Reborn Tycoon: Hong Kong's Entertainment Godfather

Either don't take action at all, or if you do, go all the way and leave no room for compromise.

Are you expecting people to come back and settle scores after you've made such a mess?

The thought flashed through Gu Yuhan's mind, and without the slightest hesitation, she picked up the phone on the table and dialed Chen Baohe.

"Hey, Mr. Chen, it's me!"

As soon as the call connected, Gu Yuhan leisurely propped his legs up on the large desk, leaned back comfortably in his chair, and a friendly smile naturally appeared on his face. He spoke unhurriedly, "These past few days, you guys have probably made quite a bit of money from this business, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Baohe on the other end of the phone immediately burst into laughter, his voice brimming with energy: "Oh, not at all, Brother Yuhan, what are you saying? This is all thanks to Mr. Gu's care and support! If it weren't for your backing, how could we roughnecks like us be making money so easily from home?"

This is no exaggeration; the financial statements of the Sihai Group have been looking truly impressive lately.

Find a popular celebrity to endorse your products, give a shout-out, and have the celebrity help promote the goods. The effect is truly amazing. It will attract countless eyes and the level of attention will skyrocket.

For the people at Sihai Group, they didn't have to worry about anything or put any effort into figuring things out. They could simply register a clothing brand, find a busy location to open a shop, set up the storefront, and that would be all they needed to do.

The clothing supplies were prepared and sent over by Gu Yuhan's people, so they didn't have to worry about it at all.

Those celebrities who can attract customers were all arranged by Gu Yuhan, who helped connect them with everything.

Even the most troublesome market research, analyzing what sells well and what doesn't, was done by a professional team that Gu Yuhan had trained at great expense.

The task that Sihai Group needed to do was incredibly simple. To put it bluntly, all they had to do was send out some people to keep an eye on things, keep out those unscrupulous scoundrels, and provide a safe and secure environment.

Then what……

In just a few short months, Sihai Group has made a fortune; money has come in like a whirlwind.

How big is the consumer market in Taiwan? It's at least five times the size of Hong Kong's. Hong Kong alone can generate 1.2 billion in sales per month; in Taiwan, that would be around 6 billion a month. Even if that money isn't all taken by one company, and is split between the Bamboo Union Group and the Tiandao Group, the Sihai Group would easily still have 2 billion in revenue each month.

Finally, after dividing and tallying all the profits, wow, the net profit that ended up in my pocket after a month was a whopping 200 million!

That was 200 million yuan in the 1980s, with an astonishing purchasing power. It was a completely different concept from money in later years.

Chen Baohe was extremely satisfied with this business partnership. Although he knew that Gu Yuhan was a ruthless person who not only cooperated with him in the same business but also flirted with two other major groups, Chen Baohe thought it over and decided not to say anything, nor did he have the confidence to speak out.

After all, Gu Yuhan's words were all reasonable. What's the point of you people shouting for war all day long? It would be better if we all sat down, calmly discussed things, clearly defined our respective spheres of influence, and then worked together peacefully to make money. Isn't that much better than you fighting to the death every day, risking your lives?

In reality, by the 1980s, the tense rivalry between the three major groups had gradually eased. With Gu Yuhan mediating and reconciling things, the three bigwigs were actually able to sit down at the same table and calmly make money. Putting everything else aside, there was one bottom line: I don't care how you fight amongst yourselves, but you absolutely cannot let it affect the artists' normal product promotions. Otherwise, if you really ruin the business, you should consider the consequences—the loss could be at least close to two hundred million yuan in net profit per month. Who can bear that?

"Of course! I feel very comfortable cooperating with you, Boss Chen!" Gu Yuhan casually picked up a teacup from the table, slowly holding it with three fingers, taking a small sip as he continued, "I'm very happy to continue cooperating with the three of you for a long time. And let me tell you, if conditions permit, I'd really like your Sihai Group to go public in Hong Kong. I've already arranged most of the connections and manpower for you. Think about it, once you successfully go public, given your current profit margins, the company's valuation will definitely be phenomenal—it'll absolutely astound everyone!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Baohe was stunned. His mind went blank, and he muttered repeatedly, "Going public? Brother Yuhan, what exactly is this 'going public' thing?"

