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

April 23, 1983, 3 PM.

In a secluded, deep forest area on Lantau Island, Hong Kong Island.

On the surface, this place is a timber processing plant invested by overseas Chinese, and it even has a legitimate business license and customs declaration. But in reality, beneath it lies a secret safe house of a winery, hollowed out and filled with half a meter thick reinforced concrete, which also serves as the base for the Cleaners team.

"Creak—"

As the heavy hydraulic camouflage door slowly opened, three unmarked black Ford armored vans silently drove into the underground parking garage.

As the car door opened, twelve "ghosts" dressed in all-black Kevlar combat uniforms jumped out of the vehicle in perfect unison. They swiftly unloaded all the heavy red, white, and blue plastic bags and neatly stacked them in the inventory area separated by bulletproof glass.

"Click, click, click..."

Accompanied by a series of crisp metallic sounds as weapons were disarmed and magazines were ejected, this group of armed personnel, who were like killing machines, finally began to remove their heavy armor.

The first to remove the tactical helmet with night vision goggles was the squad commander at the front. Beneath the helmet was a sharply defined face with eyes as cold and sharp as a Siberian lone wolf. There was a very faint scar on the corner of his mouth, and his whole body exuded a pure killing intent that seemed to have crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Wang Jianjun, captain of the second cleaning team.

Behind him, a man who had also taken off his helmet, was thinner and taller than him, with a face that was both honest and fierce, was his younger brother, Wang Jianguo.

"Mr. Rum, Scavenger Team Two is fully assembled. Mission accomplished!"

Wang Jianjun hung the silenced MP5 submachine gun on the weapon rack, then lovingly touched the military triangular bayonet he always carried at his waist. He then stood ramrod straight and gave a standard military salute to the man standing on the steel corridor on the second floor.

Fourth Brother, wearing a gray trench coat, leaned on the railing with both hands, looking at this group of fierce and sharp-looking men, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Well done, Jianjun, Jianguo." Rum walked down the iron stairs, glanced at the mountain of thirty-three red, white, and blue plastic bags, and said, "Those mad dogs of Dai Fuqiang, they didn't cause you any trouble, did they?"

"Sir, you're joking," Wang Jianguo grinned, revealing a seemingly honest yet cruel smile. "Those few thugs with their scrap metal, my brother could have snapped their necks in a few strokes by himself. If they had dared to resist just now, there would only be four mangled corpses left in the Yuen Long auto repair shop by now."

"Yeah, the boss said they're still useful, so don't touch them yet." Rum patted Wang Jianjun on the shoulder. "Take the brothers to take a shower, have some hot soup noodles, and then get a good night's sleep in the lounge. You guys stay at the base for the next couple of days; there are no missions for now."

"clear!"

After dismissing the scavenger team, Rum walked to the encrypted communication station and dialed the dedicated line that led directly to Lu Chen's study.

"Boss." Rum's voice instantly became extremely respectful.

"Did you get the money back?" Lu Chen's nonchalant voice came from the other end of the phone as he flipped through the documents.

"Yes, the 330 million in cash is intact," Rum reported. "Those scapegoats have been terrified by our firepower and are probably scrambling to escape to Macau by now."

"Heh, after all, there are differences between notorious bandits," Lu Chen said calmly, as if discussing his lunchbox, regarding the enormous sum of money that could drive the entire Hong Kong underworld crazy: "Give this money to Brother Hao and have him use DOA Group's casino channels in Macau to launder it into our offshore account in the Cayman Islands in batches. No rush, keep it discreet, and don't attract any extra attention."

"clear."

"Also," Lu Chen's tone shifted, becoming more serious, "has that document I asked you to organize been finished?"

"All done," Rum replied immediately. "From Dai Fuqiang and his men's reconnaissance photos, kidnapping photos, and even the entire process of breaking into the Li family's house and the copies of the bank statements showing Li Chengjia transferring 1 billion yuan in cash from major banks overnight... I've compiled them all into a book."

"Very good!" Lu Chen smiled with satisfaction. "Send someone unfamiliar to me to deliver this file to my home in Yau Yat Tsuen immediately. It's time to show this grand finale of ten billion to all the citizens of Hong Kong."

……

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

Kowloon Tong, another village.

In this quiet and upscale villa area, every household has planted precious Podocarpus macrophyllus and Bougainvillea in their yard.

