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

Chapter 271 A lot of tourists were sucked away!
At this moment, in the lounge of Xiwan Theater, Su Hanze was chatting with a media reporter. The other party was a woman in her thirties, wearing a smart suit, holding a recorder in her hand, with a bit of curiosity in her eyes.

"Boss Su, I heard that the boxing matches in East Bay have been very popular recently, and have had a certain impact on the night market in West Bay. What do you think about this?"

Su Hanze smiled slightly, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then put it down and said slowly: "The impact is certain, and the model of Dongwan is indeed attractive. But Xiwan and Dongwan are taking two completely different paths. We pay more attention to long-term development, the experience of tourists and the interests of stall owners."

The reporter nodded and continued to ask: "Do you have any specific response plans next? For example, projects or activities that will attract more tourists?"

Su Hanze thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Of course. We will combine the advantages of the theater and the night market to launch some new interactive projects so that tourists can not only eat and drink well, but also have fun. These are the contents we are preparing. You are welcome to come and experience them when the time comes."

The reporter smiled with satisfaction: "Okay, Boss Su, I'll wait and see."

After sending the reporters away, the smile on Su Hanze's face gradually faded. He turned to Ah Liu who was standing at the door and said, "Have someone keep a close eye on Dongwan's movements, especially their boxing venues and capital flows. Tell me immediately if there's anything unusual."

Ah Liu nodded: "Don't worry, Boss, I have arranged for someone to keep an eye on it."

As night falls again, the lights of Hong Kong Island are reflected on the water, making them look particularly bright. The nightclubs in East Bay are still bustling with people, while outside the theater in West Bay, tourists are strolling around the night market in groups of three or four, creating a lively and peaceful atmosphere.

"Sixth brother, the old Zhang who runs the shaomai stall at the intersection of three streets went to Dongwan last night." The skinny monkey gnawed a meat bun and shook his head as he handed over a note. "He said there are more people there and he can make money quickly. He also said that we in Xiwan are too rigid and don't know how to do new things."

Ah Liu took the note from Shou Hou, took a look at it, and immediately became furious: "Lao Zhang? The one who was crying and begging for a seat at the entrance of our theater a few days ago? Now that he has made some money, he dares to run around? Has he forgotten how Xi Wan protected him?"

"This guy is an ungrateful person." The skinny monkey took another bite of his bun and said indifferently, "But there is indeed a big commotion over in East Bay. I passed by last night and saw the scene at the entrance. It seemed like the most luxurious place in Hong Kong Island."

"The most luxurious?" Ah Liu sneered, crumpled the note into a ball and threw it into the trash can. "When the lights flicker outside, it's all traps inside. How long do you think Young Master Jin's tricks can last? It's just robbing Peter to pay Paul, and sooner or later something bad will happen."

When Xiaolong pushed the door open, he heard what Ah Liu said. He closed the door and threw a document on the table: "Sixth Brother, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to get into trouble. Young Master Jin opened a new project last night, specializing in high-end nightclubs, and already many businessmen have gone there."

Ah Liu's eyes widened: "Another new thing? How big is his appetite? Isn't he afraid of being stuffed to death?"

"He's stuffed to death?" Xiaolong sat down, lit a cigarette, and sneered, "He has Master Qi behind him, how could he possibly be stuffed to death? Master Qi's money is enough for him to make a living several times. The problem now is that the stall owner has begun to waver."

"If the stall owner is wavering, we have to keep him stable." Ah Liu took the document and looked at it for a few seconds, feeling increasingly irritated. "What about the interactive activities between our theater and the night market these days? How are they going?"

"It's being pushed forward." Xiaolong blew out a smoke ring, his tone revealing some helplessness, "But the problem is, no matter how well we organize the event, it can't compare to the lively scene over there by Young Master Jin. The stall owners only care about money, while the tourists like new things."

Ah Liu didn't know what to say for a moment, so he could only light a cigarette and smoke it in silence.

Meanwhile, in the Dongwan nightclub, Jin Shao was sitting in a private room on the second floor, his feet on the table, a cigar in his mouth. In front of him were a pile of documents and bills, while Zhang Hai stood aside, watching him cautiously.

"Young Master, the transfer of stall owners has been going well recently. Two more have come from Xiwan. But the place was a bit chaotic yesterday. Someone made trouble because he lost too much and even smashed two tables." Zhang Hai said in a low voice.

