Chapter 1691: Who’s Tougher?

Zhao Fusheng really had a terrible impression of the people of Hong Kong.

Call it regional prejudice or personal opinion, Zhao Fusheng didn’t think a bunch of people who knelt before the British as obedient subjects and then, after the handover, yammered on about democracy had any right to bluster in front of him.

“Mr. Zhao, you’ve gone too far!”

Xiang Shi stared coldly at Zhao Fusheng. Even though the other party was a wealthy man from the mainland, he still wanted to teach him a lesson.

Originally, he had only followed his wife’s arrangement, intending to intimidate Zhao Fusheng and then discuss cooperation with him. As for Ethan, if Zhao Fusheng was willing, he could simply treat it as doing the other party a favor.

But now, this Zhao guy was so arrogant that it really pissed Xiang Shi off.

Little did he know, Zhao Fusheng was pissed off too!

Taking out his phone, he dialed a number, pressed the speaker button, and under the stunned gazes of Chen Lan and the others, placed the phone on the coffee table in front of him.

“Beep, beep, beep…”

After a long ring, the call was quickly answered.

“Why are you calling me?” The voice on the other end was a man’s.

“I’m in Hong Kong, with the Xiang family.”

Zhao Fusheng didn’t waste words. “If you don’t get my call in an hour, put out a bounty. Two billion US dollars, to wipe out the entire Xiang family in Hong Kong!”

What!

What!

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Tan Kaixuan on the other end was also stunned. “What’s going on? Did they threaten you? Damn it, I’ll call HSBC right now!”

“This, this…” Chen Lan and Xiang Shi were also stunned.

What was happening? At the slightest disagreement, this guy was flipping the table?

“No, Mr. Zhao, you!”

Chen Lan looked at Zhao Fusheng, not knowing what to say.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and continued, “Remember, one hour. If I don’t call you, spread the word. Anyone connected to the Xiang family can be killed too. Hmm, wasn’t there something in ancient times about exterminating the nine clans? That’s the bounty for two billion US dollars.”

With that, Zhao Fusheng hung up and looked at the pale-faced Xiang Shi and Chen Lan. “So, still want to play?”

“You!”

Xiang Shi was furious, pointing at Zhao Fusheng, but couldn’t utter a single word.

“The stage in Hong Kong is ultimately too small.”

Zhao Fusheng stood up and walked toward the door. At the entrance, he stopped, turned around, and looked at Chen Lan. “I have no interest in Hong Kong’s development. You’d better not provoke me either. To be honest, there are people you can’t afford to mess with!”

With that, he strode off decisively, leaving a room full of stunned people.

“Dad…” Xiang Zuo opened his mouth to speak, but Xiang Shi waved his hand. “No need to say anything.”

Just when everyone thought he was about to order some action, Xiang Shi slowly stood up, was silent for a long time, and then said, “Let it go. Pass my word: no one is to cause trouble for that Zhao guy, understand?”

Then he looked at his wife.

Chen Lan nodded. “I understand what you mean.”

Then she said to Ethan, “Ethan, you’ve seen it too. The Xiang family did their best. You need to give us an explanation for this.”

Explanation?

Ethan was completely shaken. This was the first time he’d seen someone threaten others like that!

What the hell, two billion!

To be honest, he never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that this Zhao guy would be so ruthless—just one phone call and the Xiang family didn’t dare say a word.

Touched?

Not daring to move!

Really not daring to move!

Honestly, Ethan knew that if he were in Xiang Shi’s or Chen Lan’s shoes, he wouldn’t dare make a move either. He’d only heard that rich people were formidable, but now he realized that money really could let you do whatever you wanted.

“Mrs. Xiang, rest assured. I’ll transfer the contract to Huaxing Star soon.” Ethan, thinking this over, quickly said to Chen Lan.

The leverage he used to get Chen Lan involved was his own contract.

Now that the deal had fallen through, and the Xiang family had paid such a heavy price, he knew that if he dared to renege, he’d be the one to suffer.

The mainland market was already completely ruined; he couldn’t afford to lose Hong Kong too.

…

…

How the Xiang family and Ethan chose to proceed didn’t matter to Zhao Fusheng. He hadn’t taken them seriously anyway.

After walking out of the Victoria Hotel, he got straight into the car.

“Chairman, this… is there going to be trouble?” Wu Sijie said worriedly.

He was genuinely concerned. Zhao Fusheng’s attitude had been too强硬, leaving no face for that Xiang big shot. What if he did something rash?

“Don’t worry.”

Zhao Fusheng shook his head, looking unconcerned. “Even if you gave Xiang Shi a hundred guts, he wouldn’t dare touch us.”

“Huh?”

Wu Sijie was startled, a bit puzzled. He clearly didn’t understand what Zhao Fusheng meant.

“People like him are different from those laborers.”

