Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 462, Section 43: Talented Individuals Must Be Snatched Up

"Hello, Mr. Chi!"

Zhao Shaojie did not look down on the young man in front of him because he was a gangster. When he was under thirty, he was still interning at Columbia Television, spending his days buying coffee and never having any contact with the core of the program.

But this young gangster overcame the obstacles and started a professional league in Hong Kong.

Zhao Shaojie, who has formal training, has a more strategic perspective than TVB executives like Fang Tai who come from unconventional backgrounds. The research company provided a 30-page research report, which included background checks on the current gangsters.

One minibus company, eight real estate companies, one billboard advertising company, and one garbage collection company.

Zhao Shaojie completely ignored the real estate company and the garbage disposal company, as these businesses were all related to the underworld and had nothing to do with boxing matches. The only businesses that could expand AKB's influence were the minibus company and the billboard advertising company.

The man in front of us, Mr. Chi, is buying land in various major districts. The land is not large, less than five square meters, but he is offering high prices, five hundred yuan per square meter.

Furthermore, the billboard advertising company does not purchase public land, but instead selects land in front of tenement buildings to buy.

Most of the owners of tenement buildings don't have much cash. When they see a company offering to buy land for 500 yuan per square meter, they immediately agree and sign the contract.

After purchasing the prime land, the handsome young man immediately applied to the municipal government to build bus stops, not one by one, but in batches.

Minibuses, trams, and buses operated by Kowloon Motor Bus Company don't have fixed bus stops. Seeing someone doing good deeds, they were naturally happy and quickly agreed.

In addition, the lawyers at Law Firm Lawrence Lo are all resourceful and don't even check the appearance approval process.

The bus stop signs from the road sign advertising company were extremely extravagant, with more than a dozen illuminated signs. Hong Kong Electric and CLP Power specially installed power lines for the bus stop signs to make all of them light up.

Zhao Shaojie learned from his best friend that the prices for advertising signs at bus stops vary. Even the smallest sign, if hung for a full month, would cost at least 30,000 yuan, which is not something small businesses can afford.

But a living person can't be held back by urinating. Many small businesses that want to advertise, especially small video game console companies, choose to partner up and contract a lightbox advertisement in order to promote their game consoles and games.

The prices remain the same, and each company still gets advertising, only their page space has become smaller.

The billboard advertising company welcomes this, but the design fee will increase by 1,000 yuan, and the minimum rental period is one month.

Furthermore, the Hong Kong minibus advertisement was also created by Handsome Sheng. With these two powerful tools for on-the-ground promotion, AKB48's professional boxing matches are guaranteed to be a breeze.

Roadside advertising consumes very little energy, and once built, it is permanently effective, requiring only a small monthly electricity bill.

Compared to the high cost of advertising, this electricity cost is negligible.

With its novel format, affordable and high-quality promotional channels, and the star resources at Nose-Boo's disposal, the AKB boxing match is sure to become the hottest event in Hong Kong.

Zhao Shaojie saw the potential of AKB boxing matches and wanted to buy the broadcasting rights. After all, AKB boxing matches have points betting, and regardless of whether it is legal or not, any business that involves desire is a good business to make money.

Sports programs are still in their infancy, with very few advertisers willing to invest. Even the internal disputes within TVB's senior management have not ended, with some not wanting to create a sports channel.

The plan is to merge it into the news channel, using it as a source of humor.

These ignorant and incompetent bastards have no idea how appealing sports channels are.

Boxing was Zhao Shaojie's last chance to turn his life around. If he failed in Hong Kong, he would go to Singapore and try to open his own private television station.

After all, American investment banks have a strong interest in television stations.

"Hello, Mr. Zhao!"

Chi Mengli smiled, extended her hand, shook hands with Zhao Shaojie, gave a casual greeting, then turned her gaze to the TVB employees below who were busy with adjustments, and continued, "Mr. Zhao, your men are very efficient."

"It seems that you, Zhao Sheng, have taught me very well!"

"Chi Sheng is too kind. They're all a bunch of frustrated fools. If I don't take these guys seriously, my men will really have no way to survive!"

Rather than saying Zhao Shaojie was talking about the TVB employees working downstairs, it would be more accurate to say he was talking about himself.

Chi Mengli was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was going on and comforted Zhao Shaojie, saying, "Mr. Zhao may not have been in the underworld, but you should have heard the saying, 'Three years as a blue lantern, three years as a 49 agent, only then can you rise to the top.'"

"I'm a rough guy, and it took me six years to finally get a job and rise to the top."

"The road ahead may seem like a dead end, but eyes can lie; you have to keep going."

"Some time ago, someone gave me a box of cigars and talked to me a lot about dryness, humidity, origin, and storage. But when I opened the cigar box, took out a cigar, lit it, and found that the cigar had become moldy due to improper storage."

