Hong Kong variety show: I'm actually the villain Kwan Cho!

Before I knew it, it was already May 2001.

It's been almost a month since Hung Ren left Hong Kong Island.

The weather on Hong Kong Island is getting hotter every day. Guan Zu, who is enjoying the air conditioning in his office, is lying comfortably on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting.

There haven't been any major cases lately, just a few minor ones, and with a veteran policeman like Chen Xing handling them,

Guan Zu only needs to check the case files for these minor cases.

So during this period, Guan Zu lived a very comfortable life, and when he had nothing to do, he would start researching the business he was going to propose to his mother.

The only downside is that the case against Ah Tie by the Department of Justice has been pending for so long without a verdict, and Kwan Cho has already testified in court three times.

After dozing off for a while, Guan Zu got up from the sofa, stretched, checked the time, and realized it was time to leave work.

Guan Zu picked up a stack of documents from the table and went out.

Driving his beloved Ferrari, he drove all the way to the restaurant where he had arranged to meet Lin Meiqi.

Ever since Guan Zu accompanied Lin Meiqi shopping to appease her,

When Guan Zu met his mother, they immediately went out for a meal. He no longer dared to go shopping with his mother; it was too tiring.

When I entered the private room, Lin Meiqi was already there.

"Mom!" Guan Zu called out. Lin Meiqi was also very happy to see her son: "Come here! Son! Sit next to Mom."

Guan Zu nodded, pulled out a chair, and sat down: "Mom, have you ordered?"

Lin Meiqi flipped through the menu in her hand: "No, take a look!" She then handed the menu to Guan Zu.

Guan Zu waved his hand: "No need to look, Mom. Order whatever you want to eat. I'm fine with anything. If you really don't know what to eat, just let the manager decide!"

Lin Meiqi nodded and handed the menu to the waiter beside her: "Never mind, I won't look at it. Tell the manager it's just the two of us, mother and son, and let him decide for himself!"

The waiter took the menu, nodded, and said, "Okay, Mr. Lin, I'll head out now!" He then turned and left.

After the waiter left, Lin Meiqi picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and turned to look at Guan Zu: "What's wrong? What's the deal with inviting me to dinner today? Have you arrested someone again?"

Guan Zu smiled and leaned closer to Lin Meiqi: "No, not at all. I just wanted to treat you to a meal and maybe offer you some advice!"

Lin Meiqi looked at Guan Zu curiously: "What kind of advice can you give me?"

Guan Zu took out the stack of documents he had brought from his office and placed them in front of Lin Meiqi: "Mom, look, your real estate company is developing steadily. You've been in this industry for so long, it's no longer challenging for you."

Moreover, I think this real estate company is ultimately a family business of the Lin family.

Haven't you ever thought about doing something on the side? To further solidify your "strong woman" image?

Lin Meiqi didn't look at the documents Guan Zu handed her, but looked at her son with a half-smile: "What? You spent two years abroad and a year as a policeman, and now you think you're all that? Trying to give me business advice?"

Guan Zu pouted: "Mom, don't look down on me like that. Let me finish what I have to say before you comment, okay?"

Lin Meiqi looked at Guan Zu with great interest: "Tell me, I'm listening!"

Guan Zu adjusted his posture: "Mom, look, this is what I think. My dear mom, you are beautiful and fashionable, always at the forefront of fashion!"

Every year you travel to Europe to see fashion shows in order to buy clothes, but after you come back, you're surrounded by old men in the real estate business every day.

So I thought, with all your years of experience shopping, you must be very knowledgeable about luxury goods!

Upon hearing "luxury goods," Lin Meiqi immediately became interested and nodded, "I know a bit about them, go on!"

Guan Zu pointed to the documents on the table: "Mom, look, I recently heard some news. The French Kering Group, the same group as GUCCI, has its eye on two brands."

These are Balenciaga and another BV, Bottega Veneta.

Since these two brands have caught the eye of Kering Group, they must have something unique about them. So, I've been collecting information over the past month, and it's all here.

Mom, if you've reviewed the information and think it's okay, perhaps you could try to acquire it?

Even without a full acquisition, you can still own a certain percentage of shares.

With the backing of Kering Group, plus your extensive network of contacts in the Hong Kong real estate industry over the years...

To open flagship stores of Kering's luxury brands throughout Southeast Asia,

Just imagine, if you could achieve that, you wouldn't just be a Hong Kong real estate tycoon, you'd be a Southeast Asian fashion icon! Much more powerful than that Prada queen!

As Lin Meiqi listened to Guan Zu's words, her eyes shone brighter and brighter, and she couldn't help but ask, "How much did the acquisition cost?"

Guan Zu had been talking for a while and was thirsty, about to drink some water, when he heard Lin Meiqi's question. He put down the cup he had just picked up: "Mom, I've made an estimate..."

The combined market capitalization of these two brands is approximately $5 million. If we were to acquire them...

If it accounts for 10%, that's US$5000 million, which translates to approximately HK$4 million.

Of course, this is just an estimate. As for the specifics of how to proceed, you Hong Kong property developers, famous for your acquisition battles, surely know exactly what I'm talking about!

After saying that, Guan Zu quickly grabbed a glass of water and gulped down several mouthfuls.

Seeing Lin Meiqi's thoughtful expression, Guan Zu didn't disturb her and just waited quietly.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door, and the waiter came in to serve the food. After the waiter finished serving the food, Lin Meiqi's workaholic nature kicked in.

He opened the information Guan Zu had given him and started reading it while eating, without saying a word to Guan Zu.

Guan Zu was eating his meal while texting Qiu Di, discussing where to go for a stroll after dinner.

When the silent meal was almost over, Lin Meiqi had finished reviewing the documents. She slapped the documents on her hand and looked at her son with satisfaction: "Kid, you're pretty good, you have a good eye!"

He held up the documents in his hand and said, "I'll take this back and have someone study it further. It seems like a very good project!"

Guan Zu raised his water glass and said to Lin Meiqi, "Mom, whether I can become the heir to Hong Kong's fashion industry depends on your actions!"

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she added, "By the way, Mom, if you've connected with Gucci, you could keep an eye on their newly acquired designer brand, Alexander McQueen. I think it's pretty good!"

Lin Meiqi rolled her eyes at him, picked up the documents in her hand, grabbed her bag from the side, and said to her son, "Alright, it's not even close to being settled yet, hurry up and pay the bill!"

Guan Zu then happily went to pay the bill.

At this moment, Lin Meiqi couldn't care less about Guan Zu. Her mind was filled with the promise Guan Zu had made for her. She felt like she could actually make it, which fueled her enthusiasm. She went back and worked overtime all night.

Guan Zu drove leisurely home to pick up Qiu Di.

An hour later, Guan Zu was already strolling around the streets with Qiu Di, who hadn't eaten yet. At this time of night, Hong Kong Island wasn't that hot, so the two of them holding hands and walking around the streets was a pretty good option.

Lately, Guan Zu has often taken Qiu Di out to eat, but they rarely go out for a walk together like they do now.

The two of them wandered aimlessly for a while, and soon they arrived in Yau Ma Tei, around Temple Street.

The night market here is quite famous on Hong Kong Island. The two of them strolled along, and Qiu Di suddenly said, "Honey, there's a cafe over there. Let's go in and buy some drinks, and see what they have to eat."

Guan Zu didn't pay much attention to what Qiu Di said, nodded, and followed him forward. When they reached the shop...

Guan Zu looked up at the signboard, paused slightly, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

The white signboard bears four large black characters: "Kowloon Cafe"!