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

Chapter 813: The Three Great Families of Hong Kong

"Fragrant Victory" was the most luxurious and extravagant cruise ship owned by Shipping King Bao Xingsheng, with a construction cost of approximately 2.8 billion Hong Kong dollars. It was said that just the annual operating and maintenance expenses for this single vessel alone exceeded 200 million Hong Kong dollars. Even by global standards, it was an absolute top-tier existence—the most impressive ultimate trump card the Shipping King's family could show off.

The ship was adorned entirely with gilded lighting fixtures, with spacious decks. Its interior not only featured banquet halls, viewing terraces, and VIP suites, but also contained a complete light luxury shopping district, bringing together top-tier luxury brand stores from around the world. Additionally, bars, clubs, and recreational entertainment areas were all available. The overall decor carried an inherent Hong Kong-style aristocratic elegance and refinement. At first glance, it didn't look like a cruise ship about to set sail at all, but rather a top-tier comprehensive luxury city floating on the sea.

Every corner here showcased the profound heritage of the old-school Hong Kong entertainment circle.

Even after entering the main hall, there was a special observation elevator right in the center. Sitting in this observation elevator, Xiao He could easily admire the magnificent interior decorations and facility layout of the ship's interior through the transparent glass. As he ascended floor by floor, it grew brighter and more impressive, symbolizing the crossing of social classes and offering a glimpse into the disparity between different worlds.

Here, differences in rank and treatment were taken for granted.

Only now, since the ship hadn't set sail yet, many of the boarding guests were either still taking photos near the deck or had already begun socializing in their new surroundings. So the tiered class divisions weren't yet very pronounced, and the central commercial district was relatively quiet. Only the shop staff stood neatly at the entrances of their dazzling storefronts, wearing smiles as they waited to receive their customers.

Several floors higher were the resting areas and accommodation for regular guests. This section was even quieter. As one continued upward, the original transparent glass was replaced by frosted glass. The splendor of class distinctions gradually became blurred, yet still sparkled faintly, leaving room for infinite imagination.

Xiao He reluctantly withdrew his gaze, unable to help marveling once again at the advanced design here.

Soon, they reached the corresponding floor.

As the door opened, the first thing that rushed toward them was a subtle, understated fragrance, followed by rows of reception staff bowing respectfully.

They wore standardized, uniform smiles and were dressed in elegant light blue uniforms. The design resembled sailors on the sea, but without the forced adherence to trendy internet celebrity styles. Instead, it created a high-end visual effect that exuded a heroic and spirited air. When they bowed, their movements were perfectly synchronized. The lead receptionist walked toward Xiao He with a warm expression.

It was only at this moment that Xiao He realized this floor was the actual venue for the cruise party.

Only the wealthy and powerful could enter this floor, and they also needed a higher-level invitation letter.

If Xiao He had only come with his company's standard business invitation, he wouldn't have been able to enter.

This time, it was all thanks to the invitation letter Bao Xingsheng had personally handed him last time.

Even Liu Rulan, who had come with him, was stopped outside. Only he himself was allowed in.

As for the environment inside, it could only be described as extravagant.

Xiao He declined the receptionist's offer to guide him and walked on his own toward the central foyer.

Not only was the entire venue hall luxuriously decorated, but even the sea view visible from this floor was several times more beautiful than the one seen from the deck earlier.

There were even fewer guests here, and it was quieter. However, there were many servers moving about, and from time to time, Xiao He could overhear foreign language conversations between nearby groups.

Xiao He walked around but didn't find his target, nor did he see any familiar faces he could strike up a conversation with.

On the contrary, people gradually began to notice his presence.

For some reason, though, these people were only watching him from a distance, as if scrutinizing this unfamiliar face from a position of superiority.

Only one person, who had been quietly sitting in a corner, had their eyes light up slightly when they saw Xiao He.

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Of course, Xiao He hadn't come this time without any preparation.

For this event, he had even crammed extensively on the basic situations of the major figures in present-day Hong Kong.

