"Uncle Ma, where are we going?"
"Uncle Ma, which film company wants you to act in a movie?"
"Uncle Ma, Uncle Ma…"
After being dragged off the minibus by Ma Rongzhen, Xiao Wu finally snapped back to his senses. Immediately, countless questions burst out of him one after another. Every word revealed the disbelief of someone who felt as though a pie had suddenly fallen from the sky onto his head.
"Can I really land a role too?"
Xiao Wu had only just turned twenty this year. After graduating from high school, he came out to struggle for a living. Having grown up in a remote little village in Yuen Long, he still viewed everything in bustling Hong Kong with a sense of confusion and unfamiliarity.
But Xiao Wu understood one thing very clearly:
This could very well be the opportunity that changed his life.
Instinctively, he clung tightly to Ma Rongzhen.
Ma Rongzhen waved down a taxi at the roadside. After climbing in and settling himself, he spoke earnestly to Xiao Wu:
"Xiao Wu, I don't actually know which company wants me for this movie either. But no matter what, if I can successfully pass the audition and secure that role, how about you become Uncle Ma's assistant first?"
Even a fallen donkey still kept its frame.
Back in his glory days, Ma Rongzhen had once been quite impressive. At the peak of his fame, he had four or five assistants and bodyguards following him around. Even though he had fallen on hard times now, he still couldn't allow others to look down on him completely.
That was why he brought Xiao Wu along. On one hand, it was to help the young man out; on the other hand, it was also to help prop up his own image.
Xiao Wu nodded blankly.
"Assistant"... what a lofty-sounding title.
While working as an extra in Lion Rock Film City, he had seen plenty of celebrity assistants. Some of them acted even more arrogantly than the stars themselves. To insignificant little people like him, they were absolutely enviable existences.
Even being Uncle Ma's assistant sounded better than landing some tiny role with barely any lines, right?
"Thank you, Uncle Ma."
Ma Rongzhen patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder with satisfaction and said:
"When we meet the big boss later, talk less and observe more. You absolutely must be polite. Don't embarrass me, understand? Oh, right…"
He then called out to the taxi driver:
"Brother, please take us to the nearest clothing shop."
Taxi drivers in Hong Kong generally tended to be older because young people disliked doing such exhausting work for relatively low pay. This particular driver even looked older than Ma Rongzhen himself.
Only then had Ma Rongzhen suddenly realized a problem: both he and Xiao Wu were still dressed in extras' costumes and smelled strongly of sweat. Going to meet a movie boss in such a state would simply be too humiliating, so they absolutely needed to change into something clean.
He even regretted agreeing so hastily earlier.
Fortunately, many clothing shops in Hong Kong offer clothing rental services. What he urgently needed now was simply a decent outfit he could wear without looking shabby.
Naturally, Xiao Wu needed one too.
For the sake of this opportunity, Ma Rongzhen was prepared to grit his teeth and spend some money.
Meanwhile, while Ma Rongzhen and Xiao Wu were renting clothes and changing outfits, Chen Wenqiang accompanied Lu Chen and Wan Xiaoquan to Shun Kee Restaurant, located in the bustling district of Kowloon Tong.
Chen Wenqiang had already reserved a private room in advance.
Over the course of the entire day, the workshop manager had brought Lu Chen and the others around nearly half of Hong Kong. In the morning, they went to Jiayang Film Industry to discuss cooperation. In the afternoon, they visited several other locations, mainly to familiarize Lu Chen with Hong Kong's film and television production infrastructure.
In fact, earlier, while Ma Rongzhen had been working as an extra at Lion Rock Film City, Lu Chen and the others had also been touring the studio complex.
According to the plan, most of the scenes for the new film A Chinese Ghost Story would be shot there.
Lu Chen was quite satisfied with Lion Rock Film City's facilities. In particular, there was an abandoned ancient temple set at the foot of Lion Rock that was perfectly suited to being transformed into the film's primary location, Lanruo Temple.
