Hong Kong films: From street thugs to Hong Kong financial tycoons

Asia Star Television Broadcasting Building, Central, Hong Kong.

As one of only two free-to-air television stations in Hong Kong, Asia Star Television, although constantly overshadowed by its rival Shaw Brothers' TVB, was still a behemoth occupying half the market, with its towering building and bustling traffic in front of it.

At nine o'clock in the morning, a row of gloomy-looking men were squatting on the curb below the building.

Wang Sanri, with his messy hair and a crumpled cigarette dangling from his mouth, squatted on a stone block like a foreman, frantically smoking in silence.

The assistant directors and production assistants around him all looked like wilted eggplants, listless and dispirited.

"Director Wang...is our film really blocked by the censorship authorities?"

An assistant director squatted down nearby, complaining with a bitter face.

"That's the culmination of four days and four nights of hard work by hundreds of us, and all we get from that old bastard Shao Baichuan is to have our film go to waste with just one sentence?"

"Shut your mouth!"

Frustrated, Fatty Wang threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it.

"The boss said he'd come today, so he definitely will. How could you mere mortals possibly fathom the power of his money?"

Despite saying that, Wang Sanri was actually not sure himself.

That's Shao Baichuan, a media tycoon in Hong Kong. He has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and controls the largest television network and print media in Hong Kong.

No matter how rich your Yaosheng Capital is, if they don't issue you a production license or promote you in the media, even if your movie is amazing, the general public won't know about it.

The boss said he wanted to buy a TV station to play around with...

Fatty Wang swallowed hard. This wasn't like going to the market to buy two pounds of pork. This was Asia Star TV, worth at least a billion yuan, and involved a very complicated equity structure and official background. How could he just buy it like that?

Just as Fatty Wang was lost in thought...

"Boom—!"

A familiar, deep, and domineering engine roar came from the street corner.

Nine identical black bulletproof luxury cars, resembling a black steel dragon, arrogantly drove directly onto the building's designated parking area.

Even the security guards at the gate were so frightened by the eye-catching car logo that they immediately stood at attention and saluted, not daring to utter a sound.

The car door opened, and Lin Yao, wearing a loose, plain white T-shirt and a custom-made casual suit without any logo, strolled out with his hands in his pockets, chewing bubble gum.

Following behind him were Chen Zheng, who carried a briefcase and was meticulous, and Sang Gou, who was acting as the temporary bodyguard captain.

"Boss, you've finally arrived!"

Wang Sanri, as if seeing a savior, ran over with his fat body clattering, almost kneeling down to Lin Yao on the spot.

"What's the panic? Look at you, so pathetic."

Lin Yao glanced at Fatty Wang with disdain. "Come on, come upstairs with me. Today I'll teach you the correct way to dump your shares when facing an industry monopoly."

The group entered the Yaxing Building in a grand procession and headed straight for the chairman's office on the top floor.

At this moment, in the chairman's office, Qiu Dewang, the current boss of Asia Star Television, was wearing reading glasses and holding an abacus, typing away on his desk.

This Mr. Qiu is a notorious miser in Hong Kong. Although he is worth billions, he personally stipulates that only two rolls of toilet paper can be used in the company's restrooms every day. His employees call him "Tightrope Qiu" behind his back.

In recent years, Asia Star Television has been suffering repeated defeats at the hands of its rivals, with dismal ratings and a sharp decline in revenue. Qiu Dewang has taken stinginess to the extreme, even refusing to buy new clothes for the crew when they were filming period dramas, relying entirely on tape to fix them.

"Bang!"

The office door was pushed open without any politeness.

"Who is it? Don't you know any manners? Don't you know to knock before entering?"

Qiu Dewang suddenly raised his head, about to unleash a torrent of curses. But when he saw Lin Yao's face and the group of menacing thugs in suits behind him, the profanities he was about to utter stuck in his throat, almost choking him to death.

The Central district has been in an uproar these past two days. Even the Hui Shipping Company was bankrupted by this young man in front of him with a few words. No matter how stingy Qiu Dewang is, he wouldn't dare to offend this living god of wealth.

"Oh my, it's Boss Lin! What a rare guest, truly a rare guest!"

Qiu Dewang reacted extremely quickly, instantly putting on a warm and enthusiastic smile and jumping up from the boss's chair.

"Mr. Lin's presence is a great honor for our Yaxing Building. Please have a seat. Secretary, quickly make some tea and bring out that jar of treasured Tieguanyin tea from my drawer!"

Lin Yao sat down on the sofa with an air of nonchalance, looked around the rather shabby-decorated boss's office, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Boss Qiu, stop working."

Lin Yao waved his hand, "I'm averse to trouble, let's get straight to the point."

