Chapter 957: Chaos at the Great Bridge!

Suburbs. Tiger Hall!

Just as Li Yi ordered his men to launch a counterattack, the Tiger Hall headquarters was also closely monitoring the situation.

The Tiger Hall headquarters was located in a standalone five-story building on the eastern outskirts of Hong Kong Island; the bottom two floors were entirely casinos, while the upper floors served as the triad’s operational headquarters.

The choice of this location was primarily tied to the Tiger Hall’s own standing.

Like Huang Lixing’s former Qinglong Society, the Tiger Hall was a second-tier triad organization—its strength was mediocre, neither outstanding nor weak.

Since it couldn’t compete with top-tier syndicates like Dongxing or Hongxing, it could only occupy the outskirts and guard its own small territory.

At that moment, hundreds of underlings were gathered in the main hall of the Tiger Hall headquarters, while on the fifth floor, in a meeting room, Tiger Hall’s leader, Meng Lin, was drinking and chatting with several of his trusted lieutenants.

“Boss, it’s been over a week now. How much longer do you think those mainlanders can hold out?”

The speaker was the Tiger Hall’s top enforcer, Long Zai. Having trained in martial arts for many years, he specialized in hacking people with a cleaver and enjoyed Meng Lin’s deep trust within the gang.

Hearing this, Meng Lin tilted his head back and downed two large gulps of liquor before saying, “Lin Sri called this morning. He said that mainland guy is already back on Hong Kong Island. Knowing his temperament, he certainly won’t put up with this. He might even start a fight with us today!”

A middle-aged man to Meng Lin’s right picked up the thread, saying in a grave tone, “Boss, those mainlanders are no pushovers, and they legally own weapons. If a fight breaks out, won’t we…”

Before he could finish, Longzi shouted, “Uncle Wen, the longer you’ve been in the business, the more timid you’ve become. We’ve got Sri Lin backing us—what the hell do we have to fear?”

“Longzi, don’t be rude to Uncle Wen!”

Meng Lin then changed the subject and continued, “But Longzi isn’t wrong. Dealing with those mainlanders is Lin Sri’s order. As long as they dare to make a move, the police will step in to investigate, and we’ll be able to retire in triumph.”

“Walk away with our tails between our legs? I don’t think so!”

Uncle Wen then said in a grave tone, “The strength of those mainlanders is unfathomable. Earlier, they wiped out the South Monkey Gang with ease—the gang leader and twelve chapter heads were all taken out overnight. Our Tiger Hall isn’t as strong as the South Monkey Gang was back then. I’m worried that even with Lin Sri’s help, we might not make it to the point where we can walk away unscathed…”

Meng Lin burst out laughing. “If it were just us from the Tiger Hall, we certainly wouldn’t dare to go head-to-head with those mainlanders. But now? With the South Monkey Gang, the Yamaguchi-gumi, the Brothers Party, and the Green Alliance all joining forces with us, how are those mainlanders supposed to handle that?”

Although Uncle Wen remained quite concerned, he didn’t say anything more.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door, and immediately afterward, a young man hurried in.

Upon seeing the young man, Meng Lin tossed him a pack of cigarettes and asked, “Ah Bao, how’s it going over in the New Territories?”

“Boss, those mainlanders backed down again. Shanji and his crew finished the job and have already pulled out!”

Meng Lin glanced at Uncle Wen beside him and said, “Those mainlanders aren’t much to speak of. They don’t even dare to fight back when things get this heated. What a bunch of cowards!”

Ah Bao immediately asked, “Boss, what do we do if they don’t make a move? Should we…”

“No need. I’ll call Lin Sri myself to explain the situation and get the other gangs to pitch in. With something like this, we just need to make our stance clear—no need to keep charging headlong into it!”

After all these years on the streets, Meng Lin knew exactly when to advance and when to retreat!

“Yes…”

However, before he could finish speaking, another henchman came rushing in from outside.

Before Meng Lin and the others could ask, the henchman blurted out anxiously, “Boss, Shanji and the others have been surrounded over at the Grand Bridge. They need backup right away!”

Meng Lin paused mid-sip, then slammed his glass to the ground and shouted, “Longzi, A Bao, take the brothers to the Grand Bridge immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

“No matter who they are, beat the hell out of them. Don’t let a single one get away. I’ll call Inspector Lin later and have the police get involved!” Meng Lin instructed again.

“Don’t worry, Boss. We won’t let a single one get away!”

With that, Longzi, Ah Bao, and the others rushed downstairs.

Soon, a commotion erupted downstairs, followed by the sound of car engines starting…

Watching his men leave through the upstairs blinds, Meng Lin finally picked up the phone on the desk with satisfaction and dialed the number of the big boss behind him!

……….

East Suburbs. The Grand Overpass!

When the dozen or so vans from the Tiger Clan arrived, they found the traffic completely gridlocked. A crowd of onlookers had gathered on the overpass, clearly there to watch the spectacle.

Seeing this, Longzi and Abao immediately ordered their men to get out of the vans. Wielding machetes, they charged into the crowd, sending the onlookers scattering in all directions.

However, once they reached the overpass, they were stunned.

The overpass was filled with cries of agony; dozens of blood-soaked people lay sprawled across the deck, surrounded by several wrecked cars. The scene was so gruesome it was almost unbearable to look at.

Seeing this, Longzi and the others felt a sense of foreboding rise in their hearts.

After all, those wrecked cars all belonged to their gang—so surely the people down there…

Immediately, the Tiger Hall henchmen rushed forward to check on the injured.

Sure enough, just as they had feared, it was indeed their people.

“Shanji… Where’s Shanji…”

As Longzai shouted his brother’s name, a henchman with minor injuries said in a trembling voice, “Boss… they’ve thrown the boss under the overpass!”

Hearing this, Longzai and the others rushed to the edge of the overpass and saw a man hanging from a rope beneath it.

“Pull him up!”

When the man was pulled up, Longzi and Ah Bao couldn’t help but gasp in horror.

The third-ranked enforcer in the gang, Red Stick Shanji, was now barely recognizable. His entire body was covered in wounds—some from knives, others from blunt force trauma. Most critically, one of his arms was twisted beyond recognition; it appeared to be completely crippled.

Worse still, Shanji was barely breathing—his life truly hung by a thread.

“Who did this… who was it!” Longzai roared furiously.

“It was the truck driver…”

“Who… a truck driver?”

Longzai, Ah Bao, and the others were stunned. Weren’t those the guys from the mainland?

“They were all wearing the standard truck driver uniforms, and they had wrenches and crowbars in their hands. They stopped us and beat us up, then ran off after they were done…”

After hearing Shanji’s account, Longzi flew into a rage and shouted, “Bullshit about drivers—it was those mainlanders who pulled this stunt. I’m going to hack them to death!”

Ah Bao immediately said, “Don’t be impulsive. We should report this to the boss first…”

“No way, I can’t wait!”

With that, Longzi was about to rally the other brothers to head to the New Territories warehouse construction site nearby to seek revenge.

However, just then, the sound of police sirens suddenly echoed from the distance.

Soon, more than a dozen police cars arrived at the scene, and over a hundred officers rushed out of the vehicles.

As soon as they got out, the officers rushed into the scene, forming a cordon and ordering everyone to freeze.

Just as the onlookers thought they were about to witness a dramatic showdown between the police and the triad thugs, an unexpected turn of events unfolded.

After exchanging a few words with the gang members, the officers actually withdrew immediately…

It was as if the earlier show of force had never happened—they didn’t arrest anyone, didn’t treat the injured, and didn’t clear the traffic. They just left!

It was… just ridiculous!

However, what the officers and gang members didn’t notice was that several people in the crowd had been holding cameras the whole time.

And inside a car at the scene, a video camera was rolling, capturing every moment of what had just happened…

………..

The executive meeting at Shield Security was still in progress!

Upon hearing Li Yi’s orders, everyone except Huang Lixing looked utterly perplexed.

The company was currently on the rise—why suddenly halt business expansion and downsize the workforce?

Li Yi could see the confusion on everyone’s faces and immediately said, “You may not be aware of the current situation. According to the intelligence we’ve received, under the direction of those British bastards from the British Isles, multiple factions—including the British Hong Kong government—are preparing to crush our Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.”

“This time, they’re not only planning to crush us economically, but they’ve also enlisted a large number of gangs and criminal organizations to come down hard on us with underhanded tactics, and Shield Corporation will be the first to bear the brunt of it.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Guangming grinned and said, “No wonder I’ve been getting reports from the guys on the ground these past few days—they’ve been running into obstacles while out on missions, whether it’s people provoking them or someone secretly sabotaging them. So someone’s been trying to take us down!”

Jin Junze, his face lit up with excitement, exclaimed, “What are we waiting for? Let’s take them down! After all this time—it feels like my bones have gone rusty!”

“Exactly! They’re finished. We won’t let these sons of bitches ride roughshod over us!”

“Let’s do it…”

Seeing how worked up and excited everyone was, Li Yi couldn’t help but observe a silent three-minute moment of silence for those gang thugs.

These were all elite soldiers fresh off the battlefield—die-hard warmongers through and through.

The fact that they weren’t picking on others was already a blessing for the underworld. Who would’ve thought there’d always be some death-defying fools who’d try to touch a tiger’s ass?

Huang Lixing felt a chill run down his spine as well. Having risen through the ranks of a triad himself, he knew all too well the gulf between ordinary gangsters and the men standing before him.

If they were to actually go up against these killing machines, even the top-tier triads in Hong Kong wouldn’t stand a chance.

Seeing the excited expressions on the faces of the people before him, Huang Lixing knew that someone was about to be in big trouble!

Li Yi cleared his throat and said, “Quiet, everyone! According to our intelligence, there are five triad groups targeting us this time: the South Monkey Gang, the Yamaguchi-gumi, the Tiger Hall, the Brothers Party, and the Green Alliance.”

“Their plan is to have these gangs harass and provoke us at Aegis Security first, then trigger a large-scale brawl, ultimately forcing the police to intervene in the matter, launch an investigation into our company, and use the findings to mislead the public!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Guangming frowned and said, “If that’s the case, we can’t just act on our own, or we’ll be giving them ammunition to use against us, right?”

Li Yi shook his head. “Not exactly. To be honest, I don’t know much about these gangs, but if those foreigners are putting them forward to take us on, they must be pretty strong…”

Before he could finish, Huang Lixing interjected, “That’s true. These gangs are indeed formidable. The South Monkey Gang, for instance, is made up of refugees from South Monkey, backed by at least 200,000 South Monkey refugees—many of whom are veterans of the Vietnam War.”

“The Yamaguchi-gumi is a branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi in South Korea. The two sides maintain close ties, and its core members are all those shorties from South Korea. They have over 3,000 members.”

“The Brothers Gang is primarily made up of Koreans. Though their numbers aren’t large, they’re exceptionally ruthless. We at the Blue Dragon Society have clashed with them a few times before, but we didn’t gain any advantage—instead, we lost quite a few of our best men.”

“The Qinglian Gang is backed by the ‘Well Frogs,’ giving them strong intelligence-gathering capabilities. Though the Tiger Hall has no external support, they’re lackeys of the police chief and hold considerable local clout.”

After listening to what Huang Lixing had to say, Li Yi fell silent for a moment before replying, “If we go to war with these gangs head-on, setting aside our chances of victory, the commotion it would cause would be massive. It could easily panic the public and give others ammunition to use against us.”

“Besides, dealing with those low-level thugs won’t accomplish much beyond adding to the body count. So I don’t mind engaging in a head-on clash with these guys.”

