Volume 4: The World of Great Conflict Chapter 0490 Connections
Jiang Wenwei intended to commit murder and did not restrain himself even after being warned, so he was shot dead on the spot.
The matter is very clear. Lin Jiahua, who fired the shot, acted in full accordance with police procedures. Not only does she not have any responsibility, she will also be commended.
Although the commendation does not mean much to him as he has already submitted his resignation report.
The "woman" was first taken to the hospital for examination in a white car. As she was found to be in good health, she was then asked to go to the Wan Chai Police Station to record her statement.
"What's the name?"
The person responsible for recording the confession of Xie Wanhua, codenamed "Top Card" was CW Detective Chen Dasheng from Wan Chai Police Station. His police rank was San Chai, and he could also be called three bars, sergeant, or police sergeant.
[CW Criminal Division is the CID Criminal Investigation Department in Hong Kong movies. CID was actually abolished a long time ago. Let’s put it this way, as long as there are detective dramas with pagers in Hong Kong movies, CID cannot exist. When CID was more active, uniformed police officers still wore shorts.]
"Xie Wanhua."
"Where do you work?"
"Investigator from the Southland Bank Investigation Office."
"Investigator? What to investigate?" Chen Dasheng asked.
"The investigation office has two main responsibilities: one is to investigate the background of potential customers who apply for bank loans, and the other is to investigate whether bank employees have violated any regulations."
"Oh, ICAC." Chen Dasheng, who was recording his statement, teased and asked, "Why did you appear at the crime scene at the same time as the deceased?"
"The bank's top management suspected that Jiang Wenwei and Liang Bing from the loan department had colluded to defraud the bank of a huge amount of loans, and ordered our investigation office to investigate. On the day we launched the investigation, June 21, Liang Bing asked for a day off, and then the next day he was absent from work without asking for leave, and has not shown up since today."
"Today is the weekend, isn't your bank closed?"
"In order to better serve our customers, our bank adopts a rotation system and has people on duty all year round." The top star saw the opportunity and made a soft advertisement.
"You didn't answer why you were at the crime scene at the same time as the deceased."
"According to the procedures of our investigation office, I conducted an informal questioning of Jiang Wenwei. In order to avoid any negative impact on him, I held the questioning outside. Who would have known..." The top player's face turned pale again, "Halfway through the questioning, he suddenly tried to stab me in the neck with a knife. Fortunately, the car door was not closed tightly, so I was able to avoid it. It was a close call, a close call!"
The top performer patted her chest as if she was still in shock. Chen Dasheng picked up the water on the table and handed it to the top performer, "Miss Xie, have a drink of water."
The top star took the cup of water and said thank you!
After the pause, the confession recording continued and the top suspect's confession was quickly completed.
Chen Dasheng quickly took the confession to the office of his superior, Inspector Zhang Peiyong, the team leader of Wan Chai Serious Crime Unit B.
"Inspector Zhang, the confession is finished."
"Is there any problem?" Zhang Peiyong asked.
"There is nothing wrong with the confession. It is absolutely flawless. However, I have doubts about the identity of Xie Wanhua."
"Any questions?"
"I checked her file. She is a Cambodian Chinese. She came to Hong Kong with the refugees from Nanning in 1979. At first, she lived in the refugee camp and did odd jobs outside. In 1981, a lawyer helped her apply for a Hong Kong ID card, which solved her identity problem. In May 1982..." Chen Dasheng took a document and put it on Zhang Peiyong's desk, "Inspector Zhang, take a look for yourself."
Zhang Peiyong picked up the document, looked at it, and said, "Does she have a gun license?"
"Yes, it was originally registered as a security company, but later changed to Southland Bank. There is no problem with the gun license, everything is in compliance. The point I want to make is that Xie Wanhua has a gun license. What kind of person would apply for a gun license?"
"Armed bodyguards, armed security, Dasheng, do you think Xie Wanhua has certain fighting abilities?"
"Yes, I suspect that Xie Wanhua not only has fighting skills, but also has a very high level. Only if she is confident in her fighting skills, she would dare to face Jiang Wenwei with weapons bare-handed."
"You mean to say that this case was set up by someone to get rid of Jiang Wenwei?"
"Yes." Chen Dasheng nodded.
"Where's the evidence?" Zhang Peiyong said, "Even if we guess that this is a setup, what can we do? Jiang Wenwei was shot dead by our police, and judging from the situation at the scene, even if we have evidence that this is a setup, what crime can the Department of Justice sue Xie Wanhua for?
Do you think this lawsuit can be won?
As long as the defense lawyer seizes on the fact that Xie Wanhua was a weak woman and puts the blame on the fact that she was so frightened at the time that she forgot to resist, what can the prosecutor do?
