Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 451, Section 32: Intrigue and Deception

(From a modern perspective, Xiren had a good ending; she escaped her misery, after all, she married the biggest star in the capital!)

(But for people in ancient times, or those who grew up in traditional Chinese society, Xiren's fate was the worst; it was even worse than becoming a prostitute!)
(The judgment was accompanied by a picture. Xiren was depicted with fresh flowers on a tattered straw mat. The most terrifying and heart-wrenching curse in ancient times was that one's entire family would be condemned to a lowly status, and actors were even lower than slaves.)
(In ancient times, actors had a lower status and poorer living conditions than prostitutes, because the entire troupe had to entertain the patrons, including their wives and children; this was called "going out to serve.")
(In ancient times, whether a woman married well or not had nothing to do with money, but with social status.)
(The stories in "Three Slaps and Two Words" reflect the prevailing ideas of the time. A woman who had remarried three times was arranged to marry a handsome young man. Later, she learned that the handsome young man was the son of a theatrical troupe leader.)
(This is the son of the opera troupe leader, who hasn't even learned any art yet! The woman who has remarried three times went mad after hearing this. When the matchmaker tried to persuade her, the woman who had remarried three times smeared a mouthful of oolong pepper on her!)

(Mei Jiguang's third uncle, who brought him into the industry, was cheated out of his job as a child. During the Republic of China era, Peking Opera had a higher status, but it was still common to sit on someone's lap, sing ditties, and accompany important clients to be cheated out of their jobs!)

The mere mention of Boxing King Sheng infuriated Ninth Sister. This scoundrel had signed contracts worth millions in the mud hall of the Filial Piety Pile, and now he was in the police station, dead without explanation, and the debt he owed her had become a dead debt.

Running a casino is inherently difficult, and Hong Kong gangsters all rely on this kind of "signing up" scheme.

The gangsters who can get into the VIP gambling hall in Macau are all well-known figures in the underworld, either leaders of their own gangs or high-ranking officials. When they go to collect debts, they set up a gambling table to settle the debts, or they ask the elders to come out and negotiate.

Thinking about this gave Ninth Sister a headache, because there was a scoundrel who owed her money and hadn't shown up for several days. He still owed her more than ten installments.

The henchmen searched everywhere, but found no clues whatsoever.

However, the henchmen owe debts, the bosses manage them, Ying Weikun owes debts, and Liangzai Sheng, as a grandfather, needs to give himself an explanation.

"Brother Sheng, there's something I think you should know."

Thinking of this, Ninth Sister organized her opening remarks in her mind and then said, "Your henchman Ying Weikun owes me a huge sum of money. All gangsters love to gamble and live a life of living for the moment."

“Ying Weikun has disappeared and owes the company over a million yuan. Brother Sheng, you have to give me an explanation!”

After finishing her sentence, Ninth Sister crossed her legs, picked up a glass of champagne, and continued watching the farcical scene unfold.

Chi Mengli put down his binoculars and remained silent at first. Only after a fake Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era official kiln vase was hammered down did he write down a number on a sticky note. Seeing that it matched the number he was supposed to give to Ninth Sister, he finally spoke up and said, "You got it right!"

“I’m also looking for Ah Kun. He embezzled a large sum of money from the company. The boss wants me to get him out within three days, or the three million will be on my shoulders and the gang’s shoulders.”

"If you scratch anyone, you must let me know. I also want to have a good talk with Ah Kun!"

"By the way! Don't involve family members! If I find out you've been causing trouble for Ah Kun's family, I'll settle the score with you!"

Chi Mengli handed the sticky note to Ninth Sister and asked her to look at the number. Chi Mengli then casually drew a line for Ninth Sister, indicating that they were going to target Ying Weikun's family.

The numbers on the note were correct. Ninth Sister marked it with a checkmark, handed the note back to Chi Mengli, and said with dissatisfaction, "If we don't mess with Kun Ge's family, why would he show up!"

"funny!"

“Brother Sheng, you have enough seniority and enough prestige in the underworld. If you come out and make the decision, I definitely won’t have any objections.”

"But you have to give me an explanation for the person's disappearance. Don't give me any more nonsense! You know exactly where the person went, Brother Sheng!"

Ninth Sister sneered, "Playing disappearing act! How original!" She ran a gambling den and had seen far too many shameless thugs.

"Believe it or not! But I've already told you, don't mess with Ah Kun's family!"

"Watch out or I'll turn on you!"

Staff from the East Asian Art Center walked to the side of the stands. Chi Mengli gave Jiu Guniang a brief warning, then shut up, waved his hand, and signaled for the East Asian Art Center staff to come over.

"Mr. Chi, your two items have been successfully auctioned. Please sign the documents."

The staff handed the receipt to Chi Mengli and asked her to sign it.

She had only earned a little money for her hard work, and she had risked her life to get it done. Why would she need to sign anything? Chi Mengli didn't even look at it. She just picked up the 100,000 yuan HSBC bank draft on the document and threw the document to Ninth Sister.

