Chapter 258: Bloodstained Elegance

As this guy was focused on watching the street, two young men in their thirties appeared quietly at the door of this house, accompanied by Liu Guanglu. The two young men gave Liu Guanglu a gesture, exchanged a glance, then kicked the door open.
Liu Guanglu smiled bitterly. They were clearly police officers, but in such a situation, he had no choice but to let these two do the job. He knew who they were—bodyguards from a security company under the Shadow Group. This security company was very powerful; in addition to retired military personnel from the mainland, it also employed former members of the Flying Tigers, and many wealthy people hired their bodyguards there.
The door was kicked open with a loud bang, even bouncing back due to the force used. The young man perched by the window was shocked, but as soon as he turned around, he saw only a dark shadow. Instantly, his arms felt excruciatingly painful as if they had been broken. As he tried to scream in pain, he found his mouth stuffed shut.
Seeing that the situation was under control, Liu Guanglu entered along with his men. After walking around a few times, Liu Guanglu suddenly recognized the gunman and sneered, “Isn’t this one of Liang Kun’s trusted assistants from the security company? How did you suddenly switch from being a bodyguard to a killer? You were once a member of the Flying Tigers—this is a disgrace to all of us Hong Kongers! Take him away!”
After his men took the two away, Liu Guanglu asked anxiously, “Have we caught all the gunmen? It’s unlikely there’s only one!” At that moment, one of the young men had already sent a message via communicator.
“No problem. Our other brothers are taking care of the other two!” one of the young men said to Liu Guanglu with a smile, pointing to a spot in the lower corner outside the window. “There’s one there. I’m sure they’ve taken care of him!”
“Good, then I’m relieved!” Liu Guanglu breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Xiao Ran had obtained some information somehow and taken action in advance. Otherwise, if Xiao Ran were shot to death on the street like this, Hong Kong would surely fall into chaos. “As for Liang Kun, you’ll need the police’s help…”
Just then, a series of crisp gunshots echoed through the street… Liu Guanglu and the two young men’s expressions changed instantly. They rushed to the window at lightning speed. They saw countless pedestrians on the street stunned, and among them, a BMW with a very familiar license plate made a loud screeching noise as it turned sharply on the road.
The three of them stared at this horrifying scene, feeling an ominous sense rise in their hearts. It was Xiao Ran’s car. If something happened to Xiao Ran, then… then…
A minute earlier, Xiao Ran had been closing his eyes to rest, thinking about what to say at the Film Association meeting. The phone rang. Monkey answered it, listened briefly, then hung up and said to Yang Guang, “It’s cleared. Let’s move on!”
When they arrived on the street where the gunmen were hiding, Monkey poked his head out to look around. Suddenly, he noticed one of the passersby with a bag suddenly throwing it aside, revealing an AK in his hand. Without hesitation, he used his slender frame to dive onto the back seat, pressing Xiao Ran and Huang Ling beneath him, while shouting at Yang Guang, “Right four, front two—hit!”

Yang Guang’s movements were extremely swift. As soon as the gunshots rang out, he steered the car straight at the guy four meters to the right and two meters ahead. The screeching sound of the sharp turn mixed with the intense gunfire in the street. With a loud crash, the gunman was thrown into the nearby shop and trapped there, unable to move.

Chaos ensued on the street. People never expected what happened on screen to occur right before their eyes, so they ran around in panic. Cars on the road also spun wildly, causing complete traffic chaos. Under such circumstances, Yang Guang, who had intended to drive away quickly, could only sigh helplessly.

Hou Zi felt a burning sensation in his side. His experience told him he had been shot, but he still held Xiao Ran and Huang Ling tightly. It wasn’t until Liu Guanglu and the others rushed over that Yang Guang relaxed slightly, and Hou Zi managed to stand up with difficulty.

Xiao Ran felt severe pain in his shoulder, as if his bones were hurting. After getting out of the car, he spotted Liu Guanglu and immediately greeted him. Liu Guanglu, Hou Zi, and Yang Guang all saw the bloody wounds on Xiao Ran’s arm and shoulder at once and were shocked: “Brother Ran…”

“I’m fine!” Initially frightened, Xiao Ran now felt only calmness and determination. He waved his hand before looking at Huang Ling and Hou Zi. “It’s good that you’re okay. Hou Zi is injured—call an ambulance right away!”

