novellhall Chapter 19: Seven projects operating simultaneously
Chapter 19: Seven projects operating simultaneously
On March 31, Lin Dong selected his secretary, Xiang Hailan, at Tengda.
She has a good figure, is beautiful, and is pleasing to the eye. Her professional skills are also decent.
So he made the decision almost without hesitation.
That afternoon, Zhang Baizhi went to Xinghui Company.
At 8 p.m., Lin Dong's phone rang.
"Mr. Lam, it's me, Stephen Chow." Stephen Chow's voice came through the receiver, with his unique rhythm—fast, but with gaps between each word, as if waiting for the other person to respond.
"Sing-jai, what do you mean?"
"Your newcomer auditioned today." He paused. "To be honest, I initially preferred Xu Huaiyu. Her temperament was more suitable for the role of Liu Piaopiao."
Lin Dong didn't respond.
"But Xu Huaiyu hasn't replied yet. I don't like waiting." There was something different in Zhou Xingchi's voice, somewhere between doing a favor and speaking his mind. "Besides, Mr. Lin, you asked, so I have to give you face. Zhang Baizhi—I'm using her."
"Sing, thank you."
"No need to thank me." Stephen Chow chuckled. "Mr. Lin, just remember you owe me a cup of tea."
"at any time."
Less than three minutes after I hung up the phone, Zhang Baizhi called me back.
"Mr. Lin—Mr. Zhou—they informed me—"
"understood."
"Lin Sheng, I—"
"Perform well."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Then she hummed in response, her voice muffled, as if she had buried her face in the pillow.
Li Jiaxin came out of the kitchen and ladled a bowl of soup for Lin Dong. It was made with green and red radishes and pork bones, and had been simmering since afternoon until evening. The soup was thick and white.
He sat opposite him, slowly sipping a glass of red wine.
"How did your interview go today?"
"I've placed an order."
"What kind of person?"
"Graduated from Columbia University, just returned to Hong Kong." Lin Dong took a sip and felt good.
"Is it pretty?"
He looked up. Li Jiaxin was looking at him through the rim of her wine glass, her eyes crinkling at the rim.
"It's alright." Lin Dong smiled and continued drinking his soup.
Li Jiaxin put down her wine glass. Her fingers circled the stem of the glass once, then released it.
"Ah Dong."
"Um."
"The company has signed a new artist. As the manager of the artist department, shouldn't I formally meet them?"
The spoon tapped lightly against the rim of the bowl. Lin Dong put down the spoon, looked at her, then thought for a moment, stood up, walked around the table, and went behind her.
One hand rested on her shoulder, sliding down her neck and pressing her hairline with his thumb.
Then he bent down and patted her on the back of the head.
"The soup is good."
She straightened up and walked towards the bedroom.
"Go see him if you want to!"
Li Jiaxin sat there, swirling the wine glass in her hand, her eyes thoughtful.
She knew what had happened last night, but she didn't dare to get angry, or rather, she didn't dare to get angry at Lin Dong, but Zhang Baizhi...
Time flies, and Amazon continues its upward trend.
April 3rd arrived in the blink of an eye, in Mong Kok.
The launch ceremony for "Mongkok Street" was held on the rooftop of a tenement building on Temple Street. There was no red carpet and no media.
Wang Yalin set up a folding table with a statue of Guan Yu and a roast suckling pig on it.
Director Huang Jiahui lit three incense sticks, bowed in all four directions, and placed them in an incense burner.
Then Lin Dong, Wang Yalin, Ren Daye, Li Zhi and others offered incense one by one.
No more than twenty people came. The lead actor, director, producer, a few production assistants, plus Lin Dong and his two bodyguards.
Meanwhile, A-Qiang and A-Wei stood at the entrance to the rooftop, one on the left and one on the right, completely blocking the only passage leading to the rooftop.
At this moment, Wang Yalin came over and said politely, "Mr. Lin, thank you for coming."
Lin Dong waved his hand.
Then he saw Li Zhi.
She stood beside the folding table, wearing a faded denim jacket, her hair casually tied up, and her face bare.
Wang Yalin introduced: "Mr. Lin, this is Li Zhi, the female lead."
Li Zhi nodded. "Mr. Lin."
Two words. No more, no less.
Then she turned back, which made Wang Yalin secretly anxious. She waved her hand, wanting to say something to her.
Lin Dong waved his hand and didn't take it to heart.
Since his return to Hong Kong, everyone who has approached him has had an ulterior motive. Xiang Yeqiang wanted his money, Wang Jing wanted his money, Huang Baiming wanted his money, Zhang Baizhi wanted his opportunities, Guan Zhilin wanted his favor, and even Li Jiaxin initially wanted his money.
This woman, however, wants nothing.
Wang Yalin quickly tried to smooth things over, "Mr. Lin, that's just how Li Zhi is. She's not very good at socializing. But she's a good actress."
While cursing Li Zhi in his heart, he prayed fervently that Lin Dong wouldn't get angry and withdraw his investment!
"As long as the acting is good," Lin Dongchong smiled at her, which put her mind at ease.
The opening ceremony ended very quickly. There were no media interviews, and no speeches from the main creators.
After the prayers, Huang Jiahui shouted "Let's get to work!" The crew started moving equipment, and Li Zhi walked to the edge of the rooftop and began rehearsing silently with the script in mind.
Lin Dong called Wang Yalin aside.
"Progress, as quickly as possible."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lin. The scenes for this film are concentrated in one area, mainly in Mong Kok, with no location changes. Director Huang is also very fast." Wang Yalin counted on her fingers, "If all goes well, we'll finish filming in twenty days and post-production in a month."
Lin Dong nodded, turned around and went back to the company. He had already received feedback on the message he had Chen Xinjian release earlier.
One hour later, Tengda Film and Television Investment Company.
Chen Xinjian placed four script summaries on Lin Dong's desk. Each one included a project budget, director's resume, and estimated shooting schedule.
"Mr. Lin, these have been screened once. The remaining four directors are all newcomers, but their scripts are complete and their budgets are relatively tight."
Lin Dong opened the first book.
"Ah Qiang's Last Night." Directed by Chen Yaowen, budget 1.2 million. The story is about the events of a gangster's last night before retiring from the underworld. Lin Dong flipped through it, then closed it. He'd never heard of the name or the director.
"cast."
The second book. "Day and Night in Tin Shui Wai"—he paused for a moment upon seeing the title. The director was Xu Liang, and the budget was 800,000. The story depicts the daily life of a single mother and her son in Tin Shui Wai.
"cast."
The third book. *Terror Hotline*. Directed by Qian Wenqi, budget three million. A ghost film.
"cast."
The fourth book. *The Unemployed Emperor*. Directed by Ma Wai-ho, budget two million. Comedy.
"cast."
Chen Xinjian quickly jotted down notes in his notebook without asking a single question. He gathered the four scripts together and tucked them under his arm.
"Mr. Lin, oversee the funding for these projects—"
"Do as you say." Lin Dong leaned back in his chair. "All funds will go into Tengda's account first. If the production crew needs money, they'll need to bring the receipts for review, and you'll have to sign them before the funds are released. Every single transaction must have supporting documentation."
"Understood." Chen Xinjian nodded. "I'll have the finance department refine the process. Costs such as actor fees, location fees, materials, and post-production will be itemized and allocated specifically for their intended purpose."
"There's one more thing." Lin Dong tapped his fingers on the table. "Keep the shooting schedule tight for these four projects. Don't increase the budget, don't change the script, let them shoot at the current scale. I need it fast."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lin."