1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 451 Life and Death and Making Money

Once upon a time, the Shilla Hotel was a venue for the South Korean government to receive state guests.

Now that the state guesthouse within the Blue House grounds has been completed, the Samsung Group has acquired the entire hilltop, including the hotel, from the president and expanded it into what is now Seoul's most luxurious top-tier hotel.

Passing through the revolving door adorned with celadon patterns, you are greeted by a subtle fragrance that blends the scents of agarwood and sandalwood.

The high-ceilinged, domed hall is outlined with the silhouette of the "Ten Longevity Paintings" in gold paint.

Zhai Yuan dragged Zhou Haimei, who was still being a bit temperamental, upstairs, past the mother-of-pearl inlaid screen depicting the four seasons, and straight to the door of the suite that Samsung Group had arranged for him.

Enough talk, let's put our words into action and win them over!
He wrapped his arms around his cousin, threw her onto the plum blossom embroidered bed in the hotel, and shamelessly pounced on her.

"Flying is so tiring, and since I'm just killing time anyway, I might as well get some exercise and stretch my muscles~"

At first, Zhou Haimei puffed out her cheeks and struggled, pushing Zhai Yuan away with her small hands against his chest. Zhai Yuan was very patient; when she was pushed away, he would press her down again. He would push her away and press her down, then press her down and push her away again. This went on for several times. Her struggles became weaker and weaker, and her clothes were peeled off piece by piece, revealing her porcelain doll-like skin.

The breathing in the room gradually became heavier.

From the gilded copper pipes embedded in the rammed earth wall above the bed, the faint sound of a gayageum ensemble could be heard.
The plum blossoms, arranged diagonally in a vase on the desk, turned a deeper crimson as the room temperature rose…

"call--"

After a moment of passion, Zhou Haimei clung to Zhai Yuan like an octopus, leaving a tooth mark on his shoulder, her thighs trembling slightly.

Slightly out of breath, Zhai Yuan kissed her cheek, then climbed off her and sprawled out on the bed.

“Sometimes when you’re out and about, you have to put on an act. I’ve never thought of hiding anything from you, otherwise why would I have brought you to South Korea this time?”

Zhai Yuan lit a cigarette and said quietly, "The most important thing between two people is trust. Cousin, do you trust me?"

Zhou Haiming curled up by the bed, pulled the sheet over her head to cover a glimpse of her skin, and lowered her eyes, looking pitiful.

"Ugh!"

Zhai Yuan sighed, got out of bed, and walked towards the bathtub.

Although this was not the time to let his mind wander, Zhai Yuan noticed that the hotel bathtub was equipped with an LED screen displaying the water temperature and time, and adorned with a large Samsung logo. He couldn't help but reflect on Samsung Electronics' progress in civilian applications, as he had never seen such technological innovation in Hong Kong.

"No matter what, you will always be the only one in my heart."

Zhai Yuan spoke slowly and deliberately, filling the bathtub with warm water as he continued, "Actually, as you can see, I'm currently in the midst of a career upswing, and many things are beyond my control. If you insist on overthinking things, there's nothing I can do. Perhaps my cousin isn't as good as you imagine. If you can't accept that, I'll arrange for Secretary Li to send you back to Hong Kong tomorrow."

Zhou Haimei instinctively gripped the bed sheet, her eyes darting around in confusion.

Zhai Yuan tested the water temperature, then turned to Zhou Haimei with a wry smile: "Come take a shower first, get some rest tonight, and I'll take you back to Hong Kong tomorrow. You're a good girl, and I won't bother you anymore."

Zhou Haimei was completely dumbfounded. How could things have taken such an extreme turn before she could even speak?
She shrank back against the wall, as if afraid of being kicked out, and stammered, "I...I'm not going back."

Zhai Yuan sighed with self-reproach: "Let's calm down for a while first, so as not to put everyone in a difficult position."

Zhou Haiming's eyes welled up with tears instantly, and she just kept shaking her head, saying pitifully, "Don't say things like that, I'm scared."

Seeing this, Zhai Yuan mentally slapped himself twice, then quickly stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Okay, I won't say anything. Let's take a shower first, and I'll take you out to play tomorrow. Let all the other girls step aside, okay?"

Zhou Haimei pouted and hummed in agreement, then stretched out her arms to Zhai Yuan: "Hug..."

……

In the end, President Zhai couldn't bring himself to force his cousin to make a statement and integrate into the Girls' Generation family.

While sleeping with his cousin, Zhai Yuan noticed that Zhou Haiming was still clinging tightly to his arm, her brows furrowed even in her sleep. Zhai Yuan felt a pang of heartache.

commit a sin!

So much so that when Zhou Haimei went out the next day, she still carefully observed Zhai Yuan's every move, which made him feel even more ashamed.

So they simply asked Tao Zongyi to find an excuse that he was not feeling well and to visit the Samsung Group a couple of days later.

Tao Zongyi asked with slight concern, "Wouldn't that be a bit impolite?"

