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

The next afternoon after school, Han Xiulan greeted Jiajia at the gate. The little girl came out and was like a spinning top that never stopped, radiating happiness.

"Mom! Mom! Lu Qian agreed!"

Han Xiulan took her small schoolbag and water bottle from her: "Speak slowly, who agreed?"

"Lu Qian! I invited him over for his birthday this weekend, and he said yes!" Jiajia jumped onto the back of the bicycle, her short legs dangling outside and swinging back and forth. "His parents agreed too."

"Is this Lu Qian the one who stood up for you last time?"

"Yeah, he's amazing. Lu Qian threw Jiahao to the ground in one go," Jiajia gestured, her face turning bright red. "The little fat boy was so scared he cried."

"Adults are not good."

"He bullied me first!"

"Alright, alright," Han Xiulan poked her daughter's forehead, "then Jiahao won't bother you anymore, right?"

"Of course he wouldn't dare," Jiajia said, lifting her chin. "Everyone in our class knows I have connections."

Han Xiulan was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Who taught you all this?"

"Nobody taught me, I figured it out myself," Jiajia said, as if remembering something, tugging at Han Xiulan's sleeve. "Mom, Lu Qian said he likes KFC. Can we buy KFC for our birthday?"

"No KFC can compare to home-cooked food. Mom will make you braised pork ribs."

"But Lu Qian likes it—"

"You," Han Xiulan poked her, both amused and annoyed, "you've only known her for a few days, and you already know what she likes to eat?"

Jiajia covered her forehead and giggled.

The mother and daughter chatted and laughed all the way home. Zhao Mengsheng had to work overtime that night, so the mother and daughter ate dinner first as usual.

It wasn't until after 9 p.m. that Zhao Mengsheng finally dragged his weary body through the door. As soon as Jiajia heard the lock click, she jumped up from the sofa and ran over, repeating exactly what she'd told her mother, adding at the end, "Dad, you have to come home early this weekend!"

"Okay, Dad will try his best," Zhao Mengsheng said, picking up his daughter with one arm and loosening his tie with the other. "But Dad has been a bit busy with work lately, so I can't guarantee it."

"All right."

Afterwards, Han Xiulan coaxed Jiajia to take a bath, while Zhao Mengsheng sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette.

He remembered the file that Li Weiguo had delivered yesterday afternoon.

The first one was from Wang Jiahao's family. His father's name was Wang Dechang, a native of Chaozhou. He started out making plastic flowers and later became a real estate agent. Although they had some wealth, it wasn't something he needed to worry about.

But Lu Qian's background is rather frightening...

His father is the renowned Lu Chen, chairman of the Jiahe Group, a new leader among Hong Kong's Chinese businessmen, suspected to be the actual controller of the underground organization "The Winery," the head of the Lu family conglomerate, and also has deep friendships with several bigwigs in Beijing...

Zhao Mengsheng took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled.

Before going to Hong Kong, someone in Beijing had given him a message: once in Hong Kong, Lu Chen should be actively involved in networking. The work of Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch, in essence, involves connecting people from all walks of life, and no one can bypass Lu Chen's influence.

I never expected that the person who would act as a bridge would be my own five-year-old daughter.

"What are you thinking about?" Han Xiulan sat down next to him, took the cigarette from his fingers, and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

"It's nothing." Zhao Mengsheng wiped his face. "It's Jiajia's birthday this weekend, I'll try to come back early."

"Strive for it? It's your daughter's birthday, and you're still going to strive for it?"

"There's been a lot going on at the office lately—"

"Alright, alright," Han Xiulan waved her hand, "Anyway, let me tell you, if our daughter isn't happy, you'll have to coax her yourself."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mengsheng wore a bitter expression. From the bathroom came the sound of Jiajia splashing water, mixed with off-key children's songs.

……

Jiajia woke up at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Han Xiulan was still heating milk in the kitchen when she heard a muffled thud from the bedroom, followed by the sound of bare feet pattering on the floor.

"Mom! Today is my birthday!"

"Okay," Han Xiulan said without turning her head, "Go put on your slippers first."

Jiajia ran back again, pattering as she put on her slippers. She ran back again, stopped beside Han Xiulan's legs, and looked up at her.

"What is it now, my little darling?"

"Where's the cake?"

"It was delivered this afternoon."

"What about the balloon?"

"It's in your father's study. Go get it yourself."

