Chapter 704: It’s Gone Viral!

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed!

Over the past two days, quite a few major events had unfolded on Hong Kong Island.

First, news broke that warships from the mainland had been deployed to seize over twenty Royal Coast Guard patrol boats that were on active duty, and that these warships and patrol boats had already appeared in the waters near Hong Kong Island.

The news sent shockwaves through the people of Hong Kong Island!

Many speculated whether negotiations had broken down and if the mainland was preparing to use force.

As a result, Hong Kong’s already precarious real estate and stock markets took another severe hit, with property prices and stock prices plummeting once again.

Both large corporations and individual investors suffered heavy losses.

Real estate companies, in particular, saw their stock prices hit new lows, with many shares plummeting to rock-bottom levels.

In this situation, many people rushed to the Governor’s Residence to inquire about the situation, but officials there hemmed and hawed, unable to provide a clear explanation.

This terrified and enraged the public, who took to the streets in protest, causing tensions on Hong Kong Island to escalate instantly.

Finally, under pressure from the public and government legislators, the Governor’s Office could no longer withstand the pressure and issued a public statement.

According to the Governor’s Office’s public announcement, it turned out that on January 4, while the Coast Guard was conducting official duties in the relevant waters, they mistakenly identified an opposing government vessel as a smuggling ship. Not only did they intercept the vessel, but they also forcibly boarded it for inspection.

Coincidentally, a naval fleet from the other side was conducting training exercises nearby at the time, so they detained the Chinese Coast Guard vessel.

The Governor’s Office also stated that both sides are currently mediating this major misunderstanding and that there is no truth to claims that the other side used force.

Although the Governor’s Office provided a clear explanation for the incident, their account clearly contained inconsistencies and defied common sense, leading many citizens to remain skeptical of their version of events.

Overnight, panic spread across Hong Kong Island, and the situation became somewhat unstable!

Apart from this incident, another piece of news caught everyone on Hong Kong Island completely off guard.

However, compared to the incident involving the Coast Guard unit getting into trouble and being detained, this news was a major piece of good news: Starry Company officially moved its offices from Yuanhua Building to Starry Tower at 17 Happy Valley Road, and decided to distribute its semi-annual dividends to all shareholders and investors at the company’s new office location on the morning of January 7.

Rumors of this had been circulating for some time, and Star Corporation had even held a press conference, so the public was already mentally prepared.

The reason it still came as a bit of a surprise is that Star Company has now officially announced the specific amount of the dividend—HK$28.966 billion.

Of course, this was part of a publicity strategy devised by Star Company’s PR department, which continuously released new information to keep the story in the spotlight.

As it turned out, their strategy was a resounding success.

As soon as the news was released, it quickly caused a sensation across all social strata on Hong Kong Island, instantly going viral!

Within a very short time, Star Company and Li Yi made the front pages of major newspapers and news outlets. Both British-owned conglomerates and Chinese media outlets covered the story extensively.

In fact, the news even crossed the ocean to reach the “Thief Eagle” camp, with multiple mainstream media outlets—including The New York Times and The Washington Post—covering the story. However, these foreign media outlets took a very hostile stance toward Li Yi and Star Company.

After such a long period of brewing and fermenting, the Western world had already thoroughly investigated Li Yi’s background and discovered who was backing him.

Consequently, these media outlets and newspapers adopted a particularly aggressive and extreme tone in their coverage. For instance, The New York Times ran a headline reading: “The $10 Billion Dividend Frenzy: A Financial Genius Cultivated by a Mysterious Eastern Power Defeats Wall Street’s Elite!”

The Washington Post was even more scathing, publishing a detailed report under the headline: “The Red Butcher Runs Rampant on Wall Street—America’s Financial Sector Faces Its Darkest Hour!”

According to their reports, the hundreds of billions of Hong Kong dollars distributed by Starry Sky to investors and shareholders were largely earned by a man named Li Yi on the New York futures market.

Amid the intense coverage and hype in these newspapers and magazines, the gold short-selling incident from half a month prior was dredged up once again, generating unprecedented attention.

Overnight, nearly every major newspaper and television station across the United States was covering the story, and in virtually every media report, Li Yi was portrayed as the Butcher—a butcher who had bloodied Wall Street.

Furthermore, in their coverage, Starry Sky’s massive dividend payout was portrayed as a carnival for clowns…

But no matter how bitter these people might be, there’s no denying that Li Yi and his Starry Sky Corporation have truly made a name for themselves this time… No, they’ve gone viral!

Whether at home or abroad, whether investors or the general public, everyone has heard the names of Li Yi and Star Company.

The direct result of this is that Star Company’s business volume has skyrocketed, with a massive number of investors calling or visiting the company in person every day to seek partnerships!

Of course, what everyone is more concerned about is whether Star Company will really distribute nearly 29 billion yuan in dividends to investors…

………

In addition, a major event has captured the attention of Hong Kong residents in recent days: the establishment of the Hong Kong branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Old Li and his team moved quickly. Immediately after speaking with Li Yi that day, Old Li summoned all the members on the list for an emergency meeting.

The meeting had only one purpose: to discuss the specific details of establishing the Hong Kong Island branch, such as when and how it would be formed.

Since the Chinese business owners—who had been severely mistreated by certain unscrupulous organizations—were all very enthusiastic about this matter, they eagerly shared their views and successfully worked out a practical preliminary plan.

That evening, Li Futiao and his son Li Yunbao arrived at Cloudtop No. 1 with this freshly drafted “plan” and explained the results of their discussions to Li Yi.

After much discussion, they decided to celebrate the establishment of the Hong Kong Island branch with the most grand ceremony possible.

Not only did they plan to hold the inauguration ceremony at Hong Kong Island’s largest and most luxurious hotel, but they also intended to invite all the wealthy Chinese businessmen on the island—along with their wives—to attend the ceremony. They would also host a grand ball to make the occasion truly festive.

Of course, for such an important occasion, they would also invite media reporters to cover the event and celebrate in style.

In short, they intended to make this a spectacular event that would fully showcase the strength of the Chinese business community.

However, before proceeding, they needed to consult with Li Yi—after all, he was the driving force behind the Chinese Chamber of Commerce!

Li Yi, of course, fully supported the idea.

This Hong Kong Island branch was the very first organization established by the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and its success or failure would have far-reaching implications.

Even if Old Li hadn’t mentioned it, Li Yi would have suggested throwing a big celebration—an event this important couldn’t possibly be handled on the sly!

After some discussion, the two finally decided to set the launch of the chamber for the evening of January 7th.

That meant distributing dividends to investors in the morning and attending the Hong Kong branch’s inauguration ceremony in the evening.

Li Yi also decided that after attending the ceremony, he would leave Hong Kong Island with his wife and children to return home for his third sister’s wedding.

Amid the collective attention of Hong Kong’s residents, January 7th finally arrived…

………

Hong Kong Island. The Lai Family Jewelry Store!

When Li Yi arrived at the Lai Family Gold Shop with his entire family in tow, it immediately caused a sensation, drawing a large crowd of onlookers.

Although Li Yi had only been in Hong Kong for a little over half a year, his fame here was no small matter; he frequently made the front page of mainstream newspapers.

On top of that, he was the undisputed star of many gossip tabloids. Regardless of whether the reports were true or false, fueled by the media’s sensationalism, Li Yi had become an absolute celebrity in Hong Kong, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Chinese tycoons like Li Futao, Sir Pao, and Li Ka-shing.

And today, with so many male and female bodyguards surrounding him, it was hard not to attract the attention of ordinary people.

When ordinary people recognized Li Yi, they flocked to get a closer look at this newly minted tycoon. After all, for people like them, it was a rare opportunity to get this close to—or even interact with—such a super-rich individual.

Unlike other tycoons who keep people at arm’s length, Li Yi, seeing that the citizens were behaving quite restrainedly, immediately picked up his little princess Yunjin and took the initiative to greet the crowd.

Meanwhile, upon receiving a call from the store manager informing him that Li Yi and his family had arrived at his jewelry shop—apparently to purchase jewelry—Li Jiuying immediately drove over.

When he arrived at the store, he saw Li Yi holding his child in one arm while accompanying a beautiful woman as she browsed the jewelry, with several bodyguards scattered around them.

He took a deep breath and strode toward Li Yi.

But before he could get close, he was stopped by Zhang Ziqiang and his men.

Although Zhang Ziqiang knew Li Jiuying, he couldn’t allow an outsider to approach Li Yi without authorization—that was the most basic requirement of a security officer.

“I’m Li Jiuying, the owner of Li’s Gold Shop. I have something I’d like to discuss with Mr. Li…”

Just as Li Jiuying was explaining this to Zhang Ziqiang, Li Yi noticed the commotion. He turned around, saw that it was Li Jiuying, and immediately instructed Zhang Ziqiang to let him through.

Once he was in front of Li Yi, Li Jiuying immediately said respectfully, “Mr. Li, if you were coming over, why didn’t you give me a call beforehand so I could make the necessary arrangements?”

Li Jiuying had previously harbored some resentment toward the young Li Yi, feeling that his defeat had been somewhat undeserved.

But after seeing how Li Yi had taken down the British Capital Group—especially since he’d personally participated in Li Yi’s gold long position and witnessed firsthand how Li Yi effortlessly fleeced the British Capital Group out of tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars—he was thoroughly convinced.

He knew that he and Li Yi were simply not in the same league; his defeat was well-deserved!

“Haha, no need to go to all that trouble. I’m just here today with my family to buy some jewelry. As for Hong Kong Island, I only know of your Li Family Jewelry and the Lin Family Jewelry. Compared to them, I have more confidence in your Li Family, so I came here!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Thank you for your recognition, Mr. Li!”

Li Jiuying then turned to Jiang Xue and said, “Mrs. Li, if you see any jewelry you like, just have the staff wrap it up, and I’ll have them charge you cost price.”

He knew Li Yi wasn’t short on money, so he didn’t offer to waive the charges, but he also didn’t dare to profit from Li Yi, so he could only say that.

Jiang Xue didn’t understand Cantonese, but after hearing Zhang Feng’s translation, her pretty face instantly flushed red.

Being called “Mrs. Li” for the first time was a completely new experience for her; she stood there dumbfounded for several seconds before she could react.

“Thank you!”

Li Jiuying nodded, then turned to Li Yi and said, “Mr. Li, I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?”

Li Yi noticed that Jiang Xue seemed a bit uncomfortable talking to a stranger like Li Jiuying, so he immediately asked her and his mother-in-law to browse the jewelry while he carried Yun Jin and went with Li Jiuying to the office in the back.

After they had seated themselves, with Li Yi as the host and Li Jiuying as the guest, Li Yi asked right away, “How has business been lately? Have you resolved the supply issues?”

“It’s been resolved!”

Li Jiuying continued, her face full of gratitude, “Thank you for your warning, Mr. Li. We sold off all our gold before the price plummeted. After the crash, we bought back in bulk at rock-bottom prices. Now our inventory is fully stocked, and customer traffic has returned to normal. The Li family is finally back on its feet!”

“What about the Lin family? Are they still opposing you?” Li Yi asked again.

Li Jiuying paused for a moment, then said, “There’s no Lin family left on Hong Kong Island!”

“Oh? What happened to the Lin family?”

“They went bankrupt!”

“When did that happen? How come I haven’t heard anything about it?” Li Yi asked in surprise.

He had originally been planning to find time to teach this upstart a lesson, but he hadn’t expected the Lin family to fall so quickly.

Li Jiuying sighed and said, “It’s been about two weeks now. From what I understand, Lin Zhengrong had stockpiled a massive amount of gold to take us on. And the money he used to buy that gold—apart from some bank loans—was largely high-interest loans he’d taken out from the triads!”