"Whether it's a mule or a horse, in the end, you still have to take it out for a spin."

"When you don't have a chance to go on stage, you have to conserve your energy. When the time comes to go on stage, you can't afford to be weak. You have to hold the whole show together."

These words don't sound like something a boor would say.

Zhao Shaojie gained a new understanding of the handsome Sheng in front of him. He coughed and said, "Mr. Zhao, calling him Mr. Chi is too wordy and troublesome. Why don't I call you Brother Sheng like Brother Qiang does?"

"I'm older, so Sheng-ge, you can call me Jie-ge. It's not like you're at a disadvantage. Let's each keep our own names!"

“I will keep Brother Sheng’s wise words in mind. It seems I need to improve my martial arts skills to prepare for my future appearances. Brother Sheng, I have high hopes for the future of boxing. Have you ever thought about having TVB represent your boxing matches?”

Hearing Zhao Shaojie's words, Chi Mengli shook her head. Hong Kong is different from Japan. After World War I, all the upper echelons of Japan reached a consensus: to completely leave Asia and join Europe. This policy has been in effect for almost a hundred years.

Therefore, Japan's cultural and entertainment industry has experienced explosive growth, with comics, anime, and movies becoming increasingly profitable. Due to the developed economy, citizens in major cities have begun to pay more for their entertainment.

But even now, Hong Kong does not have this situation.

Faced with such a market, the cultural, educational, and entertainment industries only have two paths to take. One is TVB's completely free model, where television stations value viewership ratings because programs with high viewership ratings can sell high-priced advertising based on data.

The second option is a completely paid model, a buy-out system, focusing on high-quality products.

Nipple toys exist and are necessary, but there is a big difference between high-quality and low-quality nipple toys.

The reason why several internet bubbles occurred in the 21st century was that the data analysis approach had completely failed.

The company purchased website advertising and designed a product specifically for the internet, but when they looked at the sales figures, the conversion rate was shockingly low, completely dashing the expectations of investment banks and investors.

The surviving internet companies have all become online versions of department stores, without exception.

TVB can't handle sports well because people who love sports, even though they're mostly idle, can't stand ten minutes of competition followed by thirty minutes of commercials.

Profitability has always been a sword of Damocles hanging over TVB's head, because Uncle Shaw signed a performance-based agreement. If the Shaw family wanted to maintain control, they had to guarantee high profits and distribute large dividends to the major shareholders every year.

Therefore, TVB can only make money, not spend it, in order to maintain extremely high profitability. "TVB definitely likes boxing matches; as long as one isn't blind, they can see the future potential of boxing matches."

“But TVB executives wouldn’t agree to my offer: 20 million HKD in broadcasting fees per year, a three-year contract, and no share of the offline advertising revenue from the boxing matches.”

“I couldn’t reach an agreement with TVB on the money. Once Li Xiaohe saw my background, he knew that even if it was about making money, he wouldn’t agree to cooperate.”

"Besides, your boss, Ms. Fang, wouldn't agree to my offer. In her eyes, I should offer 20 million, 20 million every year, since TVB helped promote the boxing match."

"We really can't agree on the money, Brother Jie, there's no need to try to persuade us anymore."

Even if Zhao Shaojie wasn't a member of the underworld, he had long heard about the entanglement between the Shui Fong and the Li family. Now, TVB's large sums of money could only be used with the Li family's approval.

Ms. Fang only expresses her opinions on the program and its expenses now.

Zhao Shaojie sighed, feeling very sorry to have missed such a good project.

Chi Mengli has been paying close attention to Zhao Shaojie's attitude, and negotiations for cooperation with Lidi Group have already begun.

His own reputation and status as a member of the Hongmen (Triads) make it impossible for him to take over the entire RTV Group in Hong Kong, or even to acquire RTV Group shares at rock-bottom prices.

The largest shareholder of RTV Group is the RTV Group, which holds 38% of the shares. RTV Group also operates pay television stations in the Commonwealth, and of course, it has other main businesses such as newspapers and radio stations.

The second largest shareholder is Jardine Matheson, holding 17 percent of the shares, while the third largest shareholder is Wharf Holdings, holding 8 percent of the shares.

The market value of the shares held by these three giants is estimated at tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars.

It's worth noting that in the early stages of the battle for Wharf Holdings, the shipping magnate spent HK$500 million just buying shares from Li Ka-shing and the minority shareholders of the trading company, driving Wharf's stock price up to around HK$40.

But now the stock price of Hong Kong Lihwa Group is 51 dollars. Even if I kidnap Shenxian Jin, he won't lend me 500 million dollars. So I have to think of some unconventional methods!

