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墨書 Inktalez
"I want fried rice too."
Yue Junzhe noticed that although the two boys were eating fried rice, their eyes were glued to the roast goose hanging in the window. He smiled and had the waiter bring a plate of roast goose. The boys' eyes lit up, and after thanking Yue Junzhe, they began to fight over the goose. It had been a long time since they had eaten meat. Although Aunt Yi would bring home the vegetables that Yue Junzhe didn't eat, she was careful never to bring back meat, only cheaper vegetables and rice.
Yue Junzhe ordered a cup of milk tea and sipped it while keeping the boys company. He thought about how he could help this family, but unfortunately, after a while, he couldn't come up with a suitable plan.
"Are you two still in school?"
Yishan nodded. "I won't be going next year; I'll work with my dad to earn money."
"At your age, you probably can't earn much," Yue Junzhe replied. Very few people would be willing to hire someone Yishan's age, and even if someone did, the pay would be very low.
As expected, Yishan frowned and lost his appetite.
Yue Junzhe didn't intend for his words to ruin their meal, so he shifted to his own purpose: "I want to start a renovation company. I can draw the designs, but I don't have any workers. Would you and your father like to help me?"
Yishan nodded eagerly. "Sure, Sister Yue! My dad and I will work hard; we won't slack off at all. I won't go to school anymore."
Yue Junzhe laughed. "Silly boy, you still need to go to school. My company won't be up and running that quickly; it will take at least until next year. Just focus on your studies for now; at least learn some more characters and knowledge so that when the time comes, you won't be unable to understand the blueprints."
At that moment, the real estate market in Harbor City was still at a low point; it wouldn't recover until next year. Yue Junzhe had some understanding of Harbor City's real estate industry. Since the war, there had been a clear cyclical boom and bust in the market. The first cycle was from 1946 to 1959; the second from 1959 to 1969; the third from 1969 to 1975; the fourth from 1976 to 1985; and the fifth cycle began at the end of 1985 and continues into the future. Currently, it was indeed a low point for real estate.
In fact, during the Seventies, business tycoons like Li Family Cheng and Bao Yugang invested heavily in real estate. The top ten real estate companies in Harbor City went public one after another, while funds from Nihong, Southeast Asia, and Australia flooded in. Driven by various factors, property prices in Harbor City skyrocketed. By 1981, Harbor City had become the second most expensive region in the world for real estate after Nihong. However, subsequent global economic crises and negotiations regarding the Sino-British issue led to a crisis of confidence among Hong Kong residents. By the end of 1988, property prices had dropped by 6% compared to 1981, leading to a complete collapse of the real estate market this year. It wouldn't be until next year when the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed that Harbor City's real estate market would begin to recover again, with prices rising and more people looking to buy homes. At that time, the renovation industry would also flourish.
Yishan blushed. "I will study hard and make sure I understand the blueprints."
Yi Shui spoke up: "Sister Yue, can I join as a renovation worker for your company?"
Yue Junzhe smiled. "Sure! But you also need to study hard; actually, I'm looking for someone who understands design as a renovation designer."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shui immediately said: "Please give me time; I will definitely learn renovation design."
"Alright!"
After the two brothers finished their meal, Yue Junzhe packed two sandwiches to take back for Uncle Yi and Aunt Yi to fill their stomachs. The three of them returned to the hospital, where Yidongmei had already come out of the operating room and was sent to a regular ward. Yue Junzhe finally saw Aunt Yi's beautiful and talented eldest daughter. Although her head was shaved and wrapped in gauze, which diminished her beauty somewhat, Yidongmei was still very pretty, prompting Yue Junzhe to praise her repeatedly. At that moment, Zhao Yazhi was at the height of her fame, but in Yue Junzhe's eyes, Yidongmei's looks surpassed Zhao Yazhi by a good two minutes.
"The external injuries are serious, but there is no significant internal damage. At most, she has a mild concussion and needs observation for a few days. If there are no abnormal reactions, she can be discharged," Aunt Yi finally set aside her worries and urged Yue Junzhe to go home. "Sister Yue, it's getting late; you should go home and rest. Lao Yi, you take Sister Yue home."
"No need," Yue Junzhe refused.
"It’s necessary," both Aunt Yi and Uncle Yi insisted, as the nights in Harbor City were not safe.
In the end, Yue Junzhe called Yishan and Yi Shui to join them. She gave the taxi driver enough fare to first take her home before dropping off the father and son trio back at Tseung Kwan O.
The next morning, Aunt Yi arrived at the Yue Family to make breakfast for Yue Junzhe. With a smile on her face, she informed Yue Junzhe that Yidongmei had already woken up. After having breakfast, Yue Junzhe set out for Infinite Television Station.
The headquarters of Infinite Television was located at 77 Broadcast Road in Kowloon Tong, with a filming studio set up in Diamond Hill for program production. After walking a few steps, Yue Junzhe arrived at the Infinite office building. Fang Menghua had already prepared the contract and was waiting for Yue Junzhe to sign it. After reviewing the contract and finding nothing unreasonable, she readily signed her name.
