In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 667 Good News from the Governor's Office

Just as Lin Haoran was indulging in his pleasures, a large number of citizens gathered in front of the Governor's Mansion, which was less than two kilometers away from the hillside villa area.

If you do the math, there are at least a thousand people.

In addition to the gathered citizens, many media reporters also arrived, including reporters from Hong Kong's two major television stations. At this moment, they were either on the periphery of the crowd or interviewing the gathered citizens.

Most of these citizens are ordinary stock investors who suffered extremely heavy losses in this stock market crash, with many even going bankrupt.

After all, the bull market of the past two years has allowed many investors to truly experience how easy it is to make money in the stock market.

The more money one earns, the more one's greed grows.

Many stock market investors are blinded by greed. Some borrow money from relatives and friends, some mortgage their properties for loans, and some use leverage to speculate in stocks, using all sorts of means to invest far more money than they can afford.

When the stock market crashes, their world collapses instantly, like a building crumbling.

These shareholders all understood that gathering at the Governor's Mansion was probably pointless.

After all, everyone knows the saying, "The stock market is risky, and investment requires caution."

Since they chose to take the risk, they couldn't expect to only make money; they should have been prepared to accept losses.

But now, when the wealth that once seemed within their grasp bursts like a bubble, when the hope for life is ruthlessly crushed, their despair and anger erupt like a volcano, and they no longer care about reason or consequences.

A middle-aged man in a suit and tie, who originally had a happy and fulfilling family, watched his account balance climb as the bull market frenzy intensified, and his greed grew like wildfire.

He secretly mortgaged their house without his wife's knowledge and borrowed a large sum of money from relatives and friends, investing it all in the stock market.

However, at this moment, he stood blankly in front of the governor's mansion, his eyes empty and lifeless, the stock trading slip in his hand crumpled up, the glaring loss figures on it like sharp blades piercing straight into his heart.

He recalled his wife's gentle smile and his child's innocent face, and tears welled up in his eyes involuntarily.

"It's over, it's all over, how am I supposed to face them..." he muttered to himself, his body trembling uncontrollably, as if he were in an endless abyss.

Nearby, a young man, who had just graduated from university a few years ago, plunged headlong into the stock market with high hopes for the future.

He listened to the recommendations of so-called "experts" and felt that Huifeng Bank's stock price had fallen to its lowest point, making it a good time to buy.

So he used all the savings he had accumulated over the years, plus money borrowed from loan sharks, to buy shares of Huifeng Bank when its market value had fallen to less than HK$90 billion. He believed that Huifeng Bank still had great potential for a comeback.

A few days ago, the stock price of Huifeng Bank stabilized quickly thanks to the Governor's televised address and explicit support from many major companies; in fact, the stock even saw a slight increase.

Although the increase wasn't much, it already excited him greatly, making him feel like he had found a shortcut to wealth.

However, the stock market was far more volatile than he had imagined. When giants like Swire and Wheelock suddenly changed their minds and threatened to transfer their financial business from Huafeng Bank to Standard Chartered Bank, a sudden crash caused his account to shrink several times in an instant.

When he bought the shares, Huifeng Bank had a market value of over HK$8 billion, but now it has only a market value of a little over HK$1 billion. You can imagine how much his principal has shrunk.

At that moment, his face was filled with remorse, and he clutched his hair tightly with both hands, shouting in a hoarse voice, "Why? Why did this happen! I'm still young, my life has just begun..."

The surrounding shareholders were all moved by what they heard and cast sympathetic glances at him.

However, the thought that they were in the same situation changed their feelings from simple sympathy to a surge of anger that spread through the crowd.

"We demand an explanation from the Governor's Office!"

"The Governor misled us, making us believe in Huifeng Bank, but what was the result?"

"Please save us poor stock market investors!"

"Where is the governor? Where is the governor? We've paid so much tax, and now we're in trouble. The governor's office can't just abandon us!"

Someone shouted something that instantly resonated with everyone, and shouts rose and fell: "Government, save the market! Government, save the market!"

Shouts rose and fell from the crowd, and anger and despair filled the air.

People waved their stock certificates as if they were their last hope.

Inside the Governor's Palace, Governor Merrihow sat in his office, looking through the glass window at the excited and surging crowd outside. His brows were furrowed, and his face was full of solemnity.

His fingers tapped lightly on the desk, the rhythm slightly hurried, revealing his inner turmoil.

In truth, he is also partly responsible for the heavy losses suffered by these stock investors.

After all, he had confidently stated on live television that the Governor's Office would fully support HSBC Bank and would not allow it to collapse. He also claimed that the Financial Secretary would temporarily lend more than HK$10 billion of government reserves to HSBC Bank, giving shareholders a sense of reassurance.

