Chapter 16

(Listen! Thank you to 'Ye Zhengnan', 'Taiyi Daozun', and 'The Person Under the Umbrella' for your generous donations, thank you!)

"How come you came over in person today? Are you that free?"

After Deng Lijun left Hong Kong, Wu Cheng resumed his previous reclusive lifestyle.

In the morning, after Zhao Yazhi went to work, the Urban Entertainment News people came to collect the manuscript. To his surprise, it was Wu Shulan herself who came, so Wu Cheng teased her with a smile.

Wu Shulan smiled and said, "Aren't you going to invite me in for a sit?"

"Alright! Please come in!"

After letting Wu Shulan in, Wu Cheng said, "Feel free to sit down! Would you like something to drink?"

Wu Shulan looked around and then smiled, "It's quite cozy here! No wonder you're so content to stay in this land of comfort and forget to return to your homeland."

"Please! Since I came to Hong Kong, I've always lived here! How can you say I've forgotten to return?"

"Are you really planning to stay here and never visit our family?"

"It's not the right time yet!" Wu Cheng shook his head and said, "I don't want to be seen as a poor relative coming to seek help. Once I achieve something, I doubt anyone will say anything."

"Then when are you going to meet my grandfather, your uncle?"

"About that... isn't it up to him?"

"That's more like it!" Wu Shulan smiled and then handed him a thick yellow envelope, saying, "Here, this is for you!"

"What's this?" Wu Cheng asked, took it, and opened it. He found a stack of Hong Kong dollars, about 50,000 to 60,000, and raised an eyebrow, "Why so much?"

"Forty thousand is for the planning fee for the Urban Entertainment News redesign, which is a reward and what you deserve. It was supposed to be fifty thousand, but you said before that the debt should be deducted from your bonus, so I did that. We're family, so let's be clear about the accounts!"

"The other 25,000 is your manuscript fee for the past few days!" Wu Shulan smiled slightly and said, "Speaking of which, you're now the highest-paid writer in Hong Kong's literary circle. I wonder if the old masters would scold you to death if they knew!"

Wu Cheng chuckled and said seriously, "It's best not to let outsiders know about this. Otherwise, someone will surely jump out and say you're breaking industry rules. If other authors also demand higher fees, the Urban Entertainment News will have many enemies."

"Don't worry! I'm not that stupid!" Wu Shulan said confidently.

Wu Cheng looked at her and smiled, "You're not going to relax just because of this, right? If you do, it won't take long for the Urban Entertainment News to be pushed back to the bottom again!"

"What do you mean?"

"The reason the Urban Entertainment News has such high sales now is mainly due to the successful redesign. Do you think other newspapers will sit idly by and not redesign? Those big newspapers have more resources than you. Once they recover, can you compete with them?" Wu Cheng shook his head and said, "What you need to do now is maintain your advantage and move forward bravely. You can't be complacent and stop because of a little success."

"Then, Uncle, how do you think we should maintain our advantage?"

"What do you think you should do?" Wu Cheng countered.

At this point, Wu Shulan was treating Wu Cheng as an adult.

"Expand the reporter team, dig for more celebrity news, find more news material, hire famous film critics at high salaries to write reviews, and find more excellent excerpts..." Wu Shulan listed everything she could think of.

Seeing Wu Cheng's half-smiling, half-serious expression, Wu Shulan felt a bit uneasy. It seemed her media studies were in vain, and she was less knowledgeable than a child.

Only when Wu Shulan felt uncomfortable did Wu Cheng say, "What you said is correct, but the most fundamental issue hasn't been addressed, which is talent management. What is the most important thing for a successful company? It's not capital or connections, but talent. And the most direct way to retain talent is not through contract constraints or emotional ties, but through the combination of interests. Contracts have an end, and emotions can fade, but only interests are eternal."

Wu Shulan felt that this little uncle in front of her was a prodigy. At such a young age, he understood the world so thoroughly. Is he really only twelve years old?

"As for how to improve benefits, you don't need me to tell you, right?" Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Besides that, the things you mentioned earlier do need to be strengthened. Also, in the media, there must be a bottom line. Don't report on everything; some things need to be considered carefully. By the way, your Urban Entertainment News hasn't made a supplement yet, right? If you do, you can position it as a fashion and entertainment magazine, published biweekly. Hong Kong's fashion is still in its infancy. If you can lead the way, you can definitely set the trend in Hong Kong..."

"Uncle, what do you think about this fashion magazine?"

Wu Cheng nodded and said, "I do have some ideas. I'll make a plan and contact you when it's ready. You prepare first, and I'll be ready in at most half a month!"

