"Da Wei, this is the mainland, not that Hong Kong full of triads. If triads dare to cause trouble in the mainland, they'll probably all end up dead here."
Before Xu Yuejin could speak, Xiong Hai, standing beside him, chuckled and responded.
Chen Dawei frowned as he looked at the calm water surface and said, "But these past few days, I've been feeling uneasy, as if something is about to happen.
Xiong Xiong, you know my intuition is usually spot on."
Xiong Hai, who had intended to comfort him, was momentarily speechless.
It was true, whenever they were together, Da Wei's intuition had never been wrong.
Chen Dawei turned his gaze to Xu Yuejin, who was engrossed in fishing, and asked again, "Old Xu, is this place we're staying safe?"
"This place is definitely secure. A local big shot helped us find it, don't worry."
"We've been hiding in the countryside for almost half a month. Doesn't the big boss have any arrangements?"
Xu Yuejin, his mind still on fishing, shook his head and chuckled, "The big boss only handles business matters; he doesn't concern himself with messy societal issues. So, the boss hasn't made any arrangements after the movie was released."
Hearing this reply, Chen Dawei furrowed his brows again, saying with a hint of worry, "If the big boss has no special arrangements, what should we do if triad members come looking for us?"
At these words, even the usually relaxed Xiong Hai tensed up.
Xu Yuejin turned to look at the two of them. He didn't speak immediately, but after a few seconds, he asked, "After Old Yang and the other two left, what's your current basic salary?"
"Fifty thousand!"
"Company shares?"
"Five percent."
Chen Dawei and Xiong Hai answered in unison.
"The box office for 'The House of the Disappearing Ghost' is now close to eight hundred million. After splitting with the cinemas and paying taxes, there will still be three to four hundred million left.
For the two of you, your five percent share dividend, based on a three hundred million box office, amounts to one million five hundred thousand.
However, this one million five hundred thousand dividend is snatched from the mouths of those triads who have been eyeing Gao Yue Film and Television, coveting the box office share for a long time.
Therefore, to secure this one million five hundred thousand dividend, you must be prepared for an eventual confrontation with Hong Kong triads."
Xu Yuejin's words struck a chord with Chen Dawei and Xiong Hai.
The moment they chose to stay, not returning to the capital, and received five percent shares, they understood that their shares were akin to a severance package.
But Xu Yuejin's bluntness, stripping away the pretense, left them feeling a chill, even though they had been mentally prepared.
After all, they were not facing ordinary thugs, but organized, disciplined triads numbering over ten thousand in Hong Kong.
Xu Yuejin's words cast a slight pall over the courtyard.
Xiong Hai, the first to recover, took a deep breath and chuckled to himself, "When we joined Gao Yue Film and Television, we were already the boss's pawns, meant to ward off harassment from those triads.
Old Xu is right. Holding five percent shares in the company means I'm snatching food from the mouths of triads, with risks and rewards going hand in hand.
There's really nothing to be afraid of. If I missed this opportunity, I might have remained a driver my whole life, never able to become a notable figure."
Chen Dawei opened his mouth to speak but eventually agreed with Xiong Xiong's sentiment with a wry smile.
Indeed, there was only one chance. As long as they survived, with these five percent shares and the big boss's backing, they could soar to prosperity.
"Alright, the triads haven't come knocking yet, so don't put too much pressure on yourselves. Stay calm."
Xu Yuejin, having weathered greater storms, was far calmer than the two of them. He waved his hand and said, "Da Wei, go buy some alcohol, Xiong Xiong, get the fire started. Let's have a backyard barbecue today. Tonight, I'll take you two into town for a treat."
"Got it!"
Composing themselves, Chen Dawei and Xiong Hai went their separate ways, one tending to the fire, the other heading out to buy drinks.
With his back to the house, sitting by the fishpond, Xu Yuejin frequently glanced at his phone, his expression shifting between worry and determination.
...
Long Yu Hot Spring Resort.
Inside Villa Number Six, close to the coast.
"Fei Ge, Boss Gao, I genuinely have no celebrity friends left to invite now. Everyone is privately saying that if we cooperate on box office numbers, some celebrities might come, but they'll demand appearance fees."
Wang He, facing Gao Fei, who had unexpectedly arrived at the resort, expressed his helplessness. He had clearly stated that he could no longer invite celebrity friends.
The sudden surge in the box office of "The House of the Disappearing Ghost" not only made it difficult for Young Master Wang to invite celebrity friends but also caused the few celebrities he had invited previously to covertly or overtly demand favors.
Qiao Sisi, by Wang He's side, found herself in a similar predicament. She could no longer invite close celebrity friends.
Even with considerable effort, whenever interests were involved, the companies and agents behind these celebrity friends would negotiate appearance fees.
"Little Fei, Old Wang and I have basically been squeezed dry by you. Find someone else to fleece,"
Qiao Sisi spread her hands in resignation, indicating her inability to help further.
Seeing their hesitant refusal, Gao Fei coughed awkwardly.
During their private talk in the villa earlier, it was he who proposed inviting celebrity friends, then publicly announcing their itineraries to attract mainland fans to Hong Kong, and then taking them to cinemas to watch the movie, thereby boosting the box office for "The House of the Disappearing Ghost."
