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墨書 Inktalez
The thick object was a brown paper bag containing a bound manuscript. Hanno casually flipped through it and discovered it was a script. The title was "Mystical Hero," telling the legendary tale of a Taoist during the Republic of China era. This Taoist was also a disciple of Mao Fang, and Maoshan Taoism was no less formidable, adept at exorcising ghosts and dealing with zombies.
After the Nanjing Massacre, this Taoist arrived in Nanjing and used his skills to summon the vengeful spirits of the innocent civilians who had died unjustly. He directed them to seek revenge against the Japanese Army stationed in Nanjing, resulting in the annihilation of over a hundred thousand Japanese soldiers overnight. He then guided the spirits to the Underworld, where they awaited reincarnation.
The sudden and silent destruction of such a vast army shocked both China and Japan. While China celebrated, Japan was filled with dread. They dispatched special agents determined to uncover the truth behind the massacre of their soldiers. Among them were capable individuals who eventually traced the incident back to the Taoist. What followed was an intense battle between the Taoist and Japan's onmyoji, ninjas, and priestesses, filled with thrilling moments. However, as just one man, he could not compete against an entire nation's might and was soon cornered by the onmyoji and ninjas.
In a desperate bid for survival, the Taoist lured them all into the capital city, where he set up a formation that summoned dragon energy accumulated over millennia, transforming it into a dragon that obliterated all of Japan's elite combat forces. Many witnessed the Chinese Divine Dragon that day; its appearance shook the world.
From that moment on, the Taoist was never seen again...
Hanno was captivated by the script; it blended serious drama with comedic elements. The early scenes featuring ghost hunting and zombie capturing drew inspiration from entertaining moments in films like "Zombie Taoist," making it quite amusing. However, as the story progressed, it took on a serious tone that stirred one's blood, particularly during the grand scenes of vengeful spirits from the Nanjing massacre and summoning the divine dragon. Hanno couldn't help but look forward to this script being made into a movie; she would definitely go see it.
“How is it? Not bad, right?”
Hanno looked up, her lips twitching slightly. “What a coincidence!”
This was their third encounter, all by chance!
Jia Qianjun sat down across from Hanno and smiled. “If you weren’t married, I’d think I should pursue you to fulfill our fate.”
Hanno chuckled lightly and raised her hand holding the script. “Did you write this? Do you want to turn it into a movie?”
“Exactly.” Jia Qianjun nodded repeatedly. “It’s exciting; if it becomes a film, I’ll definitely watch it.”
“You have good taste.” Jia Qianjun gave her a thumbs-up but then sighed dejectedly. “Unfortunately, others don’t share your vision.”
Hanno understood immediately. “You hit another wall?”
Jia Qianjun forced a smile. “Who can blame them for not trusting me? I’m neither a graduate of film school nor do I have experience; no one is willing to invest money with me. But I’ve already contacted real estate agents to sell my land in Yilan.”
Jia Qianjun wasn’t purely Han Chinese; his ancestors were from the Kamalan tribe of Bay Island’s indigenous people, part of the Pingpu ethnic group. His family owned some land inherited from his grandmother (the Kamalan tribe follows matrilineal descent), so Jia Qianjun could be considered a landlord—otherwise, how could he live so comfortably without acting? With land prices high now, selling his property could fetch him at least thirty million New Taiwan Dollars, which should be enough to make a movie. However, selling off ancestral land would be seen as squandering wealth and would surely draw scorn from his relatives.
“Is that really true?” Hanno asked. “Do you really not have anyone willing to invest?”
Jia Qianjun replied, “I have three close friends who each invested one hundred thousand New Taiwan Dollars for me, but that’s just a drop in the bucket for making a film; it's nowhere near enough.”
Hanno looked down at the script in his hands, pondering for a moment before asking, "How much funding do you estimate will be needed to make this movie?"
Jia Qianjun had already prepared a budget and replied immediately, "This film won't feature any famous stars; most of the crew are my friends, so we can work at a friendly rate. We can rent equipment from the television station, and it won't cost too much. The biggest expense will be the special effects. I've calculated that it will total around forty million New Taiwan Dollars."
Hanno mentally calculated the exchange rate between New Taiwan Dollars and Renminbi, which was about one to two point something. Forty million New Taiwan Dollars was equivalent to ten million Renminbi. Ten million? Hanno thought that his Foundation could earn money through investing in the film.
"I really like this story. If you can guarantee that you'll achieve the effects I'm looking for, I can invest in your movie without you having to sell land," Hanno said.
Jia Qianjun stared at Hanno in surprise. "Are you serious? You're not joking with me?"
Hanno replied, "If you trust me, you can come with me to the mainland. I'll find someone to discuss the investment with you."
