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"I can apologize to you right now in front of the Governor. As long as Mr. Lin is willing to settle this dispute and ensure that the Oriental Daily News will no longer pursue our Jardine Matheson Group, Jardine Matheson Group is willing to pay HK$1 million as compensation to express our sincerity!" Niu Bijian mustered up the courage to say these words which were extremely difficult for him.

This was indeed a huge decision for him.

In the past, who could have made this prominent boss of Jardine Matheson bow his head and apologize in Hong Kong?
"It's meaningless to apologize in front of me. I demand that Mr. Niu Bijian publicly apologize to the Hong Kong Electric Group on TV, not just to me personally. Besides, one million Hong Kong dollars? Are you, Jardine Matheson, trying to get rid of beggars?" Lin Haoran said disdainfully.

Even a clay statue of a Buddha still has a certain degree of majesty that cannot be violated, let alone a human being with flesh and blood.

Since you are trying to use the media to spread rumors with the intention of destroying my company, how could Lin Haoran let Jardine Matheson succeed so easily?
When you apologize, you should show due sincerity.

"This is absolutely not possible!" Niu Bijian stood up suddenly, his face full of anger.

Let him apologize to everyone in Hong Kong through TV?
He would never do such a shameful thing!
"Mr. Lin, your request is indeed a bit too much. How about we change it?" Mai Lihao was also trying to smooth things over and persuade him.

"Excessive? Mr. Governor, if I hadn't secretly acquired the Oriental Daily, I probably wouldn't even have a platform to speak for me in the media industry.

If it weren't for someone who helped me find the police officer by chance and obtained solid evidence to prove my innocence, my Fortress Electrical Appliances Company, a giant electrical appliance sales chain with an annual turnover of over HK$100 million, would probably have ceased to exist.
If I didn't have some skills, the loss would be immeasurable, Mr. Governor, can you understand?
Jardine Matheson took advantage of my youth and bullied me wantonly. Should I just accept it and not fight back? If I did something wrong, I should have the courage to bear the consequences!
If Niu Bijian can't even agree to such a condition, do you think he has any sincerity? If we continue to talk, it will only be a waste of each other's time!" Lin Haoran's words were firm and powerful.

By now, he had no way out. Having already made enemies with Jardine Matheson, offending one more governor would not be a big deal.

At worst, he will shift the focus of future investments overseas.

With billions of Hong Kong dollars in cash assets, Lin Haoran can become a business overlord no matter where he invests. Why should he suffer such grievances in such a small place as Hong Kong?
Even the companies he owns, such as Hong Kong Electric Group, Ching Chau Cement Company, Kowloon Motor Bus, etc., can be sold at a premium in minutes if he wants to sell them.

There are plenty of people who want to acquire these companies today.

Lin Haoran's words left Mai Lihao speechless.

He had no intention of getting involved in this dispute.

It was only out of consideration for Jardine Matheson and the influence of those British financial groups that they tried to mediate.

After all, Jardine Matheson had no direct connection with him.

Niu Bijian, who was standing aside, also fell into a long silence after hearing Lin Haoran's words. It seemed that he was having a fierce struggle in his heart and found it difficult to make a decision.

But he also knew that if this mediation failed, Jardine Matheson's losses would only continue to increase.

The only way out is to let Lin Haoran agree to a settlement, and then let the impact of this incident gradually weaken. As time goes by, the public's attention will naturally shift.

In short, it is to adopt a cold treatment approach.

There is no storm that time cannot calm.

After a fierce ideological struggle, Niu Bijian finally chose to compromise. He looked up at Lin Haoran and asked, "I can apologize publicly. As for compensation, what are Mr. Lin's specific requirements? As long as it's not too excessive, I'm willing to accept it!"

Considering Niu Bijian's arrogant character in the past, he did make a huge concession this time.

After all, the people sitting opposite him were the Chinese whom he had always looked down upon.

"Ten million Hong Kong dollars," Lin Haoran directly proposed the conditions. "If Jardine Matheson can compensate ten million Hong Kong dollars, I can decide not to pursue your actions this time. What do you think?"

Ten million Hong Kong dollars is just a small sum for Lin Haoran.

For Jardine Matheson, it was not a huge amount of money.

But this was enough to make Jardine Matheson feel the pain and teach them a profound lesson.

This compensation is not only a warning to Jardine Matheson, but also a strong signal sent by Lin Haoran to the entire Hong Kong business community.

He wanted everyone to know that the consequences of offending him would be very serious.

Jardine Matheson is a living example. Anyone who dares to act rashly in the future must think carefully.

"Ten million Hong Kong dollars is just a drop in the bucket for Jardine Matheson. Mr. Niu Bijian, I think we should just deal with it. If we drag it on, the losses of Jardine Matheson will only get bigger and bigger. Now, this is not just a problem for Jardine Electrical City, but it concerns the reputation and interests of the entire Jardine Group!" Governor MacLehose also echoed.

For Governor MacLehose, he didn't have to pay for the money anyway. As long as the matter could be settled, Hong Kong's business community would be able to return to its former peace.

The government has been under a lot of pressure these days.

The public was dissatisfied with the government's inaction in handling the Jardine Matheson incident and sent letters of complaint or made phone calls.

