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

In the early morning in Rome, sunlight streamed through the heavy velvet curtains of Lubers Castle, falling onto the disheveled bed.

The air still carried the scent of last night's frenzy.

Lu Chen opened his eyes to find a warm, jade-like body in his arms. Sophia was like a lazy Persian cat, her long brown hair casually scattered on the pillow, and a smooth arm across his chest.

Seemingly sensing that Lu Chen had woken up, Sophia groggily hummed, without opening her eyes, but instinctively snuggled into his arms and rubbed against his chin.

Good morning, my queen.

Lu Chen placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning……"

Seemingly sensing Lu Chen's gaze, Sophia groggily opened her eyes, a lazy smile playing on her lips. She leaned in and planted a kiss on Lu Chen's lips. "Are you satisfied with my service?"

"Five-star review." Lu Chen put his arm around her smooth back. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get a lifetime membership card."

"Then we'll see how you perform." Sophia chuckled, rolled off the bed, and nonchalantly displayed her stunning curves. "Get up, you belong to me today."

……

An hour later, on the sunny terrace.

The two enjoyed a typical Italian breakfast: espresso, freshly baked croissants (Cornetto), and Parma ham.

After dinner, the two did not rush to discuss business, but Lu Chen arranged for them to have a real "Roman Holiday".

Even the patriarch of a wealthy family with billions in assets is nothing more than a little woman who longs for companionship when in love.

The couple didn't bring a large group of bodyguards; they only had Tian Yangsheng and a few skilled fighters follow them at a distance. Lu Chen changed into casual clothes, held Sofia's hand, and strolled through the streets and alleys like any ordinary couple visiting Rome.

They threw coins into the Trevi Fountain with their backs to the water.

"What did you wish for?" Lu Chen asked.

"I won't tell you, otherwise it won't work." Sophia winked playfully, but what she really wanted was to spend a long time with the man in front of her.

They ate gelato on the steps of Piazza del Sol, and Sofia even smeared the ice cream that had gotten on her lips onto Lu Chen's face without caring about her image. Then the two chased each other laughing down the street.

At this moment, there was no killing, no conspiracy, only the Roman sunshine and the scent of love.

……

The next morning.

When the black Maserati convoy pulled up in front of Prada's headquarters, Sofia had already shed her girlish charm and changed into a sharp haute couture suit, reverting to her decisive and powerful aura as the matriarch of the Lubers family.

Lu Chen straightened his suit, exuding an aura of authority.

Inside the meeting room.

A middle-aged woman wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a very stylish pleated skirt had been waiting for a long time.

Miucia Prada, the legendary woman who transformed her family's leather goods store into a top global fashion empire.

"Miuccia, long time no see," Sofia greeted her familiarly. "This is Lu Chen, the founder of Garreau, the miracle from the East that I mentioned to you."

"Ms. Prada, I've heard so much about you." Lu Chen politely kissed her hand.

Miucia reached out her hand and, before Lu Chen could even speak, said with some delight, "Mr. Lu, I've seen Garreau's work on Milan, it's simply divine."

In this era, the fashion world was still immersed in traditional luxury, while many of Lu Chen's design concepts (such as the fusion of minimalism and street style, and silhouette tailoring) were proven bestsellers in later generations. For Miucia now, this was simply a game-changer.

"Ms. Miucia, you flatter me."

Lu Chen smiled and shook hands, displaying neither arrogance nor servility. "I have always admired Prada's 'Ugly Chic' aesthetic. Fashion should not just be pretty, but also an attitude."

As if she had found a kindred spirit, Miucia pulled Lu Chen to sit down among the pile of design drawings, completely ignoring Sophia standing to the side.

The two chatted about everything from fabric innovation to the expression of feminism in clothing, from the use of nylon to the future minimalist trend. With his forward-thinking vision, Lu Chen's every word accurately hit Miucia's sore spots and gratification points.

What was supposed to be a half-hour meeting turned into a three-hour conversation.

Finally, Miucia looked at Lu Chen with an almost confidant's gaze: "Lu, if you didn't have your own brand, I would really like to hand over the position of design director of Prada to you. Your ideas are at least ten years ahead of their time!"

As I walked out of the Prada headquarters building, the sun was setting.

"Darling, you're a monster," Sophia exclaimed sincerely, looking at the man beside her. "Even that arrogant woman, Miucia, was completely fooled by you. I'm starting to wonder, is there anything in this world you can't do?"

