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

In the Sha Tin District, near the Shing Mun River, there is an old fishing village that is gradually being encroached upon by the city's edge.

The village is small, with dozens of households scattered along both banks of the river. Most of the houses are self-built buildings from the 1970s and 80s, and the terrazzo exterior walls have turned gray from being eroded by the sea breeze. Fishing nets and salted fish are drying on the balcony railings.

At 11 p.m., Awei drove Xiaoli to the gravel road outside the village entrance.

Using the car headlights as a guide, Awei peeked out and observed that the road at the village entrance was narrow and dilapidated, with no streetlights, making it easy to scrape the undercarriage if he drove in.

Ah Wei simply turned off the engine and glanced at Xiao Li in the passenger seat: "Xiao Li, it's difficult to drive in, let me take you in."

"Okay, thank you, darling~" Xiaoli unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to the side and kissed him on the cheek, "I had a lot of fun today."

Ah Wei patted her hand with a smile: "Don't mention thank you, it's nothing."

"No need to thank me, it's nothing." Ah Wei smiled and patted her hand. He got out of the car and opened the door for Xiao Li. "Where in the village do you live?"

"That building up ahead, the one with the white walls," Xiaoli pointed into the distance.

Ah Wei glanced in the direction she pointed, but his brows slowly furrowed.

The village is located in a corner of Sha Tin District near the sea. Looking at the other end of the village, a gray-white fence and barbed wire line stretches out in the darkness. Above the barbed wire, a few pale searchlights shine forlornly, like a row of dead eyes.

That was the Baishichuan private enterprise.

"You're... too close to Baishi Camp, aren't you?" Awei's voice lowered, full of worry. "I heard that those South Vietnamese boat people have been acting strangely lately. There was a riot in the camp a while ago, with people running out at night and targeting lone individuals."

Xiaoli sighed helplessly, "That's true, but what can we do?"

She gestured with her chin toward the white-walled village house. "You know, my family runs a few small fishing rafts. We're actually not doing badly. At least buying a small apartment in the city wouldn't be a problem. But my parents say they're used to living in the fishing village and have known all the neighbors for decades. They just can't bear to leave."

Ah Wei opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, he only managed to utter a word of advice: "What your aunt and uncle said makes sense, but you have to be careful when you go out in the future. Don't wander around alone so late at night."

"Okay," Xiaoli smiled at him, her eyes crinkling, "Anyway, with you here, I'm not afraid."

Ah Wei's tense expression relaxed after she teased him like that. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair, about to say something—

Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance. Awei subconsciously looked up and saw three figures emerging from the end of the narrow path at the village entrance.

The three men had dark skin, making them stand out starkly under the dim streetlights. They wore loose, old clothes, their hair was disheveled, but their eyes were frighteningly bright as they stared at Xiaoli like wolves eyeing their prey, their eyes gleaming with an undisguised, lewd light.

One of them, walking in the middle, shouted in broken Cantonese, "Hey handsome, it's so late, brought your girlfriend over? Want to... join in?"

The accent was strange and stiff, making one's scalp tingle.

Ah Wei's heart sank to the bottom.

He recognized them at a glance; these people were not locals at all. Their skin color, their accents, and the ruthless ferocity that emanated from their very bones—they were clearly South Vietnamese refugees from the Baishichuan civilian camp.

"No need, we'll call the police if you come any closer!" Ah Wei pulled Xiao Li behind him, using his entire body to shield her, and slowly began to back away. "Xiao Li, don't be afraid, let's go to the car."

"Um."

Xiaoli realized something was wrong and her face turned pale, but she didn't scream or panic. She just stood silently behind Awei, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly with one hand.

But just as they took a few steps back, two more figures suddenly darted out from behind them at the dark corner of the village house.

"Hey guys...where are you thinking of going?"

Five burly men surrounded them in the narrow space between the back of the car and the gravel road.

A cold sweat broke out on Ah Wei's forehead. He knew that he couldn't win in a direct confrontation—the other side had five men, each muscular and muscular, while he was just a weakling who spent all his time sitting at his desk…

He gritted his teeth, turned his head, and said to Xiaoli in a very low voice, "Take the keys. I'll rush up and hold them off for a bit. You take the opportunity to run to the car. My phone is in the glove compartment..."

