Literary Master 1978

"As for the chairman, let Ah Fa play the role. He has both fame and acting skills.

His appearance is very deceptive. Playing opposite Michael will definitely be interesting. It will be easy to promote and market in the future."

After listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, Xu Anhua's eyes lit up, while Xu Guanwen looked thoughtful.

Whether in the novel or the script, Lao Jin is a well-deserved protagonist.

But the chairman also has a lot of scenes. In fact, because Lin Chaoyang's writing is so good, the complexity and multi-layeredness of this character are even stronger than Lao Jin, the protagonist.

This person is polite, courteous, and polite on the outside, but in fact he is full of arrogance and superiority of the upper class. His disdain and contempt for the lower class are hidden under the thin mask.

In him, we can clearly see the alienation of money and power to people. All his self-reliance comes from money, with the kind of upper-class society that is strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Chow Yun-fat has an elegant appearance, is suave, and has good acting skills. If he can play the role of the chairman, he is indeed a good choice.

This is why Ann Hui's eyes light up, and Xu Guanwen's hesitation is also easy to understand.

Such an outstanding role is played by an actor who is as famous and as good as him. He is inevitably worried that he will be overshadowed.

But soon, Xu Guanwen thought it through.

When filming, the most important thing is to make the play exciting. If the quality of the movie is a mess, what's the point of having more roles?

"Afa is a good choice, what about the others?"

Lin Chaoyang thought for a while and said, "Let's use Cherie Chung as the chairman's wife. The box office of "Autumn Fairy Tale" she collaborated with Afa was good. Playing a couple again will also be a publicity point. As for the others, I haven't thought about it yet, you can arrange it."

Ann Hui said hesitantly: "Michael, Afa, Hong Gu, plus other actors, I'm afraid the actor's salary will be close to 10 million Hong Kong dollars, investment..."

Lin Chaoyang looked indifferent, "If 10 million is not enough, then 20 million. Lin's Film just lacks a big investment."

His statement surprised and delighted Ann Hui and Xu Guanwen. They were surprised by Lin Chaoyang's generosity and delighted by the huge investment in the film. For them, there will be more room for development.

The two thought about it and understood the reason behind Lin Chaoyang's actions.

The ban order of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association has just been issued, and the Lin family now urgently needs a big move to show their confidence and strength.

After understanding this truth, the two of them felt relieved.

The three of them spent the whole day discussing the script and various issues related to filming.

They didn't separate until after dinner in the evening.

When Lin Chaoyang returned home, Tao Yumo shouted at him, "Brother-in-law, buy a mobile phone. I can't contact you all day."

Lin Chaoyang didn't bother to listen to her complaints and asked, "What's the matter?"

"A foreign publishing house wants to publish your book."

"Oh?" Lin Chaoyang raised his eyebrows, "Which country?"

"Random House in the United States."

"Random House?" Lin Chaoyang was a little surprised to hear the name.

Founded in 1927, Random House played an important role in the American book industry throughout the 20th century.

It started as a modern library, and then quickly became an internationally renowned literary publisher with its exquisite planning.

It has now become one of the best publishers in the American book industry.

"What did they say?"

"The person who contacted me is Luan Walter, who said he is a senior editor of Random House. He wants to introduce your "The Truman Show" to the United States." Tao Yumo said.

Lin Chaoyang thought to himself, publishing "The Truman Show"? It is probably still influenced by the movie. Thinking of Paramount Pictures, which was rejected by Tao Yushu some time ago, Random House may have heard some rumors and came to him.

"Brother-in-law, your novel will be published in the United States!" Tao Yumo said excitedly.

Lin Chaoyang smiled, "I will leave this matter to you to discuss."

Hearing this, Tao Yumo was excited and worried, "Can I do it?"

The previous novels were published by Lin Chaoyang, and she was only responsible for signing a contract as an agent.

This was the first time she was in charge, and she was a little unsure.

