1978 had arrived.
Lin Baicheng quietly calculated—he had been reborn for nearly a year now. Thanks to his relentless efforts, his net worth had already grown to over one billion Hong Kong dollars. Of course, this was not in cash—this number referred to the estimated value of his companies, primarily centered around Galaxy Games.
Goldman Sachs had already valued Galaxy Games at over one billion HKD alone. But if the company's future performance didn't keep up, that valuation would inevitably drop—something unavoidable.
With 1977 over, Lin summoned Mao Li Qingzi and Isabella to Hong Kong to take stock of his current businesses and do a general summary—essentially, a year-end meeting. Since his business holdings were not overly complex, it only required his three assistants to report to him in turn.
The first to report was Cheng Yufeng.
"Boss Lin, here in Hong Kong, your current assets include Galaxy Games, Baisheng Securities, Asia Television (ATV), Jupiter Toys, and a 25% stake in the Sing Sing Daily newspaper."
"Among them, Galaxy Games is the highest-valued asset under your name and also the most profitable one. In 1977 alone, it brought you around 620 million HKD in profit."
"As for Baisheng Securities, under your direction, we purchased a large number of Wharf Holdings shares. Through low-buy-high-sell strategies, we effectively invested 25 million HKD to acquire 8.5 million shares—about 9.45% of the company's total equity. In addition, per your instructions, we also purchased Hutchison Whampoa shares worth 100 million HKD, holding 14 million shares—about 3.5% equity. Lastly, following your more recent instructions, we acquired Cheung Kong Industrial shares worth 50 million HKD. Cheung Kong's current market value is nearly 700 million HKD. Because of the need to remain discreet, the holdings are not large yet, but it's expected we will end up with 7–8% ownership."
"Asia Television, after your 50 million HKD investment, is now valued at around 200 million HKD. The station is currently fully preparing for the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
"Jupiter Toys is, per your orders, clearing old inventory while focusing production on Rubik's Cubes. The factory now has tens of thousands of units in stock."
"As for Sing Sing Daily, since you own only 25% of its shares, you're not involved in daily operations. However, the newspaper has been doing very well thanks to your novels, and its market value continues to grow steadily."
"Additionally, since newly established companies are allowed to file taxes up to 18 months after creation, you may submit corporate taxes for both 1977 and 1978 together at the end of '78."
Lin nodded. He already had a rough idea about most of this. His quiet acquisition of Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Industrial stock was part of his plan to challenge the tycoon once his stake reached a certain threshold.
Next to report was Mao Li Qingzi.
"Chairman, in Japan, aside from the branch of Galaxy Games, your main asset is Zhiyin Manga Publishing Company."
"For the gaming branch, since both of its game titles are exclusively licensed to Taito Corporation, its main responsibility is to maintain communication with Taito and observe market trends."
"As for Zhiyin Manga Publishing, you invested 100 million HKD to acquire the company, and the remaining amount was injected into operations to expand its scale. Since the acquisition was recent, business performance remains steady—no major changes yet."
Japan essentially only involved one real business—publishing manga. The gaming branch didn't operate like a full company yet, so there wasn't much to report.
Lin wasn't surprised. He then asked Isabella to report on the United States.
"Boss, in the U.S., aside from the game branch, you are also a shareholder in Apple and Microsoft. You've also recently established New Century Software Company—and most significantly, there's your investment in gold futures."
"For the gaming branch, Manager Eric has purchased five retail locations each in Los Angeles and New York—ten in total—costing nearly three million USD. These stores are currently being renovated. However, the branch's remaining funds are running low. If you want to continue expanding distribution channels, more investment will be needed."
"As for Apple and Microsoft—Apple has been doing well. After your investment, they used the funds to produce personal computers, which are selling with good profits. Their development is strong. Microsoft, on the other hand, is progressing more slowly. Your investment allowed Bill Gates and Paul Allen to hire engineers and develop PC software, but compared to Apple, the company is lagging behind."
"New Century Software was just founded. Right now, it only has a few developers and is still hiring."
"Lastly—your gold futures investment. You borrowed 100 million USD from Goldman Sachs at 5x leverage, going long with a total of 500 million USD. Your entry price was $163 per ounce. Gold is currently at $185—around 13.5% higher. Previously, gold briefly peaked at $192.6 before retreating to the current $185 range."
"Because you are using 5x leverage, your current profit is around 67 million USD—about a 67% return on your original 100 million USD capital."
"Not bad at all."
Lin was satisfied with the gold gains. In fact, he checked gold prices every three days. He knew it had surpassed $190 earlier—but he wasn't sure if it would break $200 yet, so he didn't sell. Even though the price dropped slightly, he accepted it.
He wasn't skilled at short-term trading. If he sold too early and gold suddenly skyrocketed, he would miss out on massive gains—unacceptable.
Aside from gold, what he cared about most were Apple and Microsoft. Apple was doing well and needed no interference. Microsoft's progress was slow, but Lin only knew that its rise would come from operating systems—he didn't know the technical details, nor did he hold controlling shares, so he couldn't intervene even if he wanted to.
For now, he chose to observe—just making sure Gates and Allen didn't lose his money.
As for the gaming retail expansion, Lin decided to transfer an additional 5 million USD to Eric. Those stores would be the future distribution channels not only for game consoles but also for Rubik's Cubes. The expansion could not stop.