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

The Boeing 747 flew smoothly at an altitude of 10,000 meters, with the clouds outside the cabin stretching out like a vast white plain to the horizon.

Jennifer sat by the window, her slender fingers unconsciously fiddling with the mother-of-pearl button on her shirt cuff. She had turned the button dozens of times, and the edges were worn smooth with a faint sheen.

Although her gaze was fixed on the surging sea of ​​clouds outside the window, anyone could tell that her mind was not on the scenery at all.

Lu Chen closed the document in his hand and glanced at her sideways.

"nervous?"

Jennifer's fingers paused for a moment, then continued to spin.

"No," she said.

"If you keep turning like this, the cuffs of your shirt will wear holes in them."

Jennifer glanced down at her cuffs, her fingers finally loosening. She placed her hands on her knees, her back ramrod straight, like a cat being held by the scruff of its neck, her muscles tense, yet she pretended to be nonchalant.

"They—" she began, then paused, biting her lower lip, "Would Miss Ruan dislike me?"

Why do you think that way?

"I don't know." Jennifer turned her gaze from the window to her interlaced fingers. Her eyes, which were never shy in front of the screen, were now somewhat evasive. "I just... don't know, I've never experienced anything like this before."

"Don't be nervous," Lu Chen leaned down and kissed Jennifer's forehead to comfort her. "Ruan Mei is a very gentle person, and so are the others."

"You told me," Jennifer pursed her lips, her lipstick almost completely gone, "but..."

"You have to trust my judgment," Lu Chen added, then picked up the newspaper again, flipped to the last page, "You two will definitely get along."

Jennifer abruptly looked up at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to ask something more, but she ultimately swallowed her words. She turned her face back to the window.

At this moment, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the clouds began to gradually thin, and occasionally a corner of the deep blue sea surface was reflected through the mottled gaps.

The passenger plane roared through the clouds over the Atlantic Ocean, plunging eastward.

……

Because the flight from New York to Hong Kong Island takes a full thirteen hours, Jennifer was fast asleep when the plane began its descent.

Jennifer slowly woke up after hearing the plane's warning tone.

She rubbed her eyes groggily and turned to the side, only to find that Lu Chen had already finished washing up. A thick stack of documents lay on the table in front of him, and he held a fountain pen in his hand, the nib suspended in mid-air, as if he were pondering some decision.

"Aren't you... sleepy at all?" Jennifer's voice still carried a hint of softness and huskiness, as if she had just woken up.

"I'm used to it." Lu Chen's pen tip landed on the paper, he wrote two lines, then looked up and screwed the pen cap on.

Jennifer stretched and asked, "Is Hong Kong Island down here?"

"That's right," Lu Chen glanced out the window, "We're about to land. The runway at Kai Tak Airport is just ahead."

Upon hearing this, Jennifer immediately sat up straight out of curiosity, pressing her entire body against the porthole, eagerly taking in the legendary Eastern city she had longed to visit for so long.

As the plane descended, passing through a thin layer of damp clouds, the world outside the window suddenly became clear—towering buildings stood on both sides of Victoria Harbour, so densely packed they resembled a box of misaligned building blocks; the deep green sea flowed quietly in the shadows of these giants. In the distance, the lush Victoria Peak rose, its white-walled, red-tiled mansions gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.

Then the plane continued its downward dive, and Kowloon Walled City appeared outside the window.

To be precise, it is the ruins of Kowloon Walled City.

Just a few months ago, this place was a gray concrete maze crammed with 33,000 people. The tangled rooftops, the clotheslines hanging haphazardly between the buildings, and the perpetually dripping air conditioner units…

Today, all of this has become history.

Looking down from above, all that remains of the former walled village foundation is a flat expanse of cleared yellow earth. Several large bulldozers and pile drivers stand silently at the edge of the site, like a few steel behemoths taking a rest. Only in the northwest corner on the side of Dongtou Village, about one-sixth of the buildings that have not yet been demolished remain.