"What can I do or not? It's not a difficult thing."

Lin Chaoyang's words made Tao Yumo feel a little relieved. Since her brother-in-law trusted her so much, she naturally couldn't retreat.

After dinner, Lin Chaoyang flipped through today's evening paper while digesting his food, and saw a report on the acquisition battle of the Hong Kong Shanghai Hotel Company in the newspaper.

Speaking of the Hong Kong Shanghai Hotel Company, almost no one has heard of it, but if you mention the Peninsula Hotel, many people should know that the Peninsula Hotel is one of the company's industries.

The company's other industries also include the Kowloon Hotel, Repulse Bay Building, Peak Tram, etc., and it has hotel businesses in the United States, the Philippines and other countries.

Today, the market value is as high as HK$6.7 billion, which can be said to be a behemoth in the Hong Kong hotel industry.

Hong Kong people call this company the Grand Hotel, and the helmsman is the British Jewish Kadoorie family.

The family not only controls the Grand Hotel, but also controls the largest listed company in the Hong Kong stock market, China Power, and has been regarded as the top wealthy family in Hong Kong for more than half a century.

At the same time, Lawrence Kadoorie, the head of the Kadoorie family, is also a British lord, a life peer granted by the emperor, and a member of the House of Lords, which can be said to be both financial and powerful.

But it is such a hotel with a huge and deep background that someone dares to stroke its beard.

This person is none other than Liu Luanxiong, the notorious sniper of the Hong Kong stock market in recent years.

Since March, he has suddenly announced a large purchase of the shares of the hotel together with Lin Jianyue, the second son of the Li Xin Garment Lin family, with a share of up to 30 million shares.

In recent days, the Hong Kong Acquisition and Merger Committee ruled that Liu and Lin did not "act in concert" and rejected the Kadoorie family's accusation against the acquirer.

Now the two sides are in a stalemate, and the share price of the hotel has fallen.

After reading the newspaper, Lin Chaoyang compared the share price of the hotel with that of Cathay City, which he held during this period.

It was found that the acquisition war was so fierce, but the increase in the share price of the hotel was far less than that of Cathay City.

The monster stock is indeed a monster stock!

"Brother-in-law, do you also want to invest in stocks?" Tao Yumo asked.

Lin Chaoyang replied while flipping through the newspaper: "Just collecting materials."

Tao Yumo asked again: "Which stock do you think has potential now?"

Lin Chaoyang glanced at her, "Why? You want to invest in stocks?"

"Not me, but Maggie. She has been investing in stocks for more than two years and has been losing money."

Lin Chaoyang couldn't help but be curious when he heard this. It was okay before, but since last year, the Hang Seng Index has been soaring. In this case, she can still lose money. She is a bit of an investment genius!

"What stocks did she buy?"

"There are so many, Wheelock, Energy, China Coal..."

Tao Yumo listed them all, and Lin Chaoyang fell silent after listening.

Just by listening to the company names, the stocks that Maggie Cheung bought are all good targets in the market.

But the question is, sister, what do you mean by buying targets that are involved in mergers and acquisitions?

Lin Chaoyang didn't need to guess that Maggie Cheung was probably trying to fish in troubled waters, thinking that she could get some soup from the dealer in this situation.

Little did she know that a small shrimp like her who participated in such a big storm would only be swallowed up by the banker.

"Brother-in-law, why don't you say anything?" Tao Yumo asked.

Lin Chaoyang did not answer her, but warned her, "Stay away from her in the future."

"What do you mean?"

"Be careful that she borrows money from you."

Tao Yumo sneered: "Brother-in-law, Maggie earns more than me, millions a year..."

She said halfway before she realized what Lin Chaoyang meant.

"It's not as exaggerated as you say!" she muttered.

Lin Chaoyang shook his head and had already labeled Maggie Cheung as "investment genius" and "stock market lamp" in his mind.

