Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

With the police backing them up, the Public Works Department personnel were very loud, but a group of burly security guards seemed not to hear them at all, and continued to kick the four white men who were curled up on the ground with their heads in their hands.

Wang Yaotang put his arm around Li Xiangjiao's shoulder.

Ah Jie grabbed Sheng Songsheng by the collar.

These people looked fairly harmonious, but next to them stood Bisina, who was nearly 2 meters tall and as burly as a bear, with one large hand on the head of Li Xiangjiao's secretary, Hong Xiaohong, giving the impression that she could rip her head off at any moment.

Ah-Ji, on the other hand, simply stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the spectacle with a smile.

Harold Dodgson, the Director of Works, frowned deeply, his face so dark it seemed to drip water. Wang Yaotang wasn't just slapping Li Xiangjiao's backside; he was slapping the face of the British Empire!

There are some things I can't do myself. It doesn't matter if the British Empire loses face, but I can't lose face myself!
Seeing his superior's expression, the subordinate immediately rushed forward to pull the men away, shouting, "I told you to stop! Didn't you hear me?!"

"Fuck you, you son of a bitch!" The security guard who had been pulled turned around and punched the man in the stomach. The man immediately arched his back like a braised shrimp, his face turned red, and he collapsed to the ground.

The police officer leading the team was a chief inspector, around 40 years old, short and stout, with a rotten belly, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his small eyes darting around quickly, his face full of anxiety, shouting loudly: "Police, police, stop! Don't hit people!"

The shouts were loud, but the little legs moved very slowly.

In his office, he was cuddling a policewoman, drinking coffee, and singing when he suddenly received a call about a mission. When he heard that the two sides in the conflict were Wang Yaotang and Li Xiangjiao, he was utterly dumbfounded.

He was cursing under his breath, but he acted quickly, getting dressed in a minute, rushing downstairs to his car, turning on the siren, and speeding to the scene within three minutes.

Speed ​​is crucial to demonstrate the police's responsiveness and seriousness, but once on-site, the handling of the situation must be discreet...

The police officers jogged quickly, shouting as they surrounded both sides of the conflict. But when they reached out to pull them apart, they lowered their heads and whispered, "Brothers, stop fighting. Give us some face. So many people are watching. It's very difficult for us."

You can't hit someone who's smiling. After things had come to this point, the group of security guards reluctantly kicked him one last time before backing away to stand on the other side.

Seeing that they had stopped, the 20-odd police officers who had come slowly backed away. Both sides were big shots, and it was clear that they couldn't control them.

Huo, Bao, Xu, Zheng, Li, He... none of the bigwigs spoke, truly unsure what to say. Having done business together for so many years, they often clashed and disagreed, but never to the point of fighting in public. That would be far too uncivilized...

Li Xiangjiao felt her face burning, her blood rushing to her head, her face turning red. She felt utterly humiliated being watched by so many people. She flung Wang Yaotang's hand away, her facial muscles twitching, but she stood rooted to the spot, motionless.

We can't leave, and we shouldn't leave.

Rumors can be terrifying; if word gets out, it will truly become that he was beaten and driven away by Wang Yaotang.

Harold Dodgson stepped forward with a cold expression. He was the only one in the room who could speak, despite being an official. "Wang Yaotang, you intentionally injured someone. What do you want to do!"

“I am a businessman, yes, what’s the problem?” Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

Harold Dodgson's Chinese was passable, but not quite at the level of using puns or wordplay. He was so flustered that his face turned red, and he pointed at Wang Yaotang but didn't know what to say.

Playing a pun game with a foreigner, that's fucking wicked!
This scene made the people around want to laugh but feel embarrassed, and they all turned their heads away.

“Despicable, shameless, you damn bug!” Harold Dodgson shouted angrily in English.

"Fuck your mother! Your mouth reeks of rotten crotch. Don't you ever clean yourself properly with toilet cleaner and a toilet brush before you go out and pollute the environment? Everyone else wears masks, do you need to wear sanitary napkins?!" Wang Yaotang cursed, leaving the surrounding crowd speechless. This was just too disgusting...

