r18novel Chapter 33 The Check for 3
Chapter 33 The Check for 3
"You're right, Ah Han." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Raymond Chow's approving voice:
"We definitely need to adjust our strategy. Since we have Ah Long as our trump card, there's no need to compete with Shaw Brothers for a day or two."
"Then it's settled." He quickly made the decision over the phone.
"I stayed in Hong Kong to personally oversee the translation and film production of these three films, making sure they were done perfectly so that foreigners wouldn't laugh at us."
"As for Ah Long, he needs to head back to the United States immediately. He and you need to oversee the preliminary preparations, casting, script finalization, and the sale of the rights to the other two films."
Qin Han nodded: "Don't worry, Mr. Zou, my master and I will do our best. Oh, right, there's one more thing!"
"Since Master is coming back, please have him bring a check for at least three hundred thousand US dollars."
Andrew, standing to the side, gasped and stared wide-eyed at Qin Han. What was wrong with him again?
There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.
After a long silence, Raymond Chow finally spoke, his voice trembling: "How much? Three hundred thousand? Ah Han, have you gotten yourself into some serious trouble?"
In 1973, US$300,000 was enough to buy almost half of Nathan Road in Hong Kong.
"It's not trouble, it's an opportunity." Qin Han glanced at Andrew, who was frantically gesturing.
"I have the rights to two very promising screenplays that I absolutely must acquire; they are two gold mines."
"Screenplay copyright?" Raymond Chow was still incredulous. "Ah Han, even a screenplay made of gold isn't worth this price!"
Qin Han's tone remained confident: "Mr. Zou, believe me, you'll understand once your master arrives."
Bruce Lee's voice came through, as if he had snatched the microphone:
"Ah Han, this is a big deal. Let's discuss it and talk about it later."
"Beep...beep...beep..." The phone call ended.
Andrew looked at Qin Han as if he were an alien:
"Qin, three hundred thousand US dollars for two scripts? Boss Zou's blood pressure must be off the charts right now!"
Qin Han interrupted his grumbling: "Compared to the value they will create in the future, three hundred thousand US dollars is not even a fraction of it."
Andrew felt a headache coming on: "What kind of script is this?"
"Don't you already know? A shark and a vicious dog." Qin Han laughed.
……
Hong Kong, Kowloon.
The relaxed atmosphere in Jiahe's president's office instantly changed after the phone call ended.
Raymond Chow frowned deeply: "Ah Long, did you hear that? This is utter nonsense!"
"The company's working capital is already tight, and we also have to deal with Shaw Brothers' attacks. I absolutely cannot approve this 300,000."
This is a polite way of saying no.
Bruce Lee did not continue arguing with Raymond Chow, a decision that was perfectly reasonable for a company owner:
"Okay, Raymond, I understand your concerns. Company money really can't be touched carelessly."
"Let's put this matter aside for now and talk about it when I fly back to Los Angeles."
After leaving the company, he returned to his private residence in Kowloon Tong.
Linda was helping her husband pack his luggage, while their two children were already fast asleep in the next room.
Bruce Lee took a bankbook from the bedside table and stared blankly into space.
"Bruce, what's wrong? You seem preoccupied." Linda turned around and noticed her husband's unusual behavior.
Bruce Lee looked up and handed over the bankbook: "Linda, this is all the savings we've accumulated from filming in Hong Kong over the past few years, more than two hundred thousand US dollars."
"You're taking all this money to America?" Linda asked, somewhat surprised. "You need to advance the funds for this filming?"
"No, it's for my apprentice." Bruce Lee repeated Qin Han's words:
"Raymond has his stance. He's the boss, and it's understandable that he wants to play it safe, but I'm different."
"Without Ah Han's help, this trip to Hollywood would never have gone so smoothly. I think his judgment is trustworthy."
"Moreover, kung fu emphasizes 'using the opponent's force against them,' but in matters of friendship, it's about 'exchanging hearts.'"
Linda looked at her husband's resolute face and smiled gently.
He shoved the passbook back into Bruce Lee's hand: "Then take it. If it's really as you say, that Ah Han is someone who can create miracles, consider it a venture capital investment."
"Even if we lose everything, we can always start over." She winked playfully.
Bruce Lee pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her forehead: "Thank you, Linda."
……
On the other side of the world, in Hell's Kitchen, New York.
Sylvester Stallone was curled up on the cold, broken bed, fast asleep.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The violent banging on the door shattered his dream.
I opened my eyes; the fatigue from staying up all night writing the script had subsided somewhat.
He got up and opened the door, only to find an old acquaintance, Polly.
However, he was covered in blood and collapsed at the doorway, seemingly about to breathe his last.
"Take it, Sly, take it..." Polly's voice trailed off, "It... is yours."
Stallone took what Polly was holding—it was a key.
"Take your dog... and get out of Hell's Kitchen..." Polly stopped breathing.
Such scenes occur almost daily in Hell's Kitchen.
Stallone sighed, and could roughly guess what had happened—all of Polly's men had been taught a lesson by Qin Han, and each of them was carrying a serious injury.
They were probably targeted by other gangs, and were wiped out in one fell swoop.
God knows how he managed to escape to his own doorstep.
He took the pistol from Polly's waist, hid it in his coat, picked up his body, and carried Books to the morgue.
Every day, people come here to collect the fresh corpses.
Then, the man and the dog began searching in the wind and snow.
Finally, after spending more than half an hour, Stallone found the target covered by a tarpaulin in the area where Polly usually frequented.
It was a somewhat old Honda CB750 with a cheap side pocket added.
Stallone laughed, hopped on his motorcycle, and inserted the key: "Books, get on!"
The big dog obediently jumped into the side pocket.
With the engine roaring, the modified sidecar carried them toward downtown Manhattan.
He found a convenience store, used the $100 Qin Han had given him to buy some water, food, and dog food, then walked to a public phone booth and dialed the number on the paper.
The call was answered quickly.
"Hello, my friend." Since they had only met once, Stallone was still a little nervous.
"You said last time that if I had any stories I wanted to share, I would call you, right?"
"That's right, yes. Haha, you guessed it right, it's a story about a boxer!"
"The plane tickets are too expensive... but I managed to get a motorcycle, so riding all the way to Los Angeles will save me a lot of money..."
After hanging up the phone, Stallone finally breathed a sigh of relief; the other party was indeed willing to pay for his script!
He also said that he could pay a small deposit, which would allow him to travel west.
As Stallone turned to leave excitedly, he noticed a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair queuing outside a phone booth.
"Terrible weather, isn't it!" The newcomer was very outgoing and took the initiative to greet him.
"Yes, but it doesn't affect my good mood!" Stallone replied with a smile.
"Can you imagine? A tough guy who single-handedly took on ten thugs in Hell's Kitchen actually wants to pay for my script!"
He walked out of the phone booth with a smile, got on his sidecar, and waved goodbye to the man.
"Hell's Kitchen? One-on-one against ten villains?"
The middle-aged man stroked his walrus-like beard, a flash of inspiration appearing in his eyes behind his light-colored aviator sunglasses. He muttered to himself, "What a brilliant idea!"
Comics haven't been selling well lately. I heard that DC even sold the rights to Superman to make a movie. Should I also create some characters and storylines suitable for movie adaptations?
Who would be a good fit for this? Spider-Man is too young, maybe Daredevil would be a better choice...