Chapter 169: This Deal Was Totally Worth It!
The three young girls boarded the boat, and it began its return journey. If it had been an unfamiliar vessel, the three girls would not have dared to board, but this was a Hongkong Electric Holdings vessel, marked clearly with the company's logo, and some people aboard looked like high-level executives. That gave them the courage. Hongkong Electric had long been deeply trusted by the people of Hong Kong, especially on Hong Kong Island.
"Handsome guy, thank you so much! You're really a good person."
"Yeah, how about we treat you to dinner when we get back to Hong Kong Island?"
"Handsome, do you work at Hongkong Electric? That's such a big company. I'm so jealous. If I could work there after graduation, that would be amazing. I hear the pay and benefits are excellent."
"Tell me about it! My cousin works for a Hongkong Electric subsidiary. He's so sought after that matchmakers are practically breaking down his door."
The three girls surrounded Lin Haoran, chattering away energetically. They were clearly very outgoing. They knew that if Lin Haoran hadn't agreed, they would not have been allowed aboard. Earlier, the elderly gentleman in a suit had clearly intended to refuse them.
In the past few days, Lin Haoran's name had been splashed all over the news. His photo appeared in the newspapers even today. After all, a young Chinese entrepreneur acquiring a British-listed company ranked among the top ten by market value was an earth-shaking event. Yet these teenage girls clearly weren't very interested in business news; even if they had seen Lin Haoran's photo, they hadn't remembered his face. They cared more about celebrities.
The more Lin Haoran looked at the girl who first spoke, the more she resembled a celebrity he knew from his previous life. Smiling, he asked, "What are your names? Why did you come to Lamma Island?"
"I'm Yang Xiaofeng. This is my classmate Hou Lingxia, and this is Li Lijin. We're students at North Point Cooperative Secondary School, and best friends. We planned a half-day trip to Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island. We meant to catch the ferry back earlier, but we missed it," the tall girl with a few freckles answered quickly.
Lin Haoran nodded. He finally confirmed that the girl with the slightly chubby, baby-faced cheeks was indeed the famous Li Lijin he remembered. Li Lijin was a notable actress from his past life: playful and adorable in Happy Ghost, feisty and bold in My Heart is That Eternal Rose, resilient in Final Victory, and sweetly innocent in Girls Without Tomorrow.
Those born in the 1980s and 1990s grew up watching Hong Kong movies, developing a special emotional bond with its stars. Unexpectedly, visiting Lamma Island had led him to cross paths with a familiar figure from his previous life.
The youthful Li Lijin was truly beautiful, her faint baby fat giving her a lively, fresh charm, almost a perfect match for the character Lin Xiaohua in Happy Ghost.
"Your name is Li Lijin, right?" Lin Haoran asked.
Li Lijin nodded vigorously.
"Would you be interested in shooting an advertisement? I think your look would be perfect. Our company plans to shoot a series of public service announcements for Hong Kong Island," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
Although she was only fifteen now, in a few years she would surely grow into an exceptional beauty. Everyone appreciated beauty. Of course, Lin Haoran had no untoward thoughts now, but in a few years, that might be different.
"Wow! Advertising! Lijin, I'm so jealous! I wish I had this opportunity!"
"Yeah, Lijin, you have to say yes. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!" her two friends exclaimed enviously.
Given that Lin Haoran had authorized them to board when even the stern-looking elder was about to refuse, it was clear he had authority — probably a leader at Hongkong Electric.
At the thought of seeing her face all over Hong Kong, Li Lijin became excited, though she answered cautiously, "I'll have to discuss it with my dad and mom first."
"Of course. If you're interested, just come to Hongkong Electric. Someone will arrange it," Lin Haoran said with a chuckle.
Along the way, the girls kept chatting happily. After more than half an hour, the official Hongkong Electric boat smoothly returned to Central Pier.
"Handsome guy, are you sure you don't want us to treat you to dinner?" the tall girl asked again.
"No need. I still have work to do," Lin Haoran said with a smile, declining politely.
"Thanks again for the ride. See you!" the cheerful girls said as they waved goodbye.
"Goodbye," Lin Haoran replied with a wave.
"Boss, you were right about that girl — she's really very suitable for advertising work. Pretty face, good figure," Chen Shoulin commented with a grin. He didn't understand why Lin Haoran had suddenly offered her an opportunity but fully agreed with his boss's judgment.
"If she shows up at Hongkong Electric, arrange something for her. We often need people for public service announcements anyway," Lin Haoran said casually.
As a public utility company, Hongkong Electric frequently needed promotional material for campaigns like "save electricity" or "protect power facilities." Using fresh faces for these spots made perfect sense.
"Got it, Boss. I'll arrange it," Chen Shoulin agreed readily.
Back at Hongkong Electric, Lin Haoran didn't stay long. He left quickly — heading to the Federal Building he had just purchased the day before.
The Federal Building was ideally located. It wasn't far from Central Pier and only about 300 meters from Alexandra House, a landmark under Land Holdings. This area was the core of Central's bustling commercial district.
Since the acquisition had only been completed yesterday, Federal Building was still in the handover process with Wan'an Group. When Lin Haoran arrived, Wan'an Group's general manager Yang Mingyi was already there, overseeing the handover from Federal Realty's manager.
