Era: Starting from divorce from female college student

Chapter 176, Sales

April 17, 1959, the tenth day of the third lunar month.

In a small forest on the coast of Mindanao Island, several temporary tents were set up, and Zuo Changsheng and his friends were all here.

It has been several days since Zhao Mancang returned to Haizhou City, but no one has received any news from Zhao Mancang during these days, and no one knows how he is doing.

Just this evening, Mo Changzhi and Liu Sanshui, who went out to catch seafood at the nearby beach, unexpectedly ran back.

The latter was injured in the arm at the time, so he recovered relatively quickly and had no problem going to the beach.

At this time, Mo Changzhi and the other two ran back because a large ship appeared on the sea, and it seemed that it might come to their temporary base, so they had to retreat first.

In the past few days, in order to avoid being discovered, they had to live like savages.

Just as Mo Changzhi and his companions returned to the grove, the large ship on the sea had already docked about two nautical miles from the shore.

The anchor was thrown out, and the big ship soon docked in the sea area. Zhao Mancang took out a small boat and rowed it closer to the shore.

A few days ago, Zhao Mancang was originally flying a seaplane back to Mindanao, but encountered warships and submarines. He was so angry that he sank the warship to the bottom of the sea. The submarine was also very embarrassed because he used the power of space, so it was withdrawn.

why?
Because the system space is not large enough, there is no way to store the submarine into the space.

The system space is not very large. Since the system space was upgraded in Moscow, it has not been upgraded again.

At that time, the system space could only accommodate 10 million kilograms of grain, as well as a small number of cars, ships, etc., which was not very large.

However, most of the space in this system has already been occupied by weapons and equipment in the arsenal, more than 20 cars, small boats and yachts, banana helicopters, etc.

In addition, Zhao Mancang’s gold, Siberian tiger king, US dollar cash, etc. are also stored in the system space.

If he had not cleared out the stored liquor before leaving the capital, he would probably have had to throw away some of it.

A submarine is not a small thing, so it is normal that it cannot be stored in the system space.

This is really embarrassing.

Fortunately, Zhao Mancang was not helpless against the opponent. Before the opponent sank to the bottom of the sea, he closed the hatch and rushed in to kill him.

After spending a lot of time, Zhao Mancang finally sank the submarine.

It's a pity that there were quite a few torpedoes inside, but Zhao Mancang only got a small part of them, and the rest sank to the bottom of the sea.

After the fight, Zhao Mancang quickly fled the scene.

However, without a seaplane, his speed was limited and he couldn't go any faster.

The banana helicopter is useless because there is no place on the sea for it to park.

While sailing on the sea in a small yacht, he encountered a desperate pirate boat that was disguised as a fishing boat.

This group of desperate criminals thought that Zhao Mancang was easy to bully. After all, he was just one person, driving a small yacht. How big a threat could he be?

However, Zhao Mancang unexpectedly killed this group of people.

So, Zhao Mancang drove the fishing boat back to Mindanao at a faster speed.

His boat was a medium to large fishing boat with a complete set of equipment. It looked like it was a fishing boat that those desperate criminals had snatched from the fishermen.

Such a fishing boat is 53 meters long and 9 meters wide.

Zhao Mancang took out all twenty cars in the space, and after selecting them, he put twelve civilian cars on the boat.

The remaining eight vehicles were obviously military vehicles, and they were all thrown back into the system space.

why?
Because he planned to let Mo Changzhi and others take these cars back to Hong Kong, Kowloon, or even Beijing.

In this way, wouldn't it be possible to complete the task that Zuo Changsheng and others had mentioned before, which was how to repair Wei Huayong's Jinggangshan car?

Anyway, these cars are a burden to Zhao Mancang. Two of them are enough for emergencies, and the others can be discarded.

As for the military vehicles, it is not appropriate to release them. Zhao Mancang will sell them when he returns to Mindanao.

"Who?"

When Zhao Mancang rowed the boat back to the shore and came to the grove, he blew the secret signal for the meeting and finally reunited with Mo Changzhi and the others.

Zuo Changsheng and the others were all very excited, especially after Zhao Mancang took off his disguise, they were even happier.

These secret codes may be discovered, but Zhao Mancang's face cannot be disguised.

After the reunion, Zhao Mancang briefly explained the situation to Mo Changzhi and the others, and then told them his arrangements.