Although he had vaguely heard about going public, he was, at heart, a gangster. Asking a seasoned gangster who had spent half his life fighting to understand the intricacies of financial operations was indeed asking too much.

Hearing his tone, Gu Yuhan knew he didn't understand, so she patiently explained the intricacies of the situation to him in the simplest terms. Chen Baohe was completely stunned after listening, and it took him a long time to recover. His voice was trembling: "You mean, I don't have to do anything, just do what you say about cashing out, and I can make hundreds of millions in profit?"

"This is still a conservative estimate, and in reality, it will probably be much higher, even skyrocketing!" Gu Yuhan smiled, his eyes crinkling, and coaxed, "So, Boss Chen, what do you think of this? Are you interested?"

"This is fantastic news! Only a fool wouldn't be happy!" Chen Baohe agreed almost without hesitation. "Mr. Gu, thank you for your trouble! Just tell me, is there anything you need from me? If you have any needs, just let me know, and I'll definitely handle it perfectly for you!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuhan's lips slowly curved into a smile. After a moment of silence, he slowly and deliberately said, "You know what, I do have a small but important request right now, and I'd like to ask Boss Chen for your help."

Chen Baohe, still smiling, subconsciously replied, "What do you need? Brother Yuhan, just tell me."

Gu Yuhan's smile remained, but his gaze slowly darkened. He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but carrying a chill: "Boss Chen, I wonder if you've heard about something lately? My film studio in Tseung Kwan O was vandalized a while ago. It's caused quite a stir; you must have heard about it, right?"

Chen Baohe nodded subconsciously, his tone tinged with emotion: "Of course I've heard about this. Mr. Gu, you really have a lot of guts. I heard you didn't even blink an eye and directly pulled out so much real money to offer a reward for the heads of the Ma family. As a result, the Ma family members probably can't even sleep peacefully. They must all be trembling with fear, afraid that someone will take their heads to claim the reward."

Gu Yuhan simply waved his hand dismissively, a slight smile on his face, and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing more than some petty tricks, not worth mentioning. Mr. Chen, I don't like to beat around the bush, so I won't beat around the bush with you!"

At this point, Gu Yuhan paused deliberately, his tone suddenly turning stern, and continued, "Those ignorant fools from the Ma family actually dared to send people to vandalize my Tseung Kwan O Film City. From beginning to end, this whole affair has been a slap in the face to me, Gu Yuhan. If I don't retaliate and teach them a lesson, all those big and small gangs in Hong Kong will probably think I, Gu Yuhan, am a pushover, someone anyone can kick. Wouldn't they all swarm into my industry to grab a share? If that happens, the reputation of celebrity endorsements will be ruined, and it's hard to say what will happen. It will affect the very foundation of the entertainment industry. Sooner or later, this trend will reach Taiwan, and your businesses here won't be able to escape unscathed either; they'll be severely affected sooner or later!"

Chen Baohe's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He himself was involved in gangs and knew all too well the intricacies of the business. He also knew that those gang members were like sharks smelling blood. Once they entered this industry, what good things could they possibly want to do?

If the foundation in Hong Kong really crumbles and the whole situation collapses, those celebrities will no longer be able to appear in public and promote products peacefully. And those who are hiding behind the scenes and enjoying the benefits will no longer be able to make money peacefully by relying on this cash cow. In that case, everyone will lose everything.

"Then... Mr. Gu, what exactly do you mean by this?" Chen Baohe took a deep breath, vaguely guessing what was going on, and cautiously and slowly probed.

