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

In early November, in her bedroom at Taikoo Shing, the printer emitted a regular "squeak" sound; Lin Ying sat in front of the computer, watching the last sheet of paper come out; she picked it up and bound it into a booklet.

Su Zhihao, sitting in the living room, saw Lin Ying come out and asked, "Master Appraiser Lin, is your report for the five thousand yuan out yet?"

Lin Ying handed over the folder: "Pay first."

"You little schemer!" Su Zhihao pulled a leather envelope from his inner pocket. Inside were five thousand Hong Kong dollars in cash that he had just withdrawn from the bank.

Lin Ying put the money away and pointed to the folder: "Open it and take a look."

Su Zhihao opened the first page, "The Sound of Rain in the Old Building": He suggested buying only the first seven-year adaptation rights for the TV series, with a starting price of HK$200,000.

The Thirteenth Letter: The first-round seven-year adaptation rights for the TV series, with a starting price of HK$250,000.

The first seven-year adaptation rights for the TV series "The Silent Witness" are available for a starting price of HK$350,000.

"Two hundred thousand? Three hundred thousand? Three hundred and fifty thousand? And only a seven-year contract?" Su Zhihao exclaimed. "Ah Ying, are you kidding me? I only spent thirteen thousand to buy out 'Night Taboo'!"

"Second Uncle, you asked me to assess the commercial value for you, and the price I gave you is a very objective market price," Lin Ying pointed out. "Last time, the 130,000 was because Teacher Zhou didn't know the market and you got a bargain. This time, she's already looked around and knows the market. If you try to give her another 100,000 or 200,000, she can just keep these three suspense books to herself and wait for the next one."

Su Zhihao said with a pained expression, "But this price is just too much..."

"Scroll to the next page and look at the scheduling suggestions," Lin Ying interrupted him.

Su Zhihao patiently flipped through the pages. Lin Ying had clearly written in the report: these three books have the potential to make money, but they cannot all be developed at once.

"Suspense dramas can easily lead to audience fatigue," Lin Ying said, looking at him. "If you release three dramas about deaths and crime-solving within six months, even if the subject matter is good, the audience will get tired of them. You have to release them in stages. First, shoot a budget-controlled drama like 'The Sound of Rain in the Old Building' to test the waters; a year later, release a fast-paced drama like 'The Thirteenth Letter' to grab prime time; and once your production team is fully developed, release the big-budget drama like 'The Silent Witness'."

Su Zhihao looked at the well-organized analysis, closed the report, and stuffed it into his briefcase.

"Okay. I know the bottom line, and I also know how to split the costs." Su Zhihao stood up. "I'll negotiate with Miss Zhou later. Do you want to...?"

"I'm not involved," Lin Ying replied outright. "I'm only using five thousand yuan for project evaluation. As for how low you can push the price down, or how high Teacher Zhou can raise it, that's a business game between you adults. I won't ask, I won't care, and I won't listen."

Su Zhihao laughed and scolded, "You little fox, you're quick to shift the blame!"

After the assessment and handover were completed, Su Zhihao left with his bag; Lin Ying immediately put the matter out of her mind.

After that, Lin Ying continued to take the bus to school every day, hand in her English reading report, collect all the math homework from the class, and then go to her extracurricular classes.

Before we knew it, it was December 27th.

It happened to be the weekend.

In the evening, the dining table at Taikoo Shing was laden with delicious dishes. In the center sat a small two-tiered cream cake, next to which was a ginseng and black chicken soup that Lin Lanying had personally prepared.

Today is Lin Ying's twelfth birthday.

They didn't hire any outside bosses, nor did they go to fancy restaurants to show off; the family of four sat around the table, living a casual and low-key life.

"Ah Ying, eat more vegetables." Lin Lanying placed a large chicken leg in Lin Ying's bowl. "You're twelve years old now, a big girl."

Lin Ying smiled and nodded: "Mommy's soup is the best."

He Dazhu took a small red cloth bag out of his pocket and handed it over.

"Old Dou doesn't have much money to buy gold or diamonds. I got these from a jade carving shop and polished them myself, bit by bit."

Lin Ying opened the red cloth bag, inside which was a warm and smooth mutton fat jade safety buckle.

"Thank you, Lao Dou. I like it very much. I'll wear it with a red string tomorrow."

Lin Qian, unable to sit still any longer, pulled out a greeting card with a crayon drawing from behind his back and read aloud: "Happy birthday to my smartest older sister in the world! Although you're great at making money, I wish you peace and health even more!"

Lin Ying cut the cake and shared it with her family. In this home, listening to the wind outside the window, she felt more grounded than any newspaper hype.

After New Year's Day, a light rain fell in Hong Kong, and the temperature dropped even lower.

January 13, 1983.

The bell rang to signal the end of the last subject, General Science.

"Finally, the exams are over!" Tang Xueqi wailed, slumped over her desk. "I feel like I lost half my life in that exam room."

Lin Ying put the pen back into the pencil case and zipped up her schoolbag: "It's vacation time, remember to start your winter break homework early."

Stepping out of the school gate, the cold wind blew on her face, but she felt very energetic. Lin Ying took the bus back to Taikoo Shing. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Lin Lanying standing next to the landline, holding a microphone, looking excited.

"Ah Ying! Hurry! Boss Peng is looking for you!"

Lin Ying put down her schoolbag, walked over, and took the microphone. "Hello, Uncle Peng?"

