Raymond Lam’s (林峯) TVB management contract will expire in the beginning of next year. In order to keep the popular idol at the company, TVB allegedly offered him a great deal of opportunities. Raymond can film for Now TV, and also collaborate with veteran actor Tony Leung Ka Fai (梁家輝) in an upcoming TVB drama. Happy with the flexibility, Raymond agreed to stay at TVB for another three years. All he has to do now is sign the contract. With a family real estate business worth $2 billion RMB in Xiamen, Raymond told his father he would return home one day to lend a hand. But it has already been fourteen years, and Raymond is progressing exceptionally well within the entertainment industry. Diversified Career Losing the TVB Best Actor award to Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) last year, rumors speculated that Raymond was upset and has decided to quit the industry to manage his family business. Many mainland production companies also reportedly contacted him in hopes that he will sign with them. Since Raymond is known for his ability to speak fluent Mandarin, a company was willing to offer Raymond a high salary as well as provide him with his very own workshop. Now that TVB is giving Raymond grand opportunities, he has decided to remain at the company. Raymond was allowed to film for Lau Ka Ho (劉家豪) and Mui Siu Ching’s (梅小青) Now TV grand production, The First Empress <大漢賢後衛子夫>. The drama is 40 episodes in length, in which he will receive around $500,000 HKD per episode. Raymond is also the lead in a 50-episode 3D wuxia drama, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou <陸小鳳與花滿樓>. In 2014, he will be starring alongside Tony Leung in a new TVB series. No Time for Marriage In addition, TVB has been recently providing Raymond with as many moneymaking chances. Last Friday, he attended a concert in Chengdu and earned $800, 000 HKD from singing three songs. With Raymond’s renewed contract and busy schedule, he may have no time for marriage in the next few years. An insider reported, “Raymond has wanted to date for a long time. Now that his relationship status has been made public, he is always with his girlfriend. He’s old enough to take care of his personal matters. Raymond knows that TVB favors him, and even though there are many offers from other companies, he said he will definitely renew his contract.” TVB management executive, Virginia Lok (樂易玲), expressed confidence in getting Raymond to sign the contract renewal. “We’ve always had a great collaboration. Even though his contract hasn’t expired yet, we’ve been discussing its renewal constantly. It’s inconvenient for me to reveal the exact conditions offered, but they are very good of course.” Speaking of whether this means Raymond will not be able to marry Karena Ng (吳千語) in the next three years, Ms. Lok laughed and said, “We’ve never heard about Raymond’s marriage plans. He’s a big boy and dating is a very normal thing. Right now he’s filming a drama in Hengdian and collaboration amongst the cast is enjoyable. Raymond is a hardworking person, and no one has ever called him lazy. The fact that he is dating has not affected his work performance.” Creds: 3 Weekly
