Once they had stepped outside, Fu Chi turned to Qiu Shuzhen's parents. "We see immense potential in her and want to invest resources into cultivating her properly. However, she is still very young. Because of that, the additional clause states: during her school years, Great Wall will temporarily handle her acting affairs. We may collaborate with her or recommend her to other companies. If she ever leaves school, she will formally sign with Great Wall and become an official company actress."
The parents struggled to follow.
Fu Chi spent quite a while explaining before they finally caught on, only for both to hesitate again. "I understand your family's circumstances," Fu Chi said. "What kind of plans do you have for Ah Zhen's future?"
"Naturally, to find a decent job and marry into a good family."
"Yet from what I know, Ah Zhen's school grades are hardly ideal. If she follows the path of examinations, advancing through school, and hunting for a job, do you truly think she has much of a future?"
"..."
"If your hearts are set on her continuing her schooling, that is entirely fine. Ah Zhen can use her vacations to shoot films and help support the household without interfering with her studies. If her grades improve down the road and she gets into university, we will be thrilled for her. But what if her academic performance never picks up? Is she going to start doing manual labor in her teens? If so, she would be far better off signing with our company, where she will have stable security. Once she gradually makes a name for herself, her acting fees will naturally rise."
"Mr. Fu, how long is the term of this contract?"
"Starting from the day she formally becomes an actress with the company: eight years!"
"Eight years? That's far too long!"
"If she fails to get into university, she'll only be a teenager. Eight years later, she'll still be in her twenties, right in the prime of her youth. What is there to fear?"
"Then... if we don't agree, does she lose the role?"
"Yes!"
"We need to think it over."
"Of course you may!"
Watching the couple before him, Fu Chi sighed inwardly. The idea, of course, had come from Chen Qi. His philosophy was simple: if they couldn't recruit established stars, they would scoop up undiscovered talent, signing them early to long-term contracts and binding them tight to the company.
Chen Qi had originally proposed a ten-year deal, which had startled Fu Chi. That was bloody well too capitalist! Even with Reform and Opening Up underway, they couldn't literally turn into capitalists!
Yet Fu Chi had no better alternative. With the left-wing faction in its current plight, unconventional methods were necessary. In the end, he had agreed, and Qiu Shuzhen was their very first target.
The contract was straightforward: while Qiu Shuzhen attended school, Great Wall acted as her agency; if she stopped attending school, she would become an official Great Wall actress.
Meanwhile, out in the corridor, Chen Qi was chatting with Qiu Shuzhen.
Young and unable to keep her thoughts to herself, Qiu Shuzhen asked, "Teacher, after I finish shooting this movie, will I be famous?"
"Hard to say. You might just flop!"
"Huh?"
Her face fell with immediate anxiety. "I was hoping that once I got famous, I could make big money and buy nice things for my mom and dad and brothers and sisters... Teacher, do you think I can become a star?"
"Hard to say. Maybe you won't!"
Qiu Shuzhen choked on her words. Then, catching the look on his face, she realized he was teasing her. Annoyed, she protested, "I only asked because you're a teacher! Don't trick me!"
"Hong Kong's entertainment industry is booming, and the streets are crawling with girls who want to be stars. What makes you think you'll hit it big? Modest fame comes from backing; superstardom comes from destiny. Do you have someone backing you, or do you have destiny on your side?"
Chen Qi grinned. "If you think you can just shoot any random film and become famous, take your fifteen thousand dollars and go dream at home. The road in this industry is long and hard. Without working far harder than the rest, you won't last long. Don't constantly daydream about being a star. First, cultivate a distinct quality of your own."
"What's a distinct quality?"
"Something nobody else has, that belongs only to you!"
"..."
Whether Qiu Shuzhen truly grasped it or not, she bowed respectfully. "Regardless, thank you for selecting me, Teacher. I won't forget your kindness."
"Ah Zhen!"
Just then, the door opened and her parents emerged. "Time to go!"
"Coming!" she called back, hurrying over to them. Before leaving, she couldn't resist looking back to give Chen Qi a cheeky little pout, revealing her rabbit-like buckteeth. Children from poor families matured early; knowing Chen Qi's status, she was deliberately trying to get on his good side.
*Sigh, yet another little sister. Why do I keep running into so many little girls? I transmigrated too early! And I'm no lolicon—lolicons ought to be shot!*
Chen Qi shook his head.
In his previous life, he had quite liked Qiu Shuzhen. Back during the era when mainland showbiz went totally downhill, marketing accounts would incessantly hype their own stars as the 'ultimate embodiment of innocent sensuality.' Did those bastards even know what 'innocent sensuality' meant?
Qiu Shuzhen was truly one of a kind in that lane.
She wasn't the biggest star in Hong Kong, nor was she the most beautiful, but that alluring charm of hers that struck straight into a man's soul was something nobody could replicate. Even twenty years after retiring, she still managed to win the crown of Hupu Goddess.
As the stronghold of straight men, Hupu's choice of goddesses was beyond reproach—well, with the exception of Zhan Ying, perhaps.
She had spent ten years by Wong Jing's side without any official status, and as she approached thirty, she chose to retire and marry the wealthy Shen Jiawei. Among Hong Kong actresses, she had been quite fortunate.
In a bizarre place like Hong Kong, where materialism reigned supreme and everyone worshipped wealth, countless myths of overnight riches were born. Those people were hailed as successes; nobody looked down on them as nouveau riche, because nearly everyone was nouveau riche.
With Hong Kong's entertainment industry thriving and the wealth gap vast, many actresses came from humble beginnings.
Naturally, the two sides hit it off.
Hong Kong tycoons and actresses seemed practically destined to end up together. The ultimate dream for the vast majority of female stars was simply to marry into high society and become a wealthy tai-tai.
At its root, this stemmed from two factors: first, the territory was too small, and second, mindsets were even more conservative than on the mainland.
The mainland was different. Once the mainland entertainment industry entered the era of big capital, female stars stopped aiming to become wealthy wives. Instead, they colluded with capital and fought tooth and nail to climb the ladder themselves, hoping to leap across social classes.
Fan Xiaopang, Li Bingbing, Da Mimi, and the rest were all cut from that cloth.
***
Faced with fifteen thousand dollars and the threat of losing the role if they refused, Qiu Shuzhen's parents were quick to sell their daughter out.
And so, an actress destined to leave a heavy mark on the history of Hong Kong cinema became one of the left-wing faction's people.
Being at Great Wall, she naturally wouldn't be filming things like *Naked Killer* or *Lover of the Last Empress*, but Chen Qi had never intended for her to shoot Category III films anyway. It made no difference to him; what he valued was the sensual allure she possessed, which could expand the horizons of many films and be of great use to him.
As for Yuan Jieying and Zhu Yin, Chen Qi and Fu Chi never bothered negotiating with their families. Their households weren't strapped for cash and wanted their daughters to focus on their studies. Both girls were cast as classmates—minor roles with modest pay. Their parents didn't care much, treating it simply as fun for the kids.
The production crew for *Orphan* came together swiftly. The role of the local social worker was given to Liu Xuehua. As for the British nun, rather than hiring from abroad, they roped in a local foreigner for a cameo; with so little screen time, saving money wherever possible was the priority.
As of now, all they were missing was the American couple and their two children.
Meanwhile, the assistant to Chen Xiangmei who had long promised to visit finally arrived in Hong Kong.
Chapter 230