Recaps

Ning Zikun explained how he had built the Heavenly Immortal Scheme and planned to swindle both poor ticket buyers and a police officer. Song Tianyao, interested only in Ning Zikun’s wig-making skills, offered him five thousand dollars to train workers at his factory and then leave Hong Kong.

• Ning Zikun described how he and Song Sidi would win the Squatter Area’s sympathy and sell lottery tickets by promising three girls as prizes.
• Ning Zikun admitted that he intended to use the poor people’s lottery money to lure wealthy targets and swindle the cop who helped him.
• Yan Hung became furious when he learned Ning Zikun planned to cheat the cop, while Lam Kong held him back.
• Ning Zikun explained that he had pawned the girls’ sale contracts and set aside money for Song Sidi before escaping.
• Song Tianyao asked whether Ning Zikun could make Cantonese opera wigs, and Ning Zikun said he had worked as a wig-maker for more than ten years.
• Song Tianyao offered Ning Zikun five thousand dollars to teach workers at his factory before leaving Hong Kong.

Song Tianyao freed Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin from their sale contracts and learned that the three girls had no family or home to return to. He offered them temporary work and lodging at his medicine shop, with a possible place at his factory later.

• Song Tianyao tore up the girls’ sale contracts, ordered Ning Zikun held, and sent Yan Hung to find a wig craftsman’s address.
• Song Tianyao arranged for Lam Kong to use money from Lui Lok to stage a crime-fighting publicity campaign and seek a police commendation.
• Song Tianyao brought Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin to his car and asked whether they had relatives in Hong Kong.
• Fu Xinniang explained that their masters had raised and trained them before selling them, and the three girls cried as they recounted their pasts.
• Song Tianyao offered the three girls food, lodging, and paid work at his medicine shop, with the option of factory work later.

Song Tianyao brought Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin to work at the medicine shop, where he angrily scolded Song Wenwen over money taken from the till. Lou Fengyun explained that Song Wenwen had been upset after overhearing relatives discuss her marriage and had taken the money with Song Chunliang’s permission.

• Song Tianyao offered Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin work, food, and lodging at the medicine shop.
• Song Tianyao found Lou Fengyun balancing the accounts while Song Wenwen ate preserved fruit and ordered Song Wenwen to handle the books and repay the shortfall.
• Song Wenwen argued that the medicine shop’s money belonged to the Song Family, then ran to the storeroom crying after Song Tianyao told her to stop working there.
• Lou Fengyun told Song Tianyao that his uncle and aunt had visited and discussed Song Wenwen’s marriage, upsetting her.
• Lou Fengyun explained that Song Chunliang had permitted Song Wenwen to take money from the till for food while she waited for Song Tianyao to return.

Song Tianyao learned that his uncle Zhao Houji had come to propose a marriage between Song Wenwen and his son, and he resolved to stop it. He comforted Wenwen and went upstairs to confront Zhao Houji's family.

• Lou Fengyun told Song Tianyao that Zhao Houji had arrived and that Auntie Zhen seemed tempted by his proposal for Song Wenwen.
• Song Tianyao found Song Wenwen crying in the storeroom, reassured her, and led her upstairs with Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin.
• Song Tianyao recalled how Zhao Houji had refused to help the family despite their past generosity toward him.
• Song Tianyao heard Zhao Houji and his wife speaking loudly with Zhao Meizhen, then knocked on the door.
• Song Chunliang opened the door and brightened when he saw Song Tianyao standing outside.

Song Tianyao drove Zhao Houji’s family out after they tried to arrange a marriage with Zhao Zhisheng, then confronted Zhao Meizhen for considering the match with Song Wenwen. He left Zhao Meizhen in tears while promising to care for Zhao Meizhu.

• Song Tianyao reassured Zhao Meizhu that he had arranged for Zhao Wenye to be placed at Tai Wong Tau Police Station after graduating from the police academy.
• Song Tianyao learned that Zhao Meizhen and Zhao Houji were trying to arrange a marriage for him and brought Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin into the room.
• Song Tianyao mocked Zhao Zhisheng for staring at Fu Xinniang, smashed a teacup, and ordered Zhao Houji’s family to leave.
• Song Tianyao invited Zhao Meizhu to stay for dinner and offered to drive her home afterward.
• Song Meizhen began crying, and Song Tianyao demanded to know why she had considered Zhao Zhisheng as a match for Song Wenwen.

