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

Before long, the Su family's car was parked at the entrance of the alley of Yufa Building. Half an hour later, the mother and daughter walked into the Su family mansion in Causeway Bay.

On the long mahogany table in the center of the living room, several account books were spread out, along with several folders, an inkpad box, and a few bank drafts.

Su Zhihao sat in the main seat, his face beaming; Director Zou sat to his left, the dark circles under his eyes still visible, but he looked energetic. Boss Peng sat in the single sofa on the right, a cigar between his fingers.

Upon seeing Lin Ying enter, Su Zhihao immediately stood up: "Ah Ying! Mrs. Lin! Please sit down, please sit down!"

Boss Peng also greeted them, saying, "Screenwriter Lin is here. All the main characters for today are here."

Lin Lanying politely greeted the bosses and director before leading Lin Ying to sit down at the table.

Su Zhihao, impatient as ever: "Get to the point! I've been holding this in all afternoon, or I'll go crazy. Attorney Zhang, get the expense report ready!"

The lawyer in the suit next to him opened the detailed document in his hand and began to report:

"The settlement for 'Death by Light' has been completed up to date, including its first run in local theaters, midnight screenings, and post-holiday extended screenings in smaller theaters, plus buyouts and revenue sharing with overseas and Southeast Asian distributors. After deducting theater revenue sharing, marketing and distribution costs, print costs, post-production costs, legal fees, and tax reserves..."

The project's net profit for the first six months was HK$17.4 million.

Lin Ying took a deep breath. Seventeen million four hundred thousand! Uncle Su and everyone present had won their bet! Now, in less than half a year, after deducting all miscellaneous expenses, the net profit had yielded such a figure.

Su Zhihao finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Hahahaha! Seventeen million four hundred thousand! Old Zou, did you hear that? I didn't fail! I really made it to shore!"

Director Zou nodded repeatedly: "Brother Hao, you've made a killing! You've really made a killing!"

Boss Peng slowly exhaled a smoke ring and added with a smile, "The local box office is just a good start; the real money is overseas. It's selling like hotcakes in Southeast Asia, with distributors from Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand scrambling to raise prices. Audiences there love these kinds of supernatural films that are both scary and funny. Old Su, you've really made a name for yourself this time."

Su Zhihao slapped his thigh: "That's right! I earn the most overseas! Those theater owners who used to look down on me are now calling me 'Brother Hao'!"

The lawyer opened another separate document and turned to Lin Ying and Lin Lanying: "According to the contract, Ms. Lin Ying holds 10% of the project's profits. After deducting payments on behalf of others and reserved items, the distributable amount this time is HK$1.74 million."

Su Zhihao picked up a bank draft from the table and pushed it directly in front of Lin Ying. "Ying, 1.74 million. You deserve it."

Lin Lanying looked at the lawyer: "Has this money been settled according to the contract? Are there any hidden deductions or additional fees later?"

The lawyer nodded patiently: "Mrs. Lin, rest assured, everything is clearly listed in the documents. This is a phased and complete settlement, with absolutely no deductions. Any subsequent revenue from second-run screenings or videotape copyrights will be accounted for separately."

Mr. Peng chuckled on the sofa: "Mrs. Lin is prudent; only those who know how to manage money deserve to take big money."

Lin Lanying then took the document and carefully read it page by page. Because she couldn't understand the complex English, Lin Lanying pointed to each clause and asked questions. The lawyer explained in detail, and only after confirming that everything was correct was Lin Lanying allowed to sign.

Lin Ying took the pen and carefully signed her name, "Lin Ying," at the end of the document.

After finishing the last stroke, she put down her pen. In Hong Kong in this era, knowledge could truly be transformed into real money to protect one's family.

After the profit-sharing was finished, Su Zhihao was still excitedly gesturing in the room: "Ah Ying, do you want to write another one? Let's strike while the iron is hot and make a sequel!"

Lin Ying nodded and looked at him: "Second Uncle, I just plan to work on the script during the summer vacation."

Director Zou immediately burst out laughing: "You'll be the one writing the script this time. I'll take you to meet some editors during the summer vacation."

Boss Peng flicked off his cigarette ash, then suddenly looked at Lin Ying and asked with great interest, "Screenwriter Lin, what are your plans for this money?"

Lin Ying answered frankly, "I'll set aside money for tuition and household expenses first, and then I'd like to consider buying an apartment."

Mr. Peng was somewhat surprised: "Buying a house?"

Lin Ying nodded: "Yufa Building is too crowded, the corridors are noisy, and the soundproofing is poor; I want an absolutely quiet environment at home."

Lin Lanying frowned and whispered a reminder: "Buying a house is not like buying cabbage; a million or so may sound like a lot, but if you really want to buy a place in a good location with a good environment, you may not be able to find the most satisfactory one."

Mr. Peng stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, I have an apartment in Yinghutai, Taikoo City, a brand new development that was just handed over this year."

He looked at Lin Ying and stated his terms: "1200 square feet, four bedrooms and two bathrooms, fully furnished. Bathtub, cabinets, and furniture all included. On the fifteenth floor, with three large balconies offering excellent views. Screenwriter Lin, if you like it, one million, I'll sell it to you directly."

Lin Ying was stunned.

1200 sq ft? Four bedrooms and two bathrooms? Taikoo Shing? One million?

Lin Ying knew that land in Hong Kong was incredibly expensive, but hearing this figure with her own ears still felt outrageous! In 1981! A 110-square-meter apartment cost one million?!

