Chapter 190 An End to the Farce

The farce came to an end.

All four thugs had been apprehended without even catching a glimpse of So Yip-Hao.

The biggest winner in the whole affair was none other than the snakehead, who pocketed three million Hong Kong dollars. Although the windfall would be subject to taxes, the news still sparked envy among others, who sourly lamented that they shouldn't have entrusted their money to such a person.

Upon hearing the news, Grandpa Tong made a special trip to Deep Water Bay to visit his grandson and praised him for handling the matter well.

It was akin to spending a fortune to recruit talent.

Establishing trust now only required a small sum.

In the future, anyone contemplating targeting So Yip-Hao would have to carefully consider whether those around them might leak information.

Any hint of a plot would likely prompt someone to rush to So Yip-Hao with a tip-off, greatly enhancing his security. After all, the consequences of targeting the So family had been made clear in this instance.

And after confirming the tip-off, one could really get a large sum of money.

For ordinary people, earning a bit of money from So Yip-Hao was enough to live comfortably for quite some time. Why risk their lives when they could openly sell information and make a clean profit?

While the overt crisis had been resolved, potential risks still lingered.

After completing their assessment, the security company suggested increasing So Yip-Hao's personal bodyguards in Hong Kong to eight. Nangong Tian and Keung Yu would each be assigned two female bodyguards, who could also serve as assistants to handle minor tasks.

Yin Liuli and Nong Qingying were naturally not forgotten, and they received the same standard team.

According to "Bucktooth" Jun, merely doing business with the So family was enough to guarantee a comfortable living. The rotations of bodyguards for the entire So family provided over thirty job opportunities, with annual security expenses reaching nearly ten million Hong Kong dollars.

In addition to the two extra bodyguards, the mansion at Deep Water Bay would also undergo some renovations.

Besides adding a bulletproof and blast-resistant safe room, some of the windows on the second floor would be replaced with bulletproof glass. The security cameras on the walls would also be upgraded with new high-definition models featuring night vision capabilities...

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It was almost the Lunar New Year.

So Yip-Hao put the little incident behind him and stayed at Deep Water Bay to rest.

With the crisis quickly resolved, Keung Yu returned home to spend time with her parents, and she was naturally grilled by the Keung family.

Afterward, Keung Yu called So Yip-Hao to complain, finding the whole situation mortifying.

Newspapers and magazines were full of intimate photos of her and So Yip-Hao, and with bodyguards accompanying her home, the excuse of being "just friends" was clearly untenable.

So Yip-Hao remained unfazed, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

He wasn't worried about it.

Since he was so close to the Keung family, he would just accept a scolding when they met. In any case, what's done is done, and he wasn't afraid of losing Keung Yu.

The festive atmosphere in Hong Kong was quite strong.

Unfortunately, the holiday wasn't as long as in the mainland. Most families simply had a reunion dinner. Given the rare opportunity to rest, people preferred shopping and eating out, unwilling to waste time on visiting relatives.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, So Yip-Hao went to Tao Tao Ju Restaurant for lunch and met with Yin Liuli.

Seeing that he was safe, Yin Liuli was relieved.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Nong Qingying, who had returned from Japan, invited him to her home for a meal, saying it was her parents' wish.

Every holiday, there was always a headache about trying to please everyone.

Using the excuse that he was busy recently, he had turned down many dinner invitations. However, when Nong Qingying's parents extended an invitation, he had to give them face.

Keung Yu's family had returned to Casino, 1997, and the little girl was taken back to Casino, 1997 by her mother. Going to Upper East Side wasn't a problem, but So Yip-Hao was worried about neighborhood gossip, so he chose to change the dining location to the Garden Hotel.

Nong Qingying's parents had no objections and took the opportunity to stroll through So Yip-Hao's Garden Hotel.

At this moment, Nong's father, dressed in a suit with a high-necked sweater underneath, could be considered a handsome older man, if not for his weathered skin from years at sea.

He sat in the lobby on the first floor of the Garden Hotel, looking around and saying:

"Daughter, you really have a good eye. It hasn't been long, and Yip-Hao has already made so much money. That fortune teller who said you were destined for hardship was completely wrong. It's clear that you bring good fortune to your husband. Your previous in-laws were spreading rumors about you, which is just crazy. What does it matter to them that their son likes men?"

Nong Qingying sat there, her hair in a ponytail, wearing a gray trench coat. She said with a smile:

"Exactly. My business in Japan is doing great. In just half a year, the company's performance has increased by 60%, and it's selling out in Hong Kong department stores. My wealth is just rolling in. If I don't bring good fortune to my husband, then who does?"

"Oh, you two are going to kill me! Why are you talking about this today? Just because you were married before, do you have to keep bringing it up?"

Nong Qingying's mother looked unlucky, lowered her voice, and glanced around, afraid of being overheard.

She grew up in a fishing village on Lantau Island and didn't have much education or experience. She felt uncomfortable wearing high heels today, and even carrying a Hermès bag given to her by her daughter, she didn't have the air of a wealthy lady.

She owed her current life entirely to her daughter's success. Even after the family became wealthy, she was still busy fishing and rarely interacted with life outside of her circle.

Today, visiting the Garden Hotel in Central and learning that So Yip-Hao had spent over 700 million Hong Kong dollars to buy it, and that its value had since increased, left Nong Qingying's parents in awe.

On the way here, they had also seen the building with the Sihai International sign.

Hearing about how wealthy their "son-in-law" was from news magazines and other people's mouths was nothing compared to seeing the reality of these five-star hotels and office buildings in Central.

Over the past year, Nong Qingying's changes were obvious. She had earned hundreds of millions from investments and had gone to Japan to sell cosmetics, becoming a shareholder herself.

Knowing that So Yip-Hao had helped her a lot, the small grievances in Nong Qingying's parents' hearts had gradually faded away. Even when they saw gossip about So Yip-Hao in magazines, they could only sigh and regret it.

The situation with their daughter had exceeded their comprehension, making it difficult for them to offer advice.

A young man who was one of Hong Kong's top ten richest people had completely stunned the Nong couple.

If it were someone else who dared to womanize and mistreat their daughter, Nong's father would have been furious and advised her to break up.

But because it was So Yip-Hao, whose qualifications were outstanding in every way, such a son-in-law was hard to find even with a lantern. All things considered, his flaws were "minor," and they could barely accept it.

Moreover, So Yip-Hao was not yet married, and it was hard to say what the future held, so it wasn't completely hopeless.

In the end, they could only comfort themselves with the saying "children and grandchildren have their own blessings," feeling rather conflicted.

When So Yip-Hao arrived at the hotel, he smiled at Nong Qingying's parents and said:

"I'm sorry, Uncle, Auntie, it's been a while since I've seen you. Shall we go up and eat now? The private room has been arranged. I guessed you were tired of seafood, so I was wondering if you'd like Sichuan cuisine today..."