Song Tianyao moved his factory plans forward while reassuring Zhao Meizhen and settling the family pharmacy’s finances. The Long Light Wig Factory was prepared for production, and its machinery arrived as Song Tianyao waited for the remaining hair supply.

• Song Tianyao promised Zhao Meizhen a monthly household allowance and put her in charge of the family pharmacy, then asked Zhao Meizhu to stay and keep her company.
• Song Tianyao brought Lou Fengyun and three young girls to the North Point factory, where he arranged living quarters and an office.
• Lou Fengyun supervised construction and repairs while Song Tianyao handled the factory’s legal formalities and established Long Light Wig Factory and Manifest Glory Trading Company.
• Hair collected by Lei Yingdong arrived at the factory while Xia Zuoji was still in India gathering the first batch of hair.
• Song Tianyao watched workers install and start the hair-aligning and high-needle hair-knitting machines.

Song Tianyao brought swindlers, a wigmaker, and barbers to his factory to teach workers how to make and style wigs, then started the machinery. Kong Wing-yan went to find Song at the factory about Oxfam’s deworming medicine donation and was challenged by the cook after the dogs barked at her.

• Lam Kong brought Ning Zikun, Song Sidi, a wigmaker, and two barbers to Song Tianyao’s factory.
• Fu Xinniang fed raw meat to the factory’s three guard dogs, and Lam Kong noticed that she and Song wore matching Jiuguang uniforms.
• Song Tianyao told Ning Zikun to teach the others how to use the wig-making machines and offered the barbers five hundred dollars for each hairstyle they taught.
• Lam Kong threatened one barber until he agreed to teach, and Song Tianyao switched on the machines.
• Kong Wing-yan asked Chu Shuheng, Chen Qingwen, and Chu Xiaoxin how to handle the next Oxfam medicine donation before Chu Xiaoxin sent her to Song Tianyao.
• Kong Wing-yan reached the North Point factory, where the cook fed the dogs and asked whom she was looking for.

Kong Wing-yan visited Song Tianyao at his new factory and asked how to handle Oxfam’s second medicine donation. Song Tianyao told her to keep the donation under Likang Company’s name, leaving the chapter with Kong considering how Chu Xiaoxin had sent her to seek Song’s advice.

• Kong Wing-yan entered Song Tianyao’s workshop and found him directing workers who were washing and aligning hair.
• Song Tianyao brought Kong Wing-yan to his office, where she told him about Oxfam’s second medicine donation.
• Song Tianyao advised Kong Wing-yan to make the donation through Likang Company rather than Crown Asia Company, keeping the two companies separate.
• Kong Wing-yan worried that Song Tianyao could be made a scapegoat if Crown Asia Company were abandoned, but he explained that the Chu Family still regarded him as one of their own.
• Kong Wing-yan asked what would have happened if she had transferred the donation to Crown Asia Company, and Song Tianyao replied that Chu Xiaoxin would have sent her to ask him anyway.

Song Tianyao spoke with Kong Wing-yan about her difficult position as Zhong’s secretary, then watched her leave. At the factory, the workers ate while Sister Xiong teased Song about Lou Fengyun, leaving him embarrassed by her sharp observations.

• Song Tianyao teased Kong Wing-yan about being sidelined from Zhong’s affairs, then warned that she could not take the same risks he did to earn the big families’ trust.
• Kong Wing-yan left Song Tianyao’s factory, and he sighed over how difficult things seemed for her.
• Sister Xiong served char siu rice to the factory’s women workers and scolded those who came out of the dormitory improperly dressed as men watched over the wall.
• Sister Xiong called Song Tianyao and Lou Fengyun his wife and concubines, then suggested that he and Lou had been together the previous night.
• Song Tianyao protested Sister Xiong’s teasing, but her remark left him embarrassed.

Song Tianyao compared his factory’s first successful wigs with imported products and prepared to return to public life to sell them. Meanwhile, Tang Jingyuan waited at Kai Tak Airport to meet Tang Boqi.

• Song Tianyao showed Lou Fengyun that his factory’s wigs matched American products, though French wigs remained more refined.
• Song Tianyao told Lou Fengyun to arrange for Meng Wanqing to bring his suits and accessories, and said he would market the wigs locally before going to the United States.
• Song Tianyao promised Lou Fengyun a role as a leader in Hong Kong’s wig industry and asked her to arrange a meeting with Mr. Chu and a night out at a nightclub.
• Tang Jingyuan waited at Kai Tak Airport with a pickup sign for Tang Boqi and reflected on his lack of influence and independence compared with Chu Xiaoxin.