However, the truth is that he openly broke his promise.

Not only did they later change their minds and secretly switch their support to Standard Chartered Bank, but not a single penny of the more than HK$10 billion promised by the Financial Secretary actually ended up in the hands of HSBC.

Therefore, he also felt guilty.

However, his duty was to be the Governor of Hong Kong, and all interests were primarily those of the British.

Furthermore, if the Financial Secretary's investment of over HK$10 billion in Hui Fung Bank is indeed made, it may be lost forever.

Therefore, for the sake of the bigger picture, he had no choice but to make this seemingly "treacherous" but actually helpless decision.

At this moment, the commotion outside continued to reach his ears, and Mai Lihao knew that if it was not handled properly, this incident would escalate into an uncontrollable social crisis.

"Governor, the pressure from public opinion is mounting, and the media is watching this closely. If we don't provide a reasonable explanation soon, it could lead to even more serious consequences," the secretary said anxiously.

Mai Lihao stopped and sighed deeply: "How could I not know the seriousness of the matter? But my support for Standard Chartered Bank was based on many considerations. Who could have imagined that it would trigger such a chain reaction?"

When he gave his speech on television, he never expected that Standard Chartered Bank, a British bank with strength comparable to HSBC, would dare to set its sights on HSBC and attempt to acquire it.

Upon learning of Standard Chartered's intentions, he quickly reported the situation to the British government and, after careful consideration of the complex financial situation in Hong Kong, ultimately decided to secretly support Standard Chartered.

This has led to the current awkward situation.

He never expected that these shareholders would actually come to the Governor's Mansion to cause trouble.

In fact, the problem would be solved as soon as these shareholders learned that Standard Chartered Bank was going to acquire Huafeng Bank and that Huafeng Bank and other banks would be out of crisis.

However, he had previously promised Standard Chartered Bank not to disclose this information without their consent, since Standard Chartered Bank's acquisition of Huafeng Bank was part of their own arrangements.

If Governor Merrihau were to reveal this matter, it would affect Standard Chartered's strategic plans and could even trigger a series of unpredictable commercial disputes and fluctuations in international relations, ultimately leading to Standard Chartered's failure to acquire HSBC.

The situation had reached a critical and urgent point, and Mak Lei-ho knew that he could not stand by and watch Standard Chartered Bank's acquisition of Huifeng Bank fail.

After all, if Standard Chartered Bank doesn't lend a helping hand to save Huifeng Bank, are they supposed to ask the Governor's Office to come and save it?
But where would the governor's office find so many funds to fill this huge hole!
After pacing back and forth in his office several times, Mak Lei-hao decided to call Brown, the VP of Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong.

Mr. Brown was clearly aware of the problem at the Governor's residence. After receiving the call and learning the purpose of the call, he said directly, "Governor, I am very sorry to have put you in such a difficult position. Our Standard Chartered Bank consortium has been in private contact with several major consortia of Huifeng Bank in Britain, and we are trying to reach an agreement within the next two days. Until then, I would appreciate it if you could find a way to help us stabilize the situation temporarily. This information cannot be disclosed too early. I apologize!"

Standard Chartered Bank had British companies such as Swire and Wheelock & Co. announce the matter. Only key figures knew Standard Chartered Bank's purpose, and they would not leak crucial information.

Therefore, although several British giants have announced the transfer of funds to Standard Chartered Bank, no one else knows the purpose behind it.

The reason Standard Chartered Bank was unwilling to disclose the matter until the deal was successfully finalized is quite simple.

On the one hand, the business world is like a battlefield. If the news leaks before the acquisition is finalized, Standard Chartered's international competitors may take action and use various means to sabotage the acquisition.

If the acquisition plan is disrupted, all the human, material and financial resources that Standard Chartered Bank has invested in the early stages will be wasted, and all previous efforts will be in vain.

On the other hand, Huifeng Bank has a complex internal situation with many shareholders, making it difficult to reach a consensus.

Leaking the acquisition news too early could cause chaos within Huifeng Bank.

Some shareholders may deliberately inflate the stock price and increase acquisition costs for their own benefit;

Other shareholders may become concerned about the company's future and sell their shares, causing significant stock price fluctuations and creating great uncertainty for the acquisition.

Standard Chartered Bank needs time to engage in in-depth communication and negotiation with the major shareholders behind HSBC, striving to persuade them and ensure the acquisition can proceed smoothly.

Therefore, Standard Chartered Bank was unwilling to reveal their ambitions before reaching an agreement.

After a moment of silence, Mak said, "Alright, I'll give you two more days at most. If you still can't get it done within two days, then the Governor's Office will have to reconsider whether it supports Standard Chartered Bank's acquisition of Huafeng Bank."

