Because gold futures had to be traded in London, Lin BaoCheng needed to send people there. HSBC and Standard Chartered would also dispatch representatives.
Since there were instructions to give, the next day Lin BaoCheng summoned the managers HSBC and Standard Chartered were sending to London to Hutchison Whampoa. An Yuan from Baisheng Securities and Hutchison Whampoa's investment head were also called in.
Lin BaoCheng didn't recognize the person Standard Chartered sent, but HSBC's choice surprised him: a man named Yuan TianFan.
Lin BaoCheng only knew that in his previous life there was a Yuan TianFan who later became Li JiaCheng's strategist, one of Hong Kong's famous "Corporate Emperors." That title alone showed his extraordinary ability — otherwise he wouldn't have been called that.
This Yuan TianFan, sent by HSBC, was 26 years old and already head of HSBC's securities division. To hold such a position at such a young age meant his ability was certainly impressive.
Lin BaoCheng guessed this Yuan TianFan was likely the future "Corporate Emperor." Unfortunately, in his past life he had never seen Yuan TianFan's photo nor investigated his résumé, so he could only speculate, not be one hundred percent sure.
"No matter whether this Yuan TianFan is the future Corporate Emperor or not, I'll test his ability and find out," Lin BaoCheng thought, suddenly inspired.
"This time with gold futures, I want to go long. Once the leveraged financing from the banks is deposited into the dedicated accounts in London, you must begin buying immediately, and within half a month all funds must be fully invested."
"You'll be split into two groups. An Yuan, you'll oversee Standard Chartered's funds. Fros, you'll oversee HSBC's funds."
"Whichever group achieves the lowest average purchase price will receive a reward of 300,000 HKD. Each group leader will get 100,000 HKD, and the remaining 100,000 HKD will be divided among the team."
"Remember, you only have half a month. All purchases must be completed within that time."
"And lastly, the current gold price is around 190 USD per ounce. If during your operations the price reaches 200 USD per ounce, you must notify me immediately."
Originally, Lin BaoCheng hadn't planned to offer bonuses. He intended for them to simply buy everything, even if the cost was higher. But now he wanted to test Yuan TianFan's ability, so he introduced this incentive scheme.
One test wouldn't prove much, but after several, Lin BaoCheng would clearly see whether Yuan TianFan was truly capable.
If Yuan TianFan proved strong, then regardless of whether he was the future Corporate Emperor, Lin BaoCheng would recruit him. If his performance was mediocre, then Lin BaoCheng would simply let him go, as if he had never noticed him.
"Rest assured, Mr. Lin. I'll work closely with your company's Mr. Fros to complete the purchases within half a month at the lowest possible cost," Yuan TianFan said immediately. Even without a bonus, he would have done so — it was a matter of proving his ability. With a bonus, all the better.
Fros also voiced agreement. As Hutchison Whampoa's investment head, he needed results to impress the new boss, or he'd lose his position.
An Yuan and Standard Chartered's representative likewise pledged their efforts.
After giving his instructions, Lin BaoCheng left, telling them to prepare to depart for London the next day.
He didn't speak privately with Yuan TianFan. For now, his ability was unproven. Once confirmed, Lin BaoCheng would personally step in to recruit him.
Since he would soon head to the United States, Lin BaoCheng wanted to settle matters in Hong Kong first, so he could leave without constantly rushing back.
First was Asia Television.
Lin BaoCheng had entrusted management to Huang XiZhao, who had handled things without issue. Lin BaoCheng had already outlined the station's development plan; Huang XiZhao could manage the details.
As for poaching actors, Lin BaoCheng met with all those who had signed long-term contracts with Asia Television. Among the stars recruited from outside were Mi Xie, Zhao YaZhi, Liu SongRen, and Liu GuoLong.
It was a pity they hadn't secured Zheng ShaoQiu, who would achieve greater fame in the future. But if Asia Television developed well, it could offer more opportunities. Whether Zheng ShaoQiu would become as famous as in the previous life was uncertain.
Lin BaoCheng only met the stars, painted a vision for them, and did little else.
Among them, only a few future giants like Chow YunFat and Zhang GuoRong caught his eye — aside from the beautiful actresses. But since he was about to leave Hong Kong, he had no time to pursue them.
Of all the actresses, by Lin BaoCheng's standards, Zhao YaZhi — famed for her role as Bai NiangZi — was the most beautiful. Unfortunately, she was already married with a son. Lin BaoCheng had no interest in breaking up families, and could only regret not having been reborn a few years earlier.
Had he returned before Zhao YaZhi married, he would certainly have pursued her. Her beauty alone was reason enough.
Beyond Asia Television, there were the cinema chains and film company. Managers had already been found; their task was to build the theaters and set up the company. Lin BaoCheng didn't interfere for now.
Finally, there was Galaxy Games.
Factory production needed no oversight, and hardware R&D was in the hands of Yokoi Gunpei. What worried Lin BaoCheng were the games Donkey Kong and Tank Battle.
Donkey Kong was fine, since Shigeru Miyamoto was leading development. Even without Lin BaoCheng, it would succeed.
But Tank Battle was different. Lin BaoCheng had to oversee it personally. He feared Miyamoto and the others might take it off track, ruining a classic.
In the end, Lin BaoCheng decided to bring the Tank Battle development team to the U.S. With him guiding the direction, even if development took longer, the final product would be secure.
To him, Tank Battle was a crucial source of cash flow, and could not be taken lightly.
On the 18th, Lin BaoCheng celebrated his birthday. Because of time constraints, the grand party he had planned was scaled down. Only a few senior executives and his friend Deng LiJun were invited.
Two days later, on February 20th, Lin BaoCheng went to Japan.
Since the founding of BaiLong Trading Company, he had never visited it, which was unacceptable. He had to go before heading to the U.S. At the same time, he needed to finalize the investment of 100 million USD in gold futures through Mitsubishi Bank.