Pirates began to dominate the Chinese entertainment industry.

Chapter 88 I don't need to rely on Jiahe to get rich; I can get rich on my own.

"Boss, you even have a fan club now."

Naza rushed into Ji Yun's office, holding his laptop.

Ji Yun looked up from a pile of documents: "Mine?"

"Yes, it's called Seven-Colored Auspicious Clouds. It's only been two days since it was established and already has over 30,000 members, all waiting for you to marry me... And what about them?" Naza excitedly read aloud, "The president is a super rich woman! She threw in 300,000 yuan in membership fees at once; I couldn't even beat her. The first vice president is me, the second vice president is an anonymous account, I think she's an actress, and the third vice president is a student, nicknamed 'Heavenly Path Boss Lady.'"

"...How come I didn't know our company had a boss's wife?" Ji Yun laughed. "Which woman is so bold?"

Naza glanced through the posts and said, "Judging from the old posts, she seems to be from Changzhou. Last month, she watched 'Lost in Thailand' three times and posted dozens of messages to support you, boosting your online presence quite a bit."

Upon hearing "data manipulation," Ji Yun paused for two seconds before replying: "You need to check on them regularly, keep an eye on them, and prevent them from doing anything reckless."

"Ah? So many groups, this is exhausting." Naza frowned.

Ji Yun glanced at her: "I'll give you another salary."

Naza chuckled and ran off happily.

Xiao Zhao walked in and whispered, "Boss, look outside. There are too many people coming to apply for jobs. Lately, people have been blocking the company entrance every day. The reception desk is all broken from the crowd, and we don't even dare to open the door."

Ji Yun went out and glanced at the crowded office.

Guo Fan was writing a procurement report while hunched over the table.

Sister Li brought out a mahjong table from somewhere to temporarily serve as the front desk, which was piled high with express deliveries and takeout orders.

Sister Li herself went to help Ji Yun register a new company.

He plans to establish a film and television copyright company called "Tiandao Copyright" to manage the film and television and original IPs he owns.

Zhao Liying is organizing her resume in a corner.

Naza was acting as a part-time online troll and a receptionist, arguing with netizens while answering job application calls.

We still don't have enough manpower.

"No need to squeeze in," Ji Yun stood up. "Let's call a moving company in the next couple of days and move to a bigger place."

Xiao Zhao's eyes lit up: "Where to rent?"

"Go upstairs and rent another floor."

Oh right, I almost forgot. Remember to have someone anonymously report the owner of the 7th floor for running a pirate company. Once he's arrested, prepare to get the house back at a low price.

As for now... I remember the third floor is empty. Let's rent it first, decorate it according to three sections: movies, TV series, and variety shows, and reserve another area for "Tiandao Copyright"...

'

After giving her instructions, Ji Yun turned to look at him: "How's your screenwriter recruitment going?"

"We found seven graduates from Beijing Film Academy, and they will report for duty within a week."

"That's far from enough. Screenwriters are so cheap. We'll hire 20, divide them into four groups, and I'll provide the outlines so they can write in groups. We'll use whichever group is the best, and there will be a bonus for the best one."

Xiao Zhao quickly took notes, then asked halfway through, "Boss, how many units are we going to have for this new project?"

Ji Yun held up four fingers.

"Huh, 4 parts?" Xiao Zhao was a little confused.

Ji Yun said, "Including the ones we ordered before, there are a total of 4 parts."

A movie titled "Goodbye Mr. Loser" is in preparation, starring Mahua FunAge, and will begin filming next month.

I will be writing the outline for a TV series called "Shan Shan Comes to Eat," directed by Liu Junjie. I will choose three out of the seven and co-write the script with Gu Man. The female lead is tentatively Zhao Liying, but we will replace her if she is not suitable. We will discuss the male lead after I return from Hong Kong.