Young Master Jin snorted and pressed his cigar into the ashtray. "You smash the table when you lose? Are these poor bastards worthy of coming to my place to play?"

"Yes, but the matter has been suppressed." Zhang Hai paused and continued, "Seventh Master asked us to be careful recently. He said that if we continue to make such a big fuss, it might attract other people's attention."

"Master Qi, are you afraid that we'll go too far?" Young Master Jin sneered and pointed at the bills on the table. "Tell him that our profits in East Bay have doubled. What else is he dissatisfied with?"

"Seventh Master wasn't talking about money." Zhang Hai lowered his voice, "He reminded us that Xiwan might be watching us from the dark. Recently, several strangers have appeared frequently around our place."

When Young Master Jin heard this, his eyes narrowed, with a hint of a sinister smile on his lips: "This old fox Su Hanze really can't sit still. Since he wants to watch, let him watch enough."

On the other side, Su Hanze was sitting in the lounge behind the theater, discussing plans with several people in charge of the night market expansion project. A large map was spread on the table, with several key locations marked on it, including the theater entrance, the main street, and several new night market stalls.

"These locations have the largest flow of tourists, so we need to arrange more attractive projects here." Su Hanze's tone was calm, but his eyes were very determined. "Not only food, but also fun and things to see. We can try light shows, interactive performances, anything that can attract tourists to stop."

A person in charge nodded and asked, "Boss Su, these are indeed attractive, but won't the cost be too high? Will the stall owners be willing to share some of the cost?"

"We will advance the costs first, and share the profits later." Su Hanze said decisively, "Short-term investment is for long-term returns. If the stall owners see the actual benefits, they will naturally support it."

When the discussion reached a critical moment, Ah Liu suddenly pushed the door open and handed a fax to Su Hanze: "Boss, I just received news that Young Master Jin is making a big move again. This time, the goal is to win over several famous stall owners here."

Su Hanze took the fax, took a look at it, and frowned slightly: "What conditions do they use?"

"Three months of free rent, and a high-traffic stall." Ah Liu's tone was a little angry, "Young Master Jin is really willing to pay any price." Su Hanze put down the fax, his tone calm but with a hint of coldness: "No matter the cost? Then let him know what the real cost is." He turned to Ah Liu and said, "Keep an eye on those stall owners, and when necessary, put our theater's preferential terms on the table, and give them all the benefits they deserve."

Ah Liu nodded, turned around and left with the fax.

"Sixth brother, this is bad!" The skinny monkey rushed into the small office backstage of the theater, his shoes making the floor full of mud. He held a crumpled flyer in his hand, his eyes full of panic, "Young Master Jin is holding an event tonight, and has invited several celebrities to attend. There is also a lucky draw, and the first prize is a car! After hearing the news, several stall owners here have already started packing up and preparing to go over!"

Ah Liu was flipping through the account book on the table. When he heard this, he threw the pen in his hand directly on the table. He snatched the flyer and scanned it with narrowed eyes, frowning more and more. The content on the flyer was simple and crude - a giant light show, star performances, cash prizes, and a luxury car worth 300,000 yuan. The red body of the car was printed in the center of the flyer, which looked particularly eye-catching.

"Car? Young Master Jin really invested a lot of money." Ah Liu sneered and threw the flyer aside. "These tricks are aimed at poaching our stall owners."

Skinny Monkey wiped the sweat from his forehead and whispered, "Sixth Brother, what should we do now? Several stall owners have said they want to go over there to check out the situation, and two of them are no longer at their stalls."

"What do you mean by 'see what's going on'?" Ah Liu slammed the table and stood up, his voice rising a few notches, "Don't even think about coming back once you've gone there! Are these people going to use Xiwan as a springboard?"

Xiaolong walked in from outside, closed the door, looked up and glanced at the flyer on the table, and said in a low voice: "Sixth Brother, things may be more serious than we thought. This is not just poaching stall owners. Young Master Jin is attacking the reputation of Xiwan. He wants outsiders to think that Dongwan is where tourists should go."

Ah Liu sat back in his chair, crossed his hands on the table, and raised his head after thinking for a moment: "Xiaolong, go find the boss immediately and explain the situation in Dongwan to him. Young Master Jin has really used a big move this time, and we have to think of a way to fight back."

