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

February 2, 1983, the 12th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lunar New Year's Eve.

On this day in Hong Kong, even the air was filled with the aroma of gunpowder and roasted meats. Boats in Victoria Harbour were adorned with colorful flags, and crowds thronged the clock tower in Tsim Sha Tsui, waiting for the countdown.

If the hustle and bustle outside belongs to ordinary citizens, then tonight at the Lu family mansion is a "tribute from all nations" event that belongs to Lu Chen alone.

The villa was brightly lit, with the heating on full blast. Paper-cut window decorations adorned the huge French windows, and the Christmas tree imported from Europe in the center of the living room was still there, covered with red Chinese knots and red envelopes—a blend of East and West that had its own unique charm.

"Cheers!!"

With a crisp clinking of glasses, the atmosphere in the living room reached its climax.

"Amei! Let me hear if my godson is making any noise!"

Sophia had just finished handing over the business of the Gaozhuo Group over there and rushed back, looking disheveled. She was wearing a bright red deep-V evening dress, making no attempt to hide her impressive cleavage, and was currently lying unceremoniously on Ruan Mei's stomach.

"Sister Sophia... there's still no sign of pregnancy. The doctor said it's only been a little over two months..."

Ruan Mei felt a little ticklish from her teasing and laughed as she dodged. As the "absolute protagonist" of the evening, she wore a loose silk maternity dress, held a cup of hot milk in her hands, and her face radiated maternal glow.

"I'll listen even after two months! This is the eldest son of the Lu family!" Sofia declared confidently. "When he's born, I'm going to give him an Italian winery as a gift!"

"Stop bothering Ah Mei, let her get some rest."

A cool and elegant voice came from the side.

Ruan Wen wore an elegant white cheongsam with a watercolor-style shawl draped over it, exuding an aloof and refined artistic air.

"Amei, this is a 'safe childbirth amulet' I got in Kyoto, it's very effective."

Ruan Wen took out an exquisite embroidered amulet from his bag and gently hung it around Ruan Mei's neck. "And this painting, 'One Hundred Children,' which I just painted a few days ago, will ward off evil spirits when hung in your bedroom."

"Thank you, Sister Wen." Ruan Mei's eyes reddened with emotion.

In this family, although everyone has very different personalities, they all have genuine respect for Ruan Mei, the "official wife." This is not only because she was the first to follow Lu Chen, but also because of her kind and all-encompassing heart.

In another corner of the living room, Saeko and Bawanghua were drinking at the bar. Meanwhile, in the sofa area, Akizumi was holding Laura's hand, pointing at a thick fashion magazine.

Looking at the room full of beautiful women, Lu Chen sat in the main seat, holding a glass of red wine, feeling that he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

While a business empire is important, this feeling of "home" is also the driving force that keeps him striving for progress.

"Clang—clang—clang—"

The clock finally struck midnight.

Countless fireworks soared into the sky above Victoria Harbour, painting the night sky with vibrant colors.

"Happy New Year!!"

The women cheered and crowded around Lu Chen to toast him and ask for red envelopes.

"Alright, alright, everyone gets a share."

Lu Chen smiled as he handed out the large red envelopes that he had prepared beforehand.

After the excitement subsided, Ba Wanghua checked her watch and came over dutifully, saying, "Ah Chen, the doctor said Ah Mei can't stay up late. She should go and rest."

"Yes, yes, yes! Your health is the most important thing!"

Although the women were reluctant to part with him, they knew the importance of the matter.

Lu Chen personally escorted Ruan Mei back to the specially modified bedroom with the Five Constants system.

"Goodnight, Amei." Lu Chen kissed her forehead. "I'm right next door. Just ring the bell if you need anything."

"Okay, go keep your sisters company." Ruan Mei nodded understandingly and soon fell asleep in the calming incense.

After settling Ruan Mei in, Lu Chen returned to the master bedroom.

As soon as I entered, a pair of slender arms wrapped around me.

"Darling, Ame has gone to rest..." Sofia's exotic voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of dangerous allure, "But our nightlife is just beginning."

Lu Chen turned around and saw that Sophia, Ruan Wen, and Saeko, who had just been drinking, had all changed into different styles of pajamas and were looking at him with ambiguous smiles.

"Ame is already in the lead," Sofia said, running her finger lightly across Lu Chen's chest. "As an Italian woman, I can't lose. Tonight... you have to treat everyone equally."

"Cough cough..."

Lu Chen put down his wine glass, looked at his several ruthless female confidantes, and a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Since you are so motivated..."

"Then tonight, nobody's going to sleep."

"Turn off the lights!"

words omitted here...

……

At the same time, Stanley Prison, though lacking the glitz and glamour of the outside world, possessed a unique warmth.

Because it was Lunar New Year's Eve, the prison authorities unusually showed some leniency. Chicken legs were added to dinner, and lights out was postponed to 12:30. Even the usually fierce prison guards turned a blind eye tonight, allowing the prisoners to celebrate quietly in their cells.

