Chapter 164: Intelligence Conception, The Desire for Oriental Daily
The next morning, as the major newspapers and media outlets reported the news, citizens across Hong Kong gained a clearer understanding of Lin Haoran's acquisition of Hongkong Electric Holdings.
For example, Hong Kong's leading newspaper, Oriental Daily, not only thoroughly relayed Hongkong Electric's official announcement from the previous day but also carefully compiled and published a detailed biography of Mr. Lin Haoran, painting a more vivid, complete picture of him and deepening public awareness of his achievements and background.
"Lin Haoran, 26 years old, youngest son of Lin Wan'an, the former chairman of Wan'an Group, graduated from London Tower Business School.
In the summer of 1978, after returning from his overseas studies, Lin Haoran took over the management of a small cement factory, thus starting his involvement in the cement industry.
However, Lin Haoran was not content with running a small business.
Using his foresight, he acquired a large amount of shares in Wheelock & Co. when the price was low, ultimately earning his first real fortune.
A few months later, he quietly used that capital to complete the acquisition of Qingzhou Cement Company, the largest cement supplier in Hong Kong, officially taking over as chairman.
This move not only brought him to the attention of the business world but also made him the first Chinese entrepreneur to successfully acquire a British-listed company, generating widespread public attention.
However, success was quickly followed by turbulence, when British shareholders reported alleged acquisition violations, forcing Lin Haoran to privatize Qingzhou Cement, which has since been completed successfully.
By February last year, Lin Haoran officially took over from his father as chairman of the listed Wan'an Group.
Upon assuming leadership, he once again showed decisive action, pushing Wan'an Group to complete a successful privatization plan.
On January 28, 1980, at 6 PM, Hongkong Electric Holdings officially announced that Mr. Lin Haoran had successfully acquired 49.9% of its shares and officially assumed the position of chairman.
It is rumored that prior to the outbreak of the oil crisis, Lin Haoran foresaw the situation and heavily invested in the oil industry, which may have been the major source of funding behind his acquisition of Hongkong Electric Holdings..."
Lin Haoran's acquisition of Hongkong Electric was undoubtedly explosive news!
Who in Hong Kong didn't know about Hongkong Electric?
This nearly century-old electric company was one of the world's oldest and one of Hong Kong's most familiar public enterprises.
"I can't believe it, only in his twenties, he managed to acquire Hongkong Electric on his own — he really brings honor to us Chinese!"
"Exactly, Hongkong Electric — my home's electricity is supplied by them. Every year we pay them a fortune. At least now the money stays with a fellow Chinese!"
"To foresee Wheelock's stock boom and even the oil crisis... this guy is definitely destined to become one of Hong Kong's top business figures!"
"What do you mean 'in the future'? He's already at the top after becoming chairman of Hongkong Electric!"
"Young and such a talent for making money. Hongkong Electric's future will surely be bright. The stock market is so hot right now, I'm buying a hundred lots of Hongkong Electric stock!"
"Only 26 years old, rich, and good-looking — if I could marry him, I'd even be willing to get breast implants!"
"You're daydreaming in broad daylight — what a joke!"
Across Hong Kong, there was heated discussion about Lin Haoran's takeover of Hongkong Electric.
Most people felt Lin Haoran was bringing glory to the Chinese community.
Under British colonial rule, Hong Kong society was historically stratified:
Britons were first-class citizens, Chinese second-class.
British contempt for Chinese was widespread.
Thus, seeing a fellow Chinese acquire major British enterprises one after another stirred a strong sense of pride.
Lin Haoran's acquisition of Hongkong Electric became a source of collective pride among Hong Kong's Chinese population.
Sing Tao Daily even published a special article, striking at the core of public sentiment:
titled "The Successive Acquisitions of British Enterprises Mark the Rise of Chinese Conglomerates," it deeply analyzed the significance of Lin Haoran's achievement.
The article stated:
"Pao Yue-Kong's acquisition of Wheelock & Co., Li Jiacheng's takeover of Hutchison Whampoa, Lin Haoran's acquisition of Qingzhou Cement and Hongkong Electric —
these successive events, once unimaginable, show that Chinese entrepreneurs are catching up.
We eagerly anticipate a future where even more British enterprises transition into Chinese ownership..."
