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

January 1, 1988, New Year's Day.

The Lu family manor became unusually lively.

Starting yesterday afternoon, the main building's living room was completely rearranged. New red cushions were placed on the sofa, and exquisite red ribbons were wrapped around the winding, dragon-like stair railing. A waist-high kumquat tree stood in the center of the hall, its branches laden with red envelopes. Even the two camellia bushes by the entrance were tied with small red ribbons, swaying gently in the winter breeze.

After more than half a year, the Lu family finally reunited. Ruan Wen flew back from Japan, Qiu Di and Jennifer rushed back from Hollywood, and Sofia and Paloma arrived from Italy overnight.

At this moment, in the spacious sofa area of ​​the living room, the women are sitting together chatting happily.

Ruan Wen, dressed in a dark green cheongsam, sat quietly by the window with a cup of hot tea in her hand, listening to Qiu Di recount amusing anecdotes from filming, her beautiful lips occasionally curving into a smile. Qiu Di gestured with her signature hand gestures as she recounted how she was frightened by a prop horse on set, which made Lai Di laugh out loud.

Sophie sat on another sofa, holding Gemma in her arms. She wore a beige turtleneck sweater, her hair was up, revealing her long, slender neck. Gemma nestled on her shoulder, her round eyes wide with curiosity as she looked around the unfamiliar living room.

"Gemma, call me Papa," Sofia whispered.

Gemma glanced at Lu Chen sitting opposite her, then at Sophia, pursed her lips, and didn't make a sound, but just snuggled closer to her mother.

Lu Chen looked at his daughter, feeling a mix of emotions.

After Gemma was born, he could count the number of times he spent with her on one hand—business in Hong Kong, the storms on Wall Street, the chaos in Tokyo, one thing after another. By the time he had a moment to spare, his daughter was already able to stand up while holding onto the sofa.

"It's been so long, it's normal for a child to be a little shy around strangers," Sofia said softly to reassure her husband, gently patting Gemma's back. "Stay home for a couple more days, and she'll get used to you."

"Hmm." Lu Chen smiled gently, naturally not wanting to force the child.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the soft wool carpet next to them. Little Lu Qian had somehow slid off the sofa and was now sitting cross-legged on the carpet, holding a beautiful toy horse high in his hand and waving it vigorously at Gemma.

"Gemma! Look at this!"

Gemma's gaze was drawn to either Xiao Ma or Lu Qian. She perched on Sophia's shoulder, tilted her head, and looked at her for a couple of seconds before opening her little hands and struggling to slide down from her mother's arms.

"Okay, okay, Mom will put it down for you."

Sofia placed her on the carpet, and Gemma's little feet touched the carpet. Holding onto the edge of the sofa next to her, she stood up unsteadily.

Her baby walker was parked next to the carpet. Ruan Mei bent down and pushed it over. Jima grabbed the walker's handles with her two chubby little hands and regained her balance.

"Come on, come on!" Lu Qian turned around and waved to her.

"Giggle, giggle—" Little Gemma laughed so hard her eyes curved into crescent moons, and her two short legs in red socks moved around very fast.

Unexpectedly, just as it was about to reach the edge, the walker's wheel accidentally hit a gap in the thick carpet's edge, causing the walker to suddenly shake violently and almost tip over to the side.

The next second, two shadows darted out from the left and right at the same time.

Coke and Sprite had somehow ended up lying on either side of the carpet, one on the left and one on the right, like two little door gods, holding up both ends of the walker.

Gemma didn't fall; instead, she was amused even more by the dog. She reached out to grab Cola's ear, but missed, and giggled again.

Ruan Mei smiled as she watched this scene: "When Qianzai was learning to walk, these two were also protecting each other like this, one on each side."

"Really?" Ruan Wen's interest was piqued. "That smart?"

"Back then, Qianzai had just learned to stand," Ruan Mei said. "Cola and Sprite would follow him around every day. Every two steps he took, they would nudge him. Later, when Qianzai fell down, Cola barked anxiously and ran to pull me over."

Sofia sat beside them, watching her daughter and son interact, a gentle warmth in her eyes.

She had just gotten off the plane and was a little tired from the long flight, but seeing Gemma giggling in her walker made her tiredness lessen.

"Jemma, come here!" Lu Qian opened his arms, "Brother, hug me!"

Little Jima tilted her head and looked him over for a while, then surprisingly let go of her walker, took two wobbly steps toward Lu Qian, and then jumped into her brother's arms with a babyish voice.

Lu Qian was knocked back by the small impact and lay flat on the carpet. Gemma lay on her brother's stomach, laughing so hard that drool dripped from her mouth.

Everyone in the living room watched this scene with smiles on their faces.

"This child is really closest to her brother," Ruan Mei said, bringing over a teapot to refill everyone's tea. She smiled and glanced at the brother and sister on the carpet. "She hasn't seen Ah Chen for half a year and still looks like a stranger to him, but she's quite familiar with Qianzai."

"It's really amazing. These two children seem to have been very close since they were little," Sofia said, looking at her daughter with tenderness in her eyes. "Maybe it's fate."

