Chapter 35: Seeking Votes

The next morning, Xia Yu woke up to find that his parents had already prepared breakfast and were just waiting for him to get up.

After finishing breakfast, his parents repeatedly reminded him to work diligently, fearing that he might cause trouble by not taking things seriously. Xia Yu could only smile and promise that he wouldn't.

After all, it was his own company. If he didn't work hard, could he expect others to?

Of course, that was what he thought internally; he could never say that to his parents.

On the way to work, Xia Yu bought several newspapers and read them while walking, not wasting a single moment.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Xia Yu saw an article on the front page of the **Sing Tao Daily** and couldn't help but utter a soft exclamation.

"Breaking News: The Fall of Oriental Daily's No. 1 Position is Due to Internal Problems—Deserved!"

Seeing this headline, Xia Yu became interested and quickly started reading.

The more he read, the more amused he became. The **Sing Tao Daily** was as mocking as ever towards **Oriental Daily**, showing no mercy.

The article detailed the events that had happened within the Oriental Press Group yesterday. It was written with such detail that Xia Yu wondered where **Sing Tao Daily** had obtained this insider information. Most people who knew about this scandal were from within **Oriental Daily**. The fact that this family secret had been exposed by **Sing Tao Daily** meant that **Oriental Daily**'s internal situation would certainly be chaotic.

Was there really someone who was inside **Oriental Daily** but had their heart with **Sing Tao**?

Xia Yu didn't care how furious Mr. Ma would be. What caught his attention was the last image in the article.

The picture showed a disheveled Wu Neng leaving the Oriental Press Group building, walking clumsily outside.

Xia Yu immediately recognized him. The person in the photo was the middle-aged editor who had rejected his manuscript. He hadn't expected that just a week later, this editor had been kicked out, all because he had rejected **Xun Qin Ji** and forced Xia Yu to start his own newspaper.

**Sing Tao Daily** had written everything clearly, and Xia Yu couldn't help but admire their reporting.

Seeing this photo, Xia Yu felt a bit sentimental. After all, rejecting **Xun Qin Ji** was a loss for **Oriental Daily**, and Xia Yu even wanted to thank the editor. If not for the manuscript rejection, Xia Yu might never have thought of making money from gambling, and the current situation might not have been so favorable.

The editor had been punished, but Xia Yu didn't feel any pleasure in it. Their current levels were different, and Xia Yu didn't need to concern himself with it.

Who has ever seen a tiger keep an eye on a mouse?

Though Xia Yu wasn't a tiger yet, the difference between him and Wu Neng was indeed substantial, so he didn't need to worry about him.

Ignoring this matter, Xia Yu turned his attention back to other sections of the newspapers and, before he knew it, arrived at the company.

...

In the blink of an eye, three more days had passed, and it was the last day of free newspaper distribution.

Xia Yu reviewed the statistical data once again, and by now, he felt completely unfazed. He had seen the numbers climb steadily every day, and the excitement had long worn off.

Since Jin Yong's review three days ago, the popularity of **Xun Qin Ji** had skyrocketed. In just two days, it had swept across Hong Kong. It was common to see people reading **Jiuding Daily** on a bus or overhear enthusiastic discussions about it.

As a result, **Xun Qin Ji** had greatly boosted the support for **Jiuding Daily**, causing what was already a slowing growth to explode again.

On the fifth day, Xia Yu once again guided stock investors, leading to a frenzy among them and making many people wealthy.

Of course, Xia Yu didn't come out empty-handed either. He had made a significant profit, and his total capital had swollen to over 5 million Hong Kong dollars. After deducting transaction fees and other expenses, he had 5 million net, which he withdrew. After all, the sixth and seventh days were weekends when the stock market was closed, so the money would not earn anything by staying in the market. It was more convenient to settle and prepare for the next move.

With such a large amount of money, Xia Yu deposited it into his HSBC account, thus upgrading to a high-tier client.

The speed of making money by influencing stock prices through public opinion was astonishing. Fortunately, the stock market in Hong Kong was still somewhat chaotic, with many regulations incomplete.

Had the Hong Kong Stock Exchange been established and regulations been complete, or had it been like the A-shares in the previous life, Xia Yu would have been investigated and fined for such actions.

For Xia Yu, this was truly a great era!

...

Although Xia Yu felt no fluctuation in his heart regarding today's newspaper distribution volume, the other employees of Jiuding Daily were once again stunned by the numbers.

The total distribution reached 350,000 copies, with 220,000 sold at major newsstands. These numbers were unprecedented in Hong Kong's newspaper industry, driving them wild.

Of course, the explosive growth of **Jiuding Daily** had left the entire Hong Kong newspaper industry speechless. Many newspapers were impacted, but they could do nothing but watch as **Jiuding Daily** wreaked havoc. This frustration was unbearable for them.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

"Alright, everyone, quiet down!"

Xia Yu clapped to silence the employees' cheers.

All employees immediately quieted down, looking at Xia Yu with fervor.

"Today's numbers are the result of everyone's hard work and are worth celebrating!"

"But, we can't relax. Tomorrow is the most crucial day. Many people outside doubt our company's numbers, believing that the high distribution was only possible because we offered the newspapers for free. They think that once we start charging, we will be exposed. That's nonsense. Tomorrow, we will use our real sales numbers to slap them in the face!"

"Since we have many new colleagues and our current office space is a bit cramped, there has been some inconvenience and chaos. But tomorrow is the critical moment. We can't afford to mess up. Each department needs to strengthen management, and everyone should follow the rules and do their jobs well."

"I will reveal to you that I will find a larger office space for the company soon, so everyone can work more comfortably. The current difficulties are temporary, so please be understanding, okay?"

"Got it!"

"Don't worry, boss. We understand!"

...

Everyone responded loudly, making Xia Yu very satisfied. He then announced the end of the meeting, and everyone continued working diligently, striving to complete their tasks.

Next, Xia Yu returned to his office, thinking about whether there was anything else that needed preparation. After all, tomorrow was the first day **Jiuding Daily** would officially start charging, and he couldn't afford to be negligent.

To ensure that **Jiuding Daily**'s sales would soar and its impact would overwhelm the Hong Kong newspaper industry, Xia Yu had prepared thoroughly.

One of the preparations was an article about the stock market, which was of extremely high quality, second only to the news from Ming Heng Industry. It was an article recommending stocks.

Xia Yu had spent nearly seven days analyzing and refining this article, making it of very high quality with substantial value. Anyone who seized the opportunity to invest would definitely make money.

If Xia Yu had established a securities company and an independent financial analysis platform, such a high-level report would be something other securities firms would pay a lot of money for. Now, it was being publicly offered for free.

Moreover, with the influence built up over the past few days, every article by Xia Yu had benefited investors, creating an image of a selfless stock god in their minds. The trend had already formed.

Even if the stock Xia Yu recommended in tomorrow's **Jiuding Daily** was a junk stock, it would still skyrocket in the face of the gathered public opinion. And this stock was actually a hidden gem!

Everything that could be done has been done; all that remains is to see the performance tomorrow!

How high will **Jiuding Daily**'s sales go? We'll find out!