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

"Who wrote Wei Yixin's article?" Bao Chuanwang adjusted the blinds and looked towards the stage outside the window. "They even brought up Yu Jicheng's sacrifice. They really put their heart into it."

"He's originally an academic," Lu Chen said without turning around, still looking out the window at the ruins being devoured by bulldozers. "It's normal for him to keep talking about his profession."

"This guy is indeed quite good," said the shipping magnate, loosening the blinds, the slats snapping back into place with a crisp sound. "It's just a pity he's a foreigner."

No one refuted this statement.

Since taking office, Wilson has done a series of pragmatic things, from relaxing the upward mobility channels for Chinese people on Hong Kong Island to promoting the demolition of the Walled City, from cooperating with the Kowloon Bay development plan to tacitly allowing Golden Harvest and Wharf Holdings to be deeply involved in resettlement housing. Every single thing he has done is pragmatic, even more so than most Chinese officials.

But as pragmatic as he may be, everyone here knows that Wilson is ultimately serving Whitehall. He may be more moderate, easier to talk to, and more willing to listen to the demands of the Chinese community than his predecessor, but when the interests of the Japanese Empire and the interests of Hong Kong Island clash—there is no doubt which side he will take.

"By the way, now that the Walled City has been demolished, can the planning for the Kowloon Bay pier be brought forward?" The shipping magnate quickly shifted the topic from politicians to business.

"Once the first phase of the East Zone is cleared, we can begin site exploration." Lu Chen placed his teacup on the windowsill. "However, the geological report shows that the groundwater level is high, so the pile foundation depth may need to be increased to forty meters."

"Forty meters is fine. Lao Huo and I negotiated for forty-five meters at the container terminal in Kwai Chung, and the cost only increased by ten percent."

"That being said, we still have to look at the data from the on-site probes." Lu Chen looked ahead, his fingertip tracing an arc on the glass.

"Deep beneath the East District lies a pre-war British air-raid shelter, which was later illegally altered and filled in by the residents of the walled city, and its course is now lost to history. The exploration team must first locate this waterway. If the shelter crosses the planned main load-bearing column, the entire foundation load-bearing scheme will have to be scrapped and redone."

"That's your problem," Bao Chuanwang chuckled, lifting the melted iced lemon tea and swirling the cup. "Anyway, I'm only responsible for the later shipping scheduling at the dock. Don't come to me if the foundation can't be laid."

"Hahaha..." Everyone burst into hearty laughter.

Huo Daheng turned his cane around and gently tapped the glass of the French windows with the tip of the cane: "So, how do you plan to develop this land in front of the walled city?"

After the Kowloon Walled City is demolished, the site will be planned as a park. This is the result of an agreement between the Hong Kong government and the north, and it cannot be changed.

However, the surrounding areas of the Walled City that were gradually vacated became coveted prizes for Hong Kong's real estate tycoons.

From the day the demolition plan was finalized, the covert battle among wealthy families for land has intensified.

Wharf Holdings, owned by the shipping magnate Pao, acquired a plot on the east side of the Walled City, while Fok Tai-hong also had a presence on the west side. Golden Harvest Properties, on the other hand, acquired the plot on the north side—adjacent to the future Walled City Memorial Park, facing the Kowloon Bay sea view, making it the best-located plot in the entire area.

Just as Lu Chen was about to speak, a crisp shout suddenly came from outside the door.

"dad!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. Little Lu Qian was running in from outside, his little feet pattering rapidly on the solid wood floor, clearly having just run back from the rooftop.

Ruan Mei followed behind him with a smile, taking her time. Cola and Sprite wagged their tails at the very back, their paws slipping repeatedly on the hardwood floor.

Cola, running too fast, bumped its rear end into the corner of the corridor wall at the turn, making a dull thud. But the silly dog ​​nonchalantly got up in a flash, tongue lolling out of its mouth, and continued charging towards Lu Chen.

"Daddy! I saw a huge bulldozer on the rooftop!" Little Lu Qian ran to Lu Chen's side, tilting his rosy face up high and gesturing wildly with his hands. "A super huge bulldozer! It just gently bumped into the wall, and the whole house collapsed with a bang! It was so amazing!"

It must be admitted that heavy construction machinery is always the ultimate temptation flowing in the blood of boys, and Lu Qiancai has shown a special fondness for excavators at a young age.

Although the house was already filled with all sorts of excavator and truck toys, the sight of a real hydraulic breaker knocking down an entire wall on the rooftop still made the little guy's eyes light up with excitement.

Lu Chen bent down and picked up little Lu Qian, letting him sit on his arm. The little guy instinctively wrapped his arms around his father's neck, his gaze continuing to linger on the construction site outside the window, past his father's shoulder.

