Chapter 186 A Call from the Governor's Office
After chatting with Burton for half an hour about the future development plans for Cheung Chau Cement, Lin Haoran then sought out Chief Financial Officer Huo Jianning to get an update on the recent situation.
Lin Haoran placed high hopes on Huo Jianning, a management talent he was grooming.
Huo Jianning was currently training his successor at Cheung Chau Cement, another Chinese candidate, slightly older than Huo Jianning himself.
This successor had a loyalty rating of 87, and after evaluation, proved to have good management talent and was well-versed in financial accounting, although he lacked high-level management experience.
Once he gained enough experience, he would be fully capable of taking over as CFO of Cheung Chau Cement. Therefore, Lin Haoran fully supported the development of this successor.
It was expected that in two or three months, Huo Jianning would be transferred from Cheung Chau Cement to Hong Kong Electric Group.
Cheung Chau Cement's industry was too narrow, and its strength not particularly strong, so there wasn't much to learn there.
It would be better to move Huo Jianning to Hong Kong Electric Group early, starting from the middle ranks, allowing him to grow faster.
Since Lin Haoran rarely visited the Kowloon Peninsula, and was already here today, he also dropped by Amigo Company.
In February, orders for electric blankets and heating pads at Amigo Company had significantly declined, while orders for electric fans had started to pick up again, thanks to distributors stocking up in preparation for the coming summer.
Thus, the factory was not as busy as it had been.
Even Liu Luanxiong, the general manager of Amigo, was not preoccupied with orders at the moment.
"Haoran, you came at the right time. I did some calculations. The land I invested over 100 million Hong Kong dollars in has appreciated by 50%. If I sell now, I can cash out over 200 million. Some real estate developers have recently approached me about buying the land. I'm torn—should I sell or not? Could you give me some advice?" Liu Luanxiong asked expectantly, looking at Lin Haoran.
The real estate market was rising so fast that he was starting to panic, fearing a sudden crash.
He remembered that back in 1973-74, Hong Kong's real estate market had suffered a sharp downturn, only recovering later.
"Are you planning to reinvest the funds somewhere else?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"No, I haven't thought that far. Although orders are a bit lower right now, they'll pick up again next month. By April or May, business should be back at its peak. I'm just nervous because all my capital is tied up," Liu Luanxiong said with a wry smile.
"If you trust me, then don't sell yet. If a real estate crisis were coming, there would usually be signs. I've studied Hong Kong's real estate market quite a bit. For now, there's no indication of a crash—at least not within a year. Beyond a year, I can't guarantee," Lin Haoran laughed.
Liu Luanxiong was destined to become a business tycoon in the future. For now, he was still young and lacked absolute confidence in his judgments.
"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Liu Luanxiong said decisively.
He genuinely admired Lin Haoran, who was younger than him by a few years.
They had cooperated for over a year, and during that time, Liu Luanxiong had watched Lin Haoran successfully acquire a major British enterprise—how could he not feel a bit envious?
But it was envy without jealousy.
Because Lin Haoran had also helped him a lot in the business world.
After chatting with Liu Luanxiong for a while, the two visited Amigo's new headquarters site.
However, the new headquarters was still just an empty lot.
Amigo had already signed a construction contract with Wan An Group.
They planned to build five six-story industrial buildings and one nine-story office building, scheduled for completion within a year.
Since the buildings would not be very tall, and industrial buildings were simpler structures, construction costs would be relatively low.
Wan An Group took on the full construction of the six buildings. Amigo Company would pay them 60 million Hong Kong dollars in installments.
According to cost estimates, Wan An Group would make about 12 million Hong Kong dollars in profit from this project—a short, simple, and profitable project.
If this were during Lin Wanan's era running Wan An Group, this would have been considered a major project.
But now, for Wan An Group, 12 million was not a major figure anymore.
Their collaborations with Hong Kong Electric Group were the true large-scale projects.
At the construction site, preparations were almost complete, and construction teams had already moved in.
After inspecting the site with Liu Luanxiong, Lin Haoran bid farewell and drove back to Wan An Group's building in Causeway Bay.
It was already past four o'clock, and the stock market had closed.
"Boss, today's absorption of shares in Hongkong Land, Jardines Matheson, and Kowloon Motor Bus all proceeded normally. But we noticed something strange with China Gas Company shares. The trading volume was even higher than yesterday, yet whenever we tried to absorb large orders, someone always beat us to it. By the end of the day, we had only absorbed a third of what we absorbed yesterday. I suspect a major player has entered the market, with stronger resources and more operators—we're not their match," Su Zhixue, the general manager of Huanyu Investment, reported when he saw Lin Haoran.
