novellhall Chapter 46 Alan Mak's *Infernal Affairs*
Chapter 46 Alan Mak's *Infernal Affairs*
June 28th, 10:00 AM.
Lin Dong stood in front of the wardrobe, took a white shirt from the hanger, put it on, and began to button it. At that moment, Li Jiaxin's voice sounded from behind him.
"I'm 110."
He turned around. Li Jiaxin was lying on her side on the bed, one hand supporting her chin, the other holding a stock trading machine.
"It dropped another 5 yuan last night!" She shook the stock trading machine.
Lin Dong looked away and continued buttoning his shirt. "Okay."
He genuinely didn't care. Those who know where the destination is don't get flustered by every bump in the road.
"Going to the company today?" Li Jiaxin turned over and placed the stock trading machine on the bedside table.
"Okay. You can continue sleeping."
"I'm not going to sleep." She sat up in bed, the blanket slipped off, and she stretched. "I'm going to Yong Sheng."
Wang Jing called yesterday and said there are a few scenes that need additional dubbing in post-production, and asked me to come over today to take a look. I'll come to your company for lunch.
Lin Dong nodded, took his suit jacket from the hanger, draped it over his arm, and went out the door.
Tengda.
Zhang Baizhi was already seated in the secretary's seat.
Upon seeing Lin Donglai, she reflexively jumped up, hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Brother Dong..." her voice timid.
Lin Dong glanced at her, nodded, and smiled slightly.
Zhang Baizhi's shoulders instantly relaxed, and he was freed from his tense state. He walked around from behind the desk and followed him into the office.
As soon as the door closed, she started clinging to me.
"Dong-ge—you said last time you were arranging a role for me." She stood to the side of the desk, hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward. "The female lead. You remember?"
Lin Dong sat down in the chair, picked up the tea that Zhang Baizhi had prepared in advance, and took a sip.
He certainly didn't remember—that morning he had just casually reassured her and forgotten about it immediately. But there was no trace of it on his face.
"What's the rush?" He put down his teacup. "It's being arranged."
"That……"
Zhang Baizhi wanted to say something more, but Lin Dong interrupted her directly, "What promise have I made to you that I haven't kept?"
Zhang Baizhi blinked, the corners of his mouth slowly turning from aggrieved to sweet, like a cat whose fur had been stroked. His tone softened. "Then I won't rush you. Just don't forget, Dong-ge."
"Alright." Lin Dong gestured towards the door with his chin. "Go and call President Chen over."
She didn't get a definite answer, pouted, but still obediently turned around and left.
When Chen Xinjian pushed open the door, he was carrying his usual black-covered notebook. He sat down opposite Lin Dong, and without exchanging pleasantries, immediately opened the notebook.
"Mr. Lin, I have something to report—there's been progress on Fan Binbin's contract issue."
Lin Dong leaned back in his chair, gesturing for him to continue.
"Originally, Qiongyao Company insisted on a settlement of one million. But after a legal standoff with them for more than a week, they finally relented—they agreed to release the person in exchange for a one-time settlement of two hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars."
I consulted their legal representative beforehand, and they said that if we could accept this amount, all the procedures could be completed within a week.
He opened the folder, pulled out a fax, and placed it in front of Lin Dong. It was a reply from the other party indicating preliminary agreement.
"If we continue to press the issue, we may have to go to court. I've assessed the situation—we do have a strong case regarding the contract defects, and we're likely to win in court, but it will take at least three or four months to get a judgment."
"Two hundred thousand." Lin Dong's gaze lingered on the fax for a moment, then he pushed it back. "Give it to them. Get it done as soon as possible."
Chen Xinjian put pen to paper and wrote a line in his notebook: "Understood. I'll have the legal department issue a formal letter this afternoon."
Lin Dong nodded, then asked, "How are the scripts you've received lately?"
"There are many, please wait a moment!"
Chen Xinjian closed his notebook, picked up the internal phone and dialed a number. "I'll have my secretary send in the screening results."
Half a minute later, Chen Xinjian's secretary knocked on the door and came in, carrying a thick stack of documents.
She bowed slightly, placed the documents on Lin Dong's desk, and then quietly withdrew.
Chen Xinjian took the top bound document, opened it, and pushed it in front of Lin Dong.
"Mr. Lin, since the news was released last month, Tengda has received more than a thousand script projects."
Over 90% of them were poorly written imitations. The review department, after screening through numerous submissions, has selected 79 relatively mature works with a certain level of completion, suitable for direct project approval.
