Chapter 2 Swearing Lifelong Loyalty Without a Second Thought
Huafeng Cement Factory naturally had stable clients. For example, Wanan Real Estate, a subsidiary of Wanan Group, was supplied by Huafeng Cement Factory.
Supplying their own needs internally—why let outsiders profit?
However, Wanan Real Estate currently had very few projects under construction, so their cement demand was low.
At this rate, never mind competing with his elder brother Lin Haoning—in a year, the real question was whether the factory could even stay open.
At this moment, Lin Haoran finally realized the cruelty of life among powerful families.
Even among blood brothers, when interests were at stake, schemes and backstabbing were inevitable.
Needless to say, the loss of old clients must have been orchestrated by Lin Haoning.
After all, the position of successor to a publicly listed conglomerate was too important.
Lin Haoning had many advantages: greater business experience, a broader network.
But to prevent Lin Haoran from having even the slightest chance of turning things around, Lin Haoning had acted ruthlessly and decisively.
Lin Haoran led the four men around the factory for inspection.
He remembered when he had just taken over, Huafeng Cement Factory was bustling with activity throughout the day.
But now, only two months later, it was obvious that the busy scenes had significantly diminished.
While absorbing the sudden influx of memories, Lin Haoran carefully inspected the factory that now fully belonged to him.
"Boss, boss, there are two people floating about a hundred meters outside the dock," an employee rushed over to report.
Huafeng Cement Factory was located near Lau Fau Shan in Yuen Long, right across from Shekou in Pengcheng.
In recent years, there had been an endless number of people trying to sneak across from there.
It was common to see floating bodies in the nearby sea area; the workers here had long grown used to it.
In fact, the factory even employed a few illegal immigrants.
At that time, Hong Kong was implementing the Touch Base Policy: if an illegal immigrant from the north managed to reach the urban area of Hong Kong, they could apply to stay legally;
but if they were caught in the restricted border zones, they would be deported back to the north.
The policy, relatively speaking, was quite lenient.
Lin Haoran, having merged two lifetimes of memories, recalled having seen similar scenes before; typically, they just called the police to handle it.
"Are they alive or dead?" Lin Haoran asked while walking toward the dock.
"Boss, they're holding onto a piece of wood and floating. They might still be alive. It's impressive they managed to dodge the marine patrols," the employee replied.
Everyone knew that crossing the sea like this was a gamble with death, extremely difficult.
Soon, Lin Haoran and his men arrived at the dock.
By then, many people had gathered there.
From here, Lin Haoran could already see the situation at sea.
A little over a hundred meters away, two strong men clung to a piece of wood, drifting motionlessly with the waves.
It was evening, and the border patrols were changing shifts; no marine police patrol boats could be seen on the sea.
"Lin Yi, Lin Er, take some men and go check. If they're dead, call the police. If they're alive, bring them back," Lin Haoran ordered directly.
Although these men were not loyal, it didn't prevent him from ordering them around.
"Yes, Young Master."
There was a speedboat at the dock. Lin Yi led some men onto it and headed quickly toward the two floating figures.
Lin Haoran soon saw them hauling the two onto the boat.
Clearly, they weren't dead—otherwise, the men wouldn't have bothered.
A few minutes later, the speedboat returned to the dock.
"Young Master, they're alive. They're breathing, but exhausted and unconscious. If they let go of the wood, they would surely drown," Lin Yi reported.
"Good. Carry them to the dormitory, find an empty room for them to rest, and notify me when they wake up," Lin Haoran instructed.
"Yes, Young Master."
Lin Haoran stood silently at the dock, his deep gaze fixed on the setting sun sinking below the sea horizon.
Illegal immigrants dreamed of a bright future in Hong Kong, not realizing that at this time, Hong Kong was a chaotic place: gangs fighting, rampant disorder, and ordinary people's lives full of hardship and uncertainty.
Of course, surviving the crossing did offer a real chance to change their fates and escape poverty.
Over the next two or three days, Lin Haoran stayed indoors, absorbing the memories of this world and learning about Hong Kong through newspapers.
Moreover, although his fever had subsided, his body was still weak, requiring more rest.
Even meals were delivered by Lin Si and the others.
Though these traitors worked for Lin Haoning, they wouldn't dare poison the food. Even without evidence, Lin Wanan would never forgive them if something happened to Lin Haoran.
Thus, Lin Haoran could still safely eat the meals for now.