Jiajia ran to the study door, stood on tiptoe to reach the extremely high doorknob—her fingertips barely touched it before it slipped. She jumped a little more, but still couldn't reach it. Having no other option, she ran back to the kitchen and grabbed Han Xiulan's apron: "Mommy, open the door for me."

Han Xiulan sighed helplessly, dried her hands, and went to open the door.

Zhao Mengsheng helped blow up the balloons last night. A dozen or so, red and green, were piled on the desk; some weren't tied tightly and had already deflated a bit. Jiajia cheered and pounced on them, hugging them tightly. Half of them fell out, so she squatted down and picked them up one by one.

The process of setting up the room, which Han Xiulan later described to Zhao Mengsheng, can be summed up in just two words: "disaster."

Jiajia wanted to hang all the balloons on the chandelier, but Han Xiulan couldn't reach them. Jiajia asked why her father could reach them, and Han Xiulan helplessly replied, "Because your father is 1.8 meters tall." Jiajia then asked, "How tall is 1.8 meters?"

After much effort, the balloons were finally tied to the sofa armrests, chair backs, and doorknobs.

Then Jiajia started clamoring to put on the ribbons again, resulting in glue getting all over her hands and three ribbons being stuck on crookedly. Han Xiulan had no choice but to secretly peel them off and put them on again when Jiajia wasn't looking.

After all that fuss, the living room finally looked like a party room by noon. Jiajia stood in the middle of the room, looked around, put her hands on her hips, and nodded seriously.

I learned this move from Zhao Mengsheng.

Han Xiulan leaned against the kitchen door frame, her shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress her laughter.

……

The doorbell rang at 5:55.

Jiajia jumped up from the sofa, rushed to the door, then suddenly stopped, turned back, and whispered, "Mommy! Coming!"

Han Xiulan smiled, patted Jiajia's head, tidied her hair, and then opened the door.

A woman in her thirties stood outside the door, wearing a plain cheongsam and a light gray cardigan. She wore a jade bracelet on her wrist, but no other jewelry.

The boy next to her was wearing a white shirt, buttoned up neatly, and was holding a pink gift box.

"Miss Ruan?" Han Xiulan smiled and stepped aside. "Please come in, Jiajia has been talking about it all day."

"Just call me Ah Mei," Ruan Mei said, bowing slightly as she changed her shoes. "Qianzi, call me Auntie."

"Hello, Auntie." Lu Qian bowed respectfully. After straightening up, his gaze passed over Han Xiulan and landed on the little girl who was peeking out from behind her.

"Lu Qian!" Jiajia jumped out from behind Han Xiulan. "You're here!"

Lu Qian handed over the gift box, saying, "Happy birthday."

Jiajia took it with both hands and hugged it tightly. She looked down at the print on the packaging, then looked up at him: "Is this for me?"

"Um."

"So beautiful!" Jiajia hugged it tighter and turned to Han Xiulan, exclaiming, "Mommy, look!"

"Did you see them? Did you thank them?"

"Thank you!" Jiajia grinned at Lu Qian.

Lu Qian pursed his lips somewhat shyly: "You're welcome."

The two children stood facing each other. One was holding a gift box and grinning foolishly, while the other had his hands in his pockets and was staring at the ceiling.

Ruan Mei and Han Xiulan exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.

"Come in and have a seat," Han Xiulan invited. "Old Zhao is working overtime today and won't be back for a while—what would you like some tea?"

"It will be all right."

Around five o'clock, the other two invited little girls arrived. One was named Chen Meiqi, with two pigtails; the other was named Lin Xiaoman, wearing round-framed glasses.

The three girls huddled together, chattering about the Hello Kitty gift box Lu Qian gave Jiajia. Lu Qian sat alone in the corner of the sofa, fiddling with a dusty Transformers model under the coffee table.

"Lu Qian, come and see!" Jiajia called to him.

Lu Qian put down the model, walked over to look at the hair clips and stickers in the gift box, said "It looks nice," and sat back down.

Chen Meiqi whispered to Jiajia, "Why isn't he saying anything?"

"That's just how he is," Jiajia said in a tone of someone who's been there, "cool."

Lin Xiaoman pushed up her glasses: "My mom says cool guys are the least interesting."

"That's because you haven't seen him fight," Jiajia said in a low voice, glancing at Lu Qian out of the corner of her eye. "Wang Jiahao is so tall, he pushed him down in one go."

"Wow—" the two little girls exclaimed in unison.

Lu Qian didn't even look up from the sofa, but the tips of his ears turned red.