The dilapidated buildings still bear faded traditional Chinese signs, and broken water pipes hang askew in the air, giving them a bizarre and absurd feel in the morning light.

"What is that place?" Jennifer also noticed the strange ruins.

"Kowloon Walled City is the filming location for Blade Runner," Lu Chen patiently explained to Jennifer. "It used to be the most densely populated place in the world, with 30,000 households living in an area of ​​only two hectares. Last October, the Hong Kong government decided to demolish it, and what you see are the last batch of buildings that haven't been completely demolished yet."

"Oh my God." Jennifer stared at the ruins, her eyes wide. "Where did all those people go?"

"The government provided resettlement. Registration was done before the demolition, and each household received compensation."

"And then what? What will this land become?"

"A memorial park will be built on the original site," Lu Chen said, turning his gaze away and tapping the handrail lightly with his finger. "And the land to the north will be used to build the first flagship store of the Continental Hotel, a global chain brand under Golden Harvest."

Jennifer stared at the ruins for a long time.

The plane continued to descend, the wreckage of the walled city sliding past the windows and disappearing behind the wings. The runway drew closer and closer over the sea, until finally—the fuselage jolted violently, and the landing gear slammed heavily onto the runway at Kai Tak Airport.

They landed.

……

In December, the air on Hong Kong Island is filled with the salty smell of the sea and the acrid smell of car exhaust.

Tian Yangzhi was already waiting in the VIP passage. He was wearing a black stand-up collar jacket, his hands behind his back, standing as straight as a gun. Beside him was Lu Chen's iconic Rolls-Royce fleet, lined up outside the arrival hall.

"Boss," he said, opening the back door of the Rolls-Royce to see Lu Chen and Jennifer into the car, "the road conditions aren't great. There's roadwork on Nathan Road, so you might have to take a detour."

"fine."

The convoy drove out of the airport, through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, turned onto Stubbs Road from Causeway Bay, and began its ascent to Victoria Peak. The Norfolk pines lining the mountain road stood motionless in the November breeze. Looking down, the buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour appeared veiled in the pre-morning mist.

Jennifer's breathing was heavier than on the plane, and her fingers began to twist the buttons on her cuffs again.

Seeing this, Lu Chen reached out and covered the back of her hand, gently squeezing it. Jennifer's fingers stiffened for a moment in his palm, then slowly unbuttoned her clothes.

The convoy entered the Lu Family Manor, drove past the stone-paved water feature at the entrance, circled the century-old jacaranda tree imported from Australia in the center, and finally slowly stopped at the entrance of the main building.

"Jennifer, we've arrived."

"Hmm... okay."

Jennifer took a deep breath and was about to open the door to get out of the car when she suddenly heard a series of hurried and cheerful footsteps, mixed with the sound of claws pawing at the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a small figure rushed down the steps of the main entrance, running very fast, with two white fur balls following closely behind.

"Dad!" Little Lu Qian ran to the car door and stopped, excitedly standing on tiptoe.

Lu Chen smiled and bent down to pick up the little guy. Little Lu Qian took the opportunity to hug Lu Chen's neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

However, before Lu Chen could even speak, the little guy quickly let go of his hand, tilted his little body outward, and skillfully stretched out his right hand, palm facing up.

"Dad, where's my present?"

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow: "So, you kissed me just now purely for the Lego?"

"No, no," Lu Qian shook his head seriously, "I kissed you because you're my dad. You promised me Lego."

The two sentences were spoken less than a second apart.

"One second is already a long time!"

Lu Chen laughed and cursed, "You brat!" He picked up little Lu Qian and got out of the car, then waved to the car following behind.

Ba Wanghua got out of the car, carrying a huge Lego gift box—a limited edition Mickey Mouse family bucket. The box was printed with a group photo of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and the entire Disney family. The size of the box alone was equivalent to half of Lu Qian's body.

Lu Qian's eyes lit up instantly. He slid off Lu Chen's arms, hugged the gift box which was half a head taller than him, and then wobbled as he moved into the house.

