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

9:00 AM, Stanley Prison.

This century-old prison, located at the southernmost tip of Hong Kong Island, nestles against the scenic Stanley Bay and faces the vast sea. However, for the thousands of prisoners held here, it is not a scenic view, but the end of despair. The towering walls are covered with barbed wire, and heavily armed Correctional Services Department officers pace back and forth on their watchtowers, their eyes coldly surveying the land below, deprived of their freedom.

"Sizzle—"

The massive electric iron gate slowly opened.

A black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur bearing the "DOA" logo, like an elegant black beast, slowly drove into the visitor parking area.

Song Zihao got out of the car.

Although he is now the general manager of the DOA Group, dressed in a bespoke suit from Jiahe and wearing a Patek Philippe worth hundreds of thousands on his wrist, he doesn't have the arrogance of a nouveau riche. On the contrary, when he sets foot on this land again, his eyes reveal a heaviness that only those who have experienced purgatory can understand.

"Brother Hao, would you like me to accompany you inside?" the driver and bodyguard asked respectfully.

"No need," Song Zihao waved his hand, straightened his collar, picked up two bags of daily necessities that had undergone strict inspection, and walked alone towards the visiting room. "It's just to see an old friend. There's no need for such a big fuss."

……

Visiting Room, Section C.

This is the meeting area for serious offenders and long-term inmates. The air is filled with the smell of cheap disinfectant and musty mildew; the oppressive atmosphere makes Song Zihao frown subconsciously.

Four years ago, Song Zihao was imprisoned for counterfeiting US dollars after being betrayed by his subordinates.

That was the darkest moment of his life. His father was murdered, his brother turned against him, his brothers were crippled, and he himself was imprisoned. For the first few months after he entered the prison, he thought about dying almost every day.

It was here that he met Zhong Tianzheng, a seasoned veteran who was always laughing and joking but had seen through the coldness of human nature. If it weren't for Zhong Tianzheng helping him out at a crucial moment, teaching him the rules of survival in prison, and sharing half of a cigarette with him, he probably would have been crippled long ago.

Later, a young designer named Lu Jiayao came in. Ayao was an honest man who had been imprisoned for manslaughter. He was fair-skinned and looked like an easy target.

In Ah Yao, Song Zihao saw the shadow of his younger brother, Song Zijie.

Therefore, he and Zhong Tianzheng joined forces to protect Lu Jiayao. For this, they clashed many times with Da Tun, the local bully in prison.

"3587! 4126! Someone's visiting!"

With a shout from the prison guard, two iron doors opposite the heavy glass partition were opened.

Two figures emerged under the escort of prison guards and sat down on chairs opposite the bulletproof glass.

The one on the left is tall, with messy hair and a signature, cynical grin. He always seems to be chewing on something, and his eyes are as lively as a monkey's.

The one on the right, wearing black-rimmed glasses, looked refined and like a college student who hadn't yet graduated. But at that moment, he was looking down, his expression somewhat dejected, and he didn't dare to look Song Zihao in the eye.

"Brother Hao! Wow! It really is you!" Zhong Tianzheng picked up the receiver, gave an exaggerated whistle, and stared intently at Song Zihao's designer clothes. "Tsk tsk tsk, that suit, that watch... Looks like you've really turned your life around! I thought you couldn't make it out there and were coming back to help us weave rattan chairs!"

"Stop being so glib." Song Zihao picked up the receiver. Although he was cursing, he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes. "I brought you some chocolates and cigarettes. They're all from legitimate channels, so they should reach you by now."

"Thanks, Brother Hao! Now I have the capital to bet on football with Big Fool!" Zhong Tianzheng rubbed his hands excitedly.

However, Song Zihao's smile quickly froze.

When Lu Jiayao looked up, he could clearly see that Lu Jiayao's left eye socket was bruised, his lip was cut, and there was even a clear scratch on his neck.

Looking at Zhong Tianzheng again, although he was trying his best to hide it, when he raised his hand to wipe his sweat, his sleeve slipped down, revealing a dark red bruise on his wrist, a mark left after being hit hard by a police baton.

