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

"Father, Mother," Lin Lanying said after packing her things, "The accounts for 'The Gambling King' have been settled, and the house in Taikoo City is all cleaned up comfortably. Now that things are settled on Amei's side, and Dazhu's work at the jade carving shop is stable, why don't you two pack up and come stay with us in Taikoo City for a few days?"

Lin Ying chimed in, "Yes, grandpa and grandma. There's an elevator over there, so you don't have to climb stairs. The shopping mall downstairs has everything, including air conditioning. You've worked hard your whole lives; it's time for you to enjoy your retirement."

"I'm not going," Lin Fu refused decisively.

"Why aren't you going again?" Lin Lanying asked helplessly.

Li Yuzhen fanned herself with a palm leaf fan: "Why stay in Taikoo City? The security doors upstairs and downstairs are all tightly closed, and you can't see a single person all day long."

The old man pointed to the old banyan tree and the feng shui pond outside the door: "It's so peaceful here. I can hear birds chirping when I go out in the morning, and I can chat with my relatives and neighbors next door or play a game of chess just a few steps away. When I went to your building, I felt like a bird trapped in a cage, so suffocating."

Lin Fu tapped his pipe on the edge of the table and added, "Sister, Lan Ying, we appreciate your filial piety; but as people get older, they yearn to return to their roots. You are out there working hard, that's your world. This old village in the New Territories is our root."

"But..." Lin Lanying wanted to persuade her further.

"No buts," Lin Fu said directly. "When there's trouble, your mother and I will naturally go and help. Otherwise, we'll stay here and look after the old house. We'll be happy if you bring Dazhu and Aqian back to visit us during holidays or when you have free time."

"Okay." Lin Ying didn't insist any further, and nodded with a smile. "Then when Ah Qian and I have a long vacation, we'll come back to spend more time with you."

------

The next afternoon, in their apartment on the fifteenth floor of Taikoo Shing, the Lin family of four were preparing to leave; today was Su Zhihao's victory celebration banquet at the Peninsula Hotel.

He Dazhu, unusually, changed out of his old clothes from jade carving and put on a suit that Lin Lanying had tailored for him. He rinsed his hair with water and stood in front of the dressing mirror, looking somewhat awkward.

"Alright, stop taking pictures. It's not like your master hasn't seen you before." Lin Lanying came over and turned up his collar for him.

Lin Lanying wore a dark blue cheongsam that she had personally tailored today.

Lin Ying wore a light purple dress, carried a small leather bag, and had her long hair tied in a ponytail, looking clean and refreshing.

Lin Qian stood by the door, dressed in clean shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, looking at everyone expectantly. Lin Lanying originally didn't plan to take him, but He Dazhu softened his heart and said that the celebration banquet should be attended by the whole family, and it would be good for his younger brother to see the real grandeur and know the rules. Only then did Lin Lanying relent.

"Now that we're at the Peninsula Hotel, talk less and eat more. Don't touch or move around, understand?" Lin Lanying warned in a low voice.

Lin Qian nodded immediately: "Mommy, don't worry, I promise I won't run around."

The family of four went downstairs and got into a taxi heading to Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Peninsula Hotel.

This is a rather iconic luxury venue in Hong Kong. The lobby is covered with thick carpets, and the crystal chandeliers are sparkling. Doormen in white uniforms open the glass doors with polite manners.

The waiter led them up to the second floor and opened the door to a spacious private room.

The private room was already full of people.

The elderly Su Yongchang and his wife sat in the main seats; all the members of the Su family's eldest and second branches were present.

"Master!" He Dazhu greeted his master as soon as he entered the room.

Su Yongchang saw He Dazhu and waved with a smile: "Dazhu's here! Come, come, sit next to me; we won't talk about work today, just happy things!"

Su Zhihao stood up and said, "Ah Ying! Mrs. Lin! Please take a seat!"

Lin Lanying smiled and nodded in greeting. Chen Meishan walked over, her gaze falling on Lin Lanying's cheongsam. She reached out and touched the fabric, exclaiming in amazement, "Mrs. Lin, this cheongsam is stunning! The cut, the figure—which master tailor in Central made this?"

Lin Lanying smiled and said, "Mrs. Su, you flatter me. I made it myself using a sewing machine."

"Wow, Mrs. Lin's craftsmanship is amazing! I definitely want to be there when you open your haute couture shop!"

Everyone exchanged pleasantries and took their seats; Lin Qian was seated at the table with the younger generation, and as soon as he sat down, Su Cheng and Su Jun immediately straightened their posture.

Especially Su Jun, who instinctively straightened his back as soon as he saw Lin Ying looking in their direction. After being outwitted by Lin Ying several times, these brothers were completely subdued.

The food and drinks were served quickly; the Peninsula Hotel's dishes were all exquisite, including abalone, shark fin, and steamed grouper, showing a very generous level of hospitality.

The atmosphere was very harmonious for the first half of the dinner. Su Zhihao drank two glasses of wine, his face flushed, and talked at length about how popular the videotapes of "The Gambling King" were in Southeast Asia, saying that several film distributors were blocking the company's door with cash, demanding the goods.

Su Zhiming listened quietly the whole time, occasionally adding a few words of praise.