Liu Sanshui and the others were silent, no longer as excited as before.

Especially Shen Anrong and Li Zhenzu, they never expected such an outcome.

Ugh!
However, this time when he returns, Shen Anrong will definitely retire because he is already a disabled person, and Li Zhenzu will probably have to retire as well.

The latter's arm was also injured, and recovery would also require time and luck. Besides, they did not complete the mission this time.

According to the rules of the 108th Department, even if Li Zhenzu recovered, he would not have the face to stay.

What's more, there is a high probability that he will not be able to recover.

So retirement is his best option.

"We're worried about leaving you alone in Mindanao. Why don't we let Lao Mo stay here too?"

Zuo Changsheng said to Zhao Mancang in a deep voice, and in order to make the latter believe, he even pointed to his own wound and said:

"Our injuries have actually healed a lot. You don't need to worry about us. On the contrary, it would be more troublesome for you to stay in Mindanao and track down the lone wolf."

Mo Changzhi also agreed, saying that he could stay and team up with Zhao Mancang to complete the task of searching for the lone wolf.

Even Liu Sanshui and Pan Chengdong had the same reason.

However, Zhao Mancang still refused.

"Captain Zuo, thank you, but I don't need it. On the contrary, you need Lao Mo more. Did you see that big ship? I hope you can drive this fishing boat back. There are a lot of cars on it. And this fishing boat was robbed from the fishermen by those desperate criminals. I saw that it should be a fishing boat produced in Europe."

The fishing industry in Southeast Asia is still very developed, but I don’t know where the fishermen in Mindanao get the money to buy such a large fishing boat from Europe.

Zuo Changsheng and the others were immediately surprised.

After a while, everyone boarded the fishing boat, looked around, and were immediately very happy.

Pan Chengdong pointed at the twelve cars and said:
"Wow, Mancang, you're amazing! Even with all this, you still managed to get twelve cars. That's incredible!"

Liu Sanshui also had an incredible expression on his face.

Before, Pan Chengdong had been flattering Zhao Mancang. After all, the latter had brought back gold in his previous two missions, a total of twelve tons, which was extremely lucky.

This time, the five of them went to Monkey Peninsula together to carry out a rescue mission. Three of them were already injured, and only Zhao Mancang and Mo Changzhi were uninjured.

However, no one expected that Zhao Mancang would return to Haizhou City and not only bring back a fishing boat, but there were even twelve cars on the fishing boat, which once again confirmed the fact that Zhao Mancang was God's illegitimate son.

Compared to the excitement of Pan Chengdong and Liu Sanshui, Zuo Changsheng was much calmer, even a little worried.

After all, they are now in Mindanao, and it is not an easy task to bring this fishing boat back to Hong Kong Island.

However, when Zhao Mancang opened the cabin, Zuo Changsheng was no longer worried.

There are a lot of weapons and ammunition in the cabin. If they encounter an accident on the way back to Hong Kong Island, these guns and ammunition will be their greatest confidence.

Although their number was not large, and even Mo Changzhi was the only one who was not injured, they were all battle-hardened and of course not afraid of all this.

So, after some discussion, they set off immediately without further delay.

Zhao Mancang and Mo Changzhi drove to a nearby town and purchased a large amount of clean water and food. After transferring them to the fishing boat, they set off overnight.

After sending them away, Zhao Mancang found a place to sleep. Early the next morning, he disguised himself as an Anglo-Saxon from Great Britain and boarded a flight back to Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Since there were only 100 system experience points left this time, he didn't dare to continue wasting time outside.

Although he joined the 108th Department and should have performed his duties well, he was not a fool and naturally gave priority to ensuring his own safety.

The task of tracking down the lone wolf can be taken slowly, there is no need to rush.

It was already 1:30 p.m. when the plane landed at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

"You're back!"

When they returned to Yijing Garden, Xu Wenluo was obviously very excited. Zhao Mancang understood her gestures, smiled and nodded to her and chatted with her for a few words.

"Yes, I just came back. I wanted to see how your leg is recovering."

Xu Wenluo is truly worthy of being called a tool. As soon as Zhao Mancang arrived, she directly contributed 199 experience points.

Zhao Mancang really couldn't bear to let go of such a good tool, but it was a pity that Lin Wan was not willing to come to Hong Kong Island, alas!
More than a month has passed since Zhao Mancang performed surgery on her, and her legs have recovered about 50% to 60%.

