Careless Hoarding Invites Theft, Alluring Adornment Invites Lust (continued)

"Today, I heard that you A-Yao, encountered a very serious accident while doing charity work and distributing rice to the residents of Green Island District."

"A staff member from the Macau Chamber of Commerce who was helping to distribute rice was shot and killed," Song Tianyao told Pedro Lobo.

Pedro Lobo nodded slightly and continued in a relaxed tone, "I also heard that A-Yao seems to have some minor conflicts with the Lin Family in Hong Kong?"

Before the main course was even served, Pedro Lobo got straight to the point? Song Tianyao seemed a little curious, perhaps a bit too excited about the whole thing.

Song Tianyao put down his cutlery, wiped his mouth, and said to Pedro Lobo, "There are indeed some contradictions, and they are rather complex and multifaceted contradictions."

"You should also know about my conflict with the Lin Family many years ago?" Pedro Lobo lowered his voice, seemingly with some regret.

Back then, he was at most a few years older than Song Tianyao, who was sitting across from him now. He was in his prime, full of ambition for the future, just like the young man in front of him. He felt that he could control the entire city. Then, everything was ruined by Lin Xizhen, that opium dealer.

He is now very old and can repent for all his sins and forgive those who have hurt him, except for the Lin Family. The Lin Family not only hurt him but also changed the course of his life. If Lin Xizhen had not ruined his reputation, he would not still be just the Director of the Macau Economic Bureau at his age. Pedro Lobo believes this.

Song Tianyao said softly, "I've heard of it."

"Although Brother Xian didn't mention you to me, I know that if the Border Gate incident hadn't happened, he would have introduced you to me, right?" Pedro Lobo picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and continued, "Don't deny it or admit it. I know that under these circumstances, it's indeed inconvenient for Brother Xian to introduce you to me. But after learning about you, I became interested, especially after hearing about your rice distribution in Green Island District. You're definitely not just pitying those poor people."

"I thought I could catch a big fish with my own bait, but the Lin Family acted faster than I expected. Dr. Pedro Lobo, you should already know that Lin Xiyuan and Lin Xishen have died in a revenge killing as determined by the Judiciary Police." Song Tianyao pursed his lips and gave a bitter smile, "In the end, I gained nothing."

"No, no, no, don't be so quick to deny yourself. You've caught a big fish like me. I don't know if you ever considered using the scheme of sending rice to Green Island to lure them out and get my attention, but you succeeded. Otherwise, you wouldn't be having dinner with me tonight." Pedro Lobo looked at Song Tianyao and said calmly, "Tell me your plan, A-Yao. Let's see what I can do for a young man like you."

Song Tianyao hesitated for a moment, glanced at Huang Liu in the distance, and then looked at Pedro Lobo, who seemed overly agreeable, and asked, "Dr. Pedro Lobo, if I may be so bold, what do you want?"

"Was it my attitude that made you suspicious?" Pedro Lobo laughed. "It's alright, it's normal. Many people in Macau reacted the same way you did when they received my help. They thought, just like you, how could someone like me be so easily persuaded? You ask me what I want?"

Pedro Lobo downed the champagne in his glass in one gulp, then looked at Song Tianyao. His wrinkled face, sharply defined in the setting sun, was as hard as a rock.

"I don't like the Lin Family. I want to find a young person who will take care of the Lin Family, just like Lin Xizhen took care of me when I was young."

"Not just you, Dr. Pedro Lobo, what about the others?" Before getting Pedro Lobo's approval, Song Tianyao was very calm, but now that the white-haired old man had actually agreed to help him, Song Tianyao felt a little uneasy.

What appears to be a series of alliances is actually a situation where Song Tianyao is essentially Pedro Lobo's weapon against the Lin Family, a weapon that has no real power.

Pedro Lobo slowly exhaled. "The He Family?"

"And then there's the Lu Family, which is allied with the He Family through marriage," Song Tianyao added.

The chef served the main course, a veal steak drizzled with sauce. Pedro Lobo cut a piece and put it in his mouth. "Why don't you tell me what you'd like?"

"I want that barren mountain, Ngau Tau Shan Mountain. That's the bare minimum," Song Tianyao said frankly to Pedro Lobo.

Pedro Lobo seemed quite satisfied with the taste of the beef, nodding slightly at the steak before looking up at Song Tianyao with a smile, "A-Yao, you're a young man, and I have a great fondness for young people. However, sometimes young people are prone to making small mistakes, such as not considering issues comprehensively enough. Actually, you should first consider what we might need. I don't need anything; I just want to see the Lin Family's fate. As for the He Family, you should notice that He Family haven't expanded or developed in recent years, and their influence in Hong Kong has gradually declined. That's because the He Family doesn't have a positive outlook on Hong Kong's future. The He Family now owns several major newspapers and even co-founded Macau Radio with me, essentially acting as a mouthpiece for the Britain. They have no interest in land and buildings. If war really breaks out in Hong Kong one day, land can't be moved to London. As for the Lu Family, they don't need money; they need prestige. Regardless of whether the Britain or China person rule Hong Kong in the future, extremely high public prestige can guarantee the Lu Family's position. So now do you understand? If they're willing to help, what do they need?"

"The He Family needs money, the Lu Family needs prestige, and Dr. Pedro Lobo, you need results." Song Tianyao lowered his head, somewhat rudely took out a cigarette, lit it, and after a minute or two, looked up at Pedro Lobo and said confidently, "It's difficult, but I can do it."

Pedro Lobo laughed, poured another glass of champagne, and gestured to Song Tianyao, saying, "A young man who dares to do charity without fear of bullets, of course I believe this kind of thing won't be difficult for you. Kid, youth is wonderful, you know? Back then, the Governor of Macau and his wife served me the exact same food as tonight. It tasted delicious, didn't it? But in the past twenty years, I've never been able to find that delicious taste again. Do you know why?"

Song Tianyao cut a piece of veal and put it in his mouth. "Because you betrayed their trust."

Pedro Lobo nodded seriously. "I think if you betray my trust tonight, your fate might be worse than mine back then."

Song Tianyao finished his food, gripped his knife and fork, looked at Pedro Lobo, and said calmly, "The Lin Family back then is no different from now; they are still making the same mistakes. There's a China saying, 'Hidden treasures invite theft, and frivolous appearance invites lewdness.' This means that people like the Lin Family haven't even realized their mistakes. How could I possibly lose?"