Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 581, Section 171: The Prodigal Son
(Thanks to the boy who loves reading historical novels for his support!)

Fu Wenpei's face turned ashen. She had only wanted to secure more inheritance for her son and extract more money from the Wen family so that her son could live more comfortably in the future.

But unexpectedly, this backfired and harmed his own child.

Since things had come to this, she could only take it one step at a time. She asked the maid to go upstairs to Wen Tianchuan's room and fetch his coat.

Upon hearing Fu Wenpei's order, the little maid quickly nodded, ran upstairs, and a minute later brought Wen Tianchuan a wool cardigan, a thick woolen overcoat, and a wool scarf that could be used as a blanket.

She specially chose thick clothes because the weather forecast said the weather would change tomorrow and it would likely rain. Also, her good-for-nothing cousin often bragged to her about how cold it was in the cell and how brave he was.

Wen Tianchuan put on his wool cardigan and then his wool overcoat, and said to Liu Wenfeng, "I didn't do it, so I didn't do it! I'm willing to go back with you, Officer Liu, and I believe I'll be released soon."

Wen Tianhuo also put on his clothes and scarf, patted Wen Tianchuan on the shoulder to indicate that everything was clear, and the two of them followed Liu Wenfeng out of the main building of the Wen family mansion.

Despite the major upheaval, Wen Hailiang remained calm. Although the Chinese police officers did not take their own money, it was not because they wanted to cause trouble, but because they were afraid of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

He sat back down in his seat, looked at the remaining family members, and said, "The sun will rise, and everything will pass!"

"Happy New Year!"

Wen Tianxin, Wen Tianxiang, and Zhou Miaoyun all raised their glasses in unison and said, "Happy New Year!"

Fu Wenpei held her son's hand and kept instructing Wen Tianchuan not to say anything before Zhuang Lu arrived.

Wen Tianhuo followed beside him without saying a word. His mother was a concubine, so he had no say in the Wen family business. He could only rely on the Wen family’s savings and influence to work as a high-level executive in a foreign firm and receive family dividends.

He liked this kind of life. He could do things he enjoyed, and the trading company would give him small rewards because of the Wen family's deposits and business dealings.

He accompanied his family to the gatehouse to show his brotherly affection to his father. Once the lawyer arrived and clarified the situation, he could go home and report to his father, then drive his sports car back to his luxury apartment to spend a happy night with the woman.

"Mr. Wen, may I speak to you in private?"

"If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. Once you're outside the gate, our people must protect Mr. Wen Tianchuan and not make things too difficult for us."

"Also, if possible, Mrs. Wen should hire a lawyer herself, instead of putting all her eggs in one basket."

Liu Wenfeng deliberately walked very slowly, falling behind the group, and asked Fu Wenpei to speak privately. He said the most crucial sentence, and then walked out of the Wen family mansion without looking back.

Upon hearing the customs officer's words, Fu Wenpei was taken aback. Was this an attempt to sow discord, or a well-intentioned reminder? She couldn't quite tell; there had been far too many unexpected events tonight.

Wen Tianchuan walked out of the Wen family mansion under the attack of two customs officers and detectives.

As soon as the group stepped out of the gate, a group of paparazzi rushed out from the green belt and frantically took pictures of Wen Tianhuo and Wen Tianchuan, their flashes completely illuminating the dark private road.

"Hello Mr. Wen Tianchuan, we are reporters from the Daily Column. Your warehousing company has been exposed for smuggling. As the boss and legal representative of the company, shouldn't you be responsible for this matter?"

"Mr. Wen! Mr. Wen! The Wen family's warehouse at Taikoo Wharf has been raided by the police, who found six or seven tons of drugs inside. Is the Wen family about to become a new drug lord?"

"Mr. Wen, Mr. Wen, I heard that your father, Master Wen, has already recognized the Water Room's White Paper Fan and Black Tiger as his godson. Is he going to get involved in the underworld business?"

"."

The paparazzi's questions were all too inappropriate. Wen Tianchuan wanted to stop and explain himself, but the two customs officers beside him didn't give him any chance and dragged him forward.

Standing behind the customs officers and detectives, Wen Tianhuo's face turned ashen. He wasn't stupid; the paparazzi's statements were very targeted and must have been orchestrated.

He quickly pulled over a servant and had the servant report the situation at the front gate to his father. After making the arrangements, he stopped Liu Wenfeng and said coldly, "Liu sir, what tricks are you playing?"