Yang Wenguang immediately asked, “So you mean we’ll only target the ringleaders?”

“Yes!”

Li Yi continued, “Starting now, mobilize our intelligence department to monitor the activities of the aforementioned gangs with full force. We must thoroughly map out their internal organizational structures and the movements of their key members. If it ever comes to the point where we have no choice but to act, I expect you to be able to take out these key figures and leaders with a single, decisive strike. Are you confident you can do that?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” the group answered in unison.

No sooner had they spoken than Huang Lixing suddenly interjected, “I do believe the brothers can pull this off, but if we choose to act in secret, we’ll be looked down upon by our brothers in the underworld!”

Li Yi glanced at him and said, “The underworld… which underworld are you talking about?”

Before Huang Lixing could answer, Li Yi continued, “Old Huang, you’ve already retired from the underworld. We run a company and do legitimate business—we’re not a criminal gang.”

“Of course. We won’t get involved in any gang wars, nor do we need to follow any underground rules. Our motto is: if they don’t mess with us, we won’t mess with them. But if they do cross us, we’ll wipe them out completely—by any means necessary!”

Hearing Li Yi’s menacing words, Huang Lixing immediately caught on.

Right—he wasn’t part of the underworld anymore, so why bother with any rules?

Besides, the people before him weren’t really gang members either; they had all been real soldiers before. Once they started fighting, it would be like going to war.

On the battlefield, only victory or defeat mattered; no one cared about the means used. Expecting these men to follow the underworld’s code like Old Huang did was clearly unrealistic.

With that in mind, Huang Lixing said at once, “Brother Li Yi is right. This matter really isn’t suited to the rules of the underworld.”

Li Yi nodded, then looked at the group and said, “I don’t know anything about fighting or killing enemies, so I won’t be involved in this. You guys figure it out yourselves!”

“I have only one demand: when I need decisive action, you must have the power to strike fear into the hearts of the petty criminals. Wherever your blades point, you must be invincible—slaying gods if they stand in your way, and Buddhas if they dare to block your path!”

“Yes…”

Just then, a series of urgent knocks sounded from outside the conference room.

Immediately afterward, BB囍TR saw a man in his thirties rush in. He quickly approached Yang Wenguang and whispered a few words in his ear.

Yang Wenguang nodded, then waved him out.

He then turned to Li Yi and Huang Lixing and said, “Gentlemen, I just received a call from the 6th Squadron, which is responsible for maintaining order at the New Territories warehouse construction site. They’ve been harassed by factions affiliated with the Tiger Hall for the past few days. Not only have delivery drivers been frequently stopped and beaten, but construction materials on the site have also been stolen from time to time, severely impacting the project’s progress.”

“Just moments ago, another convoy was stopped by the Tiger Hall gang. Two drivers got out to argue with them and were beaten up, and their trucks were vandalized. Fortunately, our men arrived in time to intercept them. The two sides are currently in a standoff. Squad Leader Jiang Zhanbing has asked for instructions on whether we should teach those bastards a harsh lesson.”

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “It seems those guys can’t wait any longer. They’re trying to force our hand!”

“Brother Li Yi, once we make a move, those bastards will surely use the opportunity to escalate the situation. Should we hold back?” Huang Lixing asked.

Li Yi shook his head and said calmly, “No need to hold back. Those bastards have already climbed right on top of us and started shitting on our heads—how can we just let that slide?”

“So you mean… we take them on?”

“Strike first to prevent a hundred blows. Faced with such blatant provocation, we absolutely cannot back down—we must strike back!”

Then Li Yi turned to Yang Wenguang and said, “But while we fight back, we absolutely can’t act recklessly—we must be strategic!”

“What strategy?” Huang Lixing asked immediately.

“Order the brothers at the New Territories warehouse to take photos of those thugs as evidence, then let them go.”

Li Yi continued, “Then have our men change into truck drivers’ clothes, intercept them halfway, and give them a thorough beating.”

“Is that really necessary? Even a fool could tell it was us. Isn’t this just burying our heads in the sand?” Jin Junze interjected.

Li Yi replied coldly, “So what if they know? As long as we don’t admit it, this has nothing to do with us. It’s just a game of testing each other—who’s afraid of whom!”

“Once they’ve been wronged, they’ll definitely seek revenge!” Yang Wenguang said.

“Revenge? Great. That’s exactly what we’re waiting for!”

Then Li Yi added, “Keep a close eye on the Tiger Hall’s movements. Since they were the first to make a move, we’ll make them the first to go if necessary!”

“Yes…”

………..

Downtown… Shield Security!

The security company’s headquarters and training base are separate. The headquarters is located in the city center, not far from the Star Tower, and is also leased from Star Company.

The training base, however, is situated on the outskirts of the city, not far from Huang Lixing’s Qinglong Society headquarters, near the Wan Chai Ferry Terminal.

By the time Li Yi arrived at the security company’s headquarters, all the senior executives were already present.

In the spacious conference room, more than a dozen men in camouflage uniforms sat with their backs straight at the conference table, their bottoms occupying only a third of the chairs.

Every face bore a sharp gaze and a resolute expression, like a cheetah lying in wait.

“Thud, thud, thud…”

As a rhythmic thudding of footsteps drew nearer, the expressions on everyone’s faces grew even more grave, making Huang Lixing, seated at the head of the table, feel a chill run down his spine.

It was no coincidence that these men had effortlessly neutralized the threat posed by over ten thousand henchmen from the South Monkey Gang last time.

Just as Huang Lixing was deep in thought, the conference room door swung open.

Immediately, Li Yi strode in, flanked by several bodyguards.

Huang Lixing immediately stood up and said with a smile, “Brother Li Yi, you’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for you!”

At the same moment, a voice called out, “Stand up,” and the rest of the dozen or so people in the conference room rose to their feet in unison.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized; even with so many people rising, not a single sound of chairs scraping against the floor could be heard. The atmosphere felt less like a corporate meeting and more like a military briefing.

“Sit!”

At Li Yi’s command, everyone sat back down, their posture as straight and upright as before.

Seeing this, Li Yi nodded in satisfaction.

He had always known that the people before him were elite “retired” military personnel, and he had never doubted their professional competence.

But Li Yi was deeply concerned that once they arrived in Hong Kong, they might shift from being soldiers to adopting the mannerisms of mercenaries.

After all, Li Yi was well aware of the situation back home and had experienced it firsthand.

Although the country had begun to reform and open up, the vast majority of regions remained unabashedly poor—even brazenly so.

The people’s incomes remained pitifully low, supplies were still scarce, and on top of that, they were facing rising prices and currency devaluation…

In short, the situation was far from ideal!

In contrast, Hong Kong Island offered high incomes and abundant supplies—it could even be described as a place of glitzy nightlife and rampant materialism.

For ordinary people, the temptations here are no less than what even Tang Sanzang faced when he encountered the Queen of the Kingdom of Women.

Li Yi was genuinely worried that these people might lose their moral compass; after all, everyone knows it’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality.

But seeing everyone in this state now, he finally felt at ease.

At the very least, the command staff had managed to maintain the military lifestyle and even held themselves to the strict discipline of the unit—which was already quite remarkable.

After taking his seat, Li Yi looked around, his gaze sweeping across every face.

Then, clearing his throat, he said, “There are quite a few new faces here. To be honest, I’m a bit ashamed to admit that even though the company has been around for so long, I, as the general manager, have hardly ever been here. Now I can’t even recognize everyone.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huang Lixing immediately replied with a smile, “As the old saying goes, ‘Plan in the tent, win on the battlefield.’ Brother Li Yi, you are exactly that kind of person.”

“Even though you don’t visit the company often, its growth is inseparable from your guidance. Without you, our Shield Security would never have reached its current scale and prestige.”

“Old Huang, you flatter me!”

Li Yi then changed the subject and continued, “Since we have quite a few new colleagues here, and there have been significant changes in the positions of our veteran staff, let’s all introduce ourselves before we begin the meeting!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huang Lixing immediately replied, “Huang Lixing, Deputy General Manager of Shield Security…”

“Old Huang, cut the crap!”

Li Yi then turned to Yang Wenguang and said, “Brother-in-law, let’s start with you!”

Upon hearing his name called, Yang Wenguang immediately stood up and said, “Yang Wenguang, Deputy General Manager and Head of the Training Department, Gold-Medal Bodyguard!”

“Jiang Peng, Head of the Marketing and Operations Department, Silver-Rank Bodyguard! BB囍TR”

“Zhou Xiunan, Head of Human Resources, Silver-level Bodyguard!”

“Yu Yong, Director of the General Affairs Office, Gold-Medal Bodyguard!”

“Jin Junze, Head of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Department, Gold-Level Bodyguard!”

“Huang Zhan, Head of the Logistics Support Department, Gold-Medal Bodyguard!”

“Wang Xue, Head of the Finance and Audit Department, Non-Combatant!”

“Yan Guangming, Head of the Combat Department, Gold-Medal Bodyguard!”

“Zhang Hanjing, Deputy Director of the Combat Department and Commander of the First Battalion, Top-Notch Bodyguard!”

“Zheng Tieqiao, Commander of the Second Battalion, Combat Department…”

……..

After listening to everyone’s introductions, Li Yi nodded and said, “After more than a year of development, all departments of Aegis Security have become well-established. I’m very pleased. Brother-in-law, as the company’s Deputy General Manager, please give a brief overview of the company’s current status.”

“Yes!”

Yang Wenguang then spoke up, “Currently, Aegis Security has one headquarters and one training base. The headquarters primarily handles company operations and procurement, while the training base is responsible for employee training and personnel assignments!”

“In terms of staffing, the company currently has eight departments with a total of 2,686 personnel. Among them, 545 are non-combatants, primarily concentrated in departments such as Marketing, Human Resources, Operations Management, and the General Affairs Office…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi interrupted, “Tell me about the Operations Department!”

“The Operations Department currently consists of five battalions, each comprising four companies of 138 personnel, for a total of 2,130 members,” Yang Wenguang replied.

“Hmm, not bad!”

Li Yi then asked again, “How many of these security personnel are from the mainland?”

“1,767. The rest are all locals from Hong Kong Island!”

Yang Wenguang continued, “However, we received a new notice this morning: 500 new recruits will be arriving from the mainland in the next two days, which will allow us to add another battalion to our security force!”

Li Yi nodded, then turned his gaze to Jiang Peng from the Market Operations Department and said, “Director Jiang, what is the company’s current business status? Are we breaking even?”

“Mr. Li, we are currently providing security services for 48 families and companies, offering 24-hour protection for 175 VIPs, 57 companies, and 88 properties.”

Jiang Peng continued, “In the first three quarters, our security fees alone totaled 178 million Hong Kong dollars. After deducting all expenses, our profit exceeded 79 million Hong Kong dollars!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Excellent. What is the company’s potential for business expansion right now?”

Jiang Peng replied immediately, “Enormous. Because our Aegis Security personnel are highly professional and exceptionally dedicated, we’ve maintained a perfect track record with zero incidents to date and have earned the recognition of Hong Kong’s high society!”

“Currently, several prominent families and major corporations are seeking to partner with us. However, given our limited number of security personnel and the need to assess the background and qualifications of potential partners, we haven’t expanded our operations on a large scale yet!”

“However, once our new recruits arrive, these issues will be easily resolved. At that point, the company will expand its operations once again to serve more families and corporations!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Yi’s expression shifted, and he said sternly, “Effective immediately, the company will suspend the acceptance of new business. All short-term contracts will not be renewed upon expiration, and all security personnel currently deployed in the field will be recalled!”

