Hong Kong: Black Gold Tycoons

Two weeks later, it was early May.

After about a month of preparation.

The magazines "YES!" and "Black Gold" have finally gone on sale.

Meanwhile, Ya Zi has prepared a press conference.

Lok Wai-ching also used her connections at the TV station to find some reporters to help with publicity and promotion. All she had to do was give them red envelopes and treat them to a meal.

Ya Zi specially booked the banquet hall of a well-known hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui to hold a grand launch party.

They invited Hong Kong media reporters, as well as many film and television stars such as Patrick Tse, Angie Chiu, and Deborah Lee. As for celebrities and gentlemen, Black Gold's current size is not enough to invite them.

He Min was also invited by Le Huizhen. Dressed in a simple shirt dress, she stood in the crowd with a hint of curiosity.

It's just two magazines, isn't it?

Why make such a big fuss?

The banquet hall was brightly lit, and the champagne tower shimmered with light.

The two magazines' giant posters were displayed in the most prominent positions, creating a stark contrast:

The cover of "YES!" features Xie Xian, one of the hottest stars right now. With its bright colors and lively style, it focuses on youth entertainment and celebrity gossip, attracting the attention of many young men and women and fans.

"Black Gold" takes a cold and dark approach, with no celebrities on the cover, only the eye-catching phrase "Unveiling the unknown side of Hong Kong", which is full of mystery and accurately hits the public's curiosity about celebrity secrets and inside stories.

Dressed in a smart business suit, Lok Wai-ching first skillfully introduced the positioning of the two magazines to the guests:

"YES!" targets a young audience, featuring celebrity interviews, fashion sharing, entertainment gossip, and idol merchandise that students love; Black Gold focuses on insider information, without sensationalism, telling only the truth, and every report is based on solid first-hand information. Now, let's invite our boss, Mr. Chen Fei, to say a few words."

Reporters swarmed forward, their cameras clicking incessantly.

Actually, everyone is just as curious.

It's just two lousy magazines, why are they making a press conference?

It gives the impression that they have too much money to burn.

Chen Fei walked onto the stage, took the microphone, and began to speak:

"Distinguished journalists and guests, good afternoon! I'm standing here today not to show off, nor because I have too much money to burn, but to tell you that we are going to redefine the Hong Kong magazine market!"

Everyone was stunned.

What's going on?

Are they trying to redefine Hong Kong's magazine market right from the start?

Does one have to exaggerate this much?

Amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd, Chen Fei continued, "I spent a full 1150 hours researching the magazine market, and I discovered a rather interesting phenomenon."

"In Hong Kong's magazine market, either celebrity gossip magazines are poorly made, or niche reports are shrouded in secrecy. But no matter which one, they are either overpriced or perfunctory in content, and they don't care about their readers at all."

"But if you think about it carefully, magazine buyers, especially young people and ordinary citizens, are actually more savvy than anyone else. They just want to spend a little money to read genuine content and enjoy the show. So why can't Hong Kong magazines be both cheap and informative, visually appealing and have a strong point of view?"

Chen Fei smiled slightly and continued, "So, I asked our editorial team if we could bring about this disruptive change. Could we write two magazines that are both inexpensive and informative, offering both entertainment and educational value for readers who enjoy magazines?"

"Finally, I made up my mind: we must do this thing that could revolutionize the Hong Kong magazine market!"

Chen Fei pointed to the giant poster behind him, "So, I'm standing here today not to show off, nor because I have too much money to burn, but to proudly announce to all readers in Hong Kong that our Black Gold Group has accomplished this groundbreaking event in magazine history. 'YES!' and 'Black Gold' are our answer!"

Everyone froze instantly, and even the camera shutters stopped clicking for half a second.

A brief silence fell over the banquet hall, followed by hushed whispers filled with doubt and disbelief.

"Revolutionize magazine history? That's an incredibly exaggerated claim!"

"How dare an unknown company say such a thing?"

"He just said he spent 1150 hours researching the market, is that true?"

"Is this a completely new version for the launch event?"

"..."

Chen Fei raised his hand to signal for silence from the audience. "Today, the two magazines I brought are meant to break this deadlock!"

He pointed to the giant poster behind him.

"First, take a look at YES!" Most celebrity magazines on the market either only have photos or perfunctory interviews, but we're different. We have exclusive interviews with numerous artists, the latest fashion tutorials, and the idol merchandise that students crave. More importantly, our pricing is affordable, so everyone can buy it and enjoy reading it!"

The audience didn't react much, but the reporters who received the red envelopes still picked up their pens to take notes.

Chen Fei then changed the subject, "Let's look at 'Black Gold,' this is the magazine I most want to talk about! I dare say, in all of Hong Kong, there is no other magazine that dares to tell the truth and report the facts like we do!"

"Have you long been curious about what those seemingly virtuous legislators are doing behind the scenes? Have you wondered why some police officers are taking taxpayers' money to embezzle funds and protect organized crime? Have you wanted to know just how chaotic the private lives of those billionaires really are?"

Chen Fei's series of rhetorical questions instantly grabbed everyone's attention, and the audience fell silent, with all eyes focused on him.

He patted the magazine in his hand: "All of this is in *Black Gold*! We don't make guesses, we don't rely on rumors, it's all solid firsthand information, with photos, records, and details. Every report can withstand scrutiny and the test of time! I dare to put this out there today because I'm not afraid of trouble. We don't cause trouble, but we're definitely not afraid of it!"

"I can promise everyone that 'YES!' will ensure that every young person can find content they enjoy, spend the least amount of money, and gain the most happiness; 'Black Gold' will not pander or compromise, but will uncover the hidden truths and give a voice to ordinary people!"

