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

March 5, 1983, the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects).

As spring thunder rumbles, all things awaken. Insects and ants, dormant underground, begin to stir, while within the high walls of Stanley Prison, a true venomous snake bares its fangs.

Stanley Prison, Cell C.

Warehouse C was unusually lively today.

The iron gate opened, and a man with a buzz cut and an arrogant look walked in, escorted by two prison guards. He was wearing a newly issued brown prison uniform and carrying a washbasin and a roll of bedding, but the way he walked made him look like a leader on an inspection tour.

Dai Fuqiang.

"4388! Go in!" The prison guard shoved him impatiently.

Dai Fuqiang wasn't annoyed. He just turned around and grinned at the prison guard, a smile that exuded a chilling evil aura.

"Don't push me away, officer. I'll treat you to tea in a few years."

After saying that, he swaggered into the cell. Coincidentally, he was assigned to cell 204—the very cell where Zhong Tianzheng, Lu Jiayao, and A Wu were located.

This was the rest time after the exercise.

Zhong Tianzheng was lying on the bed reading the newspaper, A Yao was writing a letter home, and A Wu was still leaning against the corner of the wall, playing with a razor blade that he had gotten from somewhere, which flew between his fingers.

"Hey, gentlemen, nice to meet you."

Dai Fuqiang threw his bedding roll onto the empty bed, sat down casually, took out a pack of Marlboro cigarettes he had been hoarding, and lit one for himself. "I heard you guys are in charge of this cell? From now on, we're cellmates, so please take care of each other."

Zhong Tianzheng put down his newspaper and sized up the new troublemaker.

"New here? Just a friendly reminder, you should pay your respects as soon as you enter, and offer cigarettes to all the seniors." Although Zhong Tianzheng didn't want to cause trouble, as a seasoned veteran, he still had to say the polite words.

"rule?"

Dai Fuqiang exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes sweeping contemptuously over the three men. "Outside, I'm the law. I robbed 170 million, and the police couldn't do anything to me; they could only get me in here by framing me. You're talking to me about the rules?"

Upon hearing the figure of "170 million," Chung Tin-ching was taken aback. Of course, he had read the newspapers and knew that the man in front of him was the "tycoon" who had caused a sensation throughout Hong Kong.

"No matter how much you steal, once you're inside, you're still a thief."

Suddenly, A-Wu, who was in the corner, spoke up.

With a flick of his finger, the blade flew out with a "ding," precisely severing the cigarette that Dai Fuqiang had just half-smoked.

The cigarette butt fell to the ground.

Dai Fuqiang's expression changed, and the murderous intent in his eyes surged instantly. He stood up abruptly, staring at A Wu: "Friend, isn't this a bit much?"

"Do you have money?"

Ah Wu remained leaning against the wall, not even lifting his eyelids, and asked coldly.

"What?" Dai Fuqiang was taken aback.

"I said, do you have any money in your pocket right now?" A-Wu straightened up, his terrifyingly muscular physique barely concealed beneath his prison uniform. "If you can pull out ten thousand yuan right now, I'll eat this cigarette butt on the ground. If you can't..."

Ah Wu walked up to Dai Fuqiang, looking down at him condescendingly. "Then shut your mouth. This is Stanley. Your more than one hundred million buried outside is nothing here."

Their eyes met in mid-air, sparks flying.

One is "Money-Giving Bro," who's willing to risk his life for money; the other is an incredibly audacious and ruthless bandit.

In the end, Dai Fuqiang smiled.

He was a smart man; he knew better than to fight a losing battle. This dead-eyed guy in front of him reeked of blood just as much as he did.

"Interesting," Dai Fuqiang stomped out his cigarette butt. "Alright, I'll do as the Romans do. Seniors, please smoke... Brother, what's your name? We can work together once I get out of here."

A-Wu glanced at him, said nothing, and sat back down in the corner.

But he also felt that this newcomer was a mad dog that could bite at any moment.

……

Central, the headquarters of Jiahe Group, Chairman's Office.

At the same time, Lu Chen's good mood did not last long due to the successful development of the new product.

"Bang!"

A document was slammed heavily onto the desk.

Cheng Yiyan stood in front of the table, his face extremely grim: "Boss, the Hong Kong government flatly rejected us. That foreign Chief Secretary didn't even see me; he just had his secretary return the documents."

"Reason?" Lu Chen sat in the boss's chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his voice as cold as ice.

"The reason is... national security!" Cheng Yiyan said through gritted teeth. "They said that Hong Kong Telephone controls the lifeline of Hong Kong's communications and a large amount of citizens' privacy. And our Golden Harvest Group's background... is 'too close to the mainland'."

"Especially your identity. Although you hold a Hong Kong Island ID card, your ties with the other side are too close. The Hong Kong government is worried that once we acquire the telephone company, all of Hong Kong's communication data will be transparent to the north."

"Ha," Lu Chen sneered, "They've been eavesdropping for decades, and now they're talking to me about privacy? What a double standard."

It was clear that the Hong Kong British government did not want a Chinese person, especially one who was not under their control, to control such strategic infrastructure.