"Yes, I have."

Lu Chen grinned mischievously and squeezed her hand. "Like... having a baby?"

……

The next three days.

Lu Chen lived a comfortable and fulfilling life. During the day, he accompanied Sophia to visit the Pantheon and the Colosseum, and at night he dealt with faxes from Hong Kong Island in the castle and remotely directed the operations of Golden Harvest.

Until dusk on the third day.

Sophia's personal butler hurried into the study and whispered a few words in Sophia's ear.

Sophia's expression instantly turned serious. She waved the butler away and turned to look at Lu Chen, who was reading a book.

"Chen, found it."

"Adolf?" Lu Chen closed the book, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Yes. It's in the basement."

Deep within the underground wine cellars of Château de Lubbers, there is a secret room specifically used to "entertain" guests.

At this moment, an old man with white hair and beard and a face full of wrinkles was tied to an iron chair. He was wearing a typical North African linen robe, and his face bore the marks of years of desert wind and sand erosion.

It was Adolf, a fugitive from "Operation Eagle" years ago.

Seeing Lu Chen and Sophia walk in, Adolf was still trying to argue: "Who are you? Why are you arresting me? I'm just an honest man in the spice business! I have a heart condition, I'm warning you..."

"An honest person?"

Lu Chen sneered, pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. "An honest man with countless lives on his hands, his comrades' blood on his hands, and a mouth full of lies and betrayal?"

Upon hearing this, Adolf's body stiffened abruptly, the cloudiness in his eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a venomous resentment at being exposed: "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"1944, North Africa, accompanying Adjutant Hans on his last secret transport mission."

Lu Chen recounted the story calmly, as if telling a long-ago tale: "Eighteen guards were tasked with transporting two hundred and forty tons of gold to a secret base deep in the Sahara. After the mission was completed, Lieutenant Hans ordered them all to commit suicide by poison to keep the secret. Seventeen of them died. Only you spat out the poison, killed Lieutenant Hans, and escaped under the cover of night."

"Who...who are you?!"

Adolf's expression twisted in pain; this was a secret he had kept hidden his entire life, known to no one except the dead God!

Who I am is not important. What matters is that I know what you are looking for.

Lu Chen stood up and looked down at the greedy old man. "You've been surviving in North Africa for decades, doing business as a pretense, but really looking for gold. You dare not return to Europe, fearing trial by a military court and the remnants of the surviving Germanic empire. You can only wander on the edge of the desert like a rat."

"Over the past few years, you've finally pinpointed the location of that base. You've saved up a fortune, and you even planned to contact a team of mercenaries to find Elsa, the granddaughter of your former lieutenant, steal the key from her, and then unlock the treasure, right?"

"How...how did you know?"

"We know more than you think," Sofia said coldly, waving her hand. "Give him a taste of his own medicine, let him wake up."

Several burly men immediately stepped forward.

The Lubbers family's interrogation methods, while not as sophisticated as those in the East, are simple and brutal.

Just ten minutes later.

Adolf, with two iron nails connected to positive and negative terminals inserted into his leg, cried out...

"I'll tell you... I'll tell you everything..."

"The base... is located deep in the desert on the border between Algeria and Mali... the coordinates are..."

Adolf tremblingly uttered the coordinates he had spent decades calculating.

"Take him away and keep an eye on him."

After obtaining the coordinates, Lu Chen waved his hand, signaling his men to take Adolf away. The old man was still useful; at least he was a living map.

Back in the study, the encrypted fax machine on the table just happened to spit out a piece of paper.

It was sent by Tian Yangsheng from the Germanic Federation.

A phone call followed.

"Boss, mission accomplished, key data obtained."

The paper contained a string of complex data codes and several extremely clear scanned images.

It was the key to the golden treasure that hung around Elsa's neck.

Lu Chen picked up the fax, his eyes gleaming. "Have the technical department work through the night to print it out using high-strength alloy. I need to see the actual product in two days."

"When do we set off?" Sofia asked, her eyes burning with adventurous excitement.

Lu Chen walked to the window and looked at the huge full moon outside.

"Pass the word down to your men to prepare desert pickup trucks, heavy weapons, and supplies."

Lu Chen took a sip of coffee, his gaze sharp as a knife:

Three days later.

"Target: Sahara."