"Alright! By the way, find some time to meet my grandfather!"

"You arrange it! I'm usually free!"

"Alright, how about tomorrow afternoon at the Peninsula Hotel?"

"Let's skip the Peninsula Hotel! Too many celebrities go there. If I go, your family will soon know that this 'poor relative' has appeared!"

"You're not a poor relative now!"

"In their eyes, I am!"

"Alright! Come to my office then!"

"Alright!"

...

After Wu Shulan left, Wu Cheng casually placed the large envelope on the desk and then entered his work mode. After finishing the day's manuscript, he started writing the plan for the fashion magazine.

Although in his previous life, he was almost a shut-in who knew nothing about fashion, with a 21st-century perspective, he found the current fashion trends quite outdated.

Therefore, Wu Cheng was quite confident about this.

Moreover, Wu Cheng had already found a model, Zhao Yazhi. He wanted to transform Zhao Yazhi into a beautiful woman with a combination of fashion, elegance, and grace, making her a benchmark for fashion followers.

By evening, when Zhao Yazhi returned, Wu Cheng had already finished the plan.

He also started sketching some clothing designs. In his previous life, Wu Cheng had learned some drawing and even studied manga for a while, but later gave it up. In this life, Wu Cheng was forced by his grandfather to learn calligraphy and painting from a young age, so his drawing skills were far superior to his previous life. Therefore, sketching was not a problem.

A few simple lines vividly depicted the beauty of the clothing. However, what Wu Cheng found beautiful seemed strange to Zhao Yazhi. This was due to the difference in aesthetic standards of the times.

However, Wu Cheng believed that once these clothes were made and paired with hairstyles, he could transform Zhao Yazhi into a woman with immense fashion appeal. Her innate grace and elegance were something others could not imitate.

"Why did you start designing clothes? Did you learn this before?"

Zhao Yazhi looked at Wu Cheng curiously, thinking that his ideas were truly bizarre. Could these clothes be from the mainland? But that was impossible!

News from the mainland occasionally reached Hong Kong. From the pictures in the newspapers, it was clear that the mainland was quite backward.

"This is my talent, and others can't learn it," Wu Cheng said with a proud smile. "Sis Zhao, these are all designed specifically for you. Once they're made, you can try them on. I'll transform you into a woman with fashion, elegance, and grace. When Chow Tai Fook comes to us for an advertisement, we can ask for a high price without any guilt!"

"Did you plan this all along?" Zhao Yazhi asked in surprise.

"Of course, but it was also a coincidence. I was planning to wait a bit longer." Wu Cheng paused and then looked at Zhao Yazhi, "Sis Zhao, when you become famous and TVB offers you a contract, don't sign with them. TVB is too stingy, like a bloodsucker. In the future, I plan to start a film company, so I need you to stay with me. Of course, if they offer you a per-film contract, you can consider it."

"What? You're planning to start a film company?" Zhao Yazhi was once again shocked by Wu Cheng.

"There's nothing strange about that!" Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Only by starting our own film company can Sis Zhao have the freedom to act when she wants and rest when she wants!"

"Cheng, do you know how much it costs to make a movie?"

"I do!"

"If you know, why are you being so reckless? What if you lose money?"

"If I lose money, I'll just write more novels. Even if no one reads my novels, Sis Zhao can still support me!" Wu Cheng said with a grin, not taking it seriously.

Zhao Yazhi was at a loss, torn between laughing and crying at Wu Cheng's carefree attitude. But in the end, she hugged him emotionally and whispered, "Xiao Cheng, why are you so good to me?"

Nestled in her embrace, Wu Cheng found a very comfortable spot, leaning against the soft, elastic cushions, breathing in the sweet scent, and smiling with his eyes closed, "Actually, there's no particular reason. I just want to see Sis Zhao happy and joyful. Sis Zhao, are you willing to help me create this happy place?"

"But... but I don't know anything and don't know how I can help you."

At this moment, Zhao Yazhi lacked Wu Cheng's confidence.

"It's okay if you don't know. Sis Zhao just needs to be beautiful, and I'll take care of making money!"

"Then... I'll give it a try!"

"Then it's settled!"

"Just don't sell me out! I'm so stupid, and you're so smart. You might sell me out and I'd still be counting the money for you!" Zhao Yazhi pouted cutely.

At this moment, neither of them realized that their expressions didn't resemble those of a sister and brother but more like a brother and sister!

"How could I do that? I could never bear to!" Wu Cheng murmured.

Zhao Yazhi was momentarily lost in thought.

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