Chapter 212: Revenge, The Sooner the Better!
Cooperation was no problem for Lin Haoran; he currently still had abundant funds.
Although acquiring Jardines Matheson and other listed companies would be a considerable expenditure, that was a matter for the future.
Before he spent the nearly 3 billion Hong Kong dollars he still had on hand, he would surely find new profitable opportunities.
After all, he could not always rely on past accumulation.
Moreover, companies like Green Island Cement Company, Hongkong Electric Group, Hong Kong and China Gas Company, and Wanan Group continued to bring him steady income, earning him at least several hundred million Hong Kong dollars a year.
Therefore, investing several hundred million Hong Kong dollars in a highly promising project like this was not a big deal for Lin Haoran.
As for controlling shares, he did not really care.
In fact, Lin Haoran was not even very concerned about management rights.
Just like his current many companies, he had handed over the management to professional managers.
He knew very well whether he himself had business management skills.
Besides, he was already so wealthy—why exhaust himself? It was better to enjoy life.
He never agreed with his father's way of doing things, working hard all his life only to end up with a body full of illnesses.
As long as the project could continue to generate profits for him in the future, it was enough. Why obsess over control?
Moreover, with an experienced business tycoon like Guo Henian personally at the helm, Lin Haoran felt even more at ease.
After thinking it through, Lin Haoran decided not to hesitate any longer. He looked up at Guo Henian and said firmly, "Uncle Guo, after careful consideration, I have decided to accept your cooperation proposal. As for the equity, I hope to hold 49%."
"Nephew Lin, you just acquired the Hong Kong and China Gas Company, and yet you can still free up so much capital?" Guo Henian said in surprise.
Even Guo Xiaohan, who had been quietly observing Lin Haoran, revealed an expression of disbelief.
It was truly shocking.
Everyone knew Lin Haoran had just fought an intense battle against Jardines Matheson and, as a young man, defeated the old British conglomerate to successfully enter the Hong Kong and China Gas Company.
An established British giant like Jardines Matheson had lost to a man in his twenties.
Under such circumstances, everyone thought Lin Haoran must have spent a huge amount in the acquisition.
By common sense, the funds he could mobilize now should be quite limited.
However, Lin Haoran was now stating without hesitation that he wanted the maximum shareholding—completely unexpected!
In other words, he could still easily mobilize hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars?
It seemed the true strength of this young man was far greater than people had imagined!
"Uncle Guo, you just mentioned that this project will take at least five years to complete, so the investment doesn't need to be paid all at once.
The initial 400 million Hong Kong dollars for the auction, split equally, would only be about 200 million Hong Kong dollars each. For me, that's no big deal.
As for the later funds, I naturally have my ways to raise them!" Lin Haoran explained with a smile.
"Good, Nephew Lin, you are truly decisive. Then it's settled. We haven't yet won the bid, so there's no need to discuss detailed cooperation terms now.
The most urgent thing is that the government land auction is in three days. I have already registered.
Let's focus on winning the auction first.
Tomorrow, we can sign a land auction agreement, and if we successfully secure the land, we can continue discussing the next steps. How about it?" Guo Henian said straightforwardly.
"Of course, Uncle Guo, you arrange it!" Lin Haoran responded cheerfully.
Thus, a project with a total investment of over one billion Hong Kong dollars was easily agreed upon.
The land was next to Hong Kong University. Once the commercial plaza was completed, the student population alone would guarantee prosperity for the project.
After all, Hong Kong University students had significant purchasing power.
Although there were currently fewer than ten thousand students, in the future, enrollment would reach forty or fifty thousand.
Moreover, Sheung Wan was densely populated, providing a solid customer base for the commercial plaza.
Building a large shopping center here was almost guaranteed success.
Additionally, for the office building portion of the project, there was no need to worry about leasing it out.
Although the land was a few hundred meters from the coast, this was negligible for high-rise buildings, and there weren't many tall buildings blocking the view.
Furthermore, with the future opening of the Western District Submarine Tunnel, transportation would become even more convenient.
With sea-view office buildings offering distant views of Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, how could companies not be interested?
The geographical advantage was too obvious!
After the preliminary agreement, Guo Henian did not leave immediately but continued chatting with Lin Haoran.
Naturally, Lin Haoran was delighted.
After all, Guo Henian was a famous tycoon in the Nanyang business world, with a colorful and legendary life.
Even if he couldn't immediately gain practical experience, just listening to his stories was a great benefit.
"Uncle Guo, could you share some of your past experiences? For example, a memorable business battle," Lin Haoran asked with a smile after drinking a cup of hot tea.
Guo Xiaohan didn't interrupt but diligently poured tea for the two men.