"Come on, try to stand up and see."

After checking, Zhao Mancang asked the other party to try to stand up and take a simple walk first.

If you want to recover better, you certainly can't lie down all the time, but you can't move too much either.

After giving Xu Wenluo several instructions, Zhao Mancang took her away from Yijing Garden.

When Xu Wenluo came outside, he smiled much more.

After taking a car, a ferry, and then another car, Zhao Mancang finally pushed the wheelchair and brought her to the Qifa Building in Central.

At the front desk of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily News office, Fang Xiaohui was surprised when she saw her boss and Xu Wenluo appear.

"Hello, boss. Let me take care of Wenwen."

Fang Xiaohui was very considerate and stepped forward to help.

She was originally a gentle and kind receptionist, and had been taking care of Xu Wenluo for some time. She felt very sympathetic towards Xu Wenluo, a girl with a tragic fate, and was happy to help her.

"Well, I'm relieved to leave her to you."

Zhao Mancang said with a smile, then gave up his seat and let the other party push the wheelchair.

On the way here just now, Xu Wenluo praised Fang Xiaohui a lot and mentioned that the latter took her to many places.

These words of praise are in Xu Wenluo's little notebook.

Xu Wenluo's tongue was cut off and there is no way to restore it now.

If possible, Zhao Mancang might help the other party recover in the future, but now he himself does not have enough experience points, so naturally he cannot help the other party.

However, although there seem to be sign language and ventriloquism, Xu Wenluo was not born mute, and now he only knows a little sign language.

As for ventriloquism, that's just wishful thinking. After all, she is not Duan Yanqing in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Just when Zhao Mancang was at the front desk, Bruce happened to come out. When he saw the former, his eyes suddenly lit up.

A few minutes later, Chen Liangsheng and others were all present in the conference room, even Duan Baozhen and Yang Zhixiao, the two people in charge of Ming Pao who were downstairs, came.

Now that the big boss is back, it’s definitely time to report on the work results during this period.

Zhao Mancang had left Hong Kong and Kowloon in mid-to-late March, to be exact, on March 24th.

Today is April 18th, and it has been almost a month since I left.

The current daily sales volume of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily remains at 74,000 copies, with a very slow growth rate. This should be the market ceiling.

To go further, we need to expand the entire Hong Kong Island market.

Unfortunately, the newspaper industry in Hong Kong is not a big business to begin with, not to mention the rampant piracy. It is already very good if the daily sales can be maintained at 74,000 copies.

Zhao Mancang was not too surprised by this. As long as the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily could maintain its current status quo, it would be a success.

The second is Ming Pao. This newspaper was founded on March 21st and went on sale on March 23rd. A total of 43,000 copies were sold on that day.

Nearly thirty days have passed now, and the average sales volume remains at 57,000 copies.

"So why is there such a huge difference between Ming Pao and Kowloon Daily? Have you ever looked for your own reasons?"

Looking at Yang Zhixiao and Duan Baozhen, Zhao Mancang knocked on the table and asked expressionlessly.

They both repeatedly said that they had looked for the reasons, and it must be a big problem with the layout. That is, there were no two major sections like "People's Livelihood Matters" and "Make You Laugh" in the "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily", so it was not that attractive to readers.

Zhao Mancang heard this and looked at the two of them with a half-smile on his face and said:

"I personally designed the content production section for Ming Pao. The current sales issues are largely due to me. Your point isn't unimportant, but it misses the point."

In fact, in Zhao Mancang's view, there are many factors why Ming Pao did not reach the sales level of Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily during the same period.

One of them is the audience of the newspaper itself, which makes a big difference in the content section of the newspaper.

It is undeniable that both newspapers are comprehensive dailies, but the Hong Kong Daily News has a wider audience.

Sections such as "Trivia about People's Livelihood" and "Make You Laugh" are very friendly to many readers with lower education levels.

For most people, novels like The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber have a lot of fanatical readers who urge for updates.

In addition, it has a lot to do with the current market.

In 1959, the Hong Kong economy was still in a downturn, the real estate market was in a half-dead state, and people had little money in their pockets.

Therefore, when people are faced with the two options, the former will definitely be their first choice. As for the latter, it is more popular among the elite and is not as cost-effective, so fewer people buy it.

