Chapter 170: The General Manager of Land Holdings Comes Knocking
Time quickly slipped into February. Compared to January, the temperatures in Hong Kong during February were gradually warming up, but this year February was marked by constant spring rains, making the weather rather unpleasant. After Federal Realty had completely vacated its offices, both the International Building and Federal Building were formally taken over by Wan'an Group's Wan'an Investment Company. Nevertheless, Wan'an Group and Huanyu Investment Company still couldn't move into the newly acquired Wan'an Group Building, previously known as Federal Building, because renovations on the 28th floor and above were scheduled next. Although it was just light refurbishment, it would still take about a month to complete.
Lin Haoran had already instructed Wan'an Group about the personal reception room he wanted. He had reviewed the design drafts and was very satisfied with the style. All that remained was to wait for the renovations to finish. Until then, Wan'an Group and Huanyu Investment would continue operating from the old Wan'an Group Building.
Over the past week, under Su Zhixue's direction, Huanyu Investment's original five-person team quietly continued absorbing shares of Land Holdings while simultaneously expanding the team. The original securities department of Wan'an Group had been dissolved, and its dozen or so employees were transferred to Huanyu Investment Company. Since Wan'an Group had already been privatized, there was no reason to maintain that department anymore. Lin Haoran had already reviewed the loyalty levels of these employees while they were still under Wan'an Group; all were between 75 and 85 points — acceptable. After merging into Huanyu Investment, their loyalty levels even increased slightly. For instance, former department head Dai Bin's loyalty rose from 85 to 89 points. The reason was simple: after the privatization of Wan'an Group, many employees feared being laid off. Now, not only were they retained, but their welfare benefits had improved. Naturally, their loyalty increased under such circumstances.
Additionally, Su Zhixue had been recruiting elite traders through HR firms and headhunting agencies. Over at Wan'an Group, Yang Mingyi had been tasked with finding a suitable real estate company to acquire, but ultimately no fitting targets were found. The reason was simple: Hong Kong's real estate companies were booming, and no one wanted to sell. Chinese-owned firms were cautious, giving no opportunity for acquisition, while British-owned firms were either subsidiaries of major conglomerates or too small to be worthwhile.
However, none of that mattered much. Now, with HK$200 million in capital and two major buildings generating a steady rental income, Wan'an Group could develop rapidly. With the funds available, Wan'an Group began expanding its workforce. It first secured the construction project for Amigo's new industrial park, then entered talks with Hongkong Electric Holdings for further cooperation.
Although Wan'an Group wasn't yet strong enough to develop the North Point Electric Road Power Plant site, it could develop the Jardine's Lookout land plot. Jardine's Lookout was a prestigious location, part of Hong Kong's elite villa district. Building a luxury estate of a dozen villas there would be no problem. Thus, Hongkong Electric and Wan'an Group jointly founded International City Company, each injecting HK$200 million. Hongkong Electric then sold the land to International City for HK$315 million, and both companies would jointly develop the project. The HK$200 million on Wan'an's side came directly from the funds Lin Haoran had injected.
Thanks to Lin Haoran's influence, cooperation with both Amigo and Hongkong Electric went extremely smoothly. Furthermore, by the end of January, the new Wan'an Group Building and International Building contributed their first month's rental income — over HK$6 million — plus over HK$10 million in security deposits (since tenants typically paid two months' rent upfront). Even after spending HK$200 million, Wan'an Group still had ample funds to expand.
Under Yang Mingyi's leadership, Wan'an Group was steadily and rapidly developing. Surpassing the so-called "Five Tigers" of real estate was no longer a distant dream.
On Yang Mingyi's suggestion, Lin Haoran had set his sights on Gammon Construction. Currently controlled by Jardine Matheson, Gammon was once a listed company but had been privatized in 1975. Gammon was among Hong Kong's top construction firms, far stronger than Wan'an Construction. Acquiring it would multiply Wan'an Group's strength several times. Unfortunately, after discussions with Jardine's Percy Niblett, it became clear they were unwilling to sell Gammon. Thus, Lin Haoran had to temporarily abandon the idea. For now, he could only hope to take over Land Holdings first; after that, Gammon would naturally fall within reach.
Over the course of a week, Huanyu Investment had spent over HK$150 million, acquiring around 1.95% of Land Holdings' shares. The speed surprised even Lin Haoran — it was faster than expected. But it made sense. 1980 was one of the most active years in Hong Kong's stock market history. Trading volumes at the four major exchanges were booming daily. Everyone knew the bull market had arrived. If you didn't make money now, when would you?
Many retail investors even stayed at the exchange for lunch, eating takeout shark fin rice at the door while waiting for afternoon trading. Thanks to the huge trading volume, Huanyu Investment was able to absorb shares without attracting attention. This was very beneficial. If they could keep this pace, Lin Haoran would become one of Land Holdings' major shareholders in no time. Even if he couldn't immediately control the company, he would hold a strong position for future moves.
At the beginning of February, Amigo Company distributed another dividend. Despite the fan market's off-season from November to January, their two new products — electric blankets and hot water bags — combined with the company's growing reputation, generated massive orders. Though not as profitable as fans in summer, profits still exceeded HK$100 million over three months, reaching an astonishing HK$122 million.
