The Price of Greed

In 1935, YAN YUET-MUI arrives in Shanghai to visit LAM PING, who is believed to have fallen sick. Though MUI cannot speak, she nonetheless cheers PING up and lets her know that LUI TO and his mother LO SEI LEUNG have arrived in Shanghai too, that everything will turn out fine.… MUI turns back the clock, remembering when she was only six. It was 1919. She was waiting for a train with her family at the train station, when she was abducted by SEI LEUNG, who was then a member of a con gang. TO came across them and tried to stop SEI LEUNG. He was also being abducted. The two kids were brought to Guangzhou. They were nearly made dumb to become beggars. Fortunately, SEI LEUNG saved them and from then on they lived as a family. Time flies, and, in 1932, TO becomes a police officernd MUI graduates from the school for the deaf and dumb. She plays the violin very well and is well known for her good performances.… ...

With the help of LEUNG, TO is able to bring a con gang to justice. His superiors, KWAN BING and Robinson, are delighted and praise him for his outstanding performance. TO gets to know the owner of the watch, LAM PING. PING is desperately searching for the watch, as she believes that it can help her connect with her missing lover, TSUI FUNG. LAM SAI FUNG, a famous goldsmith in Shanghai, is pleased to see his business prosper. He is opening his 12th branch in Shanghai. However, he is worried about his beloved daughter, LAM PING, who has become depressed since the disappearance of her boyfriend. He is shocked to find that she has forged his name to advertise in the newspapers to apologise to TSUI FUNG, catching the public eye. Enraged, he kicks PING out of his door. PING has nowhere to go and seeks TO for company. They stay up all night talking. MUI, meanwhile, goes searching for TO in the streets when she cannot find him at home.…

TO wants to help unleash MUI’s musical potential and he begs the renowned violinist, Professor SZETO, to see MUI. PING asks TO to help her investigate FUNG’s disappearance. TO then discovers that SAI FUNG was once a gang member. PING refuses to believe that her father will cause any harm to FUNG. TO gradually discovers that he has fallen for PING. Professor SZETO is touched by TO’s sincerity and agrees to teach MUI. PING is bothered by frequent nightmares. TO comforts her and asks her not to imagine things. Then, all of a sudden, appears a Mr. LUI, who claims to be a good friend of FUNG. He asks SAI FUNG about FUNG’s whereabout. SAI FUNG knows that Mr. LUI is in fact TO in disguise. SAI FUNG is heartbroken to know that his own daughter is sending a cop to investigate him. He lies to TO, saying that he has killed FUNG and has thrown his body into the Huangpo River.… ...

PING suddenly disappears and TO is worried. He later finds out from her telegram that she has gone to Tianjin. PING hurries to Tianjin as she has received news that FUNG is there. She stays temporarily in the home of an old servant. MUI stays in Professor SZETO’s home to practice hard. However, she does not make any progress. She is upset as the Professor is not pleased with her performance. MUI’s family visits her and asks her to go home. MUI refuses as she is determined to stay and practice more to become better. PING runs out of money and asks her stepmother MUI CHI to wire her some money. When SAI FUNG learns about this, he blames MUI CHI for spoiling PING. Professor SZETO invites LEUNG, TO and MUI to dinner and tells them MUI has a good chance to win in the competition. She can also go to Vienna to study music if she wins. TSE WAN is jealous of MUI and always stands in her way.… ...

Due to a change in the schedule for departure, MUI has to leave right after the competition. TO and LEUNG encourage MUI to do her best during the competition and conceal their sadness so that MUI can give her best performance. TSE WAN hides MUI’s violin, but is later touched by MUI’s sincerity and returns it to MUI. Professor SZETO informs TO that MUI has suddenly disappeared. LEUNG and TO try to find her. TO finds her at the church. MUI does not want to leave her family and decides to give up her chance to go to Vienna. Her decision is supported by her family and the other villagers. TSE WAN eventually wins the competition. PING has no more money. In order to keep advertising in the newspapers, she sells her expensive coats. She has no more clothes to keep her warm and falls sick as a result. Her old servant gives her a train ticket to go back to Shanghai, but she refuses to return home.… ...

