Chapter 2519: Asia's New Richest Man

Macau!

On the set of *Full Throttle*, following the director's shout of "Cut," Andy Lau offered a polite smile to the director and the camera crew before walking toward the rest area, exhausted, and collapsing into a chair. His assistant quickly opened his water bottle and handed it to him.

"Thanks!"

Andy Lau took a sip, placed the bottle on a small makeshift table beside him, and then noticed his manager, Lan Jie, walking toward him in high heels. What struck him as odd was the stack of newspapers she was clutching to her chest.

"Lan Jie, what brings you here?"

Lan Jie walked over, placed the newspapers on the makeshift table, and said, with a mix of impatience and excitement, "Take a look at these."

Andy Lau didn't look at the papers right away. Instead, he handed Lan Jie a towel that had been draped over the arm of his chair. "You should wipe your sweat first."

There was a fine layer of sweat on Lan Jie's nose and forehead. She took the towel and dabbed her face gently, terrified of smudging her makeup.

"It's raining in Xiangjiang, but it's so hot in Macau." Lan Jie glanced up at the sun, then used the towel to fan herself. "Hurry up and look at the papers."

Andy Lau curiously picked up a newspaper—it was the *Jornal Va Kio*, which had significant influence in Macau. "You traveled all the way from Xiangjiang just to deliver newspapers to me?"

A smile appeared on Lan Jie's face; she was clearly in a very good mood today. "Right. I felt I had to share this with you in person."

Andy Lau didn't ask what the good news was. He flipped through the paper casually until a headline caught his eye: "Chinese Tycoon Zhou Andong Acquires Sony Entertainment."

Andy Lau, who had been leaning back lazily, sat bolt upright. He then picked up another paper, and the headline was the same: "Mainland's Richest Man Zhou Andong Acquires Sony Entertainment, Net Worth Soars."

Andy Lau looked through all the papers; every single one had the acquisition on the front page. "Lan Jie, tell me, how is it that I'm so lucky?"

His assistant brought over a chair and placed it beside Lan Jie. "Lan Jie, please sit."

Lan Jie sat down, picked up a paper, and looked at the headline about the "New Richest Man in Asia." She said with deep emotion, "When I first decided to cooperate with Mr. Zhou, I only valued his background and his influence in the mainland.

I thought, if we have to take a loss, so be it. After all, the mainland entertainment market isn't mature, and various forces are deeply intertwined. Without a local powerhouse backing us, it would be very difficult for us to gain a foothold.

Even when *Teamwork* fell into trouble and you were saddled with massive debt, seeking help from Mr. Zhou in the mainland, I only thought that with your current fame and status in the entertainment industry, those debts weren't a big deal.

And our cooperation with Future Culture—I still felt Future Culture was getting the better end of the deal. But for the sake of our better development in the mainland, I felt it was worth taking a loss and giving up some profit."

Lan Jie put the paper down and looked at Andy Lau with a smile. "I didn't expect that, in the end, we would be the ones getting the better deal—and a massive one at that.

With your relationship with Mr. Zhou, plus the cooperation between Future Culture and *Teamwork*, Mr. Zhou will surely provide you with support in film and television resources, and might even help you break into Hollywood."

Andy Lau shook his head with a smile. Hollywood was the dream of every filmmaker, but he knew his own limitations. Even with the support of a behemoth like Sony Entertainment, it was harder than ascending to heaven for a Chinese actor to make a name for himself in Hollywood.

However, in Andy Lau's view, the cooperation between Future Culture and *Teamwork* wasn't just a simple investment; it was a tighter integration. They had jointly established Future-Teamwork Entertainment, with Future Culture as the majority shareholder.

With the influence he currently wielded in the entertainment industry, Mr. Zhou would inevitably tilt film and television resources toward him. After all, this was a win-win situation for both sides.

Andy Lau took another sip of water, put the cup down, turned his gaze to Lan Jie, and asked, "It's been over half a month since Future Culture sent over the first five episodes of the *Prison Break* script. Haven't the subsequent scripts arrived yet?"

"No," Lan Jie shook her head slightly. "I suspect they might be waiting until the entire script is finished before sending it all at once."

