Chapter 272 Governor Murray MacLehose Summons Again
Over the next week, Liu Luanzhong basked in endless glory, with reporters vying for interviews every day, as if he were under a constant spotlight.
He began to indulge in this brand-new experience of fame.
Previously, despite being a billionaire, he remained relatively unknown, known only among his factory employees.
Now, nearly all of Hong Kong knew his name, and when he went out, people warmly greeted him as "President Liu."
This unprecedented attention and recognition brought him immense novelty and enjoyment.
"So this is what it feels like to become a public figure," Liu Luanzhong thought, smiling nonstop in Amigo Company's office.
Half an hour earlier, a reporter from Ta Kung Pao had just completed an exclusive interview with him, and even after the reporter left, the lively atmosphere lingered in the office.
This had already been the tenth or so journalist seeking an exclusive interview with him.
Still young at heart, Liu Luanzhong accepted each exclusive interview request without hesitation.
It seemed he was completely drawn to the brilliance of fame, immersed in the joy of his rising reputation.
Every word of praise and every bit of attention nourished his deep yearning and relentless pursuit for fame.
For a time, Liu Luanzhong became the second most influential young business leader in Hong Kong, just after Lin Haoran.
Amigo Company, jointly held by these two young billionaires, naturally attracted countless eyes and attention.
Meanwhile, Lin Haoran had arranged a meeting with the general manager of Jardines Matheson and successfully reached a cooperation agreement to assist Amigo Company's public listing.
From there, Lin Haoran no longer needed to be involved.
Jardines Matheson would handle coordination directly with Liu Luanzhong; the necessary communications would suffice.
Time flew, and August arrived.
One day, Lin Haoran once again received a call from Governor Murray MacLehose.
On the phone, MacLehose invited him to the Governor's mansion for an important discussion.
Upon arriving at the Governor's mansion and entering MacLehose's office, Lin Haoran noticed several individuals already seated on the sofas.
Besides Governor MacLehose, there were Shen Bi, Nevil Jodrell, Stuart Symington, Bao Yugang, and Li Jiacheng—six or seven people in total.
Each of them was a top figure in Hong Kong's business world.
Upon seeing Lin Haoran, Shen Bi and Bao Yugang smiled and greeted him.
Only Nevil Jodrell made an exception.
This British man in his forties, narrow-minded as he was, had lost face twice in front of Lin Haoran and now viewed him as an enemy, showing no intention of reconciliation despite his status as a business tycoon.
Since Nevil Jodrell ignored him, Lin Haoran naturally saw no reason to approach him either.
After all, what was Jardines Matheson to him?
In fact, Lin Haoran had quietly become a major shareholder of Jardines Matheson; it just hadn't been publicly disclosed yet.
Even the head of Jardines Matheson was merely a professional manager.
The ownership structure of Jardines Matheson was complicated; even as a major shareholder, Lin Haoran couldn't easily seize control, not to mention the potential interference from the Governor's office. Whether he could ultimately take over Jardines Matheson remained uncertain.
However, as for its core enterprise, the Hongkong Land Group, Lin Haoran was determined to secure it.
When that time came, Nevil Jodrell's reaction would be interesting to watch.
Thus, Lin Haoran paid no attention to Nevil Jodrell's hostility.
After all, during the previous incident with the Prosper Electric Company, Jardines Matheson had been the aggressor, not him.
Yet Nevil Jodrell now acted like a victim, which only made Lin Haoran look down on him even more.
After Lin Haoran sat down, several more top tycoons arrived.
With about a dozen people present, they essentially controlled most of Hong Kong's commercial sectors.
Observing the gathering, Lin Haoran had a rough idea of why MacLehose had summoned them.
During their last private meeting, the Governor had mentioned plans to organize a Hong Kong business delegation to visit the United Kingdom in August, advising him to prepare.
Now that August had come, it was evident that this gathering of business leaders was for that purpose.
Sure enough, once everyone had arrived, Governor MacLehose stood before them and announced, "All of you are outstanding leaders in Hong Kong's business community. I'm sure you have already heard some rumors.
