This time it won't go wrong, right

Gong Changheng.

Born in the 1960s.

A native of Changshan.

His ancestors were merchants.

Due to special circumstances, he left the mainland many years ago and followed his grandfather to Hong Kong, where they restarted their business.

The Gong family was a billion-dollar dynasty, though they kept a low profile.

Especially during the turmoil of the 1990s, Gong Changheng’s father had already stepped back, handing over the family’s reins to him.

In the early 1990s, Gong Changheng officially took control of the family enterprise.

He was capable—raised under his grandfather’s influence, a top student who later studied abroad in the UK.

Such Hong Kong-based capitalists were not uncommon.

In the 1990s, many fled, but some stayed.

The Gong family was among those who remained.

While others were escaping, the Gongs seized lucrative opportunities, multiplying their family’s wealth several times over.

This showed that Gong Changheng was far from conservative—he liked to gamble.

And in the end, he won.

……

"This is Gong Changheng’s background."

His past and family history were easy to dig up.

"Are we sure the longevity product comes from the Gong family? No mistakes this time?"

"None."

This time, it was certain.

Representatives from various capital groups were verifying the information.

The matter of Young Master Cao was temporarily set aside—their sole purpose here was the longevity product.

Earlier, it might have been a false lead.

But not now.

According to investigations,

Gong Changheng’s pharmaceutical enterprise wasn’t well-known, primarily operating hospitals, but they also had their own drug research institute.

Most importantly,

At the start of the year, Gong Changheng quietly left Hong Kong for the mainland.

His movements were shrouded in secrecy.

Without extensive digging, no one would’ve known.

The intel came from moles within the country.

Since learning of such a product’s existence, nearly every available informant had been mobilized.

Over a thousand people.

Don’t underestimate this number—these were assets cultivated over years with significant investment, surpassing even the resources spent on military intelligence.

Naturally, they uncovered plenty.

They finally traced the department supplying the product to major research institutions—a high-ranking director from an office in the South Sea region.

Traces always remain.

No matter how careful one is, clues slip through.

Previously, the elderly experts had been receiving the longevity product monthly, always freshly delivered.

The more deliveries the director made, the more people knew.

His identity was bound to "accidentally" leak.

……

But the informants didn’t tip their hand.

First, the man’s rank was high.

Second, they lacked concrete proof of his involvement in the latest delivery.

However…

A month had passed.

Those surveilling the director noticed him entering a military guesthouse.

He stayed for half an hour.

After he left, another figure—masked and capped—slipped out minutes later.

This drew attention.

Soon after,

The director personally delivered the longevity product to the heads of various research institutes.

Each hand-delivered.

With this, the informants confirmed the product came from the August 1st Guesthouse.

Many had entered and exited the guesthouse.

After screening, the masked figure stood out as highly suspicious.

By then,

The informants had been investigating for over half a month.

They had a lead.

Then Gong Changheng’s identity was confirmed.

And that raised questions.

A billionaire Hong Kong tycoon investing in the mainland could do so openly—why the secrecy?

Why disguise himself to visit a place like the August 1st Guesthouse?

But the informants weren’t easily fooled.

They dug deeper.

Going back months,

They combed through Gong Changheng’s records and travel logs. Officially, he visited the mainland monthly—under pretexts like seminars, ancestral rites, or business deals.

But half the time, his post-entry movements were untraceable.

Meaning,

Beyond the justified trips, the rest were covert. Had border records not been digitized and strictly kept, the informants—who paid heavily for the data—might’ve missed it.

Now,

It was clear Gong Changheng was directly linked to the longevity product.

If not the manufacturer, he was certainly its agent.

And,

The product must be recent.

Otherwise, their intelligence network would’ve caught wind of it sooner.

……

……

To make this intel credible.

They would only believe the results if they had to put in the effort to investigate themselves.

