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

Kowloon Tong, another village.

By the time the black Rolls-Royce slowly drove into the villa's courtyard, it was already completely dark.

"That's right, Lao Cheng, tomorrow you take some people to sign the contract with the shipping magnate, and at the same time, take out 100 million to short Jardine Matheson. I'm sure that once Jardine Matheson loses control of Wharf Holdings, its stock will definitely plummet."

After arranging work with Cheng Yiyan, Lu Chen, who had just reaped a billion Hong Kong dollars in a relaxed manner at HSBC and finalized the media empire, now shed his scheming and sharp edge and pushed open the door of his home.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

Before Lu Chen could even change his shoes, two dark figures shot out of the living room like cannonballs.

Running ahead was a four-eyed, gold-plated dog named "Cola." At five months old, it had shed its puppyish plumpness and was beginning to display its troublesome talent for destroying things and its boundless energy.

Following closely behind was a white pine tree, "Sprite". Compared to Cola's madness, it appeared much more elegant and composed, even holding a slipper in Lu Chen's mouth.

"Ouch! Cola! Don't pounce!"

Wearing an apron and holding a spatula, Ruan Mei rushed out of the kitchen, "Achen's coat is very expensive! It'll be hard to wash if it gets dirty!"

"fine."

Lu Chen smiled and squatted down, catching the Coke that pounced on him, rubbing the fluffy dog's head, and then taking the slippers from Sprite's mouth.

"These two little ones have grown quite a bit in just a few days."

"Yes," Ruan Mei walked up to Lu Chen, took his coat and hung it up, complaining incessantly, "Especially Cola, today when I wasn't looking, she actually chewed a hole in the sofa and crawled inside! I'm so angry!"

"Alright, alright, they're probably just grinding their teeth. Let Auntie buy them some beef bones."

Lu Chen smiled and squatted down, rubbing the two dogs' heads. The two dogs immediately stuck out their tongues obediently, panting heavily, their eyes full of clear stupidity.

Over the past six months, Ruan Mei had gained some weight thanks to Lu Chen's efforts, and her face had regained its color, no longer the sickly pale look she had when they first met. Now, under the warm yellow light, her exquisitely beautiful face exuded a captivating aura of a virtuous wife and loving mother.

"Wash your hands and eat! I made American ginseng and black chicken soup today, it's very nourishing!"

Lu Chen walked into the restaurant, and the room was filled with the aroma of food. On the table were three dishes and a soup. Although they were not delicacies, each dish was carefully prepared by Ruan Mei.

Lu Chen took a sip of the hot soup and felt a warm feeling in his stomach.

Outside, he was a powerful financial tycoon, a fearsome behind-the-scenes manipulator, but in front of Ruan Mei, he was simply her husband, sharing everyday life with her. Ruan Mei's grandmother, Li Chunlan, didn't eat at home today; instead, she ate next door with Aunt Piao, giving the two of them a rare moment alone.

"Amei," Lu Chen put down his soup bowl, looked at her with a smile, and said, "I have some news for you."

"What?" Ruan Mei blinked her big eyes.

"I sold a batch of stocks I had today."

"Oh, how much did you sell it for? Did you make a profit?" Ruan Mei had recently been studying accounting, so she had a concept of stocks and asked curiously.

"I made a little bit of money."

Lu Chen held up one finger. "About... a billion."

"Clang!"

Ruan Mei dropped the soup spoon into the bowl, splashing a few drops of soup onto the tablecloth.

She seemed frozen in place, her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide open, and she remained dazed for several seconds.

"Ten...ten...hundreds of millions?!"

Ruan Mei stammered as she repeated the astronomical figure, feeling as if the calculator in her brain had burned out. "Is it...is it Japanese yen? Or Korean won?"

"It's Hong Kong dollars."

Lu Chen was amused by her adorable appearance and reached out to gently pinch her nose. "It will be deposited tomorrow."

