Chapter 234: A Man in the Martial World (1) A man in the martial world...
In the gangster community of Hong Kong, only the wife of the absolute boss can be called "Big Sister-in-law". Ordinary bosses and gang members all call their brothers' wives "Ah Sister-in-law". Although most gang members consider each other to be each other's fathers, they are very conscious of being subservient when facing their brothers' wives.
Li Sishi and Cheng Erjian, who had come hand in hand, were taken aback by the sudden shouts from a group of people in floral shirts. They quickly put on their usual smiles when facing fans and hurriedly moved towards their group.
"The boss and his wife have such a good relationship!" A man in a floral shirt exclaimed sincerely as he watched the two walk quickly hand in hand.
"They're like brother and sister from the same martial arts school, of course they're close!" Most gangsters in Hong Kong uphold the rules of the underworld and loyalty. This process of going from brother and sister to lovers is undoubtedly the legendary "perfect love story in the gang" in the eyes of these hot-blooded young thugs...
Unexpectedly, before the movie was even released, those extras from the gangster movies had already recommended it to everyone. Li Sishi held Cheng Erjian's hand tightly, her feelings were really complicated and inexplicable.
If she, who was mentally prepared, felt so conflicted, then Cheng Erjian, who was completely unprepared, must have felt even more conflicted: Although he was somewhat pleased to suddenly have a group of CP fans whose fighting power might not be inferior to those of "Chen Shi" and "You Suosi" and who were shouting about how well the two of them matched, when he thought about the nature of these guys... Cheng Erjian felt that he would probably rather not have them at all.
However, reality is just like the movie that's about to be released—it's truly a case of "once you're in the game," you're left with no choice but to accept your fate.
Surrounded by a group of people in floral shirts, the reporters at the scene dared not be too presumptuous: although most of these people were the lowest-level gangsters, it was precisely because they were "lower-level" that they basically did not reason with others. If you angered them, it would be more troublesome than if you angered the big bosses.
After all, they only have one worthless life, and they're capable of anything.
Why should our own proper "porcelain" clash head-on with these "earthenware"?
Thus, the press conference before the premiere ended in an eerily harmonious atmosphere. Li Sishi and her entourage then went to their seats on the second floor as arranged by the cinema, while the group in floral shirts entered the lobby on the first floor one after another.
The audience at midnight screenings is known for its toughness, and the audience at a movie theater, located in a place where all sorts of people gather, is naturally even tougher and more aggressive.
Seeing
Seeing so many gangsters in floral shirts, clearly with triad backgrounds, watching this movie piqued their curiosity. Instead of getting refunds, some of them even considered buying extra tickets to invite their friends to come and see the spectacle…
Unfortunately, the tickets for the first screening were already sold out, and because the producers and cinemas didn't have high hopes for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," only one screening was scheduled for tonight. But the chubby producer and company boss, Huang Zheng, was a shrewd man. Seeing that the tickets for his movie were in high demand, he immediately said a few words to his two friends and business partners, Liu Jixiang and Wang Yunjun, and then went off to talk to the cinema about adding more screenings.
Regardless of what these people think after watching the whole movie, selling more tickets while the hype is going to make more money. Adding midnight screenings is a sure way to make money!
As soon as she sat down, Li Sishi noticed that someone was missing from the main seat not far away. She turned to Cheng Erjian and asked, "Looks like he went to discuss adding more shows. How's it going? Are you nervous?"
"No matter what, the sooner we die, the sooner we'll be reborn." Cheng Erjian is probably a rare example of a "laissez-faire" person in the current Hong Kong entertainment industry where everyone is making a name for themselves. He was better off focusing on his work during filming, but now that it's time to "review" the project, he has a completely laissez-faire attitude.
If he had just a little more drive, with his resources and looks, he wouldn't be in his current state of being a mediocre, second-tier celebrity.
Some people are just born to be fed by God. This guy, who works hard when he has a job and lies down when he doesn't, should have stopped there. But life is so unpredictable. Little fame depends on promotion, big fame depends on fate. Cheng Erjian met the perfect role for him at the best age.
Just as Li Sishi was sighing inwardly, Cheng Erjian leaned closer to her and whispered, "I've already spotted it. If we get up from here and walk to the left, it'll be about twenty steps to the leftmost exit staircase. If the group downstairs gets upset, remember to hold my hand tightly..."
Although he's resigned to the film's performance, as a hardcore gamer now facing a group of flower-shirt-wearing fans who might switch between being "movie fans" and "the lead actor is disgusted" at any moment, he definitely needs to be prepared to "save" and run away at any time, just in case...
Li Sishi looked at him speechlessly as he earnestly instructed her: Come to think of it, this is the only similarity between Cheng Erjian, the lead actor, and the male lead.
They all came from humble backgrounds, so they were...
Those with extensive experience in gang warfare always prepare a backup plan before taking any action.
The male protagonist "He Nan" in the play is just like that. So he has been following the gangster D since he was a teenager and has never gotten into trouble. Moreover, the most important thing is that "He Nan", who currently only has a few good brothers as his subordinates, arranged for himself to be the rearguard when he led the team to ambush the enemy's sworn brothers in the play.
Therefore, the male protagonist "He Nan" represents a kind of moral code followed by members of the early Hong Kong gangs, and he adheres to a kind of "brotherhood" unique to the positive characters in the movie. Also, because he is ruthless and loyal, he has many brothers who treat him sincerely. Basically, all the positive characters in this movie follow this kind of moral code.
The film's "brotherhood" and the brutal, realistic gang warfare scenes showcase the protagonists' personalities and the film's "realistic and down-to-earth" feel in the first ten minutes.