"This isn't called 'pushing down a house,' it's called 'demolishing a house.' Only after the old one is demolished can the new one be built." Lu Chen bent down and picked up little Lu Qian, holding him steadily on his lap. The little guy skillfully wrapped his arms around his father's neck, but his gaze still went past Lu Chen's shoulder, staring straight at the roaring construction site outside the window.

Lu Chen gently touched his son's forehead with his chin, then pointed to the ruins outside the window: "Qianzai, that place is called Kowloon Walled City. Your Grandpa Long used to live here, but since then, Kowloon Walled City no longer exists in this world."

After listening, Xiao Luqian suddenly turned his head towards the tornado, his little brows furrowed, and stared at him intently for several seconds before speaking, his voice carrying the unadorned sorrow unique to children: "Then Grandpa Long, does he have nowhere to go? Do you want to stay at my house? I have lots of empty rooms. You can stay in the one downstairs; an uncle stayed there last time..."

Before he finished speaking, everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Bao Chuanwang nearly choked on his lemon tea, coughing and patting the windowsill. Huo Daheng's wrinkled face broke into a smile, tapping his cane on the ground several times. Even Li Shutang's usually serious face showed a rare hint of a smile.

Tornado was amused by Lu Qian's words. He squatted down and gently patted the back of his head.

That was his usual, most intimate gesture—in those years in the Walled City, many kids would come to him after being bullied by thugs from outside, and he would pat them on the back of the head, say "Don't be afraid," and then go out and drag the thugs to the corner one by one.

"It's alright. Your dad pays Grandpa Long a very high salary. Grandpa Long bought a big house a long time ago, right next to your Grandpa Di's. The house is very big, with a yard, and he's planted a lot of white magnolias just like yours. Little Lu Qian is welcome to visit me anytime."

That's true. As the head instructor of the winery and a respected elder of Lu Chen, Lu Chen did indeed pay Tornado quite generously. The villa he bought next to Di Qiu's house was even more luxurious than Di Qiu's.

He now practices a set of boxing moves in the yard every morning, and then occasionally takes a stroll around the winery's training base. He's enjoying his retirement without any regrets.

Xiao Luqian looked at him, seemingly understanding but not quite, then turned to look out the window, suddenly pointing towards the dustiest area: "So who will own this place in the future?"

Lu Chen chuckled and placed a light kiss on his son's forehead.

"It's yours."

Upon hearing this, Huo Daheng turned to look at the little guy, a rare soft light appearing in his eyes.

They didn't take Lu Chen's words as a joke, because everyone knew that with Lu Chen's current strength, his son's generation would only have an even wider territory.

So he walked over with his cane and patted little Lu Qian's head: "Then Qianzi, you have to take good care of this land in the future and not let others build things on it."

"I know, Grandpa Huo!" Little Lu Qian answered crisply, then quickly struggled out of Lu Chen's arms and ran to the French windows to continue watching the bulldozers.

Two small hands pressed against the glass, leaving two tiny, sweaty handprints.

Lu Chen smiled and looked away from Xiao Luqian's face, finally glancing at the fortified village outside the window.

Under the sunlight, three heavy hydraulic hammers continued their tireless hammering, and another small section of an illegally added tin shack collapsed with a deafening roar. Most of the buildings in the walled city still stood, but shrouded in grayish-yellow dust, they resembled a giant ship about to sink. The masts were still intact, but the hull had been hollowed out by the sea.

Lu Chen picked up his teacup and, through the sea-blue anti-glare glass, gently offered a toast towards the walled city.

"Respect to this old city."

Everyone else raised their teacups in a toast from afar.

"To a new city."

Tornado's expression was the most complicated. He looked out the window at the gray buildings being bulldozed inch by inch by bulldozers, put his hands behind his back, and didn't say a word.

He has experienced many farewells in his life—saw his neighbor die of tuberculosis, his apprentice beaten to death by gangsters, and his old neighbors who had saved up for half their lives to finally move out of the Walled City and buy public housing in Kowloon Bay… But today he is not seeing off one person, but an entire city.

Lu Chen noticed his slightly clenched jaw. He placed the teacup on the coffee table without disturbing him.

Huo Daheng suddenly remembered something, fiddled with the teacup in his hand, and turned to look at Lu Chen: "Oh right, Chen, you still haven't answered me—what are you planning to do with that piece of land on the north side?"

Upon hearing Huo Daheng's question, a faint smile appeared on Lu Chen's lips.

"Build a hotel."

Upon hearing this, the shipping magnate was slightly taken aback: "Is Golden Harvest planning to enter the hotel industry?"

Lu Chen shook his head: "No, this hotel doesn't belong to Jiahe Real Estate, it's my private property... just a little obsession of mine."

Li Shutang put down his teacup, glanced at him, and asked, "What's your name?"

Lu Chen still wore that faint smile on his face, facing the ruins bathed in golden sunlight outside the window, and softly uttered the name he had already conceived.

"Mainland Hotel"