At the same time,

the intelligence provided would be mostly true, with just a hint of falsehood—

so flawlessly crafted that no one could spot the discrepancies.

Did Gong Changheng used to visit the mainland?

Of course he did.

He made at least four or five trips a year, his car fitted with cross-border license plates.

Each visit was for business collaborations, seminars, or other legitimate reasons—all aboveboard and easily verifiable.

The rest of the time, he wasn’t in the mainland.

But computer systems are the easiest to manipulate. Adding a few discreet mainland visits to his timeline wasn’t difficult.

The impression created was that Gong Changheng found excuses to come to the mainland every month.

If he had a valid reason, he’d come openly.

If not, he’d slip in quietly.

The point was, he made sure to come every month without fail.

……

……

Another week passed in the blink of an eye.

February 22nd.

At the Gong Family Holdings Group.

Gong Changheng received several representatives from John Bull.

His expression flickered with surprise—

he hadn’t expected them to arrive together.

Among them were the Asia-Pacific director of HSBC,

as well as agents and heirs from four major families, including Blakeson and Effingham.

As an established Hong Kong tycoon, Gong Changheng knew all too well the immense influence these old-money families wielded.

He quickly ushered them into the reception room and ordered coffee.

Gong Changheng wasn’t familiar with most of them, only recognizing a few local agents.

So,

after prolonged pleasantries,

it was the Blakeson family’s representative who finally cut to the chase. "Mr. Gong, you must know why we’re here, don’t you?"

"My apologies, but I truly don’t," Gong Changheng replied slowly, feigning confusion.

The Blakeson agent remained unruffled. "We’ve investigated your frequent trips to the mainland. Do I need to spell it out further?"

Gong Changheng’s expression shifted slightly, his eyes flickering before he shook his head again. "Those are all business-related. Is there a problem? Besides, I don’t have any dealings with your family. Whether I invest in the mainland or not isn’t something I need to report to you."

His tone had turned firmer.

The Blakeson representative’s face darkened, on the verge of reprimanding him—

but the Effingham agent swiftly intervened with a smile. "Of course, Hong Kong isn’t what it used to be. Mr. Gong doesn’t owe us any explanations. We’re not here to accuse you, but to discuss potential cooperation. Why don’t we speak candidly?"

This was a legacy of history.

Some things had superficially returned,

but financially, many still had masters.

Even decades later, old habits died hard.

The Blakeson family’s approach had been to intimidate Gong Changheng into handing over the longevity product.

Fortunately, the other families played good cop—

alternating between pressure and persuasion.

Finally, the topic turned to the longevity product.

Gong Changheng paused for a moment before countering, "Where did you hear about this?"

Their reactions confirmed it—the longevity product was indeed linked to him.

Which meant they’d wasted weeks chasing dead ends with Cao Cheng.

That ungrateful Young Master Cao had claimed production was too low for export,

offering only a tentative proposal for overseas patients to seek treatment in China—

and even that hadn’t been finalized.

"Mr. Gong, if you’re willing, you could relocate all your assets to John Bull. Her Majesty would be delighted to grant you a high-ranking title."

"After all, as you know, Her Majesty is nearing ninety. She could benefit from such medication."

"Indeed."

"Mr. Gong, our families would warmly welcome you… You must also be aware of our deep ties with Hong Kong—many local enterprises are intricately connected to John Bull."

……

A flurry of lavish promises followed—

titles, medals, funding—

all designed to lure him over first.

They knew too well that other families and agents were circling like vultures.

Only their entrenched connections in Hong Kong had given them this head start.

Delay any longer, and not only would competitors outbid them,

but some might resort to underhanded tactics.

No one understood the Yanks better than John Bull.

And the Yanks had never been known to play fair.

……

Gong Changheng listened, then chuckled. "I appreciate the offers, but I have no plans to change my nationality. The current arrangement suits me just fine."

"Besides,"

"any cooperation would require further consideration. This isn’t a decision I can make alone."