noveldepot Chapter 17 Surprise
Chapter 17 Surprise
After greeting Tang Jia and Cheng Xiaodong, the newcomer walked straight up to Tang Long.
"Ah Long, don't you recognize me?"
"Dilong?" Tang Long blurted out.
"You're being disrespectful; you should call him 'Master Uncle'."
Tang Long suddenly remembered that his master Li Haisheng and Di Long were fellow disciples, both having studied under Wing Chun master Zhao Yun.
Li Haisheng's career as a stuntman and even his foray into the film and television industry were all introduced to him by Di Long.
In my memory, these two fellow disciples had a very good relationship.
Li Haisheng never joined any team and always worked independently, yet he never lacked gigs. This was partly due to his exceptional personal abilities and partly due to the support of Dilong.
Dilong was quite popular in the 1970s.
In the 1980s, Shaw Brothers films declined, traditional martial arts films fell into obscurity, and Di Long became out of fashion, even being kicked out by Fang Yihua.
But he was lucky enough to meet Wu Yusheng, a disciple of the renowned director Chang Cheh.
The latter also brought in Chow Yun-fat, who was known as "Poison Fat" at the time.
The story of three down-on-their-luck individuals comes together to create "A Better Tomorrow".
This is a phenomenal, groundbreaking masterpiece from Hong Kong that propelled these three down-on-their-luck individuals to the top of the Hong Kong film industry.
Tang Long was quite familiar with Li Haisheng and Di Long, but he had no recollection of them after he transmigrated.
After all, the original owner's memories from the past ten years were too numerous and complex to possibly remember them all.
"Master Uncle!"
Tang Long was respectful.
After all, he had the original owner's sect affiliation with the sect, so he couldn't escape it.
Moreover, the other party is a senior figure in the industry, so it is only right to show the proper attitude.
"It's been a year or two since I last saw you, and the changes in you are truly astonishing. I never imagined you would be writing screenplays and becoming the male lead."
"I also owe this opportunity to my uncle and the bigwigs who helped me; otherwise, I wouldn't have had it."
"You need to have the ability first before they can help you."
My abilities are limited, but since you call me "senior uncle," I'll give you a role in a movie as a way of supporting you.
Di Long currently has no shortage of film offers, or at least scripts.
Tang Jia invited him to play a minor role in "The Blade," which required him to travel to the western part of mainland China, making him somewhat hesitant.
It was only after Li Haisheng personally visited and persuaded him that he finally agreed.
You can't blame him for being pragmatic. At his age, having experienced ups and downs, his primary consideration is profit.
He met Tang Long through Li Haisheng. Before that, Tang Long was still young, and he was busy, so their relationship wasn't very deep.
However, since his two good friends, Tang Jia and Li Haisheng, had invited him, he had to give them face and show his support for his junior apprentice.
At this moment, Tang Jia walked over and said to Tang Long:
"Your senior brother knew we were short of funds, so he didn't accept any payment and just gave us a cameo role."
"Uncle-Master, thank you for your support."
Tang Long's tone became even more sincere.
To be honest, he was already quite surprised that Di Long was willing to play the role of the leader of the Lianfeng Sect.
Although Di Long's career didn't develop as well as Chow Yun-fat's after "A Better Tomorrow," and his influence declined significantly.
However, he remains a highly well-known actor in Hong Kong with considerable box office appeal.
The movie "A Better Tomorrow" sustained him for nearly ten years, during which time he never lacked acting opportunities.
Although he mostly plays similar gangster roles, he still gets sought after by film crews.
He only gradually faded from the public eye when Hong Kong cinema declined.
It was 1990, and he was in the midst of the decline of his fame after "A Better Tomorrow".
When he joined the cast of "The Blade," he immediately became the biggest star in the entire crew.
This adds another promotional element to the film's marketing, especially since he doesn't charge any money.
Tang Long also remembered this favor.
After welcoming and settling Di Long in, Tang Long returned to the film crew.
Liu Jialing immediately came over:
"I didn't expect you to have such a wide network of connections, and you even have such a good relationship with Dilong."
"We wouldn't call it a close relationship, but we do have this connection. He was very close to my uncle and my master."
Tang Jia initially worked with Zhang Che, and only formed the Tang Family Troupe after gaining fame.
He had good relationships with people in Zhang Che's faction, but his relationship with Di Long was the best because of Tang Long and Li Haisheng.
"Doesn't that mean we have a very good relationship?"
"Do you think he would agree if I invited him to play the role of your father? And without asking for a fee."
Seeing that she was speechless, Tang Long patted her pert buttocks and said:
"Once you become famous, many people will become your connections."
"Why are you using so much force? Doesn't it hurt?"
"You were all red from being slapped last night, why didn't you complain of pain?"
"Are you trying to die?"
After saying that, she pinched his arm and walked away.
Tang Long watched her retreating figure, his voice rising a few decibels:
"Sister Jialing, I need to rest early tonight, so I won't go over the script."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jialing's cheeks flushed red, and she quickened her pace.
Tang Long couldn't help but smile at her self-deception.
Others aren't blind; they've all seen how lovey-dovey they've been these past few days.
Tang Jia and Cheng Xiaodong were aware of this, but they thought it was normal on set and didn't say anything.
The next day, Di Long began filming.
Although he shifted from martial arts films to urban films after "A Better Tomorrow".
But he still retains his years of martial arts training habits. When he takes off his shirt, he doesn't have the belly of a middle-aged man; his six-pack abs are clearly defined.
He was already a handsome man, and in middle age he has gained even more mature charm, coupled with his incredibly fit physique.
Tang Long, as a man, also found Di Long very charming.
The role of the leader of the Lianfeng Sect is not difficult. As a veteran actor, Di Long handled it with ease, requiring almost no adjustment period, and the filming progressed quickly.
Three days later, Yu Rongguang, who played the villain Feilong, joined the crew.
This also means that in the later stages of filming, Tang Long began to bind his right hand to get used to wielding the knife with one arm.
Before filming began, he practiced the left-handed knife for almost a month, but without binding his right hand.
Aside from the scene where his right hand is cut off by bandits while saving Xiang Ling, all his other scenes are after he loses his hand.
Yu Rongguang wasn't very famous at the time, and he was very polite to everyone on the set.
As one of the main actors in the film, the crew also threw him a welcome banquet, which made him feel quite flattered.
He had long heard that Hong Kong film crews looked down on mainland artists, but he didn't expect the atmosphere on set to be so good.
He has been preparing for the role of Feilong with all his might since he signed the contract and received the script, and he has captured the character's temperament quite well.
Then shave your head, get tattoos, and just stand there, and you'll give off a "keep away" vibe.
Compared to the original Xiong Xinxin, Yu Rongguang is taller and more imposing, giving people a stronger sense of pressure.
To help him adapt to the filming pace, they didn't assign him action scenes right away.
His dramatic scenes are quite expressive, which Yu Rongguang was able to handle with ease, and the filming was completed in just two days.
"Very good, Rongguang. The fight scene between you and Dilong will be filmed the day after tomorrow. You two should spar beforehand and prepare well."
"Okay, director."
Then Cheng Xiaodong looked at Tang Long:
"Ah Long, is it alright to film the scene where you lose your hand tomorrow?"
"no problem."
"That's a wrap."