Tang Jingyuan arranged for his cousin Tang Boqi to come to Hong Kong after learning that Song Tianyao planned to manufacture wigs. Tang Boqi arrived intending to confront Song Tianyao, whom he blamed for misleading him into wasting time courting American distributors before he had a factory.

• Tang Jingyuan persuaded Tang Wenbao to support his plan to pursue a business opportunity connected to Song Tianyao.
• Tang Wenbao contacted Tang Shihu in San Francisco, and Tang Jingyuan later learned that Song Tianyao planned to enter the wig business.
• Tang Jingyuan went to Kai Tak Airport to meet his cousin Tang Boqi, who introduced himself as Billy Zai.
• Tang Jingyuan asked whether wigs were profitable and whether Song Tianyao was entering the business.
• Tang Boqi said Song Tianyao had misled him about contacting American distributors, and that he had been laughed at for seeking partners without a factory or product.

Tang Boqi warned Tang Jingyuan that Song Tianyao seemed to be building influence in the wig trade, though Tang Jingyuan wanted only to run a small factory. Song Tianyao later met a newly polished Chu Xiaoxin at the Silver Moon Dance Hall, where Hong Kong’s established businessmen gathered.

• Tang Boqi told Tang Jingyuan how Song Tianyao had kept him occupied in American cities and explained why he had come to Hong Kong to watch Song more closely.
• Tang Jingyuan questioned Tang Boqi’s fears and said he only wanted to open a wig factory and run a small business.
• Tang Boqi suspected Song Tianyao was preparing to use competition in the industry to rise above other merchants.
• Song Tianyao met Chu Xiaoxin at the Silver Moon Dance Hall and saw that Chu had left behind his former playboy habits.
• The chapter described the Silver Moon Dance Hall as a gathering place for older businessmen whose social standing was marked by public titles and honors.

Song Tianyao met Chu Xiaoxin’s girlfriend, Lu Peiying, and recognized that their relationship was a marriage alliance linking the Chu and influential Lu families. As Chu Xiaoxin complained about the restrictions of his new status and impending engagement, Song Tianyao suggested taking him abroad for a change of scenery.

• Chu Xiaoxin warmly greeted Song Tianyao and introduced Lu Peiying as his girlfriend, the daughter of Legislative Council member Lu Wenhui.
• Song Tianyao considered the Lu family’s political influence and concluded that Chu Xiaoxin was unlikely to end the relationship or avoid marrying Lu Peiying.
• Lu Peiying left the private room to join her second sister-in-law, leaving Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao to talk.
• Chu Xiaoxin told Song Tianyao that he felt constrained by his new status and found Lu Peiying too proper, despite their impending engagement.
• Song Tianyao suggested taking Chu Xiaoxin to the United States or Japan for a change of scenery.

Song Tianyao asked Chu Xiaoxin to guarantee a US$200,000 HSBC loan so Foreign Girl could establish a wig-machine factory in the United States, and Chu agreed. Song warned Chu to avoid new ventures and keep cash available before they joined Lu Peiying in the dance hall.

• Song Tianyao asked Chu Xiaoxin to guarantee a US$200,000 loan from HSBC for Foreign Girl's plans in the United States.
• Chu Xiaoxin agreed to guarantee the loan and said he trusted Song Tianyao to repay him.
• Chu Xiaoxin shared the fortune slip predicting his rise and asked Song Tianyao to remember their mutual obligations.
• Song Tianyao urged Chu Xiaoxin to avoid other businesses for a while and keep more cash on hand, and Chu agreed.
• Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin joined the main hall, where Lu Peiying ordered them drinks and arranged dance hostesses.

Song Tianyao showed Shek Chi-yik four wigs made at his factory and explained that British department-store buyers had mistaken them for high-end American products. He argued that wigs were becoming fashionable in Britain because young people were copying American trends.

• Shek Chi-yik examined four wigs and questioned whether they could compete with American-made ones.
• Song Tianyao said buyers at Lane Crawford, Marks & Spencer, and Debenhams had believed his factory's wigs were high-end American goods.
• Song Tianyao noted that wigs were becoming popular among young people in British cities and linked the trend to American influence.

