Song Tianyao

Biodata

Background

In his previous life, Song Tianyao was a wealthy industrial company owner who was executed by firing squad in 2015. For an unknown reason, he transmigrated to 1951 Hong Kong into the body of an eighteen-year-old who shared his name 2.

His new family lived in a squatter-area shack. His father repaired shoes, his mother did odd jobs at a teahouse, and his younger sister sold tea and snacks. His grandfather, Song Chengqi, had taught the original Song Tianyao to read and write 2 100.

After Song was rejected from the police academy, Li Suzhen’s family broke off their engagement. He later learned that Liu A Quan had bribed an official to block his application while pursuing Li Suzhen 5 97.

Appearance

Song Tianyao is described as a handsome, striking young man. As his circumstances improved, he became known for wearing suits; within a little over a year, his bearing and facial hair made him appear older than his age 56 95 475 556.

• Face and expression: Sharply defined features; an acquaintance described his later gaze as gentle and restrained 182 475.
• Clothing: Often wore a suit, shirt and tie, including an expensive tailored wardrobe in London 556 685.

Personality

Song is ambitious, calculating and willing to use deception or leverage against stronger opponents. He often presents himself with humor and easy confidence while assessing the danger behind a situation. Chu Yaozong considered his business judgment unusually seasoned for an eighteen-year-old 95 182.

He is protective of family and old associates, though impatient with relatives who try to exploit his success. He opened a pharmacy to give his parents a secure occupation and continued to care for the family of his deceased associate Xianyu Shuan 76 279 566.

His generosity can coexist with ruthlessness. He offered a pipa player a gold bar to help protect her, but also threatened to spend his fortune destroying the Lin family after Feng Yunzhi was injured 56 499.

Abilities & Skills

Business strategy

Song draws on experience from his previous life and is adept at turning another party’s resources or circumstances to his advantage.

• Took over Likang’s operations and planned its campaign against the Zhang family’s pharmaceutical business 72 229 285.
• Used conditions in American trade and the rise of McCarthyism as part of his strategy against rival wig manufacturers 524.
• Combined a stock-market acquisition with an inheritance dispute to pressure the Lin family 506.

Negotiation and influence

Song cultivates contacts across business, policing and the underworld, using favors, money and calculated pressure to secure cooperation.

• Negotiated fourteen gold bars from Golden-Tooth Lei in exchange for access to a pier 55 57.
• Offered Lai Man-yau one million dollars toward becoming Hong Kong Island’s Chief Detective if Lai could find damaging information on Lee Jusheng 542.
• Required rival wig-factory owners to surrender eight months of profits in exchange for retaining their businesses and American contracts 456.

Cooking

Song is a capable cook. The original Song Tianyao helped prepare family meals from childhood, and Song continued to cook for relatives after becoming wealthy 95 488.

Fighting

Song is willing to use violence but is not a skilled fighter. During an attack, he struck an opponent with a watermelon knife while the man was distracted, only for the blade to become lodged in his neck 179.

Relationships

• Song Chunliang and Zhao Meizhen — His parents. Song respected his mother for holding the family together and later funded a pharmacy for them 41 279.
• Song Wenwen — His younger sister. He protected her from unwanted marriage arrangements, though he could be harsh with her 76 328.
• Song Chengqi — His paternal grandfather, who taught the original Song Tianyao literacy and asked him to bring his third aunt and her daughter back to the Song family 100 103.
• Lin Yujing and Feng Yunzhi — His third aunt and her daughter. Their treatment by the Lin family became central to his conflict with the Lins 391 499.
• Zhao Wenye — His younger maternal cousin and childhood playmate, who worked at the docks 3.
• Chu Xiaoxin — Song served as his secretary and helped build Likang’s success. They became close, but Chu publicly severed their friendship after Song said he would help Shanghai people fight Hong Kong people 110 285 776.
• Chu Yaozong — Chu Xiaoxin’s father, who recognized Song’s talent and allowed him to leave the family’s service to build his own career 32 285.
• Meng Wanqing — His lover. She declined to move into his apartment immediately because she worried their life together would distract him from his studies 283 285.
• Lou Fengyun — Black-Hearted Wah’s wife, who initially sought mercy from Song after he stabbed her husband. She later became his lover and helped at the Song family’s medicine shop 77 328 784.
• Huang Liu — An associate who protected Song during confrontations, including clashes with the Lin family 499 517.
• Xianyu Shuan — A deceased associate who helped Song during an attack. Song arranged his burial and continued to look after Sister Fen and Wu Xiu’er 179 566.
• Tang Boqi — A business contact and rival in the wig industry. He recognized Song’s ability to use larger forces against stronger competitors 301 394 524.

Story Role

Joining the Chu family

Song paid Wu Jinliang to arrange an introduction to Chu Xiaoxin, hoping to secure a trading-firm job. He became Chu Xiaoxin’s secretary and formally took over Likang Trading Company’s business 8 72 110.

After learning that Liu A Quan had interfered with his police application, Song rejected an offer to have Liu killed and instead proposed staging an adultery scandal involving him 97.

Likang and the Zhang family

Song directed Likang’s confrontation with the Zhang family. After a raid on a factory making counterfeit penicillin packaging, he concluded that Zhang Yuliang had tried to have him killed to silence him. Chu Yaozong arranged protection for Song, who continued planning Likang’s response 182 183 229.

Likang ultimately absorbed the Zhang family’s pharmaceutical business. Song gained influence, while Likang became a leading pharmaceutical company and Chu Xiaoxin became a Justice of the Peace. Song then left the Chu family’s service to pursue his own career 284 285.

Wig business

Song investigated San Francisco’s wig trade and planned a Hong Kong factory selling to the United States. The Tang family also moved into the business, and Tang Boqi later sought negotiations with Song after a dispute involving his relatives 301 394.

After Song was shot in Macau and hospitalized, rival factories moved to establish an industry association. Song subsequently compelled the factory owners to surrender eight months of profits in exchange for preserving their American business. His control eventually extended across the wig production and sales chain 427 432 456 504.

Conflict with the Lin family

Song began buying Xizhen Properties shares while pursuing the interests of his third aunt, Lin Yujing, and Feng Yunzhi. After Yunzhi was injured, he confronted members of the Lin family and threatened to spend everything he owned against them 485 499 524.

His strategy combined the proposed acquisition with a challenge over Lin family property. He sought Feng family testimony concerning his third aunt’s marriage, while the Lu family’s legal connections supported the property case 506 608 636.

Later conflicts

Song continued to operate through business and personal alliances, including meeting Yu Shiting on He Xian’s behalf. As a wider conflict developed, he appeared with Chu Xiaoxin at the Harp Restaurant as bait for Shanghainese opponents 716 736.

Song later told Chu Xiaoxin that he would help Shanghai people fight Hong Kong people, prompting Chu to declare that they were no longer friends. A substantial underworld bounty was subsequently placed on Song, and his family fled as the danger escalated 776 784 795.

Notable Quotes

“You don’t have to be white to be more impressive than the governor. Besides, how do you know I won’t be more impressive than him someday?” 97

“In all my years, I, Song Tianyao, have had three fears. First, I’m afraid of being poor. Second, I’m afraid of hardship. Third, I’m afraid of owing people favors. The one thing I’m not afraid of is dying.” 500