svetikya Chapter 24 The Gang Comes to the Door
Chapter 24 The Gang Comes to the Door
For the past two months, the Zhonghua Daily has emerged like a dark horse, carving out a path in the fiercely competitive Hong Kong newspaper industry with its serialized novel "A Step into the Past" written by Lin Zhou.
Initially, no one took this newly acquired newspaper seriously. Established newspapers like Oriental Daily and Sing Tao Daily had been entrenched in Hong Kong for many years, with deep roots and distribution channels throughout the city, and had already formed a loyal readership.
But no one expected that every morning, the newspapers of the Zhonghua Daily would be sold out immediately, while the newspapers of the Oriental Daily and Sing Tao Evening Post were ignored. The newspapers that were once in high demand now often had to wait until evening to find that most of them were still left.
The atmosphere in the editor-in-chief's office of the Oriental Daily was oppressive. Editor-in-chief Zhou Qiyuan's face was ashen, his fingers gripping the performance report on the table so tightly they turned white. The report showed a dramatic drop in sales over the past two months, like a waterfall cascading down a cliff, with GG revenue also plummeting—a stark contrast to its peak two months prior.
"Useless! All of you are useless!" Zhou Qiyuan slammed the report to the ground, scattering papers everywhere. The editors and department managers in the office were too frightened to breathe, their heads bowed, avoiding his gaze. "How many years has our Oriental Daily been around? What is our status in Hong Kong's newspaper industry? Now we're being crushed by a newly emerged, lousy newspaper! Tell me, what use are you all to me?"
Zhou Qiyuan's roar pierced through the walls and reached the outside office area, causing the staff to fall silent and exchange worried glances. Just yesterday, the newspaper boss had personally summoned him to his office and given him a severe dressing-down, his words filled with dissatisfaction and threats. If he couldn't reverse the downward trend, he might lose his position as editor-in-chief.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhou, please calm down." The deputy editor-in-chief spoke cautiously. "The success of Zhonghua Daily is all thanks to that book, 'A Step into the Past.' We've also found many authors to imitate it, but nobody reads what they wrote. Readers only recognize Lin Zhou's writing style."
"Recognize Lin Zhou?" Zhou Qiyuan gritted his teeth, a sinister glint in his eyes. "A mere brat thinks he can ride roughshod over us just because he has a novel? Why didn't our previous two media offensives break him down?"
Two months ago, when their newspaper announced free distribution, Zhou Qiyuan had ulterior motives. He colluded with more than a dozen newspapers, large and small, to spread rumors that Lin Zhou deliberately distorted history in his novel to attract attention and mislead readers. Unexpectedly, these attacks not only failed to work, but also made more people curious about what kind of work "A Step into the Past" was, prompting them to rush to buy "Zhonghua Daily" to find out, thus providing Lin Zhou with free publicity.
"Lin Zhou must have had some incredible luck; he always manages to easily resolve things," a department manager said with a bitter face.
Zhou Qiyuan paced back and forth restlessly, tapping his fingers on the table with a "thump-thump" sound that seemed to strike the hearts of everyone present. He was unwilling to lose to a junior like this, and even more unwilling to lose the position he had painstakingly built up over the years.
"If public opinion doesn't work, then let's try another method." He stopped, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "Since rhetoric won't work, let's use force."
"Wu? Editor-in-Chief Zhou, you mean..." The deputy editor-in-chief was somewhat puzzled and uneasy.
"What kind of place is Hong Kong?" Zhou Qiyuan sneered. "Here, some things can't be reasoned with; we have to teach them a lesson." He paused, then lowered his voice, "Get the triads involved to show the *Zhonghua Daily* what's what. I refuse to believe that their newspaper can still publish normally after their offices have been vandalized."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the office was stunned. Go to a gang? This was a risky move; if exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhou, isn't this...isn't this too risky? If the police find out, our newspaper's reputation will be completely ruined," an editor hurriedly advised.
