Simultaneous travel: City, infinite evolution

Chapter 182 Li Ka-shing's Public Opinion War

A supermarket manager recognized Chen Hong.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, ParknShop supermarket does not welcome scum who use the name of charity to do dirty and filthy things."

You're on ParknShop's blacklist.

"Not only ParknShop supermarkets, but all of Hutchison Whampoa's ports and related services, telecommunications, real estate and hotels, retail, energy, infrastructure and other places and companies refuse to provide you with any services or cooperation."

"Furthermore, you are already on HSBC's blacklist and will not be provided with any financial services."

"Please leave immediately."

He felt the gazes of those around him, and the surprised, bewildered look from Xin Xin.

Chen Hong was also somewhat angry.

"how?"

"Is Li Ka-shing declaring war on me?"

"You dare to start a war?"

The supermarket manager gave Chen Hong a mocking smile, as if he had heard some ignorant joke.

He then walked to the newsstand, took out newspapers, and called out:

"Come and see! Come and see!"

"The famous philanthropist Chen Hong is actually this kind of person!"

"Fake charity, truly heartless!"

"He actually did so many heinous things, what a tragedy, what a tragedy!"

The manager shouted, and many supermarket employees, as if they had rehearsed beforehand, began to shout with newspapers in hand.

It attracted a large crowd to read the newspaper.

Chen Hong and Xin Xin also went up to take a look.

Almost all the newspapers were filled with negative news about Chen Hong.

"Famous philanthropist turned out to be a gangster, a triad boss who killed countless people!"

The collapse of a philanthropic entrepreneur's public image: the reason behind it is...

The property management company was found to be full of gangsters who extorted protection money and assaulted residents…

Galaxy Real Estate Group resorted to all sorts of extreme measures, including forced demolitions, vandalism, looting, paint-splashing, and burning of houses.

Chen Hong controlled the education industry, turning schools into breeding grounds for gangsters, where smoking, drinking, perming hair, robbery, bullying, drug use, promiscuity, and early pregnancy were rampant...

Heinous! Chen Hong launders money using orphanages and welfare homes!

Heaven Weeps in Blood! Chen Hong's Heartless Factory Exploits Workers' Blood and Sweat!

"Chen Hong's bar was found to be operating illegally, suspected of involving sex trafficking, with a 13-year-old girl being forced into prostitution."

Did Chen Hong's bus service turn out to be an unlicensed taxi, luring passengers to remote mountain areas and selling them to illegal brick kilns?

A heartless hospital, utterly devoid of conscience! Suspected of organ trafficking and surrogacy, the mastermind behind it all is...

Galaxy Airlines' aircraft are all old, low-cost aircraft that have been repainted, which may pose safety hazards.

"The Milky Way Sewing Factory: The Blood and Tears of So Many Women."

Galaxy Financial Bank ruthlessly fleeces Hong Kong residents, mysteriously withdrawing funds and facing a severe cash shortage.

"A Day in the Life of Underworld Boss Chen Hong: How Many Female Stars Suffered – It's Absolutely Outrageous."

……

Countless headlines, countless exaggerated and attention-grabbing reports.

Almost none of the reports were based on real data; they were all sensationalist and emotionally manipulative.

Even those claims that supposedly provide evidence are mostly based on misinterpretation or misrepresentation.

For example, the appalling behavior of students in those schools was basically a problem that existed in those bad schools before Chen Hong acquired them.

These media outlets directly reversed the cause and effect, blaming everything on Chen Hong.

They were completely blind to the positive changes Chen Hongzheng had made to the schools.

Clearly, a series of outrageous reports have suddenly surfaced.

This is a premeditated and deliberate smear campaign.

Chen Hong knew with his toes that the Li family, the richest family in Hong Kong, must have been involved, or even the masterminds.

the reason is simple.

Chen Hong's actions during the booming development of the real estate industry severely squeezed the survival space of the Li family's real estate group.

Moreover, Chen Hong's rapid development in banking, healthcare, industry, and transportation has also made the Li family feel a huge threat.

