Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

"Snapped!"

A sharp, piercing crack suddenly shattered the deathly silence of the luxury penthouse apartment on the Victoria Harbour waterfront.

A valuable Qing Dynasty famille rose vase shattered with a crash, the porcelain shards exploding like stardust, carrying a few delicate rose petals, and scattering onto the expensive handmade carpet and the cold metal wall.

This is far from the first antique to be sacrificed today.

"Bang!"

Another Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain plate was slammed to the ground, turning into a pile of worthless wreckage.

Today, Li Zekai, the newly rich man of Hong Kong Island and the second son of the Li family, has completely shed the elegant and composed demeanor of the "Little Superman" that he usually maintains and is praised by the media. His eyes are bloodshot and his eyeballs are almost bulging out of their sockets. His chest is heaving violently, and every heavy breath is like a broken bellows being pulled.

He paced furiously in the empty living room, like a trapped beast with its vital organs pierced and on the verge of madness. His suit jacket had been roughly ripped open and thrown aside, his tie was askew, and his shirt collar was torn open, revealing his neck with bulging veins due to extreme anger.

That hideous, twisted face looked as if it was about to devour someone alive at any moment.

Cyberport Project!
This project, which he had poured countless efforts and resources into, and on which he placed all his hopes for a comeback, was brutally and ruthlessly torn away from its core right under his nose today!

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to this project.

From the initial concept to lobbying the Hong Kong government's top officials, he personally oversaw every detail.

He even went so far as to humble himself and plead with his father, Li Ka-shing, to leverage the Li family's deep-rooted influence in Hong Kong Island to submit a detailed report on planning recommendations and supporting measures to the Hong Kong government.

All of this has only one goal: to acquire the core plots of Cyberport (A1, A2, B1), which can be called the golden heart of the future, at a "symbolic" land price far below the market price.

These top families in Hong Kong have long been adept at playing the game of the game.

They acquire land at low prices, then cloak it in the glamorous guise of "technology incubation" and "industrial upgrading," cleverly and gradually transforming the originally promised science and technology innovation spaces into towering, incredibly profitable luxury seaside residences and top-tier office buildings.

This is an unchanging ironclad rule that has remained unchanged for decades, a silent carnival for capital.

This beautifully packaged "Cyberport" should have been the most dazzling new star on this golden avenue, the perfect stage for Li Zekai to prove his abilities, surpass his brother, and win his father's true favor.

According to the script, he should use the name of "revitalizing science and technology innovation" to lock in core land at a near-cabbage price, and then elegantly enjoy the huge dividends from land appreciation and real estate development in the future.

However, all the meticulous planning and strategizing were shattered today in that damned bidding hall by a nouveau riche from the mainland in the most direct, barbaric, and unreasonable way!

Lu Yang!

That damned name, like a poisoned steel needle, pierced deeply into Li Zekai's mind.

Not only did he fail to secure the expected low price, but he also lost all the prime, high-located plots of land (Area A and Area B) that he was determined to acquire.
The so-called "joint development of Zone C" touted by those officials from the Planning Department sounds grand, but in reality, it's just scraps left over from beggars!

Area C is located in a remote area with scattered plots, making its development difficult and its future value vastly different from Area A, which is near the sea, and Area B, which is in the heart of the CBD!

This is hardly a loss in competition.

This is blatant plunder, a public humiliation of skinning and dismembering!
Lu Yang's seemingly calm and even gaze, and his seemingly casual yet incredibly weighty words, "Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Li. It's a pleasure to cooperate with you in Zone C," were now endlessly looping and amplifying in Li Zekai's mind. Every word felt like a red-hot iron branding his pride.

The other party displayed a terrifying audacity, completely disregarding short-term profits and losses, as if what they were throwing away wasn't a huge sum of money that would make any wealthy person wince, but rather a pile of meaningless waste paper.

This crazy, "even at a loss, I'll grab it" approach completely disrupted his meticulously planned strategy.

"Ahhhh——!"

Li Zekai let out a beast-like growl and suddenly grabbed the Motorola 3200 "Big Brother" phone on the table—a brick-like black communication device that had once been his source of pride.

At this moment, it became the only outlet for his boundless rage.

"Lu Yang! You bastard!" His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently into the void, as if Lu Yang were standing right in front of him. His teeth were clenched, and every word was filled with deep-seated hatred. "Good! Good methods!!!"

Before he finished speaking, he used all his strength to smash the heavy phone hard onto the smooth, mirror-like Italian marble floor!
"Clang! Crash—!"

Another deafening bang, more violent than any before. The sturdy "big brother" mobile phone instantly disintegrated, its plastic casing shattering into pieces, expensive electronic components scattered all over the floor, and shards of glass from the screen flying far away. This violent scene made the servants and assistants, who had been standing silently at a distance, tremble. They lowered their heads even further, barely breathing.