At these words, everyone in the conference room was stunned, and all eyes turned to him…

……….

Downtown. The Li Family Estate!

When Li Yi and Li Yunbao arrived at the Li family estate, Li Fuzhao had just returned from the office.

He had been in the middle of a meeting with his staff when he suddenly received a call from Li Yi, asking to meet.

Upon receiving the call, Li Futiao immediately ended the meeting and hurried back.

Seeing Li Yi and his son walk through the door together, Li Futiao immediately smiled and said, “Brother Li Yi, I was actually planning to invite you to lunch, but I didn’t expect you to call me first!”

“It doesn’t matter who makes the first move!”

Li Yi then glanced at the housekeeper in the living room and the bodyguard at the door before saying, “Old Li, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Let’s find a quiet place.”

“Alright, let’s go upstairs and talk!” Li Futiao said.

“Alright!”

With that, the three of them stood up and headed toward the upstairs reception room.

Once upstairs, Li Futiao and Li Yi sat across from each other, while Li Yunbao immediately served them tea and water, acting just like a tea boy.

“Brother Li Yi, feel free to speak your mind—this place is absolutely safe!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Old Li, how much do you know about the current situation in Hong Kong?”

Li Futao thought for a moment and replied, “As far as I know, quite a few people are targeting you, Star Investment, and our Chinese Chamber of Commerce. It was actually I who reminded Old Huang to have him notify you immediately so you could come and take charge of the situation!”

“Do you know who exactly is targeting us right now?”

“From what I’ve gathered, it includes the Governor’s Office, British-owned conglomerates, some local triads and gangs, and apparently some overseas financial groups as well, but I don’t have much detail on any of them,” Li Futao said.

Li Yi nodded and said, “In fact, our enemies are far more numerous and powerful than you realize!”

“Have you already identified exactly which factions our enemies are?” Li Futiao asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yes.”

Li Yi then recounted the details of Durson’s visit earlier that morning.

After hearing the details, Li Futiao frowned and said, “If it’s really as Dolsen described, this is going to be a real problem.”

“They’re launching a full-scale assault on us—from the underworld to the mainstream, from business to politics. One wrong move, and we could lose everything—unless…”

“Unless what?” Li Yi asked.

“Unless the central government steps in and thoroughly intimidates those politicians on Downing Street!” Li Futiao said.

Li Yi shook his head. “If it really comes to that, they won’t hesitate to act when the time is right. But I don’t think we’ve reached the point where we need to ‘call in the big shots’ yet.”

“Are you thinking of rallying the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to confront these forces together?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “That’s the idea, but not to rally the chamber members to fight alongside us—rather, to give everyone an opportunity to make money!”

“???”

Seeing the bewildered look on Li Futao’s face, Li Yi quickly explained, “I’ve already worked out a plan to deal with these hostile forces. We have an 80% chance of success, but as the conflict progresses, those forces will inevitably target the companies owned by Chamber members.”

“If our guild members cooperate fully with us, not only can we avoid being targeted by malicious short-selling or hostile takeovers, but we can also use this opportunity to make a huge profit.”

“Of course, all of this is based on mutual trust and cooperation…”

Before he had even finished speaking, Li Futiao immediately interjected, “With the fire at our doorstep, they’ll certainly be willing to cooperate!”

“That’s not necessarily the case. Dolsen has already mentioned that the Governor’s Office has been secretly courting some of our members. Faced with such a formidable enemy, there’s no guarantee that some won’t waver!” Li Yi said.

“Then what should we do?” asked Li Futiao.

“Convene a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce members as soon as possible. First, to finalize the list of new members recruited this year; second, to explain the basic situation to everyone and gauge their reactions!” Li Yi said.

“Won’t that compromise our secrets?”

“It won’t matter. We won’t need to go into too much detail at the time. We’ll just say that it appears local forces are colluding with foreign powers to target our Chinese Merchants’ Association, and that the opposition is very powerful. Let the members decide for themselves!”

Li Yi continued, “But make it clear to them: the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s principle is ‘once unfaithful, never to be used again.’ If they choose to withdraw, they will permanently lose their eligibility to join the Chamber!”

“Alright, I’ll arrange the meeting as soon as possible. I’ll let you know once it’s set up!” Li Futao replied.

“I have more important matters to attend to, so I won’t be attending this meeting. Old Li, just let me know the results later!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

Li Yi changed the subject and asked, “Old Li, how much do you know about the Xini Consortium?”

“Are you talking about the Sini Group in Southeast Asia?”

“Yes, Dolsen told me to pay special attention to this conglomerate. I’m not sure what he meant by that,” Li Yi said.

Li Futao thought for a moment and said, “The Sini Group is headquartered in Bandung. It’s a major conglomerate primarily funded by British capital, supplemented by local interests. The group operates in multiple sectors, including real estate, finance, steel, chemicals, aviation, and hospitality. It has branches in numerous countries and regions across Southeast Asia, with reported assets conservatively estimated at 10 billion US dollars.”

“Most importantly, this conglomerate operates on both sides of the law locally. It controls numerous local gangs and syndicates in Bandung and runs illegal operations involving prostitution, gambling, and drugs. As for its actual wealth, outsiders really have no way of estimating it.”

After hearing Li Futao’s words, Li Yi frowned and said, “No wonder Dowson told me to pay special attention to this conglomerate—it turns out they’re that powerful!”

However, Li Futiao shook his head and said, “I don’t think that’s the only reason Dolsen warned me!”

“Then what else could it mean?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.

“Perhaps it’s not just that they’re powerful, but that they also harbor deep hostility toward you. They might resort to extreme measures beyond the norm—such as poisoning, assassination, or kidnapping!” Li Futiao said, his words startling.

Deep-seated hostility… extreme measures?

“Old Li, do you know something else?” Li Yi asked in a low voice.

Li Futiao nodded and said, “Rumor has it that Cheng Qingsong is backed by the Xini Consortium!”

“Cheng Qingsong… the Xini Consortium?”

In an instant, Li Yi felt as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. So the Xini Consortium was connected to the stock market crash at Jianing Group.

“So the Xini Consortium is the financial backer behind Cheng Qingsong? Is this why they’re targeting us—because of the Jianing Group incident?”

As he spoke, Li Yi couldn’t help but recall that thought-provoking line from the movie *Goldfinger*: “You think I’m really Goldfinger? At best, I’m just a disposable front man.”

This effectively laid bare the fact that he had backers protecting him from the shadows—and not just one, but a network of influential figures spread across the globe.

Clearly, the Xini Consortium was Cheng Qingsong’s “Goldenfinger”—or at least one of them.

“That’s what the rumors say. After all, cutting off someone’s source of income is like killing their parents. Because of your and Starry Sky’s involvement, those people have lost at least ten billion Hong Kong dollars!” Li Fu remarked.

“Jianing Group’s total market capitalization is only 7 billion. Where did this 10 billion loss come from?” Li Yi frowned.

Li Futiao immediately explained, “It’s true that Jianing’s market capitalization is 7 billion, but that figure doesn’t include the assets those people have already transferred out. If they’d been given just a few more months, they would have been able to fully launder those transferred assets—to the point where even the ICAC would have had a hard time tracing them!”

“But no one anticipated your sudden intervention. By shorting Jianing, you caused its stock to crash in a very short time, exposing Jianing’s problems to the public and forcing the ICAC to step in immediately.”

“As a result, assets worth billions of Hong Kong dollars that had been transferred came to light during the ICAC’s investigation and were frozen. So, a loss of ten billion is by no means an exaggeration.”

After hearing Li Futao’s explanation, Li Yi showed not the slightest trace of fear; instead, he offered a faint smile.

Then, in a cold tone, he said, “I thought these vermin were all just lackeys of those politicians, but I didn’t expect there to be such an annoying toad among them. Since that’s the case, let’s have a good fight with them.”

Sensing the powerful fighting spirit and overwhelming confidence radiating from Li Yi, the Li family—father and son—were secretly stunned, yet also filled with anticipation.

They knew full well that once Li Yi had defeated these enemies’ encirclement, there would be no other voices left in Hong Kong Island.

This battle would be the decisive showdown in Li Yi’s quest for the throne…

…………

Star Investment Company—the meeting has just begun!

As the head of the company’s most critical Investment Department, Pang Feiyan’s capabilities were, of course, beyond question.

After standing up, she gathered her thoughts briefly, then spoke in a calm and measured tone: “Boss, following your instructions, our Investment Department has been bottom-fishing in listed industrial companies since late August. To date, we have purchased shares in 48 companies, with holdings ranging from a maximum of 27% to a minimum of 4%, totaling an investment of 5.2 billion Hong Kong dollars!”

“In addition, we have recently acquired four real estate projects mired in debt crises, two pharmaceutical companies on the brink of bankruptcy, and one hotel. These acquisitions cost 1.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, but revitalizing them will require at least another 600 million Hong Kong dollars in future investments…”

As the head of the Investment Management Department, Pang Feiyan’s report was exceptionally well-organized, and she didn’t need to refer to any documents to cite the figures—a clear indication that she had a thorough grasp of her team’s operations.

Li Yi nodded in satisfaction, then asked, “How many people are currently on your Investment Management Department?”

“187 people, with 88 holding stock trading permissions, and another 28 interns!” Pang Feiyan replied.

“We’re a bit short-staffed. You can hire a few more people as needed. And don’t limit yourselves to just stock market talent—you should also recruit people with experience in industrial management!” Li Yi advised.

“Yes, sir!”

Li Yi then turned his attention to Zhao Xinlan, the finance director sitting beside him, and said, “Director Zhao, please give us an overview of the company’s revenue for the first three quarters.”

“Yes!”

Zhao Xinlan immediately stood up and said, “In the first three quarters of this year, the company’s pre-tax revenue across all projects was 247.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, with expenses of 127.9 billion, resulting in a pre-tax profit of 119.9 billion Hong Kong dollars.”

“However, this does not include the company’s fixed asset investments. After all, the prices of fixed assets are fluctuating significantly right now, so it’s currently impossible to accurately assess their value.”

“Hmm, so how much cash does the company currently have on hand?”

With a battle against those scheming conglomerates looming, Li Yi had to know exactly how much capital he had at his disposal—only by knowing both himself and his enemy could he emerge victorious in every battle.

After all, in business wars, it often comes down to who has the most money.

Zhao Xinlan replied immediately: “Boss, there’s currently a total of 82.7 billion Hong Kong dollars in the company’s headquarters’ accounts. However, 67.2 billion of that is your personal dividend. Of the remaining 25.5 billion, 6.3 billion is accounts payable that must be paid to partner companies by the end of October, and another 1.7 billion is for corporate taxes. The only funds truly available for use are 7.5 billion—but…”

“But what? Go on,” Li Yi said.

“But we have two real estate projects nearing completion by year-end. We can recoup some funds by selling the units then—we expect to generate 3 billion Hong Kong dollars in revenue!”

Zhao Xinlan continued, “Furthermore, companies like Hang Seng and Huifeng will also distribute dividends to shareholders by year-end. We hold shares in these companies, so we’ll receive corresponding dividends as well—we expect no less than 1 billion Hong Kong dollars.”

Li Yi did some quick calculations in his head. By that logic, even if he included his own dividends and principal of over 60 billion, the company’s available funds still wouldn’t reach 80 billion Hong Kong dollars.

It sounded like a lot, but unfortunately, it was all in Hong Kong dollars. At the current exchange rate of 9.6 to 1, that amount was only a little over 8 billion US dollars.

