Chapter 275 The Guo Family's Visit
Although already in his seventies, Shao Yifu looked radiant and full of energy, showing none of the typical appearance of a man his age.
After bidding farewell to Shao Yifu, Lin Haoran left the TVB headquarters.
Despite the many stars gathered there, at that time, truly famous actresses were few and far between.
Thus, even though Lin Haoran harbored a slight intention of flirtation, after gaining a detailed understanding of TVB's situation, that idea quickly faded.
At present, the number of well-known female artists at TVB could be counted on one hand. Even those hailed as the "Four Big Actresses"—Wang A'jie, Zhao Yazhi, Huang Shuyi, and Li Siqi—were mostly already over thirty years old.
Zhao Yazhi, however, was still in her prime at 27, around Lin Haoran's age, and her stunning beauty, especially her unforgettable portrayal of Bai Suzhen in "The New Legend of Madame White Snake," left a lasting impression.
But Zhao Yazhi was now married and heavily pregnant, staying home peacefully on maternity leave.
In another two months or so, she was expected to give birth. Naturally, Lin Haoran had no interest in her; he wasn't that outrageous.
After leaving the TVB building, Lin Haoran didn't visit any other company.
Today, he had first gone to the Governor's mansion and then to the TVB building in Kowloon Tong; by now, it was already past noon.
Instead of eating out, Lin Haoran instructed Li Weiguo to drive him straight back to the Lin family villa in Deep Water Bay.
Truth be told, he hadn't been back there for quite some time.
Currently, all his companies were running smoothly, and he would be contacted promptly if any major issues arose.
Thus, Lin Haoran didn't need to worry much about daily management.
As for the debt at HSBC, he wasn't concerned at all about paying it off when due.
By then, it would coincide with the peak of the real estate boom over the next few years.
He planned to sell the land he had been accumulating at high prices, securing handsome profits.
Furthermore, Amigo Company was set to go public in September.
It was possible that the shares he held there would yield a substantial return.
Combined with the International Building, which could be sold at any time, gathering twenty billion Hong Kong dollars would not be difficult.
Thus, Lin Haoran truly had no worries about debts.
When he arrived home, Lin Haoran's father was not there.
According to his mother, Lin Wan'an had gone out early to discuss a new movie project with some friends.
Lin Haoran didn't intend to stop his father from playing around with filmmaking.
Although it wasn't easy to make money from films, it didn't matter whether he earned or lost—Lin Haoran could easily support his parents either way.
Upon learning that Lin Haoran hadn't yet eaten, his mother hurriedly instructed the servants to prepare lunch.
"Mom, no need for too many dishes. Weiguo, Weidong, and I will just have something simple," Lin Haoran called out to her.
"Got it! Have some snacks first so you don't starve," his mother said, continuing forward without turning around.
It was just after noon, so it wasn't very late.
In just twenty minutes, several dishes with excellent color, aroma, and flavor were brought to the table.
Tasting the delicious meal, Lin Haoran felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
At his villa on Shixun Road, while he enjoyed freedom, it lacked the presence of family.
Only here did he truly feel at home.
With just a week left before his trip to the UK, Lin Haoran spent the next three days at home, accompanying his parents and going nowhere.
On the fourth day, he left the Deep Water Bay villa area.
Before going abroad, he needed to meet with the heads of his companies to finalize any pending matters while he was still in Hong Kong.
Over the following two days, he met with Wanqing Group President Burton, Hongkong Electric General Manager Chen Shoulin, and Oriental Press Group General Manager Cui Zilong, among others.
In a flash, it was August 7th.
In the morning, he visited Amigo Company.
Today, Liu Luanzhong was indeed a rising star among Hong Kong's young entrepreneurs.
Upon seeing him, Lin Haoran could feel that his partner was now riding high on his recent success.
After all, Liu had been basking in the spotlight lately, with a fame nearly matching Lin Haoran's own.
Thanks to the media coverage, there were few people in Hong Kong who didn't know his name.
"Haoran, our IPO preparations are going very well. We're just waiting for the Stock Exchange to review our submitted documents.
According to Jardines Matheson, given our company's quality, the listing process shouldn't even take two months.
