novellhall Chapter 3 3
Chapter 3 3
As the two entered the banquet hall, the noise returned.
The eyes of the crowd fell subtly on the two of them, but no one pointed or whispered.
The people standing in this banquet hall are all seasoned veterans who have been in this industry for many years and have seen it all.
But their eyes—
Those glances cast from the rim of the wine glass, those fleeting looks exchanged between conversations, all carried the same meaning: Oh, Li Jiaxin.
As expected of Li Jiaxin.
You got the hang of it so quickly.
Li Jiaxin ignored these stares.
Her fingertips remained lightly resting on Lin Dong's forearm, her steps elegant and composed, her smile impeccably polite. When someone came over to greet her, she would slightly turn to the side, but her hand never retracted.
Just then, Xiang Yeqiang strode over with a wine glass in his hand, followed closely by Xiang Tai.
"Mr. Lin!" Xiang Ye forced a smile and patted Lin Dong on the shoulder, his gaze lingering for a moment on the woman beside him before he burst into laughter. "I knew you'd disappeared in the blink of an eye! Turns out you were run off with Hong Kong's number one beauty!"
These words were spoken directly, but the tone was entirely teasing, without a trace of blame.
Li Jiaxin immediately laughed and replied, "Xiang Sheng, don't make fun of me. I was just accompanying Lin Sheng out for some fresh air. Lin Sheng drank quite a bit earlier."
She said this in a natural tone, as if she and Lin Dong were old friends of many years.
Mrs. Xiang's gaze lingered on Lin Dong's arm for two seconds.
Then she laughed, a meaningful laugh, and patted Li Jiaxin on the shoulder: "Jiaxin, you certainly know how to take care of people."
This sounded like a compliment, but everyone present could hear the subtext—this girl is really quick.
Li Jiaxin just smiled, didn't reply, and didn't pull her hand back.
Lin Dong spoke up frankly: "Mr. and Mrs. Xiang, Director Wang mentioned earlier that he had a few scripts on hand?"
Xiang Yeqiang's eyes lit up: "Wang Jing was looking for you just now?"
"I said hello."
"Great news!" Xiang Yeqiang immediately perked up and waved to Wang Jing, who was not far away. "Jing, come here!"
Wang Jing came running back excitedly.
"Mr. Lin," Xiang Yeqiang's tone became serious, "Wang Jing is a strategic partner of Win's Entertainment. He directed eight out of ten of the highest-grossing comedies in Hong Kong in recent years. If you really want to invest in movies, talking to him is definitely the right thing to do."
Wang Jing nodded repeatedly beside him: "Mr. Lin, I'm not exaggerating—as long as you're willing to invest, I guarantee I'll give you a good rap!"
Lin Dong held his wine glass but remained silent.
He is waiting.
Wait until Xiang Yeqiang sets out his terms.
As expected, seeing that he didn't respond, Xiang Yeqiang tentatively spoke up: "Mr. Lin, to be honest, Win's Entertainment plans to produce three films this year. One is a comedy starring Wong Jing, one is a gangster film starring Andy Lau, and we'd like to get Jet Li to direct the third one—but he's focused on Hollywood right now, so we might not be able to persuade him."
He paused, then looked at Lin Dong: "If Mr. Lin is interested, you can invest in any of these three films. The terms are negotiable."
Three films.
One is a comedy, one is a gangster film, and one is an action film. These are all the most mature genres in Hong Kong cinema. Xiang Yeqiang's sincerity is evident.
Lin Dong raised his glass to his lips, took a sip, and then looked away from Xiang Yeqiang's face, past Wang Jing's expectant gaze, before finally settling on Li Jiaxin beside him.
He smiled slightly and then said, "Xiang Sheng, I'm certainly interested in Yong Sheng's play. But I have an idea."
Xiang Yeqiang immediately leaned closer: "Mr. Lin, please speak."
"Before I came to Hong Kong, I watched a lot of Hong Kong films," Lin Dong said unhurriedly. "To be honest, an actress with Ms. Li's talent would have been a top star in Hollywood long ago. But in Hong Kong, after so many years of acting, there isn't a single film that truly centers on her."