At six o'clock sharp, Han Xiulan turned off the lights and then pushed up a two-tiered cake—with four candles on it and pink cream that read "Happy Birthday Jiajia".

The candlelight flickered on everyone's faces.

"Happy birthday to you……"

The adults clapped their hands, and the children sang at the top of their lungs. Jiajia stood in front of the cake, the candlelight making her little face rosy. She closed her eyes to make a wish, her lips moving for a long time before she took a deep breath—

Four sticks were blown out.

The flame of the fourth candle flickered, then stood still.

Jiajia got anxious and blew on it again, but it still didn't go out.

"I'll do it."

Lu Qian appeared beside her without her noticing. He leaned in and blew out the last cigarette in one breath.

The living room lights came back on, and Jiajia turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling.

"What did you wish for?" Lu Qian asked.

"It won't work if you say it out loud." Jiajia raised her chin.

"oh."

Han Xiulan started cutting the cake, and Ruan Mei helped her divide it into plates. Each child carried a piece, their faces covered in cream.

Meanwhile, the ladies also began their own tea party.

Chen Meiqi's mother's surname is Zhou, and her husband is a mid-level manager at HSBC; Lin Xiaoman's mother's surname is Huang, and her husband is a police inspector. The two women sat side by side on the sofa, chatting about which primary school their children would attend next year. Han Xiulan occasionally chimed in, while Ruan Mei quietly sipped her tea.

The conversation turned to the difficulty of getting into Diocesan Girls' School and St. Paul's School. Mrs. Zhou sighed, saying that her husband had pulled several strings to get the Diocesan Girls' School application form. Mrs. Huang chimed in, adding that her husband knew a school board member at St. Paul's School, but that person might not be willing to help.

Han Xiulan got up to refill her tea, and casually asked Ruan Mei, "Amei, which school is your son Qianzai planning to attend?"

"It's not decided yet," Ruan Mei put down her teacup. "It depends on his father."

"I see." Mrs. Zhou nodded, her gaze falling on the bracelet on Ruan Mei's wrist. After examining it for a few seconds, she asked casually, "Where does Mrs. Ruan's husband work?"

"It's nothing, I just started a company."

"Wow, so you're the big boss," Mrs. Zhou said, a subtle hint in her voice. "Judging by how well you've maintained yourself, your husband must have a pretty good income, right?"

Before Ruan Mei could answer, Han Xiulan blurted out, "Amei's husband is Lu Chen."

"Lu Chen...Lu Chen?!"

As soon as Han Xiulan spoke, she suddenly realized something and her heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, Mrs. Zhou's voice suddenly rose half a tone: "Could it be—Chairman Lu of the Jiahe Group??"

Ruan Mei nodded slightly, her face still elegant: "Yes."

"Oh my god." Mrs. Huang put down her fork, subconsciously tugged at her collar, and quickly forced a smile. "Mrs. Ruan, I'm so sorry, I was just—"

"It's alright." Ruan Mei waved her hand. "They're all Jiajia's classmates' parents, no need to be so polite."

Mrs. Zhou's attitude changed completely. She moved half a body closer to Ruan Mei, their shoulders almost touching, and her voice softened: "Mrs. Ruan, how do you take care of your skin? What brand do you use?"

"It's just regular face cream."

"Impossible, impossible," Mrs. Zhou waved her hands repeatedly. "Snow cream doesn't have that effect. Look at the corners of my eyes, they've become more and more noticeable these past two years, even Old Zhou says I look older. Mrs. Ruan, could you recommend one?"

"It really is like face cream," Ruan Mei said with a smile, picking up her teacup. "Sleep more and worry less; it works better than anything else."

"It's easier said than done," Mrs. Zhou sighed. "There are so many things to do both at home and outside; none of us are as fortunate as Mrs. Ruan—"

"Good fortune is also a matter of fate." Mrs. Huang continued, her tone carrying a restrained eagerness. "Where does Mrs. Ruan usually get her hair done? This hairstyle suits you very well."

"There's a small shop in Central with a chef who's quite skilled. I usually have him come to my house, and sometimes I go to his shop too."

"What's your name? I'll try it out sometime."

As they chatted, Mrs. Zhou steered the conversation back to the Peninsula Hotel. She said her husband had been trying to book a table at Gaddi's for three months without success, "because they say it's only for members, and the requirements are incredibly high—"

"Gaddi's?" Ruan Mei thought for a moment. "Achen and I have been there a few times. The environment is alright. I'll have my secretary ask you about it later."

