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

Central, 18th floor of The Rising Tower.

This is the VIP reception room of Hengsheng Securities.

The decor is extremely luxurious, with thick, soft Persian carpets that almost reach your ankles, and a panoramic view of the dazzling nightscape of Victoria Harbour through huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

However, for Chen Xiaochen and Chen Xiaotian, who were sitting on the leather sofa at this moment, this place was colder than hell.

"How...how could this happen?!"

Chen Xiaotian stared intently at the computer screen in front of him, his eyes bloodshot, his eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets.

On the screen, the "British United Mining" stock, which had been soaring all the way, plummeted from a high of 5.0 pounds to 0.4 pounds in just ten minutes, like a kite with a broken string!

Lower than the opening price!

The ten million yuan they embezzled to raise turned into bubbles in just ten minutes, leaving only less than a million yuan in remnants.

"Ye Wen! Didn't you say it was a market correction?! Didn't you say there was some major positive news?!"

Chen Xiaotian charged at the so-called investment department head, "Ye Wen," like a madman, trying to grab him by the collar. "This is a scam! This is a setup! Give me my money back!!"

However, before his hand could even touch Ye Wen, two burly men, as tall as iron towers, rushed out from behind the door and, like picking up a chick, slammed Chen Xiaotian onto the coffee table.

"Bang!"

Chen Xiaotian's face was pressed against the cold marble tabletop, producing a muffled thud.

"Mr. Chen, the stock market is risky, please invest with caution."

Ye Wen slowly straightened his tie, the professional and enthusiastic smile he had shown when he greeted Ye Wen earlier vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold indifference as if he were looking at a dead man.

He took a document out of the drawer and waved it in front of Chen Xiaotian.

"You personally confirmed the trading instructions just now, and you signed the documents. We have the audio and video recordings. You think you can renege on the deal after losing? That's against the rules in the financial world."

"You...you all..." Chen Xiaochen collapsed to the ground, trembling all over. "Please, that's not our money, it's public funds..."

"What does that have to do with us?" Ye Wen shrugged. "We just provide a passageway and see guests off."

The two burly men unceremoniously picked up the two brothers, who were like puddles of mud, and threw them out the door.

……

Outside the building.

The Chen brothers limped out the door, but they did not give up.

"Find someone! Find someone to kill them! They have to cough up their money!" Chen Xiaotian's eyes were filled with venom as he immediately dialed the number of a familiar gang leader.

However, when the group of thugs wielding iron bars rushed up to the 18th floor an hour later, they were all dumbfounded.

The once luxurious and bustling "Hengsheng Securities" is now a pile of ruins.

Not only were the computers and files stripped away, but even the carpets, desks, chairs, and wallpaper were completely stripped. The entire office was as empty as if it had been swept by a typhoon; not even a fly remained.

"They ran away?!"

The Chen brothers were struck dumb.

They immediately called the police.

But do they really think the police are omnipotent?

In an era without Skynet surveillance or big data tracking, finding a few people deliberately hiding their identities on Hong Kong Island, a city of five million, is like finding a needle in a haystack. Especially since this so-called "Hang Seng Securities" is nothing more than a shell company, and even when it rented office space, it had a seventy-year-old man pay for it.

"What does Ye Wen look like?" the police asked while taking a statement.

"Wears glasses... and is very polite..." Chen Xiaotian stammered, "The woman at the front desk is very pretty, with long legs..."

The policeman closed his notebook and shook his head helplessly.

Such descriptions are common in Central. The so-called securities company employees are likely just a few thugs in suits; the beautiful receptionist is probably a prostitute temporarily hired from Malan.

"Go back and wait for news."

One sentence from the police officer sealed their fate.

……

3 PM.

Broadcast Drive, the TVB (Television Broadcasts Limited) building.

The sky was gloomy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

The Chen brothers returned to the building where they had worked for more than a decade, like two walking corpses.

"Brother... what do we do?" Chen Xiaochen, hiding in the general manager's office, cried like a child despite being over forty years old. "Ten million yuan of public funds... that bitch Fang Yihua is going to audit the accounts tomorrow... we're doomed... we'll go to jail..."

