Chapter 475: A Bumper Harvest

Xia Lei pondered for a moment before speaking. "We have businesses like running chicken shops, gambling dens, bars, smuggling, lending, and taking on paid tasks. Our people also collect protection fees."

Xia Yu nodded slightly. The businesses Xia Lei mentioned were common activities in gang organizations, often operating on the edge of the law or outright illegal.

Although they were profitable, much of the money was dirty. To launder it, there were complications and losses involved.

"Ah Lei, an organization needs to have its own industries. What you're managing now isn't enough!"

"The best solution is to own your own company. This way, you not only have legitimate income but also keep more options open for yourself."

Xia Yu continued, thinking of the Yamaguchi-gumi from later years. It was a model example of a criminal organization, with a very strict organizational structure and, more importantly, a legitimate way of making money, running businesses across various industries with an annual income of 80 billion dollars!

To think that a criminal organization had such a high annual income—it was terrifying!

"Ah Yu, I understand that we need to manage stable and long-term businesses. After you mentioned it, I also thought about it, but I don't know what to do!"

Xia Lei said with frustration, scratching his head.

"Ah Yu, you're the best at business. Just give Ah Lei some guidance so he doesn't end up like a headless chicken."

Xia Jun took a sip of tea to clear his throat and suggested.

"Yeah, Ah Yu, see if there are any industries suitable for people like us."

Xia Lei immediately nodded in agreement, looking at Xia Yu with anticipation.

Seeing this, Xia Yu smiled and said, "Let me think."

Xia Lei immediately nodded and waited quietly.

Xia Yu stroked his chin, his eyes lost in thought as he rapidly considered various lucrative gray industries from later years, selecting those suitable for Xia Lei.

After a while, Xia Yu's eyes brightened, and Xia Lei, sensing the change, was about to ask when Xia Yu smiled and said, "Ah Lei, I've thought of a few ideas. Take note."

"First, is setting up a foot massage and spa business. Hire attractive girls, train them in foot massage and other techniques, and offer professional and distinctive services. Create different service levels for various social classes, and ensure safety. The income should be quite considerable."

"Second, is making films. You can hire people to shoot films, focusing on adult films and gangster films. It's guaranteed to be profitable and also convenient for money laundering."

"Third, is investing in real estate. You could start a real estate company, hire people to manage it, and if you don't have the strength to start big, start small. Once you acquire land, if you need construction, you can outsource the construction projects to my construction company. You can take a legitimate and legal route. You just need to handle the land and sell the properties. Although high-interest lending is quicker, it's not as stable."

"The last one is still smuggling. Kowloon Warehouse is my territory; you can rest assured there."

"Ah Yu, thank you! I'll follow your advice and do these!"

Xia Lei said with a beaming smile, expressing his gratitude. He had no doubts about Xia Yu's guidance. Since Xia Yu deemed it feasible, it would definitely be profitable. How much profit he could make would depend on future developments.

"Also, Ah Lei, the most important thing for an organization is a rigorous structure, with orders being effectively communicated. It's not just about having more people. If you can't manage them, and there are internal factions with divergent interests, having more people is useless. Study the structure of the American Hung Mun and the Yamaguchi-gumi from the island nation."

Xia Yu said with a serious expression, offering further advice.

"Got it. I'll study this carefully when I get back!"

Xia Lei nodded heavily, promising to do so.

Afterward, as the dishes were gradually served, the three brothers changed to a lighter topic and continued chatting casually.

---

In the following days, the first World Rubik's Cube Competition continued to be held enthusiastically. With broadcasts by multiple countries' TV stations, the impact of the competition grew larger, greatly stimulating Rubik's Cube sales.

At the same time, many Rubik's Cube experts emerged, ranging from adults in their thirties and forties to young prodigies under ten years old.

After preliminary selections, the competition entered the finals. Remarkably, half of the finalists were young people, which surprised the audience.

In the end, a boy from a slum defeated various experts to claim the championship, holding the 500,000 cash prize. The media buzzed again.

Another talented grassroots youth changed his destiny through his own abilities, and the opportunity came from Global Television!

In the talented youth's acceptance speech and interviews, he continuously mentioned how playing with the Rubik's Cube had changed and improved his way of thinking.

The runner-up and third place also affirmed the impact of the Rubik's Cube on their abilities.

Such excellent promotional material was impossible to ignore. Global Television and Jiuding News Media Company naturally promoted it vigorously.

With expert scientific recognition and beneficiaries' personal endorsements, the Rubik's Cube firmly established itself as an "intellectual toy," leading to a massive explosion in sales. Toy factory inventories were nearly depleted, and production lines operated around the clock.

Jiuding Animation Company had a bumper harvest, and Global Television also reaped substantial rewards.

The highest viewership rating for the finals reached 36.6%!

Another show had climbed to the top-tier level!

Although the competition was held only once a year, Huang Xizhao was satisfied. Such events contributed to the station's reputation every year!

The high viewership brought a surge in advertising revenue. From the preliminary rounds to the finals, spanning ten days, the advertising revenue reached 15 million, an absolute windfall!

With such high advertising revenue, the credit was entirely due to the boss, Xia Yu.

Xia Yu proposed many innovative advertising models previously unseen, such as embedding ads within the program, props ads, background ads, and sponsor ads read by hosts. The advertising methods were no longer limited to mid-program insertion ads.

The variety of advertising stunned both Huang Xizhao and the advertisers. Initially, there was skepticism, but after witnessing the results, advertisers flocked to Global Television with money.

If the ads had only been aired on Global Television, even with high viewership, the advertising revenue wouldn't have been so substantial.

The most important reason was that the program was broadcasted across major Southeast Asian TV stations, expanding the coverage dramatically.

These ads were embedded in each episode of the program, making them impossible to cut. The only way to remove them was to use mosaics.

However, since the broadcasting rights were provided for free, Huang Xizhao had one requirement: no censoring of internal ads.

Major TV stations agreed to this.

After all, with good viewership, they could still insert their own ads before, during, and after the program, making money in the process.

Before Global Television went satellite, this cooperation was a win-win situation.

Global Television used the coverage capabilities of other TV stations to expand the advertising scope infinitely, leading to a geometric rise in ad fees. The competition's influence grew, and other TV stations helped promote the Rubik's Cube, strengthening friendships with other TV stations. Other stations also made a profit from advertising.

In any case, both Global Television and Jiuding Animation Company had gained immensely!