1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 699 Underground Network!

"looking at what?"

Just then, the door opened, and Li Changhe strolled in leisurely.

"I'm reading the story about us published by Oriental Daily."

"Honey, you know what, it's actually quite well-written. I even felt sorry for myself after reading it, since the plot is so full of twists and turns."

Rosamund Kwan held up the newspaper in her hand and said with a grin.

If she hadn't known her relationship with Li Changhe so well, she probably would have believed the description in the newspaper.

Unfortunately, this man was much more ruthless than they had imagined.

"The Oriental Daily News!"

Li Changhe casually picked up the newspaper, glanced at it a few times, and then tossed it aside.

Li Changhe was certainly disgusted by fabricated gossip stories about himself, but he couldn't do anything to the Oriental Daily right now. The reason was simple: the Ma family's influence behind the Oriental Daily.

The Ma family behind Oriental Daily News was one of the biggest gangsters in Hong Kong in its early years. They were said to have done even more than Limpy Ho. Moreover, the Ma brothers were shrewd and not as arrogant as Limpy Ho.

They also came from a triad background, being the earliest triad group with the initials "Fu Yi Xing".

There's an old saying in Hong Kong's underworld: "The greatest peace and happiness belong to the oldest, Fuk Yee Hing." Therefore, Fuk Yee Hing is often referred to as "Old Fuk."

The Ma brothers both came from the Old Fu family, but the difference is that they focused on making money rather than on the triads.

Oriental Daily was originally a channel for the Ma brothers to sell drugs. They used the newspaper to display drug sales information, so it was also known as the "Drug Newspaper".

In addition, this is also a channel for laundering their drug money, because newspapers circulate throughout Hong Kong every day and belong to the retail industry, so a lot of money circulates, and it is not particularly significant in the Ma family's wealth.

However, with the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the four chief detectives fled to Hong Kong, and the drug lords under their protection were also arrested one after another. The Ma brothers also fled.

The two brothers ran away to Taiwan and went to keep company with the five-hundred-million-dollar detective, Lu Le. This is also why Li Changhe can't touch the Oriental Daily now.

This newspaper is actually very pro-Island, and there's a good chance that people on the island are remotely controlling it.

Li Changhe even suspected that this tabloid news might have been deliberately fabricated by the other party to disgust him.

"These people are making up quite a story, didn't you send someone to warn them?"

"Aren't you afraid your fiancée will see these news reports?"

At this moment, Rosamund Kwan looked at Li Changhe with curiosity.

Li Changhe shook his head: "She had already seen it, and even asked me about it."

"I wanted to see you before, but I told you you weren't here."

"Wow, the legal wife wants to see me, her mistress? That sounds very generous of her. It's a pity that concubinage is no longer allowed in Hong Kong."

At this moment, Rosamund Kwan said sourly.

She would feel happier if her fiancée was angry, but now, after hearing what Bao Zeyang said, she felt rather depressed.

"There's no need to be so sarcastic. I'll tell her some things too; you can't hide it from her now."

"You are just in different positions with me."

"I'll arrange for you to meet when I have time later, so the media won't stir up trouble about your relationship in the future."

Given the nature of Hong Kong media, this kind of thing is out of the question.

"This Oriental Daily News is quite bold. I heard they have triad connections. Aren't the triads in Hong Kong usually giving you a lot of face?"

At this moment, Rosamund Kwan crossed her long legs and sat on the sofa, curiously asking Li Changhe again.

Li Changhe shook his head: "Behind the Oriental Daily is Lao Fu. After the four chief detectives, Lü Le and the others, ran away, Lao Fu fell into a slump and most of his territory was taken away."

"So right now, their influence on Hong Kong Island isn't actually that great. In terms of financial strength, they can't compete with Sun Hung Kai Properties and Alphabet Group."

"But there is one industry they still firmly control, and that is the noodle stalls."

"They are still one of the largest drug trafficking forces in Hong Kong. These drug sellers are engaged in a life-threatening business. So in terms of power, they are not the largest, but in terms of risking their lives, Lao Fu and his gang are the most ruthless."

“Now that the Ma brothers are hiding on the other side of the island, even if I take down the Oriental Daily, it won’t be a serious blow to the Ma brothers and Lao Fu. On the contrary, it will attract their retaliation.”

"I'm not afraid of retaliation against you, but it's not a good thing for you right now!"

Li Changhe whispered to Guan Zhilin, who was analyzing the situation.

Of course, there are some things he hasn't said yet.

The Ma brothers' success in building their noodle stall in Hong Kong Island is inseparable from the support they received from the Golden Triangle region.

According to Li Changhe, their connection to the supply of goods was through a defeated general in the Golden Triangle, and the identity of the person who facilitated this connection was obvious—likely an intelligence agency on the island.

Therefore, it's not surprising that Oriental Daily News is pro-Taiwan. The fact that the Ma brothers were able to escape to the island unharmed is probably closely related to this network.

