Hong Kong Movies: I am Hongxing, what the hell is the intelligence king?

Chapter 423 Brown's Despair

"Financial Secretary, do you even know what you're saying?"

Brown's face was full of malice; he never expected that the Financial Secretary would dare to refuse his request.

The Financial Secretary frowned and said coldly:
"Sir, I have great respect for you, but I never expected you to be so disrespectful to me."

“Swearing is not something a nobleman should do.”

Brown launched into a tirade:

"Go to hell with it."

"Lao Zi's grandfather was an earl, and no one called him an incompetent nobleman even though he swore a lot."

"Are you going to side with Lin Feng?"

A surge of anger welled up in the Financial Secretary's heart.

I am one of the three officials, yet you treat me like a servant, ordering me around like this.

He had previously wanted to cling to Brown's coattails, hoping to return to Chongqing after his term in Hong Kong ended and secure a good position.

Now, that idea is completely gone.

Brown treated him this way; how could he possibly give himself any dignity?

Of course, if he let me join the cabinet, I'd do anything, but is that even possible?

"Sir, you and Lin Sheng are both people I respect."

"I will not take sides between two people I respect."

"Do you have anything else to do?"

Brown's face turned bright red.

The Financial Secretary's response was weak, but in effect, the other party had already rejected him.

How can this be?

How dare he?!
Brown suddenly realized something was wrong, took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and then asked:

"I'm sorry, Financial Secretary, I got too excited just now."

"Did Lin Feng call you and say something?"

The Financial Secretary was secretly pleased. Now you're begging me?
However, despite thinking this way, he ultimately didn't dare to truly offend Brown, so he smiled wryly.
“Sir, I am not qualified to speak with Mr. Lin on the phone.”

Brown's face immediately turned red.

What do you mean?
You are in such a lowly position that you feel so honored to even have a phone call with Lin Feng?

So what is my position when I take the initiative to call you?
It turned out that Brown had been waiting for a call from Standard Chartered's Peter, but he waited and waited and didn't receive a call, and he was too embarrassed to call him first—that's not something a gentleman of such high status would do.

He is very anxious.

Suddenly it dawned on me that the Financial Secretary hadn't called me either.

Brown couldn't sit still any longer.

I am of equal status to Pete, so it is understandable that I have to wait for his call.

Who is your position as Financial Secretary that you treat my orders like this?
Brown immediately called the Financial Secretary to question him.

The answer he received was that Lin Feng's status was too prestigious, and he didn't investigate it!

This infuriated Brown.

"I asked you to investigate Lin Feng's background, what exactly did you find out?"

Brown finally couldn't contain his anxiety and roared out loud.

He's under too much pressure right now.

HSBC closed early again today.

HSBC's board of directors has mobilized all its resources to search for cash.

Not bad, they managed to get a good three or four hundred million in cash.

The problem is, there are many people waiting to withdraw their money.

There are hundreds of thousands of people; how can three or four hundred million be enough?
Hong Kong is part of my hometown, and the older generation of Hong Kongers have similar customs to those of people from my hometown.

Extremely high storage capacity!
Three or four hundred million can at most meet the needs of tens of thousands of people, while hundreds of thousands more are waiting to withdraw their money.

Pete's call was delayed, which made him feel immense pressure.

It doesn't stop there.

The company's early closures for several consecutive days have further fueled market pessimism about HSBC.

They are under much more pressure than before.

Originally, HSBC's stock price had already fallen by one-fifth due to the young tycoon's influence, and today a large number of short sellers entered the market, driving HSBC's stock price down to half of its original value!
If no measures are taken soon, HSBC's share price may fall further.

This is fatal!
Even if HSBC has ample gold and silver reserves, and even if subsidiaries like Hang Seng provide support, once panic sets in in the stock market, no amount of additional investment to rescue the market will be effective.

This morning alone, HSBC's funds have already evaporated by one-tenth in the stock market.

You absolutely have to save the stock price, otherwise HSBC might as well just give up.

This is why Brown acted so rashly; normally, he would be extremely careful about his words and actions.

