors.

"Then it's settled. When Police Story is released, you bring Rainie Wu over, and I'll ask Rong Zhang to come as well."

Fang Yan said: "Let's meet in the cinema and have a good chat about A Better Tomorrow."

"it is good!"

Xu Ke readily agreed, "Since Song Zijie has been chosen, it's Song Zihao's turn next. I have a few candidates..."

Fang Yan smiled and said, "What a coincidence. Regarding Song Zihao, I also have a candidate." (End of this chapter)