Chapter 11: This Is More Precious Than Money

On the morning of October 7th, just after 10 a.m., Li Wenyu had Pang Bing rehearse a certain scene six times in front of the digital camera before finally starting the actual filming with the film camera.

During the performance, Liu Dekwa, clutching the script of "Miracle Boy," walked behind the yacht’s monitor area, his expression complicated as he looked at Li Wenyu. “Ayu, your skill in directing actors is really quite impressive. Her previous performances were already very good.”

Wang Zuxian’s praise of Bingbing’s spirit in her first scene was probably just sisterly flattery, but as for Brother Kwa... well, his acting at twenty was also a complete mess.

However, Liu Dekwa, a Hong Kong Island Best Actor winner, now possessed both strong skills and keen judgment, so his compliment to Pang Bing was fairly sincere.

Netizens had also remarked on the original trajectory of "Shark Beach," noting the lead actress’s seven-tenths of beauty and good figure combined with three-tenths acting skills, which together created a ten-out-of-ten performance that brought in a staggering $120 million globally.

With an acting attribute rating of 73, Pang Bing meticulously polished many scenes repeatedly. Even though Li Wenyu pushed her hard for a long time, she never eased up. Her current acting generally surpassed the original version.

This was merely a high-quality popcorn movie, not an award-chasing art film, so the acting demands weren’t overly exaggerated.

Li Wenyu continued honing Bingbing’s performance, considering how many popcorn hits global audiences had experienced since 2016. With a $120 million box office, if this had been released earlier at the end of 2001, audiences wouldn’t have suffered from choice paralysis due to the impact.

If filmed well, the quality could be even better, and ticket sales might soar even higher.

Special effects took time. Pang Bing had practiced the scenes involving floating on water and avoiding sharks near the buoy tower dozens of times in the pool and had already performed well on location by the sea.

The sequence involving the shark fight effects was now in the hands of the assistant director, who was taking sample footage and effect models to a special effects company.

At this stage, filming and post-production were progressing simultaneously.

With Pang Bing’s looks, figure, and now her acting skills combined with the star-studded lineup of Rong Ge, Kwa Ge, and Xian Jie, it wasn’t impossible to replicate the momentum of “My Sassy Girl” within the East Asian and Southeast Asian markets. That film, also released during this summer season, had stirred up a fierce cultural storm in East Asia.

Though the “Sassy Storm” was a romantic comedy, compared to “Shark Beach,” if the marketing and promotion were properly handled, the latter might not lose out at the box office. Even the notoriously bad “Witch Blair” managed to scam $248 million globally back in 1999. Ultimately, it all depended on the marketing.

Li Wenyu was waiting to deploy a viral marketing campaign with online influencer groups after wrapping up filming. Should Pang Bing suddenly rise to fame like that, her status in the film industry would instantly elevate to the leading figure among the “Four Dan and Two Bing” generation.

The next challenge would be to match the stature of veterans like Gong Li and Man Yu.

Li Wenyu politely smiled at Brother Kwa, “Since we’ve come this far, let’s strive for perfection. Even if it’s just a decorative role, the better it looks, the more impact it has.”

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Under the lens, Pang Bing continued skillfully performing her physical movements and facial expressions. Liu Dekwa glanced twice more before withdrawing his gaze. “Ayu, this new script of yours is really... I find it a bit strange at first—like watching a fairy tale for adults, warm but somewhat unreal.”

“But I’d rather believe that such a fairy tale really exists. Even if it’s just fooling me, that’s fine.”

“Miracle Boy” was a film filled entirely with good people and kindness, a profoundly pure world throughout.

On the surface, it appeared to address the challenges faced by a boy with facial deformities caused by illness—how he grows up and integrates into society without facing discrimination. In reality, the script employed multiple perspectives: from the boy’s parents, sister, sister’s boyfriend, sister’s close friend, to various teachers and classmates, weaving together a complex, intersecting narrative.

At its core, the script deliberately suppresses the many hardships of life, crafting over a hundred minutes of heartwarming, feel-good story.

Of course, there were emotional moments, but the tearjerkers were designed to ease the audience into the warm, uplifting parts.

As Pang Bing finished her performance, Li Wenyu called “Cut,” allowing a short break to prepare for the next scene. When she carried the surfboard onto the yacht, Liu Dekwa nodded and said, “Ayu, I’ll give you HKD 200,000 for this script, plus 1% of the box office share. How does that sound?”

