Chapter 91

1980 was over, and upon careful reflection, a lot had indeed happened. I made a substantial profit from the silver crisis, which solidified my speculative mindset.

I opened up in Taiwan, leveraging events that were bound to happen, and established a network of connections, securing a unique position for myself.

I also officially started my harem, and due to a joke, Taiwan forcibly sent me a few of the most beautiful outfits from the 80s.

Then, I was informed that I suddenly had a nearly one-year-old illegitimate daughter, whose mother I had met in Provence, the same Isabel Adjani I thought would never have a sequel.

To this end, I used various means to force her to compromise, agreeing to raise the daughter together and binding her to my side.

This, along with the matter of Zhao Yazi, seemed to highlight the consequences of my past actions, making the butterfly effect appear before me in this way. I didn't know what to say.

As for other matters, my pre-arranged wife was half-secured, the establishment of TSMC (still called "TSMC" at the time), and the IPO of Apple significantly increased my wealth and inspired more people to join the IT industry. In a few more years, there would be more companies to invest in, but I won't go into detail about these.

In short, more happened in this year than in the past decade. Indeed, adulthood means shouldering more responsibilities. Or is it that the curtain has slowly been raised? Or perhaps, the wheels of history have already begun to roll?

With these thoughts, Li Xu walked through 1980 and into 1981, and then...

---

"Ah Guang, hurry up, hurry up!" The lively girl ran down the street, calling out to the boy behind her.

"Ling Ling, wait for me..." The boy following her was out of breath.

"Oh, you big boy, how can you run slower than me!" The girl turned her head to complain as she ran.

"I'm not... an athlete." The panting boy said with a frown.

Finally, after turning a corner, a music store was in sight. Even before they entered, the beautiful song that had been spreading through the streets of Hong Kong for some time reached their ears: "... Even if the future is filled with countless songs, they will drift far away on my path; even if the future is filled with countless stars, none will shine brighter than tonight's moon..."

The lyrics were full of flavor, the melody was exceptionally moving, and Deng Lijun's smooth voice made her Cantonese album sell out as soon as it was released in December last year.

Deng Lijun, after all, was a well-known singer who had been popular in Southeast Asia since the late 1970s and had a large fan base in Hong Kong. She was also one of the few Chinese singers to break into the Japanese market.

Therefore, not only did she release a corresponding album at the beginning of the Cantonese music craze, but it was also so good that it was naturally very popular. Not only did old fans love it, but many new fans were also attracted, such as this high school sophomore, Ling Ling.

"What? Out of stock again? How is that possible?!" When the music store owner indicated that Deng Lijun's new album was out of stock again, the girl immediately protested, "It's already January 14th, how can it still be out of stock? Is that true?!"

"Miss, Miss Deng's albums sell quickly, and this one is so good, of course, it sells even faster," the middle-aged owner explained with a smile.

"Then... what about the one you're playing?" Ling Ling asked immediately.

"That one's not for sale. I'm keeping it to listen to myself," the owner shook his head, "I'm also a fan of Miss Deng."

"But..." Ling Ling was about to say something, but Ah Guang pulled her, "Let's go to another store quickly, maybe they still have it."

Unfortunately, despite running to several more music stores, the album was still out of stock. At the last store, the last copy was sold to someone who just passed them, which made the girl very upset.

"It's all your fault! If you had run faster, we wouldn't have missed it!" Squatting by the roadside, Ling Ling complained to Ah Guang.

"S-Sorry, I'll... I'll definitely run faster next time," Ah Guang scratched his head and apologized repeatedly.

"What's the point of saying that now? Can you magically produce a tape?" Ling Ling was even more angry.

Then, Ah Guang silently took a tape out of his backpack and handed it to her.

"This is...?" Ling Ling's eyes widened, and then she punched him angrily, "Dead Ah Guang, why didn't you take it out earlier! Do you know how far we ran from school to here!"

"I... I... I just wanted to run with you..." Ah Guang mumbled.

Ling Ling was stunned for a moment, then kicked him again, her face blushing, "Don't do that again!"

"Never! Absolutely not!" Ah Guang said happily.

Ling Ling glared at him and then hummed, "Sing Deng Lijun's songs to me every day."

"Ah? No way, Deng... Deng Lijun's songs are for girls to sing, right?" Ah Guang's face fell.

"Will you sing or not?"

"Sing... I'll sing..."

