Chapter 216: Group Trip to Beijing

Under Xiao Ran’s persistent questioning, he learned that there was actually a pretty good road in Qingshui Bay—one suitable for racing and requiring skill to drive on. Knowing this, he finally felt relieved.
Without further hesitation, he decided to proceed with filming the movie titled “Racing Storms.” After warning Chen Jiafeng not to cause trouble, he allowed them to leave. These two would serve as technical advisors for the film; if anything went wrong, filming might not go smoothly.
During the preparatory stage, one day, Li Ka-shing called and invited him to the racetrack for a discussion. Upon arriving and entering the VIP room, Xiao Ran was stunned at what he saw—four out of the ten top richest men in Hong Kong, including Li Ka-shing and Li Zhaoji, were there. Additionally, there were Huo Yingdong, Bao Yugang, and Rong Zhijian.
What day was it? Had Hong Kong sunk? Otherwise, why were they all here so neatly? Various thoughts crossed Xiao Ran’s mind as he laughed and strode into the room, “With all these super-rich people here, are you planning some big deal? Can’t you forget about me?”
After discussing things with Rong Zhijian, Xiao Ran remembered that Rong’s son would successfully acquire Hengchang next year. However, in the end, Li Ka-shing and the others would have to sell their shares to Rong Zhijian, earning little profit.
Speaking of acquisitions, Xiao Ran recalled that Wei Dongling was working on two plans to acquire Hong Kong’s second-largest real estate company, Land Development, and another famous British-owned company, Wharf Group, in order to expand the company into other industries. But Land Development wasn’t easy to acquire—Li Ka-shing had tried before but failed.
Xiao Ran wasn’t too concerned about this. Wei Dongling could show him the acquisition plans first, and then he could decide whether to proceed. After all, Wei Dongling handled most of the company’s affairs.
When Rong Zhijian saw Xiao Ran arrive, he warmly stepped forward and patted his shoulder, “Stop joking. You earn way more money than us now! I’ve brought you here for another reason—I think you’ll be interested!”
Li Ka-shing spoke concisely. Once everyone present had arrived, he smiled and said, “I’ve invited you all here for a simple reason. The situation in the mainland has stabilized, and the central government hopes we can go to Beijing to stabilize public sentiment here and boost economic development there. What do you all think?”
Xiao Ran glanced at Rong Zhijian, who wore a faint smile, and felt pleased inwardly. He was probably more eager for this than anyone else here. While others’ businesses couldn’t function without the mainland market, Xiao Ran’s film industry certainly couldn’t thrive without it.
Glancing at the others, Bao Yugang and Huo Yingdong obviously had no objections. However, the Guo brothers seemed hesitant, and Li Zhaojiang also looked troubled. It wasn’t that they didn’t care about the mainland market, but they were skeptical about everything.

