Hong Kong variety show: I Am a Tycoon

Lu Zhilian was looking at the documents in his hand.

The more he looked at the document, the more alarmed he became.

Although it's unclear who sent it, it's obvious that someone disapproved of Z Foundation's actions.

Just as Lu Zhilian was considering whether to expose the matter, his direct superior, Xu Hongsheng, approached him: "Zhilian, the commissioner is holding an emergency meeting. Let's talk as we walk."

Lu Zhilian didn't dare to delay and immediately followed Xu Hongsheng.

Upon arriving at the office, Lu Zhilian met Mrs. Fan, the current Commissioner for Integrity.

After exchanging greetings, the two sat down.

Meanwhile, Wei Yaoting from the policy team was making a phone call.

After the other party hung up the phone, Wei Yaoting said apologetically, "I'm sorry, they called earlier and had something to tell me!"

"It's alright," the anti-corruption commissioner said with a smile.

After sitting down, Wei Yaoting said directly, "Getting back to the point, Director Lu, I've read your report. Are you planning to investigate the Z Foundation?"

“Yes!” Lu Zhilian nodded without further ado and said, “We’ve investigated Z Fund’s operations in the United States, and the transparency is extremely low. We know they use interest rates that are higher than reasonable to attract new investments, and then use the money to pay interest to existing clients. Simply put, it’s a Ponzi scheme! Profiting from investments might be fake, but if it’s real, Z Fund could collapse at any time!”

Based on the mysterious information, Lu Zhilian directly shared his thoughts.

However, it is clear that the government does not seem to care whether the Z Fund is a Ponzi scheme.

Wei Yaoting said, "Do you know what it means to investigate the Z Foundation?"

Lu Zhilian stated very frankly, "It means investigating corruption and embezzlement that harm the public interest!"

“From the perspective of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), I fully respect your judgment, Mrs. Fan. What are your opinions?” Wai Yiu-ting directly passed the matter on to the ICAC Commissioner.

Mrs. Fan had no choice but to cough and say, "The Z Foundation case is no longer just an anti-corruption issue, but a matter of public concern! Everyone knows that the Care Foundation was established to alleviate poverty; it's essentially a project to improve people's lives! Investigating the Z Foundation for bribery and embezzlement would mean undermining the Care Foundation's investment! Deputy Director Yu, what do you think?"

They're all old foxes. Mrs. Fan clearly didn't want to get involved, so after rambling on, she steered the conversation directly to Yu Hongsheng.

Yu Hongsheng and Lu Zhilian had very similar personalities, and he immediately said to Wei Yaoting, "Mr. Wei, does the boss not want us to investigate?"

Wei Yaoting immediately rejected the idea, shaking his head and saying, "No! The boss respects your opinions!"

Upon hearing Wei Yaoting's words, Yu Hongsheng asked Lu Zhilian beside him, "What do you think?"

"Wherever there is corruption, there will be the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)! If we have to consider other factors when investigating cases, then wouldn't the ICAC become a political tool?"

Lu Zhilian said very bluntly.

He has been with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for over a decade, having joined the ICAC since its inception.
Having seen too much of how the British manipulate politics using the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), I have a strong aversion to this kind of thing.

However, after these words were spoken, neither Mrs. Fan, the Commissioner Against Corruption, nor Wei Yaoting looked very pleased.

Lu Zhilian smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know much about other aspects. I'm just expressing my own thoughts."

“Director Lu is right, we must investigate any cases.” Wei Yaoting nodded, but quickly changed the subject, saying, “However, Z Foundation is going public in six days. If you can find evidence of their embezzlement and fraud within those six days, that would be best, as it could prevent them from going public!”

"What if you can't find out? If you find their problems in six days, Z Foundation's stock will definitely plummet, and the money invested by the Care Foundation will be like throwing it into the sea. The media will keep attacking them every day, and citizens will be throwing leaflets at them every day. Who will clean up this mess?"

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Wei Yaoting's words implied that it was best not to touch it.

But he happened to run into two stubborn mules. Lu Zhilian said with a smile, "Distributing leaflets is too much, isn't it? I understand, we only have six days! If we can't find it, we'll close the case and no one will have to take the blame."

With that, Lu Zhilian stood up and said to the two of them, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going to work now. Six days is a very precious time, please excuse me!"

With that, Lu Zhilian picked up the documents and left the office.

“Deputy Director…” The commissioner turned to look at Xu Hongsheng.

Yu Hongsheng spoke directly, "Z Storm, our operation this time is codenamed Z Storm! I have a meeting to attend, please excuse me!"

The Commissioner Against Corruption and Wei Yaoting were speechless for a moment, but they didn't have a good way to deal with this stubborn mule.

After all, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is a highly autonomous agency, and even the Commissioner of the ICAC cannot stop his subordinates from investigating cases without a reasonable reason.

They could only hope that the two of them could get everything sorted out within the next six days to avoid causing trouble for everyone.

……

On Silva's side, there has been initial progress.

"Boss, we've found out who's behind Hu Zhiyong." Silva walked into Chen Jiajun's office with the documents in his hand.

