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

Happy Valley, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital.

As the most prestigious private hospital in Hong Kong, this place is more like a five-star hotel equipped with a top-notch medical team than a hospital. The pristine white marble floors are spotless, and the air is free of the pungent smell of disinfectant, replaced by a subtle fragrance.

The VIP suite on the top floor has huge floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Happy Valley Racecourse, offering an excellent view.

"This is way too exaggerated..."

Wearing a silk hospital gown provided by the hospital, Ruan Mei sat on the large sofa, looking at the exquisite and nutritious breakfast that the nurse brought, which resembled a French meal. She then looked at the ward, which was even larger than the apartment she lived in in Chongqing, and felt extremely uncomfortable.

"I heard it costs 8,000 yuan a night here! I think a regular ward is fine..."

Lu Chen, who was peeling an apple for her, smiled helplessly and held the cut apple pieces to her mouth: "Open your mouth."

Ruan Mei obediently opened her mouth and ate it, her cheeks puffed out, like a cute little hamster.

"Mrs. Lu, you're now the boss's wife of Golden Harvest, worth hundreds of millions. What's wrong with staying in a hospital room that costs a few thousand dollars? Besides, it's not too far from the villa and my company. I can come to see you whenever I have time. Moreover, the doctors here are the leading cardiologists in Hong Kong. For your health, this money is well spent."

Lu Chen turned to look at Tian Yang'en, who had been guarding the door: "A'en."

"Boss." Tian Yang'en stepped forward, dressed in smart casual clothes, with a bulge at his waist, clearly carrying a weapon.

"Starting today, you'll be here 24/7. Anyone wanting to approach Amei, except for the doctors and nurses, must get your permission." Lu Chen's eyes sharpened. "If an emergency occurs, you know what to do."

"Don't worry, boss, I know the rules."

Lu Chen nodded, glanced back at Ruan Mei who was watching TV, and then turned to leave.

……

Half an hour later.

The black Rolls-Royce drove through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hung Hom and into the noisy and crowded Yau Tsim Mong district.

This is the heart of Kowloon, its most chaotic and vibrant area. Although the neon signs are turned off during the day, the layers upon layers of billboards still reveal the area's bustling yet chaotic nature.

The car turned into a relatively quiet back alley and stopped in front of a five-story gray building.

The building looks unremarkable from the outside, even somewhat old, with an inconspicuous brass plaque hanging at the entrance that reads "DOA Financial Consulting Company".

DOA.

This was Lu Chen's mischievous whim; he borrowed the name of the super money laundering group from the later film "Austin Power." Although DOA is currently just a small startup, its core has gathered the most top-notch "unorthodox" talents in the world of Hong Kong variety shows.

"Boss."

The gatekeepers were a few young men with honest-looking faces but fierce eyes. They were the first batch of talents trained by Jiahe Security. Upon seeing Lu Chen's car, they immediately and respectfully opened the iron gate.

After Lu Chen bought the building, he completely renovated it. The first floor is a regular reception hall, used to conceal its true purpose; the second and third floors are the intelligence processing center, and the fourth and fifth floors are the "finance" center. Behind the building, there is also a staff dormitory and training ground converted from an old warehouse.

Lu Chen went straight up to the fifth floor.

Pushing open the door to the general manager's office, a strong smell of tobacco hit me.

Behind the large mahogany desk, Song Zihao was frowning as he looked at the account book in his hand, while Little Ma was sitting on the sofa with a match in his mouth. Although his leg, which had been crippled in the past, had been mostly healed, he still habitually crossed his legs.

Upon seeing Lu Chen enter, the two of them stood up simultaneously.

"Boss."

"Sit down, no need to be so polite in private." Lu Chen waved his hand, walked to the window, opened it, and let the smoke dissipate from the room. "Brother Hao, how have you been lately?"

A weary smile appeared on Song Zihao's face, which was etched with stories. He poured Lu Chen a cup of tea: "Thanks to the boss, business is finally on track. In the past three months, I've basically reconnected with all my old connections in the underworld. Currently, several branches of the Xinji and Number Gang have started cooperating with us, tentatively making a few transactions."

"After all, there aren't many people in Hong Kong like Brother Hao who are loyal, discreet, and knowledgeable about financial operations," Little Ma chimed in with a laugh, his tone full of admiration for his boss.

Back when Song Zihao was betrayed in Taiwan, he refused to reveal any information about his company despite being threatened and bribed by the police. This loyalty has now paid off, attracting many gangs and people involved in shady businesses. After all, reputation is paramount in this line of work.

"Although the current volume is not large, the process has been successfully completed." Song Zihao pointed to a stack of reports on the table. "All the funds will go through our offshore companies registered overseas and become legitimate trade payments flowing back to Hong Kong Island. Even if the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau comes to investigate, they won't find anything wrong with it."

Lu Chen nodded and glanced at the reports on the table. But he knew very well that in this world where both the legitimate and criminal worlds operated in tandem, controlling the flow of underground funds was tantamount to controlling the lifeline of the underworld.

What Song Zihao is doing now is helping those triads deal with "somewhat dirty" money they want to launder. For example, turning protection money into restaurant revenue, and smuggling money into trade profits. This not only makes money, but also allows them to build a huge intelligence network.

"Well done." Lu Chen closed the report, his gaze falling on Song Zihao's slightly forlorn expression. "But you seem a bit down, Brother Hao? Is it... because of A-Jie?"

When the name "Ah-Jie" was mentioned, Song Zihao, who was usually as calm as a mountain, visibly stiffened.

That was a pain that would forever remain in his heart.

