If I Call You 'Comrade,' Do You Dare Answer?

The next morning at nine o'clock. A Škoda pulled up smoothly outside the Pioneer Centre. It had been borrowed from Fu Chi; Xiao Geng served as the driver, while Xiao Mo sat in the back with Chen Qi. Truth be told, both men had their professional skill sets maxed out. Hong Kong cars were right-hand drive, but after practicing for only a few days, they had mastered it effortlessly, even memorizing the city map. Chen Qi was thoroughly impressed. For the sake of this fateful bond, he decided he would base The Bodyguard from Beijing on the two of them! "Let's go. Upstairs!" Xiao Geng remained in the car while Chen Qi brought Xiao Mo upstairs to Suite 606. "Hello, sir. Do you have an appointment?" "I'm here to see Mr. Mai!" Having worked in Hengdian in his previous life, he had known plenty of film practitioners from Hong Kong and learned some Cantonese. Though his pronunciation was not entirely standard, he could communicate just fine. Taking one look at him, the receptionist immediately knew he was the very person her bosses had specifically warned her about. "I'm so sorry, but the boss has business today and isn't in the office." "Is Shi Tian in?" "He isn't in either!" "Huang Baiming isn't here either?" "What an unfortunate coincidence, all three bosses have matters to attend to today. Do you have a message I could pass along for you?" "Oh, never mind then..." He made as if to leave, but suddenly wheeled around and feigned a dash inside. Startled, the receptionist hurriedly used her body to block him. Chen Qi chuckled and nodded. "Don't be nervous. I'll come back another day." Seeing that he had truly departed, the receptionist dashed inside and knocked on the office door. "Boss, that man has gone!" "Did he say anything?" "Nothing. He only asked if you were in and said he'd come back another day." "All right, you may get back to work!" Mai Jia scratched his large bald head. What on earth was this guy after? Hopefully it was just a fleeting whim, a spur-of-the-moment desire to drop by. Inside the elevator. Chen Qi looked at Xiao Mo and smiled. "In a situation like that just now, if I had barged in by force, could you have protected me all the way in?" "I should think so. Those people all looked like ordinary office staff, with virtually no combat capability." "That good? How many could you take on by yourself?" "Barehanded, three or four wouldn't be a problem. If we had weapons—ideally a military bayonet—Xiao Geng and I could fight our way down an entire street with you..." Xiao Mo said with complete confidence. Chen Qi figured he was bragging. In any case, there were no bayonets to be had. They went downstairs and got into the car. Xiao Geng started the Škoda and asked, "Brother Qi, where are we heading?" "To the newspaper office. Uncle Fu Chi introduced me to a journalist, so I'm going over to make his acquaintance." *** The rest of the day passed without incident. A day later, Mai Jia arrived at the office as usual. Taking a stack of fresh newspapers into his office, he brewed a cup of coffee and slowly browsed through them. "'Produced by Cinema City, All the Wrong Clues (...for the Right Solution), released in July, ended its theatrical run yesterday with a formidable box-office gross of 7.47 million, ranking third for the year. Second place remains Golden Harvest's Security Unlimited, while in first place, Tai Chi stands firm as a mountain, leaving one to wonder when its record might ever be broken...'" "Hmph!" "Once Aces Go Places premieres, that record is history!" Mai Jia curled his lip, bursting with confidence in the project. Aces Go Places was modeled straight off 007 with local Hong Kong adaptations, starring Sam Hui, Sylvia Chang, and himself. What was more, the movie had an amusing twist: in the version distributed in Hong Kong, his character spoke Taishanese, whereas in the Taiwan release, he spoke with a Shandong dialect... There were a great many Shandong natives in Taiwan. As for All the Wrong Clues (...for the Right Solution), the director was none other than Tsui Hark. Mai Jia knew Tsui Hark came from the Hong Kong New Wave, avant-garde and daring, with a penchant for making strange, eccentric films. But now that he had joined Cinema City, he had to follow Cinema City's rules. Movies were meant to turn a profit; what was the point of indulging in avant-garde art? He continued skimming the papers, eventually reaching Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao. These two were the flagships of the leftist press, and today both had published an article—an interview with Chen Qi: "'Hong Kong cinema's prosperity certainly has its reasons. I have always offered objective evaluations, praising strengths and criticizing