Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 459, Section 40: Business is all about conversation.

If Young Master Wang could see through Mei Mei's identity as a TVB actress, he would remember that this hot and beautiful woman had appeared on his stage more than once!
The principle of showing respect for the clothes before respecting the person is timeless and applicable to all social classes.

The dozen or so beautiful women who came in were all supporting actresses from TVB or major movies last year, who could get a few lines and show their faces.

But Hong Kong cinema is no longer in its early days of big money. Back then, when Shaw Brothers' old rivals were around, even a supporting actor with only one or two lines could earn three to five thousand dollars for a single film.

However, due to their failures in the stock market, all of their old rivals left the film industry to pursue other ventures, leaving only the now-fallen playboy, Shao Laoliu, to continue struggling in the film industry.

However, without any competitors, Shaw Brothers began to cut actor salaries. Previously, actors who played leading roles could earn at least 50,000 to 60,000 dollars, but with Shaw Brothers' dominance, film salaries were reduced to 20,000 dollars per film, and television drama salaries were reduced to 100 dollars per episode.

Supporting actors receive even less money. If they don't have a good relationship with the director, producer, or company, and refuse to sign a contract of servitude, they simply can't get any film contracts.

If you can't get film offers, you only have two options: either go to a nightclub and dance striptease with bare legs, or find a rich guy and marry him.

Chi Mengli gave a high appearance fee tonight: 20,000 yuan per person plus a movie, although not the main character, just a minor supporting role with one or two lines.

Booger Qiang is indeed a talented person with a sharp mind. Instead of casting a wide net, he focused on key public relations and then used his friends to bring in their friends.

Big-name directors look down on the benefits offered by "Boogie" (a nickname for a director), but it's different for small and medium-sized directors, especially advertising directors, variety show directors, and producers—they're all stingy guys who've never seen money before.

They need to act like big shots on a daily basis and win over their underlings. When big directors go out to eat and drink, the big shots always pay the bill. When they go out, they also have to follow the behavior of their predecessors and imitate them.

If the underlings have to chip in to pay the bill, then none of them should bother working in the entertainment industry anymore.

The entertainment industry is a money pit; wealth equals influence. If you falter when it comes to money, you won't last even half a round.

Therefore, the bigwigs in the entertainment industry would rather borrow money from powerful figures than fail to maintain appearances, because only those who can maintain their positions have a future.

Meanwhile, Boogie helps these struggling celebrities, who barely have any say in the industry, gain the dignity they crave.

The prices at Du Laozhi Nightclub in Shanghai City, Zhonghua City, and Du Laozhi Nightclub are definitely not much lower than those at Longgong Nightclub, and may even be a few points more expensive.

No matter how much he gives, he only gives a gold card worth 1,000 yuan when you meet him, at most 5,000 yuan. Only after you get the film contract will he give you several thousand yuan in cash.

After all, an actor on a film contract can only earn a few thousand yuan, and may even lose money.

Furthermore, Angel Agency never shares its artists' salaries. With such meager earnings, it's difficult to even support a family, let alone share their salaries; that would be somewhat inhumane.

From the very beginning, Boogie Wong didn't focus on this; he put all his attention on the major advertising companies in Hong Kong.

In the past two months, he has gotten to know many senior executives in the production and marketing departments of advertising companies through various connections.

The advertising business in Hong Kong is booming. Major department stores, fashion companies, and fast-moving consumer goods companies all need to place advertisements on major television stations, and celebrity endorsements have become fashionable in Hong Kong.

What Boogie does is send his artists to advertising agencies to compete for endorsements, and hand over a bunch of empty data to the marketing staff of the advertising agencies.

In the United States, publicly traded companies do not belong to the board of directors, but to the company's senior executives. As long as there are large dividends every year, the board members will not care about the CEO's and other executives' underhanded dealings.

In Hong Kong's advertising industry, it wasn't the students from mainland China who were dominant, but rather the students from the University of Southern California. These people were later referred to in Hong Kong business school case studies as confident artists from California.

This is a polite way of saying it; what this actually means is a fraudster.

These guys, whose case studies are featured in business schools, have dominated the Hong Kong advertising industry for a decade. During that time, the advertising expenses of major listed companies have increased more than tenfold.

To get straight into the war woven by these confident artists, the rhetoric is simple: your competitor is planning to hire a certain celebrity as their spokesperson, and you, boss, know how much that celebrity appeals to young people.

What?! Boss, you don't know?! Please look at this document. This is a survey we conducted. It's a questionnaire for the young people, clearly showing who their dream goddess is!

But boss, don't worry, I've already come up with a solution. We just need to slightly increase the advertising rate, and this young man's dream goddess will become your newest advertising spokesperson.

When advertisements flood the market, young people will naturally be interested and empty their wallets to buy them.

Because of the manipulative tactics employed by the booger, these confident artists naturally prioritize promoting artists under the Angel Management Company.

Take Meimei, who sits next to Young Master Wang, for example. She's currently filming to increase her exposure, since she has five or six endorsements and is a recommended ambassador for three real estate companies.

