Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Hong Kong Island, exit of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.

The black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, like a silent shark, smoothly glided into the bustling traffic of Hong Kong Island.

Inside the train carriage, the air conditioning was blasting, shutting out the subtropical heat and noise outside. Lu Chen held the phone in his hand, and on the other end of the receiver came a slightly static-filled voice from across the ocean.

"Boss, this is Arn."

Tian Yangen's voice carried a rare hint of relaxation. "We're in the foggy city of England, just came from St. Mary's Hospital. The specialists here diagnosed Ms. Ruan with 'congenital hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with mitral regurgitation,' a very rare genetic defect."

Last week, Ruan Mei couldn't help but make an overseas call to Lu Chen to tell him about her illness. She thought Lu Chen would look down on her for being "short-lived" and a burden. But to her surprise, Lu Chen not only didn't distance himself at all, but also called almost every day for the past two weeks to inquire about her condition. His concern and care made Ruan Mei both touched and guilty.

Lu Chen's grip on the phone tightened slightly: "Just tell me the result. Is it treatable?"

"Yes," Tian Yang'en's answer relieved Lu Chen, "but it's very troublesome. The doctor said that simple surgery is too risky, and current medical technology cannot eradicate it. However, a biological laboratory in the UK has just developed a targeted maintenance drug, which, combined with minimally invasive valve repair surgery, can completely control the condition."

"As long as she takes her medication on time and has regular check-ups, Ms. Ruan's lifespan will not be much different from that of a normal person."

"The bad news is..." Tian Yangen paused, "This drug is not yet in mass production; it's a laboratory-made product, and it's extremely expensive. The initial budget for the entire treatment, including surgery, is £1.5 million (approximately HKD 8.1 million)."

One and a half million pounds.

In this day and age, this amount of money is enough to buy two luxury homes in Mid-Levels or two small factories; for ordinary people, it's a death sentence.

"Money is not a problem." Lu Chen didn't hesitate at all. "As long as it can be cured, I'll spend 20 million."

That's what I told the doctor too.

Suddenly, the voice on the other end of the phone changed; it was Sophia. Her voice sounded domineering, exuding the arrogance of a newly crowned countess.

"Lu! Don't worry! When the doctor quoted the price, that poor little thing turned pale with fright and insisted on dragging me away, saying he didn't want treatment anymore. I was so angry that I slammed the check on the table and told him to arrange the best ward and surgery immediately!"

"Well done." Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh. After all, to deal with someone as proud as Ruan Mei, you had to rely on someone more assertive like Sophia.

"However..." Sofia changed the subject, "Ame still feels she owes a huge favor and keeps crying. Boss, she's one of your people, you have to comfort her."

The call was quickly handed to Ruan Mei.

"Chairman Lu... Chairman Lu..."

Ruan Mei's timid voice came through the receiver, with a heavy nasal tone, clearly indicating that she had just been crying.

"Fool, why are you crying?" Lu Chen's voice softened instantly. "It's only 1.5 million pounds. Do you think your life isn't worth as much as these few pieces of paper?"

"But...it's really too expensive..." Ruan Mei sobbed, "That's 1.5 million pounds...I could never earn that much money in my entire life...and Sister Sophia has already paid for it. I feel like a vampire."

"No, Amei."

Lu Chen's smile faded, and his tone became serious. "Listen to me, money is worthless; you can earn it back. But if you lose a person, you lose everything. You are a million times more important to me than any amount of money."

"And you don't need to feel guilty about this money." Lu Chen glanced at the street scene rushing past the window. "I've already had the finance department transfer ten million Hong Kong dollars to your account. Don't worry, this isn't charity; it's like an advance on your salary for the next fifty years."

"Once you recover, you're destined to work for me for the rest of your life to pay off my debts. Trying to run away? No way."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Ruan Mei's voice breaking through her tears and then laughing.

"What a joke... Okay, Mr. Lu, I won't run away. I'll work for you for the rest of my life... I'll work for you like a slave..."

"Listen to me, get well over there. Use the best medicine, stay in the best ward, I'll wait for you to recover."

"Hmm..." Ruan Mei's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet it was filled with boundless vitality and anticipation. "I understand. The doctor said the initial treatment will take about half a month. After the first stage of surgery, I can return to Hong Kong Island to continue the next stage of treatment."

"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chen breathed a long sigh of relief.

Ruan Mei's illness had always been a heavy burden on his mind. Although he had a system, it couldn't provide him with a "miracle cure." Now that it could be resolved through modern medicine, it was worth it, no matter how much money it cost.

