Inside the Bao family's luxurious residence.
After chatting for a while, Bao Yugang called Lin Baicheng aside and said, "Mr. Lin, do you know about Xinhua News Agency?"
"Xinhua News Agency? I think it's the Mainland's institution here in Hong Kong, right?"
Hearing this, Lin Baicheng's heart stirred. Of course he knew about Xinhua, but he deliberately acted uncertain, unsure why Bao Yugang brought it up so suddenly.
"Yes, it is indeed the Mainland's official institution in Hong Kong."
Bao Yugang nodded, then continued, "Here's the situation. The former Director Liang of Xinhua has been transferred back to the Mainland. The new Directors are Mr. Wang and Mr. Li. They just took office and are currently visiting Hong Kong's elite figures one by one. Mr. Lin, you are also considered a prominent figure in the business world, so the two Directors wish to meet you. However, they didn't have the right connections, so they asked me to help. Would you be willing to set aside some time to meet them?"
Strictly speaking, Ho Yingdong had a closer relationship with the Mainland, but he had never met Lin Baicheng before, so he couldn't make the connection. In contrast, Bao Yugang had at least spoken to Lin at the charity gala before—so they could be considered somewhat acquainted. That's why Xinhua asked Bao to act as an intermediary.
Bao wasn't as firmly aligned with the Mainland as the Ho family, but he also leaned toward supporting the Mainland, and he had maintained contact with Xinhua over the years. Naturally, he was willing to help in this matter.
"Sure, no problem."
Lin responded straightforwardly. He had initially considered saying he could visit them directly, but after thinking, he decided against it. Agreeing to meet the Xinhua leaders and personally going to visit them are two different concepts—they signal different political stances.
Accepting a meeting shows friendliness and openness toward the Mainland. Personally visiting Xinhua, however, clearly signals taking the Mainland's side. If the British authorities were to learn of that, given Lin's current influence, they might suppress him—and that would bring him no benefit. There was no need to be the one sticking his neck out. A friendly attitude was enough for now.
"Then I'll inform the two Directors of the good news."
Seeing Lin agree so readily, Bao smiled with satisfaction—he had fulfilled his role as mediator.
"I'll be looking forward to their visit," Lin replied politely. In truth, if possible, he only wanted to be a businessman and avoid political matters. But in this era, the issue of Hong Kong's return was unavoidable—unless he abandoned his career in Hong Kong altogether. If he did that, the colonial government couldn't touch him, but the losses would be too great—unnecessary.
Fortunately, Lin knew the future. As long as he maintained a clear stance without being the first to take risks, not only would he be safe, but he'd benefit greatly in the future.
After a little more than an hour, the guests gradually left. Lin also bid farewell to Bao Yugang and returned home with his bodyguards.
Lin had his suspicions about tonight's gathering—Bao's main purpose was likely to test his attitude: whether he was willing to be friendly toward the Mainland and meet with Xinhua's leaders.
The next day, Xinhua contacted Lin, saying that Directors Wang Yiping and Li Fuquan wanted to visit him. They asked about his availability so a time and location could be set.
Lin said they could meet that same afternoon, at the Galaxy Games factory.
Around 2 PM, Wang Yiping and Li Fuquan arrived at the factory.
Although Lin didn't take them on a tour—after all, they were guests, not inspectors—on the way to his office, both men saw the workers busily at work, no one idle.
They clearly understood many of these workers were from the Mainland—something rarely seen in Hong Kong.
As for these so-called "escapees to Hong Kong," Wang and Li didn't blame them, nor did they intend to send them back to the Mainland. Chinese people are a people deeply tied to their homeland—if life wasn't unlivable, no one would willingly leave. At the end of the day, they were here to make a living for their families.
The Mainland authorities understood that too. Although coastal patrols were strict, they weren't completely sealed—otherwise, no one could make it to Hong Kong, given how long the shoreline was.
Ironically, more people were caught each year by the Royal Hong Kong Police while trying to cross over. Those caught were sent back to the Mainland. After all, Hong Kong was too small—without control, a flood of migrants would overwhelm the city and disrupt social order.
"Hello, Directors." / "Hello, Mr. Lin."
This was Lin's first time meeting Wang Yiping and Li Fuquan. Without their introductions, he wouldn't have known who was who.
During the meeting, their impression of Lin rose even further. After all, he had recently acquired a television station—an influential platform for public opinion.
They had also noticed that since Lin's acquisition, the station no longer broadcasted content smearing the Mainland. Although it wasn't advocating for the Mainland either, it remained neutral and factual—already a great improvement.
Lin's friendly stance was clear. They had wanted to meet him earlier, but learned he was in Japan, so they had to wait.
As soon as he returned, they contacted him through Bao Yugang to arrange today's meeting—before he left the city again.
Both parties knew that speaking too deeply in a first meeting was inappropriate, so they kept the conversation light—expressing goodwill and the desire to stay in touch.
After a little over half an hour, Wang and Li took their leave, and Lin saw them out.
Xinhua's goal was achieved: they had formally met. From now on, with regular contact, a relationship would naturally develop.
Although Lin didn't promise he would side with the Mainland, he had clearly expressed friendliness. For now, that was enough. When negotiations between China and Britain over Hong Kong officially began, he would decide how to further express his stance.