"Those two scoundrels, Da Ma and Xiao Ma, aren't they still hiding in Taiwan?" Gu Yuhan's smile slowly spread across his face, but a chilling coldness lingered within it. He spoke slowly, word by word, "I've always been a straightforward person, and my principles are very simple. My favorite thing to do is to wipe them out completely and eliminate any future troubles. No matter what, these two menaces, Da Ma and Xiao Ma, can no longer stay comfortably in Taiwan. What I mean is, I hope Mr. Chen can lend a hand, pack them up, and send them to Hong Kong so they can properly receive the severe punishment of the law! They should be sentenced according to the law."

Chen Baohe was stunned for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "It's that simple? Just send them to Hong Kong?"

He immediately waved his hand dismissively and said nonchalantly, "What problem could there be! No problem! Leave it to me!" Chen Baohe nodded, his tone tinged with disdain: "Given their current state, those two brothers are like fallen phoenixes, worse than chickens. Who would even consider these two stray dogs a threat?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuhan's smile finally showed some sincerity, and she then followed his words and slowly said, "Mr. Chen, thank you so much! I will remember this favor."

"I'll definitely take care of it for you, there won't be any problems at all!" Chen Baohe was happy to do this favor, since he knew exactly what the Ma brothers' situation was like. The two brothers were practically all alone now, with no one they could use, no money, no manpower, and no direct conflict of interest. Taking them in was just a matter of a word, and out of consideration for their past relationship, he might as well keep them.

But you know, there are no permanent friends in this world, only permanent interests. Once there's a real conflict of interest involving money, what do small and big people matter? Who are you? I don't know you at all, don't try to get close to me.

"While I have no problem here, Brother Yuhan," Chen Baohe changed the subject, smiled cautiously, and continued, "Mr. Gu, we'll still need to trouble you to personally speak to the Bamboo Union Group and the Heavenly Way Group. Please don't let this small matter cause any unnecessary misunderstandings or conflicts."

"Don't worry about that, I'll take care of them one by one!" Gu Yuhan smiled and casually agreed, then added politely, "Thank you for your trouble, Boss Chen."

After ending the call with Chen Baohe, Gu Yuhan didn't pause for a moment. He then made separate calls to influential executives at both Tiandao Group and Zhulian Group. Lately, both Tiandao Group and Zhulian Group had been making a fortune following Gu Yuhan's lead. Their cooperation had been extremely pleasant, currently in a honeymoon phase.

Naturally, they wouldn't refuse Gu Yuhan's trivial request, nor would they want to offend a benefactor for the sake of two toothless tigers.

……

……

On the other side, Ma Tingqiang was beaten to death. Fists and kicks rained down on him, and he died on the spot without even leaving a single coherent word.

When the message reached Taiwan, Ma Xiru was pacing back and forth in her room, looking uneasy.

When he heard with his own ears that his son had been beaten to death on the spot, it was as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. His mind went blank, his vision went black, and he couldn't react for a long time. Then, it felt as if an invisible hand had clenched his heart tightly, pulling it in so hard that he couldn't breathe and almost died of anger on the spot. His whole body went limp like a puddle of mud, and he slumped into the chair, unable to move for a long time.

Ma Xiru opened his mouth wide, gasping for breath, looking like a fish out of water. He sat there for a while to catch his breath before finally gritting his teeth, the muscles in his cheeks tense, and forcing out each word, as if it were stained with blood, from between his teeth: "Gu... Yu... Han! I will never let you get away with this!"

Ma Xizhen rushed over to her elder brother, her face trembling, and blurted out, "Brother, brother! That son of a bitch Gu Yuhan is determined to fight the entire Ma family to the death! We absolutely cannot swallow this humiliation, absolutely not!"

"We can't just swallow this, so... so tell me, what other options do we have now?" Ma Xiru took another deep breath, his chest heaving like a bellows. Suddenly, he realized with immense sorrow that in the blink of an eye, he had become a completely powerless figurehead. The Ma family's triad in Hong Kong, which had been operating for generations, had been uprooted. Gu Yuhan had almost wiped out the Ma family's descendants, leaving them with barely any descendants left to continue their lineage.

In the blink of an eye, the two brothers were completely alone, surrounded by loneliness and unable to find anyone to talk to.