Seeing Wu Sijie’s expression, Zhao Fusheng smiled and patiently explained, “If this were Hong Kong in the fifties or sixties, I wouldn’t dare say that. Back then, Hong Kong was chaotic. Although big businessmen kept those triad gangs, there were still people who, having nothing to lose, would dare to drag the emperor off his horse. In other words, if you pushed those gangsters too far, they might go for broke.”

“And now?”

Zhao Fusheng sneered. “The Xiangs have already cleaned up their act. At the very least, their family has ostensibly cut ties with the gangs. They’re used to a life of luxury and ease. Do you think they’d risk a fight to the death with me?”

Wu Sijie fell silent. Not to mention the Xiang family, even he had gotten used to this kind of life. Going back to a nine-to-five job would be unthinkable.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said nothing more. Instead, he took out his phone and called Tan Kaixuan. The guy was probably still worrying.

Tan Kaixuan, on the other hand, hadn’t taken it seriously. After hearing Zhao Fusheng’s account, he said he understood.

Over the next few days, Zhao Fusheng acted as if nothing had happened, taking Fan Beibei to eat, drink, and have a great time.

Chen Zhen and the others, however, were very tense, tightening security around Zhao Fusheng.

But as it turned out, Zhao Fusheng was right.

The Xiang family backed down.

Neither Chen Lan nor Xiang Shi thought about retaliating against Zhao Fusheng for his arrogance. Instead, they restrained their people, forbidding them from causing trouble for Zhao Fusheng. If anyone did, they were to stop them immediately.

The reason was simple: they didn’t want to be misunderstood by Zhao Fusheng.

There was no helping it. Zhao Fusheng had made such a harsh threat.

Just imagine, with a two-billion-US-dollar bounty on the table, not only mercenaries but even their own trusted aides might be tempted to go after the Xiang family.

Money moves people, especially those who’ve been in the underworld.

Having come from a gang background, Xiang Shi knew better than anyone that the so-called loyalty and righteousness in novels and movies were all bullshit.

In Hong Kong, small-time thugs were called “shorties.” Even if they climbed to the rank of top enforcer or became a local boss, they were still nothing in front of truly wealthy people.

In the British colonial era, so-called Justices of the Peace could easily make a bunch of triad bosses bow their heads.

It was almost laughable. The meaning of “Justice of the Peace” was actually quite ridiculous.

“Justice of the Peace” was a Chinese term fabricated by the translator at the time. Its official English name was “Member of the Hong Kong Colonial Government’s Public Order Committee.”

The first clause of the committee’s organizational charter was interesting: “Members have the power and duty to cooperate with the Hong Kong colonial police and British troops in Hong Kong to maintain social order.”

Clause four: “When social disorder occurs in Hong Kong, members have the power and duty to organize and direct local residents present or nearby to jointly maintain order and stop the continuation of disorderly behavior. Those who refuse to comply will be arrested.”

Impressive, right?

Very impressive!

By the same token, although Zhao Fusheng wasn’t a Justice of the Peace, he was a super-rich mainlander. If something happened to him in Hong Kong and it was linked to the Xiang family…

Xiang Shi could imagine what fate would befall the Xiang family.

In fact, from the very beginning, he and Chen Lan hadn’t intended to become enemies with Zhao Fusheng. They just wanted to use the Xiang family’s position in Hong Kong’s film industry to negotiate a deal.

But they hadn’t expected Zhao Fusheng to refuse to negotiate at all and just flip the table.

Facing an opponent like that, Xiang Shi was really frustrated.

Zhao Fusheng, of course, knew nothing of this. He was having a great time—after all, it was a vacation, so he wanted to enjoy himself.

“Chairman, where to next?”

After another four or five days in Hong Kong, having visited most of the scenic spots, Wu Sijie asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Fan Beibei, “Beibei, how about we go abroad?”

“Abroad?”

Fan Beibei was taken aback. She tilted her head and thought for a long time, then asked hopefully, “Is there good food?”

The girl was getting more and more into eating. Whenever she saw something appetizing, she’d always think about trying a bite.

Zhao Fusheng laughed. “There’s barbecue. Want to go?”

“Yes! Yes!”

The little girl clapped her hands excitedly at the mention of barbecue. “Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s eat meat!”

Wu Sijie was speechless, but he still smiled and asked Zhao Fusheng, “So, you mean Korea?”

Zhao Fusheng nodded. “Yeah, let’s try some Korean barbecue.”

He paused, then chuckled. “If it’s good, I think we could introduce Korean barbecue to the mainland…”

Wu Sijie’s eyes lit up. He thought Zhao Fusheng was planning to enter the catering industry.

But the next moment, Zhao Fusheng shook his head. “Forget it, too much trouble.”

Then, he affectionately ruffled Fan Beibei’s hair. “Besides, I’m afraid our Beibei will turn into a little fatty if she eats meat every day.”

“…”

Wu Sijie really wanted to say, “Boss, can you be serious for once?”