Chapter 234: Little Cuties

It must be admitted that these two little ones are extremely cute, inheriting the best traits from their parents. Strangely enough, the son resembles Lin Qingxia a bit more, while the daughter looks more like Xiao Ran—though their skin isn’t dark at all.
“Xiao Qing, come here!” Xiao Ran helplessly knelt down and called out to the toddler who had already learned to walk. There’s actually an interesting story behind this name—the elders from the Xiao and Lin families argued endlessly over it.
Xiao Ran’s mother thought things through very carefully and simply said, “Let’s call him Xiao Jiyeh. After all, he’ll inherit his father’s business someday.” This left Xiao Ran quite frustrated. Was he that old already? Why think about inheriting a business so early?
In the end, annoyed, Xiao Ran stood up angrily and chose a character from Lin Qingxia’s name as the child’s name. When the daughter was born, the arguments continued, and it was Xiao Ran himself who chose Xiao Ling, as a way to thank Wei Dongling for her constant help.
Xiao Qing muttered something but refused to come over no matter what. Xiao Ran helplessly glanced at Lin Qingxia. Xiao Qing had never been very clingy to him. According to Lin Qingxia, it was because Xiao Ran had too much “evil energy” about him. This made Xiao Ran wonder where he got such evil energy, since he’d never even killed anyone.
Strangely, Xiao Ling was close to him but not so much to Lin Qingxia. Similarly, Xiao Ran was still teased by Lin Qingxia for being good at attracting women, with Xiao Han as proof. Xiao Ran had no choice but to agree—Xiao Han, now twenty years old, was still as clingy to him as when she was a child.
Xiao Ran picked up Xiao Ling, who was just a few months old and could only lick fingers. He gently stroked her incomparably soft face with his finger. Xiao Ling immediately started giggling, much to Lin Qingxia’s slight envy.
Since having children, Xiao Ran’s mother thought it would be better for Lin Qingxia to stop acting. Plus, Lin Qingxia herself didn’t want to take on roles like before, so she basically retired from acting. As they were talking, Zhong Chuhong drove in with a car, looking outside curiously. Seeing the couple, she quickly said, “There are a few guys outside. They seem to be reporters from Dong Zhou Ke.”
Dong Zhou Ke? Xiao Ran quickly recalled information about this magazine. It was founded by the Oriental Press Group but had been sold to Yang Shoucheng some time ago. After a highly influential nude photo scandal, this magazine was ordered to cease publication, becoming one of the most notorious gossip magazines in Hong Kong.
Xiao Ran wasn’t afraid that Dong Zhou Ke would publish anything related to him. If they did, he could surely shut them down. Yang Shoucheng was just a small jewelry merchant—what was he? Trying to get involved in the film industry without Xiao Ran’s approval was a dead end.
After instructing the security to drive those guys away, Zhong Chuhong took Xiao Ling from Xiao Ran’s arms. She really liked this little girl and even became her godmother. Of course, Brother Fa and Wei Dongling also accidentally became the godfathers of the two kids.

Xiao Ling was very picky about people. If Zhong Chuhong hadn’t become familiar with her, she would likely have started crying and screaming right away. If she really did cry and shout, even Lin Qingxia would find it hard to stop her—only Xiao Ran could calm her down with a gentle hug, causing Xiao Ling to look at her father with wide, round eyes. No wonder Lin Qingxia felt jealous.

After chatting and laughing with them for a while, Xiao Ran returned to his study to get to work. He was planning to enter the mainland and North American markets. The issues on the mainland weren’t too serious; the key was to secure the distribution rights, just as it was in all of Asia.

Putting that aside for now, Xiao Ran began reviewing the latest list of movie investments. Thanks to his keen eye for movies, the planning department always showed him which films could be produced after making a decision.

The first film was “Three Heroes of the East 2.” This sequel was completely different from the nuclear explosion storyline in Xiao Ran’s memory. Just kidding—the original sequel was a tragedy. This franchise was meant to be turned into a series, so the sequel’s story also involved three female protagonists teaming up to fight another powerful villain.

