Entertainment: Since 1990

Chapter 193 A Battle with Stephen Chow in the Lunar New Year Film Season
The "Flying Swallow" VCD sued all the manufacturers that produced counterfeits. This matter didn't concern ordinary people much, but it caused a major upheaval in the industry.

In the 1990s, patent protection in China was not very comprehensive.

But Boss Cao not only has patent certificates, but also stacks of cash.

Soon, under pressure, some manufacturers came to Mr. Cao to seek reconciliation, offering money in exchange for authorization.

Cao Jian naturally clung to the patent.

Although my factory is very large, one person simply cannot handle such a large market.

You pay, I grant authorization; this can boost the entire industry and create more job opportunities.

At the same time, it also sets an example for other factories that don't want to spend money.

Sure enough, once someone was willing to pay to resolve the issue, more manufacturers came to Mr. Cao.

Nobody wants to go to court.

Of course, some people stubbornly resist, but there's only one outcome: they can no longer touch the VCD market, otherwise they'll face exorbitant compensation claims.

"Honey, isn't your licensing fee a bit low?"

Since that night when he sang, Cao Jian has been sleeping with his Miss Hong Kong girlfriend, Guo Aiming, without any hesitation.

"Is 5% sales commission too low?"

Cao Jian was not greedy; he only took a 5% royalty on each VCD player.

This can be considered a steady, long-term approach.

"I think it's still a bit too little. Developing DVDs and mobile communications requires a huge investment. Last year alone, we spent tens of millions on purchasing R&D equipment."

From the perspective of a VCD manufacturer, Guo Aiming is now somewhat like a boss lady.

Of course, she thought that if she wanted to get something for herself, she should get it from someone else and not touch her own man's money.

Cao Jian laughed and said, "It's alright. Research and development expenses are necessary. Don't worry about it. You're my woman. Just keep an eye on things and make sure they're not wasted."

"Honey, don't worry, I'm here. I won't let them waste money."

"Nice to have you."

With Guo Aiming keeping an eye on things, Cao Jian felt much more at ease.

Although this woman wasn't the most beautiful compared to the other women around him, she was the most educated.

Such a beautiful and academically gifted woman is truly rare in the entertainment industry.

Cao Jian stayed in Guangzhou for nearly a month, during which time he was either busy with company matters or busy trying to conceive with Yang Yuying.

He also spends time with his lover, Amy Kwok, when he has free time.

In addition to these matters, Cao Jian also asked Cao Wei to find more than a dozen young men who were good at fighting and loyal, and planned to arrange for them to go to Hong Kong one after another.

This is not a difficult task for the current third child.

They quickly selected twenty of the most capable henchmen to protect their cousin's safety; that should be no problem.

He originally wanted to go, but considering the industries in Guangzhou, he had no choice but to stay.

During this period, post-production of "The Chinese Feast" was completed, and it will be released in early February.

At the same time, the album "Too Softhearted" once again surpassed 10 million in sales, becoming Cao Jian's second Mandarin album to break the 10 million mark after "Kiss Goodbye".

The name Cao Jian is almost universally known in the Chinese community.

Besides "Too Softhearted," his theme song "Three Variations on Plum Blossom" for the TV series "Plum Blossom Mark" also became a popular hit as the series aired.

During this time, Cao Jian secretly returned to his hometown to spend time with his parents, and only returned to Hong Kong in early February.

He needed to make final arrangements for the release of his film.

Stephen Chow's film "King of Destruction" was released on February 6th.

On the same day, two other Lunar New Year films, "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Chinese Feast," were also released.

Three Lunar New Year films released during one Spring Festival – this situation directly ignited the entire film market.

Stephen Chow's box office appeal is undeniable. Cao Jian first saw this movie in a video rental store.

On the day of the release, he took Wang Fei, who was nearly six months pregnant and whose baby bump was already showing, to the movie theater.

When the scene depicts Stephen Chow's character, Ho Kam-yin, buying tickets to Cheung Hok-yau's concert, the old man shouts "I love Lai Ming!" instead of "I love Cao Jian!"
Wang Fei watched this segment and just thought her boyfriend was very famous now, but Cao Jian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Stephen Chow is really making fun of himself; why didn't he tell me beforehand?