Standing atop the 31st floor, Lin Haoran gazed out over the city center of Hong Kong, his heart filled with emotion. This famous Hong Kong building now completely belonged to him. Though Federal Building was no longer the tallest skyscraper, and soon wouldn't even be among the top ten, its prime location in Central ensured its enduring value. In twenty or thirty years, this property would be worth dozens of times more than today.
From the moment he had first walked into Central after crossing over, he had dreamed of owning a building in the heart of the city. Now, that dream had come true — not just one building, but two.
Although the International Building was not as tall as the Federal Building, it still had more than twenty floors and was considered a key part of Central. Central wasn't yet the forest of two- to three-hundred-meter skyscrapers that it would become in twenty or thirty years. At present, the tallest building in Hong Kong was Gloucester Tower, standing at only 178.5 meters. However, later this year, another building would surpass it — Hopewell Centre in Wan Chai, at a height of 216 meters. Thus, the nearly 100-meter-tall Federal Building was still considered a skyscraper by today's standards. As for the International Building, Lin Haoran wasn't as concerned about it. He planned to sell it by early 1981 when property prices peaked. When the real estate crisis eventually hit, properties would be much cheaper — nearly half the price of their peak.
Acquiring just the Federal Building clearly wouldn't satisfy Lin Haoran. In his secret layout targeting Land Holdings, if he could take over that group, he would gain many more buildings. Gloucester Tower, Alexandra House, Prince's Building, Chater House, Duke's Place — all important parts of Central's commercial core — were properties under Land Holdings. Becoming the biggest landlord in Hong Kong, or even globally, seemed like a pretty good idea. Of course, such ambition required vast capital. Seizing control of giants like Land Holdings would greatly accelerate that goal.
After spending more than ten minutes at the rooftop, Lin Haoran returned to the 31st floor. Right now, the floor was bustling; movers were busy clearing out items. This had been the headquarters of Federal Realty, but after the transaction, they needed to vacate.
Walking into an office space of over 200 square meters, Lin Haoran saw Yang Mingyi still in talks with a foreigner. Upon seeing Lin Haoran, both of them stood up and greeted him. Lin Haoran nodded with a smile and asked, "Still not done with the handover?"
"Boss, most of the handover has gone smoothly. We're now discussing some potential cooperation opportunities for the future between Wan'an Group and Federal Realty," Yang Mingyi replied.
Lin Haoran nodded, glancing around the office. It was mostly cleared out — just a desk and a few chairs remained. He pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Yang, the handover discussions are complete. I'll return to report to Mr. John Madden. I won't take up any more of your time," the foreigner said politely before taking his leave.
"Take care," Lin Haoran said courteously.
Once the foreigner left, Yang Mingyi began his report. "Boss, through the handover process, I've learned about the status of the Federal Building and International Building. Currently, the occupancy rate is about 76%. Apart from a few originally vacant spaces, most of the offices are occupied by Federal Realty and other Wheelock subsidiaries. Now that they've sold the buildings, those subsidiaries will relocate. I've negotiated a one-week move-out period with them. As for the tenants, nothing needs to change — rent collection from February onward belongs to us. Security deposits from tenants will also be transferred to Wan'an Property Management Company. Based on past figures, the two buildings generate about HK$6 million in rent per month — roughly HK$70 million annually."
At the end of January, the rental income would transition seamlessly.
"Seventy million Hong Kong dollars a year?" Lin Haoran was surprised. He had initially estimated that three or four million per month would be decent. The reality far exceeded his expectations.
Spending HK$1 billion to acquire these two buildings was absolutely worth it.
Even without rent increases, he would recoup the investment within a little over a decade — and that's without factoring inflation.
Moreover, in ten months, if he wanted to sell, the buildings could fetch at least HK$2 billion.
After all, if he hadn't purchased them now, Wheelock would have partnered with Cheung Kong Holdings by the end of the year to sell them for over HK$2.2 billion.
This deal was truly worthwhile!
"In recent years, as property prices rose, so did rental prices — almost annually. And being in Central's core financial and commercial district ensures high occupancy rates. If not for Federal Realty reserving some office space for self-use, the occupancy would easily exceed 95%. Just the Federal Building alone houses over thirty financial companies," Yang Mingyi explained.
"For such a golden goose, Wheelock sure is generous to sell it," Lin Haoran remarked.
"Indeed, Boss. I was shocked too when I saw the rental figures," Yang Mingyi agreed.
"Reserve the 28th, 29th, and 30th floors for Wan'an Group headquarters. The 31st floor will be reserved for Huanyu Investment Company. This office space will serve as my private reception area. The rest can be leased out," Lin Haoran instructed.
He knew that Pao Yue-Kong had his own grand reception room in Prince's Building, a symbol of his status — almost like a mini Great Hall of the People. Although Lin Haoran's influence was far behind Pao Yue-Kong's, he believed he would one day match or even surpass him.
The Federal Building's floor area was two to three times larger than that of Wan'an Group's current headquarters. Three floors would be more than enough for now. If more space was needed in the future, they could expand.
"Boss, I was thinking — what if we renamed the Federal Building to Wan'an Group Building? Wouldn't that enhance our company's image?" Yang Mingyi proposed.
Changing the building's name would definitely boost Wan'an Group's visibility and prestige.
"Alright, I agree. Handle it," Lin Haoran said with a nod. They had already bought the building — there was no need to keep advertising Federal Realty!
Now, owning two major buildings in Central and backed by Lin Haoran's HK$200 million cash injection, Wan'an Group's strength had skyrocketed.
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