Hong Kong Entertainment 1979: A Beating Up the Manager at the Start

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the rumors between Zhao Yazhi and Huang Yuanshen did not subside with the passage of time; on the contrary, they intensified, and it seemed that the whole of Hong Kong was talking about it.

Hong Kong at this time was not as chaotic as it was in the 1990s; people still cannot accept extramarital affairs happening to celebrities.

During this period, Zhao Yazhi's pressure suddenly increased. She dared not go to work on set and could only stay at her parents' home to take care of her son.

Li Jiangbo, on the other hand, was also in a bad mood. Wang Tianlin had talked to him several times, and her words implied that he should replace Zhao Yazhi.

Li Jiangbo was also holding on tightly; he didn't want that scoundrel Chen Tianfang to get his way.

Today, Wang Tianlin approached Li Jiangbo again and declared: If Zhao Yazhi isn't replaced, this film will just gather dust in the warehouse.

Helpless, Li Jiangbo handed over the filming work to Wang Jing and took charge of the matter himself.

Li Jiangbo planned to handle this matter using the simplest method from later generations: suppressing the current controversy with another form of public attention.

This approach seems unsuitable for Hong Kong at this time, as media trends are currently controlled by newspapers and television stations.

These organizations cannot be bought off with money; they need buzz and sales, and they don't care about the truth of the matter.

He spent the whole morning trying to negotiate with several newspapers, but to no avail. With no other option, Li Jiangbo had to resort to his trump card.

He found the phone number of Editor-in-Chief Xu of the Oriental Daily and made the call.

"Hello! Editor-in-Chief Xu, this is Li Jiangbo."

Xu Jixin's voice came from the other end of the phone, "It's Director Li! What's up? Is there a problem with your writing?"

Li Jiangbo laughed heartily, "No, I'm calling today to give Editor-in-Chief Xu a juicy scoop. What do you think? Editor-in-Chief Xu, are you interested?"

Xu Jixin was a bit confused. His relationship with Li Jiangbo was that of editor-in-chief and author. He couldn't figure out what Li Jiangbo's explosive news was.

However, he still maintained his professional demeanor and said, "Director Li, please go ahead."

"Recently, news about Zhao Yazhi and Huang Yuanshen has been flying everywhere. I wonder if Oriental Daily has reported on it?"

Xu Jixin shook his head. "This isn't my responsibility, but another editor-in-chief seems to be preparing to dig deep into this news and turn it into a hot topic."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangbo breathed a long sigh of relief. If the Oriental Daily reported this news, then asking the newspaper to whitewash Zhao Yazhi would be wishful thinking.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Editor-in-Chief Xu, I know the inside story of this matter, and I can also get Zhao Yazhi to do an exclusive report..."

Xu Jixin was overjoyed, "Really? Director Li, if you can help me with this, my Oriental Daily will be eternally grateful."

"Hey~ don't thank me yet. Let me explain things to you first. After you hear it, you can decide whether you want this news."

"Director Li, please speak."

Li Jiangbo gave a brief account of the affair between Zhao Yazhi and Huang Yuanshen.

Upon hearing the truth, Xu Jixin rubbed his temples and frowned, saying, "I roughly understand what happened, but it would be a thankless task for you to ask us to clarify things for Zhao Yazhi. Moreover, reporting without evidence will definitely cause readers to be dissatisfied with the newspaper."

Li Jiangbo smiled slightly, "Evidence? I can help you find the staff member who delivered the love letter for Huang Yuanshen. As for other evidence, you can visit the film crews Zhao Yazhi has worked on in recent years and ask around!"

Xu Jixin's eyes grew brighter as he spoke, but he did not agree immediately, declining, "Director Li, I cannot make this decision; I must consult my superiors."

"Okay, I'll wait for your message. I hope to receive good news."

"Don't worry, I'll go find the editor-in-chief right now."

Oriental Daily acted quickly; Li Jiangbo received a call back in less than 10 minutes.

To Li Jiangbo's surprise, the person who called back was Ma Chengkun, the chairman of Oriental Daily.

Ma Chengkun readily agreed to Li Jiangbo's request and provided him with all the assistance he needed.

