In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Lin Haoran was unaware of the "Lin Gate" incident that was taking place on a university campus in the United States.

Today is a very special day for Hong Kong: Christmas.

That is, December 25, 1981.

Although Hong Kong is predominantly Chinese, it is currently under the temporary jurisdiction of the British Hong Kong government and is still a highly international city.

Therefore, Western holidays like Christmas are also important festivals in Hong Kong society.

Despite the economic gloom of 1981, the main commercial districts of Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Causeway Bay were still decorated with lights and colorful decorations, with huge Christmas trees and "Merry Christmas" neon lights attempting to alleviate the chill in the market.

However, for Lin Haoran, this Christmas was no different from previous years.

He did not participate in any parties or celebrations, choosing instead to remain in his office on the top floor of the Connaught Building.

Outside the window, the night view of Victoria Harbour is dazzling yet somewhat chilly, while the lights of the Kowloon Peninsula on the opposite shore are reflected on the dark sea, swaying gently with the ripples.

Behind Lin Haoran was his "personal secretary," Liu Xiaoli.

At this moment, Liu Xiaoli was massaging Lin Haoran's shoulders with her delicate hands.

Perhaps because she grew up in mainland China and has only been in Hong Kong for a short time, she doesn't have much feeling about this traditional Western festival.

For her, it was just an ordinary workday, the only special thing was that she had to work overtime with her boss in this luxurious office that overlooked half of Hong Kong.

Of course, this was her own choice, and she did it willingly.

Because, although her loyalty to Lin Haoran did not reach 100, it still reached a high level of 97.

After all, it was Lin Haoran who brought her to Hong Kong, it was Lin Haoran who gave her a villa to live in, and Lin Haoran was her first man...

Becoming his subordinate, or working for his company, would demonstrate loyalty; Lin Haoran was essentially exploiting a bug.

Like Keiko Yamada, although she was his woman, he could see her loyalty because she held the position of his secretary in Japan.

With such high loyalty, Lin Haoran naturally felt very reassured about Liu Xiaoli.

Her technique was clumsy yet earnest; the warmth from her fingertips seeped through her shirt, attempting to alleviate Lin Haoran's fatigue from several consecutive days of intense work.

The office was quiet, with only the low hum of the air conditioner and the faint sounds of city noise filtered through dozens of floors outside the window.

Lin Haoran's gaze fell on the documents spread out on the table. It was a document sent by Cui Zilong via fax, a detailed analysis of the recent fluctuations in the real estate market, and information on which real estate companies in Hong Kong were in crisis.

Among them was information about the Jianing Group.

Today, the Jianing Group appears to be as stable as ever, but Lin Haoran is very clear about its true nature.

According to the information, on the 18th of last month, Caring Group sold a commercial building in Tsim Sha Tsui to Wing On Group at a price 10% lower than the market price, cashing out HK$6.2 million;
On the 7th of last month, a real estate project in North Point was sold to Hopewell Holdings, raising HK$4.3 million.

In October, the company sold the Amigo Group back to Liu Luanxiong for only tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

In October, the company mortgaged a plot of land in Yuen Long to an Indonesian bank that had just entered the Hong Kong market and successfully obtained a loan of US$130 million.

This series of actions will allow it to last a little longer.

However, compared to the more than HK$10 billion in debt owed by Caring Group, this amount of money is unlikely to sustain Caring Group for long.

However, these things had little to do with Lin Haoran.

All he needs to do is watch this good show.

Standard Chartered Bank wanted to scam him, but little did they know they had already fallen into a trap.

The economic downturn was indeed biting, but there wasn't much anxiety in his deep eyes. After all, he had already made arrangements in advance, so even if a real estate crisis were to break out soon, it wouldn't affect him.

He could even take advantage of the real estate crisis to have his companies, such as Hongkong Land and Vanke Group, buy as many commercial buildings or plots of land in prime locations as possible.

Anyway, if he doesn't buy it, someone else will, so it's better to benefit yourself than to benefit others.

He naturally already knew about the decline in US stocks.

What he didn't expect was that, influenced by him, the US stock market fell earlier and the decline was even more severe.

Perhaps this is the butterfly effect!
His previous remarks at MIT led many financial experts and bigwigs to refute him, which boosted investors' confidence and caused the stock price to rise for a period of time.

After a surge, a more ferocious crash naturally follows.

When confidence is shattered by facts, panic sweeps through the market like a flood breaking through a dam.