Andy Lau picked up a folding fan from the table and fanned himself gently. "How are things with the directors?"

"That's the other thing I came to tell you today," Lan Jie said, leaning back in her chair, looking very relaxed. "Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-ping, and Andrew Lau have all agreed.

I met with them last night. They are very optimistic about *Prison Break*. Of course, there's another key factor: the massive investment of 80 million.

You have to realize, this is a television series, not a movie. Investing such a huge amount of capital into a TV show is extremely rare for any film company in the world. Facing such an opportunity, they couldn't possibly refuse."

Andy Lau was also deeply moved. "Mr. Zhou's boldness is truly beyond that of an ordinary person. I'm really looking forward to the release of this series."

"I'm looking forward to it too," Lan Jie echoed. "Next week, Future Culture will send a professional management team to officially take over the company's management."

Andy Lau nodded, a touch of melancholy on his face, and then sighed. "Lan Jie, am I really not cut out to be a boss?"

Lan Jie was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Didn't Mr. Zhou say that as long as you go for advanced studies in management, he'll hand over the company's management to you? So, after this film is finished, you're going to night school."

"I suppose that's the only way." Andy Lau put aside his melancholy and a smile appeared on his face. "I'd rather be a boss than act."

Lan Jie smiled. "If you want to be a boss, you'd better study hard."

Jiangzhou!

Duan Xu and Tang Qian were eating at the Fat Sister Baozi Shop by the bridge. The two were already engaged and were currently discussing their wedding plans.

"Duan Xu, my mom said the bride price is 5,000 and the 'three golds.' Originally, my mom wanted to buy appliances as a dowry, but your family already bought them. So, my mom will buy us a motorcycle and bring 5,000 yuan in cash."

(Duan Xu is the son of Zhou Andong's younger aunt. For those who have forgotten this character, please refer to Chapter 1468.)

Duan Xu put down his chopsticks and said with a grin, "Is Mom really going to buy me a motorcycle?"

"Of course it's true." Tang Qian glared at Duan Xu. "Go back and tell Auntie. If she has any objections, we can discuss them."

"No objections at all!" Duan Xu waved his hand dismissively. "I can decide this myself. Also, don't have Mom buy a motorcycle; just convert it into cash."

Tang Qian looked at Duan Xu suspiciously. "Don't you like motorcycles?"

Duan Xu hummed. "That was in the past. Now that we have a car at home, why would I ride a motorcycle?"

"That's Uncle and Auntie's car. Would they let you drive it?" Tang Qian asked hesitantly. "Besides, do you know how to drive?"

"If I don't know how to drive, can't I learn?" Duan Xu stood up. "Are you finished eating? I'll take you home first, and then I'll go home to talk to my parents about the bride price."

"Okay!" Tang Qian agreed. The two left the baozi shop without going over to greet Zhou Xiaolei.

Duan Xu took Tang Qian home first, then went to the agency. He searched around for a while before finding Zhou Xiurong in the warehouse.

"Mom!"

Zhou Xiurong, who was counting stock with her staff, turned around to see her precious son walking toward her, swaying as he walked.

"Weren't you out shopping with Tang Qian? Why are you here?"

Duan Xu said with a grin, "I missed you."

"Hmph!" Zhou Xiurong snorted. "Speak your mind or get lost; don't give me that."

"Mom!" Duan Xu said with a mournful face, "Am I really your biological son?"

"No!" Zhou Xiurong didn't hesitate at all. "An old monk passed by our house years ago and traded a steamed bun for you. If you want to find your biological parents, I won't stop you."

Duan Xu smacked his lips. "I'm only worth one steamed bun?"

"What did you think?" Zhou Xiurong sighed. "Originally, I thought I'd raise you for a few more years, get you nice and plump, and trade you for a few pounds of pork. But looking at it now, my investment was a failure. Forget trading you for a few pounds of pork; I'd even lose that original steamed bun. It's a serious loss."

"Mom, your investment back then wasn't just a loss of one steamed bun." Duan Xu grinned. "Tang Qian told me her family wants a bride price of 50,000 yuan and a car—doesn't have to be expensive, a Jetta will do."