Hong Kong constantly promotes the high quality of the people of Anseong, claiming that the men are all gentlemen.

With so much publicity, even Brown himself started to believe it.

But when they get emotional, their true colors are revealed.

Brown roared:
"What the hell did you say?"

"If you're not qualified to speak to Lin Feng on the phone, then where does that leave me?"

The financial secretary felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself that Brown was stingy.

I just said one wrong thing, is it really that big of a deal?

The financial secretary wanted to hang up on Brown, but didn't dare.

To reiterate, Brown is a true big shot, someone the Financial Secretary can't afford to mess with.

The Financial Secretary has no leverage to assert himself.

"Sir, please don't be angry. I misspoke just now."

"It is my pleasure to speak with you."

The Financial Secretary apologized, sounding aggrieved.

"As for the things you asked me to do, I really don't dare to investigate them."

"Lin Sheng, like you, is a respectable person."

If you two are going to have a fight, you should do it somewhere else. I'm just a nobody, I can't afford to mess with you.

Brown frowned and said:
"What exactly did you find out that you're so afraid?"

Brown is not someone who can be easily fooled.

Doesn't he know what kind of person the Financial Secretary is?
The situation is now quite clear; they must have found something that shocked him.

Otherwise, how could he be so timid?

Who doesn't know that the Financial Secretary is a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong?

The financial secretary pursed his lips and sighed inwardly.

There's really no escaping it now.

The Financial Secretary felt a sharp pain in his teeth when he thought of George's words.

Faced with a prophetic figure, he went mad and opposed him.

Such people are the most troublesome.

Everyone knows what you're doing; it's like playing your cards face up.

But you don't know what the other person is doing!
That means you are in the open, while your opponent is in the shadows.

If you know yourself but not your enemy, how can you even play?
The financial secretary didn't want to answer Brown's question, but Brown pressed him relentlessly, leaving him no choice but to reply.

"Sir, please don't force me."

"No matter how much you pressure me, it won't work."

Brown suddenly became unusually amiable:
“You must have encountered something that frightens you. Just tell me what happened, and I promise you I won’t make things difficult for you.”

"As long as you tell me, we'll wipe the slate clean of your previous offenses against me."

"After your term ends, I guarantee you a decent job."

After much hesitation, the Financial Secretary finally made a firm decision:

“Sir, I did not investigate Lin Sheng.”

Brown was unusually angry, but at the same time, he tried his best to remain calm.

Tell me why.

The Financial Secretary smiled wryly:

“I swear to God, I really want to help you investigate.”

"However, I soon learned about Lin Sheng's most prominent characteristic."

Brown's heart skipped a beat:
"What characteristics?"

The Financial Secretary whispered:

“My sources told me that Lin Sheng can almost immediately know things that are bad for him.”

Brown frowned and said:
"Are you kidding me? What kind of news is this?"

The Financial Secretary explained:

How could I dare to deceive you?

"After receiving the warning from my source, I did investigate what Lin Sheng had done before."

“Some secret things can’t be investigated, but he has one identity that has always been public.”

Brown said coldly:
“The leader of the Hung Hing Society in Causeway Bay.”

The Financial Secretary nodded repeatedly:
"Yes, that's it."

"Lin Sheng is a well-known figure in the martial arts world, with friends all over the world and almost no enemies."

Brown sneered:
"impossible!"

"How could street gangs not have rivals?"

"A person who has friends all over the martial arts world is a pushover. Do you think Lin Feng is a pushover?"

Lin Feng is definitely not a nice guy. If he were, would he have gone so far as to target HSBC?
Stop it!
The Financial Secretary smiled wryly:

"I'm not lying to you, I really did investigate."

He wasn't lying. Ever since he hung up the phone with George, the Financial Secretary had indeed investigated Lin Feng's activities in the underworld.

Upon investigation, I was nearly scared out of my wits.

"Lin Sheng is not a kind person at all."

"But Sir, have you ever considered... another possibility that he has friends all over the world?"

Brown said impatiently:
"What exactly do you want to say? Just say it directly, there's no need to beat around the bush like this."

