Sha Yi, who had borrowed 500 yuan, was planning to go all out and try his luck. He placed heavy bets in five consecutive rounds, and it seems he got a little carried away. In the past, Sha Yi would probably have stopped long ago. His monthly salary is only a little over 1,000 yuan, but now he has lost almost two months' salary in one go and is still not planning to stop. He has worked for nothing in one episode.
Sha Yi was still losing badly. Yan Ni, who was watching from the back, advised him, "Sha Yi, stop playing. You're not suited to playing cards today. You've already lost more than 2,000 yuan. Are you still going to keep playing? You've wasted your entire episode's pay."
Sha Yi looked utterly dejected: "What bad luck!"
Shen Fang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked at Sha Yi and said, "Just play for fun. With your skills, you're just easy prey at the card table. You get excited when you get good cards and dejected when you get bad ones. You can't even control your emotions. You're just not cut out for gambling. Playing with friends occasionally is fine, but never go to the gambling table. Otherwise, no amount of money will be enough for you to lose. Haozi, you play for me for a bit. If you win, it's yours; if you lose, it's on me. I'm taking Qianqian and Shishi out for a stroll."
Ning Hao, who had been watching for a long time, quickly took the card. He had been watching for quite a while, but Xing Aina didn't like him playing cards, so he didn't dare to join in. Now that Shen Fang had spoken, he could take the opportunity to have some fun.
He plopped down in Shen Fang's seat, first offering a cigarette, then looked at Sha Yi, Fan Ming, Shen Kun, and Hong Jiantao.
"Hehe, I'm drooling just looking at it, come on over."
He shuffled the playing cards with fluid, effortless movements, clearly a seasoned player.
Shen Fang approached Liu Qianqian, who was watching a movie and eating snacks with Liu Shishi. They were also petting their cat Dongdong. Yingtao and Liu Xiaoli were sitting nearby.
Liu Qianqian saw Shen Fang walking over.
"Brother Chen Fang, why are you no longer playing?"
"It's not very interesting, it's okay for a bit of fun, but Sha Yi got really frustrated playing with you guys. Come on, I'll take you out for a walk."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qianqian stood up happily, grabbed Liu Shishi, and followed behind Shen Fang.
"Brother Chenfang, where are we going?"
Shen Fang smiled and said, "Let's take a stroll around this film and television base and check out the nearby snack shops. Aunt Liu, Cherry, are you guys coming?"
Liu Xiaoli shook her head: "I won't go. My feet hurt when I walk in high heels. I'm going to rest at the hotel for a while."
This is Liu Xiaoli's habit; beauty comes from sleep. A short nap at noon will make her energetic and radiant in the afternoon.
Cherry nodded and then looked at Yan Ni: "Sister Ni, President Chen is going out for a stroll. Weren't you planning to buy some household items? Want to come along?"
Yan Ni nodded upon hearing this: "Yes, I'll go. Xiao Yao, are you coming?"
Yao Chen thought for a moment and shook her head. Going out with so many people wouldn't allow her to get close to Shen Fang, so it would be pointless. She decided not to go.
On the contrary, Yu Entai also wanted to go out for a stroll.
The group of five began their tour of the Nanhai Film and Television Base. A few people strolled aimlessly along the wide, ancient streets, the atmosphere utterly lifeless. Shen Fang first arranged ice cream for Liu Shishi and Liu Qianqian, then began exploring the entire base. They first visited Macau Street, then HK Street, a Jiangnan water town, and finally the Little Palace. This was the filming location for the TV series "The Story of Macau" and "The Story of Hong Kong," both produced to celebrate the return of Hong Kong and Macau. Anyone from Guangdong would likely have seen these two series.
This is one of the reasons why the Nanhai Film and Television Base, despite its desolate state, can still survive. Unlike Hengdian and Huairou, this film and television base is under the China Film Group Corporation, a state-owned enterprise. It's a government-funded job; you won't starve, but you won't be rich either—a secure job.
This place was very prosperous in the 1980s and 1990s. Many well-known TV series, such as "The New Legend of Shaolin," "The Adventurer," and "The Chinese Hero," were filmed here.
After a brief tour of the "Little Palace," the five people lost interest. Calling it a "Little Palace" was a stretch; it was just a bunch of makeshift yellow buildings. To be honest, it might have fooled audiences in the past, but now it's the new century, and the film and television industries are chasing grander scenes. It would be a miracle if these kinds of buildings didn't become obsolete, especially in modern cinemas like Hengdian, Xiangshan, and Changchun Film Studio. The focus is on grand scenes. Once "Hero" is released, domestic commercial films will start to gain momentum. If "The South China Sea" wants to rise again, it needs a complete overhaul, and there's also the issue of limited space.
Liu Qianqian grabbed Chen Fang's hand and complained, "This place is no fun at all."
Shen Fang nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, it needs renovation and improvement. It would be a miracle if we could attract tourists with just these things."
"President Shen, I think that just decorating is useless. No matter how big the building complex is, it still needs to be promoted. The most important thing for a film and television base is to attract well-known directors to produce well-known works to spread the fame of the film and television base. Also, it needs to be able to shoot large-scale TV series. Obviously, the conditions here cannot support the filming of such TV series. I guess this problem was not considered at all when the base was built."
Shen Fang nodded: "You're right, but the land prices in Guangdong are rising across the board. It's safe to say that Guangdong is at the forefront of the industry. It's extremely difficult for Nanhai to acquire land. The most important thing is that Nanhai is already half-dead. To revive it, at the very least, several classic films need to be shot there to attract visitors. It's not an easy task."
Shen Fang's visit to the Blue Ocean Film and Television Base was motivated by his ambition to acquire the contracting rights for the South China Sea region. Frankly, aside from Hengdian World Studios, over 90% of film and television bases in China are state-owned. Shen Fang, with his resources and connections, was preparing to invest in a film and television base. Aside from the land transfers and future tourist revenue, there was a steady stream of cash flow. However, after his visit, he reconsidered and decided against it. The South China Sea region simply didn't have the land area to support such a venture.
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