For routine matters, this sum would be more than sufficient.

But this time, they were facing seven or eight major conglomerates, each a colossal powerhouse in their respective regions.

Combined, these conglomerates can raise funds beyond imagination—not just tens of billions of US dollars, but possibly even hundreds of billions.

With that in mind, Li Yi immediately said, “Don’t transfer that dividend into my personal account. Use this money as principal and transfer it all to the Dahai Private Equity Fund for the company’s future investments.”

“Yes!”

Li Yi then turned to Pang Feiyan and said in a firm voice, “Feiyan, have your Investment Management Department come up with a plan as soon as possible. Announce that our company will be investing in a new project before Christmas, and that interested investors are welcome to come to the office to sign contracts!”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the conference room’s eyes lit up.

The company has a new investment project—that’s fantastic.

Ever since last year, whenever the company launched a new investment project, it was guaranteed to turn a huge profit.

Never mind how much each of them would receive in bonuses and commissions—many had already made a fortune simply by following the company’s lead and investing.

So, it wasn’t just the people of Hong Kong Island hoping for Star Investment to launch a new project—everyone in the company, from top to bottom, was eagerly awaiting it!

“Boss, what about the investment cycle and the rate of return…”

Before Pang Feiyan could finish her sentence, Li Yi immediately replied, “The investment cycle is one year, with a conservative estimated return of 15%. There’s no upper limit, and if the actual return falls short of 15%, the company will make up the difference!”

At those words, everyone in the conference room couldn’t help but swallow hard.

This is a guaranteed 15% return—absolutely the first of its kind in Hong Kong.

One could only imagine the sensation this project would cause across Hong Kong once it was announced.

After all, the global economy was currently in a slump. Aside from a few major financial institutions and funds that could guarantee no losses, the rest of the companies had return on investment rates below 5%, and more than half were even operating at a loss.

Now, Star Investment was offering a 15% guaranteed return—an offer so tempting to investors it was practically a windfall.

“Is there a cap on the funds being raised this time?”

“No, there’s no upper limit!” Li Yi replied.

“Understood. We’ll finalize the proposal as soon as possible, but isn’t a 15% guaranteed return a bit too high?” asked Pang Feiyan.

“Is it high?”

“It’s extremely high. This will significantly increase our cost of capital. Once we raise over 100 billion, this fee alone will cost us 15 billion annually—the pressure is too great!” Pang Feiyan said.

Li Yi, however, replied calmly, “I know exactly what I’m doing. Just follow orders!”

“Yes!”

Li Yi didn’t yet know how much capital those consortiums could raise to challenge him, but he knew that having a little extra money on hand could never hurt.

As for the funding pressure caused by the 15% guaranteed return, Li Yi hadn’t even considered it—after all, once these investors signed the contracts, they would have to pay him a 5% fund management fee.

In other words, his actual cost of capital was only 10% of the principal.

And with his understanding of the economic conditions in various countries, whether investing in the stock market of the “Eagle” or the real estate market of the “Chicken,” he was sure to make a killing.

Furthermore, the Iron Lady was set to call an early election next year and easily win re-election, after which she would launch a final rescue effort for the British Empire’s economy, which was on the brink of collapse. Her prescription would be comprehensive privatization.

At that point, he could easily use this money to snap up assets across the British Empire at rock-bottom prices. Setting aside whether he’d run the businesses himself, even a quick resale could yield profits several times over.

If all else fails, you could funnel this money back to the mainland for infrastructure projects—whether building highways, hotels, or shopping malls—the return on investment would be no less than 30%.

So, in his eyes, this 15% guaranteed return was practically pocket change…

Subsequently, Li Yi listened to work reports from Lan Xinming, Ding Can, Li Yunbao, Yang Qian, and others.

After gaining a full understanding of the company’s situation, Li Yi immediately implemented sweeping adjustments to the company’s operations and halted several particularly aggressive and cost-intensive projects.

After all, in the coming days, they would have to fend off the onslaught from those major conglomerates.

Just as Li Yi was holding a meeting with the company’s management, news of his return to Hong Kong Island and his appearance at Star Tower spread like wildfire, quickly sweeping across the entire island.

In an instant, certain forces lurking in the shadows could no longer sit idly by, and the entire island was suddenly filled with undercurrents—a storm was brewing…

………..

In the reception room, the conversation continued.

After listening to Dolsen’s words, Li Yi gathered his thoughts and asked, “Why do those people harbor hostility toward you? Logically speaking, you should be natural allies!”

“Allies, huh… Haha, sometimes allies are the most terrifying—far more dangerous than enemies!” Dolsen said.

“It seems you’ve encountered some unpleasantness,” Li Yi said calmly.

Dawson paused briefly, then said, “Not long ago, the family sent people here to investigate Gustaf’s previous actions against you. That bastard didn’t realize how foolish he was—he shamelessly blamed his failure on my lack of cooperation.”

“Now the family is extremely dissatisfied with me and intends to replace me. Of course, those old fools in the family have never looked favorably upon me as a collateral branch; this incident has merely given them a pretext to suppress me.”

Li Yi said thoughtfully, “So, does that mean your family was involved in this operation?”

“Yes. To assist those politicians on Downing Street in taking you down, the family ordered several of our conglomerates in Southeast Asia to move into Hong Kong. Officially, it’s to target you, but it’s just as much to target me!”

Dorson continued, “If you lose, I’ll be the next one to suffer. So helping you is the same as helping myself.”

“Besides, I don’t think their plan will succeed. Rather than being pushed around as a pawn, I’d rather cooperate with you. As you Chinese say, ‘Those who recognize the times are the true heroes!’”

Hearing this, an image of a Japanese soldier suddenly popped into Li Yi’s mind: “Mr. Li, there’s an old Chinese saying: ‘Those who recognize the times are the wise…’”

At that thought, Li Yi couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing this, Durson clearly misunderstood and actually started laughing along with him.

Watching the two of them burst into laughter for no apparent reason, Huang Lixing, standing nearby, looked completely baffled…

Suppressing his smile, Li Yi immediately said, “Mr. Dolsen, you certainly have a lot of confidence in us!”

“Li, we’ve all seen your capabilities firsthand. When it comes to business competition, I don’t think those people stand a chance against you.”

Dawson continued, “And as for non-business tactics, the forces backing you are just as formidable—if not stronger. After all, didn’t that person on Downing Street just take a major hit at your hands? Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so shamelessly targeting you!”

After hearing Dolsen’s explanation, Li Yi fell deep in thought.

All that the man had said boiled down to one thing: when the rabbit dies, the fox mourns; when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold!

Thinking back to Dolsen’s previous predicament, if the British-owned conglomerate regained control, it was almost certain he’d be replaced, given his lack of favor within the family.

But Li Yi still didn’t dare to fully trust him. This man’s mind was far too calculating; one misstep could land him in a trap, so he had to be on his guard.

With that in mind, Li Yi asked again, “How many factions are currently preparing to take action against us?”

Dawson remained silent for a long moment before saying, “Li, if I give you the list, can you guarantee that you won’t take action against me or the British-owned group in Hong Kong?”

“As long as your people don’t participate in this operation, I can guarantee you won’t face any attacks!” Li Yi replied.

“Thank you!”

Dawson continued, “As far as I know, there are five triad groups involved in this plan: the South Monkey Gang, the Yamaguchi-gumi, the Tiger Hall, the Brothers Party, and the Green Union Gang.”

“There are six major conglomerates involved in targeting you—all well-known in Southeast Asia: the Xini Group, the Nanfei Group, the Bayang Group, Felida Corporation, Donglian Corporation, and the Dayang Group.”

“Is that all? Are there no smaller companies involved?” Li Yi asked.

Dorson replied immediately, “Yes, the smaller companies are those under our British-owned Group. This is the mission the family has entrusted to me.”

“But to be on the safe side, only a few top executives in the group know about this. The ordinary members still have no idea!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “I understand. I also promise you that not only will their plan fail this time, but they’ll suffer a crushing defeat.”

“And as long as you don’t get involved in this, not only will you avoid any attacks, but you’ll also reap benefits beyond your wildest imagination!”

Receiving Li Yi’s assurance once more, a satisfied smile immediately spread across Dolsen’s face.

Then he stood up and said, “Li, I have some matters on my end that need to be handled urgently, so I won’t keep you any longer!”

“Alright, I’ll walk you out!”

With that, the group left the reception room together and headed downstairs.

However, just as they were about to step out the front door of the villa, Dolsen suddenly turned back and said, “Li, let me give you a word of warning: keep a close eye on the Xini Group. That group is particularly difficult to deal with!”

With that, before Li Yi could say anything else, Dalson strode out of Cloud Peak No. 1…

After watching Dolsen leave, Huang Lixing frowned and asked, “Brother Li Yi, what did that blond-haired guy just mean?”

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “Old Huang, do you know the Sini Group?”

“I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much about them. However, Chairman Li might know—your Li family has quite a bit of influence in Southeast Asia!” Huang Lixing said.

“Hmm, I’ll ask him about it later!” Li Yi said.

“So what should we do now?” Huang Lixing asked.

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Old Huang, I’m going to the office in a bit to take care of some business first.”

“As for you, let me know to contact Shield Security and have all senior executives assemble in the company conference room by two o’clock. No one is to be excused.”

“Alright, I’ll go notify them right away!” Huang Lixing said.

“Hmm…”

…………

City Center. Star Tower!

In the conference room, the company’s senior executives had gathered.

Just half an hour ago, the office had suddenly notified the heads of all departments to immediately come to the conference room for an emergency meeting.

Upon receiving the notice, everyone acted without delay, putting aside their work and rushing to the conference room.

However, even though everyone had been there for over ten minutes, no one had yet arrived to chair the meeting.

Just as the group was buzzing with speculation, the chief administrator, Lan Xinming, walked in carrying a stack of documents.

Assuming he was there to chair the meeting, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned to him.

To everyone’s surprise, however, Lan Xinming simply sat down at his seat and remained motionless.

After a brief silence, Pang Feiyan from the Investment Management Department couldn’t help but ask, “Manager Lan, aren’t you supposed to be chairing this meeting?”

Lan Xinming shook his head and said, “No, our office is only responsible for sending out the meeting notice!”

“Is General Manager Huang chairing it, then?”

“No, not him either…”

Just then, a sudden “thump, thump, thump” echoed from the hallway outside. The sound of leather shoes striking the hard floor in unison startled everyone in the conference room.

The sound was unmistakable, instantly reminding them of the team of bodyguards that always surrounded the boss.

In an instant, everyone realized who would be presiding over today’s meeting.

At that thought, everyone fell silent, straightened their backs, and sat up straight, waiting for the arrival of that god-like man.

“Squeak!”

As the conference room door swung open, a tall, handsome man walked in, flanked by four imposing bodyguards.

It was him… it really was him!

The moment they saw Li Yi, no one knew who started it, but suddenly everyone in the conference room burst into applause.

For a moment, the applause thundered, lasting and unceasing!

Seeing this, Li Yi strode to the head of the table and immediately bowed to the crowd.

The applause grew even more enthusiastic…

After a long while, the applause finally subsided.

Li Yi looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over each person, before clearing his throat and saying, “Thank you all for the applause. Alright, let’s get the meeting started!”

“I’ve called everyone here today primarily to get an update on how each department is performing. Department managers and supervisors, please prepare to report on your respective departments. Let’s start with the Investment Department!”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s call, Pang Feiyan immediately stood up…

…………

The night passed without incident!

Early the next morning, Li Yi got up.