To follow the updates of the novel "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" in Ming Pao, one can exchange and borrow it with other people. Anyway, these people are not interested in other sections of Ming Pao.

This is why the sales of Ming Pao are not as good as those of Kowloon Daily.

After hearing what Zhao Mancang said, Bruce, Chen Liangsheng, Duan Baozhen, Yang Zhixiao and others all looked ashamed. They all knew that their boss's summary was very reasonable, but they themselves could not summarize it.

They are even more unable to give targeted suggestions. If they do so, it will appear that these subordinates are very dull and incompetent, unable to share the boss's worries, and are receiving high salaries in vain.

"Alright, go back and think of a solution. Whoever comes up with a better solution will be rewarded with 5,000 Hong Kong dollars."

Zhao Mancang did not directly tell them how to solve these problems, he just used bonuses to attract them to take action.

Bruce and the others nodded excitedly. No one would ignore a bonus of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars, which was higher than the salary of many people. Even if the editor-in-chief and deputy editors-in-chief like Chen Liangsheng had a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan, 5,000 Hong Kong dollars was equivalent to their salary for more than half a month.

Next is the performance report of the weekly magazine "Women's Wear". The sales growth rate in Hong Kong Island is not fast. So far, it has only remained stable at 1,200 copies.

The price of HK$12 for a copy of "Women's Wear" is indeed too expensive, and its reputation has not yet spread, so many people are not willing to buy it.

Even most people just collect the book after buying it, instead of reading it as normal entertainment and leisure reading.

From the previous 500 copies to the current 1,200 copies, the growth rate is actually very good, but Zhao Mancang is naturally not very satisfied.

"You should also know that there are more than 200,000 white British people in Hong Kong Island, as well as quite a few foreigners. These people are our target group, but..."

Zhao Mancang glanced at Bruce and his group, and said with a bit of regret:
"I've offered you a high salary and the working environment you desire. If you can't resolve these issues for me within the next three months, I'm sorry, but please submit your resignation letter."

If we don't put some pressure on them, they will definitely become useless.

If the performance of the two companies didn't soar significantly, Zhao Mancang wouldn't be able to profit from it. Although he now had a tool like Xu Wenluo, who knew when Xu Wenluo would leave? Zhao Mancang himself couldn't be sure whether her amnesia was true.

The human brain is the most complex organ area in the human body and is too mysterious. Zhao Mancang does not have the energy or time to confirm whether the other party has really lost his memory.

Anyway, judging from the current situation, Xu Wenlu should still be happy to stay in Hong Kong and Kowloon to recuperate. She is even very much looking forward to and trusting Zhao Mancang's suggestion of restoring her ability to speak.

But even if Xu Wenluo does not leave for the time being, Zhao Mancang's demand for experience points has increased a lot, and naturally he needs more experience points. The two companies, "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily" and "Ming Pao", are his life-saving pills.

Although the average amount of experience points given to him by Chen Liangsheng, Bruce, Duan Baozhen and others was very small, the amount was still huge.

Everyone understands the principle of accumulating small amounts to make a lot.

Therefore, Zhao Mancang felt more eager to establish other companies.

The sales of "Women's Health" in New York, taking the fourth issue released last week as an example, was released on the 12th, and six days have passed so the sales data has climbed to 14,000 copies.

This data is neither good nor bad. The sales of the first three issues averaged 11,000 copies per issue. In other words, the total sales of the four issues so far are 47,000 copies.

This data also means that the monthly revenue in New York is US$117,500.

The operating costs in New York alone, including rent, utilities, and salaries for twelve employees, will cost $20,000. In addition, the international communications costs and the cost sharing at the Hong Kong headquarters will also cost $18,000.

In other words, the profit that can be brought back from New York should be US$79,500, which is not a lot, but definitely not a small amount.

On the contrary, the data from London, Great Britain is more impressive.

The average sales volume of the first three issues reached 12,800 copies, and the sales volume of the fourth issue has exceeded 17,000 copies, with a very impressive growth rate.

The total monthly sales volume should be 55,400 copies, and the monthly revenue should be 55,400 pounds. After deducting the operating cost of 11,200 pounds, the profit should be 44,200 pounds.

The profit of 44,200 pounds, calculated according to the current exchange rate, is equivalent to 214,800 US dollars, or 700,000 Hong Kong dollars.