She is not a police officer. Facing an armed criminal, it makes perfect sense for her to not resist and just run away."
"Inspector Zhang, since Xie Wanhua was chosen as a bodyguard, she probably had military service experience in Cambodia. We can contact the Cambodian police and ask them to provide Xie Wanhua's information."
"Dasheng, you think too simply. Cambodia is now ruled by a puppet government supported by Xinan. Do you think they will help us look up information? Even if we know that Xie Wanhua has military experience, what can we do? In court, the defense lawyer will still have a way to defend it.
Back to the question just now, what should we sue her for? "
"Sue her..." Chen Dasheng blurted out, and then stopped abruptly.
Yes, what can I tell Xie Wanhua?
The conversation between Chen Dasheng and Zhang Peiyong ended here. He could only keep his doubts in his heart and could do nothing.
However, he soon didn't have to worry anymore.
Last night's Potian Zhashan murder and corpse disposal case was handed over to the Serious Crime Unit A. At this time, the leader of the Serious Crime Unit A had already taken the case file to Zhang Peiyong's office.
The murder and corpse disposal case and Jiang Wenwei's shooting case were soon investigated together, and Xie Wanhua's case was soon ignored.
…
"Wan Chai Gun God?" Wang Yan took the A4 paper handed to him by Nan Yi, glanced at it and said, "Nan Sheng, is this the new film you want me to shoot?"
"This morning, a case happened near the Indian temple. A uniformed policeman shot dead an armed gangster. I just happened to hear about this incident, and a friend of mine came to me and wanted us to customize a play with the police as the protagonist, and the police must have a positive image.
I thought that we don’t necessarily have to make the male protagonist a very special policeman. An ordinary uniformed policeman can also make a good story and show the glorious image of the police.”
"Custom drama? Who will pay for the filming?"
"My friend will pay for it. You will get the director's fee, but you will not get any share of the box office revenue. All the box office revenue will be donated to the Police Department Construction Fund. We in Donglaiwu are working for free."
"Nansheng, who is your friend?"
"The young master of the Southland Bank wants to expand their business and needs to add more money-protecting vehicles. You know how fierce the big circles are now. There is nothing they dare not do. Who knows when they will come up with the idea of using money-protecting vehicles. Of course, bank owners are afraid of them.
So, Southland Bank also wants to get the same treatment as HSBC, and ask the police to help take care of the money transport vehicle. If it really encounters robbers, it will be an extra guarantee. "
The turbulent era of Xiangkeng is about to come, and various big thieves are emerging. Famous figures such as Ye Guohuan, Ji Bingxiong, and Ye Chengjian, who Nan Yi has heard of, have already emerged, and their names can already be heard on the street.
In addition, there have been frequent cases of robberies of gold shops in the past two years, and local tigers and dragons from the river have appeared from time to time. Xiangkeng is by no means peaceful.
Although the security of the Southland Bank's money transport vehicles can be increased, there will always be loopholes in the face of thieves. Nan Yi does not think that the Southland Bank can be lucky enough not to be visited by big thieves.
What if they really get robbed? Are we really going to let the defense team exchange fire with the robbers?
It is better to take the initiative and say hello to the big thieves, "Hey, the Southland Bank is mine, don't think about it, if you mess with me, I will kill you too."
To do so is to weaken oneself and put oneself on the same level as the criminals .
You have to adapt to local conditions and abide by the rules of each place. Xiangkeng is a place where money, laws, and circles are played with. There will be no good results if you brandish knives and guns.
The self-defense team can operate in Xiangkeng and is responsible for protecting important figures of the Nan family. This is a way of playing allowed by the rules; but the advance defense team cannot do this. They may gain a temporary advantage by being ruthless, but they will have to pay it back sooner or later.
People who don't follow the rules will be ostracized wherever they go.
“No dividends…”
Wang Ming muttered something, a little dissatisfied.
"Okay, Ah Xiang, get on good terms with the police so that it will be easier to film on the street in the future. You can be the screenwriter and producer of this film, and just put the director's name on it. Your father has so many apprentices, wouldn't it be great to find a suitable one to come and earn some extra money?"
"My father's apprentice?" Wang Li thought for a moment and said, "Then find Fengzai. He is more suitable for shooting this kind of film."
"Fengzai? Who is that?"
"Du Qifeng, he is following my father now. He just filmed The Legend of the Condor Heroes last year."
Nan Yi of course knew Du Qifeng, but he recalled the films Du Qifeng had shot. His later films were all good, and each one was a classic. However, Nan Yi still felt that Du Qifeng's style was not suitable for shooting "Wan Chai Gun God". If he wanted to shoot a gangster film, he could look for him.