“When gold prices plummeted recently, the value of the Lin family’s gold reserves dropped drastically. Seeing this, the triad immediately demanded repayment. Once the Lin family couldn’t pay, all their properties on Hong Kong Island were seized by the triad to settle the debt. Without their gold shop business, the Lin family had no choice but to declare bankruptcy!”

“What about Lin Zhengrong?” Li Yi asked calmly.

“Lin Zhengrong committed suicide. He jumped from the 30th floor—it was a truly gruesome death!”

“What about the bigwigs backing him? Haven’t they stepped in to defend him?” Li Yi asked sarcastically.

“Those people are like clay Buddhas crossing a river—they can’t even save themselves. Who has the time or energy to worry about the Lin family’s mess?”

Then, Li Jiuying changed the subject and said, “Mr. Li, quite a few old friends of mine suddenly reached out to me last night, wanting to get to know you through me. What do you think about that…”

Li Yi replied indifferently, “Those friends of yours must be core members of the Yingzi Group, right?”

“Yes, their standing there is indeed quite solid,” Li Jiuying replied.

“Hah, why do they want to meet me? They’re just trying to back down and admit defeat!” Li Yi said indifferently.

Hearing this, Li Jiuying was suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding. Her expression turned anxious as she stammered, “Mr. Li… what… what exactly has happened? I…”

“I know this has nothing to do with you. Tell those people I’m very dissatisfied with their underhanded tactics. If they want me to let this slide, it depends on their sincerity!” Li Yi said.

“Mr. Li, what exactly do you mean by ‘sincerity’? I’d like to discuss this with them,” Li Jiuying said.

“This morning, Old Li gave me the list of the first batch of members for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. I saw your name on it. I’m sure you know there’s one condition for joining the Chamber: all members must invest in mainland China!”

Li Yi continued, “That’s the kind of attitude and sincerity you’ve shown. If those people want to be forgiven, they’d better follow your example!”

“I understand. I’ll pass your message on to them!”

Although Li Jiuying didn’t know exactly what the British-funded group had done to provoke such outrage and anger, drawing the wrath of the man standing before him,

But from their trembling, timid tone, he could clearly hear their anxiety and fear—this matter was clearly no ordinary affair.

Moreover, it was clear that those people had lost yet again, suffering a major defeat at the hands of the man standing before him, and were now forced to grovel and back down through him.

“It’s not a report—it’s a notification!” Li Yi declared authoritatively.

“Yes…”

Just then, Zhang Ziqiang pushed open the door and walked in, informing Li Yi that Jiang Xue and the others had already selected their jewelry.

Li Yi immediately ended his conversation with Li Jiuying and returned to the sales floor.

After settling the bill, he left Li’s Gold Shop with Jiang Xue and the others!

After Li Yi left, Li Jiuying immediately returned to her office and quickly dialed a number.

Soon, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the industry.

Shortly after, the Foreign Economic Commission was suddenly inundated with calls—all from Hong Kong seeking investment partnerships—leaving them completely bewildered…

However, just as the British-owned conglomerates were living in constant fear, an exciting piece of news spread through Hong Kong’s circle of wealthy Chinese tycoons—the Hong Kong branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce was about to be established!

Cloud Peak No. 1. Study!

Li Yi and the Governor sat across from each other at a desk, with neither hot tea nor coffee in sight.

Neither of them spoke first; at this moment, it was a contest of wills, and whoever spoke first would appear to be at a disadvantage.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was awkward, tinged with a touch of gravity.

After a long while, the Governor finally couldn’t resist speaking first: “Mr. Li Yi, I’d like to know—is your side prepared to use force to resolve the issues on Hong Kong Island?”

“Why do you ask that? Besides, Your Excellency shouldn’t be asking a mere businessman like me such a thing!” Li Yi said calmly.

“Sir, there is an old saying in your ‘Land of the Flowering Trees’: ‘Let’s be frank and open.’ I simply wish to know if you intend to use force. Please do not withhold the truth!”

“Haha, well, if we really do intend to use force, what does the Governor plan to do?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll immediately order all armed forces on Hong Kong Island to cease resistance and await negotiations between London and your country!”

Hearing the Governor’s blunt assessment, Li Yi let out a cold chuckle and said indifferently, “It seems you’re well aware of the vast disparity in strength between us. I’d thought you believed those few rickety old ships in your possession would allow you to do as you pleased in any waters?”

The Governor’s face flushed alternately pale and red, but in the end, he offered no explanation.

There was simply no way to explain such a thing; the more he tried to explain, the worse he would make himself look, and the more he would provoke his opponent.

Seeing the man’s defeated expression, Li Yi lost interest in humiliating him further and said indifferently, “As far as I know, our policy toward Hong Kong Island has not changed. You can verify this with your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant departments in our country!”

“If your country has no intention of resolving matters here by force, then why did you suddenly dispatch warships to seize our coast guard patrol boat for no apparent reason?” the Governor asked in a low, stern voice.

“What a coincidence—I happen to know about this. As far as I’m aware, your ship wasn’t seized for no reason; it was your patrol boat that first violated the territorial waters of our country’s government vessel and provoked us first!” Li Yi said.

“What?”

Li Yi continued, “From what I understand, your patrol boat was in our territorial waters and, without authorization, suddenly surrounded our government vessel and forcibly conducted an inspection despite our crew’s refusal.”

“As it happens, one of our naval fleets was conducting night training exercises in the relevant waters. Upon receiving a distress signal, we rushed to the scene, rescued the vessel and personnel that had been violated, and incidentally seized your ship and crew!”

“Just so happened?”

“Incidentally”?

Hearing this, the Governor of Hong Kong wanted nothing more than to punch Li Yi in the face and ask him if he actually believed what he was saying.

But he didn’t dare. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said, “As far as I know, our patrol boat was on a mission yesterday to crack down on smuggling vessels. How could it have forcibly boarded your country’s government vessel? That’s completely impossible.”

“Are you implying, Mr. Governor, that we’ve wrongly accused your people?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.

“Well… that’s not what I meant…”

“Then what exactly do you mean?” Li Yi pressed further.

“I was just wondering if there might be some misunderstanding here.”

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not is simple enough to resolve. I can contact them and have the commander in charge of this operation return to report on the situation. Then we can discuss the next steps,” Li Yi said calmly.

“In that case, we’d be grateful for your assistance, Mr. Li Yi. If it truly was our fault, we will offer our apologies and provide appropriate compensation for your country’s losses!” said the Governor.

“You don’t need to discuss this with me, Your Excellency. I’m merely helping the Governor communicate with the other side; the rest has nothing to do with me!” Li Yi said.

“Understood!”

With that, the Governor turned and left Li Yi’s study. He didn’t want to stay in that place a second longer—it was too humiliating!

The Governor left, but Li Futao and Old Huo stayed behind. After the Governor had departed, they both came to Li Yi’s study.

As soon as the two entered, Li Yi had someone bring in some fine green tea. They gathered around a small round table, sipping tea and chatting.

Li Futao blew gently on the scalding tea, took a small sip, and then said, “Brother Li Yi, Old Huo isn’t an outsider, so I’ll get straight to the point: are they really planning to use force over there?”

“Absolutely not!” Li Yi replied firmly.

“Then what’s with all the panic at the Governor’s Office? They say the other side has deployed warships to seize their coast guard vessels, and that their fleet has already blockaded Hong Kong Island,” Li Futao said.

“They’re just guilty as charged!”

Li Yi then briefly recounted the events of the previous night—though, of course, he only covered the latter part, omitting the fact that he’d used a fake cash-in-transit vessel to lure the coast guard fleet into a trap.

Although Li Futiao hadn’t participated in the subsequent operation, he was well aware of Li Yi’s plan to transport a billion US dollars across the water. Upon reflection, he realized this was a trap set by Li Yi at the Governor’s Mansion, so he didn’t press the matter further.

As for Old Huo’s visit today, his main purpose was to confirm whether the other side truly intended to use force. Since the matter turned out to be nothing more than a misunderstanding, he saw no reason to dwell on it any further!

At that moment, Li Futiao changed the subject and said again, “Brother Li Yi, over the past few days, our group has held multiple discussions regarding the establishment of the Chinese Capital Group and has screened the first batch of members. We have preliminarily identified 32 Chinese families and companies with assets exceeding one hundred million as our inaugural members. Take a look and see if these individuals meet the qualifications!”

As he spoke, Li Futiao took a set of documents out of the briefcase he was carrying.

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he immediately took the documents and began reviewing them.

The document was over thirty pages long. It listed not only the names of these families and companies but also brief profiles, including their assets and primary business operations.

More importantly, Li Yi noticed that at the very end there was a special survey—one that specifically inquired about the member’s attitude toward the mainland.

Wow, is it really that obvious?

After reviewing the members’ profiles, Li Yi nodded and said, “These members are all solid and qualified to join our alliance. However, I feel the name ‘Chinese Capital Group’ isn’t very catchy or appropriate!”

“Well then, Brother Li Yi, what name do you think would be better?”

“The Hong Kong Island Branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce!” Li Yi replied.

Upon hearing the name Li Yi had proposed, Old Li and Old Huo both perked up, while also being stunned by Li Yi’s ambition.

The Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce was clearly intended to unite Chinese businesspeople worldwide. Since there was a Hong Kong Island Branch, there would naturally be a Mainland China Branch and a Macau Branch, and eventually even branches in Southeast Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and beyond.

“Excellent! That name is truly impressive!” Li Fu exclaimed.

Old Huo agreed, “It’s truly excellent—far better than that British-owned conglomerate!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Old Li, Old Huo, I have no objections to this list. If there are no other issues, I hope this chamber of commerce can be established as soon as possible!”

“How soon exactly?”

“Within the next day or two!” Li Yi said.

“So urgent?”

“Yes, because my sister is getting married in a few days, and I need to head back as soon as possible. Plus, the Lunar New Year is coming up soon. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it’ll be at least two or three months before I’m back here again!” Li Yi explained.

“I see. Alright, we’ll make the arrangements as soon as possible and let you know when everything is ready!” Li Fu said.

“Alright!”

“Well then, you’re busy. We’ll take our leave now!” said Old Mr. Huo.

“Let me walk you out…”

……….

Victoria Peak, Cloudtop No. 1!

By the time Li Yi returned home, it was already past 2:00 a.m.

As soon as he walked through the villa’s front door, he noticed the living room light was still on.

At the villa’s entrance, Zhang Feng and Liang Ying, two female special security agents, stood as straight as javelins, displaying exceptional professionalism.

Pulling up to the front door, Li Yi quickly got out of the car and asked the two women, “Why aren’t you two asleep yet?”

Zhang Feng replied immediately, “The lady of the house isn’t asleep yet, so we can’t rest either!”

“It’s fine. You can all go rest. Just have Wen and the others stand guard here!” Li Yi said.

“Yes, sir!”

As Li Yi walked into the living room, he immediately saw Jiang Xue coming toward him.

Judging by her expression, she must have heard the commotion outside and realized he was back, so she came out to take a look.

Li Yi strode forward and asked with a smile, “Didn’t I tell you to go to bed early? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Jiang Xue looked at him and said, “You went out so late… I… I was a little worried!”

“It’s fine. I usually don’t do anything dangerous, and Daqiang and Awen wouldn’t let me touch it anyway!” Li Yi said.

“But I still feel a little uneasy…”

“Alright, everything’s taken care of. Now I can relax and spend time with you guys!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Really? That’s great!” Jiang Xue said happily.

“Yeah, let’s go to the jewelry store tomorrow. You can buy whatever you want!” Li Yi said.

“Great!”

