Hong Kong film: Rise of Prison Break

"Wu Guangde will handle the rest for you." Zhang Wenjie's voice was soft, but carried an undeniable authority. "Mr. Lu is a smart man; he knows what to do."

He hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

He beckoned to a passing waiter: "One order of shrimp dumplings, one order of siu mai, one order of chicken feet, and brew a pot of top-quality Pu'er tea."

"Okay, boss, just a moment!"

On the other end of the phone was the chairman's office on the top floor of the Lu's Group building.

Robinson slowly put down the microphone, unaware that the ash from his cigar had fallen onto the expensive mahogany desk.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the surface of Victoria Harbour shimmered, and cruise ships slowly passed by; everything was exactly the same as it had been three months ago.

But everything is different now.

He turned around and looked at the seven or eight people standing in the office.

These are all veterans who have worked with him for two or three decades, the backbone of the Lu Group.

At that moment, they all lowered their heads, clutching white envelopes in their hands, not daring to meet his gaze.

The air was so heavy you could wring water out of it.

"Put your resignation letter down," Robinson finally said, his voice hoarse.

General Manager Pan, who was at the head of the group, raised his head and opened his mouth: "Chairman, we..."

"No need for explanation." Robinson raised his hand to interrupt, the cigar butt tracing an arc in the air. "If it weren't for our decades-long friendship, today wouldn't be as simple as just resigning."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces like a knife: "Colluding with outsiders, embezzling company assets, giving false testimony to frame me and send me to prison... any one of these charges is enough to send you to jail for the rest of your lives."

Several of the younger ones were already drenched in cold sweat and their legs felt weak.

Wu Guangde, who was standing behind Robinson, stepped forward at the opportune moment and stretched out his hands expressionlessly.

General Manager Pan handed over the envelope with trembling hands, and the others followed suit.

Seven or eight white envelopes were piled up on Robinson's desk, like a miniature tomb.

"I'm sorry, Chairman..." General Manager Pan bowed deeply, his voice choked with emotion.

"I'm sorry..." The others also bowed.

Robinson closed his eyes and waved his hand: "Let's go."

The footsteps faded away softly, and the office door closed gently.

Robinson opened his eyes, stared at the stack of resignation letters for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed a cigar and took a deep drag.

"Manager Wu," he turned to the man behind him, "call the police."

Wu Guangde nodded and picked up the phone on the table.

---

As General Manager Pan and his entourage stepped out of the revolving door at the main entrance of the Lu's Group building, the dejection on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.

"Brother Pan, do you think that old ghost really let us go?" a bald, middle-aged man asked in a low voice.

Pan Chang'an straightened his suit and tie, resuming his usual general manager demeanor: "The chairman is a sentimental person. Sigh, we've really had a close call..."

Before he could finish speaking, three police cars arrived with sirens blaring and screeched to a halt at the entrance of the company.

The car door opened, and seven or eight police officers rushed out. The leader flashed his badge: "Is this Pan Chang'an? We are from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department. We suspect you of multiple crimes, including embezzlement, commercial fraud, and perjury. Please come back to assist with the investigation."

The moment the handcuffs snapped onto his wrists, the color drained from Pan Chang'an's face.

He turned around abruptly and looked at the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of the building. He could vaguely see a figure standing there, quietly looking down at everything below.

In his top-floor office, Robinson put down his binoculars and turned to walk back behind his desk.

The cigar had burned down to the end, and he stubbed it out in the crystal ashtray with a soft "hiss".

"What are your boss's requirements?" he asked Wu Guangde directly.

Wu Guangde took two documents out of his briefcase and placed them neatly on the mahogany table, his movements as meticulous as if he were setting up surgical instruments.

"The Lu Group currently has eight shareholders. Besides Mr. Lu's 47% stake, the remaining shares are held by seven other shareholders, each holding a percentage of..."

