Chapter 32: The Best of Times

The general trend of the world is that things divided will eventually unite, and things united will eventually divide. The fortunes of individuals also follow a cycle: after the darkest hour comes the light, and prosperity inevitably leads to decline.

Jurassic Park grossed 60 million Hong Kong dollars, crushing all Chinese-language films. While people took note, it was not a cause for alarm; after all, the momentum of Hong Kong cinema was at its peak, possessing an overwhelming sense of dominance. To many in the film industries of Hong Kong and Taiwan, this was merely a fleeting phenomenon.

For Hong Kong cinema, 1993 was a magical year. For those working in the industry, these were the best of times. That year, Stephen Chow’s Flirting Scholar reigned supreme at the top of the Chinese-language box office with 40.17 million HKD, the only Chinese film to surpass the 40 million mark. In addition to that, Chow also had Fight Back to School 3, which ranked eighth with 25.77 million HKD.

That year, Chow Yun-fat took a break from acting, while Jet Li dominated the top ten with three films: Fong Sai-yuk, Fong Sai-yuk II, and Tai Chi Master. Jackie Chan won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor for his role in Crime Story. This was also the year Stephen Chow’s film The Mad Monk was released, grossing 21.56 million HKD, a performance that prompted Taiwanese capital to begin withdrawing from Hong Kong. Initially, people did not pay much mind; the Hong Kong film industry had its own pride.

That year, the mainland film industry was also brilliant. Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, though Leslie Cheung narrowly missing the Best Actor award remained a bittersweet regret. The then-struggling Ang Lee took home the Golden Bear at Berlin for The Wedding Banquet. Tian Zhuangzhuang’s banned film The Blue Kite won Best Film at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Jiang Wen’s In the Heat of the Sun delivered a stunning result, cementing its status as a classic.

Whether the era was good or bad made little difference to Liu Jing. He moved through the Hong Kong circles solely for the sake of "entertainment energy" and to make money. The more he interacted with society, the more he realized the importance of wealth. With money, everything is convenient; without it, everything is difficult. This realization hit him particularly hard after witnessing the prosperity of Hong Kong—a city entirely different from Jiangcheng or Yandu. Only upon arriving in Hong Kong did he truly understand what money, luxury, and capital meant.

"Kid, where is your aunt? Why is Sister Li with you this time?" Wong Jing slumped in the shade, fanning himself frantically, though sweat still poured off him as if it were free. In July, the sun in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan felt just as abundant. Filming had wrapped for the morning, and while everyone was on lunch break, the director found his girth particularly burdensome.

The greater burden was the company’s assignment: to tailor a script specifically for Liu Jing. As the crew finished their lunch, Liu Jing quietly entered the set.

"Aunt is busy with business and doesn't have time to accompany me. Where is Sister Man?" Liu Jing scanned the area, failing to spot Sharla Cheung.

God of Gamblers 2 had started filming, and as one of the key characters, Liu Jing naturally had to appear. His aunt was indeed busy; she and her partners were expanding their American publishing company’s business into the mainland. The company, named Hongtu Cultural Communication, focused on book planning, editing, and distribution. These women were highly ambitious and refused to be overshadowed. Since mainland publishers were state-run, they couldn't intervene directly, so they opted for indirect cooperation. Upon learning of this, Liu Jing was highly supportive and suggested they act as agents for novels by Hong Kong and Taiwanese martial arts authors like Jin Yong, Gu Long, Wolong Sheng, Liang Yusheng, and Woon Swee Oan.

While his aunt’s partners had their own connections, they struggled to secure the rights to the big names; the famous authors trusted the established publishing houses more. They ended up signing some lesser-known writers, yet by leveraging the "American market" gimmick, they managed to achieve some results.

"Sister Man this, Sister Man that. That's all you ever talk about," the portly director grumbled, having had some recent friction with Sharla Cheung over the script.

"What else would I talk about?" Liu Jing retorted. Their conflict was their own business.

The New Legend of Shaolin had been released around the Lunar New Year, grossing over 19 million HKD in Hong Kong and 130 million TWD in Taiwan. Combined, the two regions brought in roughly 50 million RMB. Including returns from Southeast Asia, Liu Jing had gained over 20,000 points of "entertainment energy" once the film left theaters. It was his largest haul since acquiring the system.

