Chapter 190 Don't Worry, Paid in Full!
After hanging up with Ge Zhixiong, Lin Haoran didn't immediately leave the villa. Instead, he stayed until after three o'clock in the afternoon before heading out.
As for the matter with 13K, there was no need to worry about it for now—it would depend on how they handled it.
After leaving, he didn't go to any of his companies but had Li Weiguo drive directly to the Deep Water Bay villa district.
Today was Chinese New Year's Eve, a day for family reunions, so naturally, he had to spend it with his parents.
Since returning from the United States at the end of January, aside from visiting on the first day back, he hadn't returned home for over two weeks.
Father Lin and Mother Lin hadn't complained, understanding that now Lin Haoran was managing multiple companies and was naturally very busy.
Compared to his elder brother Lin Haoning, the younger Lin Haoran had actually visited home more frequently.
After half an hour, Lin Haoran's Rolls-Royce was parked in the driveway of the Lin family's villa.
"Haoran's home!" Mother Lin, hearing the sound of the engine, immediately came outside.
"Mom, I'm back to spend the festival with you!" Lin Haoran said with a smile, giving his mother a warm hug.
"Good, come inside quickly. Your father has been waiting for you to come home," Mother Lin said with a gratified smile.
"Has big brother's family not arrived yet?" Lin Haoran asked as they walked inside.
"Your brother called this morning. He said he had some company matters to handle and would be back around six o'clock," Mother Lin replied.
Lin Haoran nodded, not dwelling further on the topic.
Upon entering the first-floor hall, Lin Wanan was leisurely listening to music and reading a book.
From his glowing appearance, it was clear that his health had greatly improved.
Indeed, after distributing the family assets to his two sons and focusing on resting, Father Lin's health had gotten much better.
Had he continued his previous lifestyle of constant socializing and late nights dealing with business matters, his condition would have only worsened.
"Haoran, you're back at the perfect time. Come, sit with me for a chat about Wan An Group," Father Lin called out with a smile as he saw Lin Haoran enter.
Although he had officially retired, Wan An Group remained his lifelong achievement, and he naturally still cared deeply about it.
"Sure, Dad," Lin Haoran quickly walked over and sat next to his father.
He then updated him on Wan An Group's recent developments over the past couple of weeks.
For instance, signing a joint development project with Hong Kong Electric Group for a plot in Jardine's Lookout, preparing with Cheung Chau Cement to develop the Hung Hom land, and winning the construction contract for Amigo Company's industrial park project.
"Haoran, what's the deal with the Federal Building being renamed Wan An Building? Did you rent it?" Lin Wanan couldn't help but ask.
He had learned last week that the Federal Building had been renamed Wan An Building, but hadn't gotten around to asking Lin Haoran about it.
After all, the Federal Building was once the tallest building in Hong Kong—a significant place.
Lin Haoran's purchase of the Federal Building and the International Building had only recently occurred and hadn't been reported by the media yet. Even Wheelock Group hadn't publicly announced it.
However, after the purchase, Lin Haoran had immediately renamed the Federal Building to Wan An Building, and such a significant event naturally couldn't stay hidden for long.
The Federal Building was a key part of Central's skyline, highly noticeable, so it was normal that Lin Wanan would hear about it.
"Dad, I bought the Federal Building, and the nearby International Building as well," Lin Haoran explained without hiding anything.
"How much did it cost?" Lin Wanan couldn't help asking.
He knew very well the general value of those two buildings—it must have been astronomical.
Last month, when Lin Haoran planned to acquire Hong Kong Electric Group, he had informed his father immediately upon returning from the U.S., so Lin Wanan was already mentally prepared for his son's achievements.
Thus, he wasn't surprised that his son had become chairman of Hong Kong Electric Group.
But purchasing two major commercial skyscrapers in Central—this was something he didn't know about and found hard to believe.
He had only just taken over Hong Kong Electric Group, and now he had bought two incredibly valuable buildings? It was unbelievable.
"Together, they cost about one billion Hong Kong dollars. I think the future value will continue to rise, so I bought them," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
"Haoran, you didn't mortgage Hong Kong Electric's shares to do it, right? That would be too risky. If the real estate market crashes, repayment would be a huge problem," Lin Wanan said worriedly.
He had always been cautious by nature. Though he had decided to support his son's bold strategies, he couldn't help but worry at times.
"Don't worry, Dad. I bought them outright, paid in full—no loans from any banks," Lin Haoran said with a grin.
Hearing this, Lin Wanan finally relaxed.
At the same time, he was increasingly shocked by his son's capabilities.
One billion Hong Kong dollars—such a massive sum, and Lin Haoran treated it so lightly.