At his villa on Shixun Road, Lin Haoran, having just gotten up, read the newspaper while eating breakfast.
Unsurprisingly, he had become the protagonist of every headline.
Reading Oriental Daily's detailed coverage, even Lin Haoran was slightly amazed.
He hadn't expected reporters to uncover so much, even mentioning that he had profited massively from the oil crisis —
something very few people knew!
Although some parts were inaccurate, it nonetheless showed the strong investigative capabilities of Oriental Daily,
no wonder it had remained the number one newspaper in Hong Kong for so many years.
"If I could acquire Oriental Daily, wouldn't that give me a direct and powerful intelligence network?" Lin Haoran thought to himself.
Oriental Daily's charm lay in its:
Close tracking of every aspect of Hong Kong society, with fast, deep reporting on all kinds of local news,Elite contributors in both news and literary fields, providing a rich cultural supplement,Clear, vivid writing style with diverse columns, catering to readers of all ages.
Even Lin Haoran himself read Oriental Daily daily.
Its extensive intelligence network of reporters and informants across Hong Kong was unmatched.
Now, Lin Haoran lacked not money — but intelligence!
Previously, when trying to find Huo Jianning,
he had struggled, spent money, and wasted time just to locate his address — a frustratingly inefficient process.
If he had his own intelligence network, everything would change.
No longer would he depend on uncertain external sources;
intelligence would flow directly to him, sorted and prioritized.
In the fierce world of business,
information was invaluable.
Getting information even slightly earlier could mean seizing the market advantage.
Delayed intelligence meant missed opportunities — or worse.
Thus, building his own intelligence network was crucial for future success.
And for Lin Haoran, acquiring Oriental Daily would be the fastest path.
Compared to building a network from scratch, requiring massive capital, long timeframes, and endless effort,
Oriental Daily's existing resources were invaluable.
Although obtaining top-secret intelligence would still be difficult,
as a media platform, Oriental Daily's capabilities in gathering, organizing, and analyzing information
would be a huge advantage for Lin Haoran's business empire.
Moreover, Oriental Daily would be an excellent advertising platform.
As Lin Haoran's businesses expanded, this would become even more valuable.
At this moment, Lin Haoran made up his mind:
he would seek to acquire Oriental Daily.
Of course, there was no rush.
Since Oriental Daily was not a listed company,
he couldn't secretly buy shares on the open market —
he would have to approach its owners directly.
After breakfast and a short rest, Lin Haoran checked the time — it was already past 9 AM.
He set out for Hongkong Electric Holdings' headquarters.
It was his first official visit as chairman.
Although he had successfully taken control, he still wasn't familiar with the company's operations.
Hongkong Electric was now his most important enterprise — it deserved his full attention.
The drive from Shixun Road villa to the headquarters was short —
just ten minutes, and he arrived at the underground parking lot.
"Good morning, Chairman!"
"Good morning, Boss!"
"Good morning, Boss~"
From the parking lot to the chairman's office, all employees — Chinese and foreign — respectfully greeted their young new boss.
Lin Haoran nodded and smiled in return.
Arriving at the chairman's office, he found that Chen Shoulin wasn't there.
"Where's Chairman Chen?" Lin Haoran asked the assistant.
"Chairman, Mr. Chen is currently in a management meeting in Meeting Room 3.
He holds a management meeting with senior executives every morning," the assistant replied respectfully.
Lin Haoran nodded and didn't disturb the meeting.
Instead, he sat down on the couch in the meeting room, deep in thought.
He had earned approximately HK$5.744 billion from his gold futures operations.
Of that, about HK$594 million had been spent acquiring Hongkong Electric shares.
This meant he still had approximately HK$5.15 billion available.
Even after accounting for the HK$240 million loan from Yu Min Finance due next month,
he still had nearly HK$5 billion free.
Letting such a large sum sit idle in a bank was a waste.
It was early 1980 —
many excellent listed companies' stock prices were still low.
In a few years, their values would triple or quadruple.
Now was the time to act.
Since Hongkong Electric was secured,
which company should he acquire next?
Sitting on the sofa, legs crossed,
Lin Haoran furrowed his brows, thinking hard.
He had previously planned to acquire a major real estate company —
now it was time to act.
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