Chapter 34: Miss Lishan? Why, he is a gentleman!

Since the transfer of capital from the mainland in 1949, Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry had held fast to a model for thirty years: low barriers to entry, small scale, no investment in technology, no brand development, and a sole focus on taking labor-intensive orders.

The most representative sector was Hong Kong’s largest export industry: garment manufacturing. In 1970, it accounted for 35% of total exports; by 1980, this had slipped to 34%, marking the beginning of a gradual decline in overall scale.

On one hand, countries like the UK, the US, and Japan implemented textile import quotas to protect their own domestic industries. On the other hand, South Korea, Taiwan, and other regions were aggressively developing their export economies. This intensifying competition left Hong Kong’s manufacturing sector fatigued, with its share of the local economy dropping by 12% between 1971 and 1982.

The British colonial government, which seemed ready to pack up and leave at any moment, didn't collect taxes but sold off everything it could, including export quotas. Starting in 1970, those who grew wealthy by selling these quotas became the "Four Great Garment Families." The remaining small and medium-sized garment factories were left to buy these quotas, working themselves to the bone, yet earning less than what Guo Desheng made just by acting as an agent for zippers.

Against this backdrop, while Wang Yaotang’s delay in payments certainly annoyed Old Li, the prospect of new orders and advance payments made him exclaim that the deal was too good to pass up. After all, there was no need to worry about buying quotas; as long as there was work, he could feed his employees and keep the business afloat.

In Hong Kong, as long as the money is right, things can get done with unimaginable speed.

"Four-Eyes" gathered all three landlords at a law firm at once. With the attitude of someone who had money to burn but wasn't limited to their properties, and with the help of Lawyer Sang, he leveraged a 10% price reduction to secure the contracts on the spot.

The renovation team paused their work on the brothel in Fali Building and threw themselves entirely into renovating the three shops. Although Wang Yaotang had tried to be discreet, the mole, Guan Zaisen, caught wind of it and immediately tipped off Shark Kun.

The orders for new styles, the establishment of three brand shops, and the stalls popping up like mushrooms after rain—everything told Shark Kun that Wang Yaotang was aware of his petty maneuvers and was actively seizing the market.

Shark Kun waved his hand dismissively, telling Guan Zaisen not to worry. "That punk thinks he can fight his godfather with this?"

"Talent?"

"If talent were useful, why would anyone need power?"

"I have more money than him, better connections, and a larger production scale. Any new style he produces can be delivered to my factory within an hour. I can crush his production capacity in three days."

"What does that loser have to fight me with?"

"It’s just a futile struggle. In the end, everything will be mine—well, ours." Shark Kun smiled at Guan Zaisen. "The advantage is with us!"

...

Xiang Lishan: male, 31, a photographer with a small reputation in the industry. Starting as an apprentice and working his way up to become the owner of Lishan Advertising, he specialized in shooting print advertisements for magazines and garment factories. He was a model of self-made success in the field.

"What made you think of coming to me? Can't your TVB shoot its own promotional posters?" Xiang Lishan asked with a smile. Print ads also required makeup, and occasionally Sister Hua would take on such private work to make extra money, so she was quite familiar with the boss.

"It's not for TVB. It's for... well, a friend." The thought of applying makeup for brothel ladies was something Sister Hua found hard to articulate, and her expression became somewhat awkward.

Seeing this, Xiang Lishan’s eyes lit up. "Oh? What kind of friend? A boyfriend?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Sister Hua was startled.

"Why are you so nervous?" Xiang Lishan was even more certain of his guess. He giggled and asked provocatively, "You little flirt, spending your days with all kinds of handsome men—I knew you wouldn't be able to hold back forever."

"Shut up!" Sister Hua snapped. "Talking like that gets people killed."

"Fine, fine. Let's go inside and talk. Tell me, is he good in bed? Surely better than that useless husband of yours!" Xiang Lishan flushed with excitement.

"Wait, he's almost here." Sister Hua looked resigned. *I've warned you,* she thought, *if you want to court death, I can't stop you.*

"Oh, then I'll have to take a good look."

Just then, a Toyota H20 pulled up to the side of the road. The door opened, and Wang Yaotang jumped out first, followed by A-Jie with four henchmen, and finally, three women with stunning figures. To keep the operation covert, they had all taken separate taxis and converged there.

"Is that the one in front? Clean, sunny, confident, and handsome. Wow, he looks like the type of sweet, considerate boy!" Xiang Lishan grabbed Sister Hua’s hand, clearly agitated. "And so young, too. You're robbing the cradle, aren't you?"

Sister Hua pursed her lips. *I thought the same thing at first,* she thought, *until I saw him beat two lecherous men into unrecognizable lumps of flesh...* It was too brutal!

"Hello, sir. My name is Lishan, owner of this advertising agency." Xiang Lishan rushed forward impatiently. Lishan wore a single ponytail, gold-rimmed glasses, a slim-fit black lace-edged shirt, white chiffon harem pants, and black high heels, with his toenails painted pink.

"Hello, Miss Lishan." Wang Yaotang smiled and reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Wang Yaotang."

"Hello, Miss Lishan, I'm A-Jie." A-Jie stepped forward, smiling as he reached out. His standards had been higher lately; he liked women with this kind of flair.

"Hehehe." Lishan covered his mouth and chuckled. "What 'Miss Lishan'? I'm a gentleman, darling."

Wang Yaotang stood frozen, and A-Jie was struck dumb. With that one sentence, the scene fell into an eerie silence.

"Brother Yao, don't be angry. He didn't mean anything by it; he's always like this," Sister Hua said, quickly stepping in to diffuse the situation.

Wang Yaotang’s expression crumbled. He waved his henchman over and began frantically wiping his hand on the man's clothes. *Damn it,* he thought, *to run into such a freak in 1980.*

This gesture made Lishan pout. He hated it when people looked at him with such disgust. *Seriously, who can relate?* What a shrimp-brained Hong Kong man!

"I'll screw you, you punk." A-Jie, who had just been thinking about hooking up for the night—having never played with a white-collar elite type before, and already imagining the scene—was now completely shattered. He scrubbed his hand violently against his pants, grabbed a machete from his henchman's arms, and roared, "I'm going to hack you to death!"

Following A-Jie’s lead, the other henchmen immediately drew their machetes, glaring fiercely. One word from their boss, and they would butcher this freak.

With the loud roars, murderous glares, and gleaming blades, Lishan’s face drained of color. He stumbled back and fell hard onto his backside.

"Brother Jie, Brother Jie, he meant no harm!" Sister Hua shouted, full of anxiety.

"A-Jie, put it away," Wang Yaotang commanded. "We're here on business."

A-Jie gritted his teeth and let out a heavy huff, tossing the knife to his henchman. *Damn it,* he thought, *I'm tainted now. I have to find some buxom girls later to scrub my brain clean!*

"Apologies, Mr. Xiang," Wang Yaotang sighed. "I have no issues with a man who identifies as a woman, it was just too sudden, so my reaction was a bit extreme. My apologies again."

Sister Hua pulled Lishan up. "Alright, alright, let's not stand here. Let's go in."