In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 334 The heavy stone in my heart finally fell

In the Governor's Mansion, Mai Lihao couldn't help but frowned as he listened to his subordinates' work reports.

As a governor, MacLehose's contribution to Hong Kong was indeed remarkable, and he was therefore hailed by many Hong Kong citizens as one of the most outstanding and beloved governors in history.

During MacLehose's term of office, he vigorously implemented a series of reforms, which brought about profound changes in the social landscape of Hong Kong.

These reforms cover housing, clean government, education, health care, welfare, infrastructure, transportation, economy and all aspects of society.

Under his leadership, important policies and construction projects such as the Ten-Year Housing Plan, new town development, the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the implementation of nine years of free education, the construction of the subway, and local administrative reform were launched.

These policies not only directly improved the quality of life of citizens, but also established a positive image of the colonial government in the minds of citizens, and greatly enhanced the sense of belonging of Hong Kong people to this land.

These have always been something he is proud of.

But now, many of the citizens' comments have reached his ears, which makes Mai Lihao feel a little uncomfortable.

All the achievements he had accumulated over the years seemed to be wasted because of his partiality towards one thing, which caused many citizens to change their views of him.

He had already inquired in detail with the Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, Mr. Max, about the dispute between Jardine Matheson and Lin Haoran, and that Jardine Matheson's behavior was indeed not upright.

Although today's securities laws are still imperfect and relevant regulations lack clear provisions, it stands to reason that Lin Haoran, who holds nearly 20% of Jardine Matheson's shares, should have the right to interfere in the company's affairs.

However, Max's response was obviously inconsistent with common sense and tended to favor the British financial consortium.

But considering that Jardine Matheson represents the image of British financial groups in Hong Kong, these British financial groups united to exclude Lin Haoran from the board of directors of Jardine Matheson, and as the governor, it was impossible for him not to express his support.

In addition, he directly and publicly supported the response of SFC Chairman Mai Si, a move that was indeed unfair to Lin Haoran.

At present, Lin Haoran has become one of the representative figures in the Chinese business community, and his influence in Hong Kong is expanding.

It would obviously be inappropriate if I openly favored the British financial consortium.

Faced with such a dilemma, even the Governor-General MacLeod felt very embarrassed.

MacLehose has travelled north on behalf of Britain many times to discuss the future of Hong Kong. Now is a turbulent time and he does not want to see infighting between British and Chinese financial groups in Hong Kong.

"It seems that I need to have a good talk with Lin Haoran. This matter should not be delayed any further. Only if Lin Haoran comes forward can this storm be calmed down." Mai Lihao said to himself.

Thinking of this, he immediately picked up the phone and prepared to call Lin Haoran.

Mai Lihao had multiple contact information for Lin Haoran, but considering that it was already past nine in the morning, he was not sure whether Lin Haoran was at home or busy with company affairs.

Therefore, he decided to use the most direct method - contacting Lin Haoran through the pager.

At this moment, Lin Haoran had just hung up the phone with Bao Yugang and was about to go to Wanqing Building.

Burton, president of Wanqing Group, called him and told him that many reporters had gathered in Wanqing Building, all hoping to interview him and get more valuable responses from him.

As soon as I reached the first floor of the villa, the pager on my waist started ringing rapidly.

Lin Haoran took out his pager and saw that the phone number displayed was the Governor's Office.

Nowadays, his memory is exceptionally good, and he can basically remember all the numbers he has seen. This may be an unexpected benefit brought to him by time travel.

Murray MacLehose looking for him?
Lin Haoran was not surprised by this.

As early as when he made the matter a big news, he had already anticipated that Murray MacLehose would take the initiative to find him sooner or later.

Now, everything is just developing in the direction he expected.

Entering the study room on the first floor, Lin Haoran immediately called Murray MacLehose.

"Mr. Governor? I'm Lin Haoran." As soon as the phone was connected, Lin Haoran took the initiative to introduce himself.

"Mr. Lin, are you free now? If convenient, please come to the Governor's Mansion and we can talk in person." On the other end of the phone, Murray MacLehose's voice was somewhat polite.

"As invited by the Governor, I am of course available at any time. Please wait for twenty minutes and I will be there soon." Lin Haoran responded with a smile.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Haoran asked Li Weidong to drive directly to the Governor's Mansion.

I hope that this time when I go to the Governor's Office, I can get Governor MacLehose to promise not to interfere in any competition between him and the Jardine Matheson Group!
More than ten minutes later, the Rolls-Royce was parked steadily in the parking space outside the Governor's Palace.

Entering the Governor's Mansion, the staff who had already received the notice took Lin Haoran through several corridors and finally arrived outside the Governor's office.

"Knock knock knock." After a series of knocks on the door, a response "Come in" came from inside.

The staff of the Governor's Mansion opened the door for Lin Haoran before bending down and leaving.

At this time, Murray MacLehose had already come out from his work station to greet him personally.

