Chapter 20: Killing the Heart
It's on fire, it's really on fire! Mong Kok News is completely on fire!
During its peak in the following days, it reached a maximum circulation of 100,000 copies!
A fire on Shanghai Street directly made Mong Kok News and golden finger red-hot.
Especially the story golden finger, which attracted the attention of too many Hong Kong citizens.
Unfortunately, even if Wu Feng could pad it with more content, it would end at most with 200,000 characters.
And Mong Kok News, almost updated nearly 30,000 characters a day!
After all, the Jianing case was in the trial phase, so he couldn't write too outrageously in the novel.
The Jianing case was able to drag on for seventeen years before a verdict was reached, and the main culprit even managed to escape easily. Just thinking about how deep the waters were inside makes it clear.
The most exciting part of the novel was how the protagonist gathered massive funds through deceptive means.
Once such a satisfying plot passed, the reading experience naturally declined significantly. The newspaper sales also dropped, finally stabilizing at around 30,000 copies.
Even if Mong Kok News was distributed for free to newsstands, the content was really too thin, and it wasn't easy to get readers to pay for it.
If the Jianing case had just broken out at that time, the popularity Mong Kok News rode on would not have been the current situation; it would have soared directly into the sky.
Wu Feng was already very satisfied; a newspaper with daily sales of 30,000 had firmly entered the ranks of first-class newspapers!
Of course, by this time, he no longer needed to continue subsidizing the newspaper's losses out of his own pocket.
In fact, with his current wealth, he couldn't afford to subsidize it anymore.
By this time, the Mong Kok News newspaper office had moved to a new location and began a large-scale recruitment drive. The abundant advertising fees were enough to propel the newspaper further.
Wu Feng handed all of this over to professionals; he was now ready to teach Ni Zhen a profound lesson.
“Shocking! Son of a certain talented writer surnamed Ni pretends to be a rich young master, but with no money in his pocket, he tries to dine and dash at a nightclub!”
This was the headline of the entertainment section in the new issue of Mong Kok News, a sensationalized piece, with an attached photo of Ni Zhen fighting fiercely with someone at a nightclub.
What is this called? Pictures prove the truth!
Closed-circuit television technology in the mid-1980s was already very mature, and places like shopping malls and nightclubs naturally had them installed, so getting pictures was a simple matter.
Thanks to the massive circulation of Mong Kok News, Ni Zhen instantly became a celebrity in Hong Kong.
Although the content and title were somewhat inconsistent, it still made readers despise Ni Zhen.
He went to a nightclub with friends, gambled thousands of dollars on the World Cup, but was unwilling to accept his loss, got drunk, and started a big fight with other drinkers.
The words practically screamed 'can't take a loss'!
Not only that, it also subtly implied that Ni Zhen's father was just a small wealthy man who made his fortune by writing, and simply couldn't support Ni Zhen's lavish spending at the nightclub.
“What a disgrace, a true disgrace!”
Ni Kuang saw the news in the entertainment section of Mong Kok News immediately and was so angry he almost spat blood.
Sometimes, the truth hurts the most!
Beyond his anger, there was more heartache. The newspaper clearly stated the amount Ni Zhen invested in the World Cup matches, which was in the tens of thousands. How many words would he have to write to earn that much money?
It was like a prodigal son squandering his inheritance!
That night, when Ni Zhen returned home, he was severely reprimanded by his father.
The next day, the entertainment section of Mong Kok News had even more explosive content: 'Shocking, Ni Kuang's son Ni Zhen makes outrageous remarks: Triad members are rats in a gutter, trash that can be easily stepped on and killed!'
Following that was a detailed report of how Ni Zhen, after fighting at the nightclub, had a brain lapse and retaliated against the nightclub, reporting illegal transactions at the nightclub to the Police Station, and even urging the Police Station to keep bothering them in his father's name.
It gave readers the impression that Ni Zhen was a mentally unstable idiot, capable of such nonsensical acts, and definitely not to be viewed with normal human logic.
This time, the newspaper content stirred up a hornet's nest!
Who did Ni Zhen think he was, daring to look down on triad members?
Even his father, Ni Kuang, wouldn't be so arrogant. This was a death wish.
Many Brother of the triads were not in a good mood after seeing the newspaper.
Even in the eyes of true Brother and top tycoons, triad members were indeed nothing, like a chamber pot that could be manipulated as one pleased.
This was also the main reason why many Brother of the triads, whenever they had the chance, wanted to go legitimate and wash their hands of their past.
But this was not something a mere unknown young man could spout nonsense about in public.
If a certain Brother of the triad were truly angered, someone could die.
“You good-for-nothing, did you really say such things outside?”
Ni Kuang was not just angry now; he was somewhat panicked.
He wasn't afraid of small triads, but if he went up against large or medium-sized triads, he would be directly forced to kneel.
This was a private grievance; no one would voluntarily back him up. Inviting influential people to help would require a significant price.
Ni Zhen's face had two slap marks, and he was also bewildered at this moment, not daring to answer directly.
He himself wasn't sure if he had said such things!
At the time, in a fit of pique, he did say some things that looked down on triad members. But that was directed at a small triad like Hung Yee, so how did it spread to the entire Hong Kong triad scene?
“Then tell me, how did you offend Mong Kok News again?”
Ni Kuang felt a rush of blood, but thankfully, he still had enough reason not to explode directly. Instead, he tried to control his emotions and asked in a low voice, “Why do they keep hounding you?”
“How would I know?”
Ni Zhen was also baffled, tentatively saying, “Perhaps, the boss behind the Red Jade Nightclub?”
“Forget it, you should go abroad and avoid the limelight for a while!”
Ni Kuang didn't want to think too much and said directly, “Don't come back without my call!”
After disciplining his son, he immediately turned to his various connections to inquire about the identity of the boss behind Mong Kok News, determined not to let Mong Kok News continue its reporting.
Wu Feng didn't know all this; he just knew he had to make Ni Zhen fear him this time.
Immediately after, on the third day, Ni Zhen was again on the front page of the entertainment section of Mong Kok News.
The title was still the same shocking style: 'Shocking, the son of a certain talented writer surnamed Ni frequents nightclubs every night and acts like a groom, excessive indulgence comes at a painful price!'
The subsequent content was full of pictures and text, all real photos of Ni Zhen enjoying himself at different nightclubs.
Each photo showed him surrounded by beautiful women, exuding an atmosphere of debauchery like a wine pool and meat forest.
The content that followed was even more exciting. The reporter interviewed many Miss from nightclubs who had close contact with Ni Zhen, and directly put their explicit remarks in the newspaper to attract attention.
“Young Master Ni is a pretty boy with nothing inside; he might have some physical deficiencies, finishing in only two or three minutes each time. The sisters are very happy to entertain such 'quick shooters'—it's not tiring and quite easy!”