We might be able to go public at the beginning of next month!" Liu Luanzhong said excitedly upon seeing Lin Haoran.
"That's excellent news. But even though we're about to list, we can't slack off in managing the company.
If performance drops, the stock market valuation won't meet expectations," Lin Haoran reminded him.
"Don't worry, Haoran.
Although our orders dipped slightly in July and again in August, the drop isn't significant and won't affect this year's profits," Liu Luanzhong said nonchalantly.
"Good. I trust you," Lin Haoran smiled.
"By the way, Haoran, I plan to hold a relocation ceremony before the listing, moving the factory to our newly built industrial park.
It should further boost Amigo Company's reputation!" Liu Luanzhong added.
The Amigo Industrial Park, built by Wan'an Real Estate, was due for completion later this month.
The park, composed of several industrial buildings, wasn't a major construction challenge and was nearly finished.
"You're the General Manager—you decide," Lin Haoran said casually.
Incidentally, Wan'an Real Estate had made several million Hong Kong dollars from the project, a tidy profit for Lin Haoran.
The two chatted about various company matters, mostly Liu Luanzhong reporting to Lin Haoran, since Liu was handling day-to-day management.
"Ah, right, Ah Xiong. I'm heading to the UK tomorrow.
I came here today to let you know.
I'm not sure when I'll return, but definitely before the company's listing," Lin Haoran informed him after a long conversation.
The official visit to Britain was scheduled for a week.
What happened after that would depend on individual arrangements.
Lin Haoran didn't yet know how long he would stay in the UK.
"Going to the UK? Are you exploring the market there?" Liu Luanzhong asked curiously.
"Sort of.
It's actually an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II herself.
Mr. Shen Bi, Mr. Bao Yugang, and others will be going too," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
This wasn't exactly a secret.
"Invited personally by the Queen, huh?
When will I ever reach that level?" Liu Luanzhong said enviously.
Suddenly, he realized his achievements weren't enough to justify any complacency.
"You are one of the most talented young businessmen I've ever seen.
I'm sure you'll reach that level one day!" Lin Haoran said, laughing and patting Liu's shoulder.
In his past life, Liu Luanzhong had consistently ranked among the top ten richest people in Hong Kong.
In this world, thanks to Lin Haoran's influence, Liu had started even stronger.
Originally, Liu's assets at this time would have just crossed the hundred-million mark.
Now, even without counting Amigo Company, Liu's personal wealth already amounted to several hundred million Hong Kong dollars.
Not to mention, Amigo Company was about to go public at the peak of its fame.
With all the media coverage, Amigo was already known as Hong Kong's number one manufacturing company.
Thus, once Amigo listed, its market value was bound to be impressive.
Lin Haoran didn't dislike Liu Luanzhong.
After all, Liu had made him a lot of money in this world.
Liu was practically a wealth generator for him.
Over two years, dividends alone would exceed three hundred million Hong Kong dollars.
And once Amigo successfully listed, the value of Lin Haoran's shares would far surpass even that.
His initial investment of about 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars in Amigo might yield over six hundred million Hong Kong dollars within just two years.
Such a person was practically a godsend to Lin Haoran.
While chatting with Liu, Lin Haoran received a phone call.
It was from Guo Henian, and the request surprised him.
Guo Henian said he wanted to visit Lin Haoran that evening with his wife, children, and niece, as they all lived in the Peak villa district.
Naturally, Lin Haoran readily agreed.
He had long invited Guo to visit, but the opportunity had never arisen until now—on the eve of Lin Haoran's departure for Britain.
Though he wasn't sure why Guo was visiting, the Guo family had recently helped him a great deal.
Thus, there was no way he would refuse.
Ching Chau Cement Company's rapid expansion into the Southeast Asian market that year owed much to Guo Henian.
Guo's family was well established in Malaysia, practically local overlords.
Thanks to their introductions, Ching Chau Cement easily gained a foothold in Malaysia and Singapore, dramatically boosting sales, turnover, and profits.
After hanging up, Lin Haoran bid farewell to Liu Luanzhong.
Guo Henian was considered an elder to him, and since meeting him, had provided plenty of support.
Thus, Lin Haoran intended to take this visit very seriously.
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