After several rounds of drinks and when they had almost finished eating, Su Zhiming picked up his wine glass, stood up, and walked towards Su Zhihao.

The noise in the private room gradually subsided; Su Cheng and Su Jun both stopped eating and looked at their father and uncle with some nervousness.

The eldest and second sons of the Su family have always been at odds, a fact known to the whole family; the eldest son dislikes the second son's involvement in organized crime, deeming it disreputable, while the second son dislikes the eldest son's pretentious righteousness.

"Second brother," Su Zhiming said, holding up his glass, "this glass is for you, brother. You did a great job with those two films, bringing both prestige and financial success to the Su family."

Su Zhihao sat in the chair, glanced at his usually proud and arrogant elder brother, picked up his wine glass, clinked glasses with his brother's, and drank it all in one gulp: "Brother, you're too kind."

Su Zhiming didn't rush back to his seat. Instead, he put down his wine glass and said, "Second brother, since Dad's here and everyone else is here, I want to ask you a favor: Now that your film business is booming, if you come across any good film scripts or projects in the future, how about you invite me to join you? I'll get involved, okay?"

After these words were spoken, the only sound in the private room was the air conditioning blowing cold air.

While pretending nothing was wrong, Lin Lanying drank her soup, but she heard everything. A bank manager in Central was actually bowing his head and begging his younger brother, who was in Kowloon City, to help him make money. That's the power of real money.

If it were in the past, Su Zhihao would have jumped up and laughed at his boss for being greedy for money; but today he neither laughed nor directly refused.

Su Zhihao spoke after a long while: "Brother, since you're willing to say this in front of everyone today, I'll give you a straight answer in front of everyone too."

Su Zhiming looked at him.

Su Zhihao recounted a story between the brothers: "When the first film, 'Death in the Light,' started filming, I was short of money; you gave me HK$300,000; I remember that. At the time, nobody was optimistic about it, and your HK$300,000 was a risk; I relied on your influence, so I owe you this favor."

Su Zhiming breathed a sigh of relief, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"Ahem." Su Yongchang, who had been sitting silently in the main seat, coughed lightly; he looked at his two sons.

"You two brothers... have never gotten along since childhood; one thinks the other is too well-behaved, the other thinks the other is useless. You've been arguing for so many years, even now that you have children of your own, do you still want to keep arguing for them?"

Su Zhiming lowered his head: "Dad."

Su Yongchang waved his hand and looked at Su Zhihao: "Second brother, you always scold Acheng and Ajun more fiercely than anyone else! But you're a father now. You don't want Acheng and Ajun to grow up to be like you and your eldest brother, fighting like fighting cocks over a little pride or a little money, do you?"

Su Zhihao turned to look at Su Cheng and Su Jun, who were like quails. After the absurd incident of drugging them, he now understood the brothers' psychological defenses very well. The children were afraid of being abandoned.

"Old Dou, you're right." Su Zhihao sat up straight. "As elders, we should set a good example."

He looked at Su Zhiming again, having finished recounting their past relationship, it was now purely business and rules.

"Brother, now that you've decided to get involved, there are some things we need to settle beforehand. I'm fine with bringing you into the game; but there are two pieces of cake on this plate that neither of us can touch."

Su Zhiming nodded: "Go ahead."

"First, Boss Peng's overseas distribution revenue cannot be touched. He controls theatrical resources; that's hard currency." Su Zhihao then pointed to Lin Ying sitting diagonally across from him. "Second, Ying's bottom line as the core screenwriter's share of the profits cannot be reduced by a single penny! She wrote the script!"

Su Zhihao continued, "So, brother, at most, you'll bring in funds, taking a 10-20% cut according to your investment ratio. You can't interfere with the director or the filming process! Besides, you'll have to bear the risks!"

Su Zhiming frowned: "With such a good foundation, how could they possibly lose money?"

"How could I not lose money?" Su Zhihao sneered. "You only see that I brought home tens of millions with 'The Gambling King,' but do you know what the outside world is like now? After 'Die in the Light' became a hit, those film studios outside copied it and made more than a dozen zombie movies and comedies in just one month! And what was the result?"

Su Zhihao and Su Zhiming made it clear: "Only four films barely broke even, barely making a little money. There's only one film in all of Hong Kong that truly became a hit and made a fortune."

Su Zhiming works in finance, so of course he knows that blindly investing in movies has an 80% chance of resulting in total financial ruin.

"Brother, the film industry is a deep and murky place. It's not like you can throw in a few hundred thousand and expect to reap millions," Su Zhihao bluntly stated. "Those scoundrels outside don't understand; they think they can just write a ghost story script, hire a few actors to perform a few lines, and sell it for money."

Su Zhihao sighed: "So it still depends on Aying's script. Without a good script, no matter how much money you put in, it's all wasted."

Su Zhiming looked at Lin Ying and said directly, "Ms. Lin, if there is an opportunity to collaborate in the future, I will respect your creative judgment."

Lin Ying looked at him and said, "Uncle Su, you're too kind. Whether a film project can be successful depends not only on the script but also on execution and distribution. It's better for everyone to write down the rules clearly before the money comes in."