The fact that Chen Hong was able to hold back until now before finally erupting shows that he has excellent connections and superb skills.

But once they made their move, it was a stunning one. They were clearly well-prepared and confident, intending to strike a fatal blow and kill Chen Hong outright.

That's why they started creating public opinion.

Chen Hong already foresaw the onslaught of attacks that would follow once the first step succeeded.

We absolutely cannot let them successfully complete their plan!

Chen Hong realized the seriousness of the situation.

Not having time to argue with this manager, Little Karami, Chen Hong quickly pulled Xin Xin away.

I immediately called TVB and ATV, wanting an interview to clarify the facts.

I was surprised to be rejected.

Chen Hong immediately realized that he had been blacklisted.

Li Ka-shing must have made arrangements to blacklist him from the entire news media, preventing any news favorable to him from getting out.

"That old bastard is asking for it!"

The Li family is the richest family in Hong Kong Island and the biggest local power.

Its business scope covers multiple fields such as ports, real estate, telecommunications, retail, energy, and infrastructure.

ParknShop and Watsons, both owned by Hutchison Whampoa, are giants in the retail industry.

It not only occupies most of the market in Hong Kong Island, but also expands to many countries around the world.

Cheung Kong Group acquired land at low prices, built high-rise buildings (pigeon cages), and then frantically inflated housing prices, thereby reaping the savings and wealth of all Hong Kong citizens.

Then all the people of Hong Kong have to thank them for giving them a place to live.

In fact, the Li family was the first capitalist in the country to use housing to reap profits, and they were also the first in the country to implement the common area system.

These fine traditions were later introduced to the mainland.

The people were overjoyed upon hearing this and frequently thanked his entire family.

Not only in real estate, but the Li family also owns a large number of shipyards and ports, making a fortune every day.

It has also invested in high-tech industries such as 3G, the Internet, media, and pharmaceuticals.

It wields enormous influence over the Hong Kong media and controls the mouthpiece to a certain extent.

It's fair to say that the Li family was an absolute behemoth in Hong Kong, practically the uncrowned kings. Even the top leadership in mainland China at the time valued this family, hoping they could continue to stabilize Hong Kong after the handover.

However, the Li family's history of development is somewhat shady, and their background is not clean. They have been flirting with international capital, and their relationship with Great Britain goes without saying.

The Li family has an extremely close relationship with HSBC, an international financial institution; they're practically inseparable, even more so than their parents.

The most famous example is HSBC's role in facilitating the Li family's acquisition of a large number of Hutchison Whampoa shares from Jardine Matheson, making HSBC the largest single shareholder of Hutchison Whampoa.

This acquisition wasn't a large sum of money; it was a 60 million acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa, which was worth 6 billion.

The acquisition was made possible by HSBC's credit guarantee, matchmaking, and loan support, ultimately leading to the successful "David and Goliath" takeover.

This "snake swallowing an elephant" move shocked the entire Hong Kong Island. From then on, the Li family soared like birds in the blue sky, becoming unstoppable.

Nobody would believe that Mr. Li had no exchange of benefits with HSBC.

Without the protection of international capital and deep ties of shared interests, it would have been impossible to develop so rapidly.

Of course, under the brainwashing of the media, the Li family became synonymous with "getting rich through hard work" and "doing business diligently".

Yes, it's ironic that all the shady ways they made their fortune and the capital operations behind it have been ignored.

It was a direct bombardment of positive information and all sorts of inspirational quotes.

It was washed so clean it was incredibly white.

After all, as long as they win, countless touching and inspiring stories will be publicized.

The reason they didn't say he was born with extraordinary abilities is because he wasn't qualified enough.

History has proven this countless times, yet countless people still believe it.

There's nothing new under the sun.

What has happened will happen again.

What has been done will be done again.

At that moment, Chen Hong deeply felt the importance of controlling the media.

They control the media mouthpiece, turning black into white and falsehood into truth.

Even creating the truth is within their grasp.

Chen Hong took direct action, gaining control of the top executives at TVB and ATV, and thus controlling the two major television media outlets.

