Displaying some bizarre behaviour at the Conrad International hotel yesterday was the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing deputy chief operating officer Lawrence Fok Kwong-man.
Desperate to avoid the loitering press-pack, Mr Fok chose to escape through a place where he was most likely to get one - the hotel's kitchen. His escape bid entailed following a waiter into the kitchen and out through a door at the back.
Pursuing reporters were barred from entering the staff-only area.
Mr Fok is believed to have left quickly to avoid having to answer questions about the penny-stock fiasco.
According to a survey among local investors, Mr Fok's boss, Kwong Ki-chi, is second on a list of candidates who should be blamed for the mini-market crash.
Mr Fok has not had the finger pointed at him. But if he is somehow implicated and finds himself looking for a new job he has a head start on Mr Kwong in the catering business.