He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Xiang Sheng, this doesn't make sense, does it?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment after those words were spoken.
Xiang Yeqiang was stunned.
He never expected that Lin Dong would go through such a long and complicated process, only to end up focusing on Li Jiaxin.
Li Jiaxin was also stunned, but quickly recovered. She maintained her elegant smile, but her hands naturally clenched tighter.
Xiang Yeqiang, being a seasoned veteran, quickly recovered after a brief moment of surprise and burst into laughter: "Lin Sheng is right! Jiaxin's talents have indeed been wasted!"
Wang Jing rolled his eyes.
He looked at Lin Dong, then at Li Jiaxin, and then his eyes lit up.
"Lin Sheng!"
Wang Jing slapped his thigh, his voice rising several octaves, his chubby face beaming with sudden, excited realization. "Now that you mention it, I suddenly remembered—I happen to have a project on hand!"
Xiang Yeqiang and Xiang Tai both looked at him at the same time.
"A romantic comedy," Wang Jing said rapidly, "The female lead's character design for this project—mixed-race look, noble and aloof yet adorable, with an aura that can dominate the entire scene—Lin Sheng, don't you think, is tailor-made for Miss Li?"
Tailor-made.
Wang Jing emphasized those four words.
Xiang Yeqiang held his wine glass, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
He knows Wang Jing too well.
All that talk about "suddenly remembering" or "having a project on hand" is utter nonsense.
This was clearly something Wang Jing made up in those few seconds.
But Xiang Yeqiang didn't care.
What he cared about was whether Lin Dong was interested in this "improvised project".
Li Jiaxin's face remained expressionless.
But she held on tighter, and her whole body naturally moved closer to him!
Lin Dong sensed it and understood that this action meant that the woman was no longer "hiking".
She was making a statement.
Lin Dong smiled slightly and finally spoke.
"Director Wang, what's the approximate budget for this project?"
Wang Jing paused for a moment, then began to quickly calculate in his mind.
A 1998 Hong Kong film, an urban romantic comedy, without grand scenes, action sequences, or special effects; its biggest expenses were simply actor salaries and venue rentals.
Based on current production standards, a bid of eight or nine million Hong Kong dollars would be quite good, with a maximum of just over ten million.
But who is Wang Jing?
He has been in this industry for over a decade, and his greatest skill is presenting figures to investors.
The number cannot be too low, otherwise the project will seem insignificant; nor can it be too high, otherwise it will scare away potential investors.
His eyes darted around as he mentally added up all the expenses—the actors' and actresses' salaries, the director's fee, the screenwriter's fee, the cinematography, lighting, art direction, costumes and props, location rental, post-production, publicity and distribution...
"Fifteen million!"
Wang Jing announced a number, his tone as certain as if the project had been in preparation for half a year.
HK$15 million. In Hong Kong today, that's considered a mid-to-high-end production.
Xiang Yeqiang nodded slightly. Within his understanding, this figure was a reasonable and sincere offer.
Mrs. Xiang held her wine glass, a faint smile on her lips, waiting to see Lin Dong's reaction.
Wang Jing also stared at Lin Dong, his chubby face full of anticipation.
Li Jiaxin, however, slightly raised her eyes to look at Lin Dong, her gaze like that of a little girl begging for candy—making one feel sorry for her.
All I can say is that she truly lives up to her reputation as Li Jiaxin.
"Fifteen million?"
But Lin Dong didn't look at her; instead, he repeated the number.
Wang Jing's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, did we overestimate it?
He was about to speak up to make amends when Lin Dong waved his hand, interrupting him.
"Director Wang," Lin Dong turned his head and looked at Li Jiaxin's face. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear him clearly.
"How can fifteen million be enough for such a beautiful woman to star in a movie?"
Li Jiaxin's tense expression froze instantly, then blossomed into a bright smile, her eyes, described by Hong Kong media as "earth-shattering," staring straight at Lin Dong.
Xiang Yeqiang and the other two were somewhat surprised, but also somewhat used to it, and just smiled meaningfully.
Lin Dong withdrew his gaze and looked at Wang Jing again, extending one hand with three fingers raised.
Thirty million.