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

In September, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Administrative Committee organized a symposium for entrepreneurs in a newly built business center building next to the industrial zone.

The notification was issued a week ago. He Fangqin walked into Lin Ying's office with the invitation: "Boss, the government invites you to a symposium on the 28th at 2 pm."

Lin Ying took the invitation, opened it, and asked, "Who's going?"

"Basically, all the prominent business owners in the Special Economic Zone will be there, including the owners of electronics factories, textile factories, and home appliance factories. There will also be representatives from several Hong Kong-funded enterprises. I also have to go, as we can't do without government support when we recruit people later. Mr. Chen said he'll also go, so we can coordinate with the government about the factory expansion next year."

Lin Ying nodded: "Okay, let's go together then."

On the afternoon of the 28th, Lin Ying brought Chen Guodong and He Fangqin to the meeting venue; there were already dozens of people sitting in the hall. Fortunately, smoking was prohibited at this meeting, otherwise the place would have been filled with smoke. As soon as Lin Ying entered, several people turned to look at her.

Yingchuang Technology has been making quite a splash in Shenzhen these past two years, selling large-screen TVs overseas and expanding its factory repeatedly, now boasting a workforce of over 4,000 people. Among the entrepreneurs present, some are envious, some are curious, and some want to get a piece of the action.

The symposium consisted mainly of the government reporting on the economic situation, encouraging businesses to increase investment, and listening to the opinions and difficulties of entrepreneurs. Lin Ying sat in the second row on the side, and when she spoke, she made a few suggestions regarding production capacity and employment.

The main event was after the meeting ended; people gathered in twos and threes in the tea break area, holding their cups.

The first was Mr. Zhou, a plastics manufacturer, in his fifties: "Mr. Lin, I heard that Yingchuang has a lot of cash flow right now? I have a real estate project here in Nanshan, with a very high rate of return. Would you like to take a look?"

Lin Ying, holding her teacup, said directly, "Mr. Zhou, thank you for thinking of me; however, my business is already quite large, and we are still expanding the television production line, so I really don't have the energy to manage anything else."

The second person was Mr. Zhang, who trades electronic components: "Mr. Lin! I have a channel for importing chips, and the profits are very considerable! You make TVs, so you have a complete upstream and downstream connection. Let's join forces and pull off a big one!"

Lin Ying shook her head: "Mr. Zhang, I'm in the manufacturing industry, and I make money slowly; I don't do things that make quick money. You should find someone else."

The third, the fourth... Lin Ying stood in the tea break area for less than twenty minutes, declining invitations from five or six people.

Chen Guodong returned after finishing his conversation with the people from the investment promotion bureau and saw that Lin Ying's side was already quiet: "They've left?"

Lin Ying nodded: "Let's go."

The three of them left the business center, got into the car, and headed back to the factory. He Fangqin, sitting in the back seat, exclaimed, "These people are so well-informed! Do they even know how much money you have in your account, boss?"

Lin Ying didn't respond to that, and instead closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat to rest for a while.

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The next morning at ten o'clock, Lin Ying had just sat down in her office when He Fangqin knocked on the door again and came in: "Boss, someone is looking for you at the door, saying they're from Hong Kong."

Lin Ying looked up: "Who?"

He Fangqin read out the name on the register: "Su Zhihao".

Lin Ying was taken aback for a moment: "Let him in quickly."

Five minutes later, Su Zhihao appeared at the end of the third-floor corridor; he was wearing a light gray polo shirt, and his gold chain was still around his neck. He looked a little thinner than he had been six months ago, but his spirits were still good.

"Ah Ying!" Su Zhihao's voice preceded his entrance, "Long time no see!"

Lin Ying stood up to greet him: "Second Uncle, what brings you to Shenzhen?"

Su Zhihao strode into the office, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Your factory is more than ten times bigger than my place in Kowloon City!"

He plopped down on the sofa, and his secretary, Li Na, cleverly brewed a pot of tea, brought it over, and then left.

Lin Ying sat down opposite him: "Second Uncle, you didn't come here specifically to visit, did you?"

Su Zhihao took the teacup, took a sip, and sighed: "Aying, I have something important to tell you."

"Second Uncle, you speak."

"The film and television business in Hong Kong is getting harder and harder; before, if a film was made, Hong Kong audiences would buy it, and videotapes would sell well in Southeast Asia, so we could make a living. But not anymore! The competition is fierce."

Lin Ying listened without offering any opinion.

"In the mainland, the government is supporting local film and television," Su Zhihao continued. "When Hong Kong investors want to get a share of the pie, it's not that they don't welcome them, but the conditions are more stringent than before; they need to co-produce, pass censorship, and find local partners."

"I heard Su Cheng and the others mention it before," Lin Ying nodded.

Su Zhihao finally got to the point: "Ah Ying, I came to see you today to ask you a question; could you help me with a film?"

Lin Ying considered how to reply.

Su Zhihao quickly added, "I know you're very busy right now, with a ton of work at the TV factory; but now that you're in the TV business, the films you make can give your products a boost, making viewers want to buy your TVs just by looking at that big screen; I have the resources, and I still have the distribution channels, all I'm missing is a good script."

"Second Uncle, I know how much you've helped me over the years." Lin Ying knew clearly: "If you hadn't been the first to dare to invest money back then, I wouldn't have everything I have today."

Su Zhihao waved his hand: "Let's not talk about the past; just tell me, is it okay or not?"

Uncle Su was as generous as ever. Lin Ying thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but I have conditions."

Su Zhihao immediately smiled excitedly: "Go ahead."

"The equipment must be up to par; technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, so if you really want to do this, you need to upgrade your equipment accordingly; the quality of the footage must match my product, that's the bottom line."

Su Zhihao thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll take care of the equipment; I already have the latest high-definition photography equipment on the market."

Lin Ying added, "Also, I'll write the script, but I'm short on time right now; give me two months, and I'll squeeze in the time to sort out the story."

Su Zhihao nodded repeatedly: "Two months? No problem! You take your time writing, I'll get the team together first. I'll find people for the director, cinematographer, and art direction."

After seeing Su Zhihao off, Lin Ying sat alone in her office. For years, she had been working in manufacturing, technology, and product development. But writing stories seemed to have never truly been a thing of the past. The images and characters in her mind would sometimes resurface in the middle of the night.

Su Zhihao is right. Making a film can completely discredit Yingchuang's TVs. Showing their own content on the big screen is the best product demonstration.

Moreover, she does owe Su Zhihao a favor; not money, but the courage to gamble back then.

Lin Ying opened the drawer and pulled out an old notebook from the bottom. She had brought it from Hong Kong, and it contained scattered notes of story ideas, some written a few years ago and some recently.

She flipped through a few pages and stopped at an outline that was only half-written.

A domineering CEO in a wealthy family, a grassroots heroine who fights her way up from the bottom to control the entire business empire... She had thought about this theme for a long time. It's not the kind of clichéd story of a naive and innocent girl being rescued by someone, but a woman who is truly intelligent, resourceful, and ambitious, who fights her way out of a crowd of men with her own abilities.

She has a lot of experience writing this kind of story; because she herself has gone through it.