A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 241 A True Man Should Be Like This!

They were all basically drunk.

Around six o'clock in the evening, just past eight o'clock, Luo Da had almost slipped under the table twice already. Lao Duan's eyes were completely glazed over. Guo Fucheng was pulling Lin Jianlu along, slurring his words about his long-standing crush on Mao Shunyun. The musicians from the music factory were either asleep on their desks or listening to the gossip and laughing like idiots...

Ge Fuhong was the only woman present. She didn't drink much; she was busy settling the bill, cleaning up the mess, and seeing people off.

Fortunately, she is a very experienced agent.

Lin Jianlu was strong and didn't need bodyguards. He had one arm around Luo Dayou on one side and the fat Lao Duan on the other. Lao Duan chuckled and hiccuped from drinking. Luo Dayou sobered up as they walked, muttering drunken ramblings to Lin Jianlu, "I'll withdraw my savings tomorrow and transfer it to Hengsheng..."

Dumbfounding.

Guo Fucheng had a driver, so there was no problem. Lao Duan was staying at a hotel and had an assistant with him, so it was also easy to handle. But Luo Dayou and the musicians from Music Factory were more troublesome. They had to send bodyguards to drive them separately. In the end, Lin Jianlu personally went to see Luo Dayou off. Before she knew it, Ge Fuhong got into the car too. As soon as the car started moving, she turned around with a smile from the front seat, "Ah Lu, congratulations! Hang Seng is one of the three most famous banks in Hong Kong. You actually bought it. You're going to be a real tycoon!"

Lin Jianlu smiled and waved her hand, not taking up the topic.

He could sense that, at least at this dinner table tonight, there was no longer any jealousy among the people. He'd heard the joke about someone being afraid of their brother suffering, yet also afraid of their brother driving a Land Rover; having lived for over thirty years, he was quite familiar with human nature. But today, he understood that now that he could own Hang Seng Bank, his friends in the music industry were only envious and couldn't help but offer him their goodwill. Jealousy was no longer an option.

Luo Dayou has been famous for many years. He made a lot of money in his early years. Guo Fucheng was very famous. The Four Heavenly Kings are no joke. Although Liu Dehua is far ahead, Guo Fucheng is also very rich. However, their wealth is limited. They can buy a few more houses, a few more shops, more savings, and buy sports cars. That's about it.

It's several levels below the acquisition of Hang Seng Bank.

After dropping Luo Dayou off at the car, Lin Jianlu personally helped him home, handed him over to his girlfriend Li Lie, then said goodbye and went downstairs to see Ge Fuhong off as well.

Old Qiu lives in Hong Kong, but he obviously doesn't live with Ge Fuhong. He has a small home in Hong Kong, and Ge Fuhong is just his former lover and now his business assistant.

By the time I finished everything, it was almost nine o'clock.

Lin Jianlu had also drunk quite a bit of alcohol. He instructed the driver to drive a little slower, then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, rolled down the back window, smoked a cigarette, and watched the night view of Hong Kong.

The driver asked, "Sir, are you going home?"

Lin Jianlu thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Nanfeng Road!"

In Hong Kong, going home means returning to the Mid-Levels villa. Nam Fung Road is where Vivian Chow and Hoi Mei Chow currently live. A little further ahead, Shu-Hua Chan and Wai-Lun So live in Repulse Bay, and Gung Lee lives in Po-Chang Bay.

The driver agreed and smoothly made a left turn at the next intersection.

The phone suddenly rang. Lin Jianlu took out her phone, glanced at it, smiled, and answered. On the other end of the line, Wang Zuxian's voice was still sweet, but today it sounded a little mischievous, "What are you doing?"

"Take the car, go home and sleep."

"Oh, you're not home yet! I thought you were home."

"So you called specifically to hear my voice?"

She chuckled, "No, I didn't mean to cause trouble!"

Lin Jianlu laughed too, "I was drinking with friends tonight and they all got too drunk, so I had to take them home, which is why I was delayed. Otherwise, you really could have messed things up!"

She laughed happily, but quickly fell silent.

So Lin Jianlu asked her, "What are you busy with?"

She said, "Waiting in line, I have to shoot another commercial today, so boring. Honey, making money is so tedious. I really want to go home!" — Lin Jianlu chuckled, "Then come back, honey, we're not short of money! You're the one who wanted to work hard, so don't complain to me now, I've always been indifferent."

She sighed, but pretended to be strong despite her distress. "No way, I'm already thirty-one years old, and I've become popular again, and so popular at that. So many advertisers are looking for me and offering so much money, of course I have to work! Old Zhang said that my face will only be worth this much in the last two years. After these two years, unless I have some amazing new works, even if you promote me again, I won't be as popular as I am now."

Yes, that makes sense.