Lu Chen, dressed in a casual beige sweater and carrying a thick kraft paper file folder, slowly walked out of his yard and rang the doorbell of a two-story villa next door.

"Ding-dong—"

"Here she comes! You rascal, go open the door! It must be Ah Mei visiting again!" Fei Xia's signature loud and energetic voice came from inside the house.

The door opened.

Uncle Piao, wearing a plaid shirt and with slightly disheveled hair, stood at the door with a worried expression, wearing reading glasses. But when he saw Lu Chen, a bright smile immediately appeared on his wrinkled old face.

"Oh my! Mr. Lu! What a rare guest! Please come in! Why would a boss like you come knocking on the door in person? Mrs. Ruan could have just called and I would have come over!"

Lu Chen smiled and waved his hand: "Uncle Piao, you're too kind. A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Ah Mei is usually taken care of by you. Ah Mei made fish maw and chicken soup today, and I'll have the maid send a pot over to Aunt Fei later."

"Oh dear, that's so embarrassing..."

The two entered the living room.

The living room was a bit messy. The coffee table was piled high with various reports and ratings charts. Several empty, cheap beer cans lay scattered on the floor, and the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts.

Clearly, this acting manager of the TVB News Department has been having a tough time lately.

"What's wrong, Uncle Piao? You look so worried. Did Aunt Fei make you sleep on the sofa again last night?" Lu Chen sat down on the sofa and teased with a smile.

"Sigh, don't even mention it."

Uncle Piao sighed heavily, scratched his already thinning hair, and slumped onto the sofa like a deflated balloon.

"Mr. Lu, you have no idea. In the past few months, our TVB ratings have been completely crushed by your company, ATV!"

"The news segment I was in charge of was even worse. ATV was doing things like 'Focus Interview' and 'Paparazzi Tracking,' breaking juicy stories every day! But our TVB news could only broadcast dry stuff like which street had a burst water pipe or which legislator went to a ribbon-cutting ceremony."

Uncle Piao became increasingly aggrieved as he spoke, tears welling up in his eyes. "Uncle Shaw has been holding meetings these past few days, pointing his finger at me and calling me a 'stuffed dog.' He said if I can't come up with a single, compelling exclusive scoop this week, he'll fire me as news manager and send me to clean toilets at the Shaw Brothers studio!"

Listening to Uncle Piao's complaints, Lu Chen smiled slightly and gently placed the heavy manila envelope on top of the messy viewership rating reports: "Since you're so worried, Uncle Piao, look what this is?"

"What is this?" Uncle Piao was taken aback.

"Open it and take a look."

Uncle Piao pushed up his reading glasses in confusion, picked up the file folder, unsealed it, and pulled out the contents.

I only glanced at it.

Uncle Piao's hand trembled violently, and the photos in his hand scattered all over the floor. He sprang up from the sofa as if he had been electrocuted, his eyes wide open, bigger than a bull's eyes, and he even stopped breathing.

"This...this...this!!!"

The photos clearly show the Nissan Presidential Sedan being forced to stop by a truck at a sharp bend on Deep Water Bay Road in the morning. They also show a hooded robber smashing the car window with an AK-47, and the usually mild-mannered eldest son of the Lee family, Li Zeju, being stuffed into the truck like a dog with a black sack over his head!

Not only were there photos, but also an extremely detailed written report attached:

Li Chengjia's eldest son, Li Zeju, was kidnapped by ruthless criminals who demanded a ransom of 1.038 billion! The Li family dared not report the incident to the police and emptied their bank vault overnight to pay the ransom!

boom--

Uncle Piao felt a violent electric current rush from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, his scalp tingled, and all the blood in his body boiled at that moment!

As a veteran journalist who has dedicated his life to news reporting, he is acutely aware of the value of this archive.

This is no longer some exclusive news story. This is practically a nuclear bomb capable of turning the entire Hong Kong business community, and even the entire Asian business world, upside down!

Li Chengjia's son has been kidnapped! A ransom of over 1 billion HKD! The police were completely ineffective throughout the ordeal! Any one of these keywords alone is enough to send Hong Kong citizens into a frenzy, buying newspapers and glued to their television screens!

"Mr. Lu... Mr. Lu..."

Uncle Piao's hands trembled as he carefully picked up the photos, as if they were priceless treasures. He swallowed hard, his voice shrill with extreme agitation, "Is...is this true? Li Chengjia's son really kidnapped?!"