“By the way, where are the kids? On the fourth floor or…”

Before Li Yi could finish his sentence, Jiang Xue immediately replied, “They’re on the third floor with Grandma!”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s eyes lit up.

He’d been on edge for most of the evening, and usually, it was hard to fall asleep in that state.

Under normal circumstances, he’d need to let off some steam—either by having a drink or “getting some action.”

Since his wife was right there and the conditions were just right, Li Yi naturally knew what to do.

With that in mind, he immediately took Jiang Xue’s hand and started heading upstairs!

Just then, the sound of a car engine suddenly echoed from the front gate. Blinding headlights shone through the spacious floor-to-ceiling windows, startling Li Yi and the others inside.

Zhang Zibanbanhaobangqiang, seeing this, immediately ran out to check the situation, while Zhou Wen, Yang Zhiwen, and the others immediately stepped in front of Li Yi and Jiang Xue, their faces full of vigilance.

It was no wonder they were so tense; tonight, those foreigners had not only deployed Coast Guard patrol boats but had even mobilized helicopters and the Flying Tigers.

They were genuinely worried that the other side, cornered and desperate, might resort to even more despicable tactics against them.

After four or five minutes, Zhang Ziqiang ran back inside and said to Li Yi, “Brother Yi, the Governor’s here. He wants to see you. What should we do?”

“Don’t see him. Just tell him I’ve already gone to bed. If he has any business, let him come back tomorrow!” Li Yi said calmly.

“Got it!”

With that, Zhang Ziqiang turned and walked straight out.

After watching Zhang Ziqiang leave, Jiang Xue said with some concern, “The Governor is probably the highest-ranking official here, isn’t he? Isn’t it a bit unwise to refuse to give him face like this?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Face is a two-way street. When they deployed coast guard vessels to intercept our fleet, did they show me any face? Did they show our country any face?”

“My own face isn’t worth much—if I lose it, so be it. But we can’t let the ‘Land of Flowers’ lose face!”

“But what if they’re here to apologize?”

“Hmph. Whether they come to apologize, beg for mercy, or spout threats, I’m not seeing them today.”

With that, Li Yi took Jiang Xue’s hand and headed upstairs.

Before long, enchanting music filled the air from upstairs.

There were the heavy gasps of a man and the high-pitched moans of a woman, mixed with the “slap-slap” of playing cards, weaving together into a captivating symphony…

………

The next morning!

When Li Yi woke up from the soft, large bed, he found that Jiang Xue was no longer there, though her scent and lingering warmth remained in the sheets!

He sat up and glanced at the watch on the nightstand, realizing it was already past nine o’clock.

Li Yi immediately got dressed and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Just as he reached the door, he heard the sound of running water inside.

He gently pushed the door open a crack to peek inside, and his eyes widened instantly.

Inside the bathroom, a graceful figure was faintly visible, and Li Yi’s throat involuntarily tightened.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he opened the door and walked into the bathroom.

A short, sharp scream echoed from inside, followed once again by the enchanting melody…

By the time the two of them came downstairs, it was already 10:30.

His older sister, mother-in-law, and Juanzi were playing with the kids in the living room, while Zhang Ziqiang, Zhang Feng, and the others were out in the yard, doing who knows what.

Seeing the two of them come down, the eldest sister immediately said with a smile, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Xue, you two keep an eye on the kids. I’ll go get you some food!”

Jiang Xue hurriedly said, “Sis, no need—I’ll get it myself!”

“You’ve been exhausted these past few days—let me do it!”

With that, my eldest sister headed toward the kitchen.

But when Jiang Xue heard the words “exhausted,” her face flushed red, and she stopped arguing with her older sister.

Soon, the eldest sister came out carrying a tray with two bowls of congee and several meat buns.

But when Li Yi and Jiang Xue saw the porridge filled with goji berries and red dates, both of their faces flushed!

Although it was a bit awkward, they were genuinely hungry, so they simply picked up their bowls and started eating.

But after just a couple of bites, Zhang Ziqiang pushed open the door and walked in.

He walked up to Li Yi and said, “Brother Yi, that Governor is here again. He still wants to see you, and…”

“And what?”

“And he’s brought Mr. Li and Mr. Huo with him!” Zhang Ziqiang said.

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “If Old Li and Old Huo are here, I certainly can’t turn them away. Show them in!”

Seeing this, Jiang Xue immediately tried to pick up her bowl and leave; in her view, eating in front of guests was neither proper nor polite.

However, Li Yi cut her off: “Sit down. I’m not finished eating yet!”

As he spoke, Li Yi picked up his bowl again and began eating heartily.

Jiang Xue glanced at her mother, then at her older sister, and finally had no choice but to sit down and continue eating with Li Yi.

Her movements were much more restrained, and a hint of nervousness crossed her face.

Soon, Li Futao and Old Master Huo, accompanied by a white man in his sixties, entered the villa surrounded by a group of bodyguards.

However, the bodyguards were stopped at the front door, and only the three main figures entered.

When Li Fuzhao and the others entered the living room and saw Li Yi actually having dinner with his wife, they were all taken aback.

“Brother Li Yi, why are you eating at this hour?” Li Futiao asked with a smile.

“Hehe, I didn’t sleep well last night because of the noise, so I got up late!”

As he spoke, Li Yi never put down the bowl in his hand. Jiang Xue also sensed his intention and remained seated.

“So that’s how it is. No wonder!”

Li Fuzhao then continued, “Let me introduce you. This is Sir You, the Governor of Hong Kong. He said he had something he wanted to discuss with you, Brother Li Yi, so he asked Old Huo and me to introduce him.”

Li Yi first nodded to Old Huo beside him, then fixed his gaze directly on the elderly white man standing before him.

He smiled and said, “So it’s the Governor himself. I’ve just gotten out of bed and haven’t had breakfast yet—it’s truly rude of me. I apologize!”

Though his words were apologetic, there was not a flicker of emotion in Li Yi’s eyes. That icy stare made the Governor’s heart race, and his face turned grim.

But he knew the situation was critical and heavily stacked against them; they needed this man to mediate, so he couldn’t afford to offend him.

With that in mind, he immediately replied, “It’s no problem. It’s perfectly normal for a young man to sleep in. Take my granddaughter, for example—she wasn’t even up when I left!”

“Oh, could it be that the Governor’s granddaughter went to a dance last night, which is why she slept in?” Li Yi said with a half-smile.

The Governor’s expression instantly darkened further. His heart began to race uncontrollably, and a voice echoed in his mind: “He knows. He knows…”

Just as he was at a loss for how to explain, Li Yi’s voice rang in his ears once more: “It’s perfectly normal for young people to enjoy balls. As long as they don’t associate with unsavory characters, there’s nothing to worry about. Don’t you agree, Governor?”

“Shady characters?”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in the Governor’s previously panicked eyes…

………

Suburbs. Castle Manor!

At the very moment the Royal Coast Guard fleet fell into the trap Li Yi had meticulously set, the cocktail party at the Castle Estate was in full swing.

The elite members of the British-owned conglomerate were raising their glasses while dancing with their partners.

Of course, for people like them, drinking and dancing were merely the spice of life; the real reason they weren’t heading home late tonight was to await the good news from the sea.

After all, with the promises from Durson and the Governor’s Office, they were all eagerly awaiting that massive sum.

Although half of that billion dollars was to be handed over to the Governor’s Office, they would still receive five hundred million—enough to help the members of the British-funded group, who had suffered heavy losses in the gold trade, recover somewhat.

But they had forgotten that the money they were about to intercept didn’t belong to Li Yi—it belonged to the giant on the other side.

The cocktail party was in full swing when suddenly, one of Dalson’s aides rushed in from outside, looking panicked.

Given the gravity of the situation, the aide dared not shout but walked directly to Dalson’s side and quickly whispered the news in his ear.

Yet, before the aide had even finished speaking, Dolsen stood up, his face darkening, and demanded in a deep voice, “Is this true? The other side has deployed a naval fleet?”

The aide, not daring to delay, hurriedly replied, “The information came directly from the Coast Guard Command Center; it should be accurate.”

“What about Liang? Has he returned yet?” Dolsen asked again.

“Sir Liang himself has been captured by the enemy. Not only that, but all patrol boats belonging to the Royal Coast Guard have been seized by the enemy—not a single one has escaped!”

Upon hearing the aide’s report, Dolsen stumbled backward several steps before collapsing onto the cold ground, his face turning deathly pale.

At that moment, the revelers in the estate all stopped their celebrations, and everyone’s gaze turned toward this spot—or rather, toward Dolsen.

Although no one knew what had happened, judging by Dolsen’s panicked state, it was clearly nothing good.

Soon, some members who sensed something was amiss gathered around, asking Dolsen for an explanation.

Dawson knew there was no way to hide this. After all, the reason these people weren’t going home in the middle of the night wasn’t because the wine here was good, nor because of any deep friendship between them—it was purely because they were waiting for that money.

If he dared to keep it a secret, they might come demanding their money tomorrow.

Besides, something this big was bound to come out; perhaps it would be in the newspapers tomorrow.

With that in mind, Dolsen immediately ordered the loud music to be turned off, then summoned everyone to the conference room upstairs.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Dolsen said in a grave tone, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just received word that our plan has failed—we were unable to intercept the money!”

Hearing this, those who had already suspected as much immediately wore expressions of disappointment.

Those who hadn’t anticipated this outcome, however, were completely taken aback by the news.

After a brief silence in the conference room, someone immediately shouted, “Wasn’t everything under control? How could this have failed?”

“Exactly! Why did it fail? We need an explanation!”

“Mr. Dolsen, we need to know the truth…”

Dawson slammed his fist down on the conference table and said in a deep voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, the situation is far more complicated than you imagine. We originally thought that by deploying all our Coast Guard patrol boats and the Flying Tigers to deal with a group of smuggling vessels, there was absolutely no reason for us to fail.”

“But no one could have anticipated that the enemy would deploy a naval fleet. Now, not only has the commander in charge of this operation been captured by the enemy, but every single coast guard vessel involved in the interception has been seized as well—not a single one has returned. We’ve suffered a total defeat!”

“Whoa!”

Hearing Dolsen’s explanation, everyone present couldn’t help but gasp in shock!

The other side had actually deployed warships and directly disarmed their coast guard patrol boats. This could no longer be described as a simple clash or standoff—it had escalated to the level of a military conflict.

For a moment, a terrifying thought crossed the minds of these elite executives from British-funded conglomerates: Could the other side be preparing to tear up their agreement and resort to force?

Faced with this terrifying possibility, everyone in the room began to feel restless!

If the mainland were to confront them head-on, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Setting aside other considerations, if “the Chinese” were to actually use force against them, given the Governor’s residence’s meager military strength, they wouldn’t stand a chance of holding them off—they’d likely raise the white flag and surrender the moment the enemy fleet arrived!

But while those politicians might be able to surrender, what about them?

Most of their major assets were on Hong Kong Island; many had worked for generations to build up what little they had. What were they to do now?

Sell at a loss?

Or take the risk of staying put and waiting to see how things play out?

Instantly, many began to regret their decision. They truly wished they could turn back time—why on earth had they listened to that madman Dalson’s incitement and come up with such a reckless, ill-conceived plan?

Intercepting “Ah Zhong’s” funds—isn’t that asking for trouble?

Little did they know that the “Ah Zhong Family’s” bunch of dirt-poor peasants had nothing left but their fists. In the West, people like that would have either become Viking pirates or mercenaries.

Given their formidable fighting prowess, it would be a miracle if they didn’t go out and rob someone. Yet here they were, actually planning to rob a powerhouse like this.

Looking back on it now, it was nothing short of being kicked in the head by a donkey!