"That's normal. Now you have two competitors—Hong Kong Electric Group and Jardine Securities under Jardines Matheson. Given their involvement, absorbing a third of yesterday's volume is already impressive. Just do your best, don't put too much pressure on yourself," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
"No wonder!" Su Zhixue said, suddenly understanding.
Although Huanyu Investment had significantly strengthened its team, they were simultaneously absorbing shares from four listed companies, so they naturally couldn't match a professional firm like Jardine Securities.
Even so, they were still managing to capture a significant amount of shares, which was quite good.
Lin Haoran checked the absorption progress for Hongkong Land, Jardines Matheson, and Kowloon Motor Bus—all going well. As long as they continued steadily, taking control of these companies was no dream.
He was particularly confident about Hongkong Land's shares.
Because of the real estate boom, trading volumes in property stocks were huge, allowing Huanyu Investment to absorb large amounts under the cover of heavy market activity.
The downside was that stock prices were rising very quickly. In just one week, Hongkong Land's market value was nearing 8 billion Hong Kong dollars. It would likely hit 10 billion soon, maybe within a few months.
After discussing the next steps with Su Zhixue, just as Lin Haoran was about to head upstairs to see Yang Mingyi, his pager suddenly vibrated.
Checking the number, he didn't recognize it, but he still returned the call from Su Zhixue's office.
"Hello, is this Mr. Lin Haoran?" a fluent English-speaking voice asked. Clearly, it was a Westerner.
"I'm Lin Haoran. Who are you?" Lin Haoran asked, puzzled.
"Hello, Mr. Lin. I'm a staff member from the Governor's Office. I'm calling on behalf of the Governor to invite you to the Spring Festival Banquet hosted by the Governor on the evening of February 16 at 8 PM. The invitation has already been sent to your home. We look forward to your attendance," the voice quickly explained.
An invitation from Governor MacLehose?
Lin Haoran was surprised. He hadn't expected an invitation from the Governor's Office.
It was already February 12, and Chinese New Year's Day was February 16.
Governor MacLehose was regarded as a good governor during his tenure, establishing the ICAC and implementing a sweeping anti-corruption campaign known as the "Integrity Storm."
He had also launched extensive reforms in housing, education, medical care, welfare, infrastructure, transportation, the economy, and social affairs, profoundly changing Hong Kong's society.
He was indeed a very capable official.
Hong Kong was a city dominated by Chinese people, and although MacLehose was British, he understood the significance of Chinese New Year.
Thus, hosting a Spring Festival Banquet and inviting prominent Chinese figures was very reasonable.
Still, Lin Haoran didn't expect to be included.
Although his fame had been rising rapidly, and he was now recognized as one of Hong Kong's leading business tycoons, he had never dealt directly with MacLehose.
"Alright, I will attend on time!" Although surprised, Lin Haoran didn't hesitate to accept the invitation.
He would spend New Year's Eve with his family, but the evening of New Year's Day was free.
It was thoughtful of MacLehose to host the banquet on New Year's Day rather than New Year's Eve, respecting Chinese traditions of family reunion dinners.
After hanging up, Lin Haoran felt a wave of emotion—it was almost New Year again.
This would be the second Spring Festival since he had transmigrated.
Leaving Huanyu Investment, Lin Haoran briefly visited Yang Mingyi's office, exchanged a few words, then left Wan An Group's building.
Wan An Group's development was steady; there was little he needed to worry about.
When he returned to his villa on Sassoon Road, a servant immediately informed him that an envelope from the Governor's Office had arrived.
Entering his study, Lin Haoran carefully examined the envelope.
It bore the official seal of the Governor's Office, radiating formality and solemnity.
He opened it and found a gold-embossed invitation card, gleaming under the light.
The card formally invited Mr. Lin Haoran to the Governor's Spring Festival Banquet, listing the time, location, and bearing Governor MacLehose's signature and seal.
Everything about the invitation exuded authenticity and seriousness.
Unknowingly, Lin Haoran had already attracted the attention of someone at the highest level of the Hong Kong government.
As the highest-ranking official in Hong Kong, Governor MacLehose wielded immense power, and getting along with him could only bring benefits, never harm.
(This chapter ends.)
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