"Ah Yao, what happened to your face?"

Song Zihao's voice instantly turned cold, and the authoritative aura of someone who had long held a high position unconsciously emanated from him.

"No...it's nothing, Brother Hao," Lu Jiayao said hurriedly, lowering his head and pushing up his glasses. "I accidentally tripped and fell on the bed frame when I got up to use the bathroom last night."

"Can you get scratches from a wrestling match?"

Song Zihao stared intently at A-Zheng. "A-Zheng, you're not planning to tell either, are you? We agreed to share the good times and the bad. Even though I'm out here now, I'm still your big brother."

Ah Zheng's playful smile slowly disappeared. He sighed, took out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, only to find that smoking was not allowed here, so he could only helplessly tuck it behind his ear.

"Brother Hao, don't ask anymore," Zhong Tianzheng's voice sounded tired. "You know what's going on here. It's better to avoid trouble. Ayao will be released from prison in three months, just bear with it."

"Endure? Endure until how long? Until we get beaten to death?" Song Zihao slammed his hand on the table. "Ah Yao! Tell me! Who did this?!"

Lu Jiayao's body trembled. The grievances, fears, and anger he had accumulated over the past year finally erupted when he saw his most reliable older brother.

"It's Datun." Lu Jiayao looked up, his eyes red-rimmed, and said through gritted teeth, "That bastard... he's been transferred back!"

Upon hearing this name, Song Zihao's pupils contracted sharply.

Datun.

He was originally a gang leader of Hung Hing in Stanley Prison. He was treacherous and vicious, and he especially bullied newcomers. Back when Sung Chi-ho was still in prison, Tai-tun often caused trouble for Lo Ka-yiu, not only stealing his things but also trying to make him a scapegoat.

That time, Song Zihao and Zhong Tianzheng, having reached their limit, led Lu Jiayao in a tough battle against Datun's men in the cafeteria.

The fight was fierce and chaotic. Song Zihao had a broken rib, and Zhong Tianzheng was covered in blood, but they managed to subdue the gang from Datun. Later, to quell the situation, the prison transferred Datun to the heavily guarded D area.

Unexpectedly, only a year later, this guy came back.

"When did he get back?" Song Zihao asked.

"Last week," Ah Yao sniffed, "as soon as he came back, he said he would settle all the old scores with interest. He knew you were out of prison, so he specifically targeted me and Zheng Ge."

"Yesterday, on a weekday, he deliberately ruined the lawn I had just mowed and demanded I pay for cigarettes. I refused, and then he and a few others attacked me..." Ah Yao pointed to Zhong Tianzheng beside him, "Brother Zheng rushed in to fight them to help me. And then..."

"As a result, the prison guards who tried to break up the fight beat him up," Ah Zheng chimed in, shaking his head with a wry smile. "These prison guards are so obviously biased."

"Prison guards?" Song Zihao frowned. "Ordinary prison guards wouldn't dare to be so blatant, unless someone authorized it."

"He's the killer Xiong."

Ah Zheng lowered his voice, a hint of apprehension in his eyes.

Killer Xiong (Ghost Sorrow), head of the security department at Stanley Prison, is a pervert who enjoys torturing prisoners. His specialty is using conflicts between prisoners to manage them, even deliberately instigating fights and then using those fights as grounds for additional punishment.

"Ever since Datun came back, Killer Xiong has been causing us trouble," Zhong Tianzheng said helplessly. "Datun is a mad dog, and Killer Xiong is the one leading that dog. He's disliked me for a long time and thinks I'm hard to control. Now that he has Datun as a henchman, the two of them are practically in cahoots."

"Just the day before yesterday, Killer Xiong suddenly transferred Ah Yao to the most tiring lawn-mowing team, where he'd be exposed to the scorching sun at midday. He also revoked half of my visitation rights."

"Brother Hao, they're really trying to kill us."

As Song Zihao listened, his fists slowly clenched, his knuckles turning white.

He knows all too well what happens in prison.

Three months.