After taking three steps, Xiao Luqian seemed to remember something, stopped, turned around, and sweetly called out to Jennifer, who was standing by the car door, "Hello, sister!"

After saying hello, the little guy happily hugged the big box and continued crawling into the house.

Jennifer paused for a second, then said, "He called me 'sister'?"

"That means he likes you," Lu Chen said with a smile. "That kid is shrewd; he calls people he doesn't like 'auntie'."

As for Cola and Sprite following behind, they didn't even bother to glance at Lu Chen the whole time. As soon as they saw their little master carrying toys into the house, they immediately followed him happily.

Looking at the now empty doorway, and feeling the fleeting warmth of their brief encounter, Lu Chen sighed helplessly: "Those three ingrates."

Tian Yangsheng's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

Jennifer couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand halfway through her laugh, as if she felt it was a bit impolite to laugh out loud on her first day at the door.

Just then, the main entrance of the building opened, and Ruan Mei came out.

Today she wore a plain-colored cheongsam with a camel-colored cashmere shawl draped over it. Her hair was simply pulled back and secured with a wooden hairpin.

"You're back?" Ruan Mei looked at Lu Chen, who looked travel-worn, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

"Mmm." Lu Chen walked over, naturally put his arm around her waist, and then lowered his head to kiss her cheek.

Ruan Mei reached out and picked off a small piece of leaf stuck to his coat collar. Then her gaze went over Lu Chen's shoulder and landed on the somewhat flustered American girl by the car.

Jennifer stood by the car door, one hand gripping the metal chain of her handbag, the other hanging limply at her side, unsure of what to do with it.

Her beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she frantically tried to come up with the perfect greeting in her mind, but her tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and she couldn't utter a single syllable.

Seeing this, Ruan Mei let go of Lu Chen, took the initiative to walk over to Jennifer, and then took her slightly cold little hand.

"You must have had a long journey." Ruan Mei thoughtfully chose to speak in English. Although her pronunciation wasn't perfect, it was clear and gentle.

"It was alright, I slept for a bit on the plane," Jennifer blurted out, then, as if afraid her words were too perfunctory, she added, "Thank you—I mean, thank you for picking me up."

"Don't mention it," Ruan Mei smiled, "Just call me Mei. Come on, let me show you around. This garden is quite big; it's easy to get lost if it's your first time here."

Then she naturally took Jennifer's hand and walked towards the main building.

Jennifer glanced back at Lu Chen, who nodded slightly at her. She took a deep breath and followed Ruan Mei up the steps of the main building.

……

Ruan Mei held Jennifer's hand and walked slowly down the corridor.

She walked slowly, stopping at each room to introduce it: This is the living room, that's the tea room, and at the end of the corridor is the home theater, where we just got a new DragonPlay laser disc player last week.

"This is Qianzai's room," Ruan Mei said, pushing open the door to the children's room at the end of the second-floor corridor.

Inside the room, Lu Qian was kneeling on the floor, unpacking a Lego set, with Cola and Sprite on either side of him. Cola had already put a giraffe part in its mouth and was hesitating whether to hide it under the carpet.

Lu Qian pried the parts out of his mouth, wiped his drool on the Coke's fur, and continued assembling.

Seeing someone come in, Lu Qian looked up and waved, "Hello, sister."

"Hello," Jennifer crouched down, looking at the pile of colorful parts on the floor, "What are you assembling?"

"Donald Duck!" Little Lu Qian proudly held up half of the blue duck's butt, which was not yet fully assembled.

"So cute."

"So cute."

Xiao Luqian tilted his head and looked at Jennifer for two seconds, then rummaged through the mess of parts and pulled out a yellow Scrooge brick, handing it to her: "This is for you to assemble."

Jennifer took the small building block, her eyes and brows beaming with joy: "Thank you!"

……

Seeing Ruan Mei lead Jennifer into the house, Lu Chen knew that his wife would handle it, so he stopped worrying and turned to go to the study.