Zhai Yuan waved his hand: "Whatever! Business is nothing compared to my cousin!"

He said these words in front of Zhou Haimei, of course.

Over the next few days, he stayed with his cousin Hai Mei, showering her with sweet words until the girl finally regained her usual liveliness.

One week before the opening of the Seoul Olympics
After comforting Zhou Haimei, Zhai Yuan spent some time with Zhou Huimin and the others. Learning from the previous experience, he didn't dare to say anything harsh to his young apprentice Zhou Huimin this time. He just shamelessly played the same old tricks, occasionally reminding them to rehearse well, as it concerned the dignity of Hong Kong, and that they could talk about anything else after the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

9 month 12 day.

Accompanied by Jiang Mingkui, Zhai Yuan set foot on the south bank of the Han River for the first time and climbed the Samsung Group's office building.

"President Zhai, this way please."

As the elevator ascended to the thirty-sixth floor, with a ding, Jiang Mingkui stepped out first and gestured an invitation to Zhai Yuan.

As Zhai Yuan and Tao Zongyi, along with several of their entourage, stepped out of the elevator,
As we approached, a middle-aged man, around forty years old, strode forward with a smile on his face, followed by a row of group employees.

"President Zhai, welcome, welcome."

"Chairman Li, I've heard so much about you."

At the elevator entrance of the Samsung Group office building, Zhai Yuan finally met Lee Kun-hee, the then second chairman of the Samsung Group.
This man, who is said to have led Samsung to a phoenix-like rebirth and is worthy of leaving his mark on South Korean history, has a resolute square face, graying temples, but well-maintained skin. A pair of thick black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose softens the sharpness in his narrow eyes. He is rather short, only about 1.6 meters tall, but his upright posture and the aura of a superior person are evident in his every move.

From photos to the real person, this was the first impression Lee Kun-hee gave Zhai Yuan.

"Chairman Zhai has come all this way, and it's truly an honor to have you personally visit. I'm simply too busy with matters at the Blue House lately, so I had President Kang receive you on my behalf. I hope I haven't been too disrespectful..."

The usual pleasantries go without saying, but in reality, whether he was genuinely busy or not, Lee Kun-hee, as the host, would never take the initiative to meet with Zhai Yuan, the guest.

Lee Kun-hee invited Zhai Yuan into his office.

While the tall secretary was making tea, Zhai Yuan glanced at the layout of Lee Kun-hee's office.

The 300-square-meter room was filled with the cool scent of cedar, emanating from an automatic aromatherapy diffuser in the corner, which also bore the Samsung logo. Unlike the piles of documents on other bosses' desks, Lee Kun-hee's desk was decorated with rows of disassembled mechanical parts, and two partially disassembled CRT computers sat on the floor. Screwdrivers and various other tools were readily available, making the office look more like a large-scale handicraft workshop.

"IBM's new computer this year, the PC5170, has expanded its standard RAM capacity to 16MB, so let's take it apart and study it."

Seeing that Zhai Yuan's gaze was fixed on the computer on the ground, Lee Kun-hee explained without hesitation, and then smiled and said, "Mr. Zhai should be very familiar with this machine. It uses an Intel microprocessor and is entirely made by your Japanese OEM factory."

After translating and speaking simultaneously, Zhai Yuan turned his head to look at Tao Zongyi sitting next to him.

Old Tao said in a low voice, "This IBM computer is selling very well, and Intel is in short supply, so they did indeed place orders with us."

Zhai Yuan nodded knowingly and smiled at Lee Kun-hee: "Chairman Lee, actually I don't know much about these high-tech things, so I never ask about technical matters. As long as it can make money, the rest is irrelevant."

Lee Kun-hee was slightly surprised upon hearing this and said in surprise, "Chairman Zhai's vision is indeed far-sighted. In an environment where everyone in the global business is insecure and competing with each other, he has actually managed to find a new path to specialize in OEM business... It's a pity that Samsung can't spare more manpower right now, otherwise we might become competitors."

In fact, it's not just Samsung that's struggling to find manpower. Currently, all semiconductor companies are short of highly skilled talent. Once an innovative path is established initially, attempting a transformation later would be extremely costly and counterproductive. Toshiba's semiconductor business was severely damaged after being sanctioned by the United States. Only Zhai Yuan, with his experience, managed to seize the opportunity early and shift to a contract manufacturing model from the source. He has already made a name for himself. After all, this isn't the film industry; latecomers trying to follow suit will only pay a higher price.

Everyone in the office knew that Lee Kun-hee's so-called 'competitor' was just a joke.

As for whether there were any regrets involved, only he himself knows. In any case, Samsung has always wanted to promote its OEM business, but it has been firmly suppressed by the island's protective mountain and has been unable to raise its head.

"Chairman Lee is joking. Without industry leaders like you, my contract manufacturing plant would have closed down long ago. How could I be qualified to be a competitor to Samsung?"