"There's even worse news," Cheng Yi-yan took a deep breath and continued his report, "Our sources within the government have revealed that the Hong Kong government has been in frequent contact with Cheung Kong Holdings recently."

"Li Chengjia?" Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes." Cheng Yiyan nodded. "Ever since we crippled Hongkong Land Group, they've been eager to recoup their funds and want to sell their shares in Hong Kong Island Telephone Company. And the Hong Kong government seems to be interested in bringing Li Chengjia over to take over."

"In the eyes of those foreigners, although Li Chengjia is also Chinese, he is a pure businessman, even a 'yellow-skinned, white-hearted' person. Promoting him can both appease the Chinese business community and protect the interests of the foreigners."

"If we don't take action soon, then Hong Kong Island Telecom will be owned by the Li family."

Lu Chen stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the view of Central.

In the distance, the building of the Yangtze Group Center is under construction, resembling a sharp sword piercing the sky.

"Li Chengjia..."

Lu Chen muttered to himself.

This man, who would later become the "richest man," was always Lu Chen's biggest rival. He was too clever, too cunning, and extremely greedy. If he were to take control of Hong Kong Island Telephone Company, combined with his real estate and port holdings, Golden Harvest's market share would shrink.

More importantly, Lu Chen's painstakingly developed GSM technology and Longteng mobile phones must not be used to benefit others.

"He dares to try and steal my peaches?" Lu Chen's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Besides, we haven't settled the score from last time."

Lu Chen turned around, his eyes flashing with a heart-stopping light.

"Old Cheng, you continue to stall and create smokescreens with the Hong Kong government. Just say we can raise the acquisition price, and even accept British investment, to delay the negotiations."

"clear."

Cheng Yiyan understood that this was a feint, so he immediately began preparations.

Then Lu Chen picked up the red phone on the table and dialed an overseas long-distance call.

……

Kensington Palace Gardens, London.

This is London's most expensive affluent area, also known as "Billionaires' Lane".

Inside a Victorian-style mansion, Sofia, dressed in a silk robe, was lounging on the sofa, a glass of red wine in her hand.

the phone is ringing.

"Ciao, darling." Sophia's voice was alluring. "Calling me so late, do you miss me?"

"I'd like to. But I'd rather you do me a favor."

Lu Chen's voice came through the receiver, concise and clear, "Sophia, I need to utilize all the resources of the High Table in the Japanese Empire. Also, the Lubers family's connections in Europe."

"Oh? Sounds like a big deal." Sophia sat up straight, her eyes sharpening.

"Yes, I want you to accelerate the acquisition of British Telecom," Lu Chen said in a surprising statement, "You must achieve absolute control by the end of this month."

Sophia paused for a moment, then frowned slightly: "Darling, I'm afraid that will be difficult. After all, it involves the privatization of a state-owned enterprise, and there are many procedures to go through. Even if everything goes smoothly, it will still take two months..."

"I know, that's why we need our Iron Lady to step in now... After all, that intelligence and his son's consulting fees weren't taken for nothing."

"That's true. Who would have thought that the Iron Lady's son would be such a good-for-nothing spoiled brat?" Sophia chuckled.

The Iron Lady's son, Mark, is a greedy fool who currently works as a consultant for an energy company controlled by the High Table, earning millions of pounds a year for nothing.

"Take Mark with you to persuade his mother—once British Telecom falls into our hands, let British Telecom acquire Hong Kong Island Telecom."

This tactic is called "taking a roundabout approach to achieve one's goals".

Since the Hong Kong government won't allow Golden Harvest to acquire the company directly, let the "British company" controlled by the High Table do the acquisition. This is entirely in line with the principle of prioritizing British capital.

And that greedy Marco Sacher was the perfect stepping stone.

"Got it," Sophia licked her red lips, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Darling, you're so naughty, but... I like it."

After hanging up Sophia's call, Lu Chen didn't stop.

Commercial containment is only the first step.

For an opponent of Li Chengjia's caliber, business tactics alone are not enough; he must be kept preoccupied with his own survival.

So, Lu Chen dialed the second number.

"Ah Hao."

"Boss." Song Zihao's steady voice came from the other end of the phone.

Song Zihao made no attempt to hide his underhanded dealings in Stanley Prison, so Lu Chen knew that Song Zihao now had considerable connections in Stanley.

"I heard there's a new guy named Dai Fuqiang who went to Stanley?"

"Yes, and coincidentally, it was in Ah Zheng's cell. This guy is crazy; he almost got into a fight with Ah Wu as soon as he came in."

"very good."

Looking out at the dark night sky, Lu Chen said in a low voice, "Go see him. I think he must be very resentful inside, right? He has 170 million in his hands, but he has to spend 18 years in prison."

"Go and help him out, release him, and guide him to do things for me in cooperation with Fourth Brother."

"I understand, but what does the boss need him to do?" Song Zihao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Let him cause Li Chengjia some trouble," Lu Chen said calmly. "Li Chengjia has been overstepping his bounds lately; I want him to back down!"