In the future, as long as you try to avoid the stocks she chooses, the probability of profit will be greatly increased.

Time flies to July, and Lin Chaoyang spends a lot of time on the new book every day, and the progress is gratifying.

In less than a month, the new book has written nearly 200,000 words. At this rate, it should be completed before the end of July.

By the second Wednesday of July, "Autumn's Fairy Tale", which had been released for 23 days, was officially closed, with a box office of 26 million.

This film cost 10 million Hong Kong dollars, but it recovered its cost and made a lot of money just by the local box office.

Tao Yushu has been busy with the release of the film in other places these days. With Chow Yun-fat, there is no need to worry about the overseas release of "Autumn's Fairy Tale", and Lin's Films will definitely make a lot of money.

Wang Jing's "The Supreme" also started shooting two days ago. The preparation process of the crew was very smooth, and it seemed that it was not affected by the ban.

The development of the company has not been greatly constrained for the time being. Tao Yushu's mood has also been much brighter in recent days. On the weekend, she took time out with Lin Chaoyang to take the two children to the amusement park for a day.

The next day, when she was having breakfast, Tao Yushu was reading the newspaper and suddenly made a "huh".

Lin Chaoyang looked at her, and Tao Yushu's expression was subtle, saying: "Taiwan Island JY!"

The so-called "JY" means to remove JY.

JY has little impact on the daily life of ordinary people, but the effect of loosening up the whole society is extremely obvious.

Taiwan Island JY means that the capital of Taiwan Island will be more active, including film capital.

This is also the reason why the film market in Hong Kong has entered a white-hot stage since 1988, and too much hot money has poured in at once.

"Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing for us?" Tao Yushu asked Lin Chaoyang for his opinion.

Lin Chaoyang pondered for a moment and replied: "In the next few years, the film market in Hong Kong will probably become more and more lively, which is actually beneficial to our development..."

Li Yunlong was able to win a big victory because the whole northwest of Shanxi was in a mess. If he wanted to fish in troubled waters and take advantage of the opportunity to expand, the situation would be better if it was a little more chaotic.

Listening to his analysis, Tao Yushu nodded affirmatively.

A few days later, Tao Yumo told Lin Chaoyang that the royalties from Ming Pao Publishing House had been settled. This was the second royalties Lin Chaoyang received this month.

In January, "Parasite" was published in the mainland and Hong Kong successively, and the performance was as good as ever.

450,000 copies were sold in the mainland in the first month, and the cumulative sales volume was 1.64 million copies, with a settlement of royalties of 510,000 yuan.

The cumulative sales volume in Hong Kong was somewhat beyond Lin Chaoyang's expectations, and it actually broke through the 150,000 copy mark.

The sales volume of 150,000 copies in half a year is the first time since Lin Chaoyang's works landed in Hong Kong.

Such sales volume is enough to show that Lin Chaoyang's appeal among the pure literature readers in Hong Kong has reached an extremely high level.

Lin Chaoyang believes that this is closely related to the honor that "The Truman Show" has won for Hong Kong.

The hot sales of "Parasite" in Hong Kong also brought Lin Chaoyang a royalty income of 1.95 million Hong Kong dollars, which is also the largest royalty income he has received since his work was published in Hong Kong.

Lin Chaoyang made a detailed calculation. Not counting the assets of several companies such as Lin's Films, not counting the assets and deposits in the mainland, he has more than 9 million Hong Kong dollars in deposits available in Hong Kong.

If the floating profit brought by the soaring stock price of Cathay City in recent times is included, this figure will reach 15 million Hong Kong dollars.

These deposits are certainly not much compared to the rich in Hong Kong, but as a pure literary writer, it is rare to make so much money in Hong Kong.

In an environment like Hong Kong, it is difficult to become a millionaire simply by writing. Even if you are talented, you must become a boss to get rid of those invisible restrictions.