After a quick breakfast, he went to his study, handling company business while waiting for his guest to arrive.

Shortly after his brother-in-law left last night, Huang Lixing called him to say he’d made arrangements with Dolsen—he’d be bringing Dolsen personally to Cloud Peak No. 1 tomorrow morning.

So, Li Yi was now waiting for Dolsen!

He wanted to know exactly what business the head of this British-owned conglomerate had in meeting with him!

At 9:30, Li Yi was reviewing the company’s financial reports for the first three quarters when a soft knock suddenly sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

As the study door swung open, Zhang Ziqiang strode in and said, “Brother Yi, Mr. Huang and Mr. Dolsen are here. They’re waiting for you in the living room!”

“Show them to the conference room on the second floor. I’ll be right there!” Li Yi said.

“Yes, sir!”

By the time Li Yi arrived at the reception room, Huang Lixing and Dolsen had already arrived, though they appeared to have just entered and hadn’t yet taken their seats.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they took their seats, with the hosts and guests seated accordingly.

Someone poured a cup of coffee for Dorson, while Li Yi poured a cup of light tea for himself and Huang Lixing.

Then, Li Yi looked at Dolsen and said, “It’s been a long time. I heard you wanted to see me—is there something on your mind?”

Dawson’s eyes met Li Yi’s, and after a long moment, he said, “Li, you’re in big trouble!”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression froze for a moment, and then his brows furrowed.

It wasn’t that Dolsen’s words had made him particularly angry, but rather that they gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Upon closer reflection, he realized—good grief—that wasn’t exactly what he used to say all the time when he was pretending to be a fortune-teller?

“You’re in big trouble”—wasn’t that just another way of saying your forehead is dark and you’re in for a bloody disaster?

He never expected that one day someone would say the exact same thing to him. This reminded Li Yi of an old saying: What goes around comes around!

After composing himself slightly, Li Yi said calmly, “Oh? I wonder where this trouble you’re referring to is coming from—the British Hong Kong government… or perhaps Downing Street?”

Dawson didn’t seem surprised by Li Yi’s response; instead, he smiled and said, “As I expected, you couldn’t be kept in the dark about this. I’m just curious—how does Mr. Li Yi plan to handle it?”

“How we handle it is none of Mr. Dolsen’s concern. I, for one, would like to know what stance Dolsen and the British-owned conglomerate are taking in this matter—do you intend to kick us while we’re down, or sit on the sidelines and watch the fire burn?” Li Yi said coolly.

The situation was far from clear, and Li Yi didn’t have the time or energy to beat around the bush with Dowson, so he spoke directly.

Dawson replied with an inscrutable expression, “Li, what do you think we’ll choose—to kick someone when they’re down, or…”

But before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off with an authoritative tone: “I don’t know if you’ve heard the saying: ‘Those who dare to offend the mighty Han shall be punished, no matter how far they may be!’”

“It doesn’t matter what you choose, but once we deem you an enemy, there’s only one outcome…”

“What?”

“Total annihilation!” Li Yi said coldly.

As if sensing Li Yi’s intense killing intent, Dalson didn’t hesitate and said directly, “Li, my main purpose in coming here today is to tell you that neither I nor the British Capital Group harbors any hostility toward you. We don’t want to be your enemies!”

“I don’t believe it—or more accurately, I don’t believe you!” Li Yi said bluntly.

Although Dolsen was now adopting a very humble posture, Li Yi dared not trust him easily. After all, if those politicians on Downing Street truly wanted to bring the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to its knees, they would have to send someone to take over this mess.

And currently, the only organization capable of doing so is the British Capital Group. Based on this alone, Li Yi didn’t believe a word Dolsen said.

In his view, what Dolsen had just said was most likely an attempt to hedge his bets, ultimately aiming to profit from both sides.

This wasn’t merely Li Yi’s subjective speculation; rather, it was a principle the Jewish people had adhered to for centuries. No matter what they did, they preferred to hedge their bets—no matter who won, they were always the ultimate victors.

Moreover, in Li Yi’s view, Dolsen had absolutely no reason to bow to him.

Dawson paused briefly, then said, “Li, I understand your concerns. To demonstrate my sincerity, I’ll tell you everything I know!”

“Fine, then let’s see just how sincere you are!” Li Yi said coolly.

“Li, as far as I know, the ones targeting you this time are the people from Downing Street. Their goal is to dissolve the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and drive your forces out of Hong Kong Island…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Save the formalities. Let’s get to the point. For instance, how exactly do those people on Downing Street plan to take us down? And which factions are involved in this?”

“From what I know, the entire plan is divided into three steps. The first step is to destroy your reputation and that of Star Investment. The specific method involves using local triads to constantly provoke you—ideally, to spark large-scale street fights in the city. At that point, the police will intervene and launch a full-scale investigation into you.”

Dorson continued, “While the investigation is underway, they’ll target Mr. Huang. They’ll mobilize every media outlet on Hong Kong Island to expose his past business dealings, linking Star Investment to triads and criminal organizations to undermine public support for you!”

“Go on,” Li Yi said.

Dawson continued, “The second step targets the companies and assets under your name. While the police are conducting a full-scale investigation into you, they will contact major conglomerates to launch a coordinated attack on your companies and the member firms of the entire Chinese Chamber of Commerce, further undermining your influence and prestige.”

“The final step is for our British-owned conglomerate to step in. We’ll find ways to co-opt the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, divide you from within, and ultimately cause the entire organization to fall apart—restoring Hong Kong Island to the era when it was controlled by British-owned conglomerates!”

After hearing Dolsen’s words, both Li Yi and Huang Lixing couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Those bastards really are scheming and cunning.

And judging by the plan as a whole, every step was a deadly trap.

If they succeeded in their scheme, while Starry Sky Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce might not be completely wiped out, they would certainly be severely weakened.

After a brief silence, Li Yi fixed his gaze on Dowson and said, “I can see your sincerity now, and I believe you genuinely don’t want to be our enemy. But I’m still a bit puzzled—why are you doing this? After all, if this plan succeeds, your British-owned group stands to gain a great deal.”

“Even if we take a step back and assume it doesn’t succeed, you wouldn’t suffer any major losses. There’s absolutely no reason for you to come talk to me about this!”

A cold smile flashed across Dolsen’s face as he replied, “Li, you’re right—if the plan succeeds, the British Capital Group will indeed reap enormous benefits. But that doesn’t include me personally!”

Hearing this, a look of confusion flashed across Li Yi’s face. There was a lot packed into what this guy was saying.

Recalling Dalson’s previous predicament, a sudden realization struck Li Yi—he seemed to have figured something out.

But he couldn’t be certain, so he immediately asked, “Dawson, be more specific. Why aren’t you included among those people?”

A look of sorrow flashed across Dolsen’s face, then quickly turned to intense anger. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Because, just like you, I’m also a target of their attacks. The only difference is that their hostility toward you is out in the open, while their hostility toward me is hidden in the shadows!”

The moment those words left his mouth, Li Yi instantly understood—his earlier guess had been correct!

At that moment, he felt confident…

……….

? Cloud Peak No. 1. Reception Room!

Li Yi glanced at Yang Wenguang and said with a smile, “Brother-in-law, judging by your complexion, you seem to have recovered quite well!”

Yang Wenguang smiled and replied, “It’s true. Not only has my body fully recovered, but after these past few months of training, my strength has returned to about eighty percent of what it used to be. It’s just a pity…”

“What’s the pity?”

“It’s just a pity that I’m getting older. I’m afraid it’s unlikely I’ll ever return to my former peak condition!” Yang Wenguang said with a touch of regret.

“Haha, regaining eighty percent is still pretty good. After all, you’re no longer in the military—you don’t need to charge into battle anymore. As long as you can defend yourself, that’s enough!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Yang Wenguang shook his head. “No. Compared to when I was in the military, I feel the situation now is even more dangerous. Strength is more crucial than ever.”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “What’s up, brother-in-law? Did something happen?”

“Hmm!”

Then Yang Wenguang said in a grave tone, “Xiao Yi, do you remember the South Monkey Gang?”

“I remember. That’s the gang Gusta bought off, right? What’s happened to them?”

Yang Wenguang replied immediately, “Starting last month, the British Hong Kong government suddenly lifted restrictions on South Monkey refugees. Nearly 100,000 South Monkey refugees in the refugee camps are now free to leave their gathering points and go into the city to work.”

“A significant portion of these people have joined the South Monkey Gang. In a very short time, the gang’s numbers have skyrocketed. On top of that, they’ve managed to get their hands on a massive amount of weapons and equipment from who knows where. Now those guys are getting restless, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for us to control them!”

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn’t help but let a cold smile play at the corners of his mouth.

Just as he’d suspected—given those Westerners’ vindictive nature, after suffering such a major setback in the capital, how could they possibly let it go without a fight?

So they’d been waiting for him right here!

Li Yi wouldn’t believe for a second that this situation hadn’t been fueled by those politicians in London.

After all, over the past few years, the sudden influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Southern Monkey Kingdom had caused immense trouble for both public order and the economy in the Hong Kong region, giving the British Hong Kong government a massive headache.

To manage these refugees, they spared no expense in building refugee camps and assigning dedicated staff to oversee them, with annual expenditures running into the billions.

Now, suddenly and without warning, they’ve lifted restrictions, allowing these refugees to move freely across the island. Unless the government has been kicked in the head by a donkey, they must have been forced to do this.

And as for who could have forced the British Hong Kong government to back down—you don’t even need to think hard to figure that out.

“What are those bastards up to now?” Li Yi asked in a low voice.

“Nothing yet, but they’re showing signs of reneging on their promises!” Yang Wenguang replied.

“So what are you planning to do? Do you have a contingency plan?”

Yang Wenguang replied immediately, “We’ve discussed it with Old Huang. His view is that to deal with these unruly bastards, we need to use thunderous force—make an example of them!”

“Old Yan and the others feel the same way. These bastards should have been dead long ago; we just held back because we were worried about the body count. Since these bastards still dare to bare their fangs, we might as well just take care of them. But as for the specifics, they’d like to hear your opinion.”

However, Li Yi shook his head and said, “No, we can’t act just yet!”

“Why?”

“The South Monkey Gang clearly has someone backing them. Otherwise, they couldn’t have grown so fast. If I’m not mistaken, the ones supporting their growth are either the British Hong Kong government or the people behind it!”

Li Yi continued, “The South Monkey Gang is just a small pawn they’ve pushed to the front. The truly vicious ones are those politicians in London. As expected, they’re all watching to see if we make a move. Once we do, they’ll have an excuse to come after us!”

Yang Wenguang was quick-witted and immediately grasped Li Yi’s meaning. He asked, “Xiao Yi, are you saying this is a trap set for us?”

“Exactly!”

“If that’s the case, then we certainly can’t act rashly. After all, we’re on their turf right now. Once those foreigners are determined to take us down, even our superiors won’t be able to intervene openly!” Yang Wenguang said.

Li Yi nodded and said, “We certainly can’t be reckless, but that doesn’t mean we’re just going to let them push us around.”

“Xiao Yi, what do you plan to do?”

“Since they’ve already made their move, the South Monkey Gang probably isn’t their only pawn. Have the intelligence department keep an eye on the other gangs for a while and see if they’ve been up to anything.”

“Alright!”

“Also, look into the South Monkey Gang again. Find out who’s backing them and what their objectives are!” Li Yi said.

“Got it, I’ll get right on it!”

“Also, keep a tight grip on all the major and minor media outlets in Hong Kong. Since they’re trying to intimidate us, they’ll definitely try to control public opinion!” Li Yi said.