An idol development variety show, initially titled "Produce 101", will be co-produced with the variety show team of Enlight Media. It will first recruit contestants nationwide, targeting ordinary people, requiring good looks, talent, and personal characteristics, aged 15 to 22, and will form a group.

There's also "Lost in Thailand," but we'll talk about that after Wang Baoqiang finishes his current schedule.

Xiao Zhao excitedly put away his notebook, took a couple of steps with his head held high, then scratched his head and turned back: "Boss, there's something else. Gao Yuanyuan said... the house you bought is too far away, it's inconvenient to take care of you at work, so she asked me if there are any suitable properties nearby to recommend. She said she wants to buy another one, or rent it out."

Ji Yun paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and said, "Tell her that there aren't many good properties near the company, and that she shouldn't rush to buy one. She can stay in Silver Moon Apartments for now. There's still an empty room next to Nazha and Zhao Liying's."

Xiao Zhao's eyes widened, and he gasped.

Silver Moon Apartments, isn't that where Liu Shishi lives?

Should they live in the same apartment?

Is the boss throwing a party?

"Get out of here." Ji Yun glared at him.

Xiao Zhao was so frightened that he quickly slipped away.

In August, Shanghai is like a giant steamer. The leaves of the plane trees along the street are curled up, and only the cicadas are still chirping endlessly.

The air outside was so hot it seemed to shiver; summer in this city is anything but reasonable.

Ji Yun went up to the third floor and looked around. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, she looked out and saw crowds of people hurrying to and fro on the street.

Six months ago, he was a small-time pirate on the verge of bankruptcy, but now... life is more exciting than any movie.

The Boeing plane flew through the clouds, and Hong Kong Island shimmered in the August sun outside the window.

Zhao Liying leaned against the window, her round face almost pressed against the glass.

Victoria Harbour is like a piece of blue-green jade, and the densely packed high-rise buildings seem to grow out of the water.

"Boss, isn't that Central? I saw it in 'Infernal Affairs'!" she called out, turning her head, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling.

"Hmm." Ji Yun leaned back in her leather seat, flipping through a financial report of Jiahe, without even lifting her eyelids.

Having grown accustomed to watching short videos from later generations, this scenery was not bad at all.

Zhao Liying pursed her lips and turned back to continue watching.

Today she wore a white chiffon blouse, a dark blue pencil skirt, high heels, and her hair was tied in a neat ponytail.

This was arranged by Liu Shishi before she set off. In Liu Shishi's words, "She can't let Ji Yun down when she goes to Hong Kong."

She even went to her agent to ask for advice on how to be a good assistant, and thus learned a lot of things, such as bringing safety equipment for the boss when going out, and being prepared to sacrifice herself if the boss is unhappy... cough.

After disembarking, Ji Yun walked out of the airport first, followed by the petite Zhao Liying.

She was dragging a small suitcase, her eyes wide like two copper bells, looking around nervously, so nervous that she could hardly take a step.

Ji Yun glanced at her sideways. "Stand up straight! Don't look like a silly girl who just came to the city."

Zhao Liying muttered softly, "I've only just arrived in the city..."

'

At that moment, a black Maybach silently glided up in front of them.

The car window rolled down, revealing an excessively delicate and pretty face.

"Ji Yun, get in the car."

Li Ying wore a gray-blue suit dress today, with her long hair pulled back, revealing a dazzlingly white neck.

Her presence alone made all the other travelers look like background figures.

Zhao Lixiang felt suppressed and subconsciously took a half step back, quietly tugging at Ji Yun's clothes.

Ji Yun smiled and explained, "He's the vice president of Goldman Sachs' Asian investment department and also our strategist in the acquisition of Golden Harvest."

Then he opened the back door, shoved Zhao Liying inside, and said, "Your name is President Li."

"Hello, Mr. Li!" Zhao Liying sat up straight.

Li Ying glanced at the trembling Zhao Liying in the rearview mirror and smiled slightly: "Your little assistant is quite cute."

"The future leading lady," Ji Yun said casually.

