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

Jane Aowei is a legend in the Hong Kong legal community.

He came from a poor family and even had to work part-time to earn tuition fees when he was young, but he never gave up. With his amazing talent and perseverance, he was admitted to the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong at the age of sixteen.

After that, he had a string of successes. He graduated with first-class honors at the age of twenty, returned from Japan at the age of twenty-six to receive the title of "Crown Barrister", and was invited to serve as a vice magistrate in the High Court at the age of thirty.

However, just when everyone envied his seemingly meteoric rise in his career, Jian Aowei unexpectedly and decisively resigned after several years in office and returned to his lawyer career. But what he lost on one front, he gained on another; his law firm subsequently flourished, and he himself became a Senior Counsel at the young age of thirty-six.

It should be noted that there are only sixty people in Hong Kong who hold this title, which symbolizes the pinnacle of the industry, and he is the youngest one since the city opened to the world.

Of course, what's even more terrifying is his intricate network of relationships. Jian Aowei never hesitates to promote younger generations, and his "disciples" are now spread throughout the Department of Justice and the judiciary. It can be said that he is a monument in the Hong Kong legal community.

Ruan Mei had naturally heard of Jian Aowei's reputation. Upon hearing this, she turned her head and looked curiously at the domineering woman in the back row: "Huizhong, what brings this famous lawyer Jian to Achen's side all of a sudden?"

Ba Wanghua closed her notebook: "It seems to be related to the mother and daughter you saved, Sister Mei. Lawyer Jian said she brought them here specifically to express her gratitude."

Ruan Mei was slightly taken aback: "That mother and daughter?"

"It's that heart patient you had Uncle Li save at Ocean Park that day, along with her four-year-old daughter," the Boss Flower added. "This Attorney Jane has a close relationship with their family."

Ruan Mei gave a soft "Oh" and nodded thoughtfully.

Lu Chen sat in the back row listening to their conversation, his gaze falling on the fleeting shadows of trees outside the window.

He knew more—for example, the little girl named Ou Yongen, whose father, Ou Zhiqiang, was actually Jian Aowei's close friend for many years.

The two have known each other since high school. Later, Au Chi-keung joined the police force, while Kan Au-wai entered the judicial system. Although they chose different paths, their friendship never wavered. In fact, Kan Au-wai became Au Wing-yan's godfather the year she was born.

Later, Ou Zhiqiang passed away due to work-related injuries. Jian Aowei then took good care of the Ou family. Because he had never married, he treated Ou Yongen as his own daughter, caring for her with utmost devotion. Now that the Ou family mother and daughter had received Ruan Mei's life-saving grace, Jian Aowei naturally wanted to personally express his gratitude.

"Then let's arrange it for tomorrow afternoon," Lu Chen said, pulling himself out of his thoughts and turning to Ba Wanghua. "There's no need to find another place; just invite them to come to the manor as guests."

"Okay." Ba Wanghua nodded slightly and made a note in her notebook.

As they spoke, the car had already rounded the last bend, and the iron gate of the Lu family manor was slowly opening ahead. The car headlights illuminated the pair of bronze lion heads on the gateposts, their eyes gleaming in the light.

……

As soon as the car came to a stop in front of the fountain, a beautiful figure "flew" out of the gate like a butterfly.

Qiu Di wore a loose and comfortable cream-colored knitted cardigan, paired with slim-fitting light-colored jeans, and her long, beautiful black hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

"Boss!" Qiu Di opened her arms and rushed over to hug Lu Chen's neck, practically hanging on him.

Lu Chen was jolted back slightly by the sudden impact. He steadied himself, reached out to support her waist, and said in a tone full of helplessness and doting: "You're such a grown-up, how can you still be so unsteady?"

"I just missed you so much." Qiu Di buried her face in his shoulder and rubbed against him, her voice muffled and tinged with a coquettish tone. "I flew back right after filming my last scene, and I barely slept on the plane—"

"You've lost weight." Lu Chen patted her back.

"No way, the chef you arranged for me to cook for me was excellent. I was just being careful to look good on camera," Qiu Di said with a grin, letting go of his arms, taking a step back, bending down to pick up little Lu Qian who had just come down from the stairs. "Qianzi, did you miss Aunt Qiu?"

Suddenly suspended in mid-air, Lu Qian blinked his big eyes, tilted his little face up, thought seriously for a moment, and said in a childish voice, "I miss Aunt Qiu so much."

"Really?" Qiu Di squinted and leaned closer.

"Really." Lu Qian nodded vigorously. "And Aunt Qiu, you seem even more beautiful than before."

"Oh my, what a sweet talker!" Qiu Di smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. She put Lu Qian down, turned, and took a brown paper bag from her assistant. "Since you're so good with words—here's a gift!"

The paper bag contained a whole box, which was covered with a plastic seal and had the Star Wars logo and the words "Not for Sale" printed on it.

When Xiao Luqian saw the box, his eyes lit up instantly.

"Star Wars!"

"Bingo! And it's a limited edition that hasn't been released yet." Qiu Di bent down and handed over the box, a hint of smugness in her voice. "I specifically asked a producer at Fox for it; you're the first in the world to have one!"

