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

Causeway Bay, Lin Yaodong's stronghold.

The atmosphere here is completely different.

The neighbors' reactions were surprisingly unified: not confusion, but indignation.

Especially under those old banyan trees and in the park, elderly people gathered to chat, play chess, and cool off, and they almost unanimously voiced their support for Lin Yaodong.

An elderly woman with a full head of silver hair, leaning on a cane, stomped her cane on the ground in anger, her voice trembling: "Damn you!! These damned newspapers, writing nonsense."

"They're slandering our Ah Dong! Their kids are incompetent!"

A shirtless old man next to him, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, angrily chimed in, "Exactly! Aren't there any good people among the gangsters?"

If it weren't for Ah Tung watching over this street, those Vietnamese gangs would have been wiped out long ago!

"Where else can we find such peace and tranquility, where we can sit and relax in the shade?"

"Hmph, I think it would be better if my grandson wrote it than if they could!"

An elderly man wearing reading glasses, who looked somewhat cultured, pushed up his glasses and analyzed, "No need to be shy, this is clearly someone who's jealous of Ah Dong and wants to get rid of him. Look at how much he makes in the stock market, wouldn't the police be envious?"

"Definitely! When I see who wrote this nonsense, I'll puncture their tires!" A hot-tempered middle-aged resident shouted, waving his fist.

Despite the newspapers portraying Lam Yiu-tung as utterly wicked, in Causeway Bay, a territory he had long cultivated and which enjoyed great popularity, local opinion was almost unanimously in support of him.

They believed more in what they saw and felt firsthand—that Lin Yaodong's arrival had improved the security of the area and made the petty thugs who bullied and harassed the market more restrained.

This kind of trust, based on personal interests, is far more solid than a few news reports from dubious sources.

At this moment, inside a luxurious ocean-view suite at the Peninsula Hotel.

Lin Yaodong had just woken up from a deep sleep.

Outside the window, the surface of Victoria Harbour shimmered with golden light under the rising sun, foreshadowing another sunny and hot day. However, his body felt an unprecedented fatigue and soreness.

Lin Yaodong now had a deeper understanding of that ancient proverb.

Wang Xia, a shrewd and capable career woman in the financial market, possesses an astonishing passion and energy in private, which even makes him, a powerful man who has undergone systematic physical enhancement, somewhat unable to keep up.

If it weren't for the phone on the bedside table persistently buzzing and vibrating, he probably would have succumbed to that gentle embrace for much longer.

Lin Yaodong frowned and impatiently reached for his phone.

The screen displayed more than twenty missed call notifications, a dense list of names that included almost all the prominent uncles and leaders of the Hung Hing Society:

Big Boss B, Chen Yao, Brother Ji... even the private number of the gang leader Jiang Tiansheng was prominently listed.

This scene instantly sobered him up considerably.

He could guess what had happened without even answering the phone.

It must have been the police who made the move, and it was a subtle yet deadly one.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and first called back Boss B.

The call was answered almost instantly, and Boss B's signature loud voice, filled with anxiety and unease, immediately came through the receiver:

"Ah Dong! Have you seen today's newspaper? You're the headline all over Hong Kong! They've written about you like you're some heinous villain! They're saying you're laundering money!"

My uncles and aunts were all so shocked they almost peed their pants! All my money, my entire fortune, is with you!

Lin Yaodong's voice was surprisingly calm, even tinged with a hint of languor, as if he were discussing a trivial matter unrelated to himself:

"Brother B, morning. Don't panic and speak slowly."

As he listened to Boss B's incoherent narration, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the skyscrapers of Central in the distance, his eyes gradually turning cold and sharp.

"All the newspapers are reporting on me? Ha!"

He chuckled lightly, a laugh devoid of any tension, but rather carrying a mocking air of complete control. "This setup clearly indicates someone is trying to sabotage us. Who has the power to get all the newspapers in Hong Kong to badmouth someone? It's obvious it's the police."

He paused, his tone becoming more composed, carrying an undeniable persuasiveness: "Brother B, you can tell the uncles and elders, don't worry."

I, Lin Yaodong, am a man of my word. If they wanted to recruit someone, why would they resort to so many underhanded tactics? Wouldn't it be better to just come to my door and recruit me directly?

They're doing this to force us into a panic, hoping we'll reveal our weaknesses.

Tell everyone to come and have some tea, play cards, and stop scaring yourselves.

After finally calming down the agitated Boss B, he had just hung up when his phone rang again. This time it was Chen Yao, the White Paper Fan from Hung Hing.

Chen Yao's voice was relatively calm, but the worry in his tone was equally evident: "Adong, the situation doesn't seem good. Public opinion is very unfavorable for us; the police's move is ruthless. Will we encounter financial problems?"

"Brother Yao, don't worry." Lin Yaodong remained calm. "Our funds have a clear history and can withstand scrutiny. At least on the surface, there's absolutely no problem."

They're doing this simply to psychologically break us down, to make us panic. The more they try to do that, the more stable we need to be.

Immediately following was a call from Jiang Tiansheng, the company's leader.

Jiang Tiansheng's voice was as steady as ever, carrying the authority of a superior, but upon closer listening, one could also detect a subtle tension: "Ah Dong, what do you think of what's in the newspaper? The reputation of the gang, and the funds of all the uncles, cannot be compromised in any way."

"Mr. Jiang, good morning." Lin Yaodong maintained the necessary respect for the leader. "It's alright. This is just psychological warfare by the police."

Our money is operating normally in the stock market, and the returns are considerable.

Our money is from a legitimate source, Mr. Jiang, please rest assured. I know what's important, there won't be any problems.

Faced with a barrage of questions from these senior members of the triad, Lin Yaodong displayed a composure and maturity far beyond his years.

He knew that at this moment, even the slightest hesitation or fear on his part could lead to the collapse of the entire team.

It took him nearly half an hour to calm down all the anxious uncles and patriarchs.

When he finally put down his phone and was about to take a shower to clear his head, a pair of soft arms wrapped around his waist from behind.

Wang Xia had woken up at some point and quietly walked up behind him.

She was only wearing his white shirt, the hem of which just went past her thighs, her exquisite figure faintly visible in the morning light.

While Lin Yaodong was engrossed in making the phone call, she even playfully touched him, trying to distract him.

"Did I wake you up?" Lin Yaodong turned around and pulled her into his arms.

Wang Xia pressed her face against his firm chest, listening to his steady, strong heartbeat, and asked worriedly, "The police are so obviously targeting you now... What are you planning to do next? Should you... lay low for a while?"

Lin Yaodong didn't answer immediately. Instead, he held her and looked out the window again at the concrete jungle that symbolized wealth and power. A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "Avoid? Why avoid? Not only will I not avoid, I will continue on my path."

The more they try to make things difficult for me, the more money I'll make, so they'll just have to watch helplessly.

(Some of the dialogue was not expressed in standard Mandarin, so Cantonese was used.)