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

October 2, 1983.

On this morning, Hong Kong was shrouded in a thin, damp, and chilly fog. On the waters of Victoria Harbour, several early-rising ferries emitted deep, drawn-out whistles, stirring up desolate ripples in the thick fog.

Upper Albert Road, Governor's Office.

This building, originally constructed in the mid-19th century, still maintains the last vestiges of the British Empire's dignity. The white marble corridors are spotless, and Filipino maids in pristine white uniforms move silently through them.

At seven o'clock in the morning, the current Governor Sir Edward Youde was already at his breakfast table.

Youde was an extremely detail-oriented person; even when washing up, his Filipino maid would use special hair wax to comb every single gray hair at his temples until they were perfectly styled. However, at this moment, the Governor of Hong Kong, who had been meticulously groomed, revealed an undisguised weariness in his eyes.

Negotiations between the two superpowers regarding the future of Hong Kong have entered their most difficult tug-of-war. Every telegram from the Iron Lady Prime Minister in London feels like a boulder, suffocating her.

The Filipino maid carefully placed a meticulously prepared English breakfast and today's morning paper on the table. However, Yud didn't rush to use his knife and fork, nor did he immediately open the newspaper. Instead, he casually picked up the remote control next to him and pressed the button on the expensive Sony color TV on the wall.

The television screen lit up, and the picture switched directly to the morning news channel of Asia Television (ATV).

In fact, for Youde, watching ATV has become a "must-do" every morning.

Even though Yude deeply loathed this media giant controlled by Lu Chen and bearing the heavy imprint of "red capital," he had to admit that in today's Asian and even global news landscape, ATV's speed of response, depth of sources, and visual impact had long surpassed those of conservative, established media outlets.

This is all thanks to the media divisions that Lu Chen established around the world back then, regardless of the cost; they were a network of tentacles that stretched across the globe.

In order to get the latest global news, even Yud had to hold his nose and become one of his viewers.

However, this morning's headline news nearly made Youde spit out the mouthful of coffee he had just taken a sip of.

"...This is an exclusive breaking news report from 2 a.m. Hong Kong police conducted a large-scale operation last night, raiding a hidden underground warehouse in Tuen Mun, New Territories. Hundreds of priceless Asian artifacts were seized at the scene, including Shang and Zhou bronzes and Dunhuang manuscripts, among other national treasures."

On the screen, the female host looked serious and spoke very quickly. The background was a warehouse illuminated by a powerful flashlight, boxes of shocking bronze artifacts, and a close-up shot of Thomas being beaten black and blue by Stephen Chow and being taken away in a police car in a sorry state.

"...And the most shocking news for all Hong Kong citizens is that, according to reliable sources obtained by our reporters on the ground, the highest-ranking protector and core mastermind behind this shocking transcontinental cultural relic smuggling case is none other than the current Director-General of Customs—Thomas! Director-General Thomas has been apprehended by police at the warehouse. The disheveled, blood-covered man in the footage is none other than our Director-General, who usually shouts 'clean law enforcement'..."

"puff--!"

Yud just took a sip of coffee, but in that instant, he rudely sprayed it all over the expensive silk napkin.

His eyes, bulging with extreme horror, were fixed on the close-up shot of Thomas on the screen, his face swollen like a pig's head.

"Damn it! This idiot! What is he doing!" Yud stood up abruptly, his once elegant movements now turning into extreme panic, so much so that he didn't even realize he had knocked over the chair behind him.

Yu De, disregarding his unfinished breakfast, immediately grabbed the internal phone on the table and dialed Police Commissioner Han Yi-ri's private line.

"Han Yili! You better give me a reasonable explanation! Why was Thomas arrested? Who gave you the guts to mess with him!" Yude's voice was almost a roar.

On the other end of the phone, Han Yili's voice sounded somewhat sluggish, even carrying a sense of grievance that seemed about to bring her to tears.

"Your Excellency, I... I only learned about this from the ATV news just now. I swear to God, I did not give any orders to customs officials last night. As for the goods from the Nakajima Group, I... I also have a share of the 'management fees' involved, how could I possibly arrest him!"

"Then tell me, why were the Flying Tigers there! Why did Li Shutang bring his men to the scene!"