"Big Brother!" Ma Xizhen steeled her resolve, her eyes bloodshot, and slowly leaned closer, saying, "We still have money; we're not completely broke yet! If Gu Yuhan can spend money to buy the heads of our Ma family members, we can spend money to buy his! If he can do this once, we can do it again. Let's go all out, throw out 50 million, and use that money as a bounty for Gu Yuhan's head! Those gangsters from the mainland, they can kill our Ma family members for money, and they can just as easily kill Gu Yuhan's entire family for 50 million! We won't let a single one escape!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiru felt a sudden chill run down his spine, as if pricked by a needle. He knew all too well that Gu Yuhan was incredibly wealthy; a few hundred million yuan, casually slipping through his fingers, was nothing to him, a drop in the ocean. But for the Ma family now…

To put it bluntly, this 50 million was the last of their life savings, their last resort, money they had set aside to prolong their lives. If it really came to that, and he had to take out all of this money at once for a final gamble, Ma Xiru felt as if a dull knife was slowly cutting his flesh, drawing blood.

Just as Ma Xiru was still internally debating whether or not to do it, suddenly, a loud crash came from the villa's front door. It was violently kicked open from the outside, the lock flying off and splinters of wood flying everywhere. Immediately afterwards, a group of men dressed in matching black suits, expressionless, filed in one after another, like a black river flowing in.

The brothers, Ma Xiru and Ma Xizhen, were both stunned, momentarily speechless. Ma Xiru instinctively stood up and couldn't help but demand, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Brother Ma, Brother Ma, I'm sorry, but we'll have to trouble you two to come with us!" The leader of the group said slowly and deliberately, a practiced smile on his face, "Someone has said they don't want you two to stay in Taiwan any longer. They want you to go back to your hometown in Hong Kong and face the judgment of the law!"

"What?" Ma Xizhen and Ma Xiru's eyes widened simultaneously upon hearing this, their expressions as if they had heard the most absurd and illogical joke in the world: "Let us go back to Hong Kong? And...and face legal judgment? Are you out of your mind?"

Ma Xizhen and Ma Xiru were practically going crazy. They struggled desperately, but were both held down tightly, their arms twisted behind their backs, causing them to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. Then, like picking up chicks, they were roughly shoved into a cargo ship bound for Hong Kong. This time, the three major Taiwanese conglomerates acted simultaneously, determined to completely sweep the Mas out of the country, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Neither Ma Xizhen nor Ma Xiru ever imagined that things would escalate to this point.

From the very beginning, the Ma family never intended to confront Gu Yuhan head-on or fight to the death. They simply wanted to hire the then-popular Chen Yulian as their spokesperson to boost their popularity. But who could have predicted that such a small matter would, like toppling the first domino, spiral out of control and ultimately lead to the annihilation of the entire family?

Later, Da Ma and Xiao Ma were thrown into Hong Kong like dead dogs. As soon as the boat docked, a large number of police officers were dispatched and, in front of countless onlookers, handcuffed Da Ma and Xiao Ma on the spot, stuffed them into a police car, and locked them in a dark and gloomy jail.

While the two men might not be sentenced to death outright, given the cases they've been involved in, they'll at least have to spend their lives in jail with Wu Shih-hao and his gang, never to walk out alive again. That's the lightest punishment they'll ever receive.

If Gu Yuhan were ever unhappy, he wouldn't even need to say a word; a slight hint would be enough to have the two brothers killed discreetly in prison, eliminating any future trouble.

Mainland China, Shenzhen.

This time, Gu Yuhan gave a strict order, requiring the recruitment of approximately five hundred demobilized soldiers. These five hundred men were all carefully selected elites, and they have now all been incorporated into his private bodyguard team.

On the surface, there will be several teams of people, dressed in suits and ties, providing close protection; secretly, there will also be several other teams, hidden among the crowd, providing 360-degree, all-around protection for your safety.

Over the course of a year, the security costs just for those around them would exceed 100 million yuan, not even counting the expenses for equipment and weapons.