By contrast, Lin Wanan had spent his entire life working diligently and had only managed to amass two to three hundred million Hong Kong dollars in assets.
The difference was staggering.
From the initial acquisition of Cheung Chau Cement, to taking over Hong Kong Electric Group, and now buying two major buildings in Central—these were things that he himself could scarcely have imagined doing.
Perhaps the only thing he might have achieved was acquiring Cheung Chau Cement—but only by using a lifetime's worth of savings.
The gap was simply enormous.
Lin Haoran had previously mentioned making a huge profit from gold futures.
Originally, Lin Wanan had thought that acquiring Hong Kong Electric Group was impressive enough. Now he realized that even "genius" was insufficient to describe his son.
Thinking about this, Lin Wanan's face showed not only shock but deep pride.
After all, no matter how capable Lin Haoran was, he was still part of the Lin family, still his son.
He spent a long time chatting happily with Father Lin and Mother Lin. Before they knew it, it was already after six in the evening.
The kitchen staff were busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.
Soon, a car horn sounded outside, and Mother Lin, full of joy, got up and hurried outside, just as she had when Lin Haoran arrived earlier.
Obviously, it was his older brother Lin Haoning returning.
They were family after all—blood relatives. Although Lin Haoning had once used some underhanded tactics to compete with him, Lin Haoran's perspective had broadened, and he no longer held grudges.
He also got up and went outside.
Sure enough, it was Lin Haoning's family: his brother Lin Haoning, sister-in-law Cao Shaoling, and nephew Lin Jianbin.
Driving the car was Lin Yi, someone Lin Haoran recognized—once a traitor, now Lin Haoning's bodyguard and chauffeur.
When Lin Yi saw Lin Haoran looking over, he quickly averted his gaze.
Lin Haoran, however, didn't care in the slightest. He simply glanced at him, then smiled and walked toward Lin Haoning.
"Big Brother, Sister-in-law, welcome back," Lin Haoran said warmly.
"Yeah, Haoran, what time did you get back?" Lin Haoning asked as he unloaded several gift boxes from the car trunk.
"I've been back for a few hours," Lin Haoran replied.
"Haoran, have you found someone yet? If not, I can introduce you to someone. My uncle's daughter, my cousin Cao Shaozhen—you've met her before. She just turned twenty, very beautiful. If you're interested, how about I introduce you two?" Cao Shaoling said eagerly.
She thought it would be wonderful if the Lin and Cao families could become even more closely tied.
In her view, true strength deserved admiration, and she now looked at Lin Haoran in an entirely new light.
However, Lin Haoran politely declined, "Thank you, Sister-in-law, but I have my own plans for marriage."
Cao Shaoling looked a bit disappointed but quickly smiled again, understanding that forced matches never worked.
"Happy New Year, Uncle," Lin Jianbin, now in elementary school, greeted Lin Haoran timidly.
"Happy New Year! Here's a big red envelope. Study hard this year!" Lin Haoran said, ruffling the boy's hair and handing him a large red packet.
"Thank you, Uncle!" Lin Jianbin grinned brightly.
Though he was born into a wealthy family, his parents were strict with his allowance, so he was especially happy to receive such a big red envelope.
"Let's go inside. Your grandfather has been looking forward to seeing you," Lin Haoran said with a laugh.
Lin Jianbin immediately ran into the villa's main hall.
As night fell, the family gathered for a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
Both Lin Haoran and Lin Haoning's families stayed overnight at the villa.
Mother Lin, knowing that Lin Haoran and Lin Jianbin both loved fireworks, had long since arranged for plenty to be prepared.
The first firework soared into the dark sky with a sharp whistle.
Then, it exploded into countless dazzling stars: red like fire, green like jade, blue like the ocean, and golden like the sun, painting the night sky in vivid colors.
More fireworks followed, drawing elegant arcs and raining down silver showers of sparks.
Lin Haoran joined in, lighting several fireworks himself, feeling extraordinarily relaxed.
Watching the blooming fireworks, he felt all his worries and troubles dissolve into the brilliant light.
Meanwhile, fireworks from other villas in Deep Water Bay also lit up the sky, making the entire area as bright as day.
"Haoran, shall we go up to the rooftop and have a chat?" Lin Haoning came over and patted Lin Haoran on the shoulder.
Even though his voice was almost drowned out by the fireworks' noise, Lin Haoran heard him clearly.
"Sure, let's go," Lin Haoran responded with a smile.
"Keep an eye on Jianbin, don't let him get hurt playing with fireworks," Lin Haoning reminded the servants as they walked away.
(This chapter ends.)
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