I'm conquering Hong Kong entertainment with two billion US dollars.

The Hong Kong Film Awards banquet ended close to midnight.

Celebrities walked out in small groups, some still basking in the excitement of winning awards, while others were already whispering about the biggest topic of conversation tonight—not the dark horse comeback of "Made in Hong Kong," but Lin Dong's words on stage.

"There are still over a billion US dollars lying in the account."

This statement spread faster than any acceptance speech.

When Lin Dong walked out of the banquet hall, A-Qiang and A-Wei were already waiting at the side door.

Li Jiaxin linked arms with him, her dark green satin evening gown fluttering gently in the night breeze. Her steps were slower than when she arrived, her entire body draped over his arm, her chin slightly raised.

Tonight, she was the most envied woman in the entire room. She felt all those gazes, especially from Rosamund Kwan—that old woman was also here tonight, but she didn't dare to get more than three meters away from Lin Dong the entire time.

The Mercedes silently slid down the steps. Awei opened the back door.

"Ah Dong, back to Banshan?" Li Jiaxin sat in the back seat, her hand still on his arm.

Lin Dong's phone vibrated in his pocket.

He took it out and glanced at it—a text message from Zhang Baizhi.

"Lin Sheng, you were amazing tonight! I'm going home to read the script now, see you tomorrow."

The two short lines were written in a tone as obedient as a puppy that knows it shouldn't bark when its owner is around.

Lin Dong's lips curled slightly as he flipped his phone over and placed it on his lap.

"Okay, let's go back to the mountainside."

Li Jiaxin leaned her head on his shoulder without asking who had sent the text message.

…………

Halfway up the mountain, Ligende Pavilion.

As soon as the door closed, Li Jiaxin kicked off her high heels. Barefoot, she stepped onto the off-white carpet and walked to the wine cabinet, pouring two glasses of red wine.

"Ah Dong."

She handed him a glass. "What are you planning to do with that shorty Zeng tonight?"

What do you think?

"He stepped on you in public, I want him to never be able to stand up again."

Lin Dong took the glass, swirled it, and smiled. "You were pretty fierce before, saying, 'You've lived your whole life and you're still a clown'—that'll definitely be on the front page of tomorrow's newspapers."

"That's too lenient." A cold glint flashed in Li Jiaxin's eyes. "I wish he wouldn't be able to leave the cultural center tonight."

"It's fierce, but I like it." Lin Dong took a sip of his drink and smiled.

Li Jiaxin put down her wine glass and walked up to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her face against his chest, and her voice was muffled by his shirt.

"I won't allow anyone to treat you badly. You're the best person I've ever met."

Lin Dong looked down at her. He felt a slight stirring in his heart. This woman was truly likable. Perhaps it was an act she was deliberately putting on, but it was impossible not to be captivated by her.

"Alright." Lin Dong patted her back. "He's short, it's not like he's worth getting this angry."

She lifted her head from his chest, her eyes a little red, but the corners of her mouth were curved in a smile. "Then—would you like to take a shower first?"

Lin Dong looked at her, but hadn't said anything yet.

My phone vibrated again.

This time, he took it out to look at it in front of her.

It's Chen Xinjian.

"Mr. Lin, I just received news that Tsang Ai-zi is meeting with the editor-in-chief of Apple Daily, Huang Gou, at a nightclub in Causeway Bay tonight."

Lin Dong handed his phone to Li Jiaxin so she could see it.

Her gaze swept across the screen, then she placed the phone back on the coffee table, her tone calm. "A leopard can't change its spots."

"What do you think he'll do?" Lin Dong asked, looking at her with interest.

"What else could it be?" Li Jiaxin leaned back on the sofa, picked up her wine glass, "It's nothing more than digging up dirt on you, checking if your money is real, and then splashing some dirty water on you."

Lin Dong looked at her profile. This woman seemed quite adept at these kinds of tactics.

"So how do you think I should respond?"

Li Jiaxin shook her head. "No need to respond."

"Oh?" Lin Dong was genuinely impressed with her.