Nevertheless, once he had loyal subordinates, he would definitely get rid of these people.
For now, with no alternatives, he had to make do.
"Young Master, here's tonight's dinner. I specifically told the kitchen to buy a roasted goose from Yuen Long Market—the best cuts are here," Lin Si said obsequiously, placing the food on the table.
"Good work. By the way, how are those two illegal immigrants?" Lin Haoran asked casually while washing his hands at the sink.
"Young Master, they woke up yesterday. They were very weak at first, but today they look much better," Lin Si answered.
"Alright, take me to see them after dinner," Lin Haoran instructed.
"Of course, Young Master. I'll wait outside and come in to clear the table once you're done."
No matter how much they tried to please him, Lin Haoran already knew their true colors—there was no way they'd deceive him again.
Lin Haoran ate quickly. In just over ten minutes, he finished his meal.
Today, he could feel that his body had almost fully recovered, the weakness gone.
"Lin Si, come in."
"Young Master, you've finished so quickly?"
"Enough chatter, clear the table. I need to meet the two illegal immigrants."
"Right away, Young Master!"
Lin Si hurried to clean up and followed Lin Haoran outside.
Huafeng Cement Factory's dormitory consisted of two three-story buildings housing over a hundred employees.
Lin Haoran himself lived in the factory's office building, which was slightly better than the dormitories.
Upon entering the dormitory, Lin Haoran saw iron bunk beds inside.
"These are the ones the Young Master saved. Hurry up and pay your respects! Without our Young Master, you would've died at sea!"
Before Lin Haoran even entered, Lin Si had already rushed in and started berating the two men.
The two strong men, who had been resting, immediately got up from bed.
"No need, you're still recovering. Stay lying down," Lin Haoran said casually as he entered.
Only then did he take a closer look at the two.
"Benefactor, your saving grace is like giving us new lives," the two strong men said as they knelt before Lin Haoran.
Men rarely kneel, but Lin Haoran was truly their savior. Their kneeling was an expression of deep, sincere gratitude and respect.
Lin Haoran tried to use his golden finger to check their loyalty, but no progress bars appeared.
Perhaps it was because they weren't officially his subordinates yet.
"Get up, no need for such formalities. Let's sit and talk. Lin Si, get out."
"Young Master, for safety's sake, I should stay..."
"Get out. I won't say it a third time."
"Understood, I'll leave immediately!"
The two men were both from Guangdong Province, born into poverty. They had served a few years in the army and, after discharge, heard of the opportunities in Hong Kong and decided to sneak over.
At this time, people usually risked illegal immigration purely because life was too hard inland—they had no other choice but to gamble for survival.
The main illegal immigration routes at the time were:
West route: swimming from Shekou or Hongshulin across Pengcheng Bay to Tuen Mun in Yuen Long.
Central route: crossing the Shenzhen River at night in the Luohu area, climbing over barbed wire into Hong Kong.
East route: scaling Wutong Mountain from Luohu or Huidong to enter Hong Kong.
These two had chosen the hardest route—the west—because border patrols there were more lax.
Their strategy was simply clinging to a piece of wood and drifting across.
Luckily, Huafeng Cement Factory employees spotted them; otherwise, unconscious as they were, they would have soon drowned.
"What are your plans now?" Lin Haoran asked.
The taller one was named Li Weiguo, 26 years old.
The shorter one was Li Weidong, 25 years old.
They were cousins from the same village, having grown up together, both skilled in martial arts.
"We don't know yet. We have no relatives here. We'll just take it one step at a time," Li Weiguo said with a bitter smile.
They had crossed over impulsively, without any real plan for life in Hong Kong.
"In that case, why don't you work for me? I happen to be short of manpower," Lin Haoran suggested with a smile.
Upon hearing that they had military training and decent fighting skills, Lin Haoran had already made up his mind.
He was their savior; if he took them under his wing, their loyalty would surely be much higher than that of traitors like Lin Yi and Lin Er.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Weiguo and Li Weidong became visibly excited.
"Boss, from now on, our lives are in your hands. You point east, we will never head west. We swear lifelong loyalty without a second thought!" Li Weiguo declared firmly.
"My brother's words represent my feelings too," Li Weidong echoed.
At that moment, Lin Haoran's golden finger activated automatically, and above their heads appeared the familiar loyalty progress bars:
Li Weiguo: [Loyalty: 82/100]
Li Weidong: [Loyalty: 88/100]
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