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

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Hong Kong Island was still basking in the afterglow of the festive season.

In the early morning, the mist in Repulse Bay dissipated later than usual, swirling among the treetops on the hillside and shimmering with a pale golden veil under the rising sun.

Huo Daheng's manor is located on the southern slope. Two red lanterns are hung on both sides of the wrought iron gate, and Spring Festival couplets written by him are pasted on the gateposts. The ink is full and the strokes are vigorous.

Since everyone had arranged to visit each other early today, Huo Daheng personally stood at the door to greet them early in the morning. He was dressed in a maroon Tang suit, looking very energetic. When he saw Lu Chen's convoy approaching from afar, his face immediately lit up with a hearty smile, and he strode forward to greet them.

The convoy stopped at the fountain near the main building, and then the middle door of the car was opened.

Lu Chen was wearing a dark gray cashmere coat today, looking casual and relaxed. After getting out of the car, he turned around and picked up Ruan Mei from the car. Ruan Mei was wearing a purplish-red cheongsam with a white short shawl over it. Her long hair was tied up in a bun, and she looked as gentle and graceful as an old painting in the morning light.

Finally, Lu Qian jumped out of the car. The little guy was wearing a bright red down vest with a sweater printed with little dinosaurs underneath. As soon as he landed, he started looking around, his eyes lingering on the lanterns and ribbons at the entrance of the manor, revealing a child's irrepressible excitement during the New Year.

Immediately afterward, Sophia and Ruan Wen also got out of the second car with their children—they had rushed back on New Year's Eve. Every Lunar New Year, the female members of the Lu family overseas would rush back to Hong Kong Island, making it a rare annual family reunion.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Gemma was perched on Sofia's shoulder. Today, she was wearing a little red cloak, and her fair face was peeking out from under the hood, her gray-blue eyes darting around under the brim.

As soon as she was put on the ground, her little hands gripped the hem of Sofia's coat tightly, and she timidly looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and the several adults standing at the door.

"Old Master Huo!" Lu Chen stepped forward with a smile, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Happy New Year! May the New Year bring you good fortune and all your wishes come true!"

"Great! Happy New Year!" Huo Daheng laughed heartily, grabbing Lu Chen's hand. "This garden is only truly lively today with your presence! Come, come, please come in!"

Lu Qian bowed politely and said, "Happy New Year, Grandpa Huo! May you live a long and healthy life."

Little Lu Qian also bowed politely and said in his childish voice, "Happy New Year, Grandpa Huo! May you have boundless happiness and longevity."

Huo Daheng's eyes narrowed at these words. He bent down and patted his head, then magically pulled a red envelope from his pocket: "Good, good, good. Grandpa Huo will be able to get by this year entirely thanks to Qianzai's kind words."

While they were exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Mengsheng, Li Shutang, He the gambling king, Bao the ship king, Ma the tycoon, Guo the sugar king and others arrived one after another. Even Jian Aowei brought Ou Yongen with him.

After a period of in-depth interaction and observation, Lu Chen became increasingly satisfied with Jian Aowei. Coincidentally, Jian Aowei had also long been dissatisfied with the arrogance and malice of the foreigners in Hong Kong. So the two hit it off and Jian Aowei joined the Red Alliance, which is why he accepted the invitation this time.

The group exchanged pleasantries as they walked into the main building. Behind them, Gemma, led by Sophia, stared intently at Lu Qian with her big eyes and suddenly started babbling.

Xiao Luqian had already followed Ruan Mei into the hall, but upon hearing the noise behind him, he immediately turned around and ran to Jima, squatted down, and stretched out his hands: "Jima, come here, let your brother hug you."

Gemma looked at him, blinked her big, watery eyes, decisively let go of her mother's hand, and wobbled into Lu Qian's arms. Little Lu Qian refused Ruan Mei's help and struggled to carry his little sister up the high steps.

Seeing this, Sophia and her best friend Ruan Mei exchanged a smile and followed them into the main building.