In the 1960s, Hong Kong had Jin Yong and Ming Pao, and in the 1980s, Hong Kong also had Wong Yuk-long and Yuk-long Organization. This was the case.

In August, Lam's "The Rich" was released.

This movie does not have a luxurious cast, and even the leading actors are hosts like Dong Biu and Shen Dianxia who have little appeal. It is completely based on the plot.

But it is such a movie that does not seem to be popular at all, but it has achieved a brilliant result of 5 million Hong Kong dollars in three days of release, which has surprised many peers in the Hong Kong film industry.

In the first week of its release, "The Rich" cut 11 million box office, and its performance was even better than "Autumn Fairy Tale" starring Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung.

This time, even the boss Tao Yushu was a little surprised.

The total investment of "The Rich" is less than 5 million Hong Kong dollars, which is a small and medium-investment movie in Hong Kong today.

Tao Yushu originally just wanted Gao Zhisen to try the waters, but he unexpectedly gave her a huge surprise. Not only did the movie make back its investment in the first week of its release, it also made money.

What a treasure!

Tao Yushu secretly rejoiced that the internal strife of Xinyicheng brought benefits to Lin's company. She specially called Gao Zhisen to encourage him, and then gave him a red envelope of 200,000 yuan.

Gao Zhisen was immediately overjoyed when he received the red envelope. He came to Lin's company because of the generosity of the boss Tao Yushu. Now it seems that he did not follow the wrong person.

His red envelope was calculated separately and was not included in the dividends given to the director by Lin's Films.

With the money, Gao Zhisen was full of motivation and took the initiative to propose to shoot a movie "The Wealth Is Coming Again".

The director under him was so proactive, Tao Yushu naturally would not discourage his enthusiasm. Not only did he agree to Gao Zhisen's request, but he also specially added a budget of 3 million Hong Kong dollars to him.

The success of two films in a row finally dispelled the dark cloud of "ban" that had been hanging over Lam's Films for more than two months.

But the current situation is far from being a time to rest easy. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Freedom Federation has not made any new statements during this period, and Tao Yushu does not believe that they will stop.

She must take advantage of the fact that Lam still has room to maneuver and hold more cards in her hand.

Since Shaw Brothers announced its closure in 1985, it has carried out a series of slimming actions.

They first sold the Clearwater Bay Studio to TVB, and then cut the production business from 30 to 40 films a year to 6 to 8 films, and mainly focused on investment.

For the cinema business, part of the cinema was leased to Debao Company jointly operated by Dickson Pan and Sammo Hung, and some are still self-owned.

And Tao Yushu is eyeing these cinemas that Shaw Brothers still owns.

Kowloon, Peninsula Hotel, Felix Restaurant

This is the place where Tao Yushu often goes to entertain guests. The decoration is exquisite and the environment is elegant. She attaches great importance to today's guests and waits in the restaurant in advance.

"Miss Fang!"

After waiting for more than ten minutes, Tao Yushu saw a woman in noble clothes walking over under the guidance of the waiter. She stood up and smiled.

After the two shook hands, Miss Fang couldn't help but look Tao Yushu up and down and said with a smile:

"Mrs. Lin, you are really young. I have heard of your great name for a long time."

"You are too polite. You are my role model in my career!"

Miss Fang in front of him is not only Mr. Shaw's confidante, but also an important partner in his career.

Many people only think that she is a vine clinging to Run Run Shaw, but they don't know her help to Mr. Shaw.

When Golden Harvest rose, Shaw's dominance in the Hong Kong film industry ended and began to decline.

She sensed the booming prospects of the television industry and suggested that Mr. Shaw shift his focus from movies to television. Mr. Shaw then spent a huge amount of money to buy shares from several other partners of TVB, which led to Mr. Shaw's half-century long-lasting business.

In addition to her great contribution to the development of TVB, Miss Fang also took over the burden of Shaw after the death of Shaw Renmei.

