Chapter 88

The vehicles that came were not police cars, but two Toyotas equipped with sirens. After arriving, one car continued to chase the fleeing van, while the other stopped. Several young men, drenched in sweat, got out of the car. Their actions clearly indicated they were professional bodyguards.

Wang Anping unlocked the car and got out with Shen Zhenghui.

When Shen Zhenghui saw the state of the Ferrari, his head buzzed. He closed his eyes, feeling as if the whole world was spinning, and then he squatted down and started vomiting.

Wang Anping wasn't much better. Two female bodyguards supported her, using mineral water to wash her face. She hadn't felt it during the tense moment, but now, as she relaxed, she only felt nauseous.

At this point, Wang Anping didn't blame Shen Zhenghui for getting her into trouble; she could only blame these guys for their bad luck and arrogance. After calming down, she said to the bodyguard beside her, "Call the Hong Kong office and ask them to report the incident to the police. Also, " she glanced at the almost destroyed car, and with a disdainful pout, "leave the car here. I'll wait to see who compensates me double." With that, she prepared to get into the Toyota and leave. Before leaving, she looked at Shen Zhenghui, who was wiping his face with a tissue, and asked, "Do you want to stay here or come with me?"

"Let's go together," Shen Zhenghui said with a pitiful expression.

Wang Anping then instructed, "Leave two people here to wait for the police to examine the scene." The two men nodded and stayed behind, while the two female bodyguards who were supporting Wang Anping got into the car with her and Shen Zhenghui.

Shen Zhenghui was pushed to the passenger seat, and the two female bodyguards sat on either side of Wang Anping in the back seat. The car fell silent, and the driver drove quietly. At this moment, one of the female bodyguards' phones rang.

The bodyguard answered the call, responded with a couple of "hmm"s, then covered the microphone and said to Wang Anping, "They lost the trail."

Wang Anping snorted coldly, "If they can't find the minions, find their boss. The Hong Kong office should invite all the triad bosses in Hong Kong for a chat. They're still so unruly after the handover."

Her words were full of authority. It was unclear whether the person on the other end of the call understood Wang Anping's demeanor through the young woman's relay.

Wang Anping had no more energy for other things. After this incident, she had no mood for anything. She picked up her phone and called her father, recounting what had just happened. She didn't mention that the attack was aimed at Shen Zhenghui, only saying that she had been threatened by the triads in Hong Kong, who told her to leave.

On the other end of the line, Wang's father remained calm, saying, "I understand," and hung up. A hint of a satisfied smile appeared on Wang Anping's lips.

Shen Zhenghui felt a chill down his back.

Wang Anping looked over and said to Shen Zhenghui, "I'll head back to the hotel first. When we pass through Central, you can get off and go back on your own."

"Yes!" Shen Zhenghui nodded quickly.

"The triads in Hong Kong are really despicable. They dared to follow me and attack my car, involving you. I'm really sorry," Wang Anping said to Shen Zhenghui with a gentle expression.

Shen Zhenghui didn't dare to contradict her, looking at the two female bodyguards on either side of her, he awkwardly smiled and wiped his forehead. "Indeed, they are very bold."

"I thought only the triads in movies would be so bold, but it turns out it's the same in real life. This shows they aren't under enough pressure!"

Shen Zhenghui almost guessed what Wang Anping was planning, but he didn't have the courage to stop her. Moreover, what she was doing was beneficial for the Wang family and himself. So, Shen Zhenghui touched his chest, "I was also scared and want to go back early."

"You don't look like the character in your movies and TV shows," Wang Anping said. Shen Zhenghui couldn't tell if she was joking or venting her frustration, so he just hunched his shoulders.

When they got out of the car, Shen Zhenghui had just stepped onto the road when he received a text message: "Don't take out the photos." Shen Zhenghui felt a chill down his back and almost wanted to throw his camera into the sea.

The scale of the incident was beyond Shen Zhenghui's imagination. Many things he only figured out later by comparing them with the actual developments.

Wang Anping's trip to Hong Kong for financing was not as simple as she made it seem. The new Premier strictly controlled the financial sector, and the impact of the financial crisis severely affected bank loans. The real estate expansion plan that Wang Anping took over from Shen Zhenghui was also affected. Due to the rapid growth of wealth and the attention it attracted, Wang Anping had to introduce state-owned capital into the real estate company. However, even this couldn't stop people from coveting her wealth. The expansion plan was intentionally or unintentionally resisted on all fronts. While the banks didn't immediately demand repayment, new loans were impossible. At this point, people from the second and third generations of the red families came forward to negotiate cooperation terms with Wang Anping.

