Hong Kong Entertainment 1979: A Beating Up the Manager at the Start

Chapter 145 Going Home

Li Jiangbo didn't interfere with the casting of "Journey to the West." He treated it like watching a beauty pageant, then quietly left without taking anything with him.

By the time Director Yang Jie realized what was happening, Li Jiangbo and Lin Qingxia had already boarded a plane back to Hong Kong.

Four hours later, the plane came to a smooth stop at Kai Tak Airport.

Li Jiangbo led Lin Qingxia out of the cabin with their luggage.

As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, he was shocked by the sight of Hong Kong.

Although it was drizzling, the sky was overcast.

But Li Jiangbo could sense that it wasn't just the weather that was gloomy, but that a thick layer of gloom hung over the heads of every Hong Kong resident.

After leaving the airport, the two got into the car driven by bodyguard Awei.

The car drove through the light rain, and in less than half an hour, it reached the city center.

Li Jiangbo looked at the scene outside the car window, somewhat incredulous.

At this time of year, the streets of Mong Kok should be bustling with people and traffic.

But now, although the shops on both sides of the street are open, there are hardly any people inside.

Even when passersby walked by, they were in a hurry and showed no intention of strolling around.

Ironically, the most popular shops became the gold and grain stores, which were less frequented by people.

Long queues formed outside these stores, with people waving banknotes, hoping to exchange their money for gold.

Rice and flour.

Lin Qingxia pointed out the car window and asked, "What's going on?"

Li Jiangbo remained silent. He had anticipated the situation on the streets of Hong Kong, but he hadn't expected it to be like this.

After all, he had never seen such a scene before in his previous life in mainland China.

He dared not imagine what Hong Kong would become if things continued to descend into chaos.

He knew that this was due to the Hong Kong Bank union's announcement of an increase in deposit interest rates.

Although the union's actions were good, they were aimed at saving the then-weak Hong Kong dollar.

However, it burst the economic bubble and led to a large-scale capital outflow.

It was just posted at the wrong time; after all, rumors were already flying everywhere in Hong Kong.

However, capital outflows are not solely due to interest rate hikes.

Everyone knows that John Bull is going to talk to China about Hong Kong.

On one side is the tough rabbit, and on the other is John Bull, whose career is gradually declining.

There is also the impact of the global economic recession, and the transmission effect of the US stock market.

As the car passed through the Central Ring Road, Li Jiangbo saw another scene.

The entrance to the securities firm, which should have been packed with long queues, was now only frequented by a handful of people.

The stock prices, which were constantly being broadcast on the radio, were then declining at an extremely slow pace.

However, the crowds outside the real estate agencies in Tsim Sha Tsui have completely disappeared.

Li Jiangbo sighed. He understood that the real disaster had only just begun.

When the car arrived at the broadcast lane, it was surprisingly calm; people were still doing what they were doing.

Awei, who was driving, asked, "Boss, should we go back to the company or go home first?"

"company."

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the Time Pictures office building, and Li Jiangbo led Lin Qingxia directly into the elevator.

As the elevator ascended, he straightened his clothes and stepped out with a smile.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, the receptionist at the door saw him and stood up in surprise.

"Boss!"

Li Jiangbo nodded, hummed in agreement, and went straight back to his office.

Several employees in the corridor saw him, paused for a moment, and then quickly made way for him.

The two arrived at the general manager's office, and Li Jiangbo sat in the boss's chair.

"Xia, is it okay if you sign your contract with me?"

Lin Qingxia nodded and said with a charming smile, "Now that she's all yours, why would I be afraid I won't sign a contract with you?"

Li Jiangbo said seriously, "A person is a person, and a contract is a contract."

Before the two had exchanged more than a few words, there was a knock on the office door.

"Please come in!"

The office door was pushed open, and Zhao Yazhi and Pan Yingzi walked into the office.

When the two saw that there were still people in the office, they politely greeted him, "Boss!"

Li Jiangbo nodded. "President Pan, we'll process Xia's onboarding procedures and contract later."

At this point, he rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, "According to the five-year contract, the box office revenue sharing and salary will follow the current ten-year contract."