TO asks PING’s family go Tianjin in rush. SAI FUNG scrambles to get there. PING is worried that her father will punish her, but SAI FUNG has no such intention. He accompanies PING back to Shanghai. On their way home, SAI FUNG tells PING about his expectation. PING, on the other hand, tells TO about her romance with FUNG. She firmly believes that FUNG is still alive. TO say nothing but ask the doctor gives PING a medical treat. Doctor diagnoses that she is seriously ill in need of rest and medicine. SAI FUNG feels anxious and throws himself at her for raising a western-style party on his birthday. However, PING pretends to have taken her medicines. She believes that FUNG will appear on Christmas Eve. SAI FUNG also invites TO to his birthday party. MUI is playing violin on party, he promises to arrange for her to primary school teaching music. When the night gets late, PING disappears secretly…

When MUI arrives to teach at the primary school, she is stunned by the chaos in the classroom. TO is worried about MUI and secretly visits her at school. He is surprised to find that MUI tames the students by her music. PING has not recovered yet and SAI FUNG puts aside of his dignity showing cares about her. PING is touched. MUI loses control to the students, TO suggests her to resign. MUI refuses. They come across PING in the street. She tells them that she has done the tombstone engraving for FUNG. TO is worried about PING and ask for spending more time with her. SAI FUNG is delighted. But she does not get any better after all. Conversely, she seems to get worse. This is all because of PING’s stepmother CHI and her stepbrother YIP. They are trying to make her go mad in order to take over SAI FUNG’s business for YIP…

PING discovers that CHI tried to commit suicide. CHI admits in a letter that she wants to make PING crazy. She knows that SAI FUNG learns the truth. She kills herself so that SAI FUNG will not blame their son, YIP. The doctors save CHI. SAI FUNG arrives at the hospital and asks TO to arrest CHI and YIP. CHI breaks down and reveals that SAI FUNG has all along suspected her of adultery not long after their marriage. Since then, he has believed that YIP is not his son. To help YIP get what he is entitled to, CHI has to make PING crazy. PING forgives CHI and helps convince SAI FUNG that YIP is in fact his son. She also arranges to have CHI settle down in Guangzhou. Before CHI leaves, she tells PING that FUNG has in fact drowned in the sea. PING bids farewell to FUNG in front of his grave. With the help of TO and MUI, PING finally recovers. However, all of a sudden, FUNG miraculously appears in front of PING and TO.

In the hospital, FUNG discloses the reason for his disappearance. A year ago, he was diagnosed with cancer and thought he would soon die. He therefore left without a word. While he was wandering in Hangzhou, he met a German doctor who cured him. SAI FUNG is relieved to hear that. MUI, on the other hand, gets to know LAU YAN YAN, who is from Guangzhou. MUI takes good care of YAN. She later finds out that YAN is in fact the daughter of a rich tea merchant in Guangzhou. She is cheated by a rascal named YIP HEUNG WING. SAI FUNG invites FUNG to dine with him and offers him a job at his gold shop. PING is thrilled. MUI and YAN go shopping on the street and come across WING… but they then discover that WING and FUNG are in fact the same person!

TO goes to find PING and asks her to look into the case with him in Hangzhou. PING agrees and makes up an excuse to leave home. She says she is heading for Beijing to find a new shop location. When TO and PING arrive at FUNG’s nursing home, they discover that the doctor has returned to Germany. The nursing home also refuses to disclose patient information. TO and PING are stranded. Luckily, a sister volunteers to provide them with some information about FUNG and she testifies that FUNG did stay there. When they return to Shanghai, PING finds that FUNG is working very hard at her father’s shop. She tells FUNG about her trip and FUNG forgives her. FUNG promises to be with PING forever. TO goes to visit YAN, who is in a coma after being knocked down by a car. TO is worried that PING will be like YAN. SAI FUNG hurries back home when he learns that FUNG may be a member of the Chak Pak Gang. He asks TO for help.… ...