"Absolutely true. He was just released this morning. Right now, Li Chengjia is hiding in his mansion in Deep Water Bay, licking his wounds and desperately trying to suppress the news so that the outside world doesn't know." Lu Chen picked up a glass of cold water from the table and took a sip.

"But... this is such a huge, exclusive scoop! This is a legendary story that will go down in the history of Hong Kong journalism!"

Uncle Piao wasn't stupid after all. He calmed down a bit from his euphoria and looked at Lu Chen with disbelief.

"Mr. Lu, you...you own Asia Television and the Asia Daily. Why don't you premiere such a valuable product on your own television station? Instead, you're giving it away to someone from TVB for free! This...this is like handing over a mountain of gold!"

Uncle Piao's doubts are perfectly reasonable. This kind of bombshell news is enough to instantly break any TV station's ratings records.

Lu Chen put down his water glass and sighed.

The reason he didn't let ATV leak the information was simple: to avoid suspicion.

Li Chengjia has just lost 1 billion HKD in cash flow to kidnappers and is in a period of extreme rage and sensitivity. If, at this moment, ATV, a subsidiary of Golden Harvest, were to immediately release such a detailed in-depth report, even including details of the kidnappers' modus operandi...

Even a fool could guess that this kidnapping case was inextricably linked to Lu Chen. Even without evidence, the Li family would unleash all their hatred on Jiahe, potentially attracting excessive police attention.

But this fire must be set off.

Because as soon as this news airs, the entire Hong Kong Island will know that Cheung Kong Holdings has provided HK$1 billion in cash. Banks, investment institutions, and even Hongkong Land will immediately realize that a huge black hole has appeared in Cheung Kong Holdings' financial chain!

Not only will Li Chengjia's reputation be ruined, but his stock will plummet, and his credibility in the business world will be destroyed. He will no longer have the qualifications or the confidence to compete with Lu Chen for the acquisition of "Hong Kong Island Telephone Company"!

Having TVB leak this information is the perfect way to "use someone else's knife to kill someone," as it both shifts suspicion and maximizes the impact.

However, Lu Chen would never say that to Uncle Piao. He put on an extremely gentle expression, even with a hint of helplessness and doting.

"Uncle Piao, I am indeed a businessman, and I value profit," Lu Chen said earnestly. "However, more than profit, I value the bonds with my neighbors. Especially... that girl, Lai Di."

"Laidi? My second son?" Uncle Piao was taken aback.

"yes."

Lu Chen sighed seriously, making up lies without even bothering to write a draft.

"A couple of days ago, Lai-ti came to my house to learn how to make desserts from A-mei. The girl was making a cake while crying. A-mei asked her what was wrong, and she cried and said that she felt particularly sad seeing her father losing clumps of hair every night because he was worried about the news department's ratings, and even getting scolded by the big boss."

"Lai Di begged me, saying that Brother Lu, you're very capable, could you help her father get through this difficult time?" Lu Chen looked at Uncle Piao, whose eyes were already red-rimmed, and patted him on the shoulder. "Uncle Piao, you know I can't stand seeing girls cry. Especially such a sensible and filial girl like Lai Di. So, I used Golden Harvest's intelligence network and finally managed to get this top-secret information. I didn't give it to my own ATV, but delivered it to you personally."

"Let's just consider this my way of showing filial piety as a neighbor on behalf of Lai Di."

boom.

This deeply moving "lie" was like a powerful tear gas bomb, directly piercing through Uncle Piao's psychological defenses as a middle-aged man.

In reality? The truth is, Lai Di, that lovesick teenage girl, did go to Lu Chen's house. But she didn't cry at all, nor did she mention her dad's TV ratings at all!

Her face was flushed the whole time, and she stared blankly at Lu Chen. She even rubbed against Lu Chen under some pretext. Her mind was full of pink bubbles, and she had no idea that her father was being tormented to the point of exhaustion!

But Uncle Piao didn't know that!

"Laidi... my dear daughter!" Uncle Piao was moved to tears, taking off his reading glasses to wipe them away. "This girl, she usually seems a bit crazy, but I never imagined she loved her old man so much... sob sob sob..."

After wiping away his tears, Uncle Piao suddenly stood up, gripped Lu Chen's hands tightly, and trembled with excitement.

"Mr. Lu! I, Piao, will never forget your immense kindness! You are not only a tycoon, but also a truly kind and compassionate person!"

"From now on, just say the word, and I, Old Biao, will go through fire and water without batting an eye!"

