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

Su Zhiming: "Did you hear some inside information during your trip to Beijing?"

"I have no information; I'm just observing the trends."

Peng Xuebin asked curiously, "What trend makes you so certain?"

"People, the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of a billion people, the education and entertainment of a billion people, the communication consumption of a billion people... Have you ever done the math? As long as the wheels of the economy start to turn, large enterprises can emerge in any seemingly insignificant niche market."

Su Zhihao stuffed the cigarettes on the table back into the cigarette pack: "Your pie-in-the-sky promise sounds grand, but it's way too far-fetched."

"It's precisely because it's far away that it's cheap to get in now." Lin Ying picked up her chopsticks. "Once everyone sees the profits, it won't be your turn to sit in the front row and collect the money."

No one at the table spoke.

Su Zhiming nodded: "This underlying investment logic is correct."

He works in the financial industry, and he knows exactly how much profit there is between getting in early and rushing to buy.

Chen Meishan asked from the side, "Ah Ying, what about you? You talk so much about it, are you going to vote too?"

"I am already preparing to bring a large amount of money into the mainland."

Su Zhihao: "How much have you prepared?"

Lin Ying: "It's enough."

Peng Xuebin seized the opportunity and asked, "You girl, if you say it's enough, then it's definitely not a small amount of several million."

Su Zhihao's eyes lit up: "Ah Ying, don't tell me you're planning to pour all the profits you've earned from making movies over the past few years into the mainland?"

"That money isn't enough, not just for the movie," Lin Ying continued, "but also for the money earned from investing in US stocks in our US account."

Su Zhiming understood: "You've been taking a cut from your US brokerage account?"

"They took thirty million US dollars."

Peng Xuebin: "You call thirty million US dollars... reserve funds?"

Zhou Yawen asked, "So... you really don't plan to write screenplays anymore?"

I won't be writing again in the near future.

"But the names 'Lin Ying' and 'Xu Yue' are still very valuable in the eyes of film distributors all over Asia."

Peng Xuebin slapped his thigh in exasperation: "Aying! Do you even know how many distributors are out there with boxes of cash, waiting for Xu Yue's new film? Why are you stopping writing now?"

"Uncle Peng, there's no end to the money in the world, but if you're unwilling to let go of what's trending, time will eventually drag you into a dead end you shouldn't be in."

Peng Xuebin understood what he meant.

Su Zhihao also understood that Hong Kong's current prosperity was just a facade; the businesses and people's hearts underneath had long been in chaos.

There are countless people eager to cash out and buy houses abroad for retirement, many of whom use connections to lend their entire fortune abroad, not to mention shops that take advantage of the chaos to set up long-term schemes and swindle ordinary citizens out of their savings.

These people are squatting in the most conspicuous position in the pile of money, making them more likely to get caught up in a real disturbance.

Su Zhiming looked at Lin Ying: "So, this is why you're not attending the Peninsula Hotel's banquet?"

"right."

"You're afraid of being labeled as belonging to a capitalist faction by those people."

"I'm afraid of wasting precious time explaining my labels to those people," Lin Ying said, picking up her teacup. "In the future, I'll be going to the mainland to pursue a science and technology route that the country is focusing on supporting. The cleaner my background is, the better."

Chen Meishan looked at her: "Ah Ying, you're clearly not even twenty years old, how come you live like you've already seen most of your life?"

Lin Ying took a sip of tea but didn't reply.

She had indeed lived a whole life; it was just a pity that her entire life was confined to a hospital bed, too short, too short for her to have the right to be willful.

Peng Xuebin solemnly replied, "Okay, I'll have people thoroughly investigate the situation on the mainland first, and then continue to expand our reach further."

Su Zhihao also chimed in, saying, "I happen to have some spare cash on hand. I was originally planning to find someone to organize a couple of projects and invest in two copycat bad movies to make a quick buck; but now it seems I should use it to see what opportunities there are in the mainland's real economy."

Su Zhiming continued, "I will look for opportunities to get involved in both financial investment and industry; but Ah Ying, your uncle also wants to remind you of something: the mainland market is large and complex; you have technical insight far beyond that of ordinary people, but that doesn't mean that everyone there will follow the rules."

"So I'm going to pursue a master's degree first," Lin Ying said. "I need to thoroughly understand the people and the rules and systems there before I get serious."

Su Zhiming laughed and said, "That's more like your style."

Su Zhihao asked, "If we really end up investing in projects in mainland China that I don't understand, will you help us take a look?"

"I can help you take a look. But I can't guarantee that my judgment will be correct every time."

"How could someone with a brain like yours make a mistake?"

Lin Ying looked over: "Second Uncle, I'm a person, not a god of wealth."

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

We didn't finish dinner until after nine o'clock.

The group chatted in the private room about the future of cinema chains, the huge demographic dividend in mainland China, and the inevitable changes that would take place in Hong Kong in the next few years.

No one spoke too plainly; everyone who has weathered many storms knows in their hearts: the wind has truly begun to shift.

After the dinner, Peng Xuebin personally escorted Lin Ying to the restaurant entrance so she could hail a taxi.

"Ah Ying."

"Uncle Peng?"

"If you ever get involved in a major project in mainland China, or start your own large factory, remember to leave a small seat for Uncle Peng on the table."

Peng Xuebin continued with a smile, "I've made a lot of quick money making movies in my life. Now that I'm old, I want to see if I can invest in something that's truly lasting and can be preserved."

Lin Ying looked at him and said, "Uncle Peng, good movies can last a long time; it's just that you can't keep making movies only for these superficial people."

Just as he took a step and touched the car door, Su Zhiming behind him rushed up and called out to him.

"Ah Ying, wait a minute."

She turned around and saw Su Zhiming take a business card out of his pocket and hand it to her.

"This is an old classmate of mine from many years ago. He's now in Beijing, specializing in consulting on foreign trade approvals and qualifications. You'll definitely need his help when you need to bring your $30 million in funds into the country or purchase large equipment abroad."

Lin Ying held the piece of paper in both hands: "Thank you, Uncle."

I arrived at my home in Taikoo Shing just after nine o'clock.

Lin Lanying sat on the sofa with the TV on, waiting: "How was dinner with them tonight?"

"fine."

Did they try to persuade you to attend that dinner party again afterward?

"no."

Lin Lanying breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good; your reputation is too great now, whether in the film industry or as that Cambridge genius, you've been avoiding showing your face among those shady characters lately."

Lin Ying took off her coat and sat on the sofa next to her: "Mommy, I just told them the truth at the dinner table, and told them to take all the money they have and invest it in the mainland."

"Will they even listen?"

"They'll probably take some of it to heart."

"That's enough. Everyone has their own destiny. You reminded them today, that's a favor. As for how they choose in the future and what their fate will be, that's up to them."