“Understood!”

Seeing that Li Yi had no further orders, Yang Wenguang finally spoke up: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now…”

“Wait a minute. Is work the only thing we have to talk about?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“No… it’s just that work matters are more important!”

Then Yang Wenguang added, “So, how are your sister and Ruirui doing?”

“My sister’s doing just fine, but little Ruirui isn’t doing so well!”

Hearing this, Yang Wenguang’s expression immediately turned tense, and he asked, “What’s wrong with Ruirui? Is he sick?”

“He’s not sick, he just doesn’t want to go to school, so he’s been crying and throwing tantrums every day!”

As he spoke, Li Yi pulled a thick envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Yang Wenguang.

Although Yang Wenguang was puzzled—his son wasn’t even two years old yet, so what kind of school could he possibly be going to?—he still took the envelope.

With a mix of anticipation and confusion, he opened the unsealed envelope and pulled out a thick stack of photos.

Some of the photos were of his wife, Li Mei, and some of his son, while others showed all three children playing together.

But most of them were of his son with a runny nose—some showed him crying so hard his snot was bubbling, others had him rolling around on the floor, looking both pitiful and heartbreaking.

After looking through the photos, Yang Wenguang immediately asked, “Xiao Yi, Ruirui is so young—why is he already in school?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s all because of you, his own father!”

“How is this my fault? What does this have to do with me?” Yang Wenguang said with a look of innocence.

“My sister is pregnant!” Li Yi blurted out, dropping a bombshell.

“So she’s pregnant. What does that have to do with the kid going to school…”

Suddenly, Yang Wenguang seemed to realize something and exclaimed excitedly, “Xiao Yi, what did you just say? Mei Zi is pregnant?”

“Yeah, we found out after we got back from Hong Kong. She even fainted once because of it…”

“Is Meizi okay…?”

“Don’t worry, she just didn’t get enough rest. It’s nothing serious.”

Li Yi continued, “But since my older sister is pregnant, she can’t look after Ruirui, nor can she take care of my two little ones, so after discussing it, we decided to send all three of them to daycare.”

“Brother-in-law, you have no idea what those little ones were like when they first started school—they were crying and throwing tantrums, and just wouldn’t cooperate at all.”

Thinking of how his little darlings would cry their eyes out every day on their way to school, Li Yi couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

“Hahaha, all kids are like that when they first start school. They’ll get used to it after a while!” Yang Wenguang said with a laugh.

“Don’t you feel bad about it anymore?”

“Not really. I do feel a little bad for Meizi—it’s my fault!” Yang Wenguang said, blushing.

“Heh, that’s all I needed to hear from you!”

Then Li Yi added, “But you’ve got a heavier burden on your shoulders now. From now on, always think about your family first. Avoid physical conflict whenever possible, and if there’s danger, prioritize your own safety.”

“Got it. Better safe than sorry!”

“Good to hear. I won’t say much more about the rest—just weigh your options carefully!”

“Got it. I’ll head back now. Once I’m done with this busy period, I want to go back and see Mei and the kids!” Yang Wenguang said.

“Alright, we’ll go back together then!”

“Alright…”

……….

Hong Kong. Victoria Peak!

With the return of Li Yi and his crew, Cloud Peak No. 1—which had been quiet for nearly two months—was bustling once again.

Of course, this so-called bustle was only relative.

In fact, Li Yi kept a particularly low profile during this trip to Hong Kong—he didn’t even enter through an official port, but was instead picked up by a boat sent by Huang Lixing.

To put it bluntly, he had snuck in!

As a result, not many people currently know that Li Yi has returned to Hong Kong Island.

The main reason for this low profile was that the British bastards had remained quiet since their return, and Li Yi wanted to see what they intended to do.

He wasn’t afraid of the British Hong Kong government—a colonial regime stripped of its military power posed little threat to him.

Most importantly, Li Yi didn’t believe London would dare to directly use the British Hong Kong government’s power to suppress him—that would be tantamount to slapping the authorities in Beijing in the face!

Given the tough stance of those in the Forbidden City, they might just order warships to circle Hong Kong Island the very next day—after all, such things had happened before.

And the Iron Lady at 10 Downing Street was no fool either; she knew full well that the British Empire of today had fallen into complete decline—neither “Great” nor an “Empire.”

They might have defeated Argentina in the Falklands War, but they were absolutely no match for China, and with their current national strength, they certainly couldn’t bring China to its knees. Therefore, as long as negotiations hadn’t reached a complete deadlock, she wouldn’t risk a full-scale confrontation with Beijing.

What Li Yi truly feared was Dalson and the British-owned conglomerate under his control. Don’t be fooled by how badly he’d beaten them down over the past two years—a starving camel is still bigger than a horse, and even a rotten ship has three thousand nails.

After all, the British-owned conglomerate currently controls the most profitable industries on Hong Kong Island—such as the financial sector, as well as the Kowloon-Canton Railway, the MTR trains, electrical equipment, and other industries vital to people’s livelihoods.

With so many companies and industries under its control, if the British-owned Group were to harbor any malicious intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Most importantly, Li Yi didn’t quite trust Dolsen.

If Gusta were a hot-tempered brown bear, then Dolsen would be a combination of a cunning fox and a vicious snake.

A man capable of betraying his own family for profit is certainly no good sort.

On top of that, he is extremely capable and already possesses the potential to become a warlord.

Not only does he currently control over a hundred companies and families within the British-owned conglomerate, but he is also doing everything in his power to foster cooperation within the group and strengthen its cohesion—a clear sign of his considerable ambition.

Therefore, as expected, London will undoubtedly throw its full weight behind the British-owned Group in an effort to curb the influence of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

The only question is how much leverage London can offer, and whether that leverage will be enough to sway Dowson.

Until Dowson makes a decision, Li Yi has no intention of revealing his whereabouts.

Rather than being in the open while the enemy is in the dark and getting shot in the back, it’s better to be in the dark while the enemy is in the open and play the double agent…

……….

After settling his luggage, Li Yi went upstairs to take a hot shower to ease the fatigue in his body.

Just as he finished his shower and was thinking about what to eat for dinner, a soft knock came from the door.

He opened the door to find Zhang Ziqiang standing there.

“Brother Yi, Mr. Huang is here and waiting for you downstairs!”

Li Yi ran his fingers through his wet hair and said, “Please show him to the reception room on the second floor. I’ll be right there!”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon, Li Yi had changed into a fresh, dry outfit and came downstairs.

When he arrived at the second-floor reception room, Huang Lixing was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, and sitting next to him was none other than his older sister’s husband, Yang Wenguang.

Whether it was because his old ailment had been completely cured or not, Li Yi noticed that Yang Wenguang looked much stronger and healthier than before, and his complexion was much better as well.

Seeing Li Yi push open the door and enter, the two immediately stopped talking and stood up simultaneously to greet him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three of them sat down again around the coffee table.

Then, Li Yi looked at Huang Lixing and said, “Old Huang, you rushed me back to Hong Kong. What exactly happened?”

Huang Lixing smiled and said, “Well, a while back, our company settled the principal and returns with our clients and distributed dividends to the shareholders. According to the company’s financial calculations, as the major shareholder, you’re entitled to a total of 67.2 billion Hong Kong dollars in principal and interest.”

“It’s not a good idea to leave such a large sum of money sitting in the company’s accounts. You’d better come back in person to handle it.”

Upon hearing Huang Lixing’s reply, Li Yi nodded immediately. Just as he had suspected, it was indeed because of this matter.

However, upon hearing that his share of principal and interest for this year would amount to 67.2 billion Hong Kong dollars, Li Yi was still slightly surprised.

After all, he had already received over 30 billion Hong Kong dollars in commission income, as well as controlling stakes in companies like Sheffield Steel and Hang Seng Bank. He hadn’t expected to receive such a large sum on top of that.

If he included his investment returns from New York, he had already earned tens of billions of US dollars before the year was even over—he couldn’t have made that kind of money even if he’d been robbing people.

“Alright, I’ll make time to handle this matter!”

Li Yi then added, “By the way, after the company settled principal and interest with clients and shareholders, is there sufficient capital in the accounts? Has this affected the company’s normal operations?”

“Sufficient. Although the company disbursed over 100 billion Hong Kong dollars on the settlement day, leaving very little in our accounts, a large portion of our clients re-entrusted their funds to us immediately after the settlement. Currently, our account balance has reached over 20 billion Hong Kong dollars again,” Huang Lixing replied.

“That’s good!”

Li Yi wasn’t particularly surprised by this situation.

The entire Hong Kong economy is currently in a slump. Neither the real estate market nor the stock market is particularly suitable for ordinary citizens to invest in; retail investors who put their money in face an 80% chance of losing it.

Even the vast majority of venture capital firms have been hesitant to make moves in the past two years. Only Star Investment, leveraging its foresight, has managed to soar against the trend.

Although Star Investment’s commission rates were exorbitantly high, after annual settlements, the overall return on investment still ranged between 100% and 150%—a feat unmatched anywhere else in Hong Kong at the moment.

Any investor with a shred of sense knows exactly who to entrust their money to for their own benefit.

With that in mind, Li Yi spoke again: “Old Huang, has there been any movement lately from Dolsons or the British Investment Group?”

“I was just about to mention that. Dolsen came to see me a couple of days ago; he wants to meet with you.”

“He wants to see me?”

“Yeah. I asked him what it was about—I could’ve relayed the details to you—but the guy wouldn’t say. He just told me to let you know he has something very important to discuss with you. I had no choice but to have you return to Hong Kong Island!” Huang Lixing said.

Li Yi fell silent for a moment. If he agreed to meet him, his whereabouts would be exposed, and everything he’d done so far would be for nothing.

But after thinking it over, Li Yi finally said, “Alright, set up a meeting with him for me later!”

Although he didn’t know why the guy suddenly wanted to see him, it must be something serious.

Besides, he’d already established a firm foothold on Hong Kong Island; even if he had to go in head-on, he wasn’t afraid of anyone.

“Alright, I’ll give him a call tomorrow!”

Then Huang Lixing added, “Brother Wenguang just mentioned he has something to discuss with you, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

With that, Huang Lixing immediately stood up and left the reception room.

Soon, only Li Yi and Yang Wenguang remained in the room…

…………

“What made you think of starting a catering company?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

Long Zhanjun said somewhat sheepishly, “Actually, this idea wasn’t mine—it was suggested by a Hong Kong businessman who frequently dines here.”

“According to him, since our restaurant has already established a foothold in both Beijing and Shenzhen, if we want to grow bigger and stronger, we must set up a dedicated catering company to manage it. Otherwise, relying solely on the few of us will only lead to more and more chaos.”

Li Yi asked again, “Did he say exactly how we should go about it?”

“Yes, he did. His idea is that after we set up the company, we’ll focus solely on management—hiring or training store managers ourselves—and have them handle the day-to-day operations of each location, while they report directly to us,” Long Zhanjun replied.

Li Yi immediately took an interest in this Hong Kong businessman—wasn’t this exactly the development model used by a series of restaurant chains like Haidilao and Xibei?

Although this model wasn’t exactly new to Li Yi, in the current era, it was certainly considered cutting-edge and innovative.

“Is that Hong Kong businessman looking to invest?”

“Yes, he wants to invest 10 million Hong Kong dollars in our new company and plans to hold a 49% stake!”

Long Zhanjun continued, “But I know you might not be satisfied with just 10 million, so it’s up to you to decide!”

Li Yi thought for a moment and asked, “What’s this Hong Kong businessman’s name? What does he do?”