Warehouse C, Room 204.

"Come on, Brother Wu! Cheers!"

Ah Zheng held up an enamel mug that he had somehow acquired, filled with a murky liquid—it was "prison liquor" that they had secretly brewed using bread crumbs and fruit.

A-Wu sat on the lower bunk, holding a compressed biscuit in his hand, a rare smile on his lips.

Just yesterday, because of the Lunar New Year, the prison announced a "general amnesty" and released him early from that dark and damp prison cell.

The three of them were sitting around a tattered newspaper.

The newspaper was piled high with "goodies" that Chung Tin-cheng and Lu Chia-yao usually couldn't bear to eat: several packs of Marlboro cigarettes, a few pieces of chocolate, two packs of beef jerky, and a few cans of Coca-Cola that they had secretly hidden away.

"Brother Wu, we really owe you a lot this time." Lu Jiayao pushed up his glasses, his eyes red-rimmed. "If you hadn't crippled Datun at the bathhouse that day, I... I might not have made it through this."

Ever since that day when A-Wu displayed his incredible power and dislocated Da-Tun's arm, the entire prison area has changed. Da-Tun's gang now avoids them like the plague, like mice before a cat. Even that perverted killer, Xiong, has chosen to conserve his strength these past few days and hasn't come looking for trouble.

"I take people's money and do their bidding." Ah Wu took a bite of beef jerky and said casually, "That's business."

"Hey! What business are we talking about at a time like this!"

Zhong Tianzheng slapped A Wu on the thigh, emboldened by alcohol, and said, "A Wu, I know you came here for the money. But that day you took a knife for A Yao, you were really risking your life! At that moment, you were our brother!"

Upon hearing this, A-Wu was also taken aback.

He grew up in Kowloon Walled City, where he was accustomed to deceit and treachery, and his only beliefs were in fists and money. The word "brother" was too much of a luxury for him.

But at this moment, looking at Zhong Tianzheng's wrinkled yet sincere smiling face, at Lu Jiayao's tearful eyes, and at the pungent taste of the cheap liquor in his mouth, he felt a surge of emotion.

A warmth he had never felt before flowed through his long-numbed heart.

Come on! Sing a song!

Zhong Tianzheng suddenly got excited, picked up a "erhu" he made himself from wooden boards and wires, and started wailing like a banshee.

"Sweet...your smile is so sweet..."

"It's like flowers blooming in the spring breeze..."

Although Teresa Teng's singing was off-key, it sounded exceptionally beautiful at this moment.

The people in the next cell started humming along.

For a time, the melody of "Tian Mi Mi" echoed throughout Stanley Prison.

A-Wu leaned against the wall, listening to the off-key singing, and slowly closed his eyes.

This was probably the most special Lunar New Year's Eve he had ever experienced.

There were no sword fights, no bloodshed.

There are only two fools and a sweet song.

Thanks.

Ah Wu silently said to himself. It wasn't just about Song Zihao's money, but also about these two friends who treated him like a human being.

……

There is always shadow beyond the light.

While the whole of Hong Kong was celebrating the New Year, the atmosphere in an old tenement building in Sham Shui Po was as somber as a funeral parlor.

Inside the ancestral hall of the Number Gang, incense smoke curled.

The three bigwigs—Ni Kun, Hu Xuyong, and Lian Haolong—were sitting around an octagonal table.

There was no New Year's Eve dinner on the table, only a map of Sham Shui Po covered with small red and blue flags.

"Is everything ready?"

Ni Kun wiped his glasses, his voice low and deep.

"Uncle Kun, everything's ready," the bearded man slammed a bowl of wine on the ground. "The three hundred brothers from the 'Yi' group have all their knives sharpened. Just give the order, Uncle Kun, and tonight we'll chop that old lecher Long Gen into mincemeat!"

"Don't rush."

Ni Kun put on his glasses, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "Tonight is New Year's Eve. The police are all on the streets maintaining order. To make a move now would be like poisoning the eyes of the cops, courting death."

"When?" Lian Haolong asked vaguely while eating the roast chicken on the offering table.

Ni Kun extended three withered fingers.

"Third year of junior high school."

"Akaguchi (Red Dog Day)."

Ni Kun's finger slammed down on the area marked "He Lian Sheng · Long Gen" on the map.

"Everyone is busy visiting relatives and friends for the New Year and then playing mahjong, so their vigilance is at its lowest."

"Ah Yong, lead your men in and seize Long Gen."

"Ah Long, you guard the intersection and don't let Big D from Wo Luen Shing come to help."

"In this battle, we will use Longgen's head as a sacrifice for our flag."

"Tell your friends in the underworld that not everyone can get a piece of the pie from the Number Gang."

"Yes, Uncle Kun!"

Hu Xuyong and Lian Haolong responded in unison, their murderous intent appearing particularly ferocious in the candlelight.

Outside the window, New Year's fireworks are still blooming.

But beneath these dazzling fireworks, a bloody storm in the martial arts world is already in its final countdown.