"I'm verifying, I'm verifying..."

Twenty minutes later, Han Yili called back, her voice filled with grief and despair.

"Your Excellency, the situation has been clarified. Last night's operation was ostensibly to 'track down the top-tier national treasure stolen from Mr. Lu Chen.' That cunning fellow, Li Shutang, led his men to follow the trail of the notorious thief King Kong, and finally stumbled upon the criminals 'receiving the stolen goods' at the Tuen Mun warehouse."

"Li Shutang reported that during the raid, due to the darkness and the fierce resistance from the other party, he couldn't see their identities at all. It wasn't until he had all the people taken back to the police station and removed their hoods that he discovered that Chief Guan was also among them. Li Shutang very 'innocently' stated that he truly had 'no knowledge' beforehand, and even asked me if Chief Guan was personally carrying out an undercover mission..."

"Undercover agent? I'll fucking kill you!" Yud angrily slammed the knife in his hand into the bacon.

He wasn't stupid. As a cunning old fox, he sensed an extremely strong "scheme" in the matter.

First, Lu Chen's heavily guarded manor was inexplicably robbed, and then the notorious thief King Kong conveniently sold this "stolen national treasure" to the Nakajima Group. Immediately afterwards, just as Thomas was admiring the treasure, Li Shutang, timing his stopwatch perfectly, stormed in with the Flying Tigers…

All these coincidences combined suggest only one possibility—that man named Lu Chen wanted to use this method to directly sever the deepest source of wealth for the Onsa people in Hong Kong!

However, what made Yude even more desperate was that Lu Chen didn't even intend to give them a chance to "end" the show.

Having dealt with these foreigners for so many years, Lu Chen knew their nature all too well. If it was just a low-key internal matter, Youde had a hundred ways to get Thomas out and then slap a "procedural violation" label on Li Shutang.

Therefore, Lu Chen chose to be public, and to be public in all aspects.

At the very moment Youde smashed the cup, Golden Harvest International's global media matrix had already begun an unprecedented frenzied operation.

Not only in Hong Kong, but all the news events that Lu Chen had previously established in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, London, and even the United States were ignited at that moment.

By the next day, the storm had not subsided; instead, it swept across global public opinion like a plague.

Western mainstream media, which had initially been in a "wait-and-see" state, also put on their hypocritical faces and began to follow suit in reporting and condemning the foreign government after seeing such irrefutable evidence and dramatic material.

The Times published a huge photograph on its front page with an extremely scathing headline: "Plunderers in the twilight of empire: The secret treasure trove of the Hong Kong Customs Commissioner."

The Sun, not wanting to miss out on the drama, detailed the black market valuations of the artifacts in the warehouse, accompanied by a highly satirical cartoon. The cartoon depicted Thomas carrying a huge sack full of bronzes, with a rotting crown representing "the sun never sets" behind him.

In a London café, locals are engaged in a lively discussion.

"Is this the 'rule of law' we maintain in the Far East? A customs chief personally moving antiques? What's the difference between this and the pirates of the Victorian era?" an Oxford University professor remarked to Reuters.

In Hong Kong, this anger reached its peak.

The coolies of Kowloon Walled City, the white-collar workers in Central, and even ordinary citizens who are usually timid and fearful are all talking about it.

"These foreigners are trying to empty Hong Kong! Look at all that stuff, those are treasures left by our ancestors, what right do they have to take it?"

At that moment, Lu Chen's pre-emptive communication proved to be the fatal finishing blow.

The mainland side actively cooperated and issued extremely strong diplomatic rhetoric at 8:00 a.m. the next day, enough to go down in history.

At a press conference in Beijing, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had an icy, cold gaze:

"We are deeply concerned about this large-scale cultural relic smuggling case in Hong Kong. We solemnly inquire with the Japanese Empire government: Did the Customs Commissioner Thomas's barbaric act receive any form of tacit approval or instruction from its officials? Is this a systematic and large-scale plunder of Asian cultural assets by the Japanese Empire before its withdrawal? We reiterate that all illegally transported Asian cultural relics with clear provenance must be returned unconditionally and in full! We will never allow any force, under any pretext, to continue to trample on the cultural sovereignty of Asian countries!"