"Reputation?" Zhou Qiyuan scoffed. "Our sales have plummeted, and several GG Media outlets have already withdrawn their investments. If this continues, the newspaper will go bankrupt. What reputation are we talking about then?" He swept his gaze across the crowd with a sinister look. "I've already made up my mind. You don't need to try to persuade me. I'll contact the managers of Sing Tao Evening News and several other newspapers. We'll pool our money and find a reliable organization to solve the problem once and for all."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, no one daring to object. They all knew that Zhou Qiyuan had been driven to the brink, and at this point, he was capable of anything. Moreover, the rise of the *Zhonghua Daily* had indeed threatened their interests, and if they could seize this opportunity to suppress it, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for them.
That evening, Zhou Qiyuan secretly arranged to meet the editor-in-chief of Sing Tao Evening Post and the heads of three other tabloids in a secluded tea restaurant private room. As soon as they sat down, they began to complain about how Zhonghua Daily was stealing their business.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhou, is your method feasible? Could the people in the community be unreliable?" Li Zhenbang, editor-in-chief of Sing Tao Evening Post, had some concerns.
"Don't worry, I've already contacted the Brotherhood," Zhou Qiyuan said confidently. "The Brotherhood has considerable influence in the Yau Ma Tei area. They're efficient and clean in their work. As long as the money is right, they'll do anything." He held up his finger, indicating a number. "If we split the cost among ourselves, each of us contributing a little, we can eliminate any future trouble."
If the offices of the Zhonghua Daily are vandalized and their equipment destroyed, they will be forced to shut down for at least two weeks. During this time, we can win back our readers and turn the tide.
"But what if they call the police?" someone asked.
"Call the police?" Zhou Qiyuan sneered. "The Brotherhood knows how to behave. When dealing with businessmen like us, they'll just smash things, not hurt people. They'll just say they failed to collect protection money and were causing trouble."
Besides, there are countless triad disputes in Hong Kong. At most, the police will open a case and investigate. Since no one was injured, the worst that can happen is some compensation and a few days' detention. It's not that easy for them to trace it back to us.
After a moment of silence, weighing the pros and cons, the group finally nodded. To protect their interests, they had no choice but to take the risk. That very night, they pooled together some money, which Zhou Qiyuan handed over to a leader of the Brotherhood. The leader patted his chest and guaranteed that the next day he would teach the *Zhonghua Daily* a "profound lesson."
The following afternoon, under the blazing sun, the offices of the *Zhonghua Daily* were bustling with activity. The sounds of reporters typing and editors discussing manuscripts mingled together, creating a vibrant and energetic atmosphere. Chen Jingzhi was reviewing the layout for tomorrow's publication when he suddenly heard a commotion downstairs, a mix of breaking glass and exclamations from employees.
"What's going on?" Chen Jingzhi frowned and got up to run downstairs. Just as he reached the stairwell, he saw dozens of men in floral shirts, their bare arms covered in dragon and tiger tattoos, carrying steel pipes and wooden sticks, storming into the newspaper office lobby. Without a word, they began smashing the tables and chairs in the lobby, shattering glass cabinets, scattering manuscripts and newspapers everywhere, and overturning typewriters with a piercing sound.
"Who are you? What are you doing here!" Chen Jingzhi was both shocked and angry, and stepped forward to try to stop them.
A tall man with a dragon tattoo on his arm turned around and glared at him fiercely: "You're the person in charge here?"
"I am the editor-in-chief, Chen Jingzhi. What exactly do you want? If you don't stop, I'll call the police!" Chen Jingzhi tried to remain calm.
"Call the police? You dare try!" He sneered. "We're from the Brotherhood. Your newspaper does business around here, and you dare not pay your respects or pay protection money?"
Chen Jingzhi was stunned: "Protection money? Our newspaper has been paying protection money to the Small Knife Society since it opened! Have you come to the wrong place?"