Lin Dong opened the file.
Each page is a brief introduction to a project, with a uniform format: project name, director, screenwriter, plot synopsis, budget, initial review comments, and reviewer's signature.
It is well-organized and easy to understand.
"Of the seventy-nine documents, I personally reviewed them again, and I think the first three are the best." Chen Xinjian pointed to the first three pages of the documents.
Lin Dong's gaze had already fallen on the first project.
Director: Alan Mak. Project Title: Undercover.
The plot synopsis is very short. It revolves around two men with misplaced identities: one works as an informant for a gang within the police force, while the other infiltrates the police force while working for the gang.
The story begins at the same police academy and ends on the same rooftop. It features two male protagonists, a highly symmetrical structure, and each plot point is like two sides of a mirror.
Lin Dong stared at those few lines of text for a long time.
Infernal Affairs. He silently repeated these three words to himself.
The budget column listed a figure: HK$30 million. The list of potential actors included two names: Andy Lau and Tony Leung.
"This," Lin Dong tapped his finger on the page of "Undercover," "explain in detail."
Chen Xinjian leaned forward slightly and spoke a few beats faster. "Mai Zhaohui, a new director who just became a full-fledged director at the beginning of the year. His film 'Chasing Murder for Twenty Years' was released in April, but the response was lukewarm."
He's had this project in mind for a long time—I heard from people in the industry that he started conceiving the script two years ago, approached Golden Harvest, and also contacted Win's Entertainment.
All the companies gave similar responses: the subject matter was too depressing, the dual male lead structure was too complex, and recouping the 30 million investment was too difficult. That's why it's been stalled until now, with no one taking the job.
He paused, then added, "They finally found us."
"Contact him." Lin Dong closed the file. "Have him come to the company. Tell him that Tengda can invest in this project, with full funding."
Just as Chen Xinjian was about to write it down, Lin Dong spoke again.
"But I have one condition. Sign a contract with Tenda for seven years."
Chen Xinjian's pen hovered on the paper before he drew a line. He looked up at Lin Dong, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Mr. Lin, there's no need to discuss this—he'll definitely agree. A new director, with a script that's been running for two years without success, suddenly someone is willing to fully invest in it and even offer to sign him—this isn't a condition, it's something he'd be more than happy to receive."
"Okay." Lin Dong pushed the documents back. "Arrange a meeting as soon as possible. I need to discuss the script with him in person."
Chen Xinjian wrote another line in his notebook and then closed it. Just as he was about to get up, Lin Dong spoke again.
"There's one more thing." Lin Dong leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table twice. "You just said there are suitable ones among the seventy-nine—pick one for Zhang Baizhi."
Chen Xinjian reopened the document, scrolled down a few lines on the table of contents, and then stopped.
"There is one. It's number five—director Yip Wai-shun, and the project is called 'Show Off in Tsim Sha Tsui'."
"Ye Weixin?" Lin Dong took the document, turned to that page, and muttered to himself.
The names sounded familiar: "SPL" and the "Ip Man" series. He suddenly remembered.
Chen Xinjian explained from the side: "This guy used to make ghost movies and a few low-budget action films. He had a tight budget but high production efficiency, but he was always stuck in B-movies. This project is for him to change his career path."
Lin Dong glanced at the plot summary and almost burst out laughing; it was clearly written for him.
Everyone in Hong Kong knew he was willing to spend money on women, so Yip Wai-shun directly tailored a project for him and sent it over.
The female lead's character is so clearly defined that it's almost as if the name "Li Jiaxin" is written in parentheses—her name is listed in the "budget" section under "prospective actors."
Very smart.
Lin Dong's gaze swept over the budget column. 700 million.
"He's the one." He pushed the documents back, his tone decisive. "Keep the budget down to five million."
Chen Xinjian wrote it down in his notebook.
Zhang Baizhi's current film salary is only around 200,000 yuan, which is 15 times less than Li Jiaxin's 3 million yuan.
Moreover, according to the contract, the company will take 70% of Zhang Baizhi's 200,000 yuan.
This is the commission rate for new clients.
"Tell him that the female lead has been changed to Zhang Baizhi, and the character has also been changed." Lin Dong picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Li Jiaxin is joining the cast of 'Love Dream Ship' next month, so she's not available."
Chen Xinjian made the last note in his notebook, closed it, and stood up. "Understood. I'll make the arrangements—I'll contact Mai Zhaohui this afternoon, and Ye Weixin will proceed simultaneously."
He bowed slightly, turned and left.