Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

Time flies, and it's already May. The weather in Hong Kong is getting hot, and people on the street have already changed into short sleeves.

In the past few months, Lin Ying has hardly had a day off.

During the day, she dealt with increasingly heavy coursework from her second year of middle school. After finishing her homework at home in the evening, she had to squeeze in time to write overseas letters to Professor Smith, who had returned to England, to discuss algorithmic deadlocks in advanced mathematics. Only after all that was done did she sit down at her computer and type out the lines for three scripts, line by line.

By early May, all three scripts were finally completed.

The New Territories Wealth Creation Story

Qin Pass

The Gold Rush

Lin Ying didn't rush to hand over the materials. She first printed and bound the three scripts separately, and then added a core creative explanation, character biographies, and copyright ownership statement to each script.

She then called lawyer Shen Yanwen.

The next morning, at the Central Law Firm.

Shen Yanwen looked at the three thick stacks of manuscript paper on the table and said, "Miss Lin, your output really doesn't seem like that of a thirteen-year-old middle school student."

Lin Ying looked at the pile of documents: "Attorney Shen, register all of them for copyright, especially the second one, 'Qin Guan,' make the most rigorous original manuscript evidence, and absolutely do not disclose any concepts to the public for the time being."

Shen Yanwen flipped through a few pages; he could still read the first two manuscripts as regular business projects, but when he turned to "Qin Pass," he slowed down considerably, and it took him quite a while to close the manuscript.

"This script is far too ambitious." Shen Yanwen said solemnly, "If word gets out in the Hong Kong film industry, the concept will definitely be copied."

"So we need to hold on tighter. They can't afford to film it now, and I don't plan to release it right now. But the copyright must be firmly in my hands; I can't give up an inch of it. No matter who tries to contest it in the future, the original evidence will be with me."

"I understand." Shen Yanwen nodded. "I will file the records separately and make sure the copyright statement is clear. Don't worry."

Only after securing the most crucial copyright barrier did Lin Ying feel completely at ease.

After leaving the law firm, she found a public phone booth and called Uncle Lin first.

That afternoon, there was a knock on the door of my apartment on the fifteenth floor of Taikoo Shing.

Uncle Lin arrived, accompanied by his youngest daughter, Lin Jieying.

Lin Jieying was in her early thirties, with a neat, short bob, wearing a light-colored shirt and straight-leg pants, and carrying a leather document bag. She was very efficient and got straight to the point as soon as she sat down.

"Ah Ying," Lin Jieying said with a smile, "I was working overtime at the newspaper office on the second day of the Lunar New Year and didn't get to see her. I've been wanting to meet this little god of wealth from our Lin Family Village for a long time."

Lin Ying picked up the teapot and poured her tea: "Aunt Jieying, please don't call me that, it sounds like a clay Buddha statue in a temple."

Uncle Lin laughed heartily: "Your mouth is still so sharp."

Lin Lanying brought out the washed fruit, greeted them with a smile, and then sat down without saying a word. She knew her daughter had important business to discuss with the clan today.

Lin Ying didn't waste any words. She turned around, took the first script from the table, and handed it over.

"Uncle, Aunt Jieying, this is the first 'New Territories Wealth Creation Story,' which is perfect for our Lin Family Village to film right now."

Lin Jieying took the script and immediately turned to the first page. Uncle Lin was old and his eyesight was poor, so he read very slowly, but Lin Jieying read it quickly. As she read, she took out a red and blue pencil from her pocket and made small marks next to it.

The living room fell silent. After more than an hour, Lin Jieying snapped the script shut.

"This script understands women so well, it's amazing!" Lin Jieying was very optimistic about the script. "It has a gimmick, it can be used for publicity!"

Uncle Lin slowly put down his manuscript: "It tells the story of a woman who falls into a village in the New Territories and leads all the women in the village to do business and make a fortune. It's lively, funny, and all familiar with our rural ways."

Lin Jieying continued, "I'm a newspaper editor, and I've even come up with the headline: 'Future Women Fall into the New Territories, Leading the Whole Village of Housewives to Open Shops and Make Big Money.' Once this headline is released, housewives who stay at home to take care of their children and female factory workers in Hong Kong will understand it immediately and will definitely pay for tickets."

Lin Ying nodded and said, "This film can't be too superficial. The scenes must be realistic. Dingwu, hair salon, tea restaurant, minibus station, street market, they all need to have a down-to-earth feel. She's not a fairy descended from heaven. She uses her brain and her vision that's decades ahead of her time to grow small businesses into big ones."

Uncle Lin nodded repeatedly, "Good, the villagers can understand it, and outsiders will also find it novel."

Lin Jieying flipped through the character relationship chart: "The male lead is the village chief's son. He's stubborn and old-fashioned, but he's willing to take responsibility. The female lead was initially seen as a fraud by the whole village, but she gradually won over the hearts of everyone in the village by selling radish cakes, running a VIP membership system for her hair salon and beauty parlor, and packaging local specialties. Ah Ying, did you include all the methods your uncle used in his barbershop?"

"Art originates from life."

Lin Lanying burst out laughing from the side.

Uncle Lin pointed to the script: "Let's make this the first one. No need to spend a lot of money on set construction; relatives can provide the personnel and locations directly. Apart from hiring a few good actors and renting good equipment, we can save on everything else. This is much safer than blindly following the trend of making martial arts films."

"That's right." Lin Ying gave a direct conclusion, "The first part isn't about getting rich overnight, but about getting the business in Linjia Village up and running. All fifty households in the village are investing money for the first time, and their biggest fear is not seeing any results. This script will allow them to see their village and their shops in the movie theater, which will put their minds at ease."

Uncle Lin understood completely. For people to be united, the first meal must be hot and stable.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Ying opened the drawer and took out the second script.

This book is twice as thick as "The New Territories Wealth Creation Story".

The cover only has two words: "Qin Pass".

Lin Jieying reached out and took it. She read it much more slowly than before, scanning it word by word. Seeing that his youngest daughter's expression was not right, Uncle Lin also came over to read it with her.

The room remained quiet for an even longer period this time.

Finally, Lin Jieying put the script back on the coffee table. "This...this is not a small-scale production."

"No," Lin Ying said directly, "So we can't film this movie right now."

Uncle Lin asked in confusion, "Will it cost a lot of money?"

"A massive amount of money." Lin Ying didn't hide anything. "The costumes, props, weapons, labor camps, the Great Wall, palaces, courts, and battlefields of the Qin Dynasty were all built with real gold and silver. Even hiring a few thousand extras would cost an astronomical amount for their daily meals. If this kind of film is made too spartanly, it will become a joke; if it's made too big, Lin Family Village simply can't afford it."