Chapter 169 Good Grief, A Heavenly King

Vivian Chow's final stop on her tour was Kaohsiung. Yan Xu did not follow her this time. Although the two had not yet fully restored their previous intimacy, Vivian no longer rejected Yan Xu's basic care and concern, and at times even chatted with him casually.

This already achieved Yan Xu's goal. He knew that staying any longer would not yield significant results. After all, Vivian was surrounded not only by her company's staff members but also by many local event organizers, making it impossible for Yan Xu and her to spend extended periods together. Furthermore, her rehearsals before the performances were tightly scheduled, leaving Yan Xu with no choice but to watch from the sidelines without even a chance to chime in.

Of course, besides this, there were other matters that prevented Yan Xu from staying by Vivian's side for long. On the very evening of his return, he had to attend the premiere of Jackie Chan and Alan Tam's *The Protector*. He was, after all, the screenwriter of the film and a good friend of the leading actors, though this time he would be attending entirely alone, with no beautiful companion by his side.

On the very next day after the release of *The Protector*, Sammo Hung's new film, *Millionaire's Express*, was also scheduled to hit the screens. Given Sammo Hung's immense prestige, everyone scrambled to attend his premiere, especially since Yan Xu had made a cameo appearance in the movie.

"You're finally back! You must have had a blast taking such a long vacation. How did things go with Ah-Min?" As soon as Yan Xu stepped into his office and before he had even warmed his seat, Fatty Wang pushed open the door and dropped heavily onto the sofa in front of him. Knowing nothing of the recent friction between Yan Xu and Vivian, Fatty Wang simply assumed that Yan Xu had grown tired from filming, wanted to take a break, and used the holiday to enjoy some intimate time with his girlfriend.

"It was all right," Yan Xu muttered evasively. He certainly did not want the details of his falling out with Vivian to become common knowledge, so he quickly changed the subject. "I heard you've been living quite the high life lately, attending all sorts of banquets."

Thanks to the success of his new film, Fatty Wang had recently made quite a name for himself in the industry. Capitalizing on his status as a director, he found himself surrounded by an increasing number of pretty young starlets, and naturally, plenty of romantic escapades followed.

"Hehe, just so-so!" Fatty Wang chuckled, his small eyes narrowing with a lecherous glint.

"You need to pace yourself and make sure those women don't drain you completely," Yan Xu said, looking at the rather smug Fatty Wang. Along with his advice came a trace of envy; despite his unremarkable looks and stout figure, Wang managed to keep his domestic life peaceful while still keeping a colorful flock of romantic interests fluttering around him.

"How could that be? I am a man of absolute chastity and virtue. I would never waste my vital essence so casually," Fatty Wang declared with an innocent expression.

"Damn it, I'd believe the sun rises in the west before I believe that. At the rate you're going, you're going to wear yourself down to a needle before long," Yan Xu said with a laugh.

"You're the one who's worn down to a needle! I've actually been busy working on a new script lately. The reason I came to see you is precisely because of this draft," Wang said, pulling a stack of wrinkled, stapled pages from his coat pocket.

"You wrote a new script?" Seeing Wang produce a fresh script so quickly, Yan Xu felt both surprised and unsurprised.

He was surprised because Wang was currently surrounded by beauties, making it remarkable that he could carve out time to write a new script at all. Yet it felt entirely unsurprised given Wang's reputation as a speed writer; he was famous for his efficiency, capable of writing and directing multiple movies in a single year.

"The Magic Crystal." Yan Xu took the script handed over by Fatty Wang. The handwriting was messy and varied in size, but it was just legible enough to read.

The entire storyline was quite simple: a young boy comes into possession of a magical stone and finds himself hunted by evil Soviet secret agents. As it turns out, the stone is actually an alien supercomputer capable of helping an injured extraterrestrial return to its home planet. The boy's uncle, an adventurer, comes to his aid. Together, they triumph in the battle between good and evil, and the alien is successfully sent back into space.

Wasn't this precisely Wang Jing's film *The Magic Crystal*? Looking at the familiar plot—though still incomplete in many areas, the overall framework was clearly visible—he calculated that the time had indeed arrived for this work to be born. It was a movie heavily influenced by trendy sci-fi themes, featuring no major superstar heavyweights yet suitable for audiences of all ages. Back in the day, it had grossed over ten million at the box office. Moreover, although a portion of it required filming overseas, the low salaries of the cast kept the production budget relatively modest.

"So, what do you think? Can we greenlight this project?" Wang Jing asked nervously as he watched Yan Xu finish reading the script.

"This film has potential. It has the heartwarming feel of *E.T.*, the adventurous style of *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, combined with some local Hong Kong elements. It should appeal to audiences of all ages. If we go ahead with this, what are your requirements regarding the cast and budget?"