After being away for two weeks, Jiahe has accumulated quite a lot of stuff.

The documents on the desk were divided into three stacks. On the left was Longteng Technology's plan for next year, in the middle was Jiahe International's financial operations, and on the right were other daily affairs—monthly briefings, Tianyangsheng's overseas deployment plan for the security company, and several personnel appointment and dismissal documents that needed to be signed.

The protagonist casually picked up a folder and asked the woman next to him who was organizing files, "How's it going in Italy?"

"Sofia sent news the day before yesterday that the integration of Alfa Romeo is complete and all factories have resumed production. Fiat made a new negotiation request, but it was rejected."

"What about the Lamborghini?"

"The acquisition is complete, and the legal handover process is underway. The design team from the US has also arrived in San Agata, and the first batch of commemorative edition models is expected to be delivered by the end of next year."

"Hmm." Lu Chen nodded, sat down at the desk, took the pen out of the pen holder, and began to review the documents one by one.

As darkness fell outside the window, the lights of countless homes on both sides of Victoria Harbour lit up one after another, and the dazzling neon reflections fell into the sea, shattered into flowing golden spots by the waves stirred up by the ships sailing far away.

At 6:30 p.m., the housekeeper Mary gently knocked on the study door.

"Sir, dinner is ready."

"Um."

Lu Chen put the pen back in the pen holder, rubbed his wrist, and stood up.

Inside the restaurant, all the dishes had been served—steamed grouper, poached chicken, garlic bok choy, a plate of glistening char siu, a pot of lotus root and pork rib soup, and in the middle of which was a Western-style baked lobster, clearly prepared especially for Jennifer.

Jennifer sat next to Ruan Mei. Her posture was still a little stiff, but the rigidity she had shown when she got out of the car was gone. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, whether from the high temperature of the fireplace or something else, it was hard to tell.

Ruan Mei was tilting her head and talking to her, and Jennifer listened while nodding slightly, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Lu Chen sat down opposite her, with Lai Di, who had come home for the weekend, sitting to her left, and Ya Zi to her right.

Halfway through the meal, Ruan Mei suddenly looked up and said, "By the way, Qianzai's classmate is coming over to play next weekend."

"Which classmate?" Lu Chen paused, his chopsticks still on the table.

"Zhao Jiajia".

Lu Chen's expression paused for a moment.

"Zhao Mengsheng's family?" he asked.

"Yes. It's her."

Hearing this topic, Lu Qian looked up, wiped the sauce from the corner of his mouth, and added very seriously, "Dad, don't look stern then."

Lu Chen glanced at him and asked, "When did you and your mother conspire together?"

Xiao Luqian immediately shut his mouth, lowered his head, and pretended to focus on the chicken leg in his bowl. Meanwhile, the cola bottle under the table wagged its tail happily, splashing onto the chair legs.

"Then let's go," Lu Chen said, placing a napkin on the table. "Have Xiao Wu prepare a few more dishes this weekend."

"Jiajia loves cookies the most. She always brings me some when she's at kindergarten," Xiao Luqian provided the information promptly.

"Okay, go tell Aunt Mary to have the kitchen make extra."

"And Jiajia's dad, he didn't get to eat cake last time because he was working overtime, I promised him I'd give him a big piece next time."

"Then remember to stay."

"I've got it." Lu Qian nodded seriously.

Jennifer watched the family's conversation. Although she didn't understand Cantonese very well, she vaguely sensed something from their tone and rhythm. She leaned close to Ruan Mei's ear and whispered a question in English.

Ruan Mei explained in a low voice in English. Jennifer nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Lu Qian, then at Lu Chen, and smiled gently.

The laughter was soft, but the restaurant was so small that everyone heard it.

Lu Chen looked up at Jennifer, whose cheeks flushed slightly as she focused on the baked lobster.

Outside the window, the lights of countless homes in Victoria Harbour spread out in layers in the twilight, stretching all the way to the horizon.