Xiao Ran smiled faintly nonstop. The Guo brothers and Li Ka-shing were not pro-Communist businessmen, so it was naturally difficult for them to agree to this suggestion. Rong Zhijian scanned the group with a sharp gaze, stopping on Xiao Ran’s face, about to say something. But then he heard the Guo brothers and Li Ka-shing shake their heads at the same time: “You guys go handle this!”
Li Ka-shing couldn’t help but sigh. He had hoped to bring in all of Hong Kong’s top ten richest people to boost momentum and create influence on the mainland. But this clearly wasn’t feasible—just these few had already refused.
Xiao Ran smiled lightly, trying to suppress his excitement as he said, “Who can we meet by going to Beijing this time? I think that’s very important.”
Rong Zhijian was slightly puzzled; he didn’t quite understand Xiao Ran’s meaning. Of course, he didn’t realize that for Xiao Ran, it was necessary to meet influential figures—such as high-ranking officials—to pave the way for his plans.
Seeing Rong Zhijian’s expression, Xiao Ran suddenly understood. He guessed this suggestion probably didn’t come from Li Ka-shing but from the central government. Thinking about it, it made sense—the mainland was currently undergoing reform and opening up, and it needed powerful conglomerates to enter.
The Guo brothers and Li Ka-shing apologized and left first. Only a few pro-Communist tycoons remained, including Bao Yugang. They all stared at Xiao Ran, unsure whether they wanted to support or oppose him. In a sense, although Xiao Ran was one of the top ten richest people, his business operations and scale were still far behind the other nine.
After all, companies like CLP in the Cheung Wa Group were extremely famous in Hong Kong, while Xiao Ran only owned film-related and media-related businesses, which were hardly comparable. For such companies, collapse wasn’t easy—after all, Shadow had no debts and a huge cash reserve.
But if he focused solely on developing the media industry, it might not be enough to reach the scale of a supercorporation. This was one of the main reasons why Wei Dongling planned to acquire several industrial companies—trying to find one or more industrial pillars to support Shadow’s media empire.
Just like Li Ka-shing, whose Cheung Wa Group spanned various industries—shipping, retail, real estate—truly a kingdom of enterprises. For Shadow, the media was the unshakable core industry, so expanding into other sectors wasn’t a big problem; there was no issue with too much mixed investment, as long as priorities were clear.
Xiao Ran hesitated for a while before smiling and saying, “No problem, I’ll join this group! But in Beijing, I need to meet influential people.”
Rong Zhijian breathed a sigh of relief. The whole world knew that Li Ka-shing and his group were pro-mainland. If this delegation still consisted of these same people, there would be nothing to boast about. But with Xiao Ran, a new tycoon, joining, it would be different.
“Since the decision is made, let’s watch the horse races. My horse is competing today too. Trust me, it will definitely come in first!” Rong Zhijian owned several horses, as well-known throughout Hong Kong. Xiao Ran certainly saw nothing surprising in that.

Before leaving, Li Ka-shing invited Xiao Ran to go with him to discuss something. In his car, Li Ka-shing hesitated for a moment before saying, “Xiao Ran, I have an idea. I wonder if you’re interested? I want to try to acquire Landmark Properties again.”
Huh? Xiao Ran felt dizzy for a moment. Wei Dongling was already planning to acquire Landmark Properties, and now Li Ka-shing brought up this plan as well. Unable to help it, he laughed a few times before finally catching his breath. Looking at Li Ka-shing, who seemed puzzled, he said, “Shadow is currently preparing to enter the industrial sector, and Landmark Properties is my first target!”
Li Ka-shing was stunned and soon burst into laughter. What a coincidence! However, Landmark Properties wasn’t an easy target to acquire—it was a established British-owned company, quite stable and conservative. That’s where Li Ka-shing had failed last time.
The group of wealthy individuals visiting Beijing this time was led by Li Ka-shing, with many others of relatively weaker financial strength. Thanks to the participation of wealthy people like Xiao Ran, this visit to Beijing attracted a lot of attention. Ten days later, Xiao Ran and the others headed to Beijing.
Beijing now was very different from it more than a decade ago, retaining a strong sense of an ancient city. Although there were fewer buildings compared to later times, it had much more character. Wei Dongling didn’t come himself but sent an assistant with Xiao Ran, hoping to discuss some business matters along the way.
After checking into their hotel, a meeting with the leader was arranged for the afternoon. It had to be admitted that the security was extremely strict, and there were several people taking photos, likely from Xinhua News Agency. The leader wasn’t tall and appeared quite old, but his mind still seemed sharp.
Following the order of status, Xiao Ran voluntarily placed himself after people like Fok Ying-tong and stepped forward to shake the leader’s hand. The secretary behind the leader softly introduced Xiao Ran’s background to him, after which the leader nodded slowly, his gaze meaningful as he looked at Xiao Ran.
Actually, there wasn’t much to describe about such a meeting—it was mainly a formal discussion. The real decisions were made in private. The next day, after Li Ka-shing had a private talk with the leader, Xiao Ran was on the phone with his wife when the leader sent someone to call him.
He followed the guards through strict security measures before finally meeting the leader who had led China down the path of reform and opening up. Everyone in China knew this leader was very good at restraint, a trait Xiao Ran shared to some extent.
This conversation was much more intimate than the last time. As soon as the leader saw Xiao Ran, he warmly invited him, “Come, sit down and talk at ease!”
Xiao Ran no longer had any sense of authority—after all, such authority came from status and position. In front of the leader, what status could he talk about? After thinking for a while, the leader said, “Xiao Ran, for the mainland, your Shadow is very important, even more so than Li Ka-shing. Do you know why?”
“I have a rough idea!” Xiao Ran said with a wry smile. He hadn’t felt such restraint in a long time, and now it had reappeared: “Shadow operates in the cultural industry and has a great influence.”

