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

Early morning, Tsim Sha Tsui, Marco Polo Hotel penthouse suite.

Early summer sunlight streamed through the cracks in the French windows, playfully climbing onto the disheveled bed. The air still held the lingering scent of last night's passion, mingled with a faint fragrance of heather.

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains and onto the bed.

Hu Huizhong lazily opened her eyes, feeling as if her whole body was falling apart and aching, especially her inner thighs, which were sore and weak.

"woke up?"

Lu Chen's gentle voice came from beside her.

He had been awake for a while and was leaning against the headboard reading the morning paper.

"Mmm..." Hu Huizhong snuggled into his arms like a cat, her cheeks burning again as she recalled the madness of last night. Who would have thought that the fierce and domineering woman at the police academy would beg for mercy so many times last night?

"Have you rested well?" Lu Chen put down his newspaper and asked with a mischievous smile.

"No! No!" Hu Huizhong cried out in alarm, quickly shrinking under the covers, only her large, wary eyes peeking out. "I need to take sick leave!"

"Hahaha!" Lu Chen's hearty laughter echoed in the room. He patted her pert buttocks again through the blanket, the bouncy texture of which was irresistible.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." Lu Chen lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing his muscular upper body, got out of bed and stretched. "Hurry up and get up to wash and get dressed. I'm taking you somewhere today."

"Where are we going?" Hu Huizhong poked her head out and asked curiously.

"I'll take you back to Youyicun," Lu Chen said casually.

"?"

Hu Huizhong was stunned for a moment, then realized where Lu Chen was referring to.

Hu Huizhong panicked instantly, more so than if she were facing an armed robber. She sat up abruptly, ignoring the glimpse of her exposed skin, and grabbed Lu Chen's arm, "Now...now? I...I'm not ready! And...and I haven't bought a gift..."

Although she has a forthright personality, she still falls into the trap of conventional thinking when it comes to such matters. In her imagination, the empress in a wealthy family must be a ruthless, sharp-eyed woman who might even try to intimidate her.

Isn't that how it's always portrayed in TV dramas?

She splashed a cup of tea on my face, then threw a check at me: "Here's a million dollars, leave my husband!"

Just thinking about that scene makes Hu Huizhong's scalp tingle.

"What are you afraid of? Amei won't eat people," Lu Chen said, looking at her as if she were facing a formidable enemy. He couldn't help but ruffle her hair. "Don't worry, she's easy to get along with. Besides... we'll all be family eventually, we'll have to see each other again."

"But……"

"No buts! You have ten minutes. I'll wait for you in my car downstairs."

Lu Chen made the decision domineeringly, then turned and walked into the bathroom.

……

An hour later.

The black Rolls-Royce slowly drove into Yau Yat Tsuen in Kowloon Tong.

Throughout the journey, Hu Huizhong sat upright, her palms sweating profusely. She kept looking in the mirror, checking if her makeup was smudged or her clothes were wrinkled. Her nervousness was even more exaggerated than when she took the police academy entrance exam.

"arrive."

The car was parked in front of the villa.

Lu Chen got out of the car and gentlemanly opened the car door for her.

Hu Huizhong took a deep breath and forced herself to walk down.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

As soon as I entered the courtyard, two dark figures darted out.

"Ah!" Hu Huizhong was startled and subconsciously assumed a fighting stance.

"Don't be afraid, they're just our dogs," Lu Chen said with a smile as he squatted down and held down the enthusiastic "Cola" and "Sprite" with one hand each. "These two little guys can't resist a pretty girl."

As they spoke, the two puppies seemed to smell their owner's scent on Hu Huizhong. Instead of barking, they circled around her, wagging their tails like propellers. The white Sprite even tentatively licked the back of her hand.

This friendly "welcome ceremony" helped Hu Huizhong relax a little.

"Ah Chen, you're back!"

A gentle, soft voice came from inside.

Wearing simple home clothes and an apron, Ruan Mei came out of the house. She was without makeup and had no face, but the gentle and graceful temperament unique to women from the Jiangnan water towns was like a breath of fresh air.

Seeing Hu Huizhong next to Lu Chen, Ruan Mei did not show any displeasure. Instead, her eyes lit up and she quickly walked over.

"This must be Sister Hui, right?"

Ruan Mei took Hu Huizhong's hand with a sincere smile, "Achen often talks about you to me, saying you're exceptionally capable in the police force, a true heroine. I'm so glad to finally meet you today, you're so beautiful."

"Ah... hello, Miss Ruan..." Hu Huizhong was a little confused. This wasn't the script, was it? Shouldn't it be sarcastic and cynical?

"Calling me Miss Ruan is too formal. Just call me Ah Mei."

Ruan Mei pulled her into the house, glancing at Hu Huizhong's somewhat unnatural gait with concern, her eyes showing a knowing and heartache that came from someone who had been through it all.

"Come in and sit down. I just made some red bean and lotus seed soup this morning; it's really good for replenishing your blood and energy. You look a little pale; you must not have slept well last night. Ah Chen just doesn't know how to care about people..."

As she spoke, Ruan Mei gave Lu Chen a reproachful glare.

Hu Huizhong was completely dumbfounded.

She was pressed down onto the soft sofa, and a bowl of steaming, fragrant red bean soup was shoved into her hands.

"Drink it while it's hot," Ruan Mei said, sitting down next to her as if she were her own sister. "This soup was taught to me by my grandmother. It simmered for an hour with dried tangerine peel and brown sugar. It's good for a girl's health."