"My God..." Although she had known for a long time that Lu Chen was rich and was used to living in a big villa, her little heart still couldn't quite handle the impact of this level of wealth.

Seeing her slightly open mouth, Lu Chen's heart fluttered, so he grabbed Ruan Mei's slender waist and, amidst her gasp, scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey! Ah Chen, what are you doing! We haven't finished the soup yet~" Ruan Mei blushed and gently punched Lu Chen's chest.

"I'll skip the soup for now and drink you first."

Lu Chen strode towards the bedroom on the second floor. "Perfect timing. I have a multi-billion dollar business deal I'd like to discuss with you privately."

"You scoundrel..." Ruan Mei buried her head in his chest, her voice barely audible.

"Bang."

The bedroom door was slammed shut.

In the living room, only the two dogs remained, staring at each other.

Cola tilted its head, looking at the closed door, seemingly not understanding why its owner wouldn't let it play. It ran over, stood up, and scratched at the door with its paws.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

"Woof! Woof—"

A helpless roar came from inside the door: "Sprite! Drag your brother away!"

……

The next day.

The sun was shining brightly.

The winter sun shone through the white gauze curtains onto the large double bed. When Lu Chen woke up, Ruan Mei was still curled up in his arms, fast asleep like a kitten, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Lu Chen gently kissed her forehead without waking her, then got up to wash up.

As the head of Jiahe Group, although he doesn't need to clock in every day, he still needs to be in charge and handle some key decisions.

Lu Chen spent the entire day in an office building in Central.

Although the Wharf Holdings acquisition has been finalized, he still needs to personally oversee the subsequent cash flow and the recently finalized acquisition plan for RTV.

"Ah Sheng, you go and oversee the process yourself."

Looking at the documents in his hand, Lu Chen ordered without looking up, "Select a group of brothers with clean backgrounds and good skills in advance to be stationed at ATV. A TV station is a mixed bag, and there will be many corporate spies or creative thieves, so security must be in our own hands."

"Also, have Hao prepare that the first batch of funds from 'Takamagahara' will soon be transferred to DOA through underground channels. We can take advantage of the film and television industry to try and launder this money."

"Yes, boss." Tian Yangsheng accepted the order and left.

Busy times always fly by, and before you know it, night has fallen again.

Lu Chen closed the file, glanced at the dazzling night view of Central outside the window, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

Tonight, there's also a special "date".

8 PM, Causeway Bay.

Lu Chen's Rolls-Royce stopped in front of a high-end Cantonese restaurant called "Fu Lin Men".

This is a popular dining spot for many of Hong Kong Island's wealthy, renowned for its abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw, and also known for its exceptional privacy.

As soon as Lu Chen entered the private room, a tall and slender figure wearing a bright green cheongsam was already waiting there.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Madam."

Lu Chen sat down with a smile, his eyes shining as he looked at the woman opposite him.

Kid.

She is no longer the young policewoman who fought alongside him on the Fugui Maru. The two flowers on her epaulettes signify her current status as a senior inspector.

She sported a trendy perm with large, wavy curls, her makeup was exquisite, and her form-fitting cheongsam accentuated her breathtaking curves. She exuded a mature, dangerous, yet deadly allure.

"Boss Lu is a very busy man, so it's only right that a lowly policeman like me wait a while," Ya Zi said, picking up his wine glass and looking at Lu Chen with a half-smile. "I heard you just made a billion-dollar deal at HSBC yesterday? Now the entire police force's top brass is talking about you, this 'business prodigy'."

"It's just a small business, enough to make a living," Lu Chen waved to the waiter, "Bring the food, one of all the signature dishes, and open a bottle of Oman Rousseau."

After five courses of food and three rounds of drinks,

The atmosphere in the private room gradually warmed up.

"I heard you got promoted?" Lu Chen asked casually, slicing through the abalone on his plate. "Interpol?"

"You're quite well-informed."

The young man swirled his wine glass, his eyes glazed over. "Yeah, we're specifically in charge of tracking down Triads and transnational crime syndicates. How about it, Boss Lu? Feeling a chill down your spine?"

