Chapter 161: The Script of "Fatal Move"

Liu Qingshan knew that he was powerless to change the plight of the Hong Kong entertainment industry, and even mobilizing national resources would be no simple matter.

However, he could do his best to help his friends, such as providing musical works and cultivating new martial arts stuntmen.

As for film visual effects, that was a completely different story, as it involved the profit distribution of the entire film, concerning investors, producers, distributors, cast members, and various other aspects.

Therefore, such actions belonged purely to the realm of commerce. The most he could do to show consideration for his friends' feelings was to cut the line in the production queue or offer a discretionary discount on the price.

Right at that moment, however, he did not delve deeper into the topic, but instead steered the conversation in a new direction.

"By the way, Big Brother Bao," he said, "I have a script here that you might want to consider. Since the overall market condition in Hong Kong is poor, all we can do is meticulously craft good works that we can proudly stand by with a clear conscience. Perhaps that is the only way we can contribute to solving this issue!"

His words made Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen widen their eyes almost simultaneously.

They knew very well that if Liu Qingshan could produce a quality script comparable to *Kung Fu*, it would be the single greatest source of solace for local artists in Hong Kong.

In fact, this situation was remarkably similar to what had happened so vividly back in the year 2000 during the filming of *Infernal Affairs*.

For that film, every single crew member—from investors and actors to screenwriters, directors, and post-production staff—carried the determination and dream of revitalizing Hong Kong cinema once again.

Almost all artists across Hong Kong were galvanized, selflessly offering all kinds of assistance.

A media outlet once commented after the release of *Infernal Affairs*: If Hong Kong had just a few more people who loved film as much as this group, Hong Kong cinema would never be lost.

In fact, as early as the late 1990s, the once-towering highland of Asian cinema that was Hong Kong film had begun to collapse.

Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat, and Jet Li left for foreign shores; powerhouse directors like John Wu and Tsui Hark rushed off to Hollywood...

This Asian film base, once known as the "Hollywood of the Orient," thus brought its decades of unrivaled glory to an end.

Most of the actors and directors we are familiar with left the already depressed Hong Kong film market. Although outstanding filmmakers like Stephen Chow and Wong Jing struggled on stubbornly, the downward trend of Hong Kong cinema could no longer be reversed.

Driven by market and capital choices, as well as policy adjustments, the Hong Kong films we once grew familiar with were pushed to their peak once again with the advent of *Infernal Affairs*.

Yet precisely because of the massive success of *Infernal Affairs*, Hong Kong cinema was pushed into a new era of "large-scale productions and grand spectacles."

Looking back, however, the Hong Kong cinema we truly loved was actually filled with the rich flavor of everyday life—cornered yet brimming with unrestrained imagination, full of mortal warmth and sincerity.

The script Liu Qingshan intended to bring out was precisely that kind of story: it possessed a sense of belonging deeply permeated by Hong Kong's unique culture and historical background; it had a stronger and richer local identity than mainland films; and it carried that powerful masculine vigor anchored in the martial arts and action films everyone was already familiar with.

This script was *Fatal Move*, which was originally supposed to appear three years later. As for Donnie Yen, Liu Qingshan had other plans for him involving another equally classic film, *Flash Point*.

However, he would not bring it out today, otherwise two similarly themed kung fu films would collide and severely impact box office revenues.

Facing the eager anticipation of the two men, Liu Qingshan looked solely at Sammo Hung.

"Big Brother Bao, the script is titled *Fatal Move*. I want you to star in it yourself. The overall style is somewhat similar to *SPL: Sha Po Lang*, being another uncompromising, flesh-and-blood hand-to-hand kung fu film."

Sammo Hung could already barely contain himself. "Great! Once *SPL* achieves good results, following up with a similarly themed work is the most straightforward shortcut, and at the very least, the box office can be guaranteed!"

Liu Qingshan nodded. "Pardon my bluntness, but it has an advantage over *SPL* in terms of plot, and even wins out slightly in depth. How should I put it? The entire plot is like a game of chess. On the chessboard, everything is orderly and structured; every chess piece has its own assigned position and cannot cross the line by even a single step. Make one wrong move, and the whole game collapses, leaving regrets too late to mend!"

The faces of the Hong Kong natives all lit up brightly. Whether it was the "Buddhist scripture theory" of *Infernal Affairs* earlier or the "Ziwei Star theory" or metaphysical discourse of *SPL* currently being filmed, they all shared a high-brow pedigree.

This method of using ancient Buddhist scriptures and Ziwei Dou Shu astrology to frame the themes of movies had already become a trend.

Liu Qingshan merely introducing the cinematic proposition of the "chess game theory" was enough to show how closely his script followed the trends of the film market.

Yet they had all guessed wrong, because Liu Qingshan's next words immediately delivered a different conclusion.

"Corresponding to the chess game theory is a line at the very end of the film: *Those who follow destiny are miserable; those who defy destiny die.* This line comes from the Qian Gua of the *I Ching*. Combined with the chess game theory, this forms the core theme of the film!"

"Hisss..." Yam Kar-wah let out a sharp intake of breath. "I know this line. In the Qian Gua, it teaches us to bide our time in obscurity, remain humble and patient, accumulate strength day by day, and lay a solid foundation for preparation. Once the five stages pass and the dragon ascends to the skies, one must understand the arrogance of the dragon brings regret, knowing when to pull back at the height of success so that ultimately no single head leads the dragons."

Liu Qingshan started clapping his hands. "Yes, I never expected Wah-gor to have such a deep understanding of the *I Ching*. When I was writing the script, I had to cram at the last minute and flipped through quite a few related books!"

"Ha-ha, it just so happens that an elder in my family is fond of these things, and I was merely influenced by it passively. You should talk about the plot instead—can't you see Big Brother Bao is sweating with impatience?"

And so, Liu Qingshan gave a general summary of the plot.

Wong Po, the leader of the triad society "Chung Sing Yee," was at the zenith of his career, backed by a formidable group of fierce subordinates.

His wife SOSO, his younger brother Lok Tin-hung, Ah Fat, Tin Hung, Ah Wu, and Ah Hang were all fiercely loyal to their boss, decisive in action, and ruthless in execution.

Consequently, the power of "Chung Sing Yee" stood unrivaled among Hong Kong triads. In the perilous underworld, deceit reigned supreme and the law of the jungle prevailed, with gang conflicts almost always resolved through bloody violence.

However, a three-hundred-million-dollar drug deal was busted by Inspector Liao of the Anti-Triad Unit, followed by the kidnapping of Uncle Lok, the shadowy mastermind behind "Chung Sing Yee," dealing a severe blow to the gang's vitality.

With one incident following another, Wong Po, SOSO, and Tin-hung found themselves driven into a corner, launching a massive counter-offensive of blood for blood. As a result, they took one wrong step after another, ultimately pushing "Chung Sing Yee" onto a road of no return.

Was it mutiny within the coop? Was it the success of an enemy's scheme? Or was it the inescapable dragnet of the police?

Amidst wave after wave of bloody battles, "Chung Sing Yee" was marching step by step toward the desperate abyss of defying destiny...

Liu Qingshan finally concluded, "Of course, this is just the synopsis. A lot of things happen during the course of the story, such as Wong Po's younger brother being addicted to gambling and running up a twenty-million-dollar debt; Ah Wu's wife blackmailing SOSO for twenty million in hush money, while SOSO relaying to Wong Po that the demand was four or five hundred million; and SOSO kidnapping Uncle Lok to cover up her financial holes, setting off a series of internal struggles..."