Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 270 The profit is not optimistic!

On the other side, in the back alley of the East Bay nightclub, several trucks quietly stopped. Several porters carefully lifted several wooden boxes filled with equipment from the trucks. The labels on the boxes clearly read "stage lighting" and "sound equipment".

"Hurry up, the new boxing equipment needs to be installed tonight, and the customers have been urging us to do it." A man wearing sunglasses gave orders in a low voice with a bit of anxiety on his face.

Just when they were halfway through the move, a light suddenly flashed at the entrance of the alley, and a police car slowly drove over. The man in sunglasses changed his expression, and quickly waved his hand to signal his men to stop. The police car stopped, and two uniformed policemen came over and lazily looked at the boxes on the truck.

"Are you still busy so late? What are you doing?" asked one of the policemen.

The man in sunglasses smiled and handed over two hundred-dollar bills: "Hey, officer, these are all stage equipment. Let's change some new things for our nightclub. Thank you for your hard work."

The policeman took the money and asked casually, "Another boxing match? I heard that someone lost a lot of money last time and there was a big fight."

The smile on the sunglasses man's face froze for a moment, but soon returned to normal: "Hey, isn't it all in the past? Our place is well-behaved, there won't be any more problems."

The police nodded, waved their hands and told them to continue working, then turned around and got in the car and left. The man in sunglasses breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and shouted to his men, "Hurry up, move the things in! It will be troublesome if we are spotted again!"

At this time, in a private club in Central, Lin Qiming was drinking with several wealthy businessmen from Hong Kong Island. The whiskey on the table was only half poured, and he smiled and said: "Mr. Jin looks glamorous on the surface, but his tricks are doomed to fail in the long run. Underground boxing matches? Nightclubs? These things can only attract people in the short term. If you really want to make money, you still have to rely on steady and solid efforts."

A fat wealthy businessman next to him took a sip of wine and asked with a smile: "Mr. Lin, do you think Su Hanze has a chance to win? His theater model is interesting, but in a place like Hong Kong Island, can cultural activities win over those gray industries of Young Master Jin?"

Lin Qiming smiled and raised his glass and shook it. "Su Hanze is smart. He knows how to attract tourists and how to keep the stall owners happy. However, to really beat Young Master Jin, it depends on whether he can withstand Dongwan's offensive. After all, Young Master Jin has the support of Master Qi."

"Seventh Master?" another person interrupted, "Are you talking about the Seventh Master who has always supported Young Master Jin? I heard that he recently launched a big project in Macau, and the funds can support Dongwan at any time."

Lin Qiming nodded: "That's right. Young Master Jin's confidence lies in the support of Master Qi, but Master Qi's patience is limited. If Young Master Jin can't give a return as soon as possible, it's only a matter of time before Dongwan's funding chain is broken."

The wealthy businessmen listened thoughtfully and nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere in the box became subtle.

In the backstage of the theater in Xiwan, Shouhou was assigning tasks to a group of workers. He gestured at the blueprint in his hand and shouted: "The lighting test must pass today. An important customer will come to visit the theater tomorrow. If anyone dares to make a mistake, I will never forgive him!"

A worker wiped his sweat and muttered, "Brother Monkey, don't be so fierce. We didn't do anything wrong."

"That's right, we have to keep a close eye on it!" The skinny monkey glared and waved his hand, "Hurry up and work!"

Ah Liu came over from the backstage and patted Shou Hou on the shoulder: "Monkey, stop scaring people all the time. It's not easy for the workers to work hard all day."

Skinny Monkey pouted his lips: "Sixth Brother, I am just worried about our theater. The boxing match in East Bay is making a lot of noise. If we fail, how are we going to explain to the boss?"

Ah Liu nodded, turned his head to look at the lighting equipment on the stage, and whispered: "Monkey, don't just focus on the theater. Recently, Young Master Jin has been making more and more moves. We have to be careful. Especially the stall owners. If they are a little unstable, they will be pulled away by the people from Dongwan."

The skinny monkey was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "I understand, I'll go and keep an eye on it."

Night falls again, the lights in the theater in Xiwan are turned on, and tourists continue to come in an endless stream.

The nightclubs in East Bay were bustling with people, and preparations for the underground boxing match entered the final sprint.

The fight between the two sides is quietly escalating.

