Hong Kong: Black Gold Tycoons

Looking at the gun Chen Fei pulled out.

Lok Wai-ching's expression changed slightly.

Based on that sound alone, it's definitely not a plastic toy.

We were having a nice chat, so why did he suddenly pull out a gun?

Besides, who recruits men with guns?

She suspected that if she turned and ran now, the man would likely shoot her from behind.

Lok Wai-ching felt that she was having some difficulty breathing.

After about ten seconds of silence, she finally asked, "If I run away now, will you shoot me in the back?"

"You can give it a try," Chen Fei replied calmly.

Lok Hye-jung almost cried.

"Who recruits people like this?"

"You're the one who said you wanted to plagiarize my idea," Chen Fei said. "Do you want to work for me? Do you want to continue being a junior reporter running around covering the news, or become the CEO of what could be Hong Kong's most profitable media empire in the future?"

Lok Wai-ching gave a smile that looked more like a grimace: "We can talk about the CEO stuff later. Put the gun away first. I'm a coward."

It's definitely not good to show off a gun in public.

Chen Fei put the gun away.

Lok Wai-ching added, "Even if I were to resign, it wouldn't be this quick. You need to give me some time to consider it, right?"

"How long do you need to think about it?" Chen Fei asked her. "If you say a year or two, how can I give you that much time?"

Lok Hye-jung is torn between various inner struggles.

On the one hand, I feel that these two magazines are quite attractive, and on the other hand, they seem to have a lot of potential.

On the other hand, I just gained some popularity because of what happened last night, and if I were to run away now, it would feel like giving up halfway.

But if I don't agree, I'm afraid this person will kill me.

She considered for about three minutes before asking, "How much are you planning to invest?"

"Let's invest 500,000 first, and then add more later," Chen Fei said. "Just as I told you from the beginning, I don't have a magazine or an office right now. If you join me, you'll be my top lieutenant."

"Uh..." Yue Huizhen didn't know what to say for a moment.

This guy doesn't even have an office, yet he's recruiting his top lieutenant.

If it were someone who was easily frightened, they probably would have already called the police.

She then asked, "YES!" is relatively easy to produce, but how do you guarantee the accuracy and timeliness of the information in Black Gold? If it's like New Knowledge, people might as well read New Knowledge; why would they read yours?"

"That's a good question." Chen Fei smiled and said, "I naturally have my own channels, and I guarantee that it will all be fresh, insider news. I even know about Deborah's kidnapping. You really don't think I overheard it, do you?"

"That seems to make some sense..." Yue Huizhen thought for a moment and said, "I don't want to be a lackey, I want to invest too."

"How much should we invest?"

"Invest HK$200,000," said Lok Wai-ching, "and also serve as the editor-in-chief of 'Black Gold'."

He was thinking that at worst, he could suspend his job at the TV station, and if the magazine couldn't continue, he could go back to being a reporter, or he could continue the magazine using his ideas.

Chen Fei glanced at her.

"You're a woman, writing about the inner workings of a club?"

"What's wrong with a woman?" Lok Wai-ching glared at him defiantly. "I've been covering the news for three years, police stations, courts, the ICAC, triads—where haven't I been? Do you even know who the first reporter in Hong Kong to capture the Hang Seng Bank armed robbery was last year?"

"you?"

"It is me."

"That's why I recognized your talent at first glance." Chen Fei nodded and added, "Look, this idea is mine, and the channels for investigating those inside stories are also mine, so I want to own 80% of the shares, and you'll own 20%. Any problems?"

If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

There are many ways to keep horses from running away.

During the Republic of China era, there was a film company called Tianyi Film Company. Its founder was Shao Zuiweng. The first actress the company made famous was Hu Die. Later, Hu Die left, and Tianyi Film Company suffered heavy losses.

So, after much painful reflection, Shao Zuiweng decided to promote the next "Hu Die" (a famous actress), named Chen Yumei. To prevent Chen Yumei from being poached by her rivals, there was only one best way.

He married her: he would be both her boss and her husband, making it impossible for her to leave Tianyi Company, while also saving on actor salaries.

Shao Zuiweng was the elder brother of Shaw Brothers founder Shaw Renmei and Run Run Shaw. Run Run Shaw later inherited his elder brother's money-saving method very well.

Yue Huizhen said, "Deal."

Chen Fei thought for a moment and said, "Do you have anyone in mind for the editor-in-chief of 'YES!'?"

"I've found that you're really..." Yue Huizhen was speechless. This person really had nothing but plans and money.

She said with a hint of helplessness, "I happen to be free for the moment, so let's go and get things sorted out at the magazine first. By the way, the newspaper printing license, publication number, and distribution rights are only transferred to the company, not sold to individuals. Do you have a company?"

"no."

Lok Hye-jung was completely speechless.