"I'm very irritable right now. If you try to beat around the bush again, I'll lose my temper again."

The Financial Secretary said helplessly,

"All of Lin Sheng's enemies are dead, so he only has friends and no enemies in the martial arts world!"

Ok? !

Brown was instantly moved:

"Are they all dead?"

The Financial Secretary sighed:
"Yes, they're all dead." "Whether they were from within or outside the Hung Hing Society, they're all dead."

"Being friends with Lin Feng might bring other dangers."

"But if you make an enemy of Lin Sheng, you're doomed."

"Everyone knows these things; you can inquire about them."

Brown's heart sank.

He didn't think Lin Feng was a kind-hearted person, but he never imagined that Lin Feng was a killer!

Being "not to be trifled with" and "killer" are two completely different concepts.

As for why these things weren't recorded in the archives, that only serves to highlight Lin Feng's formidable strength.

He was so powerful that even special agencies couldn't find out what he had done.

The world of martial arts is a fickle place, and no one will give up the opportunity to make a name for themselves to someone else.

In other words, the things the Financial Secretary said can be easily investigated.

Brown thought to himself, "This is bad."

If Lin Feng really is that kind of person, then that would be terrible.

Lin Feng and the tycoon are blood enemies!
For someone as protective as Lin Feng, Fang Ting's hatred is naturally his hatred.

Given his style, he would absolutely go after them without hesitation, and would certainly not give the tycoons any chance to breathe.

From Lin Feng's perspective, the fact that the wealthy man was imprisoned at the military base by George and Cunningham, and the lesser-known man was imprisoned for his affair with the nobles of the Fog City, was an excellent development that didn't require Lin Feng to lift a finger.

Unfortunately, Shen Daban kept supporting the young tycoon.

what does this mean?
Naturally, it means becoming Lin Feng's enemy!
Thinking of Lin Feng's style, Brown felt a chill run down his spine—in the martial arts world, there are only friends, no enemies. Such words might not seem like much at first glance; at best, it just means someone is popular.

But it’s terrifying when you think about it!

To wipe out all the enemies—that takes such ruthlessness and incredible ability!

Even if you asked Brown to do this himself, he couldn't do it!

Brown sighed deeply, speechless.

The Financial Secretary may seem like a high-ranking figure to ordinary people, but to these people, he is just an ordinary civil servant.

How could anyone dare to conduct a thorough investigation when faced with a ruthless person like Lin Feng?

It would be too easy for Lin Feng to deal with the Financial Secretary. With 50,000 Hung Hing disciples, there are bound to be a few desperate criminals among them.

Once a knife is used, it's a one-for-one exchange; no matter how many financial secretaries there are, it's all for naught.

The other party only needs to be imprisoned for seven years!

Who wouldn't be tempted by a deal that offers seven years of life in exchange for a lifetime of wealth and luxury?

The financial secretary had no idea that Brown had so many thoughts racing through his mind in that instant; he was still cautiously trying to explain himself:

"Sir, you and Lin Sheng are like gods fighting, I really dare not interfere."

Brown sighed:
"I keep my word, this is not your fault."

"Alright, once your term is up, I'll naturally give you a decent job."

The Financial Secretary was overjoyed:
"Thank you, Sir."

After hanging up the phone, the Financial Secretary slapped his thigh excitedly. He had thought it would be a troublesome matter, but to his surprise, it turned out to be a good thing.

This kind of turn of events was something he never dared to imagine before.

Just as the financial secretary was about to shout out, he suddenly thought of Lin Feng, and his face immediately turned bitter.

George must have already reported his information to Lin Feng yesterday. Given Lin Feng's personality, will he think that George is part of Brown's group?

If Lin Feng thinks that way, then things are going to be really bad!
The Financial Secretary's excitement vanished without a trace—the future may be bright, but it has to come.

If I were to provoke Lin Feng, I would lose my future. How unfair would that be!
Thinking about it this way...

The Financial Secretary was in a panic.

what can we do about it?

The Financial Secretary was in a state of panic.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up:
"I was so stupid!"

“I can directly express my attitude to Lin Sheng.”

