Mid-December.

International gold quickly rebounded by more than 10%, and the price returned to above $220 per ounce. This means that the total investment of 200 million Hong Kong dollars in gold spot by Cheung Kong Group and Hutchison Whampoa has achieved a profit of more than 20 million.

This investment will not actually affect the outcome of the upcoming 'Hutchison Whampoa General Meeting of Shareholders' to elect the chairman of the board, after all, Lin Zhichao's prestige is completely better than that of a mere salaried Wei Li.

However, the success of this deal can indeed convince the management of Hutchison Whampoa to the leadership charisma of Lin Zhichao, and can really help Hutchison Whampoa's financial situation.

In the office of Cheung Kong Group, Lin Zhichao thinks about what he will do if he is elected chairman of the board of directors of Hutchison Whampoa on New Year's Day next year.

The senior management of Hutchison Whampoa, in fact, relied on the advantage that Hutchison Whampoa is a British senior management, intending to let Lin Zhichao learn from HSBC, but only holding the equity of Hutchison Whampoa, and not interfering in the operation of Hutchison Whampoa. In their view, Hutchison Whampoa is a system of its own in the fields of trading, retail, pharmaceutical, shipyard and container terminals. Cheung Kong Group's hasty intervention is obviously incorrect.

It's a pity that Lin Zhichao certainly refuses to be just a major shareholder, but wants to be in power.

But if you want to take power, it doesn't mean that you can drive Wei Li, Richard and others away, the important thing is to have a group of high-level people who are loyal to you, so that Hutchison Whampoa can take over smoothly. As for the middle and low-level foreigner management and foreign staff, they only need you to pay their salaries on time, which is enough, not to mention that Lin Zhichao himself is also a prestigious person in their eyes.

Therefore, the problem now is the lack of senior executives, especially foreign executives.

Meris is counted as one, although Li Yeguang is not a foreigner, but he is a barrister recognized by the United Kingdom, so he can also be counted as one. But these two people can only let Lin Zhichao control the board of directors.

"Boss, there is a foreigner manager of a company owned by Jardine Matheson outside, saying that he is selling air conditioners, and I hope to meet you!" The assistant walked into Lin Zhichao's office and reported.

He knows the character of his own boss, and he will not refuse because it is a salesman, and it is said that the boss was also a salesman back then, so he will not refuse directly, but ask for instructions.

Lin Zhichao was stunned for a moment, there was such a coincidental thing in the world, and then said: "Well, please let him in!" ”

"Okay"

If nothing else, it should be Ma Shimin who will walk in, who is the manager of the Jardine air-conditioning cabinet at this time. The so-called air conditioner is an air conditioner. Jardine Matheson has a wide range of industries, and the manufacturing industry is also very developed, such as air conditioners, elevators, ships, and machinery.

After a while, a capable man who walked into a foreigner, exuding the temperament of a soldier, with the quality of perseverance, was less than forty years old.

"Hello Mr. Lin, I am Ma Shimin, the sales manager of Jardine Air Conditioner!"

"Sit down and talk!"

Lin Zhichao politely invited Ma Shimin to sit on the sofa, and then the assistant poured tea.

Then, he took the initiative to ask, "What is your idea for coming?" ”

Ma Shimin suddenly felt that he was valued, but he didn't expect this salesman to be so polite, he immediately said: "I want to sell our air-conditioning cabinets, and I hope that the Cheung Kong Building will install our air-conditioning cabinets." Compared with Japanese air-conditioning cabinets, our Jardine air-conditioning cabinets."

After listening carefully, although he didn't decide to use it because it was Ma Shimin, he still had the idea of using it from Ma Shimin's sales skills. This fully shows that Ma Shimin has good sales skills.