The lights were flashing in the backstage of the theater in Xiwan. Workers were busy adjusting the equipment. A group of actors were rehearsing in costumes. The stage was filled with the tense atmosphere of the upcoming opening. Ah Liu stood at the side of the stage, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand, and kept giving orders.

"Xiaolong, are you done? We've tried the lighting three times and it's still not right. The photographer is about to start scolding me!" Ah Liu's voice was a little hoarse. He shouted and kicked the skinny monkey who was dozing off next to him. "Why don't you give me a hand! All you do is eat and sleep all day long!"

The skinny monkey rubbed his eyes and stood up slowly: "Sixth brother, don't be anxious. Our theater is not comparable to the place in East Bay last night. If you get a heart attack, Young Master Jin will not stop."

"A place like Dongwan?" Ah Liu frowned and said in a bad tone, "The boxing match is indeed attractive, but we can't underestimate him! Do you know how many stall owners and tourists ran over there last night? Do you really think someone like Jin Shao will let us go easily?"

"Let him go?" The skinny monkey said disapprovingly while picking his teeth with his fingers, "Young Master Jin only has those few tricks. In two days, the stall owners will see through it and run back on their own."

Ah Liu was too lazy to continue arguing with him and waved his hand: "Forget it, stop talking nonsense and quickly arrange for the security at the entrance. There are many tourists tonight and someone might come to cause trouble again."

At the same time, in the nightclub in Dongwan, Jin Shao was sitting in the VIP box on the second floor, watching the noisy scene downstairs through the one-way glass. In the center of the stage, a dancer in a sequined short skirt was dancing to the rhythm, and the guests around her were cheering and the atmosphere was pushed to a climax.

"Young Master, last night's boxing match was indeed very successful. We made a lot of money from the admission fees, and also made back our money from many gambling games. But..." Zhang Hai stood behind Young Master Jin, his tone hesitant.

"But what?" Jin Shao turned his head and looked at him coldly.

"However, several stall owners began to complain, saying that although the nightclub was lively, the average consumption per person was too high, and their small stalls simply couldn't make any money." Zhang Hai whispered, "Some customers just came to see the excitement, but didn't buy anything, so they just took a look around and left."

After listening to this, Young Master Jin's face darkened. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "What does this mean? It means these vendors are not worthy of doing business with Young Master Jin! If they think that our East Bay is not good, they can just go back to West Bay."

Zhang Hai nodded and added cautiously: "Also, Master Qi asked us to control costs, saying that if we have a few more boxing matches, it might affect the turnover of the capital chain."

"Control costs?" Young Master Jin slammed the table and stood up. "Seventh Master asked me to do this to make money! Doesn't he know how much money he made from the boxing match? Go and tell him that as long as I can grab all the customers from Xiwan, this little investment is nothing!"

Zhang Hai bowed his head and responded, turning around to leave. Just as he reached the door, he turned back and said, "By the way, Master, someone from Xiwan sneaked in last night and seemed to be observing from the dark." Young Master Jin sneered and shook his head, "Let them watch, those people from Xiwan are only capable of that. Boxing is not their path, so what can they do even if they know? Once my next plan comes out, it will be strange if those stalls in Xiwan don't collapse."

At the same time, in a tea restaurant, Su Hanze was chatting with several old stall owners. The milk tea and egg tarts on the table were still steaming, but everyone's expression was not relaxed.

"Boss Su, we did make some money during this period, but the nightclubs over in East Bay are really too crowded. Although those tourists spend a lot, what if they all run over there one day, what will we do here?" said a stall owner with white hair, frowning.

"That's right, Boss Su. The rent in East Bay is cheap, and many people are waiting and watching. If it continues like this, do we have to lower the rent in West Bay?" another stall owner echoed.

Su Hanze picked up the milk tea, took a sip, put it down and said calmly: "I know you are worried. Dongwan's model is indeed attractive, but have you ever thought about how long a place like theirs can last? Customer flow is not the key. The key is the experience of the customers after spending money. If the stall owners can't make money, then no matter how many customers there are, it will be useless."

The white-haired stall owner thought for a moment and sighed, "That's true, but those boxing matches and nightclubs in East Bay are really eye-catching."

Su Hanze smiled slightly: "So we can't just rely on the old ways. Next, I will provide you with more opportunities. For example, the theater will be linked with the night market to create a more attractive consumer experience. At the same time, we will also launch several interactive activities to attract tourists to stay for a long time. These are our strengths, and Dongwan can't learn them."

