This time, Zhou Yi answered the phone himself.
In a deep voice, he said, "Young Lu, I'm already on my way. I'll be there in a few minutes at most."
Zhou Yi was a very shrewd businessman. And sometimes, being shrewd also meant being slippery. When it came to dealing with Honghua, he'd been extremely cautious, unwilling to share any of the pressure Lu Chen was facing.
But his attitude now was beyond reproach. As a well-known businessman in Hong Kong, Zhou Yi wasn't on the level of the city's richest tycoons, but he was far from an ordinary wealthy man.
He commanded considerable status and influence. The fact that he was personally coming to the set was, without question, an unmistakable show of support.
Lu Chen couldn't be bothered guessing what Zhou Yi was thinking. He briefly explained everything that had just happened before getting straight to the point.
"Boss Zhou, I'm planning to hold a press conference immediately. I'll explain the truth to the media and the public, and openly condemn Honghua's actions. I want to know how many major media outlets you can invite."
Lu Chen deliberately emphasized the words "major media." He was confident Zhou Yi understood exactly what he meant.
And Zhou Yi did. Lu Chen was drawing his sword and going head-to-head with Honghua.
If Zhou Yi personally invited influential reporters, it meant he would be firmly tied to Lu Chen's side. There would be no more sitting on the fence. He would have to openly and unmistakably support him.
'Young people these days really are something else...'
Zhou Yi fell silent, weighing his options.
But Lu Chen didn't give him time to stall. "Boss Zhou, if you can't do it, then there's no need for you to come."
It was Lu Chen's final ultimatum. If they wanted to continue working together, Zhou Yi had to show he was truly committed to the partnership. Otherwise, they could simply go their separate ways.
Zhou Yi let out a long sigh. "Give me half an hour."
Naturally, he didn't want to confront the Jiang Family head-on. It wouldn't help his business in the slightest and would only bring unnecessary trouble. Zhou Yi hated trouble; what he liked was making money easily and efficiently.
But in today's Hong Kong, making money isn't easy anymore. Competition was fierce. Even a one-percent profit required a hundred percent effort, and the slightest mistake could cost you everything.
That was why he'd acquired Jiayang Film Industry and diversified his investments instead of putting all his eggs in one basket.
He also had great confidence in Lu Chen's film project. After thoroughly researching Lu Chen, he discovered that this young man, who had debuted in the Mainland less than two years earlier, had already created one miracle after another.
Everyone who had followed Lu Chen, trusted him, or supported him had been richly rewarded. It was because of that belief that, when the time came to choose, Zhou Yi decided to place his bet on Lu Chen.
Of course, he had his own trump card as well.
A faint smile finally appeared on Lu Chen's face, and his tone softened. "An hour is fine too. We'll hold the press conference at 9:30. I'll prepare the necessary materials."
Now that he'd made up his mind, Zhou Yi displayed the decisiveness expected of a true businessman. "Done."
The emergency press conference was officially set.
Just after ending the call with Zhou Yi, Chen Wenqiang walked over with a police officer.
"This is our boss, Mr. Lu Chen," Chen Wenqiang introduced. "And this is Sergeant Fang from the Kowloon Tong Police Station."
"Hello, Sergeant Fang." Lu Chen immediately extended his hand. "Thank you for coming."
Sergeant Fang was a tall, thin, middle-aged man. After shaking Lu Chen's hand, he said, "Mr. Lu Chen, Lion Rock Film City falls under our station's jurisdiction. Protecting the safety of film productions is our responsibility. I'm sorry this happened. We'll increase our patrols from now on."
Lu Chen smiled. "Thank you."
Sergeant Fang nodded. His gaze swept across Wan Yong and the other members of the Lu family's security team before he casually remarked, "The people in your crew are quite skilled."
'Quite skilled?' That was putting it mildly.
Sergeant Fang knew exactly who was behind the disturbance: Honghua. He had already heard rumors that Honghua was targeting a film crew from the Mainland, so he had been mentally prepared for trouble.
What he hadn't expected was that Honghua would suffer such a crushing defeat. More than a dozen of their men had been subdued on the spot, and it had happened so quickly that by the time he arrived with his officers, all that was left was cleaning up the aftermath.
That immediately put Sergeant Fang on guard.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Hong Kong's underworld had a notorious group known as the Big Circle Gang. Its members all came from the Mainland, were infamous for their ruthlessness, and were eventually subjected to the harshest crackdowns.
Sergeant Fang had grown up hearing about the Big Circle Gang, and their reputation had left a deep impression on him. Seeing how formidable the members of the Lu family's security team were, he couldn't help but make a subtle connection.
Lu Chen smiled. "They're the martial arts instructors responsible for guarding the set. They're all military veterans. Thankfully, they are."
His words carried a deeper meaning.
The moment Sergeant Fang heard the words "military veterans," his pupils contracted and his expression stiffened. Soldiers of the Republic carried a special kind of authority in Hong Kong.
Since Hong Kong's return to the Mainland, the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison had been stationed there. Later, during the Hong Kong government's campaigns against organized crime, the garrison had also taken part, earning worldwide attention for its outstanding performance.
Sergeant Fang quickly recovered and smiled. "No wonder, no wonder. Still, we have to take these troublemakers back to the station for questioning. Please rest assured, we'll handle this fairly and according to the law."
Without realizing it, his attitude toward Lu Chen had become noticeably more respectful.
"Thank you, Sergeant Fang." Lu Chen shook his hand again. "Then I'll leave everything to the police."
Since the incident had become fairly serious, the Kowloon Tong Police Station had dispatched several patrol cars along with a riot-control vehicle. More than twenty officers had arrived, making quite a spectacle as they escorted the arrested Honghua members away.
News had apparently spread. More and more reporters gathered around the set, while paparazzi seemed to appear out of nowhere, frantically photographing the police and the captured Honghua men.
Some reporters headed straight for Lu Chen. "Mr. Lu Chen, I'm a reporter from the 'Kowloon Express'. Can you tell us what exactly happened?"
Lu Chen stopped Zhang Xiaofang, who was about to block the reporter. "Our film crew will be holding a press conference here at 9:30. All members of the media are welcome to attend."
With that, he ignored the reporters' attempts to ask more questions and turned to walk back onto the set.
"Mr. Lu Chen! Mr. Lu Chen!" The reporters who had just rushed over could only watch his back as he walked away.
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(End of Chapter)
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