"Don't be too anxious about directing. Wait until you finish writing the script. When you write the script, you need to pay attention to one thing. You need to write a dual protagonist, one strong and one weak. The first male lead should be played by Lin Jiahua, and the second male lead should be played by Ren Hua from Binbin Films."
"Ren Hua? Who is that? I've never heard of him."
"If you haven't heard of it, then you haven't heard of it. All you need to know is that his brother is now an inspector of Sdu and a well-known figure in the police force."
"I've never heard of his name, is his acting any good?"
"You'll know after you give it a try. I heard that Binbin Film and Television is having a hard time. Contact Ye Zhiming and see if he's willing to sell the actor's contract."
Nan Yi was not interested in Binbin Films. The only good film of this company was its opening drama "Jumping Ashes". The realistic description of the police in this film was different from previous Hong Kong films. It was regarded as the top Hong Kong police and gangster film. It set a record of breaking the 1 million Hong Kong dollar box office record within three days, setting a precedent for the new wave of films.
The local box office of "Jumping Ashes" was very high, but Ye Zhiming did not make any money, because the film was too purely Hong Kong-flavored, and people in Southeast Asia and Taiwan did not buy it at all. After deducting the huge advertising expenses and the 60% share of the theater chain, there was not much left.
If Binbin Films wants to make money, it is very dependent on box office revenue in other places.
The local box office of "Jumping Ashes" was good, which made Ye Zhiming, who had been focusing on the fashion industry and only took a casual approach to movies, suddenly develop a strong interest in movies, so he shifted his energy to Binbin Film and Television.
Ye Zhiming was a smart businessman. He fully realized the shortcomings of "Jumping Ashes", so he invited foreign stars to prepare a new movie "Fox Picture" in order to open up the box office in other places in one fell swoop.
Originally, this was an opportunity to overcome the difficulty in selling the film overseas. With foreign stars, the film's international sales value could be increased, and it would also create a good box office effect in the local market.
However, ideas may not necessarily be consistent with reality. The Hong Kong film market, which has never been rational, seems to be very picky about films co-produced with the West. This type of film is not popular in Hong Kong.
Although the income of "Fox Picture" was good, it could not keep up with the huge production costs. Soon, rumors spread that Binbin was short of funds and HSBC acquired 82% of its shares.
This acquisition rumor has been an intriguing mystery for three years, from the time "Fox Picture" was taken off the screen to when Binbin gave up Lianhua Cinemas last year.
However, this was soon confirmed. It was not Binbin Film and Television that was to be acquired, but Binbin Fashion Company, which was Ye Zhiming's main business.
In order to protect Binbin's interests in film development, Ye Zhiming, who was troubled by the acquisition rumors, separated Binbin Film and Television.
Due to the reform and opening up of the mainland, the rise of the mainland textile industry has impacted the textile industry in Hong Kong. In the past two years, clothing companies in Hong Kong have closed down one after another, and those who have engaged in the textile industry have either started a new business in the mainland or withdrew from the textile industry.
Ye Zhiming was not immune to this either. Binbin Fashion was not doing well, so he shifted his focus to the film and television industry. He also had the reason that he could no longer make it in the textile industry and needed to find another way.
Nan Yi was not quite sure what the reason was. Ye Zhiming and Golden Harvest had a very bad relationship. Golden Harvest Cinemas would not show Binbin Films' films at all, and Shaw Cinemas were not interested in Ye Zhiming either. He could only send Binbin's films to Lisheng Cinemas for screening.
Before the 1980s, the major cinema chains in Hong Kong were Golden Harvest, Shaw Brothers and Rediffusion, and Rediffusion was the weakest among them. It had insufficient theatre locations and numbers. On the other hand, the person in charge of the cinema chain did not care much about the business of the cinema chain. His purpose of opening the cinema chain was actually for the real estate business.
Because he devoted most of his time and energy to real estate, gold speculation, stocks and other businesses, and paid no attention to the operation of theaters, over time, power gradually fell into the hands of some subordinates. Ye Zhiming saw the weaknesses of the Lisheng Cinema Chain and began to establish his "base camp" for distributing movies in the Lisheng Cinema Chain through crowdfunding.
Since the late 1960s, Hong Kong's film industry has been prospering, with box office revenue growing stronger every year.
Since the mid-1970s, more and more people have been involved in the film industry, and people who originally had nothing to do with the industry have also entered the circle to compete for a share of the pie.
The meal of movies may seem delicious, but it is actually very difficult to eat.
The work before the release is not too difficult as long as you have money, but it is a bit difficult for the movie to be released and make money at the box office. Not all movies have the opportunity to be released in theaters.
Although the guarantee fee was popular in Hong Kong's cinema chains in the early years, that is, before the movie was released, the producer had to pay a sum of money to the cinema chain, similar to the rent for renting a cinema, charged on a daily basis. After paying the guarantee fee and negotiating the film's share, the film would be released.