“His surname is Liao, and his name is Liao Yingxiang. He’s mainly in the hotel and real estate business on Hong Kong Island, and they say he’s very wealthy!” Long Zhanjun said.

Upon hearing the name Liao Yingxiang, Li Yi knew exactly who he was.

This Mr. Liao was the founder of Tianhe Industries and one of the earliest members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, with a net worth of around 3 billion Hong Kong dollars.

The reason Li Yi was so impressed by him was mainly because Old Liao was one of the first Hong Kong businessmen to respond to the call for investment in the mainland, and he was a businessman with a strong sense of patriotism.

However, since they weren’t very familiar with each other at the time, Liao Yingxiang didn’t start investing with Li Yi as early as Li Futao, He Dongying, and others did.

Some time ago, after reviewing the list of Hong Kong businessmen investing in the mainland, Li Yi discovered that Liao Yingxiang’s investment had reached a staggering 300 million Hong Kong dollars, so he had someone look into him.

After reviewing his background, Li Yi felt he was someone worth working with and decided to give him a chance.

Unexpectedly, he heard news of him the moment he arrived in Pengcheng!

After a moment’s thought, Li Yi said, “I know Liao Yingxiang. He’s a decent guy; we can build a close relationship.”

“Xiao Yi, so you mean you’re accepting his investment?” Long Zhanjun asked, somewhat surprised.

“No. We can run a restaurant business, but we must do it ourselves!”

Li Yi continued, “For one thing, we’re not short on money—there’s no need to trade equity for capital. For another, we’re not lacking in management talent either; whatever kind of talent we need, I can recruit from Hong Kong or even anywhere in the world.”

“Most importantly, our restaurant isn’t just a business—and our goal isn’t merely to make money!”

Long Zhanjun was a smart man too, and immediately said, “You mean the villagers in Nianzishan Village?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Exactly. As you know, Third Sister’s Husband, I want to lead our fellow villagers out of poverty and toward prosperity. That’s why I go all the way back to the village to buy the cattle and sheep they raise, and why I’m buying land to build cold storage. These costs are far higher than if we were sourcing beef and lamb locally in Beijing, so this isn’t just a simple business venture.”

“If it’s just among family, doing this means I’ll make a little less profit—no big deal. But if we accept investment from outsiders, that won’t do. We can’t sacrifice our partners’ interests to curry favor; that’s unethical.”

“I understand what you mean. In that case, let’s do it ourselves!” said Long Zhanjun.

“Mm-hmm!”

Li Yi continued, “Here’s what we’ll do: take a quick look and see how much is in the account…”

Before he could finish, Long Zhanjun replied, “I just went over the books with Nana yesterday. Not counting today’s profits, we’ve got about 6.2 million left in the account!”

Li Yi immediately replied, “Alright, then I’ll put up another 3.8 million to make it ten million. Use that money to register a catering company to centrally manage the branches in Beijing and Pengcheng, as well as the ‘Grassland Beef and Lamb’ brand.”

“To avoid any complications, the company will be registered under the mainland branch of Star Investment. Let Xiaoxue serve as the legal representative and hold a 51% stake. You, my older sister, and my brother-in-law will serve as directors, each holding a 15% stake. The remaining 5% will be set aside as employee incentive stock options. I’ll also assign a few professional managers to assist you later. What do you think?”

“I have no objections, but isn’t 30% a bit much for Nana and me?” Long Zhanjun asked.

“We’re family—it doesn’t matter who gets a little more or a little less!”

Li Yi continued, “Focus on this for now. Ideally, get the company up and running before I return from Hong Kong!”

“Alright!”

Li Yi added, “Also, I won’t make any demands regarding the restaurant company’s profits. My only requirement is that our subsidiaries source as much beef and lamb as possible from Qingshan County—especially from Nianzishan Village!”

“Of course, that’s assuming conditions allow it. In a place like Pengcheng, it’s simply not feasible to source grass-fed cattle and sheep from there!”

As for Li Yi’s request, Long Zhanjun naturally wouldn’t refuse: “No problem. I’ll transfer Dongzi and Liu San over in the next few days and have them oversee things here first. Once everything’s settled, I’ll head back to Beijing!”

“Alright. If you run into any problems you can’t solve once you’re back, go find my third brother at the Second State Cotton Mill, or you can go see Xiao Xue too!” Li Yi said.

“Got it. I’ll let Old Liao know,” Long Zhanjun replied.

“If he’s in Pengcheng, just let him know. If he’s not, never mind. Once I get there, I’ll find a chance to meet with him and tell him myself,” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

“Alright, that’s settled. I’ve got to head over to Hong Kong Island in a bit, so I’ll be on my way!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll walk you out…”

……..

After stepping out of the shop, Li Yi let out a soft sigh.

When he opened his first hot pot and barbecue restaurant, he’d already thought about starting a restaurant chain, but due to the circumstances, he’d never dared to go all out.

According to his earlier estimates, to truly establish a restaurant company, he would have to wait until at least 1988, when the relevant policy documents were issued.

But he never expected it to happen this quickly.

Fortunately, the company was registered under a Hong Kong-based enterprise, which, given the current situation, would save him a lot of trouble.

Besides, establishing the company now wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If nothing else, it would at least help him better fulfill his promise to lead the villagers out of poverty and toward prosperity, and it would also be a better way to assist Jiang Longze.

After all, that guy has already taken office in Qingshan County. Given the harsh, barren conditions there, if I don’t lend him a hand, he won’t be able to achieve any notable accomplishments in the short term.

Once the catering company is up and running, it’s bound to expand rapidly. By then, the demand for beef, mutton, and other poultry will grow by the day.

If all these ingredients were sourced from Qing Shan County, it would inevitably drive the rapid development of the local livestock industry.

At that point, if Jiang Longze were to introduce some incentive policies in the government’s name, it would quickly establish an integrated industrial chain spanning from breeding to slaughter to cold-chain transportation. This backwater of Qing Shan County would then have its own pillar industry.

In my previous life, that’s exactly how Qingshan County developed.

However, in their quest to find this suitable path to prosperity, the local government and residents had taken at least twenty years of detours.

In this life, Li Yi decided to use the catering company under his command as a catalyst to guide the people of Qing Shan County onto the broad path of the livestock industry ahead of schedule.

As for the risks involved…

Fuck it—the British Empire has already come knocking on our door. These little things don’t even matter.

Since the path of compromise is a dead end, I’m done with that. I’ll take the righteous path—or even the tyrannical one.

Of course, just to be safe, I’ll keep the reckless stuff on the outside. There are way too many “Old Sixes” back home—I can’t afford to mess with them… I really can’t!

It was already 12:30 when they left City Hall.

Declining Jiang Longyin’s invitation to have lunch together, Li Yi headed to a nearby hot pot restaurant with a few bodyguards.

It wasn’t that Li Yi didn’t want to give his second older brother, Jiang Longyin, some face; it was mainly that he could tell Jiang Longyin’s mind was no longer on him.

Ever since hearing Li Yi’s idea of treating infrastructure as a business venture, Jiang Longyin—who had been struggling with a lack of funding for Pengcheng’s infrastructure projects—felt as though a whole new world had opened up before him.

If road construction could be funded through attracting investment, then surely other infrastructure projects could be as well?

Jiang Longyin was a man of vision and even greater determination. As soon as he finished speaking with Li Yi, he hurriedly summoned the heads of the transportation and planning departments—clearly intending to thoroughly discuss the feasibility of these ideas.

As for treating Li Yi to a meal, he had really had no choice but to suggest it—after all, Li Yi was his brother-in-law and had come to offer advice. As his older brother, it would have been hard to justify not treating him properly.

Li Yi was well aware of this, which is why he had previously used the excuse of meeting with Long Zhanjun to politely decline the invitation.

The Grassland Beef & Lamb Pengcheng flagship store was very close to City Hall—just around the corner.

After getting out of the car, Li Yi looked at the sizable street-front store before him and nodded with satisfaction.

Setting aside the fact that the timing and other factors weren’t quite right, Long Zhanjun had shown real foresight in choosing this location for the flagship store.

On the one hand, it’s located in the city center, with fairly convenient transportation and a substantial foot traffic.

On the other hand, the City Hall is just a short distance away, and there are several banks nearby—all of which represent potential customer bases.

Although Li Yi hadn’t gone inside yet, he could tell from the rows of cars parked at the entrance that business was booming.

Once Zhang Ziqiang and Xiao Wu had parked the car, Li Yi led them toward the shop.

As soon as they reached the entrance, two young women in cheongsams approached them warmly, greeted them, and then ushered them inside.

Since it was right at mealtime, the restaurant was practically packed.

From a distance, Li Yi spotted Long Zhanjun bustling about the counter; he was currently helping the cashier ring up orders and handle payments.

Seeing how busy he was, Li Yi didn’t go over to find him. Instead, he had the waiter show them to a quiet private room, and they began ordering.

The restaurant’s decor and the flavors of the dishes were not much different from those of the branches in Beijing.

The only real difference was that the beef and lamb here weren’t authentic grassland varieties. Also, because the restaurant was by the sea, the menu featured a lot more seafood, and the drink selection included many local specialties, such as coconut water and Qingbuliang.

It was clear that Long Zhanjun had made significant adjustments to the menu to cater to local customers.

Setting aside the taste of the beef and lamb, the restaurant is generally quite good.

Li Yi and his friends were indeed hungry by then; the five burly young men polished off five pounds of beef, five pounds of lamb, and a large amount of fish, shrimp, and vegetables.

The only thing missing was alcohol. Li Yi doesn’t usually drink because he can’t hold his liquor.

As for Zhang Ziqiang and the others, they were on a mission and, according to regulations, were not allowed to touch alcohol.

After eating their fill, they checked the time and saw it was nearly 2:00 p.m.

Figuring the restaurant should be less busy by now, Li Yi immediately led Zhang Ziqiang into the main dining hall.

Sure enough, most of the throng of customers had left, and those remaining were nearly finished with their meals; the waitstaff were clearing the leftover food from the tables.

Since there were several tables of customers waiting to pay at the bar, Long Zhanjun hadn’t noticed Li Yi.

Once the customers in front of him had paid and left, Li Yi immediately stepped forward and said, “Check for the Chahar private room!”

Without even looking up, Long Zhanjun picked out the bill marked “Chahar Private Room” from among a dozen or so receipts and quickly began calculating.

“Hello, comrade. Your total comes to 68 yuan, 80 fen, and 5 liu, plus 1.6 jin of grain coupons. Just pay 68 yuan and 1.6 jin of grain coupons…”

As he spoke, Long Zhanjun looked up.

When he saw Li Yi standing right in front of him, he froze in surprise…

“Xiao Yi, you… how did you get here? When did you arrive?”

“I’ve been here for a while. I saw you were busy, so I ordered for myself and just finished eating!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“You should’ve let me know you were coming!” Long Zhanjun said with a smile.

“I didn’t come here specifically to see you—I was just passing by!”

Then Li Yi added, “Are you done with work? Let’s find a place to sit for a while.”

“Almost done. Liu and Huang should be wrapping things up soon too!”

With that, Long Zhanjun handed the stack of orders in his hand to the two cashiers beside him, then stepped out from behind the counter.

“Looks like you haven’t had lunch yet. Want to grab a bite first?” Li Yi asked.

“No thanks, I just ate at ten o’clock. I’m not really hungry yet!”

“Alright then, let’s find a quiet place to talk. Where do you think would be good?”

“Let’s go sit in my office for a bit. It’s quiet over there!”

