Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

The tense atmosphere of the multi-million dollar investment negotiations that had been lingering in the living room was eventually masked by the aroma of food.

Lin Lanying carried a large plate of steamed live grouper out of the kitchen and placed it steadily in the center of the solid wood dining table. Then, roast goose from Sham Tseng, Kowloon City braised platter, boiled prawns, scallop and winter melon soup... one dish after another was laid out.

"These are just some simple home-style dishes; please bear with us, bosses." Lin Lanying greeted everyone very politely. "Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

Boss Peng immediately smiled and waved his hand, sitting in the main seat: "Mrs. Lin, you're being too polite. We're moving into our new house in Taikoo Shing, and there's fish and shrimp. This meal is even more comfortable than the one at Fu Lin Men outside."

Su Zhihao chimed in, "That's right, I'm sick of all the business dinners at restaurants outside. The cooking at Mrs. Lin's house is really good."

The same people who were so fiercely competitive at the negotiating table just moments ago are now sitting down to eat, their expressions increasingly amiable; everyone understands that business is business, and once the deal is done, there must be decorum at the dinner table.

Lin Qian sat in the corner at the very edge, his eyes constantly glancing at the roast goose leg. Just as he was about to reach for his chopsticks, Lin Lanying glared at him, and he could only obediently pick up a piece of green vegetable.

Su Jun held his rice bowl, not daring to be as boisterous as he would at home.

Boss Peng ate slowly and deliberately, occasionally striking up a conversation with Lin Ying: "Little Lin, screenwriter, skipping a grade to fifth grade, are you finding the schoolwork difficult?"

"It's not difficult," Lin Ying replied after swallowing her food. "The knowledge framework for fifth grade is very clear; just break it down according to the rules."

"Good, you're methodical and organized, no wonder you can write a script like this." Boss Peng picked up a piece of fish belly. "For this fantasy film, just let your imagination run wild. If any foreign directors dare to make any changes, I'll be the first to object. Your script is the backbone of this project."

That's a very well said statement; they took away 60% of the control, but then showed the screenwriter a great deal of respect at the dinner table.

Lin Ying nodded gently: "Thank you, Boss Peng."

The meal was lively, with Su Zhihao occasionally cracking jokes about the film set, which Boss Peng readily accepted. Lin Lanying handled the situation perfectly, and no one mentioned the 20% channel fee again.

After finishing his meal, Mr. Peng drank a cup of Pu'er tea brewed by Lin Lanying to cleanse his palate. He glanced at the gold watch on his wrist and stood up.

"I apologize for bothering you today." Boss Peng straightened the hem of his suit and looked at Lin Ying and Su Zhihao. "Screenwriter Lin, take your time thinking about the script. I won't rush you. Brother Zhihao, there's no rush for the gambling film. I'll have my secretary go over the preliminary contract for the overseas videotape distribution with you tomorrow."

Su Zhihao immediately stood up, his face beaming, "No problem! Lao Peng, I'll see you downstairs."

"I'll also see Boss Peng off." Lin Ying stood up.

The corridors of Taikoo Shing were clean and bright, and the elevators descended. Stepping out of the lobby, Boss Peng's black luxury car was already parked by the roadside, and the driver had already opened the back door.

Before getting into the car, Boss Peng turned around and looked at Su Zhihao, patting him on the shoulder: "Zhihao, in the film industry, Hong Kong is just a small pond; if you want to sail a big ship in the sea, there must be someone to steer it through the storms. I'm being blunt today, don't take it to heart."

Su Zhihao laughed heartily: "Old Peng, what are you talking about? I'm from Kowloon City, I stick to my principles. You have connections with the foreigners, you can get everyone on board to earn foreign exchange, you're the helmsman, I, Su Lao Er, admire you!"

Boss Peng smiled with satisfaction, nodded to Lin Ying, and bent down to get into the car.

The car door slammed shut, and the car slowly started moving, driving out of the Yinghutai residential complex gate.

Su Zhihao stood there, smiling as he watched the luxury car disappear completely around the corner; the next second, the smile on Su Zhihao's face vanished instantly. He loosened his tie, turned around, and walked towards the lobby: "Go upstairs."

Lin Ying followed beside him without making a sound. The elevator was so quiet that the hum of the machine could be heard. Su Zhihao had a stern face.

Ding, we've reached the fifteenth floor.

Pushing open the door to the new house, Lin Lanying was washing dishes in the kitchen, while Lin Qian and Su Jun were flipping through comic books in the corner.

Su Zhihao strode to the sofa, took off his suit jacket and threw it aside, then plopped down on the sofa; after playing the smiling tiger for half the night, he was too lazy to continue now.

Su Cheng was wiping the coffee table with a tissue when he stopped. Looking at his father's dark face, he couldn't help but speak.

"Old Dou..." Su Cheng said directly, "Isn't this Boss Peng too greedy? He asks for 60% right off the bat, and he even wants to take 20% of the gambling film you're in charge of."

Su Cheng was only thirteen years old, and the rules in his mind were still at the stage of "whoever puts in more effort gets the bigger share".

Su Zhihao didn't curse. He picked up the cup of tea on the table, which had gone cold, and drank it down in one gulp.

"Greed?" Su Zhihao looked at Su Cheng. "Everyone's the same! If I were in his position, with overseas channels that few in all of Hong Kong have, I'd take even more than him! I wouldn't even leave 20% to anyone else!"

Su Cheng was stunned.

