Hong Kong film: The cop backs down, the ladies beg me to check his license.

"No need to panic." Ye Tian waved his hand, his tone as calm as if he were discussing what to have for supper that night. "They don't know who took the things. They probably don't even know which deity they've offended." He raised his chin and pointed at the metal objects on the coffee table. "Put them away, separate them. Guns are guns, bullets are bullets, and find a safe place to store the grenades."

"Keep it, just in case."

"Understood, Brother Tian!" Lin Fu replied readily. He immediately got to work, sorting the pistol, rifle, grenades, and bullets, wrapping each item in clean pieces of coarse cloth, and stuffing them back into the black briefcase, zipping it all the way up. He did this with great focus; these were life-threatening items, and he couldn't be careless.

Ye Tian stood up, stretched lazily, his spine cracking slightly, and a relaxed expression appeared on his face: "Today wasn't a waste of time, time to sleep."

Lin Fu glanced at the clock on the wall; the hour hand had just passed two o'clock. He couldn't help but grin. "Brother Tian, ​​this time... is considered early for us, right?" He rubbed his hands together, a hint of eagerness in his eyes. "How about... we go to the arcade? They just got 'The King of Fighters '97,' it's super popular."

Ye Tian shook his head, his tone somewhat dismissive: "It's just kids' games, what's so interesting about that? Go play by yourself if you want, I'm not joining in."

Lin Fu chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I was just saying it casually. How could I really leave you behind?" He had something on his mind. His biggest wish was to save enough money to build a bright and spacious house for his elderly mother who lived alone in his hometown, so that she could live comfortably in her later years. All other entertainment had to take a backseat to this.

Ye Tian was satisfied with Lin Fu's honest and simple appearance. He had always believed that not all filial people were good people, but those who cared about their parents always had a bottom line in their actions, making them reassuring. Lin Fu had indeed become his most capable assistant during this time with him—reliable, obedient, and honest. Entrusting him with tasks gave him peace of mind. Since Lin Fu didn't really intend to go, Ye Tian didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards the bedroom.

Only a bedside lamp was on in the bedroom, its dim light barely illuminating the cover of the book beside his pillow: *The Interpretation of Dreams*. His predecessor had grown up hanging out on the streets with Liang Kun, barely finishing primary school before starting to make a living—a common occurrence in the triads, where many' education was limited to recognizing a few characters. But Ye Tian wasn't like that at heart. He came from another world, a graduate of a respectable university, well-educated. The difference in mannerisms between a semi-illiterate and an educated person was undeniable. To avoid being exposed, he deliberately mixed in profanities, mimicking his predecessor's tone, but this wasn't a long-term solution. Desperate, he started buying books, reading everything from novels and essays to economics and history, trying to gradually bridge the gap between himself and his predecessor, making his behavior more natural. Even in Hong Kong at that time, few intellectuals would actually bother to read a book like *The Interpretation of Dreams* carefully, let alone people in the triads. He thought that as long as he kept watching, over time, the people around him would get used to his occasional "different" behavior, and then he could slowly go back to being himself.

As Lin Fu packed his bag and prepared to leave, he paused, turned around, and asked again, "Brother Tian, ​​what about Qitian Group... are you really not going to check on them?" It was tens of millions of assets, and just leaving it there made him feel uneasy and empty.

Ye Tian didn't even look up, his gaze still on the book pages, and said casually, "I'm the boss, not an employee. I only need to show up every now and then; I don't need to be squatting there every day."

Lin Fu still didn't understand, and his brows furrowed again: "But that's tens of millions! That's no small amount. What if the people below mess things up..."

Ye Tian closed the book and pointed to the chair by the bed with his finger: "Sit." Lin Fu immediately straightened up and sat down. He knew that Brother Tian was going to teach him something.

"Managing a company isn't that complicated," Ye Tian said slowly. "You don't need to do everything yourself; leave the professional tasks to the professionals. But there are two things you absolutely must keep in your own hands: people and money."

