*Chapter 198: A Surprise at the Party*

Wayne had reached a level of wealth where he could easily buy the rights to remake a film himself, or even persuade Jin Yong to retract his own rights to remake it. Even when it came to connections within the government, Wayne had more than enough ways to get things done.

Wasn’t it clear? The vice presidents of two major academies, as well as Zhang Yimou and Han Sanping, were all there to support Wayne.

Wayne didn’t even have to offer much—just a promise to prioritize students from the two academies in future TV drama productions, and a little help in securing better deals for Chinese films when selling overseas rights or getting them released in North America. This was enough to get all four of them fully on board.

These four had networks within the government just as strong, if not stronger than Wayne's. Wayne’s gracious invitation to negotiate and the huge profits he offered were already a sign of respect.

Zhang Jizhong, though old, could see this clearly.

So, with Zhang Yimou and the others openly supporting Wayne and helping to persuade him, Zhang Jizhong quickly agreed.

When Wayne suggested signing for three projects at once, which also eliminated Zhang's concerns about future investments if the project lost money, Zhang generously handed over the casting rights for the main supporting roles as well.

After all, casting rights and veto power are essentially the same thing.

"This guy really is all about making money," Wayne thought to himself, shaking his head.

But that’s exactly the kind of person Wayne liked to work with.

After his conversation with Zhang Jizhong, Wayne approached Wong Jing.

Although Wong Jing wasn’t exactly a fan-favorite director and his reputation wasn’t stellar among audiences, he was one of the most sought-after directors for investors.

He was the type who would deliver exactly what he was paid for, and quickly. His projects might not make a fortune, but they rarely lost money.

That was a rare and valuable trait for a director.

Convincing Wong Jing to direct a project was much easier than negotiating with Zhang Jizhong.

Before Wayne could even bring in big names like Jackie Chan or Sammo Hung to weigh in, Wong Jing was already all smiles, ready to agree.

Wayne didn’t bother arranging the specifics. Wong Jing was not only a director and producer, but also a talented screenwriter. Many of his films began with just a rough outline, and he’d fill in the script as he shot the film.

Besides, if Wong Jing couldn’t handle it, he could always find others to help. Hong Kong and Mainland China were never short on good scripts or talented screenwriters.

Wayne’s only job was to provide the money and offer a general direction for the script—martial arts, Ming Dynasty setting, a focus on combat and intrigue, with a dark tone.

Then he’d tell Wong Jing who the lead actors would be.

After that, it was up to Wong Jing to deliver a script that would satisfy Wayne.

If Wong Jing couldn’t come up with a satisfactory script within the given timeframe, he would face a hefty penalty.

If he couldn’t finish the film on time or if the quality was poor, there would be further penalties.

It might seem like harsh terms, but Wong Jing had lived through the 1980s and 90s in Hong Kong when gangsters would threaten filmmakers at gunpoint and only pay them a few thousand Hong Kong dollars for their work.

Compared to that, Wayne’s terms seemed like nothing.

Wong Jing trusted that Wayne wouldn’t mistreat him, especially given the sheer size and influence of Wayne and the Hearst Corporation.

After confirming with Sammo Hung and Jet Li that Wayne really was as rich and extravagant as he appeared, Wong Jing was highly motivated.

With his pace, cranking out four or five films a year wouldn’t be a problem, right? Even if he only made four, that would still be $2 million.

In an era when money still held considerable value, this was no small sum.

To put it in perspective, Aaron Kwok made about 40 million Hong Kong dollars last year from films, albums, concerts, and endorsements combined. After splitting with his management company, he was left with around 20 million HKD.

Wong Jing, as a director, couldn’t match Aaron Kwok’s ability to release albums, hold 22 concerts a year, or land endorsement deals.

For Wong Jing, earning $2 million a year was the kind of thing that could make him laugh in his sleep! At this time, that kind of money could buy you over a dozen two-bedroom apartments in a non-core area of Hong Kong. Even in a place like Taikoo Shing, it could buy three 100-square-meter units.

"After the party, I’ll have Mani contact you."

"Sounds good, sounds good. I won’t keep you any longer."

Wong Jing smiled so broadly his round face looked like a blooming flower, and he practically floated as he walked away, feeling like he had shed dozens of pounds.

Afterward, Wayne, accompanied by Jet Li and Jackie Chan, went to greet the Four Heavenly Kings.

Although the Four Heavenly Kings weren’t even in the top 20 in terms of star power among the guests today, they had flown in from Hong Kong just for this event.

In addition to the Four Kings, other Hong Kong male stars like Tony Leung, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Eric Tsang, and Sean Lau were present.

The only regret was that Stephen Chow didn’t attend.

As for the female stars, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, and Brigitte Lin were there.

Although Wayne’s favorites, Joey Wong and Chingmy Yau, weren’t present, he wasn’t too disappointed with Liz Lee and Christy Chung around.

The most crucial point was that both women were in a good position—one was single, and the other, though married, was preparing for a divorce. Both were happy to join him for coffee after the party.

One had to admit, when it came to certain things, Hong Kong’s entertainment scene wasn’t necessarily any less wild than Hollywood.

Afterward, Wayne went to greet other guests, and by the time he had finished making his rounds, more than an hour had passed.

Although the wine and champagne at this party weren't very strong, after such a long time, everyone, especially the students, had gradually started to relax.

More and more people, encouraged by their teachers or friends, began to take the initiative. Some smooth talkers had even started chatting and laughing with the industry "big shots" with the help of their teachers.

As for those who couldn't let loose because their teachers were around, it was clear they weren't cut out for the entertainment industry.

"Hello, Mr. Wayne, I'm Yang Rui from the class of '99 at the Film Academy."