All I can say is that "Women's Health" is worthy of being an English weekly magazine. It is more popular in Europe and the United States, and it is easier to make money in US dollars and British pounds.

Faced with such achievements, Zhao Mancang praised Chen Liangsheng and others for the first time, and also arranged to reward all the staff of "Women's Wear".

After all, the achievements are definitely due to the efforts of this group of people.

After the rewards were distributed, Zhao Mancang believed that he could gain more experience points.

Although there are not many employees in New York and London, there are quite a few employees at the Hong Kong and Kowloon headquarters.

Today, Zhao Mancang owns two newspapers and a weekly magazine, with the number of employees exceeding one hundred and not far from two hundred.

The number of employees in New York and London will definitely increase because The Hong Kong Daily and Ming Pao need more materials for their international news sections, so more international news reporters are needed.

The meeting lasted nearly two hours before it finally ended.

When Zhao Mancang came out of the conference room, Alex was already sitting in the reception room.

This senior inspector didn't know where he got the news from, but he came to block people's door so quickly.

In the reception room, Alex started to exchange pleasantries with Zhao Mancang as soon as they met. This proactive attitude made the latter couldn't help but murmur.

Sure enough, after a while, Alex got straight to the point and insisted that Zhao Mancang take him to trade stocks.

Apparently, Alex hadn't forgotten about it at all.

Moreover, a month has passed and he is extremely anxious.

It felt like if this dragged on, he would lose millions more.

Although the other party was so anxious, Zhao Mancang became even calmer and refused to agree.

If you want to fish, you must not be in a hurry. You don't have to throw out all the bait so quickly. What's more, Zhao Mancang had already reminded the other party to invest in gold.

However, Zhao Mancang had just asked Alex, but the latter was indifferent.

Alex was unwilling to accept the wealth that was delivered to his doorstep, so how could Zhao Mancang possibly take him to invest in stocks?
However, Alex was obviously in a hurry to use the money, so he pulled Zhao Mancang's arm and asked anxiously:
"Nicholas, what do you want in exchange for teaching me how to trade stocks?"

"Alex, I've actually told you many times that stock trading is a very private matter. Winning or losing depends entirely on yourself. If I teach you, it's fine if you win, but what if you lose?"

Without waiting for the other party to answer, Zhao Mancang continued:

"Don't tell me, if you lose, it's your fault. Haha, you are a senior inspector, and I am just a commoner. I dare not..."

"If you want to invest in stocks, I suggest you take your time and learn slowly for a year or two. There will always be opportunities to make money."

Seeing that Zhao Mancang still used the same rhetoric as before, Alex's patience was obviously exhausted.

So after repeated requests, seeing that Zhao Mancang still refused, Alex said coldly:

"If that's the case, then Nicholas, don't blame me. Your company's protection fee will increase to 500,000 Hong Kong dollars. Is that okay?"

When Zhao Mancang heard this, he kept smiling on his face, but he was sneering in his heart.

He is indeed an ungrateful person who can never be tamed. If you don't give in to him, he will immediately change his attitude.

Human nature is greedy, which is the weakness of human beings themselves.

Alex was jealous of Zhao Mancang's speed in making money and wanted to make more money urgently. Zhao Mancang could understand that, but the other party played his cards so blatantly, which showed that he underestimated him.

"Alex, are you really ready to do this? Why don't you ask how much money you made in the past month?"

Zhao Mancang picked up the teacup, took a sip, smiled leisurely, and looked the other person straight in the eye.

"How much money did you make?" Alex's curiosity was immediately piqued, but Zhao Mancang smiled lightly and said:

"Won't you know tomorrow?"

After saying that, Zhao Mancang stood up and said calmly:
"Alex, I'm your friend, please don't ruin our friendship. You can increase the protection fee at will, but don't forget that I'm no longer the same person I was before."

"Whether five hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars is worth your loss is up to you. I have other things to do. I apologize for my poor hospitality."

After saying this, Zhao Mancang left.

He believed that Alex did not have the courage to confront him and really ask him for 500,000 Hong Kong dollars in protection money.

Because making money from stock trading is Alex's goal, and it is also the channel for him to make more money faster.

Alex is young and a very proud man.

But if he wants to be promoted to Chief Inspector, he needs money to bribe the senior police officers. Otherwise, even if he is the rising star of the police force, no one will like a subordinate who is not good at dealing with people and cannot bring profits to the leaders.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hong Kong and Kowloon were all the same, whether it was the white side, the black side, or the gray area in between.