Chen Fei held up two magazines: "Tomorrow, these two magazines will be released simultaneously throughout Hong Kong! I dare predict that within a month, they will become the hottest magazines in Hong Kong! I also dare to promise that as long as everyone supports us, we will continue to do this and completely revitalize the Hong Kong magazine market!"

"Next, I will release a few pages of 'Black Gold' so that everyone can take photos and report back on them."

After he finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the audience, followed by thunderous applause.

Ya Zi gestured to the staff to open several sample copies of "Black Gold" and place them on the display shelf in front of the table.

The reporters, who had been paid, crowded around to take a closer look, only to be instantly overwhelmed with disbelief and shock.

The magazine clearly published photos of a well-known legislator meeting privately with a real estate developer. In the photos, the legislator received a thick envelope with a secretive expression. The photos also included the time, place, and even the amount of money inside the envelope.

The next page shows footage of several police officers collecting protection money from a stall, along with a transcript of wiretapping records. Every conversation and every amount is clearly documented, and even the names and police stations of the officers are readily available.

Another page featured clandestine photos of a billionaire's private villa party, the scene chaotic and utterly different from his usual respectable public image.

"Whoosh..."

After a brief silence, the banquet hall erupted in chaos, more intense than ever before.

The reporters could no longer contain themselves and surged forward like madmen, vying to photograph the sample magazines on the display shelves and the inner pages on the big screen. The sound of camera shutters was as dense as raindrops, and the flashes were so bright that it was impossible to open one's eyes.

Someone exclaimed in shock, "My God! Is this true? Representative Lee actually accepted bribes from real estate developers!"

Because Legislator Lee is highly respected in Hong Kong and usually presents himself as honest and upright, no one would imagine that he would do such a thing behind the scenes.

"These police officers are incredibly audacious! Openly accepting protection money and protecting triads—if this were reported, it would be a major news story that would rock the entire city!"

"I never imagined Boss Zhang was so dissolute in private. If this gets published, his business empire will likely be affected! Black Gold is really blatant; they actually dared to expose all this!"

The reporters, who had previously been skeptical, were now completely devoid of disdain, replaced by utter shock and eagerness.

They then flocked to interview Chen Fei: "Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen! Are these photos and records genuine? How did you obtain this firsthand information?"

"Mr. Chen! Do you have any more details about Councilor Li's bribery case? Are you worried about his retaliation?"

"Will you hand over the evidence of these officers' corruption to the police? Will you expose more inside stories about celebrities in the future?"

Questions came one after another, and the reporters, as if possessed, vied to ask questions, causing the scene to briefly spiral out of control.

Seeing this, she knew in her heart that she had completely won this press conference.

Once these inside stories of "Black Gold" are reported, they will surely cause an uproar in Hong Kong, and the Black Gold Group will become the most watched company in Hong Kong overnight.

Chen Fei raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his voice still firm: "Everyone, I'll say it again, every piece of information in 'Black Gold' is solid evidence, capable of withstanding any scrutiny. As for what happens next, we will continue to expose more truths, and we will never compromise!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than camera shutters clicked again. The reporters knew they had uncovered a major news story that would shake the entire city of Hong Kong.

They were all working up a frenzy, frantically recording and filming, each one plotting to get the first look on tomorrow's headlines.

Subsequently, Xie Xian, Zhao Yazhi, and others began to help promote "YES!", and said that they had all signed several magazines as blind box rewards, hoping that readers would be able to buy and like them.

After the press conference, it was time for dinner and giving out red envelopes.

the next day.

The reporters, having received bribes, certainly didn't disappoint, and began promoting "Yes!" and "Black Gold," with the explosive content of "Black Gold" taking up half the page.

Many citizens were surprised when they saw the magazine pages in the newspaper.

The tip of the iceberg revealed in the newspaper is already captivating enough; wouldn't the whole book be even more explosive?

After such a wave of publicity and hype.

Hong Kong was swept up in the buzz surrounding "YES!" and "Black Gold." With less than a day until the two magazines officially went on sale, attention was already boiling, and the streets and alleys were filled with discussions about these two magazines, overshadowing all other recent hot topics.

The first to get agitated were ordinary citizens, especially young people and neighbors who were interested in the inner workings of their circles.

In the tea restaurant, several students sat together, chattering excitedly about the clips from the press conference published in the newspaper.

"I heard that YES!" magazine has a lot of exclusive interviews with celebrities and autographed merchandise. I definitely have to go grab a copy tomorrow!"

"I'd much rather read 'Black Gold.' The content is so explosive! The newspaper only showed the tip of the iceberg; the whole book must be even more juicy!"

When neighbors get together, the conversation inevitably revolves around these two magazines.

Celebrities in the entertainment industry are also keeping a close eye on the situation, with many secretly asking others to monitor the subsequent sales of "YES!" in hopes of increasing their exposure.

As Chen Fei's biggest mentor, Li Ka-shing saw the Black Gold Group's press conference.

He was stunned for a long time: Sure enough, in just one month, this person had changed his identity and even possessed so much confidential information.

Now, if anyone tells him that Chen Fei wasn't sent by the mainland to do intelligence work, Li Ka-shing would never believe it, not even if he were beaten to death.

Distributors who had already made agreements sensed the business opportunity, and the magazine's phone lines were ringing off the hook on the day the news broke.

Distributors who had initially placed only small, tentative orders have since placed additional orders.

"I'm ordering another 500 copies of 'Black Gold,' the more the better! After watching the launch event today, I'm sure it will sell well!"

"I also need to increase my orders, especially for 'YES!'. Too many young people are pre-ordering; if we don't have enough stock, the customers will complain!"

"..."

After another day of public discussion.

The day finally arrived for the release of "Black Gold" and "YES!"...