"Governor, please rest assured, we will do our best. We will give you an answer by tomorrow night at the latest!" Brown also noticed Merrih's displeasure and quickly made a solemn promise, his voice filled with urgency and sincerity.

Governor Merrihau hung up the phone with a grim expression.

Standard Chartered Bank really gave him a difficult problem.

At this moment, the secretary rushed in, looking flustered, and said, "Governor, the public outside is getting increasingly agitated. Several radicals have even tried to break through the police cordon. The police are doing their best to maintain order, but the situation is not optimistic. Moreover, the media is also putting pressure on us, demanding that we give a clear response as soon as possible."

Mak Lai-ho took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down, and then said, "Go out and tell everyone that I am currently inspecting work in Tuen Mun and will not be back for a while. When I return, I will definitely give them an explanation."

For now, this is the only way to delay the inevitable.

"Yes, Governor, I'll go right away." The secretary acknowledged the order and hurriedly left the office.

After about ten minutes, the Governor's Palace could see through the windows that the citizens were gradually dispersing.

Although many shareholders were unwilling to accept this, the governor wasn't there, so their protests were futile.

Since they were promised a reply as soon as possible, these people had no choice but to believe them.

At this point, it seems they have no other choice.

Seeing the citizens gradually disperse, Meryl Streep breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Governor's Mansion was protected by the guards and the citizens couldn't break in, he was still worried that some angry citizens might take extreme actions, ultimately leading to bloodshed, which was not what he wanted to see.

Although Mai Lihao breathed a sigh of relief, his inner unease did not completely dissipate.

He knew that this delaying tactic was only temporary, and if he could not give the shareholders a satisfactory answer within the promised time, the situation could get out of control again at any time.

Now, it mainly depends on the progress of Standard Chartered Bank.

"That kid Lin Haoran has really stirred up chaos and turned the entire Hong Kong financial industry upside down!" Mai Lihao sighed as he thought about the source of the incident.

It's astonishing that a financial giant like Huifeng Bank has fallen from its rock-solid state to such a precarious state in just over two months.

Lin Haoran, the instigator of all this, seemed to be completely detached from the situation.

Of course, he also knew that Lin Haoran was not to blame for this, since it was Huifeng Bank that had brought trouble upon itself by initiating commercial competition with East Asia Bank.

Huifeng Bank's current predicament can be described as reaping what it sowed.

Meanwhile, Lin Haoran, whom Governor Merrih had mentioned, was still fighting hard.

The bedroom was filled with an enchanting atmosphere.

The panting in the bedroom gradually subsided by evening.

Lin Haoran sat on the bed, while Yamada Keiko's eyes were filled with satisfaction.

All the longing I had felt over the past three months was finally released at this moment.

After resting for a while, with Keiko Yamada's help, Lin Haoran took a shower, changed his clothes, and then walked out of the bedroom into the living room.

I checked my phone and saw several missed calls from Cui Zilong.

Before carrying Keiko Yamada into the bedroom, he deliberately left his mobile phone outside in the living room to avoid being disturbed by outside affairs.

It seemed that Cui Zilong had something urgent to report to him, so he immediately called back.

A short while later, Cui Zilong answered the call.

"Boss, I have something to report. Thousands of citizens gathered in front of the Governor's Mansion, but nothing happened in the end. The Governor's Mansion eventually came out and said that the Governor is currently in Tuen Mun and asked them to go back first. They will give everyone an explanation when the Governor returns. The crowd has gradually dispersed now."

However, according to our people, the Governor did not leave the Governor's Mansion today, and his car is still inside. Obviously, the Governor did not go to Tuen Mun. "Cui Zilong reported.

Upon hearing this, Lin Haoran couldn't help but laugh.

Governor Merrihau clearly didn't want to expose Standard Chartered's intentions for the time being, which inadvertently helped him greatly.

His acquisition of shares in Huifeng Bank is not yet complete; there is still a considerable amount to be acquired.

If the Governor's Office exposes the truth tonight, then Galaxy Securities' acquisition costs will increase tomorrow.

But now he can rest assured.

Since the Governor's Office did not expose it, Galaxy Securities will naturally be able to easily continue to increase its holdings in major Hong Kong listed giants, including Huifeng Bank, at low cost tomorrow.

As for why Governor Merrih was unwilling to reveal the reason for the time being, he could guess.

After all, Standard Chartered Bank is now his partner, and he has a general idea of ​​the progress on their end.

"Mr. Cui, thank you for your trouble," Lin Haoran replied with a smile.

“It is my duty,” Cui Zilong said respectfully.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Haoran temporarily stopped worrying about these matters.

