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

"Who do you want to be unable to leave Temple Street?"

The voice wasn't loud; it even carried a hint of nonchalant laziness. But in the bustling Temple Street market, it was like a thunderclap, instantly silencing all the noise.

The crowd automatically parted to both sides.

A young man with slightly wavy long hair, wearing a brown leather jacket and jeans with metal chains hanging from them, walked over with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, his hands in his pockets.

Behind him followed a dozen or so thugs dressed in matching T-shirts, their fierce expressions instantly overwhelming the rabble that Tony had brought.

The moment Tony saw who it was, his face turned deathly pale, and he forgot all the pain he was in.

"Ten...Twelfth Master?!"

Twelfth Young Master is the henchman of Tiger, the leader of the "Gang of Style" gang in Kowloon Walled City.

His whole body trembled uncontrollably, and he didn't even care about the pain in his ribs that Tian Yangyong had just broken.

Although he was associated with "Grandpa Lin," Grandpa Lin was merely a senior uncle in the "Jia Shi Tang" and didn't wield much real power. Twelfth Young Master, on the other hand, was Tiger, the most favored subordinate of the Jia Shi Tang's leader, and was the true "crown prince."

The difference in their social standing is like heaven and earth.

"Tony, you're pretty good."

Twelve walked up to Tony, looking down at the guy who was slumped like a dead dog, a cold smile playing on his lips. "I think I just heard you say you wanted to make sure someone never leaves Temple Street?"

"No...no..."

Tony stammered, trying to explain, "Young Master Twelfth, it was these out-of-towners who started it, they..."

"Snapped!"

A resounding slap sent Tony spitting out the rest of his sentence.

Although Twelfth Young Master may seem like a playboy, he is a ruthless character when it comes to fighting.

"An out-of-towner?"

Twelfth Young Master sneered, pointing to Tian Yangyong and his group standing not far away, their faces expressionless. "Open your dog eyes and see clearly! These are Mr. Lu's men!"

"Mr. Lu...?"

Tony's mind went blank.

In the Kowloon area, there is only one person who can be respectfully addressed as "Mr. Luk" by the KASH THIS.

The savior of the stock market tycoon who just bought ATV and became a sensation, the super tycoon whom even Tiger treats with respect—Lu Chen!

"It's over..."

Tony felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, as if the sky were about to fall. He had only wanted to show off in front of a beautiful woman, how had he ended up kicking the toughest rock in Kowloon Walled City?

Twelfth Master ignored the fool and straightened his clothes before walking quickly to Ruan Mei and Sophia.

Facing the two Madam Lus, Twelfth Young Master abandoned his arrogant demeanor and bowed respectfully.

"Sisters-in-law, you've been frightened." Twelfth Young Master said sincerely, "Brother Tiger heard that you two came to Temple Street and specially asked me to come and look after you. I didn't expect to be a step too late and have this blind bastard spoil your fun."

Although Ruan Mei was still a little shaken, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar Twelfth Young Master.

"It's...it's okay." Ruan Mei held Sophia's hand and said softly, "Actually, Brother Yong has already taken care of it."

Tian Yangyong glanced coldly at Twelfth Young Master, said nothing, and silently retreated to his defensive position. As far as he was concerned, he cared nothing for the safety of his boss and his wife, and no other grudges or feuds in the martial world.

"Regardless, this happened on our turf." Twelfth Young Master turned around, pointing at Tony on the ground, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Men! Drag this dead dog inside! Take him to Brother Long and Mr. Lu, and let them decide his fate!"

"yes!"

Several henchmen from the gang rushed over and, like dragging a dead pig, lifted the terrified Tony and headed towards "Chao Hing Kee".

……

Chao Xing Ji, inside a private room.

Lu Chen and Tornado were drinking their third infusion of tea.

"Knock, knock."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Tornado said calmly.

The door was pushed open, and Twelfth Young Master walked in first. Then, with a wave of his hand, several henchmen threw Tony, who was bruised and covered in blood, onto the floor.

"Brother Long, Mr. Lu."

Twelfth Young Master respectfully addressed Tornado and Lu Chen.

"Little Twelve's here," Tornado glanced at Tony on the ground, her brow furrowing slightly. "What's going on here?"

Twelve Young Master dared not hide anything and recounted in detail what had happened on the street. This included how Tony had tried to harass Sophia and Ruan Mei, how Tian Yangyong had taught him a lesson, and how Tony had been so arrogant.

After hearing the story, Tornado's face darkened.

"Snapped!"

He slammed the teacup he was holding onto the table.

"How does Grandpa Lin discipline his men?" Tornado's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a suffocating pressure. "Harassing women in Temple Street? And Chen's women no less! Does he have a death wish?"

Tony on the ground was so terrified that he couldn't even kneel properly and could only kowtow desperately.

"Master Long, spare me! Mr. Lu, spare me! I was blind and didn't recognize you! I deserve to die! I really didn't know that was my sister-in-law!"

The thud of the kowtowing sounded particularly jarring in the quiet private room.

Lu Chen sat in a chair, toying with a white porcelain teacup in his hand, his gaze indifferent as he looked at Tony on the ground.

He recognized the face.

Tony, the actor who bullied Fly in the movie "As Tears Go By" and ultimately contributed to the memorable scene.

Unexpectedly, in this world, this guy actually became a member of the Jia Shi Tang.

"Alright," Lu Chen put down his teacup, his voice calm. "Don't get the restaurant floor dirty."

