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

3 PM, City of London, Jiahe Group's UK branch.

Lu Chen's office is located on the top floor, with a floor-to-ceiling window facing the Thames River. Today, the sun is shining, and several cruise ships are slowly moving on the river.

The office was decorated in a low-key manner, with a dark walnut wood desk, two rows of bookshelves, and a photo of the night view of Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island on the wall. There were no other decorations.

Lu Chen was sitting behind his desk, reviewing Longteng Technology's quarterly sales report for the entire European market, when there was a knock on the door and Ba Wanghua's voice came through: "Boss, Mrs. M has arrived."

"Okay, let her in."

A moment later, Mrs. M walked in, led by the bastard.

This woman, who controls Britain's top intelligence agency, deliberately wore a non-aggressive off-white cashmere coat today and carried an exquisite handbag, looking like a visiting friend.

"Mr. Lu," Mrs. M walked to the table and gracefully extended her right hand, "I've long admired your name. I originally thought we would meet on some formal occasion, but I didn't expect it to be in this way."

"Mrs. M, you're too kind," Lu Chen stood up, smiled, and shook hands with her. "Please have a seat. Tea or coffee, please?"

"Black tea is fine."

The Queen of the Night served tea, and the two of them each picked up a cup and took a sip.

"Autumn in London can never compare to Hong Kong Island. The fog here is too heavy, and you can't even see the beautiful scenery that is usually beautiful."

"Maybe, but I've lived in London for most of my life, and I still think autumn in London is the best, whether it's sunny or rainy."

"Madam, you've come all this way today, surely not just to joke with me about the London weather?" Lu Chen put down his teacup, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at her calmly.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. M slowly placed the porcelain cup back on the saucer and calmly said, "Mr. Lu is a straightforward person, so I will be frank. Regarding the blunder caused by H Station on Hong Kong Island—on behalf of headquarters, I offer you my deepest apologies."

"Oh?"

"This was actually an unauthorized action by the person in charge of the Hong Kong Island station, and has nothing to do with MI6 headquarters," Mrs. M said, her eyes clear and her expression honest as she looked at Lu Chen. "We have already dealt with those responsible and are willing to provide compensation for this matter."

Lu Chen didn't reply, but stared intently at Madam M's face. After a moment, he chuckled.

"Mrs. M," he said, "who do you think would believe that?"

Mrs. M paused mid-sentence.

"How could a mere deputy station chief on Hong Kong Island mobilize millions in funds, an entire action team, and bribe an insider to break into the core computer room of Hong Kong Island's largest company? Could he have done this without the tacit approval and resource support of headquarters?" Lu Chen said in a nonchalant tone. "And I've heard that you even used submarines to facilitate the evacuation. That's quite a feat."

"You keep using the phrase 'unauthorized action,' fine, let's say it was 'unauthorized action.' But where did that deputy station chief who 'acted without authorization' get his forged documents, professional equipment, and intelligence network from?"

Mrs. M opened her mouth, about to speak in her defense, but Lu Chen raised his hand to interrupt her.

"Alright," Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, his tone indifferent. "Neither of us are new to this job. We both know that if we get caught, we have to admit it."

"Of course, making this a big deal would benefit no one, so in order to protect the interests of both of us, you need to meet three conditions of mine."

Mrs. M's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly: "Mr. Lu, please speak."

"First," Lu Chen held up one finger, "your Ministry of Finance should grant a 'lifetime exemption' or issue a preliminary ruling on tax audits of the asset structure of Jiahe's subsidiaries; in addition, when Jiahe acquires Japanese-listed companies, it should obtain a fast-track green channel from the Monopoly and Mergers and Acquisitions Committee to avoid anti-monopoly investigations."

Mrs. M's brow twitched slightly, but she did not interrupt.

"Second," Lu Chen held up his second finger, "have the Prime Minister issue a monopoly exemption statement regarding Longteng Technology."

"Monopoly exemption?"

Lu Chen nodded.

He recently received information that certain interest groups in Europe are extremely dissatisfied with the dominance of the Longteng operating system in the market—especially since Jiahe has not yet shared any of their profits. Therefore, they are pushing European regulatory agencies to start paying attention to software bundling practices.

"It seems that some European regulatory agencies are eager to cause trouble for Longteng Technology, and I don't want this to happen in Japan," Lu Chen said firmly. "I hope the Cabinet will push the Ministry of Trade and the Monopoly Commission to issue a legally binding preliminary exemption statement, promising not to launch an antitrust investigation into Longteng's software bundling practices for the next ten to fifteen years. At the same time, we should block the European Economic Community's regulatory interference in Longteng's business in Japan."

Mrs. M's fingers gently traced the surface of her teacup. She had spent her entire life in intelligence work and witnessed countless negotiations, but she had never encountered conditions this strange and unpleasant. Lu Chen's intentions were clear: to use this opportunity to loosen the reins on Jiahe and, incidentally, to add another layer of protection.

"Third," Lu Chen concluded, "hand over the two who escaped this time, Thiago and Harrison."

After hearing these three harsh offers, Mrs. M fell completely silent.

Lu Chen wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he picked up the black tea in front of him and slowly began to savor it.

In fact, Lu Chen originally intended to give the Iron Lady some dignity, after all, the two sides had cooperated quite well over the past five or six years, and he was not the kind of person who would drive someone to their death.

But clearly some of these idiots are shameless and insist on sticking to their guns, so he had no choice but to take the opportunity to tear off a piece of flesh.

After a long silence, Mrs. M slowly spoke: "I need to report the first two points to the Prime Minister. As for the third point..."

She paused, a hint of unease in her voice: "To be honest, I can't contact either of them right now."

"It's alright," Lu Chen smiled, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "I can wait. You and the Prime Minister can discuss it as you see fit. As for those two—I believe you, Madam, will definitely find a way to contact them."

The words were spoken casually, but Mrs. M understood their weight. She said nothing more, stood up, and nodded slightly: "I will convey this to the Prime Minister."

"Alright," Lu Chen also stood up, "Please take care, Madam."

Mrs. M turned and walked towards the door. She paused for a moment at the door, but ultimately said nothing, and simply pushed it open and left.

pat.

Watching the door close again, Lu Chen picked up his teacup and took a sip. The Thames River outside the window shimmered in the afternoon sun.

……

Mrs. M returned to MI6 headquarters, her face looking rather grim the entire way.

She sat back down at her desk with a cold expression, took out her special confidential letterhead, and prepared to compile the contents of today's conversation into a report to submit to Downing Street.

Mrs. M wrote slowly, carefully considering each word—tax exemption, MMC green channel, software bundling exemption statement, handing over Thiago and Harrison…

However, as she was writing, her hand suddenly stopped.

Mrs. M put down her evergreen fountain pen, stared at the half-full white paper in front of her for a long time, and then pressed down hard on the communicator on the table.

"Qian Banni".

"Madam, please speak."

Where is James Bond now?

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Qian Banni's voice came through: "007 is currently still on a mission in the Soviet Black Sea region, and it is expected to take another two to three weeks to complete."

"Remind me when he gets back."

"Yes, madam."

The communicator was turned off, and Mrs. M leaned back in her chair, gazing out the window at the gloomy London sky.

The situation is becoming increasingly chaotic, and she needs a sharp enough piece.

And Bond—is the sharpest one in her hand.