……

Lunch was arranged in the large restaurant on the second floor.

The table was covered with a deep red tablecloth, the bowls and plates were custom-made blue and white porcelain, and each chair was covered with a dark red velvet cover.

For Chinese New Year, the kitchen naturally prepared authentic Hong Kong New Year delicacies—steamed grouper, poached chicken, lion's head meatballs, dried oysters with black moss, braised abalone, and a large pot of steaming hot pot. In addition, several plates of fried dumplings, fried glutinous rice balls, and rice cakes were placed on the table to cater to the younger generation's tastes.

As soon as Jiajia and Ou Yongen entered the door, they both saw Xiao Luqian.

"Brother Qian!"

Jiajia cheered first and ran past Han Xiulan, her ponytail swinging behind her head.

Ou Yongen quickly let go of Jian Aowei's hand and ran to Lu Qian two steps slower than Jiajia.

Both of them smiled and looked at Lu Qian expectantly, ready to welcome this long-awaited reunion hug.

Unfortunately, Lu Qian was holding Jima in his arms, so he could only smile at Jiajia and Ou Yongen and say, "Jiajia, Yongen, Happy New Year!"

Then he looked down at Jima in his arms: "Jima, this is Sister Jiajia, and this is Sister Yongen."

Gemma raised her little head and looked at the two enthusiastic little girls in front of her. Then, unexpectedly, she buried her face back in Lu Qian's shoulder, her little hands tightly clutching his sweater.

Jiajia's smile froze slightly: "Brother Qian, she is—"

"My sister, Gemma," Xiao Lu proudly introduced.

Jiajia patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and stepped forward to touch Gemma's hat: "Hello, little sister—"

"don't want!"

Unexpectedly, Gemma suddenly turned around and shouted, her voice clear and loud.

Her small hands loosened from Lu Qian's sweater and instead wrapped tightly around his neck, pressing her whole body against him as if she wanted to stick herself into his arms.

Jiajia's little hand froze awkwardly in mid-air, and Ou Yongen also stopped immediately. The two little girls looked at each other, both somewhat at a loss.

"Gemma, you can't do that," Sophia walked over, squatted down, and whispered to Gemma, "Your two older sisters are your brother's good friends, you should be polite."

Gemma continued to bury her face tightly in Lu Qian's shoulder, muttering something in Italian in a muffled voice.

Sofia smiled helplessly, got up, took the little one, and put her in her special high chair. She said to Jiajia and Ou Yongen, "She doesn't speak Chinese very well yet and isn't familiar with you guys. She'll get used to it in a little while."

Lu Qian also helped explain, "Yes, my sister is usually in Italy, and she's a little shy since she just returned to Hong Kong."

"Oh, I see," Jiajia said with a look of sudden realization. "It's okay, I'll play more games with her after dinner, and she definitely won't be afraid of me anymore!"

"Jiajia, you're so smart!" Ou Yongen's face was full of admiration when she saw that Jiajia had come up with a solution right away, and Jiajia proudly puffed out her little chest in praise.

Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, everyone took their seats in order.

"Come on, Qianzai, try the lion's head meatballs made by Grandpa Huo's chef." Huo Daheng personally picked one up and placed it in Xiao Luqian's bowl.

"Thank you, Grandpa Huo," Little Lu Qian picked up a lion's head meatball, took a bite, chewed it, and his eyes lit up. "Delicious!"

"Eat more if you like it," Huo Daheng said with a smile. "It's the time when you're growing, so you need to get more nutrition."

Seeing this, Jiajia followed suit and picked up a piece of poached chicken, placing it in Lu Qian's bowl: "Brother Qian, eat this, it's delicious too!"

"Thank you, Jiajia." Lu Qian picked up a piece of honey-glazed ham and took a bite. Before he could swallow, Ou Yongen silently put a piece of honey-glazed ham into his bowl, then quickly put her chopsticks back, her ears turning slightly red.

"Thank you, Yong'en, too." Lu Qian smiled at her.