"Sixth brother, what about you?" Xiaolong asked.

"I'll go find those stall owners and see what they're thinking. We can't just abandon the stall owners in Xiwan." Ah Liu stood up, grabbed his coat and threw it over his shoulders, "Skinny monkey, follow me."

Meanwhile, in the backstage of the Dongwan Nightclub, Young Master Jin was standing in front of a huge makeup mirror, adjusting his cuffs. His assistant was reporting in a low voice, "Young Master, the venue for tonight's event has been set up, and the car has been parked in the most conspicuous location. The celebrities have just confirmed that they will be there on time at six o'clock. In addition, many stall owners in Xiwan have contacted us, and some have even brought their goods here to try."

After listening to this, Jin Shao's mouth curled up into a smug smile. He walked to the window, looked at the crowd gradually gathering outside, and said softly: "These stall owners are really easier to deal with than I thought. What are they after? Isn't it just the flow of customers and the opportunity to make money? As long as we give enough, can Su Hanze keep them?"

The assistant nodded, then hesitated and said, "But, Master, Master Qi just sent a message asking us to be careful with our methods and not make things too big. He said that there are people watching behind Xiwan, and if things get out of hand, it won't be good for anyone."

"Seventh Master?" Young Master Jin snorted. "Is Seventh Master worried about me or himself? Don't worry, I know my limits. These are all things that are out in the open. Who dares to say that we are not legal?"

The assistant didn't dare to say anything more and could only nod in agreement.

At this time, in a tea restaurant in Xiwan, Su Hanze was sitting by the window with a cup of milk tea in front of him. He listened quietly to Ah Liu's report, his expression calm, but his eyes became more and more serious.

"Boss, those stall owners said they just wanted to have a look, but I think they have already wavered in their hearts. The conditions offered by Master Jin are too tempting, and with tonight's event, our night market will definitely be affected." Ah Liu was so angry that he slammed the table. "If it were you, I would drive these stall owners away! They are eating from the bowl and eyeing the pot, they have no conscience at all!"

"Drive them away?" Su Hanze raised his head and glanced at Ah Liu indifferently. "What do you think will be the benefit for us if we drive them away? How will people outside view us in Xiwan? We just got a little reputation, but we are said to be a place that doesn't keep stall owners. How can we have fun then?"

Ah Liu was speechless for a moment and scratched his head: "We can't just do nothing, right? Are we just going to watch?"

"Of course we have to do it." Su Hanze took a sip of the milk tea, then put it down and said firmly, "Go tell those stall owners that tonight's theater event is for all stall owners and tourists. Add a welfare lottery and double the prizes. Also, take out that small truck as a special prize."

Ah Liu's eyes widened: "Boss, this will cost you money!"

"Loss of money?" Su Hanze smiled. "Long-term benefits are more important than short-term losses. Let them know that the support from West Bay for them will never be comparable to those empty words from East Bay."

Ah Liu nodded and immediately stood up to make arrangements.

When night falls, the lights of West Bay and East Bay light up almost at the same time. The huge billboard at the entrance of East Bay Nightclub attracts countless tourists, and the sound of music and noise continues. In West Bay, the entrance of the theater is also filled with people, and the atmosphere is warm.

Ah Liu stood in the backstage of the theater, looking at the tourists gradually gathering in front of him, and couldn't help but say to the skinny monkey beside him: "Monkey, do you think we can win tonight?"

The skinny monkey grinned and said, "Sixth brother, our Xiwan has stood firm with real ability, what are you afraid of? Even if Young Master Jin comes up with something bigger, it can't suppress the reputation of our Xiwan."

"Boss Su, those stall owners really went to Dongwan and haven't come back yet." Xiaolong walked through the crowd and walked to Su Hanze, whispering. His face was full of suppressed anger, but his tone was as calm as possible, "Young Master Jin's event was quite big, many tourists went there, and even a lot of tourists from our side were attracted."

Su Hanze was standing at the entrance of the theater, surrounded by night market vendors and tourists. He glanced around and saw a few small trucks passing by at the street corner in the distance. Those trucks were carrying advertising light boxes and flyers from Dongwan, obviously heading for Xiwan. He narrowed his eyes and curled up a sneer at the corner of his mouth.

(End of this chapter)