Filming this movie was inevitable, but the key was the lead actress. It was unlikely that Lin Qingxia would return to acting in the short term. Meanwhile, Zhang Manyu, whose value had soared to eight million, had agreed to star. Mei Yanfang, following Xiao Ran’s advice, no longer worked herself to exhaustion and could handle this role without problem. After some consideration, Xiao Ran decided that if Lin Qingxia didn’t have time to return, the role could be given to Yang Zijiong or Miao Liyun.

Yang Zijiong from Malaysia was one of the most famous action actresses in the film industry today, while Miao Liyun, from the mainland, also had excellent acting skills. With her experience in films like “Mechanical Warrior,” her fame was far from insignificant.

In fact, the number of actresses and actors promoted by Hong Kong’s film industry was at least ten times higher than in history, giving Xiao Ran many more options. For example, in the field of action stars, “Shadow” had successfully brought up many talented actors and actresses with both great skills and good looks.

In terms of salaries, only Stephen Chow and Lin Qingxia had exceeded ten million so far. It wasn’t that Xiao Ran didn’t want to raise their salaries further, but market conditions limited them. Currently, Stephen Chow acted in two films per year, generating at least eight hundred million in global box office revenue, firmly establishing him as the top male star among Asians.

Based on these figures, it would be reasonable for Stephen Chow to earn forty million. However, without access to the mainland market, raising his salary any further would be risky.

Still, the salary of the star Xiao Ran had high hopes for was far lower than Stephen Chow’s, as his absurd comedies had little market in Europe. Even in other parts of Asia, the market was small, meaning his salary couldn’t be very high. Fortunately, Xiao Ran advised the star to use more body language in his performances, which greatly improved his acceptance in the West.

After browsing for a while and deciding on a few films, Lin Qingxia came up behind him with a bowl of soup and said softly, “You’re always like this—once you get home, you’re busy nonstop. You never take the time to spend more with us!”

Xiao Ran couldn’t stop a bitter smile. He left these unimportant matters at home precisely to be with them. Suddenly remembering the movie “The Three Heroes of the East 2” earlier, he chuckled and said, “There’s a sequel to ‘The Three Heroes of the East’—do you want to act in it?”
“Right now?” Lin Qingxia felt an itch to act. She hadn’t taken on any roles for almost two or three years and was almost turning into a housewife. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Sure, I think I can do it in a while!”
“It’s very tiring. It’s better to leave it to someone else!” Xiao Ran put down the bowl of soup, stood up, and looked into his wife’s eyes. “There will also be training later. I’m worried you might get injured!”
“It’s okay. Besides, don’t you need a big star like me to help you expand into overseas markets?” Lin Qingxia smiled playfully. In fact, she knew Xiao Ran wanted her to make a comeback. Among all Chinese actresses, she still had the strongest appeal in the West, which could be a breakthrough.
Xiao Ran gently reached out and stroked her brows, murmuring, “Look, you already have crow’s feet around your eyes. I’m really sorry for these past few years. But don’t worry. Give me a few more years, and I’ll be able to defeat Hollywood!”
Lin Qingxia wasn’t surprised by Xiao Ran’s arrogance. If she didn’t have such ambitions, she wouldn’t even qualify as his wife. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, “A few more years? By then, the kids will be grown up, and it’ll be time for us to retire!”
Xiao Ran’s expression was filled with affection as he gently held his wife, conveying his warmth through physical contact. He wasn’t sure how much time it would take to defeat Hollywood, but one thing was certain: after dominating Asia, he hadn’t challenged Hollywood yet because he wanted to make all the necessary preparations.
On the fourth day, Xiao’s residence was bustling with activity. The birthday boy, Xiao Ran, greeted every guest at the door. From afar, he saw Lei Kaitai, Yang Qi, and the other three giants, along with Old Master Shao, approaching together. He immediately went up to them, laughing heartily, “You four really did me a favor. Come in and sit. I’ll take care of the guests. We can talk later!”
Xiao Ran wasn’t surprised to see Old Master Shao with those three. TVB had been defeated by ATV for three consecutive years, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, controlled by Shao Group, didn’t have distribution channels either. They had given those rights to the four giants, so Shao Group didn’t have the strength to oppose Xiao Ran.
The four nodded in understanding. They had come on behalf of Hong Kong’s film industry to discuss opening up to the mainland. Soon after, Ho Ying-dong appeared with his eldest son. Xiao Ran held the pro-Communist businessman in high regard and immediately said with a laugh, “Mr. Ho, Young Master Ho, you really honored me!”
“Where’s the problem? If we didn’t come to Brother Ran’s birthday party, we’d definitely feel ashamed!” Young Master Ho spoke quite humorously, no wonder he had been able to win the Miss Hong Kong title back then.
Before they entered, Xiao Ran saw Bao Yugang and Crown Prince Rong arriving together. He gave a sorry look at the Ho family before smiling and throwing his arms around Crown Prince Rong tightly. “You little rascal, Crown Prince Rong! Last time I heard you were having a party hosted by a wealthy man—how could you not invite me?”