Chen Xiaotian sat in the chair, staring blankly out the window.

He was the eldest brother and also the mastermind.

That ten million yuan included the artists' hard-earned money, the construction team's settlement payment, and even the initial start-up funds that Uncle Shao approved for the "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" production team.

I can't pay it back.

I can never pay it back in this lifetime.

"Xiao Chen," Chen Xiaotian suddenly spoke after a long silence, his voice terribly hoarse, "Did you embezzle this money, or did I approve it?"

"It was...it was you who signed it, but I also have a copy..." Chen Xiaochen sobbed.

"Listen!" Chen Xiaotian stood up, straightened his disheveled suit, and a look of grim determination appeared on his face. "You were unaware of this. I approved everything, your signature was forged, and I embezzled all the public funds."

"Brother?! What are you doing?!" Chen Xiaochen looked up in horror.

"We can't both go in," Chen Xiaotian patted his younger brother's shoulder, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes. "You're still young, and you have a wife to support. I'm already sixty, I'll take the blame for this. As long as I'm dead... there's no way to prove anything. Even if Uncle Shao is just trying to protect TVB's reputation and prevent the scandal from escalating, he probably won't go so far as to completely destroy you."

"Brother! No!!"

Chen Xiaochen tried to stop him, but Chen Xiaotian pushed him away and turned to walk out of the office.

He walked up the stairs step by step and pushed open the iron door leading to the rooftop.

It's very windy.

Chen Xiaotian stood on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the TVB City that he had once been so proud of, and at the bustling Kowloon in the distance.

"Greed...it's all because of greed..."

He took out a suicide note he had written long ago from his pocket and pressed it against the wall with a paperweight.

Then, close your eyes.

Take a leap.

"Bang--!!!"

A loud bang shattered the tranquility of the broadcasting lane.

Chen Xiaotian, General Manager of the Wireless Administration Department, died after falling from a building.

……

This leap was a leap out of the raging waves.

That night, the media across Hong Kong Island went crazy.

The news that a senior executive at TVB had embezzled a huge sum of public funds to speculate in stocks and then committed suicide by jumping off a building spread like wildfire.

As a competitor, ATV naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity to kick a dog when it's down.

That evening's "Focus Interview".

The host sat in the studio, his expression serious, his words sharp: "...This is the darkest day in the history of Hong Kong television. The general manager of TVB, a prestigious television station, has actually embezzled funds meant for artists and employees to speculate in stocks! This reflects the extreme chaos within TVB's management and the utter lack of financial oversight! We want to ask Mr. Shaw: Is TVB's money safe? Will the artists' salaries still be paid?"

In front of their televisions, countless TVB artists, employees, and partners watched the news with widespread anxiety.

Wireless, Chairman's Office.

"Bastard! Bastard!!" Uncle Shao trembled with rage, slamming his cane onto the ground. "That beast Chen Xiaotian! He's dead, fine, but he had to drag TVB down with him!!"

Ten million!

That's a full ten million in cash flow!

What's even more crucial is that this includes the additional start-up funding that "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" just received!

"Sixth Brother... what do we do now?" Fang Yihua's face was pale. "There are reporters everywhere outside, the bank is calling to inquire about the situation, and the artists are all throwing tantrums..."

"Block the news! Call the police! Arrest that bastard Chen Xiaochen!" Uncle Shao roared.

"No, Sixth Uncle," Fang Yihua said bitterly. "Chen Xiaotian left a suicide note, taking all the blame and saying his brother knew nothing about it. Besides, with his death, public opinion is focused on him. If we kill Chen Xiaochen now, people will say we're looking for a scapegoat..."

"So, are we just going to let it go like this?!" Just as Uncle Shao was in a state of utter distress.

"Bang!"

The office door was rudely pushed open.

Several well-dressed, middle-aged men with unfriendly expressions walked in.

Leading the group was the eldest son of the Li family, who was also the representative of TVB's major shareholders.