The short positions that Lin Haoran had arranged with Huanyu Investment Company in advance are now bringing him unimaginable huge returns, with the numbers jumping wildly every day.

But this did not bring him much joy; everything was as expected, and even exceeded his expectations.

After all, the decline in the US stock market in this life is obviously much greater than that in the previous life, and it also happened earlier.

However, this also means he can make a fortune during this stock market downturn.

We'll make money off the Americans if we don't want to!
The thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before he stopped pursuing it.

The trend is inevitable and cannot be completely reversed by the words of one person; what is destined to happen will happen.

He did change the minor trends in the US stock market, but he couldn't change its overall trend.

Lin Haoran looked at the documents in his hand.

Occasionally, he would tilt his head slightly and give brief instructions on adjusting the force on his shoulder, such as "a little to the left" or "you can apply more force."

Liu Xiaoli adjusted as instructed, but her mind wandered somewhat.

She remembered that it should be the dead of winter in her hometown at this time, and it might have even snowed. There would certainly be no Christmas trees or neon lights.

Everything here—the hustle and bustle, the busyness, even the tranquility of being alone with a young and mysterious billionaire—still carries a sense of unreality.

She stole a glance at Lin Haoran's strong profile. His slightly furrowed brows when he was focused suggested that he was always calculating or planning something, which was quite different from the people downstairs who were immersed in the festive atmosphere.

Lin Haoran glanced at his watch; it was already 8:30 PM.

He had already told Guo Xiaohan this morning that he would be going home later tonight.

After thinking for a moment, he stood up and was about to tell Liu Xiaoli that he was going home after get off work when his office landline rang.

The ringing of the telephone sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet office.

Liu Xiaoli stopped what she was doing and looked at Lin Haoran.

Lin Haoran raised an eyebrow slightly. At this time, there were very few people who would call his office number.

After all, most of the big shots in Hong Kong now know his mobile phone number and will usually call him on his mobile phone.

He walked over and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" Lin Haoran asked.

"Boss, it's me, Su Zhixue." The voice of Su Zhixue, the head of Huanyu Investment Company, came from the other end of the phone. Even through the receiver, one could hear the barely suppressed excitement and a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I knew you'd be in the office at this time. I have some work to report to you!"

Lin Haoran hummed in agreement, signaling him to continue.

Liu Xiaoli tactfully stepped aside, pretending to organize documents, but her ears involuntarily perked up.

She knew that Su Zhixue was in charge of the boss's most important investment strategy in the United States, so a call at this moment must mean something important.

Su Zhixue took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm himself down, but the shock in his voice was still clearly discernible: "Boss, the US stock market, the recent plunge in US stocks is proceeding exactly as you predicted, and even the magnitude and speed have exceeded our most optimistic expectations!"
Our short positions, established based on the strategy and specific list of targets you provided, have generated a paper profit of $7.2 million as of yesterday's New York market close!

7.2 billion US dollars!
This number exploded like a thunderclap in the quiet office.

Even Liu Xiaoli, who was already somewhat numb to wealth figures, couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat and instinctively covered her mouth.

She looked at Lin Haoran, only to see that he remained calm, though a faint hint of understanding seemed to flicker in the depths of his eyes.

He recalled that Universal Investment Company previously only had a little over $3 million left in its accounts.

Clearly, this $7.2 million does not include the principal of over $3 million.

In other words, in less than a month, the initial capital of just over $300 million has grown to more than $1 billion!

In other words, if Huanyu Investment Company starts cashing out now and buys the corresponding shares at a low price from the stock market to return to the brokerage firm, then it will directly own this cash!

With over a billion US dollars in cash, Global Investment Company's funds are once again plentiful.

For a long time, Lin Haoran didn't have to worry about not having enough money in the United States.

Under normal circumstances, you naturally wouldn't earn that much from investing.

However, Huanyu Investment Company not only made early arrangements by borrowing securities from some financial institutions and then selling at the highest price, but also used a leverage ratio of 8 times to make the arrangements.

Therefore, it is only natural that they could earn $700 million in a short period of time.

"Continue." Lin Haoran's tone remained completely unchanged, as if he were not hearing a huge profit that could shake the economy of a small country, but just an ordinary progress report.

Inspired by his boss's composure, Su Zhixue's tone also became slightly calmer.

But he still quickly reported the details: "As per your instructions, when the stock market is rising, we leveraged short selling of some target companies, and then sold them at almost the highest stock price to recoup our principal."