The stall owners all nodded after hearing this. Although they still had some doubts, they were obviously much more relaxed.

On the other side, Xiaolong was checking the security measures in the back alley of the theater. Behind him were two young security guards holding flashlights and looking alert.

"Brother Long, there's been a lot of noise in East Bay recently. Do you think they will really come and cause trouble?" a security guard asked in a low voice.

"Making trouble?" Xiaolong snorted coldly, "No matter how arrogant Young Master Jin is, he wouldn't dare to mess with our place openly. But he will definitely make trouble in secret, so you have to keep a close eye on him, especially at night when there are many people."

"I understand, Brother Long!" The security guards nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Xiaolong's cell phone suddenly rang. He picked up the phone, listened for a while, and his face suddenly became solemn.

"What? Someone recognized our people at the boxing match in East Bay? Okay, I got it, I'll deal with it immediately!" After hanging up the phone, Xiaolong frowned and whispered, "These people are really alert. They actually found our spy."

He turned to the security guards behind him and said, "You keep an eye on the theater. I'll go talk to Brother Six. If this matter isn't handled properly, it could cause trouble."

Ah Liu was standing in the warehouse backstage of the theater, holding a newly delivered newspaper in his hand, which contained news about the boxing match in East Bay last night.

In the corner of the newspaper, there was a flyer for a nightclub with photos of several scantily clad dancers. He looked at these things and cursed, "Young Master Jin is really a big spender. He makes money quickly by doing these messy things, but he is also very evil!"

Xiaolong walked in from outside with a gloomy face: "Sixth brother, two more stall owners came to me just now and said they wanted to go to Dongwan to try."

"Try it?" Ah Liu slammed the newspaper on the table, his voice rising a few notches, "What are you trying to do? Young Master Jin's place is a scam. The money we earn is not enough to pay for the venue fee. If the stall owner goes there, he will die!"

"The problem is that people say that East Bay is very popular now, with a lot of customers." Xiaolong spread his hands helplessly, "Although our West Bay is stable, it is indeed lacking in freshness."

"What the hell!" Ah Liu kicked the box next to him fiercely. "Customers come here to find peace of mind. Who wants to be frightened by the mess in the nightclub every day when eating?"

Xiaolong didn't say anything, but frowned and lowered his head to think about something. Ah Liu took a few breaths, lit a cigarette, leaned against the wall and said, "This won't work. We have to come up with something new."

"New tricks?" Xiaolong looked up at him, "What new tricks can there be? We are not like Dongwan who dares to play underground things."

Ah Liu was silent for a while, then suddenly put out his cigarette butt: "Let's go talk to the boss and ask him to approve a budget so we can do a big one."

Xiaolong raised an eyebrow: "Big one? What do you want to do?"

"Since Young Master Jin dares to organize a boxing match, let's do a theatrical interactive performance. Invite some gimmicky stars and put on some fancy shows to make people feel that West Bay is more upscale and interesting than East Bay."

Xiaolong nodded: "Okay, I'll go find someone to draw up a plan first."

At the same time, in the nightclub office in Dongwan, Jin Shao was sitting on a leather sofa, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand, staring coldly at the bill on the table. Zhang Hai stood aside, looking at him cautiously, with beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

"Young Master, this month's operating costs are a bit high. Although we made a lot of money from the boxing match,... the profit is not too optimistic." Zhang Hai said in a low voice.

"What do you mean?" Jin Shao's voice sounded calm, but it made people feel chilly.

Zhang Hai swallowed his saliva. "What I mean is that boxing matches are not sustainable after all. If we want to attract more customers, we may have to consider other models, such as introducing more entertainment projects, or even... more daring services."

Young Master Jin put down his wine glass, leaned back on the sofa, and narrowed his eyes: "More daring? Explain clearly."

Zhang Hai hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Recently, several places have been trying out the high-end private club model. Such places have high consumption levels and many repeat customers. If we..."

Young Master Jin waved his hand and interrupted him: "I have thought of these things a long time ago, but now is not the right time. The situation in East Bay has not been completely stabilized yet, so don't mess around too much. Wait until West Bay is completely suppressed before considering other things."

Zhang Hai nodded and whispered, "I understand, Master."

Young Master Jin stood up, walked to the window, and overlooked the bright lights outside the Dongwan Nightclub. He sneered, "Su Hanze, how long can you hold on?"

(End of this chapter)