This year alone, he earned over 300,000 yuan in advertising endorsements, but after filming on set for more than half a year, he still doesn't earn as much as he does at nightclubs.

Living under the spotlight is more enjoyable than stewed pork, and Meimei has long been unable to leave it.

"Boss! This is the report. It was done urgently at a private clinic last night. Everything is fine. I guarantee the boss who was there won't have any problems." Booger walked into the private room and was stunned by the luxurious decoration. It was Spinach Dong, who was standing behind him, who kicked him before he realized what was going on and quickly handed over the report.

They're all technical terms, but Chi Mengli is too lazy to look at them; as long as there are no problems, it's fine.

"Brother Sheng, the boxers are ready, the hydraulic boxing ring is tested and adjusted, and Young Master Wang's cronies have arrived. Shall we begin?"

Today is the soft opening day, and only Young Master Wang and his close friends are there. These are all wealthy young men from Shanghai.

Let these rich kids test the waters first and see how effective boxing betting is.

"Get ready. Tonight, Young Master Wang is in charge. Snacks and seafood platters are all prepared. Once everyone arrives, we'll start serving the food."

"Give me the betting slip, I'll go sound out Young Master Wang."

The rich kids and big spenders are tired of eating and drinking all day long. They need to find some exciting new ways to have fun, and free fighting competitions with their fists and real blows are definitely the first choice.

Huanxi, who was standing at the door, quickly handed over the betting slip in her hand and gave Lao Ding a brief explanation.

Signing the betting slip isn't complicated. It's divided into red and blue sections with various options; you just need to check the boxes. At the bottom is the signature section, where the bettors simply sign.

Of course, this betting slip is specially prepared for VIP customers. VIP customers place bets of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan, while ordinary customers only place bets of a few hundred or a few thousand yuan, so they don't need to sign a betting slip.

To make things easier for customers, Chi Mengli brought in more than ten top-of-the-line lottery machines from Italy, redesigned the anti-counterfeiting codes, and implemented on-site payment and ticket printing.

If the boxer you bet on wins, you can take the receipt to a designated points redemption booth to redeem your points.

The gifts are all marked, and customers can sell them directly to the upscale goods recycling stall next door, where they will buy them back at the corresponding price.

The way Japanese pachinko is played was poorly imitated by the boxer bar before, and now they have really popularized it.

As the bookmaker, Chi Mengli has no intention of paying out bets. He makes money through commissions, just like a casino. No matter how much you bet, he will charge a 7% commission.

Don't underestimate this 7% handling fee. It was with this mere 7% that Stanley Ho became the richest man in Asia.

Having figured out the rules, Chi Mengli sat down next to Young Master Wang, coughed, and brought Young Master Wang, who was engrossed in a world of debauchery, back to his senses: "Boss, I've recently started a small business."

"I'm planning to hold a boxing tournament in Hong Kong, the Asian Free Fighting Grand Prix, with a prize of one million Hong Kong dollars this year."

Reluctantly, Young Master Wang looked away from Mei Mei's ample bosom and said regretfully, "I've slept with Mei Mei at least five times, but this is the first time I've discovered how charming she is."

"Your bikini choice is great, it's almost made me dizzy, like I'm seeing a ghost!"

"Now that you've mentioned this, I finally understand. I thought you were going to take over the rubber company in order to take the garbage disposal company public, but I didn't expect it was all for the Boxer Bar."

“Garbage collection companies are a business that requires a steady, long-term approach. Once the initial investment is made, you need to proceed cautiously and steadily. There’s no need to create a thousand or eight hundred small shareholders and cause trouble for yourself.”

"Your so-called Asian Free Fighting Grand Prix is ​​different. The entertainment industry is all about flashy moves to promote people. You need excitement to make a living."

"Ah Sheng, I never expected you to be so shrewd in the underworld, and even more so in the business world! Not bad! Really not bad!"

A riot of flowers dazzles the eye, and shallow grass barely covers a horse's hooves. Before him lies a surging sea, and on the table are bottles of high-end foreign liquor worth thousands of dollars each. Yet, Wang Haiquan is not dazzled by what he sees. Instead, he simply and decisively recounts Meimei's origins and Chi Mengli's entire business strategy.

Young Master Wang is no ordinary man; his eyes see very clearly.

“Such petty tricks are nothing compared to yours, boss.”

"Only when I've built up some momentum will I dare to talk to the Jockey Club, since only the Jockey Club has a lottery license. Of course, such a meeting requires a middleman to act as a go-between, but I don't think the boss will refuse me!"

Let's not beat around the bush. Besides, this is a legitimate business, so Chi Mengli has no need to hide anything. He placed the betting slip in front of Young Master Wang, glanced at the time, and continued, "The rubber company will be renamed soon."

"I will continue to issue shares and raise funds."

"If Young Master Wang wants shares at rock-bottom prices, I'll make the decision. I'll transfer two million shares to him first. After this year's competition is over, I'll announce the buyback plan to ensure the stock price remains stable."

"At that time, whether you sell it or use it as a ballast is up to you, Mr. Wang. If you want to invest and become a board member, we can also have a good chat!"

(End of this chapter)