This move was simply a stroke of genius.

The mainland is not just referring to "Chinese cultural relics," but rather using the name "all Asian cultural relics," a move that instantly resonated throughout Asia!

Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and even some South Asian countries all issued diplomatic notes within hours, demanding that Japan explain itself clearly.

At this crucial moment in negotiations, this global scandal has left the "Iron Lady" prime minister in a state of utter disarray. This is not merely a smuggling case; it is shaking the moral and legal foundations upon which the Japanese Empire continues to govern its colonies.

The whole society is suspicious: You can't even manage a customs chief properly, and it's even possible that the authorities tacitly approved him to become a bandit. What qualifications do you have to talk about colonial management?

The pressure traveled along the Atlantic Ocean, across the Suez Canal, and finally manifested as urgent telegrams that landed on Youde's desk.

Not only Downing Street, but even Buckingham Palace made an unusually strong call to Sir Edward through private channels: "If Sir Edward cannot quell this farce that is enough to bring shame to the Royal Family within a week, then the Empire may need to consider replacing him with an administrator who is capable of doing the job."

Even worse, there was Thomas, who was locked in the interrogation room.

Under the "special care" of Chen Jun and certain interrogation experts of dubious background, this pampered bureaucrat completely broke down on the first night. In order to get a reduced sentence and to avoid dying in prison, he began to spill the beans, revealing a long list of bribes and favors.

The list included several familiar names from the London cabinet and several nobles from Buckingham Palace.

This really kept some bigwigs in London up at night. They put pressure on Youde, demanding that he do everything in his power, no matter the cost, to silence the man.

Yud knew that he had lost this war so badly that he had nothing left but his underwear.

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Yude sat down once again in that extremely secluded small reception room in the governor's mansion.

Across from him, Lu Chen was still dressed in a well-fitting black suit, stirring his coffee with elegant movements, a faint, polite smile on his lips.

"Mr. Lu, name your price." Youde sighed. Although he had no evidence, he knew that this man was behind it all, and he also knew that Lu Chen had to agree to calm things down.

"You should know that things have escalated to this point, which is not good for anyone. People in London have gone mad."

Lu Chen put down his cup, his eyes revealing a chilling calmness.

"Your Excellency, I think you've misunderstood something. It's not about what I want to do, but what public opinion wants, what justice wants." Lu Chen's voice was deep. "However, since you've asked me to offer suggestions, I'll just briefly mention three."

Lu Chen held up one finger: "First, severely punish Thomas. The entire Hong Kong media, and even the world, are watching. Thomas has been completely exposed. It's impossible for you to bail him out; you'll only drag yourselves into the mess. Rather than that, you should announce his removal from public office now and hand him over to the judiciary. That way, you can salvage a bit of the facade of the Hong Kong British government's so-called 'judicial independence.'"

Yud closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded with difficulty: "...I can agree to this."

Lu Chen held up a second finger: "Second, completely destroy the Zhongdao Group, leaving no remnants. All the cultural relics seized in the warehouse with a clear provenance must be returned to their countries of origin completely and publicly through official channels. This is the deadline. If this is not done, ATV will continue to track the whereabouts of these cultural relics until they return to their respective homelands."

In fact, this was a last resort. Lu Chen really wanted all the cultural relics to go back, but many of them were either scattered on the streets or dug up by tomb raiders. Even the country of origin could not find any evidence to prove that Nakajima had obtained them illegally. So he had to settle for those with clear ownership.

Yud's face twitched slightly: "This matter...I can't make the decision; it involves the interests of many families..."

Lu Chen's move was intended to make those bigwigs in London spit out the fat they had already eaten.

Lu Chen snorted coldly, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, saying, "Governor, I think you seem to have forgotten that the list that Thomas revealed... is still in my hands."

Yu De froze, reading the blatant threat in Lu Chen's eyes. If that list were broadcast live globally by ATV, the last shred of dignity the Japanese Empire had left in Hong Kong would be completely torn away.

"...I promise you, I will coordinate with the London side," Yud said through gritted teeth.

