I'm conquering Hong Kong entertainment with two billion US dollars.

Chapter 58 Wang Jinhua and Li Binbin

The banquet hall on the second floor of the Great Wall Hotel was almost full by 6:30 p.m.

Han Sanping stood near the door, holding a cup of tea in his hand, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the people gathered in twos and threes in the hall. Jiang Wen stood next to him.

"Third Master, this is quite a show tonight." Jiang Wen glanced around and grinned.

Han Sanping didn't respond to him. He just took a sip of his tea and looked at the directors, producers, and famous actors in the hall.

The purpose of calling them over was obvious: to get Lin Dong to shift his focus to the mainland. Talking wasn't enough; he needed to see them in person.

Only when Lin Dong feels that he can make the kind of movies he wants in mainland China will this Hong Kong investor truly shift his focus northward.

Tonight's gathering, hosted by Lin Dong, is a show for the entire Beijing social circle, but ultimately—it's to show Lin Dong what kind of 0 there is in mainland China.

The banquet hall door was pushed open.

Zhang Heping walked in front, pushing the door open very gently. Lin Dong followed behind him. A-Qiang, leading five bodyguards, did not follow into the hall but stood in a line in the corridor.

Han Sanping immediately put down his teacup, strode forward, and grabbed Lin Dong's arm. "Mr. Lin, come here."

He turned around, his voice barely a whisper, yet loud enough to be heard throughout the hall, "I'll introduce you to these friends from Beijing's social circles."

Feng Xiaogang directed this year's box office hit, *The Dream Factory*. Chen Kaige is currently filming *The Emperor and the Assassin*, a big-budget co-production between Beijing Film Studio and the Japanese New Wave.

These two are Wang Chongjun and Wang Chonglei, from Huayi Brothers GG Company. They have also invested in several films this year.

""

The people who introduced them shook hands with each of them.

Feng Xiaogang stood up and shook hands with Lin Dong, a smile on his face: "President Lin, I heard about your business in Hong Kong from Third Master. You're not only rich, you also have vision."

Lin Dong nodded with a smile, "Director Feng, you're too kind."

Chen Kai shook hands with a moderate firmness, nodded, and didn't say anything more.

When Wang Chongjun stood up, he had a smile on his face, but after shaking hands, he did not rush to hand over his business card. He simply said, "President Lin, please come to the company sometime," in a polite and restrained tone.

Zhang Heping stayed close to Lin Dong, never leaving his side.

He could always quietly add a brief introduction in a low voice, whether it was about which director had a new project or which producer had resources, without ever saying too much or creating an awkward silence.

Just as Han Sanping was about to lead Lin Dong to the next table, a voice came from the side and behind.

"President Lin."

Lin Dong turned around.

A woman in her early thirties stood two steps away, next to a young girl with a ponytail, delicate features, and a reserved yet nervous look in her eyes.

Wang Jinhua.

Lin Dong's gaze shifted over, and then he recognized her—not her, but Li Binbin beside her, and deduced that it was her.

In his previous life, he also knew this person as the top agent in mainland China. At her peak, she managed half of Huayi Brothers' artists, and later a large number of artists were willing to leave with her, which shows her ability.

But that's for the future. Right now, she's working alone as an artist manager in Beijing, with a few promising talents under her management, but she's far from reaching that level.

"Mr. Lin, I apologize for disturbing you."

Wang Jinhua took a step forward, a perfectly timed smile on her face. "I'm Wang Jinhua, you can just call me Jinhua. I currently work as an artist manager in Beijing, just a small-time job."

She stepped aside to make way for the girl behind her. "This is Li Binbin, one of my artists. Binbin, call him President Lin."

Li Binbin stepped forward, clasped his hands in front of him, and bowed slightly. "Hello, President Lin."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady and didn't sound timid. His gaze lingered on Lin Dong's face for a moment without any hesitation.

Lin Dong nodded to her, then looked at Wang Jinhua. "Ms. Wang, you're too kind. I've heard of you, the top agent in mainland China."

""

"Mr. Lin, you flatter me." Wang Jinhua smiled, her tone becoming more serious. "Mr. Lin, I know you've signed quite a few new talents in Hong Kong."

To be honest, artist management in mainland China is still in a very early stage, and most people can't even pronounce the word "agent" clearly.

But I've been in this business for several years, and the kids I have are all promising talents; they don't lack ability, they lack opportunity.

She paused for a moment, then said, "I've taken the liberty of coming to say hello today because I'd like to make friends with Mr. Lin. Perhaps there's a possibility of collaboration between our artists if Mr. Lin develops his career in mainland China in the future."

Her opening remarks were straightforward, but in a way that was pleasantly direct. There were no beating around the bush, no flattery; she simply revealed her hand: "I have promising talents, you have resources, and cooperation is a win-win situation."

Lin Dong looked into her eyes. This woman's ambition was written all over her face, but beneath that ambition lay confidence.

He happened to have an idea: Tengda would eventually need to establish an artist management business in mainland China, and instead of starting from scratch, it would be better to find someone who was already on the track.

But tonight is not the time to talk business.

He took out a business card from his suit pocket and handed it over. "Mr. Wang, it's not convenient to talk much tonight. Here's my business card; let's schedule a time to talk privately."

Wang Jinhua accepted the business card with both hands, glanced down at it, and saw Lin Dong, Chairman of Tengda Film and Television Investment Company.

Almost at the same time she took the business card, she pulled another business card from her handbag and handed it back with both hands.

"Mr. Lin, please call me anytime you have time. I'm available whenever you need me."

Lin Dong put the business card into his inner pocket, nodded to her, and turned to follow Han Sanping to the next table.

Wang Jinhua stood there and saw him off a few steps. Then she looked down at the business card in her hand again, turned it over, and saw that there was nothing on the back except a phone number.

She put the business card in her bag, turned around, and went back to her table.

Li Binbin followed behind her, leaned closer, and asked in a low voice, "Sister Hua, is this person reliable?"

Wang Jinhua picked up her teacup and took a sip. "Do you think Han Sanping would call such an unreliable person here?"

She paused, looking at the cup of tea in her hand, and said, "This person will be unavoidable in the mainland film industry from now on."

For the next half hour, Lin Dong walked around the hall.

Huo Jianqi and several other directors, including Lu Xuechang, surrounded them, handing out their business cards. Each of them carried a project outline, but none of them were willing to take it out first.

Director Chen shook hands with Lin Dong, and the two chatted briefly about the style of Hong Kong action films. Director Chen said, "The martial arts choreographers there are really amazing," and then picked up his teacup and ended the conversation.

No one discussed projects on the spot. Everyone was doing the same thing—exchanging business cards and getting acquainted with each other.

This is both a rule and a test.

After the party ended, Zhang Heping escorted Lin Dong to the elevator.

"Mr. Lin, if you'd like to see more, I'll take you around tomorrow. We'll visit Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace."

He paused for a moment, then said, "As for the courtyard house, don't worry, I've got it in mind."

Lin Dong nodded. "Mr. Zhang, thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"Of course." Zhang Heping smiled and took a half step back.