The entertainment empire began with Liu Yifei's premarital pregnancy.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Annual check-in successful. You have received the following rewards: US$100 million (cash), 1 points, and 1% of ATV shares.]

"What?"

On January 1, 2008, Lin Bufan got up very early and signed in.

The first two rewards were already within Lin Bufan's expectations.

However, to his surprise, the final random reward was 100% of ATV's shares.

However, Lin Bufan thought again that 100% of ATV's shares were valued at only between HK$8 million and HK$9 million, which was not much more than US$1 million in cash.

But that was in the past.

If it weren't for that, it wouldn't be so bad, but now that he owns 100% of ATV's shares, he can't just let ATV collapse like that.

He didn't know what method the system used.

However, it is estimated that at this moment, almost everyone in Hong Kong or the entertainment industry knows that Lin Bufan has wholly acquired ATV.

If ATV is just left to languish, or if it's to be sold off in a humiliating way, that would be too shameful.

Lin Bufan can't afford to lose face like that.

From any perspective, he must revive ATV and even surpass TVB.

……

Lin Bufan's positioning of ATV was based on the fact that he could not stay in Hong Kong for long to handle ATV affairs, so he definitely needed to find a professional manager to serve as CEO.

Another point is that, in Lin Bufan's view, ATV's poor performance is not only the fault of its leader, but also, to say the least, of its subordinates being extremely lazy.

Therefore, Lin Bufan's next step is to find a talent who can take the helm of ATV and then authorize that person to lay off some of ATV's staff.

As for this talented person!

Lin Bufan thought for a moment, then dialed Shi Nansheng's number.

"Mr. Lin!"

As soon as the call connected, Shi Nansheng's voice came through.

"I've bought ATV. Who do you think is qualified and capable of being ATV's CEO in Hong Kong?"

Lin Bufan's words completely stunned Shi Nansheng.

How did they manage to buy ATV...?

However, Shi Nansheng was very professional and quickly came to his senses, providing him with several names.

Wang Weiji, Hu Jingying, Liu Lanchang, and Wei Ran.

Shi Nansheng briefly told Lin Bufan about these people: they could be used, but they couldn't be given too much power.

For example, Ricky Wong, a man with a fiery temper, used to work at PCCW and was known for his ability to remove the flesh from sores.

Later, in December 2008, he joined ATV, but was forced to leave after only 12 days because he wanted to take drastic measures against ATV, which made the shareholders afraid and caused ATV to collapse.

But Lin Bufan wasn't afraid. To him, ATV was more than just a piece of rotten meat; the entire company was basically 80% rotten, and he needed someone like this to clean up the mess.

However, he has a major flaw: while he is good at surgical procedures and technical tasks, he lacks professionalism in television broadcasting.

Hu Jingying is from Taiwan. She was the general manager of Videoland Television Network and later joined ATV, where she was quite successful.

Liu Lanchang was originally with ATV, but his abilities were limited; he was still capable of working.

According to Shi Nansheng, Wei Ran was once the operations director of Toilet TV, but he eventually left the station due to internal competition. He was quite capable.

After obtaining specific names, Lin Bufan directly extended invitations to these individuals.

Wong Wai-kei, Lau Lan-chang, and Wei Ran all readily agreed, and Wei Ran happened to be traveling in Hong Kong at the time.

Lin Bufan directly asked Zhang Tianai to book a private room at the Peninsula Hotel, and the time was set for noon.

As for Hu Jingying, she showed no respect for Lin Bufan and refused outright.

However, it didn't matter to Lin Bufan; the remaining few people were enough for him.

Soon, it was noon. To show his sincerity, Lin Bufan arrived at the hotel first.

But to Lin Bufan's surprise, someone had arrived even earlier than him: Liu Lanchang.

"Hello, Mr. Lin!"

Upon seeing Lin Bufan, Liu Lanchang hurriedly stood up to greet him.

The shareholders knew about Lin Bufan's acquisition of ATV, but the people below him were not so clear. If Lin Bufan hadn't told them, Liu Lanchang wouldn't have known either.

"Please sit down!"

Lin Bufan nodded to Liu Lanchang, and before the others arrived, asked, "What are your thoughts on ATV?"

"I want to hear the truth!"

Just as Liu Lanchang was about to answer, Lin Bufan interrupted him, looking at him with a serious expression.

Seeing Lin Bufan's expression, Liu Lanchang felt a sense of relief. He seemed to see ATV being revitalized in the other party's hands.

"Mr. Lin, to be honest, ATV's situation is very bad right now..."

Liu Lanchang gave a wry smile.

The problem with ATV is not the fault of any one person or even one department, but rather that everyone at ATV is incompetent.

That is to say, even the worst TVB dramas can generally maintain a rating of around 30 points, while ATV dramas are generally only around 3-4 points, a difference of ten times.

Furthermore, ATV's organization was far too bloated, with an excessive number of lower-level staff and middle-to-senior level managers.

According to Liu Lanchang, ATV had previously laid off staff, but the final result was that the technically skilled people were laid off, while the clerical and management positions remained intact.

In other words, the more people ATV lays off, the worse it gets.

Listening to Liu Lanchang's account, Lin Bufan once again realized that ATV's blow had to be dealt severely; only in this way could ATV possibly be revived.

Otherwise, ATV will be doomed.

Shortly after the two began their conversation, Wang Weiji and Wei Ran entered the private room.

"Mr. Lin!"

"Mr. Lin!"

The two men came in and greeted Lin Bufan.

"Please have a seat, gentlemen!"

After the group sat down, Lin Bufan looked at the three of them seriously and said, "I believe that, as you all know, the fact that I have fully acquired ATV is a long story."

Lin Bufan had already mentioned this matter when he sent someone to communicate with them in the morning.

It wouldn't be difficult for them to find out about this matter in just one morning, given their connections.

"The situation at ATV is well-known to everyone, I don't need to elaborate..."

Lin Bufan paused slightly before continuing, "However, now that I'm in charge of ATV, some changes are necessary, the first being layoffs..."

"Wang Weiji, Wei Ran, I am now inviting you two to join ATV in my capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors."

"Wang Ruiji will serve as the Executive President of ATV, with full authority over ATV's layoffs, daily administration, technology, and other matters. Wei Ran will serve as the Vice President of ATV, responsible for ATV's operations..."