The freshness, appeal, and attention-grabbing ability of the global pop star who had just become popular a year ago were absolutely top-notch worldwide. At this time, with Lin Jianlu bringing her to three major award ceremonies in a row, coupled with Wang Zuxian's figure and appearance, and riding the wave of the rise of Eastern culture in the United States, she became so popular. Once this wave of popularity fades, even if he is still willing to bring her along, the attention she receives will definitely not be as great as it is now.

Unless they find another way and hype it up—but that's not worth it!
To be precise, two years is an exaggeration. Popular trends change very quickly. I say two years because she has another opportunity coming up: the release of "The Myth" in North America and around the world.

Of course, that would only give her, the female lead, a chance for massive global exposure. Whether she could extend that opportunity to three years depended on whether the movie would be a box office hit.

"Well, it's okay. Your husband is very rich. You can earn as much as you can, just keep some money for yourself. If you can't earn any more, just come back. Your husband will take care of you! Qingxia has been telling me a lot lately that she wants to have another child and wants you to come back with her to have the baby!"

She sweetly agreed, "Okay, when I can't earn money anymore, I'll go back and have a baby for you."

But then she suddenly said, "By the way, Lao Zhang went to see someone yesterday. When she came back, Fei Hong and I both asked her, but she wouldn't say who it was. Fei Hong told me that it was probably your little lover in America, otherwise Lao Zhang wouldn't be so guarded! Haha, she's scared of you to death now, she's so different from before."

Lin Jianlu chuckled and subconsciously raised her hand to rub her temples.

Actually, it was Diane Kruger who suddenly called Lin Jianlu's assistant in America yesterday, and then the message was passed on to him. Only then did Lin Jianlu call the German beauty back. Before that, he vaguely remembered her delicate face and seemingly great figure, but he could hardly remember her name.

Well, the pretty girl said she couldn't make it in Hollywood anymore and planned to take her agent's advice to go back to London to sign a modeling contract and walk the runway. So she wanted to say goodbye to Lin Jianlu. She said Lin Jianlu was the kindest celebrity she had met in America, and her favorite. Well, Hollywood is tough, it always has been.

Whether what she said is true or false... it doesn't matter anymore.

After comforting her for a while, I recommended Zhang Aijia to her.

Internally, Zhang Aijia has been stripped of her agent authority and her contract has been changed. However, externally, she remains Lin Jianlu's representative throughout Europe and America. Recently, she has also started managing the agent business for Wang Zuxian and Yu Feihong. She is a very powerful agent in the fashion and entertainment circles of Europe and America, with an ever-expanding network of connections. Helping a beautiful girl from Germany find a small job is just a side job, but for Diane Kruger, it could be a turning point in her life.

Unexpectedly, Yu Feihong and Wang Zuxian noticed!
Despite her artsy and intellectual image, Yu Feihong is actually quite shrewd and perceptive. She's adept at getting straight to the point in her words and actions, and she's incredibly skilled at manipulating people. Zhang Aijia said, "That's only because I'm her manager, the grandmaster of the artsy school. If anyone else were her manager, they'd be completely controlled by her!" She added, "That's only because you can keep her so obedient. If it were any other man, he'd be lucky to escape with his life!"

Yes, when she said that, Lin Jianlu couldn't help but recall the time when she even borrowed money to take a discounted flight to New York, "just to see you and tell you that I don't resent you."

Ah……

Lin Jianlu didn't retaliate when Wang Zuxian teased her a few times. Only when she heard Zhang Aijia's voice on the phone, which seemed to indicate that she was about to put on makeup, did she reluctantly hang up the phone.

He slumped in his chair, initially lost in thought, but then, without realizing it, he started laughing again.

Wow... Hang Seng Bank actually got the deal.

And it was acquired for a price of 22 billion—a complete steal!

In a few years, when the record industry is truly in decline, I guess I won't really enjoy acting anymore. At that time, I'll take off my mask and say, "Forget it, I'm not pretending anymore. Actually, I'm a millionaire!"
He has officially assumed the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hang Seng Bank!

Wow... beautiful!
…………

When I woke up in the morning, I was surprised to find that there were people on both my left and right sides.

Turning my head to look over here, I saw that Vivian Chow was sleeping soundly, but she didn't wake up and reach out to pull me over. Instead, she was lying down next to me and sleeping sweetly as soon as I woke up—ah, that's so nice!
She's recently gotten more and more used to sleeping next to me and hugging me while sleeping, and she seems to be becoming more and more relaxed. This has not only made her look more and more radiant, but her spirits are also gradually becoming less delicate.

She is becoming more and more carefree, more and more confident, and more and more radiant.

And look over here, well, the newly pregnant woman is sleeping even more soundly—her trip to America not only relieved her grief over her terminal illness, but also made her pregnant, and she has been visibly happy every day these past few days.

