Desheng reported, "Boss, according to the intelligence we gathered, the whole incident started because Yue Wang became involved with an exceptionally beautiful woman, and they began living together."

Liu Hui remarked, "I've always known Yue Wang has a penchant for beautiful women. What's the issue with that? Is there something problematic about this stunning woman?"

Desheng replied, "Indeed, this beautiful woman is the problem. She is actually being kept by a high-ranking official back in the mainland, who has a residence in Hong Kong. This official soon discovered that Yue Wang had cuckolded him. Knowing Yue Wang’s connection to you, Boss, he was hesitant to act out of caution regarding your influence, so he swallowed his anger. However, upon learning that our 'Star City' was surrounded by five ships, believing 'Star City' was about to fall and Yue Wang's backing would crumble, he finally made his move to seek revenge for the wife theft."

Liu Hui was startled, never having expected the catastrophe to stem from Yue Wang getting involved with another man's mistress. He inquired, "What exactly transpired?"

Desheng explained, "That official leveraged the power at his disposal and easily uncovered extensive evidence of illegal activities involving Yue Wang’s father's real estate company. He then used the courts to have the company seized, forcing it into bankruptcy. Following that, he demanded that Yue Wang's father hand over Yue Wang. But Yue Wang's father proved fiercely resolute and refused to surrender his son. A violent confrontation erupted, and in an unfortunate turn of events, he fell from a high-rise building and died from the impact. At this point, Yue Wang realized the gravity of the situation, knew he had caused immense trouble, and, unable to contact you, Boss, went into hiding. The official, unable to locate Yue Wang, then placed a bounty of ten million Hong Kong dollars within the Hong Kong triads for Yue Wang’s life. Stimulated by this substantial reward, the Hong Kong gangs mobilized completely and finally tracked Yue Wang down. They dispatched a machete squad and cornered him. After fighting them off, Yue Wang sustained seven or eight stab wounds but ultimately managed to escape. He has been missing ever since; we haven't heard a single word from him until now."

Liu Hui commanded, "Activate our personnel and search for Yue Wang’s whereabouts with full force. Simultaneously, contact the major triad leaders in Hong Kong and instruct them to cease the pursuit of Yue Wang, or they will be considered our enemies. Furthermore, set a reward: anyone who provides us with Yue Wang's location will receive one hundred million Hong Kong dollars."

Desheng responded, "Understood, Boss. I will attend to it immediately."

Liu Hui added, "Also, prepare the aircraft immediately; I need to get to Hong Kong."

Yue Wang had been a close friend of Liu Hui since their university days. Although his background differed significantly from Liu Hui, Mei Peng, and Zhou Tengyun, he never looked down on the trio. Yue Wang was wealthy and often assisted the three of them financially, sharing any good fortune and frequently treating them to lavish outings. Moreover, Yue Wang possessed an easygoing nature, which contributed to the deep bond they shared, leading them to swear brotherhood.

Later, after Liu Hui achieved success, Yue Wang never used their connection to ask Liu Hui for anything. He was content running his family’s real estate business. Thus, despite his tendency toward women, his friendship with the other three was genuine. Liu Hui had even invited Yue Wang to work at Star Group, an offer Yue Wang declined.

Therefore, with Yue Wang now in trouble, Liu Hui could not stand idly by. The most crucial task was to locate Yue Wang first, hoping it wasn't too late.

Just as Liu Hui was preparing to leave for the airport, he ran into Mei Peng, who had come to discuss ongoing work. Upon hearing the details of the upheaval in Yue Wang's family, Mei Peng immediately shelved his own matters and insisted on accompanying Liu Hui to Hong Kong to search for Yue Wang.

Liu Hui and Mei Peng boarded a hovercraft fighter jet and quickly arrived at the former Hong Kong headquarters of Star Group. Inside the tower, they anxiously awaited updates from Desheng.

Desheng provided Liu Hui with intermittent reports on the latest developments, but despite the combined, intensive search efforts of their people and the Hong Kong triads, Yue Wang seemed to have vanished completely; no trace of him could be found.

Mei Peng wondered aloud, "Boss, is it possible Yue Lao Si has already left Hong Kong?"

Liu Hui paused to consider, "That seems unlikely. Yue Wang was stabbed seven or eight times when he disappeared, meaning he was injured. Without assistance, how could he have managed to escape the boundaries of Hong Kong? I believe he is still in Hong Kong, just hidden somewhere we don't know about for some reason."

Mei Peng fretted, "But Hong Kong is massive; where could he possibly be hiding?"

Liu Hui mused, "I am wondering the same thing—where did Yue Wang go? Why didn't he come to our factory district in Hong Kong at the time?"