The guarantee fee can basically cover the cost of the theater, and the film share is pure profit.
It seems that it is not difficult to release a film. The most serious thing is to pay a guarantee fee. It doesn't matter who pays. But in fact, it is not the case. There are many people who make a living from watching movies in Hong Kong, and there are also many people who just play around or gamble. As a result, there are more people than porridge for film companies and theaters, and film companies have to beg theaters for help.
In order to make more money, theaters have to select films carefully.
Films that are not good to watch and are likely to have poor box office performance, films whose bosses are not reasonable, leading actresses who do not meet the "poker" requirements of the theater chain, etc., all of these can be reasons for films to be screened out.
Many film producers are troubled by the difficulty in distributing their films, and they all hope that a "hero" with super distribution capabilities will come forward. Ye Zhiming is kind and generous, and is concerned about everyone's concerns, so he stepped forward to be this Superman.
However, one's own business is one's own business. Ye Zhiming is very clear that he has no superpowers and is not qualified to be a superhero. But his kindness is so strong that he can't sleep if he doesn't become a superhero.
So, he exerted the iron man spirit of "if there are no conditions, create them and go ahead", and suddenly he came up with an idea:
He approached the producers who had already scheduled their films for the Lisheng Cinema Line and made a deal with them, "Hey, brother, I'll give you tens of thousands of dollars or advertise your film on TV, and you'll advertise me in the opening credits. As long as you put the words 'Binbin Honorary Release' in the opening credits, you'll get my money. Easy, right?"
As for why Ye Zhiming would use "advertising on TV" as a condition of exchange, it was not because he had resources in the TV station, but because Binbin Fashion had an advertising contract with the TV station at the beginning. It was an annual contract, which not only offered discounts, but also advertising spots during prime time.
The contract still had a long time to run, but Binbin Fashion had already gone bankrupt. The contract had been signed, so even if they didn't run any advertisements, they still had to pay the advertising fees. Ye Zhiming simply made use of this resource and put the film's advertisements on TV.
When the producers heard this, they thought, hey, this is a good thing, it would be a waste not to make money, so the words "Honorably Distributed by Binbin" appeared in the opening credits of every film.
When the people outside saw this, they shouted, "Binbin Films is awesome and has such strong distribution capabilities." They all came to Ye Zhiming's door, holding gifts in their left hands, money in their right hands, and flattering him.
It's no wonder that Ye Zhiming accepted all the gifts, money and flattery, and he did get things done. He got many films that originally could not be shown in the Lisheng Cinemas to be released.
As for how it was done, although Nan Yi did not ask anyone to investigate, he could roughly figure it out.
The person in charge of film selection in a cinema is the distribution manager. As long as you can get this person on board, it will be easy to get the film into the cinema.
In addition, the cinema chain directly green-lights the films of its own film companies. In fact, the Lisheng Cinema Chain is composed of a number of cinemas. It is a loose organization without any shareholders.
The money earned is not divided according to shares. The money earned by whoever owns the cinema belongs to him and does not need to be shared with others.
In this way, there is a loophole. Ye Zhiming can find a theater owner with the fewest theaters and the least money to make, and put all the films to be released under the name of this owner, thus achieving the purpose of releasing the films.
Ye Zhiming not only used TV advertising as a benefit for producers, he also bundled TV advertising into the distribution conditions. If they asked Binbin Films to distribute their films, they had to advertise on TV through his channels. Naturally, Ye Zhiming would make a profit from the difference.
Because TV commercials are all during prime time, the promotional effect is naturally better. When films are distributed by Binbin Films, the box office often exceeds the producers' expectations. As a result, more producers are willing to believe that Binbin Films is a very capable distribution agency, and naturally more business will come to them.
If this business can continue like this, Ye Zhiming will really be going astray.
But the reality cannot be so rosy. In the short term, the distribution managers of theaters can still find excuses to fool the theater owners, but this will not work over time. When the bosses see that they are making less money, they will naturally look for reasons.
The reason is not easy to find. It is easy to blame Ye Zhiming. The theater chain will naturally plug the loophole. After that, Ye Zhiming will have no fun and Binbin Film and Television will start to go downhill.
Seeing that there was no more fun in movies, Ye Zhiming went looking for other ways to make money. Now he is focusing his energy on developing the Qiaozui Island Resort and is not as concerned about Binbin Film and Television as before.
But it has to be said that Ye Zhiming has a good vision. Binbin Film and Television holds contracts with many good actors and good behind-the-scenes people. Not to mention others, just Xiao Fangfang and Zhang Guorong are worth Nan Yi's attention.
Of course, this is just a side thing. What Nan Yi really wants is Ren Hua, this little actor who has no fame at all and whom Wang Li has never even heard of.