Then, they acquired more than twenty newspapers in one go and also took control of the senior management of some large newspapers that they couldn't acquire.

Chen Hong quickly arranged for TVB and ATV to give him a personal interview.

It also sent numerous reporters to the scene to interview people about their true opinions of Chen Hong and to investigate the real things Chen Hong actually did in various industries.

Let the people of Hong Kong Island see the true reality.

Chen Hong also published some of his company's financial statements and various work records in the newspaper.

The real data will speak for itself; the real records and the real reactions of ordinary people will all speak for themselves.

Whether or not things were done, and how well they were done, others may not know, but surely the people who have benefited from Chen Hong's actions know?
The Li family's baseless and out-of-context rumors are as satisfying as the reality of their lies.

The interview began quickly.

TVB's Hai Mimi and ATV's Huang Jieyi, two famous female hosts, formed a triangular sofa with Chen Hong for a personal interview.

"Dear viewers, this is a joint live broadcast by TVB and ATV."

Hai Mimi and Huang Jieyi both spoke to the camera in unison.

"I am Hai Mimi."

Hai Mimi wore a bright red suit that accentuated her graceful and sexy figure. With her wavy hair and cheerful, enthusiastic smile, she effortlessly connected with the audience.

"I am Huang Jieyi."

Huang Jieyi, dressed in a pristine white suit, with her smooth short hair and delicate features, exudes the refined and gentle temperament of a young lady from a distinguished family.

Both have their own strengths and are the most beautiful flowers among Hong Kong television presenters.

"Today, I'm sure everyone has seen the various negative reports about Mr. Chen Hong in the newspapers. It's like a deluge of negative articles and a misfortune befalling him."

Hai Mimi said, with a hint of humor but also a deeper meaning:

"Is this unified and large-scale concentrated reporting of negative news a fact, or is it the result of deliberate manipulation behind the scenes?"

"Today, our two television stations have jointly invited Mr. Chen Hong to provide live commentary for us."

Huang Jieyi smiled gently as she explained to the camera.

"Let's look at this from another angle."

The scene shifts to Chen Hong, who sits upright on the sofa, exuding righteousness.

With his handsome and resolute appearance and gentle and scholarly temperament, he made a good first impression on the audience.

"There is no doubt that these newspapers deliberately slandered me."

"I can say with certainty that all of our group's business operations are law-abiding and have never involved any outrageous behavior, let alone any behavior that harms the people."

Hai Mimi immediately asked, "Mr. Chan, the people of Hong Kong Island are very interested in your background as a gangster."

A significant number of people even believe that you are a gangster and must not be doing anything good.

Therefore, even if some of the newspaper reports are exaggerated, most of them are true.

What are your thoughts on this?

Chen Hong immediately put on a sorrowful and painful expression, and lamented:

"Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain that you cannot move an inch no matter how hard you try."

"Many people may not know about my experience of becoming a gangster, so let me tell you about it."

"I'm all ears," Huang Jieyi said, a look of curiosity on her face.

Viewers in Hong Kong Island watching on television also became curious.

Even the gangsters within Hung Hing were watching the television with curiosity.

"That was during the time of Japanese invasion and the chaos of war..."

"At that time, my mother came from a peasant family. Because the Japanese invaded the village, they implemented the 'Three Alls Policy': burn all, kill all, and loot all."

All the men in the village were killed, and my mother and some young girls and women were abducted.

My mother was only 11 years old at that time.

She was captured by those beasts and forced into sexual slavery as a comfort woman!

Chen Hong became agitated, his eyes bloodshot and veins bulging.

He exuded a sense of resentment, murderous intent, and tragic grandeur.

This aura immediately affected everyone present.

Hai Mimi and Huang Jieyi were both shocked and felt their scalps tingle.

A tremendous sense of shock gave them goosebumps.

That feeling can only be truly understood by those who were there in person to witness Chen Hong's performance.

Hai Mimi and Huang Jieyi only revealed a corner of Chen Hong's heart, yet it was already incredibly shocking:
"What kind of man is this? Indescribable, utterly indescribable."

(End of this chapter)