"The Golden Branch and the Withered Tree—what a meaningful title," Fang Menghua said as he took the manuscript from Yue Junzhe and eagerly opened the first page.
Yue Junzhe sipped her coffee while flipping through a magazine; she had long been accustomed to passing time while waiting. Fang Menghua was captivated by the plot from just the beginning. Infinite produced many television dramas, but most were martial arts or modern dramas; there were hardly any that involved intricate schemes like this one. Fang Menghua felt as if she were looking at the script for Shanghai Beach again; she could predict that once this script was filmed, it would undoubtedly become another classic like Shanghai Beach.
"Sister Yue, you truly are the best storyteller," Fang Menghua exclaimed excitedly as he set down the manuscript. "I’ll offer fifty thousand dollars to buy this script."
Fifty thousand dollars was quite a sum in this era; scripts written by Infinite's own writers rarely fetched such high rewards. Seeing Fang Menghua's sincerity, Yue Junzhe replied, "Sounds good!"
Fang Menghua immediately wrote out a check for Yue Junzhe and said excitedly, "I'll arrange for filming right away. Sister Yue, if you're not busy, please stay a little longer so I can introduce you to the producer."
Yue Junzhe nodded; it didn’t matter much to her—knowing one more person could expand her network. Moreover, getting acquainted with the producer would allow her to visit the filming site of The Golden Branch and the Withered Tree when it started shooting, possibly meeting some future stars of Ming Dynasty.
Fang Menghua made a phone call, and after a few minutes, an elderly man entered Fang Menghua's office, followed by a young man in his thirties.
"Sister Yue, let me introduce you; this is our invaluable veteran employee Mr. Wang Lin."
"Hello, Mr. Wang," Yue Junzhe greeted him hurriedly. "I watched your production of The Legend of the Condor Heroes; it was fantastic—truly classic." Although not many people knew his name in later generations, his son's name was indeed famous—Wang Jing, a renowned director in Harbor City. Wang Lin had dedicated most of his life to the film industry as an old employee of Shaw Brothers and had trained many elite behind-the-scenes workers including his son Wang Jing. His guidance on the '83 version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes influenced several generations and became one of television history's classics.
"Lin, this is Sister Yue, the author of The Age of Great Strife. She has now written a new work called The Golden Branch and the Withered Tree, and I want you to be the producer and director."
Wang Lin had also seen The Age of Great Strife, and his initial thought was to secure the television adaptation rights for himself and direct it. This showed how much he appreciated and believed in The Age of Great Strife. He never expected Fang Menghua to give him such a surprise—not only had he found the author of The Age of Great Strife, but he also secured another work from her for him to direct. He believed that if someone could write something as brilliant as The Age of Great Strife, their other works would surely not disappoint.
"I didn't expect the author of The Age of Great Strife to be such a young beauty," Wang Lin said as he shook Yue Junzhe's hand. "Sister Yue, I am very interested in The Age of Great Strife. Can you let me adapt it into a television series?"
Fang Menghua laughed, "Old Wang, you're too late. I've already signed the adaptation rights for The Age of Great Strife."
Wang Lin immediately glared at Fang Menghua, who surrendered with a smile. "Don't worry, once the script is finished, I'll definitely have you as the producer and director."
Only then did Wang Lin feel satisfied. He took the script that Fang Menghua handed him and began to read. After just two pages, he was captivated, completely forgetting about the young man who had come with him to the office. The young man stood awkwardly to the side, unsure where to put his hands and feet.
Fang Menghua didn't make things difficult for the young man and pointed to a sofa. "Sit down. Are you Old Wang's assistant?"
Although Fang Menghua was a big boss at Infinity Productions, not all employees knew each other.
The young man straightened up immediately and replied, "I am Qiqi Yi from the screenwriting department. My master arranged for me to follow Uncle Lin for a while to learn."
Fang Menghua was curious. "Who is your master?"
Yue Junzhe silently answered for him: His master is Wei Jiahui. Today was a case of Li Gui meeting Li Kui; Qiqi Yi was originally the director and producer of The Golden Branch and the Withered Tree. Qiqi Yi joined Infinity in 1976 and became a gold medal producer; shows like Earth Man, Heroic Ambition, and Genesis were all produced by him, establishing his position as the "Overlord of Business Dramas." His works inherited his master Wei Jiahui's style while also innovating upon it. The characters in his dramas often had numerous storylines with complex plots that carried heavy themes, provoking deep thought—far beyond what typical soap operas could offer. Qiqi Yi's penchant for tragic endings set his dramas apart in a genre where happy reunions were the norm; he was known for ensuring that no one had an easy time. In almost every one of his works, regardless of how many leading male or female characters there were, one or several—if not all—would ultimately become his sacrifices. For example, Xu Wenbiao and Cen Yingxin in Genesis; Tang Zi Li and Ye Tao in Masterful Compassion; Sun Baiyang and Yuying in The Golden Branch and the Withered Tree… In his eyes, a happy ending simply meant failure had come to an end.
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