The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 453 Driven by Profit
Although Liu Hua was not well-known in Hong Kong, the wealthy people attending the banquet knew more or less about him because the mainland had notified Hong Kong in advance.

In particular, Mr. Huo and Mr. Bao had both met Liu Hua and inquired about him, even though they were now successful and even held positions above Liu Hua.

However, they would not look down on Liu Hua; in their hearts, Liu Hua was equivalent to a national hero.

Liu Hua chatted with several wealthy men for a few minutes with Rosamund Kwan, when he saw Mr. Bao walking towards him with a wine glass in his hand.

Liu Hua smiled and said, "Mr. Bao, how have you been?"

“Not bad.” Mr. Bao nodded. “Especially this year, it feels very good, and it will only get better in the future.”

Liu Hua raised his glass: "That's right, the future will be better."

“This is my eldest son-in-law, Su Haiwen,” Bao Yugang introduced. “From now on, all shipping businesses under my company will be managed by my eldest son-in-law.”

"Mr. Su, it's an honor to meet you." Liu Hua said with a smile, "Our Jiangnan Shipyard's first LNG carrier should have been delivered by now. I wonder how it's been used?"

Su Haiwen gave a thumbs up: "Very good. It just so happens that I'm planning to expand my natural gas transportation business. I'm ready to place an order for ten more ships."

"Thank you for your support." Liu Hua nodded. "With your order, Jiangnan Shipyard has no worries about the LNG carrier business."

"Good quality and low price." Su Haiwen said with a smile, "I have no reason not to support Jiangnan Shipyard. I have lived in Hong Kong for decades. This is my second hometown. China is no different from my motherland. I will naturally support it to the end."

"You can come and visit our mainland when you have time." Liu Hua nodded: "Now that China has joined the WTO, the shipping business in the mainland will develop, and ports such as Yangshan Port, Liaoning Port, and Tianjin Port will gradually grow stronger. To put it bluntly, once these ports grow stronger, Hong Kong's transshipment status will be greatly reduced. In order for your company's shipping business to have a smooth future, it is essential to have a presence in the mainland."

Su Haiwen nodded thoughtfully, while Mr. Bao looked at Liu Hua with surprise: "Professor Liu, I originally thought you were a professor of science and engineering, a research-oriented talent, but I didn't expect you to have unique insights into economic development as well."

"After all, I'm a businessman too," Liu Hua said with a smile. "A businessman has to study the market. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

At this moment, Li Ka-shing also came over with a wine glass. Mr. Bao called him over: "Mr. Li, come here for a moment, I want to introduce you to a master from the mainland."

Li Ka-shing originally wanted to avoid Liu Hua, as he had an unpleasant past with Liu Hua, but since Mr. Bao had greeted him, he felt embarrassed not to respond, so he came over.

Liu Hua smiled and said, "Mr. Li, how have you been?"

Li Ka-shing felt disgusted, as if he had swallowed a fly. Since that incident, his real estate investments in mainland China have never gone smoothly, and he has always been a step behind other prominent families.

It's not that he lacks vision or execution ability, but rather that he feels like someone is always targeting him and hindering his progress.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Liu."

"Oh, you two know each other?" Mr. Bao said cheerfully, "Then I don't need to introduce you."

Li Chaoran said awkwardly, "There was a misunderstanding with Mr. Liu back then, but that's all in the past. Mr. Liu, let me toast you."

Mr. Bao nodded: "That's right, a smile can make the past grievances disappear!"

After clinking glasses with him, Liu Hua smiled and said, "It's not really a misunderstanding, it has nothing to do with me. You've broken a taboo. I don't mind that you wanted to invest in the company, but someone else does." "Invest in the company?" Mr. Bao immediately knew what was going on and said seriously, "Old Li, you wanted to invest in Mr. Liu's company? Are you out of your mind? Mr. Liu's companies are all national strategic assets. Without permission from above, you just rashly went and invested. No wonder Mr. Liu said you broke a taboo."

With a bitter face, Li Ka-shing said, "I've already learned my lesson. Now, my investments are all about slowing down from the start."

“Learn from this,” Mr. Bao patted Li Ka-shing on the shoulder. “If the country sees your sincerity, they will still give you a break.”

Li Ka-shing left with his wine glass, and Mr. Bao sighed, "That old Li, I thought he was a sensible man, but I didn't expect him to be so muddle-headed."

“He’s not confused, he’s blinded by greed.” Liu Hua said disdainfully, “His expression just now wasn’t because he had repented, but because he was in pain. Not making any money is a loss.”

“You can’t say that,” Mr. Bao said, trying to smooth things over. “We are all Chinese people, descendants of Yan and Huang. You shouldn’t think too badly of people.”

“I don’t want to think too badly of him.” Liu Hua shook his head: “But sometimes human nature is like this. Hong Kong’s real estate market is currently overvalued, and he deserves some credit for that. Everyone says that Li Ka-shing has a silver spoon in his mouth. To put it bluntly, he’s good at getting something for nothing, just like the squid man.”

"You look down on him?"

Liu Hua nodded: "The Squid People are only interested in profit. They will sell anything for money, which is why they have been wandering for thousands of years. Don't be fooled by their current madness; they will eventually return to their old ways."

"I'm not talking about the squid man."

“I know.” Liu Hua nodded. “Isn’t he just like the Squid Man? A businessman who doesn’t understand that if he has a strong motherland behind him, his business can only prosper. If he betrays the interests of the country, he will definitely suffer the consequences.”

"Is this a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Mr. Bao asked with a smile. "Now we're giving him his final verdict."

"You can tell what a person will be like at three years old!" Liu Hua said with a smile. "He chases after money, and in the end, he will inevitably be burdened by it."

Mr. Bao smiled and said, "Alright, let's not talk about him anymore. Today is a good day, you should have something to be happy about."

Mr. Bao's eldest son-in-law, Su Haiwen, listened from the side, his heart filled with turmoil.

He had always respected his father-in-law, and Li Ka-shing's status was comparable to his father-in-law's. He never expected that the person in front of him would not even respect Li Ka-shing.

As a European, he simply couldn't understand where Liu Hua got the confidence to look down on such a billionaire.

Liu Hua asked with a smile, "Has Mr. Su acquired Chinese citizenship yet?"

"No, I still have the citizenship of my motherland."

Liu Hua said regretfully, "Actually, if you had joined our country's nationality, you would have had a better future. The support that a major country can provide is far beyond what Europe can offer."

"I've tried to persuade them," Mr. Bao sighed, "but they love their country."

(End of this chapter)