Su Zhihao pointed towards the door: "Why do you think he can be so greedy? Because he has a lot of capital, because he knows foreign distributors! If I were to go to Southeast Asia or Europe and America myself to make that gambling film, I wouldn't even be able to find a door, and I'd get skinned alive! He takes 20% because he's the only one with that connection!"

Su Cheng nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"Ah Cheng, you listen to me carefully," Su Zhihao said through gritted teeth. "Right now, we have no skills, no connections, and we need their help, so we have to obediently follow their rules. If you want to get on their boat, you have to pay a price. Think it's too expensive? Then you can just watch others get rich from the shore!"

Lin Ying sat on the single sofa next to her and nodded after listening to what he said.

"Second Uncle is right," Lin Ying said with a smile. "Given the current market conditions, we can't handle the international market on our own, so we have to rely on Boss Peng's platform to make money."

Su Zhihao turned to Lin Ying and praised her, "Ying, you're only ten years old, but I dare say, none of the assistant directors on set who are thirty or forty years old are as smart as you! Face and initial investment are nothing compared to making money."

Lin Ying lowered her eyes. What she distrusted least was so-called sentiment and fairness; capital was inherently bloodthirsty, and the high wall that Boss Peng built with his channels was the hardest bargaining chip.

"It's not so bad," Lin Ying said softly. "What happened with Boss Peng today was a real lesson for both of us in the new house."

Su Zhihao took a deep breath, pulled his tie out completely, and crumpled it in his hand: "That's right, I've learned a lesson; I admit defeat because I'm not as strong as others; but how I walk in the future is up to me to figure out."

It was getting late, so Su Zhihao didn't linger. He draped his coat over his arm and woke up his two sons.

"Alright, Ah Ying, you should get some rest. There's no rush with the script; we can work on it slowly." Su Zhihao walked to the door.

Lin Ying followed him out to see him off, saying, "Take care, Second Uncle, on your way home."

--------

After seeing my second uncle off, I returned home.

Lin Lanying looked at Lin Ying sitting on the sofa: "Boss Su left? He didn't look too good."

"It's nothing, I just learned some rules by staying in this house." Lin Ying didn't explain in detail.

She sat alone on the sofa and picked up the two sheets of white paper on the coffee table that contained the core elements of the script.

Lin Ying quietly reviewed everything that had happened tonight. What gave Boss Peng the audacity to make such an exorbitant demand? What gave Su Zhihao the audacity to grit his teeth and accept it?

Because of her.

Both Boss Peng and Su Zhihao rely on her creative scripts; what Hong Kong in the 1980s lacked most was a good story that could make the audience spend money, and that was her only bargaining chip.

However, having a vivid imagination is not enough; a few lines of creative ideas can only attract capital investment, but they cannot determine the proportion of investment at the negotiating table.

"I can't do this again next time." Lin Ying looked at the blank paper and silently set a rule in her mind.

From now on, she must never just present a few lines of text in a discussion; she must secretly write out the complete script herself.

When a solid, impeccable script is placed directly on the negotiating table, it's no longer just an idea; it's ready-made gold. Only by possessing a finished product can she have real bargaining power against a cunning old fox like Boss Peng.

Moreover, one crucial element is still missing.

Lin Ying folded the two pieces of white paper and turned to look at Lin Lanying, who was wiping the stove.

"Mommy," Lin Ying suddenly said.

"What's wrong?" Lin Lanying turned around.

"I need to find a lawyer," Lin Ying said seriously.

Lin Lanying was puzzled. She stopped what she was doing and asked, "Didn't we already complete the legal procedures for buying this house? The Housing Authority will issue the deed in two months. What went wrong?"

"It's not about the property deed, it's about the movie." Lin Ying pointed to the table. "Uncle Su has the Su family's top lawyer to help him review it, and Boss Peng has the entire company's legal team to review the contracts. But I don't."

Lin Lanying walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down: "Don't you and Boss Su always use the same lawyer? He's quite capable."

"It's settled now," Lin Ying explained to her mother, "because my interests and Uncle Su's are aligned. But what if it's an international deal, involving hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties, authorship, derivative rights, or even videotape rights?"

Lin Ying sighed and continued, "Who can guarantee they'll never turn against you? When it comes to interests, there are no absolute friends. I can't just have Uncle Su or Boss Peng's people review my contract; I need a dedicated lawyer who only takes my money and speaks only for me."

One should always be wary of others, not only of Su Zhihao, but also of any potential pitfalls that may arise in this golden age without rules.

Looking at her ten-year-old daughter, Lin Lanying felt incredibly relieved, not at all suspicious. "You're right. What a coincidence, isn't it?"

Lin Ying raised an eyebrow: "What coincidence?"

Lin Lanying pointed to the direction opposite the main gate: "The house across the street, the one on the west side. When we moved in a couple of days ago, didn't I give all the upstairs and downstairs neighbors some handmade shrimp paste I brought from the New Territories?"

"Um."

"The lady across the street, surnamed Shen, is very friendly. We chatted for a bit at the door, and she said her husband works at a top law firm in Central, specializing in commercial cases for large companies; he's a real top lawyer." Lin Lanying felt it was a perfect fit as she spoke. "We're neighbors on the same floor, we see each other all the time. Since you're in such a hurry to find someone knowledgeable to review the contract..."

Lin Lanying looked at Lin Ying: "Do you want to meet her?"

"Yes," Lin Ying said readily. "Mommy, could you please find an excuse to go and sound out the neighbors across the street tomorrow?"