Pan Yingzi nodded, picked up a teacup, and poured water for Li Jiangbo.

Li Jiangbo turned his gaze to Zhao Yazhi, "Tell me, how have things been these past two months?"

Zhao Yazhi nodded, opened the document in her hand, and said, "Recently, a movie called 'The Wise Man' was released at Cinema City. It was directed by Tsang Chi-wai. It has been showing for seven days now, and the box office is doing quite well. I estimate it will reach five or six million."

Li Jiangbo nodded. "What about the others?"

"The others weren't very good either. Shaw Brothers released several martial arts films, but the box office was so-so. Golden Harvest was the same, still making kung fu films. Only John Woo's 'The Killer' was well-received, grossing over six million."

Pan Yingzi placed the teacup in front of Li Jiangbo and added, "The economic environment in Hong Kong is not good right now, fewer people are going to the movies, so the box office is naturally not going to be good."

"What about our 'Wrong Car'?"

Zhao Yazhi and Pan Yingzi both shook their heads, indicating that they did not know.

Li Jiangbo looked at the two of them with suspicion, but Zhao Yazhi finally whispered a reminder: "Boss, didn't you give the overseas distribution rights to Shi Nansheng?"

Li Jiangbo slapped his forehead. "Where is she?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was another knock on the office door.

Li Jiangbo knew immediately that Shi Nansheng had arrived. Zhao Yazhi, who was closest to the door, opened the door and welcomed Shi Nansheng in.

When Shi Nansheng entered, she saw Lin Qingxia sitting on the sofa and was immediately stunned.

However, she quickly waved to Lin Qingxia and then stood in a row with Zhao Yazhi and Pan Yingzi.

Li Jiangbo smiled slightly at Shi Nansheng, who was making underhanded moves, and didn't mind.

"Boss."

"Speak of the devil, and he appears. Sister Nan, let's talk about how 'Wrong Carriage' performed in Taiwan."

Upon hearing this, Shi Nansheng immediately felt proud, and her voice involuntarily became much louder.

"Boss, 'Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?' was released a month after you left and it's still showing now. The box office has reached a staggering 20 million NT dollars."

Li Jiangbo nodded. "Not bad!"

He had anticipated this result, after all, the film did perform quite well in Taiwan in later years.

Nansun Shi continued, "It's more than just good! The key is that this film has sparked a major cultural debate in Taiwan's literary circles! There are criticisms and praises. Fortunately, we have the support of the head of China Film Group, so they can't do anything about it."

Li Jiangbo asked in confusion, "How did this involve China Film Group?"

Then, Shi Nansheng recounted the twists and turns of the film's release.

Li Jiangbo also praised Hu Jinquan, saying that he was truly a good friend and that he really needed to thank this senior.

Just then, Li Jiangbo heard Shi Nansheng say, "The movie's success isn't really that great, but Su Rui is the real star. Her records are selling like hotcakes in Taiwan, though I'm not sure about the exact sales figures."

Li Jiangbo nodded and then asked, "What about Lidi?"

Zhao Yazhi and Pan Yingzi exchanged a glance, and Zhao Yazhi spoke up: "The situation at ATV is very chaotic."

Tell me about it.

"The Legend of Chen Zhen was well-made and had high ratings, making it their only decent production this year. But apart from that, their other programs were outperformed by TVB. News, variety shows, dramas—they were inferior in every aspect."

She paused, then lowered her voice, "There's also a rumor."

"What?"

"At TVB, Shao Daheng is actively contacting the Eastern Telegraph Company, wanting to own his own satellite band."

Li Jiangbo narrowed his eyes.

Satellite band? If TVB has its own satellite band, how will RTV compete?

How could Qiu Degeng, a man from later generations, possibly have bought RTV?

Li Jiangbo wasn't worried about it. Anyway, his system would be upgraded soon, and he could find out by simulating it.

However, he still asked, "Is the information reliable?"

Pan Yingzi shook her head. "It's just a rumor right now; there's no concrete information to confirm it."

Li Jiangbo sat in the boss's chair and began to think about his plan.