Thus, when Hanno returned to S Province, he brought Jia Qianjun along with him. Chang Miao and her husband came to pick up Hanno. She was over four months pregnant, her belly slightly rounded, but she was still quite active. Shen Chuiyang had no choice but to stay by her side constantly, attending to her as if she were a revered empress.
"Nono, is this your boyfriend?" Chang Miao exclaimed.
"No!" Both Hanno and Shen Chuiyang denied it.
Hanno smiled at Shen Chuiyang. She hadn't mentioned Li Wei Feng to him or anyone else; although they rationally hoped she would start a new life, emotionally they still leaned towards Wei Feng and regarded her as his wife.
"This is Jia Qianjun, a newly minted director. He has an interesting script, and I thought our Foundation could invest and make some money," Hanno introduced the two to each other.
"Making a movie?" Chang Miao was incredibly excited. "Can I participate? Director, what do you think of my looks? Can I have a role in your film?"
Hanno scoffed at her, "You're already pregnant; are you going to shoot a movie? Aren't you afraid of exhausting your baby?"
Upon hearing this, Chang Miao fell silent. No matter how good making a movie might be, it couldn't compare to the importance of the baby in her belly.
Shen Chuiyang frowned when he heard about Hanno investing in a film: making movies could be profitable, but many lost money as well, especially with such an unknown director. What kind of good film could he possibly produce?
Hanno noticed Shen Chuiyang's thoughts and smiled, "Don't worry, this is a good script. Even if it doesn't make much money, it shouldn't lose too much either."
Shen Chuiyang was composed and steady. Although Hanno was his boss, he wouldn't be easily swayed. He replied, "Is there a script? Let me take a look first."
Hanno looked at Jia Qianjun, who quickly took out the script for "Mystical Hero" and handed it to Shen Chuiyang. Once Shen Chuiyang got into the car, he buried himself in reading it. He became so engrossed that he didn't notice when they arrived at the office building until his wife pulled him along as they walked into the office.
"Is it really that good? Has Chuiyang become so captivated?" Chang Miao asked, intrigued by her husband's behavior.
Hanno took out another copy of the script from his bag and handed it to Chang Miao. "I have another one here; you can take a look."
Thus, another person became captivated.
After finishing the script, Shen Chuiyang looked up at Jia Qianjun and said, "It's an excellent script. I'm very much looking forward to seeing it come to life."
Jia Qianjun was overjoyed to receive such affirmation from one of the most important decision-makers among the investors.
"How much investment do you want? Do you have a budget?" Shen Chuiyang quickly stepped into the role of an investor.
Jia Qianjun repeated what he had said to Hanno at the hot pot restaurant to Shen Chuiyang. He continued, "I can contribute three million New Taiwan Dollars myself, plus another three million from a friend. If Mr. Shen can provide me with thirty-five million New Taiwan Dollars, that would be enough."
Thirty-five million New Taiwan Dollars was at most eight million Renminbi. Shen Chuiyang considered the cash on the Foundation's books and said, "Okay, eight million Renminbi. I can transfer it to you tomorrow, but I need someone to oversee how this money is spent."
"Of course!" Jia Qianjun nodded vigorously. "The producer will definitely be someone from your company."
Shen Chuiyang replied with an "mm": "This film is a co-production; we can't use all actors from Bay Island. At least one-third must be from the mainland."
Jia Qianjun hesitated and asked, "Will hiring mainland actors be too expensive?"
Chang Miao interjected, "Are the fees for your Bay Island actors any cheaper?"
"I am looking for some friends I used to act with," Jia Qianjun said. "Although they are not famous, their acting skills are quite good."
"Are they all actors from local dramas?" Hanno asked.
"Yes," Jia Qianjun replied. "Their acting is impressive. It's just that no one has promoted them, so aside from us locals from Bay Island, no one else recognizes them."
Chang Miao nodded in understanding. "It's the same in the mainland. All the famous stars are packaged, but there are many talented actors who remain unknown. After all, every year, a lot of new actors graduate from professional Film Academies and many others run small roles in film cities."
Hanno sighed, "These talents are truly a bargain!"
"Do you know any of these people?" Jia Qianjun asked. "We could choose actors from among them, which would save on casting costs."
Chang Miao pouted, "The only person we know in the entertainment industry is you."
"Uh... so all the actors come from Bay Island?" Jia Qianjun questioned.
"No, if all the actors came from Bay Island, the films wouldn't pass censorship here in D6," Shen Chuiyang explained.
"What should we do then?" Jia Qianjun asked, troubled.
"It's simple," Shen Chuiyang said. "We can go to schools to scout talent. The students there have received professional training; their acting may be a bit inexperienced, but it's reliable. Plus, if they have a chance to act, they won't be picky about pay—it's truly a great deal. There are film and television performance programs at universities in the Provincial Capital. I know the principal there; just let me talk to him and you can go find people at the school."
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