"Find a reliable third party to keep an eye on the accounts and people for you. That way, even if you don't go to the company for three months, it can still run on its own without any major problems." He paused, his tone somewhat indifferent. "We're out here to make money, not to put ourselves through the wringer. Doing everything ourselves? There's no need." Ye Tian pointed to his temple. "We're all ordinary people; nobody has three heads and six arms. Those who can do everything are gods, not mortals. If you're a mortal, you need to know what you can and can't do."

"Look at Zhuge Liang, wasn't he smart? He managed everything, but what happened in the end? He died of exhaustion at Wuzhang Plains. I don't know if I have his brains, so I won't do such a foolish thing."

Lin Fu frowned, carefully considering Ye Tian's words. After thinking for a long time, he still felt uneasy: "That makes sense... but it's real money, and I still feel it's risky."

Ye Tian almost laughed, then waved his hand: "What's so uncertain! Didn't you make quite a bit tonight? Why are you still thinking about the company's little bit?"

Mentioning money, Lin Fu's face immediately lit up with a genuine smile: "Yes, Brother Tian! You gave me five million, and Brother Kun also gave me one million, a total of six million! I'll send it back tomorrow so my mother can get the house started. The rest will be saved for her retirement."

Ye Tian was slightly taken aback: "Brother Kun also gave a million?" He didn't expect that Brother Kun would be so generous to Lin Fu.

Lin Fu nodded and said naturally, "Brother Kun often gives me money, sometimes tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, saying it's to help with household expenses."

Ye Tian thought for a moment and said, "That's true. Brother Kun may look rough, but he's shrewd." He paused and then added, "However, don't send too much at once. Just send a few hundred thousand a month. The old folks are used to being frugal. If you suddenly send back millions, they'll be shocked and think you've been doing something that could get you killed."

"Keep the rest for now."

Lin Fu looked troubled. "Brother Tian, ​​I've thought about depositing it in the bank. But this money came from Ba Bi, and the source is questionable. Depositing it there would be too conspicuous and might cause trouble."

Ye Tian pondered for a moment: "I misunderstood. Here's what we'll do: I'll go talk to Brother Kun tomorrow and see if we can get rid of this money and clean it up. Then you can buy some property in Hong Kong."

"I have a house in my hometown, and I also need a place to stay in Hong Kong. I can't keep renting forever."

Lin Fu laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Forget it, Brother Tian. Hong Kong is a tiny place. What you're talking about, a thousand-square-foot mansion? Back in our hometown, it's just an ordinary house, and we'd be laughed at by the villagers." In his opinion, a spacious house is one where the bed isn't against three walls. Hong Kong's buildings are cramped.

Ye Tian admitted he was right: "It is small. But it's expensive."

"Buy now before prices skyrocket. Whether it's Repulse Bay or Mid-Levels on Victoria Peak, grab a good deal."

"If you really think one floor isn't enough to live in, just buy land and build your own. If a single floor isn't big enough, make up for it with more floors, and you'll always be comfortable."

Lin Fu was skeptical: "This...can it really work?" He knew nothing about the real estate market.

Ye Tian snorted through his nose: "Listen to me, you can't go wrong."

"Buy it now and wait for it to appreciate. In less than twenty years, a 1,000-square-foot house will be worth at least this much." He held up his index finger.

"Ten million?!" Lin Fu's eyes widened, his mouth opened, and his breathing quickened. "Brother Tian, ​​is it true?"

Seeing Ye Tian nod, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Then I'll go look at the apartments tomorrow! Thank you so much for your guidance, Brother Tian! You're truly my benefactor!"

Lin Fu left happily, his steps even lighter. Ye Tian picked up the book again, but after turning only a few pages, drowsiness washed over him like a tide, and the words on the page began to blur and move. He quickly fell asleep, and in his dream, there seemed to be a foreign old man in a suit and a beard arguing with him about the subconscious, absurd yet vivid.

He was fast asleep, unaware that the ripples caused by his few words were keeping others awake all night.

In a small conference room at the West Kowloon Police Station, the lights were a stark white, making faces appear pale. The projector hummed, displaying Ye Tian's photo and some basic information on the screen. Senior Inspector Lu Qichang of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau stood at the front, his uniform impeccably pressed, reporting to his two superiors.