Zhao Liying's ears turned bright red, her smile faltered, and she quickly waved her hand shyly.

Sure enough, although the boss had a sharp tongue, he still liked her!

As the Maybach merged into the traffic on the Central Ring Road, the skyscrapers on both sides sliced ​​past the car windows like blades.

Li Ying drove extremely fast, changing lanes and overtaking in one smooth motion.

She looked straight ahead and said, "Jiahe's situation is worse now than when I called last time."

Although Orange Sky holds 24.87% of the shares, making it the largest shareholder.

But there's good news: they're out of money.

During the temporary removal of "Red Cliff" from streaming platforms, Japanese investors have tightened their purse strings, forcing Wu Kebo to now cover even his own marketing and distribution costs.

The words had barely left his mouth when Ji Yun hadn't even spoken yet.

Li Ying's phone rang, and she put it on speakerphone.

A capable male voice came from the phone; it must have been her deputy.

"Mr. Li, Orange Sky has softened its stance. Wu Kebo is willing to sell his shares in Golden Harvest for HK$4.2 million."

Ji Yun scoffed.

Li Ying gave him a coquettish glare and asked her deputy, "What was the purchase price they paid back then?"

"HK$2 million, plus HK$2000 million in convertible bonds."

Li Ying laughed too: "Tell them, 1.2 million RMB, not a penny more."

The call ended, and the carriage was silent for two seconds.

Ji Yun smiled and asked, "Are you confident?"

"Using your power to beat a dog when it's down."

Li Ying didn't take credit for it and tossed a file folder from the center console into his hand.

Ji Yun opened it and was shocked to see Orange Sky's latest financial report: the loss figures were glaringly red, and the cash flow had run out.

Even more devastating is that Avex, the Japanese investor, is publicly seeking to sell its shares in Orange Sky.

This not only means that Wu Kebo's source of income has been cut off.

More importantly, once Orange Sky Holdings is bought out, Orange Sky will lose control.

"It started with the Seven Deadly Sins of Red Cliff, the statement from the Three Kingdoms production team, and then the involvement of state media, which directly drove him to the point of wanting to jump off a building."

Li Ying turned to look at him, her gaze meaningful. "You've planned this all along, haven't you?"

Ji Yun smiled but didn't say anything.

He had been waiting for this day since the start of the publicity campaign.

The purpose of releasing "Red Cliff" was not just to vent anger and boost box office revenue, but also to undermine the confidence of the investors behind Orange Sky.

The gains or losses of a film are nothing more than a few hundred or tens of millions; nothing compares to the enticing wealth of a tycoon.

Currently, Golden Harvest's shares are Wu Kebo's most valuable asset.

Even the largest shareholder is rushing to sell, and Jiahe's stock has almost halved in value.

In addition, the financial crisis swept in, and the other film and television giants that could afford to buy were either afraid of getting caught up in it or were not doing well either.

Without Ji Yun's intervention, Orange Sky would have bought Golden Harvest for 4.5 million yuan in its previous life, and then sold it for 33 billion yuan in 2017.

"Alright, now that my sister has broken through the toughest nut, it's time for me to go see the real deal."

"Raymond Chow?" Li Ying was taken aback, and frowned as she said, "He has already sold all his shares to Orange Sky. Moreover, he just received the Hong Kong Film Awards Lifetime Achievement Award at the beginning of this year, and his health is not very good, so he doesn't manage things much."

Ji Yun shook her head.

Orange Sky's 24.87% stake is merely an entry ticket; its founder, Raymond Chow, is the biggest variable in this game.

The other major shareholders, including Li Jiacheng, were brought in by him to help prevent the company from being forcibly acquired; they themselves did not value the small amount of money that Jiahe had.

With Raymond Chow's help, taking over Golden Harvest is just a matter of time.

"Golden Harvest is not an ordinary film and television company. It represents the pinnacle that the domestic film and television industry has ever reached internationally. All over the world... even children in African slums may have seen Golden Harvest films."