She couldn't help but ask, "Do you know where to register?"

"I don't know, but it's enough that you do."

Lok Hye-ching completely lost her temper.

"I'm really impressed with you. Let's go register the company now."

Upon arrival, Le Huizhen helped Chen Fei fill out forms, queue, and submit materials.

She was familiar with this process because she had helped interviewees look up company information when she was covering news.

Chen Fei chose a name for the company: "Black Gold Media".

Lok Wai-ching didn't even bother to ask what the name meant.

The registration fee plus stamp duty totaled HKD 2,300, which Chen Fei paid.

As for the registered capital, both individuals contributed equally.

After leaving the registration office, Lok Wai-ching said again:

"I have to remind you that if you want to start a new magazine publishing house, just getting the publication supervision license, registration, printing filing, and distribution qualifications will take at least a month, not to mention that you'll have to figure out all the distribution channels yourself, such as newsstands, wholesalers, street distributors, and bookstores."

"Then let's buy one, transfer the ownership directly, no need to queue for approval, take over on the same day, and publish it in the same month," Chen Fei said.

Which one to buy?

"Do you have any recommendations?"

Lok Wai-ching was so angry she laughed: "You don't even know which store to buy from, and you're saying you want to buy?"

"You've been a journalist for so many years, you must know which magazines are about to go out of business."

After thinking about it, Yue Huizhen realized that there really was one.

"There's a magazine in Wan Chai called 'New Tide Weekly,' which was founded three years ago. It covers fashion and beauty, and its positioning is similar to 'Sisters.' The owner is a woman surnamed Lam."

She added, "It's said that we lost more than a million yuan and can't hold on any longer. Although the magazine has stopped publishing, the publication number is still valid, the distribution channel contracts haven't expired, and there are still a few old employees keeping things running. More importantly, we don't have any external debts."

"Can it be bought for tens of thousands of yuan?"

"She invested 500,000 back then, that was three years ago," said Lok Wai-ching. "Now she'd probably sell it for 50,000 or 60,000."

"take me."

"Are you really going to buy it?"

"The money's all ready, why not buy it?"

Lok Hye-jung found herself unable to refute the argument.

They then arranged for Chen Fei to hire a lawyer, and the three of them drove to Wan Chai.

The office of "New Tide Weekly" was in an old office building, on the third floor, with a faded brass plaque hanging on the door.

Lok Wai-ching had interviewed the magazine's owner before, so she knew the way well and led Chen Fei to the owner.

Lok Wai-ching stepped forward and explained her purpose.

The shop owner, Mrs. Lin, glanced at Chen Fei and casually asked, "You want to buy my publication number?"

"The entire magazine will be packaged together." Chen Fei nodded, "Including the publication number, distribution channels, office equipment, and staff."

Mrs. Lin gave a wry smile: "All my employees left a long time ago. Now there are only three people left: layout, printing, and administration. All three are experienced. If you want them, you can take them with you."

"How much?"

"Eighty thousand."

Lok Wai-ching countered, "Fifty thousand, Mrs. Lam. You know the current market price. Fifty thousand is the best price. If it's in a few days, it won't be this price anymore."

After a brief negotiation, Mrs. Lin finally agreed to sell the package for 50,000.

There are just as many magazines opening and closing every day outside. In a few more days, I estimate that they will only be able to sell 20,000 to 30,000 copies.

Mrs. Lin brought out all the contracts, publication number documents, distribution channel contracts, and office leases at once.

However, these still need to be reviewed by lawyers to see if there are any hidden debts or potential lawsuits.

Both parties agreed to hand over all documents to a lawyer, and after the lawyer investigated and confirmed that there were no problems, the two parties would sign the asset acquisition agreement.

After seeing the lawyer off, Le Huizhen, standing by the roadside enjoying the cool breeze, felt as if she had just had a dream.

She didn't know if she had lost her mind or was simply terrified by the gun.

In less than two hours, she became a shareholder in a company that didn't even have an office, and the boss seemed rather unreliable.

20% of the shares, HK$200,000.

I don't know if it's too late to withdraw my investment now.

"You've helped me so much, how about I treat you to a meal?" Chen Fei suggested.

Le Huizhen immediately shook her head: "Forget it! I just had tea with you, and suddenly I've become a shareholder of this company that has nothing. If we have dinner together, I might even become the boss's wife of this company."

"You're dreaming," Chen Fei said.

Then open the [Hong Kong Daily Situation Map].

As the boss, he had to demonstrate his true abilities to convince Lok Wai-ching that he could run the magazine well.

Seeing that Lok Wai-ching was about to get into the car, he said, "I just happen to know of a robbery that's happening somewhere, which would be perfect for 'Black Gold'. Why don't we go check it out together?"

"Oh?" Yue Huizhen asked, half-believing. "Where?"