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

Even after entering June, Lin Ying still handed in all her homework at 7:50 every morning.

During morning reading time, she would memorize the day's English vocabulary. The rest of the breaks and lunch breaks were spent tackling several thick advanced mathematics textbooks, filled with dense calculus formulas and matrices amidst all-English text.

Those were advanced mathematics materials that Professor Smith copied and sent from the Cambridge University Library after returning to England.

Tang Xueqi leaned over the next table, watching Lin Ying's complex derivation process on the paper: "Lin Ying, do you have absolutely no idea what it means to be tired?"

"Know."

"Then why are you studying these things that even adults can't understand, especially with your final exams coming up next week?"

After writing the solution to the last line of the equation, Lin Ying said, "Understanding this is more interesting than doing the tests in school."

Tang Xueqi clutched her chest: "I hope I never experience this kind of perverted fun in my entire life."

The second semester of Form 2 is coming soon; English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and General Knowledge, four subjects in a row.

The classroom was filled with groans after the exam; three days later, the report card was posted next to the blackboard at the back.

Lin Ying ranked first, with excellent grades in all subjects, especially in mathematics and science, where she achieved full marks.

Tang Xueqi looked at Lin Ying, who was packing her schoolbag, and said, "Ying, tell me the truth, is your brain different from ours?"

"Instead of wasting time lamenting that other people's brains are different, why not take out your own error notebook and redo it three times?" Zhou Yawen's voice came, startling Tang Xueqi into shrinking back.

Zhou Yawen looked at Lin Ying: "Lin Ying, bring your test paper and come to my office."

"Yes, Teacher Zhou."

Upon arriving at the office, Zhou Yawen pointed to the chair opposite her: "Sit."

"You've been keeping a steady pace lately, not getting distracted by outside matters, which is great," Zhou Yawen rarely praised. "But you'll be going into Form 9 next year, with physics and chemistry added, so don't do too much or too tiring work."

"I understand the priorities, Teacher Zhou."

--------

That same afternoon, just as the closing time in Central arrived, Su Zhiming left the bank early.

Su Zhiming, carrying his briefcase, took a taxi directly to Wan Chai.

Su Zhihao's new company is located in a commercial building in Wan Chai; two Jinbei vans commonly used on film sets are parked downstairs, and several assistant directors are squatting on the steps smoking at the entrance...

Su Zhiming gave his name, and the receptionist quickly ushered him into the general manager's office in the back.

Pushing open the door, I saw Su Zhihao with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his feet propped up on the desk, flipping through a pile of casting photos. On the coffee table were piles of ashtrays, coffee cups, and messy reports.

Zhou Yawen was also there. She sat on the sofa next to me, holding a red pen in her hand, and was doing the final proofreading of the newly revised dialogue for the next few episodes of her book.

Hearing the door open, Su Zhihao took his feet off the table: "Brother? Has the sun risen in the west today? What brings the bank's big manager to my lousy theater troupe?"

Su Zhiming ignored his teasing, walked to the coffee table, and put down his briefcase: "I've come to talk business with you."

Su Zhihao immediately sat up straight: "Seriously, what kind of business?"

Su Zhiming took a blue folder out of his briefcase and placed it flat in the center of the coffee table.

The cover reads: "The Gold Rush Era".

Upon seeing the binding format and the meticulous layout, Su Zhihao immediately guessed: "Written by Aying?"

"Yes." Su Zhiming sat down on the single sofa opposite Zhou Yawen. "This is her repaying me for the favor she did for me before. She published the script, but the old rules can't be broken. Twenty percent of the net profit, auditing rights, and development deadlines will all be included in the contract."

Su Zhihao picked up the script and began to read it.

Zhou Yawen asked Su Zhiming curiously, "Brother, what you just mentioned about the favor of matchmaking? What exactly did she do during this winter break?"

Su Zhiming was somewhat surprised: "She didn't tell you?"

"She only said she was taking advanced math lessons with her teacher," Zhou Yawen sighed.

Su Zhihao casually asked, "What kind of teacher has such a big reputation that you, brother, had to personally make the connection?"

Su Zhiming glanced at the two of them: "Professor Smith, a retired professor from the Department of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a true titan who has spent his entire life in the top academic circles."

Zhou Yawen stared at Su Zhiming, her mouth slightly agape: "Cambridge University? A titan of mathematics?"

"Yes. He was originally just in Hong Kong for a winter vacation, but I asked him to meet Ah Ying because he was a foreign executive." Su Zhiming took a deep breath as he recounted the incident. "As a result, he gave Ah Ying three advanced math problems on the spot in the teahouse; Ah Ying solved them all in thirty minutes. Now, although Professor Smith has returned to England, the two of them communicate across the ocean every month to discuss various algorithms."

Suddenly, Zhou Yawen remembered the thick, all-English book on Lin Ying's desk that afternoon. She had always assumed it was just some extracurricular reading material Lin Ying had casually bought at the bookstore.

This child is only thirteen years old, yet he has already reached the threshold of becoming a Cambridge professor?

Su Zhihao cut straight to the point: "Brother, so you brought this notebook to me today because you want to be the main sponsor?"

"I do want to invest, but I understand finance, not the rules of your film industry." Su Zhiming looked at his younger brother and said very frankly, "This script is too professional. If I take the money and go to an outside director and distributor, I'll be swindled out of everything before the film is even finished. So, I can only come to you, my brother, to collaborate."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhihao couldn't help but smile. From childhood to adulthood, his older brother had always been the aloof, bookish type, thinking that Su Zhihao's involvement in gangs was a waste of time; today, his older brother finally admitted that in this circle, Su Zhihao's experience in the underworld was needed.

Su Zhihao continued to read the book "The Gold Rush Era".