"Screenwriter Lin! You've finished your exams, right?!" Peng Xuebin's voice on the other end of the phone was also very excited: "You're on vacation! Time to collect your pay!"

Lin Ying immediately realized: "The global settlement for 'Magic Academy Exchange Students' is out?"

"It's out! Do you know how big a plate our sword has cleaved in the world?"

"Just tell me."

"Fifty million! A full fifty million Hong Kong dollars!" Boss Peng shouted out the number.

Hearing this number, Lin Lanying was completely stunned, thinking she was dreaming. Fifty million! In early 1980s Hong Kong, that was enough to buy half a street of shops!

Lin Ying was also surprised: "How can it be so tall?"

"Because of these 50 million, 20 million came from the mainland!" Boss Peng said proudly. "You don't know, although the ticket prices are low there, so many people watch it! The leaders in the cultural sector gave it the green light, and it's shown on the big screen every day! Just the revenue sharing, converted to Hong Kong dollars, brings in a full 20 million!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ying realized that 20 million people in mainland China... This meant that countless Chinese people in this era had witnessed a power in cinemas that didn't have to bow to the West. This was something that pleased her even more than money.

Boss Peng began to report the accounts: "The remaining 30 million comes from the first-run box office revenue in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, the UK, and the US, plus the rights purchase; after deducting all filming costs, marketing costs, and handling fees, the net profit is all there."

"Screenwriter Lin, according to the contract, you get 20%. That's exactly ten million Hong Kong dollars!" Boss Peng shouted. "That bastard Su Zhihao also gets 20%, ten million. The remaining 60% is mine!"

Before Lin Ying could speak, Boss Peng made the decision: "Seven o'clock tonight, the VIP room on the top floor of the Peninsula Hotel! Invite Mrs. Lin and Brother Dazhu! We're having a celebration banquet!"

The phone hangs up.

--------

7 p.m. that evening, at the Peninsula Hotel.

The private room was brightly lit, and the table was laden with top-quality abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw.

Su Zhihao was wearing a dark red suit today. As soon as he saw Lin Ying and her family push the door open and enter, he rushed over and pulled out a chair.

"Ah Ying! God of Wealth! Please sit down!" Su Zhihao's face was beaming. "The best thing I, Su Lao Er, ever did in my life was not looking down on you because you were a young girl, and accepting your marriage certificate!"

Mr. Peng sat in the main seat and directly pulled out two pre-issued bank drafts from his briefcase.

"Enough talk, let's split the money!"

Boss Peng pushed one bill in front of Su Zhihao and another in front of Lin Ying: "Look carefully at the numbers. These are bearer drafts from HSBC, and they can be cashed at any time."

Lin Ying took the paper, and after confirming it was correct, she handed it to Lin Lanying beside her. Lin Lanying's hands were trembling as she carefully put the promissory note into her handbag.

After several rounds of drinks, Su Zhihao and Boss Peng clinked glasses several times, both of them slightly tipsy.

Boss Peng put down his wine glass, lit a cigar, and looked at Lin Ying, who was sitting there quietly drinking juice.

"Screenwriter Xiao Lin. I, Peng Xuebin, have spent half my life in the business world and have never admired anyone, but I truly admire you. At eleven years old, you had three films, each one a smash hit. Now you have over ten million yuan in cash and a head full of great stories."

Su Zhihao also stopped eating and looked over.

Boss Peng asked, "You're twelve years old now, right? After you graduate from Form Five, or go to university, are you planning to pursue a career in the film and entertainment industry? Don't worry, as long as you're willing to write, Su Lao Er and I will absolutely pamper you. You can walk sideways in the entire Hong Kong film industry!"

In the eyes of Boss Peng and Su Zhihao, with fame and money, a career in the entertainment industry would surely be smooth sailing, so who would refuse?

Lin Lanying and He Dazhu also looked at their daughter.

Lin Ying put down her glass: "I'm not going to work in the entertainment industry."

Su Zhihao was puzzled: "Not leaving? Ah Ying, are you kidding me! You're not writing scripts, don't you want to make money in Hong Kong?"

"I can write screenplays, but that's just a stepping stone for me to accumulate initial capital," Lin Ying said, looking at the two bigwigs. "I prefer mathematics to screenwriting. I enjoy conducting scientific experiments and rigorous logic."

Boss Peng frowned: "Mathematics? Science? How much money can you make doing academic research? Can it be faster than you making millions or tens of millions by writing a screenplay?"

"It might not be possible now, but it will definitely be possible in the future," Lin Ying said confidently.

"Uncle Peng, Second Uncle. When I grow up, I don't want to start a film company or become a famous director." Lin Ying looked at them. "I want to start a technology company. I want to focus on high-tech and cutting-edge technologies."

"A tech company?" Su Zhihao looked bewildered. "Do they sell electric fans or mobile phones?"

"Not home appliances, but computers, chips, software, communication networks... I want to build the brain of machines; in the future, whoever masters the most cutting-edge technology, whoever controls the underlying technological architecture, will be able to hold others by the throat. Uncle Peng, you spent three months abroad, you must have seen how advanced those machines and equipment were, right?"

Boss Peng nodded; of course he had seen him before.

Lin Ying continued, "Making movies is about making quick money, but technology is a bottomless pit. Labs, factories, equipment, top talent—it all costs money. Tens of millions won't even make a ripple. So... I need to work hard to save money now."