So the financial officer picked up the phone and dialed Lin Feng.

He was determined to make Lin Feng understand that he was not on Brown's side and that he was innocent.

Brown had no idea that the Financial Secretary would do such a thing in such a short time.
If he knew that the Financial Secretary was playing both sides, he might immediately give the Financial Secretary a hard time.

Unfortunately, he didn't know.

Brown was very worried.

The company secretary knocked and entered, speaking somewhat hurriedly:
"Sir, our stock price has dropped another third."

Brown asked:

"Didn't we fight back?"

The company secretary said with a bitter face:
"This is the result of a counterattack!"

Brown's eyes widened:

"what?"

"Is it still like this after the counterattack?"

"Are you kidding me?"

The company secretary smiled wryly:
"No."

"This morning, in addition to Chen Taotao, six other short sellers suddenly appeared and attacked our stock."

Brown said coldly:
"Those vultures!"

"Have you found out where they're from?"

The company secretary hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Brown roared:

"What's wrong with you saying this?"

The company secretary said with a dark face:

"These six short sellers are very mysterious and haven't appeared many times before."

"But they are all under our surveillance."

"They are the white gloves of Standard Chartered's board of directors."

Brown suddenly looked up:

"What did you say?"

The company secretary smiled wryly:
“Sir, this is a very common occurrence.”

"We do this kind of thing all the time."

"The sudden increase in short sellers has brought together speculative funds in the stock market, and they have found a target for a breakout."

“Almost half of the funds in the stock market are shorting us.”

"We spent five billion Hong Kong dollars to barely withstand their attack."

Brown's eyes were bloodshot.

"When you say we have to withstand their attack, do you mean that it cost us HK$5 billion, causing today's stock price to drop by another third compared to yesterday?"

The company secretary sighed:

"This is the maximum pressure our team can withstand!"

Brown's face turned completely black.

The company secretary smiled wryly:
"The short-selling momentum is too strong. If we want to protect our stock, we need to invest another five billion Hong Kong dollars."

"However, this is beyond the authority of the bond department."

"Sir, what do you say, should we give it to them or not?"

Brown roared:

Can I say no?

The company secretary remained silent, trembling with fear.

Not giving it to them is not an option; no one dares to let their company's stock plummet to worthless value.

If the other party takes the opportunity to acquire it, they might be able to initiate the acquisition process.

Brown gave a sharp tug, pulling off his tie and roughly tearing open his collar to make it easier for him to breathe.

"Fifty billion is probably not enough."

“Approve another 10 billion to them.”

The company secretary was shocked:

"Sir, isn't this too much?"

"If we operate this way, our profits this year..."

Brown shouted:
"Don't even think about this year's profits."

"Let's focus on staying alive first."

"If HSBC were to collapse because of you and me."

"Let's just go up to the rooftop!"

The company secretary immediately fell silent.

Brown said coldly:
"The sudden appearance of six short sellers who are aggressively shorting us is not a good sign."

"listen to me!"

"Tell the investment department that no matter what, no matter the cost, they must hold on."

How could the company secretary dare to refuse?
"Yes!"

Brown took a deep breath and waved for them to leave.

"Go quickly."

The company secretary asked:

"At Sir Pete's place..."

Brown roared:
"I told you to get out!"

The company secretary quickly slipped away without looking back.

Mentioning Pete only makes Brown angrier.

I never imagined that Standard Chartered would stab me in the back.

What does it mean?
Did he refuse his request?
Why refuse such a good deal?
Brown was already on the verge of despair.

He stared intently at the phone, never once hoping it would ring.

But after staring at it for a full ten minutes, there was still no response from the phone.

Brown sighed deeply. Forget about all this bullshit rules of gentlemanly conduct.

Given my current situation, why should I maintain any of those damn gentlemanly rules?

It would have been better to ascertain Standard Chartered's situation as early as possible.

Just then, the phone rang suddenly. Brown answered it like lightning, and his secretary's sweet voice came through:
"Sir, Sir Peter Pitt of Standard Chartered is on the line. Shall we take it?"

(End of this chapter)