To outsiders, it's just a blink of an eye. But for those inside the prison, if they're targeted by Da Tun and Killer Xiong together, those three months will be hell.

What's even more frightening is that if they can't help but retaliate and a fight breaks out, that would be against the rules.

If the rules are violated, Killer Xiong will have a reason to increase Lu Jiayao's sentence.

Three years after three years, that's the most desperate thing.

"Ah Yao, you have three months left." Song Zihao looked at Lu Jiayao. "They're trying to provoke you."

"I know." Lu Jiayao clutched his hair in anguish. "Da Tun keeps provoking me, saying he'll kill me. Killer Xiong also frequently picks fights and deducts points from my score. Brother Hao, I'm scared... I'm scared I won't be able to hold back."

"You have to endure it, even if you can't help it!" Zhong Tianzheng suddenly shouted sternly.

He reached out and pressed down on Lu Jiayao's shoulder, his eyes more serious than ever before.

"Ah Yao, listen to me. You have ninety days left. If you can get through these ninety days, you can go out and see your parents, and you can start a new life."

"For the next ninety days, even if Datun shits on your head, you'd better clean it up with a smile!"

"A moment of patience brings calm, a step back opens up a vast sky."

"We're like porcelain; we can't afford to clash with their tiles. It's not worth it if we break."

This is Chung Tien-cheng's philosophy of life.

Having spent so many years in prison, he'd seen through the rules here. There was no fairness here, only the strong and the weak. For small fry like them, the only way to survive, to get out, was to endure.

Whether they feign madness or grovel, as long as they can get out alive, they are the winners.

"Zheng-ge is right," Lu Jiayao wiped away his tears, "I'll endure it. For Mom and Dad, I'll endure it."

Watching the two brothers licking each other's wounds in despair, Song Zihao fell silent.

He understood Zhong Tianzheng's good intentions.

In the confined environment of a prison, an individual's power is too insignificant. Resistance often means even more brutal repression.

but……

Song Zihao raised his head and looked at Zhong Tianzheng.

"Ah Zheng, there's a knife above the word 'patience'," Song Zihao said slowly. "Some things can't be overcome just by enduring them."

"I know Da Tun too well. He's a cowardly dog. The more you back down, the fiercer he bites. And that killer Xiong, since he took the bribe, he won't let you off easily."

"If we don't deal with them, Ah Yao will probably have a hard time getting through these three months, and maybe..." A cold glint flashed in Song Zihao's eyes, "They might create trouble and frame Ah Yao a few days before his release, and even extend his sentence."

"Increased punishment?!"

Lu Jiayao's face turned deathly pale instantly. "Brother Hao, don't scare me..."

"I'm not trying to scare you. This kind of thing has happened quite a few times in Stanley before."

Song Zihao knew all too well the methods of those corrupt cops. If they didn't want you to leave, even breathing was wrong.

"What can we do? Brother Hao, we can't beat them." Zhong Tianzheng sighed, sounding helpless. "Right now, all I can do is try my best to protect Ayao, even if it costs me my old life..."

"You don't need to risk your life."

Song Zihao interrupted him.

He stood up, straightened his collar, and instantly released the aura of a superior, giving Zhong Tianzheng and Lu Jiayao an unprecedented sense of security, even through the bulletproof glass.

"Ah Zheng, Ah Yao. Remember this."

"The current Song Zihao is no longer the prisoner 9527 from back then."

Song Zihao pointed to the sky outside.

"I still have some influence outside."

"Datun, right? Killer Xiong, right?"

"Since they don't want to follow the rules, then I'll teach them what the rules are."

Song Zihao took out the black and gold DOA business card from his pocket and stuck it on the glass.

"Ah Zheng, Ah Yao, just focus on your sentences, don't cause trouble, and protect yourselves."

"Leave the rest to me."

"I assure you, Ah Yao will emerge safely in three months. As for Da Tun and Killer Xiong..."

Song Zihao sneered, not finishing his sentence.

But in the eyes behind those sunglasses, a death sentence had already been handed down to these two people.