I'm conquering Hong Kong entertainment with two billion US dollars.

Chapter 82: $1900 million in revenue

November 6th, Monday.

When Chen Xinjian pushed the door open and came in, Lin Dong was flipping through the latest issue of "Film Biweekly".

The cover features a still from "Prince Charming"—the scene on the Bund in Shanghai, where Li Jiaxin wears a black satin cheongsam, pearl earrings, and the Huangpu River in the early morning in the background.

The title can be summarized in four words: A dark horse emerges.

"Mr. Lin, the first-week box office results are in. Seven million and one hundred thousand."

Lin Dong closed the magazine and leaned back in his chair. Seven million, which was about what he had estimated.

Chen Xinjian sat down beside him, opened his notebook, and spoke with a rare hint of excitement.

"With its release in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea on the 15th, and simultaneous release in mainland China, profitability should only be a matter of time."

Lin Dong picked up his teacup and took a sip. It was indeed only a matter of time. His first profitable film came sooner than expected.

Meanwhile, at Win's Entertainment, Xiang Yeqiang was standing in front of his desk, holding a microphone.

On the table lay a map of South Korea and several preliminary documents from manufacturers. Three points were circled in red on the map—Seoul, Seoul, and...

Busan, Incheon.

He spoke into the receiver, his pace noticeably faster than usual. "Yes, it's woven bags, thickened tarpaulins. Tell President Cui this isn't just a one- or two-off deal, it's a large-scale commodity transaction. Ask him for the lowest possible discount. Yes, I need it now."

He hung up the phone and dialed the next number.

Mrs. Xiang pushed the door open and came in, placing a cup of ginseng tea beside him. She glanced at the documents spread out on the table, said nothing, and simply patted his shoulder gently.

On the same day, filming for "New Love Generation" began in a commercial building in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Wang Jing, with her pregnant belly, stood behind the monitor, holding a megaphone, and shouted, "Good luck on the first day of work!"

The production team wasn't large, but it consisted of veterans from Win's Entertainment, with experienced lighting, photography, and production assistants.

Fan Binbin arrived on set with an assistant. The assistant, surnamed Chen, was in her early twenties and was assigned to her by Tengda Entertainment. She had her hair in a ponytail and was carrying a makeup bag and a thermos.

Fan Binbin greeted Wang Jing and Liu Jialing, then followed the stage manager to the dressing room.

Everyone treated her very politely—the stagehands pulled out a chair for her, the makeup artist greeted her with a smile, and even the tea lady remembered that when she came for her makeup trial last time, she asked for warm water instead of coffee.

But she could sense what lay beneath the politeness.

That kind of politeness is like a transparent glass dome. It's courteous, thoughtful, and watertight, but you can't actually touch the person you're talking to.

As she walked to the door of the dressing room, she heard voices coming from inside.

It wasn't intentional; the locker room door was ajar, and the sound leaked out from the crack. The voice was low, but Fan Binbin could hear every word clearly.

"Tell me, which newcomer has Sister Ling ever been this polite to? Last time, that second female lead had a bit more screen time, and Sister Ling gave her a hard time on set. This time, however, they're on equal footing, and what happened? She didn't say a single harsh word to her from beginning to end."

Another voice chimed in, its tone laced with worldly sophistication. "Don't you even know whose side you're on? Lin Dong, you've offended this newcomer. What if he whispers something in Lin Sheng's ear? Do you think the lead actor in this drama can't be replaced?"

"That's true. But Lin Sheng is eating really well. This new guy is only seventeen, right? He's already so pretty; he'll probably be amazing in the future."

"Li Jiaxin, Zhang Baizhi, aren't they both beautiful? If you had their wealth, you could be beautiful too."

"I had a fraction of his money; I wouldn't be carrying lamps here anymore. Time to get to work."

Footsteps moved out of the dressing room. Fan Binbin took a step back, turned around, and faced the end of the corridor, pretending to have just turned the corner.

Two stagehands came out of the dressing room, paused for a moment when they saw her, exchanged a glance, smiled and greeted her "Good morning, Miss Fan," and then quickly walked away.

Fan Binbin stood there, his expression calm. There was no anger, no resentment.

She went into the dressing room, sat down in front of the mirror, and looked at her face in the mirror.

The rumor that she was Lin Dong's woman was probably like a knife to other people's ears, but to her, it was a complicated feeling.

