1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 738 London
Hearing what Li Changhe said, Wang Shuo and the others also looked over.

Li Changhe needs to see them?

That's unusual!

"What is it, Changhe? Tell me!"

Zheng Xiaolong then spoke up.

"Here's the thing, Zhu Lin is currently working at the TV drama center at the television station. I reckon that the TV drama center will definitely be producing more TV dramas in the future, and I hope you guys can lend a hand then!"

At this moment, Li Changhe spoke earnestly to Wang Shuo and the others.

Upon hearing Li Changhe's words, the group exchanged bewildered glances.

"Changhe, lending a hand is no problem, but what can we brothers do? Become script supervisors? We can't do that!"

Wang Shuo then asked in confusion.

Li Changhe smiled and then said, "When I said 'lend a hand,' I meant the screenwriter."

"Currently, the TV drama center is still mainly focused on the Four Great Classical Novels. Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber are being adapted into TV dramas. But I reckon that later, the TV stations will likely produce their own original dramas."

"A self-produced drama? You mean..."

Zheng Xiaolong asked thoughtfully at this moment, as he vaguely grasped a bit of inspiration, but it wasn't very clear.

"Just like some movies, they write their own scripts and film them themselves."

"When it comes to writing screenplays, who can compare to you? Your own novels have already provided Zhu Lin with more than enough material!"

Wang Shuo couldn't help but shake his head at this moment.

They've seen Li Changhe's films before, like "The Herdsman," "The Letter," and "Jungle Gun King," all of which are excellent.

Li Changhe smiled and shook his head: "A single flower does not make a spring, but a hundred flowers blooming together make a garden full of spring. TV series are different from movies; they need to be diverse in genre."

"When we talk about movies, we often want the film's content, and sometimes we even need some ideological propaganda. But the TV drama industry doesn't need that. TV dramas are more about everyday life and the stories of ordinary people."

“For example, the police story that Hai Yan just told me about is very suitable to be made into a TV series.”

"Take Wang Shuo for example. His personality is a reflection of many young people in Beijing. If we use Wang Shuo as a template to film a story about your life, it will easily attract the public's attention."

"This is what TV dramas need to reflect real life. In this respect, I'm not as good as you guys."

"So, if we really need anything then, we'll have to rely on you guys to lend a hand."

At this moment, Li Changhe raised his glass and said seriously.

If Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige are the core of the film industry after the reform and opening up, then this group of people is the core of the television drama industry after the reform and opening up.

Compared to the filmmakers like Feng Xiaogang and Huayi Brothers, Wang Shuo, Zheng Xiaolong, and Hai Yan are the true giants in the television drama industry.

"Aspiration", "Stories from the Editorial Department", and "Jade Goddess of Mercy" were all blockbuster hits that dominated the TV drama industry back then.

If Li Changhe wants Zhu Lin to work in the cultural industry in the future, she certainly won't just pursue film as her career path, but rather film and television in parallel. The people in front of her are excellent helpers in the television industry.

Moreover, Li Changhe hadn't watched many TV dramas from the 1990s. He knew about shows like "Aspiration," but he hadn't seen them.

Moreover, Li Changhe's time is limited in the future, and he may not have time to work on scripts for Zhu Lin, so it is the right thing to do to win over Wang Shuo and the others in advance.

"Since you've said so, Changhe, we brothers will definitely go through fire and water. When the time comes, as long as Comrade Zhu Lin says the word, we'll go wherever you point without hesitation."

At this moment, Wang Shuo immediately picked up his wine glass and said loudly.

A group of people started shouting happily.

After all, many of them are just unknown nobodys these days, so being recognized by a big shot like Li Changhe is something to be proud of.

After finishing the meal, he didn't offer any feedback about the restaurant, but instead bragged for hours.

They ate until around 8 p.m., then Li Changhe left with Zhu Lin.

On the way back, Zhu Lin drove, and Li Changhe sat in the passenger seat.

"I think Wang Shuo's restaurant is in trouble!"

Li Changhe casually chatted with Zhu Lin at this moment.

"What, you think he can't do it?"

"I think opening a restaurant is a good business now. Aren't many of your old friends running restaurants?"

Zhu Lin gripped the steering wheel and smiled as she spoke to Li Changhe.

