Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Early morning in Hong Kong Island, the teahouses are bustling with activity.

Today, apart from the traditional "one pot and two dishes," tea drinkers' conversations are almost entirely dominated by a newspaper.

The huge headline on the front page of Oriental Daily News—"ATV Carnival Day: 17 Hours of Bombarding Your Audiovisual Nerves"—slammed into everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Hey, Lao Zhang, did you see that? ATV has really gone mad!"

A middle-aged man holding a cup of Pu'er tea pointed at the newspaper, spitting as he spoke, "It's on from seven in the morning until midnight! Isn't that outrageous? TV used to only broadcast for a few hours a day, and now there are programs even in the middle of the night?"

"Hey, you didn't know that," a well-informed, chubby man said mysteriously, "The new boss of ATV is Lu Chen, the one who made Garreau his cash cow! He's got tons of money; he's burning through cash for us to see!"

"Burning money? How long can that last? The TV station doesn't need the money, what's in it for them?"

"Who cares, let's just have fun! Didn't you see the program schedule? 'Chinese Paladin,' 'Legal Report'... sounds exciting! I'm definitely looking forward to it."

"Hopefully, this Mr. Lu can hold on, and not end up like that unlucky Jiayi, which went bankrupt after only a few days of hype."

Amid the discussions among citizens, there was both excitement and concern. After all, TVB's dominant position on Hong Kong Island was deeply entrenched, and challenging this behemoth was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

……

77 Broadcast Drive, TVB City.

As the absolute hegemon of Hong Kong's television industry, the atmosphere in the senior management meeting room of TVB was somewhat subtle at this moment.

At the far end of the long conference table sat a thin but vigorous old man.

Shaw Yi-fu (Sixth Uncle).

The film and television tycoon, who had just officially taken the chairmanship of TVB through a share acquisition, was holding ATV's program schedule in his hand, with a faint smile on his lips.

"Interesting," Uncle Shao put down his newspaper and looked around at the executives present. "Launching so many new programs all at once, and broadcasting them around the clock. This Lu Chen is indeed a fearless young man, spending money like water."

"Sixth Uncle, this is clearly a mess!" Fang Yihua, sitting to his left, sneered, her tone full of disdain. "An outsider in finance and luxury goods has no idea how expensive television production is! The GG market is only so big now; the pie has already been divided up. His actions only increase costs and serve no purpose. I doubt he'll last a year!"

"Yes, Uncle Liu, Miss Fang is right," a senior executive in the production department chimed in. "The afternoon and midnight are garbage time slots; hardly anyone watches TV then, and GG Entertainment won't invest in those times. ATV is just losing money to gain publicity by doing this."

"But..." another marketing manager said with some concern, "Uncle Six, viewers these days have established listening habits. If they tune into ATV all day, what if they don't change the channel during prime time? Our ratings will definitely be affected. How about we increase some daytime programming? Even just rebroadcasting old dramas would be good, at least to keep the audience engaged."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Uncle Shao.

Uncle Shao shook his head slightly, a calculating glint flashing in his shrewd eyes.

"No rush," he said slowly. "When you're running a household, you have to know how to save money. If we fill all those garbage time slots with programming, how much will that cost in electricity, labor, and government payments? It's not worth it for such a paltry amount of viewership."

"But ATV..."

"Let them make a fuss." Uncle Shao waved his hand, looking completely unperturbed. "Young people always want to try something new. Once he's burned through all his money, he'll naturally behave himself. Jia Yi was even more popular back then, but what happened? It still went bankrupt. As long as I'm here, the sky over Hong Kong Island won't fall down."

In Uncle Shao's eyes, Lu Chen was nothing more than a nouveau riche with money to burn. Making television shows requires experience, talent, and careful budgeting. Throwing money around? That won't work.

"Alright, meeting adjourned. Everyone go about your business and don't let the firecrackers next door scare you."

However, Uncle Shao's ideas soon faced their first wave of challenges.

It was seven o'clock on Friday morning.

While countless office workers were still sleepily eating breakfast, the television suddenly blared a stirring theme song.

On the screen, a golden globe spins out and freezes to become the "ATV" logo.

Accompanied by a light and stylish opening theme, the brand new ATV Morning News began.