Billions!

All that remained in Li Zekai's mind was this cold, enormous number, pulsating wildly, tinged with a bloody red.

This is the most conservative estimate of the huge profits that he lost due to this defeat, profits that should have been easily obtained!

It was his key bargaining chip to prove himself to his father and outmaneuver his older brother!

Now, all of that has vanished like smoke. And the culprit behind it all is that damned Lu Yang!

He wished he could tear Lu Yang to pieces immediately, devour his flesh, and drink his blood! This overwhelming hatred almost completely consumed his remaining reason.

Meanwhile, Lu Yang, the other protagonist of the incident and the head of Century Group, was at the brightly lit and elegantly dressed Hong Kong Island government's victory celebration banquet.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, he stood calmly in a perfectly tailored dark suit, a faint, serene smile playing on his lips, maintaining a just-right distance from the lively atmosphere around him.

He could probably guess what was going on with Li Zekai's furious outburst in his penthouse, but he felt nothing but indifference and disdain.

“Ha, Cyberport…” Lu Yang gently swirled the crystal champagne glass in his hand, the golden liquid reflecting a mesmerizing luster under the dazzling lights. He sneered inwardly, “Isn’t it just land acquired through fair competition at market prices? These so-called port tycoons, are they used to sucking blood while lying down? Once they follow the rules and don’t get a huge advantage, they feel like they’ve lost a fortune? Really… they’ve lost all sense of shame. Technology-driven port development? What a catchy slogan.”

The highlight of the banquet was undoubtedly the "historic" appearance of Lu Yang and Li Zekai, the two protagonists who had just clashed fiercely in the business world. Under the spotlight of countless political and business figures and media reporters with their cameras and microphones, the two were deliberately arranged to be together by the organizers. The flashbulbs went off wildly, recording this dramatic moment.

Li Zekai had clearly undergone meticulous "repairs," his expensive custom-made suit was now impeccably tailored, his tie was straight, and he even managed to force a "proper" business smile on his face.

His smile was stiff, and the anger and humiliation churning deep in his eyes, like a volcano about to erupt, were forcibly suppressed under a thin mask, giving him an eerie and cold aura.

Lu Yang, on the other hand, appeared calm and composed. He extended his hand proactively, his posture impeccable.

"Mr. Li, it's a pleasure to meet you." His voice was steady, devoid of any emotion.

Li Zekai almost gritted his teeth as he raised his hand to give him a brief, perfunctory handshake; the touch was cold and stiff.

“Lu Sheng, impressive skills. I, Li… have learned my lesson.” Li Zekai’s voice was extremely low, only the two of them could hear it clearly. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling, poisonous edge.

Next, to outsiders, the two giants appeared to be having an in-depth exchange about the future technological blueprint of Hong Kong Island.

They stood close together, nodding occasionally and whispering sometimes.

Lu Yang maintained that elegant and aloof smile throughout, as if he were talking about something unimportant like the weather.

Li Zekai, suppressing his overwhelming hatred, used a volume only they could hear to hurl the most vicious and offensive Cantonese profanities at Lu Yang and all the female members of his family.

His words were like poisoned daggers, attempting to pierce his opponent's composure in the shadows where no one knew.

What about Lu Yang?
Faced with this barrage of foul language, his smile seemed to deepen, but his eyes were sharp as ice.

He also lowered his voice, responding fluently but equally harshly and sharply, precisely retorting to the past, each word piercing the heart, directly pointing to Li Zekai's current predicament and the Li family's "traditional" behavior.

The two exchanged barbs, their words sharp and witty, appearing calm on the surface but secretly locked in a fierce battle of wits and bloodshed.

However, to the media reporters craning their necks around, all of this presented a completely different picture:
"Look, look! Lu Sheng and Li Sheng are standing so close!"

"They must be discussing the details of their collaboration in Area C! It's a powerful alliance!"

"Seeing them chatting happily (Lu Yang's smile) and nodding frequently (Li Zekai's stiff movements as he suppressed his anger), Cyberport's future is promising! The cooperation between Century Group and PCCW Digital Properties will surely usher in a new era of technology in Hong Kong Island!"

"Click! Click!" The flashes went off even faster as the reporters excitedly captured this moment of "harmony and win-win," and tomorrow's headline was practically already forming in their minds.

No one knows what kind of thrilling, silent war, filled with curses and hatred, is being waged between the two protagonists on this glamorous, clinking stage.

The smoke of capital battles and the humiliation of individuals, beneath the veneer of hypocritical champagne bubbles, silently boil and churn. (End of Chapter)