"Let him spread his dirt, we'll do our own thing." She put down her glass and gently drew circles on his knee with her finger. "As long as the money in your account is real, as long as you keep investing in movies and promoting people, what he posts will become a joke."

Lin Dong glanced at her, then wrapped his arms around her, his hands simultaneously exploring her breasts, and whispered in her ear, "Who taught you that?"

"It was my own idea." Li Jiaxin's face flushed slightly, and she turned to glare at Lin Dong. "You think all I do is argue?"

As she spoke, she slapped him lightly, just enough to express her haughty attitude. Then she broke free from Lin Dong's embrace, stood up, and walked towards the bedroom.

"I'll take a shower first."

As she reached the bedroom door, she turned back, a smile playing on her lips. "—Really not coming together?"

Lin Dong glanced at her, put down his wine glass, and stood up.

The bathroom door was closed.

The sound of rushing water and rising steam created a thick layer of mist on the glass partition, making the enchanting symphony of music faintly visible beneath the cover of the water's murmur.

A pair of slender hands rested on the glass partition, contracting rhythmically—relaxing.

Through the thick fog on the glass partition, one could vaguely see that Lin Dong was holding her ponytail in his hand.

…………

After a long, long time, the exhilarating exercise came to an end. Lin Dong leaned against the headboard, Li Jiaxin nestled against his chest, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Beep beep beep..."

Lin Dong took his phone and called Chen Xinjian.

"Hey, Mr. Lin!"

"Help me check the film and television projects that Zeng Aizi and Huang Gou are currently in contact with."

"Understood, it's all arranged. We'll have news by tomorrow afternoon at the latest." Chen Xinjian was already prepared.

Although he didn't attend the Hong Kong Film Awards tonight, he found out what happened immediately and began preparations in advance.

…………

Kowloon Tong, facing house, master bedroom.

Xiang Ye leaned back on the sofa, his tie loose and two buttons undone. His mother sat opposite him, holding a cup of ginseng tea, but didn't drink it.

"What should we do about Zeng the Dwarf's matter?"

Xiang Yeqiang remained silent for a while.

"Cut".

Mrs. Xiang did not respond.

"I've already outmaneuvered him tonight." Xiang Yeqiang's voice deepened. "The organizing committee put Lin Dong and Chen Long together for the awards ceremony. Doesn't he realize what that means? That guy surnamed Wu is just trying to elevate Lin Dong. And yet, he went on stage and started criticizing everything. I couldn't stop him."

Mrs. Xiang was silent for a moment, then put down her ginseng tea. "Decades of friendship, just cut it off like that?"

"Friendship?" Xiang Ye forced a laugh, his tone devoid of warmth. "I give him face because he's useful, not because his surname is Zeng."

"What about Lin Dong? You trust him that much? Aren't you afraid it's just a lucky break for him?"

"Once is luck, twice is luck." Xiang Yeqiang shook his head, "But Lin Dong's ability to amass a fortune of two billion US dollars cannot be attributed to luck alone."

Mrs. Xiang did not refute.

"Besides," Xiang Yeqiang held up one finger, "the Amazon deal he had us follow has already made a profit of six million US dollars."

Mrs. Xiang squinted and didn't say anything more. The room was quiet for a while.

After a full five minutes, Mrs. Xiang finally spoke, "In that case, cutting alone is not enough."

Xiang Yeqiang looked at her.

"It needs to be suppressed."

"What do you mean?"

"Since you've chosen Lin Dong, go all the way." Mrs. Xiang picked up her ginseng tea, took a sip, and said, "If you cut up Zeng the Dwarf, he'll hate you. Rather than waiting for him to turn around and bite you back, it's better to just pin him down until he can't get up."

"You mean—"

"You must have evidence of all the things he's done outside using your name." Mrs. Xiang put down her cup. "Let go of what needs to be let out. Retrieve what needs to be retracted."

Xiang Yeqiang remained silent for a moment, then picked up his teacup and clinked it against Xiang Tai's.

"I'll listen to you."