“Brother, I dare not!” Prince Rong pretended to be aggrieved and said, “My sister said that if I took you to such a place, she would skin me. I’m living peacefully and don’t dare act recklessly! Haha!”
Watching all this, Fok Ying-tong sighed softly. He never expected it—nobody in the world expected that a mere junior screenwriter could start out in film, become the richest Chinese person within just five years, and then go on to become a prominent figure in business and politics in another three years.
“See? To succeed in life, one needs not only intelligence but also the ability to make friends. Having many friends from all over the world, like Xiao Ran does, is the true way to live,” Fok Ying-tong mused. Due to his position, he was aware of the two meetings between Xiao Ran and the leader.
The first was when they went to Beijing as a group; after that, Hong Kong cinema experienced rapid development. The second was during the leader’s southern tour, when he met Xiao Ran specifically. After that, Chengji Infrastructure under Shadow Group won several large projects on the mainland worth a total of 10 billion, enabling Chengji Infrastructure to grow rapidly and become Hong Kong’s largest infrastructure company.
Yet his own son could only maintain the existing business and hardly expand it—how could Fok Ying-tong not feel sad? He thought the saying “wealth doesn’t last beyond three generations” made quite sense. Nevertheless, he had to admit that Xiao Ran now held immense power; even a sneeze of his could affect the economies of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. And yet, Xiao Ran still treated people so kindly—such a person was truly one in a million.
“Ship King, I heard shipping is very profitable these days!” Xiao Ran looked overjoyed. If someone didn’t know him well, they might think he was on very good terms with Peter Wo: “Don’t forget me when you reap the benefits!”
“Stop it. Your Shadow Group makes more money every year than my annual turnover. Do you really want to get involved in shipping too? Do you want us to die?” Peter Wo couldn’t help but laugh heartily. He knew Xiao Ran was joking.
After seeing them off, Zhu Guangli, Bai Pengfei, and Jin Ruyu, the general managers of the subsidiaries, suddenly appeared one after another, all putting on a sad expression as they handed over a scroll. “Brother Ran, we’re all poor. This is all we can give you for your birthday!”
Xiao Ran took it, unrolled it, and examined it carefully, feeling slightly surprised. It was “Nine Peaks in Snow” by Huang Gongwang from the Yuan Dynasty—a truly valuable piece. He couldn’t help but laugh and scold, “You guys must have prepared for this for a long time! But I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
Of course, with their shares in the company, each of them was worth tens of millions or even billions. Giving such a rare item was quite elegant of them. They knew Xiao Ran had few hobbies, only an interest in antiques, so they had gathered this piece from abroad.
But Xiao Ran didn’t really care about antiques at all; he couldn’t even tell good from bad. Still, he thought it was better to have everyone work together to find treasures than to try on his own. Last year, he donated 30 million in his own name to help recover lost foreign treasures—for this very reason.

When people have money, they always want to do something good. Adding up all the donations over the years, excluding those from Meiying, Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia alone have donated as much as 300 million, which can be considered a contribution to the country.
When they went in, Xiao Ran saw an old acquaintance again. Laughing heartily, he strode forward and said, “Old Li, you actually came in person! That’s really generous of you!”