Ou Yongen quickly lowered her head, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up.

Gemma, who was sitting in a toddler chair, watched the whole thing. Suddenly, she stretched out her little hand, pointed at the food in Lu Qian's bowl, and said in Italian, "Anche io voglio mangiare quella carne dolce!" (I want to eat that sweet meat too!)

"Okay, okay," Lu Qian picked up a piece of ham and wanted to put it in the small bowl with extra filling, but the little guy reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him towards himself.

"I want my brother to feed me," Gemma said, pouting.

Xiao Luqian had no choice but to carefully bring the firecracker to Jima's lips. Jima opened her mouth, took a bite, chewed it for a while, and then squinted her eyes contentedly, like a cat that had stolen a dried fish.

Jiajia sat beside them watching this scene, her little mouth pouting slightly, but she quickly smoothed it out. Ou Yongen scratched his head in confusion, completely baffled as to why this little girl, who looked like a porcelain doll, was so hostile towards him.

The adults present watched the little ones' subtle competition with great effort, barely managing to suppress their laughter.

……

After lunch, the family members took the children downstairs to the comfortable and luxurious sun lounge area to drink tea and chat, while Lu Chen and his group, led by Huo Daheng, walked along the corridor to the conference room on the east side of the manor.

Upon entering the conference room, Huo Daheng took the seat of honor, with the others seated on either side. After the waiters cleared the room and closed the soundproof door, everyone's expressions instantly shifted from relaxed to serious and solemn.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lu Chen began, his voice still gentle and refined, "Today, taking advantage of the New Year's gathering, in addition to wishing all the elders a Happy New Year, I mainly have some good news to share with you all."

"London has already indicated that the Political Department will be disbanded by 1992."

Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Bao Shuping's face: "Great news, this is great news! Finally, a malignant tumor has been removed from Hong Kong Island!"

The public had long harbored resentment towards the Political Department. To put it bluntly, it was a "secret police organization" that operated above the law and public oversight, dedicated from its inception to shady dealings. Over the years, under the guise of national security, the Political Department had monitored patriots, infiltrated labor unions, secretly detained and interrogated dissidents, and even established the infamous "White House" concentration camp at Mount Davis.

"It is indeed a great thing," Li Shutang sighed with a complex expression. "Over the years in Hong Kong, countless compatriots have had their families torn apart and lives ruined by these foreigners. It was only after the Red Alliance was formed, and with the help of you all in getting me the position of Commissioner of Police, that their arrogance was gradually suppressed."

"Ha, even so, these vicious dogs still have to pop out and cause trouble from time to time," Huo Daheng tapped the floor lightly with his cane. "Especially this White Rock Camp incident. If it weren't for the Special Branch's instigation, how could those refugees have caused such a big commotion? As long as this institution isn't abolished, Hong Kong Island won't have a day of peace."

"However," Lu Chen changed the subject, "they didn't agree unconditionally. They made a request—all the core classified files of the Political Department must be designated as 'military property,' and will be transported back to London by military ships for permanent storage."

Fan Weili frowned upon hearing this: "...They don't want people to know what despicable things they've done over the years."

"No, covering up the scandal is only one aspect; more importantly, it's about putting those who have worked with them at ease," Li Shutang continued.

"Those files contain a large number of MI5's informants, partners, and even some local forces in Hong Kong that they have bribed. Once the files are made public, these remnants of traitors will be exposed instantly, and the foreigners will completely lose their intelligence base in Hong Kong."

"That's right, so they insisted on sending the files back," Lu Chen nodded, "both to protect those remnants and to appease those allies. To tell them: Don't worry, we have your affairs under control, and they won't be found out."

"Alright, overall it's still good," Ma Daheng said, taking a sip of his tea. "Without the Special Branch as a thorn in our side, it will be much more inconvenient for the foreigners to do anything to Hong Kong Island in the future."

"That makes perfect sense," Lu Chen said with a smile, expressing his agreement.