"Wrong place?" The tattooed man sneered and waved his hand. The burly men behind him smashed things even more fiercely. The office area on the second floor was not spared either. Documents were torn to shreds, and the entire newspaper office was a mess.
"That's right, it's your *Zhonghua Daily*! Our boss said you have to pay your protection money by this month, or next time it won't just be smashing things, it'll be making you completely shut down! Let's see if the Little Knife Society dares to stand up for you!"
The employees were terrified and scurried to a corner, their faces pale. No one dared to step forward to stop them. These gang members were ruthless and clearly not to be trifled with; no one wanted to get hurt for no reason.
The tattooed man glanced at the newspaper office, now completely smashed, and nodded with satisfaction. "Remember my words: deliver the money to the fraternity's headquarters within two weeks, or you'll be in big trouble!" With that, he waved his hand dismissively. "Let's go!"
Dozens of thugs stormed out of the newspaper office, leaving behind a mess and a group of terrified people. Only after the gang members disappeared around the street corner did Chen Jingzhi come to his senses. Looking at the shards and destroyed equipment, he trembled with heartache. He knew the newspaper was now completely unable to function properly, and tomorrow's paper probably wouldn't even be published.
He immediately picked up a piece of the landline phone that wasn't broken from the ground and managed to dial Lin Zhou's number. The moment the call connected, Chen Jingzhi's voice trembled uncontrollably: "Mr. Lin, something terrible has happened... something horrible!"
Lin Zhou was reading at home when he heard Chen Jingzhi's hurried voice and his heart skipped a beat: "Old Chen, what's wrong? Tell me slowly."
"The newspaper office... the newspaper office has been vandalized!" Chen Jingzhi's voice was choked with sobs. "Dozens of people from various gangs came with steel pipes and wooden sticks, and they destroyed the lobby, the offices, and all the equipment. Even the printed papers were torn up..."
Lin Zhou abruptly stood up from the sofa, his expression instantly turning serious: "What? Who did this? Why would they vandalize our newspaper office?"
"They said... they're from the fraternity." Chen Jingzhi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "They also said our newspaper hasn't paid its dues or paid protection money, and they're giving us the deadline this month, or they won't let our newspaper stay in business."
"The Brotherhood? Coming here to demand protection money?" Lin Zhou's brows furrowed tightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Having lived in Hong Kong for so long, he naturally knew that the Brotherhood was a triad in Yau Ma Tei, known for its arrogant and domineering behavior. He never expected them to come knocking on their door. Moreover, he vaguely felt that things weren't so simple. Why would a respectable triad suddenly decide to demand protection money from a newspaper? There was probably someone secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"Mr. Lin, what do we do now? The equipment is all destroyed, and we can't print tomorrow's newspaper. The employees are terrified," Chen Jingzhi asked anxiously.
Lin Zhou forced himself to calm down. He knew that panicking wouldn't solve anything. "Old Chen, first calm the employees down, then check if anyone is injured. If so, get them to the hospital immediately."
"Then call the police and let them handle the scene and take a statement. As for the losses, let's take stock first. We can repair the broken equipment, and I'll take care of the newspapers. I'll find a place to print them out. Right now, the most important thing is for everyone to be safe." Lin Zhou thought that the computer and printer in his space could also be used.
"Okay, I understand." Chen Jingzhi nodded, and after hanging up the phone, he immediately began to arrange the follow-up matters.
Lin Zhou put down the phone, his eyes turning cold. He knew very well that this was not a simple matter of collecting protection money; the Brotherhood's sudden attack meant someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Recalling the rumors Li Wangcai had given him—that the sales of the Oriental Daily and Sing Tao Evening Post were declining—and the two public attacks against the Zhonghua Daily, Lin Zhou already had his answer.
"Trying to defeat me with such despicable means?" Lin Zhou's lips curled into a cold smile, a resolute glint in his eyes. "Not so easy."
He grabbed his coat and strode out of the house.