Of course, he still deliberately 'made things difficult': "Although you have a good eloquence, I also worked in sales in the early years and know about it." Salespeople always show the best in their customers, even exaggerating the merits of something. Whether the Jardine freezer is really as good as you say, it's hard for me to judge right away! ”

Ma Shimin then said: "With the strength of Cheung Kong Group, many buildings have been completed one after another, so your concerns are justified. However, I am confident and hope that you will give us a chance to try out the air-conditioning cabinet of a building, and if it is good, the subsequent building will decide to use ours. ”

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Okay, since what you said has already moved my heart, although I still have doubts in my heart, I am willing to give you this opportunity." ”

Ma Shimin said seriously: "Thank you for your trust, I guarantee that our air conditioners will not have quality problems, and keep in touch with customers at any time." ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, and then he asked curiously: "I look at you, it's a bit like the style of Shen Bi, the head of HSBC, could it be that you have also been a soldier?" ”

Ma Shimin suddenly felt that he had been raised too much, and Shen Bi, the senior class of HSBC, was the youngest chairman of the board of directors of the world's largest bank.

"Mr. Lin has won the prize! I did serve as a soldier, and I was on a real battlefield. It is precisely because of the life and death process that I have cultivated a tenacious character. At present, my experience and ability are still to be learned and done. But when you do business in Hong Kong, you learn quickly when you show real skills. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, with an appreciative look on his face, and then he said, "I think you still have something like me!" ”

Ma Shimin asked curiously, "What does Mr. Lin refer to?" ”

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "I am also a salesman, and I have experienced more than 30 years of shopping mall career, so I have a special ability - with lion-like instinct, a look or a handshake, I can feel whether this person is credible." And when I look at your eyes, I also find that you have eyes that are very good at observing people's hearts. Am I right? ”

Ma Shimin said in surprise: "Although Mr. Lin has the intention of complimenting me, I feel that I am really good at observation, and I can see some inner things with a look and a handshake." ”

Lin Zhichao laughed 'haha', and then said: "Then tell me, I am sitting here with you today, what else do you think besides listening to your sales pitch about the air conditioning cabinet?" ”

Ma Shimin thought about it for a while, and said in his heart that Lin Zhichao is such a big entrepreneur, and his time must be busy, but now he is sitting with himself and chatting, and the two have only met for the first time.

So, he said tentatively: "Mr. Lin is unstoppable to win Wharf Group and Hutchison Whampoa, and it is not easy to master these two British-funded enterprises, especially Hutchison Whampoa. I think you want me to join your team! ”

Lin Zhichao immediately applauded and said, "I'll just say, we are one type of people!" What do you think of this proposal? ”

Ma Shimin immediately said: "Forgive me for not being able to promise you!" There is an old saying in China called - rather for the head of the chicken, not for the tail of the phoenix, at present, I am in the learning stage of Jardine, and I will look for opportunities to start my own business. So, while I admire Mr. Lin, and thank you for your appreciation, I don't want to give up on my dreams. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded seriously and said, "Since this is the case, this matter will be put aside for the time being. Let's exchange contact details! ”

Ma Shimin hurriedly provided his business card and personal phone number to Lin Zhichao, and Lin Zhichao provided the phone number of his office, he was the boss anyway, and it was impossible to change the office phone.

The reason why he didn't offer a high price and pulled Ma Shimin to join the gang was because he understood a truth very well, otherwise Ma Shimin would think that starting a business was very simple. Maybe starting a business is simple for him, but it is not so easy to make the business bigger. Secondly, Ma Shimin went out to start a business, which also helped to improve his overall management ability.

In short, the final result is that if Lin Zhichao still needs him, he will spend a huge amount of money to buy his company, so that he proves his value and naturally returns to the Changshi system.

This kind of thing may be said to be about exchanging a mountain for a tree, but in fact, this is similar to the love that advises people not to give up the whole forest for a tree.

But the point is, it depends on what kind of tree it is!

Hutchison.

In his office, Willy couldn't help but be stunned, the company had just bought gold, and it had gained more than 10%. He originally hoped that this investment would reduce Lin Zhichao's prestige, but now it has obviously played an ideological role.

Hutchison Whampoa invested 100 million Hong Kong dollars in gold spot, and in just half a month, it reaped a profit of 10 million Hong Kong dollars.

Originally, this was a good thing, but Hutchison Whampoa is about to hold a general meeting of shareholders to elect a new chairman of the board of directors. Although it is not yet known how many shares of Hutchison Whampoa are held by Cheung Kong Group (he believes that it will not be less than 30%), it is enough for Lin Zhichao to compete with him for the post of chairman of the board.

