Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 960 Dragonair
"Prostate cancer?" Yang Wendong's expression changed, and he said, "I don't know much about cancer, but I do know about this kind of cancer. It should be very low in malignancy and not carry much risk, right?"

Historically, Bao Yugang died of prostate cancer.
However, cancer is also classified into different grades. Some are malignant and some are indolent. This depends on the rate at which cancer cells multiply. The faster the rate, the greater the malignancy.
For example, pancreatic cancer, bile duct cancer, glioma, small cell lung cancer, etc. are all extremely malignant. Once you get them, there is basically no hope. Even the super-rich can only prolong their final days.

Prostate cancer is a very indolent cancer, developing very slowly;
Bao Yugang continued: "Yes, I asked the experts, and it's not a malignant cancer. Fortunately, because you reminded me before, Mr. Yang, and I have regular check-ups, it was discovered early."

Otherwise, if this asymptomatic disease isn't discovered until several years later, and it has already metastasized, it will be very troublesome.

Yang Wendong said, "That's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. The sooner it was discovered, the sooner the problem could be solved."

After all, it's cancer. If it metastasizes, then it's all over. Any cancer that metastasizes insidiously is fatal.
Historically, Bao Yugang was diagnosed with cancer in the early 90s and died soon afterward. It is highly likely that the cancer had already metastasized before it was discovered, and at that time, even a miracle could not save him.

Bao Yugang said, "Well, I'm getting old now, and after the surgery, I'm planning to retire. But as you know, my two children are still too young, and I don't even know if I'll live to see them grow up, so there are some things I need to entrust to Mr. Yang."

"Are you worried that outsiders will take control of the Bao family's businesses?" Yang Wendong asked.

Bao Yugang nodded and said, "That is indeed a concern."

Yang Wendong said, "Actually, as long as you handle the equity transfer well, there won't be any major problems. The core issue is still with you. Bao Sheng, don't worry too much. This illness can be treated at a professional international hospital, and there shouldn't be any major problems."

Instead of thinking so much, you should focus on taking good care of your health.

Furthermore, your children, without your personal guidance, may not be able to properly inherit the family business.

“Yes, I know, but given the current situation, I have to consider the possibility of something going wrong.” Bao Yugang said, “If something really happens to me, I hope Mr. Yang can take care of my Bao family in the future.”

Yang Wendong agreed, "Okay, I promise you. Please rest assured about that."

He and Bao Yugang have been business friends for 20 years, and also have some personal relationship;
Now that he is old and has cancer, and he still has young children who haven't grown up, I have to take care of them a little bit.

"Okay, then I can rest assured," Bao Yugang said with a smile;

Yang Wendong said, "Bao Sheng should get treatment as soon as possible. Cancer is easier to treat in its early stages, and it becomes more troublesome as it progresses. If this kind of indolent cancer can be detected early, the probability of recovery is extremely high."

"That's all we can hope for," Bao Yugang nodded and said. "With Yang Sheng's promise, I can go to the United States for treatment with peace of mind."

Yang Wendong said, "Okay, I hope Bao Sheng can recover soon."

Bao Yugang smiled and said, "Alright, thank you, Mr. Yang."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Bao Yugang left.
Yang Wendong watched Bao Yugang leave and couldn't help but sigh.

"cancer."

He was actually afraid of this too, as any human being would be;
He hadn't felt anything before, but when someone he knew got cancer, it really touched him.

"For the sake of future health, even without considering economic benefits, we have to invest a portion in the biopharmaceutical field."

Today, the Yang family's wealth is no longer meaningful in terms of numbers. What matters is that it can buy them a lifetime of health, free from serious illness, and a peaceful passing away around the age of 100. No amount of money is too much to ask for.

In their past lives, Old Li and the gambling king, among others, invested hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars every year in order to prolong their health in their old age.
In any case, money is just a drop in the ocean for them, and it means even less to Yang Wendong today.

Of course, the premise is that you are lucky and don't get any serious diseases; otherwise, there's not much you can do.

Back in his office, Yang Wendong ignored the group documents on his desk and began to think seriously.