Song Tianyao proposed using British department stores to sell Hong Kong-made wigs and discussed how the sales could boost the colony’s reported figures. Shek Chi-yik agreed to help arrange talks and confirmed that HSBC would handle Song’s loan through Angie Pellis’s company, leaving Song startled by the assigned manager’s name, Michael Sandberg, also known as Shen Bi.

• Song Tianyao asked Shek Chi-yik to help promote his wigs to Lane Crawford, Marks & Spencer, and Debenhams as British goods.
• Song Tianyao offered the department stores wigs for HK$1,050 each and said HK$50 per sale would go to Mrs. Bess’s Oxfam account.
• Song Tianyao explained that his four machines could produce about nine hundred wigs a month, worth HK$900,000 at the factory price.
• Shek Chi-yik questioned whether Song would share the American market with other manufacturers, and Song said he would follow the plan in his notebook.
• Shek Chi-yik confirmed HSBC would process the loan through Angie Pellis’s company and named Michael Sandberg, or Shen Bi, as the business manager.
• Song Tianyao recognized the name Shen Bi and privately recalled Sandberg’s later connection to Li Chaoren and Hutchison Whampoa.

Angie Pellis packed up her office at Clifford Chance and told Juliana Aiber she was leaving London for Hong Kong to join Song Tianyao. Juliana supported her choice, and Angie left confident in their relationship and in Song Tianyao’s ability to handle any problems.

• Angie Pellis packed her belongings while Juliana Aiber asked whether she was happy to leave and reminded her of the assistant position she was turning down.
• Angie told Juliana that Song Tianyao needed her and that she was going to Hong Kong, where he owned a small factory.
• Juliana warned Angie that Hong Kong’s industry was struggling and questioned whether she should give up a secure London career for a Chinese factory owner.
• Angie explained that Song Tianyao had helped her earn her solicitor’s certificate and that they had supported each other through difficult times.
• Juliana chose to respect and support Angie’s decision, and Angie said she trusted Song Tianyao to deal with any family or relationship complications before saying goodbye.

Angie Pellis returned to Hong Kong determined to settle what had long been delayed, while Scribe Hui agreed to help Harry sell surplus military machinery without taking a profit. Song Tianyao arranged a factory visit and explained to Lou Fengyun how to conceal Lei Danzi’s hair deliveries in the accounts.

• Angie Pellis told Juliana Aiber that she wanted to finish with him what should have happened long ago.
• Harry praised Scribe Hui for arranging uniforms for the barracks children, and Scribe Hui gave him cigars for his birthday.
• Harry offered Scribe Hui a chance to sell surplus machinery from the barracks warehouse and split the proceeds with officers.
• Scribe Hui agreed to sell the machinery and return all proceeds, minus transport and labor costs, to Harry.
• Song Tianyao told Lou Fengyun to prepare the factory for a visitor and explained that Lei Danzi’s hair deliveries should be omitted from the books and stockpiled.

Song Tianyao asked Sister Xiong and Brother Xiong to prepare dinner so he could eat and drink with Ning Zikun. As they gathered around the meal, Ning Zikun’s past and the reasons he had chosen to stay at the factory were recounted.

• Song Tianyao asked Sister Xiong to cook dinner and invited Brother Xiong to drink with him.
• Brother Xiong prepared clams, beef with water spinach, and char siu while Sister Xiong set out the table, liquor, and a lamp.
• Song Tianyao called Ning Zikun out of the dormitory to join them for drinks.
• Ning Zikun’s savings were wiped out by inflation after the civil war, and he fled to Hong Kong rather than resume his old con work.
• Fearing war would reach Hong Kong, Ning Zikun tried to swindle money for an overseas retirement, but Song Tianyao exposed his scheme.
• After teaching Song Tianyao and the workers wig-making techniques, Ning Zikun sent Song Sidi away and stayed at the factory as an instructor.

Song Tianyao explained why he was grateful to the woman returning from London, then waited at Kai Tak Airport to greet Angie Pellis. Angie spotted him in the arrivals hall as she collected her suitcase.

• Ning Zikun continued teaching the factory workers and stayed with Song Tianyao, who welcomed his company.
• Song Tianyao told Ning Zikun and the Xiongs that he was going to pick up a woman arriving the next morning.
• Song Tianyao explained that the woman had supported him when he was poor and had returned from London to help him again.
• Sister Xiong realized the returning woman was Song Tianyao's longtime partner, while Ning Zikun sang about love and was scolded.
• Song Tianyao waited in the cold drizzle outside Kai Tak Airport in a trench coat made by Meng Wanqing.
• Angie Pellis arrived in a red trench coat, spotted Song Tianyao in the arrivals hall, and collected her suitcase.

