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

After Cheng Yiyan and his group retreated from the Standard Chartered Bank building like a black tide, the once silent office area instantly became bustling with activity, like a pot of boiling water.

The long-suppressed fear transformed into a restless excitement after the word "acquisition" appeared.

"I...I just went to the top-floor conference room to deliver water..." In the break room, a pretty young secretary in a fitted business uniform was surrounded by a group of colleagues. She lowered her voice, but the excitement in her eyes was impossible to hide. "I overheard them talking about more than just losing money in the performance-based agreement; they were also talking about—an acquisition!"

"Whoosh—"

These words were like a depth charge, exploding in the crowd.

"An acquisition? You mean serious?" a bespectacled credit department manager asked eagerly. "Jiahe International wants to acquire us?"

"Absolutely true! I saw William sign it!" the female secretary said confidently.

"God bless..." The manager let out a long sigh, took off his glasses and wiped away the fog. The despair on his face, as if he were about to be executed, vanished instantly. "That's great! As long as we're acquired, our bank won't have to go bankrupt!"

"Yeah! Everyone on Hong Kong Island knows that Golden Harvest International is the richest company!" Another young trader excitedly pumped his fist. "The Hang Seng Index has plummeted like this, but Golden Harvest is making a killing! I heard they made billions just from this short selling! Working with a boss like that, we won't lose our jobs, and we might even double our year-end bonus!"

"Who cares if the boss is from mainland China or Hong Kong, as long as they pay wages, they're a good boss!"

"Exactly! That William is incredibly stingy; changing bosses might be a good thing!"

This is the most basic survival logic of grassroots employees.

In this harsh winter ravaged by the financial tsunami, so-called corporate loyalty and the so-called glory of foreign investment are worthless in the face of one's livelihood. They don't care whether the flag above their heads is the Union Jack or the Golden Harvest logo; all they care about is whether they can make their mortgage payments next month.

……

three days later.

A major news item was officially released through major financial media outlets in Hong Kong, quickly dominating the front pages of all newspapers.

The dust has settled! Golden Harvest International announces the completion of its full acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong Island)!

British capital withdraws, Chinese capital enters: Golden Harvest expands its financial empire!

Although there are many different opinions about the specific acquisition amount, only those in the core circle know how much of a bargain Lu Chen got this time.

Based on normal market valuations, Standard Chartered Bank's Hong Kong Island branch, with its dozens of branches and a landmark headquarters building in Central, would be worth at least HK$2.5 billion under normal market conditions.

But what did Lu Chen use?

A 1 billion HKD IOU, plus 200 million HKD in cash compensation, brings the total cost to no more than 1.2 billion HKD.

This is outright robbery. And it's a legal robbery where the other party even has to say "thank you."

The Standard Chartered Bank Tower alone, a 20-story building in the heart of Central, is worth over 700 million HKD just for its land and construction. Not to mention the financial network Standard Chartered Bank holds – something money can't buy.

For Lu Chen, the acquisition of Standard Chartered was more than just a business bargain.

This is the most important piece of the puzzle in his business empire.

ATV controlled the media, Gao Tianyuan was in charge of overseas markets, and the winery was responsible for underground intelligence and eliminating dissidents.

Standard Chartered Bank will become the "circulatory system" of all this.

It will be the future cash reservoir for Jiahe Group, a massive cash flow transfer station, and the safest and most efficient money laundering machine. With it, Lu Chen's money will flow freely across this planet.

……

A week later.

Standard Chartered Bank headquarters building.

At this time, the English sign that had hung at the entrance of the building for half a century had been removed and replaced by a brand new plaque covered with red cloth. From then on, Standard Chartered was officially renamed Luke's Bank.

In the giant conference room on the top floor of the building, unlike the relief felt by the lower and middle-level employees, the atmosphere on the upper floors was quite oppressive.

This place brings together all the senior management personnel of Standard Chartered Bank's Hong Kong Island branch.

The general banking department director, investment management department director, corporate credit department head, human resources department manager, legal department chief lawyer... and more than 30 branch managers spread across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.

There were more than sixty people in total, and they were all sitting upright, not daring to even breathe loudly.

They are all waiting.

Waiting for the legendary new boss, waiting for the final verdict on their fate.

"Da, da, da..."

A series of steady, powerful footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. The sound wasn't loud, but it felt as if it were stepping on the heartbeat of everyone present.

"Bang!"

The conference room door was pushed open.

The previously whispering room fell silent instantly.

A group of men and women dressed in black custom-made suits, exuding a powerful aura, strode in.

Leading the way was Lu Chen.

He wore a dark, double-breasted suit, tall and imposing, his resolute and cold face devoid of any superfluous expression. His gaze was like lightning; merely a glance around him instilled a sense of overwhelming pressure in the assembled financial elites.