BING notifies TO and LEUNG that MUI is arrested in Hangzhou for breaking the law. TO and PING go her rescue. They find out that MUI has broken into the nursery home to find FUNG’s health record. In the end, PING bails MUI out, but she blames TO for making MUI to believe FUNG is a villain. She ends up in a dispute with TO. PING discovers that she is pregnant, and FUNG quickly seeks SAI FUNG’s approval to marry her. SAI FUNG is upset and beat him up. Though very reluctant, SAI FUNG agrees to let PING marry FUNG. TO still believes that FUNG is a member of the Chak Bak Gang, and asks LEUNG to help him put FUNG to a test. However, FUNG manages to pass LEUNG’s test. TO is still suspicious of FUNG’s real identity. PING is feeling unwell, and SAI FUNG is aware that FUNG is very anxious about her and the baby. TO learns from the doctors how a scar should look like on a lung cancer patient after an operation.… ...

After serious consideration, TO decides to report to his superior, Robinson, that FUNG is a member of the Chak Bak Gang. He also tells Robinson that SAI FUNG has agreed to let him arrest FUNG. He promises to bear all the consequence. On the other hand, SAI FUNG is slowly convinced that FUNG is a good person. At that point, TO appears with other police officers to arrest FUNG. FUNG continues to claim he is innocent and shows the scar on his body. TO fails to prove that FUNG is lying, and angers both PING and SAI FUNG. Meanwhile, YAN finally dies and TO loses his last witness against FUNG. He feels beaten and hands his resignation. TO apologises to FUNG. PING, with the help of MUI, forgives TO, and they become friends again. PING and FUNG get married. LEUNG attends their wedding banquet with TO and MUI. To her astonishment, she discovers that the “Eight Con Masters” are also joining the banquet in different disguises …

The leader to the “Eight Con Masters” disguises himself as a jade merchant called KEI. He leads his family and staff to visit LEUNG and implies that he will hurt TO and MUI. LEUNG begs him to let them go and is willing to cut off her two fingers. In the end, LEUNG pretends to be sick and asks TO and MUI to leave Shanghai with her. They move to Guangzhou. Meanwhile, KEI becomes friends with SAI FUNG and they even set up a joint company with FUNG as manager in charge. KEI’s follower, FEI, pretends to be KEI’s daughter and seduces YIP so that he falls in love with her. Though TO has left Shanghai, he keeps contact with PING by writing letters to her. Time flies, and the son of PING and FUNG is now three years old. One day, PING comes across her high school classmate, CHING TSE HIM. HIM is the son of the Shanghai Financial Secretary. FUNG is attracted to HIM’s wife, SUN WU SHENG.… ...

SHENG has a good impression of FUNG when she sees him holding a music box, reminiscing about his childhood in the orphanage. In Guangzhou, LEUNG is running a small congee shop with TO and MUI. Business is good for them. She does not want TO to go back to Shanghai and thus throws away PING’s letter. YIP follows FUNG and discovers that he gives away huge sums of money to some unknown person. YIP reports this to SAI FUNG, but SAI FUNG is too sick to bother. YIP feels helpless and tells PING. PING questions FUNG. Surprisingly, FUNG admits giving away money. He tells PING that their business is in danger and that he uses the money to bribe government officials. PING is sorry that she blames him for doing wrong. TO asks MUI to a movie and MUI is nervous. She is not sure if TO is interested in her. YIP tells everything to WONG, who comes back from Nanjing, WONG suspects there is something wrong.… ...

WONG stays in his room and refuses to go out. YIP asks him about the progress on investigating FUNG, but somehow they end up in a dispute. FEI meets with WONG and threatens to tell the others about their affair. When WONG and FEI were going through FUNG’s accounts in KEI’s house, WONG had sex with FEI. FEI remains very passionate to WONG, but WONG is unable to continue with this relationship. He is both guilty and confused. FUNG becomes even better friends with SHENG by participating in a tennis charity match with her. Meanwhile, HIM learns from PING that FUNG has suffered from lung cancer and is amazed to know that he can fully recover. FEI breaks her engagement with YIP and tells WONG that she is pregnant. She forces WONG to tell KEI and YIP. YIP is furious when he learns about this and he beats WONG up. WONG suddenly kills himself and SAI FUNG is devastated. He suffers a stroke and ambulance rushes him to hospital.… ...