Although a portion of it was sold, it still contains most of the copyrights to the golden age of Chinese-language cinema—Li Xiaolong, Cheng Long, Michael Hui, Hung Jing-bao, and many others.

Its brand represents the face of Hong Kong filmmakers.

Ji Yun turned his gaze to the window, where his face was reflected in the glass.

"If I can't get Raymond Chow's approval, even if I spend a lot of money to buy Golden Harvest, no one in the Hong Kong entertainment circle will respect me. They'll just think, what right does an 18-year-old mainland kid have to take over this prestigious brand... In short, it's bad for the stock price."

Li Ying understood and nodded thoughtfully.

She looked at Ji Yun's youthful face and smiled gently: "You know more about the entertainment industry than I do, I'll listen to you."

"Zou Sheng".

3 PM.

An elderly man walked into the lobby tea area of ​​the Peninsula Hotel.

Wherever he went, whether it was a waiter or a customer, he would bow and greet them.

In terms of fame, this old man is someone who can rival Run Run Shaw in Hong Kong Island, but he relies not on his wealth, but on his outstanding achievements.

This elderly man, who single-handedly built a film empire, would nod in response to each greeting.

He looked older than Ji Yun had imagined.

He wore a well-fitting gray Chinese-style jacket, was thin, and had sparse, gray hair, but his back was straight to the point of being stubborn.

He walked in leaning on a dark red wooden cane, followed by a young assistant in a black suit.

He stood at the table, his gaze sweeping over Ji Yun, lingering for a moment on Li Ying's face, before slowly sitting down.

"I've heard of you." Raymond Chow leaned his cane against the table and placed his hands folded on his knees.

He spoke Mandarin slowly with a heavy Cantonese accent, but his pronunciation was surprisingly clear. "I read the article you wrote criticizing Wu Yusen."

Ji Yun paused for a moment, then smiled and asked, "What do you think?"

"Well said."

Raymond Chow's lips curled up slightly, and he seemed more energetic. "I've known him for over thirty years. That scoundrel, bad-tempered and narrow-minded, picked up a lot of bad habits in Hollywood and came back and forgot he was Chinese."

Ji Yun raised an eyebrow.

It seems that Wu Yusen's popularity isn't very good even in his home base; this start is better than he expected.

"Mr. Zou, I'm here today to discuss the acquisition of Golden Harvest," he said, getting straight to the point.

Zou Wenhuai glanced at Ji Yun with his cloudy eyes, but did not respond.

He took out a white handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, then picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

"Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers fought for thirty years."

He finally put down his teacup, looked into Ji Yun's eyes, and said, "I snatched Bruce Lee from Boss Shao, then signed Jackie, and later Michael and Ah... Back then, the whole Nathan Road was filled with audiences coming to Golden Harvest for midnight screenings. After we finished one movie, the audience for the next screening had already crowded onto Austin Road..."

'

His fingers gently caressed the tip of the wooden cane, his gaze passing over Ji Yun's shoulder and landing on a distant point outside the window.

Zhao Liying was about to jot down key points in her notebook when her pen stopped in mid-air.

Li Ying subtly pushed the candy jar towards him.

"You're young." Raymond Chow's gaze returned to Ji Yun's face. "You're a lot like me when I was young, and even more like Bruce back then. You're defiant, never give up, like a dragon crossing the river, no one can get above you."

I watched your movie, it was alright...

But let me ask you, do you understand Golden Harvest?

"I don't know." Ji Yun shook her head frankly, but her tone was confident. "But I know how to bring it back to life. I have experience."

Raymond Chow looked at him without saying a word.

Ji Yun leaned forward: "The problem with Golden Harvest is not that it doesn't have good films, but that it doesn't have new audiences."

Although the rights to more than 100 films were sold to Warner Bros. in 1998, Golden Harvest still has more than 400 classic Hong Kong films in its library: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Michael Hui... If you pick any one of them and put it online, there will still be plenty of people willing to watch it.

