Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

December 21, the eve of New Year's Day.

The morning radio station was still shrouded in a light mist.

The atmosphere at the headquarters of Asia Television (formerly Rediffusion Television) today was exceptionally solemn and dignified. From the security guards at the entrance to the cleaning ladies, everyone was on edge, their eyes reflecting both uncertainty about the future and curiosity about the new boss.

It was exactly 9:00 AM.

A black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, escorted by two Mercedes-Benz bodyguard cars, slowly drove into the television station's gate.

The car door opened, and Lu Chen, dressed in a sharp dark gray suit, stepped out with a calm and indifferent expression. Following him, besides his personal bodyguards, the Seven Sons of Heaven, was a professional woman with a capable demeanor and gold-rimmed glasses—the new financial director of Golden Harvest Group sent to ATV.

"Good morning, boss!"

Huang Xizhao, who had been waiting at the door, led a group of senior executives from the TV station to greet them.

"Good morning, Mr. Huang."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the row of anxious-looking executives. "Is everyone here?"

"They're all waiting in Conference Room One."

"Let's go."

……

Conference Room 1.

The air was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Dozens of mid- to senior-level managers from ATV sat upright, barely daring to breathe.

The moment Lu Chen pushed the door open and entered, everyone stood up in unison.

Lu Chen walked to the main seat and sat down. Looking around, the oppressive feeling of being in a superior position made everyone present feel a pang of fear.

"Everyone, please sit down." Lu Chen gestured for them to sit, and got straight to the point, "I am Lu Chen, your new boss. I know what you're worried about. I don't like playing games, so today I'm here to announce only three things."

Lu Chen held up three fingers.

"First, ATV's personnel structure will remain unchanged for the time being. Mr. Wong Hei-chiu will continue to serve as General Manager, fully responsible for the operation of the television station. Except for the finance department being taken over by Golden Harvest, everyone's positions and salaries will remain the same."

Upon hearing this, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the audience. Their jobs were safe—the best news imaginable.

"Secondly," Lu Chen's voice rose a few decibels, "effective immediately, RTV will be officially renamed Asia Television (ATV). What we aim to become is not just a television station on Hong Kong Island, but a media group targeting the entire Asian continent."

"third……"

Lu Chen snapped his fingers. Liang Ke immediately opened his briefcase, took out a huge copy of a check, and projected it onto the screen.

"To support ATV's development, Golden Harvest will initially invest HK$100 million!"

"Whoosh—!!!"

If the first two points are just reassurance, then this one is a stimulant!

The meeting room erupted in chaos. The executives stared wide-eyed at the long string of zeros on the screen, their breathing becoming rapid.

In an era where the cost of a TV series is only a few hundred thousand or a million, what does 100 million mean? It means unlimited ammunition! It means they can stand tall and go head-to-head with that stingy old man Shao next door!

"Long live the boss!"

I don't know who shouted it first, but then thunderous applause erupted and lasted for a long time.

Lu Chen watched this scene, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. He knew one thing well: in this world, there's no army whose morale can't be stabilized by money. If there is, it's simply because there isn't enough money.

At that moment, Lu Chen's image in the eyes of ATV's senior management instantly became radiant.

……

After the meeting. Chairman's office.

The excitement subsided, leaving only the two core members: Lu Chen and Huang Xizhao.

"Old Huang, I've given you the money, and I've left the person with you."

Lu Chen lit a cigarette and pushed a thick document in front of Huang Xizhao. "Next, let's talk about how to fight the war."

Lu Chen took out a thick stack of documents from the drawer and pushed them in front of Huang Xizhao. "These are some program planning drafts I came up with last night. Take a look and see what you think."

Huang Xizhao took the document with both hands and opened it.

He originally watched it out of respect for his boss, because in his opinion, although Lu Chen was a business genius, it was like crossing a mountain to cross a different industry, and making a TV program was not so easy.

As soon as he opened the first section, his eyes lit up.