shortcomings without deliberately targeting anyone... If Mainland cinema wishes to develop, it naturally must learn from advanced experiences. I look forward to conducting warm and friendly visits and exchanges with Hong Kong peers such as Cinema City, Golden Harvest, and Shaw Brothers...'" "What is he trying to pull?!" Mai Jia's heart skipped another beat as a deeply ominous premonition welled up within him. "Boss!" Right at that moment, an employee entered and reported, "That man sent over another visiting card!" With that, he pushed a red envelope across the desk. Mai Jia tore it open. It was identical to the previous letter, without a single word changed. Staring at it for a long while, he stood up to look for his partners. Shi Tian was not around, so he went to Huang Baiming. "If you're uneasy, just meet with him and ask what his goal really is, rather than letting your imagination run wild." "What if the Free Association finds out?" "We meet in private! Not at the office—there are too many wagging tongues here. We can find some out-of-the-way cha chaan teng and just sit down briefly. It'll be fine. After all, there's no possibility of us cooperating with the leftists anyway." "So we meet him?" "Let's meet. I'll go with you. Sending one formal letter after another, acting like he's some big shot—I'm sick of looking at it!" *** Another day went by. The two actually picked an obscure little eatery. Sipping an iced lemon tea, Huang Baiming teased, "When we meet him in a bit, are you going to call him 'comrade'? I hear people over on that side call everyone 'comrade.'" "Whoa, I came to Hong Kong in '58, and my whole family moved to New York. Why the hell would I call anyone 'comrade'?" "Then your conviction isn't very steadfast!" Huang Baiming shrugged. After waiting a short while, the door opened, and two young men stepped inside. The one in front was Chen Qi, clad in a well-fitted suit, wearing glasses, and without a tie, exuding a distinctive personal style. Seeing Chen Qi for the first time, Huang Baiming felt he looked nothing like a Mainlander; saying he had grown up in America would be far more believable. He took the initiative to greet him: "Mr. Chen." Then, with keen interest, he waited to see how Chen Qi would respond. "Boss Mai! Boss Huang!" "It is an honor to finally meet you both!" Huang Baiming arched an eyebrow, shook his hand, and chuckled. "You have quite an aura of the jianghu about you, Mr. Chen. It rather exceeds my expectations." "Oh? What did you imagine I would be like?" "Like a Mainlander, of course!" "The Mainland has already opened up. Don't look at us through an outdated lens. Let's sit and chat..." Chen Qi beamed as the three of them sat down. Mai Jia asked point-blank, "Mr. Chen, we've never had any dealings with each other. Why have you insisted on meeting?" "To be frank, I have a favor to ask. As I mentioned in the papers, I am currently preparing a co-production with Great Wall, but haven't found a suitable director. I hear your company has a director named Tsui Hark, whose style is distinctive and technique bold. I would like to invite him to direct." "Ha!" Huang Baiming couldn't help laughing, shaking his head. "Mr. Chen, having just arrived in Hong Kong, you don't seem to realize how deep the waters run here, do you?" "I do know. That's why I'd like Director Tsui to participate under a pseudonym." "A pseudonym?" The two exchanged a glance. Mai Jia said, "Sorry, not even under a pseudonym. We do not accept cooperation in any form." "That is only the opinion of you two. Director Tsui himself might be willing." "Impossible. We brothers stand together through thick and thin, completely unified in our stance!" "Indeed. We have no wish to be entangled with your side. Agreeing to this private meeting today has already shown you ample face. Don't mention it again," Huang Baiming said. "Is there truly no room for discussion?" "Don't waste your time. Mr. Chen, feel free to order some food. This meal is on us." "..." Chen Qi studied them for a moment, then slowly stood up and sighed. "Very well, I won't force the issue. I made some critical remarks about your company in the press, but seeking truth from facts, I still greatly admire your talents. "I look forward to our next meeting, Comrade Mai Jia!" Mai Jia's face turned green! What did he mean by that?! What was that supposed to mean?! Having left the Mainland only at the age of fourteen, he knew all too well the weight of that title. In an instant, it was as if he were facing the Silver Horn Demon King's Purple Gold Red Gourd, seized by the terrifying dread that his very soul had been sucked out. His heart leaped right into his throat. When he looked again, the man had already strode out the door.