"You're too kind, Uncle Piao. Hurry up and prepare the press release; this is a huge undertaking." Lu Chen smiled and withdrew his hand, concealing his accomplishment.

……

the next day.

Clearwater Bay, TVB Building.

On the top floor, inside the chairman's office.

Uncle Siu, the true helmsman of TVB and a pillar of Hong Kong's film and television industry, was dressed in a Tang suit and leisurely sipping a cup of premium Pu'er tea.

His face was somewhat gloomy. Recently, TVB's ratings had been steadily declining due to ATV's dominance, which made this film and television tycoon feel extremely embarrassed.

"Bang!"

The office door was pushed open without anyone knocking.

Uncle Piao, sporting two huge dark circles under his eyes and clutching the brown paper file folder tightly in his hands, rushed in like a whirlwind and stood panting in front of Uncle Shao's desk.

"Sixth Uncle! I've got it! I've got it!!" Uncle Piao was so excited he was incoherent, slamming the file folder onto the mahogany desk with a "thud." "A nuclear bomb! Absolutely nuclear-level news! If it airs tonight, I guarantee ATV's ratings will drop to zero!"

Uncle Shao frowned slightly, somewhat displeased with his subordinate's rash behavior. But he still put down his teacup, put on his reading glasses, and slowly pulled the contents of the file folder.

One minute later.

This legendary tycoon, who had weathered half a century of ups and downs in Hong Kong and was known for remaining calm even in the face of adversity, found his hands trembling uncontrollably.

"Where...where did this come from?!"

Uncle Shao raised his head, his somewhat cloudy but still sharp eyes filled with horror.

"This is an exclusive bombshell report from an informant who risked his life to deliver it! Uncle Liu, the information is conclusive—the photos, the ransom amount, the time of the crime, it's all true! Li Chengjia's son really was kidnapped by ruthless gangsters and extorted for over a billion!" Uncle Piao reported, spittle flying from his mouth.

Uncle Shao took a deep breath and turned the photos face down on the table.

As a seasoned shrew, he instantly saw the terrifying vortex behind this revelation.

This isn't just ordinary gossip. This is a fatal blow that's going to expose Li Chengjia's true colors!

Who is Li Chengjia? He's a powerful tycoon with immense connections, poised to become Hong Kong's richest man. The Li family is desperately trying to suppress the news to save face for the family and protect the stock price of Cheung Kong Holdings.

If TVB were to expose this matter at this critical juncture, it would be tantamount to forging an irreconcilable feud with Lee Shing-ka!

"This sweet potato is too hot to handle..."

Uncle Shao leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed, his fingers tapping rapidly on the table. Offending the Li family would be a huge threat to TVB's future business development. It might even provoke retaliation from the Li family's main faction in areas like GG sponsorships and real estate.

Seeing Uncle Shao's hesitation, Uncle Piao grew anxious.

"Uncle Six! We can't hesitate any longer!" Uncle Piao shouted, his hands gripping the desk. "Look at what ATV has done to TVB lately! Even our prime-time ratings have fallen below 30%! Those sponsors are making a scene every day demanding refunds! If this continues, the reputation of Hong Kong's premier television station will be completely ruined!"

"Li Chengjia is powerful, but no matter how rich his Cheung Kong Group is, he can't control the media industry!"

"The essence of journalism is the pursuit of truth! Now that this opportunity has been presented to us, if we don't seize it, and other newspapers or ATV snatch it up first, we won't even have a chance to drink the soup!"

Uncle Piao's words struck a nerve with Uncle Shao.

Yes. It seems that Li Chengjia didn't give himself much face in his recent collaboration with TVB's GG.

More importantly, TVB's viewership ratings are his lifeline!

Uncle Shao closed his eyes and engaged in a minute-long internal struggle.

When he opened his eyes again, a hint of capitalist ruthlessness flashed in the eyes of this film tycoon.

"You're right. When it comes to ratings, even the Emperor himself has to give way."

Uncle Shao slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"Old Man! Immediately gather all the elite personnel in the news department and begin editing and dubbing under top-secret conditions!"

"Make sure you have the prime time slot of 7:30 tonight! All TV dramas and variety shows must be suspended to make way!"

Uncle Shao walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the bustling cityscape of Hong Kong outside, and with a wave of his hand, issued an order that was enough to change the landscape of Hong Kong's business world:

"Tonight, I want all the citizens of Hong Kong to watch only our TVB channel!!"