However, in Gu Yuhan's opinion, this money was absolutely well spent, and could even be considered the most worthwhile money ever spent. If he were to be kidnapped by a group of reckless thugs one day, that would be a real loss, and he wouldn't even have time to cry. All the wealth he had accumulated would have become a wedding dress made for someone else.

Safety first, life is the most important thing, no matter what.

Besides, once this security team is fully trained, they'll be incredibly useful in the future. When those bigwigs start causing trouble everywhere, they'll definitely need to hire people from me to smooth things over. Secondly, there are those pampered celebrities. If their security companies want to hire professional security personnel and highly skilled bodyguards, they'll have to pay for it themselves; the company can't cover everything.

The company will, of course, provide some ordinary security guards as a symbolic gesture, but these guards are only so-so. They can handle petty theft, but they are no match for tough guys.

If you want someone with exceptional strength, capable of taking on a whole group single-handedly, with outstanding teamwork, and at the level of a retired special forces soldier, it's simple: just pay more money. Once the money is right, everything is negotiable.

Gu Yuhan had a clear plan in mind. By the mid-1980s, when those big gangsters started causing trouble and making waves everywhere, his security company would be able to support its huge team by taking on outside jobs, and might even make a fortune in return.

Having finally been given a second chance at life, and having painstakingly amassed such a substantial fortune, Gu Yuhan was truly afraid of death. The wealthier he became, the more he cherished his life. Only by living could he enjoy all of this.

……

……

A few days later

Gu Yuhan returned to Hong Kong and immediately held a meeting in Tseung Kwan O.

Almost every triad organization in Hong Kong with any significant influence was on Gu Yuhan's invitation list. The meaning couldn't be clearer—he hoped they would all come, and he also hoped they wouldn't be ungrateful.

For these Hong Kong triads, things have escalated to this point, and they have genuinely developed a sense of fear towards Gu Yuhan.

Because they clearly recognized a fact—they seemed to have absolutely no way to deal with Gu Yuhan, while Gu Yuhan truly had the means to torment them to the point of wishing they were dead, leaving them no chance to turn the tables.

He Yiyong met this fate before, and now the Ma family is meeting the same fate; each one more tragic than the last.

The Ma family originally thought they were different from He Yiyong, believing they had powerful backers and a solid foundation, so they wouldn't end up in the same situation.

But reality slapped them hard in the face. Faced with the ruthless crushing force of capital, He Yiyong was almost no different from the Ma family.

If Gu Yuhan wanted to ruin you, he wouldn't need to put in much effort, or even do it himself.

Everyone gasped in shock, a chill running down their spines.

Tseung Kwan O Film City.

When they arrived at the destination, there were quite a few gang leaders who had come with them; it was a large, dark-skinned group.

However, once everyone had arrived, Gu Yuhan wasn't in a hurry to meet them. Instead, he arranged for someone to take them on a tour of his Tseung Kwan O Film City, and also to show them how movies are made.

As the group leaders walked along, they observed the surroundings, and the more they looked, the more uneasy they felt.

They were somewhat stunned.

After two years of dedicated development by Gu Yuhan, the entire Tseung Kwan O Film City has been completely transformed, with a large number of sets built on a scale that is astonishing.

All the buildings can be arranged from the Han Dynasty all the way to the Republic of China, including ancient streets, palaces, and residences, all exactly the same as the real thing.

In addition to the ancient costume scenes, there are also many modern urban office buildings, offices, and even subway stations that have been recreated exactly as they were.

Many people discovered that there were actually more than a dozen film crews shooting here at the same time, with busy staff and camera equipment everywhere.

Hong Kong films are known for their incredibly fast shooting pace. The fastest film, "The Banquet," was completed in just four days, while even a classic like "The Kung Fu Cult Master" wrapped up filming in only seven days.

The filming efficiency of Hong Kong movies is just that terrifying, that unreasonable.