“The mother’s role isn’t suitable for Bingbing. Whether she plays the eldest daughter or the eldest daughter’s close friend, let Bingbing choose. If this film is made well, it shouldn’t be any less remarkable than the classic family comedies from the 80s and 90s. It’s just that the market isn’t great these days, so we can’t expect too much at the box office.”

“In this industry, I’ve got some standing. If you and Bingbing shoot here in the future and run into trouble, I’ll definitely help.”

Liu Dekwa couldn’t just hand over 500,000 or even a million for a script. Hollywood had plenty of writers commanding such fees, but China’s entertainment industry didn’t have that now.

This year, the “Little Cannon” actor’s deposit to editor Lao Shi for a major project was only 50,000 RMB. Even after Lao Shi finished the script, director Lao Feng wasn’t satisfied and kept deepening and revising it himself.

Lao Shi was already quite accomplished.

Another writer, Lao Liu, who had worked on projects from “A Mess” to “Phone” and “1942,” had collaborated with Lao Feng for over twenty years. His first script in 1995 earned eighty thousand RMB, but in 2003, even with “Phone,” he still couldn’t command a million-level fee.

Lao Liu was also a renowned writer.

At the dawn of the 21st century, this was the highest standard of screenwriter pay on the Chinese mainland!

Apart from a few rare projects like “Infernal Affairs,” which took a decade to perfect, how many classic films began filming with just a project title? Most were rushed and patched together.

For Liu Dekwa, HKD 200,000 was not much for a “famous screenwriter” amid the growing buzz around “Tsuen Wan by the Sea,” but “Miracle Boy” was not an awards film—it was a warm popcorn movie.

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The 1% profit share made the deal special. Li Wenyu only sold the script, unlike directing “Shark Beach” from start to finish.

One must also consider the vast difference between Zhang Guorong and Liu Dekwa. The former accepted a 10% director’s share when he was just emerging from a dark, suicidal phase, feeling a newfound hope for life and not caring about money.

Liu Dekwa, on the other hand, had struggled through many failures before the millennium, deeply in debt, much like a future mortgage slave. He had only recently cleared his foreign debts.

The entire deal of 200,000 was not insignificant, and the 1% box office share was a pleasant surprise. Letting Pang Bing choose her role was Li Wenyu’s primary aim in selling the script—far more valuable than money.

The “Four Dan and Two Bing” actresses in the early 2000s repeatedly appeared as supporting actresses in Hong Kong’s top male star films through public relations, joint investments, dinners, and yacht parties. Li Wenyu’s single script achieving this was sufficient.

He hadn’t even asked Pang Bing for a role yet. No fool in the entertainment industry would do that—Bingbing often brought snacks and extra meals to the crew, politely respectful to everyone, yet gossip and rumors about her were already rampant.

Pang Bing was personally in debt and had even borrowed money from Wang Jinghua!

Li Wenyu smiled and shook hands with Liu Dekwa. “Thank you, Brother Kwa. You’ve really looked out for us.”

Liu Dekwa laughed heartily. “Happy to collaborate. This live-action fairy tale, an inspirational, heartwarming comedy, will probably be loved by many parents. Who wouldn’t want their children to grow up in a world filled with truth, goodness, and beauty?”

“The market isn’t good, so the price can only be this. If it becomes a box office hit, I’ll give you a bonus.”

This kind of comedy’s laughter and emotion was not the usual slapstick style of “Winners and Sinners” or “The Magic Touch,” but its appeal was no less strong.

As they joked, Pang Bing boarded the yacht. Liu Dekwa smiled again, “Bingbing, since Ayu and I are working together successfully, I’ll play the father in ‘Miracle Boy’ and invite Xian Jie as the mother. The eldest daughter and her best friend from childhood will also be in it. Which one would you like to play?”

Pang Bing gasped in delight. “The eldest daughter’s best friend, the third female lead? Thank you, Brother Kwa.”

She lived on the boat, sometimes on the floor or in the bathroom, always urging the script along. Li Wenyu had already mentioned these details—the eldest daughter’s best friend was the third female lead, but her screen time was not short. The second female lead, the eldest daughter, had the romantic and kissing scenes.

Fan Bingbing, deeply obsessed with “Li Elephant,” was too indifferent to be distracted by a minor role.