Yan Xu looked at Wang Jing. Although this film was destined not to rake in as much money as *The Romancing Star* or *A Better Tomorrow*, every little bit counted. As long as a movie could turn a profit, the company could produce it. Besides, if handled properly, the profit margins here would surely make many small film production companies green with envy.

Hearing Yan Xu's words, Wang Jing knew his movie had a solid chance. As for the budget and the cast, they had already taken shape in his mind while he was writing the script.

"For the protagonist, I plan to cast Chang Pei-pei's son, Xiaobin. He is currently the most famous child star, and after being tempered through so many films, his acting skills are unquestionable. Many children and elderly folks adore him, which will help draw in a certain demographic."

In this movie, the child character was unquestionably the central lead, making the choice of a suitable child star crucial. He needed to be both cute and quick-witted, and young Xiaobin possessed both qualities. Furthermore, he was the original lead of this film in his memories, and Yan Xu deeply approved of his acting abilities.

"For the role of the uncle, either Natalis Chan or Eric Tsang would be suitable; it's a comedic part, and I need to check which of them has an open schedule. For the Soviet secret agent, I plan to use Richard Norton. I've already inquired, and he just finished filming *Millionaire's Express*, so his schedule is wide open. As for the Interpol officer, let's use Terry Kwan. Don't you think highly of him? The Blue Jeans album is almost finished recording, so this will be a good opportunity for him to gain some experience through this film. Sharon's role can be played by Lily Chiang; among the female employees in our company, she is the most suitable."

"What about the Falcon and the female Interpol officer?" Wang Jing's cast list closely matched the actors in Yan Xu's memory, though there were some adjustments, prioritizing actors from Dragon Clan Artist Management. Aside from young Xiaobin, the Falcon and the female Interpol were also crucial roles, hence Yan Xu's concern.

"For the Falcon, I plan to use Andy Lau from TVB. He's one of TVB's Five Tiger Generals, has a great image, and solid acting skills." Though slightly earlier than in history, Wang Jing's choice of actor remained unchanged.

"Andy Lau?" Unlike later years when even the smallest incident involving him would spark overwhelming media coverage, in the current entertainment landscape, those three characters were not only lacking in fame but were also gradually fading from prominence. Having been here for over a year, Yan Xu had only heard that name a limited number of times; he had almost forgotten this future Heavenly King.

"Yes, exactly him." Wang Jing nodded.

"Even though he hasn't been seen on screen for a while and has been frozen by TVB, he still commands a certain audience base. His roles in *The Return of the Condor Heroes* and *The Duke of Mount Deer* achieved very high ratings. Besides, I know a thing or two about him; he is a man who knows how to be grateful and treats his friends well. His falling out with TVB this time is entirely because their contract terms were simply too outrageous. Another point is that he is extremely diligent and grounded. Nowadays, people in the industry are far too slick and spend their days daydreaming; it's rare to find someone as grounded as him. Most importantly, his contract with TVB is coming to an end soon, and our company is currently lacking in various areas. We can take this opportunity to bring him on board."

Wang Jing looked at Yan Xu. While this chubby director could be somewhat lecherous, his eye for talent was remarkably sharp. One could not deny that Wang Jing played a heavy role on the road to Andy Lau's stardom; just in the 1980s and 1990s alone, Andy Lau collaborated with him no less than twenty times.

"Since you think he's suitable, bring him to the company for a meeting." Yan Xu had no intention of letting slip a future Heavenly King. In just a few years, the banner of the Four Heavenly Kings would be raised, and pulling him into his own company would be an absolute windfall.

Although his own company was steadily growing, it still lacked depth in the talent pool of actors. Among the female leads, only Vivian Chow and Rosamund Kwan were truly bankable. While Joey Wong had shown some interest, the complications between her and him had left everything up in the air.

As for male actors, Chow Yun-fat was about to soar to new heights, and the scale of the films he would take on next would elevate to another tier. Meanwhile, Ng Man-tat's roles remained restricted due to his physical image. For small and medium-budget productions, they had to rely on actors from other companies. While artists like Frankie Ng, Sean Lau, Eric Kei, Alex Lam, and Eric Kot still needed more seasoning, the addition of Andy Lau would bridge the talent gap within his own company.

"What about that female police officer? You haven't said who you plan to cast yet," Yan Xu asked again.

The smile on Wang Jing's face grew increasingly lewd. Pausing slightly, he replied, "For the female officer, I plan to cast Cynthia Rothrock."

"Her?" Yan Xu looked at Wang Jing. Just moments ago, he had been quietly wondering why the script gave the female officer significantly more screen time; now, the reason was glaringly obvious.

"No wonder you were so enthusiastic about coming up with a new script—you had ulterior motives all along! You really pull out all the stops and use every trick in the book when it comes to chasing women," Yan Xu teased with a chuckle.