Chapter 480: The Japanese Foreign Minister
While the financial year-end report for Hong Kong Electric Group had already been completed, the report for Land Corporation was still pending.
The reason was simple: Land Corporation was much larger than Hong Kong Electric Group, and its financial structure was far more complex.
"After deducting the necessary emergency reserves and investments needed for overseas market expansion, the remaining recovered funds of Hong Kong Electric Group should be temporarily held. I intend to reserve them for future shareholder dividends," Lin Haoran added after some thought.
Although both Hong Kong Electric Group and China Gas Company were profitable, publicly listed utilities, Lin Haoran couldn't fully privatize them.
Therefore, he preferred to take out the profits as dividends, making the funds completely his own to reinvest elsewhere.
As for issuing loans — while interest rates seemed lucrative at over a dozen points annually — to be honest, that little bit of extra income was beneath him.
As long as investments were chosen wisely, it wasn't unusual to see companies double or triple their value in a year.
"Understood, Boss!" Chen Shoulin nodded, having no objections.
After all, it was only natural for shareholders to want dividends.
Besides, he himself was now a small shareholder of Hong Kong Electric Group, investing nearly all his earnings into buying the company's stock.
As the head of Hong Kong Electric Group, Chen Shoulin knew better than anyone how high-quality and profitable the company had become.
Holding its shares meant practically guaranteed profits!
As Lin Haoran and Chen Shoulin were chatting about company matters, Lin's pager suddenly buzzed.
He glanced at the screen and, without thinking much, returned the call right from Chen's office.
"Haoran, it's me, Uncle Bao. Hope I'm not disturbing you?" came the hearty voice from the other end.
"Uncle Bao, it's never a disturbance when you call. You wouldn't reach out without good reason, so what brings you to call me today?" Lin Haoran responded, somewhat surprised.
The caller was none other than Bao Yugang.
Since seizing control of Wharf Holdings, Bao Yugang had kept a much lower profile.
Moreover, his Global Shipping Company had been selling off ships at a rapid pace.
To outsiders, this seemed like a desperate measure following his heavy losses during the battle for Wharf Holdings.
But Lin Haoran knew better — Bao Yugang had simply foreseen an impending global shipping recession, and selling ships now was a wise move.
"It's nothing too serious," Bao Yugang laughed. "Today is my grandson's first birthday. I've invited some business friends to celebrate. I was wondering if you and your parents are free this evening. If you are, please come to my home by seven. Of course, if you're too busy, I understand."
Since it was Bao Yugang's invitation, Lin Haoran agreed without hesitation.
"Uncle Bao, I'll definitely attend. No matter how busy I am, if I'm in Hong Kong, I'll make time. You can count on me to be there tonight to celebrate your grandson's birthday," Lin Haoran replied cheerfully.
"Wonderful. See you tonight then! I won't hold you up — still need to call a few more people," Bao Yugang chuckled before ending the call.
After hanging up, Lin Haoran glanced at the clock — it was still early, just past 2:00 PM.
Bao Yugang had indeed helped him immensely during his career's formative stages.
Lin Haoran had never forgotten that without Bao's early support, his crude oil investment plan might not have gone so smoothly.
Thus, even though Lin Haoran's current fortune far surpassed Bao Yugang's, he still held deep respect for this elder statesman of Hong Kong's business world.
Whenever he returned to Deep Water Bay to visit his parents and stayed overnight, he would usually find time to visit Bao Yugang as well.
"Boss, was that a call from Mr. Bao of Wharf Holdings?" Chen Shoulin asked curiously.
Other than Bao Yugang, Chen couldn't think of anyone else Lin Haoran would call "Uncle Bao."
"Yes," Lin Haoran smiled. "It's his grandson's birthday. Interested in coming along? I'm sure Uncle Bao has invited a lot of major figures. It'd be a good networking opportunity for you."
Chen Shoulin thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Boss, since Mr. Bao didn't extend the invitation to me personally, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to show up uninvited. Besides, these days, as Hong Kong Electric Group has grown into one of Hong Kong's top companies, I already have many opportunities to meet the city's elite."
That wasn't an exaggeration.
Today, Hong Kong Electric Group was the third-largest publicly listed company in Hong Kong by market capitalization, behind only Hui Fung Bank and Hang Seng Bank.
It had surpassed giants like Swire Pacific, Hutchison Whampoa, Wheelock & Co., and Cheung Kong Holdings.