The police chief inspector, who was leading the team, instantly shielded his subordinates in front of him.

The cursing was too fast, and Harold Dodgson couldn't understand many of the words, but just by looking at the people around him, he knew that the cursing was very vulgar. He was so angry that he wanted to rush forward, but his subordinate grabbed him and held him back.

"Let me go, I'm going to kill this bastard!" Harold Dodgson struggled fiercely, his face contorted in rage.

My subordinates were also stunned for a moment. Am I that strong?

"Alright, alright, calm down. Can't we talk things out?" Mr. Bao stepped forward and stood between the two.

They couldn't easily resolve conflicts with Wang Yaotang and Li Xiangjiao, but they had no problem dealing with conflicts with foreigners.

Seeing that the conflict was subsiding, the chief inspector stepped out from the crowd and said, "Someone just called the police that there's a fight here. Do you gentlemen have anything to say? Do you need any assistance from the police?"

After saying that, he glanced at the four white security guards lying on the ground, and finally his gaze fell on Li Xiangjiao's face.

Wang Yaotang, with his hands in his pockets, said with a smile, "Someone misread it. The security guards down there are not convinced of each other's skills and insist on having a competition. Security guards make a living from this, so it's normal for them to spar."

Li Xiangjiao gritted her teeth, glared at Wang Yaotang, took a deep breath, and said coldly, "It's nothing, I don't need the police's help."

Otherwise, they would call the police and file a case. Li Xiangjiao, a long-established Hong Kong tycoon, a wealthy Chinese businessman known as "Superman," had his security guards beaten to a pulp by Wang Yaotang's security guards.

The filing of a case is a public event, which will be open to discussion. Rumors will spread, and since Wang Yaotang comes from a street background, it won't be surprising if he does something like this. It will be Li Xiangjiao who will be the one who loses face.

Besides, even if a case is filed, so what? The ones who did it are a few nameless individuals, and it won't affect Wang Yaotang at all. It won't hurt him.

Looking at the four white security guards lying on the ground, and then at the 18 people standing behind Wang Yaotang, he thought, "So what if there are a lot of people? You little bastard, just you wait!"

Calling an ambulance was definitely out of the question. Squinting at Wang Yaotang, Li Xiangjiao smiled at Bao, Huo, Xu, Zheng, and the others, saying, "Please excuse my poor appearance."

Everyone just smiled and shook their heads, saying nothing.

Li Xiangjiao strode toward the auction hall. Wang Yaotang laughed and followed with A-Jie, A-Ji, and Bisina. Everyone followed as if nothing had happened.

Harold Dodgson, with a gloomy face, led his men toward the venue.

Sheng Songsheng whispered a few words in Hong Xiaohong's ear before jogging after him. Hong Xiaohong stayed behind and, together with the venue security, helped the four white security guards into a car and take them to the hospital.

The Li family will cover their medical expenses and pay their salaries according to the contract, but they will definitely be fired. Although they did not do anything wrong and were even beaten up because of the boss, seeing the boss make a fool of himself was the biggest mistake.

Lu Shaotao tilted his head and looked around, his eyes darting around. He beckoned someone over and whispered in their ear, "Follow them and see which hospital they went to. Try to get the contact information of those four bastards."

The security guard nodded and drove after them.

Whether it will work or not, let's do it first and see.

At the auction venue, everyone who was supposed to be there had arrived. Harold Dodgson didn't even bother with his opening remarks and simply said with a cold face, "The auction begins."

First, Xiong Demin, General Manager of Shek O Quarry, took the stage to introduce the development history of Shek O and the current situation of the company. Then, Su Guangxuan, General Manager of Lamma Island Quarry, took the stage to introduce the company.

Su Guangxuan had few contacts with Wang Yaotang. This guy was even more greedy than Xiong Demin. Although Lamma Island is only 2 kilometers away from Hong Kong Island, it is a small world in itself, and Su Guangxuan is one of the most powerful people on Lamma Island.