"What will happen to those staff members?"

"Most of them will be disbanded or join the security department," Lu Chen said. "A small number of core personnel will return to Japan but not to the mainland."

"Speaking of which, I have a question," Stanley Ho, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked curiously, "After the Political Department was abolished, who will take over the functions it used to handle?"

"After the handover, there will be a dedicated agency in the north to be responsible for national security work," Zhao Mengsheng explained. "Before that, the powers of the Hong Kong Island Police Force and related departments will be gradually transferred, and the transition period will be coordinated by Li Sir."

Li Shutang nodded: "The police force is ready. After the Special Branch withdraws, we will immediately complete the handover of functions to ensure that there is no security vacuum on Hong Kong Island."

Huo Daheng picked up his teacup and raised it to the crowd: "In short, now that this scourge has been wiped out, the sky over Hong Kong Island will be bluer from now on."

"Haha, that's true!"

Everyone laughed heartily, raising their teacups in response, the crisp clinking sound echoing throughout the meeting room.

……

After discussing politics, the conversation naturally turned to business.

"Gentlemen, regarding the Japanese stock market," Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the people present, "we need to make some moves this year."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately became serious.

They couldn't afford to take it lightly—after all, since 1986, under Lu Chen's coordination and guidance, they had successively invested over 10 billion US dollars in Japan through Yamabuki Asset Management.

In just a few years, their assets have increased several times or even more than ten times, and every household has made a fortune.

"Based on my model, I predict that Japan's Nikkei index will peak around the end of this year. After that, it will maintain a high level of fluctuation for a period of time, and then—it will crash."

Stanley Ho's hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly as he exclaimed in surprise, "A collapse?"

"Yes, the impact will be no less than Black Monday in the US stock market in 87," Lu Chen said. "Because this time it's not just a stock market adjustment, but the bursting of the bubble in Japan's entire economic system—the stock market, the real estate market, credit, and the exchange rate will all be affected."

"Is the news reliable?" the shipping magnate pressed.

"Of course, or rather, there were signs all along," Lu Chen analyzed. "Asset prices in Japan have now deviated significantly from the actual economic fundamentals. The land price near the Imperial Palace in East Asia can buy the entire state of California—this is no longer an investment, this is a speculative bubble."

After a moment of silence, Huo Daheng spoke first, his tone tinged with reluctance: "You mean, we're going to start closing down our operations in Japan?"

"Yes, and we must plan ahead," Lu Chen said. "Our current holdings there are too large. If we wait until the bubble starts to burst before withdrawing, the panic selling will bury us as well."

In fact, the Red Alliance's funds only accounted for a small portion; the bulk was the $30 billion invested by Lu Chen through the High Table Group and Qianning Capital, which has now more than doubled. Without a planned pre-emptive sell-off, it could easily cause a market crash.

"I plan to gradually reduce my holdings and exit the market starting at the end of this year. This process may take six months to a year, so it's important to plan ahead."

Ma Daheng smiled upon hearing this: "To be honest, the days I spent making money blindfolded in Japan were the easiest business I've ever done. I'm somewhat reluctant to see you leave."

"Who isn't?" Guo Tangwang exclaimed. "In some of my warehouses in Japan, I've made more than five times my initial investment! This feeling is truly addictive."

"But when it's time to leave, you have to leave," Huo Daheng tapped the table. "Greed knows no bounds, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. People our age should understand this better than anyone else."

Of course, more importantly, everyone trusted Lu Chen's judgment. As long as he said that Japan would collapse, then the second scenario would absolutely not occur.

"There's no need for you to feel sorry," Lu Chen said with a wry smile, looking at everyone's expressions. "I've already found a good place for the funds that were withdrawn from Japan."

"Oh?" Stanley Ho's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. "Where?"

Lu Chen put down his teacup, his gaze falling on the mountain ridge outside the window, illuminated by the afternoon sun: "A certain vast empire is about to collapse... The opportunities within are enough to sustain us for another ten years."