Wang Anping, being too young, couldn't swallow her pride and used the pretext of financing in Hong Kong to come here. The whole story, Shen Zhenghui could only piece together. Wang Anping's trip to Hong Kong for financing was probably just an excuse, but perhaps she made some gestures that made people who wanted to "share" the benefits with her anxious. They might have pressured the Hong Kong financial sector, making her financing very difficult. The attack on Shen Zhenghui and her conversation was clearly an opportunity for Wang Anping to escalate the situation. On the surface, it was to crack down on the Hong Kong triads, but secretly, it might have been a signal to certain people.

Of course, these were all things Shen Zhenghui thought of later. At the time, he was still dazed. After returning to the hotel and sleeping for a long time, he woke up to find that the entire Hong Kong was in turmoil.

For several days, the leaders of various triad organizations, well-known red poles, and other key figures were summoned by the police to provide their alibis for the day of the incident. Each triad boss and key suspect was ordered not to leave Hong Kong. Even some who had already "washed their hands" of the business, like Mr. Xiang, were summoned, though the police were more polite with him.

Mr. Xiang's own investigation made him break out in a cold sweat. First, he found out that the victim was the granddaughter of a high-ranking official from the mainland, but the troublemakers were actually targeting Shen Zhenghui. Shen Zhenghui and Wang Anping were together, which made the situation worse. Coincidentally, Wang Anping had also offended a group of people on the mainland, who had some connection with Mr. Xiang. This explained why the police also summoned him, even though he had retired from the underworld for many years. The most troublesome part was that the troublemakers were indeed related to him, which was like mud falling into his pants—whether it was or not, it would be considered dirt.

The key issue was that the matter couldn't be clarified, neither to the victim nor to the people related to him. Mentioning it would give them a handle. Mr. Xiang didn't want to get involved in such underworld affairs, but he couldn't deny his connection to the people involved, and even if he did, no one would believe him. Mr. Xiang knew why his subordinates did this. Shen Zhenghui's presence in Hong Kong had stirred up the entertainment industry, and most importantly, he gave Stephen Chow a bargaining chip. Stephen Chow didn't directly agree to Shen Zhenghui's terms but used them to negotiate with local investors, significantly raising his own value. A local investor, in a moment of impulsiveness, wanted to drive Shen Zhenghui away and monopolize the deal. This person wasn't Mr. Xiang, but he had a connection with him, which gave him a headache.

Since he knew the matter was related to him, he couldn't ignore it. Fortunately, the people who acted were smart enough to hide early. Mr. Xiang quickly contacted them and arranged for them to flee to Thailand. They narrowly escaped the Hong Kong police, but were intercepted by the coast guard. In a moment of confusion, they tried to resist with guns, and the coast guard, mistaking them for drug traffickers, shot them dead. Coincidentally, a significant amount of drugs was found on the boat.

The news spread to Hong Kong and the mainland. While some people felt a chill down their backs and a cold in their hearts, many others breathed a sigh of relief. A recently retired official had to make a self-criticism at a democratic life meeting, admitting that the Hong Kong triads still had significant problems and that relying solely on amnesty couldn't completely transform them into law-abiding citizens. Regardless, the security in Hong Kong improved significantly, and many triad organizations became more low-key.

Wang Anping's financing in Hong Kong went relatively smoothly. Several companies listed in Hong Kong but controlled by the mainland were very interested in her project and agreed to the financing terms of Wang Anping's company. The bosses behind these companies might have already been in contact with Wang Anping.

As for Shen Zhenghui, Stephen Chow finally came to visit him with his terms. No one in Hong Kong was willing to invest in him under his conditions, so Stephen Chow had no choice but to choose Shen Zhenghui, who showed the most sincerity.

In a sense, Stephen Chow also made a concession. He asked for a HK$40 million investment, reduced the production and director fees to HK$10 million, and the profit-sharing ratio after recouping the costs was 50-50, regardless of whether the film was released in the mainland. The distribution in Japan was handled by Spring Day Films, and for the copyright of the merchandise, Stephen Chow wanted the rights outside Japan. The film's copyright belonged to Starlight, but Spring Day could use the Japanese rights indefinitely. Any adaptations or other rights outside Japan would need to be renegotiated with Starlight.

As for the sequel, both parties agreed that the investment conditions would not be lower than this time, and Shen Zhenghui was even willing to give the sequel production rights to Starlight, only requiring that Spring Day Films have the right of first refusal under equal conditions. Stephen Chow was clearly unwilling to decide his plans too early, so he only agreed to a vague clause. After signing the contract, Spring Day Films immediately transferred the funds, and the production began. Shen Zhenghui also breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to end his Hong Kong trip and head to Taiwan.