Chen Jiajun looked up and asked curiously, "Oh? What's your background?"

“This guy’s name is Cody Stevenson, he’s an American! He’s in the wine business, he owns several wineries in Hong Kong, but Hu Zhiyong usually calls him Mr. Zorro.” Silva smiled as he unfolded the documents and placed them in front of Chen Jiajun.

"A wine business? Can someone like that manage such a large business as Z Fund?" Chen Jiajun frowned and said, "You know, Z Fund has already secured several times the subscription amount, plus the government's support fund. Once it goes public, it might be able to push the market value to hundreds of billions."

Silva spread his hands and said, "I had my doubts before, but that's just how it is."

Chen Jiajun stroked his chin, looked at the photo of Zorro, and said calmly, "Zorro is most likely just a code name. I'll go ask around and see if we can find any clues. You take some men and keep an eye on that Zorro. Have someone wiretap his phone."

Silva shook his head and said, "That guy is very careful. He even installed anti-eavesdropping devices in Hu Zhiyong's study, and he usually uses satellite phones for calls, making it very difficult to eavesdrop!"

"Tsk, he's quite cautious!" Chen Jiajun thought for a moment and said, "Then let's follow him and see who he's in contact with."

"Got it, boss!" Silva nodded.

After Silva left, Chen Jiajun dialed another of his henchmen.

Sean, a henchman lurking within the Etheric Society.

After being controlled by Chen Jiajun, this guy worked in the Ether Society without arousing any suspicion.

He was demoted simply because of Wei Hong's incident, which led to the failure of the operation.

However, as one of the high-ranking members of the Ether Society, his intelligence network is quite impressive.

If this Mr. Zorro is one of their people, they can definitely find out.

Sean called back quickly, but his answer was somewhat different from what Chen Jiajun had expected: "Boss, this Mr. Zorro... or rather Cody Stevenson, is not a member of the Ether Society."

Hearing Sean's words, Chen Jiajun was genuinely surprised.

In his memory, he couldn't think of any other organization besides the Ether Society that could cause so much trouble in Hong Kong.

However, hearing Sean's denial overturned all of Chen Jiajun's previous guesses.

“However…” Sean then changed the subject, saying, “I feel like I’ve seen this guy somewhere before!”

Chen Jiajun's eyes lit up immediately: "Hmm? You've seen them before? Tell me, what organization are they from?"

“It seems to be a partner of the Ether Society, a member of an international money laundering group called DOA.” Sean immediately had his subordinate bring over the documents and said, “These people are responsible for helping the Ether Society handle some of the more troublesome funds, and they have deep cooperation with international organizations such as the Ether Society and Equator.”

"Wow, wow, I caught a great white shark while fishing!"

Hearing Sean say that, Chen Jiajun felt that everything made perfect sense.

Otherwise, if any random Tom, Dick, or Harry could appear and Chen Jiajun's intelligence organization couldn't find them, he might as well have Silva disband the intelligence organization.

Therefore, Chen Jiajun immediately relayed Sean's report to Silva. Silva's confidence soared, and he immediately set to work.

Investigating just one person is definitely not easy. But if you know which organization the person belongs to, things can progress very quickly.

Given that Chen Jiajun's intelligence organization originated from MI6, it's impossible for them to be so weak.

……

While Chen Jiajun was investigating the identity of Mr. Zorro, Lu Zhilian, under pressure from the Independent Commission Against Corruption's six-day deadline, became increasingly aggressive in his actions.

This guy went to the hospital first and picked up Luo Deyong's wife, who was paralyzed from a stroke.

This forced Luo Deyong to call Hu Zhiyong behind the scenes, and Lu Zhilian then secretly eavesdropped with his men.

Unfortunately, Hu Zhiyong was extremely cunning.

He didn't even answer Luo Deyong's question and hung up the phone immediately.

Left with no other option, Lu Zhilian and the others had to send Luo Deyong's wife back.

Then they went directly to Luo Deyong.

“Mr. Luo, you were forced to cooperate with the Z Foundation. As an auditor, you know best whether the Z Foundation is a Ponzi scheme.” Lu Zhilian said calmly, “I don’t want you to spend your retirement years in prison either. Why don’t you cooperate with our Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and become a witness for the prosecution? We guarantee you’ll be fine!”

Luo Deyong is now in a dilemma. He hates the bastards of the Z Foundation for killing his old friend of many years.

However, he also had to consider his wife, who was paralyzed by a stroke.

After a moment of silence, Luo Deyong said to Lu Zhilian, "Director Lu, I really have nothing to say! I feel very tired right now. Could you please let me wash my face before we continue?"

"Mr. Luo, you can leave now!"

Luo Deyong refused to cooperate, and Lu Zhilian had no good solutions.

In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are necessary. Although this is not in accordance with regulations, Lu Zhilian has no better choice at the moment.

After leaving the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Luo Deyong knew things were going badly.

If he gets caught in the tug-of-war between Hu Zhiyong and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), he, as the person involved, could very well run into trouble at any time.