There was a hint of smugness—not from being mistaken for Lin Dong's person, but from the fact that the rumor itself meant she had been seen.

There was also a hint of resentment in her voice. She hadn't even actually climbed into that bed yet, so why was she being blamed for this?

Wait a little longer. If all else fails, take the initiative.

She straightened her collar in front of the mirror, stood up, pushed open the door of the dressing room, and walked out.

July 7th, Happy Valley.

Li Jiaxin was already awake when a sliver of sunlight peeked through the curtains. She leaned against the headboard, holding the phone, and only hung up after hearing the last digit on the other end.

Then she turned around, straddled Lin Dong, and cupped his face in her hands.

"Ah Dong! Sell! Last night at the opening bell, a total of 153,500 shares were sold at an average price of $123.83, for a total of $19 million!"

Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up, but every word seemed to rise in pitch: "The money will arrive within three days!"

Lin Dong leaned back against the pillows and nodded. "I'll use the funds as soon as they arrive."

"Okay." Li Jiaxin rolled off him without asking what he needed the money for.

She certainly knew that the HK$200 million procurement of supplies was pending a deposit, and that Xiang Yeqiang's price list would arrive in the next couple of days.

What's more, they'll continue selling tonight, so she can withdraw some of it first, then buy a sports car, and after the rest of the money arrives, she can consider whether to buy a luxury house.

After thinking for a moment, Li Jiaxin asked, "Is there any news from Xiang Yeqiang?"

"It should be available today."

Li Jiaxin nodded, slid off the bed, and walked barefoot towards the bathroom.

She has a full day of promotional activities today: a reporter interview for "Prince Charming," a TV interview, and cover shoots for two magazines.

As she reached the bathroom door, she turned back, a smile playing on her lips. "Ah Dong, want to come along?"

"OK--

When Lin Dong arrived at Tengda, Zhang Baizhi wasn't there. She also didn't spend the night in Happy Valley last night; who knows what big move she's brewing up.

Lin Dong sat down in the swivel chair and had just opened the latest project progress summary on the table when Chen Xinjian pushed the door open and came in, carrying several faxes.

"Lin Sheng, this is from Yu Dong's side. The location scouting team for the Chibi Film City has visited two locations and their preliminary report is out."

Lin Dong took the fax and turned to the first page.

"The first location is Chibi Town, Chibi City."

Chen Xinjian sat down next to him. "The ancient town on the banks of the Yangtze River is itself the site of the ancient battlefield of Chibi. Its biggest advantage is that the terrain fits the history."

The river is wide and has large mudflats along its banks, making it ideal for filming naval battleships arrayed in formation and fortified camps with minimal human intervention. The local land acquisition costs are also extremely low, almost negligible.

However, one issue was stated at the bottom of the report: This year, the water level of the Yangtze River has exceeded the warning level along its entire length, including Chibi Town. If long-term floating buildings or permanently stationed warships are to be constructed, there is a significant risk of them being submerged by the flood.

Lin Dong turned to the second page.

"The second location is along the shore of Lushu Lake, south of Chibi city."

Chen Xinjian continued, "The water surface is wide and much calmer than the Yangtze River, making it suitable for long-term construction of waterscapes, and it is also much safer for boats to moor."

It is also closer to the urban area of ​​Chibi, and its living facilities are much more convenient than those in the riverside town. The land acquisition price is also much lower.

The downside is that it's not located on the banks of the Yangtze River.

Lin Dong flipped through the two reports from beginning to end, placed them on the table, leaned back in his chair, and thought for a moment.

Then he picked up his phone and dialed Yu Dong's number. The phone rang twice before being answered. "President Lin."

"I've read the report," Lin Dong said. "Both locations have their advantages and disadvantages. Have the site survey team visit more places along the Yangtze River, don't just limit themselves to Chibi. Compare them more."

"Understood. I'll arrange it right away." Yu Dong paused on the other end of the phone, then added, "President Lin, Director Zhang asked me to tell you that the first draft of the script outline will be available next month. He and Lu Wei are working on it every day."

"Tell them not to rush. After the location of the film studio is confirmed, construction will still be needed, which will take at least half a year. This is what we've left for them." Lin Dong wasn't in a hurry. He figured they could take their time and focus on creating a high-quality product.

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