Chapter 0009: Cool and Stylish

However, during his previous life when Song Zhichao was doing business in Hong Kong, those tycoons in Hong Kong flattered him by sharing numerous gossip about the big stars in Hong Kong

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A racehorse, no matter how skilled the jockey, cannot win a race if it does not run fast. Chen Jianjun is the kind of thoroughbred racehorse that likes to exert itself in secret and runs very quickly.

Song Zhichao has watched this play countless times in his past life, and now, watching it again, he has lost much of his interest

The audience erupted, whistling, banging on their chairs, and clamoring for refunds.

Finding a place to sit down, Song Zhichao glanced at the luminous plum blossom watch he was wearing; it was still early, only 3 o'clock in the afternoon

As an outsider striving in the place of Panyu, only Chen Jianjun knows how bitter and exhausting it is. The people here are unkind to newcomers; if you lack ability, you cannot establish a foothold. Some say that Chen Jianjun was able to open such a stylish video hall here thanks to his relative who works at the industrial and commercial bureau, but in reality, most of his success relies on his own efforts

An hour has quickly passed, and it is now ten thirty in the evening

As for Chen Jianjun, he still trusts him very much

Finally, Chen Jianjun reminded Song Zhichao, "This Mark is good in every way, but he hates it the most when others make fun of him for being unsophisticated. Make sure to remember this: when chatting with him, talk about fashionable topics, the more fashionable, the better!"

Chen Jianjun seemed to have vanished completely, and the ticket seller at the entrance was replaced by a robust middle-aged woman. She is Chen Jianjun's wife, named A Ping, and is primarily responsible for selling tickets at the night market

It must be said that the facilities inside the video hall are truly impressive, at least not as smoky and chaotic as other video halls. There are very few smokers, and those sitting to watch videos are mostly fashionable couples. Besides a slight smell of tobacco, the air is also filled with a hint of jasmine fragrance. Song Zhichao speculated that it might be a type of air freshener commonly used in hotels, which indicates that Chen Jianjun is quite willing to invest in his video hall.

Song Zhichao did not seem worried at all that Chen Jianjun would deceive him, take the money, fail to deliver on the promised services, and ultimately drive him away. He leisurely entered the video hall to watch a film.

Although Chen Jianjun has not read many books, he loves to watch "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," whether it be the novel or the television series. Therefore, he holds great respect for the heroic figures within it, such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan. He believes that such individuals are capable of accomplishing great things, possessing ambition and courage. Currently, he feels that Song Zhichao is the kind of person who can achieve significant accomplishments, and this is an instinctive feeling.

At this moment, the cinema is screening the Hong Kong action film "The God of Gamblers," in which Stephen Chow plays the male lead "Zuo Songxing" as he engages in a fierce battle against Hong Kong's gambling king "Master Hong." This is also the climax of the film, featuring a plot twist accompanied by exhilarating music, which easily stirs the audience's hormones

Chen Jianjun called someone to help him keep an eye on the video hall, never having worked so hard on a task before. In the past, when helping fellow villagers find jobs or similar matters, he hardly ever took action, merely passing on messages or relaying information, unlike the effort he is putting in now.

Subsequently, Chen Jianjun revealed a bit of information about this Mark to Song Zhichao. It turns out that Mark is not a native of Guangzhou; many years ago, he was also a migrant worker, originally from a remote area in Sichuan. However, this individual had good fortune and managed to connect with an investor from Hong Kong, transforming himself into a big boss of a dance hall. In order to conceal the remnants of his humble beginnings, Mark put in considerable effort to learn Cantonese, adopting the demeanor of a Hong Konger, even changing his name from the rather rustic "Zhang Tiezhu" to the distinctly foreign-sounding Mark.

He succeeded, although it was just a small success, it was not easy at all. Looking back, he has helped many fellow villagers; as long as you meet him and say, "I am from the Central Plains," Chen Jianjun will generously assist you with books.

