章節 215: Chapter 215: *The Premature Leak of "Zhiyin Manke"
In the following days, the *Fengyun Daily* continued to steer public opinion. Society had become more rational, no longer wholly rejecting the comic industry but rather opposing only "negative energy" comics that were violent, gory, or pornographic, while being open to "positive energy" comics.
However, the comic industry in Hong Kong had become quite set in its ways, with "Bruce Lee" and "Long Hu Men" serving as prime examples of bad influences. Most of the comics circulating were similar in nature, and none seemed to fit the current definition of "positive energy" that was becoming a social buzzword.
As a result, readers had yet to form a clear image of what constituted "positive energy" comics.
At this point, some people began to suspect that Xia Yu's intention was to pave the way for his own company's comics.
Despite reflecting on the *Fengyun Daily's* actions, such as creating societal discourse and clearing obstacles within the comic industry, many found themselves shivering. Words like "fantastic," "audacious," and "powerful" flashed through their minds. They had to admit that Xia Yu was indeed formidable and not someone to be taken lightly.
Some couldn't help but recall how Xia Yu had used the *Jiuding Daily* months earlier to similarly manipulate public opinion, causing significant losses for the Wu family and the *Dongfang Daily*. While Xia Yu hadn't specifically targeted anyone this time, and people had a short memory, his actions had revived their awareness of his power.
Many were astonished, acknowledging that a prominent figure is still a prominent figure, no matter how long they remain dormant.
During the ongoing manipulation of public opinion by the *Fengyun Daily*, its sales had been steadily climbing. The latest daily sales had reached 830,000 copies, closing in on the *Jiuding Daily's* figures.
While *Fengyun Daily* progressed, the *Jiuding Daily* did not lag behind. Its highest sales had increased by 20,000 copies from the previous 950,000, reaching 970,000. The million-copy daily sales record seemed increasingly attainable.
At this stage, both the *Jiuding Daily* and the *Fengyun Daily* clearly had the potential to cross the million-copy mark, with both newspapers standing in the top tier and leaving the third-place *Sing Tao Daily* far behind.
The media landscape in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia had become clear: the *Jiuding Daily* and the *Fengyun Daily* led the first tier; the *Sing Tao Daily* stood in the second tier, while other newspapers were relegated to the third tier and beyond.
Moreover, due to the severe impact of the *Fengyun Daily*, the overall sales of the *Sing Tao Daily* continued to decline, widening the gap between it and the first-tier newspapers, putting it in a dire situation.
Aside from these two newspapers, the *Jiuding* publishing company's other pillar, *Economic* Weekly, had also shown impressive growth. With the company expanding its channels, the *Economic* Weekly had reached Japan and Korea, and many companies interested in the Hong Kong and Southeast Asian markets had subscribed. The magazine received high praise for reflecting the economic and business developments of Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia, with significant reference and practical value.
With such a rising reputation, *Economic* Weekly's influence spread rapidly, with the latest weekly sales reaching 880,000 copies. Due to its growing international influence, its advertising value also increased, and many companies eager to enter foreign markets competed for ad placements.
Consequently, *Economic* Weekly's weekly advertising revenue surged, reaching 2.4 million HKD last week, firmly securing the top spot in print media advertising revenue, even surpassing the *Jiuding Daily*.
Similarly, the performance of Jiuding Book Publishing Company was also remarkable. The fifth volume of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* had quickly reached over one million copies sold, with 1,030,000 copies. The sales of the third and fourth volumes had accumulated to 683,000 and 677,000 copies, respectively. The first and second volumes had also increased by around 50,000 copies each, with total sales reaching 1.95 million copies.
Such achievements left Guy Wen Peter excited and motivated. He had already planned other martial arts novels for publication, intending to leverage the popularity of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* to establish Jiuding Book Publishing Company's reputation and influence in the martial arts novel market.
Early in the morning, after breakfast, Xia Ming and the other kids went to school by car. As soon as Xia Ming sat down, he saw his deskmate, Li Chengze, eagerly looking at him and muttering, "A Ming, did you remember? Did you bring it?"
Seeing his deskmate's expression, Xia Ming found it amusing. He took out the *Zhiyin Manke* magazine from his bag and handed it to Li Chengze, who eagerly took it but found Xia Ming's grip still on it. Li Chengze anxiously said, "A Ming, what's the matter? Didn't you agree to lend it to me? You're not backing out, are you?"
"What nonsense! Let me make it clear. I'm only lending it to you, not allowing you to take it home or lend it to others. Don't read it in class or the teacher might take it. This is from my brother. If it gets lost or damaged, I'll hold you responsible!"
Xia Ming's eyes were fixed on Li Chengze with a stern attitude.
"Don't worry, I promise I'll take good care of it!" Li Chengze immediately agreed.
Only then did Xia Ming reluctantly let go, watching as Li Chengze eagerly flipped through the comic.
This scene occurred because, after reading *Zhiyin Manke* in the past few days, Xia Ming couldn't help but boast to Li Chengze, who was so intrigued that he kept begging Xia Ming to bring it for him to see.
Li Chengze was a comic enthusiast, and Xia Ming's interest in comics was influenced by him. Not only Xia Ming but also a small group in their class shared a love for comics, with Li Chengze being the central figure.
Since the suspension of comics like *Long Hu Men* and *Bruce Lee*, the entire group had been in a comic panic, appearing dispirited.
Li Chengze, who had introduced Xia Ming to the world of comics, was surprised by the breadth of knowledge Xia Ming had acquired from comics, including Pikachu, the pirate boy who aspired to conquer the seas, magical devil fruits, and various concepts he had never heard of before. This aroused Li Chengze's curiosity and desire to explore further.
When Li Chengze learned that Xia Ming's knowledge came from comics, he was skeptical. Despite boasting of having read all comics, he hadn't encountered anything like Xia Ming described. However, Xia Ming's earnest claims made Li Chengze believe it, leading him to beg for the magazine.
Unable to resist his deskmate's pleas and having finished reading the magazine himself, Xia Ming, who was eager to show off, eventually lent it to Li Chengze.
Throughout the morning, Li Chengze was completely absorbed in the four magical comics. If not for Xia Ming's restriction on reading it in class, Li Chengze would have read it throughout.
However, Xia Ming was caught off guard when he realized that Li Chengze's big mouth led to more people learning about the magazine. As a result, more and more people wanted to borrow *Zhiyin Manke* and were asking Xia Ming where he had bought it, though Xia Ming remained tight-lipped.
By the afternoon, Xia Ming had exerted a lot of effort to retrieve *Zhiyin Manke*. Seeing the wrinkled magazine, he felt distressed and worried, as it seemed that the magazine hadn't been officially released yet but had already been seen by many. He feared he might have ruined his brother's plans.
With a heavy heart, Xia Ming felt downcast, thinking about how to apologize to his brother.
每周推薦票狀態
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榜單 
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