"Boss, you seem to be in a good mood?"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Tian Yangyong turned around and, to his surprise, saw such a relaxed expression on his boss's face.

"That's a relief." Lu Chen put away the phone, regaining his usual composure. "By the way, A-Yong, has there been any movement in the martial arts world lately?"

As the head of Jiahe, Lu Chen's intelligence network not only relies on Fourth Brother and Song Zihao's underground network, but also on Tian Yangsheng's channels in the mercenary and security circles to collect information.

Tian Yangyong took out his small notebook, scratched his head, flipped through it, and finally spoke after a long while.

"There is a big matter. The results from Hung Hing are out."

"Oh?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. "Have Jiang Zhen's two sons finished their feud?"

"That's right," Tianyang reported. "Just yesterday, we received definite news that Jiang Tiansheng, in league with the twelve leaders of Hung Hing, staged a coup at the incense hall meeting. Although Jiang Tianyang was unwilling, the tide had turned. To avoid infighting and the division of the triad, Jiang Tianyang voluntarily withdrew."

Sure enough, the gears of the plot began to turn.

In the background of the "Young and Dangerous" series, after the death of Chiang Chun, the founder of Hung Hing Society, his two sons, Chiang Tin-sang and Chiang Tin-yeung, engaged in a secret struggle for the position of leader.

Although the movie didn't show it in detail, the outcome was clear: Chiang Tin-sang secured his position as the leader of Causeway Bay, commanding the twelve branches of Hung Hing; while Chiang Tin-yeung, who had a more ruthless and domineering personality, took his confidants to Thailand and started an arms and banana business, only returning to take charge many years later after Chiang Tin-sang was assassinated.

"Jiang Tiansheng is no simple man," Lu Chen commented.

Compared to his younger brother's domineering nature, Chiang Tin-sang was more like a politician and businessman; he knew how to utilize the rules and balance interests. Had he not been assassinated, under his leadership, Hung Hing would have gradually cleaned up its image and developed into a corporate entity.

"Boss, there's a major reshuffle going on within Hung Hing right now," Tin Yeung Yee added. "After Chiang Tin-sang took over, he started promoting new people. Boss B from Causeway Bay is really making waves lately. He's got a few really good henchmen under him, the leader is Chan Ho-nam, and there's another one called Chicken."

"Chan Ho-nam... Chicken..."

Upon hearing these two names, Lu Chen's lips curled into a playful smile.

The era of swords clashing and bloodshed on the streets is finally coming.

"Boss, should we get involved?" Tin Yeung-yung asked, his eyes shining. "The Hung Hing triad is undergoing a reshuffling right now, and many of their territories are unstable. If our Golden Harvest Security wants to get into the nightclub security business, now is an opportunity."

"Am I crazy?!" Lu Chen looked at Tian Yangyong, this simpleton, in surprise. "Triad affairs are a murky mess. No matter how long a shorty has been involved, he's still a shorty. Jiahe is already a golden brand; there's no need for him to get involved in this mess."

"However..." he then changed the subject, "...we should keep an eye on the person."

In the world of gangsters, although most of them are scoundrels, there are indeed a few rare talents.

"Have Fourth Brother keep an eye on things," Lu Chen instructed. "Especially those skilled individuals who are held back by the gang's rules. If there are any who want to leave the gang and live a peaceful life, try contacting them. Jiahe Security needs fresh blood; veterans alone aren't enough. We also need ruthless people who understand the rules of the underworld."

"clear!"

As the car drove through the bustling streets of Central, Lu Chen closed his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping the handrail, and began to organize his thoughts on the upcoming business strategy.

"Boss, we're almost at the company."

Tian Yangyi smoothly controlled the steering wheel and gave a reminder.

Lu Chen opened his eyes and looked through the car window at the towering glass curtain wall building in the distance—the headquarters of Jiahe International.

As the Fugui Maru incident continued to unfold, Jiahe's brand value skyrocketed, and its original two-story office building could no longer meet the ever-growing business demands. Just last week, Cheng Yiyan made a bold move, renting an entire floor downstairs and also securing the top-floor office space.

Now, the huge "GARREAU" neon sign hangs high on the Central skyline, shining brightly in the sunlight, symbolizing the rise of this new business empire.

"Boss, Mr. Cheng's car is up ahead." Tian Yangyi pointed to the roadside parking space in front of the building.

