Chapter Ten: The Fundraising Scheme

Time passed quickly, and Wei Hua had already been living at the orphanage for over a month. One day, Father James summoned Wei Hua to his office and said, “Wei, you know it’s not easy to obtain Hong Kong residency. I’ve thought of every possible way, and now we’re left with only two options. First, we could use a sum of money to buy a Hong Kong identity. You know how rampant corruption is among the police here—if you have money, anything can be done. But we don’t have the money. I’ve spent my life’s savings just to keep this orphanage running, and now we survive on the donations of charitable people. I can’t use those funds to purchase a Hong Kong identity for you.

The second way is to apply for political asylum and seek Hong Kong citizenship on those grounds. Even though you’re just a teenager, I believe the British authorities would overlook your age for the sake of smearing the Chinese government. It might sound absurd for someone your age to be persecuted politically, but it could solve your identity issue. What do you think?”

“Father James, thank you. But I won’t choose either path. The first is impossible—your orphanage needs money to survive, and I can’t ask you to use charitable donations for my sake. It wouldn’t be fair to those who gave, and it could damage your reputation. People might stop donating altogether. The second option is out of the question as well. I may not be religious, but I don’t want any foreign government meddling in China’s affairs. These are matters for the Chinese people to resolve, and I trust my compatriots to handle them. I don’t want to be someone who brings shame to my country. So, I absolutely won’t choose that route.”

“As for my Hong Kong status, we can take our time. There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘Heaven never bars one’s way.’ Perhaps, when the time comes, my problem will be easily solved. Right now, I need to continue learning and prepare for university, which will take some time. There’s no need to rush. I’ll find a way to earn some money. I believe that, once I get to the United States, I can secure a full scholarship, but I still want to save up in case something unexpected happens.”

“And do you have any ideas?” Father James asked.

“Not specifically. But for now, I’ll find a part-time job. It doesn’t feel right to live off you for free when it’s already so hard for you to keep the orphanage running. Don’t worry! I am, after all, a once-in-a-century genius. I’ll figure out the money.”

Wei Hua had been pondering the issue of money these past days. As the saying goes, “A single penny can bring a hero to his knees.” Without money, nothing can be accomplished. He needed a substantial sum, and, according to the data he’d found in his bio-computer, obtaining legal Hong Kong residency would cost at least a hundred to two hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars—a fortune in the 1970s. Earning that much solely through work would take decades, so he had to find another way.

After a few days’ consideration, Wei Hua decided to try his luck with gambling. With over 40% of his brain unlocked and possessing an extraordinary awareness, winning money from casinos would be a trifling matter for him. Relying on his skills, he could easily amass the sum he needed. However, the real challenge lay in the fact that Hong Kong’s underworld was rampant, the police shamelessly accepted bribes, and all the gambling dens were controlled by these triads. Winning money that rightfully belonged to them was like snatching food from a tiger’s mouth—it could bring trouble to Father James and the orphanage. Therefore, he needed a thorough plan and utmost caution. As long as he remained vigilant and avoided greed, there were plenty of gambling dens in Hong Kong. If he won just a little at each, he could quickly accumulate the money he needed.

During his time at the orphanage, Wei Hua befriended many children his age or older. As the saying goes, “The children of the poor grow up quickly.” These orphans had their own survival codes. If it weren’t for the fact that Wei Hua’s soul was that of an adult, he would have struggled to communicate with them. Among them, he met Ah Leung, who had also lived at the orphanage, and they became friends. Wei Hua planned to use Ah Leung as his connection to Hong Kong’s various gambling dens. At sixteen, Ah Leung was thin and short, a streetwise youth and a member of the triad.

Ah Leung worked as a server in a small gambling den in Kowloon, one run by a triad boss. He himself was a triad member. Father James and other staff at the orphanage couldn’t understand this, but Wei Hua, coming from the future, could. He believed that, if given a choice, Ah Leung would never have joined the triad, but orphans with no education and no family to care for them had few options as adults. Becoming a triad member was the choice for most. According to the bio-computer’s data, by the 1990s, in Hong Kong—a city of six million—over a hundred thousand were affiliated with triads. For them, being a gangster was just a job, a way to feed their families.

After deciding to raise the money through gambling, Wei Hua made a conscious effort to befriend Ah Leung and quickly became close to him. Ah Leung took Wei Hua to visit the gambling den where he worked. The 1970s were a golden age for the gambling industry worldwide; Las Vegas, Macau, and Morocco’s casinos were booming, and modern gaming equipment was beginning to appear. In Hong Kong’s gambling dens, poker, mahjong, and pai gow were all the rage, providing Wei Hua with the perfect opportunity to carry out his plan.