This competition is elected by the general meeting of shareholders. But if Cheung Kong Group claims to own 35% of Hutchison Whampoa shares, then it is almost a sure thing, but it is clear that Cheung Kong Group has not issued a statement at present, which means that Lin Zhichao is confident in electing the chairman of the board of directors.

Soon, Wei Li also felt that Lin Zhichao's election as chairman of the board of directors this time was a high probability, and he couldn't help but be angry. In the end, he shook his head helplessly, it is said that HSBC sold Hutchison Whampoa because Lin Zhichao introduced HSBC to a consortium in the United States, so he bought SITC Bank.

According to this statement, HSBC's acquisition of SITC Bank has the factor of Lin Zhichao's participation, so it is completely reasonable for Hutchison Whampoa to sell to Lin Zhichao, and the two are not of the same value at all.

"I can't sit still! Even if Lin Zhichao is elected chairman of the board of directors, he would be better off being a major shareholder like HSBC and not participating in the affairs of Hutchison Whampoa. After all, Hutchison Whampoa is all Western executives. ”

Thinking of this, he summoned Richardin to his office.

Wei Li said to his deputy: "Although Lin Zhichao has outstanding performance in shipping, industry and real estate developers, he is still not familiar with our affairs in Hutchison Whampoa. So Director Richard, what do you think of my statement? ”

Richardin said without hesitation: "What President Wei Li said is very right! Hutchison Whampoa has turned a profit into a profit in our hands and achieved very good results, which fully shows that our management is very good. It is true that Lin Zhichao is a major shareholder, but after all, he is a Chinese, and it is very difficult to manage a company full of Westerners. I support you. ”

Of course, he still had an idea in his heart, Wei Li was just a high-level who came in later, and he was not a person from the same way. Moreover, Wei Li enjoys a profit share of 2.5% per year, and they do not have this part of the bonus, which is obviously unreasonable.

Richard believes that if he were the chief executive of Hutchison Whampoa, he could also lead Hutchison Whampoa to prosperity. So once Lin Zhichao and Wei Li have irreconcilable contradictions, then he and his colleagues will not stand with Wei Li, and it will be Wei Li who will leave, because it is impossible for the major shareholders to leave.

In fact, he discussed with several senior colleagues that if Lin Zhichao is elected chairman of the board of directors, he will inevitably be at odds with Wei Li, the chief executive who holds a 2.5% profit share, so it is inevitable that Wei Li will go.

"Okay, I hope you understand that only when we Westerners unite as one can we form a balance with major shareholders, which is the best result of Hutchison Whampoa."

"Understood"

Wei Li nodded, he was only invited by HSBC in September 1975, and the middle and senior management of Hutchison Whampoa was not in the same system as him, on the contrary, Richardson, Xia Boyin, Peter Wei and others had a deep-rooted network of relationships with the owners of Hutchison Whampoa, which was the object of his cooperation.

At the golf course of Discovery Bay, Lin Zhichao, Tang Zhongyuan, and Lin Yunchu, four wealthy people with relatives, are sitting together and talking. Today is the weekend, and some of the families of the four families have also come to Discovery Bay Golf Club for a vacation.

Since 1976, HKR has invested HK$600 million in infrastructure, including the Discovery Bay Golf Clubhouse and marina, as well as reservoirs, roads, electricity, marinas, beaches, etc.

As for the undersea tunnel, it is certainly not something that can be invested in at the moment, and that is all in the future. As a result, residents living in Discovery Bay will have to reach Kowloon by ferry and car ferry, as Lantau Island is an offshore island.

But there is still a lot of promise for residential development in Discovery Bay, first of all, it is certainly cheaper than Kowloon City, and more expensive than Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin in the New Territories, after all, it is a resort-style community.

