Wo Sing Wo and Hung Hing wielded roughly equal influence on Hong Kong Island, and Lam Wai Lok and Chiang Tin-yeung held comparable standing in the underworld.
But across Hong Kong Island's various circles, Chiang Tin-yeung undoubtedly commanded somewhat greater respect than Lam Wai Lok.
There was a very clear difference in how thoroughly the two had gone legitimate.
That much was evident from their current nicknames.
Once Lok Chiu, now Master Lok.
Ultimately, he was a Gou Hok Jai who had turned over a new leaf, reformed, and taken the straight path.
Chiang Tin-yeung was different. His own reputation had been clean from the outset.
After all, Chiang Tin-yeung had not originally been Hung Hing's Dragon Head.
Hung Hing's first Dragon Head, Chiang Tin, had passed the organization down to his eldest son, Chiang Tin-sang.
Chiang Tin-yeung, however, had gone to Thailand alone and eventually built up a substantial business empire.
Only after his elder brother was shot dead had he returned to Hong Kong Island to take over Hung Hing, decisively and thoroughly turning it into a legitimate enterprise.
These days, even Bangkok's senior officials enjoyed close ties with Chiang Tin-yeung.
There must have been certain underhanded methods involved in Chiang Tin-yeung's rise.
But regardless, his status in Thailand could stand up to scrutiny.
After returning to Hong Kong Island, he had also resolved a major headache for the Hong Kong Government and the Police Force.
If Chiang Tin-sang's title of "Mr. Chiang" had been a way of gilding his own image,
then Chiang Tin-yeung's title of "Mr. Chiang" could at least be considered somewhat deserved.
At the very least, Chiang Tin-yeung had won the recognition of quite a few socialites on Hong Kong Island.
The only thing anyone could fault him for was his family background.
That