Never mind that they failed—even if they’d succeeded, they probably wouldn’t have lived long enough to spend that money!

At that thought, someone immediately stood up and said, “Mr. Dolsen, I’m truly sorry, but I’ve just received word that my mother isn’t feeling well. I need to head home right away!”

With that, the man stood up and left without waiting for Dolsen’s response.

Seeing someone take the lead, the others immediately followed suit:

“Mr. Dolsen, my wife won’t let me spend the night out. It’s so late—I’m heading home!”

“Sorry, I miss my daughter. She’s so adorable—she won’t fall asleep without her dad’s embrace!”

“I’m truly sorry, but I forgot to walk my dog—I have to go home right away…”

In the blink of an eye, the vast estate was left with only Dolsen and the Earl—uncle and nephew—the scene both awkward and desolate…

………

While the ancient manor was playing out a drama of “everyone turning against him,” “the monkeys scattering when the tree falls,” and “every man for himself in the face of disaster,” the Governor’s residence was equally in an uproar over the same matter.

The newly appointed Governor looked utterly flustered; he never imagined the reaction from the mainland would be so intense.

Before taking action, they had assessed how “the Chinese side” might react.

Almost everyone believed that the Chinese side was in the wrong to begin with, and since they were not typically known for taking a hardline stance in diplomacy, they would likely avoid a direct confrontation and instead seek negotiations.

That way, they could find ways to stall them and ultimately achieve their goal of pocketing the money.

But now it was clear they had completely misjudged the situation. The other side’s stance was extremely firm; not only had they intervened, but they had also deployed the navy and seized all of their coast guard vessels involved in the interception mission.

Seeing this attitude from the other side, the Governor’s heart skipped a beat.

If their actions were to provoke a military attack on Hong Kong Island, he wouldn’t just be worried about keeping his job—it was anyone’s guess whether he’d even survive.

He now deeply regretted it. He had truly been blinded by greed, forgetting that today’s “Big Ben” was no longer the former British Empire.

If a conflict were to break out with the mainland, not only would he—a Governor with next to no real power—be finished, but even the aristocrats in the City of London wouldn’t dare make a peep. After all, “Big Brother” was notorious for being stubborn as a mule.

Right from the start of their nation’s founding, they dared to go head-to-head with the “Evil Eagle,” forcing it to sign a ceasefire agreement of its own accord.

Later, “Big Brother China” went so far as to humiliate two so-called “third-ranked military powers” in front of the whole world.

In 1962, the “White Elephant”—which boasted of being the “world’s third-strongest military power”—challenged “Ah Zhong.” The result? It collapsed across the board after just 32 days, turning what had been a much-hyped war of aggression into a desperate battle to defend its capital.

Twenty years have passed, yet the White Elephant still cannot shake off the nightmare; just the sound of “A-Zhong’s” bugle call sends shivers down its spine!

Three years ago, “Ah Zhong” struck again with a heavy hand, raising its fist against that “little monkey” to the south who also claimed to be the “world’s third-strongest military power.”

In just 28 days, the “naughty little kid” was beaten into a headlong retreat. Had “Big Brother” not held back out of concern for international repercussions, the “little monkey” would have had to relocate its capital.

And now, with nothing better to do, he’s gone and made the foolish mistake of provoking him—he’s really stirred up a hornet’s nest this time.

With that thought, the Governor could no longer sit still. He immediately ordered a car to be prepared; he intended to have a serious talk with that young man…

………

PS: Another chapter before midnight!

Warships?

Upon seeing those two colossal vessels directly ahead, the middle-aged police officer was instantly startled.

There was no doubt about it—these two warships must belong to the other side.

Not only because these waters were close to A-Zhong’s territory, but more importantly, according to the agreement signed earlier between the two sides, Hong Kong Island was not only prohibited from stationing regular troops, but even warships were forbidden from docking there.

Therefore, the warships appearing here could only belong to the A-Zhong family.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the middle-aged police officer immediately ordered, “Take these boats and withdraw immediately! Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

But just then, a sneer of contempt flashed across Yan Guangming’s face as he stared at him and said, “Do you really think you can get away?”

“What do you mean…”

Before he could finish, a coast guard crew member suddenly shouted in terror, “Sir, we’ve spotted a large warship behind us!”

“There are two on the left… and two on the right… My God, there are some behind us too—where did all these warships come from…”

Hearing the crewman’s voice, the middle-aged officer immediately looked back and felt a chill run through his body.

He saw that their fleet was now surrounded by a dozen or so warships and coast guard vessels. The enemy made no attempt to conceal themselves; in fact, they had even deliberately turned on their bow searchlights.

Under the blinding glare, the red flags flying high were unmistakable!

“They’re warships from the other side!”

Judging by the formation of these warships, they were clearly moving in to surround them.

Combining this with the large white sheet of paper on the boat, three words instantly flashed through the middle-aged officer’s mind: We’ve been tricked!

The middle-aged officer turned to glare at Yan Guangming, clenching his teeth as he said, “You…”

“I told you you’d regret this!”

“Hmph, so what if these warships show up? You should know we have orders from the Governor’s Office—this is standard law enforcement!” the middle-aged officer said in a deep voice.

“Routine law enforcement?”

Yan Guangming then sneered again, “What right do you Hong Kong Coast Guard officers have to inspect Ah Zhong’s boat right on our doorstep? To put it mildly, your actions are a provocation; to put it bluntly, they’re a trampling of our national sovereignty—they’re an act of aggression!”

“Don’t try to scare me. These ships are clearly smuggling vessels belonging to the Green Dragon Society—how could they possibly be from the mainland?” the middle-aged officer shouted angrily.

“Our paperwork is right there in the wheelhouse. You can have someone fetch it for you to see!” A smirk once again appeared on Yan Guangming’s face.

The middle-aged officer’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately ordered his men to fetch the vessel’s paperwork from the wheelhouse.

Upon seeing the vessel’s full documentation, the middle-aged officer was completely stunned!

He discovered that this vessel was not only owned by Ah Zhong from across the river, but was also a government vessel registered under the Navy.

He knew he’d gotten himself into serious trouble. If this had been an ordinary vessel, even a forced inspection wouldn’t have been a big deal—after all, the Coast Guard has the authority to board and inspect ships.

The so-called right of boarding inspection refers to the authority that, in international waters, warships of any nation may order a vessel suspected of piracy to stop and conduct a boarding inspection.

However, these inspections are limited to merchant ships and do not apply to warships or government vessels, as foreign warships and government vessels enjoy jurisdictional immunity.

Forcing an inspection would have very serious consequences.

The middle-aged officer now fully realized that they had clearly walked into a carefully laid trap.

The enemy first lured them into action with false intelligence, causing them to board the government vessel on the opposite shore completely unprepared, and finally, the navy closed in on them.

Now they were in the wrong and at a disadvantage in terms of strength; they had become nothing more than lambs led to the slaughter.

Just then, the terrified voice of an officer rang out again: “Sir, the enemy warships are closing in! What should we do?!”

The middle-aged police officer clenched his teeth and said, “Don’t make any rash moves. At the same time, contact the command center, explain the situation, and have them step in to negotiate with the other side…”

Before he could finish, a piercing loudspeaker blared from all around: “Attention, vessels ahead! You have entered A-Zhong’s territorial waters. Please stop and submit to inspection…”

The middle-aged officer: @#￥%……

They say karma comes quickly, but nothing could be more humiliating than this!

“Sir, what should we do? They’re about to board the ship!” The panicked voices of the officers rang out once more.

The middle-aged officer, however, was a man of principle. He knew he had fallen into a trap meticulously laid by the other side, and struggling was futile.

So, without a moment’s hesitation, he shouted orders to the officers on the coast guard vessel: “Everyone listen up—do not engage them directly. We’ll comply with the inspection!”

With his order, the crew of the coast guard vessel instantly turned into docile lambs, their earlier arrogance completely gone…

……..

Wan Chai Pier!

In the office, Huang Lixing sat on the sofa, puffing away on a cigar, his face etched with anxiety.

After all, they were taking on the Governor’s Office and the Coast Guard’s anti-smuggling squad—one misstep, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

In contrast, Li Yi, sitting beside him, held a teacup in his hand, seemingly completely unfazed.

“Brother Li Yi, aren’t you worried at all?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “What’s there to worry about?”

“We’re taking on the Coast Guard this time. If we fail, we’ll be in real trouble from now on—they’ll definitely keep a close eye on us!” Huang Lixing said.

“Don’t worry. For a Navy warship to take care of a few small-time Coast Guard fish—that’s a piece of cake!”

Then Li Yi added, “Besides, even if we fail, so what? At worst, we’ll just stop using the waterways from now on!”

“You’re right. If it weren’t for you, Brother Li Yi, insisting we keep these boats, I’d have washed my hands of this business long ago and retired from the trade for good!”

Huang Lixing continued, “If this operation really does fail, we’ll just sell the boats. I’ll see how those bastards try to mess with me then!”

“Haha, I wouldn’t let you retire that easily…”

Just as they were speaking, a frantic knock suddenly sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

Zhang Ziqiang pushed the door open and walked in, then said to Li Yi, “Brother Yi, we’ve got news from over there—it’s a done deal!”

Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, “How did it go? Did we catch them all?”

“That’s right. A total of 21 coast guard vessels—not a single one got away. They’ve all been seized by our fleet!” Zhang Ziqiang said.

Li Yi immediately burst out laughing. “Old Huang, order the ships returning to port to load up right away. I’ll see what those bastards can do to intercept our ships this time!”

Huang Lixing also said excitedly, “We’ve wiped them all out. Even if they realize we’re serious this time, there’s nothing they can do!”

“You’re right. While you’re at it, you can clean out those traitors in the syndicate too!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll go make the arrangements right away!”

Subsequently, under Huang Lixing’s orders, a large number of metal crates were loaded onto the speedboats that had returned to Hong Kong ahead of schedule.

Immediately afterward, led by Big Brother-in-Law Yang Wenguang, these vessels swiftly set sail from Wan Chai Pier, heading straight for Shekou on the opposite shore!

After seeing his sister’s husband and the others off, Li Yi also left the Qinglong Society by car and returned to Cloud Peak No. 1.

As soon as Li Yi had left, Huang Lixing immediately summoned all the leaders and underlings of the Qinglong Society. He was about to clean out the trash within the organization…

……..

“Ding-dong-ding…”

As the clock struck midnight at the pier, the Wan Chai Pier area instantly came alive.

? After such a long time of preparation and waiting, many of the henchmen were getting a bit anxious.

Finally, midnight arrived. Led by their respective captains, the henchmen boarded the ships one after another.

Then, at Huang Lixing’s command, more than twenty medium-to-large cargo ships and fishing vessels, along with seven or eight modified speedboats, started their engines and set sail from Wan Chai Pier.

However, just as their fleet had left the harbor, Dolsen at the Castle Manor in the city received word.

Immediately afterward, more than a dozen coast guard vessels belonging to the British Hong Kong government, stationed on the high seas, also received orders from the command center and sprang into action, heading toward the designated waters.

This night was destined to be anything but calm!

Just as the coast guard vessels on Hong Kong Island were gathering in the designated waters, more than twenty warships and anti-smuggling vessels belonging to the mainland side began to move as well, forming a massive encirclement on the outer perimeter.

At 12:30 a.m., the first batch of vessels belonging to the Green Dragon Society arrived in the waters off Shekou Port, but the Hong Kong Island coast guard anti-smuggling vessels did not intercept them, watching helplessly as they sailed right past under their noses.

Another ten or so minutes later, eight speedboats that appeared indistinguishable from one another appeared in the nearby waters.