Although Shaw had already declined at this time, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and the resources in Miss Fang's hands are still very considerable.

After sitting down and exchanging a few pleasantries and ordering dishes, the two women did not talk about business right away, but talked about family matters instead.

Miss Fang was born in Shanghai. Her mother was Fang Wenxia, ​​a stage star in old Shanghai. She went to Southeast Asia when she was a teenager, and then met Mr. Shaw and became a singer. She followed Mr. Shaw to Hong Kong in the 1950s.

She knew that Tao Yushu was from the mainland, so she asked about the development and changes in the mainland over the years, and she was deeply moved after listening.

"Miss Fang, if you have time, you might as well go back to the mainland for a walk. There are still great changes now."

Fang Yihua smiled and said, "If time permits, of course I hope to go back and have a look."

After saying this, she smiled and said: "Mrs. Lin, you are not inferior to women. You have developed the Lin family so well in just two or three years. It is really impressive!"

"You're flattering me, I'm just a latecomer in the film field."

Listening to Tao Yushu's humble words, Miss Fang joked: "If Mrs. Lin is a late student, we at Shaw Brothers will be old bones."

Tao Yushu noticed the temptation in her words and said: "Without Shaw Brothers, the Hong Kong film industry would not be as prosperous as it is today.

If Boss Shao's business focus had not shifted to television in recent years, the Xiangjiang Film Market might not have had the turn for us juniors to get involved. "

Tao Yushu's compliment made Miss Fang smile a little. The verbal compliment was certainly pleasant, but Miss Fang was even more happy that the topic finally entered the topic.

The two chatted for a few more words, and then Tao Yushu said: "Miss Fang, I invited you out today because I want to talk about our cooperation."

"Oh?" Miss Fang raised her eyebrows slightly, showing some interest, and asked, "What do you think of Mrs. Lin?"

The films released by Lam have been shown in Shaw Brothers theaters in the past two years, and the two parties have actually cooperated for a long time.

Moreover, due to the sudden ban by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association in the past two months, Lam also made concessions on the box office share, which is equivalent to Shaw Brothers getting millions of dollars in revenue in one year.

Tao Yushu said that if he wanted to talk about cooperation, there must be a new proposal, and Miss Fang was naturally curious.

Tao Yushu looked calm and said calmly: "I hope to further deepen our cooperation."

Hearing this, Miss Fang was still cutting the steak unhurriedly, and asked lightly: "Darkening? How to deepen it?"

"I want to set up a joint venture with Shaw Brothers to set up a film company!" Tao Yushu said.

Miss Fang's fork paused for a moment before she put the steak into her mouth and chewed it slowly.

The quiet atmosphere became extraordinarily long, but Tao Yushu's expression did not show any impatience, and his face was full of indifference.

Miss Fang swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped the corners of her mouth gently, and asked: "Establish a film company? Of course we would be happy to cooperate with Lin, but who has the final say in a joint venture?"

"We, Lin, will handle the operation and management, and we can transfer the dividend rights appropriately." Tao Yushu said simply and clearly.

Miss Fang's eyes were calm, "Mrs. Lin thinks our Shaw Brothers are short of money?"

"Of course Shaw Brothers is not short of money, but I think Shaw Brothers still retains a certain amount of film investment, and also hopes to retain a voice in the Hong Kong film industry.

It will be of great benefit to Shaw Brothers to cooperate with our Lin family. "

Miss Fang shook her head after hearing this.

"Mrs. Lin, with all due respect, Mrs. Lin is still carrying a banning order from the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association.

We at Shaw Brothers are taking a big risk now that we can be in your show.

I think you should also understand that if the ban on the Freedom Association escalates, we at Shaw Brothers may not be able to appear in your films again..."

Miss Fang's words were like a dagger, accurately stabbing Tao Yushu's life gate.

Why is the ban by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association, or rather the Bay Island, so lethal?