He knew that this plan would eventually be discovered.
Stopping now would dispel any lingering suspicions.
Therefore, his visit today was not only to discuss their mutual interests but also to arrange how they would quell media speculation about their box office collusion.
After Gao Fei stated his intentions, Wang He and Qiao Sisi had no significant disputes regarding the profits.
After all, Gao Fei was covering all their expenses for food, lodging, and entertainment during their stay in Hong Kong.
As long as the box office dividends did not fall below their minimum expectations, the exact amount was secondary.
Regarding how to deal with the gossip media spreading rumors of their collusion in boosting box office numbers, Wang He and Qiao Sisi were quite experienced.
They assured Gao Fei not to worry, as they had their ways of handling such media and dispelling netizens' doubts.
"Little Fei, didn't you mention earlier that this movie was going to be banned in Hong Kong? When are you planning to shift your battlefield?"
With all matters settled, Wang He brought up the topic of the film's international distribution.
"Soon, probably by the end of the month."
"Which cinema chains are you planning to partner with?"
"For now, we won't be cooperating with mainland and Hong Kong cinema chains. As you both know, the more cinema chains involved, the more the pie needs to be divided. I've already established some connections, and Jin Jie is currently finding people to negotiate on my behalf."
Hearing Gao Fei's response, Wang He, who had hoped to get a slice of the overseas cinema pie, reluctantly dropped the subject.
Besides the mainland market, Vanke Hotel and Cinema business had already expanded to various Asian countries in recent years.
If "The House of the Disappearing Ghost" could secure a long run, with a bit of promotion, it would undoubtedly bring significant benefits to the Vanke Group.
Gao Fei, seeing through Wang He's calculations, painted a rosy picture: "This film represents Gao Yue Film and Television's first shot at entering various Asian countries.
As long as Gao Yue Film and Television builds a reputation in other countries, I will definitely prioritize Vanke for future films."
"Alright, I'll remember that."
After the basic matters were discussed, Wang He and Qiao Sisi were ready to depart.
After parting ways at the villa entrance, Gao Fei discreetly left in Qin Yu's car.
Young Master Wang and Miss Qiao, accompanied by their assistants and secretaries, headed to the airport, preparing to return to the capital.
As they reached the airport, they received bank deposit notifications on their phones.
Looking at the eight-figure sum credited to their accounts, Wang He chuckled, "Our Big Fei brother is truly generous. This trip to Hong Kong, apart from travel expenses, he covered all our meals and drinks, and even gave us some pocket money. All in all, this trip to Hong Kong was worthwhile."
"Little Fei's payment has arrived, so let's start."
Qiao Sisi logged into the mobile web version of the social platform and asked, "How are you planning to post?"
"How else? We'll fight back. These gossip media outlets deserve a good scolding."
Saying this, Wang He began typing furiously on his phone's keyboard.
Seeing his cynical demeanor, Qiao Sisi rolled her eyes but also started typing on her own keyboard.
Half an hour later, the two boarded their private jet and departed Hong Kong.
Simultaneously, the clarification posts by Wang He and Qiao Sisi immediately trended on the top three social media platforms.
Wang He's post on his social media account was extremely direct.
"Screw you, you dog-like gossip rags! Suspecting us of colluding to inflate box office numbers? Are you out of your minds? A high-quality horror film deserves support, doesn't it? Stop peddling your media conspiracy theories and take the time to appreciate the movie and see if it's worth watching. Don't just bark online every day, or I'll buy your company and have you, the reporter, kicked out of the industry."
Wang He's post drew cheers from his fans.
Even anti-fans and neutral netizens felt a sense of reunion seeing the familiar Young Master Wang confronting the gossip media head-on.
Furthermore, his post was well-received by horror film enthusiasts.
After all, "The House of the Disappearing Ghost," whether in the mainland or Hong Kong, was already a landmark film, unsurpassed.
Miss Qiao's post was also direct but much more civilized than Wang He's.
"A good film needs no distinction in genre or type; support for domestic films with your heart is all that matters. I hope some media outlets will be less suspicious and more focused on reporting on high-quality Chinese films. If your gossip media thinks Little Wang and I are colluding to hype the box office, let me ask you a question: with the assets of Qiao Run Group and Wang's Group, do we need to resort to hyping such meager box office returns? Ha, ridiculous!"
Qiao Sisi's post received strong support from tens of thousands of male fans.
As stated in her post, did Wang He and the esteemed Miss Qiao need to engage in box office manipulation?
Among the known second-generation heirs in China, there were few who were richer than the two of them.
Therefore, their direct confrontation with the gossip media was met with overwhelming support from fans, anti-fans, and neutral netizens.
In an instant, those media accounts that had been incessantly spreading suspicions of box office manipulation hastily deleted their original posts and were temporarily suspended.
This was to avoid being inundated by the wrath of countless netizens.
Just as Young Master Wang and Miss Qiao's online tirades against the gossip media were creating a stir,
in reality, the ripples surrounding Gao Yue Film and Television began to spread.