Hou Zi took a deep breath. Even though Xiao Ran was injured himself, he still cared about him. Where else could one find such a boss? Feeling warmth in his heart, he heard Xiao Ran asking the two young men, “What just happened?”

“President Xiao…” The two former soldiers were furious. They never expected Xiao Ran to be shot in broad daylight under their strict protection. Feeling ashamed and self-reproachful, they said, “The reports didn’t mention that Liang Kun sent gunmen to assassinate you on the street! So…”

Xiao Ran nodded. It wasn’t their fault. He had received the message himself, and indeed, there was no report of gunmen ambushing him on the street. He had received this message shortly after landing, from an insider.

Peng Dingkang, who had been keeping an eye on Xiao Ran’s whereabouts, notified Liang Kun as soon as he learned Xiao Ran had boarded the returning plane. Liang Kun knew well that if Xiao Ran returned at this time, he would face serious trouble and might not be able to control the various gangs.

In a hurry, he couldn’t find gunmen, so he had to send his own trusted subordinates to set up an ambush. As for timing, Xiao Ran wasn’t worried. Even a fool could guess that he would definitely hold a meeting with people from other companies upon returning, so it wasn’t hard to track his movements.

Xiao Ran originally didn’t think Liang Kun would have the courage to do this, but recalling Mo Huaien’s desperate actions in the past, he understood. Moreover, not only did reliable sources tell him that Liang Kun wanted to kill him, but there were also reports that someone had purchased guns. It wasn’t difficult to piece everything together.

Xiao Ran didn’t leave right away but waited there for the white car. It arrived soon, and Xiao Ran pushed the monkey into the car, asking the doctor to stop the bleeding for him only. He himself didn’t get in the car but had an idea. He thought that going to the Film Association in his current appearance would be far more effective than saying thousands of words.

“No, Brother Ran. You need to go to the hospital. We don’t know how serious your injury is!” The monkey struggled to sit up and said to Xiao Ran, “If you don’t go, what’s the point for me to go? Don’t forget—I’m your personal bodyguard!”

“It’s okay. I have Yang Guang with me. The doctor just said it’s likely the bullet is stuck in a bone, so it’s not serious!” Xiao Ran couldn’t even move his left hand anymore; it hurt whenever he tried. “You go first!”

“Brother Ran!” Even Huang Ling couldn’t help but shout. Passersby gradually gathered around, recognizing him as one of Hong Kong’s proudest figures.

Xiao Ran was grateful to these guys who acted more like friends than bodyguards, but he had more important things to do, and this injury wouldn’t kill him. With a serious expression, he said in a low voice, “Nothing can stop me from doing what I need to do. Let’s go!”

Everyone was stunned. It was hard to imagine the impact Xiao Ran’s fierce demeanor had on the onlookers at that moment. Yet, it was these very people who, through their stories and spread of word, created Xiao Ran’s personal myth, which eventually became increasingly exaggerated.

Xiao Ran wasn’t afraid of death at all. The doctor with him had assured him that his injury was most likely just the bullet stuck in a bone. The worst-case scenario was death from blood loss, and now that the bleeding had stopped, if he still feared death, he truly deserved it.

At the Regal Hotel, under the curious gazes of everyone, Xiao Ran, covered in blood, entered the elevator. With a creak, he pushed open the door and entered the conference room. The bosses of various companies turned their attention to him. Seeing his condition, they exclaimed in shock.

Xiao Ran glanced around and saw that dozens of people in the room had left their tasks at his mere call and rushed over. He felt immense satisfaction. What is power? This is power!

“Sorry everyone, I’m late!” Xiao Ran nodded apologetically at the new president of the Film Association before taking his seat at the front so everyone could see his injury. “I was attacked by a gunman earlier and got injured, that’s why I’m late!”

