Chapter 9

Li Xuan came out of the company and first found a phone booth to call Zhong Chuhong.

"Hey, beautiful, what are you doing? Shooting an ad? You can still answer my call while shooting an ad? Did you bring the director home? ... Hehe, don't be angry, it's just a joke. You owe me a meal, and I've decided to let you pay off your debt tonight. I want to eat abalone and sea cucumber. Are you willing to treat me?"

"Wow! How can you say that? Honghong, I didn't expect you to deny it so quickly. I must have misjudged you! ... Even if it's just char siu rice, it's fine. I'm not picky. ... See you tonight, I have some good news to tell you!"

Li Xuan hung up the phone feeling very happy. He didn't bother to take the ferry and bus, but instead hailed a taxi and took it to Sham Shui Po. Li Ke's video hall was tucked away in a corner of Fuk Lung Street in Sham Shui Po. The video hall had only half a storefront, with two-thirds of it occupied by the ticket window, leaving a narrow passage for the audience to enter and exit.

Walking through the passage, the inside was a different world. Three rooms were decorated as three screening rooms, capable of showing different video tapes simultaneously. This video hall, which clearly wasn't very正规 (legitimate), naturally showed some restricted adult films.

The video hall didn't open in the morning, and it was also deserted in the afternoon. Business would only pick up after dark, especially when there was a new, exciting film, tickets would often be hard to come by. The owner of the video hall was surnamed Huang. He only came to check the accounts and collect the money once a day, and didn't usually come here.

"Hey, Four-Eyes, start working, still dozing off? Be careful if Huang the Buck-Tooth catches you, he'll dock your pay! Is my brother upstairs?"

Li Xuan tapped the glass of the ticket window, waking up the dozing ticket seller. Huang the Buck-Tooth referred to the owner of the video hall, who had two prominent front teeth.

"It's you, Xuan. Are you here to see your brother? Your brother is sleeping upstairs, hehe!" Four-Eyes raised his head, wiped the sleep from his eyes, and saw it was Li Xuan, then gave a lecherous smile.

Li Xuan didn't say much, walked through the passage, and found a staircase leading upstairs. He went straight to the second floor. His brother's room was at the back, but the door was locked. Li Xuan thought his brother was still sleeping and knocked hard on the door.

"Which damn kid is it? Knocking for what, in a hurry to be reincarnated?" Li Ke, bare-chested, opened the door with a scowl. Seeing it was his younger brother, he swallowed his curses and gave an awkward smile.

Li Xuan had already seen through the gap a girl lying on the bed, a thin blanket not fully covering her, revealing her white thighs. No wonder Four-Eyes had given such a sly smile downstairs. He seemed to have come at the wrong time.

"Brother, I bought shaved ice for you. Should I wait until you're done?" Li Xuan had a knowing smile on his face and dodged his brother's hand that came to slap him. "Hmm, I'll eat in the next room. Take your time, no rush!"

Li Xuan walked into a room next door with the door open. He didn't care where his brother had picked up this new girl; she was unlikely to become his sister-in-law anyway.

A few minutes later, Li Ke, wearing a white shirt with the buttons open, revealing his muscular chest, walked in and sat on another bed. "Aren't you working this afternoon? How do you have time to come here?"

"I just quit my job!" Li Xuan said lazily, still eating his shaved ice.

"Oh?" Li Ke looked at his brother but didn't ask more.

"Brother, what's your boss's nickname?" Li Xuan suddenly asked.

"My boss is called Scarface Qiang. He has a long scar above his left eyebrow, from last year when he went to Tsim Sha Tsui to plant the flag for the triad. Why are you asking this?" Li Ke asked curiously, knowing his brother had never liked his involvement in the triad and rarely asked about it.

The triad Li Ke was involved in was called He Le Tang. It started as a group of lower-class workers from a soda factory in To Kwa Wan who banded together to resist the factory owner's oppression. Over time, it evolved into a triad organization.

So He Le Tang was also known as Soda Tang. Sham Shui Po was He Le Tang's stronghold, but it was a poor area with little profit. In recent years, they had been expanding into the entertainment districts of Yau Tsim Mong, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay, competing with other triads for the right to oversee discotheques, bars, and saunas.

"What do you think about me and your boss doing business together?" Li Xuan suddenly asked.

"Little brother?" Li Ke looked surprised and suspicious. Although he was involved in the triad, he didn't want his brother to get involved, especially since his brother had just been accepted into university with a bright future.

"Brother, don't worry, it's a legitimate business. I have no intention of getting involved in the triad!" Li Xuan patted his brother's shoulder to reassure him. "I have some ideas that require cooperation with your boss!"

"What kind of business?" Li Ke's expression remained serious. He wouldn't be at ease until he understood the details.

"Have you been to an arcade? I want to make these electronic games myself and have your boss help me sell them!" Li Xuan explained his idea. These arcades had only recently been introduced to Hong Kong from Japan and were very popular. However, because the game machines were expensive, the investment to open an arcade was significant, so they hadn't been widely established in Hong Kong yet.

"Can you make those electronic game machines?" Li Ke was skeptical.

"I'm not making them entirely myself. The game machines on the market are all imported from Japan and the United States, which makes them very expensive. The most important part of these machines is the motherboard. I have a way to crack it and copy the games, which would be much cheaper than buying imported machines."

Li Xuan explained to his brother, "I know all the arcades in Hong Kong are overseen by triads. So if I can directly cooperate with your boss, I can hand over the game machines I produce to him. Whether he invests in opening arcades himself or sells them to other owners, it will save me a lot of trouble!"

He Le Tang oversaw several arcades in Sham Shui Po, and Li Ke often went there when he had free time. Playing games was more interesting than playing pool. Those places were much more profitable than the run-down video hall he oversaw. If his brother could really make those game machines, they would definitely make a lot of money.

Li Ke knew his brother was smarter than him. Hearing Li Xuan's clear and logical explanation, he was already convinced to some extent. "Doing business requires capital. Where will you get the money?"

"Here!" Li Xuan took out a savings book from his pocket that he had prepared in advance. "When I was working at Heng Tai, I invented a Chinese character card for printers. A Japanese company saw the potential and bought the design from me for a large sum. The money is all in this savings book!"

Li Ke took the savings book and glanced at the number, his eyes widening in shock. The number was 120,000.