At this moment, not only ordinary citizens, but even Uncle Shao, who had been calm and collected in the meeting, couldn't help but instruct the executives to come to the conference room and turn on the television.

Although he said he didn't care, as a rival of several decades, he couldn't really ignore this formidable newcomer.

The scene no longer features a rigid blue background and a stiffly seated anchor.

Instead, a more relaxed and inviting studio was set up, with a live morning view of Victoria Harbour as the backdrop. Two young anchors—the man handsome and dashing, the woman sophisticated and poised—sat on high stools, newspapers and coffee cups in hand, chatting as if with friends.

Good morning everyone! This is A-Qiang.

"I am Mary."

"Oh Mary, the fog is really thick this morning. I almost got lost while driving to work."

"Yes, so we would like to remind all viewers who are going out to drive carefully today, and don't forget to bring an umbrella, as the Observatory says there may be rain this afternoon."

The viewers in front of their televisions were instantly captivated.

This relaxed, humorous, and even slightly satirical broadcasting style breaks away from the traditionally aloof and serious image of news programs. It makes the two hosts feel like friends chatting with you, not cold, impersonal script readers.

"This...isn't this a bit too unserious?" Fang Yihua frowned. "The news is a mouthpiece; how can it be so frivolous?"

"But I have to admit," a younger producer whispered, "this approach... is very captivating. You see, even though they're laughing, they don't miss a single key news point, and the pace is fast, perfect for lightening the mood for those going to work or school in the morning."

Uncle Shao stared at the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the table, without saying a word. But his slightly furrowed brows showed that his heart was not as calm as it appeared.

……

After the morning news ended, it was 8:30.

The scene shifts to a studio decorated like a tea room.

Three chairs, a round table, and a few cups of tea.

A line of large characters appeared at the bottom of the screen: "Qiang Qiang San Ren Xing".

A tall, sweet-looking young female host, dressed in a professional office lady outfit, walked out. She smiled at the camera, a smile that seemed to melt the winter's chill.

"Good morning, everyone. I am your host, Lok Wai-ching."

Her voice is clear and melodious, her pronunciation is clear, and her basic skills are extremely solid. "Welcome to 'Qiang Qiang San Ren Xing'. Let's return to the essence of impromptu chatting in this program, and in a lively atmosphere, express ourselves in a personalized way, pay attention to current affairs, convey folk voices, exchange free opinions, and share the fun of chatting."

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face on the television screen, Lu Chen, who was watching in his ATV office, curled up a playful smile.

Lok Wai-ching, the audacious female reporter in the movie "High Risk".

When Lu Chen interviewed her for the host position, he took a liking to her at first sight. It wasn't just because she was beautiful and had excellent professional skills, but also because of her fearless and determined spirit in pursuing the news—she was simply born to be a host.

And what's even more interesting is...

That day, when Lu Chen showed Ya Zi Le Huizhen's photo, she calmly said, "Oh, that's my aunt."

"Auntie?!" Lu Chen's expression at that moment was extremely interesting.

"Yeah, even though she's only two years older than me, the seniority is there," Ya Zi said while drying her hair. "She always wanted to be a big star, but she ended up becoming a reporter. What? She works for you? Well, you'd better keep an eye on her. If you dare to use your position to sexually harass her... hmph."

Lu Chen felt that the ethical relationships in this Hong Kong variety show world were incredibly messed up. However, since she was a "royal relative" and Lok Wai-ching's professional abilities were indeed strong—although she was a bit of a show-off—Lu Chen made a bold move and promoted her from a reporter to the host of this top-rated talk show.

Back to the TV screen.

Lok Wai-ching sat in the main seat, not sitting upright like a traditional host, but in a relaxed posture, even crossing her legs, showing a perfect combination of intellect and sexiness.

"Not only can the audience at the venue participate, but those of you watching on television can also join our discussion via the hotline number at the bottom of the screen. We will randomly accept three calls and ask questions to our guests."

This interactive model was absolutely groundbreaking in Hong Kong at the time.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's give a warm welcome to our two guests today—"

Lok Hye-jung paused, then gave a mysterious smile.

"He is a kung fu superstar, a box office draw, and the most talked-about man recently—Mr. Lung Wai! And his agent, Mr. Charlie Cho!"