As Robinson listened to the string of numbers and names, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

He originally thought Zhang Wenjie would directly ask for shares as compensation, but what Wu Guangde said was clearly not as simple as just "asking for money".

"This is the share certificate for the remaining shares of the Lu's Group held by 'Guanghui International Investment'," Wu Guangde pushed over the first document. "This is a power of attorney authorizing Mr. Robinson to manage the Lu's Group in full and to enjoy 50% of the profits."

Robinson opened the document and carefully examined each page.

The more he looked, the more cold sweat poured down his back.

The documents show that in the past three months, the seven shareholders, including Pan Chang'an who was just arrested, have transferred all their shares to this little-known investment company through a series of complicated equity transactions.

And it's obvious who the actual controller of this company is.

"This..." Robinson closed the file, his throat dry.

He originally thought that he had regained power so smoothly because of his prestige and shrewdness, but now he realized that all the paths had been paved by others long ago.

He was nothing more than a pawn moving along a predetermined path.

Ignoring his shock, Wu Guangde pushed over the second document: "The boss said that Mr. Lu will still be in full charge of the group. My duty is to stay in the group and 'stand by'."

Standby.

Robinson chewed on those two words, feeling a chill run through him.

What do you mean by "waiting for orders"? It's clearly surveillance, a warning, a Damocles' sword hanging over our heads.

He had no doubt that if he made any unusual move, the expressionless man in front of him, or the person behind him, would not hesitate to "retire" him—or worse.

He took a deep breath, the lingering, bitter aftertaste of the cigar filling his mouth.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Manager Wu." Robinson tried to keep his voice calm. "I'll be at the board meeting later... uh."

He paused, then suddenly realized that the current board of directors, nominally still had a few shell shareholders, but in reality, only he and Zhang Wenjie remained.

The so-called board of directors is nothing but a piece of paper.

"I'll leave the personnel appointments to General Manager Wu," Robinson said, completely abandoning any inappropriate thoughts he might have had.

At his age, he should have seen things clearly long ago—wealth and power are things you can't take with you when you die; being able to live out the rest of his life peacefully is already a great fortune.

Wu Guangde nodded, then took out a brown paper document bag from the innermost layer of his briefcase and gently placed it on the table.

This action was more solemn than ever before.

"This is something the chairman 'lost'."

Wu Guangde's voice remained calm, but Robinson keenly noticed that a few blue veins were slightly raised under the man's eyes, and a faint but extremely cold glint flashed in his eyes, which had been devoid of emotion.

"The boss finally asked me to tell him: if the chairman doesn't know what's good for him..."

The rest was left unsaid, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Robinson wasn't afraid; instead, he laughed.

He reached for the document bag, untied the red thread sealing it, and pulled out the documents inside—complete vouchers for three hundred million US dollars in bearer debt, each one genuine.

He looked at it for a full minute, then slowly put the document back into the bag, looked up at Wu Guangde, and had a genuine, relieved smile on his face.

"Tell your boss," Robinson stood up, picked up his top hat from the coat rack, "thank you."

After saying that, he put on his hat, leaned on his cane, and walked out of the office with light steps.

His footsteps echoed in the corridor, gradually fading away, unhurried, like a traveler finally unloading all his burdens.

Standing in his empty office, Wu Guangde looked out at the blue sea and sky of Victoria Harbour. For the first time, a faint, fleeting smile appeared on his face, which had never changed in ages.

---

At Shun Kee Teahouse, Zhang Wenjie put down his teacup; he had already eaten half of the dim sum on the table.

The teahouse remained noisy, and discussions about Liu Yaozu, Robinson Crusoe, and the feud between wealthy families continued, with four or five versions already emerging.

He picked up the newspaper on the table, glanced one last time at Liu Yaozu's photo on the front page, then folded the newspaper in half, then in half again, and casually stuffed it into the trash can next to him.

The morning light was just right, casting warm dappled patterns on him through the glass windows of the teahouse.

It's time to close the net.