After hanging up the phone, Li Jiangbo called Zhao Yazhi again and told her everything about the situation and his thoughts.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Yazhi was crying her eyes out, and she was extremely grateful to Li Jiangbo.

The two talked for nearly ten minutes and finally agreed to meet at the Oriental Building in the afternoon.

Oriental Building.

Zhao Yazhi and Li Jiangbo arrived at the photography studio, led by staff.

Upon entering the photography studio, Zhao Yazhi was stunned by the furnishings; she had never seen so many clothes and jewelry before.

When Li Jiangbo saw the dazzling array of clothes and the table full of jewelry neatly arranged in front of them, he was secretly amazed. This Chairman Ma is too extravagant!

Zhao Yazhi stammered, "Director Li, this..."

Li Jiangbo waved his hand, "I don't know either. I just mentioned it to him briefly. Who knew he would cause such a big commotion?"

The two looked at each other, both feeling somewhat at a loss.

Li Jiangbo was the first to react. He said, "Sister Zhi, go change your clothes first, I'll take some photos of you."

Zhao Yazhi nodded, but looking at the rows of clothes, she hesitated. In the end, she chose a relatively simple outfit and went into the dressing room.

While Zhao Yazhi was changing clothes, Ma Chengkun arrived at the photography studio.

After exchanging pleasantries with Ma Chengkun, Li Jiangbo got down to business.

"Director Li, everything is ready for you. What are your plans?"

Li Jiangbo chuckled. "Just report the facts. By the way, does Mr. Ma have any publications similar to fashion weekly magazines?"

Ma Chengkun nodded, "Yes, but sales are very poor, and I'm even preparing to stop publishing it."

Li Jiangbo asked, "Poor sales? That shouldn't be the case! With the Ma family's methods, they can't even keep a weekly magazine afloat?"

Ma Chengkun sighed, "Alas! Ever since my father and uncle left for Taiwan, the newspaper's business has been declining day by day. I've only been in charge for a short time, and before I could even implement any plans, the business was snatched away by others."

Li Jiangbo frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Would Mr. Ma be interested in creating a weekly magazine similar to celebrity biographies?"

Ma Chengkun asked in confusion, "Director Li, are you referring to magazines like *People* and *Vogue*, similar to those published by the US?"

Li Jiangbo explained, "Well! Not entirely. It combines the two: the first part tells a story, the second part talks about fashion, and there are beautiful pictures in between. This kind of publication is suitable for teenagers."

After careful consideration, Ma Chengkun felt that Li Jiangbo's words made a lot of sense. Hong Kong newspapers had not yet ventured into this field. If he could do well in this area, it would be like having an extra source of income.

Thinking of this, Ma Chengkun coughed twice. "Director Li is indeed quick-witted. We'll do as you say. Once the newspaper is successful, I will definitely repay your kindness."

Li Jiangbo curled his lip, thinking to himself: This Ma Chengkun is really stingy. Others spend a fortune to buy a horse's bones, but he just dismisses people with a few vague words.

While the two were chatting, Zhao Yazhi was dressed in a purple dress and high heels, looking absolutely stunning. However, her hairstyle and makeup didn't match the dress at all.

After looking him up and down, Li Jiangbo gestured to the makeup artist and stylist, indicating that they should get to work.

Under the guidance of the mediocre Li Jiangbo, Zhao Yazhi quickly transformed from a beautiful young girl into a mature and charming young woman.

This left Ma Chengkun speechless, secretly admiring Li Jiangbo's skill. He managed to transform such a youthful and beautiful girl into a mature and alluring woman, without it looking out of place at all.

Li Jiangbo's subsequent actions left Ma Chengkun dazzled. He effortlessly created all sorts of looks and combinations, from business attire and evening wear to casual loungewear.

Fortunately, it wasn't Li Jiangbo who was filming; if it had been him, Ma Chengkun would have exclaimed that he was a monster!

Throughout the afternoon, Li Jiangbo directed the photographer to take five sets of photos, which were then developed.

It was already 5 p.m. when Li Jiangbo placed the photos on President Ma's desk.

Ma Chengkun held the photos and admired them one by one. He had to admit that Li Jiangbo's photos were of very high quality, so he readily agreed to put them on the front page the next day.