Quite a few confident or well-connected individuals, like Yang Rui, began approaching Wayne.

Yang Rui wasn't actually an undergraduate student at the Film Academy but rather from the vocational track.

Although the '99 class of undergraduates boasted future stars like Yao Chen, Du Chun, Yu Bo, and Huang Xiaolei, at that point, the one who was doing the best was Yang Rui, who would eventually fade from the spotlight.

Yang Rui was incredibly sweet and cute when she was young.

Thanks to this, she had been chosen by director Li An in her first year to play Zhang Ziyi’s personal maid in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Even though it was a minor role, for a new actress, it was an impressive start.

She soon went on to play the lead in a romance-family drama co-produced by CCTV and Tianjin People's Arts Theatre.

Though the drama didn’t make much of a splash in an era dominated by martial arts dramas, she still played the lead role in a CCTV-produced drama!

With that on her résumé, along with her stunning looks and charisma, she quickly caught the eye of director Wong Jing. This year, she was cast as Song Tian'er in The New Adventures of Chor Lau-heung, starring Richie Jen and Anita Yuen.

Although her role was a supporting one, she got to act alongside Richie Jen, who was at the height of his fame.

Additionally, she was cast by Zhang Jizhong to play Zhong Ling in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and Lu Wushuang in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

In her few years at school, she had some of the best opportunities, second only to Liu Tianxian, who enrolled in 2002.

However, what made her rise to fame also led to her downfall. Her roles all relied on her sweet, youthful appearance. By the time she hit 26 or 27 and could no longer play the cute, sweet young girl, her opportunities began to fade.

Perhaps due to the unusual makeup and styling in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Wayne preferred her performance as Song Tian'er.

Compared to Yang Rui, though, Wayne was more interested in the bold approaches of Yao Chen, Huang Xiaolei, Dong Xuan, and especially Tang Wei and Zhang Jingchu from the Drama Academy.

"I think Tang Wei has a great look and vibe. If she's interested, she can join Lighthouse Entertainment," Wayne said after exchanging pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

This stunned Tang Wei, her two classmates, and the two vice presidents of the academies present.

After all, quite a few people had greeted Wayne, not even counting those who were already famous or looking to switch to Lighthouse Entertainment. Just between the two academies, more than 20 students had come by.

Yet this was the first time Wayne had singled someone out and invited them to join Lighthouse.

It took several seconds for everyone to recover, and then their expressions varied.

Tang Wei herself was both surprised and disbelieving. Her two classmates were shocked and envious, while the vice president of the Drama Academy was delighted and proud.

As for the vice president of the Film Academy, he was understandably a bit jealous.

After all, the two academies had always been rivals.

"Can I really?" Tang Wei stammered, barely able to speak.

Before this, she had only played a small role in one drama with hardly any screen time. The agency she had signed with was small and obscure, with just seven or eight artists, and she was the most well-known among them.

So, she hadn’t expected such a huge opportunity to suddenly land in her lap.

"Of course. If you're interested, you can meet with Ho Wenxi after the party to sign. If you're already under contract, as long as the penalty is under $200,000, Lighthouse Entertainment will cover it," Wayne replied with a smile.

His casual mention of $200,000 wasn’t just shocking to a student like Tang Wei; even the two vice presidents couldn’t help but gasp.

Although $200,000 might not seem like a lot, keep in mind that Tang Wei was just an ordinary student with no fame to speak of.

"No wonder Hollywood companies are so generous!"

"I’ve heard that even though his Hemera Pictures hasn’t gone public, it’s already valued at over a billion dollars."

The two vice presidents exchanged glances, unable to hide their envy.

Tang Wei, now fully realizing what had happened, eagerly accepted the offer.

Seeing this, Wayne smiled in satisfaction.

Tang Wei wasn’t the type to stun people at first glance, but she had an enduring charm, a unique presence, and could handle both period and modern roles. Her acting skills were among the best in her age group.

Most importantly, she had longevity.

Even in Wayne's past life, when she was over 40, she looked just as good as actresses like Liu Tianxian and Zhao Xiaoying, who were eight or nine years younger. Playing characters in their 30s didn’t seem out of place at all.

That kind of longevity was rare.

However, the biggest surprise at the party for Wayne was yet to come.

"Mr. Wayne, this is my girlfriend, Wang Fei, and her friend, Gao Yuanyuan."

When Wayne saw Nicholas Tse introducing Wang Fei and Gao Yuanyuan, he raised an eyebrow.

Wang Fei was fine, but perhaps because of her age, Wayne wasn’t particularly interested. Gao Yuanyuan, on the other hand, was a different story.

After all, she was consistently a finalist in Tiger Hoop's "Goddess" rankings!

Of course, at this time, she was more of a young beauty.

Gao Yuanyuan looked less mature and seductive than she would later on, but her fresh, energetic appearance was still captivating.

She was even more beautiful in person than on TV.

No wonder she managed to remain popular despite being involved in multiple love scandals, including dating a director seven years her senior at just 18.

Her charm seemed to override any negative perceptions.

However, she wasn’t the kind of scheming villainess often seen in dramas. She was simply someone with a "love-at-first-sight" mentality.

A romantic at heart, even more so than Nazha.

As long as she felt a connection with someone, she’d go for it, regardless of whether the person had a girlfriend or even a wife. She pursued her feelings like a moth to a flame.

"Hello, Mr. Wayne, I’m Wang Fei."

"Hi, I’m Gao Yuanyuan."

Gao Yuanyuan, clearly nervous, was fidgeting with her fingers, her pale face slightly flushed. She made an effort to look up at Wayne, her eyes burning with an intensity that was different from most people upon meeting him. Yet Wayne found it familiar.

Women who had shared coffee with him tended to look at him the same way afterward.

(End of chapter)