"Discovery Bay Phase 1 is modeled after a European-style low-density luxury house with the infrastructure, which is very tempting just to hear. In addition, real estate is hot now, and if it opens, it must be sold out. ”

Tang Zhongyuan said proudly: "We are also very confident, but the opening was in the early eighties, and the first phase was completed in 1982. ”

Li Gaofu asked curiously: "When will the second phase of the project be planned and started, and what is the model?" ”

Everyone is a real estate developer, and it is normal to be curious. In recent years, Li Gaofu's development in the field of real estate can only be said to be decent, because he insisted on seven sub-rents and three-part sales, which seriously affected his development; But fortunately, he has a strong foundation and can now rank among the top 20 real estate developers in Hong Kong, but he is ranked low.

In comparison, the Tang Zhongyuan family, which has always had Lin Zhichao's staff and support, has developed much faster in the real estate field. Although it has only been more than ten years since it entered the real estate industry, if Oriental Real Estate is listed independently, it can rank about 10~15. Some of the more well-known projects and properties are:

Oriental Sun Estate in Taikoo Hill, a partnership with Cheung Kong, with a total of 2,800 residential units, has been on sale since 1977 and is expected to bring a profit of $150 million to both parties;

Oriental Property also owns a commercial building in the Tsim Sha Tsui tourist area, which is worth a lot of money;

Recently, it also spent 200 million Hong Kong dollars to acquire a piece of land in Tsim Sha Tsui East to build a commercial complex.

It also has a number of properties under construction and for sale, as well as several industrial buildings and a commercial building in Causeway Bay.

Of course, according to Tang Chung-yuen's idea, Discovery Bay is the center of gravity of Oriental Real Estate in the later period, while Kowloon and Hong Kong Island are mainly rent-collecting properties, which is why he has invested heavily in the development of a commercial building in Tsim Sha Tsui East.

Tang Zhongyuan replied to Li Gaofu's question: "Phases 2, 3, 4 and 5 are post-modern style designed residences for those who just need it!" The second and third phases of the project will also start next year, and sales are expected in the early 80s. ”

Lin Zhichao smiled and nodded, of course this is Lin Zhichao's proposal.

The first phase of the project, which is a low-density luxury home, is aimed at those who have the wealth, who can buy it and enjoy the benefits of a resort-style home.

Originally, according to Tang Zhongyuan's idea, the second and third phases still chose low-density mansions, and they started construction again in the 80s; However, it is clear that once this is planned, the second and third phases of sales will coincide with the turmoil in Hong Kong real estate (from the end of 1981, it is expected to be unsellable), coupled with the fact that it is a low-density luxury property of an investment nature, it is obvious that it will not be able to sell directly.

Lin Zhichao's idea is that the modern design of the housing after the 2345th phase is just what the users demand. When the second and third phases were sold, it was expected to be in early 1981, and the Hong Kong and Kowloon residences were all above 1,000 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, so there was naturally a lot of rigid demand for choosing the cheaper Discovery Bay Phase 2 and III.

Relying on the profits from the sale of the third phase of the project, HKR can barely survive the real estate trough, and then relying on the two major backers behind it (Oriental Group and Cheung Kong Group), it can drag the fourth and fifth phases to be sold after 1985.

Li Gaofu said enviously: "I am afraid that this Discovery Bay can have more than 20 phases of projects, and the development time can be as long as thirty or forty years. ”

He regretted a little in his heart, if he hadn't fled to Canada for more than a year, Fuhe Real Estate would not have been able to reach the top 20 real estate developers (market capitalization calculation). You know, Fuhe Real Estate was one of the top ten real estate developers in the late fifties.

Of course, most of the top ten real estate developers lagged behind, and only Cheung Kong Real Estate never fell into the 'hegemon' position.

Tang Zhongyuan smiled and said nothing, Discovery Bay is indeed the project he values the most, it is more like a family heirloom.

Subsequently, Tang Zhongyuan asked: "Zhichao, Huamei has established diplomatic relations, what do you think of the mainland market?" ”

Lin Zhichao smiled: "There is a lot to be done!" ”

There weren't many words, but Tang Zhongyuan already understood everything. He understands his son-in-law, and in the first 30 years, his son-in-law has always been respectful of the mainland and does not want to mess with it at all; And since going to the capital in October, when it comes to the mainland, the son-in-law is always full of confidence.