The word "collusion" is the most accurate way to describe the current social atmosphere in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Looking at Zhao Mancang's leaving back, Alex's face changed, and in the end he didn't dare to call out to him.

The next day, Zhao Mancang walked into HSBC carrying two leather bags. When Joseph Grant saw him and the leather bags in his hands, he was extremely happy.

The enthusiastic Joseph invited Zhao Mancang into the VIP room, and the beautiful bank employee Ning Shujia was also waiting in the VIP room.

Obviously, Joseph has a good grasp of Zhao Mancang's preferences.

This time, Zhao Mancang deposited two million US dollars with HSBC. This amount is not very high, but it is definitely astonishing.

Similarly, Zhao Mancang asked the other party to exchange all the two million US dollars into gold.

After all the contract formalities were completed, Zhao Mancang said to Joseph:

"I've booked a private room at the Peninsula Hotel for lunch and hired the best Cantonese chef in Hong Kong and Kowloon to help prepare lunch. I wonder if you, Joseph, would be willing to do me the honor of having lunch with me?"

The latter was quite surprised and agreed without hesitation.

He was not afraid that Zhao Mancang would ask for anything, but he was afraid that the other party would not ask for anything.

At noon, in the spacious and luxurious private room of the Peninsula Hotel, the table was filled with delicious food.

Cantonese cuisine is relatively light, and for Joseph Grant, it is his favorite delicacy.

To be honest, when Zhao Mancang saw these delicacies, the first thing he thought of was taking them back for Lin Wan to taste.

So he had already informed the chef and asked him to cook it again according to today's menu and take it all away.

Given the properties of the system space, these dishes will definitely still be as steaming hot when they are brought back to the capital as when they were first stored in the space. When Lin Wan tastes them, she will also be eating the freshest dishes.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zhao Mancang smiled and said:

"Joseph, I told you it's right to listen to me. Isn't today's meal good? Isn't this Cantonese chef great?"

Joseph Grant smiled and nodded, saying with great satisfaction:

"Yes, it's delicious. Although I have been in Hong Kong and Kowloon for seven or eight years, this is the first time I have eaten such delicious Cantonese food."

After the two of them finished their polite words, Zhao Mancang said to Ning Shujia, who was eating and drinking with him, "Xiao Ning, I left a bottle of wine at their hotel. Could you please help me get it?"

Upon hearing this, the latter responded very sensibly, then got up and left.

Joseph was stunned by this scene, and then he winked and smiled, "Nicholas, she should be an employee of our HSBC Bank. When did she become your secretary?"

Zhao Mancang smiled and did not answer the other party's question. Instead, he went straight to the point.

He took out an envelope, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of the other person:
"This is my sincerity, Joseph, I need your help."

It was not until this time that Joseph understood why Zhao Mancang wanted to send Ning Shujia away, especially when he opened the envelope and saw the number on the check inside, his breathing suddenly became rapid.

After a while, he forced himself to calm down and said to Zhao Mancang seriously:
"Just tell me first, what do you want me to do?"

The check was issued by HSBC Bank, and it was possible that Joseph himself had processed it for Zhao Mancang before, so he had no doubt about the authenticity of the check.

However, it was written on it that it was five hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.

This amount of money is not small at all.

When I think about the fact that Zhao Mancang bribed me with so much money, I’m afraid the things he needed to do must be quite big, right?
"Haha, it's just a small thing for you."

Zhao Mancang smiled calmly and said:

"I need you to help me report to your boss. I need a loan, a loan of 500 million Hong Kong dollars."

"I will use this loan to invest in gold"

In October this year, the price of gold will rise from US$35 per ounce to US$41. Such a price increase is an excellent investment opportunity for Zhao Mancang.

Of course he wouldn't miss it.

A loan of HK$200 million is not a lot at all, and the money earned can even be said to be very small, but Zhao Mancang does not want to miss this opportunity.

According to the current exchange rate of one US dollar to six and a half Hong Kong dollars, 200 million Hong Kong dollars is equivalent to 30.76 million US dollars.

Thirty million seven hundred and sixty thousand U.S. dollars can buy 878,900 ounces. If the price of gold rises to 41 U.S. dollars in October this year, then you can make six dollars per ounce, so you can make 5.27 million U.S. dollars.