"That's wonderful!" Mrs. Zhou exclaimed with delight, quickly rummaging through her handbag for a business card, which she handed over with both hands. "This is my husband's card; it has our home phone number on it. Mrs. Ruan, when it's convenient for you—"

"Okay." Ruan Mei accepted it with both hands, put it into the side pocket of her cheongsam without even looking at it.

Not to be outdone, Mrs. Huang also pulled out her business card.

Han Xiulan sat to the side, watching Ruan Mei, who was surrounded by Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Huang, handle the situation with practiced ease. Ruan Mei always wore a faint smile, neither cold nor overly enthusiastic. Every word she spoke was perfectly timed, yet she subtly left herself some room to maneuver.

It's like a gentle, soft wall that you can't push through, and you can't get to the bottom of it.

While Mrs. Zhou went to refill the children's drinks, Han Xiulan went over and whispered in Ruan Mei's ear, "Amei, I'm sorry, I just—"

"It's okay," Ruan Mei patted the back of her hand, "You'll get used to it."

Han Xiulan was stunned for a moment, then nodded gratefully.

Meanwhile, the children, completely unaware of the adults' conversation, were playing house with Jiajia, Chen Meiqi, and Lin Xiaoman, sticking the Hello Kitty hair clips from the gift box into their heads one by one until their hair was covered. Lu Qian was squatting by the coffee table, transforming a Transformers model, occasionally glancing up in the direction of the three girls.

Jiajia suddenly ran over, a string of hair clips hanging in her hair, and asked Lu Qian, "Does it look good?"

Lu Qian glanced at it. Objectively speaking, it looked like a chicken coop with too many flowers stuck in it. But he simply said, "It looks good."

"So which one do you think looks the best?"

Lu Qian looked down at the Bumblebee in his hand, then looked up at the hair clips on Jiajia's head, and said, "The yellow one."

Jiajia cheered and ran back to Chen Meiqi to announce, "Lu Qian said yellow looks the best!"

Then she took everything off her head except for the yellow hair clip.

At eight o'clock, Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Huang took their children and said goodbye.

Chen Meiqi held onto Jiajia tightly, refusing to let go, saying she wanted to play for another ten minutes. Mrs. Zhou forcibly pulled her away, and Chen Meiqi called out "Jiajia, Jiajia" all the way to the elevator. Lin Xiaoman was more decisive, saying "See you the day after tomorrow," and then took her mother's hand and left.

Ruan Mei and Lu Qian were the last to leave, and Han Xiulan saw them to the door.

"Goodbye, Auntie." Lu Qian waved, then glanced past Han Xiulan and behind her. "Where's Jiajia?"

"Here I am!" Jiajia popped out from behind Han Xiulan, still holding the Hello Kitty gift box in her hands and wearing a yellow hair clip in her hair. "Lu Qian, see you at school next Monday!"

"Okay, see you at school next Monday."

The elevator doors closed. The numbers ticked down one by one. Jiajia was still standing at the door, tiptoeing and looking down the corridor until the elevator stopped on the G floor, then she looked away.

"Mother."

"Um?"

"Lu Qian invited me to his house," Jiajia said, holding the gift box, looking up at him with an expression more serious than a five-year-old. "What do you think I should give him as a gift?"

Han Xiulan looked at her daughter and couldn't help but smile. "Think about it later. Take a bath first."

……

At nine o'clock in the evening, Zhao Mengsheng pushed open the door to his home.

The living room still held the scent of the party. Two balloons were deflated, hanging listlessly on the sofa armrest. One ribbon was askew, while the other two remained attached. Opened gift boxes were piled on the coffee table, the cream dish was still there, and the TV was on, the volume turned down low, showing the evening news.

Han Xiulan was lounging on the sofa when she heard the door open. She opened her eyes and asked, "You're back?"

"Hmm." Zhao Mengsheng took off his coat and hung it on the hanger, loosening the collar. "Is Jiajia asleep?"

"Just fell asleep, she was up all night."

Zhao Mengsheng tiptoed into his daughter's room. Jiajia was curled up in bed, clutching the Hello Kitty gift box, which was now deformed from the weight. One of her feet was off the covers, and her socks had somehow fallen off. She hadn't been asleep; she opened her eyes when she heard the door open.

"dad."

Zhao Mengsheng went inside and knelt down beside the bed. "I'm sorry I'm late."

Jiajia blinked, then held up a plush toy in front of him. "This is Lu Qian."

"Um."

"This is me."

"I saw it."

