Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 407, Section 184: A Kind Reminder
The person behind the auction who managed to persuade the McDormand family must have paid a considerable price.

Xi Ren stepped into the elevator and looked at the South Asian waiter with a blank expression.

However, the South Asian waiter did not press the button for the elevator going up, but instead pressed the button for the elevator on the basement level.

The elevator quickly arrived at the basement level, and the South Asian waiter gestured for Xiren to leave.

Seeing this, Xiren could only step out of the elevator. Her eyes scanned the underground parking lot and she suddenly noticed that there were signs hanging on the cement pillars in the underground parking lot, each with a room number on it.

The auction was not held at the Peninsula Hotel; it appears to have taken place elsewhere.

[No. 25/1002]

Following the door number, Xiren found her room. A Bentley was parked in the parking space, and a gentleman with slicked-back hair was standing in front of the car.

"Welcome, Ms. Wu."

"Miss Corsica felt very guilty for not being able to accompany you in person and asked me to take good care of Miss Wu."

"This is Miss Corsica's apology gift to you!"

After the slick-haired gentleman finished his opening remarks, he opened the box in his hand, inside which was a small oil painting measuring 5 cm x 7 cm.

“Mr. Wu’s new art museum has already started construction. California is my favorite region, and the Los Angeles Lakers are my favorite basketball club.”

“Building the new art museum in Los Angeles is a wise decision.”

"This painting is a work by Sanyu, a gift from the Corsican family to you. As a collector and connoisseur, you know that Sanyu's paintings are now starting to appreciate in value. At the latest Sotheby's spring auction, a Sanyu oil painting could sell for half a million US dollars."

"Appraisers and collectors all believe that Chang Yu is a top oil painting master whose future achievements are unmatched by Zhang Daqian and others."

"Furthermore, Master Chang Yu was a supporter of the house-burning movement, so the future market will not be chaotic!"

The Kyligis family's move was indeed extraordinary; their first offering was an oil painting by Chang Yu.

Although Xiren was an imposter, she still had some understanding of the art market. The auction prices of Chang Yu's paintings have been rising in recent years, which is due to speculators entering the market.

Take this painting in the hands of the slick young master, for example. If he keeps it for seven or eight years and takes advantage of a trend, he can easily make millions.

"Thank you!"

Xi Ren was a seasoned veteran; she knew the saying that too much talk leads to mistakes. She simply uttered two words coldly and did not reach for the precious oil painting presented by the Cligis family.

"Miss Wu, this way please!"

Seeing that Xiren didn't want to continue the conversation, Youtou quickly opened the car door. The auction was starting in two hours, and he needed to act quickly so as not to delay things.

Xi Ren got into the Bentley and noticed an unopened leather trench coat on the back seat, which puzzled her.

Seeing the doubt in Xi Ren's eyes, You Tou quickly explained, "The sea is rough, so the Cligis family has prepared warm clothing for all the distinguished guests."

After explaining, the slick-haired man floored the accelerator and drove the Bentley out of the Peninsula Hotel's underground parking lot.

The car drove all the way to Victoria Harbour and stopped in the mooring area. A large speedboat with an enclosed cabin was moored in front of the dock deck.

The slick-haired man got out of the car, opened the door for Xi Ren, and reminded her, "There are security screening devices on the island. You can hand over any self-defense weapons to me, and I will guarantee their return intact. The security on the island is very comprehensive, so there's no need to brandish knives or guns."

Xi Ren shook her head, put on the leather trench coat given to her by the Krejci family, tied the polar bear fur shawl around her neck, and shook her head again to indicate that she was not carrying any weapons.

Seeing Xiren shake her head, the slick-haired man tactfully took a step back and watched her board the boat.

A waiter in a tuxedo extended his hand, which was covered with a towel, to make it easier for Xiren, who was wearing high heels, to board the ship.

With the help of a formally dressed waiter, Xiren jumped onto the large speedboat. This modified speedboat had a private room. After Xiren sat down in the room, a waiter in a tuxedo brought her a glass of chilled champagne.

"Ms. Wu, the speedboat has started and is expected to arrive at our destination in 45 minutes."

"I wish you a pleasant journey!"

The staff informed Xiren of the flight time and then closed the door, giving her some time alone.

Just as the door closed, a beautiful symphony filled the small room. Xi Ren gently swirled her wine glass, closed her eyes, and enjoyed her last moment of leisure.