The secretary walked over shakily, carrying two cups of tea. Lin Yao glanced at the few pitiful tea leaves floating at the bottom of the cup, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

This old man said he brought out his treasured Tieguanyin tea, but the tea he brewed was as bland as plain water. No wonder he ruined the TV station.

"Boss Lin, what big business deal do you have for me today?"

Qiu Dewang rubbed his hands together and sat down opposite him with a smile.

"I do have a small business."

Lin Yao leaned back on the sofa cushions, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

"My movie, which I just finished filming, had its screening permit blocked by that old bastard Shao Baichuan, who also colluded with the media to blacklist me."

"Therefore, I plan to buy your Asia Star TV and use it as my Yaosheng Film Industry's exclusive advertising billboard."

Silence. The entire office became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Wang Sanri stood behind, swallowing hard. This was too direct! There wasn't even a transition period. They just started talking about buying the TV station to use as a bulletin board?!

This is as absurd as buying a banknote printing plant just to print a few business cards for yourself!

Qiu Dewang's smile froze. Although he was short of money and Asia Star was indeed struggling to make ends meet, it was still a huge business.

"Boss Lin...you really love to joke around."

Qiu Dewang chuckled twice and tentatively said, "Our Asia Star Television is a long-established brand in Hong Kong. Although our ratings have dropped slightly recently, our heritage remains. This isn't a commodity that you can just buy on a whim..."

"Old Chen."

Lin Yao ignored his nonsense and snapped his fingers.

Chen Zheng immediately pulled a thick document from his briefcase and slammed it onto the coffee table in front of Qiu Dewang.

"Mr. Qiu, this is the asset appraisal report that we commissioned last night from a top appraisal team. Your Asia Star's current actual valuation, including the building's land and equipment depreciation, is at most HK$800 million."

"Nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Dewang jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Eight hundred million? Why don't you just rob me? I have one of only two free-to-air television licenses in Hong Kong. That license alone is worth a billion. If you want to buy my television station, don't even bother, it's less than 1.5 billion!"

Qiu Dewang was a shrewd old fox. He saw that Lin Yao desperately needed a channel to speak out and break the deadlock, so he didn't hesitate to make an exorbitant demand, ready to rip off this nouveau riche.

"1.5 billion?"

Lin Yao raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, not a penny less!"

Qiu Dewang held his head high, looking as if he had Lin Yao completely under his thumb. He was certain that, apart from him, Lin Yao couldn't find another media outlet that could rival Shao Baichuan.

Hearing this from behind, Wang Sanri was terrified. He quietly tugged at Lin Yao's sleeve and whispered, "Boss, this old geezer is rigging this. 1.5 billion is an outrageous premium!"

Lin Yao ignored Fatty Wang and slowly took out a checkbook from his pocket and pulled out a pen.

"Mr. Qiu, you just said that anything less than 1.5 billion is out of the question, right?"

"Swish, swish, swish."

Lin Yao scribbled a string of numbers on the check in a flamboyant manner, then tore it off, held it between two fingers, and casually tossed it next to Qiu Dewang's bland teacup.

"That's two billion."

boom!

Those five seemingly casual words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Qiu Dewang, Wang Sanri, and the others utterly terrified.

Two billion?!

Qiu Dewang stared intently at the cash check stamped with HSBC's black gold seal, his eyes practically popping into his teacup.

He just asked for 1.5 billion, which was an outrageous price. He would be grateful if Lin Yao could offer 1.2 or 1.3 billion.

But this devilish man didn't even haggle over the price; he just dumped another 500 million on top of the premium.

"Mr. Lin... Mr. Lin, what's wrong...?"

Qiu Dewang was so slurred that he could barely speak, and his hands were shaking like he had Parkinson's disease. He wanted to get the check but didn't dare to.

"In my life, I hate haggling with people the most; it wastes my time."

Lin Yao stood up, straightened the collar of his T-shirt, and looked down at Qiu Dewang with a fierce aura emanating from him.

"The extra 500 million can buy you the efficiency to get out of this office right now, immediately."

"I'll give you ten minutes to clean up your broken abacus and tea leaves. In ten minutes, I don't want to see your face in this building again."

"Chen Zheng, bring the legal department people up to complete the handover procedures. I want to see the Asia Star Television sign changed to Yaosheng Media before noon today."

That's too domineering, too barbaric. They're using money to crush all negotiation skills. If you dare to ask for an exorbitant amount, I'll use money to shut you up.

"Okay, I'll leave, I'll leave right now!"

Qiu Dewang clutched the 2 billion dollar check tightly in his hand, no longer caring about the image of a big boss.

He worked his whole life in the TV station, toiling away and still losing money every day, and now he's cashed out 2 billion yuan in one go. It's like his ancestors' graves are spewing fire!

He even abandoned the abacus on the table, grabbed his coat, and darted out of the office like a rabbit.