Land Corporation, once second only to Hui Fung Bank, could have taken first place — but now it was delisted, and without a stock market valuation.
As for Jardines Matheson, after being ruthlessly stripped by Lin Haoran, its value had plummeted from over nine billion Hong Kong dollars to just over five billion, dropping it below Hong Kong Electric Group.
"Alright, if you don't want to go, that's fine," Lin Haoran nodded, unconcerned.
After chatting a bit more, Chen Shoulin returned to his work.
Lin Haoran then called his parents, explaining that there was no need to cook dinner — they would attend Bao Yugang's event together instead.
His father, Lin Senior, readily agreed.
After all, the Lin family and Bao family were neighbors.
In the past, due to the wide gap in status, they had been no more than polite acquaintances.
But now, with Lin Haoran's meteoric rise, the relationship between the two families had grown much closer.
After finishing the call, Lin Haoran stayed at Hong Kong Electric Group's headquarters until around 3:00 PM before leaving.
Rather than going to Concordia Building or Wanqing Building, he instructed Li Weidong to drive directly back to his villa in Deep Water Bay.
Along the way, they passed a mall owned by Land Corporation. Lin Haoran got out briefly to buy a pair of solid gold children's bracelets — a traditional but appropriate gift for a first birthday.
Though old-fashioned, it was customary to bring gifts to such events.
It had been two weeks since his last visit home at New Year's. It was time to check in with his parents again.
With the window slightly down, Lin Haoran could hear passing citizens discussing Jardines Matheson Securities' bankruptcy announcement.
Even the car's radio, tuned to Hong Kong Broadcasting Station, was reporting on the event.
Clearly, the collapse of Jardines Matheson Securities was a major event causing ripples throughout the city.
Upon arriving home, Lin Haoran saw his father leisurely playing chess in the garden with an elderly neighbor, both hailing from wealthy families.
His mother was strolling the garden paths with their family's golden retriever.
Seeing Lin Haoran return, both parents immediately set aside what they were doing.
By 6:00 PM, Lin Haoran and his parents headed out.
The Bao family's villa was barely two hundred meters away — close enough to walk.
Arriving at the Bao residence, they found it brightly lit and lively.
At the entrance, Bao Yugang's daughter and son-in-law were warmly welcoming guests.
Upon seeing Lin Haoran and his parents, they immediately stepped forward enthusiastically.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. and Mrs. Lin, please come in. My father is waiting for you in the backyard," Bao's daughter said with a beaming smile.
Lin Haoran nodded, handed over the gift, exchanged a few pleasantries, and led his parents inside.
Having visited many times before, Lin Haoran was very familiar with the layout.
After crossing the hall, he saw Bao Yugang sitting in the backyard, chatting with a few other senior businessmen — among them were some very familiar faces: Shen Bi, Li Jiacheng, and others.
As Lin Haoran entered, everyone stood up simultaneously.
Today, Lin Haoran's wealth and status had soared.
His precise strike against Jardines Matheson had won him immense respect — and fear — among Hong Kong's business elite.
Many privately marveled that even a deeply rooted giant like Jardines Matheson had crumbled before Lin Haoran's might.
Naturally, none of them dared underestimate this rising star.
"Uncle Bao, I'm not late, am I?" Lin Haoran smiled and greeted warmly.
"Not at all! You're right on time, Haoran. Come, you and Wan'an come sit!" Bao Yugang said warmly.
Meanwhile, Lin's mother had already gone off to socialize with Mrs. Bao and other ladies.
Lin Haoran shook hands and exchanged a few words with Shen Bi, Li Jiacheng, and the others.
In total, including Lin Haoran and Lin Wan'an, there were eight people.
However, Lin Haoran only recognized seven of them — Bao Yugang, Shen Bi, Li Jiacheng, and their respective sons-in-law.
One man, a middle-aged gentleman wearing glasses, was unfamiliar to him.
Someone able to attend a gathering at Bao's home was certainly no ordinary figure.
Lin Haoran knew all of Hong Kong's top tycoons by face —
So who was this stranger?
"Who is this gentleman?" Lin Haoran asked curiously.
"Haoran, let me introduce you," Bao Yugang said with a smile. "This is Mr. Tanaka, the Foreign Minister of Japan, currently visiting Hong Kong at my invitation."
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