After inspecting the filming locations, the discussion naturally turned to casting the actors.
For A Chinese Ghost Story, Lu Chen planned to play the male protagonist, Ning Caichen, himself. Originally, he had considered asking Chen Fei'er to portray Nie Xiaoqian, but unfortunately her schedule was completely packed, leaving him no choice but to search for another suitable actress.
Besides Nie Xiaoqian, there was another extremely important and scene-stealing character in the film… Yan Chixia.
In A Chinese Ghost Story, Yan Chixia was portrayed as a righteous demon-hunter with powerful magical abilities, a bold and unrestrained personality, and even a trace of childlike innocence. To truly bring such a role to life, they needed a genuinely skilled veteran actor.
While discussing the matter with Wan Xiaoquan, Chen Wenqiang recommended Ma Rongzhen, the old actor famous for playing Maoshan Taoists and Zhong Kui characters.
Lu Chen himself was unfamiliar with Ma Rongzhen's name, but he did vaguely remember the Maoshan Taoist roles the man had played. He recalled seeing one of those Hong Kong jiangshi movies when he was young.
So Lu Chen agreed to let Ma Rongzhen come audition.
Unexpectedly, the moment Chen Wenqiang made the call, Ma Rongzhen became eager beyond restraint and insisted on coming over immediately, completely ignoring the fact that it was already evening.
"Ma Rongzhen really just had terrible luck…"
Sitting inside the private room, Chen Wenqiang personally picked up the teapot and poured Lu Chen a cup of hot tea before sighing emotionally.
"Back then, Ma Rongzhen married a wife ten years younger than him. She was one of the beauties from TVB's artist training class, so he doted on her greatly. She even gave birth to a son for him. At the time, everyone envied him."
"But who could've imagined that his wife would cheat on him with his own manager? Ma Rongzhen caught them in the act himself. The scandal became huge, and in the end they divorced."
"Ma Rongzhen lost both his family and his fortune. The money he worked so hard to earn was completely drained away through business investments by that adulterous pair. Then during the divorce, his assets were split up again, and in the end he even lost his son."
Wan Xiaoquan asked curiously,
"Why?"
Chen Wenqiang grinned.
"Because the son wasn't biologically his."
Lu Chen and Wan Xiaoquan were speechless.
Chen Wenqiang continued:
"After suffering such a blow, Ma Rongzhen's career completely collapsed. Of course, changing market conditions were also part of the reason. Nowadays, he's basically disappeared from the industry entirely. I had dinner with him a few years ago; he was in a truly miserable state."
"But Ma Rongzhen himself is actually a very decent person. It's just unfortunate that he trusted the wrong people."
Wan Xiaoquan sighed.
"In today's society, good people don't necessarily get good endings."
Chen Wenqiang grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and scattered them onto the table.
"But bad people get karma too. That manager surnamed Song fooled around with Ma Rongzhen's ex-wife for several years and squandered all the money they swindled and cheated out of others. Then, like an idiot seeking death, he seduced the mistress of a Hongqing Gang boss. In the end, he got hit by a cargo truck in the middle of the street. Rumor says he was practically crushed into human skin."
Lu Chen and Wan Xiaoquan exchanged glances.
Ma Rongzhen's life story alone could practically be made into a movie!
Ring-ring-ring…
Right in the middle of their conversation, Chen Wenqiang's phone suddenly rang.
He immediately picked it up. A smile appeared on his face at once.
"Brother Ma, you've arrived? I'll come downstairs to get you immediately."
After hanging up, Chen Wenqiang said to Lu Chen:
"Ma Rongzhen's here. I'll go down first."
Lu Chen nodded.
"Alright."
No matter what, Ma Rongzhen was still a veteran senior in the industry. Even if he had fallen on hard times now, he still deserved proper respect.
It was most appropriate for Chen Wenqiang to receive him personally.
—
(End of Chapter)
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