The day after the television station changed ownership—
Asian Television invited all major media outlets in Hong Kong to their headquarters, announcing that they had major news to share. Even their competitors, Jiashi (Rediffusion Television) and TVB, were invited.
As one of Hong Kong's three major television stations, since they claimed this was an important announcement, all media outlets gave face and attended the press conference.
On December 18th, although it was a Sunday, many journalists still showed up.
The press conference was hosted by Cheng Yufeng and Huang Xizhao. Lin Baicheng did not attend.
At the start of the press conference, reporters noticed that Cheng Yufeng and Huang Xizhao entered together, and that the young Cheng Yufeng was in fact the central figure of the event—not a mere assistant following behind Huang Xizhao.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for coming today to attend this press conference held by our station."
"Today, we have a major announcement to make."
"Please follow the rules during the Q&A—ask questions one at a time, and we will respond accordingly."
"Now, I officially declare the press conference open!"
After Huang Xizhao spoke, Cheng Yufeng took the microphone.
"Everyone, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cheng Yufeng, and I am the assistant to Mr. Lin Baicheng. Today, I will be making the major announcement on behalf of Mr. Lin and answering your questions."
As soon as he said this, many reporters began whispering among themselves. The name "Lin Baicheng" was not unfamiliar to them—they knew it as the author of the novel Wind and Cloud: The Conqueror of the World. But could this author really be the same "Mr. Lin" Cheng referred to? And what connection did he have to RTV (Li's Television)?
"On behalf of Mr. Lin, I hereby announce that as of yesterday, Mr. Lin has acquired 61% of Li's Television's shares from its parent company, Rediffusion Sound Broadcasting. He is now the absolute majority shareholder and holds controlling interest in the station."
"From today onward, Li's Television belongs to the past. Its new name will be—Asian Television!"
Boom.
The atmosphere in the room exploded. The reporters were stunned by the announcement.
Li's Television was the first TV station in Hong Kong and had accompanied Hong Kong people for decades, always under British ownership. No one expected that it would suddenly be acquired by a Chinese owner—and that its name would be changed. "Li's" had now become history.
A moment later, the reporters regained their senses.
"Mr. Cheng, may I ask—is the 'Mr. Lin Baicheng' you mentioned the same person as the author of Wind and Cloud: The Conqueror of the World? Are they the same person?"
The first to ask was a reporter from Oriental Daily. They only knew of one person named Lin Baicheng, so they were eager to confirm.
"Yes, that is indeed Mr. Lin," Cheng replied with a nod.
Before the press conference, Lin Baicheng had instructed Cheng on what questions could be answered—anything besides commercial secrets or personal wealth could be disclosed.
After all, acquiring Li's Television meant officially stepping onto Hong Kong's big stage—there was no reason to hide anymore; instead, it was the perfect opportunity to gain publicity.
"My god, it really is him!"
"How is that possible?"
"Where did he get so much money?"
"Didn't he just graduate Form 5 this year?"
Cheng's answer stunned the reporters. In their understanding, Lin was barely twenty and had just graduated Form 5 that year. He became famous through his novel—but how could that earn enough to buy a television station?
"Mr. Cheng, as far as we know, Lin comes from an ordinary family. Even if he made some money from writing novels, that wouldn't be nearly enough to acquire a majority stake in Li's Television. So where did the money come from? Does he actually come from a wealthy family with a hidden identity?" asked the same Oriental Daily reporter.
"Each reporter should ask only one question to give others a chance. But I'll answer this one—just this time," Cheng said.
"Mr. Lin does not come from a wealthy family. Like most ordinary Hong Kong citizens, his family is working-class. Everything he has now was earned by himself through hard work—he built it from scratch."
"As you all know, his first pot of gold came from his novel Wind and Cloud. After that, he acquired an arcade manufacturing factory and developed the game Hong Kong Blocks. It was exported worldwide, earning him huge profits and spreading the name 'Hong Kong' across the globe."
"Hong Kong Blocks was developed by Lin Baicheng?"
"So Star River Games is his company?"
"I can't believe it! The game that's all over the streets and arcades of Hong Kong was developed by him?"
The reporters buzzed with discussion again. They all knew Hong Kong Blocks had become a global hit, but they never imagined it was created by this young novelist.
"So does that mean Mr. Lin made his fortune from the game, then used that money to buy the TV station?" someone asked, somewhat naïvely.
"Yes," Cheng confirmed.
"Mr. Cheng—" Reporters continued to fire questions, clearly eager to know more about Lin.
Cheng answered all questions he could and politely skipped or brushed aside those he couldn't.
After the press conference, journalists rushed back to their newspapers to publish the shocking news: Li's Television had changed ownership, was renamed Asian Television, and the new boss was none other than novelist Lin Baicheng.
This time, Lin truly shook Hong Kong. Compared to his previous fame as a writer, this was far more sensational. People from all walks of life now knew his name.
However, reporters seeking to interview him couldn't find him—or even his family.
Lin and his family had already moved into a villa in Repulse Bay. Few people knew their new address, and even if reporters found out, they were blocked by security.
As for their old home and the family cha chaan teng (tea restaurant), though it wasn't sold, it was closed—so reporters found no one there either.