After the two individuals finished their introductions, the official assessment took place, followed by the formal auction process.

Since both mines were 'publicly owned', the auction also involved issues such as personnel resettlement, insurance, and medical care. In addition to the price, the Hong Kong government also had to consider resettlement issues; those who did not meet the standards in this regard were not eligible to participate in the subsequent auctions.

The high labor costs are one of the reasons why Shek O and Lamma Island are difficult to operate. There is no way to avoid this problem; no country or system in the world can avoid it.

The first step was for each company to submit its employee resettlement plan; the difference was that this step was made public…

Wang Yaotang dared not maliciously raise the standards here, as major companies would not allow it, nor would the Hong Kong British government.

As the crucial bidding phase officially began, all eyes in the room immediately turned to Wang Yaotang.

Wang Yaotang smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute to everyone, saying, "You are all seniors, please go first."

Everyone looked at Li Xiangjiao again, and Sheng Songsheng said loudly, "Shek O and Lamma Island, bid 5.2 million."

They quoted a high price right off the bat.

They'll have to pay a high price to get back the face they just lost outside.

Sure enough, as soon as this price was announced, everyone else frowned.

The official reserve price is only 3.5 million.

To reiterate, stone is an indispensable material in the construction industry, but the world is not just Hong Kong. There are stone quarries all over the world, with high reserves and low prices. In addition, labor costs are high in Hong Kong Island, and stone is tax-free, so there is really not much profit.

The combined output of Shek O and Lamma Island is still less than that of K. Wah, and how much is K. Wah worth?

Huo family: 5.25 million.

Zheng family: 5.3 million.

Xu family: 5.4 million.

Bao family: 5.5 million.

After a round of bidding, the price dropped to 5.8 million, and finally it was Wang Yaotang's turn to bid.

"6 million!" A-Jie shouted.

Sheng Songsheng glanced at the expressionless Li Xiangjiao, "6.5 million!"

The original plan was to acquire it for 5.5 million. The Li family's money didn't come from thin air. Although they had HSBC's support, there were too many places where they needed to spend money.

The two stone quarries were mortgaged to the bank, and the maximum loan amount was 4.5 million yuan. This is equivalent to losing 2 million yuan of working capital, not to mention the annual interest.

"7 million!" A-Jie shouted again.

Before he finished speaking, everyone looked over. Was this price insane?

This is no longer a question of whether there is a profit or not. A 7 million investment could earn more anywhere else, but tying it up in two stone quarries is a complete loss.

What's the difference between earning less and losing money?

The cold glint in Li Xiangjiao's small eyes was hidden behind his large glasses. He turned his head to look at other places, his gaze passing over the 'Huo family'. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It is dangerous for one person to monopolize the Hong Kong quarry market. It is dangerous for everyone. Prices are uncontrollable, and supply and demand are uncontrollable. I suggest that several companies jointly establish a company to operate Shek O and Lamma Island to ensure market stability."

The crowd's eyes flickered, and several people were clearly tempted by the proposal. Wang Yaotang, that young man, was obviously not someone to be trifled with; if he really monopolized the stone mining industry, it would indeed be a problem.

"Ha, as the saying goes, a gentleman is always open and honest, while a petty person is always worried and anxious. Old Li, you are the most typical petty person." Wang Yaotang suddenly said loudly, "If I want to enter the building materials industry, I will do it openly and honestly. But you are different. You will only lie in ambush behind the scenes, waiting for others to charge into battle and die before jumping out to pick the fruits of others' labor."

Every sentence he uttered was about Lü Zhihe, and every word he spoke was about Lü Zhihe, which made Li Xiangjiao blush and grit his teeth.

“I, Wang Yaotang, come from the streets. I have no family background or women to rely on. I can only rely on my own hands to work hard and stand up little by little. Therefore, I act with integrity and always follow the rules.”

Li Xiangjiao suddenly stood up, his small eyes wide open, and his lips began to tremble. If he were given a gun now, he would definitely kill Wang Yaotang without hesitation.