Xiaoli was trembling all over, but she still gritted her teeth and nodded: "...Okay, I'll call the police as soon as I get in the car."

Seeing this, Awei took a deep breath and then charged towards the South Vietnamese leader at the front, throwing a punch straight at his face—he wanted to strike first. If he could take down the leader, the rest of the men might hesitate for a moment, which would be enough for Xiaoli to run back to the car.

However, the ideal is often far from reality.

The leader subtly shifted his body to the side, then his thick arm clamped onto Awei's wrist like an iron clamp. With a twist and a push, he raised his right leg and kicked Awei solidly in the stomach.

"Bang!"

Ah Wei felt as if his lower abdomen had been hit by a truck. He staggered back a few steps, his knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach and curling up in a ball, in so much pain that he couldn't even make a sound.

On the other side, Xiaoli had just turned around and hadn't even taken two steps when two other men grabbed her from behind, pulled her back by her arms.

She struggled, her cries of "Help! Help!" sounding particularly piercing in the silent night, startling a flock of birds in the distance.

"Run? Where to run?" The gang leader grinned maliciously, grabbed her, and dragged her towards Ah Wei. "People say that girls in Hong Kong have delicate skin. Tonight... have some fun with us brothers."

Ah Wei lay on the ground, watching Xiao Li being dragged away. His eyes turned red. He tried to get up, but was kicked over again.

Despair, like icy seawater, slowly engulfs me.

At this critical moment—

"Stop!" A male voice suddenly came from afar.

The voice was like a resounding bell, carrying an unquestionable tone.

The five South Vietnamese men were stunned at the same time and turned their heads in unison.

Under the dim streetlights, a figure could be seen walking towards them.

The man wore a faded old jacket, was not tall, but extremely muscular. He had a dark face, striking features, and his eyes shone brightly in the night.

The gang leader frowned, spat, and then yelled in broken Cantonese, "Who the hell are you? Mind your own business! Get lost!"

The man didn't answer, but continued to walk towards them at a leisurely pace.

"Damn it, are you looking for death—" the henchman cursed as he went over to hit him too.

However, the next second, the person suddenly moved.

He moved with lightning speed, instantly appearing in front of the leader. Before the man could react, a powerful swing punch slammed into the leader's temple, followed by a sweeping kick that sent him sprawling to the ground.

The moment the leader fell to the ground, the man swiftly bent his knee, pressing it hard against the man's chest, and grabbed the man's wrist with one hand, twisting it in the opposite direction—

"Click."

A crisp cracking sound.

"Ah!—" The leader let out a shrill scream and collapsed to the ground instantly.

"Boss!" The remaining henchmen, seeing this, abandoned their prey and rushed towards their boss.

"Walk!"

Taking advantage of their distraction, the man gave a low shout, grabbed Ah Wei who was still lying on the ground, and then grabbed Xiao Li's hand, pulling the two of them along as they rushed towards the car.

Knowing this was a rare opportunity, Ah Wei endured the excruciating pain in his abdomen and followed the other person into the car.

"Drive!" the man shouted as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Ah Wei floored the accelerator, the engine roared, and the car shot off like an arrow, leaving the dazed South Vietnamese men behind in the night.

Ah Wei gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Only when the car finally turned onto the paved road and merged into the flow of traffic did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He endured the pain and drove all the way to the urban area of ​​Sha Tin before pulling over to the side of the road and turning off the engine.

"Thank you... Brother." Ah Wei turned his head with difficulty to look at the man in the back seat, his voice still trembling with relief, "If it weren't for your help just now, we would both be..."

The man waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Just doing what I could to right an injustice."

Ah Wei paused for a moment, then nodded heavily.

"Brother, may I ask your name?"

The man paused for a moment, glanced at the lights outside through the car window, and his dark, weathered eyes revealed no emotion.

After a long while, he turned his head and gave Ah Wei and Xiao Li a faint, indifferent smile:

My name is Hu Yue.