On the surface, it appears to be a newspaper, but in reality, it involves an underground network that stretches from the Golden Triangle to Hong Kong and Macau and throughout Southeast Asia.

This network will last for many years, and Li Changhe estimates that even the future industrial parks will likely be inextricably linked to it.

So now, he doesn't want to alert the enemy.

He also had to pretend to be a simple businessman tycoon.

However, in two years, when the Sino-British negotiations end and Hong Kong Island becomes a free and undisciplined place, that will be the time for him to take action.

At that time, Li Changhe will settle accounts with each and every one of these forces.

"Okay, now that you mention it, it does seem quite troublesome."

"No wonder the Oriental Daily dares to write about anything and everything, all sorts of gossip."

Rosamund Kwan shook her head, saying with a helpless expression.

"Don't worry, I'll arrange for someone to warn them."

Li Changhe then smiled.

Although he didn't want to completely dismantle the Oriental Daily News, he could still arrange for someone to "visit and discuss" it.

Previously, Gong Xue was the one who gossiped about these things and had always wanted to see them, but he was too lazy to deal with it.

Now that Gong Xue is gone and Guan Zhilin, the person involved, has returned, he naturally has to deal with this matter.

Oriental Daily News headquarters, president's office.

"President, a Mr. Wen has arrived outside. He says he is an old friend of yours and wants to meet with you."

"Mr. Wen? What's your name?"

Ma Chengkun asked with a frown.

"This is his business card. He said you'll know once you take a look."

The secretary placed Wendy's business card in front of Ma Chengkun.

Ma Chengkun frowned slightly when he saw the names on the list.

The Ma brothers are a pair. The elder brother is known as "White F Ma," while the younger brother is known as "Golden Ma," because he is mainly responsible for financial work involving money laundering and circulation.

Ma Chengkun is the son of the second son, Jinma. After his father and uncle fled to the island, he took over the Oriental Daily News and served as its president.

However, this was only his official position. In reality, he also took over many of the Ma family's assets in this area, including a finance company.

It's worth noting that the Ma brothers were among the first in Hong Kong's triads to use finance companies to launder their money.

He naturally recognized Wendy from the business card and had met her once before.

This was the former head of the finance company for the gambling ships on the high seas off Hong Kong Island, but he has since left the company because he gained the trust of that "little bastard" and became his representative on certain levels in Hong Kong Island.

"Please come in quickly!"

Ma Chengkun spoke immediately at this moment. Soon, Wendy walked in, dressed in a suit and smiling.

"Brother Ma, it's been a long time!"

"Who do we have here? It's Brother Wen! Please, have a seat!"

The two had dealt with each other once before, because Ma Chengkun wanted to put some money into the gambling ship, since loan sharking had always been one of their family's core businesses.

Unfortunately, Wendy rejected him, but the two didn't fall out, and the atmosphere remained harmonious.

"Brother Ma, I'm here. I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'm here on the boss's orders."

"Recently, the newspapers under Brother Ma's control have been publishing a lot of gossip about my boss. Although they used pseudonyms, everyone isn't stupid; they can tell who it is at a glance!"

"You know our boss prefers a low profile and doesn't like these kinds of news stories, so he arranged for me to talk to Brother Ma and see if he could give us some face?"

Wendy then took out several newspapers from her briefcase, specifically the Oriental Daily's issues featuring gossip about Li Changhe, and placed them on Ma Chengkun's desk.

Ma Chengkun picked it up and glanced at it, then shook his head: "Brother Wen, I'm really sorry, I really don't know anything about this."

"As you know, although I am the president, I basically don't pay attention to these kinds of small things; that's all handled by the editorial department."

"Alright, allow me to find out what's going on, and I will definitely give Mr. Bao an explanation."

Ma Chengkun said sincerely at this moment, and he wasn't lying.

Such a trivial matter certainly wouldn't warrant his personal instruction.

“I know all this, so I just came to chat with Brother Ma. Mr. Bao doesn’t need any explanation, he just wants the content removed. He doesn’t like people talking about his affairs.”

"Mr. Bao is still young and cares about his image, unlike other older people who are more easygoing."

"So I'll have to trouble you, Brother Ma, to keep an eye on this!"

Wendy said with a smile.

Ma Chengkun nodded: "Understood, I'll arrange it right away."

He then picked up the phone on the table and called his secretary in.

“Jennifer, go tell the editorial department that these rumors alluding to Mr. Bao are no longer allowed to be published.”

In front of Wendy, Ma Chengkun spoke seriously to his secretary.

"Okay, boss!"

After the secretary left, Ma Chengkun looked at Wendy again.

"Brother Wen, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect the people below to be so ignorant and accidentally offend Mr. Bao."

"We hope you can go back and explain to us that the Oriental Daily did not do it intentionally."

"Don't worry, I told Bao Sheng before I came that I had contact with Brother Ma. Although we didn't reach an agreement at the time, I know your character. This kind of thing must have been done by someone below."

"That's why I came to communicate with Brother Ma in person."