He hates it most when people say he got to his position by relying on women!
What are the big shots? Their assets are less than a tenth of mine. How dare they claim to have risen to power through women!
This is a complete negation of his life over the past 30 years!

Tolerable or unbearable!
"What, old man Li, you can do it, but others can't say it? I've been working on Shek O and Lamma Island for half a year. First, Lui Chi-wo jumped out to try and steal the fruits, and then you, you old bastard, came along. First come, first served is the most basic value and the fundamental ethics of conduct. Don't give me that nonsense about how business competition depends on ability. Your so-called ability is just about who has more money. If you don't have enough money, you just pull in more people to pool your money. If making money in business can make you abandon your moral standards, then you might as well not do business at all. You're not even as morally upright as a street thug like me."

"I bother!"

"Don't use monopoly as an excuse. First of all, let me make this clear: I, Wang Yaotang, am aiming to monopolize the Hong Kong and Macau stone mining market. Secondly, with 5 million yuan of Jia Hua debt in your hands, you have every opportunity to acquire two of the three major mines. Now you want to drag others down with you, but when it comes time to divide up Jia Hua, you can keep an eye on those assets with higher returns."

"Pah! I can tell you're a despicable scoundrel at a glance!" Everyone stared at Wang Yaotang in astonishment. Wasn't this young man nicknamed 'Little God of Wealth'?

When did the God of Wealth become so sharp-tongued? It's a waste of his sharp tongue to be a lawyer!
After being thoroughly scolded, Li Xiangjiao swayed unsteadily, her eyes rolled back, and she fell straight towards Sheng Songsheng.

A gasp of surprise rang out from the crowd.

"Old Li, how are you?"

"Lao Li, are you okay?"

"Mr. Li..."

Since they were all Hong Kong tycoons and would inevitably run into each other, and no one had broken ties with Li Xiangjiao, they all got up and went over.

"Hehe, hahaha, even the direction you fainted was so clever, you really are something else, Li Xiangjiao." Wang Yaotang's voice rang out softly.

The group paused, their expressions a mix of bewilderment, suppressed laughter, and light coughs, but they continued onward to inquire.

Just as Sheng Song was about to retort, he felt Li Xiangjiao clench her fist and heard the sound of her teeth grinding together.

Sheng Songsheng: No, boss, you really are faking it...

He can't say the curses he's about to swear; no wonder he can't be a boss, he's not thick-skinned enough.

It can only be said that the person who understands you best is often your enemy.

"Take Old Li to the hospital quickly."

"Call an ambulance."

"Yes, yes, let's not delay any longer."

Hearing the advice from others, Sheng Songsheng quickly squatted down. Xu Shixun helped support him, and Li Xiangjiao took the opportunity to lie down on top of him. This place could not be stayed!
Li Xiangjiao had no intention of offering a higher price to force Wang Yaotang to return.

He was afraid that Wang Yaotang would give up immediately if he made an offer, which would leave him in a bind. He would have invested more than 7 million yuan in two stone quarries that would not generate much profit, which would restrict the working capital of his other businesses and be a loss.

You son of a bitch, you're so arrogant for now. Just wait until it's time to divide up Jia Hua and see what you do then!
Young man, you are still too young!

We'll see who has the last laugh.

Xu Shixun looked down at his palm, his lips twitching involuntarily. He hadn't expected that at over 60 years old, his strength had actually increased...

Shaking their heads, no one spoke again, and they all returned to their seats. As for condemning Wang Yaotang, there was absolutely no need.

In fact, even if Wang Yaotang hadn't given them a dressing down, none of the other families would have partnered with Li Xiangjiao. The young man was too hot-tempered. He was not only vindictive but also ruthless. He didn't act like the older generation who fought without breaking up. When young people get angry, they really turn on you.

They certainly don't want a security war to happen to them one day; it would be too humiliating.

Moreover, Lü Zhihe's case also serves as a reminder to be wary of Wang Yaotang.