“Okay…”

Then, led by Long Zhanjun, the group went straight to a room at the back of the restaurant.

It was a specially partitioned room equipped with a desk and chair, as well as a sofa and coffee table for guests. There was even a single bed against the wall, with a neatly folded blanket on top.

At a single glance, Li Yi realized that this room served as Long Zhanjun’s office, reception area, and living quarters all in one.

Clearly, for someone in his current situation, these conditions were somewhat austere.

“Have you been living at the restaurant this whole time?”

Long Zhanjun said as he poured Li Yi a glass of water, “Yeah, we don’t close until almost eleven every night, and I can’t be bothered to go home, so I just stay here.”

“How are things going here?” Li Yi asked again.

“Things are going great!”

Then Long Zhanjun pulled a ledger out of his desk drawer and said, “Here’s the revenue breakdown for the past six months across all our stores. You’re the big boss, so take a look!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I won’t look at it. Just tell me how things are going!”

“Alright!”

Long Zhanjun then gathered his thoughts and said, “We currently have four stores here in Pengcheng: two in Bao’an, one in Futian, and one on Zhongying Street. The fifth store is under renovation and is expected to open next month.”

“After deducting all expenses, these stores have made a total of 4.6 million yuan over the past six months, with an average profit of 1.15 million per store…”

After Long Zhanjun had gone through the details of each store, Li Yi finally nodded and said, “The growth momentum is good, and the profits are solid!”

Hearing Li Yi’s assessment, Long Zhanjun didn’t show any sign of joy on his face; instead, he looked up at Li Yi.

After a brief pause, he said, “I’m sorry, Yi.”

“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?” Li Yi asked.

“When I spoke with Nana on the phone a couple of days ago, she mentioned that you didn’t seem to agree with expanding the stores so quickly. I acted on my own initiative…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi interjected, “It’s true I wasn’t entirely in favor of expanding the hot pot and barbecue chain so rapidly at first. Mainly, I didn’t want to be the one to stick my neck out—I was afraid of being the one to take the heat.”

“But now, I’ve come to terms with it. Some troubles are impossible to avoid, even if you try. Since that’s the case, there’s no need to hide behind the scenes anymore.”

If it weren’t for the old man and Chen Lao pushing him into public office, and those British bastards stirring up trouble, Li Yi might have continued to lie low.

But now that he’s firmly in the crosshairs of these bigwigs—and has even become a key pawn in the standoff between China and the British Empire—there’s nothing left to fear.

As the saying goes, when you’re swarming with lice, you don’t fear their bites. Compared to those troubles, the little issue on Long Zhanjun’s end was completely insignificant.

Long Zhanjun sighed and said, “Originally, I only planned to open one store, then head to Guangzhou to open another one there. But then Secretary Jiang (Jiang Longyin) approached me, asking for a favor—to open a few more stores. The main reason is that the government doesn’t have suitable venues to host foreign businesspeople!”

“I did share our concerns with him—including issues with hiring staff and the supply of grain and vegetables. Secretary Jiang said this was helping the government, and with the government backing us up, they’d take care of all those matters. That’s why I opened four stores in one go!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Hmm, I see. Now that the stores are up and running, just go ahead and run them with confidence.”

“But my third older sister is due to give birth in a few months. What do you plan to do about that?”

Long Zhanjun thought for a moment and said, “Actually, I’ve been thinking about this too. It’s not sustainable for me to stay here indefinitely, so my idea is to start a company specializing in the food service industry. What do you think?”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly…

………

High and mighty… “officials”… put that attitude aside?

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Longyin knew something must have upset his brother-in-law.

He looked at Li Yi and asked, “What’s going on? Are the lower-level officials giving you a hard time?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “It’s not exactly that they’re giving me a hard time, but the barriers to entry at the Pengcheng City Government are really high. It’s incredibly difficult to get a meeting with you, the Secretary!”

“I’m your brother-in-law, and even I was grilled several times on my way in. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for others. But you’re a government agency—acting like this isn’t exactly appropriate!”

To be honest, Li Yi felt very uncomfortable about what had just happened.

Although he knew it was still too early to talk about a “service-oriented government,” seeing the city government run like a military base with such tight security made him feel very uneasy.

Jiang Longyin immediately understood what was going on. He sighed and said, “Brother-in-law, you’re talking about this, right? Actually, it wasn’t like this before. The situation has been unusual lately!”

“What’s so special about it?” Li Yi pressed.

“A lot has been happening in the city lately. People come to the city government building to cause trouble almost every day. If we don’t keep them in check, we won’t be able to get any work done!” Jiang Longyin explained.

“Who dares to come to City Hall and cause trouble?” Li Yi asked curiously.

“The local residents!”

“Ordinary people… causing trouble?”

Jiang Longyin immediately replied, “Yes. With all the construction and development going on throughout Pengcheng right now, we need to expropriate a lot of land from the locals. Because of issues with resettlement and compensation, many villagers often gather to cause disturbances at City Hall…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut in: “I get the gist of it, but that’s no excuse for setting up roadblocks all over City Hall. The more you do this, the more it shows you lack confidence and that you’re in the wrong.”

“Brother-in-law, you really can’t blame the government for this. We’re all following the compensation standards set by higher authorities based on policies and regulations. We absolutely have no intention of shortchanging the people. But there are always some who feel they’re getting the short end of the stick and want more compensation. How can we arbitrarily change the uniform standards?” Jiang Longyin said with a hint of resignation.

“Second Brother, if the city government is in the right, what are you afraid of?”

Li Yi continued, “Conflicts aren’t scary. If you act this way, you’ll not only undermine the government’s credibility but also create even greater conflicts, which will further fuel foreign investors’ concerns about the local investment climate.”

Jiang Longyin nodded and said, “Yes, we understand the principle that it’s better to resolve issues than to suppress them. That’s why we’ve been discussing how to resolve this matter over the past few days.”

Li Yi immediately replied, “The current problem boils down to two core issues: first, some residents feel they’ve been shortchanged, and second, a small minority is trying to take advantage of the situation to gain more for themselves.”

“You simply need to analyze each situation on its own merits. If the people have truly been shortchanged, correct it immediately and make up the difference. If there are indeed those trying to exploit the situation to embezzle or seize more than their share, you must not indulge them—arrest those who should be arrested and sentence those who should be sentenced.”

Jiang Longyin shook his head and said, “It’s not as simple as you think. The clan influence here is far stronger than in the north, and these clans are particularly protective of their own. If one person gets into trouble, the whole village comes to their aid. If the government dares to make arrests, they’ll definitely cause an even bigger uproar.”

“You represent the government—you can’t just say you’re ‘afraid’ so easily. If you’re afraid, what about the foreign investors who’ve come here to invest?”

“Well…”

Li Yi looked at Jiang Longyin and said, “Second Brother, your approach is like the fool in the fable of ‘covering one’s ears to steal a bell’—thinking that covering your own ears is enough. In reality, there are countless people waiting to see how you’ll resolve this matter!”

“As long as you have a clear conscience, there’s nothing to fear. As the old saying goes, ‘Strike first to ward off a hundred blows.’ The municipal government should set an example for the towns, townships, and counties below!”

“You’re right, brother-in-law. We can’t let this kind of trouble-making get out of hand. I know what to do!”

Then Jiang Longyin changed the subject and said, “By the way, brother-in-law, you mentioned earlier that if you couldn’t attract investment, you’d fund the construction of the expressway from Pengcheng to Yangcheng yourself. Were you serious about that?”

“Of course I’m serious. Besides, Second Brother, you should know I have the means to do it!” Li Yi replied.

“I know you’re wealthy, but this is, after all, a government public infrastructure project—and such a massive sum of money. If we end up losing money on it, I’m afraid I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life!” Jiang Longyin said.

“It won’t lose money!”

Li Yi continued, “Second Brother, if you weren’t the top official in Pengcheng, I wouldn’t even bother looking for other investors for this project—I’d just pay for it myself!”

“Why?”

“To avoid any appearance of impropriety!”

“To avoid the appearance of impropriety?”

“Right. Let me put it this way: if this project is done right, the profits will be at least ten billion!” Li Yi said, making a startling claim.

“Ten… ten billion in profits? How is that even possible?”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Longyin was completely stunned. He simply couldn’t imagine that profits from building roads and collecting tolls alone could be so high.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Why not? And 10 billion is just a conservative estimate. If we really crunch the numbers, it could easily reach several hundred billion!”

Li Yi wasn’t just talking nonsense; this had actually happened before.

The highway they were discussing was none other than the renowned Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway. In his previous life, this highway had been built in the 1990s as a joint venture between a Hong Kong businessman and the Pengcheng municipal government.

At the time, the businessman had taken out a 12.2 billion yuan bank loan and invested the entire sum into the highway. Once completed, the annual revenue far exceeded everyone’s expectations; at its peak, daily toll revenue reached tens of millions, earning it the title of “the most profitable highway.”

In just 15 short years, this highway had earned the Hong Kong businessman 41 billion yuan—a truly staggering profit.

It was precisely because the profits were so staggering that Li Yi hesitated about investing himself; after all, he had to guard against the appearance of impropriety.

Jiang Longyin could tell his brother-in-law wasn’t joking. He leaned back in his chair, lost in deep thought.

Li Yi knew he was surely analyzing the situation, so he didn’t disturb him but instead began thinking about Long Zhanjun.

The reason he suddenly thought of Pengcheng today wasn’t for Jiang Longyin’s sake, but to check on Long Zhanjun.

On the one hand, Li Yi wanted to see how the restaurants Long Zhanjun had set up here were doing.

On the other hand, Li Yi wanted to have a chat with him. After all, his third sister was due to give birth in a few months, and the couple couldn’t possibly remain separated like this forever.

Compared to making money, he cared more about his third sister living a happy and fulfilling life.

Just as Li Yi was thinking about this, Jiang Longyin suddenly spoke up: “Brother-in-law, if this venture really is that profitable, Second Brother hopes you’ll invest in this project!”

“Second Brother, I already made myself very clear just now. We need to avoid any appearance of impropriety—this is for your protection as much as it is for mine!” Li Yi replied.

“Brother-in-law, I understand what you mean, but rather than worrying about what others might say, I’d much rather see you set an example for the entire city, the province, and even the whole country!”

Jiang Longyin continued, “You’re well aware of the state of our country’s infrastructure. From the central government down to local authorities, everyone recognizes the importance of transportation and wants to improve our outdated infrastructure, but they’re constrained by funding and have been unable to turn things around quickly.”

“If you can build the expressway between Pengcheng and Yangcheng and ensure it doesn’t run at a loss, then the significance goes far beyond just a few billion yuan for a single road.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yi immediately grasped Jiang Longyin’s intent: he was being asked to set a national precedent, so that other provinces, municipalities, and directly administered cities could follow suit, thereby accelerating infrastructure development.

One couldn’t help but admire Jiang Longyin’s keen political insight—if this project succeeded, it would be a tangible political achievement!

However, after considering a few things, Li Yi said, “Second Brother, I promise you this road will definitely be built, but I still stand by my original plan: I’ll try to secure investment for you first, and if I can’t find anyone, I’ll fund it myself.”

Jiang Longyin thought for a moment and said, “Alright, then. I’ll have the Transportation Bureau and the Investment Promotion Bureau get started on planning this right away!”

“Great. After I go to the mainland this time, I’ll help you look for investors too!” Li Yi said.

“Then I’ll leave this matter in your capable hands, brother-in-law!”

“We’re family, so let’s not be so formal!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“You’re right…”

…………