Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1023 Invitation to Agent Le Miao, Dealing with Brother Hui (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)
Upon hearing what Mr. Tang said, Le Miao's eyes widened in shock. She had never imagined that in Repulse Bay, a "paradise" teeming with the wealthy, there was such a "book of life and death" that recorded the fate of the underworld.

Fang Yan was also somewhat surprised; he was surprised that Old Tang had actually started doing something.
When he was an undercover agent in the Wang Jingwei regime in Shanghai, he only indulged in eating, drinking, and having fun.

Now, however, they are able to quietly weave an intelligence network covering Hong Kong.

Those yellowed rosters, hidden surveillance equipment, and even precise tracking of people's whereabouts—how could that be achieved by luck alone?

It is clearly the result of countless days and nights of dedicated work.

Looking at their shocked expressions, Old Tang smiled like a child who had secretly hidden candy: "How about it? This old man is quite resourceful, isn't he?"

Le Miao gave a thumbs up:
"awesome!"

Old Tang looked at Fang Yan, and Fang Yan returned the gesture with a cupped-hand salute, saying:

"Impressive! An ace is always an ace!"

This compliment pleased Old Tang greatly. He took a sip of tea, then suddenly became serious and said:
"Although Hong Kong is small, it is a key node where East meets West, and the higher authorities attach great importance to it."

This means that deep within Hong Kong, the team managed by Mr. Tang is far larger than anyone imagined.

That makes sense. How could this place only allow Mr. Fok's family to help while the mainland reaps the benefits?
There must be people protecting them in the shadows.

These people are Xue Zhen and his group.

"The British Hong Kong government didn't care?" Le Miao asked Old Tang.

"They only care about two things: finance and logistics," Old Tang sneered. "As long as these two avenues of wealth are open, public security, people's livelihood, corruption... are all 'minor issues' in their eyes. Do you really think the Independent Commission Against Corruption can eradicate corruption? Now I think it's just a face-saving project for outsiders."

Fang Yan reminded Old Tang:

"Isn't it inappropriate to tell her these things?"

Old Tang smiled and waved his hand, then said to Le Miao:

“We are looking to recruit local talent from Hong Kong, especially young people who are familiar with the dynamics of universities. Ms. Lok, would you be interested in joining us? You can serve your country and your family while also having sufficient security.”

"Don't worry, I guarantee there's no danger."

"I..." Le Miao opened her mouth, not expecting Old Tang to bring this up.

Old Tang said with a smile:

"It's okay, you're a friend of the dialect, take your time to think about it."

After saying that, he turned to Fang Yan and Le Miao and said:
"Then you all sit here for a while. I'll go to the study to make a phone call. Xue Zhen, you can also go and arrange the investigation."

Xue Zhen replied:

"it is good!"

Old Tang stood up, supporting himself on the sofa armrest, and gently tapped his lower back:

"Fang Yan, could you take a look at my back later? It's been hurting a lot lately."

Fang Yan snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly replied:
"Okay, you make the call, I'll take a look at it when you get back."

As everyone left the living room, Le Miao suddenly grabbed Fang Yan's sleeve and whispered:
"Do you think I should accept Mr. Tang's invitation?"

Fang Yan glanced at Xue Zhen at the end of the corridor before slowly analyzing:

“Collecting information about universities is not inherently risky, and it can also help you build connections, which may be helpful for your future development back in the mainland.” He paused, his gaze falling on Le Miao’s clenched hand. “But intelligence work is like walking a tightrope. Foreign forces have eyes and ears everywhere. Once you are marked, it will inevitably affect your business plans in Hong Kong. If your goal is to focus on real business, it’s best not to get involved in this mess.”

Le Miao bit her lower lip, lost in thought.

"Let's put it off for now," Fang Yan patted her shoulder. "No need to rush into a decision. I'll talk to Old Tang. You just do things at your own pace."

Le Miao nodded:

"Okay! I'll do as you say."

These conversations weren't kept secret from Deng Cai and Li Chong, who were watching nearby. Clearly, Fang Yan was considering things from Le Miao's perspective and wasn't forcing her to agree based on his own position. While this made them feel somewhat uncomfortable, they could understand it.

From the perspective of dialects, they would make the same decision.

About ten minutes later, Old Tang returned. He smiled and said to Fang Yan:

"The deal has been reached with Li Guohua."

Fang Yan asked curiously:
"How to say?"

Old Tang slowly sat back in his armchair, picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and then said:

“When I mentioned that old bastard Lai Kwok-wah’s embezzlement of gang funds at the Tsim Sha Tsui pier back then, his voice immediately softened by three points.”

"I don't need to say anything more, he kept pleading on my behalf, saying he didn't know what he had done to offend me."

“I told him about what happened on Temple Street, saying that I have shares in the company, and he then called to ask who is in charge there now.”

"Then they called me back and said that this Brother Hui wasn't one of their people, but was causing trouble under their name, and that he had connections with the detective in that area."

Fang Yan frowned and asked:

"Is he telling the truth, or is he just dodging the question and trying to shift the focus to the detective?"

Old Tang nodded and said:

“I immediately said, ‘What a coincidence, Detective Chen came to my place for tea last week. Why don’t we call him over now to check the accounts?’ There was no sound on the other end of the phone, only the sound of Li Guohua breathing.”

“I said, since this Brother Hui has shit on my head, I have to find someone to explain myself.”

"Calling him now is to give him face, so that he won't take things too seriously later and say I'm heartless."

"What did Li Guohua say in the end?" Le Miao asked curiously.

"He sighed and said, 'I need to give you a clear path.'" Old Tang poked the entry for "Li Guohua" on the roster with the tip of his cane.
"Then I told him to go to the director on set to apologize and get out of Temple Street and be replaced."

"In the end, he had no choice but to agree."

Fang Yan nodded:

"Yes, that's enough. We don't actually need to kill one or two of them; just making them a deterrent is enough."

Upon hearing this dialect, Old Tang smiled and said:

"That's right, stop when you've made your point. These people are bullies who prey on the weak. If you really offend them, they'll start threatening to fight to the death if they're not allowed to survive."

After saying that, he pointed to his waist in the dialect:

"By the way, hurry up and take a look at my waist."

"Now, if I sit for half an hour, my lower back will hurt terribly. Now I try to move around whenever I can, because if I stay in one position for too long, my back will start to ache and feel swollen."

"Okay, let me take a look."

Next, Fang Yan came up behind Tang Lao, lifted his clothes, looked at his back, confirmed that there was no abnormality in appearance, and then began to examine him using the palpation method of Luo's bone setting.

Then, Fang Yan said to Old Tang:
"It's not a big problem. I guess it's just due to age and some strain."

Old Tang said:
"Sigh, isn't there no other way?"

"I should be retired by now, but I'm still doing this every day. I wish I could just relax and enjoy good food and drink, but the country needs me!"

Fang Yan smiled and then said to him:
"You've worked hard. Come, let me take your pulse and look at your tongue."

PS: I still owe you all 88000 words after finishing this chapter.

There will be more this afternoon.

(End of this chapter)