Indeed, at the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen, we will organize a delegation of Hong Kong business elites to visit the United Kingdom for a week-long exchange. Our preliminary departure time is set for 10 a.m. on August 8th. Are there any objections? If so, please raise your hand."
Such an important matter had certainly been notified to all participants in advance, giving them time to prepare.
After all, each person present managed one or several large enterprises and needed to make arrangements beforehand.
Today being August 1st, MacLehose convened them a week early to ensure everything was in order.
For Lin Haoran, the specific departure date was of little consequence.
Unlike some other tycoons who preferred to manage every affair personally, he relied on a team of professional managers.
Of course, there were a few career executives present as well, like Shen Bi and Nevil Jodrell.
Though not shareholders of HSBC or Jardines Matheson, they managed their respective enterprises due to the shareholders' trust.
No one raised their hand, clearly indicating their agreement with MacLehose's arrangement.
"Since there are no objections, the departure date is confirmed," MacLehose decisively concluded.
He then discussed the itinerary for the trip in detail with everyone.
Considering the one-week timeframe was short, the main activities would be concentrated around the Greater London area.
As for extending the trip, it was unrealistic; each attendee had packed schedules managing their businesses.
The entire meeting lasted about an hour and ended smoothly.
Lin Haoran was actually looking forward to visiting Britain.
Although his predecessor had graduated from the London Business School, Lin Haoran himself had never set foot on British soil, knowing it only through fragmented memories.
After nearly two years in Hong Kong, the only overseas regions he had visited were the United States and the Middle East.
Both trips had clear goals—taking advantage of the oil crisis and gold futures to make profits.
Each journey had brought substantial rewards, filling his coffers.
The success of his current multiple listed companies largely stemmed from these opportunities.
Otherwise, relying solely on steady development in Hong Kong, even with his status as a wealthy heir, becoming a billionaire would have been possible, but reaching his current level would have been extremely difficult.
Perhaps he would have simply invested the profits from Wharf Holdings, his family inheritance, and Amigo Company into land speculation, waiting for property appreciation.
While waiting for land to appreciate would eventually bring considerable cash flow, he would have missed the golden opportunities to acquire valuable companies like Hongkong Electric, Towngas, and Kowloon Motor Bus.
Thus, those two overseas trips had been pivotal.
Now, however, regarding what he could accomplish in Britain or what benefits it might bring, Lin Haoran had no concrete ideas.
World Cup betting? Clearly not the time; the next World Cup would only occur in 1982.
Besides, he hadn't paid attention to the World Cups of this era in his past life, and despite his excellent memory, he couldn't know details he had never learned before.
Hence, he had no specific plans for the upcoming UK trip—he would just play it by ear.
If opportunities arose, great; if not, he could treat it as a chance to relax.
Meanwhile, Wanqing Group could use the opportunity to expand its European market footprint.
Restricting themselves to the Southeast Asian market was clearly not enough to satisfy his ambitions.
After all, the European and American markets were the largest in the world.
If his companies wanted to rank among the world's top enterprises, they had to pursue internationalization.
Otherwise, they would forever remain regional players.
Just like HSBC, which eventually became one of the world's top ten banks through continuous international expansion, acquiring banks in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
Lin Haoran also had ambitions.
He hoped that Wanqing Group, Hongkong Electric, and others could follow a path of internationalization and become globally recognized enterprises rather than staying confined to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
After leaving the Governor's mansion, with time still early, Lin Haoran headed to Wanqing Tower nearby.
Before he arrived, however, his pager buzzed.
Checking the number, he saw it was from the chairman's office at TVB—likely Shao Yifu looking for him.
Since TVB's board meeting, which elected a new chairman and vice-chairman, it had been over ten days, and Lin Haoran hadn't once visited the TVB headquarters at Broadcast Drive, Kowloon Tong, nor interfered in its management.
Truthfully, Lin Haoran was just lazy.
Traveling from Hong Kong Island to Broadcast Drive would take at least thirty to forty minutes.
On the other hand, he also wanted to reassure Shao Yifu.
"What could Shao Yifu want from me at this time?" Lin Haoran muttered, frowning at the pager number.
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