Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Kowloon Tong, another village.

It was a bright and sunny morning, with birds chirping in the trees. However, in the villa next to number 77, number 75, the atmosphere was like a pot of boiling porridge—noisy and chaotic.

"I'm not going! I'd rather die than go!" A shrill soprano voice pierced the roof. "That place, what's it called 'Jiama University'? Just from the name, you can tell it's a world of marijuana and ice! You'll freeze into an icicle if you go there!"

In the restaurant, Aunt Piao, seven months pregnant, waved a spatula in her hand, looking extremely unwilling: "Honey, really, we're not short of money. You think you can just go to that damn news department manager just because he tells you to? Is he your father?"

At the dining table, Uncle Piao ate his porridge with a worried expression. Faced with his wife's roaring, he could only shrink back and explain, "Oh, honey, keep your voice down, you might upset the baby. It's not a matter of whether I want to go or not, it's a company transfer order! Manager Chen said it's a promotion! He's promoting me to be the head of the branch office in Vancouver! That's management!"

"What good is management!" The eldest daughter rolled her eyes as she painted her nails with her younger brother. "Our family has tens of millions in assets now. The interest alone is enough to live off for generations. It's better to be a rich man in Hong Kong than to be a petty official in some godforsaken place."

"Exactly!" the youngest, Zhao Di, protested, holding up her spoon. "I want to watch 'Balala the Fairies,' but I can't watch it abroad!"

Only the second daughter, Lai Di, sat in the corner, biting her chopsticks, her eyes somewhat vacant, seemingly preoccupied, and remained silent.

Uncle Piao sighed helplessly as he watched the family object. "You can't quit your job. You don't understand. A man needs a career. I'm rich just because I'm lucky—I won the lottery and got rich quick. But if I don't work and just laze around at home all day, the neighbors will laugh at me for being a nouveau riche. The most important thing in life is to have face!"

However, Uncle Piao didn't want to go to the University of California, Berkeley, but he really didn't know what reason to give to refuse the manager without offending him.

Ding-dong-

Just as the family was arguing, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it? So early in the morning." Aunt Piao handed the spatula to the Filipino maid, and called out while holding her back, "Laidi, go open the door."

"Oh……"

Lai Di stood up absentmindedly, dragged her slippers to the door.

When she opened the door and saw the man standing in the sunlight, her previously dim eyes instantly lit up, as if two flames had been ignited.

The man was dressed in a well-tailored casual suit, carrying several exquisite gift boxes, and wearing a warm and inviting smile.

"Brother Lu... Brother Lu?!" Lai Di's voice rose several octaves instantly, and two red clouds appeared on her cheeks. She hurriedly tidied her slightly disheveled pajamas and hair. "You... why are you here?"

"Good morning, Lai Di," Lu Chen greeted with a smile, his gaze gentle. "I heard Aunt Piao is about to give birth, and Amei specially asked me to bring over some bird's nest and tonics. Why aren't you inviting me in?"

"Ah! Please come in! Please come in!" Lai Di quickly stepped aside, her heart pounding like a drum. She stole a glance at Lu Chen's handsome profile and felt that the sunlight today was particularly dazzling.

Which young girl doesn't dream of love?

Ever since Lu Chen helped their family resolve the Hengfeng Bank issue and then demonstrated his abilities on the Fugui Maru, this charming, mysterious, and powerful neighbor had been deeply etched into the sixteen-year-old girl's heart. Rich, handsome, gentle, and a powerful figure with absolute authority. Even knowing that he already had Ruan Mei and that foreign woman, Sophia, in his family, Lai Di still couldn't control her heart.

If I go to Canada, will I never see him again?

Thinking of this, Lai Di's eyes couldn't help but redden.

"Mr. Lu! Oh, what a rare guest!" Seeing Lu Chen enter, Uncle Piao, who had been frowning, immediately put on a smiling face. "You've come all this way, no need to bring anything, you're too kind!"

"We're neighbors, it's only natural," Lu Chen put down the gift, glanced around at everyone, and said, "I heard something quite lively coming from your house earlier. What's wrong? Still worried about immigration?"

"Yes!" Aunt Piao seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and began to pour out her grievances to Lu Chen. "Mr. Lu, you be the judge. Although our family isn't exactly wealthy, we can still live comfortably in Hong Kong. That old man, he insisted on listening to that Manager Chen and going to Maple Leaf City to suffer in the cold wind! Can you believe it?"

According to the original movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World", the Piao family should be in a state of poverty and desperation, so although they have concerns about being promoted to Canada University, they are more concerned about making a living, so they happily agree in the end.

But things are different now. Under the influence of Lu Chen, the family of Uncle Piao still has ten million HKD left from the lottery winnings in the first part. In addition, when the Fu Gui Wan ship was involved, the group bought a large insurance policy and received a huge compensation. The family's current net worth is about twenty million Hong Kong dollars, so naturally they don't want to cause any trouble.

"Manager Chen?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance as he asked, "You mean Manager Chen Xiaochen from TVB News Department?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It's that Manager Chen!" Uncle Piao nodded. "I don't know what got into him. We usually don't get along the most. But now he's saying I'm senior in the station and have potential, so he specially applied for this overseas assignment, saying it's a way of giving me a chance!"

Hearing this, Lu Chen knew perfectly well that this was not a sign of being given an important position, but rather a sign of a guilty conscience.

Knowing the plot, he knew that Manager Chen Xiaochen and his brother (the deputy general manager) were no good people at all. They abused their positions to embezzle company funds to speculate in stocks.