After a while, his personal physician, Qian Ning, came over and said, "Mr. Yang, why did you call me so urgently? Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm perfectly healthy," Yang Wendong said with a smile. "Dr. Qian, please sit down. I called you here because I just met with an old friend, and he found out..."

The news that Pao Yu-kang is suffering from cancer needs to be kept secret, otherwise it will definitely cause a stir in Hong Kong public opinion, and the stock prices of his several listed companies will inevitably plummet.

After listening, Qian Ning said, "Mr. Yang, early-stage prostate cancer is relatively easy to treat. Since this person is your friend, he must be well-off, so the survival rate is quite high."

“I know that. I just wanted to ask you how to detect cancer as early as possible, not just in the prostate, but also in other places. I’m also worried about that,” Yang Wendong asked.

Qian Ning said, "This is very difficult, Mr. Yang. Many cancers are very small in their early stages, perhaps even smaller than a sesame seed. They are impossible to detect. Moreover, cancer cells don't secrete much, so they can't be found in the blood. However, sometimes there may be abnormalities."

Furthermore, although current CT scan technology is much better than X-rays, it is still difficult to detect lesions smaller than 1 millimeter.
Similarly, many internal organs are simply impossible to examine, and there are hundreds of types of cancer, making it impossible to screen for them all.
Even if it were technically possible, it would still involve radiation. With such a large amount of radiation, an ordinary person, even without cancer, would likely develop cancer from the radiation. "It is indeed difficult," Yang Wendong nodded helplessly.

Not to mention now, even decades from now, many cancers will not be able to be detected in advance. At most, common cancers such as lung, gastrointestinal and brain cancers can be detected through routine examinations.
Qian Ning continued, "However, it is said that the United States is developing a gene technology that can predict the probability of a person developing certain diseases in the future based on a person's genes."

"Gene technology?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Okay, thank you, I understand."

He remembered that in his previous life, many wealthy people did use this technology to screen their genes.
Although no disease can be found, the probability of having a certain disease can be estimated.
For example, a top Hollywood star in a past life discovered through this method that he was prone to serious kidney disease, so he began to pay great attention to his diet and exercise, and theoretically, it was possible to avoid it.
Most diseases are indeed controlled by genes, but if we know in advance that a certain aspect may be problematic, and then specifically target treatment and prevention, it is possible to prevent the disease from developing.
In early May, Yang Wendong arranged for a professional medical academic institution to travel to Europe and the United States to explore gene-related technologies.
At the same time, a team was also dispatched to visit some universities and institutions in China to discuss the possibility of researching genes.
Whether it's in mainland China or overseas, as long as there is suitable biological research, especially on cancer, rare diseases, sudden illnesses, neurology, etc., as long as the team has the ability and a research direction, he will invest.
These investments don't require too much concern about economic returns; as long as they don't result in significant losses overall, that's fine.
If even a few of them succeed, the economic returns, even if not comparable to those of the internet, should at least not result in a loss.
More importantly, this is beneficial to our own future, as well as to all of humanity;

At the same time, Yang Wendong also allocated funds to directly donate over 100 million US dollars to more than a dozen cities, including Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, to build specialized hospitals for the treatment of infectious diseases.
This purpose, of course, is also to deal with several extremely terrifying infectious diseases that he knows about in the future. Although it is impossible to stop them, having a specialized hospital can at least save more lives and ensure the safety of medical staff and himself.

In addition, he plans to establish an educational charity fund in China to encourage more people to study medicine or biology, especially poor children. If they are good enough, the fund will provide free tuition and even living expenses.

In the future, he will continue to invest in this endeavor, thereby promoting progress in biology and domestic medical capabilities.
That's basically all he can do. After all, even as a transmigrator, he's just a mortal, and he's powerless in this area where he's not good at it.
At most, they can leverage their substantial funds to act as angel investors in the biopharmaceutical industry, thereby promoting the development of the entire industry.