Yes, that's how a real man should be!

Make money, become famous, make even more money, sleep with women, sleep with beautiful women, sleep with goddesses, but it's not just about sleeping with them, it's about giving them a sense of security, keeping them by your side, and always being able to sleep peacefully.

Hmph, I'm not just a lecherous man, I'm doing good deeds too!
While they were carefully getting out of bed, both girls were whimpering, but in different ways. Zhou Haimei rolled over and quickly fell asleep again, while Zhou Huimin smacked Lin Jianlu and whimpered, "You're up so early!"

"Yes, I'm going to get up and exercise. You can keep sleeping!"

"No, I want to get up and run too. I've been so lazy lately, all I want to do is cling to you. I don't want to do anything. I don't want to go on TV shows, I don't want to take commercial performances, I don't want to go to shows. Ugh... Honey, you're really annoying! I used to be so hardworking! I want to get up, I want to exercise, I want to work!"

Lin Jianlu chuckled and kissed her hair. "Come on! Let's go for a run!"

On the other side, Zhou Haimei suddenly spoke up, "You guys are so annoying! Go outside to talk! Stop whispering and disturbing my sleep!"—Zhou Huimin, who still had her eyes closed, suddenly smiled, pushed Lin Jianlu aside, slid over, and tickled Zhou Haimei. Zhou Haimei woke up with a start, "Go to hell, Vivian!"

…………

I had char siu for breakfast and watched TV.

ATV's morning news devoted considerable attention to praising the Hong Kong government's resounding victory over overseas speculative capital yesterday, and also lavishly praised the support from the capital. Yes, their stance was quite appropriate.

Although Zhao Fengshou now serves as a director of China.com, his main responsibilities are still with ATV, especially in getting involved in managing ATV's original news department and overseeing the establishment of a satellite TV news department—what was he called here for? To train him to adopt this attitude first!

Of course, too much of a good thing is bad. Let him stay here for two or three years to make sure that ATV's news department develops this initial sense of position, that's enough. But he can't be in charge of it for a long time. Just kidding. The greatest value of ATV's news department is definitely not to become a mouthpiece for CCTV, but to gradually form its own stance!
For news from the mainland, we should praise it as much as possible and convey the intentions and reasons behind the mainland's actions to the world, so as to win broader moral support for the mainland's policies and trends. However, for global news, we cannot view it entirely from the mainland's perspective. We should provide mainland viewers with ATV's own perspective—to be precise, this is the value of news!
Only by having its own unique news perspective and its own unique stance can ATV's news become more and more valuable, and only by holding ATV can it maximize its united front value!
Well, it's been almost half a year, and Lao Zhao's work has been quite effective.

Two pretty young women, one on each side, were chattering about ATV's new drama. Apparently, Brigitte Lin had called Vivian Chow yesterday to tell her that ATV was going to produce a romance drama in the second half of the year, adapted from a Korean comic called "Full House." In recent years, ATV's Miss Asia pageant hadn't produced any outstanding candidates, so to play it safe, Brigitte Lin planned to have Vivian Chow star in the drama.

ATV is now owned by Lam Kin-lu. According to Brigitte Lin, this drama was specifically requested by Lam Kin-lu, who attaches great importance to it. Naturally, Vivian Chow was willing to take on the job. However, she had recently received a total of ten songs, and these songs were so deeply ingrained in her heart that she loved them to bits. Although Lam Kin-lu didn't have time recently and only asked her to practice singing before returning to Hong Kong in the second half of the year to record, she still hesitated. It wasn't like in the past. In the past, Hong Kong stars were only afraid of not having enough work, so how could they possibly turn down the lead role in a TV series? But now, Vivian Chow wanted to invite Hoi Mei Chow to go to ATV with her to talk to the big sister and recommend Hoi Mei Chow for the lead role.

She herself wants to focus more on practicing singing and wants to do better in her singing career!
When asked for his opinion, Lin Jianlu said he didn't care.

Of the six TV dramas he gave to ATV, Vivian Chow was actually suitable for several, such as "Full House" and "Autumn in My Heart." Hong Kong is very good at filming these kinds of urban romance dramas. However, at the beginning, they might not be able to grasp the emphasis of the plot. Therefore, Lam Kin-lu needs to keep a close eye on it. He believes that ATV can handle this kind of drama better in the future. Whether it's Vivian Chow or Kathy Chow, they are both very good at filming these kinds of romance dramas. Once the camera is on them, they are probably no less than Song Hye-kyo in the original version!
However, it must be admitted that they are all over thirty years old.

No matter how young they are, how many more years can they film youth dramas?