In the past two years, fans of Cheung Hok-yau and Cao Jian have been quite competitive in the Hong Kong music scene.

No wonder Stephen Chow wanted to ride the wave of popularity.

"My Armani"

When this scene appeared, Cao Jian said to Wang Fei, "This is an advertisement, do you believe it?"

"advertise?"

Wang Fei, of course, couldn't tell the difference and thought the black bear was just shouting for the sake of the plot.

"You'll find out when the subtitles come on."

"You're amazing, you could even tell that."

"That is."

Cao Jian gloated and said, "Your belly is getting bigger too. If my film 'The Chinese Feast' grosses over 30 million, I'll take you on a trip after I'm done with my work, and then I'll send you to the United States."

“Okay.” Wang Fei is quite well-known in Hong Kong, and if she waits until her pregnancy becomes undeniable, it will definitely have a negative impact.

She asked expectantly, "Where are we going on vacation?"

"Europe, please."

"Okay."

"See a movie."

Cao Jian had watched the movie "King of Destruction" several times before, but he still found it interesting every time he watched it.

Stephen Chow's movies have that kind of charm.

"This movie is quite interesting. Can your 'The Chinese Feast' compare?"

"do not know."

Cao Jian really doesn't know.

Although his own films feature beautiful women and handsome men, delicious food, and even a cameo appearance by Stephen Chow.

But he really wouldn't dare say that it could surpass the films starring Stephen Chow.

Many people share Cao Jian's view on this point.

Sure enough, Armani appeared in the sponsor list at the end of the movie.

"So that watch was also sponsored?"

When Wang Fei saw the sponsor's name, she recalled the plot of the movie and exclaimed in admiration, "Stephen Chow is truly a genius."

"what about me?"

"You too."

"That's pretty much it."

Cao Jian wasn't really trying to compete with Stephen Chow; he was just teasing Wang Fei on purpose.

However, as the two got into the car, Wang Fei suddenly said, "Your new album has been released. That song 'Too Much' is really good. I think it's better than 'Too Softhearted.' Do you think it can sell tens of millions more copies?"

"It's hard."

Although "Too Much" is a good song, it can't compare to the popularity of "Too Softhearted".

He released the album "Over the Top" at this time in order to boost the success of "Manchu Han Imperial Feast".

The next day, Cao Jian was sleeping soundly with his hand resting on Wang Fei's slightly protruding belly when he was awakened by a series of urgent phone rings.

"Boss, boss, the box office results for 'The Chinese Feast' are out."

"How many?"

Last night, Cao Jian had been deeply aware of the pregnant woman's slightly elevated body temperature. He was still half asleep when he casually asked her a question, while simultaneously pulling the woman next to him closer with his other hand.

"Two million five hundred thousand."

"Oh"

"Boss, this result is more than 200,000 higher than Stephen Chow's 'King of Destruction'."

"what?"

Cao Jian, who was still dazed, suddenly opened his eyes upon hearing this.

It grossed more than Stephen Chow's movies?

How can it be?

This news was quite unexpected for Cao Jian.

During the phone call, the company's manager in charge of film said, "Boss, you heard right, it's true."

"I see."

Cao Jian calmed down a bit, gave a casual reply, and hung up the phone.

"Why isn't the boss excited at all?"

The manager held the receiver, looking somewhat bewildered.

Everyone in the company cheered when they heard the news, but the boss remained surprisingly calm.

Then I thought with admiration, the boss is indeed the boss. Although he is young, his mindset is something I should learn from.

"Honey, what happened?"

Despite being pregnant and prone to sleepiness, Wang Fei was still woken up by the phone call.

"It's nothing, it's just that the movie I made, 'The Chinese Feast,' grossed more than HK$200,000 more on its opening day than Stephen Chow's movie."

"really?"

Compared to Cao Jian's composure, Wang Fei became excited.

She watched "King of Destruction" yesterday. The movie was very interesting and funny. Surprisingly, it grossed more than Stephen Chow's movies.

My boyfriend is just too amazing.

Could it be because the album "Over the Top" was released?
If that's true, then her boyfriend is really good at creating hype.

(End of this chapter)