A month after He Donggong took office, the political struggles in Hong Kong were largely over.
An and Qiao, who had been at each other's throats, were both imprisoned, awaiting prosecution.
As for what would ultimately happen to them?
Gao Fei speculated that given their years of service and the crimes they had committed, a death sentence was unlikely, with life imprisonment or a lengthy fixed term being the most probable outcomes.
The remaining two candidates, though not entirely without their blemishes, had their transgressions pale in comparison to An and Qiao's, amounting to little more than internal warnings.
These two would retain their existing ranks, with only minor positional adjustments, being assigned to departments with little real power.
As He Donggong's rivals, he would not allow them to remain in frontline positions. Instead, they were transferred to quiet departments for comfortable retirement, removed from the core of power.
Victory belongs to the victor.
Whether in officialdom or the business world, the meaning of these four characters was vividly displayed after every major upheaval.
Regarding the arrangement for Hong Kong's triads.
A week after taking office, He Donggong began the process of rectifying the remaining triads in Hong Kong.
However, he did not directly target the three major triads: 18k, Daquan, and Bailiansheng.
Instead, he focused specifically on second and third-tier triads and the smallest street gangs, with various illicit businesses facing strong crackdowns from the Hong Kong police.
These triads, lacking background and with declining strength, chose to pledge allegiance to the three major triads after facing various official pressures.
Initially, 18k and Daquan hesitated about accepting the allegiance of these triads.
But upon noticing Bailiansheng accepting them, and with no significant intervention from above,
18k and Daquan could no longer sit idly by and readily opened their doors, accepting the overtures of outsiders.
The move of smaller triads seeking refuge with larger ones went unnoticed by ordinary citizens, but the high echelons of Hong Kong were closely monitoring the situation.
Many were curious as to why Governor He, who had vigorously suppressed triads earlier, was now allowing smaller triads to join larger ones.
The reason was quite simple: He Donggong was currently permitting the smaller triads to join the larger ones to reduce their scattered presence. This would allow for a more decisive sweep when the crackdown began, avoiding the need to dispatch excessive police forces to deal with these smaller groups.
Simply put, he was fattening the pigs before slaughtering the leeks.
Only a select few understood He Donggong's decisions, and Gao Fei was among them.
As the anti-gang task force commander sent from above, he strongly endorsed He Donggong's approach.
Bailiansheng's stepping forward to accept the smaller triads was at Gao Fei's instruction, to cooperate with He Donggong's strategy.
...
Dragon Country New Year, January 10th.
In the Haiyue private room on the third floor of the Hong Kong Government House Hotel.
Huo Dongcheng and He Donggong sat side by side, engaged in casual conversation.
As they chatted, a knock sounded at the door. A bodyguard gently opened it. "Governor, Mr. Gao is here."
"Quickly, invite him in!"
"Certainly!"
A moment later, Gao Fei entered the private room with Xu Yuejin and Guo Yue.
Upon seeing that the person their boss had brought them to meet was the Governor of Hong Kong, the two were momentarily stunned, their eyes filled with shock.
"Mr. Gao!"
He Donggong and Huo Dongcheng rose with smiles to greet them, their demeanor exceedingly courteous.
This action caused another ripple of astonishment in Xu Yuejin and Guo Yue's hearts.
For the Governor himself to personally invite someone to be seated, besides their boss, there was likely no one else in Hong Kong.
"Sit, please. We're all among friends, don't be so formal!"
Gao Fei waved his hand with a smile and casually pulled up a chair.
Once everyone was seated, they mostly engaged in small talk, with Guo Yue and Xu Yuejin, unable to join the professional discussions, content with accompanying smiles.
After the food was served and everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Huo Dongcheng spoke first. "Mr. Gao, I heard you're leaving Hong Kong?"
"Yes, my flight is at nine o'clock tomorrow morning!"
Gao Fei nodded and let out a satisfied burp, looking at the two brothers. "The task assigned to me by the higher-ups is already half completed. From now on, it will depend on Governor He's methods. As long as the triad issue is handled well, a further promotion is not out of the question."
The last sentence was something Zhang Ziheng had revealed before he left, and Gao Fei was relaying it.
However, this remark was interpreted differently by the other four present.
He Donggong and Huo Dongcheng understood that cleaning up Hong Kong's triads would be a significant political achievement, one that could lead to a direct promotion to Beijing if handled well.
Meanwhile, in the ears of Guo Yue and Xu Yuejin, they heard that their boss's background was no longer confined to local matters, but had reached higher circles.
He Donggong, having regained his composure, raised his wine glass and said with a smile, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Gao. I'll drink this toast!"
With that, he downed two liang of baijiu in one gulp.
Huo Dongcheng, as He Donggong's elder brother, promptly raised his glass to show his support, signaling to Gao Fei that Feiteng Investment Company would be the preferred choice for any industry they were involved in Hong Kong from now on.
"We're all friends here, no need for formalities."
Gao Fei waved his hand with a smile, then gestured towards Guo Yue and Xu Yuejin, who were sitting attentively. "After I leave, these two will be my representatives in Hong Kong. Bailiansheng is currently under their control. If Mr. He plans to take action against the triads, he can have them lead the charge."
As he finished speaking, Old Guo and Ah Jin immediately raised their glasses and courteously toasted He Donggong.
After the subsequent arrangements were finalized, at a nod from Gao Fei and He Donggong, the other three rose to leave, leaving the two of them with some private time.
