Chapter 149: Three Friends Pictures

Hollywood’s special-effects industry was renowned throughout the world, but that renown also meant staggering production costs.

For investors, the profits were on an entirely different scale if they could employ technology of their own.

Having himself risen from the ranks of investors, Yang Wancheng naturally paid particular attention to such matters.

Liu Qingshan had clearly chosen this as his opening because he had thought it through beforehand.

And the shrewd, calculating Mr. Yang immediately understood the reason.

So Liu Qingshan saw no need to beat around the bush. He came straight to the point. “I imagine you know about the production I’m currently working on. From the beginning until now, I’ve felt the pressure being brought to bear by the investors in the most direct way possible.”

Yang Wancheng chuckled. “I know about it. I even know who has been pulling strings behind the scenes.”

Just then, someone knocked on the door. A blonde beauty entered, brought them two glasses of red wine, and promptly turned to leave.

“This is Amelia, my personal secretary. If you ever need me and can’t get hold of me, you can call her directly.”

He then shifted the subject. “Have you heard of Three Friends Pictures in Hong Kong? They’re the principal investor in *Sha Po Lang*. On the surface, they have nothing to do with Qinghuang Pictures, but the Xiangdong Group behind them has a personal grudge against me over a woman. Of course, this so-called ‘stealing of a wife’ is merely their own interpretation. The truth is rather more complicated, and I can’t be bothered explaining it to them.”

Liu Qingshan immediately sensed that there was more to the story, but he did not pursue it. Instead, he directed the conversation back toward Three Friends Pictures.

“I don’t care what the Xiangdong Group is. Even if its market value exceeds a hundred billion, it has little to do with me. The people who offended me for no reason were from Three Friends Pictures. Yesterday, I asked Hung Dabao to pass a message to that investor: from now on, Snowy Domain Studio will refuse every project connected with them.”

“You really had Hung Dabao deliver that message? Had you never heard what kind of organization Three Friends Pictures was?”

“That was the first time I’d ever heard the name. Naturally, I knew nothing about them beforehand.”

“Then let me tell you. The name ‘Three Friends’ refers, quite literally, to three men. Their real names are Shang Xuemao, Guan Tongru, and He Wanqin. Very few people know their backgrounds. But each of them also has a nickname: Old Hat, Fat Wah, and Big Bull of Tai Po. Those three nicknames carry considerable weight in Hong Kong’s underworld.”

“So they’re all gangsters? And Three Friends Pictures has underworld connections?”

“You’re half right. Strictly speaking, they aren’t members of a gang, but they have extremely deep ties to organized crime. Three Friends Pictures does indeed have an underworld background—or, to put it another way, Old Hat, Fat Wah, and Big Bull of Tai Po are merely its spokesmen.”

“What connection do they have with the Xiangdong Group?”

“Xiangdong is one of Hong Kong’s old-established commercial powers. It may be nowhere near the hundred-billion capital you mentioned, but because it rose to prominence so early, the businesses under its umbrella are tangled together in a highly complex web. It’s perfectly normal for some of them to have become entangled with the criminal world.”

“Is Three Friends Pictures one of their major companies?”

“Not particularly. The Xiangdong Group owns four listed companies in Hong Kong, and Three Friends Pictures is merely a subsidiary directly under one of them.”

“All right. I admit that the Xiangdong Group is someone I can’t afford to provoke. But that doesn’t mean I can let people from Three Friends Pictures bully me as they please. I won’t regret the decision I made yesterday.”

“Actually, I agree with you. To tell you the truth, Three Friends Pictures’ criminal connections have led to countless sordid and shameful incidents in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. After Hong Kong’s return, they did rein themselves in and made efforts to clean up their image, but the damage they caused runs deep. Quite a number of petty people in the entertainment industry are still willing to follow their lead.”

“Forgive my bluntness, but did I happen to stumble onto something? Is Hung Dabao one of them?”

“You’re overthinking it. Hung Dabao is actually connected to Qinghuang Pictures. The reason he was able to speak with Three Friends Pictures was his own personal influence. And the fact that he didn’t reject your request outright yesterday was already a great favor to you.”

“Oh. So that’s how it was. It seems I’ll have to apologize to Brother Dabao in person later.”

“That won’t be necessary. If he was willing to help you, he naturally had his own reasons.”

“So does that mean organizations like Three Friends Pictures can’t really count on the support of the major stars?”

“What do you mean by ‘support’? If appearing in films financed by them counts as support, then every star in Hong Kong is supporting Three Friends Pictures! Shan, Hong Kong’s entertainment industry has its own historical reasons, but appearing in a film financed by someone doesn’t mean you belong to that person. This island is only so large. Going around in circles, it’s always the same people controlling the limited film and television resources. So a local star’s closeness to one power doesn’t mean they reject all the others. Do you understand?”

“I think I understand, at least a little.”

“That’s why the stars in Hong Kong have such a difficult time. One careless step, and they can fall into one of several tangled webs of relationships. So it truly wasn’t easy for Hung Dabao to agree to pass along your message. His standing in the underworld is the reason he isn’t afraid of threats from Three Friends Pictures.”

“So what you’re saying is…”

“I wouldn’t dare tell you what to do. Just follow your own judgment. But where Three Friends Pictures is concerned, I don’t think you need to worry too much. In the end, you’re from the mainland. Sometimes, charging across the river like a fierce dragon brings far greater rewards than struggling to adapt to a new environment—especially when you possess the strength to do so. Your future Snowy Domain Studio is a perfect example.”

He had done his best to avoid stating the matter too plainly, but Liu Qingshan could still sense what he meant.

Even so, he understood Yang Wancheng. The man had been born and raised here, after all, and suggesting that an outside force be brought in to deal with fellow Hong Kong businessmen was, in the end, not a very pleasant thing to say.

So Liu Qingshan promptly changed the subject. “I think we should watch that footage first. I haven’t seen it since it was filmed.”

Yang Wancheng burst out laughing again. “Who watches himself for pleasure? You’re awfully narcissistic.”

Though he said that, he still picked up the phone and called someone.

Only a few minutes later, the tall blonde Amelia appeared once more and invited them to a screening room on another floor.

Several people were already seated around a table there, waiting for them. When they saw Liu Qingshan, they all stood and introduced themselves.

There were four of them—three women and one man—all around forty years old. They were presumably department heads from Qinghuang Pictures’ publicity division.

After receiving Yang Wancheng’s approval, one of them rose, walked over, and switched on the professional projector.

The complete video lasted thirteen minutes and included several sequences in different costumes.

A little over seven minutes had been filmed in one final session to fill in the gaps. The rest consisted of scattered footage pieced together from the production.

To be honest, Liu Qingshan found it somewhat amusing to watch himself now. At the time, he had only just begun learning and could hardly be said to have attained any real level of mastery.

Yet even that performance represented an exceptionally high standard in the martial-arts world of the present day. At least, in the eyes of the stunt performers who had watched it, it demonstrated a terrifying degree of skill.

Hung Dabao was among them. It was precisely through this footage that he had come to regard Liu Qingshan with such profound respect.