Therefore, Mai Lihao also felt very troubled, and he urgently hoped that the matter could be resolved as soon as possible.

You can't really ask him to send people to investigate the dark history of Jardine Matheson, right?
After all, which of those overseas British companies did not develop by accumulating capital through some degree of plunder?
Therefore, it is impossible to investigate Jardine Matheson. After thinking for a moment, Niu Bijian slowly said: "Mr. Lin, I have a proposal. We, Jardine Matheson, are willing to transfer the entire Jardine Electric City to Hong Kong Electric Group.

Currently, Jardine Electrical City owns 8 chain stores located on the first floor of bustling streets, with an area of ​​no less than 300 square meters, and all of them are self-owned.

According to the current market value, the total value of these stores is about HK$100 million. If you, the Hong Kong Electric Group, can pay HK$ million, % of the shares of Jardine Matheson will belong to you. However, after the transfer, you need to give up the use of the company name "Jardine Matheson".

The current operating conditions of Jardine Electric City show that continuing to operate will only increase losses. There is no need for this subsidiary to continue to exist. This is the core reason why Niu Bijian proposed the transfer plan.

More importantly, the cost at which Jardine Matheson purchased these stores was far lower than their current value.

Through this move, they can not only get rid of the burden of Jardine Electric City, but also avoid paying additional fees of up to HK$10 million.

The most important thing is that Niu Bijian believes that such an operation is more like a normal transaction between enterprises rather than paying compensation, so that Jardine Matheson will not be too embarrassed.

Although, Jardine Matheson has suffered enough shame now.

"Yes, but before we make a formal decision, we need to conduct a detailed investigation and assessment of Jardine Electric City to ensure that the actual situation is consistent with what Mr. Niu Bijian said." Lin Haoran gave a reply.

As for the eight Jardine Electrical Appliances stores, Lin Haoran had seen at least three of them, and their locations were indeed impeccable.

It will be extremely difficult to buy shops in these locations in the future.

If you can take this opportunity to take it into your pocket, it will undoubtedly be a wise choice.

Once these stores are incorporated into Fortress Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd., its strength will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced, making Fortress Electrical Appliances' position in the field of electrical appliance sales in Hong Kong more solid and unshakable.

As for making Jardine Matheson admit defeat, Niu Bijian's public apology on television has already brought shame to the company.

As for the transaction of Jardine Matheson Electric City, any discerning person can see the deeper meaning behind it. It was also a transaction in which Jardine Matheson admitted defeat.

Therefore, the deterrent effect generated by this incident is enough to prevent anyone from daring to offend him easily in the future.

"That's right. The business community in Hong Kong is not big, and you are all leaders in the industry. There is no need to keep your relationship so tense. Now, you shake hands and make peace with each other. This matter is decided happily. How about it?" Mai Lihao said with a smile and raised his head.

At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that both sides were stubborn and difficult to reconcile.

The position of governor is indeed not easy to sit in!

So, under the witness of Mai Lihao, Lin Haoran and Mai Lihao shook hands and made peace.

The matter has been settled.

After Lin Haoran left the Governor's Mansion, he immediately ordered Chen Shoulin to send someone to conduct an in-depth investigation of the Jardine Electrical Appliances City.

The investigation results came out quickly. According to the current market value, Jardine Matheson Electric City is indeed worth 20 million Hong Kong dollars.

In addition, Jardine Electric City Company also cooperated very well with the investigation. The results of the investigation showed that there is currently no debt there, and the employees' wages will be settled by Jardine Jiaye Company, leaving no debt to Fortress Electric Company.

Even a veteran like Chen Shoulin, who has seen a lot of things, was shocked by the plan that the boss Lin Haoran had agreed upon.

He had never expected that his boss not only successfully forced Jardine Matheson to admit defeat, but also forced the other party to transfer Jardine Electric City to Hong Kong Electric Group at a loss of HK$10 million!

With such a strong and decisive boss, who would dare to provoke the Hong Kong Electric Group in the future?
At this moment, Chen Shoulin felt that his confidence and courage in managing the Hong Kong Electric Group had instantly doubled.

That evening, Niu Bijian appeared in the live broadcast room of ATV and made a solemn apology to the whole of Hong Kong through the live broadcast.

Niu Bijian, dressed in a suit, stood in front of the camera and spoke solemnly: "I am Niu Bijian, the boss of Jardine Matheson. On behalf of Jardine Matheson, I would like to express my most sincere apologies to the Hong Kong Electric Group and Mr. Lam Ho Yin for the false accusation against Fortress Electric Company by Jardine Electric City.

In the future, Jardine Matheson will compete with all parties in the business world on the principle of fairness and justice, and will never use unfair means again..."

Niu Bijian's apology quickly spread to thousands of households in Hong Kong.

This news shocked everyone and was considered one of the most sensational events since the founding of Hong Kong.

For a long time, British financial groups have been in a high position, and to the locals of Hong Kong, this seems to be commonplace.

However, the scene they witnessed now overturned all their cognition.

Niu Bijian, the helmsman of the "King of Hong Kong Trading Companies", actually publicly apologized to a Chinese businessman.

This undoubtedly opens a new chapter in history, unprecedented! (End of this chapter)