"Of course not, how could I bribe the Governor? Do you think the ICAC is just for show?"
Zhongshi lowered his voice and said solemnly to Liao Chengde.
The Governor of Hong Kong was nominated by the British Prime Minister and appointed by the Queen of the United Kingdom. The Governor had extensive powers, presiding over the Executive Council and the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. At that time, the members of both councils were appointed by the Governor. The Governor was also a highly respected figure in the UK, usually holding a knighthood granted by the royal family.
It was only during the tenure of the last Governor, Chris Patten, that most of these practices changed, including the direct election of councilors, the refusal of knighthood, and not serving as the chairman of the Legislative Council, thereby reducing himself to the role of the administrative head of Hong Kong rather than the Queen's representative.
Bribing such a person would have been impossible even before the establishment of the ICAC. In 1974, Hong Kong established the ICAC, which reported directly to the Queen (Governor). In just a few years, the ICAC transformed the once-corrupt Hong Kong into one of the world's most corruption-free regions.
In Hong Kong's film and television works, the most feared thing for corrupt officials was being invited to the ICAC for a "cup of tea." Its reputation was as formidable as the National Security Bureau on the mainland.
"Scared me to death! Zhongshi, I must tell you, this place is different from the mainland. The investigation of corruption and dereliction of duty is very strict. Don't even think about your crazy ideas!"
Liao Chengde wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and took a big gulp of beer before saying with lingering fear.
What do Chinese businessmen fear the most? They fear encountering officials the most. Throughout history, becoming an official has been the top choice for Chinese people, while merchants have always been looked down upon. Even those who were as rich as a nation often did not have a good end in Chinese history.
The Chinese have always treated merchants like livestock, ready to slaughter them when they become fat. A typical example is Shen Wansan, the richest man in China during the early Ming Dynasty, who funded the construction of one-third of the southern city wall and built many buildings in the capital. Despite this, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ordered his property to be confiscated and exiled him to a remote area, where he died without ever returning to the Central Plains.
In fact, during the early 1990s, there was a period in New China when the status of the merchant class greatly increased, even surpassing that of the bureaucratic class. However, the elite who joined the bureaucratic class slightly changed the rules and once again firmly suppressed the merchant class.
China has always been a country where officials hold the highest status. Even in Hong Kong, which was ruled by the British for so many years, people's fear of officials is still much greater than their fear of the wealthy.
Seeing Liao Chengde's reaction, Zhongshi sneered and stretched out his small hand, saying, "Whether you have money or not, hand it over!"
Liao Chengde was taken aback. Seeing that Zhongshi's expression was not a joke, he had no choice but to take out nearly ten thousand Hong Kong dollars from his pocket, a large pile of red and green bills, which looked quite impressive.
"Here, I have over ten thousand Hong Kong dollars. Whoever helps me beat that scoundrel will get all the money!"
The short Zhongshi stood on a bench, raised the money high, and said to the crowd around him, of course, in Cantonese.
Seeing the thick stack of money in the child's hand, the noisy street stall suddenly fell silent. People's eyes gradually showed a fanatical look, and several people were eager to try, waiting for Zhongshi to point out the "scoundrel."
"That's him!"
Zhongshi pointed to a table a few meters in front of him. Three young men were sitting at the table, covered in tattoos, clearly not good people. Zhongshi noticed one of them, with a shifty look, frequently glancing at him and Liao Chengde, clearly up to no good.
As the saying goes, "The one who strikes first is the winner, the one who strikes last is the loser." Zhongshi took this opportunity to give that person a good lesson, to teach him what it means to know one's place.
The gangster pointed out by Zhongshi was initially surprised but quickly realized that his previous actions had been discovered. Anger rose in his heart, and he picked up an empty beer bottle and smashed it on the table, leaving a sharp shard in his hand. He cursed, "F*ck, f*ck your mother..."
Liao Chengde was stunned by all this. When he came to his senses, he got up and prepared to run out, completely ignoring Zhongshi.
Just as he took a step, he heard another "bang" behind him, and the crowd around him cheered. Liao Chengde was surprised to see several strong men pick up their stools and rush forward in a swarm.
