Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 775: The Chen Family, Once the Richest in Hong Kong...

Next, Director Zhuang demonstrated his incredibly strong connections and efficiency.

The production team had just left the old hotel and boarded the bus when they quickly arrived at a new hotel, with an overall environment and scale on par with the previous one.

This time, the new hotel’s manager was waiting to receive them right at the entrance.

When he saw Director Zhuang, he eagerly stepped forward to greet him.

Director Zhuang’s expression, which had been grim the entire trip, finally improved considerably.

It was then that he explained to Xiao He and Liu Rulan, “I actually had a pretty good relationship with the original hotel owner. But ever since he handed over the hotel to his second son, who’s got nothing but weeds in his head, the reputation has taken a nosedive. I never expected they’d have the nerve to bully someone right in front of me.”

Xiao He immediately understood.

So it was a case of a second-generation heir squandering the old generation’s hard-earned legacy!

“I didn’t expect anyone to be this stupid.”

Director Zhuang let out a cold laugh. “They’ve been coasting on some leftover scraps from the Chen family’s glory days, barely holding onto their old capital. But now that it’s passed down to that son of his, I wouldn’t be surprised if this bit of fortune gets blown through sooner or later.”

Xiao He didn’t respond; he just listened carefully. But when he heard “Chen family” come from Zhuang Hongyi’s mouth, his expression shifted slightly.

The Chen family?

Could it be the Chen family he was thinking of...

Xiao He exchanged a glance with Liu Rulan, who had also caught on.

“This Chen family—”

Liu Rulan paused, carefully choosing her words before asking diplomatically, “Could it be the one that was once the richest family in Hong Kong?”

Zhuang Hongyi glanced at Liu Rulan, then nodded. “Yes, exactly the Chen family you’re thinking of—but they’re long gone now.”

As one of the former backstage instigators, Xiao He couldn’t help but cough lightly.

Liu Rulan’s expression also turned complicated, and she fell silent.

Only Xiao Chen, who was trailing behind, looked confused. He scratched his head, feeling like the name was oddly familiar. After thinking hard for a moment, he suddenly remembered something—

The Hong Kong Chen family, years ago, had been involved in selling addictive drugs and participating in a rebellion against the state. They were later investigated and wiped out by the authorities!

That incident had caused a huge stir back then. Because behind the case lay the death of Xu Youyou, the famous director’s wife-murder case, the Chen family’s money laundering case, and more—along with what happened to Tong Junhui. Every single one of these major cases was shocking enough on its own. So when the state launched a thorough investigation and crackdown, it caused a massive uproar.

And so, a Chen family that had stood tall in Hong Kong for a century collapsed just like that.

After all, it involved issues of drug addiction and national stance. Each was more serious than the last, each more fatal than the last. Any one of them alone would have crossed the bottom line. But they’d recklessly pursued both at once, so the authorities naturally gave them no chance to catch their breath.

Unfortunately, by the time domestic public opinion was at its most ferocious, Xiao He’s team was abroad fully immersed in filming *No Bait*. So Xiao Chen only caught wind of the whole storm much later, after reading about it online. By the time he did, the Chen family members had already been arrested and, in some cases, executed.

That case was also listed as one of the most major cases in recent years.

He had even mentioned it to Brother Xiao, but Brother Xiao’s expression was indifferent, as if he had expected it all along. He showed little interest in the Chen family’s final fate, simply offering a terse “karma strikes,” and didn’t bring it up again.

So Xiao Chen never paid it any more attention.

But what Xiao Chen didn’t know was that Xiao He wasn’t uninterested back then—it was the opposite. Because he had personally been involved and participated, he chose to stay tight-lipped.

He also remembered many of the people involved very vividly.

Especially the deceased Xu Youyou and Cheng Hongwen, who had permanently retired from the entertainment circle after recovering from severe injuries. Even now, Xiao He couldn’t forget the brutal scene.

The only thing that was a relief was that Tong Junhui, whose acting career had also been destroyed back then, had chosen a completely new path. Now, he had emerged from the shadows and started a new journey.

But he never expected that the fall of Hong Kong’s top-ranked family would also drastically change the entire capital market landscape in the city.

And now, so much later, they could still hear about the lingering effects of that event from others.

What was ironic was that one major reason the Chen family collapsed was their stance issue. Yet now, these people, who had climbed up on the ruins of that collapse, still had no sense of reverence. They continued to act as they pleased, practically hanging a sign on the hotel entrance that said, “Disdain for our own, fawning over foreigners.”

Sooner or later, they’d fall into the ditch.

Xiao He curled his lips in mockery. He happened to see Zhuang Hongyi walking away while answering a phone call.

“President Li, we regret how this turned out too, but you know, some things are matters of principle—”

Zhuang Hongyi’s voice gradually faded. Xiao He glanced over, then shrugged.

“Tell me, how do idiots like them manage to get this far?” Liu Rulan said. “It’s a shame they forgot that Director Zhuang’s home base is in Beijing.”

In ancient times, that would be like having direct access to the emperor.

Xiao He just smiled. “The Chen family’s collapse back then probably gave them the illusion that fate was on their side—that they were invincible.”

But they forgot to consider that even the Chen family, once the richest, was gone in an instant.

Some people got lucky back then but didn’t keep a low profile or treasure it. Naturally, they’d have to pay it back some other way.

Liu Rulan shook her head, as if she too didn’t hold out much hope for that hotel’s future. Then she couldn’t help teasing Xiao He. “But I didn’t expect you to show no mercy to that front desk girl who recognized you. Aren’t you worried she’s a fan?”

“Fans shouldn’t think that way. And I usually don’t make things difficult for workers, but I’d already put up with her several times.”

Xiao He explained coldly.

The argument started because the front desk attendant was cold and stubborn. When Wang Sheng asked her questions, she either ignored him or wouldn’t explain why there weren’t enough rooms. She refused to speak Mandarin properly, insisting on showing off with English. Only when Wang Sheng was about to blow his top did she reluctantly switch to Mandarin, which left him fuming.

And later, when the manager came over, the front desk kept rolling her eyes so many times, her disdain for the production team was obvious.

So when she directly started making sweeping generalizations, Xiao He had no choice but to call her out without any mercy.

Once is chance, twice is circumstance, three times is a pattern. If she kept pushing it, what else could he do?

Xiao He wasn’t exactly the type to swallow his anger.

“I see.”

After hearing Xiao He’s explanation, Liu Rulan understood.

She hadn’t noticed those little moves from the front desk earlier.

“In that case, it really was too much.”

Liu Rulan frowned, then patted Xiao He. “You did well. For people like that, there’s no need to be lenient. And as for what happens next, don’t worry too much—Director Zhuang will handle it.”

Xiao He nodded. “I know.”

-

After that, the incident didn’t spark much discussion within the production team.

However, Xiao He heard from Xiao Chen that the next day, the hotel owner from the old place came with his manager and the front desk attendant to apologize and offer gifts. But Director Zhuang had the new hotel’s staff block them outside—they didn’t even let them through the main entrance.

Funny. They were busy with their own stuff; who had time to deal with them?

So after that one visit, they didn’t dare bother them again, and they fell quiet as mice afterward.

When Xiao He heard about it, he just laughed it off and didn’t pay it any mind.

Because he had something much more important to do next—

Meet with the Tianshi Association.