Chapter 1 No Surprises

As expected, Meteor Garden became a smash hit right after it aired, showing an overwhelming popularity in mainland China.

On the day of its premiere, it immediately topped the ratings for its time slot, exciting many young girls who had never seen such a domineering CEO. They were instantly captivated.

Even TVB's Armed Reaction 2 couldn't stop its momentum in Hong Kong.

As a result, countless newspapers and magazines discussed Meteor Garden the day after its premiere, from different angles. Some commented on which F4 member's luxury car was the most expensive, while others said it subverted the petty style of Hong Kong dramas and had a movie-like aesthetic.

Many more focused on Su Yehao, even digging up Nan Gongtian and Jiang Yu from Tianyu Entertainment, daring only to comment that they were not only beautiful but also capable.

There was no other way.

Since Su Yehao acquired ATV, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

At least in Hong Kong, no one dared to offend him easily. Even the always unscrupulous gossip tabloids became much more restrained when reporting on Su Yehao.

Such discussions were overwhelming, leading to another record-breaking viewership for Meteor Garden that night. Especially in mainland China, it was the prime summer vacation season, and countless girls spread the word, making the publicity effect far better than throwing money at advertising.

Idol dramas like this, with handsome actors and beautiful actresses, and a touch of ugly duckling turning into a swan, instantly struck the hearts of young girls, who suddenly realized that TV dramas could be made this way.

Never underestimate the potential of girls. The drama hooked them from the start with its handsome men, money, romance, and a mix of domineering and gentle personalities. Once they controlled the remote at home, other family members couldn't even think about changing the channel.

For three consecutive days, it dominated the ratings for its time slot, and the gap with the second-place show was widening. It was a definite hit.

This made Jiang Yu and the others overjoyed. They dragged Su Yehao out for a French dinner to celebrate Tianyu Entertainment's success.

The evening of July 11th.

Sitting by the window in a restaurant in Central, the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a stunning night view, with lights on in many office buildings.

After clinking glasses and taking a sip of rosé champagne, Nan Gongtian said excitedly:

"Yue TV called today, suggesting that we shoot a sequel as soon as possible. The company is also preparing activities as quickly as possible. While the drama is still airing, we need to have the F4 group release records, hold concerts, and fan meetings. Oh, and also try to get some endorsement deals. We have to seize the opportunity to make a big profit."

Su Yehao was eating foie gras, with lamb chops and steak fries on the side, a total of three main courses.

Others liked to focus on the superficial, preferring to starve themselves for elegance, but he just wanted to fill his stomach.

Although the dishes at this restaurant were exquisite, the portions were too small. For example, the foie gras on the plate in front of him was gone in three large bites, only suitable as an appetizer.

While eating, he asked, "Weren't these things prepared beforehand? Shouldn't they have been arranged before the premiere?"

Jiang Yu chimed in:

"How could we have known this drama would be so popular? We should hurry up and film other dramas of the same type. Now that the F4 group is so famous, our company suddenly has three famous groups. We'll probably have to hire more people. The phones at the company have been ringing non-stop these past two days, keeping everyone busy."

"It's good to be busy, you can make money!"

Nan Gongtian smiled and continued, "Before, Brother Hao gave some ideas, like a TV series adapted from the movie The Myth, and a story called Operation Proposal about winning back a childhood sweetheart. We have a lot of scripts, so I can invest the money in the company first, as start-up capital."

Someone else might suggest not being too hasty, but Su Yehao was full of confidence in this area, and instead urged them on, saying:

"No problem, you guys can film first. When I have time, I'll think of more stories, like aliens coming to Earth with the power to stop time, or solving cases by traveling through time via radio. It's no fun fighting with other film and television companies. We need to find our own unique style and make more interesting films and TV series."

"Huh? Brother Hao, do you already have ideas? Wait a minute! Sister Yun, did you bring paper and pen?"

After Nan Gongtian asked, Linda Yun, who was sitting at the next table, quickly took a notebook out of her handbag, tore off a piece of paper, and handed it over with a pen.

Su Yehao briefly outlined the stories of My Love From the Star and Signal. He certainly didn't have the ability to write the scripts himself, but talking about them was incredibly easy.

After discussing these things, the topic changed.

As a fun story, Su Yehao said:

"These past few days, I've been having 5S Asset Management invest in building positions, and I've already pushed up the stock price of Vanke Real Estate, which was originally worth five or six billion RMB, by about 15%. The shareholders know I'm in, and they're all going crazy. Today, a Vanke executive even wrote me a thank-you letter, jokingly saying that they also have a backer, and actively inviting me to provide a round of financing."

Jiang Yu ate her steak and asked, "Releasing the news during the position-building phase, won't that be very disadvantageous to you after the stock price rises? You know, the purchase price will be higher, which means you're spending more money for nothing."

