Chapter 144: The Enchanting Lady Begins Filming

"You guys in the film industry really make the money. Just one trip out and you’ve raked in another seven million," Ji Mao said, a hint of envy in his voice. "Over here, we work ourselves to the bone, risking our lives, and after two months, we’re lucky to have a surplus of a hundred thousand."

Despite his envy, Ji Mao didn't take the slip of paper. Instead, he pushed it back toward Yan Xu.

"I can't take this money. You’re the one who made the film, and I didn't contribute anything. The share of the Hong Kong box office you already gave me is more than enough, and I’m not short on cash right now," Ji Mao said. He had withdrawn about two or three million from the 'Hundred Battles' fund, and combined with the local box office cut Yan Xu had given him, he currently had over seven million in hand.

"How can that be? You still have so many underlings to support, and it was already agreed that this money belongs to you."

"I never expected it to be this much. Honestly, the five million from the Hong Kong box office was plenty. Money is enough as long as it covers your needs. If I have any more, I’m afraid I’ll lose the motivation to keep moving forward and end up just like Big Brother." Ji Mao continued.

Mentioning Baldy Qiang made Yan Xu fall silent. Baldy Qiang was dead, and the three brothers were now scattered to the winds. So much had happened recently that he didn't even know how Gui Dong was faring in the United States.

"Didn't you say you wanted to open a bar? How is that going?" After a long while, Yan Xu broke the heavy silence.

"Still no leads. There are more and more bars around here. Even though I don't have to pay protection money for my own place, the effort required is immense, and the profits aren't particularly impressive." Ji Mao shook his head. He had hired professional consultants, and the results they gave him weren't satisfying.

"If the profit margins for a bar aren't great, then don't open a bar. Start a nightclub," Yan Xu said after a moment of contemplation. Bars were small-time; nightclubs were the way to go.

"A nightclub?" Ji Mao looked at Yan Xu. A nightclub was several leagues above a bar in terms of scale.

"Exactly. A nightclub, and it has to be a high-end one." Yan Xu nodded. While Hong Kong already had numerous nightclubs that were packed to the rafters, they all lacked one thing: sophistication. During his time as an assistant director, he had frequented many high-end clubs with directors and producers. Especially the membership-only ones—though they didn't have many patrons, the profits were several times, even dozens of times, higher than regular clubs. The same girls who might charge a few hundred or a thousand for an overnight stay at a regular club would charge in the tens of thousands at these places. Such clubs sold glamour, an experience, and an atmosphere.

Yan Xu spoke at length, sharing his experiences and the novel ideas he’d seen at high-end clubs with Ji Mao—membership systems, "choosing the concubine," and more—leaving Ji Mao wide-eyed with astonishment.

"If there were a club like that, I’d rather stay inside it every single day," Ji Mao said, clicking his tongue. "I don't know how you come up with these things. 'Choosing the concubine'—and you even want to package them into 'uniform temptations' based on different professions? By your logic, even those old hens on the street who struggle to find customers could be turned into 'charming, mature temptations'."

"Of course. To run a nightclub, you must understand a man's tastes. As a man, it's true we like young, pretty girls, but deep down, every man has hidden desires. The wealthier they are, the more bizarre, unexpected quirks they have. Once they grow bored of typical pretty women, they seek out stimulation—bondage, whipping, fetishes—the list goes on. And a man’s first love is the most unforgettable; for most, it happens during school days. If you find some girls with baby faces, dress them in school uniforms, and have them play the role of 'loli,' it will absolutely captivate them. Freud said every man has an Oedipus complex. As one ages, the object of this complex shifts to teachers, neighbors, or supervisors, eventually replaced by peers. But every man goes through this process, and it leaves a deep mark. Mature women are the best comfort for this complex. Those old hens you mentioned would work too, provided they receive training to become teachers, housewives, or any mature archetype that stirs a man’s desire."

"Also, even though it's a nightclub, we can't call it that—it's too tacky. We’ll call it a 'Club'."

"If I follow your plan, such a club would bankrupt me," Ji Mao said, clicking his tongue again. Even if he could rent the location, the interior decoration and other costs would be astronomical.

