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

Chapter 163 A Busy Day

Just as the Hong Kong entertainment industry's attention was focused on the Golden Horse Awards, a piece of news was published in a corner of Ming Pao.

Title: Hong Kong government issues new TV licenses, Rediffusion Television receives 15-year operating rights.

This news caused no ripples in Hong Kong, but it stirred something in Li Jiangbo's heart.

This news indicates that Qiu Degen is about to enter the market.

Li Jiangbo grew anxious, after all, Qiu Degen was a big fish in the sea, and the funds he controlled were incomparable to his own.

Furthermore, as the chairman of Far Eastern Bank, he had an even greater advantage in lending.

If they were to actually face off, Li Jiangbo would be no match for him right now.

Li Jiangbo thought to himself, "Looks like I'll have to find some time to do a simulation."

Just then, the receptionist knocked on the office door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and the receptionist peeked in.

"Boss, Mr. Zhao has interviewed a few people and would like you to come and take a look."

Li Jiangbo nodded. "Understood."

When he arrived at the conference room, he saw Zhao Yazhi and Pan Yingzi chatting at the conference room door.

"Boss!" the two called out in unison when they saw Li Jiangbo arrive.

Li Jiangbo nodded. "Is the company short-staffed?"

Zhao Yazhi immediately explained, "Boss, it's because the company is getting bigger and bigger, and you're getting busier and busier. So, I was thinking of hiring a secretary for you."

Pan Yingzi, standing nearby, added, "Yes! Boss, you're busy until late every night, you're probably looking for someone to help you out!"

Li Jiangbo rolled his eyes at Pan Yingzi. "Are you looking for someone to help him share the burden? Or are you just lusting after his body?"

He thought about it again and realized that he had been so busy with the video recorder factory lately that he had neglected the feelings of the two of them.

Thinking of this, he said, "Alright! I'll go to Sister Zhi's place tonight."

Upon hearing this, the two men's eyes lit up instantly, and they nodded quickly.

Li Jiangbo didn't go into the conference room. He just glanced out the window and saw a familiar figure. It was Li Zhi, whom he had met before.

Li Zhi was dressed very simply, her business attire didn't fit her well, and her makeup was somewhat outdated.

Li Jiangbo was a little confused. Why was she here? In his memory, shouldn't this girl be applying for a job at Cinema City?

On second thought, his company is currently the most prominent film company in Hong Kong, so everything makes sense now.

Zhao Yazhi and Pan Yingzi exchanged glances, after all, Li Zhi was the least fashionable and the most unfashionable of the four.

Why would the boss choose her? It's truly baffling. After exchanging a glance, the two went their separate ways.

Zhao Yazhi caught up with Li Jiangbo, while Pan Yingzi went into the conference room.

"Boss, are you free this afternoon?"

Li Jiangbo shook his head. "Is everything alright? Is something wrong on your end?"

Zhao Yazhi nodded. "We've contacted Lu Ruiqi. He said he'll come to visit this afternoon."

Li Jiangbo was overjoyed, a smile spreading across his face. "Great! I'll wait for you in my office this afternoon. Bring her to see me then."

"Boss, it seems you value Lu Ruiqi quite a bit!"

Li Jiangbo nodded. "We have no experience running a factory. Wouldn't it be good if someone came to help us?"

Zhao Yazhi nodded, "Then I'll go and get busy."

It was already 2 p.m. when Li Jiangbo was looking at the financial statements in his office.

"Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?" has finally finished its run in Taiwan after more than four months. Its box office grossed NT$45 million, which is nearly HK$7 million!

This achievement has instantly established Time Pictures' reputation in Taiwan.

However, "Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?" did not perform well in the domestic market, only grossing four million at the box office.

Its performance in Southeast Asia was also mediocre, grossing seven million US dollars, which was average.

Keep in mind that this is the total box office revenue from the film's release in six or seven countries.

This year, Li Jiangbo didn't direct a single film, but the directors under Time Pictures made him a lot of money.

According to his previous simulations, Shao Daheng was willing to lease out the cinema chain, but the willingness was not very strong.

Li Jiangbo plans to test the waters a few more times to see how things go. If all else fails, he intends to buy in at rock-bottom prices next year and establish his own cinema chain.

He was lost in thought when the receptionist knocked on the door and came in.

"Boss, Mr. Lu is here."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangbo immediately stood up and went to greet Lu Qirui, warmly shaking his hand.

"Welcome, Mr. Lu!"

"Mr. Li, I've heard so much about you!"

The two shook hands and then sat down on the sofa.

After the secretary brought the tea, the two exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Li Jiangbo then got to the point, "Mr. Lu, are you interested in jointly building a factory?"

"Is Mr. Li referring to the video recorder factory?"

Li Jiangbo nodded, took a sip of tea, and remained silent.

Lu Qirui had actually guessed that Li Jiangbo's purpose in inviting him was to jointly build a factory.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "How does the joint venture work?"

"I'll provide the equipment, technology, and licensing, taking 60%. Mr. Lu will provide the capital, distribution channels, and management, taking 40%. How does that sound?"

Lu Qirui lowered his head and began to calculate. The establishment of this factory would cost at least twenty or thirty million. Even if he owned forty percent, he would still need to contribute ten million in investment.

But is it really worth it? Putting aside whether it will be profitable or not, the business environment alone is enough to give the new factory a hard time.

Aside from these factors, insufficient funds are also a major problem.

He's basically running a small workshop now, making only a million or two in profit each year. He has ten million in capital, but is it worth it to sell everything he owns to start a factory?

Seeing Lu Ruiqi's hesitation, Li Jiangbo asked, "Is Mr. Lu worried about the environment?"

Lu Ruiqi chuckled awkwardly, "I do have that concern, but more importantly, I can't eat 40% of it."

"How about this, 20%, I'll offer five million."

It was only then that Li Jiangbo remembered that Lu Qirui was not yet the video recording tycoon he would become in later years. Asking him to come up with ten million was really asking too much of a stretch.

Thinking of this, he nodded. "Alright! Let's do as Mr. Lu says."

The two discussed some details and finally reached an agreement: Time Pictures would fund the construction of the factory, and Lu Qirui would be responsible for its operation.

After seeing Lu Qirui off, Li Jiangbo sat on the sofa and pondered for a moment.

Qiu Deliang hasn't entered the fray yet, but he has to be cautious. Plus, with the bottom-fishing season approaching next year, it's time to assemble a trading team.

With that thought in mind, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, is this Manager Fang? This is Li Jiangbo."

Fang Zhantang's delighted voice came from the other end of the phone, "Mr. Li! I haven't heard from you in so long, is there something you need?"

Li Jiangbo didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "I need your help with something. Are you still working as a trader at the bank?"

"Yes! I just switched to HSBC."

"Is that so? Would you be interested in assembling a trading team?"

Fang Zhantang was completely stunned when he heard the news. He never expected that such a good thing would happen to him.

It wasn't until Li Jiangbo called his name twice that he realized what was happening.

"Yes, I'd love to."

Li Jiangbo smiled and said, "Okay! I'll give you a month, no problem, right?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Li. I have a few trustworthy brothers under me, all of them veterans. I guarantee the team will be successfully assembled within a month."

"Okay! I'll go take a look once it's set up."

"Okay! I'll go and make the arrangements right away. Mr. Li, wait for my good news."

After hanging up the phone, Li Jiangbo leaned back in his boss's chair and let out a long sigh.

After resting for a while, he checked the time and realized it was almost time to leave work. He tidied up and prepared to go home; he had a tough battle to fight that night.

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