"You can't afford to play this kind of trick; it'll kill people!"

Liu Wenfeng, who had transformed into a movie star, also showed a look of horror on his face. He swallowed hard and said, "Young Master Wen, don't scare me. I don't know why there are so many paparazzi at the gate."

"To tell you the truth, this time it's the foreigners who are trying to cause trouble, and the Wen family needs to prepare early."

"Young Master Wen, please put in a good word for me with Mr. Wen. I'm just a lowly cop. When the foreigners give orders, we cops can only keep our heads down and do our jobs. We can't influence the overall situation."

"Since someone has set a trap, saying anything will be wrong. It's better to remain silent and wait for the right time to hold a press conference. I will personally be there to testify."

“It’s taboo to ride in a police car during the Lunar New Year; it’ll bring bad luck. I’ll go ahead and wait for Mr. Wen at the Guanlou Building.”

Liu Wenfeng had perfected his art of feigning ignorance. He quickly offered an explanation, then jogged to his car, waved repeatedly to indicate that he would not accept the interview, got into the car, started the engine, and drove away.

These words left Wen Tianhuo's expression unpredictable, as he couldn't tell whether they were true or false. But then he thought that this matter had nothing to do with him, and if the sky fell, his father would take care of it.

Furthermore, Fu Wenpei wouldn't just stand by and watch her son go to jail and take the blame.

Looking back at the Wen family mansion, I realized that since coming to Hong Kong, this mansion had raised three generations of the Wen family. The intrigue and power struggles within it were no less than those in the Forbidden City.

Wen Tianhuo shuddered for no reason. He immediately made a decision: he would only bring his eyes and ears, and act as a mere repeater; he would absolutely not get involved in anything else.

After making the decision, he nodded to Fu Wenpei, who was standing at the gate, got into his luxury car, and followed the customs officers' convoy to the customs building with his family.

With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Chi Mengli watched the lively scene in front of the Wen family mansion with satisfaction. He rolled down the car window and spat the cigarette butt onto the ground.

The excitement is over, just as I expected. Everything that happened at the Wen family will be heard by every president and vice president of the Chinese Business Association tonight.

The Wen family is definitely going to be embarrassed!
"Brother Sheng, should I go add some fuel to the fire?"

Xi Ren took out the foundation she carried with her and touched up her makeup. Only after she was done did she ask.

"Too much of a good thing is bad! Too little of a good thing is bad!"

Chi Mengli shook his head. It's easy to add fuel to the fire, but it's also easy to expose one's true colors. He can't afford to deploy his forces and engage in a direct confrontation with the Wen family right now.

After all, he still needs to make a living in Hong Kong. If his bosses blacklist him, then he will have nowhere to stay in Hong Kong.

However, having dealt with the Wen family this time and taken advantage of them, he now has enough funds to continue his journey.

Let everything take its natural course!

"It's still early, shall we go see a movie?"

Having watched the excitement, Chi Mengli turned the car key, started the engine, turned the car around, and prepared to return to Sheung Wan.

"If I'm not mistaken, Wen Tai will definitely call you, Sheng Ge. Oh, right! This noon, Jiu Gu Niang went to the antique shop and left a note saying she wanted to talk to you, Sheng Ge."

"This movie is so boring, let's just go back to Victoria Peak."

Xiren didn't like watching movies, and besides, movie theaters would definitely be packed with people at this time of year. It would be better to go back to Victoria Peak and have a quiet New Year's Eve.

"Wen Tai won't call me right now because she's still completely confused. If Wen Tai really does call me tonight, then she's not a suitable partner."

"Our boat is small. If we have another fool, it will only make things worse and not succeed."

Chi Mengli stepped on the gas and left BMW Hill ahead of the paparazzi.

Because of Wen Tianchuan's arrest, the Wen family reunion dinner ended quickly. Originally, Wen Tianxiang was supposed to return to Haojiang after the meal, but with Wen Tianchuan in trouble, he couldn't just leave, as it wouldn't sound good if word got out.

The only thing they could do was have the housekeeper, Wen Yun, clean up the suite he had been staying in, and he would stay in his old room for one night to see how things went.

Wen Hailiang and Wen Tianxin also left the dinner table and went to the back garden, apparently to discuss countermeasures.