Little Lu Qian hugged the box tightly and kissed Qiu Di on the cheek: "Thank you, Aunt Qiu!"

Before the words were even finished, the person excitedly grabbed the Lego and dashed into the house, their short legs moving incredibly fast, disappearing in a flash.

Watching the little one's cheerful figure disappear into the distance, Lu Chen reached out and pulled Qiu Di back into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her smooth forehead: "Was filming going smoothly?"

"It's all done!" Qiu Di took his arm and said as they walked into the house, "With you, the big boss, giving the order, Fox didn't dare to delay. They gave us priority in all kinds of resources, and we finished all my scenes in just three months."

"And the script you wrote is absolutely brilliant! The director kept praising it on set as the most unique and romantic love story he'd ever seen—a robot falls in love with a human girl, and the ending is so heartbreaking. I cried for ages in a corner after filming several times. I guarantee that once the film is released worldwide, it will sweep all the major film festival awards!" Qiu Di said confidently.

Lu Chen smiled and ruffled her hair: "Of course."

Six months ago, Qiu Di completely finished filming the Jurassic Park trilogy. In order to help her establish a firm foothold in Hollywood, a place known for its fierce competition and severe racial discrimination, Lu Chen specially dug out a suitable movie from his memory and handed it to Fox, namely the famous Edward Scissorhands.

It seems that the results are quite good.

The two walked into the living room chatting and laughing. Qiu Di suddenly stopped and winked mysteriously, "By the way, boss, guess who I brought back?"

As she spoke, she turned and walked into the house. Reaching the doorway, she reached out and pulled someone out from the inner room. "Look!"

Lu Chen followed her hand and was slightly taken aback.

Jennifer Connelly wore a beige knitted dress today, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Although her pretty face showed a hint of fatigue from the long flight, her beautiful eyes instantly sparkled the moment they met Lu Chen's gaze. She clasped her hands somewhat awkwardly in front of her, as if she wanted to step forward but hesitated.

"Jennifer?" Lu Chen was a little surprised. "You've finished filming over there too?"

As they were both his women, Lu Chen naturally wouldn't favor one over the other. So, a few months ago, he instructed Huang Xizhao to buy the adaptation rights to the 1932 classic black-and-white film "The Mummy" from Universal Pictures' film library, and then had the screenwriter rewrite the script according to the direction he provided.

The new version of *The Mummy* removed the controversial plot of the third installment, retaining the main themes of adventure, romance, and ancient Egyptian mysticism. And the erudite, wise, and courageous heroine, Evelyn, was naturally given to Jennifer Lawrence.

"Yes, the first part is almost finished filming," Jennifer nodded, her voice gentle. "Next, we mainly need to work on the special effects, which will be handled by Purple Aura Special Effects. That's why I came to Hong Kong Island with the crew."

"It's good that you're back," Lu Chen walked up to her and gently took her hand. "This is a good opportunity for you to spend more time with me in Hong Kong."

"Okay~" Jennifer lowered her head slightly as he rubbed her cheeks, her face flushing a little.

Watching this scene unfold, Qiu Di leaned closer with a smile, linking arms with Jennifer and Lu Chen, saying, "Don't just stand there, sit down! I've been saving up so much to tell you all this way!"

The three of them sat down on the sofa, and Qiu Di chattered like a lark, telling stories of the fun things that happened on set. From the director's sweet tooth and his habit of eating chocolate beans on set, to the male lead's glove props always getting stuck in his hair, to a rain scene that took two whole days to film, during which she was so cold that she shivered and finally fell asleep wrapped in a down jacket next to the heater.

Jennifer sat quietly beside him, occasionally amused by Qiu Di, and sometimes adding a few words about her experiences on set—such as how difficult it was to secure the white headscarf used for filming, or the embarrassing scene when she found her shoes full of sand after the director yelled "cut".

Lu Chen leaned back on the sofa, listening to them tell those trivial yet vivid stories in a back-and-forth manner, a faint smile always on his lips.

As dusk fell outside the window, the manor lights shone with a warm yellow light, bathing the people in the sofa area, as if the entire living room was soaked in a layer of honey.

Ruan Mei brought out a plate of cut fruit from the kitchen and placed it on the coffee table. She also replaced the cold tea in Lu Chen's hand with a hot one.

Qiu Di looked up and called out, "Thank you, Sister Mei." Ruan Mei smiled and waved her hand, not lingering any longer, leaving the entire evening to Qiu Di and the other woman.

……

Before they knew it, it was dinner time. Lu Chen led Qiu Di and Jennifer, who were still enjoying their meal, to the living room.

The long table in the restaurant was already laden with delicacies—steamed grouper, poached chicken, braised pork ribs, a pot of steaming lotus root and pork rib soup, as well as char siu that Qiu Di had specifically requested and baked lobster that Jennifer liked.

Lu Chen sat in the main seat, raised his wine glass, looked around at everyone present, and then raised his glass to Qiu Di and Jennifer for a toast.

Welcome home.

Qiu Di was the first to raise her glass, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Cheers!"

Jennifer also raised her glass and gently clinked it against Lu Chen's in the air, making a crisp sound.