Looking at the bowl of red bean paste, and then at Ruan Mei's sincere, concerned, and pure eyes, Hu Hui's last bit of worry completely disappeared.

There was no harassment, no sarcasm, and not even a trace of jealousy.

They simply showed the same care and concern as if they were their own sisters.

"Thank you... thank you, Amei."

Hu Huizhong picked up the bowl; this bowl of red bean soup was sweeter than anything she had ever tasted.

"Alright, you can stay here from now on," Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction, seeing the two women getting along well. "There's a guest room on the third floor with good lighting. I'll have Amei take you to see it later, and you can buy anything you need."

"Yes, yes, I've packed everything!" Ruan Mei said with a smile. "The sheets and duvet covers are all new, and they're even pink!"

"Move...move in?" Hu Huizhong was taken aback.

"What? You want to go back to that cold, deserted apartment?"

Lu Chen walked over and put his arms around the two women, one on each side. "This is home."

Hu Huizhong glanced at Lu Chen, then at Ruan Mei who looked expectant, and at the two little dogs rubbing against her feet.

A sense of belonging I had never felt before welled up inside me.

"Mmm." She nodded gently.

……

After settling his "harem," Lu Chen drove to Central in the afternoon.

The allure of a gentle life is a hero's grave, but it's also a recharging station for him. Now, he's full of energy and ready to make a big splash in the business world.

Jiahe Building, top floor.

Cheng Yiyan had been waiting for a long time.

"Boss, you wanted to see me?"

"Old Cheng, have a seat."

Lu Chen walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the bustling Victoria Harbour outside, his eyes gradually becoming deep and sharp.

It's the end of June now.

Lu Chen said calmly, "The Falklands War has just ended, and now all those British-owned trading companies and high-ranking foreign executives in Hong Kong think they're invincible again?"

"Yes," Cheng Yiyan sighed, "the stock market has been soaring recently, with the Hang Seng Index climbing all the way up. Those foreigners are bragging to everyone they meet that the Japanese Empire's influence is still strong, and that Hong Kong will prosper for at least another hundred years under their rule. The stocks of companies like Jardine Matheson and Swire have gone crazy."

"Hong Kong Island will indeed continue to prosper, but under their rule? Heh," Lu Chen sneered, "it's nothing more than the last gasp of an old empire."

In September, the "Iron Lady" was going to Beijing. Did she think that the old man would bow down with the momentum of her great victory? Lu Chen, who was familiar with the course of history, knew very well that in September 1982, the Iron Lady's famous "thud" in front of the Great Hall of the People would completely shatter Hong Kong's confidence.

What followed was a stalemate in Sino-British negotiations and an epic crash in Hong Kong's stock and property markets. The Hang Seng Index would be halved, and countless wealthy people would become impoverished overnight.

That would be both a disaster and a feast.

"I'm going to short the Hang Seng Index," Lu Chen announced his plan, "and now, while everyone is bullish, we're going to build positions at the highest point."

"Take out three hundred million to play with," Lu Chen held up three fingers, "I want to sign a betting agreement with all the major banks in Hong Kong, especially British banks."

"Three...three hundred million?!"

Cheng Yiyan was shocked by Lu Chen's extravagant spending. Although Jiahe was currently wealthy, 300 million in cash flow was still a huge sum! And it was for short selling!

"Boss, market sentiment is very high right now, what if..." Cheng Yiyan said with some concern.

"There are no 'what ifs'," Lu Chen's eyes were as firm as iron. "Have I made any mistakes?"

"...Understood!" Cheng Yiyan was infected by Lu Chen's domineering aura, and the gambler's blood in his veins boiled. "Boss, who should we bet against?"

"Find Starway, find Standard Chartered, find all the foreigners who think Hong Kong prices will rise further," Lu Chen sneered. "Aren't they bursting with confidence right now? Don't they think the British Empire is back? Well, I'll give them money and see if they dare to accept it!"

"Just consider me a rich, foolish spendthrift."

……

Over the next few days, Cheng Yiyan and her team frequently visited various foreign banks.

Just as Lu Chen had predicted, the foreign bankers, who were still basking in the joy of their victory on the Falklands, couldn't stop smiling when faced with the "short-selling contract" that Jiahe had offered them.

In their view, Hong Kong's economy is booming and the empire's prestige is at its peak, so how could the Hang Seng Index possibly fall?

In their eyes, Lu Chen, the so-called "business prodigy," instantly became a nouveau riche who was blinded by luck, or a fool who knew nothing about politics.

"Since Mr. Lu wants to give us money, how can we refuse?"

A foreign executive at Standard Chartered even opened champagne to celebrate when signing the contract.

"We're definitely going to make this money!"

7 month 1 day.

All performance-based agreements have been signed.

Lu Chen stood in his office, holding a thick stack of contracts, as if he were holding billions of dollars in future wealth.

"Boss, everything's done." Cheng Yiyan wiped his sweat. "A total of HK$300 million in short positions, with the leverage ratio... at its highest."

"very good."

Lu Chen locked the contract in the safe.

He walked to the window and looked out at Hong Kong Island, which was still bustling, noisy, and still immersed in a false prosperity.

While those foreigners were still partying in nightclubs, those stock market investors were still chasing rising stocks on the exchange, and those bigwigs were still dreaming of a thousand generations to come.

No one knew that a financial tsunami, capable of destroying everything, was brewing in the shadows of jubilation.

"Enjoy the Last Supper, gentlemen."

Lu Chen raised his glass and toasted the northern sky.

"When September comes, when that fall happens... I'll show you what it means to have rivers of blood."