Simply negotiating with money is just the beginning; professional talent is key. If you can't support that, it's all for nothing.

Zhao Shaojie, standing beside him, is a real talent. While Shao Laoliu may be stingy, he has a keen eye for business, which is his trademark in Hong Kong's business circles. As the chief producer of the sports channel, Zhao Shaojie is certainly not an incompetent fool.

We must snatch up talent!
"On your marks! Clear the area!"

"Let's do some final adjustments to the boxing ring. Three, two, one, move!"

The boxing ring was designed by Chi Mengli. It's a lifting boxing ring, made entirely of hydraulic rods, which can be raised and lowered by one meter to enhance the visual experience and provide the best viewing angle.

The photographer can remain hidden behind the railings outside the entire location and adjust the angle of the high-definition camera at any time.

A young man wearing a baseball cap ran up, panting, and reported to Zhao Shaojie, "Brother Jie, the broadcast van outside is all set up."

"The broadcast room is all set up. Three minutes to go. The editing table is ready. Fifteen-second commercial break. Once the clips are edited, we'll play the highlights."

"The call to headquarters has been connected, Brother Jie, you need to go to the command center to take command."

Hearing that everything was settled, Zhao Shaojie nodded to indicate that he had received the information. He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Chi Mengli with both hands: "Brother Sheng, I know my own situation. I also went through thick and thin."

"But Brother Sheng, you have a sharp mind and are definitely an outstanding person. I will definitely continue to work in the entertainment industry. Things will change, and we will cooperate one day."

"My pager number is on it. If you want to have a drink with me, Brother Sheng, I'm always happy to oblige."

"I'll go take care of something first, please wait a moment!"

After saying goodbye to Spinach Dong and Nosebleed Qiang, Zhao Shaojie hurriedly left.

Watching Zhao Shaojie leave in the elevator, Chi Mengli looked at Bishiqiang and Xiren and said, "He's good with words, he's a talent."

"Investigate this thoroughly!"

Xi Ren nodded, then noticed that Boogie was still in a daze, so she quickly kicked the idiot to make him snap out of it.

After being kicked, Boogie immediately realized what was going on and quickly nodded, indicating that he would thoroughly investigate Zhao Shaojie's past.

Just as the group was talking, a man with a face as happy as a steamed bun came out of the private room. He saw Lao Ding and the big boss smoking and watching the fun in the corridor, so he quickly went over.

"Old Ding!"

"Shut up! Are you shouting so loudly because you're afraid the cops won't know your background?"

They get carried away by their success and make no progress at all!

Chi Mengli gave Huanxi a nudge before he finally got the good-for-nothing in front of him to explain himself.

Having been reprimanded, Huanxi quickly shut up, lowered his voice, and whispered, "These young masters each signed a contract for 100,000 yuan, all paid in cash by check."

"Tonight, we can earn more than 100,000 yuan just from pumping water."

"But Lao Ding, how should this sum be divided?"

Although Chi Mengli was in charge of running the Dragon Palace Nightclub, the general manager was Wang Dashao's man. According to the rules of the underworld, Chi Mengli had a 10% stake, and the remaining 10% was divided among the gang members.

Ji Mi took half a share, and the remaining half was split among the 49-year-olds.

The profits are split 20/80 between the brothel owners and the henchmen: from the large boats, the drinks, the hostesses, the song and dance performances, and even the fruit platters.

The club takes two-thirds of the profits, while the henchmen take eight. The Dragon Palace Nightclub also gives up most of its jobs, such as waiters, beer girls, greeters, hostesses, dancers, singers, kitchen staff, and warehouse managers, to be distributed among the gangsters.

In a sense, a triad is a licensed intermediary company. If you're not a member of a triad, you can't even become a waiter, a waiter, or a parking attendant.

Back in the days of triad docks, if you weren't a member of a triad, you'd be bullied even for manual labor like carrying sacks.

Because the people weighing and issuing the slips are all white-collar workers, and you are a white-collar worker, you can only get one-third of the earnings.

The process is like this: for a salary of one hundred dollars, the triads take fifty percent directly. This is because the docks belong to the triads, and the business was obtained by the triads kneeling on the ground and begging the bigwigs of the fellow townsmen's chamber of commerce. It is normal for the triads to take half.

Carrying heavy loads includes a lunch and free salted tea, which is also charged. In addition, the money-counting clerks take a cut, so after a hard day's work, you can get 40% of the money.

Of course, this only applies if you are a member of the club; otherwise, you will only receive one-third.

If you're in Mong Kok and you're not a member of the Sun Kee Foundation, and you don't pay Sun Kee dues, it's difficult to even be a street vendor, let alone work in a brothel.

(End of this chapter)