The forty-five-minute journey passed in the blink of an eye, and the large speedboat came to a steady stop at the island's temporary pier.

The sea breeze howled, and Xi Ren, wearing a leather trench coat and carrying a small bag, was helped off the speedboat by the staff.

Duffy stood on the dock deck and saw Xiren disembark. He went up to her warmly, first politely protecting her and then kissing her twice on the cheek before greeting her.

"Welcome, Ms. Wu!"

"The auction will begin as scheduled in half an hour, but the welcome reception has already started. I have prepared some Jiangnan snacks, and I hope you will enjoy them."

"this way please!"

A small sightseeing vehicle from the golf course was parked at the dock. Duffy led the way for the big spender, and the two of them boarded the vehicle together to head to the auction venue.

Inside the stone villa, the lights were already on, and two security guards with submachine guns stood at the entrance.

A female service worker, holding a detector, waited at the door. When she saw Dafi and Xiren arrive, she gave them an apologetic smile and began a body search.

Xi Ren took out a small folding mirror from her bag, took out the lipstick that Teacher Li had prepared for her, opened the lipstick cap, and began to touch up her makeup.

The metal detector slid across the key areas and sounded an alarm when it encountered jewelry. The female security officer simply reached out and touched it, and seeing no hidden dangers, let go and continued checking other items.

When the metal detector scanned the lipstick, it made a beeping sound. But when Xiren showed the Chanel logo on the bottom of the lipstick and tapped it with her hand, producing a crisp metallic sound, the waitress immediately smiled and stepped aside.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Wu! We are all VIPs here today, please forgive our caution."

"The sea breeze is strong outside, but hot cocoa has been prepared for the welcome banquet."

Seeing that Xiren had passed through security, Duffy immediately smiled warmly and invited her into the banquet hall.

Xi Ren put the lipstick and a small folding mirror into her handbag and walked into the banquet hall with Duffy. Compared to the brightly lit first floor, the warehouse on the lower level was somewhat gloomy.

At this moment, Chi Mengli's limbs had returned to normal, but his hands and feet were still a little weak. He was leaning against the wall, a cigar in his mouth, watching the goods being escorted upstairs in the cell.

In his eyes, cigars were simply another type of dry tobacco, and this thick tobacco didn't actually go into the lungs; one could only savor its aroma in the mouth, which was somewhat hard to explain.

But the Cligis family only had cigars, not Double Happiness cigarettes, so he had to make do.

"These bastards are inhuman! They don't even spare the kids!"

When Chi Mengli heard the nasty words of the Eight-Faced Buddha next door, she rolled her eyes. She never imagined that this bastard would one day stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at other nasty people!
You've lived long enough to see all sorts of birds!
"Damn it! Master, I feel that the most inhuman bastard is you. You sell prostitutes, run a drug stall, and work as a loan shark. So many harmonious families have been torn apart and ruined because of you."

"If a woman gets involved with Miss Bai, she'll end up in a brothel, and the man will become a scoundrel, causing trouble all the time. The kids are even worse off; they'll end up in orphanages, where they'll be groped by foreigners."

"If I kill you now, I can immediately cleanse myself of my sins and become a Buddha!"

"You son of a bitch!"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Chi Mengli immediately launched into a tirade, telling the Eight-Faced Buddha to behave himself and not to let this refined man resort to violence.

The Eight-Faced Buddha, separated by a wall, also sneered and retorted mercilessly: "Damn it! You're a gangster, you're not much better than me!"

"You may not run a noodle stall, but will you run a horse market? Will you collect the fees? We're all covered in dog shit, so let's not be disgusted with each other! You scoundrel, don't you want to say that running a horse market will help Hong Kong housewives and young girls find employment and increase the government's employment rate?"

"Stop joking!"

"My rice noodle stall costs 58, yours costs 40, we're the same kind of people!"

Even though he's considered a breath of fresh air in the gangster world, 99% of the businesses under Chi Meng-li's jurisdiction are illegal. The only exception is the parking lot, but even that's not a legitimate business; it's considered a gray industry.

In Hong Kong, scalping, hoarding parking spaces, and other similar activities are considered acts of bullying and monopolizing the market.

Even the most innocent gangster can have a whole cabinet full of files in the police station.

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want, or you'll be sued for defamation!"

