"Miss Deng, I'm very glad you could come today."
When Lin Baicheng saw Deng Lijun being led in by the staff, he immediately walked over to greet her.
"It's really Deng Lijun!"
Lin Qin cheered excitedly, rushing forward with wide, sparkling eyes full of admiration.
"Miss Deng," Lin Baicheng said with a smile, "this is my younger sister, Lin Qin. She can be a bit impulsive at times, so I hope you won't mind."
Deng Lijun smiled warmly and shook her head. "Of course not. Having fans like Miss Lin who like me so much—it makes me happy."
Lin Qin had been pestering her brother for a long time, asking when she could meet Deng Lijun. When the finals of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire were announced, Lin Baicheng reached out to Deng Lijun in advance. By coincidence, she happened to be in Hong Kong these few days and agreed to come watch the live finals—fulfilling Lin Qin's long-held wish.
"Sister Lijun, I'm so, so happy to see you! Could you take a photo with me and give me a few autographs?"
Lin Qin was practically trembling with excitement—she had even brought a camera just for this occasion.
"Of course," Deng Lijun replied with a gentle smile.
"Sorry to trouble you, Miss Deng," Lin Baicheng said as he picked up the camera and snapped a few photos of the two together.
Afterward, Deng Lijun began signing autographs. Lin Qin, overjoyed, had already told her friends she was going to meet Deng Lijun, so they had begged her to get autographs for them as well. Naturally, Deng Lijun ended up signing quite a few.
"Mr. Lin, the finals are about to start. Will you be heading over to watch?"
A staff member came over to remind them—it had taken longer than expected with the photos and signing.
"All right, we'll head there now."
Lin Baicheng led Lin Qin and Deng Lijun to the competition stage.
They weren't part of the hundred-person audience being filmed but were seated to the side, watching live yet off-camera.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to tonight's broadcast of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Tonight marks our very first grand final, with ten contestants competing for the top prize. Will someone manage to answer all fifteen questions correctly and claim the one-million–Hong Kong-dollar jackpot? Let's find out together!"
The recording was nearly live-to-air—the contestants' immediate reactions added to the intensity and authenticity of the show. The producers didn't worry about mistakes; what they wanted was genuine emotion.
"Now, please welcome our first contestant—Mr. Xiao Yaxun!"
A man in his early forties walked onto the stage.
"Allow me to introduce Mr. Xiao," the host said. "He's 42 years old and owns a bookstore. Thanks to his work, he's read a wide range of books and has extensive knowledge—making him a strong contender for tonight's championship."
At this point in time, personal computers had only just started gaining traction in the United States and hadn't yet reached Hong Kong. The production team didn't have electronic display screens like a stock exchange would. Each question and its four multiple-choice answers were printed on paper, handed directly to contestants.
Two staff members alternated in presenting the question cards—it was a tedious but necessary process, as the technology of the late '70s simply couldn't handle digital display yet.
Since it was a competition show, the host didn't waste time on pleasantries.
"Mr. Xiao Yaxun, please listen to Question Seven: The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), founded by Governor MacLehose, was established on which of the following dates?"
"A: February 15, 1973; B: May 12, 1973; C: February 15, 1974; D: May 12, 1974."
"C—February 15, 1974!"
Xiao answered almost instantly. The ICAC's founding had only been a few years ago; anyone who lived through the corruption-ridden '50s and '60s remembered it clearly.
"Are you sure? Would you like to change your answer?"
"I'm sure. No need."
"Congratulations! That's correct!"
"After seven correct answers, you've now accumulated HK$1,000 in prize money. You can stop here and take the HK$1,000—or continue playing. But if you get the next question wrong, your total will drop to HK$500. What will it be, Mr. Xiao?"
"I'll continue."
His choice came as no surprise—HK$1,000 wasn't much, and he hadn't used any of his three lifelines yet.
"All right then—Question Eight: Who was the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty?"
"A: Liu Bang; B: Liu Che; C: Liu Hong; D: Liu Xiu."
"It's A—no, wait—it's D! Liu Xiu! Liu Bang founded the Western Han, Liu Xiu was the founder of the Eastern Han!"
Realizing his slip, Xiao quickly corrected himself.
The host glanced toward Xiao Ruoyuan, the show's producer. After seeing him nod, the host smiled and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Xiao—that's correct! You've now won HK$2,000."
"Phew!"
Xiao let out a sigh of relief. If the host had ruled it wrong, there'd be nothing he could do—it was his own mistake. He silently told himself to think more carefully before answering the next ones.
"I honestly thought they'd mark that wrong," Deng Lijun whispered to Lin Baicheng beside her.
He replied quietly, "It's the first grand final. The producers want to keep things encouraging—the questions aren't too hard, and they're giving contestants a little leeway."
"Is that so?" Deng Lijun said, surprised.
At home, television viewers were slightly behind the live event—they had just finished watching Xiao's earlier rounds, which had been edited for time. The broadcast cut directly to the questions and answers, staying roughly five minutes behind.
On stage, Xiao was already facing his ninth question. It hit one of his weak points, so he used his "50/50" lifeline, eliminating two wrong answers, and managed to choose correctly again—bringing his total to HK$3,000.
He didn't use his other two lifelines—saving them was strategic. After all, he could only keep playing as long as he stayed in the game.
And so, Mr. Xiao decided to continue. After all, HK$3,000 was still far from the grand prize of one million.