"It doesn't matter, I've already bought most of what I needed. It's a portfolio investment anyway, so I'm spreading it around. Even if I quietly entered the market, do you think they wouldn't notice? The pie is only so big, and a few hundred million in funds will cause the stock price to rise. What I want is for people to know that I'm here."

Su Yehao took a sip of champagne to moisten his throat and added, "Just two days, and the people at the asset management company told me in the evening that they've raised over thirty billion RMB from the mainland all at once. All of the closed-end fund products they launched were oversubscribed, and many large corporate clients have come."

Linda Yun, who was sitting at the next table, turned around and interjected with a smile:

"I always heard that the North didn't have money, but they have a lot of people. Even if they only subscribe for five thousand or ten thousand yuan, it adds up to a lot of money. Today, a large pig farmer took out six hundred million RMB and wanted to negotiate with us to lower the management fees and handling fees, but after Brother Hao refused, he was still willing to pay."

"Of course, he's my Brother Hao, his net worth has already surpassed the old stock god Buffett." Nan Gongtian unconditionally stood on his side.

After listening, Su Yehao shook his head and said:

"The old stock god is great because he's always been very stable, riding out bull and bear markets, with a very impressive average return rate. He's also very good at making money for his clients. This is also the goal I'm working towards. A large amount of idle funds in the market are wasted in banks. Instead of being taken advantage of by international hot money, it's better to help people enjoy some of the benefits of development. They make money, and I can earn commissions."

Rather than saying that Chinese people like to save money, it's more accurate to say that they're afraid of being exploited. They lack a reliable platform with the strength to connect small and medium-sized investors with businesses.

Su Yehao's 5S Asset Management aims to become such a platform, raising funds from the market, concentrating wealth to do big things, helping investors manage their wealth, and supporting promising, high-quality enterprises, striving to establish order in the venture capital and private equity investment industry.

This is to prevent these companies from only being able to focus on overseas markets after they run out of money, which would lead to the discovery of a large number of foreign-held shares in the shareholder lists of many good companies in the future.

It's not just the Internet industry that's had its profits taken away by foreign capital, many traditional enterprises have also not escaped.

Now, the funds he has raised can not only be used to help private enterprises, but also to enjoy some of the benefits of state-owned enterprise reform.

For example, those insurance companies, banks that have shed their earlier bad debts, as well as industries like communications, energy, and real estate, are all key targets that Su Yehao is interested in.

In his early years, he didn't have the ability to swallow these lucrative opportunities based on his own strength, but if he could raise enough idle funds from the market, many plans could be put on the agenda, with the opportunity to achieve a virtuous cycle and multiple benefits.

Although most of the profits are earned for the investors, as long as the assets under management are large enough, the management fees alone would be enough to make Su Yehao laugh in his sleep, not to mention the compounding interest and reinvesting the profits.

Thinking of this, Su Yehao frowned slightly and suddenly said, "It looks like I have to go to Si Jiucheng."

"...What do you mean by 'it looks like'?"

"It means that it's necessary for me to go there in person. The asset management industry is not perfect now, and the methods of raising funds are limited. Overseas investment is not to be mentioned for the time being, and open-ended funds should not be suppressed any longer. The size of the funds raised by closed-end funds is limited, and the scale of the funds raised is forcibly restricted before the products are launched, which will limit my ability to perform."

Su Yehao quickly made a decision and reaffirmed, "I should make time to go there. It will be easier to negotiate if I show up in person, and we can use our 5S Asset Management as a pilot. Linda Yun, have someone write a document on the topic of fully utilizing idle social funds to benefit enterprise reform, and I'll take it with me when I go."

"..."

Linda Yun, who was happily eating, suddenly felt bitter.

She only came along tonight to freeload a meal, but she didn't expect that she would have to work overtime. While nodding in agreement, she took out her phone to call Zhuang Wei, the head of the assistant's office, and passed on Su Yehao's request.

......

That night, after eight o'clock.

They had just bought tickets and were preparing to watch a new police film.

Su Yehao unexpectedly received a call from Zhao Yimeng, saying that she was drinking at the bar invested by He Shaofan in Lan Kwai Fong, and asked if he was free to come and sit for a while, as she had some business matters to discuss.

After reporting to Nan Gongtian, she didn't stop him, but waved her hand and let Su Yehao go.

If you ask why she was so understanding, it was mainly because she knew Brother Hao too well. The fact that he dared to report it was enough to show that he had nothing to hide. Donghuang Group already had a cooperative relationship with the Su family, so it was normal to have business to discuss.

Moreover, she couldn't control him even if she wanted to, and it would only make her seem petty. Nan Gongtian didn't want to be laughed at by Zhao Yimeng for this reason.

In terms of the degree of threat, Miss Zhao was much more formidable than Jiang Yu in her mind, both in terms of personality and family background. She could only place her hopes on whether Su Yehao was self-aware...