PING discovers that YIP indulges in gambling. YIP explains that he’d rather spend all his money than seeing it being robbed by strangers. PING feels sad and she promises SAI FUNG that when he recovers, she will help rebuild his business. HIM realizes that SAI FUNG is trying hard to tell him something. HIM tries to write down every single word by questioning despite SAI FUNG is not able to speak in clear. SHENG bumps into FUNG three times a day. They have a very good and pleasure chatting with each other. In Guangzhou, TO and LEUNG are busy with their prospering business. BING suddenly comes to visit them, and they notice that a big change happens in LAM’s family. TO and MUI wonder why PING did not mention this in her letters to them. YIP is being set up in the casino and thinks he has killed a person. He flees from Shanghai. HIM calls PING and asks her to visit SAI FUNG at the hospital.… ...

TO and MUI discover that LEUNG has destroyed all the letters from PING. When TO learns of the tragedy that happened to PING, he goes to her rescue. LEUNG knows that she is not able to stop him, regardless of all she goes with him fight against the “Eight Con Masters”. They ask MUI to stay in Guangzhou and she agrees. SAI FUNG is about to die. He manages to change his will before he dies. His assets will be shared between CHI and PING. KEI tells CHI and PING that their gold shop is in huge debt and forces CHI and PING to hand over their shares to him. PING pretends to be compliant, but in fact, she asks HIM to help her expel the “Eight Con Masters” from her family. PING denies the debt in front of the public and announces her divorce from FUNG. TO and LEUNG arrive in Shanghai and come across BING, the nun in false pretence. PING tries to leave Shanghai with HIM and her son.… ...

SHENG and FUNG hurry to the hospital. The doctor tells them that PING and HIM will remain unconscious for a long time due to their critical condition. SHENG is devastated and she wonders why HIM was in the car with PING. FUNG accuses them of having an affair intentionally. TO and LEUNG are attacked by gangsters in Shanghai and cannot get in contact with MUI. In order to fight the “Eight Con Masters”, TO asks LEUNG to teach him the art of conning. He wants to con them as they con the others. MUI is worried about TO and LEUNG as she hears nothing from them. She decides to go to Shanghai. SHENG tells FUNG happily that HIM appears to be coming round. FUNG therefore plans to kill him. When MUI arrives in Shanghai, she tries to find TO in their old home, but no one is there. She then goes to visit PING. By chance, she witnesses FUNG killing HIM. FUNG later takes the chance to start an affair with SHENG.… ...

FUNG takes PING home and the “Eight Con Masters” plan to kill her secretly so that they can take over all her assets. TO and LEUNG win a huge sum of money in the casino and they pay people to look for KEI. They also reveal the real identity of the “Eight Con Masters” in front of the public. MUI finally meets up with TO and LEUNG and hands to TO the evidence of FUNG killing HIM. KEI and FUNG accompany CHI to transfer her shares to them. They discover at the law firm that PING has drawn up her will to give away all her assets to charitable organisations after her death. This move forces FUNG to change his plan. Meanwhile, TO tries to sneak into PING’s house, but is caught by FUNG. PING comes round, but she pretends to be in a coma so that she can escape from FUNG. FUNG takes advantage of SHENG and arranges for the “Eight Con Masters” to get close to her father, SUN FU SHING, a retired general.… ...

TO leads the police officers, Robinson and PING to the restaurant to confront the “Eight Con Masters” in front of SHING. Although TO has evidence of FUNG killing HIM, FUNG still manages to excuse himself from the blame. TO then tells SHING that he has secretly installed a recording machine in PING’s house to tape the conversation among the “Eight Con Masters”. SHING is furious and asks TO to give him the tape within five days. He also hints to the “Eight Con Masters” that they will suffer if they do him any harm. The “Eight Con Masters” do not think that TO has any evidence, but they are, nonetheless, disturbed. For their peace of mind, KEI sends his people to follow TO. He then finds that TO, LEUNG and MUI are all heading towards the police station with a tape. KEI’s men manage to prevent TO and LEUNG from reaching the police station, but MUI succeeds and hands in a tape to the police.… ...