The entire acquisition process, from Lin Yao entering the door to Qiu Dewang being kicked out, took less than five minutes. Wang Sanri stood there dumbfounded, feeling as if his worldview had been irreversibly reduced to a lower dimension.

Buying Hong Kong's second-largest television station is faster than him buying a cabbage at the market?

Lin Yao walked to the large boss's chair and sat down, casually putting his legs up on the desk. He turned to look at Fatty Wang, who was still in a daze.

"Stop daydreaming, Director Wang, come and get to work."

Fatty Wang suddenly jolted awake and rushed forward, saying, "Boss, what are your orders?"

"Go and call the director of the TV station's program department."

Lin Yao coldly issued the order: "Starting this afternoon, stop all of Asia Star's messy afternoon tea programs, soap opera reruns, and those fake medicine-selling GG programs."

"Boss, what should we broadcast?"

Fatty Wang was dumbfounded. If these things were stopped, wouldn't the TV station have to leave the station blank?

Lin Yao's lips curled into a devilish, cold smile.

"Play the trailer for 'The Romancing Star' that you edited."

"I want you to cut the funniest, most absurd, and especially the most sexy and alluring highlights of the movie, into a three-minute ultimate seductive trailer."

"Starting at 1 p.m., play this on our channel on an endless loop for 24 hours straight."

"No matter whether the people of Hong Kong are eating, sleeping, or taking a dump, as long as they turn on Asia Star TV, all they can see are my movie trailers."

"I'm going to use this national-level media resource, which is equivalent to a money-printing machine, to forcibly brainwash all eight million people in Hong Kong for three days and three nights!"

Hearing Lin Yao's outrageous order, Fatty Wang gasped. "Use an entire free TV channel to play the trailer for the same movie 24/7?"

This isn't just a casual "GG" moment; this is a visually polluting information bombardment! This level of publicity is unprecedented and unparalleled in the history of global cinema!

"Boss, you're awesome! I'll go edit the video right away!"

Fatty Wang was so excited that his fat jiggled. With such a boss who was willing to spend any amount of money and fiercely protect his own backing him up, let alone Shao Baichuan, even the Heavenly King himself would have to step aside.

……

That afternoon, at the Shaw Manor on Victoria Peak.

Hong Kong media tycoon Shao Baichuan was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun and leisurely sipping premium Da Hong Pao tea. Next to him was a radio playing Cantonese opera.

"master."

A butler rushed over in a panic, barely able to catch his breath.

"Something terrible has happened!"

Shao Baichuan frowned, put down his teacup, and said with an air of authority, "What's the panic? Even if the sky falls, the Shao family will hold it up. Is that nouveau riche surnamed Lin here begging for mercy?"

In his view, his ban would definitely nip Yaosheng Pictures in the bud. No matter how rich Lin Yao was, if the movie couldn't be released, all the investment would be wasted.

"No, I'm not begging for mercy..."

The butler swallowed hard and pointed to the television set that was on in the living room. "That Lin Yao, he bought out all of Asia Star Television!"

"What?!"

Shao Baichuan suddenly stood up, knocking his teacup over on the table.

"That stingy old man Qiu Dewang actually agreed to sell it. How much did he pay?"

"I heard... they spent two billion in cash!"

Shao Baichuan's head buzzed, and his vision went black. Two billion to buy a loss-making TV station? How many kidneys does this kid have to sell?

"and……"

The housekeeper was almost in tears, "Please go check the TV! The entire Asia Star Channel is going crazy!"

Shao Baichuan rushed into the hall and looked at the TV screen. He saw that there was no usual midday news or cheesy TV dramas on the screen.

The scene shows Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat making exaggerated and funny gestures on the beach. Then, the camera pans to Chingmy Yau, who is wearing a pure white shirt. She turns around and smiles charmingly, exuding an irresistible allure that seems to pierce through the screen and strike straight to the soul.

Accompanied by extremely catchy and energetic background music, several large, blood-red characters appeared on the screen:

"The Romancing Star," a proud production of Yi Sheng Pictures, is about to revolutionize your sense of laughter!

Three minutes later, the trailer finished playing, and then... it started playing again.

Shao Baichuan stood in front of the television and watched for a full half hour, watching the exact same trailer ten times.

"A madman...this guy is absolutely insane!!!"

Shao Baichuan clutched his chest, trembling with anger. He kicked over the coffee table in front of him and ordered an entire public television channel to play movie trailers on a loop, 24 hours a day.

This kind of rogue propaganda method, which relies purely on burning money, directly tore the media blockade that Shao Baichuan had built up over many years to shreds.

Faced with Lin Yao's money and lack of any sense of ethics, the so-called industry rules are nothing but a fart.

The citizens of Hong Kong are destined to be completely dominated by fear today by this brainwashing song and Chingmy Yau's stunningly beautiful face!