The script depicts how a lowly office worker in Central works as a front for his boss, how he navigates trust loopholes and fraudulent accounts, and how bankers in suits and ties sipping red wine while extracting wealth from ordinary people; every line is filled with calculations of profit.

After looking at it for more than half an hour, Su Zhihao finally closed the folder.

"This script," Su Zhihao hesitated, "if filmed well, it can rip the fig leaf off those suit-wearing bastards in Central. The audience will be thrilled, and those in the know will feel a chill down their spines."

"That's why I came to find you." Su Zhiming nodded.

"But brother, is Ah Ying in such a hurry for money? The dividends for 'Heart Exchange Contract' are coming out soon, and she has real estate and cash under her name. What is she after?" Su Zhihao remembered that Lin Ying had stopped writing for a year. How come she has so many scripts now?

Zhou Yawen also looked at Su Zhiming. She knew Lin Ying was making money, but she never understood the boy's obsession with funds.

Su Zhiming picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip: "Second brother, don't mind, Lin Ying is really short of money right now."

"Why?" Su Zhihao asked, puzzled.

"Professor Smith tutored her, charging only a tea fee, three hundred Hong Kong dollars per lesson," Su Zhiming calmly stated the figure.

Three hundred Hong Kong dollars a lesson? He had asked Lin Ying to tutor his two sons for two hundred dollars a lesson, and he thought he was paying a large sum.

Su Zhiming put down his teacup and continued, "This is just the immediate situation. Ah Ying had Professor Smith do the math. If she goes to Cambridge for three years of undergraduate studies, the tuition, room and board, textbooks, medical care, and airfare will all add up to at least HK$500,000."

"Five hundred thousand?!" Zhou Yawen blurted out.

Five hundred thousand dollars can buy a two-bedroom apartment in Hong Kong! Zhou Yawen's monthly salary as a teacher is only one thousand dollars. She wrote a few novels and sold them for more than one hundred thousand dollars, which she felt was a turnaround in her life.

"I knew studying abroad was expensive," Zhou Yawen said, processing the shock of the figure. "But I didn't expect it to cost 500,000 yuan. That's enough to buy a house!"

"And another thing," Su Zhiming continued, "500,000 is just the ticket price. She told me that when she returns after completing her studies, she wants to bring a team to start a technology company. But if she really does it, even if she invests millions, she won't see a ripple."

Zhou Yawen looked down at the book "The Gold Rush Era" and gained a completely new understanding of the little girl.

"That's really expensive," Su Zhihao muttered to himself.

Su Zhiming looked at the two of them and gave a wry smile: "Professor Smith said that truth doesn't come cheap."

After a long while, Su Zhihao finally pulled the script back in front of him: "Alright, brother, I'll take this job."

Once they got back to business, the two immediately got into the swing of things.

"How do we divide it?" Su Zhiming asked.

"This production not only needs a good director, but also a scriptwriting team with some financial acumen. We need to rent the best office buildings as the venue. After deducting Ah Ying's 20% net profit, you provide the main funding for the remaining investment, and I'll provide the entire execution team and distribution channels," Su Zhihao stated his plan directly.

"I'll take 50%, and you'll take 30%," Su Zhiming stated directly.

Zhou Yawen, sitting next to him, was a little surprised. According to the unwritten rules of the film industry, the eldest brother was a complete novice who brought money into the production, but the actual operation and support were all handled by the second wife. If Su Zhihao were to be honest, a 40/40 split or even a 4.5/3.5 split would be perfectly reasonable.

"Okay," Su Zhihao agreed readily.

Even Su Zhiming was stunned: "You're not going to bargain?"

"What's there to repay?" Su Zhihao picked up a pen and wrote in the memo pad, "This is your first time investing in a movie, it's risky, you'll contribute more money, 50% each; but the rules are the same, even brothers should keep clear accounts, tomorrow you bring a lawyer, I'll call Lawyer Zhang, both sides will sign a clear document, no one can go back on their word."

"Okay, it's a deal."

The two brothers spent another half hour finalizing the initial director selection and budget ceiling. In the evening, Su Zhiming, carrying his briefcase, left the office, satisfied.

As soon as the door closed, Zhou Yawen crossed her arms and looked at Su Zhihao.

Su Zhihao felt uneasy under her gaze: "Teacher Zhou, are you staring at me like that because you think I'm unusually handsome today?"

Zhou Yawen scoffed, "I think you're unusually sick today! Su Lao Er, you're usually so calculating in business, you even ripped me off, but today, for a deal worth millions, your older brother wants 50%, and you didn't even try to bargain?"

Su Zhihao was silent for a moment, then took out a cigarette, lit it, and said softly, "He is my own brother."

Zhou Yawen was quite surprised to hear him say that, so she continued to listen.

"From childhood to adulthood, he was a good student and promising, and the old man doted on him. As for me, I was illiterate and ended up associating with all sorts of shady characters in gangs. My brother and I have disliked each other for decades; he thinks I've tarnished the Su family's reputation, and I think he's just being hypocritical."

Su Zhihao pointed to the materials on the table: "But he came today. He admitted that he doesn't understand this industry, admitted that he could be deceived by outsiders, and humbled himself to come to me for reassurance."

"Su Cheng and Su Jun are brothers, and I want to set a good example for them; A Ying's scripts are always outstanding. If I were to argue with him over a mere ten or twenty percent of the profit at this point, what kind of person would I be?"

Zhou Yawen looked at the man in front of her and said, "Su Lao Er, you're acting like a shrewd businessman with a conscience now."

"A word of praise from Teacher Zhou is worth far more than half a share of the bonus," Su Zhihao immediately seized the opportunity. "So, Consultant Zhou, the script for this play needs your help in its final revision. We can't let it fall into a cliché."