Upon reaching these waters, four of the speedboats turned around and headed back, while the remaining four continued toward Shekou Port, dozens of nautical miles away.

Just then, a multitude of searchlights suddenly illuminated the sea, and immediately afterward, dozens of Coast Guard vessels started their engines and closed in on the speedboats from all directions.

At the same time, loudspeakers on the coast guard vessels blared: “Attention, vessels ahead! This is the Hong Kong Island Coast Guard Anti-Smuggling Unit. Stop immediately for inspection. Any resistance will result in consequences for which you alone are responsible…”

With over a dozen coast guard vessels broadcasting the same message simultaneously, the scene was quite a spectacle. The same voice echoed across the entire sea, audible from a great distance.

Even more astonishing was that, in less than two minutes, a helicopter appeared directly overhead.

When the helicopter reached the bow of one of the speedboats, the cabin door suddenly opened.

Immediately afterward, a rope was thrown from the helicopter, and several heavily armed Flying Tigers team members descended from the sky, landing steadily on the deck.

“Freeze! Everyone, put your hands on your heads and get down!”

On the speedboat, Yan Guangming stared coldly at these “uninvited guests.” In a loud, clear Mandarin accent, he demanded, “Who are you? Why are you intercepting our boat?”

At that moment, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the team leader shouted, “We are the Hong Kong Island Royal Police Flying Tigers. We’ve received intelligence that your fleet is suspected of illegal smuggling activities. Stop the ship immediately and submit to inspection. If you resist, we have the right to shoot you on sight!”

“Since when do you Hong Kong police have the right to inspect our Ah Zhong family’s ships? Who gave you that authority?” Yan Guangming roared angrily.

The middle-aged captain paused for a moment, then said in a stern voice, “Your excuses are useless. Your ships clearly belong to that gang of thugs from the Green Dragon Society—what do they have to do with Ah Zhong’s family?”

“Hah, there is a connection. Don’t forget your destination is right across the water. But unfortunately, you’ll never make it there—even though you’re only a dozen or so nautical miles away!”

Yan Guangming continued to stare at him coldly before saying, “I am now formally warning you: this is Ah Zhong’s vessel. You have no right to conduct any search of our ship—you don’t even have the right to board it!”

“You’ve trespassed onto our vessel without authorization. This is not only a provocation against us but also a trampling of our nation’s sovereignty. Are you prepared to bear the consequences…?”

Before he could finish speaking, the coast guard vessels on the periphery had already closed in, completely surrounding the four speedboats piloted by Yan Guangming and his crew.

Immediately, a large number of coast guard officers stormed aboard, attempting to subdue Yan Guangming and his crew.

Just then, fireworks suddenly erupted from the stern of one of the boats.

On the water’s surface, bursts of fireworks shot into the air, exploding mid-flight.

In an instant, the sky was filled with dazzling, colorful blossoms, as if a shower of fireworks had been scattered across the heavens, a truly dazzling sight.

Witnessing this scene, both the Flying Tigers and the Hong Kong Island Coast Guard were stunned, unsure what the “Green Dragon Society” members were up to.

Although they couldn’t fathom the group’s intentions, they instinctively sensed something was amiss. Immediately, someone ran to the stern and kicked the burning fireworks into the sea.

However, although the fireworks had fallen into the water, they did not sink but continued to burn on the surface.

For a moment, the sea was filled with dazzling colors—a truly spectacular sight!

After the Hong Kong Island Coast Guard vessels had secured the ships carrying Yan Guangming and his group, they immediately took Yan Guangming and his men into custody.

Next, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader approached Yan Guangming, looking at him smugly as he stood there in handcuffs, as if he were a prisoner.

“Looks like you’re not taking this well?”

“I’ve already said that neither the people nor the vessel on this ship have anything to do with Hong Kong Island, and this isn’t Hong Kong waters—you have no right to board and inspect!”

Yan Guangming continued, “Of course, if you insist on boarding and inspecting the vessel, then you’d better be prepared to face the consequences!”

“Hah, are you threatening us, the Hong Kong Royal Police?”

“You can take it that way!” Yan Guangming said coldly.

“I know you’re from the mainland, but so what? Don’t try to scare me with those bumpkins from across the strait!”

“You’ll regret this!” Yan Guangming said, staring at him with a cold, menacing gaze.

“Regret? What a joke! You broke Hong Kong law, so I have every right to arrest you!”

Then the middle-aged police officer in charge said smugly, “Do you know I’ve been watching you guys for days? From the moment you left the harbor until now, you’ve been under my surveillance the whole time. You deserve to lose!”

“You say we’ve broken Hong Kong law—where’s the evidence?” Yan Guangming asked, giving him a smirk.

The middle-aged officer glanced at the neatly stacked metal crates in the rear hold and said, “Isn’t that the evidence? You’re not going to tell me those are just old newspapers, are you? Hahaha!”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” Yan Guangming said coolly.

“It seems you won’t believe it until you see it with your own eyes. Open those crates!” the middle-aged officer ordered loudly.

“Yes, sir!”

Soon, several officers carried a metal crate over. Without even looking for a key, they smashed the large padlock on top with a few blows from a sledgehammer.

However, when the officer who had broken the lock opened the metal box, everyone was instantly stunned.

There were no US dollars inside—only stacks of white paper.

The middle-aged officer’s expression changed; he stepped forward himself and emptied all the papers from the metal box onto the ground.

It wasn’t a ruse after all—the box was filled entirely with white paper.

“Bring another box over here! I refuse to believe all these boxes are filled with this junk!” the middle-aged officer roared angrily.

The officers didn’t dare delay; they immediately brought over another box and quickly smashed it open.

Just like the previous one, it was filled entirely with blank paper.

Then, at the middle-aged officer’s command, they opened more than ten boxes in succession, but still found no US dollars as mentioned in the intelligence report.

Not only were they absent from Yan Guangming’s ship, but they were also missing from the other three Banbanhaobang vessels.

After confirming that the American dollars they were looking for were indeed not on any of these ships, the middle-aged officer strode up to Yan Guangming, glared at him, and said menacingly, “You’re the ones behind this, aren’t you?”

“I told you you’d regret this!” Yan Guangming retorted.

“Hmph! Even if your ship were loaded with blank sheets of paper, so what? I say you’re smuggling, and you’re smuggling. You’re going to jail, and not even the King of Heaven could save you!” the middle-aged officer roared.

“Is that so? I hope you’re just as defiant a moment from now!”

“What do you mean?”

Yan Guangming paid them no further attention, instead turning his gaze toward the distant sea.

The middle-aged officer’s heart skipped a beat. He followed Yan Guangming’s gaze and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in shock. Right in front of them, on the open sea, two… warships had appeared out of nowhere!

……..

On the ring road leading to Wan Chai Pier, a convoy of three vehicles was speeding along.

Just a short while ago, Li Yi had received a call from Huang Lixing, who reported that everything was ready on his end and asked what the next step should be.

After receiving Old Huang’s call, Li Yi ordered Old Huang’s men to get ready and prepare to set sail.

At the same time, he had Zhang Ziqiang contact Zhou Rui on the other side via radio, instructing them to proceed according to the original plan.

Soon, Zhou Rui responded, confirming that they were ready as well—the warships and coast guard vessels were in position, just waiting for the fish to take the bait.

Upon learning this, Li Yi quickly said goodbye to Jiang Xue, Big Sister, and the others, then left the Cloud Peak No. 1 with Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the rest, heading straight for the Wan Chai Pier.

The reason he came here in person was, on the one hand, because this matter was of the utmost importance and required his personal oversight and command.

On the other hand, it was to make a statement to the people at the British-owned conglomerate!

After all, with such a massive sum of money at stake, if he, as the main decision-maker, didn’t show up in person, it would easily arouse suspicion.

So, whether Li Yi liked it or not, he had to make a trip to Wan Chai Pier.

Only when he was physically present would either Durson or the Governor’s Office lower their guard and take the bait.

Soon, the motorcade arrived at the perimeter of Wan Chai Pier.

As always, security at the pier was extremely tight today. Members of the Blue Dragon Society were everywhere, openly or covertly surrounding the pier so tightly that not a single person could slip through.

Pedestrians and vehicles approaching the pier were under their close surveillance, and those attempting to get near the Blue Dragon Society headquarters were subjected to rigorous inspections.

As soon as Li Yi’s convoy reached the perimeter of the pier, they were stopped by the Blue Dragon Society.

Fortunately, most of the foot soldiers here recognized Li Yi, and since Iron Eagle was leading the patrol today, he immediately ordered his men to let them through once he confirmed it was Li Yi.

As a result, the rest of the journey went very smoothly for Li Yi and his group, and they arrived at the Blue Dragon Society headquarters in no time.

Compared to the situation outside, the atmosphere inside was even more tense.

As soon as they entered, Li Yi and his group saw employees of Shield Security patrolling the premises, fully armed.

Each of them was dressed in combat gear, with bulging holsters at their waists—anyone with eyes could tell what was inside.

Upon seeing these men, the already tense atmosphere at the Qinglong Society headquarters reached a fever pitch.

Iron Eagle had already notified Huang Lixing of Li Yi and his group’s arrival via walkie-talkie, so when Zhou Yang and the others arrived, Huang Lixing was already waiting at the entrance with Yan Guangming, Yang Wenguang, and Jin Xiuzhe.

When they saw Li Yi get out of the car, everyone immediately came over to greet him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two made their way to Huang Lixing’s office.

As soon as they entered, Huang Lixing asked in a grave tone, “Brother Li Yi, the men and the ship are all ready—we’re just waiting for your orders!”

Li Yi nodded and asked, “What’s the situation out there?”

Huang Lixing paused briefly before replying, “According to reports from my informants, the Coast Guard’s anti-smuggling unit is indeed taking action today. Their vessels began assembling this afternoon.”

“And they’re keeping the details of the operation under tight wraps. Our informants don’t know the specifics of today’s operation either, but I have a feeling those bastards are coming straight for us!”

The corners of Li Yi’s mouth turned up slightly as he said coldly, “Good. I was actually worried they wouldn’t show up!”

“Brother Li Yi, just tell us—what should the guys do?” Huang Lixing asked in a low voice.

Li Yi didn’t answer his question. Instead, he stood up and looked outside the office. Seeing that Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others were all waiting at the door, he finally felt at ease.

Then, Li Yi looked at Huang Lixing and said, “Old Huang, I’ve already coordinated today’s operation with the other side. This time, we’re not just going to dig a hole for those foreign bastards—we’re also going to help you catch a fish!”

“Help me catch some fish?”

“Right. We’re going to reel in all the snitches within the Qinglong Society!” Li Yi said calmly.

Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, “How do we do that?”

“Are the props ready?” Li Yi asked in a deep voice.

“They’re ready. We’ve prepared a total of 400 of those bank-grade metal cash boxes. Two hundred of them are filled with real money, and the other two hundred are filled with blank paper!” Huang Lixing replied.

“Good. In a moment, have those who aren’t usually very trustworthy head over to the warehouse to load the boats. First, load those two hundred boxes filled with blank paper onto the boats that have just returned from the other side!”

Li Yi continued, “After that, quietly assign some men to keep an eye on the people loading the cargo. Barring any surprises, they’ll make their move soon. But remember, no matter what they do, don’t engage with them for now.”

“Alright, I know what to do!”

Li Yi nodded and added, “At midnight, our fleet will begin leaving the dock one by one, heading straight for the waters off Pengcheng.”

“Remember to have your ships leave the harbor first. Don’t move those ‘key vessels’ that have returned from the other side just yet—wait until half an hour after your ships have set sail before they depart!”

“And then?” Huang Lixing asked again.

“Then we’ll just sit back and watch the show!” Li Yi said calmly.

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements exactly as you said!”