The phrase "trust the process" is something they say to their subordinates; these wealthy people only care about the results.

The result was that Lü Zhihe disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

With Li Xiangjiao gone, the scene finally quieted down, and the auction continued.

Harold Dodgson coldly watched the farce unfold below, listening to Wang Yaotang admit that he had pulled strings behind the scenes to bring 'Shek O' and 'Lamma Island' to the auction, listening to Wang Yaotang shout about monopoly, but there was nothing he could do.

Hong Kong does not have an anti-monopoly law!

This is a colony. Britain occupied Hong Kong not to help the poor, nor to demonstrate any fairness or justice. Only an idiot would believe those propaganda claims. From beginning to end, Britain only wanted to exploit Hong Kong and make every penny of profit.

The Hong Kong British government itself was promoting monopolies!

In the form of 'franchise'.

In 1925, Hong Kong Telephone Company obtained a monopoly on the 'telecommunications' business, and competition was not introduced until 1995.

From 1965 to 1981, Hong Kong suspended the issuance of full-license banking licenses, promoting an oligopoly in the banking industry. After the Banking Ordinance was amended in 1986, the British Hong Kong government strengthened its supervision of bank equity and business, but did not include anti-monopoly provisions.

Public transportation franchises, telecommunications franchises, water and electricity franchises...

It wasn't until the Competition Ordinance was introduced in 2012 that Hong Kong had a systematic anti-monopoly framework.

Therefore, it is not a problem for Wang Yaotang to publicly call for a monopoly on the 'stone mining' industry!
It's perfectly reasonable and legal!
It also aligns with the strategy that the Hong Kong British government has consistently promoted.

This made Harold Dodgson feel disgusted and dizzy. He disliked Wang Yaotang, this rat that reeked of stench, but he had no choice but to watch him take control of Shek O and Lamma Island.

Seven hundred million. After asking several times, no one wanted to compete with Wang Yaotang, this little madman. Harold Dodgson said coldly, "Kid, you better not let me catch you doing anything wrong, or I'll take them back from you myself!"

After saying that, Harold Dodgson got up and left.

Harold Dodgson, as the highest-ranking official in the Public Works Department, left gracefully, but others had to stay behind to handle the various handover tasks.

Xiong Demin and Su Guangxuan walked over with smiles and shook hands with Wang Yaotang. After a brief formality, the rest was left to Jiao Peilin. Wang Yaotang turned around, and Huo, Bao, and other wealthy people were still there, waiting for him to come over.

The auction was also a gathering for exchange, and no one had any enmity with Wang Yaotang.

“Mr. Huo, hello, hello.” Wang Yaotang held the old man’s hands with both hands. “I grew up listening to your legends and have always taken you as my role model.”

This even made Old Huo's smile freeze for a moment. I... thank you!
"Haha, Xiao Wang, you're too kind. Everyone is their own person. I've wanted to get to know you for a long time. I heard about your donation; well done," Old Huo said with a smile.

"To receive a word of affirmation from Mr. Huo is my greatest reward today."

"This kid knows how to talk," Old Huo said with a smile, looking at the others.

Everyone laughed along.

"Mr. Bao, hello, hello! You are my idol, one of the world's seven shipping magnates, and an industry benchmark."

"Mr. Xu, hello, hello! I admire you the most. You lived a life of carefree elegance..."

"Mr. Zheng, hello, hello! I admire you the most. Your perseverance always inspires me when I feel down..."

"Mr. Li, hello, hello..."

"Hello, Mr. Guo..."

Wang Yaotang greeted the group of old men with a smile. In fact, the old men were easy to please. Just praise them for what they were proud of. The old men were all smiles. They thought, "Young Wang is a very good person. He respects them as his elders and knows their past experiences like the back of his hand." Who said that young Wang was sharp-tongued and vindictive?
These people should look for problems within themselves. It's already shameful enough that you, Lui Chi-yi, a senior, can't compete with a junior, but to actually hire a ghostwriter is really a disgrace to Hong Kong's tycoons!