"Huh, what's going on?"
Liao Chengde turned around and saw Zhongshi with a half-smile. He blushed and instinctively avoided Zhongshi's gaze, looking at the table where the gangster had been sitting.
The gangster who had been threatening moments ago was now holding his head, blood streaming down his fingers, looking utterly disbelieving. Another gangster standing next to him held a broken beer bottle and sneered, clearly the one who had smashed the bottle on the first gangster's head.
The gangster, who had been hit on the head, saw stars and cursed in his mind, "What loyalty, what brotherhood, it's all f*cking nonsense..."
Before he could finish cursing, he saw a flurry of punches flying at him, the sound of flesh being hit echoing in his ears. At first, he could still protect his vital points and curse, but the more he did so, the more severe the beating became. Soon, he could only lie on the ground, moaning in pain.
"Alright, stop! If we keep going, we might kill him!"
Zhongshi called out, seeing that everyone had had enough. He glanced at Liao Chengde, who was still stunned, with a hint of satisfaction.
Following Zhongshi's command, most people stopped, but the two who had been drinking with the gangster continued to kick the man on the ground a few more times before stopping, cursing.
"Everyone, don't think I'm bullying people. I've been noticing this person for a while. He's been eyeing me and this gentleman, clearly with bad intentions!"
Zhongshi pointed to the well-dressed Liao Chengde and said to the people who had joined in.
"Yes, this guy was planning to kidnap this gentleman and rob him!"
"Right, he was discussing it with me just now. Luckily, I'm poor, but I know that a gentleman loves wealth but obtains it in a righteous way..."
The two gangsters who had been the most aggressive were quick to follow Zhongshi's lead.
Hearing this, the crowd's sense of guilt for beating someone up disappeared, and they felt a sense of righteousness. They straightened their backs, as if they had done a great deed.
"Everyone, come and collect your money!"
Zhongshi counted the people and evenly distributed the money. When the two most aggressive gangsters came forward, he gave them a few hundred extra dollars as a reward for their "traitorous" behavior.
People in the street stall never expected that a few punches could earn them a windfall. They ordered more drinks and dishes they usually couldn't afford and continued to eat and drink.
The man lying on the side of the road continued to moan in pain, with no one coming to check on him. His two "companions" took the money and left happily.
"This..."
Liao Chengde looked at the bustling street stall and the small gangster lying on the ground, unattended, his mind still trying to process what had happened.
"See, this is the privilege of the rich. Even if he calls the police now, I can still handle it. There are so many witnesses here!"
Zhongshi sneered, completely unconcerned. As he got down from the bench, he suddenly noticed something in the distance and exclaimed, "Oh."
"Oh, my dear, are you looking for more trouble? Let's get out of here quickly!"
Liao Chengde was really scared. Seeing Zhongshi's curiosity, he couldn't help but complain. This night had been more eventful than his entire year.
"Sir, what is your surname?"
Zhongshi ignored Liao Chengde and walked to the outermost table of the street stall, sitting down and examining the person opposite him.
"You're so young, and you already know how to bully people. If you keep this up, what will become of you?"
The person opposite him coldly snorted and said disdainfully. In front of him was a bowl of the cheapest beef tripe noodles and a bottle of chilled beer.
What caught Zhongshi's attention was the man's muscular build, his short-cropped hair, and the straight posture he maintained even while sitting, clearly indicating he was a former military man.
Earlier, almost everyone in the street stall had joined in the beating of the gangster, but he had only glanced at it and then continued eating his noodles.
"Big Circle?"
Zhongshi was not bothered by the man's comment and instead said a word that struck fear into the hearts of Hong Kongers.
"You..."
The man's face flashed with anger, and he involuntarily clenched his fists. However, after a moment, he seemed to think of something and relaxed his fists, turning his head away and ignoring Zhongshi.
"Can you drive? Be a driver for my friend, and I'll pay you five thousand Hong Kong dollars a month. How about it?"
Zhongshi ignored Liao Chengde's surprise and offered the man a job. (The comments from reader allen_wxw were very insightful and provided significant reference for my writing. I would like to thank them again. I also hope other readers will actively share their thoughts.)