Chapter 47: Forever Twenty-Five

“You’re practically a little rich lady now. What do you plan to do with all this money?” Yan Xu watched as Zhou Huimin carefully tucked away her check, his face carrying a faint smile. Her demeanor was nothing like his own when he first received a large sum.

“First thing, I want to rent a nicer apartment,” Zhou Huimin replied without hesitation, clearly having thought it through. The place she and her mother currently rented was cramped, so moving into a bigger home was her dream.

“Why rent? Buying is much more worthwhile,” Yan Xu shook his head.

“Buy a place?” Zhou Huimin stuck out her tongue. “Of course I’d love to, but the prices are so high now, and I don’t have enough money.”

“You’ve got enough for the down payment, and you don’t need to worry about your ability to repay. If your album hits double platinum, you’ll earn at least another four hundred thousand. Plus, the company will line up gigs and endorsements for you during this time. Even buying a place up on the Mid-levels wouldn’t be a problem,” Yan Xu explained.

“Property prices keep rising. Take the company’s apartment—I bought it at five thousand per square meter, and now it’s almost six thousand. That’s nearly a thousand increase in less than two months. These two units have appreciated forty thousand over my principal. Investing your money in property is better than letting it sit in the bank, and with prices still climbing, who knows where they’ll end up? Buying early is always better than buying late.”

When Yan Xu bought his apartment, he knew Hong Kong’s real estate would keep surging, at least until '97, but hadn’t expected the speed. He’d mentioned only the more remote units; the one he bought in the Mid-levels was over nine thousand per square meter, and in less than half a year it’d risen nearly twenty-five percent. No wonder so many celebrities in his memory kept buying properties, floor after floor.

“With prices so outrageous, why are people still buying?” Zhou Huimin couldn’t understand. Current prices far exceeded most people’s expectations; the average person’s annual income could only buy two or three square meters. Buying a home meant thirty years of hard work, assuming prices stayed flat.

“Hong Kong’s only so big, and many areas are designated parks. Others are reserved by the government for public facilities, so land is increasingly scarce. And then there’s population growth—not just local births, but people from elsewhere, especially mainland China, Vietnam, and India, all needing housing, even just rentals. Add Hong Kong’s rapid economic development, rising prices, and speculators, and property prices will keep climbing for a while yet—could be years, could be over a decade,” Yan Xu said.

“That makes sense, young man, but can prices really keep rising for that long?” Suddenly, a voice interrupted, clearly interested in Yan Xu’s topic.

Tonight’s big winner, Alan Tam, was glowing with pride. Not only did three of his songs make it into the Top Ten Golden Hits, but he swept Best Composer, Best Lyricist, Best Arranger, Best Album Producer, Most Popular Male Singer, and the Golden Song Award—nearly a grand slam.

With so many honors, he naturally became the center of attention at the celebration banquet. Colleagues and record company bosses clustered around him, barely giving him a moment’s rest. He’d finally managed to slip away, claiming a bathroom break, and wandered out to the garden for some fresh air, only to overhear Yan Xu’s spirited discussion, which piqued his interest.

“You?” Yan Xu and Zhou Huimin turned to the person who’d interrupted them, surprised—it was Alan Tam, a true superstar, the main figure of tonight’s event. Even getting a word with him was difficult, let alone having him initiate conversation.

“Rising property prices boil down to a few factors: increasing population and demand for housing, rising land costs, developers chasing profits, speculative capital, rising incomes, surplus monetary liquidity, limited investment channels, and international economic development. Hong Kong ticks almost all these boxes. Population growth and rising land costs are obvious. Developers’ profit-seeking and speculation are normal. Look at how much wages have grown compared to before. Hong Kong is an outward-facing city, plugged into the global economic cycle, deeply influenced by world economics. With US-Soviet relations easing, the world economy is in a rapid growth phase, and Hong Kong is no exception. Soaring property prices are a hallmark of economic boom. Therefore, prices will keep rising, and for quite some time,” Yan Xu spoke with conviction.

“Let me introduce myself, I—”

“I know, the eternally twenty-five-year-old Alan Tam,” Yan Xu cut in before Alan could finish.

“Oh?” Alan Tam was momentarily taken aback, but soon broke into a smile. “Eternally twenty-five—I like that title.”

Yan Xu grinned, never expecting Alan Tam’s famous self-description to come out of his own mouth. “I’m Yan Xu, director at Dragon Records, and this is Zhou Huimin, one of our artists.”

“Yan Xu? You’re the director of Taxi Judge? No wonder you looked familiar—I watched your Rainy Night Butcher,” Alan Tam reached out, shook Yan Xu’s hand, then turned to Zhou Huimin. “Miss Zhou was a guest performer tonight—I recognized you earlier. Your song was beautiful. Was it written by your company’s resident genius?”

“Genius?” Zhou Huimin smiled. “Mr. Tam, that genius is standing right in front of you.”

“Don’t call me Mr. Tam, it sounds awkward. Just call me Alan,” Alan Tam said to Zhou Huimin. “I didn’t expect Miss Zhou to be such a creative talent.”

“I’d better call you Brother Tam, and you can call me Amin,” Zhou Huimin replied. “I’m hardly a talent; the real genius is right here.”

“So it was written by Yan Xu?” Alan Tam looked at Yan Xu in surprise. He knew Yan Xu’s achievements in film, but didn’t expect he’d also compose and write lyrics, and at a high standard. “I never thought Director Yan had such talent in songwriting.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say talent—just a bit of dabbling,” Yan Xu answered honestly. After studying with Lo Kwan-tin for a while, he could at least read music and jot down rough melodies with his so-called golden finger.

Seeing Yan Xu’s humility, Zhou Huimin quickly added, “Our Brother Xu is really impressive. More than half of the albums Dragon Records releases are written by him.”

“Then the Tai Chi Band’s song must have been yours too, right, Ah Xu?” Alan Tam’s tone was friendly. He himself had worked his way up from a typewriter salesman to superstar, weathering many storms. The song resonated deeply with him.

Yan Xu nodded in confirmation.

“It really was you. I love that song,” Alan Tam said, his face lit with surprise and delight. “If you ever have time, could you write a song for me?”

Alan Tam was actually asking Yan Xu for a song—something Yan Xu hadn’t expected.

“Who could be so influential that Alan would come seeking a song?” Before Yan Xu could answer, another voice called out.

ps: The content of the next project is starting to take shape—guess what it is! If you guess right… well, there’s no prize, haha!