She knew that Shen Juncheng had helped many of his former buddies, including Li Changhe, open restaurants and set up a special chef training center.

Sometimes Qu Hongshao would invite her to eat together, and they would go to these small restaurants, which were all quite delicious and had a good number of customers.

"It's not the same thing!"

"The key to Wang Shuo's restaurant is not the taste, but the management."

"These guys are just not cut out for business."

"What's important in doing business? First, it's about following the trend. You have to keep up with the times, and they agree on this point."

"But doing business still requires careful calculation, especially in China today, where people are not wealthy. For restaurants, you have to focus on cost-effectiveness. To put it bluntly, you have to provide good food at a low price so that customers feel that the meal is worthwhile."

"Just you wait and see, Wang Shuo and his group won't care about that. Most of them come from military compounds and have never experienced the hardship of being short of money. They won't consider that direction."

"Finally, these guys are too impulsive. It's good that brothers are loyal to each other, but with this kind of behavior, a lot of the restaurant's costs will definitely go to these friends. Free meals and drinks will take up a large part of their expenses."

“These costs may seem small, but they add up over time and are by no means a small amount.”

Li Changhe casually analyzed it for Zhu Lin.

After hearing this, Zhu Lin couldn't help but look at Li Changhe: "Why didn't you say this to Wang Shuo and the others earlier?"

Li Changhe shook his head.

"What's the point of saying anything? It's pointless. They're not the type to listen to reason."

"Actually, I don't think Wang Shuo and the others care much about this restaurant. They don't use it as a means of making a living. It's just something they do to pass the time and make some money on the side when they're bored."

"So even if you tell them, they might not listen. It's best not to talk too much with someone you don't know well. Besides, it's just something for them to do for fun, so why should I spoil their fun?"

"That's true, we're not as familiar with them as we are with Lao Tian and Lao Chen."

In comparison, she felt that she had a better relationship with Tian Zhuangzhuang and Chen Kaige, not only because she had known them for a long time, but also because she had interacted with them more often.

Unfortunately, the two groups couldn't get along and their personalities didn't match.

When she got home, Zhu Lin fed her son first, and then took a shower.

Another day passed uneventfully.

Li Changhe stayed at home until the Lantern Festival, then went to Shanghai for a few days before returning to Hong Kong Island with Gong Xue.

It's almost March, and he needs to prepare to go to London with Y.K. Pao.

"Am I going to England with you this time?"

At home, Gong Xue was somewhat surprised when she heard Li Changhe tell her to pack her things, saying he would take her to England.

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, it's a good opportunity to take you to Europe to see the world."

"While you're there, you can also observe how foundations in Europe and America operate, and learn about their charitable foundation models." "I'll have Catherine accompany you!"

"it is good!"

Gong Xue immediately agreed; it would definitely be a good thing to go out with Li Changhe.

Subsequently, in early March, Li Changhe arrived in London with Bao Yugang.

Britain has a humid and rainy climate, but March in London is a rare dry season.

After arriving, Li Changhe and Bao Yugang's family went directly to Kensington.

Li Changhe prefers staying in his own house to staying in a hotel.

His investment firm in Europe has purchased many high-quality properties in London.

After all, as one of the cities with the highest property prices in the world in the future, London's luxury homes still have great investment potential.

The house that Li Changhe and his group were going to next was one of the top-tier properties he had bought.

Garden Avenue, a future gathering place for global celebrities, is where Li Changhe and his group are staying this time.

Inside the mansion, the butler, Posent, and a group of servants were already waiting at the front door.

He had long admired that mysterious wealthy man from the East.

After all, as a group that caters specifically to the wealthy, he knew a lot about the legends surrounding Mr. Victor.

Just like this butler, he doesn't only manage one mansion in Kensington, but more than twenty mansions throughout London.

The reason there aren't any more isn't because the gentleman can't afford them, but because there aren't any luxury homes on the market that qualify for their company's property.

As the long convoy drove into the mansion, Posent immediately led his men to greet it.

"Boss, this is Portsent, the housekeeper we hired at our UK investment firm. Mr. Portsent is an excellent family manager here in the UK."

After getting off the bus, Catherine introduced herself to Li Changhe.