Old Xu and Old Bao both looked at Wang Yaotang with great interest. At such a young age, he had truly started from scratch. He was tall and handsome. Although his education was a little lacking, they had heard that he knew six languages.

None of the wealthy people present were self-made; they were all second-generation rich kids.

For some reason, the two old men's eyes met. Old Xu raised an eyebrow, stepped forward to block Old Bao, and said in a low voice, "Don't even think about it. There's no way he'll become your live-in son-in-law."

"You're allowed to marry off your daughter, but I can't." Old Bao rolled his eyes. "You'd better keep an eye on Old Li."

When Old Xu turned around, he saw Li Zhaoji gently patting Wang Yaotang's arm, inviting him to his home.

挑！
That old bastard, he launched a sneak attack!
Wang Yaotang stood out among a group of old men, and none of them looked down on him. Youth is the greatest asset, and at this age, it doesn't matter if you fail ten or eight times; you'll get back up quickly.

Old Xu initially thought the young man was alright, but when he saw that Old Li, Old Bao, and Old Guo had all taken a liking to Wang Yaotang, he suddenly felt a bit anxious.

The other three old men felt the same way. There were too few outstanding young people in Hong Kong, and looking down, they felt that some of them were not good enough for their daughters. These were all major problems.

The other old men were happy to watch the spectacle; people of their status rarely had the chance to see anything exciting.

Wang Yaotang also sensed something was wrong. There were too many old men, and it was hard to handle them. Almost an hour had passed in the blink of an eye, while Jiao Peilin and the others had finished their handover.

With a smile, Wang Yaotang accepted the invitation from the old men to come to his home. He then quickly slipped away, citing that he needed to get some documents signed at the company. His retreating figure gave off a rather hasty and desperate air.

"Old Li, look at yourself, you've scared them." Old Guo sneered.

"I think you're the one who scared them. I have three daughters, the eldest is 23 years old, the second is 21. What do you have to compete with me? When the time comes, my son-in-law and I will join forces and wipe you out without leaving a trace." Old Man Li glared at him sideways.

In 63, Li Zhaoji, Guo Desheng, and Feng Jingxi jointly founded Sun Hung Kai Properties. After the company went public in 72, the three parted ways. In the years that followed, Li and Guo competed fiercely and disliked each other.

"It's like every family has a daughter," Old Xu said, arms crossed and pursing his lips.

With Wang Yaotang gone, the excitement was over. The old men exchanged a few words and then left, surrounded by their respective company teams. Wang Yaotang, who had been glancing over here, breathed a sigh of relief.

"what happened?"

The sudden voice startled Wang Yaotang. "Damn it, you appear out of nowhere!"

"Can't you tell me you're just daydreaming? You look so scared. What's wrong?" Aji said irritably.

Wang Yaotang stroked his chin. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that someone is watching me."

"You're not looking for a son-in-law, are you?" Ah Jie said with a grin. "Four-Eyes said before that the Li, Xu, Bao, and Guo families are all looking for sons-in-law."

"No way." Wang Yaotang didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment. "If I marry a woman from such a big family, my backyard will probably explode. If they find out I have so many women, my father will come knocking on my door with a gun. Forget it, forget it."

“(ˉ▽￣～)Tch~~, I was just saying, you actually took it seriously.” A-Jie pouted.

"Get lost!"

……

On the other side, Li Xiangjiao sat silently in the car with a livid face, not letting the driver drive. Sheng Songsheng became the driver, and at this moment, he shrank his neck to minimize his presence.

Never before had Li Xiangjiao felt so humiliated. He gasped for breath, "You little bastard, I'll fight you to the death!"

We still need to be strategic...

I'm not a gambler like Lü Zhihe!

Hmm, that little bastard has made enemies everywhere and is clearly siding with the North. I can totally use the power of the Hong Kong British government to deal with him.

So what if they're gangs? Can they outdo the government?

"Go to police headquarters."

"Yes, boss." (End of Chapter)