Chapter 30: The Grudge

It seemed that Li Bin anticipated Xia Yu's confusion, so he quickly explained, "Boss, you might not be familiar with the industry yet, but the grudge between *Oriental Daily* and *Sing Tao Daily* has been ongoing for a long time, and it's quite deep. They often engage in verbal sparring in their newspapers. The entire newspaper industry knows about their feud."

Upon hearing Li Bin, Xia Yu became interested. He had a poor impression of *Oriental Daily* for two reasons: first, because he had been dissatisfied with their treatment when he previously submitted articles; second, because *Oriental Daily*'s recent reports had demeaned and belittled *Jiu Ding Daily* and him, which annoyed him.

Moreover, *Jiu Ding Daily* had clashed with *Oriental Daily* from the start. With a high overlap in their user base, *Jiu Ding Daily*'s growth was inevitably going to compete with *Oriental Daily* for readers.

*Oriental Daily* was the top newspaper in Hong Kong, and if *Jiu Ding Daily* wanted to become a global newspaper, it first needed to claim the top spot in Hong Kong. To achieve this, it was inevitable to displace *Oriental Daily*.

A new king must ascend the throne, and the old king must abdicate! The competition for the throne is never a trivial matter.

The natural conflict between *Oriental Daily* and *Jiu Ding Daily* was determined by the market situation. Therefore, from the very beginning of his decision to start a newspaper, Xia Yu had regarded *Oriental Daily* as an adversary.

In the competition of careers, any obstacle is an enemy!

As for *Sing Tao Daily*, currently, its positioning seemed to have less conflict with *Jiu Ding Daily*. Additionally, as the number two newspaper, its reaction to *Jiu Ding Daily*'s ascent to number one would likely be weaker.

Therefore, Xia Yu was quite pleased to see the grudge between *Oriental Daily* and *Sing Tao Daily*.

However, no matter what, *Jiu Ding Daily* would inevitably impact *Sing Tao Daily* to some extent. What kind of grudge could make *Sing Tao Daily* overlook the effects of *Jiu Ding Daily* on it?

"Li Bin, tell me more about their grudge," Xia Yu said, curious.

"Sure, boss."

Li Bin then began to recount the story. After Li Bin finished, Xia Yu understood and no longer felt that *Sing Tao Daily*'s mockery was heavy. Instead, it seemed lighter. If he were the boss of *Sing Tao Daily*, he would have driven *Oriental Daily* out of business.

This was not due to Xia Yu's ruthlessness but because the grudge between *Oriental Daily* and *Sing Tao Daily* was indeed significant.

To understand this, we must go back to the origins of *Oriental Daily*.

*Oriental Daily* was founded in 1969, and within just 9 years, it had risen to become the top newspaper in Hong Kong. Achieving this in such a short time with normal methods was very difficult. Moreover, the Ma family was not known for their benevolence.

The 1960s in Hong Kong were very dark, with a mix of criminal activities, daily conflicts, and violent incidents. The common people lived in dire conditions, and the Hong Kong government faced immense pressure to address the situation.

In this context, in 1968, the prototype of *Five Billion Chief Inspector Leung*, the influential chief inspector Lyu Le, decided to "retire from the turbulent world."

Seeing the Hong Kong government's intention to rectify the chaos, the Ma family, one of the four major black families of Hong Kong, recognized the danger. The Ma family needed to create a protective shield for itself, and they thought of using the media as a weapon—newspapers.

After starting the newspaper, the Ma family still wasn't at ease. They also sought to establish connections in the east. Thus, *Oriental Daily*'s stance became completely opposite to that of the mainland. The Ma family also wanted to use the newspaper to launder money and communicate messages for laundry powder transactions.

To achieve these goals, *Oriental Daily* needed to quickly expand its circulation to show its power.

However, the Ma family was new to the newspaper business and lacked experience. What to do?

Of course, they decided to poach talent!

At that time, *Sing Tao Daily*, founded in 1938 and already the top newspaper in Hong Kong by 1969, came into the Ma family's view.

It was an obvious choice!

Relying on their powerful black forces, the Ma family took ruthless action, poaching almost half of *Sing Tao Daily*'s staff. Many high-quality talents were taken away, causing *Sing Tao Daily* to fall into chaos. The founder, Hu Wenhu, fell seriously ill and passed away shortly thereafter. Hu Wenhu's daughter, Hu Xian, had no choice but to take over the family business in her grief.

During the poaching process, due to the Ma family's black background, many people were reluctant to be too close to them. Initially, the Ma family's efforts were met with resistance and failure.

This angered the Ma family, who, accustomed to their domineering ways, resorted to intimidation. Many people had to bow down to ensure the safety of their families and themselves.

During this period, not only did *Sing Tao Daily* suffer, but other newspapers were also affected, including the already declining *Famous New News*.

With elite personnel from various newspapers and the Ma family's reputation, coupled with their generous inducements, *Oriental Daily*'s employees had to work diligently to meet the Ma family's goals.

This is why *Oriental Daily* developed so quickly and reached the top spot in Hong Kong newspapers within just nine years!

Of course, with the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 1974, Hong Kong's atmosphere improved significantly, and the Ma family also became more restrained.

Later, the Ma family faced increased pressure from the Hong Kong government. In recent years, the government had intensified its crackdown on the Ma family, so *Oriental Daily* also became more low-key and regulated, avoiding any actions that could be used against them by the authorities.

Otherwise, if it were a few years ago, Xia Yu, an ordinary person from a fisherman's family, might have been eliminated by the Ma family as a minor obstacle.

However, Xia Yu was not afraid, as he knew from future knowledge that this year, the two major leaders of the Ma family would be sought by the Hong Kong government and would flee Hong Kong one after another.

Therefore, the Ma family and *Oriental Daily* would not be arrogant for much longer. During this period, they would definitely have to keep a low profile.

...

From this perspective, the grudge between *Sing Tao Daily* and *Oriental Daily* was immense. The founder had indirectly died because of *Oriental Daily*, making it a matter of revenge for Hu Xian.

Xia Yu could easily sense Hu Xian's hatred towards the Ma family and *Oriental Daily*.

However, considering the Ma family's black influence, Hu Xian, a strong woman, did not dare to seek revenge openly. Instead, she vented her frustrations by criticizing *Oriental Daily* in *Sing Tao Daily*.

As a woman who had indirectly harmed someone's father, wasn't it natural for her to retaliate?

The Ma family, knowing they were in the wrong, did not argue with a woman, so they allowed *Sing Tao Daily* to attack *Oriental Daily* and occasionally engaged in verbal sparring. Both sides had long been accustomed to it.

Even the entire Hong Kong newspaper industry had gotten used to it. If *Oriental Daily* and *Sing Tao Daily* didn't clash every now and then, others would find it odd.

In the end, Hu Xian, the strong queen of the Hong Kong newspaper industry, was also quite pitiful. Knowing who her enemy was but being unable to exact revenge must have been very frustrating.