Hong Kong films: From street thugs to Hong Kong financial tycoons

On the azure high seas, the sunlight poured down without reservation onto the shimmering surface.

A 120-meter-long superyacht, Yao Sheng No. 1, resembling a white sea fortress, is quietly anchored in the waves.

On the top deck of the yacht, a huge, handcrafted parasol is held aloft.

Lin Yao, wearing a pair of flashy beach shorts and a pair of pure black Ray-Ban sunglasses perched on his nose, was lounging lazily on an extremely expensive leather lounge chair.

He held a custom-made sea fishing rod in his hand, which was said to be made of aerospace-grade carbon fiber and worth tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, with the fishing line cast far into the sea.

Beside him, Chingmy Yau was wearing an extremely sexy bikini with a transparent sun-protective veil over it.

She was kneeling on the soft cushion next to him, peeling the finest cherries that had been air-freighted from New Zealand with her delicate, fair hands, and carefully feeding them to Lin Yao one by one.

"Is there something wrong with this broken fishing rod?"

Lin Yao chewed on cherries, staring at the still sea for a full half hour, before finally getting impatient and tugging at the fishing line.

"Boss, sea fishing is all about patience. The water is deep in this area, and the big fish are all down there. You have to wait it out."

Standing behind Lin Yao, the dog was wearing a black waterproof wetsuit for the first time today, but he still stubbornly wore those tactical sunglasses on his nose, making him look as ridiculous as could be.

"Patience my ass! I spent a billion dollars to buy this crappy ship and set sail, not to come here and enjoy the northwest wind and sea view!"

Lin Yao casually tossed the fishing rod, worth over ten thousand yuan, onto the deck, his face full of displeasure.

"These fish in the high seas are really disrespecting me, Lin! I'm going to catch a bluefin tuna weighing over a hundred pounds today!"

Seeing his boss lose his temper, Sang Gou was also sweating profusely. He knew his boss's temper; he liked to use money to pave the way for everything. But when it comes to fishing, even if you throw 10,000 yuan into the sea, the fish won't recognize banknotes.

"Boss... how about I call two large trawlers over and they can haul in this area, and you can just pick any fish they catch and hook it?"

Sanggou tentatively proposed a physical cheat solution that perfectly aligned with Yaosheng Capital's corporate culture.

"That's so tacky! We're here to have a great experience!"

Lin Yao rolled his eyes, then touched his chin, a mischievous smile suddenly appearing on his lips.

"Sang Gou, go to the kitchen logistics area and bring out that 300-pound premium yellowfin tuna that was just air-freighted over this morning."

Lin Yao pointed to the deep blue sea below the yacht and said in a serious tone, "You put on a diving suit, take an oxygen tank, dive down, and hook that tuna on my fishing hook."

"Then you pull the fishing line frantically underwater, creating an immersive experience for me, like a giant fish biting the hook like crazy, and me fighting to the death with a sea monster."

Sang Gou: "..."

Chingmy Yau: "..."

A deathly silence fell over the yacht deck.

A cherry that Qiu Shuyi had just peeled fell directly onto the deck. She stared at Lin Yao in disbelief, feeling as if her worldview had been refreshed once again.

Paying bodyguards to dive down into the water, hang dead fish from the kitchen on fishing hooks, and then having them pull the fishing line underwater to cooperate with the performance?

What kind of mind-boggling, ridiculously rich person's thought process is this? They've completely abandoned all shame for the sake of a fishing experience!

"What are you standing there for? Don't you want your perfect attendance bonus this month?"

Lin Yao raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, boss, I'll go hang the fish right away!"

The dog jumped up in surprise and, without saying a word, turned around and ran to the kitchen. As long as the boss paid him enough, he would do anything, even hang up a dead fish or become sworn brothers with a great white shark.

Watching the dog happily run off to prepare for immersive sea fishing, Lin Yao stretched comfortably and lay back down in his chair.

"That's more like it. I need to find some fun for myself. Shuyi, remember to get the camera and film this later. This will be my glorious moment of conquering the stars and the sea."

"Okay...okay, boss."

Chingmy Yau suppressed a smile and nodded obediently.

……

At the same time.

Across the ocean, in Europe, in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Unlike the sunny and calm waters of Hong Kong, Eindhoven was drizzling today, and the sky was as gloomy as a tattered rag that could never be washed clean.

Next to Philips’ massive industrial park, there is a desolate open space where even the sewers are overflowing. On this open space, a few rows of makeshift houses temporarily built with wooden planks and sheet metal stand forlornly.

If you didn't know better, you'd think this was a dormitory for migrant workers at a construction site.

But these rows of leaky, dilapidated houses are the current global headquarters of ASML, the ultimate technological behemoth that will one day monopolize the global chip manufacturing industry and have a market value of trillions of dollars.

At this moment, in a makeshift office that was constantly dripping water, ASML's current CEO, a middle-aged Dutch man with a full head of blond hair and deep-set eyes, was holding his head and painfully pulling at his hair.

