Chapter 137 - Hoping the Battle for Control Doesn't End Too Soon
Previously, Lin Haoran had casually reminded Lin Haoning about the North American market, and at first, Lin Haoning didn't pay much attention. But after thinking about his brother's outstanding performance during the succession contest, he decided to leverage his network to negotiate with a North American distributor. To his surprise, he found that the North American market not only had ample orders but that the profits were several times higher. Afterward, he gradually shifted his business focus to North America, losing interest in the meager profits from the Middle East.
Although he didn't abandon his Middle Eastern clients, he simply maintained his existing business without further expansion. Naturally, this kind of shift was not something to be widely publicized — staying quiet while making money was the true way to succeed. Even if word spread, few would believe it. After all, Liu Luanxiong's family firmly believed there was no fan market bigger than the Middle East.
Currently, even though Lin Haoning's Wan Feng Fan Factory couldn't match Aimeigao's order volume, the North American contracts still boosted his profits substantially. Originally, relying on his wife's family connections in the Middle East, he was already earning over a hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars in monthly profits. He had been content with that. But after tapping into the North American market, even without a big increase in order volume, his profits doubled almost immediately. With sustained efforts to expand further, the future looked even brighter.
Lin Haoran understood now why. He had no regrets about revealing the North American market opportunity to Lin Haoning. The market was enormous, and Aimeigao could only claim a fraction of it. Letting his nominal elder brother take a small slice was no issue, especially since they had already divided their inheritance and had no disputes between them. Furthermore, the golden window to make big money in North America would only last until 1981. After that, the market would be saturated, and any newcomers would be too late.
"Good, since you're so straightforward, let's finalize the deal tomorrow morning," Lin Haoran said with a smile. "Haoran, how did you know the North American fan market would be so good?" Lin Wanan asked, puzzled. After all, he was quite familiar with the fan industry, having founded Wan Feng Fan Factory years ago before handing it over to Lin Haoning last year.
"When the signs of an oil crisis appeared, I predicted that North America would experience a boom in fan demand. People wouldn't dare overuse air conditioning during the hot summers to save energy. Fans would become the perfect alternative," Lin Haoran explained. "That's why I invested in a fan company — mainly targeting North America."
"Of course, we should stay low-key. If competitors flood in, the market will become cutthroat, like the Middle East where price wars have eroded profits," Lin Haoran added. Aimeigao's success stemmed largely from Liu Luanxiong's abilities, his deep understanding of the fan industry, and his network in North America — factors that couldn't easily be replicated.
Even if Lin Haoning entered the North American market, grabbing just a small share would already be an achievement. Similarly, Liu Luanxiong's former partner, Liang Yingwei, after selling his 50% stake in Aimeigao for 200,000 Hong Kong dollars, had opened a slightly larger-than-a-workshop-scale factory. Half a year later, he was still operating on a small scale. Knowing the market didn't guarantee success.
Aimeigao's rise was mainly due to Liu Luanxiong's efforts. Without his hustle in developing sales channels, even if Liang Yingwei started a new factory, he couldn't achieve much. Likewise, Lin Haoning's rapid acquisition of North American orders was clearly thanks to his wife's family connections rather than his own ability.
"Haoran, which fan company did you invest in?" Lin Wanan asked curiously. Even Lin Haoning leaned forward, eager to know. Although Lin Haoran had invested in Aimeigao over half a year ago, he had kept a low profile, never discussing it openly. Even his parents had no idea.
"Aimeigao Company in Kwun Tong," Lin Haoran answered with a grin. There was no point hiding it; anyone determined enough could investigate and find out. As for the orders, only a few insiders like the finance department knew about the real profits from the North American market.
"Really? Aimeigao?" Lin Haoning's voice rose noticeably in shock. "Is Aimeigao that famous?" Lin Wanan looked at him in surprise. "Dad, you don't know? Aimeigao is now one of the fastest-growing companies in Hong Kong's fan industry," Lin Haoning said. "It started as a small workshop, but within six months, it has become a top-tier manufacturer — far stronger than Wan Feng Fan Factory. They received outside investment and tons of orders — and now we know the investor was Haoran!"
"Oh? I didn't realize that," Lin Wanan said, shaking his head with a sigh. "Perhaps I should have let Haoran manage Wan Feng instead of Huafeng Cement. Who knows how far Wan Feng could have grown under him?"
Inwardly, Lin Haoran knew it wasn't that simple. If not for Liu Luanxiong, he wouldn't have bothered investing in fans at all. With so many industries booming in Hong Kong, he couldn't possibly invest in everything. Besides, if he had to personally develop the business, it would have been much harder. He knew little about the fan industry. Without Liu Luanxiong's network and expertise, he might have ended up like Liang Yingwei — running a small workshop.
"Dad, if Haoran had focused solely on fans, he might have missed out on acquiring Qingzhou Cement," Lin Haoning said with a laugh. "Exactly," Lin Wanan agreed. "Compared to fan profits, taking over Qingzhou Cement was a far bigger achievement. I'm getting old and muddled."
"Big Brother, let's settle it tomorrow morning. Meet me at Wan'an Group headquarters," Lin Haoran said, eager to end the conversation. "Alright, I'll bring the share certificates. Dad, Haoran, since we've settled everything, I'll be heading home now," Lin Haoning said, glancing at the clock.
"Drive carefully," Lin Wanan reminded him. "Don't worry, Dad," Lin Haoning replied, waving goodbye and exiting the study. Now, only Lin Haoran and Lin Wanan remained.
"Haoran," Lin Wanan said, his eyes full of pride, "I'm really starting to not understand you anymore. I thought I already knew your talent, but you keep surprising me. Maybe the thing I'm most proud of in my life is having a son with such extraordinary business talent." If only he knew everything Lin Haoran had accomplished — investments in oil, gold, and more — he would be even more shocked.
"Dad, after all, I did spend four years studying at London Business School. It wasn't for nothing," Lin Haoran said with a chuckle. They chatted late into the night in the study before Lin Haoran finally returned to his bedroom.
Night fell. The world outside grew quiet, broken only by the rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the shore.
The next morning, Lin Haoran enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at home, reading the newspaper as usual. As expected, gold prices had risen again — this time by 5.3 dollars overnight. Lin Haoran wasn't surprised. During this half-year stretch, gold would skyrocket from 250 to 850 dollars per ounce, an average daily increase of 3 to 4 dollars. As long as prices didn't collapse, he had nothing to worry about.
Meanwhile, the Commercial Daily continued highlighting the bull market. Many stocks had surged. Lin Haoran noticed that Wharf Holdings had closed at 87.9 Hong Kong dollars per share yesterday. Clearly, the battle between Bao Yugang and Hongkong Land was intensifying. Lin Haoran had no regrets about selling his Wharf shares early. That early sale had provided him with his first real fortune, which he had used to take over Qingzhou Cement.
He sold at over 70 Hong Kong dollars per share, not much lower than today's prices. In fact, the final battle for Wharf would see the share price reach 105 Hong Kong dollars per share before Bao Yugang emerged victorious, while Hongkong Land cashed out handsomely.
Lin Haoran just hoped that their battle wouldn't end too soon — because he knew, once Hongkong Land lost, they would start investing aggressively with their war chest. And Hongkong Electric would be one of their primary targets.
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