The leader nodded in satisfaction. “Movies have a subtle influence. Used well, they can be a means to control public opinion. Judging from your company’s performance, you’ve done very well.”
“The leader is too kind. I’m still young and don’t understand many things; I still need your guidance!” Xiao Ran had rarely spoken in such a humble tone before, though it wasn’t really humility but rather respect. Anyway, as someone from over a decade later, he recognized the leader’s achievements.
“Since you put it that way, let’s get straight to the point. Time is precious!” The leader smiled. His accent was strong—Li Ka-shing and the others might not have understood him, but Xiao Ran could: “The domestic film industry isn’t good. When Hong Kong returns, Chinese-language films will still rely on you. The market needs to be free, but not too free. I heard there was a Hong Kong movie called ‘Hello, Cousin’ some time ago that attacked the mainland. That’s not acceptable.”
Xiao Ran listened quietly to the wise old man’s words. At this point, the leader suddenly laughed heartily and pointed at himself. “I don’t understand movies, but even freedom has its limits. Many things need to be judged fairly and justly, right?”
Xiao Ran forced a wry smile. That movie, “Hello, Cousin,” was one of the most famous Hong Kong films attacking the mainland, portraying mainlanders as rigid and overly patriotic. Its director, Zhang Jianting, was one of the harshest critics of the mainland. He really didn’t know what that guy was thinking.
“I heard that Shadow has already started collaborating with the mainland, bringing in mainland talent to Hong Kong for training. That’s a good thing!” Seeing Xiao Ran remain silent and nervous, the leader laughed. “Xiao Ran, what are your thoughts? What are your requests?”
Gathering his courage, Xiao Ran glanced at the respected old man before speaking softly, “Leader, movies are a product of the market. Relying solely on government support will never work. As you said, a market economy is needed. Now, Chinese-language films only exist in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong market is too small, and relying on overseas markets won’t suffice. I think that with a mainland market, Hong Kong films will surely become the hub for Chinese-language film production.”
The leader closed his eyes briefly, thinking, before saying with a smile, “Young man, you have big ambitions. I agree with you, but some things can’t be rushed. You can explain in more detail!”
Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment. At that instant, he really had many things he wanted to say—such as issues related to Japan and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He hoped to bring them up, but he couldn’t find the right reasons. With a sigh, he gave up.
“You know, South Korea has imposed strict restrictions on foreign films. It’s hard to say whether other regions will adopt such protectionism.” Xiao Ran carefully chose his words and said cautiously, “As you know, movies are a form of artistic creation. So, I’m worried that strict censorship by the mainland film bureau will stifle creativity in the future!”

This is an extremely critical issue, far more important than so-called theater releases. Historically, “The Big Boss” was forced to cut out several scenes because it failed film censorship, turning it into a poor-quality movie in the mainland. The direct consequence was that film companies, in order to enter the mainland market, had to cater to that censorship system.
“Since the mainland lacks a standardized film market, it’s unable to cultivate professional film talent. I think if policies are relaxed to allow Hong Kong capital to enter the mainland, that would help!” Xiao Ran spoke with extreme caution.
“We can’t rush things; it’s better to proceed step by step. I heard you demanded that other Hong Kong film companies meet a certain percentage in production costs—that’s not good.” The leader thought for a moment before smiling: “Once you return, the mainland will immediately lift restrictions on co-productions. Perhaps in another two or three years, the film market will be opened up. But it seems you have something to say—go ahead!”
Indeed impressive! Xiao Ran thought to himself, while coming up with countless excuses to casually mention what he knew about politics: “Leader, in my opinion, the Soviet Union is likely to face major troubles in the next year. I believe this will lead to the rise of the United States as a superpower, and by then their films will be sold worldwide, making it difficult for Chinese-language films to keep up!”
Now Xiao Ran was somewhat impressed with himself for coming up with this connection to films on the spot, making it seem less related to politics. The leader frowned slightly: “What kind of troubles? Tell me.”
“My speculation is as follows…” Xiao Ran began to explain to the leader.