Zhai Yuan picked up his teacup, took a sip of South Korean snow green tea, and said with a humble smile, "The reason for this visit is to learn how to do things from Chairman Lee. It would be an honor if we had the opportunity to cooperate. After all, I am just a small business owner from Hong Kong, and most of my business is concentrated in Hong Kong. There is so much I need to learn from South Korea."

Lee Kun-hee adjusted his glasses and casually remarked, "Chairman Zhai is too modest."

"It's not about being modest. Like I just said, as long as it makes money, nothing else matters."

Zhai Yuan said in a serious tone: "But perhaps because I've been in Hong Kong for too long, my horizons have narrowed. I've found that making money is becoming increasingly difficult. Unless I expand overseas and continue to develop our own businesses in 91 Entertainment, Kuaibo, and semiconductors, I'm bound to get stuck in a long bottleneck period."

Lee Kun-hee smiled and didn't interrupt, making it clear that he was listening attentively.

"However, I do things based entirely on novelty, and I even change women more frequently than other people."

Zhai Yuan chuckled and said in a deliberately flippant tone, "Instead of continuing to operate a mature business, why not open up a new avenue for revenue? So this time I plan to enter the telecommunications business in Hong Kong. What do you think of my idea, Chairman Li?"

"In the end, business is all about influence. Since Chairman Zhai doesn't want to expand outwards, he can only increase his influence in Hong Kong. Overall, the telecommunications business does sound like a good choice."

Lee Kun-hee said, "However, high returns often mean high risks. Based on my understanding of Hong Kong, the Eastern Telegraph Company has been established there for many years. Since Chairman Zhai has proposed to do communications business, he should be able to obtain the operating rights. But this is only the simplest first step. It is no less difficult than when I took a gamble and acquired South Korean semiconductor invested by American Kamco."

Lee Kun-hee paused, then said seriously, "Back then, I was desperate and had to achieve something to prove myself to my father. But Chairman Zhai is clearly not in a desperate situation yet. Competing with British companies in Hong Kong doesn't sound wise."

To be fair, Lee Kun-hee's words had the air of an elder advising a younger generation. It seems that anyone in his position of power behaves with the demeanor of a scholar, quite different from the loud and boisterous chaebols often portrayed in movies and TV dramas.

This is also because they have no conflict of interest with Zhai Yuan; one is in Hong Kong, and the other is in South Korea.

Moreover, there was one thing in Lee Kun-hee's words that really appealed to Zhai Yuan.

Ultimately, business success is linked to influence.

Samsung Group has a debt of 3.5 trillion won this year, with a debt ratio approaching 600%, which sounds absolutely terrifying.

However, thanks to its influence, the group has reached the point in South Korea that it is too big to fail. If Lee Kun-hee takes office and has just one chance to successfully restructure and turn a profit, everything can be treated as if nothing happened.

Before this, no matter how much the losses were, they were just numbers. Unless it seriously threatened the reserves of South Korean banks, plenty of people were willing to bail out the Samsung brand.

What Zhai Yuan lacks now is influence.

As for money, while I can't just spout off a figure, it's practically the same.

Earn 10 billion? 100 billion? 1 trillion?

If you don't have enough influence, it's hard to say who will end up with the money.

"Everyone knows that competing with British companies in Hong Kong is not a wise move."

Zhai Yuan raised his face and smiled: "However, if we were to defeat the British in Hong Kong, it would be a bolt from the blue, high risk, high reward, and high reward, high risk. Chairman Li, as far as I know, South Korea's electronic switches, international communication networks, and submarine optical cables all rely on the technical support of Samsung Electronics. That's why South Korea was able to increase its network of telephone lines from 200 million to 1300 million in less than ten years, achieving nationwide communication automation. Fixed-line telephones, mobile phones, shared internet, broadband, and pay television have all advanced simultaneously. South Korea has created a communication miracle in recent years."

Having done his homework, Zhai Yuan finished speaking, took a sip of tea, and put down his teacup.

He looked at Lee Kun-hee again and said with a smile, "My relationship with the Daedong Telegraph Bureau is a matter of principle, a matter of life and death, but my relationship with the Samsung Group is a business matter, a matter of making money. In business, anything can be discussed. Chairman Lee, what price do you think I should offer to move the entire technology and equipment of the South Korean telecommunications company to Hong Kong?"

Lee Kun-hee pushed up his thick-rimmed black glasses, the frown lines on his forehead gathered, he stared at Zhai Yuan for a few seconds, and then the frown lines slowly smoothed out.

"This level of business can come with a very high price tag."

Lee Kun-hee's downturned lips lifted, and he stood up, adopting a more relaxed tone as he said to Zhai Yuan, "Chairman Zhai, it's a rare treat to come to Samsung City (Samsung Group headquarters). Why don't you stay and tour our company? Let me extend my hospitality. After I contact the South Korean telecommunications company and relevant officials, I think I can give you a clear answer tonight..."

(End of this chapter)