Chapter 301 Land Development Corporation, There's No Escape
"These are the newspapers from the past two months that reported news about you. I saved them all." Lin Wan'an turned around and took a stack of newspapers from the cabinet in the study, handing them to Lin Haoran.
Almost all of Hong Kong's mainstream newspapers were there: Oriental Daily, South China Morning Post, Sing Tao Daily, Wah Kiu Yat Po, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, and others.
Lin Haoran quickly flipped through them. As expected, the events that happened while he was in London were all reported.
For example, the news about him, Bao Yugang, and Shen Bi being received by the Queen;
The news about him quietly acquiring Shipley Company;
Even the news about him being appointed Honorary President of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in the UK was covered.
It was clear that the media in Hong Kong were extremely well-informed!
"By the way, Haoran, since it's rare to see you, there's something I want to ask you," Lin Haoning changed the topic, his tone becoming serious.
"Oh? Big brother, if you have something to say, just say it. We're brothers!" Lin Haoran smiled as he put down the newspapers.
Nowadays, the gap between Lin Haoran and Lin Haoning in terms of status was growing wider.
As for Su Zhixue, although he was definitely wealthy, he still couldn't compare or even surpass the future Lin Haoran.
After thinking for a while, without dwelling too much, Lin Haoning left Kong Sheng's office, went down to the 31st floor, to the office of Universal Investment Company.
"You now go for checkups every month, and the doctors say you're recovering very well. Each result shows no decline compared to the last. Your old ailments were all due to too much socializing back then. Now that you've retired and are resting properly, all the problems have cleared up."
After tasting the sweetness of multiple profits in the North American market, Su Zhixue set his sights on the Middle Eastern market.
Under such circumstances, estimating roughly by market value, Kong Shengwu's wealth had already exceeded 700 million Hong Kong dollars.
From Su Zhi's words, Lin Haoning also realized that it was not just because of his closer relationship with Guo Xiaohan, but that the expansion of Qingzhou Cement Company in Southeast Asia had indeed slowed down.
Thus, Lin Wan'an was not in the office, probably arranging work elsewhere.
Because after that, Lin Haoning reminded Su Zhixue to buy land and properties, and besides that, also supported him in entering the North American market.
Today was September 8th, conveniently a Monday, so it was a stock trading day.
The two of them talked mainly about Lin Haoning's experiences during his time in the UK.
"Yes, let me report to you the current situation of the company," Kong Shengwu nodded.
Mostly about Tang Kun's affairs.
Of course, since he was accustomed to low profits, Wanfeng Fan Factory might no longer meet his expectations. Under such circumstances, he might consider selling the fan factory. With his current fortune of hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars, it was comparable to the wealth inherited from his father. No matter which industry he wanted to enter, he had enough capital to support it," Lin Haoning said after some thought.
Overall, over the course of a month, Wanching Group had not undergone any major changes. Each company was developing steadily, especially in the overseas market, where expansion was even faster.
Lin Haoning fell into contemplation.
After a year of appreciation, those lands and small commercial buildings had already doubled in value. Plus, he had earned tens of millions more from the fan industry.
Then Lin Wan'an took the initiative to report further.
But compared to Lin Haoran, the difference was like heaven and earth.
"Good job, boss!"
"As for the North American market, you must have sensed it too. The downturn is due to the market approaching saturation. Future demand will not be as strong as last year."
The debt owed to the Guo family was gradually being repaid.
After all, Wanfeng Fan Factory was now mainly focused on the North American market.
Lin Haoning responded to every greeting along the way with a smile and a nod, soon reaching Lin Wan'an's office.
Land Development Corporation was basically inescapable now.
All his cash flow was essentially directed towards buying land and commercial buildings, as per Lin Haoning's strategy.
However, Lin Haoning remained calm, sitting in his chair and flipping through some documents.
Recognizing the reality, Lin Haoning now treated his younger brother with exceptional respect.
Seeing Lin Haoning in his office, Lin Wan'an was slightly surprised, but didn't think much of it, simply greeting him, "Good morning, boss."
However, both their bodies had deteriorated in their seventies, making long-distance travel no longer suitable.
Today's newspapers showed that only The Kung Sheung Daily News was still reporting on him, analyzing Lin Haoning's latest business case.
Among them, Four Dragon Buses had secured the bus operating rights in Penang, marking their official entry into the overseas market. The Guo family had played a significant role in their success.