Although the profit is not much, if converted into Hong Kong dollars, it is 34.27 million Hong Kong dollars.

Even if the interest for these few months would cost 10 million Hong Kong dollars, Zhao Mancang would be happy to pay it. After all, he could still earn 24 million.

When Joseph heard what Zhao Mancang said, he opened his mouth in surprise.

Zhao Mancang had mentioned the loan issue before, but the loan he asked for was not much at that time. He did not expect that this time he would ask for a loan of 200 million Hong Kong dollars.

And the entire 200 million Hong Kong dollar loan must be used to invest in gold.

Boy, that's really bold!
You know, the price of gold has been as stable as an old dog in the past few years, with no major fluctuations at all. Even a fluctuation of more than 0.5 US dollars has not occurred.

In this case, Zhao Mancang will probably lose a lot of interest on his loan of 200 million Hong Kong dollars.

"So what collateral do you have?"

Joseph Grant quickly came to his senses, and he was not in a hurry to put away the envelope. After all, it was really not easy to earn 500,000 Hong Kong dollars.

"The HK$200 million worth of gold is collateral. I am willing to pay a 0.5% increase in your bank's current loan interest rate."

hiss!
Hearing what Zhao Mancang said, Joseph took a breath again.

"Nicholas, if you do this, you'll need to provide sufficient margin. If the gold price drops below your margin, HSBC has the right to sell your gold directly."

After a pause, Joseph continued:

"If that's the case, then you're going to lose a lot of money. Why bother?"

As a bank manager, customer loans are to take care of his performance and give him money. As a result, Joseph actually played the role of a good guy and persuaded Zhao Mancang to act cautiously. Strange things happen every year, and there are more this year.

Of course, Zhao Mancang understood why the other party made such suggestions to him. It was simply because they were not optimistic about him. In addition, in recent months, Zhao Mancang had brought a lot of results to the other party, and he did not want to lose such a big client.

As for the check for HK$500,000, Joseph was more concerned about the other subsequent benefits that Zhao Mancang would bring.

Once Zhao Mancang goes bankrupt, Joseph will not be able to earn more than 500,000 Hong Kong dollars, so he will definitely persuade the other party that even if he wants to take out a loan, it is better to borrow less, such as trying to borrow 50 million.

"Thank you for your reminder, but I've already made up my mind. Please help me by saying a few good words for me in front of your boss. Also, if there's any result, please let me know. I can have dinner with your boss."

At this point, Joseph understood.

In Hong Kong and Kowloon, there are a set of rules for giving and receiving gifts, and you can't just go to HSBC and give them.

We had a private meal together and gave each other a gift. Who would have known?
Although Hong Kong was dark at that time, there was no Independent Commission Against Corruption, so there was no need to be so cautious, but it was not so blatant either.

"Okay, then I wish you great fortune in advance!"

Joseph Grant congratulated with a smile, put the envelope away calmly, and began to toast Zhao Mancang.

At this time, Zhao Mancang shouted outside, and Ning Shujia came back on time.

it is more than words.

In the afternoon, Zhao Mancang was still sitting in the afternoon tea restaurant of the Peninsula Hotel. This afternoon he had an appointment with Steve Clauser from Heidrick & Struggles.

At the moment, Zhao Mancang is no longer satisfied with the two newspaper companies, so he has to continue to work hard.

Only by developing several industries will the number of employees increase and there will be more tools and talents to earn experience points.

Last year he had wanted to try out what would happen if his experience value balance exceeded 10,000, but until now, he had not been able to break through the 10,000 balance.

Perhaps he could stay in Hong Kong Island for a while longer this time. As for the Lone Wolf mission, well, he could consider using gold as an excuse.

After all, compared to gold, experience points are actually more important to him.

"Nicholas, long time no see."

Steve Claus did not let Zhao Mancang wait for long. After the other party arrived, he quickly introduced several candidates to the latter.

This time, Zhao Mancang needed a lot of people, one was a dedicated legal team, and the other was the head of the company.

The reason why Zhao Mancang wanted a team of lawyers was naturally because he wanted to acquire several companies, and it was estimated that there would be many such things in the future, so he needed a team to serve him.

"Steve, please arrange for them to have an interview."

After confirming the candidates' information, Zhao Mancang quickly finalized the list.

(End of this chapter)