"Good morning, Governor!" Lin Haoran smiled and shook hands with Murray MacLehose.

"Mr. Lin, please sit over there on the sofa," said Murray MacLehose, pointing to the sofa in the negotiation area.

"Would you like something to drink? I'll ask my secretary to bring it to you." After Lin Haoran sat down, Mai Lihao continued.

"No need, I just had breakfast and I'm full." Lin Haoran quickly waved his hand.

The Governor's Mansion usually serves coffee, but he is not very interested in it.

"Mr. Lin, I'm afraid I can't get too involved in the affairs of Jardine Matheson, I hope you can understand. As Mr. Max said, this is purely a business behavior. If you expect me to make the decision for this, it is indeed a bit difficult for me. I hope Mr. Lin will not over-complicate the issue." Mai Lihao said straight to the point.

"Mr. Governor, I'm really sorry for causing you trouble. It's my fault for not thinking this matter out!" Lin Haoran apologized quickly.

"I am sorry that I was unable to provide you with any useful help. I have a full understanding of the matter between you and Jardine Matheson. However, I can try to contact Mr. Henry Keswick for you, and we can sit down together and discuss it again.

Although I cannot guarantee your reinstatement as vice chairman of the board, I am confident that I can secure a seat on the board," Mai Lihao continued.

This was a decision made by Mai Lihao after careful consideration. He planned to help Lin Haoran obtain a seat on the board of directors so that the other party would not pursue the matter excessively. At the same time, it would also ease the conflict between the British and Chinese financial groups.

Although the Governor's Office has great power and he has almost the final say in Hong Kong, as the Governor, he needs to weigh many factors and cannot rely solely on the authority of the government to forcibly solve all problems.

Especially when facing a person like Lin Haoran who has a high degree of influence in society, we need to be cautious and not offend him easily.

Hearing Mai Lihao's words, Lin Haoran was a little surprised. He didn't expect Mai Lihao to make concessions.

But can he be satisfied with just a seat on the board of directors?

Of course not!

What he wanted was the position of the head of Jardine Matheson, not a board member with only voting rights.

After some careful consideration, Lin Haoran slowly said, "Mr. Governor, I appreciate your kindness, but after consideration, I have decided not to bother you anymore. However, I have a request. Since the Governor's Office and the Securities and Exchange Commission are not convenient to interfere too much in normal business activities, I hope that in any normal competition between me and the British-funded consortium of the Jardine Matheson Group, the Governor's Office and the Securities and Exchange Commission can remain neutral and not interfere. As long as you, Mr. Governor, can agree to this, I will publicly declare that this matter is purely a market behavior and has nothing to do with the Governor's Office."

This is Lin Haoran’s real purpose!
Although he had already secured victory and was confident of controlling Jardine Matheson and the Hong Kong Land Group, the Governor-General's Office was like a sword hanging over his head, forcing him to pay great attention to this issue.

However, once the Governor's Office promises not to interfere with the normal competition between him and the Jardine Matheson British Financial Group in the future, he will completely put his worries aside and can push forward his plan without scruples, officially announcing his entry into the Jardine Matheson Group!
Lin Haoran's words surprised Mai Lihao.

I didn’t expect that he didn’t even need a seat on the board of directors?
What exactly does Lin Haoran want to do?

Could it be that he thought he could compete with the entire Jardine Matheson British financial group on his own?
After all, today, except for a very small number of people like Niu Bijian, the rest of the British Jardine Matheson Group have united and are facing the outside world in unison.

Even the Huifeng Bank stood on Henry Keswick's side for the first time and supported his actions.

Therefore, in MacLehose's view, Lin Haoran had no chance of winning the competition with the British financial group represented by Henry Keswick.

After considering all this, Mai Lihao said decisively: "Okay, Mr. Lin, I can promise you that as long as you compete with Jardine Matheson, everything is within the rules. As long as you don't do anything illegal, I, on behalf of the Governor's Office, will not interfere with anything you do!"

"Mr. Governor, your words are the greatest support to me. Thank you!" A smile appeared on Lin Haoran's face at this moment.

With Mai Lihao's promise, Lin Haoran finally felt relieved.

Based on his understanding of Mai Lihao, he should be a man of his words and will not easily go back on his word.

Even if he wanted to go back on his word, considering the shareholding ratio of Lin Haoran, it was inevitable that he would control the two companies. In addition to his own promise, it was impossible for Mai Lihao to make a decision easily and ask him to make concessions?

How to give in? Should he let the British financial group buy out his shares?

Giving up Jardine Matheson is not a bad idea. As long as the British are willing to offer a price that satisfies Lin Haoran, he doesn't mind transferring all of his shares in Jardine Matheson to them.

However, I’m afraid it would be difficult for these people to raise such a huge amount of funds!

As for the Jardine Matheson Group, it was even more impossible for him to let it go back.

(End of this chapter)