Song Tianyao reunited with Angie Pellis at the airport, and they spent the afternoon together before he headed to the factory to meet Shek Chi-yik and department-store buyers. Angie returned to help Song with his work, and he explained how he planned to use the low price and limited supply of black wigs to attract department stores.

• Angie Pellis arrived and Song Tianyao greeted her with a kiss, then took her to the Dulles Hotel.
• Song Tianyao and Angie spent several hours together before he left to meet Shek Chi-yik and the department-store purchasing heads.
• Angie said she had returned to help Song rather than remain at the hotel, and they drove together toward the factory.
• Song explained that he had offered the department stores ordinary-wig pricing for black wigs, while limiting production to nine hundred wigs a year and reserving some for other buyers.

Song Tianyao showed department-store buyers the Long Light Wig Factory’s production line and finished wigs as he sought to expand the business. The buyers acknowledged the products’ quality but began pointing out flaws, leaving negotiations open.

• Angie Pellis questioned Song Tianyao’s risky plans, and he said he had no time to develop slowly before driving them to the factory.
• Song Tianyao and Angie Pellis guided purchasing managers from Lane Crawford, Marks & Spencer, and Debenhams, along with Shek Chi-yik, through the factory.
• Song Tianyao told Liu Xinze that it had taken nine months to prepare the factory and produce an acceptable wig.
• The buyers examined four finished wigs, and Song Tianyao explained that washing and drying them would restore their style.
• Bao Shijie, Liu Xinze, and Ji Ledong praised the wigs but noted their weight, hair quality, and limited range of colors.

Song Tianyao negotiated with three department-store buyers over orders for Long Light Wig Factory’s black wigs, while they secretly agreed to suppress future prices by encouraging competitors. He rejected their offer of a one-year commitment and demanded two years of monthly orders and payments.

• Bao Shijie offered to buy wigs at 1,100 Hong Kong dollars apiece, and Ji Dongle proposed an order for Lane Crawford.
• Liu Xinze brought Bao Shijie and Ji Dongle together to agree on a common bargaining position and divide the factory’s yearly output among their stores.
• Liu Xinze proposed promoting the wig business to attract competitors and trigger a future price war, and Bao Shijie and Ji Dongle agreed.
• The three buyers offered to divide one year of orders from Long Light Wig Factory equally.
• Song Tianyao countered by demanding two years of orders, delivered and paid for monthly.

After Long Light Wig Factory secured a two-year exclusive supply deal with three major department stores, Song Tianyao discussed future business and risks with Shek Chi-yik. The news pushed Tang Wenbao to start a wig factory, while Tang Boqi went to inspect Song’s operation.

• Song Tianyao persuaded Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, and Lane Crawford to sign a two-year exclusive supply agreement with Long Light Wig Factory.
• Song Tianyao gave the contract to Angie Pellis and dined with Shek Chi-yik, who questioned why he still wanted an HSBC loan.
• Song Tianyao and Shek Chi-yik toasted to two years in the future and the possibility of London.
• Tang Boqi decided to visit Song Tianyao’s factory to study its production process, while Tang Jingyuan urged him to begin making wigs.
• Tang Wenbao told Tang Jingyuan to rent factory premises and order machinery, and planned to ask Chu Yaozong to arrange a meeting with Song Tianyao.

Tang Boqi went to Song Tianyao's factory to ask why he had sold two years of wig production to a British department store, but found Song away and waited outside. Meanwhile, Song and his associates completed loan arrangements with HSBC and discussed why Chinese customers avoided foreign banks.

• Tang Boqi arrived at Song Tianyao's factory, where Sister Xiong mistook him for a suitor and chased him outside with a cleaver.
• Tang Boqi introduced himself as Song Tianyao's friend from the United States and waited outside because Song was away.
• Song Tianyao, Chu Yaozong, Angie Pellis, Chu Shuheng, and their lawyers met with Michael Sandberg after completing their HSBC loan formalities.
• Sandberg questioned why Hong Kong Chinese preferred Chinese-owned banks, and Song explained that HSBC's barriers to ordinary customers drove them away.