"That's right. Also, TVB's 'Happy Tonight' is said to have Deng Lijun as a guest tonight. Are you coming to my house to watch it?"

"Sure, sure! I'll definitely come, I love Deng Lijun the most!"

While the citizens of Hong Kong were still chasing Deng Lijun's latest Cantonese album, the upper echelons of Hong Kong were paying attention to another matter, another announcement made four days ago: Asia Television (ATV) had sold 61% of its shares in its Hong Kong TV station to an obscure investment holding company.

"Sir, the information you requested is here." In a large office, a capable woman in her 50s with glasses placed a file on the desk and said to the elderly man in a traditional robe sitting behind it.

"Tell me about it." The elderly man did not look at the documents but gestured for her to sit and talk.

"Imagination Holdings was established in August last year and has only a few simple investments. The general manager, Chen Bo Ran, was born in Hong Kong and attended high school and university in the United States. As for the chairman, we only know his name is Little Edward Li, who is likely American," the woman said.

"Hmm..." The elderly man pondered for a moment, then picked up the file and looked at it, "There were rumors before that ATV might sell its TV station due to investment failures."

"Based on the situation at the time, it seemed they were just spreading rumors," the woman replied.

"But they almost didn't contact anyone else before selling the TV station," the elderly man mused, "I suspect ATV has a close relationship with this company."

"What do you think, sir?" the woman asked.

"Hmm, don't rush. This is a good opportunity. The change of ownership at ATV will inevitably cause some turmoil. Have Tian Lin and the others prepare some good scripts to take advantage of this opportunity and suppress them," the elderly man said after a moment.

Yes, this elderly man in a traditional robe was none other than the chairman of TVB, Sir Run Run Shaw, and the woman addressing him as "sir" was his concubine, Ms. Fang.

"Yes, sir," Ms. Fang nodded.

"Also, find out more about that chairman as soon as possible," Sir Run Run Shaw added quickly.

"Understood, sir," Ms. Fang replied, then hesitated for a moment.

"Speak your mind," Sir Run Run Shaw noticed her hesitation and said.

"Sir, four days ago, when ATV announced the sale of the TV station to Imagination Holdings, someone from their side approached the artist department, wanting to... buy Zhao Yazi's contract," Ms. Fang carefully chose her words.

"You mean Imagination Holdings, not ATV?" Sir Run Run Shaw frowned.

"Yes, Imagination Holdings," Ms. Fang confirmed.

"Where is Zhao Yazi now?" Sir Run Run Shaw asked immediately.

"According to her family, she is still on vacation in San Francisco, but..." Ms. Fang hesitated again but continued, "According to her sister in San Francisco, she seems to be staying at Deng Lijun's house."

"Staying at Deng Lijun's house?" Sir Run Run Shaw was confused but quickly understood, frowning even deeper.

Ms. Fang remained silent, waiting quietly.

After a moment, Sir Run Run Shaw said, "I remember Deng Lijun is recording 'Happy Tonight' tonight, right?"

"It's already being recorded," Ms. Fang checked the time.

"Don't make rash statements or tests," Sir Run Run Shaw said, "Delay Zhao Yazi's contract for now. If Little Edward Li has strong connections in the United States, the British will definitely invite him to some gatherings. Our task now is to gather as much information about him as possible."

He paused and added, "We can't let our guard down with Tian Lin either."

"Yes, sir, I understand," Ms. Fang nodded and then left the office.

Sir Run Run Shaw leaned back in his high-backed chair, closed his eyes for a while, and then sighed, "I'm getting old."

Such discussions were common among the upper echelons of Hong Kong after ATV announced the sale of its TV station to an American company, but TVB was paying more attention, as they were competitors.

Compared to the local capital, which was still in the dark, the British clearly knew more.

"Please sit, Mr. Felts." In the South Drawing Room of Government House on Albemarle Street in Central, the current governor, Lord MacLehose, walked in and said to John Felts, one of the executives of Standard Chartered Bank, who had risen, "I apologize for keeping you waiting. There was a small issue just now."

"Thank you, Governor," Felts bowed politely.

"Tea? Coffee?" MacLehose smiled and asked after sitting down.

"Tea, please," Felts replied politely.

After the waiter brought in the fine bone china and poured the tea, MacLehose asked, "Tell me, Mr. Felts, since the establishment of Imagination Holdings, you have had the most interactions with them. What do you think of Todd Chen and the man behind him, Little Edward Li?"