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

Lin Bei smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it against his.

"Brother Bin, you're too kind. We're all on the same side, it's only right that we help each other out."

"By the way, Ah Bei..."

Han Bin paused for a moment, then said seriously.

"When will the smuggling business we were talking about start?"

"My ships and factories are all ready."

Lin Bei picked up a shrimp dumpling, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

"Let's schedule it for this week."

"However, for safety's sake, we should refrain from cooperating with other gangs for the time being."

"Jiang Tiansheng is a cunning man. I'm afraid he'll find something on us and use it as an excuse to cause trouble."

"We'll cooperate with other branches when the time is right."

Han Bin nodded.

"I see."

"Then the three of us brothers will work with you, and we'll split the profits fifty-fifty."

"Okay, it's a deal."

Lin Bei raised his teacup.

Wishing you booming business and abundant wealth!

"Cheers!"

After finishing his meal, Lin Bei had just gotten into his car when Liang Kun called.

"Hey, come to the branch, I need to talk to you."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Lin Bei hung up the phone and drove to the triad in Mong Kok.

As soon as he walked in, Liang Kun tossed him a bottle of ice-cold beer.

"Hey, what's going on with Huang Dawen?"

"Wasn't he supposed to go rescue Robinson Crusoe and Big Head Boy?"

"How many days has passed, and there's still no news?"

Lin Bei opened a beer, took a sip, blew a smoke ring, and said in a calm tone.

"Boss, this is about getting people out of trouble, not going to the market to buy vegetables."

"Robinson Crusoe's case has been adjudicated for a year. To get him out now, we need to find the witness who testified against him, get him to recant his testimony, and submit new evidence."

"Don't worry, I've already asked Huang Dawen to take care of it. I reckon it'll only take a week or two."

"As for Big Head Boy, that's much simpler."

"His original eight-year sentence has been reduced to only six months. When Robinson Crusoe gets out, we can just get him medical parole. It won't cost much."

Upon hearing this, Liang Kun's expression softened slightly.

He sat on the sofa, took a big gulp of beer, and then looked at Lin Bei with a half-smile.

"Hey, Uncle Bei, we're practically cousins, why do you always feel like I'm taking advantage of you?"

Lin Bei rolled her eyes at him.

"We had an agreement: I'll do the business, and you'll manage the premises."

"Wang Bao got into trouble last night, and I had to work overtime to clean up your mess, didn't I?"

"Even between brothers, accounts must be kept clear; you still have to pay me for overtime!"

Liang Kun almost laughed out of anger. He pointed at Lin Bei, speechless for a long time.

"You jerk!"

"After taking over Wang Bao's territory, didn't I give you two underlings?"

"You only gave me one million in compensation? Where did Wang Bao's fortune end up?"

Lin Bei glanced at him in surprise, not expecting his cousin to be so perceptive.

"Hey buddy, your antenna's got some nerve! It can even pick up messages like that?"

"Snapped!"

Liang Kun lit a cigarette and casually tossed the lighter onto the coffee table.

"I'm not blind."

"Besides, we grew up together like kids, doggy style. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

"I heard that Wang Bao's wife died mysteriously at home last night. The safe in the house was completely emptied, and even her jewelry was taken away."

"People in the underworld say that his bodyguard captain double-crossed him, killed Wang Bao's wife, and ran away with the money."

"You're kidding me. You probably sank that bodyguard captain into Victoria Harbour long ago, didn't you?"

He looked at Lin Bei with a half-smile and held up three fingers.

"They must have made at least 30 million this time, right?"

Lin Bei's lips twitched, he picked up his beer and took a sip, without denying it.

"This is what I deserve."

"Wang Bao is the kind of person who has ruined countless families and caused countless deaths. His money was never clean to begin with."

"I also donated some money to a welfare home for charity."

Liang Kun patted him on the shoulder, his tone softening.

"Relax!"

"I'm not trying to steal your money."

"Besides, I know you sent my mom five million in pocket money this morning."

"I'm just telling you, stop doing this kind of robbery and plundering. It's immoral and will shorten your lifespan."

Lin Bei was stunned for a moment, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He knew that although Liang Kun had a bad temper and was ruthless, he was genuinely good to his own people.

"Understood, this is the only time."

"It won't happen again."

Liang Kun smiled and shook his head.

"However, people like Wang Bao who sell drugs deserve to die; it can be considered an act of justice."

"Next time something like this happens, you have to include me!"

Lin Bei gave him a hand gesture that resembled the international sign, which made Liang Kun burst into laughter.

......

Hillside villa area.

The Ni family's villa is located halfway up the mountain. It is a white European-style building surrounded by green trees and has a quiet environment.

Two bodyguards in black suits stood guard at the entrance of the villa, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

The living room is decorated in a luxurious yet understated style.

Dark solid wood floors, expensive Persian carpets, and several paintings and calligraphy works by famous artists hanging on the walls.

Ni Kun sat on the sofa, holding a copy of the day's Oriental Daily News. The headline on the front page was about Wang Bao's arrest.

He looked at the newspaper, his brows furrowed slightly, and gently rubbed his temples with his fingers.

After a while, he looked up and said to his third uncle who was standing next to him.

"Third brother, erase all traces related to Wang Bao, leave no trace whatsoever."

"Especially those goods we recently worked on with him, all the invoices and contact information have been disposed of."

Uncle San nodded, his face full of solemnity.

"Yes, brother."

"I'll take care of it right away."

After finishing his sentence, Uncle San hurriedly left with several bodyguards.

Only Ni Kun and Ni Yongxiao remained in the living room.

Ni Yongxiao sat on the sofa opposite Ni Kun, holding a financial magazine in his hand.

He was dressed in a well-fitting gray suit and wore gold-rimmed glasses. He was refined and looked like an ordinary white-collar worker, not at all like the second son of a gangster family.

"Ah-Xiao, how's the family business going lately?"

Ni Kun put down his newspaper and looked at Ni Yongxiao, asking a question.

Ni Yongxiao closed the magazine, adjusted his glasses, and said calmly.

"Dad, selling rice noodles isn't a sustainable business."

"In recent years, the crackdown on drugs in Hong Kong has become increasingly severe, and the mainland has also intensified its efforts to combat drugs. The risks are getting higher and higher, while the profits are getting lower and lower."

"On the other hand, our family's legitimate businesses, such as property management, restaurants, and transportation companies, although they don't earn as much as selling face powder each year, are stable and risk-free."

"We've made enough money to last several lifetimes; it's time to find a way to launder it and get out of this mess."

Ni Kun nodded in satisfaction, a relieved smile on his face.

"I'm glad you think that way, Ah-Xiao."

"I am well aware of the principle of retiring at the height of one's career."

"But our family is where we are today thanks to those John Bull devils."

"They treat us as their agents in Hong Kong, helping them make money."

"Sometimes it's not that I don't want to quit, but that I want to quit, and they won't allow it."