Little Lu Qian sat in his booster chair, holding a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. He imitated an adult and shouted "Cheers!" before taking a big gulp. His lips were covered with a ring of orange-yellow juice foam, which made everyone at the table burst into laughter.

At the dinner table, everyone continued chatting about recent interesting events when Qiu Di suddenly asked curiously, "By the way, boss, I heard that Jiahe Interactive Entertainment is going to launch a new generation of game consoles?"

"Well, after all, apart from the handheld console released the year before last, it's been five years since the last console was released, so it's time to release the second generation of the JF console," Lu Chen said, picking up a piece of fragrant char siu. "The overall performance of the new console is expected to be more than three times that of the previous generation, especially with special enhancements to 3D graphics. The launch event is expected to be held in the first quarter of next year."

"Wow! You absolutely have to reserve a limited edition one for me in advance! I still want to continue playing racing games online with Laidi in the living room!"

"Don't worry, I already saved some for you."

"Hehe, I knew you were the best to me, boss!"

Qiu Di happily picked up her chopsticks again, grabbed a large piece of char siu and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a hamster that had stolen a nut.

……

After a hearty meal and drinks, night had completely fallen.

After the servants had cleared the table, Ruan Mei stood up first: "It's getting late, I'll take Qianzai upstairs to wash up and go to bed first, you can chat slowly."

With that, she smiled and nodded to Qiu Di and Jennifer, then turned and went upstairs.

This seemed like a tacit signal, and then Lai Di also stood up and said, "I'm sleepy too. I have early classes at school tomorrow morning, so please excuse me."

He Min stood up and said goodnight to everyone; Ba Wanghua closed her notebook, nodded to Lu Chen, and turned to leave the restaurant; Ya Zi gave Qiu Di a mischievous smile before heading upstairs...

The once noisy and cozy restaurant quickly quieted down, leaving only Lu Chen, Qiu Di, and Jennifer.

Lu Chen put down his wine glass and looked at the two people sitting opposite him. Qiu Di was leaning back in his chair with his eyes half-closed, while Jennifer was holding a glass of red wine that was still half full. Her slender fingers unconsciously traced the rim of the glass, and a faint blush appeared on her ears.

Lu Chen got up and walked to Qiu Di's side, reaching out to hold onto the back of her chair: "Are you drunk?"

"Hmm..." Qiu Di opened her eyes, blinked at him, and there was a layer of watery light in her eyes. "But... I'm not drunk enough to not be able to serve the big boss."

"Since that's the case, and the night is long, how about we—discuss whether your acting skills have improved?"

Jennifer's ears turned bright red instantly, and she lowered her head, letting out a very soft "hmm".

On the other hand, Qiu Di was much bolder. She let out a soft snort, grabbed Lu Chen's wrist with her other hand, and pulled him upstairs impatiently.

Seeing this, Jennifer quickly put down her wine glass, stood up and walked to Lu Chen's right side, gently placing her fingers on his elbow, her palm slightly damp.

The three of them walked side by side down the corridor and up the stairs covered with a dark gray carpet. The lights at the end of the corridor turned on automatically, casting a row of warm yellow circles on the wall.

……

Central, a 20-story Grade A office building.

The law firm of Jane O’Wai is located on the top floor of an office building. Unlike the lavish decor of the new law firms in Central, it features dark walnut wainscoting, old-fashioned brass lamps, and bookshelves stacked from floor to ceiling with case law compilations and legal monographs. The gold lettering on the spines of the books is mostly worn dark, showing that they have been read many times.

On the other side of the wall hang several black and white photographs, showing old street scenes of Hong Kong Island—the mottled cobblestones of Hollywood Road, the old signs of the Central Market, and a photograph of Victoria Harbour before reclamation.

Jian Aowei sat behind his desk, holding the phone in his hand, his voice steady and gentle: "Okay, no problem. I'll be there on time at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Thank you, Secretary Hu. Please give my regards to Mr. Lu."

After hanging up the phone, he put the receiver back on the landline and slowly picked up the file on the table. The cover clearly showed the name "Lu Chen".

After a long while, he reached out and pressed the intercom extension on the table.

"Ah Ling, come in here."

The door opened, and a young female assistant in a dark suit strode in and stood at the counter: "Boss."

"Could you please change the set of gifts on the table?"

Ah Ling paused, then said, "That gift set... you specially bought it from the auction house—"

"They're not people who lack these things, and it's not appropriate for them to come to your home as guests," Jian Aowei interrupted her calmly, tapping his fingertips twice on the table. "Go to that general store in Yau Ma Tei and buy a pound of 'Fire Eyes,' two wind-dried geese, and two pounds of the finest dried scallops."

Ah Ling quickly jotted it down in her notebook, replied "Understood," and turned to leave.

The door closed gently behind him. Jian Aowei leaned back in his chair, put the file about Lu Chen into the drawer, and tidied up the scattered documents on the table. Then he stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the night view of Central.

Neon lights flickered between buildings, cars crawled slowly along the streets, and layers of lights were reflected on the surface of Victoria Harbour in the distance, like a shattered galaxy.