Mei Peng's eyes suddenly lit up. He suggested, "Boss, why don't we release a message through the television stations and media? We can directly ask Lao Si to come to us; wouldn't that be a way to find him?"

Liu Hui shook his head. "While that method is effective, it’s unsafe. Although we've instructed those Hong Kong syndicates to stop hunting Yue Wang, who knows which other forces that official hired to pursue him? What if Yue Wang sees our message and comes looking for us, only to be killed by another group hired by that official?"

Mei Peng sighed in deflation. "Then what should we do?"

Liu Hui thought for a moment. "I believe Yue Wang is still in Hong Kong, and he must be hiding in a place no one would expect. That’s the only way he could remain untraceable."

Mei Peng asked, "What kind of place would we not expect Yue Wang to hide in?"

Liu Hui suggested, "Let's consider the places Yue Wang usually frequented."

Mei Peng responded, "The places he went to most often were probably high-end clubs and similar venues, usually looking to pick up women. Besides those places, any other location would be beyond our current imagination, right?"

Liu Hui pondered Yue Wang’s location, then suddenly spoke, "Given Yue Wang's wealth, do you think anyone would ever suspect he might be hiding in the rooms of those 'one-house, one-phoenix' streetwalkers?"

Mei Peng blinked. "Indeed, no one would think of that. After all, even with his net worth, he frequented nothing but upscale clubs. If he were hiding in a streetwalker's flat, no one would ever guess."

Liu Hui countered, "But even so, would any streetwalker dare take him in? Those syndicates still exert control over them."

Mei Peng agreed, "That's true. With a ten-million bounty out there, who would risk sheltering Yue Wang? Selling him out would be the safer bet."

The two brothers speculated in the office, unable to pinpoint Yue Wang's whereabouts. Desheng reported several times that there was still no news concerning Yue Wang.

As evening fell, Liu Hui finally grew restless. He pulled Mei Peng along, and under the escort of a security detail, they drove aimlessly through the streets of Hong Kong, as if random wandering could uncover Yue Wang.

Liu Hui felt increasingly frustrated. He stated, "If there is still no news by tomorrow morning, we will issue public notices in the media to search for Yue Wang. At the same time, we will threaten that high-ranking official back in the mainland, forcing him to back off from pursuing Yue Wang."

Mei Peng was equally at a loss; he had no idea how long this aimless search would continue. After driving for a while, Liu Hui felt stifled. He pulled the car over in a secluded spot and walked up a small slope to relieve himself. Just as he was about to return to the car, he overheard a conversation.

"Bitch, it took effort to get you out tonight, yet you’re unwilling to do this, unwilling to do that—you haven't satisfied me at all! Are you even a whore, damn it?" a man's harsh voice demanded.

Then a woman’s voice replied, "Brother Huang, please don't be angry. I’m not feeling well today. I promise I will serve you properly another time."

The man’s voice retorted, "If you're not feeling well, don't come out to work! Truly bad luck. Get out of the car!"

Liu Hui watched as a car door opened in the darkness ahead, and a naked woman was shoved out, tumbling onto the ground. Next, her clothes, shoes, and handbag were tossed out of the window, followed by several bank notes that fluttered down onto the woman's face. Finally, the car engine roared to life, and it sped away in a cloud of dust.

The naked woman, sprawled on the pavement, sat up. With a dazed expression, she gathered the scattered money and placed it in her handbag. Then, she painstakingly picked up her clothes, struggling to stand after testing her injured ankle, which caused her to limp.

Liu Hui sighed. This was the reality for the lowest strata of society; they owned nothing, and the only thing they could sell was their bodies. Just as he was about to return to his car, the woman suddenly burst into heartbroken sobs. In the silence of the night, her weeping carried a long way. Liu Hui's security personnel heard it and immediately moved closer, intending to investigate what had happened.

Liu Hui, however, stopped the guards. Even a prostitute at the absolute bottom of society retained a measure of dignity; she would not want anyone to witness her at her most emotional, uncontrolled, and destitute moment.

The woman limped away, weeping, for quite some time before finally stopping. She pulled out a tissue, carefully tidied her face, adjusted her clothes, and after regaining control of her emotions, stood by the roadside waiting for a taxi.

Only after the woman wiped her face clean did Liu Hui notice that she was quite delicate-featured, not resembling women habitually involved in that line of work. The more Liu Hui looked at her, the more familiar she seemed, yet he couldn't place where he had seen her before.

Mei Peng, noticing Liu Hui’s prolonged absence, walked over. Seeing the woman, he asked, "What happened here? Was this woman robbed or assaulted?"

Liu Hui shook his head. "Lao San, let’s go."

Mei Peng also shook his head and walked back with Liu Hui, saying, "Boss, I feel like I've seen that woman somewhere before. She looks so familiar."