Lu Chen followed the gaze and saw Cheng Yiyan's iconic silver Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan quietly parked in the VIP parking space. The car body was polished to a shine; it was Cheng Yiyan's brand-new car, which he had recently acquired, and it was also a symbol of his status as the general manager of Jiahe.

It was lunchtime, and people were coming and going at the building entrance, with many white-collar workers hurrying in and out.

The Rolls-Royce slowed down gradually, preparing to pull over.

Just then.

[Perception Lv5] A sudden, unannounced, frantic warning!

A strong sense of unease instantly pierced Lu Chen's scalp, and he subconsciously looked towards the end of the street.

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"

A sudden roar of engines, like the howl of a wild beast, erupted.

Through the reflection of the glass of the building across the street, a heavy green dump truck loaded with construction waste rushed out of the corner of the intersection like a madman!

It completely ignored the red light and showed no intention of slowing down at all; the huge tires rubbed against the ground, producing a pungent, acrid smell.

"Go back!"

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed, and he gave a low shout.

Although Tian Yangyi didn't know what had happened, his bodyguard skills made him obediently brake and start reversing immediately.

But Lu Chen soon realized that the dump truck's target was not the Rolls-Royce that was driving by.

The crazed driver gripped the steering wheel tightly and swerved violently toward the parking space on the side of the road.

The target is—Cheng Yiyan's Mercedes!

"Bang—!!!"

There is no suspense.

That dump truck, weighing several tons, was like an out-of-control steel rhinoceros, crashing violently into the Mercedes-Benz S-Class parked on the side of the road with an aura of destruction.

A sickening metallic creak echoed throughout the block.

That million-dollar luxury car was as fragile as a soda can in front of the dump truck. The car body was instantly crushed and squeezed, and the glass shattered into countless fragments, which flew everywhere.

The dump truck didn't stop; it continued to rush forward for more than ten meters, pushing the already deformed Mercedes-Benz against the load-bearing stone pillar at the entrance of the building, before finally stopping amidst a cloud of black smoke and a screeching sound of brakes.

"Boom—"

Construction waste poured out of the truck bed, completely burying half of the pile of scrap metal.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

The passersby in front of the building were stunned by the sudden and horrific car accident. It took them a full two seconds before they burst into terrified screams.

"Ah—! There's been a car crash!"

"My God! That's Manager Cheng's car!"

"Call the police immediately! Help!"

The Rolls-Royce braked suddenly 20 meters from the point of impact.

"Boss! Don't get out of the car!" Tian Yangyong immediately drew his pistol, warily scanning his surroundings, while simultaneously pressing the lock button on the car door. "This could be an attack targeting you!"

"No."

Lu Chen stared at the Mercedes, now reduced to scrap metal, his eyes as cold as ice, but his tone was unusually calm: "This is not an attack, it's a warning."

He saw it very clearly.

There was no one in that Mercedes just now.

Cheng Yiyan was not in the car, nor did she even go downstairs.

"Ayi, take some men and block that dump truck's escape route. Ayong, bring the driver here to me."

The two pushed open the car door and strode out.

The surrounding security guards and passersby only then realized what was happening, and chaos ensued.

Tian Yangyong walked straight to the pile of ruins.

The smells of gasoline, dust, and burning rubber mingled together, creating an extremely pungent odor. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class had been crushed to less than half its original size; if a person had been inside, they would probably be a bloody pulp by now.

"Cough cough... cough cough..."

The cab door of the dump truck was violently pulled open, and a driver covered in blood stumbled out.

He appeared dazed, his eyes unfocused, and he was holding a bottle of liquor—whether real or a prop—in his hand. He collapsed to the ground as soon as he got out of the car, mumbling incoherently, "I...I didn't brake...I...I drank too much...I didn't mean to..."

"Did you drink too much?"

Lu Chen walked up to the driver and looked down at him.

Several security guards from Jiahe had already surrounded the driver and were trying to control him.

"No need," Lu Chen said coldly.

Upon seeing that it was the big boss, the security guards immediately stopped what they were doing and respectfully stepped aside.

Lu Chen squatted down and looked at the driver who was still pretending to be crazy.

[Perception Lv5] allowed him to keenly perceive the fleeting fear and clarity deep in the other person's eyes.

In broad daylight in Central, a drunkard driving a dump truck, and yet he so precisely only crashed into the empty car of the general manager of Golden Harvest?

If this is an accident, the odds of winning the lottery jackpot are higher than this.

"Go back and tell the person who sent you."

Lu Chen's voice was very soft, only the driver could hear it, but it carried a chilling aura, "I will make him come to our door to compensate us for this Mercedes."