"Speaking of memorable business battles, I have to mention the sugar trade war ten years ago. It was that battle that forged my special connection with the mainland..." Guo Henian eagerly began recounting his past glories.
In the 1960s, Guo Henian had expanded the sugar trade business left by his father, earning the title of "Asia's Sugar King."
His first direct clash with the mainland came during that sugar trade war.
At the time, the Huang Zhonghan family's business in Indonesia had been taken over by the government, leaving Asia's sugar market leaderless.
The mainland's foreign trade department seized the opportunity, using government backing to flood the Malaysian market with sugar, aiming to dominate it.
Ships full of sugar poured into Malaysia from China like a tidal wave.
Caught off guard, Guo Henian found his sugar stockpiled and uncompetitive due to higher prices.
Facing the crisis, Guo Henian quickly adjusted strategies, importing sugar from India at lower prices to retake the market.
Ultimately, he successfully defeated the competition from China, securing his position as Asia's Sugar King.
This sugar war also forged an indelible connection between Guo Henian and the mainland.
He seized the opportunity to establish Malaysia's first sugar refinery, leasing large areas of land for sugarcane plantations, and quickly built a nationwide sales network, creating an integrated "raw material-processing-sales" business model.
In 1970, before world sugar prices surged, he decisively bought large quantities of sugar on the international market and invested in sugar futures.
By then, he controlled 80% of Malaysia's raw sugar market and accounted for 10% of the world's sugar trade.
...
Lin Haoran listened intently, amazed by Guo Henian's experiences.
No wonder he became the richest man—such achievements were truly extraordinary.
Lin Haoran admitted to himself that he would not have been able to do the same.
Guo Henian sharing these stories was undoubtedly a way of imparting precious business wisdom to a younger generation.
"By the way, Uncle Guo, do you have investments in the Philippines?" Lin Haoran asked curiously.
"The Philippines? Of course. I have quite a few investments there, mainly operated through Guo's International Industries.
Now, we're considered a well-known enterprise in Manila, managed by one of my cousins," Guo Henian answered with a smile.
"Then Uncle Guo, have you heard of the Brotherhood Association?" Lin Haoran continued to ask.
"The Brotherhood? Of course I know.
That gang has a terrible reputation among the Chinese community in the Philippines—they often bully Chinese people, commit kidnappings and extortion, and are involved in all kinds of crime.
Just last year, there was a notorious kidnapping case involving them.
A well-known businessman from Taiwan was kidnapped by the Brotherhood, who demanded a ransom of one million New Taiwan dollars.
Even after the family paid, the Brotherhood cruelly murdered him.
The incident caused a huge uproar at the time.
Originally, with the influence of that businessman's family, they could have sought revenge through local forces,
but after his death, the family fell into a fierce inheritance dispute, and no one pursued revenge," Guo Henian said with emotion.
Lin Haoran nodded. It was clear that the Brotherhood was a very troublesome criminal organization.
"So, if I wanted to deal with such a gang, would there be any effective way?" Lin Haoran asked humbly.
Since this gang had dared to bully his enterprise, Lin Haoran would naturally not sit back and do nothing.
Those who offended him were destined to meet a bad end.
As the saying goes, a gentleman takes revenge even if it takes ten years; a villain seeks revenge from morning till night!
On the surface, Lin Haoran would maintain the demeanor of a gentleman.
But in secret, using some less honorable methods was entirely acceptable!
For him, the sooner the revenge, the better!
Therefore, if there was an opportunity to strike at the Brotherhood, he would not miss it.
"Did these people offend you?" Guo Henian asked curiously.
After all, Lin Haoran wouldn't bring it up for no reason.
"Indeed. Here's what happened..." Lin Haoran explained in detail what had happened to the Philippine branch of Green Island Cement Company.
There was no need to hide it—it could be easily found out anyway.
Moreover, there was no shame in wanting revenge.
At their level, it was impossible to allow others to bully them without consequences.
Soft-heartedness would not accomplish anything great!
Thus, Guo Henian completely understood Lin Haoran's thinking.
After hearing the whole story, Guo Henian was not surprised. He calmly said,
"The police in the Philippines are relatively weak and have limited control over society, so gangs are rampant.
Organizations like the Brotherhood often commit crimes while the police are helpless.
Even my Guo's International Industries once faced harassment from local gangs.
But ever since I built ties with the leader of Manila's largest Chinese association, we haven't had any more problems there."
"The biggest Chinese association? If I paid them to deal with the Brotherhood, would they accept?" Lin Haoran asked, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
If he could solve the problem with money and avenge the injustice, he would not hesitate.
Moreover, it would be a good chance to build a relationship with the local boss, ensuring the safety of his businesses in the Philippines until his own armed force was developed.
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