Hong Kong variety show: Hung Hing, are you contributing to society?

The night was deep, like thick, unyielding ink, tightly enveloping the old tenement building.

After this dinner, there should be no doubt that I will become the leader of Mong Kok.

However, for him, the next two months will be the toughest battle.

Having caused such a big incident, it's bound to attract the attention of various market manipulators.

But this is also the result Lin Yaodong wanted.

In that case, those people will ignore Yaodong Capital.

That's where Lin Yaodong really makes his big money.

Pulling themselves out of their thoughts, the three entered the tenement building.

The hallway lights were dim, barely dispelling a small patch of shadow.

Gao Jin and Xiao Fu, looking slightly tired, followed behind Lin Yaodong. The three of them tacitly parted ways at the narrow fork in the corridor, each heading towards the small space they called home.

Lin Yaodong took out his keys, and the clanging of metal was particularly clear in the quiet corridor.

He was heading straight for his room, but as he passed through the familiar corridor leading to the stairwell, he involuntarily slowed down and eventually stopped.

He stood there, his brows slightly furrowed, a strange, indescribable feeling lingering in his heart.

What is it?

He looked around.

The walls were mottled, the windowsills were covered with a thin layer of dust, and the cobwebs in the corners were ignored... Everything seemed normal, yet something was clearly missing.

It feels like a familiar tune suddenly missing a crucial note; though not jarring, it makes the whole melody sound awkward.

Suddenly, as if a glimmer of light had pierced through the fog, he suddenly understood.

That figure was missing—Ruan Mei.

Gone is that figure who would sit quietly at the bottom of the stairs every evening, perhaps with an unfinished handicraft in his hand, but whose gaze would always seem to drift towards the figure downstairs.

Gone was that slightly reproachful remark, replaced by a more concerned one: "You're back? The food's cold."

"Oh no..."

A feeling mixed with guilt quietly crept into Lin Yaodong's heart.

These past few days, he has devoted almost all his energy to the ever-changing stock market.

Although he navigated the stock market with the help of the system's predictive card, frequently meeting with stock manager Wang Xia to analyze market trends and make buying and selling decisions.

But the stock market is ever-changing.

When things get busy, he eats out for all three meals, and even stays in hotels arranged by Wang Xia for several nights in a row, just for convenience.

I haven't been back to this tenement building much lately, and even when I do go out, it's usually just a quick trip. It's been several days since I've had a proper dinner with Ruan Mei.

Lin Yaodong is highly experienced.

From the moment Ruan Mei began waiting for him at the stairwell for meals day after day, he clearly realized that his seemingly unintentional care and somewhat domineering closeness had been quietly shaking the heart of this frugal, simple, and slightly Jewish girl, like water dripping on stone.

She started leaving the light on for him and warming his meals, her eyes revealing a subtle, unspoken concern.

And what about himself?

Upon realizing this sentiment, the vanity that belongs to successful men deep in their hearts inevitably began to flutter.

It's a subtle experience to be silently remembered by a clean and beautiful woman, enough to satisfy a certain latent desire for conquest and a sense of existence.

He enjoyed this ambiguous attraction, and even took it for granted that the lamp and the bowl of rice would always be there waiting.

This is a common problem for men, he thought. They easily become complacent when they get what they want, forgetting that the waiting requires equal appreciation to maintain the relationship.

He shook his head to clear his mind of these chaotic thoughts, and his gaze unconsciously fell on the door at the end of the corridor that belonged to Ruan Mei.

This sight, however, stirred up his emotions, which had just begun to calm down.

Light still shone through the window, dim and yellow, yet it stood out starkly at a time when most residents had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep.

What surprised him even more was that the door was half-open, with a crack, as if it was waiting for someone, or as if someone had just gone in and forgotten to close it properly.

Not right.

Ruan Mei has always maintained a regular schedule, adhering to the principle of "early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy and saves on electricity bills." Usually, by this time, she would already be asleep, and her bedroom door would be tightly closed.

Is she waiting for me?

Or... what happened tonight?

An indescribable feeling, whether it was worry or something else, prompted Lin Yaodong to walk towards that door.

As you get closer, some faint sounds drift out from under the door.

It was the voice of several women talking, chattering away. Although they were speaking in hushed tones, their voices were still clearly audible in the stillness of the night.

Lin Yaodong stopped abruptly in front of the door, listening intently.

He recognized that voice!

A voice, punctuated by a noticeable stutter, came through—it was Su Xiaoxiao, the little stutterer.

Why is she here instead of watching over the bar?

Another voice, speaking in slightly awkward, uniquely charming Mandarin, was one he knew all too well—it was Aoyama Rinko.

This woman from the island nation is always very measured in her actions, so why would she be at Ruan Mei's house at this time?

There is another one, of course, Nguyen Mai herself.

Her voice sounded no different from usual, but Lin Yaodong still keenly caught a hint of tension and strain.

Having spent so much time together, Lin Yaodong would never have misheard.

These three women, in theory, have no overlapping life paths. Su Xiaoxiao works at a bar, Qingshan Lunzi has her own circle, and Ruan Mei stays at home except for work. How did they end up together?

And it just so happens to be right in front of his "home"?

A feeling mixed with doubt and a sense of foreboding made Lin Yaodong take a deep breath and push open the half-closed door.

squeak-

The old wooden door made a slight sound as it was pushed open, immediately pausing the conversation inside as if a pause button had been pressed.

Three pairs of eyes turned to the doorway and focused on Lin Yaodong.

After a brief silence, Ruan Mei was the quickest to react.

A complex and unreadable expression flashed across her face for a moment, a mixture of surprise, grievance, and perhaps a hint of panic at being caught in the act.

But she quickly suppressed all of this. Almost instinctively, with an eagerness akin to declaring ownership, she stood up from her chair, strode to Lin Yaodong's side, took his arm, and said in a deliberately soft voice, "You're back?"

This sudden display of intimacy left Lin Yaodong momentarily stunned.

The warmth and pressure from his arm were real, but his mind was racing: Have we... progressed to the point where we can link arms so naturally?

In my memory, the closest contact between the two of them was when he shamelessly helped her wash the dishes and took the opportunity to touch her hand a few more times.

Why are you being so proactive today?

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Lin Yaodong's gaze swept over the rapidly changing expressions on the faces of the other two women in the room, and he immediately understood seven or eight parts of the situation.

Su Xiaoxiao's big eyes were practically spitting fire. Although Qingshan Lunzi maintained a proper smile, the sharpness that flashed in the depths of her eyes did not escape Lin Yaodong's notice.

A drama of women fighting over a man... a chaotic mess?

Lin Yaodong sighed inwardly. What was bound to happen had finally happened, but he hadn't expected it to happen in this way, at this time, and so abruptly.

But Lin Yaodong remained calm.