"Very good." Lu Chen sat up straight again, his tone becoming light and cheerful. "The third matter is my personal business. Golden Harvest International is preparing to acquire Wheelock Marden and hopes the Hong Kong government can provide its support. Also, please help me arrange a meeting with John Madden, the patriarch of the Madden family. I am very interested in the shares he holds."

"Wayfung?" Youde exclaimed in surprise, nearly dropping the teaspoon in his hand. "That's one of the four major trading companies, you..."

Yu Degang was about to say it was like a snake swallowing an elephant, but then he realized that Jiahe International had already developed into a behemoth comparable to the four major trading companies, and acquiring Wheelock... didn't seem impossible.

Wheelock, one of Hong Kong's four oldest trading houses, started in shipping and holds a pivotal position on Hong Kong Island. Although in recent years, due to the global shipping crisis, oil price fluctuations, and overcapacity, Wheelock's profits have declined significantly, even to the point where it had to sell buildings to cover its losses, its fundamentals remain intact.

Wheelock not only owns a large fleet of ships, but also secretly completed its asset allocation in the 1960s and 70s. Today, it is an extremely important real estate developer and public utility owner in Hong Kong.

Lu Chen had long coveted this opportunity. His Golden Harvest empire had already dominated the finance, luxury goods, media, and technology sectors, but it was still missing a piece of the puzzle in hard assets, especially large-scale real estate development and international shipping. Acquiring Wheelock would truly complete Golden Harvest, making it a comprehensive giant with no weaknesses.

“John Madden is a very stubborn English gentleman,” Youde shook his head. “Moreover, Wheelock is the foundation of three generations of the Madden family business. Even if it suffers heavy losses, he would not be willing to sell it to a… Chinese man.”

Lu Chen sneered, his eyes filled with disdain:

"The shipping industry right now is a bottomless pit. Oil prices are rising, there's an oversupply of capacity, and every second John Madden holds on, a million dollars of his assets evaporate. His arrogance is worthless in the face of bankruptcy!"

"Your Excellency, you only need to do one thing—bring him to the negotiating table, and leave the rest to me."

"...I did my best to make this dinner possible." Yud lowered his head.

"It's not about trying your best, it's about being good enough." Lu Chen stood up, straightened his suit collar, and gave a "friendly" smile.

In fact, what Youde didn't know was that before he even agreed to win over John Madden, Lu Chen had already quietly completed his efforts to unite the Zhang Yuliang family, the largest shareholder of Wheelock. They were very pessimistic about the current shipping situation and were willing to sell their 40% stake in Wheelock.

If he acquires 40% of the Zhang family's shares, plus the 5% he has secretly accumulated in the stock market during this period, he will have nearly 45% of the shares in his hands.

As long as John Madden appears at the negotiating table, Lu Chen has plenty of ways to get him to hand over the remaining 20% ​​or more, thereby achieving absolute control of this century-old trading company.

After the matter was concluded, Lu Chen did not linger any longer and got up to take his leave.

As Lu Chen reached the door, he stopped, turned back to look at Youde, and said in a low voice, "By the way, Your Excellency. In order to prevent Thomas from implicating more people in London due to 'excessive psychological pressure' during the upcoming interrogation, I suggest you keep him silent forever... If you have any sympathy for your colleagues, my men can do it for you; consider it a bonus service."

Yude sat there, watching Lu Chen's departing figure.

At that moment, an unprecedented chill crept up his spine from his tailbone, finally exploding at the back of his head, making him shiver involuntarily.

Yud finally understood that in this meticulously planned "open conspiracy," Lu Chen not only accurately predicted Thomas's greed and the police force's reaction, but also the London cabinet's timidity and Buckingham Palace's weaknesses.

He originally thought he was negotiating with a Chinese business tycoon, but it wasn't until Lu Chen walked out of the room that Youde suddenly realized that he was actually sitting opposite a giant dragon with its jaws wide open.

Looking out the floor-to-ceiling window at Central, which was gradually sinking into the night, Youde knew that with the downfall of Thomas and the impending change of ownership of Wheelock, the century-old fortress built by the Onsat people in Hong Kong had been cracked with an unbridgeable chasm by that man's casual remark.

And he, as the nominal administrator of this land, could not muster even the slightest courage to resist, only shivering in the cold wind.