"And the other one is Mom."

Zhao Mengsheng reached out and touched her forehead. Jiajia's skin was warm, carrying the unique body temperature of a child. She placed both dolls next to the pillow, lining them up, and then looked at Zhao Mengsheng.

"Dad, are you going to work overtime tomorrow?"

"No more."

"real?"

"Really, I'll take you to the amusement park tomorrow."

Jiajia smiled sweetly, slowly closed her eyes, and then groggily opened them again: "The cake was so delicious today."

How much did you eat?

"Two pieces." She paused, "No, three pieces. The last one was for Lu Qian; he didn't want it, so I ate it for him."

"Teeth will decay."

"I brushed my teeth."

Zhao Mengsheng coaxed Jiajia for a while until she fell asleep, then tucked her in, left, and gently closed the door.

"Have you eaten?" Han Xiulan asked.

"I ate. I ate at the commune."

"Another boxed lunch?"

Zhao Mengsheng did not deny it.

Han Xiulan sighed, got up and went to the kitchen to bring out a bowl of soup. "Drink it while it's hot. It's lotus root and pork rib soup; I've been simmering it all afternoon."

Zhao Mengsheng took the bowl and sat down next to Han Xiulan. The news on TV finished, and the weather forecast started. Tomorrow will be cloudy with showers.

"How's today?" He took a sip of soup.

"It went quite smoothly. Two little girls came, four children in total. We cut the cake, played some games, and dispersed around eight o'clock."

"Ruan Mei is here?"

"Here he is." Han Xiulan paused. "I accidentally mentioned Lu Chen."

Zhao Mengsheng's soup spoon stopped in mid-air.

"Then those two ladies were like completely different people, surrounding Ruan Mei and asking her all sorts of questions." Han Xiulan smiled wryly, "They asked about skincare products and hair styling, as if they wanted to become sworn sisters on the spot."

Zhao Mengsheng put the soup spoon into the bowl without saying a word.

"Ruan Mei is quite experienced," Han Xiulan said, leaning back on the sofa and staring at the ceiling. "She's watertight, handles every word perfectly, and hasn't fallen into any traps. She's Lu Chen's wife after all; she's seen it all."

After Zhao Mengsheng finished his soup, he put the bowl on the coffee table, and the two of them went to get water to soak their feet.

Zhao Mengsheng sat on a small stool, his feet immersed in hot water. He hissed in pain from the heat, then slowly let out a sigh of relief. Han Xiulan sat opposite him, a foot basin placed between them, steam rising from it.

"Oh, right," Han Xiulan wiped her hands with a towel, "Ruan Mei said before she left that if we have time, we can bring Jiajia over to play."

Zhao Mengsheng raised his head.

"Do you think this is Ruan Mei's own idea, or Lu Chen's?" Han Xiulan asked.

Is there a difference?

Han Xiulan thought for a moment and nodded.

Are you going or not?

"Yes, I'll go." Zhao Mengsheng rubbed his feet in the hot water. "Of course I'll go."

Han Xiulan looked at him, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I was thinking, our daughter is quite good at making friends," Han Xiulan said. "That Lu Qian, he's fair-skinned and doesn't talk much, but he's very polite. The way Jiajia looks at him—"

"What kind of look is that?" Zhao Mengsheng looked up alertly.

"It's just the way kids look at other kids, what are you thinking?"

Zhao Mengsheng lowered his head again, but his brows were already furrowed.

Seeing his expression, Han Xiulan deliberately added, "But seriously, the Lu family is quite wealthy, and their child is very good at playing. What do you think—"

"Do you want anything?"

"How about arranging a marriage between our children or something?"

Zhao Mengsheng's foot slipped in the basin, splashing water all over the floor.

"no."

Why?

"She—" Zhao Mengsheng paused, "she's only four years old."

"It's an arranged marriage, not a formal marriage."

"That won't work either."

Han Xiulan tilted her head to look at him, finally reading something from his expression, and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Zhao Mengsheng, are you reluctant to part with him?"

Zhao Mengsheng remained silent with a dark expression.

He pulled his feet out of the foot bath, dried them with a towel, stood up, walked to the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of cold water. After drinking it, he put the glass in the sink, then stood for a while, supporting himself on the marble countertop with his hands.

Han Xiulan chuckled softly in the living room, "You just can't bear to part with it!"

Zhao Mengsheng didn't turn around. He stood by the window, looking at the sparse streetlights on the street below.

His own face was reflected in the glass. A man with a furrowed brow.