In the original movie, Manager Chen tried to get Uncle Piao away to cover up their conversation because they thought he had overheard their conversation in the restroom. They were afraid that the truth would come out someday. In the end, they even went so far as to scheme to steal Uncle Piao's new lottery winnings in order to cover their tracks.

"This is truly a stroke of luck!"

Lu Chen chuckled inwardly.

Uncle Shaw just added several million dollars to the budget for filming "The Legend of the Condor Heroes". If this money is misappropriated by the higher-ups, or even completely depleted of this public fund, it will be a fatal blow to TVB.

"Uncle Piao, Aunt Piao," Lu Chen put down his teacup, a confident smile spreading across his face, "I have an idea about this matter!"

"Oh? Mr. Lu, you have a solution?" Aunt Piao's eyes lit up, and she almost jumped up from the sofa.

"I have a way to make it so you don't have to go to MD, and..." Lu Chen looked at Uncle Piao, "I can also get you a promotion and a raise, and get rid of that annoying Manager Chen."

"real?!"

Even Lai Di exclaimed in surprise, looking at Lu Chen with her big, watery eyes filled with admiration.

"Of course," Lu Chen said calmly. "Uncle Piao, go and reply to Manager Chen. Tell him you agreed to go to MD, but your wife is pregnant and you need an extra week to prepare your luggage and complete the formalities. Keep him calm for now."

"A week?" Uncle Piao hesitated. "And what about after a week?"

"You'll see a good show in a week!" Lu Chen stood up, straightened his collar, and said, "Don't worry, we're all neighbors. I won't watch you leave your hometown. Besides, Amei and Grandma Ruan really like being your neighbors. They'll be lonely if you really leave."

"Oh my! Mr. Lu is such a kind man!" Aunt Piao excitedly tried to take Lu Chen's hand. "Don't leave tonight, stay for dinner! I'll make you my specialty, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!"

"Maybe next time, I have some things to do at the company," Lu Chen politely declined the enthusiastic Aunt Piao's offer, his gaze lingering on Lai Di's face for a second. "Lai Di, focus on your studies, don't overthink it, stay in Hong Kong and study hard for university."

"Yes! I understand, Brother Lu!" Lai Di's face turned as red as a ripe apple as she nodded vigorously. In that instant, she felt that Lu Chen was her superhero.

Watching Lu Chen's departing figure, the eldest daughter nudged her second daughter, who was still swooning, and whispered, "You silly girl, are you completely bewitched? Mr. Lu is a big shot; he has several others in his family..."

"I don't mind..." Lai Di muttered softly, "As long as I can stay by his side, I'm willing to be his concubine."

"You brat!" Daidi shook her head helplessly.

However, she could understand that if she didn't already have a boyfriend, she probably would have fallen for such an outstanding man as Daidi.

……

Back in the villa next door, Lu Chen went into the study and picked up the phone.

Since Manager Chen is a gambler, let's set a trap for him.

"Beep...beep..."

The call was connected.

"Hey, boss." Song Zihao's steady voice came from the other end of the line.

Since the end of the "A Better Tomorrow" storyline, Brother Hao and Brother Ma have focused on managing DOA's money laundering business, while also engaging in some shady activities such as gambling.

"Brother Hao, help me find someone from your talent pool," Lu Chen leaned back in his boss's chair, looking at the blue sky outside the window. "I need a top-notch financial swindler... oh no, a financial expert. Preferably someone who's good at setting up schemes and manipulating penny stocks."

"A financial scammer?" Hao was taken aback. "Boss, who are we going to mess with?"

"There's a manager in TVB's news department named Chan Siu-Chun who has a large sum of embezzled public funds in his hands and is looking for an opportunity to recoup his losses in the stock market. I need you to find someone to tailor-make a 'get-rich-quick' dream for him. Make him invest all the money he has, as well as TVB's money, into it."

"Then..." Lu Chen tapped his finger heavily on the table, "close the net, and the margin call."

"I understand," Hao Ge, being a seasoned veteran of the underworld, grasped the point immediately. "I know a trader who used to work on Wall Street, but his license was revoked for illegal operations, and now he makes a living in Hong Kong. His skills are undeniable; he's an expert at this kind of 'pig butchering scam.'"

"Very good, bring him to see me tomorrow."

……

At this time, the news department of TVB.

"We have to get rid of that Tung Piu..." Manager Chen muttered through gritted teeth, watching the stock price plummet. "Once he's gone, I'll take one last gamble! Just one gamble, and I'm sure I can turn things around!"

Just then, the phone on the table rang.

"Feed? Manager Chen, this is Tung Piu."

"Ah! Uncle Piao!" Manager Chen immediately put on a smiling face. "So? Have you made up your mind? I've already booked your plane ticket."

"Oh, manager, as you know, my wife is heavily pregnant, there are a lot of things to take care of at home, and I also need to handle the real estate and stocks. Could you give me another week? I'll go and complete the formalities in a week."

"One week..." Manager Chen hesitated for a moment.

Although it was a long time, he didn't dare to push too hard, for fear that Dong Biao would become suspicious.

"Alright! One week it is!" Manager Chen said through gritted teeth. "Uncle Piao, this is a great opportunity I fought for for you, so please don't let the company's efforts go to waste!"

After hanging up the phone, Manager Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Uncle Piao is willing to leave, everything is negotiable.

But what he didn't know was that this week wasn't a time for him to make a comeback.

Instead, it left him with a countdown to his descent into hell.