June arrived quickly, and the weather in Hong Kong began to warm up, with the economy gradually recovering.
After disappearing for three or four years, real estate speculation has gradually reappeared, and newspapers are filled with news about real estate.
Although Yang Wendong has a dedicated secretary who organizes newspaper materials every day, he occasionally reads newspapers on his own, looking at other non-work-related news, and even some novels.
The Chinese Novel Foundation, established by Jin Yong and Gu Long, began to nurture many new young talents in the field of novels under the sponsorship of Yang Wendong. It also brought new spiritual enjoyment to Yang Wendong and many Hong Kong people, and TVB had more content to adapt into films.

That day, Yang Wendong was reading a new serialized novel in the newspaper when a secretary walked in and said, "Mr. Yang, Mr. Huo Yingdong wishes to visit you."

"Mr. Huo? Sure, when?" Yang Wendong asked after putting down his newspaper.

The secretary said, "Tomorrow morning."

"Okay, did he say what he wanted to say?" Yang Wendong asked.

The secretary said, "No, but he will say he's bringing a friend."

"Okay, then I'll wait here and go prepare some tea and other things to entertain our distinguished guests," Yang Wendong agreed.

The secretary replied, "Yes, Mr. Yang."

The next day, Huo Yingdong brought in a middle-aged man who was slightly younger than him and introduced him: "Mr. Yang, this is Cao Guangbiao, the king of wool textiles in Nansha."

"Mr. Cao, hello. I've heard of you a long time ago." Yang Wendong had indeed heard of this person before.

Around the 70s, Hong Kong had many industrial tycoons, such as the steel tycoon, the cement tycoon, the wig tycoon, the plastic flower tycoon, and so on.

However, by the 80s, these industrial tycoons had gradually declined, which was an inevitable trend in Hong Kong's economic development, and even in many other parts of the world.

From developing industry to gradually hollowing out its industry, this has been the case for Britain, the United States, and Japan;
He was the only one who traveled to the mainland before his time, intending to use various means to block the rise of late-developing industrialized countries. He didn't know if he would succeed in the future.

Cao Guangbiao laughed and said, "Yang Sheng, I'll forget about my nickname. It's far inferior to yours."

"There is no distinction between noble and lowly professions. As long as you can achieve results, you are among the best of the Chinese people." Yang Wendong said with a smile, "Please sit down."

After the three sat down, the secretary prepared tea. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yang Wendong asked, "Mr. Huo, Mr. Cao, you two didn't come here just to have tea with me, did you?"

Huo Yingdong laughed and said, "Of course not. Cao Sheng has something to discuss with you, so he asked me to act as the middleman. Cao Sheng should handle this matter."

Cao Guangbiao followed up, saying, "Mr. Yang, over the years, several Chinese-funded conglomerates led by you have successively acquired several British-funded groups, and at the same time, they have taken many livelihood industries from British hands."
However, one core industry remained under British control: aviation.

Yang Wendong said, "I know that too, but since Swire Group is not listed and its family holds more than 50% of the shares, there is simply no chance."

If Swire had the same business model as Jardine Matheson, he would have taken action against the Swire Group long ago.
Aviation is also a lucrative market, especially during the previous oil crises. If Cathay Pacific or its parent company Swire Group had gone public, their stock prices would have plummeted, giving them an opportunity to profit.

However, there are no "what ifs." Swire Group's business model for over a century has been very conservative, which is quite different from other British-owned companies.

Cao Guangbiao said, "Yes, so my idea is that if we can't acquire Cathay Pacific, then we should start our own airline. I've already thought of a name for it: Dragonair, the dragon of Hong Kong."
I want to compete with them, not necessarily defeat them, but at least snatch some business from them.

Yang Wendong thought for a moment and asked, "The aircraft industry is an even more capital-intensive industry than shipping. Are you adequately prepared?"

As soon as Yang Wendong learned Cao Guangbiao's name, he guessed that Cao was preparing to start Dragonair.

Historically, before the establishment of Dragonair, it attracted many wealthy people in Hong Kong.
Now that Yang Wendong is the head of Hong Kong's leading conglomerate and a representative of Chinese capital, it's perfectly normal for him to be approached.

PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)