1st of all, sorry for not uploading for the last week, I had a hectic week at my workplace.
So, for the next 2 weeks, I will be uploading 3 chapters per day apart from the 1-chapter bonus per 10 Power Stones or 1 review.
Peace out!
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The day after attending the charity party, Lin Baicheng arrived at the Xinghe Games factory.
The factory now employed more than eight hundred workers — already considered a mid-sized operation in Hong Kong. There weren't many factories in the city with over a thousand employees.
At the back of the current factory, expansion was still underway. The newly purchased three-acre plot of land was being developed into an even larger facility. Although some arcade production lines would be added there, the main purpose of the new factory was to prepare for the future production of game consoles and game cartridges.
Even if the new plant might remain idle for a year or two after completion, Lin preferred that over facing a situation where consoles sold well but production capacity couldn't keep up.
After touring the factory with Liu Yihui and the others, Lin called Liu alone into his office.
"Old Liu, you're the one in charge of recruiting for the factory, right?"
"Boss Lin, the factory is already at full capacity. There's no need to hire more people now. If it's for the new plant that's under construction, it's still too early — we can recruit once it's completed."
Liu assumed Lin wanted to start hiring early for the new facility and tried persuading him otherwise.
"I know that," Lin nodded. "What I mean is, during the previous expansion phases when we were hiring, you were the one personally handling recruitment, correct?"
"Yes," Liu replied honestly, though he didn't quite understand Lin's intention.
"Then you should know who these people are — where they're from."
After a brief pause, Lin decided it was better to be direct. "What I'm asking is — how many of our workers are from the mainland?"
Even though Lin didn't visit the factory frequently, and mainlanders and locals looked mostly the same, his sister Lin Shufang worked there every day and occasionally talked about things at home. That was how Lin knew that quite a number of employees were from the mainland, though he wasn't sure of the exact number.
Lin himself was originally from the mainland before his rebirth. In his heart, Hong Kong was always part of the country, so he held no prejudice against mainlanders. He even welcomed the idea of giving them stable jobs when they struggled to find work in Hong Kong.
But things were different now. Governor MacLehose had already hinted at the issue — the proportion of mainland workers in his factory had clearly caught the government's attention. Unless Lin openly sided with the mainland and accepted being suppressed by the colonial authorities, he could no longer allow their numbers to keep increasing.
Hong Kong was still under British administration. If Lin wanted to continue making money here, he had to compromise — or face the same fate as the Huo family.
The Huo family had openly aligned themselves with the mainland, and as a result, their businesses in Hong Kong were suppressed. Aside from industries that required mainland resources, they were excluded from nearly everything else.
If that hadn't happened, the richest man in Hong Kong wouldn't be Bao Yugang — it would have been the Huo family.
Lin's heart leaned toward the mainland, but he also wanted to become a financial magnate. He would not give up the opportunity to rise in Hong Kong. After all, Hong Kong would eventually return, and when that time came, he would stand with the mainland — but only when he was strong enough.
This way, he could contribute to his country in the future without sacrificing his own growth — the best of both worlds.
Besides, to be blunt, without real power and influence, siding with the mainland now wouldn't earn him respect. Only by becoming stronger would his voice matter.
"About four or five hundred," Liu said after thinking. He wasn't completely sure since no formal count had been taken. Still, he felt a little uneasy about why Lin was suddenly asking.
"More than half…" Lin raised his eyebrows. He had known the number was high — but not this high. No wonder the Hong Kong government was displeased.
"Old Liu, I'm not blaming anyone. I just want to know — why are there so many mainlanders in the factory? I never gave instructions to hire them specifically."
Lin truly wasn't angry — he was simply puzzled.
"That's how it happened," Liu explained cautiously. "The security guards and your personal bodyguards are all from the mainland. When the factory expanded and we started recruiting, they asked if they could bring in their relatives and friends. I thought that since you trusted mainland veterans as guards and security, you wouldn't object to them working inside the factory as well — so I agreed."
"But don't worry, Boss Lin," he added quickly. "I've managed them strictly. Their work performance is excellent — hardworking, diligent, they never complain about heavy tasks."
"I see. As long as there's no problem with their work," Lin nodded. In truth, this stemmed from his own decisions — not Liu's.
Seeing Lin fall silent, Liu wondered if the situation had changed — if Boss Lin no longer wanted mainland employees.
After a moment of thought, Lin spoke again. "Old Liu, since they're already here, we won't make any changes for now. But in the future — once the new factory is complete and we start recruiting again — the proportion of mainland workers must not exceed half of the total workforce. Ideally, it should be around thirty to forty percent."
Governor MacLehose had hinted at what needed to be done, and if Lin wanted to continue thriving in Hong Kong, he had to show some attitude. Still, he wouldn't completely abandon hiring mainlanders — reducing their proportion was already his compromise.
If the government still wasn't satisfied, so be it. Lin had his bottom line. If pushed too far, he would rather take a side openly — even leave Hong Kong entirely.
Worst case, he would go to the United States for a few years and return to the mainland in the 1990s during reform and opening — the domestic market would be massive by then. There would be no shortage of opportunities.
"Understood, Boss Lin," Liu replied. He was relieved — things weren't as bad as he feared. Boss Lin wasn't rejecting mainland workers entirely. Still, he was certain something must have happened to prompt this sudden concern.
After confirming the delivery numbers of the company's export orders, Lin left the factory and headed into the city to meet Miyamoto and the others, finalizing details for the next game the company would develop.