Faced with Gao Qiaohao's clear and to-the-point triple worries, Lin Huowang was not moved or worried at all. Instead, a confident smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
This smile made Gao Qiaohao stunned. Could it be that Mr. Kobayashi already had a solution?
"Mr. Gao Qiao's analysis is very reasonable and every sentence hits the nail on the head."
Lin Huowang first affirmed his professional judgment, "I have thought about these issues."
He stood up and walked to the window, his back to Gao Qiaohao, his voice still calm: "Exclusive intelligence network, don't worry, I have a reliable source to guarantee it."
These words revealed an unfathomable confidence.
"As for talent..."
Lin Huowang turned around, his eyes gleaming. "Just go ahead and recruit! With a generous offer, someone will definitely come. Hong Kong Island has plenty of talent, especially in the newspaper industry. Offer a salary that's at least 30% higher than those of the established major newspapers! Especially those with journalistic aspirations, good writing skills, and creative ideas. Regardless of their background, recruit them!"
His tone was full of determination, and it was obvious that he had sufficient funds.
"Then... the most critical issue is the source of content."
Lin Huowang took out a stack of manuscript paper from his desk drawer, secured with an iron clip. He said with a determined look, "We'll follow the path of Ming Pao and use serial novels to support half of our business."
Gao Qiaohao took the manuscript with both hands. The ink on the yellowed paper was still fresh. On the first page were three powerful cursive titles - "A Journey to the West".
His pupils suddenly shrank, and he exclaimed, "Traveling back to the Warring States Period? Xiang Shaolong? This theme... is a historical fantasy theme that Hong Kong has never seen before."
Lin Huowang tapped his fingertips on the table and said with a smile, "The protagonist I designed, Xiang Shaolong, travels back to the pre-Qin period, witnesses the struggle for supremacy among the seven kingdoms, participates in the Battle of Handan and the Changping Incident. He even intervenes in the end to seize power from Ying Zheng - he writes major historical events into gangster conspiracies and the various schools of thought into martial arts sects!"
Gao Qiaohao quickly flipped through the outline: Volume One, "The Romance of Handan," where the protagonist impersonates a Mohist disciple and maneuvers against Lü Buwei. Volume Two, "The Xianyang Scheme," where he helps Ying Zheng crush Lao Ai's rebellion and rewrites the truth behind the Book Burning and Burying of Scholars. The Final Volume, "Unifying the Country," where he personally trains Qin elite soldiers, only to be ostracized by time and space before unification... The more he read, the more alarmed he became: "Mixing political history and anecdotes into martial arts—this level of sleight of hand will probably get criticized by left-wing newspapers..."
"So I chose 'Huang Yi' as my pen name," Lin Huowang said with a sly smile. "Hong Kong readers are tired of Jin Yong's chivalrous novels and Gu Long's suspenseful ones. We want to offer something new—political intrigue, erotica, and historical deconstruction! A historical time-travel novel, a pioneering time-travel novel..."
Gao Qiaohao flipped to the crucial chapter, "A Night Banquet at Lü's Mansion," and gasped when he saw the ambiguous exchange between Xiang Shaolong and Zhao Ji. "This is ten times more daring than Ni Kuang's 'The Female Black Knight Mulan'! I'm afraid the moment it's published, the leftist newspapers will definitely denounce it as obscene."
"Believe it or not, the more the left lashes out, the faster sales increase."
Lin Huowang narrowed his eyes slightly. "Just recruit people. I'll submit the serials every week. Remember—we want to be disruptors of the newspaper industry, not followers."
Outside the window, the sound of a ship whistle came from Victoria Harbour. A stack of manuscripts of "A Step into the Past" was pressed on the second issue of the Japanese original magazine "Dragon Jump". The yellowed pages were like freshly tempered blades, ready to pierce the vital points of Hong Kong's newspaper industry.
…
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