Lin Lanying stood up and bowed deeply to Boss Peng, saying, "Boss Peng, thank you very much."

Mr. Peng waved his hand, his smile deepening: "Mrs. Lin, there's no need for such a grand gesture. I'm a businessman; the house isn't given away for free."

"I know." Lin Lanying straightened up, her eyes clear. "But buying 1,200 square feet of Taikoo Shing's Reflecting Lake Terrace for one million is definitely not the normal price outside. You're doing Ah Ying a favor; I'll remember that kindness."

Su Zhihao chimed in from the side, "Mrs. Lin, Lao Peng is really giving a discount this time; he usually haggles over every ten dollars at the card table."

Boss Peng laughed and scolded, "Don't you dare undermine me." He turned to his secretary and asked him to fetch the property information. "Tomorrow morning, I'll have someone take you to see the property. If everything is fine after the viewing, we'll go to the law firm this afternoon to complete the transfer."

Lin Lanying immediately replied, "Okay, we'll definitely be there tomorrow."

After that, Lin Ying watched as the three of them divided the money.

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Afterwards, on the way back to Sai Wan, the carriage was very quiet;

Only after pushing open the old iron gate to her own home in the Yufa Building did Lin Ying speak: "Mommy, why is it so expensive? One million!"

Lin Lanying put her purse on the table, turned around and rolled her eyes: "What do you know, you're just a kid!"

Lin Ying: "..."

Lin Lanying pulled out a chair and sat down, pointing to the promotional brochure for Taikoo Shing. "I know Taikoo Shing's Reflecting Lake Terrace; it's a hot new development that just opened this year. Do you know how much it's priced?"

Lin Ying shook her head.

Lin Lanying slammed her hand on the table: "One million three hundred thousand! And even with that money, you might not be able to secure a good floor!"

"One million three hundred thousand?!" Lin Ying blurted out, "Even Beijing's housing prices aren't that expensive!"

Lin Lanying rolled her eyes at her: "What are you talking about, the mainland?"

"It's nothing," Lin Ying quickly stopped talking.

Lin Lanying continued, "Remember this, Taikoo Shing is a modern housing estate with elevators, property management, and shopping mall facilities! All the residents are middle-class Hong Kongers! Boss Peng selling it to you for one million is practically giving you three hundred thousand for free!"

Lin Ying nodded: "I understand that Boss Peng is not doing charity. He values ​​talent and sees the worth in my mind, so he gave me 300,000 yuan in advance to befriend me."

"Yes." Lin Lanying looked at her daughter. "I reckon he'll be involved in your next script as well."

Footsteps sounded outside the door. He Dazhu returned with his toolbox and Lin Qian, who had been kept after school as punishment for copying texts.

"Mommy, Sister! How much money did you get?" Lin Qian asked excitedly as soon as he entered the room, throwing his schoolbag on the stool.

Lin Lanying turned around: "Please sit down first."

Lin Qian immediately gripped the back of the chair with both hands: "I'm holding on tight."

Lin Lanying: "One million seven hundred and forty thousand."

He Dazhu had just put down his toolbox when he asked, "How much?"

"One million seven hundred and forty thousand!" Lin Lanying repeated, taking out a copy of the promissory note and placing it on the table.

He Dazhu slowly walked over, looked down for a long time, and began to count: tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands... After finishing, he excitedly shouted, "Sister...you're amazing. Sister is really amazing."

Lin Qian lunged at the table: "Does that mean I can eat roast goose for the rest of my life?!"

Lin Lanying casually grabbed a ruler and slapped it on his shoulder: "Dream on! This money was earned by your older sister working late into the night writing the play, not for you to eat all of it on roast goose! Dazhu, there's one more thing. I'm closing the shop for a day tomorrow. I'll go and work overtime tonight after dinner to finish the jobs I've taken on."

He Dazhu was stunned: "What's wrong?"

"Let's go buy a house." Lin Lanying pushed the information about Taikoo Shing over. "Boss Peng is selling a 1,200-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on the fifteenth floor of Yinghu Terrace, with three balconies, to Aying for a discount of one million. We'll go to complete the transfer tomorrow."

Lin Qian's eyes widened: "Three balconies?! Does that mean I can use one balcony to dry my schoolbag, one to dry my shoes, and one to dry myself?!"

Lin Lanying glared at him: "If you dare to expose yourself in the sun, I'll throw you off the fifteenth floor."

He Dazhu thought about it and felt it was too extravagant: "One million... isn't that too much? My sister will need a lot of money for middle school and university in the future."

"This is a prime property worth 1.3 million. If we miss this opportunity, our family may never even reach the threshold of middle class in our lifetime. Money is easy to spend if it's just sitting in your hands; it's much more secure to turn it into real estate and have it registered in your name."

Lin Lanying then looked at the father and son and said, "Dazhu, Qian will go to get the property deed tomorrow. This apartment will only be registered under my name and Ying's name. Ying is a minor, and I am her guardian. The guardian must be listed on the deed."

"Neither of you, father and son, are allowed to get involved; once Ying comes of age, this house will be entirely her private property!"

He Dazhu didn't hesitate: "Of course! This is my sister's hard-earned money, so the house naturally belongs to her!"

Lin Qian raised his hand: "I'm not participating either! But Mommy... can I take a bath in the bathtub in the new house from now on?"