For instance, Stephen Chow, in his youth, was quite eccentric and not as taciturn and reticent as he later became. At that time, he had not yet risen to fame and was working as a host at a television station. After work, he would go to a bar in Hong Kong to unwind. Unexpectedly, after a few rounds of drinks, Stephen Chow began to act wildly and started to smash the tables and chairs in the bar. However, this bar was under the protection of the Hong Kong triad organization, and as a result, Stephen Chow was severely beaten.

After Chen Jianjun finished speaking, he intended to return the remaining seventy yuan to Song Zhichao. However, Song Zhichao waved his hand and said, "Brother Jun, the money I give away is never to be taken back. Besides, you have helped me so much; consider this a token of my appreciation."

Unknowingly, it is already around 7 PM, and as night falls, the business of the video hall begins to pick up, especially with some young people involved in gangs and some workers off duty also flocking into the video hall. The once empty hall quickly fills up with people.

This is the "lingo" of operating a video hall, where the audience desires to watch adult films, having grown tired of the likes of Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat, and instead wanting to see actors like Cao Chaoli and Xu Jinjian

Of course, this kind of help is not selfless. Although we are fellow townsmen, you still need to express your feelings. You introduced me to the electronics factory, toy factory, clothing market, and shoe factory. As for you, it would be nice to give a little something, like three or five yuan, or buy a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of liquor.

Chen Jianjun was not polite either; he accepted the money and said with a smile, "I did not misjudge you, you are generous, this favor was not in vain!"

Song Zhichao has always been a very patient person

Chen Jianjun found Song Zhichao and directly pulled him to a quiet place outside, his expression very serious as he said: "A Chao, I have taken care of the matters you entrusted to me. At 11 o'clock, we will go to the nearby 'Deep Sea Fish Port' restaurant to eat 'Bowl Shark Fin'. I have already reserved a table with your money and ordered drinks, totaling 230. Here, there are still 70 yuan left."

Song Zhichao smiled, passed a cigarette over, and put one in his own mouth, "Rest assured! I cannot guarantee anything else, but when it comes to the most fashionable trends at the moment, I would claim second place, and no one would dare to claim first!"

In ordinary times, the business-savvy Chen Jianjun would come out to change the film and soothe everyone's emotions, but this time he did not appear. Instead, his burly wife, who sells tickets, came out and said that the film was put on by her husband, and she couldn't find it, not knowing where it was stuffed away.

However, upon returning, Chen Jianjun did not directly go to change the film; instead, he entrusted this task to his wife, as he had more important matters to attend to

At that moment, Chen Jianjun returned

Song Zhichao looked at the watch again; it was already past 9 o'clock, yet there was still no news from Chen Jianjun

However, among all the people that Chen Jianjun has helped, none have been as bold as Song Zhichao, who entrusted his entire fortune to Chen Jianjun at their first meeting. This made Chen Jianjun regard Song Zhichao with newfound respect

Song Zhichao's mind wandered. By the time he regained his focus, the video had already switched to another film, this time a different Hong Kong movie. Leaning back in his chair, with his eyes fixed on the screen, Song Zhichao could not help but feel a sense of fatigue creeping in.

At this moment, the peak of movie-watching is reached, and those workers watching the recordings begin to habitually shout: "Boss, change the film!"

Chen Jianjun originally intended to retort, but after glancing at Song Zhichao's cool and unique "Mohican" hairstyle, along with his striking red suit that could easily pass for that of a "young master," he swallowed his words and said nothing

Later on, Stephen Chow rose to fame with the film "The God of Gamblers." During the filming of its sequel, "The God of Gamblers 2: Shanghai's God of Gamblers," Bo Ming, who was working with Xiang Huaqiang on a movie and was also in charge of this film, was specially invited by Stephen Chow to play the role of a croupier. One of his lines was: "I'm sorry, Mr. Chow, it's not your turn yet." Their collaboration can be seen as a way to bury the hatchet. From then on, whenever Stephen Chow was filming, as long as it was Bo Ming's venue, he would receive a lot of special treatment.