Song Zijie, his younger brother, is a passionate young man full of a sense of justice and determined to become a good policeman.

Years ago, because of Sung Chi-ho's triad affiliation, his father was murdered by men sent by the traitor Ah-shing, leading Ah-kit to harbor deep hatred for him. Even after Sung Chi-ho served three years in prison and vowed to reform after his release, Ah-kit still couldn't forgive him. To make matters worse, because he had an older brother who had been imprisoned, Ah-kit faced constant ostracism within the police force, with no hope of promotion, which only deepened his resentment towards Sung Chi-ho.

"Why……"

Song Zihao sighed heavily, took a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a deep drag. Through the swirling smoke, his eyes were filled with helplessness and guilt.

"It's the same as always. He refuses to see me or listen to my explanations."

Little Ma, standing nearby, gritted his teeth and snapped the match in his mouth: "That kid Ah Jie is such a blockhead! How much did Hao Ge sacrifice for him back then? Hao Ge was framed back then too, why can't he feel sorry for his own brother! If you ask me, he should be dragged over and given a good spanking!"

"Xiao Ma!" Song Zihao hissed, "Don't talk nonsense. It was his duty. I owe him. I killed Dad and I ruined his future."

"but……"

Song Zihao changed the subject, a faint glint in his eyes, "For the past few months, I've been following your instructions, boss, telling him that I've reformed and am working at a legitimate financial company, specializing in 'legal tax avoidance' for wealthy people. Although he's still stubborn and calls me a 'profiteer who exploits legal loopholes,' at least... at least he doesn't pull out handcuffs when he sees me like he did when he was first released from prison."

"Last week was my birthday. Although he didn't accept my invitation to dinner, he sent me a box of stomach medicine through someone."

This is an unprecedented step forward for the two brothers whose relationship is currently at rock bottom.

Lu Chen watched this scene and sighed inwardly.

The brotherhood depicted in "A Better Tomorrow" is indeed heartbreaking. However, in the original film, Sung Chi-ho was driven to desperation by life, forced to drive a taxi and eat takeout. He was eventually forced by Tam Sing to return to the underworld, which ultimately led to an even more tragic outcome.

But it's different now.

Now, Song Zihao is the general manager of DOA. He travels in luxury cars and has a team of elite soldiers under his command. He has gained confidence and dignity.

"Brother Hao, do you still remember the promise I made to you at the entrance of Stanley?"

Lu Chen walked up to Song Zihao, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I told you, I would help you get back everything you've lost, including your brother's forgiveness."

Upon hearing this, Song Zihao's eyes lit up with hope: "Boss, do you really have a way? Ah Jie's temper is as stubborn as a bull..."

"If you lead a cow by the right nose, it will turn back."

Lu Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his voice steady and powerful, "Actually, to resolve A-Jie's inner conflict, it's not enough for you to 'turn over a new leaf.' He hates you because he feels you ruined his dream of becoming a police officer, and because he feels he can't hold his head high in the police force."

"So, the best way is not for you to beg for his forgiveness, but rather..."

Lu Chen lowered his voice slightly, "Give him a huge credit. He climbed to the top by stepping over the corpses of those really bad guys, making him a hero in the police force. When he stands on the podium and discovers that you were the mastermind behind it all, he will understand what a real big brother is."

Song Zihao's breathing quickened: "But where would such a great achievement come from? Are you referring to Acheng—"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Lu Chen didn't directly reveal his plan against the counterfeit money ring, but instead kept it a secret, saying, "I've already written the script, and the actors are almost here. Hao-ge, you just need to be prepared and cooperate with me. This time, I'm not only going to take care of Mr. Yao and Ah Cheng's gang of traitors, but I'm also going to make Ah Jie a high-profile inspector!"

Hearing these words, Song Zihao's eyes reddened with emotion. He was a traditional江湖人 (jianghu person, a man of the martial arts world), believing that a man would die for one who understands him. Lu Chen had not only given him a livelihood but was also helping him salvage the most important family ties; this kindness was as heavy as Mount Tai.

"Boss, I can't thank you enough!" Song Zihao solemnly clasped his hands in thanks. "I owe you so much!"

"We're brothers, don't say such things."

Lu Chen smiled and waved his hand, calming everyone down. He then checked his watch and said, "Alright, you guys go ahead with your work. I'm going upstairs to see Fourth Brother. I heard he's been quite busy lately, bringing me a few 'surprises'."

"Hehe, Fourth Brother's surprise is pretty big." Little Ma grinned. "Boss, you'll definitely like it."

……

After saying goodbye to Song Zihao and Xiao Ma, Lu Chen went down the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor is decorated in a completely different style, more like a private club. Vintage hunting rifles and dartboards hang on the walls, and an expensive billiards table sits in the corner.

Before even entering the room, Lu Chen heard a crisp sound of billiard balls hitting each other, as well as his fourth brother Xie Yuan's signature hearty laughter.

"Beautiful! That was an excellent snooker shot!"

Besides the fourth brother's voice, a calm and cold voice responded indifferently: "Just luck."

That's Xiao Zhuang.

Lu Chen walked to the door but did not rush to push it open and go in.

Because his [Perception Lv5] had already detected two completely unfamiliar, yet extremely sharp, auras.

One aura was honest and simple, yet carried a cunning, street-smart air; the other aura was as steady as a rock, yet exuded a hysterical, bloodthirsty scent.

Lu Chen stood outside the door, a look of anticipation curving his lips.

This DOA company has gathered bigwigs from "A Better Tomorrow" and assassins from "The Killer," and now two new members have joined.

Lu Chen straightened his suit and pushed open the heavy oak door.

"Let me see which deity this is."