She leaned forward, her beautiful eyes fixed on Lu Chen, as if trying to see through his layers of pretense.

As a police officer, she possessed keen intuition. Although she had no evidence, she always felt that Lu Chen was shrouded in mystery. The rapid rise of Jiahe Security, the mysterious behavior aboard the Fugui Maru, and the source of that recent huge sum of money…

"What? You doubt me?" Lu Chen calmly cut the abalone on his plate.

"You need evidence to raise your suspicions."

Yako stretched out one foot and gently rubbed it against Lu Chen's calf under the table, her tone ambiguous and dangerous, "But my woman's intuition tells me that you have many secrets."

"Moreover, I love uncovering secrets."

Lu Chen put down his knife and fork and grabbed the restless ankle.

"Then you'd better watch out, Madam."

Lu Chen leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Some secrets, if you dig too deep, will only get you into trouble."

The boy chuckled lightly, but instead of pulling his foot back, he became even more unrestrained.

This meal was filled with tension.

Every word of conversation is a test, every glance is a confrontation.

A bottle of red wine was quickly emptied.

Two rosy blushes rose on the girl's face, and her eyes became somewhat unfocused. She propped her head up with one hand, while listlessly fiddling with her wine glass in the other, her voice becoming soft and sweet.

"Ugh... I feel so dizzy..."

The boy rubbed his temples, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment. "This wine... it's really strong."

Lu Chen chuckled inwardly as he looked at her.

As a specially trained elite policewoman, a bottle of red wine could make her this drunk? You're kidding me.

This is clearly a signal, an invitation.

So Lu Chen stood up, walked to her side, and gentlemanly extended his hand: "Madam, shall I take you home?"

"Um……"

Ya Zi grabbed Lu Chen's hand, trying to use it to stand up, but his legs gave way and he fell directly into Lu Chen's arms.

A soft, fragrant, and warm feeling fills my arms.

The strong scent of perfume mixed with the aroma of alcohol instantly ignited Lu Chen's hormones.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Lu..."

The boy looked up at Lu Chen with hazy eyes, his breath sweet as orchids, "My home is in Happy Valley..."

……

Half an hour later.

Happy Valley, a luxury apartment building.

This is the boy's private residence; he rarely brings people back.

As soon as he entered, the boy, who was still drunk and even needed Lu Chen's help, suddenly lost most of his drunkenness, as if by magic.

"Bang!"

She closed the door behind her without turning on the light.

In the darkness, she pushed Lu Chen against the door, wrapped her arms around his neck, and her beautiful eyes gleamed like a cheetah in the moonlight.

"Lu Chen".

Yako's voice was no longer soft and sweet, but carried a queen-like domineering tone: "Do you know you're playing with fire?"

"I know."

Lu Chen did not resist. Instead, he reached out and hugged her slender yet strong waist, pressing their bodies tightly together. "But I've heard that people who play with fire are usually not afraid of getting burned."

"snort."

Ya Zi snorted softly, her finger tracing Lu Chen's Adam's apple. "I'm investigating you. My intuition tells me you're a big bad guy."

"So, are you going to arrest me, Madam?"

Lu Chen lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers.

"I don't have any evidence yet."

Ya Zi bit her lower lip, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed Lu Chen's lips fiercely.

"But before we find any evidence... I need to put you under close surveillance."

This kiss was passionate and wild, just like Yako's own personality.

Lu Chen no longer held back.

He cherished and doted on Ruan Mei; but for Ya Zi, this thorny rose could only be subdued through complete conquest.

"Let's see who's spying on whom tonight."

Lu Chen picked her up and strode towards the bedroom.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, spilling onto the disheveled sheets.

Outside the window, the vibrant nightscape of Hong Kong Island unfolds; inside, a battle of conquest and subjugation rages.

Silent all night.

Only the wind outside the window stirred the half-drawn curtains, as if peeking into this unspeakable spring scenery.