We are currently monitoring the decline in US stocks. Once the decline reaches a certain level, we will gradually use our funds to repurchase shares. However, given the current market situation, there is still room for further decline, so we are not in a hurry to buy.

"What's the market sentiment like?" Lin Haoran asked, his gaze fixed on the flashing Christmas neon lights across Victoria Harbour, as if he could see through the festive glow to the grim green of the trading floor on the other side of the ocean.

"Panic!" Su Zhixue's answer was unequivocal. "Trading volume has increased dramatically, and almost all major sectors are experiencing sell-offs."

Those experts and media outlets that previously refuted you are now either silent or have changed their tune.

The Wall Street Journal used the headline "The Prophet's Foresight" on its front page today, and even CNN's financial news anchors dared not use the word "clown" anymore. Now everyone's saying you're a "prophet."

Su Zhixue's voice carried an undisguised excitement and awe.

As the person who personally executed this series of operations, he understood better than anyone the significance behind the $7.2 million unrealized profit. It was not only an accurate judgment of market trends, but also a complete victory in the confrontation with the consensus of the entire Wall Street.

This sense of accomplishment and awe is far beyond what simple numerical growth can compare to.

Of course, this record is not the best among Lin Haoran's previous investments.

For example, he earned $11.4 billion in gold futures.

He made a whopping HK$68.1 billion from his stake in Toyota Motor Corporation!
They also made HK$53 billion by shorting HSBC.

In comparison, the current $7.2 million doesn't even crack the top three.

Of course, the US stock market is still falling, which means that the profits of Huanyu Investment Company will continue to rise, and there is still considerable room for profit growth in the future.

"Ah."

Lin Haoran simply responded with a light nod and continued, "A shift in public opinion is inevitable. Capital only cares about results. What's Citibank up to?"

Lin Haoran had already foreseen these things when he was at MIT.

When the stock market behaves as he predicted, his past remarks will surely be brought up again.

Therefore, he was not surprised at all.

“Citigroup…” Su Zhixue paused, seemingly considering his words, “As far as we know, they had previously increased their long positions in US stocks on a large scale, and this time they have suffered considerable losses.”

The internal situation must be in complete chaos. However, according to Mr. Li Guowei's report, Vice President John Reed seems to have displayed unusual composure during this crisis, even proposing a "well-organized retreat" and "asset swap" plan at the board meeting, rather than simply engaging in panic selling.

A subtle glint flashed in Lin Haoran's eyes.

John Reed, this man certainly did not disappoint him.

Although the other party's determination was not thorough enough at the beginning, his ability to maintain independent thinking and propose constructive solutions amidst collective panic has already proven his value.

This piece's importance within Citibank will likely increase significantly after this turmoil.

I just don't know how much John Reed's Foresight Capital has actually invested.
He didn't ask John Reed about these things, nor did Reed tell him on his own initiative.

“Very good,” Lin Haoran said. “Continue to closely monitor Citibank’s movements, especially John Reed.”

In addition, Huanyu Investment is proceeding as planned and is not in a hurry to repurchase shares. The first wave of sharp decline may be nearing its end, but the fundamentals have not improved, and the panic will take time to subside. The market will most likely enter a period of volatile decline.

We want more than just 7.2 million.

"Understood, boss!" Su Zhixue's voice was full of confidence. "We will make dynamic adjustments based on the preset risk indicators to ensure maximum profits. Also, boss, there is another matter I need to report to you. Please take note."

"explain."

“Forbes,” Su Zhixue said in a serious tone, “their investigation team has been very active lately, gathering information about your assets in the United States and Hong Kong, especially the valuations of those unlisted companies.”

They seem to have great skepticism about the data in the 'Hong Kong Rich List,' especially regarding the authenticity of your personal wealth.

A barely perceptible smile flashed in Lin Haoran's eyes, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Has Forbes finally had enough?

The reaction was even faster than expected.

"To be honest, when I had Oriental Press Group compile this Hong Kong rich list, I already guessed that it would displease the Forbes Group," Lin Haoran said with a smile.

After all, this is tantamount to snatching the top spot from Forbes' first modern list of billionaires, ruining the reputation they've been building for years.

Su Zhixue on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback, not expecting his boss to be so blunt.

He then replied, “Yes, boss, they probably see us internally as direct challengers, or even ‘troublemakers’ who undermine their authority.”

Based on some scattered information we've obtained, they are likely preparing a skeptical report, attempting to undermine the credibility of our rankings, especially your personal wealth data, by questioning the 'data authenticity'.

