Hong Kong variety show: I wanted to be a lawyer, but I became a big shot.

Although Chao and his friends weren't exactly business experts, they could all understand the weight and logic in Lin Bei's words.

As for why Lin Bei didn't open his own shop on their turf...

Don't be silly, these days even convenience stores have to pay protection money on time.

Although we are all members of Hung Hing, we must all pay our share.

Instead of going through all this trouble, it's better to let them figure it out themselves.

It can not only help them make money, but also allow them to form a small alliance, stick together for mutual support, and jointly resist the suppression from other gangs.

Moreover, they all need to get their goods from Lin Bei, and Lin Bei's factory is guaranteed to make a steady profit no matter how you look at it.

What?

Do factories in Linbei have to pay protection money?

Of course we need it, otherwise this factory would have been burned down long ago.

In this era, triad members were so rampant that even the police couldn't control them.

Tsuen Wan was protected by Big D of Wo Luen Shing. After Lam Pak met Big D because of the factory, they also partnered to do a lot of business, so Big D later waived the protection fee.

Just as everyone was having a pleasant conversation, a sudden commotion arose downstairs.

A group of thugs with brightly colored hair and a sleazy appearance swaggered into the store, shouting and yelling as they shooed out the customers who were browsing the merchandise.

"Get out, all of you, get the hell out of here!"

"Damn it, you open a shop and do business on Hongtai's turf, and you don't even bother to pay your respects?"

"Do you even know the rules?"

Lin Bei frowned slightly, put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the window, and looked down.

Downstairs, the thugs were still shoving customers, and several timid female customers had already been frightened and quickly left the shop.

Huo Baoming stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"Brother Bei, shall I go down and handle this?"

Lin Bei waved his hand, calmly looking down at the group of thugs with brightly colored hair, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"No rush, let's see what other tricks they can pull first."

He turned to look at the several hall masters present and said in a calm tone.

"Everyone, please sit for a moment. I'm going downstairs to deal with these arrogant kids."

The Crown Prince and Han Bin exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of anticipation in each other's eyes.

They all got up and followed Lin Bei downstairs.

Downstairs, the group of thugs became even more brazen after seeing that most of the customers had been driven away.

The guy in the lead, with his dyed red hair, casually sat down at the counter, crossed his legs, and took out a toothpick to pick his teeth.

Where is your boss?

"Get your boss out here and talk to us!"

"To open such a large store on Hongtai's territory and not pay protection money, they're not taking Hongtai seriously at all."

The waiters in the store were so frightened that they huddled in a corner and dared not make a sound. Huo Baoming and his henchmen had already surrounded them. The atmosphere between the two groups was tense and volatile.

Just then, a series of unhurried footsteps came from the stairwell.

Lin Bei, dressed in a well-tailored suit, walked slowly down the stairs with his hands in his pockets.

He wore a half-smile on his face, his gaze sweeping over the group of thugs before finally settling on the red-haired guy.

"I'm the owner of this shop. How can I help you?"

Red Hair glanced at Lin Bei from head to toe, and when he saw that Lin Bei was well-dressed and had an extraordinary air about him, he was taken aback for a moment, but then he resumed his usual nonchalant manner.

"Hey, the boss's here."

"You've opened your shop on Hongtai's turf, shouldn't you at least show some appreciation?"

"We won't ask for much, just 50,000 yuan a month for protection, and you'll be safe and sound."

Lin Bei chuckled, walked to the counter, poured himself a glass of water, and slowly took a sip.

"Hong Tai?"

"However, I seem to remember that this area around Ladies' Street was the territory of the Number Gang."

"You Hongtai people are coming to the Number Gang's territory to collect protection money. Doesn't that count as crossing the line?"

Red Hair's expression changed, and he jumped down from the counter, pointing at Lin Bei's nose and cursing.

"Who the hell are you?"

"So what if they help with phone number sharing?"

"Our Hongtai has some influence in this area."

"If you don't hand over your money today, this shop can forget about doing business."

Lin Bei didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone remaining calm and nonchalant.

"Go back and tell your boss that the owner of this shop is named Lin Bei."

"Let him find out if Dao Wangbei's shop is qualified to collect protection money."

The moment the words "Knife King Bei" were uttered, the expressions of the thugs behind the red-haired man visibly changed.

They whispered among themselves for a few moments, and one of them tugged at Red Hair's sleeve and said something in a low voice.

Red Hair's expression changed several times, but he couldn't lose face in front of so many underlings, so he forced himself to speak.

"So what if he's the King of Knife North?"

"My boss is the little tyrant of Hongtai!"

"I'll tell you..."

Before he could finish speaking, a hearty laugh came from upstairs.

The three Han brothers came down the stairs, with Han Bin leading the way, a hint of mockery on his face.

"Interesting. Even a second-rate triad like Hung Tai dares to come to Hung Hing's shops to collect protection money?"

"I've never seen anything like this before!"

Hongmao was stunned when he saw Han Bin and his two brothers.

Although he didn't know Han Bin, the henchmen following behind Han Bin all had Hung Hing tattoos on their bodies, making them obvious core members of Hung Hing.

Moreover, these three brothers were all burly and imposing, clearly not to be trifled with.

"You...you're also from Hung Hing?"

Red Hair's voice was noticeably weaker.

The dinosaur next to Han Bin spoke with a cold laugh.

"They don't even know us, yet they dare to come to Mong Kok to collect protection money?"

"I am Dinosaur, the top dog of Hung Hing in Tuen Mun. This is Han Bin, the top dog of Hung Hing in Kwai Tsing."

"The Hongtai you were talking about earlier?"

Judging from your outfit, you're probably one of Hong Tai's low-level henchmen.

Red Hair was completely dumbfounded.

He never expected that the owner of this new store was not only infamous himself, but also had the backing of a leader from the Hung Hing triad.

This isn't about collecting protection money; it's like walking into the line of fire.

Red Hair quickly put on a smiling face and bowed obsequiously as he spoke.

"It's a misunderstanding...it's all a misunderstanding."

"We're leaving now, we're leaving now."

"stop."

Lin Bei's voice wasn't loud, but it made Hong Mao freeze in place.

"Bring back the guests you just chased away."

"Everyone should apologize."

"Also, put everything you've messed up in the store back in order."

Red Hair's facial muscles twitched a few times, but under Lin Bei's calm gaze, he finally gritted his teeth, turned around, and shouted at his underlings.

"What are you still standing there for?"

"Did you hear what Brother Bei said?"

"Go and invite the guests back!"

The group of thugs scattered in a huff, slinking off into the street, hoping to bring back the guests who had just been driven away.

Unfortunately, most of the guests had long since disappeared, and only a handful were found.

Lin Bei didn't really argue with them. After they cleaned up the shop, he waved them away and told them to get lost.

As he left, he left with a single sentence.

"Go back and tell your little tyrant from Hongtai that he's welcome to come for tea anytime at my shop on Women's Street."

"But if I see you causing trouble here again, don't blame me for not giving you face."

Red Hair bowed and scraped repeatedly, then led his group of henchmen away from the scene in a disheveled state.