"Mr. Lin, you are now Hutchison Whampoa's largest shareholder and soon-to-be Chairman of the Board. Of course we will support you and work under your leadership."
The first to voice support was Sherman Hsia.
He fully understood what Warren Weir and Richard Li secretly hoped for—that Lin Baicheng, like HSBC, would act merely as a passive major shareholder, refrain from interfering, and leave full control of the company to them.
Simply put, they didn't want to be executors of decisions—they wanted to be makers of decisions.
But Sherman Hsia was different from them. As the executive responsible for business operations—and with strong competence—he wasn't worried about being replaced regardless of who controlled the company. As long as he continued performing well, his position wouldn't be threatened.
And now, without suffering any disadvantages, he could gain stock incentives and earn more money. To him, the choice was obvious.
"I believe that under your decisions, Mr. Lin, the company will only grow stronger," Peter Weir said next.
His thoughts were similar—no one rejects more income.
"Mr. Lin, I will arrange for a Board meeting as soon as possible," Warren Weir said before others could speak. "I will support your proposal at the meeting, and I will lead the management team to carry out the development plans you set for the company."
He understood the situation clearly. The tide had turned. No one on the management team would reject higher compensation—something he, as CEO, could not provide them.
He could have proposed a similar incentive plan himself, but since it would primarily enrich him and the rest of the management, the Board would never approve it—unless the company consistently made huge profits for several years. And at present, that was unrealistic.
Though management held a majority of Board seats, Warren Weir knew:
Chan Hing-han represented HSBC's interests
Peter Weir represented the Keswick family's interests
As long as these two major shareholders disagreed, no such plan could pass. And on top of that, the Board Chairman holds veto power. Even if management were united, the Chairman could still strike the proposal down.
But if Lin Baicheng—the future Chairman—submitted the plan himself, and the management supported it after he took the seat, the stock incentive plan would pass with 100% certainty. No other director's objections would matter.
Once Warren Weir expressed his stance, the rest of the executives naturally followed, each voicing support and promising to work under Lin's decisions.
"Well then, I thank all of you for your support," Lin said with a smile.
"I believe that with our united efforts, Hutchison Whampoa will grow stronger. A future market value of HK$5 billion… HK$10 billion… is not a dream."
To stabilize Hutchison Whampoa's management and ensure they cooperated with him, Lin had indeed offered a generous price—especially as the largest shareholder. But since he had secured management's backing, and since replacing them immediately would create chaos during this transfer of control, the cost was worth it.
As long as the company didn't fall into turmoil, his investment in them was justified.
Afterward, Lin asked the five executives who held Board seats to stay; the rest returned to their posts.
Facing the five, Lin said,
"Gentlemen, you all understand this company far better than I do, so I can't yet speak of creating a detailed development plan. Therefore, my assistant Cheng Yufeng will conduct an in-depth investigation over the next few days. I hope you'll assist him in preparing a complete company dossier so that I can gain an accurate understanding."
He then turned to Weir.
"Mr. Weir, please also prepare a copy of your development plan for Hutchison Whampoa and submit it to me later."
"Yes, Mr. Lin," Weir replied.
He understood this was an evaluation. If his plan failed to satisfy Lin, his CEO position would be in danger.
Lin nodded.
"In the short term, aside from general strategic direction, I won't interfere excessively. At most I'll assign financial personnel to the company. I will be evaluating every member of the management team, including all of you. As long as everyone works diligently and protects the company's interests, I will not replace anyone unnecessarily. But if I find someone's ability or work attitude unacceptable… I'm afraid I'll have to ask that person to leave."
Lin intended to stabilize management—yes—but that didn't mean he would tolerate incompetence. A few departures would not affect the company's operations.
The executives all understood this and nodded.
Finally, Lin said to Cheng Yufeng,
"Yufeng, complete the investigation thoroughly. I want detailed information."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lin. With the cooperation of CEO Weir and the others, I will give you the most complete report possible," Cheng replied.
Lin nodded again.
"And the assignment of financial staff into the company—you handle that as well."
Since he hadn't fully familiarized himself with Hutchison Whampoa, and because the Board had not yet met—meaning he was not officially Chairman—Lin issued no further directives and left the company. Cheng and the others remained behind.
Weir and the rest did not show any fake compliance—they cooperated sincerely. They knew they were only high-level employees. Unless every single manager united in resistance—an impossible scenario—any individual who rebelled would simply be removed.
Losing decision-making power over Hutchison Whampoa was unfortunate—but the increased income from the stock incentive plan was a comforting consolation.
That evening's newspapers—now that Lin had stopped paying to plant negative articles—were filled with praise. Most outlets focused on the rise of Chinese capital and the dramatic acquisition of a British firm, along with speculation about Lin's wealth and achievements.
To many, Lin Baicheng's rapid rise in a single year, culminating in seizing control of Hutchison Whampoa, was a modern legend. Praise was expected.
Before any failure occurred, Lin was seen as a "genius," a "legend," a role model for the young generation. Public awareness of him was extremely high—a form of influence in itself.
Lin of course knew about the public hype. During his acquisition of Asia Television, he saw similar coverage. At first he felt a bit embarrassed yet pleased. Later, when he encountered critical or mocking reports, he felt annoyed.
But now, he remained unmoved by media commentary—no matter the praise or the criticism.