However, if they knew that your true wealth, boss, is far greater than what's published on the rich list, they would be so shocked that they wouldn't dare to oppose you. They would be wasting their time, and it might even only increase the influence of Oriental Media Group!

Lin Haoran smiled upon hearing this.

Forbes' reaction was within his expectations, and could even be considered part of his plan.

A list without controversy or challenge will ultimately have limited reach and influence.

Only when it touches the core interests of the old order and triggers a tit-for-tat contest can it enter the global spotlight at the fastest speed and establish its undeniable position.

"Let them investigate and question it." Lin Haoran's voice came through the receiver, clear and resolute, to New York.

He wanted to see what tricks Forbes would pull.

He wasn't too worried about Forbes' move at all.

"In addition, after the US stock market fell, most of the mainstream media and financial magazines in the United States reported on you. Some mainstream media even said that you became a god during the US stock market decline. Among them are Fortune and BusinessWeek, two financial magazines whose strength is no less than Forbes."

Interestingly, however, none of the content published by Forbes in the past two weeks has mentioned you, boss, even once. Su Zhixue's tone carried a hint of amusement and sarcasm.

"They seem to have collectively developed 'selective blindness.' The cries of despair on Wall Street, the shift in media coverage, and even the praise from other magazines—Forbes' reporting cleverly avoids all the parts that are directly relevant to you."

"Boss, this deliberate silence, in my opinion, speaks volumes more than direct questioning. They're gathering strength, preparing what they believe to be a fatal attack."

As Lin Haoran listened, his fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the table.

Forbes' silence is indeed more threatening than its clamor.

This indicates that they have reached a consensus internally and decided not to engage in a direct confrontation with the current wave of public opinion, but rather to open up a "battlefield" in which they believe they have a clear advantage, namely the authenticity and transparency of wealth data.

If that were all, he wouldn't be worried at all.

Is his wealth being questioned?
This is absolutely a huge joke!

If the US stock holdings of Universal Investment Company were disclosed, it would likely shock the entire United States.

However, he has no intention of disclosing this part of his wealth!
"Let them be." Lin Haoran's voice was calm and even, as if he were talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him. "If they want to question, let them question."

The market will ultimately vote with its feet to determine the authenticity of wealth, and our performance in the US stock market has already given the market the most direct answer.

"Okay, boss, then I won't bother you any longer," Su Zhixue said respectfully.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Zhixue!" Lin Haoran said and then hung up the phone.

"Wow, boss, you made another $7 million in the US? That's a huge number." Liu Xiaoli's eyes were full of admiration, and her 97% loyalty seemed to be overflowing.

Although she didn't fully understand the financial game behind the numbers, she could feel the unparalleled control.

Lin Haoran turned around, looked at the undisguised admiration in her eyes, smiled, and gently pinched her cheek.

"It's just a numbers game. The real show has only just begun." He spoke casually, as if the $7.2 million was really just an insignificant string of numbers.

$7.2 million is definitely not a small amount.

Based on the current exchange rate, US$7.2 million is already more than HK$40 billion!

HK$40 billion! Even among listed companies in Hong Kong, that would rank in the top 20.

However, perhaps as his wealth accumulated, his sensitivity to numbers did not become as "thrilling" as it once was.

The tens or hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars he earned back then allowed him to savor the magic of capital.

Today, with profits often reaching billions of Hong Kong dollars, it seems more like a validation of the established strategy, a natural outcome.

This shift in mindset is not numbness, but a deeper sense of control.

For him, wealth is no longer just a collection of numbers, but a tool and leverage to unlock a larger vision and achieve more ambitious goals.

The significance of this $7.2 million unrealized profit in US stocks lies not only in the profit itself, but also in the fact that it provides almost unlimited liquidity, allowing him to continue to selectively accumulate and position himself in the US stock market.

Liu Xiaoli felt the warm touch on her face, and her heart beat even faster.

She nodded vigorously: "I believe in you, boss! You will definitely make everything even more amazing!"

Lin Haoran released his grip, his gaze returning to its deep intensity.

“Great things come at a price and require the right timing. Let’s go, it’s time to go back. I’ll take you back to your villa in Wan Chai first.”

The two left the office, and the Li brothers, Li Weidong and Li Weiguo, who were waiting in the corridor, quickly followed. The group took a private elevator directly to the underground parking garage.

Inside the garage, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom was already waiting, and a bodyguard respectfully opened the car door for Lin Haoran. (End of Chapter)