Ninth Sister hurriedly took the document and checked the bank account number on it. It was her account at a private bank in the Cayman Islands.

The money is transferred to an account in the Cayman Islands and then transferred out the same day to a bank in Bangkok, then to Dubai, then to Monaco, then to the Pearl River Delta, before finally arriving at the Bank of Scotland in London.

With the account number correct, Ninth Sister signed her name on the document, preparing to go to the private bank's office in Hong Kong to verify the payment information.

The staff member who received the document glanced at Chi Mengli and, after receiving a nod of approval, said, "Miss, the payment will be transferred within ten minutes."

"It will be done in two hours at the latest. Have a good time!" After saying this, the staff member bowed slightly and turned to leave the stands.

Chi Mengli also had an appointment to meet Hua Zai Rong, so she deliberately glanced at the gold watch on her wrist, tapped it with her finger, and said, "Ninth Miss, if you haven't seen the auction, you can continue watching."

"There will be a buffet after the auction, but I advise you not to be indiscriminate in your food choices. In the underworld, traitors are everywhere, and that's become a laughing stock."

"But in the black market business, water houses are the best place for sitting and doing business. This is not an incompatible paradox."

"Some people say that casinos have the most con artists, and if you create a con artist gathering place, the black market will definitely be the largest."

After finishing her sentence, Chi Mengli stood up and left without looking back.

Xi Ren maintained her polite fake smile as she followed Chi Mengli out of the stands. Xi Zai didn't even understand what Sheng Ge was saying, but seeing Sheng Ge and Xi Ren leave, he quickly put down the watermelon in his hand and followed the two out of the stands.

Ninth Sister looked thoughtfully at the stands below, and she suddenly realized that this small auction house was more treacherous than the waters of the martial arts world.

When Chi Mengli arrived at the parking lot, Stephen was standing at the elevator entrance in the underground parking lot. He was also taken aback when he saw Chi Mengli emerge from the stairs.

"Uncle Fen, your delicious grape juice has suddenly given me the idea to exercise!"

"Thank you for the check. I would have liked it even better if it were a larger amount!"

Chi Mengli broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of the two glasses of special grape juice he had just drunk. Hong Kong was a well-known diabetes capital, and he had no intention of joining the ranks of those suffering from this great physiological defect.

Human beings crave sugar more than anything else!
But science is against human nature!

He needs to exercise more today to metabolize the excess sugar in his body.

“My greatest pleasure now is watching my clients, who are full of lies, drink the grape juice specially made by the East Asian Art Center. I know I have a dark side, but it’s one of my pleasures now.”

"Tell Lao Ding that the East Asian Art Center has run into a little trouble. From what I've observed, at least one spy, an undercover agent of unknown origin, has been planted there."

“I plan to use the alternative plan to turn the East Asian Arts Center into a charity church arts center, and the office area into private rooms for listening and confession. Starting tomorrow, all documents generated in the office area will be unusable.”

"Unless the Chief Lord is prepared to turn against the Anglican Church!"

"Hallelujah!"

Stephen made the sign of the cross on his chest and explained his entire plan.

This tactic is crude, yet effective. I heard that Li Ka-shing has also converted to the Anglican Church and registered his super mansion in Repulse Bay as a church.

Of course, it's only a small part, just one-fifth of the space, encompassing a study, office, bedroom, and dining room.

Even if the Commercial Crime Bureau came, or even the Chief Investigator of the Department of Justice came, there would be no way to stop them!
These are all tricks used by the wealthy. If you put sheep on a golf course, you can call it a green ecological ranch. Water prices can be reduced by half, and the use of seawater filtration plants can be permitted. It's a win-win situation!
The tricks that Trump uses are all things he learned from his failed real estate business in Hong Kong.

"If Lao Ding knew how cunning you were, Uncle Fen, he would definitely drink a few more cups of Daughter's Red wine tonight!"

"As expected of the Immortal, he's always so clever!"

Chi Mengli felt a surge of admiration. These people who took shortcuts and used underhanded methods were really clever. They knew how to use loopholes to outmaneuver the police. They were amazing!

Stephen came down for two reasons: first, to have Handsome Sheng pass on a message, and second, to get to know Handsome Sheng, a core member of the water room, and build a relationship with him.

No matter how powerful Gao Laofa, Baihua She, and Mang Heng are outside, in Lao Ding Shenxian Jin's heart, they can't compare to Liangzai Sheng. These three greenhorns are still too inexperienced.

Handsome Sheng was quiet before, but just like King Zhuang of Chu who remained silent for three years, he suddenly soared to great heights. Maybe Lao Ding had noticed Handsome Sheng a long time ago, but he had been working on cultivating his character. Now that his character has been cultivated, he can come out and help with things.

The core assets of the water house are not the open territory, but the mahjong parlor, underground bank, money exchange stall, antique shop, auction house, and the titles of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals.

No matter how prestigious you are in the water room, you're still a marginal figure unless you get the title.

(End of this chapter)