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, his voice deep and magnetic: "In the news field, I have three knives."

"First, 'Focus Interview.' We will use the sharpest lenses to expose the most hidden corners of society, whether it's loopholes in government policies or the hardships of people's lives. As long as we dare to speak out and tell the truth, we will be the voice of the seven million citizens of Hong Kong Island. I want the audience to feel that only by watching ATV can they see the truth."

"Secondly, 'Legal Report'. Throw those dry legal verses into the trash! I want you to film cases like suspense films, tell them like stories. Family feuds, bizarre murders, love triangles and revenge killings... Under the guise of legal education, satisfy the audience's curiosity and voyeuristic desires to the fullest extent."

"As for the third one..." Lu Chen's lips curled into a playful smile, "For 'Oriental New Entertainment,' we're going to build the most sensitive paparazzi network in Hong Kong. What celebrities eat, what they wear, and who they spend the night with—we'll report on it all immediately. In this industry, I want ATV to have absolute power to 'create gods' and 'destroy gods'—whoever I say becomes famous, becomes famous; whoever I say becomes infamous, becomes infamous."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. He wasn't just after ratings; he wanted influence. He was already planning to acquire several major newspapers, building an intelligence network covering Hong Kong and even Southeast Asia. Then, any slightest movement would be relayed back to ATV headquarters instantly.

Controlling the news means controlling the narrative. It's an invisible blade that can protect you or stab your enemy.

"We must get this done quickly." Lu Chen tapped the table with his finger. "From now on, ATV's news department must arrive at the scene before the police and release information before the government."

"Understood!" Huang Xizhao felt his blood boiling.

Huang Xizhao turned to the second page.

Section Two: Children's Programs

Three strange names came into view: "Armor Hero", "Blazing Teens", and "Balala the Fairies".

"This is……"

Huang Xizhao looked at the specifications for "Armor Hero": Flame Dragon Warrior, Wind Eagle Warrior, Alien Beasts, Transformation Belt...

"This looks a bit like Ultraman or Kamen Rider from Japan!" Huang Xizhao immediately recognized its significance.

Lu Chen nodded: "That's right, the inspiration comes from them, but the core must be changed to our own. We can't let our children's childhoods be filled only with monsters and superheroes from island nations. Our Chinese children should have their own childhood heroes. For boys, we have cool armor and awesome yo-yos; and for girls, we have magical fairies."

"But boss..." Huang Xizhao hesitated, "Making this kind of tokusatsu film is very expensive, and it's only for children, so the ratings..."

"Old Huang, your vision is too narrow," Lu Chen interrupted him. "Who says we have to make money from ratings? We're making money from toys!"

"Toy?"

"That's right." Lu Chen pointed to the transformation device and yo-yo on the proposal. "I've already had someone acquire a toy factory. Once the TV series airs, kids will be begging their parents to pay for a Flame Dragon Hero transformation belt or a yo-yo just like the main character's. This will be a market worth hundreds of millions! And a continuous cash cow!"

Huang Xizhao was stunned.

Making TV dramas to sell toys? This business model was simply revolutionary in the early 80s.

"Oh, right, since we're on the topic..."

Lu Chen suddenly remembered something, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed Cheng Yiyan's number directly.

"Hey, this is Lu Chen. While you're acquiring the newspapers, also investigate the current comic book companies in Hong Kong. Especially those with promising artists. No matter the cost, buy their companies or the artists themselves!"

"Okay, boss."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chen looked at the bewildered Huang Xizhao and smiled: "Just setting things up a bit. Comics and animation are inseparable, after all."

Those well-known franchises like "Dragon Ball" and "One Piece" are still in their infancy or just starting out. Lu Chen plans to leverage Takamagahara's influence in Tokyo to acquire all these future IP behemoths.

Huang Xizhao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This wasn't filming a TV show; it was clearly building a massive business empire! The rich are so capricious; acquiring companies is like buying groceries.

"Next up is the TV series."

Lu Chen gestured for Huang Xizhao to continue flipping through the pages.

