novellhall Chapter 28 Dragon
Chapter 28 Dragon
The organizing committee staff walked through the side corridor lights, bent down slightly next to Xiang Yeqiang, and whispered a few words.
Xiang Yeqiang nodded and gestured to Lin Dong.
"Lin Sheng, it's your turn."
Lin Dong placed the wine glass on the armrest and patted the back of Li Jiaxin's hand, which was resting on his arm.
"I'm going backstage."
Li Jiaxin released his hand and straightened his suit collar, the movement as natural as if she had done it a thousand times. "Go on, I'll wait for you here."
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the surrounding rows could hear her clearly. This unintentional intimacy was itself a declaration.
Lin Dong nodded to Ye Qiang again, then got up and left his seat.
As he walked through the side corridor, several second- and third-tier actors sitting along the aisle stepped aside to make way for him, their eyes following his back for quite a while.
Not long after, the door to the lounge was pushed open.
The room wasn't large, but it was tastefully furnished. There was a beige sofa, a plate of fruit and two bottles of mineral water on the coffee table, and a monitor on the wall that broadcast live footage of the awards ceremony at the front desk.
The air conditioning was on full blast, and compared to the bustling noise in the corridor, it was as quiet as another world.
There was already someone sitting on the sofa.
Chenlong.
When Lin Dong pushed the door open, he was looking down at his phone screen. Hearing the door open, he looked up.
Their eyes met briefly in the air.
Then Chenlong stood up.
There was no deliberate neglect, nor any overt obsequiousness; his face wore a very polite smile.
"Mr. Lin." His voice was strong and clear, with a touch of Hong Kong accent. "It's an honor to meet you."
"Brother Long." Lin Dong grasped his hand.
"Don't call me Brother Long, just call me Chenlong." Chenlong released his hand and gestured towards the sofa. "Sit down. I was just saying, the organizing committee made an interesting arrangement today—to have you and me presented the awards together."
"That's giving me too much credit." Lin Dong sat down on the single sofa opposite him, casually straightening his trouser leg. "Everyone in Hong Kong knows that Brother Long is filming 'Rush Hour' in Hollywood. My reputation is nowhere near yours."
Chen Long chuckled and waved his hand. "Hey, what Hollywood or whatever. I just went there to film a movie, and they treated me like an action star, doing somersaults to get where I am."
He spoke casually, but sat up a little straighter on the sofa.
"However, Mr. Lin, I've heard about your return from Wall Street to invest in movies, even though I was filming there. A net worth of two billion US dollars, which is more than 15 billion Hong Kong dollars—you can count the number of people in all of Hong Kong who can come up with that on one hand."
He spoke politely, but there was much more to it than that, because he didn't rely on Lin Dong's money.
He has his own business, his own international reputation, and his own financial backers. Cooperating with Lin Dong would be icing on the cake; not cooperating wouldn't affect him much.
Lin Dong knew what was going on.
"Brother Long," he leaned back on the sofa, relaxed, "actually, if the opportunity arises, I'd really like to collaborate with you. Not in the way of investing in a film—I mean, actually sit down and think about what we can do together. You're unparalleled in all of Asia when it comes to action films."
"You're welcome anytime," Chen Long said with a smile. "If you, Mr. Lin, want to chat, I'll definitely make time. But let me make this clear beforehand: I have a lot of quirks when it comes to filming. I like to do everything myself and don't use stunt doubles, so the budget often goes over—"
When he said that "the budget is often exceeded," his tone carried a self-deprecating confidence.
Lin Dong listened for a moment and then thought of Jiang Wen, and laughed out loud.
"Brother Long, before you, I had already invested in one person's film. He told me that as filming progressed, there was a high probability that the budget would be exceeded."
"Who?"
"Jiang Wen".
Chenlong was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Jiang Wen! I know him! The one who acted in 'A Native of Beijing in New York'—I've seen it. He's stubborn. You're casting for his show?"
"I voted."
"How many?"
"Fifteen million Hong Kong dollars."
Chenlong laughed even harder. "That's really not enough. When he's filming, he can spend several days refining a single shot. Your 15 million will probably double in the end."
"Double it then." Lin Dong picked up a bottle of mineral water from the coffee table, took a sip, and said casually, "When I invest in a film, I don't consider whether it's over budget or not; I consider the people involved."
Chenlong's laughter gradually subsided.
He looked at Lin Dong as if he were re-evaluating the young man.
Because he could tell that when Lin Dong said, "It's not about whether it's over budget or not, it's about who you are," his tone was not one of pretense; he genuinely didn't care.