A brilliant ambush drew cheers and applause from the audience on the first floor. The subsequent plot, involving the elimination of the rival's sworn brother, the escape from his vengeful henchmen, the separation from his own men, and the eventual opportunity to turn the tables and kill the enemy in front of the elevator, elicited shouts of "sharp!" from the audience. Of course, the most crucial point was that this incredibly skilled killer was a handsome young man with long hair.
The way he wielded the knife with such style and flair stirred the hearts of many young people who, with dreams in their hearts, joined the club to strive for success.
This movie is so close to their lives: the bathhouses, streets, and hotels in the movie are the places they walk through in their daily lives, and the way the characters speak and act is also how they speak and act in their daily lives; there are no high-class elites condescendingly spouting grand principles, nor are there any male protagonists with a boss-like demeanor, wearing long trench coats that hinder their movement, fighting each other with weapons, and with white doves flying around them...
This unique sense of immersion, accompanying the protagonist and his brothers throughout their actions, greatly stimulated their senses.
My heart, pounding wildly with the tense and exciting plot, found a moment of calm as the scene changed.
Immediately following this, I saw a beautiful woman, who was clearly the female lead, riding up in the elevator, and my heart started racing again.
Lee Sze-sze, a rising star in the past two years, gained widespread recognition in Hong Kong from the beauty pageant onwards, followed by a steady stream of new exposure. Furthermore, her background as a former resident of a long-established tea restaurant in Liu Street makes her particularly prominent in the Yau Tsim Mong area.
Famous—perhaps some of these men in floral shirts were even the male students who used to go out of their way to visit the Lucky Tea Restaurant just to catch a glimpse of Zeng Dingbaosu, the school beauty…
Now, the beautiful woman from my memory is dressed in her old school uniform again, and it's as if those youthful days in school have returned to me along with this lovely figure from my memory.
Even without this connection unique to local young people, just the fact that the female lead played by Li Sishi looks like a schoolgirl, and considering that she will soon face the bloody and terrifying scene when the elevator doors open, makes many people worry for her.
That's a tough guy whose hands are still stained with blood!
She witnessed the scene; how will the male lead treat her?
Although one should know in their heart that the female protagonist will escape danger this time, how to turn danger into safety in such a critical situation is what makes people worry.
Watching the female lead startled by the bloodied figure after the elevator doors opened, instinctively retreating to the wall and dropping her sunglasses, then adjusting them to pretend to be blind as she walked out to face the male lead's scrutiny—this on-the-spot reaction was so witty that the audience couldn't help but cheer.
But soon, their "okay" was cut short by the scene of the female lead tripping and dropping the items from her handbag.
At this moment, the camera zoomed in on the male lead's handsome and stylish face, which was also made particularly terrifying by the few bloodstains on it. Combined with the female lead's taut jawline in profile, the tense atmosphere at the door was instantly brought to an extreme.
The male lead, while seemingly supporting but actually restraining the female lead's arm, bent down to help her gather the small items that had fallen from her bag—"evidence" that proved she wasn't blind. This confrontation was so realistic that many viewers genuinely felt the same way the female lead did in the film, holding their breath and waiting for the verdict.
"You can't see anything, right?" But in the end, as the male protagonist picked up the tidied bag and stuffed it into the female protagonist's arms, he whispered this sentence in her ear with a double meaning.
Then, he helped her step over the "obstacle" on the ground and gestured for her to continue walking forward.
The elevator doors gradually closed behind the female protagonist as she walked slowly forward; the barrier of the door seemed to separate the turbulent world of martial arts from the peaceful campus.
The blurry, distorted reflection of the elevator doors changed rapidly. When they opened again, the male protagonist, dressed in a black leather jacket and pants, walked out with his brothers, looking dashing. They entered a bar on this floor to meet up with Boss D, then found places to sit down and started singing and having fun.
The little incident of the previous ambush seems to be fading away with the passage of time.
Watching his brothers drinking and having fun with their wives or new girlfriends, the male protagonist He Nan put the school badge with the three words "Li Sisi" engraved on it into his pocket, turned around and, with a smile that seemed to say nothing had happened, started playing rock-paper-scissors with the big boss D who had told him not to always sit on the sidelines so "out of place" and to come and play with everyone.
He was always so "unsociable," unlike his brothers who either had wives and beautiful women by their side or had glasses full of wine.
After a few rounds of drinks, the urge to urinate grew stronger, and Boss D, being a bit older, couldn't hold it in any longer. He always paid special attention to this mentor-like figure, so the two of them went to the restroom together, urinating while discussing some men's topics.
In just a few words, the conversation escalated from "go back to the old house to visit your grandma when you have time" to the topic of urging marriage. When Boss D jokingly asked if he was gay, He Nan immediately responded with a smile, which made Boss D laugh and remind him to be mindful of his "boss" demeanor.
“I’m planning to ‘retire’ and leave Hong Kong soon. You’ll have to take over my business from now on.”
"Ah Da, I'm not ready yet..."
"I've watched you grow up since you were a child. If I say you can do it, then you can. You handled the task I gave you this time so well, I'm basically relieved," Boss D sighed, then added somewhat awkwardly, "However, being a boss is different from being a junior. There are some things you still need to learn..."
“You’re free tomorrow, right? I have a daughter studying at this middle school. Could you give this money to her for me? Try to get her to accept it, and tell her that I’ll have you send her ‘living expenses’ regularly from now on…” Faced with He Nan’s puzzled look, Boss D sighed, “It was born to my ex-girlfriend who kept it a secret from me. I only found out recently. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to acknowledge me, and she doesn’t want to go abroad with me. Now, all I can do is try my best to compensate her…”
After listening attentively to Boss D's private family affairs, which were not convenient to disclose, He Nan looked down at the photo in her hand—the candid profile in the photo was exactly the same as that "little episode" from that night.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
