The next morning, newsstands across Hong Kong Island were dominated by the same explosive news headlines.
The major newspapers have clear positions, but their comments are distinctive:
Sing Tao Daily, a long-established right-wing newspaper, had a striking and exaggerated headline:
"Spending hundreds of millions! Xiaolin Sheng declares war on TVB by purchasing RTV for his beloved!"
The content was extremely exaggerated: "...the new emperor of Hong Kong Land, Xiaolin Tianwang, was furious! Dissatisfied with the "shady dealings" in the TVB Miss Hong Kong finals and his lover Liu Rumeng's second place, he brazenly announced the launch of a full acquisition of Rediffusion's subsidiary, Rediffusion Entertainment!
This move was seen as a drastic gamble, a direct declaration of war against TVB's dominance! Kobayashi declared, "TVB has manipulated the results and played tricks on the people of Hong Kong. They must pay the price!" ... If this move succeeds, the Hong Kong television landscape could be turned upside down! Sir Run Run Shaw's TVB dynasty faces its strongest challenger!
The report also included expert commentary, written by financial commentator Peter Chen: "Xiao Linsheng's move is incredibly bold, but the acquisition of a British television organization faces numerous obstacles, and money alone may not be the answer. It's more like a 'gift of great value' to Ms. Liu, demonstrating her strength and determination."
Oriental Daily News, the former sales leader, had a sensational and eye-catching headline:
"One Dragon, Five Phoenixes Sequel? Mr. Xiaolin bought a TV station just to make Miss Liu smile!"
The content is full of gossip and incitement: "...in order to win the smile of his beloved Liu Rumeng, the newly-minted real estate tycoon Kobayashi Tianwang has gone completely crazy!
Following the exorbitantly priced "One Dragon, Five Phoenixes" dinner at the Peninsula Hotel, Kobayashi has made another stunning move—spending billions to launch a multi-billion dollar acquisition of Lifestyle Entertainment! The trigger points to the "unfairness" of the TVB Miss Hong Kong finals!
Insiders revealed: The night Liu Rumeng lost the championship, Xiao Linsheng was furious and vowed, "If TVB doesn't give me an explanation, I will set up my own TV station to crown Mengmeng!" ... Spending so much money on a woman is unheard of since the founding of Hong Kong! How will TVB's Sir Run Run Shaw respond?
The article also received expert commentary, with sociologist Professor Li writing, "This move fully exposes the arrogance of the new elite and represents a blatant desecration of the media's public resources by capital. Profit-driven media mergers and acquisitions ultimately undermine the public's right to know."
Ming Pao, the political commentary newspaper run by the great Jin Yong, has a relatively calm and rational headline:
Kobayashi Tenmo plans to acquire LifeScience, potentially causing a major upheaval in Hong Kong's television industry
The content focuses on analyzing the impact: "...The Kobayashi Group officially announced yesterday that it has made an offer to acquire Rediffusion Television based on doubts about the fairness of TVB's Miss Hong Kong pageant and commercial strategy considerations.
If successful, this move will completely change the long-standing monopoly of TVB in Hong Kong's television industry and introduce strong competition.
Analysts pointed out that with the successful experience of Asia Daily and strong capital, Kobayashi is indeed capable of injecting vitality into Lifestyle.
However, whether British-backed TVB is willing to change ownership involves complex political and economic factors, and its future remains uncertain. Furthermore, TVB's years of accumulated production capabilities and audience base cannot be overturned by capital in the short term. A fierce competition between the two is likely to unfold.
The involvement of capital in the media industry has both advantages and disadvantages. The key lies in whether it can improve program quality and serve the public. Mr. Kobayashi is certainly talented at running a newspaper, but television production is another dimension that will require time to prove.
Asia Times, the newspaper owned by Lin Huowang, took a clear stand and cheered for its boss.
The front page featured a banner headline: "Break the Monopoly, Defend Justice! Xiaolin Sheng Invests in Laishi TV, Targeting TVB's Domineering and Shady Practices!"
The editorials in it were written with righteous words and full of fire:
"The era of TVB's one-handed control should be over! The Miss Hong Kong pageant should have been a grand celebration for all Hong Kong citizens to witness beauty and wisdom together, but it has been manipulated by TVB executives and turned into a farce of behind-the-scenes manipulation and trampling on fairness!
What happened to Ms. Liu Rumeng is by no means an isolated case, but the inevitable result of TVB’s arrogance and tyranny under its long-term monopoly!
TVB, RTV and ATV should be the three major players, competing in a healthy manner, which would be a blessing for Hong Kong audiences.
However, for years, Rediffusion and ATV have been weak, while TVB has dominated, monopolizing resources and manipulating public opinion. They even openly treat beauty pageants as their own private property, wantonly tampering with the results and deceiving millions of Hong Kong citizens! Their actions are no longer commercial competition; they are a serious violation of public trust.
Mr. Kobayashi's initiation of the acquisition of Lishi was by no means an impulsive act, nor was it a simple romantic act of "risking one's life for a beauty". Miss Liu Rumeng's experience was just a fuse.
Its fundamental purpose is to break TVB's monopoly and introduce real competition to revitalize the stagnant Hong Kong television industry.
It's about telling TVB that Hong Kong audiences are discerning and justice must not be trampled upon! No one can manipulate public opinion and play by the rules and still sit back and relax!
Since the existing competitors are unable to compete with TVB, it is up to Mr. Kobayashi to acquire Rediffusion Television, take on this responsibility, make changes and take on challenges!
Asia Daily firmly believes that with Mr. Kobayashi's foresight, strong capital and successful experience, the new RTV will be revitalized and bring fairer, more diverse and higher-quality television programs to Hong Kong Island audiences!
TVB's 'Declaration of Independence' will inevitably crumble in the face of absolute strength and determination to pursue justice! A new era for Hong Kong television is about to dawn!
These news were like a hurricane, sweeping across every corner of Hong Kong Island in an instant and becoming the hottest topic of conversation on the streets, in tea restaurants and in offices.
"You're crazy! Buying a TV station? Does he really think he's God? Will the British sell it to him? Is TVB that easy to defeat? Where's their decades-long foundation?"
In the Central office buildings, white-collar workers were generally pessimistic, believing that Kobayashi Tenwang was too arrogant.
"Tsk tsk, losing billions for a woman, is it worth it? No matter how beautiful a woman is, she will be gone in the blink of an eye!" The dock workers found it unbelievable and thought it was a pure waste of money.
"TVB went a bit too far last night. Liu Rumeng clearly performed the best. Xiao Linsheng was willing to stand up for her. Although it was a bit exaggerated, a man should be responsible like this! I support Xiao Linsheng!" Some young women were attracted by this "domineering president"-style behavior.
"Asia Daily is doing so well, maybe it can actually revitalize Rediffusion Television? More competition would be good, so TVB doesn't keep airing those same old auntie dramas!"
A small number of citizens, especially loyal readers of "A Step into the Past", have some expectations for Kobayashi Tenno's "media genius".
"There's definitely something fishy going on! I support Xiao Linsheng's acquisition of Rediffusion Entertainment. He should organize a beauty pageant and show TVB what fairness is!"
Those who were dissatisfied with the results of TVB's Miss Hong Kong pageant regarded Kobayashi Tenmo's move as a declaration of war against the "black curtain" and cheered loudly.
"Can money really mean anything? Buying a TV station is like buying a vegetable? This world..."
More people have a complicated mentality, shocked that the power of wealth can so subvert common sense, and feel a little uneasy.
Kobayashi Tenno's name is once again closely associated with "madness", "power" and "doing whatever one wants".
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