But the prerequisite is... someone is willing to spend the money to promote, repair, and repackage it.

Raymond Chow's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

Ji Yun wasn't in a hurry. She muttered to herself, "Warner bought Golden Harvest films but didn't pay any attention to them. They neither promoted them nor restored them. They just left them to gather dust in the warehouse."

Orange Sky wanted to buy Golden Harvest because it valued its cinema network in Southeast Asia, which it could use as a shell for listing.

However, after going public, Golden Harvest's film library, its brand, and the wealth it has accumulated over decades will all be dismantled, sold off, and forgotten... Moreover, Orange Sky is currently struggling to survive, and Golden Harvest will only deteriorate even faster under its management.

Raymond Chow tightened his grip on the wooden cane.

Ji Yun looked directly into his eyes, her voice steady and clear, tinged with a smile: "If Golden Harvest comes into my hands, I will digitize and restore all the films in its library and release them on new platforms so that a new generation of viewers can see them. I will also find a way to reclaim the copyrights from Warner. Only we ourselves truly understand the value of our country's films."

"Can you do it?" Raymond Chow lowered his slightly upturned lips, his expression becoming more formal.

Ji Yun waved to Zhao Liying, took a planning document from her, and placed it flat on the table: "I plan to buy or build a video platform, and the funds are already in place."

The mainland China film and television copyright reserves have exceeded 700 titles, all of which are officially licensed. What I lack now is the depth and heritage of Golden Harvest, a legacy from the golden age of Chinese cinema.

With your film library, my video website will become the largest legal film and television platform in the Chinese-speaking world within a year.

Raymond Chow took his reading glasses out of his pocket, put them on, and began flipping through the planning document page by page.

Looking at the list of movies and TV shows that he was very familiar with...

His lips moved silently, as if he were thinking about something.

When he turned to the last page, he stopped and pointed to a line of text: "When exactly will this classic restoration and re-release project begin?"

"Within six months of the acquisition, we will launch the first batch of ten films starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. We will restore them to 4K, add Mandarin and Cantonese audio tracks, and release them online simultaneously."

The old man fell silent, took off his reading glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.

He stared at Ji Yun for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

"Do you know how many people have talked to me about acquisitions?"

He counted on his fingers, "Boss Lin from Huanya, and that guy surnamed Wu from the mainland..."

'

His fingers stopped, and the cane tapped lightly on the ground.

"What's the difference between you and them?"

He asked the question without any politeness.

Li Ying and Zhao Liying felt a tightness in their chests and looked at Ji Yun with slight nervousness.

Ji Yun thought for a moment and then smiled, "I don't need to rely on Jiahe to get rich; I can get rich on my own."

Raymond Chow was stunned for a moment, then pointed at Ji Yun and burst into laughter: "That's incredibly arrogant!"

He was laughing when he suddenly coughed violently, and his assistant quickly handed him some warm water.

Seeing that his condition had stabilized, Ji Yun continued, "It's not just the film library, but also the cinemas. Golden Harvest has 49 cinemas and more than 300 screens in Asia, but the equipment is outdated and the experience is backward. I just went to check it out; the Golden Harvest Gateway in Tsim Sha Tsui still has seats from the last century."

Ji Yun softened her tone: "Mr. Zou, times have changed. The cinemas of the future need IMAX, Dolby Atmos, first-class seats... all of which require significant investment in upgrades. And Orange Sky is now struggling to even keep its own shares."

Ji Yun raised her teacup and offered a toast: "Of course, more importantly, I am not controlled by the Japanese devils or foreigners."

Raymond Chow's left hand was clenched so tightly that his fingers turned white, and the teacup in his right hand paused in mid-air, causing ripples to spread across its surface.

He stared at Ji Yun for a long time.

Li Ying and Zhao Liying also turned their gazes to Ji Yun at the same time, and smiles appeared on their lips.