Among them, the three major families that were the main organizers of this event had to be mentioned.

They were the Bao Family, the Dong Family, and the He Family.

As for the Bao Family's situation, it was basically clear. The current power holder was Bao Xingsheng, now known as the Shipping King. His family owned numerous properties, but their primary founding enterprise was naturally Hongyu Ocean Shipping, which operated in Hong Kong's most geographically advantageous industry—cross-border shipping and overseas freight. With foundations both domestically and internationally, this was a very stable industrial giant.

Bao Xingsheng was superstitious and also quite promiscuous. His legitimate wife had given birth to six children in one go, while the number of unacknowledged and publicly acknowledged illegitimate children was countless. It was said he did this to produce a son most capable of inheriting the Bao family's future estate. For nearly every child, he would consult a master fortune-teller to calculate the child's birth chart before deciding whether to keep the child or not.

Such practices were not uncommon among major families, but Bao Xingsheng was the most superstitious and the most high-profile about it. As a result, every time the topic of his offspring came up, it became fodder for Hong Kong media and paparazzi to obsess over. Only in later years, when the authorities gradually regulated cultural and public opinion, did matters concerning Bao Xingsheng's children barely calm down. Still, people would occasionally bring up old stories, though they no longer caused major waves.

But the internet has a memory.

At least, through certain means, Xiao He had dug up many early rumors about the Bao Family, especially on a certain forum known as "Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers." Many of the stories circulating there were of unknown authenticity, but one could certainly pick up some hair-raising tales.

After all, the very fact that the authorities had to step in and vigorously regulate Feng Shui and metaphysics was because most of these people were doing superstitious things that were utterly nefarious and lacking any scientific basis. They were pure madmen and perverts, completely violating morality and the law, trampling on other people's human rights and lives.

Feng Shui and metaphysics themselves might not be wrong, but when people used them as sharp blades and tools to destabilize public order and security, then they naturally had to be sanctioned.

So later, Bao Xingsheng became more restrained. His recent media appearances were gentle, and from time to time, he would cater to public tastes by showing a loving father side.

However, as of now, his oldest child had just turned thirty, while most of his other children were around ten to twenty years old. Four or five of them were about the same age as Xiao He—at an age where they could be striving for their careers but also easily led astray.

Xiao He speculated that the "culprit" behind the family misfortune that Bao Xingsheng had mentioned to Daoist Hu was probably among these children.

As for the remaining Dong Family and He Family, one was mainly in real estate and the other in finance. Both were old-school Hong Kong family enterprises in traditional industry tracks, accumulating wealth codes and network power from the last century onward. They were deeply rooted in Hong Kong, each being a massive capital conglomerate.

When it came to the personnel situations and hidden secrets behind these two families, they were essentially on par with the Bao Family. Each had its own brand of chaos that couldn't be fully explained in a short time.

What particularly caught Xiao He's attention, though, was that the Dong Family had once been close with the former richest man, the Chen Family.

The Dong Family was currently a unique case.

Their current family head was a man of no great ability. The only good thing was that his mother had arranged for him to marry a strong-willed woman before her death, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had an excellent relationship. So after the Dong mother passed away, the overall situation in the Dong family was now basically handled by Mrs. Dong, while the Dong family head only needed to eat, drink, and enjoy himself.

This effectively meant the Dong family was led by a matriarch. And tracing this matriarch's background, she was a collateral branch of the Chen Family. So when she had first established herself in Hong Kong, it was likely with the Chen Family's help. The two families had also engaged in subsequent marriages to strengthen ties.

But later, when the Chen Family ran into trouble, the Dong Family quickly cut all ties, distancing themselves to protect themselves.

However, Mrs. Dong, who held the reins of power, was unaffected. She was still the Dong Family's leader to this day—even though she herself wasn't actually born a Dong.

From this alone, Xiao He knew she was definitely not a simple character.

And what was even more intriguing was that this cruise party was actually proposed by Mrs. Dong in the first place.

Without her proposal and push, this party might not have happened.

But what was she after?