Lu Chen sat on the sofa, watching the brother and sister making a ruckus on the carpet, and smiled slightly.

Just then, the "Overlord Flower" walked over from the other end of the corridor, leaned down slightly, and lowered her voice, saying, "Honey, there's a call from Washington. It's the presidential office's hotline."

Lu Chen nodded, then put down his teacup, stood up, and gestured to the women: "You all chat first, I'm going to the study to take a call."

"Go ahead," Ruan Mei said. "I'll bring you a cup of tea in a bit."

Lu Chen nodded, got up and walked out of the living room, going up the corridor to the second floor. The study door closed behind him, shutting out the laughter from downstairs.

He walked to his desk, sat down, picked up the secure phone on the desk, and dialed back.

"Mr. Lu." An old and tired voice came from across the ocean.

"Mr. President," Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, "Happy New Year, although I know you probably didn't have a very pleasant New Year."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a bitter laugh: "To be honest, this has been the most difficult New Year since I took office."

Reagan has indeed been having a tough time lately.

Black Monday in October was still fresh in his mind, and he had just managed to suppress the aftermath of the stock market crash when, a week ago, the Lebanese media suddenly broke the biggest scandal of his term – the "YL Gate" incident.

The US secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of hostages, and then secretly transferred part of the profits to anti-government forces in Nicaragua.

This incident, which should have erupted in 1986, was suppressed with Lu Chen's help. In exchange, the Reagan administration gave Lu Chen the green light on the privatization of state-owned enterprises and the entry of foreign capital into the United States.

But the truth will eventually come out.

A year and a half later, the matter finally came to light.

Congress has launched an investigation, the media is relentlessly pressing for answers on their front pages, and the White House press secretary is being besieged by reporters on the podium. His approval rating has plummeted to its lowest point in his term, and some within the party have even begun discussing the possibility of selecting a successor ahead of schedule.

"Mr. Lu," Reagan's voice was a little hoarse, "you're very well-informed, so I'll get straight to the point—I need help."

"Mr. President, rest assured," Lu Chen said calmly, "I can tell you clearly: my company, Golden Harvest Media, will do its utmost to eliminate the impact of this incident on you."

"You mean—"

"I can control the direction of news reports and the intensity of public opinion guidance," Lu Chen said. "Starting tomorrow, you will see some reports that are biased towards you. People will come out to speak for you, they will point the finger at the congressional investigation committee, and they will divert public attention from Tehran to other places."

"...Mr. Lu, this is no small favor."

“It’s alright,” Lu Chen said. “I believe the President will be a trustworthy partner.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, clearly indicating that they hadn't expected Lu Chen to be so generous.

After all, he himself is retiring at the end of the year. In the eyes of most politicians and businessmen, going to great lengths to protect a president who is about to fade into obscurity and whose political life is nearing its end is a very unprofitable deal.

"Mr. Lu," Reagan's voice rang out again, this time with more substance, "as long as I remain in the White House, your business is my business."

"Then it's a deal."

"It's a deal!"

Click.

Lu Chen hung up the phone and sat in the chair for a while.

Outside the window, sunlight streamed through the glass of Victoria Peak and fell onto the desk.

Regardless of Reagan's opinion, Lu Chen did not think it was a losing proposition.

First, he knew the outcome of the YL scandal better than anyone in Washington. Although the scandal had caused a huge uproar in his previous life, with congressional hearings, media attacks, and independent prosecutor investigations that dragged on for two whole years, Reagan still managed to complete his term steadily and leave office gracefully.

History has proven that no matter how fiercely this fire burns, it cannot destroy the master of the White House. All he needs to do is extinguish this fire sooner and speed up the process. Giving a push along the direction of history is never a difficult task.

Secondly, Reagan's influence remains even after he leaves office. His voice within the Republican Party, his appeal to conservative voters, and his standing within the Western camp will not disappear with his departure from the White House. The favor Lu Chen did for him by suppressing this scandal is one he will repay after his retirement.

Third, and most importantly, 1988 was a US election year, and George W. Bush, whom he had invested in, was preparing for the following year's election. For Bush to smoothly succeed Reagan, the Republican Party had to be stable, and Reagan could not be tainted.

If the YL scandal comes to blows, it won't just hurt Reagan, but also the Republican Party's electoral prospects—and could even become an opportunity for the Democrats to return to power.

That was what Lu Chen truly couldn't tolerate.

He invested so much effort and resources in helping George H.W. Bush rise to power, all in anticipation of next year's outcome. At this crucial moment, he cannot allow a historically settled case to ruin his plans.

……

The laughter in the living room hadn't stopped when Lu Chen walked down the stairs.

He Min was standing at the top of the stairs, holding a plate of cut fruit. Seeing him come down, she smiled and went to greet him: "Finished your call?"

"Hmm." Lu Chen took the fruit she offered, forked a piece of apple, and asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"There's something I need to tell you," He Min said in a low voice, a slight smile on her face. "Awen just called me. The Li family father and son went to apologize to him."

"Oh?" Lu Chen paused, raising an eyebrow as he held the apple.