Once they were gone, He Donggong spoke first. "Mr. Gao, Minister Zhang mentioned before he left that you had a plan for the follow-up arrangements regarding the crackdown on triads. Could you perhaps disclose it to me for now?"
Gao Fei did not hold back. "My plan is quite simple: to help triad members with shorter sentences or no prior criminal records find employment in legitimate businesses."
"Could Mr. Gao elaborate on that?"
"Let me ask you a question, why do those low-level thugs join triads?"
"One reason is to avoid being bullied by other triads, and the other is to make money!"
"Once you've cleared out the triads in Hong Kong, those low-level thugs, without the income from the triads as a guarantee, will still give rise to new triads.
Therefore, solving their livelihood issues is the most crucial aspect."
Gao Fei took a document from his bag and handed it to He Donggong, continuing, "This contains the cooperation agreements signed between Feiyue Security Company and various entertainment venues in Qingkui District, as well as the employment contracts for Feiyue Logistics Company.
Apart from the higher-ups, Bailiansheng has three thousand members who rely on the triads for their livelihood. Of these three thousand, half have no criminal record. All of them have already signed labor contracts with the security company and the logistics company."
As he finished speaking, He Donggong quickly flipped through the document. Staring at the salaries and benefits on the labor contracts, he was stunned.
The income for low-level triad members was at most two to three thousand per month, and with some additional illicit income, it would barely exceed four thousand.
However, Gao Fei's labor contracts not only included social security but also a base salary of 4000, a 5% performance commission, and provided employee dormitories.
With such compensation and benefits, any low-level triad member would choose to join.
"Mr. He, to thoroughly eradicate the influence of triads, we must address it from the lowest level. Only by solving the livelihood of these low-level members can the so-called triad culture truly become history."
Gao Fei directly pointed out the key to resolving the triad problem.
He had previously asked Ah Cheng Rong to inquire privately, and current triad members disliked violence and killing.
Because Hong Kong's education system was more advanced than the mainland's, many triad members had received a cultural education. They knew well that engaging in such activities would sooner or later lead to prison or death by a thousand cuts.
If there was a job available, with a monthly salary and commission, and provided housing, who would still want to wield a cleaver and go with their boss to commit a stabbing?
After deep consideration of Gao Fei's words, He Donggong fully accepted the plan.
As long as this plan could be successfully implemented, it would reduce violent cases by at least two-thirds.
Even if new malignant forces were to emerge in Hong Kong in the future, they would be insufficient to pose a threat.
Despite the strict public security on the mainland, new malignant forces still emerged, after all, where there are people, there is a Jianghu.
After the two discussed the details of the plan, the dinner concluded.
After leaving the hotel, Gao Fei rushed to Feiteng Investment's branch company and held a meeting with the heads of various industries in Hong Kong.
With all work arrangements in place, he returned to Beijing the next day with peace of mind.
...
The following day, in Beijing, at Tengxin Technology Company.
After receiving Gao Fei's investment, Chen Guowei's company had moved out of its previous small and cramped office building.
Tengxin Technology Company was now located in the Beijing Science and Technology Park, having leased an office space of over an acre for its headquarters.
Upon receiving news that Boss Gao was coming to the company, Chen Guowei immediately led a group of high-level executives to the gate to welcome him with fanfare.
Seeing the scene of lion dances and drumming, Gao Fei was taken aback. Chen Guowei, his senior, had not been this elaborate back then.
It had to be said that although Chen Guowei's welcoming method was somewhat traditional, it at least proved he was gradually changing.
After some exasperated remarks to Chen Guowei, Gao Fei headed straight for the company's testing base.
Half an hour later.
Watching the technician complete the operation of the chat software on the computer, Gao Fei nodded with satisfaction.
Beside him, Chen Guowei and the other executives also breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, the software could have been released last year, but Gao Fei had always delayed its release, citing immaturity of technology.
Now that they saw Boss Gao nodding, Chen Guowei and the others finally felt their hearts at ease.
"Boss, when do you plan to launch this Penguin Chat software on the market?"
Chen Guowei, who had previously addressed him as 'junior,' changed his address and asked.
"In three days!"
"Three days?"
Chen Guowei and his entourage stared in disbelief.
Three days was not even enough time for promotion.
Gao Fei could naturally sense their concern. He waved his hand with a smile and said, "Don't worry, I have a way to handle the promotion. You must ensure the servers are well-maintained and there are no issues like lagging."
"Understood!"
"Also, enable some membership features. For example, on the first day of the software's launch, offer a 50% discount on 'Yellow Diamond' membership for space customization, and on the second day, offer a discount on account membership to expedite account upgrades..."
In fact, Gao Fei had mentioned these features before, and Chen Guowei and the others had already made plans.
Now, all they had to do was arrange the dates for the membership features according to the boss's instructions.
...
Three days later.
The Yuanfei Studio, which had been silent for half a year, suddenly posted an update.
"Hello everyone, long time no see. I am Gao Fei. My new novel, 'Wukong,' has officially launched on Feiyue Novel Network. This book tells the story of an entrepreneur who becomes a laborer, and then the laborer overturns the table on the boss. It's absolutely exciting and stimulating. Please show your support.
Additionally, the new novel can be read for free by downloading the Penguin Chat software. Below are screenshots and a link to the new book."
One hour after Gao Fei posted the update through his studio's social media account.
The chat servers of Tengxin Technology Company immediately sounded a high-temperature alert.
Chen Guowei, who was overseeing the operation on-site, was dumbfounded upon hearing the download data reported by the secretary.
"No, say that again. What is the download number for the software?"