Lu Chen walked straight to the head seat at the end of the long table and sat down with an air of authority.

To his left was Cheng Yiyan, the "Jackal" everyone knew, but to his right sat a strange man.

He was around thirty years old, wore gold-rimmed glasses, had his hair neatly combed, and wore a gentle, refined smile. But the occasional glint of shrewdness that flashed behind his lenses made him someone not to be underestimated.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Lu Chen began, his voice deep and magnetic. "I am Lu Chen."

These four simple words, requiring no titles, are themselves a symbol of power.

The entire audience rose to their feet, erupting in thunderous applause. Regardless of their true feelings, everyone at that moment held a deep and awe for this business legend.

Lu Chen raised his hand, and the applause stopped instantly.

"I've gathered you all here today for two reasons," Lu Chen said, pointing to the middle-aged man on his right. "First, I want to introduce you to a new colleague."

"Mr. William has resigned and gone to the University of California, MD for recuperation due to 'personal health reasons.' However, our Lu's Bank cannot be without a leader for a day. This is Mr. Ma Zhihua. From today onwards, he will be the new general manager of Lu's Bank and will be fully responsible for all the bank's operations."

The middle-aged man stood up, straightened his suit, and bowed slightly to the crowd, his movements elegant and proper.

"Hello everyone, I'm Ma Zhihua. Please take care of me in the future."

His voice was gentle and refined, making him seem like a typical scholar-executive.

However, the executives present dared not show the slightest disrespect, because the person sitting to Lu Chen's right was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

That's right.

This person is none other than Ma Zhihua, the mastermind behind the scenes in the future "Overheard 1".

For Lu Chen, William, that yellow-skinned, white-hearted British comprador, had to get out. And Cheng Yiyan already held several positions; he couldn't and wasn't suited to take on any more important roles.

The real power to sit in the bank, launder black money, and increase white money is still held by "professionals" like Ma Zhihua. His previous outstanding performance in the stock market led Lu Chen to decide to give him a chance. Thus, the down-on-his-luck trader who had been ousted from Wall Street just six months ago has now transformed into the general manager of a commercial bank.

"Mr. Ma has over five years of experience working on Wall Street, and I hope you can actively cooperate with his work," Lu Chen said calmly.

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

After introducing the personnel appointments, Lu Chen leaned back in his chair and scanned the room once again.

At this moment, everyone's hearts were in their throats. As is customary for a new broom sweeping clean, would layoffs and restructuring follow?

"The second thing," Lu Chen seemed to see through their thoughts, a faint smile playing on his lips, "is not your fault for Standard Chartered's previous failure. It was William's stupidity and the greed of the London headquarters, and has nothing to do with any of you here."

Upon hearing this, many people visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and their tense shoulders relaxed a bit.

"So," Lu Chen changed the subject, "I don't plan to make any large-scale personnel changes to the current management team for the time being. Your positions, salaries, and even year-end bonuses will remain the same."

"call……"

A soft exhalation was heard in the conference room.

"but!"

Lu Chen's voice suddenly rose a few octaves, his eyes sharpening. "I don't support idlers, nor do I support useless people. Three months—I'm giving you three months to observe. By the end of this year, the fittest will be weeded out; the capable will rise, and the mediocre will fall. This is Jiahe's rule, and it's also my rule."

"Now I'll talk about Luk Bank's next strategic plan," he stood up, walked to the world map hanging in the conference room, and held a laser pointer in his hand, the red dot jumping wildly on the Asian plate: "Our bank is a full-license bank. In the past, you were restricted by Standard Chartered Group's arrangements and could only develop in Hong Kong Island. But from now on, our goal is not just to guard this small piece of land."

"Starting next month, I want to see expansion!" Lu Chen pointed his laser pointer heavily at several locations. "Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia... Whether it's acquisitions or new establishments, you need to build at least one branch in each of these places!"

"I want the flags of Lu's Bank to be planted all over the Pan-Pacific region by the end of next year!"

The executives present were stunned.

This rate of expansion requires astronomical sums of money!

"Don't worry about the funding," Ma Zhihua said at the opportune moment, adjusting his glasses. "Jiahe Group will provide ample resources; you only need to focus on conquering new territories."

"Remember my words," Lu Chen concluded, "Jiahe doesn't keep useless people, but it also never mistreats its contributors. Whoever can help me plant my flag in East Asia and Singapore will have their dividends double next year!"

"Did you understand?!"

"clear!!"

The roar was deafening.

At this moment, Standard Chartered Bank, this dilapidated British warship, was fitted with a nuclear-powered engine by Lu Chen, and under the ruthless helmsman Ma Zhihua, it officially sailed towards the vast ocean of stars known as the "Asian Financial Overlord".