Liu Jing had risen to fame with The New Legend of Shaolin. Under the vigorous promotion of Win's Film and with the gimmick of being Jet Li’s successor, he had become a "kung fu kid." Unfortunately, these films were not released in the mainland, so he lacked fame there, though he was quite well-known in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Sharla Cheung took him to various events and helped him secure endorsements, essentially acting as his mentor. The money from commercials and business events was earned faster and in larger amounts than from acting.

Liu Jing’s first priority in finding Sharla Cheung was to pay her back. With his second-year signing bonus from Win's and his recent earnings, he had scraped together three million. It felt uncomfortable to owe people money, so he wanted to settle the debt as soon as possible, no matter how close the relationship.

"She has some business to attend to; she'll be here later." A cool breeze blew, and the director sighed with relief.

"Director, how about the script?" Liu Jing didn't stand on ceremony, plopping down next to him. His primary goal for seeking out the director today was to get the script.

"It's been ready for a while. Have Sister Li or Sharla explain the scenes to you; you have quite a bit of dialogue this time." The director handed it over lazily, showing no surprise that Liu Jing could read it. He didn't know much about the boy, assuming the scenes were always explained to him by the actresses. Naturally, those women had no need to broadcast Liu Jing’s brilliance to everyone.

The script he handed over was in simplified characters. It was an unnecessary gesture, as Liu Jing was actually more proficient in traditional characters. Liu Jing flipped through it, surprised. "Director, this script is incredibly detailed. I’ve never seen you provide such a complete one before."

The director gave a muffled grunt. Chow Yun-fat had requirements for his films—a complete script was mandatory. Otherwise, he would have continued the habit of writing as he filmed. Liu Jing knew this well, as that was how things were done during the filming of The New Legend of Shaolin. The director wouldn't admit to this, instead teasing, "Hey, kid! I hear you're about to start elementary school. There are plenty of beauties in Jiangcheng—don't forget to charm a few little girls!"

"That’s a fair point. Next time I see your daughter, I’ll give her the same advice," Liu Jing said, rolling up the script and preparing to leave.

"You brat! Don't you dare have designs on my daughter, or else..."

"Woody! Long time no see, you've grown taller!" A crisp voice rang out from behind. Liu Jing turned, his eyes widening. A whimsical, ethereal beauty approached, wearing a striking red dress that contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. Her long, wavy hair was even more captivating than the ocean waves.

*If I can't have your daughter, I'll have your girlfriend instead. That should be fine.*

Liu Jing jumped toward Chingmy Yau, burying his face in her warmth, and called out affectionately, "Sister Chingmy, I’ve missed you so much!"

The director could no longer remain calm and jumped up. "Hey, hey, hey! Kid, what are you doing?"

"I'm just rehearsing with Sister Chingmy," Liu Jing said, blinking with feigned innocence.

"Go, go, go! Go rehearse with your Sister Man!" The director waved him off, deeply suspicious that the boy was taking liberties.

"Why are you like this? He's my little brother," Chingmy Yau protested. She and Liu Jing had bonded over two films: Kung Fu Cult Master and The New Legend of Shaolin. Liu Jing had always been sweet-talker with the beautiful actresses, and since he was visiting the set, he might as well visit his favorite ones. Since filming Tai Chi Master, he had often pestered his aunt to take him to visit sets—visiting Sharla Cheung, Chingmy Yau, Gigi Lai, Kathy Chow... Each visit earned him "bubbles" of energy, ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand. After a year, his total entertainment energy had reached over 60,000 points.

"The kid is taking advantage of you. Come on, let's go rehearse," the director said, ushering Chingmy Yau away.

"Oh, please. You're the one taking advantage of me," Chingmy Yau laughed, waving at Liu Jing.

"Sister Chingmy, I'll find you to rehearse tonight!" Liu Jing thought with a pout. *Such a beautiful woman, what a pity she’s being gnawed on by a fat pig.*

*Pitiful, so pitiful. A year has passed, and I'm still just too young.*