Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 90 Back to Guangzhou (Second Update, Please Subscribe and Vote)

To the surprise of Li Song and Liu Jiale, Liu Jiale had only agreed to provide the storyboard with Uncle Three, but Golden Harvest was already eager to acquire the film rights to Treasure Mystery, even offering a sky-high price of 10% of the box office revenue.

Faced with such an exorbitant price, RTV decided not to compete for the film rights to Treasure Hunt, but instead focused on competing with Cinema City for the film rights to Tomb Raider Chronicles.

After receiving Li Song's approval, Liu Jiale signed a film copyright contract with Golden Harvest.

The reason he wanted a share of the box office revenue instead of a share of the profits was because Li Song knew that the cost of making a movie was impossible to calculate. The famous Titanic garnered a lot of box office revenue, but the film company ultimately lost money, so none of the investors who invested in Titanic recovered their investment.

The revenue sharing is different now. You just give me a percentage of the box office revenue.

This is also why Hong Kong films developed rapidly for a long time afterward; a lot of money of dubious origin was laundered through film production.

The news was quickly published in the newspapers.

The Evening Post also began serializing the mystery of the treasure.

This caused another uproar in Hong Kong. No one expected that Beipai Sanshu would be so prolific, having written another novel.

Li Song initially thought that the Treasure Mystery was too Western and that people in Hong Kong might not be able to accept it for a while.

But it unexpectedly became incredibly popular.

The phone number for Xinwanbao was already difficult to get through to, and now it's even harder.

The New Evening Post has added another newspaper, with even more advertising space.

As for Golden Harvest giving 10% of its box office revenue to Beipai Sanshu, many people believe that Golden Harvest made a huge profit.

They also believe that Beipai Sanshu (the author of the novel) lost out, because it can be seen from Ghost Blows Out the Light.

Golden Harvest also seized the opportunity to build momentum, announcing how much money they would invest to make the film a blockbuster internationally.

Of course, this movie was also directed and starred by Big Nose Dragon.

So when Li Song and Liu Jiale were chatting together, Liu Jiale gave the answer.

"Boss, Hong Kong Island is still under British jurisdiction."

"Moreover, over the years, people have developed a certain degree of admiration for Western culture!"

"Moreover, Hong Kong Island has always been a point of exchange between Eastern and Western cultures and economies."

"The impact of Western culture is also very strong. Anyone who can speak English with a London accent will be looked up to by others."

Li Song nodded upon hearing this: "I will be going back to the mainland next week, which may take some time. I'll leave the magazine to you!"

Li Song is preparing to return to Chang'an, at which point he will basically lose contact with Hong Kong Island!

"Don't worry, boss. By the time you return from the mainland, the magazine will have basically selected the first batch of reader submissions. We'll ask you to take a look then." Liu Jiale has been extremely busy these days.

"We've also found some editors to continue writing about the treasure hunt and the tomb raiding notes!"

"However, I'm not optimistic because what they write lacks a certain feeling!"

"It lacks the novelty of a treasure hunt, and the mysterious feeling of a tomb raider's novel!" Liu Jiale wasn't too optimistic.

Li Song thought of historical novels about time travel, so he asked, "I have an idea. What do you think would happen if a modern person traveled to ancient times?"

"For example, what if you time-traveled and happened to encounter Emperor Chongzhen hanging himself?"

"For example, what if you time-traveled and happened to encounter Li Shimin's Xuanwu Incident?"

How could an ordinary person use modern knowledge to become a high-ranking official in history?

"Or perhaps time travel to the Three Kingdoms period?" "Given a thorough understanding of historical developments, how can one maximize their own interests?"

"Of course, the first thing to consider when you travel back in time is how to get rich?"

"Think about this idea!" The earliest time-travel novel should be "A Step into the Past".

"what!"

"Boss, this idea has potential!"

“After all, checking historical records is much better!” Liu Jiale nodded.

"In fact, historical data can only be used as a reference, because once you enter history, you begin to change history!"

“However, this has an advantage: the major historical development becomes the main storyline, and this main storyline is not so easy to change, at least not at the beginning of the novel,” Li Song added.

"Okay, boss, I'll think about it!" Liu Jiale was ready to give it a good consideration!

After Liu Jiale left, Li Song shook his head, never expecting that starting a magazine would be so difficult.

However, this step is necessary. Sometimes, simply having money is not enough; you also need public opinion and the ability to speak out for yourself.

Decades from now, there will be someone named Musk who doesn't focus on real businesses but instead messes around on the internet, all because he wants to control a portion of public opinion.

Because you don't control public opinion, if people say you're a ghost, you're a ghost; if they say you're a person, you're a person.

There wasn't even a chance to refute it.

In the decades that followed, there were still some traitorous media outlets in mainland China. Although their stance was crooked, they still lived comfortably because they controlled public opinion.

On the contrary, it is those who only know how to bury themselves in their work who are aware of the hardships they have endured.

Then Li Song continued doing his own thing.

However, news soon broke that Beipai Sanshu had written a third novel called "Tomb Raider Notes".

RTV and Cinema City are competing for the film rights to this novel, and it is said that the offer has reached a high price of two million Hong Kong dollars.

Because the highest-grossing movie right now only breaks ten million, which means that film copyright accounts for 20% of the box office.

This greatly surprised the people of Hong Kong Island, who then learned that the novel "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" would be serialized in the magazine "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

Then the magazine's phone was ringing off the hook, with calls demanding that the magazine publish the first issue as soon as possible.

Liu Jiale is under even more pressure because the magazine has become a hit even before it's published. If public opinion turns against him later, he will lose face big time.

Li Song didn't interfere with Liu Jiale, because he wanted to be a hands-off manager.

I also have to meet my own deadlines!

On Saturday afternoon, Li Song was about to pick up A Lin when A Lin called to say that her father had returned and she couldn't come.

Li Song was left alone in his empty room, and Sunday was no different.

Fortunately, the two could make a phone call. It turned out that Ah Lin's father was very unhappy that Ah Lin did not come home on Sunday, and it seemed that Ah Lin's father had to go back to Hong Kong Island for work.

Li Song had no choice but to bury himself in writing and then lift weights in his spare time to expend his energy.

On April 1, 1980, April Fool's Day, a Tuesday, Li Song handed over the treasure mystery offered by the second-hand platform, the storyboard of Tomb Raider Notes, and some set designs to Liu Jiale, and then set off back to Guangzhou, this time with Tian Jiahui accompanying him.

There's been progress on Zhang Dehua's end; Honda, the company behind the small-scale project, has also sent representatives to contact him.

(End of this chapter)