Chapter 309: Cosplay

Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye. Jiuding Securities and Galaxy Fund were steadily acquiring stocks from the four major companies in the Yee Hee Group. Only by acquiring enough stocks could they have ample ammunition to stir the stock prices, launching their sniping and acquisition battles.

As July came to an end, the grand 'July Offensive' by Jiayi Television was also drawing to a close.

The 'July Offensive' was massive, with Zhou Shuyi investing ten million Hong Kong dollars into producing several big dramas. This move had put TVB on high alert, and they countered with high-quality dramas.

However, it turned out that Zhou Shuyi had misjudged both Jiayi Television's strength and the market conditions. The result was that TVB could breathe a sigh of relief, while Jiayi Television's future was shrouded in a thick layer of darkness.

In this era, ten million Hong Kong dollars! Although it slightly improved Jiayi Television's ratings and added a bit of revenue, the loss was immense!

The grand 'July Offensive' had failed, and TVB was now laughing at Jiayi's misfortune.

One of Jiayi Television's shareholders, the Lin family, was already fed up and there were rumors of them wanting to withdraw their investment.

The fact that such a confidential matter had leaked showed how severe Jiayi Television's situation was.

A storm was brewing within Jiayi Television's board of directors, and it was believed that it would soon erupt, potentially leaving Jiayi Television shattered.

These developments were being closely monitored by Huang Xizhao and others under Xia Yu's orders. Huang Xizhao admired Xia Yu greatly, as Xia Yu's predictions seemed to be on point. Judging by the current situation, Jiayi Television might not survive more than a month.

In response, Huang Xizhao intensified efforts, using the television station's connections to reach out to Jiayi Television's talent.

Whether it was popular actresses like Mi Xue, Zheng Yuling, Wen Xue, Yang Panpan, Mao Shunjuan, Yu An'an, and Wei Qiuhua; or handsome actors like Bai Biao, Liang Xiaolong, Chen Qiang, and Luo Le Lin; or experienced figures like Qin Huang, Liu Dan, Feng Cui Fan, Qin Pei, Zeng Jiang, Chen Huimin, Cao Dahua, Chen Sisi, and Guan Shan, all were on the target list.

In addition to these actors, screenwriters and producers like Xiao Sheng, Xu Ke, Lin Lingdong, Wu Weiguo, Yi Shu, Lin Yanni, and Liang Fengyi were also key targets.

By recruiting all these individuals, the soft power of Lide Television would surpass that of TVB.

Naturally, such a large-scale poaching operation could not be hidden from Jiayi Television's senior management. However, with Jiayi Television's executives already overwhelmed by the shareholder withdrawal issues, they were unable to deal with Lide Television's small-scale moves and allowed them to proceed.

Perhaps they also thought that Lide Television couldn't poach many people, given its current low ratings and its reliance on frugal British backers.

Little did Jiayi Television know that Lide Television had already found a new, exceptionally powerful backer.

It wouldn't take a month for Lide Television to absorb Jiayi Television's talent.

As for Yan Shining's side, the site initially acquired had been purchased by Xia Yu, and the necessary training equipment and supplies were all in place. The training facilities and buildings were under construction day and night by Changjiang Infrastructure.

The training staff were fully recruited. Even though the facilities were not yet complete, Yan Shining knew how important the security system was to Xia Yu and was putting all efforts into training the personnel.

One morning, after breakfast, Xia Yu brought Li Qian to the company's office. Li Qian placed the latest newspaper in front of Xia Yu.

Xia Yu picked it up, took a sip of tea, and began to read.

With limited time, Xia Yu had increasingly paid less attention to the minor details of Jiuding Newspaper Company, as Yan Wenhan's performance had given him confidence to delegate management responsibilities to him.

Except for major issues that Yan Wenhan judged would have a significant impact on Xia Yu, other matters did not need to be reported.

In such a situation, Xia Yu couldn't know about various major events happening everywhere in advance and had to use some spare time to catch up through the "Jiuding Daily" or "Fengyun Daily."

While reading "Fengyun Daily," a headline caught his eye.

"Hong Kong's first manga merchandise flagship store 'Manke Home' officially opens today, with ten chain stores opening simultaneously in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan…"

"Qian Qian, bring me the latest issue of 'Zhiyin Manke'."

"Okay."

When Xia Yu received the "Zhiyin Manke" magazine from Li Qian, he saw the news about the opening of 'Manke Home' on the cover and, while flipping through, also saw many introduction ads inside.

"Xia Yu, today is the opening day of 'Manke Home'. Aren't you going?"

Li Qian tilted her head and asked curiously.

Xia Yu smiled and gently brushed Li Qian's hair, saying softly, "I've already entrusted this to Ma Tengdong. There's no need for me to be present. 'Manke Home' mainly targets teenagers, who might not even know who I am. What's the point of my visit?"

"Oh, I see!"

Li Qian's face showed understanding.

"By the way, Xia Yu, what does 'cosplay' mean?"

Li Qian pointed at an English word and asked curiously.

Li Qian's lack of knowledge was understandable. Cosplay was a term that almost every young person in the later years would have heard of, but it was not yet popular in this era, and the term hadn't appeared.

It wasn't until 1984, at the World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles, that Japanese animator and Studio Hard executive Takahashi Nobuyoshi formally coined the term "Cosplay" to describe the act of dressing up as characters. The term "Cosplay" was thus created.

By the 1990s, with the successful hosting of numerous anime and game conventions in Japan, anime and game companies started hiring people to dress up as characters from their products to attract attendees.

As a result, cosplay culture became popular and developed in the anime and game industries, with increased participation and media coverage, leading to its gradual independent growth.

However, in this era, under Xia Yu's intervention, the term cosplay had appeared six years early and would certainly create a sensation.

In Hong Kong, there had never been an example of people cosplaying as manga characters. When fictional characters appeared in reality, it would be a significant impact on manga fans.

Seeing Li Qian's somewhat confused expression, Xia Yu was moved and asked with a smile, "Qian Qian, would you like to see what cosplay is like?"

Li Qian's eyes brightened at the sound and she asked excitedly, "Really?"

"Yes, let's go!"

Xia Yu nodded affirmatively and then led the eagerly anticipating Li Qian outside.

Actually, Xia Yu was also interested in checking the opening and operation of the flagship store, but his primary focus was on the new developments.