In December, Lin Haoran and Liu Luanxiong had already split HK$50 million. Now, Amigo's accounts still held over HK$70 million. Since Lin Haoran needed funds for Hongkong Electric's share acquisition, he and Liu Luanxiong agreed to take another HK$60 million in dividends, leaving HK$10 million or so for operations — such as paying Wan'an Group for construction of Amigo's new industrial park.
Regarding Amigo Company, Lin Haoran already had a plan. When autumn arrived and Amigo was still at the peak of its orders, he would persuade Liu Luanxiong to take Amigo public. After the IPO, he would quickly push the stock price up and then look for opportunities to offload his shares. After all, the profit margins in the fan manufacturing business couldn't stay so high forever. Starting next year, they would likely decline sharply. In a saturated market, maintaining such high profits was impossible. As for the new products, electric blankets and hot water bags, Lin Haoran knew they couldn't sustain long-term growth either, especially since winter was much shorter than the hot seasons.
On the morning of February 7, Lin Haoran woke from his dreams. On the three-meter-wide Simmons bed, Guan Jiahui was still sleeping soundly. Yesterday afternoon, after learning that her father Guan Shan had gone out of town again, she couldn't resist calling Lin Haoran. Lin Haoran had then asked Li Weiguo to drive and pick her up. Occasionally releasing his energy was very comfortable for a young man like Lin Haoran. At 18 years old, Guan Jiahui was becoming more alluring, combining youthful charm and budding maturity perfectly.
"Get up, it's already past seven," Lin Haoran said as he pulled back the blanket, revealing Guan Jiahui's perfect figure to the air. Rubbing her eyes, she reluctantly opened them. But seeing her like that, Lin Haoran couldn't help but pounce on her again. "Brother Haoran, I'm going to be late," she gasped weakly. "Being an hour late occasionally is fine. Just say you overslept."
It wasn't until over an hour later that the intense atmosphere dissipated. "Get up, have breakfast, and I'll take you to school," Lin Haoran said with a smile. "Brother Haoran, I don't want to get up," Guan Jiahui murmured, still lying lazily against him, savoring the lingering sweetness of their time together. Eventually, she got up, aware that skipping an entire day of school would not go unnoticed by her father.
In Lin Haoran's memory, Guan Jiahui's father, Guan Shan, would end up heavily indebted within the year due to business failures, ultimately fleeing Hong Kong and leaving her to face the creditors alone. Now, Lin Haoran didn't care about those small debts. He even planned to train Guan Jiahui to become a business manager by assigning her to run a small company without shares first, allowing her to learn. Since she was now his woman, he wouldn't let her step into the entertainment industry, a place he deemed full of bad influences.
After breakfast, Lin Haoran drove her to the entrance of her school, then headed to the Qingzhou Cement Company in Hung Hom. Qingzhou Cement had already begun relocating most of its production to Yuen Long, and they had purchased over 50,000 square meters of land in Sai Kung to build a second factory. Driving into the company grounds, the area was noticeably quiet, with production down to a quarter of its former capacity. Once Sai Kung's facilities were ready, they would move all production equipment there, allowing the redevelopment of the prime Hung Hom site into a commercial complex.
Upstairs at Qingzhou Tower, Lin Haoran found General Manager Burton busy on the phone, so he didn't disturb him and instead went to the finance department. Lin Haoran hadn't been visiting Qingzhou Cement much lately, focusing more on Hongkong Electric and Wan'an Group, though in his heart he still ranked Qingzhou Cement higher, being fully privately owned compared to his partial stake in Hongkong Electric.
"Good morning, Boss," the finance staff greeted him warmly. After returning their greetings, he entered the office of Finance Director Huo Jianning. "Boss," Huo Jianning immediately stood up, putting down his work. After learning that Lin Haoran had acquired the mighty Hongkong Electric Holdings, Huo Jianning had been filled with expectation.
"Qingzhou Cement's accounts are getting bigger. Are you managing alright?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile. "Of course, Boss! Even if the workload triples, I can handle it now," Huo Jianning replied confidently.
"Good. I'm assigning you a new task. Start grooming a successor. I plan to transfer you to Hongkong Electric. It's bigger, more complex — you'll need to be prepared," Lin Haoran said seriously. Huo Jianning would start from a mid-level management position, perhaps as an accounting supervisor, a significant promotion despite being a middle management role given Hongkong Electric's vast assets.
Huo Jianning's face lit up with excitement at the news. After all, Hongkong Electric was one of Hong Kong's most prestigious companies. "Thank you, Boss. I will not let you down," Huo Jianning promised solemnly. Upon receiving this trust, his loyalty soared from 90 to 92 points, making Lin Haoran even more at ease about promoting him.
After chatting for a bit, Lin Haoran was about to head to Burton's office when his pager suddenly beeped sharply. Without hesitation, he called back.
"Boss, this is Chen Shoulin. Mr. Bowers, General Manager of Land Holdings, is here asking to meet with you regarding some important matters," said Chen Shoulin over the phone.
The General Manager of Land Holdings seeking him out? Lin Haoran raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, wait for me. I'll be there in half an hour," he replied directly.
Although he didn't yet know Bowers' purpose, Lin Haoran took it very seriously. After all, he was currently quietly absorbing Land Holdings' shares, hoping one day to control that giant.
After hanging up, Lin Haoran informed Huo Jianning, then left Qingzhou Cement without bothering to meet Burton and headed straight to Hongkong Electric Holdings' headquarters.
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