Upon hearing Lu Chen speak, Tony's kowtowing stopped abruptly, and he trembled as he awaited his final judgment.

"Since Twelfth Young Master has already made a move, for Tiger's sake," Lu Chen glanced at Tony's face, which had been distorted by Tian Yangyong's kicks and swollen by Twelfth Young Master's slaps, and said calmly, "Just deal with him according to your Jia Shi Tang family rules. Don't drag it out and cause Brother Long any trouble."

To him now, a small-time thug like Tony wasn't even worthy of his anger. Besides, he still had to give Tiger face, and he trusted that Tiger would give him a satisfactory explanation.

"Hurry up and thank Mr. Lu!" Twelfth Young Master kicked Tony in the butt.

"Thank you, Mr. Lu! Thank you, Mr. Lu, for sparing my life!" Tony felt like he had been granted a pardon, tears and snot streaming down his face. At least this way, his life was spared.

"Get lost." Tornado waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, Tony disregarded his pain and immediately scrambled out of the private room.

After the other people left, Twelfth Young Master did not leave, but stood obediently to the side to pour tea for the two big shots.

Lu Chen looked at Twelfth Young Master, as if he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Twelfth Young Master, are you familiar with that Grandpa Lin?"

"It's alright," Twelfth Young Master nodded. "Grandpa Lin's skills are average, so we're the ones who help out at most of the venues over there."

"Do you know someone named...Ahua?"

"Ahua?"

Twelfth Young Master paused for a moment, then pondered for a second, "Mr. Lu, are you referring to... Ah Hua, the one who attacked someone with a knife at the age of fourteen and took the blame for Grandpa Lin?"

"It should be him," Lu Chen smiled. "I heard he's very loyal."

"That's right."

Twelfth Master sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. "Ahua is indeed a talented man. He's efficient, skilled with a knife, and daring. But he's too sentimental, always giving away his share of the money he gets. Especially recently, he took in a henchman named Fly, a troublemaker who's more trouble than he's worth. All the money Ahua earns goes to cleaning up Fly's messes, so despite having the ability to rise in rank, he's always been poor and doesn't even have a decent place to live."

At this point, Twelve Young Master couldn't help but shake his head. In the underworld, loyalty is a good thing, but being overly loyal and a pushover is a fatal flaw.

Lu Chen's smile deepened after hearing this.

It really was Ah Hua, that tragic hero, that fool who got beaten to death by the police for doing a job for Fly.

Lu Chen made a cup of tea for Twelfth Young Master: "Twelfth Young Master, do me a favor. I'm very interested in this Ah Hua. Could you please arrange a meeting with him? Tell him I'd like to invite him to dinner."

"Oh, right," Lu Chen added, "if his underling named Fly is here, bring him along too."

Although flies are troublemakers, they are also loyal and righteous. Such people can be a good weapon if used in the right place—a weapon specifically designed to disgust opponents.

"no problem!"

Twelfth Young Master accepted the teacup with both hands and said respectfully, "It is Ah Hua's good fortune to have Mr. Lu's appreciation. I will make the arrangements immediately."

……

at the same time.

Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok.

This is the most bustling and chaotic place in Kowloon. Neon signs block out the sky, and the signs for mahjong parlors and saunas are densely packed together.

In a run-down tea restaurant.

"Hey! Did that fish ball seller not pay the correct amount? Damn it, I'm going to smash his stall!"

A young man wearing a cheap floral shirt, with curly hair and a face that looked like he wanted to punch someone, was loudly slamming his fist on the table.

Fly.

The man who will one day contribute the iconic "Eat shit" meme is currently grumbling incessantly over a few dozen dollars in protection fees.

Sitting opposite him was a handsome man in a denim jacket with melancholy eyes.

Ahua.

He silently smoked, his brow furrowed, seemingly deeply weary of the hopeless days before him.

"Forget it, fly," Ahua exhaled a smoke ring, his voice low. "Wang Po is seventy years old, so let her charge less. I'll make up the difference."

Just then, the door of the tea restaurant was pushed open, and several of Grandpa Lin's henchmen jumped down.

"Brother Hua! Brother Hua!"

The henchman looked anxious. "Quick! Young Master Twelfth is looking for you!"

"Twelfth Young Master is looking for me?" Ahua's heart skipped a beat. "What happened? Has that kid gotten into trouble again?"

He instinctively looked at the fly.

"No! It's great news!" the henchman said, panting. "Young Master Twelve just called and said a very important person wants to see you! He wants you to take Fly to Chao Hing Kee on Temple Street immediately!"

"An important person?"

Ahua and Fly exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

These small fry, struggling at the bottom, rarely even get to see Twelfth Master, so where would any big shot come from who would specifically ask to see them?

"Brother Hua! Are we about to strike it rich?!" Fly was the first to react, his face contorted with excitement. "Some big boss must have recognized our talent! We're going to rise to the top! I'm going to be a big shot!"

Ahua frowned. Although he didn't know what had happened, he knew this was an opportunity.

Ahua dusted himself off and straightened his collar. "Whoever it is, we'll see when we get there. Remember, don't say anything carelessly, or you'll get yourself into trouble."

"Okay, okay!"

The two tossed down the money for the milk tea, then jumped into the bread cart and sped off towards Temple Street.

At this moment, Ahua had no idea that this trip would completely change the tragic fate that had destined him and Fly for each other.