Chapter 346 Trouble Comes Knocking
At nine o'clock in the morning, Lin Haoran left his house.
His destination was not the headquarters of Jardines Matheson but the headquarters of Jardines Matheson.
He had his reasons for going there.
Because he had kept Niu Bijian in place as head, indirectly taking control of Jardines Matheson became much easier.
That morning, under Niu Bijian's leadership, a board meeting was held.
This time, Henry Keswick did not attend personally but instead sent a younger member of the Keswick family to participate.
Everyone understood that with Lin Haoran's absolute control, the situation at Jardines Matheson was irreversible.
In contrast, Huifeng Bank's Shen Bi, with a smile on his face, chatted and laughed with Lin Haoran before the meeting, as if the previous vote to expel Lin Haoran from the Jardines Matheson board had never happened.
It was nothing more than a stage play; Shen Bi, a seasoned fox, was skilled at acting. But Lin Haoran, having lived two lives, was no less adept.
He played along, pretending to have forgotten past grievances.
Still, Lin Haoran suspected that Shen Bi probably regretted his earlier decision.
Previously, Shen Bi had genuinely regarded Lin Haoran as a promising ally—someone who could help secure Huifeng Bank's dominance even if Hong Kong shifted to Chinese rule.
However, fate had played a different hand.
The very ally Shen Bi had once hoped for now posed a greater threat than Huifeng Bank could handle.
An ironic twist no one could have foreseen.
Shen Bi, as a top-tier figure, hid his embarrassment well.
Unlike Niu Bijian, Shen Bi's position at Huifeng Bank remained rock-solid.
Niu Bijian, on the other hand, was already at risk of losing everything.
Thus, this board meeting was merely a formality.
Everyone knew that Lin Haoran's takeover was an accomplished fact.
Still, without completing the necessary procedures, it would seem improper.
After the meeting, everything was made official.
After the meeting, Lin Haoran headed to Jardines Matheson's Human Resources Department.
His goal: to find contact information for Ma Shiming.
Leaving Niu Bijian temporarily in charge of Jardines Matheson was one thing,
but Jardines Matheson needed a strong new leader as soon as possible.
As the true owner now, Lin Haoran easily obtained Ma Shiming's records.
Going through them, he felt even more certain—Ma Shiming was the right person to lead Jardines Matheson.
Ma Shiming had joined Jardines Matheson in 1966, starting from the bottom, selling air-conditioning systems and elevators.
He later gained experience selling a wide range of products: wallpaper, nuts, steel, machinery, and electronics.
His excellent performance had earned him the company's trust.
By the 1970s, he was sent to study economics and management at the University of London and Stanford University.
Upon his return, he gradually rose to become an executive director at Jardines Matheson.
However, after more than a decade at the company, Ma Shiming realized that his upward path had hit a ceiling.
The position of Executive Director was likely the highest he could reach.
Moreover, Niu Bijian's internal battle with the Keswick family made it clear that the board's future leadership would be tightly controlled by a select few, primarily the Keswick family.
Thus, seeing no real prospects for advancement, Ma Shiming decided to resign and start his own venture.
Despite his deep affection for Jardines Matheson, he understood that entrepreneurship was likely his only way forward.
By Hong Kong standards, many financial magnates were in their 40s and 50s—the peak of their careers.
Shen Bi, Niu Bijian, John Marden, Bofuda, even Henry Keswick—they were all around that age.
Now at 40, Ma Shiming had enough experience to rival any Hong Kong business leader.
All he lacked was the right opportunity.
Although he was an executive director at Jardines Matheson, his influence was much lower than that of Bofuda at Jardines Matheson.
Bofuda wielded significant decision-making power.
In contrast, Ma Shiming's role was primarily execution under the authority of Niu Bijian.
Thus, despite the same title, the gap between them in terms of real influence was considerable.
From Human Resources, Lin Haoran quickly obtained Ma Shiming's contact information.
"Mr. Lin, according to our records, Mr. Ma Shiming has recently gone to Singapore.
Here is his current landline number there," the HR head informed him.
Since Ma Shiming had been a senior manager at Jardines Matheson, it was natural for the company to continue monitoring his whereabouts even after his resignation.
Sometimes it was necessary to contact him for matters he had handled before.
Armed with Ma Shiming's number, Lin Haoran strolled around Jardines Matheson's headquarters before returning to the original general manager's office at Jardines Matheson.
Sitting down, he tried calling Ma Shiming.
No answer.
It was around 11 a.m.—likely Ma Shiming had gone out for business.
Lin Haoran wasn't disappointed; he could try again later tonight.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Lin Haoran called.
It was Niu Bijian.
"Boss, Mr. Chen Songqing of Carnation Group called.
He wants to meet you to discuss a project with Jardines Matheson in Tsim Sha Tsui, involving almost HKD 3 billion.
Since you ordered all new projects suspended, I couldn't make a decision and declined him.
Now he insists on seeing you," Niu Bijian reported.
Chen Songqing?
Hearing the name, Lin Haoran frowned slightly.
This troublemaker again?
In another timeline, it was largely because of entanglements with Carnation Group that Jardines Matheson fell into crisis.
While Jardines Matheson at least had solid foundations, Carnation Group's explosive rise—from an obscure pest-control company into a real estate "giant"—was based purely on debt and speculation.
Every one of Carnation's projects was like a ticking time bomb, packed with hidden debt risks.
Shockingly, Jardines Matheson and Carnation Group became deeply intertwined, partnering on countless projects involving over HKD 10 billion.
Had it not been for Carnation Group, Jardines Matheson might have survived the coming real estate crash relatively unscathed.
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