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

The phone rang in Lin Ying's office. She was checking the birth schedule when she answered the phone. Lin Fu's familiar voice came from the other end of the line.

"Ah Ying, it's Grandpa."

"Hello, Grandpa."

Lin Fu paused for a moment, then she heard a "click" as the hands-free button was pressed.

"Sister, I know what happened. Your mother and the others just arrived in the New Territories. I know what happened, and Grandpa will handle it. I told your mother to go back to running the tailor shop so she can stop being idle all the time. I also sent Lin Qian back so he can focus on being a good lawyer."

Lin Ying, holding the microphone, said, "Grandpa, it's not that serious; it's just that Mommy and I have a little disagreement, which is normal; I've been too busy lately, with one thing after another at the factory, and it's only with great difficulty that I've managed to find some time to date and we've confirmed our relationship."

No one interrupted on the other end of the hands-free call; Lin Ying knew that Lin Lanying and Lin Qian were also listening.

She continued, "Didn't you guys keep urging me? Saying that I'm 24 and should find a partner, that a girl can't just focus on making money. After all this time, I've found someone, someone who's suitable in every way, and he accepts my conditions. The child will take my surname, Lin, and he's agreed to all of that."

"But the way they acted when we met made me a little angry."

Lin Fu responded with an "Mm" on the other end.

Lin Ying: "I can understand what Mommy said. She's an elder, and as a mother, she's concerned about her daughter. She might have asked a few too many questions, but we can accept that."

"But Lin Qian," Lin Ying finally brought up the trigger, "Grandpa, he's just a junior, and in front of everyone he questioned whether someone was after my money. It makes our family look very ill-mannered."

"Lin Qian has been getting increasingly arrogant lately. He likes to interrupt and meddle in my affairs. With so many people flattering him, he's become uneasy. I'd appreciate it if you could help him stay grounded, Grandpa."

Upon hearing these words from the speakerphone, Lin Qian, who was standing to the side, shrank back.

Lin Fu glared at Lin Qian and replied into the microphone, "Good boy, you work hard all the time, and you handled it very well. Grandpa will definitely give Lin Qian a good talking-to and teach him how to be a good junior at home."

Lin Lanying's voice came through the phone: "Aying."

Lin Ying responded, "Mommy."

Lin Lanying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mommy has come to her senses. I'll go back to running the shop and taking custom orders. I was doing well before, but then I became lax and stayed home every day. When you're idle, your mind starts to wander. I won't do that anymore."

Lin Ying listened and said, "Mommy, it's normal for us to have some minor disagreements, but it's good that you have your own career and life; your skills are already excellent, haven't all those old customers been asking you when you're going to reopen?"

Lin Lanying's voice rose a little: "Yes, several people are urging me."

"Then let's do it."

Lin Ying glanced at the production schedule on the table: "Mommy, there's something else I need to tell you; orders have been increasing rapidly lately, and even the second batch wasn't enough to meet demand. I estimate we'll need to expand another production line and hire more people. I'll be even busier in the coming days, so I might receive fewer phone calls. Please don't worry about it."

He Dazhu's voice came through: "Busy as you are, remember to rest."

"Understood, Lao Dou."

Lin Fu concluded by saying, "Go ahead and get busy. You don't need to worry about things here."

"Okay, goodbye Grandpa."

The phone hangs up.

Lin Ying put down the microphone, looked down at the pile of numbers on the table, rubbed the back of her neck, and considered the family matter over.

She opened her notebook and saw that the second batch of televisions had almost all been ordered; materials needed to be prepared in advance, manpower needed to be recruited in advance, and the equipment procurement cycle also needed to be taken into account.

There are also distribution channels. The domestic high-end market has just opened up, while overseas, Claire and Lucas are pressing hard. If production capacity can't keep up, we'll just lose orders for nothing.

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The following week after the press conference, major newspapers began publishing their follow-up reports.

The financial section covered the technical roadmap and cost structure, the technology section did a teardown analysis, and some reporters even went to the Shenzhen factory to take photos of the production line.

These aren't the most popular ones, though.

It was a personal interview with Lin Ying. A reporter from a long-established financial magazine got a 15-minute exclusive conversation with Lin Ying. The title of the article was simple: "Lin Ying: I am not a genius, I just keep doing it."

The interview was short, consisting of a few questions and a few answers, and there was no emotional appeal.

When asked why she switched from screenwriting to manufacturing, she said it was because manufacturing could support more people.

When asked by a reporter what she thought about the future of domestically produced televisions, she said there was no need to look into the future; just make them.

When asked by a reporter how she would respond to the controversy surrounding "30,000 yuan for a domestically produced TV", she said that the cost is what it is, and perhaps it will become cheaper when the cost comes down someday.

The interview was reprinted by more than a dozen newspapers on the day it was published.

Not only in Hong Kong, but also several science and technology newspapers in mainland China have taken notice of Yingchuang; some people have started to dig into Lin Ying's resume, from being an outstanding student to studying mathematics at Cambridge University, then to her research experience at Beijing University of Science and Technology, and finally to "founding Yingchuang Technology and independently developing a 45-inch plasma display terminal".

One morning, Liu Yang stormed into the office with a newspaper in hand: "Boss! Do you know what people are saying about you outside?"

Lin Ying was signing a document: "How should it be written?"

Liu Yang read the title: "From Child Prodigy to Industrialist: Lin Ying, After Nine Years of Seclusion, Has Gone Further Than Anyone Else."

Lin Ying looked up at him and said, "The title is quite large."

Liu Yang turned to another page: "This one is even more outrageous: 'Is a 30,000 yuan TV expensive? After reading Lin Ying's resume, you'll think it's cheap.'"

Chen Guodong also came in: "Ms. Lin, this morning we received three more calls from distributors, all wanting to place a third batch."

Lin Ying handed him the signed documents: "Quantity?"

"One company wants fifty units, another wants eighty, and yet another wants two hundred."

Liu Yang, standing nearby, calculated: "The second batch of 500 units hasn't even been fully shipped yet, and the third batch has already received over 300 pre-orders?"

Chen Guodong nodded: "That doesn't even include overseas orders. Claire faxed over yesterday that she had placed another order, and Lucas is also pressing for more."

Lin Ying put down her pen: "The third batch of production is scheduled for 1,000 units; Li Jia is keeping a close eye on the materials side, and the suppliers of glass and phosphor must secure their quantities three months in advance."

Chen Guodong wrote it down.

Lin Ying: "Liu Yang, give me the equipment list for the second production line this week."

Liu Yang stood at attention: "Roger!"

He was about to leave when he turned back: "Boss, can I ask a question that's unrelated?"

"ask."

"These newspapers wrote that you 'hidden for nine years,' do you think that's accurate?"

Lin Ying rolled her eyes: "Where have I been lying low? I've been so busy these past few years, you call that lying low?"

Liu Yang thought for a moment and said, "That's true. You've been working all along, but nobody saw you working before."

"Now you see," Lin Ying pushed the newspaper aside, "So don't let them down."

Liu Yang rolled up the newspaper and tucked it under his arm: "Understood! I'll start making a list of things related to the production line today."

Lin Ying looked at the orders, but her mind was clear: popularity is popularity, money is money, and production capacity is production capacity.

The media can lavish praise on her, and customers may place orders out of curiosity, but what truly keeps her around is the quality of her products.