"That's why you need to take this check. Just give me and Gui Dong a ten-percent equity stake each in your club." A project like this wouldn't be possible without ten million. Even though Ji Mao had over seven million, he needed to keep two million for operating capital, leaving him short by nearly half.

***

The location for the outdoor shoot of *A Chinese Ghost Story* was chosen on Lantau Island. Compared to Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, the environment and vegetation there were the best preserved. Plus, it was connected to Kowloon by a cross-sea highway, making transportation relatively convenient.

Lan Ruo Temple was built in a deserted village at East Dog-Tooth Ridge. The village was small, consisting of only a dozen houses. Because it had been abandoned for so long, all that remained were crumbling walls. The only structure still relatively intact was the ancestral hall shaded by several towering trees at the east end of the village. Though it was covered in spiderwebs and the roof tiles were ragged, exposing yellow mud and straw, beams of light shone through the holes, causing weeds to grow vigorously inside. This very decay was perfect for the film. After minor renovations, a desolate, dilapidated temple emerged.

As for the other ruined houses in the village, the set designers didn't let them go to waste. With some yellow mud, straw, broken doors, bamboo-supported old fabric, and weathered furniture found elsewhere, a small marketplace was formed. Once the extras arrived, it would undoubtedly look like an ancient bazaar.

Choosing such an inconvenient location for the crew offered more than just savings on set construction; not far from the village was the Shek Pik Reservoir. As one of Hong Kong's three major reservoirs, it resembled a beautiful sapphire, connecting the peaks of Dog-Tooth Ridge, Lantau Peak, and others—perfect for filming lakeside scenes.

Negotiations with TVB went exactly as Yan Xu had expected: not only was the door closed, but the windows were sealed shut as well. Yan Xu had no choice but to decide to play the lead role himself. Cheng Xiaodong, who became the martial arts director, took on the additional title of assistant director. Stanley Tong, who had also joined Dragon Clan Films, served as the other assistant director, as he and Yan Xu had collaborated quite well on their previous project.

They had been filming for several days, though none of the scenes were major—mostly simple shots of Ning Caichen carrying his bamboo basket, eating buns in the wilderness, or hiding from the rain under a canopy with the swordsman Xia Hou. Today’s two scenes, however, were pivotal: the first was the initial meeting between Ning Caichen and Xiao Qian by the pavilion, where she uses every trick to seduce him; the second involved horses borrowed from the Jockey Club, which were quite expensive for the day, making these shots crucial. To film the riding scenes well, Yan Xu had even spent a few days at a stable learning from a professional instructor.

This was the first time Yan Xu and Joey Wong were acting together. Although Joey Wong had scenes over the past few days, they were either solo shots or interactions with others, including the seductive scenes with a scholar—though for close-ups, a body double was used for the more intimate moments.

"Brother Xu, I'm ready," Joey Wong said after finishing her makeup, walking toward Yan Xu, who had just finished his. Over the past few days, Yan Xu had been very considerate, making her feel much less like a stranger than when they first met, and her address for him had shifted from "Young Master Yan" or "Director" to "Brother Xu."

"Not bad!" Yan Xu looked her up and down, nodding slightly with a calm expression, though his heart was surging with excitement.

Joey Wong wore light makeup, her long hair pinned into a bun, and she was dressed in a long white gauze gown. Little bells were wrapped around her fair, delicate ankles. She looked like a fairy descended from heaven. Her delicate feet, in particular, would have many close-ups throughout the film, serving as a subtle, pervasive hint that threaded through important parts of the plot.

Even though he had seen her in this outfit more than once over the last few days, every time Yan Xu looked at her, he felt a jolt of astonishment from the bottom of his heart. Thinking about the intimacy required for the upcoming scenes made his heart pound like a schoolboy's.

"Attention everyone, Action!" Following Stanley Tong's command, the filming began. Because movies aren't shot in chronological order, they were filming fragmented pieces to be edited together later. To save time, Cheng Xiaodong was leading another unit to film martial arts scenes and individual shots. Yan Xu didn't need to worry about the action sequences, as he knew Cheng Xiaodong was fully capable of handling them.