"Dad, your current main business is Wanfeng Fan Factory, mainly involved in foreign trade. There isn't much local business in Hong Kong, so socializing is minimal," Su Zhixue, though distracted, still seriously answered his father's question.
Thus, they simply gave up on Middle Eastern orders and focused directly on the North American market.
As a result, Kong Shengwu made a lot of money over the past year.
Speaking of which, Haoran and Haoning, remember never to socialize excessively like me, otherwise, when you reach my age, your health will be ruined," Lin Haoran said with heartfelt advice.
From last year to this year, he indeed made a lot of money in the North American market. Although he hadn't made a billion Hong Kong dollars in profit, he still achieved more than 400 million.
"This summer, I found that although Wanfeng Fan Factory's orders in North America were still abundant, they had declined compared to last year. Several dealers reduced their orders. Should we continue focusing solely on fan manufacturing, or should we reform the company?" Kong Shengwu asked humbly.
"Dad, don't worry. With your status in the Hong Kong business world, no one can force you to attend social events you don't want to," Lin Haoning replied with a smile.
Besides, no other newspapers reported anything about him.
However, with the Guo family's help, it wasn't too bad. More importantly, Guo Xiaohan was not just beautiful but also highly capable.
In the evening, the whole family of seven enjoyed a lavish dinner together.
The two were indeed very close friends. Tang Kun cared deeply about Lin Haoran, and Lin Haoran likewise cared about Tang Kun, who was far away in London.
In the past month, though the acquisition pace wasn't fast, Lin Haoning was quite satisfied with the progress.
He didn't need to limit himself to the fan industry. He could try to find other suitable products to produce. As for what to manufacture specifically, he needed to communicate with overseas suppliers, understand their needs, and target production accordingly. If he could expand OEM business, he would have a stable position in future manufacturing.
After about seventy minutes, Lin Wan'an finally appeared.
While Su Zhixue was deep in thought, Lin Haoran also chatted with Lin Haoning.
As soon as they entered the Universal Investment office, every employee they encountered respectfully greeted them.
Thus, your suggestion is that if it's unacceptable to have declining profits due to reduced orders, then the company should diversify its business. Wanfeng Fan Factory and your Aimeigao Company are both heavily dependent on foreign trade, not the local market.
Lin Haoning's words made Su Zhixue reflect deeply.
At four in the afternoon, Lin Haoning bid farewell to his parents and rode a Rolls-Royce, driven by Li Weidong, directly towards Wanching Tower.
The decline in demand in the North American market was a certainty, but as long as he accepted this fact, the market could still bring profits. Despite the drop, the competition and profit margins were still better than the Middle East market.
After dinner, Kong Shengwu also bid farewell to his parents and Lin Haoning. As a family man, it wasn't appropriate for him to stay overnight at his parents' home.
The next morning, Kong Shengwu got up early, had breakfast, and read the newspaper.
In the past, when he focused solely on the Middle Eastern market, it would have taken ten years to earn such a fortune.
Yet now, just a year later, Universal Investment's shares in Land Development Corporation had already reached 28.83%. Combined with Hong Kong Electric's holdings, they controlled over 34%, almost 35%.
As Aimeigao Company's order volume declined, Wanfeng Fan Factory's orders naturally decreased even more.
In Su Zhi's office, Lin Haoning chatted with him for nearly half an hour, and Kong Shengwu earnestly reported on the latest situations of Wan'an Real Estate Company, Qingzhou Cement Company, and Four Dragon Buses.
Through Lin Wan'an's report, Lin Haoning gradually understood Universal Investment Company's progress with Land Development Corporation and Jardines Matheson.
With his current wealth, he no longer needed to cling to anyone. He was now someone others had to cling to.
It was normal that the media stopped reporting. After all, this matter had already been covered, and Hong Kong wasn't going to revolve around him forever.
"Dad, have you had a health checkup recently? How are you?" Lin Haoning asked.
Along the way, he received many "Good morning, boss" greetings without stop.
With his current wealth, Lin Haoning was considered a well-known billionaire in Hong Kong.
After Kong Shengwu returned to the UK, Universal Investment's shares in Land Development Corporation reached 26.27%. Combined with Hong Kong Electric's 6%, they effectively controlled over 32% of Land Development Corporation.
But just one year later, Wanfeng Fan Factory's orders had already significantly declined, so Su Zhixue naturally became anxious.
They chatted until just before dinner.
Although Lin Wan'an often contacted Kong Shengwu in the UK, it was hard to report much over the phone—at most, only important matters.
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