Chapter 103: The Guest Performer

"Action!"

The filming at Mansion No. 1 progressed quickly. Following the usual convention of film shoots, the final shot was always the simplest scene.

In the newly decorated, spacious empty room, Guan Zhilin looked at the bed that couldn't be fully set down on the floor, her ears seeming to listen for something. Her gaze drifted out the window, where not far away stood the TVB tower. The camera slowly panned upward, the frame filled with the boundless, gloomy sky.

With a cry of "Cut!" Yan Xu's third personal film wrapped up production. The entire crew burst into collective relief.

A smile on his face, Yan Xu had already set the release date: September tenth. With the support of the Golden Harvest theater chain, this release could be considered on a massive scale. It was now the end of August, meaning just over ten days remained—enough time to complete post-production and pass the censors.

"I want to thank everyone for all the hard work over this period. If there were times I offended anyone or spoke harshly, I hope you'll be generous and forgive me. I apologize to you all here. In a moment, if you could please pack everything up, and those of you with families, call them to let them know, tonight I'm treating everyone to dinner..." Though time was tight, when it was time to relax, one should still relax. Yan Xu clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention, then addressed the crowd.

"Thank you, director!" No sooner had Yan Xu finished speaking than the already-relaxed crew seemed reenergized.

For this occasion, Yan Xu naturally wouldn't choose Gaddis restaurant—the crew numbered in the dozens, large and small, and a meal there would cost enough to buy a house in the New Territories.

Pun Hei Seafood Restaurant. It stood close to Broadcast Drive, near Kam Shing Road and Junction Road. Many top stars liked to dine here, earning it the nickname "Star Canteen." Many celebrities even held wedding banquets and ratings celebration feasts at this establishment.

The restaurant had been open for four years and was steadily on its way to glory. Though it wasn't yet at the point of the late '80s and early '90s, when one had to wait hours for a table, reservations in advance were still necessary—especially for gatherings and parties as large as this one.

Nest-style seafood with large scallops, lotus leaf glutinous rice, mandarin duck crispy chicken, bamboo shoot shark's fin, and steamed giant grouper—a full table banquet cost only a thousand dollars. Not counting drinks, the entire crew's meal came to about ten thousand.

"If this film becomes a big hit, I'll treat you all to abalone dinner here again." The crew occupied a private hall in the restaurant. The whole group toasted one another in high spirits, and Yan Xu's single remark pushed the atmosphere to its peak.

The abalone dinner was another signature of the place—less than two thousand per table. That kind of small change was well within Yan Xu's means.

Now, ordinarily, when a film performed well at the box office, every movie company would hold a celebration banquet. But such banquets were essentially attended by the core creative team and lead actors. Backstage personnel were rarely included—even the heads of various departments had no place there, let alone assistants and crew members. Yan Xu's words undoubtedly won the goodwill of everyone in the production team.

"You certainly know how to win people over." After Yan Xu sat down from his speech, Guan Zhilin whispered softly in his ear.

"A little money, just to give everyone a moment of joy." Yan Xu merely smiled, with nothing more to add.

In that other timeline, he had climbed from the lowest rung all the way to assistant director. He knew well that in this circle, not only could those at the top blacklist a person, but those at the bottom could also ruin a star. So in the industry, one had to manage relationships not just upward but downward as well.

His small gesture of kindness would easily be remembered by the crew. Moreover, crew members here weren't fixed; they moved from project to project, group to group. Yan Xu's generosity and consideration would quickly spread through the various production teams—an absolute advantage for his future work.

"Ah Xu, are you at Pun Hei?" Just as the crowd's spirits were at their highest, Yan Xu's mobile phone rang. Though he didn't have a habit of memorizing phone numbers, the moment he heard the voice, he knew exactly who it was.

"Ah Lun? What a rarity. How do you have time to call me?" Receiving a call from Tam Wing-lun at this moment caught Yan Xu by surprise.

"I'm at Pun Hei, too. I heard a crew that was filming at Broadcast Drive was dining here, and I figured it had to be you. Wait a moment, I'll come find you." Alan said over the phone.

"There are all kinds of crew members here. It's better I come to you." Yan Xu hurriedly replied. Alan's status was hardly ordinary now, and with so many people around, word would spread—they wouldn't even be able to enjoy their meal with everyone crowding around.

"Alright, I'm in the Plum Blossom room on the second floor. Just come over."

"You're quite the luxurious lot—three people taking up a room this big." Entering Plum Blossom Hall, Yan Xu found only Tam Wing-lun, his assistant, and his driver inside.

"Can't help it. If I sat outside, I wouldn't get to eat a single bite of this meal." Tam Wing-lun said with a laugh. "I heard today is your wrap party. Your film is done?"

"It's done. I still need to thank you for your help." Yan Xu sat down beside Tam Wing-lun. Tam had made a cameo appearance in this film. Though Yan Xu had already given him a generous red envelope, expressing gratitude was still a must—just invoking his name would draw a large audience.

"What's there to thank? If anything, I should be thanking you. Without that song of yours, my album wouldn't have sold this well this time."

"That's your talent. I only added a touch of frosting to the cake."

"How did you find time to come here? I heard you've been busy with your concerts—every show sold out, I hear. That's not very thoughtful of you, not saving me a VIP ticket."

If there were singers at the height of fame during this period, they were definitely Tam Wing-lun, Wang Jie, and Leslie Cheung. But if one had to name the very hottest, then Tam Wing-lun was unquestionably the one.

Not to mention his two albums with jaw-dropping sales—even his twenty-concert super-platinum series currently running at the Hong Kong Coliseum was something many singers could only dream of.

Only a few shows remained in the series. Yan Xu had long planned to wait until the film wrapped, then ask Tam for a ticket to watch. An event like this would be a lifelong regret to miss.

"VIP tickets are easy. Even ten are no problem—I'll set one aside for you." Tam Wing-lun said with a smile. "I'm heading to RTHK for an interview this time. No way around it—my schedule is packed solid."

Tam Wing-lun was clearly in excellent spirits. Eighteen of the twenty concerts were already done, every single one packed to capacity, and the tickets for the final two shows had sold out half a month ago. Such a brilliant achievement was unprecedented in Hong Kong's history.

"And actually, the reason I'm looking for you this time is because of my concert."

"Because of your concert? What can I do?" Yan Xu stared at Tam Wing-lun in astonishment.

"I want you to be the guest performer at my final concert." Tam Wing-lun's words made Yan Xu's eyes go wide on the spot.