"But this kid is quite good-looking, with fair skin and tender flesh. He looks like a young master from a wealthy family. You, Buddha, are well-informed and must recognize him. Anyway, it's not our turn yet. Tell me so this loser can broaden my horizons."

Chi Mengli exhaled a smoke ring, both praising and criticizing, and asked the Eight-Faced Buddha to tell some stories about the martial arts world.

The eight-faced Buddha leaning against the wall also snorted coldly. This scoundrel next to him was more cunning than a monkey when he got his hands on someone. He had no reason to be wronged!
"South Korea has a drug king, who sells 'Miss Baek,' but South Koreans call 'Miss Baek' 'narcotics.' The drug king has already fallen from power, but this guy uses diplomatic mailboxes to transport goods. If he opens his mouth, a long list of people will be in trouble."

"In an effort to quell public opinion, Lu Baima has authorized the U.S. prosecutors to conduct an investigation."

"This kid is the Achilles' heel of the narcotics king. After all, the narcotics king's ex-wife only gave birth to four daughters for him. This kid is the only heir in the narcotics king's heart."

"If you want the drug king to shut up and take all the blame, this kid is the perfect solution!"

Eight-Faced Buddha sometimes admires his colleagues. They really put their brains to the extreme in order to sell Miss Bai, using every trick in the book.

Using diplomatic parcels to transport Miss Bai is a truly outrageous idea; it seems the King of Drugs is quite shrewd!

However, no matter how clever the methods are, they will eventually be exposed.

The Cligis family is very resourceful. The Drug King must have known he was in deep trouble, so he must have hidden the most important person in his heart in a safe place. He never expected that the Cligis family would find him.

Nguyen Van cannot stay!

But before eliminating Nguyen Van, they must obtain his signed documents so that they can take control of the videotape factory and copyright company.

"You little bastard! You've got the most tricks up your sleeve. That thing around your neck is scary, but I'm sure you have a way to get rid of it. If you really get on that stage and someone buys it, we'll be completely finished!"

The cells were emptying one by one, and soon it would be the turn of Eight-Faced Buddha and Chi Mengli. Although Eight-Faced Buddha could not see Chi Mengli, he knew that this scoundrel had something to rely on when he heard him making jokes.

I quickly reminded him not to miss the opportunity.

"Damn! With a bomb strapped to his neck, even if Brother Su came down, there's nothing he could do."

"Buddha, you're a seasoned veteran! You're indifferent to life and death, so if you're not convinced, then fight! Don't lose face in front of these foreigners!"

Stirring up trouble was Chi Mengli's specialty. Ruan Wen came down to see her once, but instead of believing that this wicked woman was soft-hearted, he believed that he was the reincarnation of Qin Shi Huang.

However, at this point, even if someone is willing to spend V50, they won't be able to enjoy Country Style's Crazy Thursday.

With wolves in front and tigers behind, it's not easy to escape!
"Humph!"

The Eight-Faced Buddha snorted coldly again and straightened his clothes. This should be his final grand appearance. He really couldn't lose face or his status.

Soon it was Chi Mengli and Ba Mianfo's turn. Ba Mianfo was of low value, so he was taken out of the cell first.

Dressed in formal attire, Nguyen Van stood at the top of the stairs, watching the Eight-Faced Buddha being led out without uttering a sound.

But Ruan Wen's silence did not mean that the Eight-Faced Buddha would not speak. When the Eight-Faced Buddha walked up to Ruan Wen, he deliberately stopped and said quickly, "Keep an eye on your little lover. Your guard is a joke."

"This kind of person only loves himself. You can catch him without lifting a finger. There must be something fishy going on."

"When did a little rabbit become able to hunt a lion?!"

Since the handsome guy from the water room next door is unwilling to lend a helping hand to save his life, then he shouldn't blame himself for betraying this good-for-nothing!
Having said all that needed to be said, the Eight-Faced Buddha didn't linger and followed the escorts directly upstairs.

Ruan Wen doesn't consider himself a rabbit. Everyone has weaknesses; it's just that others haven't found Liangzai Sheng's fatal weakness.

The experience of江湖大老 (Jianghu bigwigs) is the least trustworthy. Their thinking logic, experience, insight, and ideology are all glasses—glasses that help people understand the rules of how the world works.

Different perspectives reveal different operating rules.

In the previous story, Handsome Sheng was an invincible and unbeatable double-flower red stick, but in his own story, Handsome Sheng is a loser who stumbles and falls!

(End of this chapter)