After saying that, Huang Lixing summoned several key members of the Qinglong Society and began making arrangements right in front of Li Yi.

……..

On the outskirts of the city: the Castle Manor!

While Li Yi and his team were making preparations at the Wan Chai Pier, Dolsen and the others at the Castle Manor weren’t sitting idle either.

For them, this operation was equally crucial.

It wasn’t just about the $1 billion in funds; more importantly, the success or failure of this operation would directly determine whether they could restore the confidence of the Alliance members.

Whether it was Dolsen, the Duke, Smith, or others, they had all noticed that as Li Yi repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on them, the Alliance members’ confidence had been severely shaken. Many fence-sitters had already switched sides, including some core members of the Alliance, such as Powell from the Jardine Matheson Group.

Dawson and the others understood clearly that, under these circumstances, they must rebuild the Alliance members’ confidence, and this operation was the first step.

If this operation succeeded, the Alliance members’ confidence would quickly return to its previous level. At that point, whatever ideas or actions they proposed would surely be met with overwhelming support.

Just as Dolsen, the Duke, and the others sat in the manor’s living room, waiting anxiously, an attendant hurried in.

He strode up to Dolsen and whispered in his ear for a good while.

As soon as the attendant turned to leave, Dolsen immediately stood up and said excitedly, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just received word that the young man from Star Company has arrived at the docks, and the money has already been loaded onto the ship!”

“Whoosh!”

Hearing this, the men and women in the room erupted in excited cheers, and they all began to praise Dolsen.

For a moment, the estate’s parlor was flooded with flattery!

Dawson thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of being the center of attention. It wasn’t until some time later that he motioned for everyone to quiet down.

Then, clearing his throat, he continued, “Furthermore, we’ve received a very important tip: there are currently over thirty vessels of various types at the Wan Chai Pier—cargo ships, fishing boats, and speedboats. Clearly, most of these are intended to throw us off the scent.”

“However, we’ve already determined that they’ve loaded all their money onto four state-of-the-art speedboats. Contact the Coast Guard Command Center immediately and tell them not to worry about those large and medium-sized cargo ships and fishing boats—they just need to intercept those few modified speedboats!”

“Yes, sir!”

After relaying this information, Dolsen raised his glass and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is our moment to strike. The prey has taken the bait, and soon we’ll be able to savor the joy of our catch. Let’s raise a toast to the success of our operation! Cheers!”

“Cheers…”

………

PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!

Yunding No. 1!

At 5:00 PM, when Li Yi returned to the villa, Jiang Xue, his mother-in-law, and the others had already come back. A large group of women and children were chatting and playing in the living room.

Seeing Li Yi walk through the door with Zhang Ziqiang and the others, Jiang Xue immediately stood up and came over to greet him.

“You’re back!”

“Yeah, did you have fun today… Hey, did you get your hair done?”

Li Yi looked at Jiang Xue’s hair with some surprise. Her once thick, black braids had been transformed into short, wavy curls—it looked absolutely stunning!

Jiang Xue blushed slightly and said, “Sister-in-law Chu Hong said my hair was too long, and since it’s hot here, she took me to get it cut. You’re not mad, are you?”

“Why would I be mad? Besides, I think it looks really good!” Li Yi said.

“Do you really think it looks good?”

“Yeah, it’s very stylish—it’s a real head-turner!” Li Yi said earnestly.

“I’m just glad you’re not upset. But I’m only keeping this style for a few days—I’ll go back to my old look when we get home!” Jiang Xue said.

“Why change it? I think it looks great!”

At that moment, her mother-in-law chimed in, “It is pretty, but people back home might not accept it. And since Xue is a college student, it’s best to avoid causing controversy!”

Li Yi understood what his mother-in-law meant and immediately nodded. “You’re right, Mom. We’ll change it back when we get home!”

“By the way, how was your shopping trip at the mall today?”

Hearing Li Yi’s question, Jiang Xue replied with a touch of envy, “It’s so bustling here. There are skyscrapers everywhere. Walking through the downtown area feels like entering a forest of buildings—it even feels like the sky has shrunk.”

“Plus, the malls here are bigger than the ones in Beijing. They have a wider selection and are much more fashionable. I felt like we were Grandmother Liu visiting the Grand View Garden—everything was so fascinating…”

As soon as she said this, everyone in the room couldn’t help but laugh!

“Xiao Xue, are you okay? You seem pretty calm—chatting and laughing with Sister-in-law Chu Hong, and even asking prices when you see things. Unlike me—I didn’t even dare to speak when I walked into the mall!” the eldest sister said with a laugh.

“I was just curious, and I wanted to practice my spoken English while I was at it!”

As she spoke, Jiang Xue cast a grateful glance at her husband.

When Li Yi had mentioned their family’s assets to her yesterday, Jiang Xue had been shocked but hadn’t given it much thought.

But after visiting the mall today and hearing the prices of those items, she suddenly began to understand her husband’s intentions from last night—he wanted to help her overcome her stage fright.

And precisely because she knew just how deep their family’s pockets were, Jiang Xue carried herself with remarkable composure in the mall today. This not only surprised Chen Chuhong, but even Ye Lingyun and her older sister Li Mei found it somewhat unbelievable.

Especially when she spent money—hundreds or even thousands at a time—as if she didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret. It left them all gaping in astonishment.

“So, what did you all buy?” Li Yi asked again.

Jiang Xue smiled and said, “I bought two outfits each for Mom, my older sister, Juanzi, and the kids, plus a few pairs of shoes. It came to just over three thousand Hong Kong dollars…”

“No need to list the prices—just tell me what you bought!” Li Yi said.

“We also bought some underwear and face cream—all sorts of random stuff, we bought plenty of it!” Jiang Xue said.

“Go ahead and buy them—especially clothes. Buy as much as you can. Don’t just buy women’s clothes; get men’s and kids’ too! Don’t worry about whether you’ll use them or not—if they look nice, just buy them!” Li Yi said.

“Why are we buying so many clothes? Isn’t that a waste of money?”

“Heh, the clothes here are actually pretty fashionable. We’ll take them back and give them to the Second State-Owned Cotton Mill to have them copied.”

Then Li Yi added, “Don’t worry about spending money—Third Brother will reimburse you later!”

“I get it, but we’ve got to make sure he reimburses us generously. Carrying all these clothes back from so far away isn’t easy!” Jiang Xue said with a laugh.

“Right, make sure he reimburses you a little extra!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“By the way, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Jiang Xue asked again.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I want to take a boat out to sea for some fun!” Jiang Xue said.

“Go out to sea by boat?”

“Yeah, when we passed the marina today, I saw a lot of nice yachts over there. My sister-in-law said her family owns quite a few boats and can take us out to the nearby waters for some fun—she even mentioned we could go fishing!” Jiang Xue explained.

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements!”

Just then, the eldest sister suddenly said, “Xiao Yi, if you have time, take us to the Banbanhaobang jewelry store!”

“Sis, why do you want to go to the jewelry store? To buy jewelry?”

“Well, I heard the jewelry here is especially beautiful. Nana’s getting married, isn’t she? I want to get her some jewelry for her dowry!” said the eldest sister.

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll take you there later! We’re not just getting a dowry for Third Sister—we’ll buy some for all of you, too!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“That’s wonderful! I want a pair of gold earrings!” the eldest sister said happily.

“Alright, and I’ll get Xiao Rui a little gold locket when we go!” Li Yi said.

He understood his eldest sister’s desire to buy gold jewelry at a gold shop. On the one hand, restrictions on gold hadn’t yet been lifted in the country, so it was extremely difficult to purchase gold jewelry.

Most of the time, if a woman wanted gold or silver jewelry, it was either an heirloom or she had to find a goldsmith or silversmith to craft it herself. The style of such handcrafted jewelry depended entirely on the master craftsman’s skill.

In contrast, the gold and silver jewelry industry here in Hong Kong had already developed into a highly mature sector. Not only was the gold jewelry manufacturing industry highly advanced, but the gold purity was also high, and the designs were both trendy and aesthetically pleasing, making them highly sought after and adored by people on the mainland.

So much so that a few years later, it actually sparked a “gold craze” for Hong Kong-style jewelry on the mainland, giving rise to the earliest form of the “shopping agent” industry.

Thinking of this, Li Yi suddenly remembered something very important.

Lately, he had been pondering where to find a suitable channel to connect Hong Kong Island with the mainland.

Ideally, not only should people be able to travel freely, but goods should also move in and out without restriction. That way, the advanced machinery and equipment he sourced from abroad would be much easier to transport back to the mainland.

The older woman’s words just now suddenly reminded him of a place—Pengcheng, or more precisely, Zhongying Street in Pengcheng.

Zhongying Street is a small street 250 meters long and three or four meters wide, divided by a boundary marker: one side falls under the jurisdiction of Pengcheng, while the other is under Hong Kong Island’s control.

The street had existed for a long time, but as we tightened control over the border areas in the 1950s, and given that “China-Britain Street” was an unofficial port of entry, restrictions on the flow of people began to be imposed.

Furthermore, as Sino-British relations remained relatively tense in the early years of the People’s Republic, we began enforcing political and military border control policies, while the British Hong Kong government imposed a “curfew” in Sha Tau Kok, New Territories. Consequently, China-Britain Street became a restricted border zone.

However, in the past year or two, thanks to its unique geographical location adjacent to Hong Kong Island and the high-quality, low-priced goods in its duty-free shops, China-Britain Street has attracted many mainlanders looking for bargains, earning it the reputation among mainlanders as a “shopping paradise.”

However, not everyone could visit China-Britain Street. Mainlanders had to obtain a border pass to enter Shenzhen, and a special permit was required to travel from Shenzhen to China-Britain Street in Sha Tau Kok. These two documents were not as easy to obtain as the Hong Kong Island permits issued in later years.

Since visa quotas were limited at the time—and generally easier for government officials and employees to obtain—being able to buy imported goods on China-Britain Street was a “big deal,” akin to traveling abroad.

Because border permits were so difficult to obtain, those without one who wished to buy imported goods from Hong Kong Island or abroad had to entrust purchases to someone who held a permit—thus giving rise to the earliest form of “Hong Kong Island proxy shopping.”

The reason the woman’s words struck a chord with him was that the most famous merchandise on China-Britain Street was gold jewelry.

Especially in the late 1980s, China-Britain Street had practically become a street dedicated to gold. At the height of the “gold rush,” there were 47 gold shops on the Shenzhen side and 32 on the Hong Kong side.

Several Hong Kong-based gold jewelry chains that have since proliferated across the mainland—such as Chow Xing Fook and Chow Xing Sang—all had stores on China-Britain Street back then.

With cross-border trade just getting started on the Zhongying Street side, he could easily secure a spot there, which would be quite beneficial for his future career.

However, he still needed to discuss the details with Old Li, Old Huang, and his father-in-law.

Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, the phone in the living room suddenly rang!

Zhang Ziqiang, who was nearby, picked it up immediately. After exchanging just a few words, he brought Li Yi over and said, “It’s Old Huang. He wants to speak with you!”

“Alright!”

With that, Li Yi strode forward and took the receiver…

……..

Suburbs. Castle Manor!

The spacious conference room was already packed with people. Aside from Smith, the rest were all familiar faces—key members of the British Capital Group.

Just an hour ago, they had suddenly received a call from Smith, instructing them to come to the Castle Estate immediately for a meeting to discuss important matters.

In truth, as soon as everyone arrived, they knew exactly what the meeting was about.

At the moment, the only thing capable of mobilizing them on such a scale was likely that big shot named Li Yi and the Starry Sky Company behind him.

Seeing that nearly everyone had arrived, Smith immediately stood up and left the conference room!