In fact, Uncle Shaw didn't initially achieve absolute control over TVB. It was only after the major shareholder and chairman of the board, Li Xiaohe, suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage that Uncle Shaw seized the opportunity to rise to power during this power vacuum. Once in power, he employed various tactics to continuously weaken the Li family's shareholding and influence. Because of this, the Li family has harbored resentment for many years, constantly seeking an opportunity to regain control of TVB.

"Sixth Uncle, you're getting old." Young Master Li looked coldly at Uncle Shao. "Such a huge scandal has occurred, the financial chain has broken, and morale is low. The board of directors is very disappointed with your recent management."

"What do you want to do?" Uncle Shao narrowed his eyes, feeling a chilling sense of being forced into a corner.

"We demand an emergency board meeting," Young Master Li said, emphasizing each word. "Given the current crisis, we need to re-examine the company's financial situation and personnel appointments. Also... that 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' project must be suspended immediately."

"We're out of money, we can't afford to film anymore."

These words were like a knife plunged into Uncle Shao's heart.

In his attempt to counter ATV, he gambled with the future of TVB. But his efforts were short-lived, ending in his own death and the destruction of all his resources by his own side!

……

While the top management at TVB was in complete chaos, the news department was also in disarray.

Chen Xiaochen was suspended from his duties pending investigation, leaving the entire department leaderless.

Uncle Piao was sitting at his workstation, holding a packed cardboard box in his hand, and sighed.

"Looks like I don't need to go to Canada University this time... I'll just go home and eat my own food."

With such a big incident, the news department will definitely undergo a major purge, and he, as the deputy director who is close to Chen Xiaochen, will probably not escape the fate of being laid off.

"Well, it's good to go home. I can be there for my wife during childbirth."

Uncle Piao consoled himself as he picked up the cardboard box and prepared to leave.

Just then, Fang Yihua, accompanied by several secretaries, rushed into the news department in a flurry of activity.

"Who is Tung Piu?" Fang Yihua asked loudly.

"I...I am." Uncle Piao's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "Here it comes. I'm going to be fired in public."

"Dong Biao!"

Fang Yihua walked up to him and glanced at the anxious employees around her.

The news department is in a mess right now. The problems left by the Chen brothers are too big. We need someone with seniority who has no vested interests with the Chen brothers (who was previously sidelined by them and sent on an overseas assignment) to stabilize the situation.

"From today onwards, you are the acting manager of the news department!" Fang Yihua announced decisively. "Immediately take over all of Chen Xiaochen's work, reassure the staff, and ensure tonight's news broadcasts as scheduled! If you do well, you'll be officially hired in three months!"

"what?"

Uncle Piao was completely dumbfounded, holding the cardboard box.

Not fired? Is it a promotion?

And he was promoted directly to manager?

"What do you mean? I'm just asking you one question: can you do it?" Fang Yihua said impatiently.

"Yes! You're capable! Thank you, Miss Fang!" Uncle Piao nodded vigorously.

Watching Fang Yihua's departing figure, Uncle Piao felt like he was dreaming.

I originally thought I was going to be sent to MIT, but because of a financial fraud, one of my superiors committed suicide and the other was investigated. I, the old minister who was supposed to be implicated, became the biggest winner instead.

"Wealth and status are overwhelming... This really is an overwhelming display of wealth and status."

Uncle Piao muttered to himself, the image of his young neighbor Lu Chen's confident smile appearing in his mind.

"Mr. Lu... is truly a remarkable person."

……

That night.

Jiahe Building.

Lu Chen looked at the chaotic TVB network and the news that "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" had been suspended indefinitely, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Boss, the Chen brothers' matter is settled," Song Zihao reported to Lu Chen from the side. "Although Chen Xiaochen didn't go to jail, he was fired by TVB, and TVB will probably sue him after the storm has passed. His life is ruined. Dong Biao has been appointed as the acting manager of the news department."

"Um."

Lu Chen didn't care about the fate of those two ants; his gaze was fixed on the brightly lit city outside the window.

"Uncle Shao, your funding chain has dried up and you're in trouble. I reckon you're in for a lot of work."