After dinner, Lin Haoran and Yamada Keiko sat on the terrace on the third floor of the villa, overlooking the bustling night view of Central.

The view here is obviously not as good as that of the villa on Shi Xun Road. After all, the altitude is different. The lower you are, the more limited the view you can see.

However, Lin Haoran and Yamada Keiko didn't care about any of that at the moment; they were immersed in this rare tranquility and warmth.

The moonlight, like water, bathed the two of them, creating a tranquil and romantic atmosphere.

Lin Haoran's feelings for Yamada Keiko weren't particularly deep, but they had been in close contact for a period of time, and her loyalty to him was 100%.
He naturally cherishes a woman like that.

Although Keiko Yamada is Japanese, he doesn't care.

What does it matter if a woman is Japanese, as long as she can bring him physical and mental pleasure and is unconditionally loyal to him?
In the blink of an eye, a night quietly passed.

The next morning around 7 a.m., Lin Haoran slowly woke up from his sleep.

He turned his head slightly and saw that Keiko Yamada was still fast asleep beside him.

It's no wonder. The day before, she had traveled nearly 3,000 kilometers and was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Then, she had engaged in intimate and vigorous activities with Lin Haoran that night. It's only natural that she was now immersed in a dream.

Carefully lifting the blanket, half of Keiko Yamada's perfect body was revealed, truly alluring.

Lin Haoran covered her with the blanket before carefully getting out of bed.

Although it was a sweltering summer day, the cool air from the air conditioner filled the room perfectly, dispelling the summer heat and keeping the indoor temperature pleasant.

Lin Haoran tiptoed into the bedroom, washed up, changed his clothes, and then walked out into the living room.

I made a phone call downstairs, and soon the maid brought up a breakfast and several newspapers.

While eating breakfast, Lin Haoran flipped through the newspaper, which was filled with reports about yesterday's stock market crash and the gathering of stock market investors at the governor's mansion.

When Lin Haoran had almost finished breakfast, he saw that Yamada Keiko, who was still a little sleepy, was coming out of the bedroom in her pajamas, looking groggy.

"Good morning, Haoran-kun." When Yamada Keiko saw Lin Haoran, she seemed to wake up immediately, and a cute smile appeared on her face.

"You haven't slept enough yet, go and get some more sleep. If you get hungry, just go downstairs and have the maid prepare breakfast for you. I have to go out for a bit, and when I get back, I'll take you for a walk." Lin Haoran said with a smile.

The servants here were all brought over from Shi Xundao's villa by his bodyguards. Their loyalty is trustworthy, so he feels very at ease.

"Okay, Haoran-kun, you just go ahead and don't worry about me. I'll wait for you here," Yamada Keiko said obediently.

I checked the time; it was almost 8:30 in the morning.

So he said goodbye to Keiko Yamada, and left the hillside villa with his bodyguards, heading to the Kang Le Building.

About ten minutes later, Lin Haoran appeared downstairs at the Kang Le Building.

Instead of going to his own office, he took the elevator directly to the office of Galaxy Securities.

At this moment, although the stock market has not yet opened, the employees have already gone to work.

After all, their work needs to be arranged in advance.

"Good morning, boss."

Good morning, boss!

……

As soon as Lin Haoran entered the office of Galaxy Securities, the employees greeted him warmly.

He responded to each one with a smile, and in the eyes of his employees, the boss was a very easy person to talk to.

There are many foreign faces here, most of whom were poached from Jardine Matheson Securities.

Of course, the majority of the faces are of Chinese descent.

However, Lin Haoran had checked the loyalty of both foreigners and Chinese. Those with a loyalty level below 70 were unlikely to appear here, so he felt at ease no matter who they were.

When I arrived at Dai Shi's office, he was busy preparing documents.

Upon seeing the boss, Dai Shi respectfully greeted him with "Good morning, boss."

Lin Haoran nodded slightly, a smile appearing on his face, and said, "Today, your core task remains unchanged: to carry out the absorption of our established targets."

Especially regarding the stocks of Huifeng Bank and Hengsheng Bank, I require you to achieve our established target volume as much as possible before the morning session ends!

He no longer cares much about whether he has more or less stock in companies like Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings.

However, the amount of shares held in Huifeng Bank and Hengsheng Bank is far from sufficient at present.

He was uncertain, unsure when the main consortium of Huifeng Bank would reach an agreement with Standard Chartered Bank.

Once the two parties reach an agreement, Standard Chartered's acquisition of HSBC will no longer be a secret.

Therefore, the safest approach is to complete the set goals before noon.

"Okay, boss, I'll arrange it right away!" Dai Shizheng nodded hurriedly in response.

　A new month, please vote with monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)