Especially after Gu Yuhan introduced an industrialized process, the filming speed became astonishingly fast. When many film companies came to collaborate, the fastest they could complete an entire movie was in twenty-one days, an efficiency that left people speechless.

However, Gu Yuhan has extremely high standards for his company. He values ​​high-quality productions over shoddy ones. He wants to do his best to avoid the vicious cycle of bad money driving out good, and he doesn't want the entire industry to be ruined by those fast-food style rubbish films.

We don't demand speed from you, but rather that you produce decent, presentable work.

The current filming pace of Bright Film Productions is not fast. Take Jackie Chan for example, he only shoots three movies a year, and he polishes each one repeatedly, pursuing excellence.

Of course, Gu Yuhan didn't reject all low-budget films outright.

After all, if you want to produce high-quality films, you also need to give other artists a chance to appear on the big screen. Guangming Pictures can't support everyone; it has to leave some room for outside film companies so that its artists can have opportunities to appear on screen. Otherwise, what's the point of them following you?

Therefore, Tseung Kwan O Film City has a very open attitude towards film companies. The rent is not high, and the cost of costumes, props and sets is not expensive. It is to leave a way for low-budget films to survive and to give small companies a space to live.

As a result, the entire Tseung Kwan O Film City is now exceptionally prosperous and bustling, with the second and third phases of construction underway.

For these triad bosses, watching others make movies was actually quite novel and interesting. Although many of them had considered getting involved in the entertainment industry, they had no idea how the film industry actually worked; they were completely clueless.

Seeing it with my own eyes now, I really do find it quite eye-opening.

Afterwards, the group was led into a spacious conference room.

Immediately afterwards, someone handed out several booklets to each of them. Some people frowned, puzzled—Gu Yuhan had clearly invited them to get together, so why did it feel like a tour group visiting a film studio?

"Hey bro, this looks like an artist's price list!" someone whispered as they leaned closer.

"I know!" The man flipped it open and glanced at it, somewhat surprised.

This booklet actually contains a detailed analysis of celebrity endorsements, such as which type of celebrity is suitable for promoting which type of product, and which celebrity is better at driving sales and has a higher conversion rate. It's all listed clearly.

In addition, there is a commission rate; celebrities are required to take 20% of the profits from promoting products, and it's all clearly stated in black and white.

Then there's the issue of celebrity endorsement fees, with prices clearly defined for each level of artist.

In addition to this, there's the issue of actors' salaries. Currently, there are two models for film production: one is paying actors directly, and the other is a profit-sharing model, each with its own advantages.

In addition, there are various rental details for the film and television city, including the price per day for each scene, and the charges for costumes, props, and sets. All of these are clearly written down.

Some people were initially quite casual, just flipping through the pages, but they gradually became more serious as they looked at them. These groups had indeed considered getting involved in this industry before, but they were somewhat confused about how to do it, where the money would come from, and where to find people.

But now, as I flip through these booklets, everything suddenly becomes clear, as if someone has laid a map right in front of me.

It not only provides detailed explanations, but also introduces cooperation methods with other film and television companies, cooperation models between artists and brands, and even thinks about how to avoid risks.

They roughly understood the process.

Did Dickson Watches really make that much money?

In just over six months of cooperation, Dickson Watches rapidly expanded its business, earning nearly 500 million in four months—a figure that made their eyes twitch.

In addition, some clothing brands also earned three or four hundred million yuan.

Clothing in mainland China is so cheap that the profit margin is at least four times the cost. Even after paying taxes, the profit is still quite considerable; it's practically like making money while lying down.

There's also a trend of selling complete sets of clothing inspired by movies and TV shows, which is very profitable and used specifically to promote products.

Basically, they take advantage of the popularity of movies and TV series to quickly sell their products. Although it's a one-off transaction, the profits are higher. They can earn 20 to 30 million yuan in one go, making money so fast that it makes people envious.

The further they read, the heavier their hearts became, and the booklets in their hands felt incredibly heavy.

This is incredibly lucrative, and it's all legitimate business, completely clean and aboveboard, with absolutely no flaws.