"We have no funds, and Philips has rejected our R&D grant application. If this continues, we won't be able to pay our employees' salaries next month."

"Is our damn stepper lithography machine project really going to be stillborn?"

The CEO roared in despair at the several engineers in front of him who also looked pale and sickly.

These top European tech geniuses are so poor right now that they can't even afford instant coffee in the office, and everyone can only stare helplessly.

Just when this shabby office was filled with an atmosphere of despair.

"Boom—!"

A screeching sound of brakes rang out outside the makeshift house. The CEO stood up irritably and pushed open the creaking wooden door.

The next second, he froze on the spot, as if he saw an alien fleet. On the muddy open ground, there were fifteen brand-new black Mercedes-Benz cars parked.

Dozens of Asian men, dressed in expensive bespoke suits, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and exuding a cool and aloof demeanor, were carrying black umbrellas and marching like a black, steel torrent toward the row of dilapidated prefab houses.

Leading the way was Chen Zheng, the chief trader of Yaosheng Capital!

His shiny, custom-made leather shoes sank into the mud, but he didn't care at all, because in his eyes, this dilapidated prefab house was a super gold mine that he was about to mine dry.

"Are you...you here to collect loan sharks?"

ASML's CEO swallowed hard, looking at the group of Asian elites whose powerful aura was suffocating, and subconsciously took two steps back. This scene was too intimidating.

Chen Zheng walked to the eaves, folded his umbrella, and handed it to his assistant behind him. He straightened his suit and tie, and calmly began to speak in fluent English with a heavy Wall Street accent:

"Loan sharking? No, sir, we're here to send you to heaven."

Chen Zheng pushed up his glasses and glanced through the broken window at the prototype of the first-generation lithography machine, which was still in a semi-finished state.

"I am Chen Zheng, the multinational M&A executive at Hong Kong Yaosheng Capital."

Chen Zheng snapped his fingers, and two top lawyers carrying genuine leather briefcases immediately stepped forward and slammed two thick documents onto the coffee-stained, worn-out wooden table.

"I have thoroughly investigated ASML's current financial situation. You are heavily indebted and face bankruptcy liquidation at any time. Your parent company, Philips, has already treated you as a malignant tumor that can be discarded at any time."

Chen Zheng's voice was flat and monotone, yet it carried an absolute sense of oppression from a superior position.

"Our boss is slightly interested in that piece of junk you're working on called a lithography machine."

Chen Zheng held up three fingers.

"One hundred million US dollars."

"We, Yaosheng Capital, will invest US$100 million in cash to acquire 100% absolute control of ASML, as well as all underlying patent libraries, including your entire R&D team. All of these will be incorporated into Yaosheng Technology."

boom!

One hundred million dollars?

ASML's CEO and the engineers widened their eyes instantly, their breathing becoming rapid, like a group of asthma sufferers.

In 1987, what did one hundred million US dollars mean? For their fledgling company, which couldn't even afford to pay their electricity bill of ten thousand dollars, it was like a mountain of gold falling from the sky!

With this money, they could not only survive, but also immediately build their first complete commercial prototype!

"One...one hundred million US dollars?"

The CEO was trembling with excitement, but being a shrewd European, he suppressed his elation and tried to maintain a composed demeanor.

"Mr. Chen... your offer is indeed very tempting, but ASML's core technology is priceless."

"Moreover, Philips still holds a stake in us, and they won't easily agree to let us be wholly acquired by an Asian company..."

"Oh, Philips disagrees?"

Chen Zheng seemed to have anticipated his response, a mocking sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

Without further ado, he pulled out an asset certificate bearing the official seal of the global headquarters of a Swiss bank from the inside pocket of his jacket.

With a snap, he slapped the thin piece of paper onto the CEO's face.

"Open your blue eyes and see clearly."

Chen Zheng's tone instantly turned extremely cold and violent, deeply inheriting Lin Yaochao's ability to deliver a devastating blow.

"This is a five-billion-dollar cash flow withdrawal authorization."

Chen Zheng pointed to the long string of zeros above, his voice like a whisper from hell: "My boss said, one hundred million US dollars is your life-saving money. If you dare to bargain with me, or if those old fogies at Philips dare to jump out and stop us..."

"I will take this five billion dollars and directly acquire all of Philips' upstream optical lens suppliers, completely cutting off your supply chain."

"While you're at it, use the money to poach all your competitors, so that this piece of junk of yours will rot away forever in this leaky doghouse!"

"Now, I'm only giving you ten seconds to decide: sell, or die together?"

Domineering, barbaric, and utterly devoid of business ethics, Chen Zheng's words completely shattered the psychological defenses of ASML's executives.

Five billion US dollars in cash flow—that's enough not only to buy this lousy company, but it could also overturn half of Europe's semiconductor supply chain! Where on earth in Asia did this living devil come from?

"I'll sell, I'll sign! One hundred million dollars, we'll sell it all!"

Faced with overwhelming capital and the threat of death, the CEO lost all trace of European arrogance. He grabbed the pen on the table and, with trembling hands, signed his name on the acquisition contract.