So that very night, Luo Deyong used all his savings and chartered a plane to send his wife away, and then he prepared to flee as well.

That very evening, Hu Zhiyong's men came to the door: "Mr. Luo, Mr. Hu requests your presence!"

Left with no other choice, Luo Deyong could only go with the other party to see Hu Zhiyong.

Luo Deyong was being followed by ICAC agents, who soon arrived at a luxury mansion in Saigon.

After entering the mansion, Hu Zhiyong led Luo Deyong into his study: "I'm sorry to bother you so late, Mr. Luo, but my client would like to have a word with you!"

"But don't worry, my room has anti-eavesdropping devices. The red light will flash, so you won't be like last time, not even knowing you were being eavesdropped on, right? Haha!" Hu Zhiyong invited Luo Deyong into the study: "Please sit down!"

He then turned on the screen on the wall, which showed a person with their back to the camera.

This guy is Mr. Zorro, the big boss behind Hu Zhiyong.

"Hello Mr. Luo, you transferred all your assets in Hong Kong to the United States, and you also chartered a medical plane to send your wife away. Why did you leave?" Mr. Zorro asked directly.

"Why are you leaving?" Luo Deyong said with a sneer, "Everyone knows what's going on with your Z Foundation."

This statement silenced Mr. Zorro. After a moment, he said, "Our team isn't just me; there are people from Italy, Russia, and South America. If something goes wrong, it will be difficult for both of us to explain. So, the most important thing right now is for the Z Foundation to go public smoothly, understand?"

Mr. Zorro's words were the most direct threat. If something went wrong with the Z Foundation, it wouldn't matter where Luo Deyong hid.

Since the other party was able to find out what he was doing in such a short time, it means that someone has been monitoring him all along.

Luo Deyong had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and say, "I understand."

“I prefer doing business with seasoned people; they can understand the stakes in just a few words,” Mr. Zorro said calmly. “Since you understand, let’s call it a day!”

"Mr. Chen, it's rare to see you at a party like this!"

The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority was pleasantly surprised to see that Chan Ka-Chun had been invited.

Everyone knows that Mr. Chen Jiajun of the Titan Group has never liked attending these kinds of parties.

Normally, if I were to attend, I would only attend internal cocktail parties hosted by Chinese-owned business associations.
Your sudden appearance here today has indeed attracted a lot of attention.

Chen Jiajun said with a smile, "I didn't participate before because I didn't like seeing those English foreigners. Now that we're all on the same side, if I still don't participate, people will think I'm being arrogant!"

"Haha, Mr. Chen doesn't need to act tough, he's a big shot in his own right!" the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said with a laugh.

After chatting with the old man for a couple of minutes, Chen Jiajun whispered, "Director, Mr. Wei Yaoting, could we have a chat in this quiet place?"

Upon hearing Chen Jiajun's invitation, the two, though unsure of his intentions, nodded in agreement.

The three of them walked into a lounge and sat down. Chen Jiajun said directly, "I invited you two here because there is something I want to tell you."

"But it doesn't matter."

“This matter concerns the Care Foundation,” Chen Jiajun said, looking at the two of them.

Upon hearing Chen Jiajun's words, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said somewhat strangely, "Mr. Chen, didn't you say..."

Chen Jiajun waved his hand and said, "I really have no interest in the Care Foundation. Our Hung Hing Charity Foundation is too small. Even if the Care Foundation's money were invested, it might not have much of an effect."

"Then what is this?" Wei Yaoting asked with a puzzled look.

Chen Jiajun said with a smile, "I heard that there's a fund called Z Fund that's planning to list in Hong Kong, right?"

“That’s true.” The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority nodded.

“I know something different about this Z Fund, and I’d like to share it with you both.” Chen Jiajun had his subordinates bring two documents, which he handed to the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Wei Yaoting respectively.

Chen Jiajun continued, "Although it is not appropriate for me to say this, as a Hong Konger, it is a great thing that the government has finally created such a fund to benefit the citizens. I do not want to see the government suffer unnecessary losses because of a certain company."

Wei Yaoting frowned as he finished reading the document, then asked Chen Jiajun, "Mr. Chen, where did this document come from?"

Chen Jiajun said with a smile, "This is a warning letter issued by the regulatory agency in the United States. Anyone who follows the stock market in the United States will receive such a notice. The contents of this letter are not something I made up. You two can ask someone to verify it in the United States at any time!"

Upon hearing Chen Jiajun's words, the two men's expressions immediately turned ugly.

They don't believe that Chen Jiajun would deliberately create something like this just to covet the HK$15 billion from the Care Foundation.

After all, while others may not know, they certainly do know how much Chen Jiajun made during this financial crisis.

Chen Jiajun simply doesn't care about a mere 15 billion yuan care fund.

So this is very likely true.

Z Fund was directly warned in the United States, and warning letters were also issued to its shareholders.

The severity of this situation goes without saying.

However, the problem now is that the Hong Kong government has already signed an agreement with the Z Foundation.

If this really goes to court, the Hong Kong government will probably lose face. (End of Chapter)