In addition to the martial arts dramas that ATV originally planned to film, Lu Chen also proposed a brand new concept in the project proposal – fantasy dramas.

Title: Chinese Paladin.

"Fantasy martial arts? Isn't that martial arts?" Huang Xizhao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"No, martial arts is about practicing martial arts, fantasy is about cultivating immortality, flying on swords, and bombarding with magic..." Lu Chen said with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, "The core of this drama can be summed up in one word—'torture'."

"We're going to find the most handsome male actors and the most beautiful female actors. We'll make them fall in love, and then—kill them off."

"Especially the female lead, she must die in the male lead's arms in the end, the more tragic the better. I want to make all the teenagers in Hong Kong cry their eyes out, so that they will still want to cry when they hear the theme song decades later."

Lu Chen could imagine how much the teenagers of Hong Kong Island would cry when Zhao Ling'er died in Li Xiaoyao's arms.

That would be an absolute ratings bombshell!

Huang Xizhao shuddered upon hearing this. This boss is truly heartless.

As for married women or housewives, Huang Xizhao was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

Lu Chen directly brought up the "three treasures of Korean dramas" from later generations: car accidents, amnesia, and leukemia.

The male and female leads fall in love -> They discover they are long-lost siblings -> The female lead suffers a car accident and loses her memory -> The male lead gets leukemia -> The misunderstanding is cleared up, but he dies.

Although Lu Chen hadn't watched many Korean dramas, he'd seen them all. Those formulas from dramas like "Autumn in My Heart" and "Winter Sonata" would have been absolute tearjerkers in the 80s.

"Boss... this is too... too melodramatic!" Huang Xizhao looked at the plot synopsis and felt his professional values ​​were being challenged. "Does anyone actually watch this kind of thing?"

Lu Chen smiled meaningfully: "Old Huang, you still don't understand women. Housewives usually stay at home doing housework and taking care of children, their lives are as bland as water. They need excitement, they need tears, they need this kind of heart-wrenching love to vent their emotions. Just film it according to this formula, find a few handsome men and beautiful women, and the scenes must be aesthetically pleasing. I guarantee, the ratings will be off the charts."

Finally, in the variety show section, Lu Chen presented "Happy Camp" and "Qiang Qiang San Ren Xing".

"An organization dedicated to entertaining to the death, inviting popular celebrities to play games and make fools of themselves, satisfying the audience's voyeuristic desires and entertainment needs."

"One person is responsible for decorating the place, setting up a small table, a few cups of tea, and the three of them chatting about everything under the sun. The topics can be sensational, in-depth, and they can even smoke and drink on the show, emphasizing authenticity and sophistication."

Lu Chen finished speaking in one breath, feeling his mouth dry.

He picked up his coffee and drank it all in one gulp, looking at Huang Xizhao across from him, who had completely turned to stone.

"How's it going, Lao Huang? Can these plans be implemented?"

Huang Xizhao took a deep breath and closed the folder.

At this moment, the look in his eyes when he looked at Lu Chen was no longer just awe, but worship, a complete and utter worship.

This boss is not only rich, but also knowledgeable in the industry, even more so than all the people in the industry!

These program plans cover men, women, young and old, take into account both in-depth news coverage and broad entertainment, and even include the surrounding toy business.

What is this?

That's genius!

"Boss..."

Huang Xizhao stood up, his hands trembling with excitement. "With these plans and that 100 million in funding, I'm confident that within six months, ATV will be on par with TVB, or even surpass them!"

"Then go ahead and do it."

Lu Chen stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the broadcast channel.

"I'll give you the money; I'll give you the people; I'll give you the ideas too."

"I want you to make sure that all of Asia sees our ATV logo after next year."

"Yes, boss!"

Huang Xizhao responded loudly, his voice as clear as a new recruit.

He carried that pile of priceless proposals as if they were rare treasures and rushed out of the office.

ATV, this great ship, has finally met its true helmsman.