Hong Kong

Once Chen Qi left, Huang Baiming looked at Mai Jia's rattled expression and couldn't help saying, "Come on, are you serious? Is it really that big of a deal?" "I just have a bad feeling." "Let me ask you: would we ever collaborate with the leftists?" "Of course not!" "Would we ever turn into leftists?" "What kind of joke is that?!" "Then that settles it. The leftists are finished these days. Even Mr. Jin Yong has gone to visit the mainland—can't you read the writing on the wall?" Huang Baiming did possess a certain cleverness. Mai Jia remained uneasy throughout. He hurriedly settled the bill, and the two walked out of the tea restaurant together. Across from the tea restaurant, Chen Qi popped up once again, grinning at a young man in a cap. "Did you get the shots?" "You have to trust my skills. The organization assigned me to assist your operation, which proves I'm reliable! But what are you taking this kind of photo for? This is the sort of thing Hong Kong paparazzi do." This person was none other than a photojournalist from *Wen Wei Po*. "Just switching up the approach... Come on, I'll treat you to a meal. Damn it, I didn't even get to eat anything just now—completely ruined my appetite!" *** Mai Jia did not head to the office today, but went to the set of *Aces Go Places* instead. He was one of the lead actors as well. In the 1980s, the pace at which Hong Kong directors shot films still followed some standards, ranging from one to three months, or even longer—for instance, Yuen Woo-ping had taken four months to shoot *The Miracle Fighters*. It was not until the late 1980s, when Hong Kong cinema entered its golden decade and overseas buyers arrived waving wads of cash, that overall production accelerated across the board. Creative work grew increasingly wild and abstract as well, leading to feats like Johnnie To knocking out *The Mission* in nineteen days, or Wong Jing cobbling together *Tricky Brains* from a ten-character premise... *Aces Go Places* was a major production, so its pace was even slower. After a busy day, Mai Jia returned to his residence that evening. Having spent a long time in the United States, he was quite Westernized on the whole, partial to coffee, Western liquor, and English songs. Right now, he lay in a comfortable large bathtub, listening to the latest American pop hits playing from his high-end sound system, bobbing his head to the rhythm and feeling thoroughly relaxed. *Ring, ring, ring!* Hmm? *Ring, ring, ring!* He pricked up his ears and picked out the ringing telephone over the music. The caller was relentless, letting it ring on and on. With a sigh of impatience, he gave himself a quick dry-down and padded into the living room to answer. Shi Nansheng's voice came through the receiver. Shi Nansheng handled Cinema City's administrative affairs, and everyone called her "the housekeeper." "Housekeeper! What's up?" "I saw today's *Wen Wei Po*. There's a news piece that doesn't look good." "News??" "It says you two met with that mainland fellow..." "What?!!" Mai Jia felt a shiver run down his spine. His bad premonition had come true. "What does the paper say?" "It's a really long article. You should read it yourself!" "Where am I supposed to find a copy of *Wen Wei Po* right now? Pick out the key points and read them to me!" Left with no alternative, Shi Nansheng had to skim through and read several excerpts aloud. "'Originally approaching the matter with the mindset of giving it a try, I sent an invitation to Cinema City for a meeting. To my surprise, the other party was exceedingly enthusiastic, responding immediately and even settling on the time and location. We met in a tea restaurant, with Mr. Mai Jia and Mr. Huang Baiming attending in person. We had a friendly exchange. They expressed ardent expectations for the mainland's reform and opening-up, and hoped for extensive exchanges and collaboration between both places. Cinema City is a rising star in the Hong Kong film scene, churning out fine works in rapid succession. Although I have voiced criticisms, seeking truth from facts, there is also much that mainland filmmakers can learn from them. Mr. Mai Jia shared that his ancestral home was in Guangdong and that he had moved to Hong Kong at age fourteen; he has never forgotten his homeland, harboring deep affection for the mainland, and especially hopes to have the opportunity to return for a visit. Mr. Huang Baiming was equally keen. Upon learning that we are working on a film intended for overseas release, he took the initiative to request participating in the scriptwriting. He has many successful works to his name, and I am confident that his involvement will take this film to even greater heights. The two places stem from the same branch, and blood runs thicker than water. We welcome more and more people—just like comrades Mai Jia and Huang Baiming—to come back, have a look, and participate in building the motherland.'" "..." Cold sweat broke out across Mai Jia's big bald head. The moment the word "comrade" popped out, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally swung from the noose! "Karl? Karl?" Shi Nansheng called out his English name. Hearing no response for a long while, she asked, "What do we do now?" "What do we do, what do we do... Wait, does Huang Baiming know about this?" "I'm not sure. I called you first thing!" "I'll go find him first. Talk to you later!" *** Huang Baiming's face turned green too! This completely exceeded his expectations. Who would have guessed that the leftists had changed their tactics! "This... this makes no sense!" He stared at the newspaper again and again, unable to wrap his head around it. All along, the leftists had faced a triple encirclement from the British colonial authorities, the rightists, and the capitalists, fighting a lone battle while being suppressed and ostracized. Particularly nowadays, their influence was far diminished from what it once was, reduced to just a tiny faction in Hong Kong. Nobody had ever imagined they could flip the script like this! "Disaster, absolute disaster! We're finished!" Huang Baiming finally panicked. The Free Association had surely seen the newspaper by now. Cinema City was going to bleed heavily over this. *** Golden Harvest. Furrowing his brows, Raymond Chow put down a copy of *Wen Wei Po*, picked it up again, and set it down once more, wondering if he had lost his mind. Cinema City pro-mainland? Mai Jia yearning for his homeland? Huang Baiming volunteering to write a screenplay? He would rather believe Jackie Chan was still a virgin than believe such a thing had happened. "Leonard, what do you make of this? Is it real or fake?" "There's a photo, so it should be real, but the content is far too exaggerated—it's definitely fabricated. So it's half-true and half-false..." Leonard Ho chuckled. "Truth or falsehood doesn't really matter, though. What matters is that this piece has been published. Cinema City is in for a world of hurt now; they'll have to go explain themselves thoroughly to the Free Association." "Mm, that's my view as well. This isn't the leftists' usual style. It's likely the handiwork of that brash youngster." Raymond Chow mused, suddenly feeling a faint twinge of foreboding himself. *** "Hahahaha!" In the Great Wall company dormitory, Fu Chi had not been this happy in a long time. He had originally grown somewhat disheartened, merely wishing to finish standing his final watch and quietly retire. Who could have known that a fellow like Chen Qi would crop up, making his blood boil with excitement once more? "You sly rascal! Young people's minds really are sharper after all. I've been at this for half my life, and I never would have thought of such a move." "You just hadn't adjusted your perspective yet. The leftists aren't some battered underdogs for everyone to kick around. The leftist label itself is a sharp weapon. Instead of hiding the sword in its scabbard, we ought to draw it and brandish it. Just keeping it in plain sight carries weight. At the very least, it'll make them turn on each other..." Chen Qi grinned. "As for how that crowd operates—nobody knows better than us!"