"Sir, welcome home. All the rooms have been arranged. Please follow me!"

Posent immediately stepped forward and said respectfully.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Portsent."

"It is my honor to serve you!"

Subsequently, Posent and a group of people moved into the mansion.

As for Catherine and her entourage, they stayed at a nearby luxury hotel.

After getting familiar with the mansion, Bao Yugang went to rest first.

Li Changhe went to the study, where he still had a lot of work to do.

The head of the European investment institution had already arrived in London and was preparing to report to him on recent work.

In fact, venture capital is still a niche activity in this era, or rather, most wealthy people do not participate in this industry.

Take the United States as an example. The total funds of venture capital firms in the United States today are only a little over four billion US dollars, which includes more than one billion US dollars from Li Changhe.

If we exclude Li Changhe's funds, the total amount of venture capital in the United States is actually only a little over two billion US dollars.

Therefore, the small size of venture capital firms presents a challenge: fewer companies are willing to accept venture capital.

After all, in the industrial age, many physical enterprises are unwilling to accept a shareholder who may sell their shares at any time, because this would affect the stability of the company's management or even the family management.

Inside the study, Li Changhe couldn't help but shake his head when he heard about the investment companies the other party had chosen.

Apart from real estate and art investments, these selected investment targets were not particularly eye-catching to him.

"We'll temporarily halt investments in emerging companies. Our future investments in Europe will focus on stocks and art, while also expanding into the luxury goods sector."

“You can take a look at some of the traditional luxury goods industries in Europe, and then develop an acquisition plan to incorporate them into the ART Group.”

"By the way, regarding the football industry I mentioned earlier, do you have any research reports on it?"

Li Changhe then asked again.

"Yes, boss. This is our industry report on British football. We have also investigated the football industry in other European countries."

Investment assistant Matthews immediately handed Li Changhe a report on the European football industry.

Li Changhe took it and started reading.

For him, the football team he demands must first and foremost be European, because in the future, the Premier League will be the most valuable league region in European football.

The vast majority of the world's most valuable football teams are based in England.

As for Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​those two clubs have their own special circumstances and will not be sold.

Secondly, the team should ideally be from London, making it easier for him to network with London's high society.

Later generations of Abu and his ilk shared the same idea: to break into European high society.

Li Changhe wasn't saying that he necessarily wanted to penetrate European high society, but football-related social networking was indeed a good idea.

Of course, football teams in the 1980s had more local influence than global influence, just like the English Premier League is now called the First Division instead of the English Premier League.

There are actually many football teams in London, more than twenty if you include the lower leagues, but only a few are actually included in this report.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Fulham.

For Li Changhe, Fulham was the first to be ruled out because it had no reputation in later generations and only had the advantage of geographical location.

He did know the remaining three teams: Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham.

Although he wasn't a football fan, he had read quite a few football novels thanks to his extensive reading in his previous life. He didn't know the star players, but he did know a little about the development of football.

How is Chelsea doing these days?

Seeing the introduction of Chelsea above, Li Changhe asked curiously.

He knew Chelsea was the epitome of big-spending football in later generations, but he never imagined that Chelsea in the 1980s would be in such a miserable state.

"Sir, Chelsea has a great location; it's in Kensington and is one of the best football teams in the area."

"But to be honest, it's not worth much. Its financial situation is very bad right now. The team is on the verge of bankruptcy because of the construction of the new stadium. And just last year, it was sold to Ken Bates for one pound because of its high debt. Ken Bates was willing to take over."

"But Ken Bates did not take over the Mills family's Stamford Stadium, so Chelsea does not have its own stadium now. Ken Bates is a very cunning businessman, and he is using Chelsea to fight a lawsuit over the stadium."

Matthews was very familiar with these situations and immediately explained them to Li Changhe.

"Where is the new stadium located?"

Li Changhe asked curiously at this moment.

"Stamford Bridge is right next to the Thames, but it belongs to the Fulham area, not the Kensington area."

Matthews pointed it out to Li Changhe on the map.

After reading it, Li Changhe seemed to be deep in thought.

A stadium under construction?

A thought flashed through Li Changhe's mind: it seemed that the bargaining chip for negotiating with the Thatcher family had arrived!
(End of this chapter)