"By the way, I feel very sorry that the cooperation that Brother Ma mentioned last time did not succeed, but the finance company was indeed quite strict at the time."

"Now I can reveal some news to Brother Ma: the gambling ship business has been fully transferred to SJM Holdings."

Wendy then smiled and said to Ma Chengkun.

After hearing this, Ma Chengkun's eyes lit up. The other party's meaning was very clear: if you want to cooperate, go to SJM Holdings.

"Brother Wen, thank you for your guidance."

"Don't worry, I will give the order that the Oriental Daily will never again have any negative news about the Bao family."

Ma Chengkun immediately patted his chest and said.

Wendy smiled and said, "Then, Brother Ma, I won't bother you any longer. You go ahead with your work, and I'll treat you to drinks after this period is over."

"Alright, then I'll be looking forward to your banquet, Brother Wen. You can't go back on your word!"

Ma Chengkun then saw Wendy off with a smile.

After seeing Wendy off, Ma Chengkun's expression changed, and he returned to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Have Editor-in-Chief Lin come to my office."

Soon, the editor-in-chief of Oriental Daily arrived at Ma Chengkun's office.

"What's wrong, Cheng Kun? What do you need me for?"

"Uncle Lin, I'd like to ask, who arranged for these gossip stories about Xiao Baosheng?"

Generally speaking, Oriental Daily News would not directly edit news about such bigwigs, especially negative or gossip-type news, unless it is public news or news that has a direct conflict with the Ma family.

Therefore, the reason for publishing these several issues in a row is definitely not simply for the sake of sales.

"It was arranged by Deputy Editor-in-Chief Chen. He said this kind of news would definitely increase sales. But I guess it was arranged by Deputy Director Dai. He has close ties with the Freedom Association, and the Freedom Association has a conflict with Xiao Baosheng."

Editor-in-Chief Lin is no fool to have risen to the position of editor-in-chief at a newspaper like Oriental Daily. The fact that the president is suddenly paying attention to this today clearly indicates there's more to it than meets the eye.

After listening, Ma Chengkun nodded. He actually knew more, such as that Vice President Dai's identity was quite unusual, but he couldn't control it.

"Alright, pass on my message: from now on, no negative news about the Bao family is allowed to be published. No one is allowed to make any decisions without my permission."

He may not be able to control the deputy editor-in-chief, but that doesn't mean he can't control the Oriental Daily. After all, the Oriental Daily is owned by Ma, and they only have a cooperative relationship with some people.

He could turn a blind eye to some things, but now that the core interests of the Ma family were being affected, he couldn't just sit idly by.

The financial channels of SJM Holdings are extremely important to their family.

On the other side, Wendy, having finished all that, quickly arrived at the club building in Deep Water Bay and reported to Li Changhe.

“Boss, Ma Chengkun has already given the order in front of me: no more news about you shall be published.”

"But is it really necessary for us to involve him in the financial company of SJM Holdings for such a small matter?"

Wendy hesitated for a moment. Of course, he wouldn't reveal the financial information of SJM Holdings to Ma Chengkun for no reason; it was all hinted at by Li Changhe.

He just couldn't understand why such a small matter warranted such a large repayment.

“I have my reasons. After you bring them to SJM Holdings’ finance department, you can also take the opportunity to investigate the Ma family’s sources of funds and businesses.”

"Remember, don't let them find out, and don't cause any trouble. Just investigate these things thoroughly."

At this moment, Li Changhe gave Wendy instructions.

Wendy was slightly taken aback after hearing this, and then her heart skipped a beat.

Good heavens, is the boss trying to wipe out the entire Ma family?

Li Changhe glanced at Wendy, seemingly guessing what she was thinking, and said calmly, "Don't guess wildly or make assumptions. All I want is specific information about the Ma family."

He wouldn't go so far as to wipe out the entire Ma family over such a trivial matter. Li Changhe did this mainly because he suddenly thought of something and wanted to take some precautions in advance.

I wonder how close their relationship will be in the future Southern Media Group?

Li Changhe made this arrangement because he suddenly realized that the rapid development of southern China in the future would be due not only to overt overseas strategic investments, but also to the influx of funds from these underground forces.

The rise of many wealthy people in the south is inextricably linked to these underground funds.

Unfortunately, these funds are difficult to monitor because they flow in from underground sources. What Li Changhe wants to do now is simply to use the fact that Aoyu Finance has opened a loophole, and then use this as a starting point to gradually grasp the direction of these funds' flow, thereby determining the underground industries and capital of these people.

While this influx of capital has brought about economic development, it has also brought about many malignant problems.

He won't need to lift a finger; he just needs to submit the information, and when the higher-ups are cleaning up these cancerous tumors, they will naturally wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

This was Li Changhe's true intention, but he certainly couldn't discuss this with Wendy.

In fact, Li Changhe's guess was correct. In the future, a notorious microfinance company in China will be one of the companies supported by the Ma family.

(End of this chapter)