They were afraid that if they were even a second late, these Asians would actually use 5 billion to disrupt their supply chain.

Chen Zheng looked at the signed document confirming the contract's validity and adjusted his glasses with satisfaction.

The task assigned by the boss is done. This super printer, which will eventually print banknotes, is finally owned by the Lin family.

Forty-eight hours later, in Guangdong Province, a regular public second-tier university, dormitory 404 of the architecture department.

Two days and two nights have passed since Fatty Wang threw down a million yuan in cash as a deposit, and the scene in dormitory 404 is now more devastating than the battlefield in Syria.

The ground was littered with leftover instant noodle containers, crumpled Red Bull cans, and crumpled scrap paper. The strong smell of secondhand smoke mixed with the stench of sweat made it hard to open one's eyes.

But the four senior boys in the dormitory were like they'd been injected with adrenaline, their eyes bloodshot, staring intently at the old-fashioned CRT computers buzzing in front of them, like four hungry wolves guarding their prey.

"Quick, quick, Li Qiang, have you gotten the load-bearing data for the shear wall of the main hall yet?"

"The core framework of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Gate in the eighteenth level of underground hell must be constructed using a double-layer reinforced concrete pouring process. I just completed the stress test, and the earthquake resistance level is definitely capable of withstanding an 8-magnitude earthquake, but the data on foundation settlement still needs to be fine-tuned."

"Holy crap, the Tai Chi Bagua Plaza at the Maoshan Celestial Master's Mansion is huge! Even if it's a one-to-one replica, the base alone would need at least fifty tons of rebar. Quickly get the basic framework of the materials list ready!"

Li Qiang, a senior student and the backbone of this small team, had dark circles under his eyes and a cigarette butt that had long since burned out in his mouth.

His messy hair looked like it had been struck by lightning, and his hands were frantically typing on the greasy keyboard, the lines in the software intertwining and extending at a speed visible to the naked eye.

For these architecture students from ordinary second-tier universities, without the halo of a prestigious university, graduation means unemployment or working on construction sites.

But now, a super bounty of ten million Hong Kong dollars has landed on their heads. This is not just a matter of money, but also the craziest and grandest real-world stage of their lives.

The project perfectly integrates traditional Chinese mythology and zombie-themed Taoist elements into a massive physical palace complex that conforms to modern architectural mechanics, all within a one-month deadline.

A complete set of construction-grade drawings covering a building complex of tens of thousands of square meters would take a design institute a professional team of thirty people more than half a year to complete.

"Brothers, hold on! Time is of the essence. We only received the deposit 48 hours ago. We must finalize the overall building framework and foundation stress analysis draft before nightfall today."

"Otherwise, we won't have enough time in the next month just to work on the details of those mortise and tenon joints!"

Li Qiang roared hoarsely, picked up the cold, strong tea on the table, and gulped it down.

"Once we finalize the framework of this divine blueprint, even if we die in front of this computer, we'll still be remembered in history!"

"Bang!"

Just as the four people in the dormitory were typing away furiously, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open, and the old professor with a receding hairline walked in with his hands behind his back and a stern face.

"Li Qiang, you bunch of brats have been skipping your major classes these past few days, haven't you? The first draft of your graduation project is due soon, what are you doing holed up in your dorm all day?"

The old professor scolded him with exasperation, and was about to walk over and unplug the power cord.

"Director, don't touch the power switch! Don't touch it! It's processing data!"

Li Qiang was so frightened that he immediately lunged forward to block the computer.

"Teacher, please take a look at this!"

The old professor frowned and approached, initially thinking that these good-for-nothing lads were playing computer games all night again.

But when he adjusted his reading glasses and his gaze fell on the newly rendered overall load-bearing framework analysis diagram of the Maoshan Celestial Master's Mansion on the screen, as well as the initial draft of the extremely complex steel mesh layout in the underground space...

The old professor's eyes widened instantly, almost dropping his dentures to the ground.

"This...this structural distribution, this stress support model for the underground corridor..."

The old professor pointed at the screen with trembling hands, his voice trembling.

"Who the hell erected this framework? The main hall spans such a vast area, and you actually managed to calculate such precise stress points on the arched shoulders? This is practically at the preliminary approval level of a national-level large-scale infrastructure project!"

"You little brats...where did you copy the bid proposal from?"

The old professor was utterly shocked. This was definitely not something that a few recent graduates from second-tier universities could easily create. The sheer amount of computation and architectural ambition behind it was terrifying.

"Mentor, this wasn't copied..."

Li Qiang grinned, a proud and fervent look appearing on his tired face as he pointed to the outline of the Sanqing Hall on the screen, which, although only a skeleton, already exuded a magnificent and imposing aura.

"These are some of the practical projects we've taken on, and they are also the initial drafts of our graduation projects that we are currently revising, improving, and optimizing."

"A set of these amazing blueprints will be exchanged for ten million Hong Kong dollars in a month!"