Only Zhou Miaoyun remained seated, enjoying her favorite dishes and sipping red wine, presumably waiting for Fu Wenpei to return. "Mommy, please sit down!"

Seeing Fu Wenpei return to the dining table, Zhou Miaoyun patted the chair, inviting her adoptive mother-in-law to sit down.

Having recovered from her panic and transformed back into a strong woman, Fu Wenpei calmly sat down opposite Zhou Miaoyun. She hadn't eaten a single dish that evening and was indeed a little hungry. She picked up a piece of radish cake and put it in her bowl.

"Miaoyun, you are all-knowing and have a lot of information. If you're going to play dumb now, you shouldn't have reminded me this morning."

The radish cake was a bit cold, but Fu Wenpei wasn't in the mood to ask the kitchen to heat it up or microwave it. Instead, she ate it with a frown.

These kinds of things shouldn't be discussed in public. Zhou Miaoyun frowned and said to the servants, "Pick a few dishes that haven't gone bad and send them to the main study."

"Madam hasn't had dinner yet. I think the dumplings look good, so please have the kitchen cook another plate of dumplings. I want the three-delicacy kind."

The servants hadn't eaten their New Year's Eve dinner yet. According to unspoken rules, the servants could only eat after the master of the house had finished. The hall was crowded and noisy, so it wasn't a good place to chat.

After Zhou Miaoyun finished speaking, she picked up a bottle of chilled white wine and swayed as she walked toward the study.

We should have a serious talk!
Fu Wenpei put down her chopsticks, picked up a pack of unopened wet wipes, wiped her mouth, and then followed Zhou Miaoyun to the study.

The servants quickly set to work, picking out two plates of still-warm dishes, along with a plate of cold braised dishes and a plate of vegetable salad, and sending them to the study. After a year of working themselves to the bone, they were just waiting for the reunion dinner to be over so they could finally get some rest.

The two entered the study and had the servants place the dishes on the desk. Zhou Miaoyun then took two clean red wine glasses from the wine cabinet in the corner and sat down in the boss's chair.

"Haste makes waste! My grandfather taught me from a young age that things should be done slowly and carefully. If you are in a hurry, you will make mistakes, expose your weaknesses, and let others take advantage of you."

Zhou Miaoyun poured Fu Wenpei a glass of white wine, picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of duck tongue, and carefully savored its flavor.

"You know the inside story?"

Fu Wenpei picked up a piece of white radish that had been cut and deveined, took a bite, and the aroma of beef and broth had already infused the white radish, making it taste quite good.

She listened to the lyrics and the music, and immediately understood the implied meaning in Zhou Miaoyun's words, and asked a sharp question in return.

Zhou Miaoyun picked up a napkin, spat the food scraps into it, poured herself a glass of wine, took a sip, nodded, and said, "I heard about it last night."

“My father told me to persuade my father-in-law that fighting with Swire would not end well. Signing the papers and leaving is the best outcome! Trying to acquire land and shares is wishful thinking. Forming an alliance to challenge Swire is not a good idea.”

"Just because Li Ka-shing can do it doesn't mean my father-in-law can do it."

"Young people should avoid being impatient, and the elderly should avoid being arrogant! Business experience can sometimes be the most potent poison in the world, capable of destroying everything you've worked so hard for."

Swire Group!

The most mysterious foreign firm in Hong Kong!
Not to mention Hong Kong citizens, even wealthy young ladies like Fu Wenpei knew very little about Swire Group's core business.

But Swire Group's most profitable businesses were Cathay Pacific and the franchise and manufacturing rights for Coca-Cola.

Major foreign firms, prominent Chinese business magnates, Shanghainese, and Ningbo shipping magnates all established Coca-Cola OEM factories and even had their own Coca-Cola brands.

Furthermore, Swire Sugar monopolizes one-fifth of the world's sugar trade, and Swire Sugar is the major shareholder behind United Fruit Company.

In addition, with Swire's docks and empty containers, Swire Group has completed the closure of its industrial chain. Furthermore, Swire launched its IPO this year, preparing to relist in the City of London. As soon as the news came out, all of Hong Kong Club's stocks hit their daily limit down.

Simply put, the Wen family's small boat is no match for the Swire Group's aircraft carrier.

“My father-in-law must have a big boss backing him up, but the Wen family is not qualified to challenge Swire Group. However, I did not convey my father’s words to my father-in-law because he was in a good mood and I did not want to spoil his enjoyment.”