The room erupted in murmurs. Giants like Yang Qi were utterly shocked. They couldn’t imagine anyone in Hong Kong daring to attack Xiao Ran. But thinking of the upheaval in the underworld the previous day, they began to understand.

Xiao Ran’s expression darkened as he stepped beside the new president and glanced at the crowd leaning forward. “Want to know who sent the gunman? Think about it… think about it…” His left hand was temporarily immobile, so he used his right hand to trace circles around his temple. The people present looked thoughtful, and Yang Qi and the others began to suspect something. Suddenly, Xiao Ran let out a cold laugh, a chilling sound: “Who doesn’t want me to return? Who’s trying to seize the interests of our film industry?”

Silence filled the room; aside from heavy breathing, no one dared speak. Xiao Ran’s words were a veiled accusation against the British Hong Kong government, so of course no one spoke up. But it certainly didn’t refer to everyone. Yang Qi stood up angrily, his face full of fury: “Why aren’t you talking? Do you want to wait until all your assets are taken away before speaking?”

“I don’t know anything about the assassin, but I do know one thing!” Pandi said slowly, “President Xiao has brought many benefits to us over the years. Without him, we wouldn’t have made so much money. President Xiao is the representative of Hong Kong’s film industry. Assassinating him means assassinating our entire film industry!”

With a loud bang, Lei Kaitai’s face turned red—whether from anger or rage was unclear. He slammed his hand on the table and scanned the room: “Anything that belongs to me, not even the British Hong Kong government can take away!”

Fang Yihua, representing Old Master Shao, stood up and spoke in a light yet firm voice: “Shaw Brothers has been operating for decades. No one dares to give us orders. Today, we still won’t allow anyone to challenge our interests!”

The three major giants and the potential giants all expressed their stance in a resolute tone, but many still hesitated, as the traditional Chinese belief of not confronting officials still held sway. As for companies like Basic Films and Phantom Images under Phantom, as well as those closely related to Phantom, they naturally nodded, though they hadn’t spoken yet.

In fact, the attitudes of the three major giants and the potential giants were entirely predictable. They all knew very well that only by following Xiao Ran could they make big money. Moreover, even if they ignored that, the four companies controlled the shares of the theater chains, which meant they were trying to seize their interests.

Finally, Lei Kaitai couldn’t hold back and cursed loudly, “You idiots! You all rush in when there’s profit, but when there’s no benefit, you all…”

“Old Lei, calm down!” Xiao Ran was extremely angry inside. He hadn’t expected that just twenty days after leaving Hong Kong, divisions would already arise in the film industry. But on the surface, he remained calm: “I know everyone must be thinking, ‘Don’t fight the authorities.’ But Hong Kong is a society governed by the law, and you’re not ordinary citizens. If we unite, we become the authorities controlling the entire industry—authorities greater than anything else!”

“What’s most important?” Xiao Ran looked at everyone and asked again, “What’s most important? Unity! As long as we unite, no one can defeat us. Some people are trying to target me and Phantom now—this is just the first step. The second step is to target our entire film industry, leaving Hong Kong in chaos. Just look at what’s happening now. Tell me, what should we do?”

“Unite!” A wave of voices rose in the meeting room. Xiao Ran smiled satisfactorily. How was monopoly created? It was created by people like him. Li Guoxing from Meiya stood up and said, “Brother Ran, tell me what to do, and I’ll do it!”

“Brother Ran, I agree!” “Brother Ran, I agree too!”

All sorts of chaotic noises filled the conference room. Actually, this matter had little to do with them, but they could all see that the Hong Kong-British government’s actions against Meiying and Xiao Ran were just the first step; the second step was to target the film industry. If they didn’t do anything, once Meiying left Hong Kong, no one else would be able to compete with the Hong Kong-British government, and then there would be no room for survival.

After everyone’s noise ceased, Xiao Ran looked around with a smile on his face, but his tone was extremely cold: “Who hasn’t joined? Come out!”

Six or seven bosses of small companies stood up timidly. Xiao Ran’s gaze pierced them like a blade, his voice deep as that of a lion: “Those who aren’t united don’t deserve to be here. Get out! You’re not allowed to appear in the film industry anymore! Go!”