At that moment, the door to the lounge was pushed open a crack.
A staff member from the organizing committee leaned in halfway and whispered, "Brother Long, Mr. Lin, the Best Actor award ceremony will begin in five minutes. Would you please move to the side stage?"
Chen Long stood up and adjusted the hem of his suit jacket. He paused for a moment as he walked to Lin Dong's side.
"Lin Sheng, that shorty Zeng on stage just now—" He turned his head, "Don't take him too seriously. That shorty has been in this industry for thirty years, and he's notorious for his foul mouth. He just can't stand anyone, especially those richer than him. It's a waste of time to talk to someone like that."
Lin Dong looked at Chen Long, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
"Brother Long, thank you. But you don't need to worry about me."
He paused for a moment.
"Winning an argument with him in public is the way people like Zeng the Shorty play. My way is different."
Chenlong glanced at him. "What kind of game?"
Lin Dong shrugged. "I'll make him drop the money step by step in front of everyone. Even if he kneels down afterward, he won't be able to pick it up."
He said it so softly. So softly, like a line from a song he was humming.
But Chenlong's brow bone twitched.
He'd been in the entertainment industry for nearly thirty years and had seen countless people make boastful statements. Most people, when making such statements, had vacant eyes, trembling voices, and raised chins—because they were afraid others wouldn't believe them.
But when Lin Dong said this, his eyes were level with his, his lips were relaxed, and his shoulders were slumped.
He wasn't making threats. He was simply stating a fact he was certain of.
Chenlong didn't respond to that question, but patted Lin Dong on the shoulder.
The two followed the staff towards the side stage. From the front of the stage came the deep, rhythmic voice of the host, Zhang Daming, introducing the presenter for the next award.
"...Please welcome—the presenters of this year's Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor award: international action superstar Mr. Chen Long, and Mr. Lin Dong, Chairman of Tengda Film Investment Company!"
Applause erupted.
Chen Long straightened his collar and turned to look at Lin Dong.
"Lin Sheng, let's go."
Lin Dong nodded.
The two walked onto the stage side by side. Chenlong walked in front, his steps steady. He had been to this kind of event dozens of times, and every step he took was just right.
Lin Dong walked behind, equally composed.
Hosts Zheng Yuling and Zhang Daming stood on either side of the stage, greeting the guests with smiles.
"Brother Chenlong! Long time no see!" Zheng Yuling's voice was clear and crisp.
Chen Long gave her a light hug and nodded with a smile. Zhang Daming reached out and shook hands with Lin Dong, then led the two to the microphone in the center of the stage.
According to the procedure, the host will have a brief interaction with the award presenter before the award ceremony.
Zheng Yuling first held up the microphone and walked up to Chenlong.
"Brother, coming all the way from Hollywood to present this award is a huge honor for the organizing committee."
Chenlong smiled and waved his hand. "No, no, Dudu, if you praise me like that, I'll get arrogant. The Hong Kong Film Awards are my home base, so it's only natural to present awards back home."
A burst of good-natured laughter and applause erupted from the audience.
Cheng Yu-ling then asked, "When you were filming 'Rush Hour' in Hollywood, did you ever think about returning to Hong Kong to develop your career?"
Chenlong took the microphone and his tone became more serious.
"Actually, I've been paying attention to Hong Kong."
He glanced at the audience.
"I know many people are having a tough time due to the financial crisis. Film companies have reduced production, film crews are not working enough, and many brothers are out of work." He paused for a moment, "But I have also heard some good news—like Mr. Lin."
He turned to look at Lin Dong and reached out his hand in his direction.
"Mr. Lin came from America with two billion US dollars to invest in the film industry. The films he invested in employed entirely local crews—lighting, cinematography, stunt work, production management—all our own people. That's very rare. I've been there, I know what the market is like outside."
He turned around, looked at the guests below the stage, and raised the microphone.
"I hope more people like Mr. Lin will invest in the film industry. Because only when things get moving can everyone make a living."
The applause rang out again, even more enthusiastic than before.
Several bigwigs in the front row—Xiang Yeqiang and Zou Wenhuai—applauded, and Zou Wenhuai even nodded slightly.
Lin Dong glanced at Chen Long.
Chenlong's words were not discussed beforehand. He was publicly supporting him, but he was supporting him as an "investor," not as Lin Dong himself.
He was someone who had no one to ask for help from, but he still stood up and said these words because he genuinely felt that it was not easy for someone to invest money in a movie at this time.