"Everything that happened tonight was orchestrated by Swire, with Steve Jobs fueling the fire, and Jardine Matheson secretly pulling strings."

“The Taikoo Wharf and Wanchai Wharf have both been sealed off. All of the Wen family’s high-end dried seafood is stored in these two warehouses. If they are sealed off for ten days or half a month, the goods that customers need will not be supplied, and the penalty fees alone will be a huge sum of money.”

“When the clients and creditors come knocking on the door demanding their money, the Wen family’s reputation will be ruined. Jinlou will not lend money. Not only will outsiders attack, but their own family will also cause trouble.”

"The other branches of the Wen family will definitely hold a family meeting and demand that several accounting firms be sent to the family foundation to prevent the father-in-law from using the family foundation's funds to save the company."

"With powerful enemies outside and traitors within, the Wen family will be completely destroyed in less than two months!"

When Sir Zhou clashed with Jardine Matheson and HSBC back then, he was stunned by the straightforward combination of punches from the foreigners. Even the Dongguan Chamber of Commerce, Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce, and Wuyi Chamber of Commerce all stood up and made their positions clear in supporting Chinese banks and the Zhou family.

But after sitting down and discussing it all night, Sir Zhou and Mr. Lin of Hang Seng Bank immediately decided to sell Chinese Bank and Hang Seng Bank to Jardine Matheson and HSBC respectively, retaining the management rights and cashing out.

In terms of demeanor, ability, and strength, Wen Hailiang is no match for his grandfather.

Many people from Tianjin came to Hong Kong, most of whom were former high-ranking officials and dignitaries. However, after three years of effort, Wen Hailiang still failed to establish an exclusive business association like the Shanghainese.

Now, to suddenly have the idea to go to war with Swire Group is truly laughable!

The Wen family's ship is sinking! Zhou Miaoyun can neither leave immediately nor help; she can only remain neutral, fish in troubled waters, stand beside the victors, and see if she can get a share of the spoils!

Whether it was Swire Group, Liangzai Sheng, or Jardine Matheson, none of them wanted to make things too ugly. They wanted to eliminate the Wen family, and they also wanted the Wen family to rise from the ashes and make them smile in apology.

How gloomy!
Zhou Miaoyun took a sip of white wine and poured out all the things she had thought about over the past two days.

Sitting opposite Zhou Miaoyun, Fu Wenpei had to admit that she was a couple of figures less impressive than Zhou Miaoyun. She appeared calm on the surface, but her mind was still in turmoil, not expecting anything from the company.

If the warehouse is sealed off for more than a week, it's definitely doomed.

Putting everything else aside, we need to send the third batch of dried sea cucumbers to Riri Fresh on the second day of the Lunar New Year. The payment from Riri Fresh has already been transferred to the account of Jardine Matheson Insurance, and the order form and letter of credit from Jardine Matheson Insurance have been sent to the company.

At 4 a.m. on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the dried seafood had to be delivered to a food testing company for sampling and testing.

The onlooker sees more of the game than the player!

Fu Wenpei drank all the wine in her glass and remained silent, pondering how to escape her predicament.

Having finished discussing the Wen family's future, Zhou Miaoyun didn't continue. She turned to look at the moonlight outside the window, wondering what countermeasures the father and son in the back garden could devise.

The father and son in the back garden had indeed failed to devise a solution.

Wen Tianxin told his father everything about transporting the wheat to the warehouse and about Hei Ahu sending people to keep an eye on things. He walked behind his father with his head down, feeling terrified.

There were many people in Guanlou who had been friends with the Wen family for generations. Without revealing a word, they directly confiscated the Wen family's warehouse. This was not something that could be solved with money.

However, this time it was the youngest and oldest who were handcuffed, not him, the big boss. He was very fortunate. It was better to have someone take the blame for him than to die for his fellow Daoists.

"You're so stupid!"

"As I said, I haven't fed the foreigners in the building yet, so I shouldn't do anything."

“Last time something happened, I donated two million directly to the Wan Chai police headquarters, which made the cops target Black Tiger instead of causing trouble for the Wen family.”

"I already told you to rent a warehouse from another company, not to store it in your own warehouse. Now look what's happened, such a huge mess, who's going to take the blame!"

"You spendthrift! You've dragged the Wen family down with you this time!"

Wen Hailiang's face turned red with anger, and he kept cursing.

(End of this chapter)