Li Gaofu said: "If the mainland opens up, it will undoubtedly be a very good thing for you industrialists. Once the mainland's cheap labor and land are fully utilized, it will be a good thing for both sides. ”

Lin Zhichao said: "Indeed, it should be in the eighties, and it should be a chance. ”

A worker in Hong Kong costs 1,500 Hong Kong dollars per month (manufacturing), while a worker in the mainland only needs less than 100 Hong Kong dollars, which is a huge difference.

At this time, Lin Yunchu, who had retired, said: "Zhichao, there is news from the mainland, saying that our ancestral grave was not stripped off, but relocated. ”

Lin Zhichao said with a blue face: "I'm afraid this is not their one-sided words, they only need to temporarily build some fake ancestral tombs to deceive those of us who can help them." If this is the case, when we go home to worship our ancestors, we are not offering incense to others. ”

Everyone can feel Lin Zhichao's anger, digging people's ancestral graves, what a lack of virtue!

Lin Yunchu said: "If you don't call your aunt's child to come to Hong Kong, we will ask in person." ”

He is also seventy years old this year, and it is false to say that he does not want to go home, that is his roots.

Lin Zhichao said: "Okay, leave this matter to the second uncle, let the people of the two aunts' families investigate clearly, and then arrange for them to come to Hong Kong to work and live, if they are willing." ”

In his heart, there was a hope. I told him back then that the matter of the ancestral grave being picked up was just from a distant relative of the same township who was not very close, and maybe there was really something about moving the grave.

Even if the grave is picked up, and then the bones are cleaned up by relatives in his hometown, and the grave is moved, Lin Zhichao recognizes that it is an ancestral grave.

"Well, anyway, it really should be investigated."

Subsequently, everyone no longer discussed this topic, and everyone's homesick feelings can be buried deep in their hearts, and only occasionally will they be turned out.

After a while, everyone decided to go golfing.

When passing by the clubhouse, the four of them saw Lin Ruikai getting along with a young woman, and immediately showed a knowing smile.

Lin Ruikai is the third son of Lin Zhichao's big house, and currently serves as a department manager in the media group; The young woman is Li Bingqian, the youngest daughter of Li Gaofu and Chen Shufang in the main house (two sons and two daughters in this room), who just returned to Hong Kong after graduating from a foreign university this year (1978).

Tang Zhongyuan said with a smile: "It's time to prepare for the marriage of the two young people, they have been childhood sweethearts since they were children, and they are the right match, kiss and kiss, it can be described as a match made in heaven." ”

The so-called kiss and kiss, in fact, Lin Zhichao and Li Gaofu are distant cousins, and their mothers are cousins, so Lin Ruikai and Li Bingqian are considered relatives of Wufu, and they can be married completely.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Brother Gao Fu, what do you say, let Ruikai come to your house one day to propose?" ”

Li Gaofu responded with a smile: "You can do it at any time, it's all children who watch grow up!" ”

He doesn't need to tie up with Lin Zhichao, but he hasn't stopped his children from dating since he was a child, of course it's good to be able to marry into the Lin family, and it's nothing if he can't marry in. But now, the relationship between the two is so good, naturally Lin Ruikai is also the best son-in-law.

However, according to his cousin's arrangement, his son-in-law seems to take over the media group in the future, and it seems that he does not get as much as his brothers. Of course, if you think about this kind of thing, this son-in-law is also a graduate of a world-famous university, and the media group is also very valuable, controlling Hong Kong's media, film, publishing and other industries, and still has influence.

Lin Zhichao said: "Okay, I'll let that kid come to the door early later, and the etiquette that should be there is no lack of etiquette." ”

In this way, the marriages of the fourth and fifth are all there, Lin Ruikai is the fourth, and Lin Ruidong is the fifth. Lin Ruidong is in a relationship with the Rockefeller girl, and someone else will graduate from Harvard next year.

For this marriage, Lin Zhichao has nothing to worry about.

His current career layout is that even a government of a country cannot suppress it, after all, it is stacked layer after layer of defensive armor. Of course, he doesn't have a brain to go against a country, just compare.

(End of chapter)