Isn’t the reason just that Hong Kong’s film industry has a very good trap?

As long as you cooperate with a film company or a banned company or individual, it will be impossible for any film related to this film company to be released in Bay Island.

If the Free Federation further escalates its restrictions and ban on Lam Films in the future, it will start to name the actors and film companies that work with them.

Then these film companies will inevitably make the choice to "take sides", and there will be no room for "ambiguity" like now.

Judging from the current situation, if it really gets to that point, even if Lin's Pictures does not die, I am afraid it will suffer a big blow.

Miss Fang said these words naturally to gain more bargaining chips.

Tao Yushu also understood this truth. Her face was calm, without any panic, and she said calmly:

"What good will it do to the Shaw family if Bay Island blocks us? On the contrary, if the Shao family can cooperate with us, the Lin family, the benefits will be even greater."

After listening to her words, Miss Fang did not express an opinion, but motioned for Tao Yushu to continue speaking.

“If Shaw Brothers’ cooperation with us is really affected, it will simply mean that the few movies you invest in every year will not be released on Bay Island.

Another thing that may be affected is the export of TVB TV programs to Bay Island.

Let me just say one thing, whether it is movies or TV, how much profit can Boss Shao and Miss Fang bring? "

When Tao Yushu said this, his momentum suddenly became stronger.

Fang Yihua fell into silence after hearing this. If Shaw Brothers really made money, Boss Shao would not cut off his strength.

The TV industry in Bay Island is no less developed than that in Xiangjiang. TVB’s profits from exporting TV series and variety shows to Bay Island every year are extremely limited.

But Miss Fang said: "Although Mrs. Lin is very confident in the prospects of our cooperation, who can guarantee that a high-risk investment like a movie will always make money? How do I know that working with you will definitely make money?"

Tao Yushu asked with a smile: "Can Miss Fang find a business that is sure to make a profit without losing money?"

The two looked at each other, and there was a faint smell of gunpowder in the air.

Of course, they didn't really want to quarrel. Their purpose was to gain the upper hand in the negotiation.

But in the end, Shaw Brothers still held the initiative. Tao Yushu sighed slightly after looking at each other and asked:

"Ms. Fang, why do you think I am willing to give up 20% of the investment share of "Parasite"? "

She didn't wait for Miss Fang to answer, and said to herself: "With the success of "The Truman Show", "Parasite" has a bright future. I think this is enough to show my sincerity in cooperation.

If you must have a guarantee, I think we can sign a bet agreement."

"Betting agreement?" Hearing these four words, Miss Fang's face finally moved.

"That's right. We will jointly invest HK$40 million in the new company. The joint venture will have a total profit of HK$120 million before interest and tax within three years. I can make this promise to you.

If the bet fails, we will buy back your equity at a high price in accordance with the contract.

What Shaw needs to do is to rent the theaters you still have to our Lin for five years at HK$10 million per year, so as to obtain 49% of the equity of the joint venture.

After the expiration, we can negotiate a renewal at the market price. We Lin only want a priority renewal right."

Tao Yushu finally revealed all his cards. Miss Fang narrowed her eyes, obviously thinking about the pros and cons.

Last year, the total box office of Hong Kong movies was HK$640 million, with 130 theaters. Shaw owned 10 theaters, and the box office output last year was nearly HK$60 million, with a profit of more than 8 million.

Lin was willing to rent the theaters at a rent of 10 million yuan per year, naturally to show his sincerity.

And there is a gambling agreement, so Shaw Brothers can be said to be a sure win.

The rental plus investment income is 30 million yuan a year, which is a considerable amount even for TVB, which now occupies the leading position in the Hong Kong TV market.

Last year, TVB's revenue was only HK$800 million, and its net profit barely reached HK$150 million.

This condition is not to be underestimated, it is full of sincerity.

Miss Fang sat there and pondered for a long time, her heart was moved.