Before long, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from outside.

Hearing the sound, the group—who had been whispering among themselves—gradually fell silent, and the conference room, which had been as noisy as a marketplace, slowly quieted down.

“Squeak!”

As the conference room door swung open, the leader, Dolsen, strode in, flanked by four or five people.

When everyone saw the people accompanying him, they were all slightly taken aback.

Besides the former leader, Sir, there was a man and a woman.

They recognized both of them: the one with her head held high and an air of arrogance was the Governor’s granddaughter, and the man beside her was Pang Bo-teng, the Governor’s chief secretary!

Seeing these two figures of such high standing attending the meeting, everyone couldn’t help but speculate: what on earth was going on?

Some sharp-witted individuals had already surmised that Dalson must be planning something major; otherwise, the Governor’s Office wouldn’t have sent these two distinguished figures to attend.

For a moment, the attendees whispered among themselves, buzzing with speculation!

Dawson and his party paid no heed to the commotion; they entered the conference room and took their seats without delay!

Then, Dolsen cleared his throat and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin, please allow me to introduce a distinguished guest. Seated next to me is Miss Su Li, the Governor’s most beloved granddaughter. Please give her a warm round of applause!”

“Clap, clap, clap!!!”

Hearing the applause, Su Li merely nodded slightly, not even rising from her seat—a gesture that left many feeling rather displeased.

After all, those eligible to attend this meeting were all prominent figures from British-funded conglomerates—every single one of them worth over a hundred million.

So what if Su Li is the Governor’s granddaughter?

Governors come and go every few years; while in office, they do hold some power, but once they step down, they’re just ordinary old men—let alone their granddaughters.

Fortunately, everyone present was shrewd. Though they harbored some resentment, none of them showed it on their faces, and certainly no one stepped forward to accuse her.

They all shared the same sentiment: it wasn’t worth offending the Governor’s Office over such a trivial matter.

After introducing Su Li, Dolsen spoke again: “I’ve invited you all here today primarily to discuss several matters. First, based on our investigation, that young man from Starry Sky Corporation has joined forces with Chinese families such as the Lis, the Hos, the Baos, and the Luos to establish a group similar to our Chinese Capital Group, intended to oppose the Alliance. What are your thoughts on this?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than an elderly man in his sixties stood up and said, “These yellow-skinned monkeys, no better than swine, are making a massive provocation against the Alliance. We absolutely cannot stand idly by—we must make our stance clear!”

“Exactly! We absolutely cannot let them form this Chinese Capital Group, or else we’ll be in a very bad situation!”

“I understand Mr. Mai’s position—we cannot let them form this Chinese-funded group. Absolutely not!”

“This is something we cannot tolerate; we must resolutely oppose it…”

Hearing the crowd’s indignant outcry, Dolsen was very pleased with their reaction.

Of course, all of this was exactly as he had anticipated.

After all, the people before him had all benefited from the Alliance. Over the past two or three decades, relying on the Alliance’s existence, they had reaped considerable advantages, both openly and covertly.

Put simply, in Hong Kong—and indeed throughout East and Southeast Asia—they belonged to the privileged class of the business world. How could they possibly allow another alliance to emerge?

“Ding, ding, ding!”

Dawson tapped the table lightly and said, “Since we’re all in agreement, let’s move on to the second item: how to stop them from establishing the Huazi Group!”

Before anyone could speak, Dolsen continued, “According to our intelligence, the proposal to establish this Chinese Capital Group came from Li Futao of the Far East Association. However, the driving force behind it is Li Yi of Starry Sky Company. Therefore, the most effective way to stop them is to bring down Starry Sky Company—and Li Yi!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone interjected, “Although Starry Sky Corporation hasn’t been around long, it’s already massive in scale. Plus, they’re sitting on a huge amount of cash. We’re all worried they’ll use that massive cash flow to launch a hostile takeover against our companies in the stock market. How could we possibly have the capacity to bring them down?”

“That’s right. I heard Star Company raked in tens of billions in just six months. With that kind of money, no matter which one of our companies they target, we’ll be completely powerless to fight back!”

“As things stand, it would be extremely difficult to bring down Star Company…”

Just as everyone was chiming in with their opinions, Durson’s voice rang out again in the conference room: “Under normal circumstances, given their massive capital reserves, it would be very difficult for us to bring Starry Sky down. However, I’ve received very reliable intelligence that Starry Sky is planning to distribute dividends to all investors and shareholders!”

“Dividends?”

“That can’t be right. The company’s only been around for a short time—why would they be in such a hurry to pay dividends to shareholders?”

“Exactly. That doesn’t make sense. Don’t all investment firms wait until a year has passed or the contract expires before distributing dividends to investors?”

“Even if they really do pay dividends to shareholders and investors, it won’t be much. As long as it doesn’t deal a fatal blow to them, we won’t stand a chance…”

……..

“Quiet everyone. The amount Starry Sky is distributing to investors and shareholders this time exceeds 20 billion Hong Kong dollars!” Dolsen said, dropping a bombshell.

“Whoa!”

Everyone present couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment!

Just as everyone was speculating on the accuracy of this news, Dolsen’s voice rang out again: “Don’t doubt the accuracy of my information—there’s no need to. Starry Sky just held another press conference moments ago to announce this news!”

“As for why they’re doing this, we’ve analyzed it. On one hand, that young man needs the money—after all, he still owes the Jardine Matheson Group a massive 2.3 billion, which needs to be repaid soon.”

“On the other hand, a significant portion of that money belongs to the government across the strait, so they need a legitimate reason to withdraw the funds and hand them over!”

After hearing Dolsen’s explanation, everyone nodded in agreement.

This explanation made perfect sense; otherwise, Starry Company wouldn’t have been in such a rush to distribute dividends to investors and shareholders.

“Mr. Dolsen, what should we do now?”

Dawson replied immediately, “We’ve received intelligence that in recent days, the Far East Association has raised 1 billion US dollars in cash through various channels. That money has now been delivered to the Wan Chai Pier controlled by the Blue Dragon Club, and barring any surprises, it will be shipped across the water!”

“Therefore, I have already coordinated with the Governor’s Office. We will intercept their cash transport vessel on the waterway leading to the other side and seize the funds!”

Upon hearing this, the reaction in the conference room wasn’t as enthusiastic as one might expect; a significant number of people wore expressions of worry and panic.

Stealing money from the government on the other side—is that something an ordinary person would dare to do?

Dawson sensed their reservations and immediately said, “Miss Su Li and I have reached an agreement: we will split the intercepted funds fifty-fifty with the Governor’s Office.”

“As for the five hundred million dollars we’ll receive, I intend to distribute it to you according to the same investment ratios you used when shorting gold, to compensate for your previous losses.”

“Whoosh!”

At these words, the crowd in the conference room instantly grew excited.

That’s 500 million US dollars—nearly 4 billion Hong Kong dollars. Though it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the nearly 20 billion Hong Kong dollars they’d lost earlier,

But the previous losses had been so devastating that many were now struggling to make ends meet; any compensation would be a welcome relief.

In an instant, the crowd—who had been hesitant just moments ago—began voicing their support for Dolsen one after another!

Seeing this, Dolsen flashed a sly smile and proceeded to reveal the true reason he had invited them all there…

………

PS: There will be another chapter before 11 PM!

Besides Ye Lingyun and Jiang Xue—mother and daughter—Chen Chuhong was equally stunned!

In the office right next to Li Yi’s, Chen Chuhong had also learned from Huang Lixing that her husband’s net worth was nearly 10 billion, leaving her both delighted and curious.

For the past six months or so, Chen Chuhong had been living in Guangzhou and hadn’t returned to Hong Kong even once, so she was only vaguely aware of what had been happening here.

However, she did know that during their second trip to the mainland in July, her husband’s total assets amounted to only three or four hundred million, with the majority being real estate; the actual cash available for immediate use certainly did not exceed 50 million Hong Kong dollars.

But she never imagined that in just over half a year, the family’s assets would have grown more than twentyfold—this completely surpassed Chen Chuhong’s wildest expectations.

Seeing the look of shock on his wife’s face, Huang Lixing made no attempt to hide anything. He immediately recounted to Chen Chuhong, in minute detail, everything that had happened to him over the past six months.

When she heard that her husband and Li Yi had run rampant in the Hong Kong stock market, nearly causing a market crash, Chen Chuhong looked at Huang Lixing with nothing but admiration.

Upon learning that her husband had been ambushed and left near death, her face was filled with heartache and rage.

When she heard that Li Yi had arrived in Hong Kong like a war god, not only saving her husband’s life but also turning the tide to crush the Lai family, eliminate Ma Biao, and force Mr. Jiang to step down voluntarily, she was filled with gratitude…

After quietly listening to Huang Lixing’s account, Chen Chuhong couldn’t help but exclaim with emotion, “Master Wu was right—Brother Li Yi truly is our savior!”

“That’s right. If it weren’t for Brother Li Yi, I don’t know how many times I would have died!”

Huang Lixing continued, “Now, most of the Huang family’s business has been cleaned up, and we’ve earned the respect of major clans like the Lis, the Hes, and the Luos. It’s only a matter of time before we join the ranks of the elite. All of this is thanks to Brother Li Yi’s support—we must keep this debt of gratitude in our hearts!”

“Exactly. One should repay even the smallest kindness with great gratitude—and how much more so when it comes to a life-saving favor and patronage? No amount of gratitude would be too much!” Chen Chuhong said with equal earnestness.

“There aren’t many ways Brother Li Yi can use us. The school donation project on the mainland must continue, and we need to expand its scale. From now on, let Aying take full charge of this. We’ll allocate 50 million to 100 million yuan annually for this cause!” Huang Lixing said.

“It’s the right thing to do. Let’s just consider it accumulating merit for Xiao Min!”

Then Chen Chuhong added, “When Brother Li Yi met A-min in Guangzhou this time, he gave her a fortune reading!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, “How did it go?”

“Brother Li Yi said our A-Min is a blessed child. I think that blessing must be the good karma we’ve accumulated for her!” Chen Chuhong said.

“Hahaha, yes, yes, yes! Just for that alone, we have to keep going with this school donation!” Huang Lixing said happily.

“Exactly, nothing is more important than Amin!”

“Hmm, while your sister-in-law and the others are here for a while, make sure to take them out and about—go shopping, catch a movie, or something like that. After all, the mainland still lags a bit behind in those areas!” Huang Lixing reminded her again.

“Sure, I’ll take my sister-in-law and the others to the mall in a bit!”

“Alright…”

Just as they were speaking, a series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded at the door.

Immediately afterward, Tie Ying rushed in, pushing the door open. He first nodded to Chen Chuhong in greeting.

Then, Tie Ying walked over to Huang Lixing’s ear and whispered a few words.

After hearing what Tie Ying had to say, Huang Lixing immediately stood up and said to Chen Chuhong, “We’ve got some business to attend to. Why don’t you take my sister-in-law and the others out shopping?”

With that, he hurried over to Li Yi’s office next door…

By the time Huang Lixing arrived with Chen Chuhong, Li Yi had already finished chatting with Jiang Xue and his mother-in-law.

Seeing Huang Lixing push open the door, Li Yi immediately asked with a smile, “Old Huang, you’re just in time. It’s almost noon—what do you think we should have for lunch?”

“No rush for lunch. Ah Hong wants to take my sister-in-law and Mrs. Jiang to the mall for a bit. I think we’ll let Ah Hong handle lunch arrangements!” Huang Lixing said with a smile.

Li Yi was no fool; he knew immediately that Huang Lixing had something to discuss with him. He turned to Jiang Xue and said, “Xiao Xue, since my sister-in-law wants to take you all to the mall here, why don’t you take Mom and the kids with you? It’ll be a good opportunity to broaden your horizons!”

“That sounds good. We’ve actually been wanting to see how the malls here differ from the department stores back in Beijing!” Jiang Xue replied.

“Okay!”

Li Yi then called Zhou Wen over, told him to take the money, and instructed him and Zhang Feng to stay close to Jiang Xue and the others.

After seeing Jiang Xue, Chen Chuhong, and the others off, Li Yi finally asked, “Old Huang, is there something you can tell me now?”

Huang Lixing nodded and said, “The guys at the pier just called. They said the Li family’s convoy has arrived at the pier, and the money has been delivered. What should we do now?”

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “I’ve already had the other side prepare several speedboats with proper documentation for you. In a moment, I’ll have your men sail them back to the Wan Chai pier!”

“We have our own boats. Why do we need to use theirs?”

Huang Lixing continued, “Besides, our boats and the ones over there are very different in design and other aspects. We’d be spotted by the coast guard in no time!”

“Don’t worry, they won’t spot them. I specifically had those speedboats over there modified to match the ones you have. Externally, they’re virtually indistinguishable from your smuggling boats!”

“Well… I still don’t quite understand…”

Before Huang Lixing could finish, Li Yi spoke up again: “Barring any surprises, the British-owned conglomerate and the Governor’s Office have already learned that the money has arrived at Wan Chai Pier. They’re surely keeping a close watch on the pier right now, ready to intercept our cash transport boat at any moment…”

“That’s for sure. Knowing them, I’m afraid they’ve probably even deployed the Flying Tigers by now!” Huang Lixing said, clenching his fists.

“In that case, let’s lure them out of their hiding place!” Li Yi said coldly.

“Lure them out?”

“Exactly. This afternoon, have all the syndicate’s vessels return to Hong Kong—including the few that came back from the other side.”

Li Yi continued, “Tonight, have your men load a few crates of rocks onto the boats, then have Yan Guangming and the others sail them back to Shekou Pier…”

Huang Lixing frowned and said, “I get what you’re getting at—you want to make them come up empty-handed. But our own ships could handle this too. Why do we have to use the boats from across the river?”

“Old Huang, what would you do if a dog bared its teeth at you?” Li Yi suddenly asked.

“I’d beat the crap out of it, of course! I’m not going to let some dog snarl at me!” Huang Lixing said with unyielding confidence.

“Haha, what if it runs away?”

“I’ll chase after it!”

“What if you can’t catch it?”

“Well…”

Li Yi’s lips curled slightly upward, a cold smile flashing across his face as he said, “If it were me, I’d set a trap in advance, then slowly lure it into it—trapping the dog inside!”

“For these bastards, just letting them come up empty-handed would be too easy on them. I’ll make sure they end up losing more than they gain!”

“Brother Li… Li Yi, are you planning to go to war with the Governor’s Office’s Marine Corps?” Huang Lixing asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“No, no, no… We’re law-abiding citizens—how could we possibly go up against a government agency? But if they end up tangling with the naval forces across the water, that’s none of our business!” Li Yi said coldly.

“The Navy over there?”

Li Yi didn’t elaborate further, but simply said, “Old Huang, I’ll be personally overseeing tonight’s operation from the Wan Chai Pier. Just have your men follow my orders!”

“I guarantee not only will we successfully transport the money across the water, but we’ll also give those foreign bastards a good slap in the face—so they’ll never dare mess with us again!”

Although Huang Lixing had a vague suspicion, he was tactful enough not to ask further. He simply nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll go back and make the arrangements right away!”

With that, Huang Lixing hurriedly left Starry Sky Company with Tie Ying and the others.

Meanwhile, Li Yi called Zhang Ziqiang into his office…

………

Stellar Corporation. Conference Room!

After standing up, Chief Financial Officer Zhao Xinlan immediately produced a document and stated clearly, “According to our finance department’s calculations, the dividends to be distributed to shareholders and investors this time consist primarily of profits from long and short positions on gold. The total dividend amount reaches 28.961 billion Hong Kong dollars…”

“Whoa!”

Before Zhao Xinlan had even finished speaking, gasps of astonishment echoed throughout the conference room.

Apart from “outsiders” like Jiang Xue, Chen Chuhong, and Ye Lingyun, the other executives all wore expressions of shock.

Although they had all known that the company had made a substantial profit recently and that the dividend to shareholders and investors would be an astronomical figure, they never imagined the dividend amount would be as high as 28.9 billion.

For a moment, the conference room was filled with a buzzing hum, and exclamations of astonishment rang out nonstop:

“No way! Is this for real? Over 20 billion in dividends? That’s terrifying!”

“Did the finance department make a mistake? Is the company really going to hand out that much money to investors?”

“It shouldn’t be a mistake. Manager Zhao is a very responsible person, and with so many colleagues in the finance department, how could they have gotten it wrong…”

Listening to the senior executives in the conference room voicing their shock one after another, Li Yi couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

If a mere 20 billion yuan could shock these executives this much, just imagine if they found out the company’s profits for the past six months had reached over 40 billion yuan—they’d probably faint from the shock.

That’s right—Stellar Corporation’s net profit for the past six months was indeed over 40 billion yuan, 44.5 billion to be exact.

And that was merely the return from two gold investments—it didn’t even include the over 7 billion Hong Kong dollars held at Citibank.

At the end of July, Star Company went long on gold, raking in a massive 6.82 billion Hong Kong dollars in that single trade.

In November, they began shorting gold. This time, they went even further, using leverage to rake in a staggering $4.81 billion.

Calculated at the current exchange rate of 7.86 HKD to 1 USD, that amounts to a whopping 37.8 billion HKD.

When combined with Star Company’s profits from other business operations, the company’s total profits reached a staggering 44.5 billion Hong Kong dollars.

The reason the publicly reported figure is HK$28.9 billion is that Li Yi instructed Zhao Xinlan to exclude certain investment gains—such as the funds already distributed to Huang Lixing, Li Futiao, and the government—and, of course, the commissions Li Yi had already taken.

Originally, the Finance Department had intended to include these funds as well, which would have made the company’s financial statements look even better.

Moreover, if the company were to distribute over 40 billion in dividends all at once, it would create an even bigger sensation.

However, Li Yi vetoed this proposal. In his view, there was little difference between 20 billion and 40 billion; both would create a sensation and achieve the desired publicity.

Consequently, under his direction, the amount allocated for dividends was immediately reduced by one-third.

Even so, it still sent shockwaves through the company’s senior management!

Compared to the shock of the executives, the expressions on Jiang Xue and Ye Lingyun’s faces could no longer be described as merely “surprised”—the mother and daughter were completely dumbfounded.

They had thought that Li Yi’s ability to make tens or even hundreds of millions of yuan at a time in mainland China was already astonishing enough.

But they never could have imagined that his business operations here in Hong Kong were on such a massive scale—measured directly in tens of billions—which completely exceeded their wildest expectations.

“Ding, ding, ding!!!”

Li Yi tapped the conference table lightly. Hearing this soft yet firm sound, the room gradually fell silent.

“Manager Zhao, please continue!”

“Yes!”

Zhao Xinlan continued, “Over the past few days, our finance department has calculated the dividend accounts for all 8,000-plus investors and the two shareholders. All dividend funds have been fully deposited, and the dividends can be distributed at any time—though the exact timing still needs to be confirmed by the two bosses!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Huang Lixing interjected, “Brother Li Yi, I’m just a rough-and-tumble guy like me—I don’t know anything about business. You decide this one!”

Instead of immediately announcing the dividend date, Li Yi glanced at Lan Xinming beside him and asked, “When will the project over at Paomadao be completed?”

No. 17 Happy Valley has a very impressive name—Starlight Tower. This 39-story skyscraper, located in the heart of Happy Valley, is the headquarters that Li Yi selected for the company.

This property was originally one of the seven real estate projects owned by the Li family. By the time Star Company took it over, the project was nearly complete.

Consequently, Li Yi decided to convert the project into the company’s headquarters building and commissioned a dedicated interior design plan. Judging by the timeline, the interior work was nearly complete.

Lan Xinming immediately stood up and said, “I was just about to report this to you—the project over there has been completed!”

“Has it been inspected yet?”

“The day before yesterday afternoon, I organized a team of technicians along with Manager Xu from the Real Estate Project Department to conduct the inspection!”

Lan Xinming continued, “The vast majority of the project fully meets the design requirements. Although there are a few minor flaws, they do not affect usability. I’ve already instructed the Engineering Department to make the necessary corrections, and it won’t take more than a few days to get everything sorted out!”

“So, does that mean the company headquarters can move?” Li Yi asked.

“Yes, anytime!” Lan Xinming replied confidently.

“In that case, you guys should look into it and figure out when would be the best time to move over!” Li Yi said.

“Relocating the company headquarters is a major undertaking; we’ll need at least a week to prepare!” Lan Xinming replied.

“That’s too long. I’m giving you three days. In three days, I want to see all employees reporting to work at Star Tower. Can you do that?” Li Yi said in a stern voice.

Lan Xinming knew Li Yi’s temperament well. Without hesitation, he replied loudly, “We can!”

It wasn’t that Li Yi wanted to be so forceful; it was simply that his third older sister was getting married on the 18th day of the 12th lunar month, which meant there were only about ten days left.

Considering he’d need to return a few days early to help out, Li Yi’s time in Hong Kong would be no more than a week—so there was no way he could ask them to move in just one week’s time.

“Very good!”

Li Yi continued, “While the Administration Department handles the headquarters relocation, the Investment and Finance Departments must coordinate with the Public Relations Department to launch a comprehensive publicity campaign regarding our 10 billion yuan dividend.”

“Yes, sir!”

“And the Office Department—immediately call all of the company’s clients and have them come to the new headquarters in four days to collect their dividends!”

Li Yi continued, “Remember, on the official dividend distribution day, we must invite as many media reporters as possible!”

“Yes…”

Afterward, Li Yi discussed the upcoming arrangements with the company’s senior executives. Only after everything had been settled did he adjourn the meeting.

After the meeting concluded, Li Yi took Jiang Xue and his mother-in-law to his office, while Huang Lixing took Chen Chuhong to his office.

Even though the meeting was over, Jiang Xue still seemed dazed; she remained silent the entire time after entering the room.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Hmm! That’s hundreds of billions! How could that not be scary?” Jiang Xue said.

“That’s not all my money—it’s going to be shared with others!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Hearing this, Jiang Xue’s expression relaxed slightly, and she asked, “So how much of that money will you get?”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “I’ve looked at the financial statements. Out of this HK$28.9 billion in dividends, HK$10.7 billion is to be distributed to other investors, and the remaining HK$18.2 billion is the company’s net profit.”

“And since Starry Sky is jointly owned by me and Old Huang—with me holding a 70% stake—I’ll get 12.74 billion Hong Kong dollars!”

“Whoa, so that means you’re already a billionaire now?” Jiang Xue said, her eyes wide.

“Probably more than that!”

“More than that?”

“Yeah. Besides these dividends, the company still has an ongoing investment. Once that’s wrapped up, we’ll have at least another four or five billion Hong Kong dollars coming in, including principal and interest.”

Li Yi continued, “On top of that, I’ve already received over 500 million US dollars in commissions, which is nearly 4 billion Hong Kong dollars!”

“On top of that, I’ve invested in several companies in New York. Even without factoring in profits, the capital I’ve put in alone exceeds 1 billion US dollars. Plus, I’ve invested in a large-scale logistics center and numerous real estate projects on Hong Kong Island, so our family’s total assets are roughly 30 billion Hong Kong dollars!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Xue and Ye Lingyun were completely dumbfounded…

…….