From the perspective of nurturing new talent, Lin Jianlu has always been considering bringing people from the mainland. For example, it would be perfectly fine to bring in girls like Jiang Qinqin, Zuo Xiaoqian, and even Zeng Li for these two romance dramas. Not only would it promote young girls, but it would also make it easier for them to take over. If Jiang Qinqin were to star in it, she could ride on the huge popularity that would inevitably rise after "My Fair Princess" aired, which would lay the best foundation for the show's success.

Lin Jianlu didn't mention this matter. Lin Qingxia is now in charge of ATV, and she wants stability. Whether she chooses Zhou Huimin or Zhou Haimei, Lin Jianlu has no objection.

Both of them are locals from Hong Kong, possessing a natural affinity with the audience—an advantage that no one suddenly brought in from the mainland could match. However, since they both have reservations, why make things difficult for them?

"Amei, you should focus on your pregnancy! As for Vivian, if you want to focus on music, you don't need to take this job. I'll talk to Qingxia about it later. It's not like the past anymore; you don't need to be so busy making money! Just do what you enjoy!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Haimei smiled.

It was clear she was willing to take the lead role in the first drama produced by Lin's New ATV, but she would be even happier if Lin Jianlu told her to focus on her pregnancy. Even though she was better, she still lacked confidence in front of Lin Jianlu, needing him to repeatedly reassure her that he liked the child, wanted her to give birth to it, and was willing to support them both. Would Lin Jianlu like her more, or even think more highly of her, just because she acted in a TV series, or even became famous? Obviously not! Even if she played the lead role in a movie, what difference would it make to him? He already owned a TV station and a film company; did he lack that?
But the fact that he was willing to support her and let her have his children undoubtedly shows that he liked her!
Zhou Haimei immediately nodded in agreement, looking quite pleased with herself.

After thinking for a moment, Vivian Chow said, "Alright! Then I'll focus on preparing my new album!"

Hmm, Full House... how about we arrange for the younger sister to give it a try?

With me supporting and pampering her for life, the concubine can certainly do nothing, but if I were to completely stop her from acting, what would she be supposed to do? She can't just become a concubine who only eats, drinks, and has fun, can she? I still need to arrange something for her to do, to bring out the brilliance she should have. That's the essence of raising a concubine, and that's how I can make the concubine more and more beautiful—hmm, I'll have her try it later!
If she doesn't work, we'll find someone else... Song Hye-kyo is still too young, only seventeen!
Kim Seo-sun, on the other hand, might be quite suitable!
…………

After breakfast, I listened to Vivian Chow sing a song.

With slight adjustments and guidance.

She's actually a very talented singer. Her voice isn't top-notch, but it's distinctive enough, and she's especially good at singing love songs.

After the business arrangements were initially finalized, Lin Jianlu felt much more relaxed. He helped his woman select all the songs for her next album in one go. He even went so far as to grab some more resources and copy four songs that Wang Fei was supposed to sing a few years later, "returning them to their rightful owner."

For Vivian Chow's new album, he plans to follow the old practice in Hong Kong and Taiwan and record ten songs. The main reason is that he has four girlfriends who are superstars. If all four of them record, that would be at least forty songs. He certainly won't lack works, but he doesn't have that much time. So, if everyone releases a big album, he really can't handle it, so he has to shrink back to the standard of ten songs.

She chose a pop-rock song, "Super-Star," as the lead single, and a somewhat quirky but undeniably catchy "Seaweed Dance," hoping to dominate Southeast Asia and Japan/Korea. While Lin Jianlu himself has already made a name for himself, frankly, he wouldn't choose a song like "Bei'er Shuang" from his first album again. However, even now, he has to admit that this song once helped him gain considerable popularity in Southeast Asia and Japan/Korea, and was an indispensable part of "Cold to the End's" massive sales, earning it the title of her first diamond album in the Chinese music scene! Similarly, the catchy and upbeat song "Gong Xi Fa Cai" also played a crucial role in the huge success of Zhou Huimin's previous album!
Popular songs, bad songs, and catchy pop songs are actually the easiest to achieve success!

This is a well-known fact within the music industry—and in fact, contrary to the views of outsiders, for an insider in the record industry, writing a catchy and easy-to-spread cheesy pop song is actually not that easy!

The difference between different catchy pop songs is huge!

Basically, it's safe to say that, at least before 2005, before the massive intervention of capital and the emergence of "feeding garbage" (i.e., incompetent marketing), every catchy pop song that swept the nation was something everyone in the record industry looked up to—just kidding. If you're just a reader of online novels, that's fine, but if you're a writer and you still look down on the "Five Greats of Central Plains," then go try writing one yourself and you'll see! Even in 2025, if you can copy an old book like "Inch of Light" with a modern twist and achieve 50-60% of its quality, you'll be a star!
Hmmmm... "Seaweed Dance" isn't exactly a high-quality pop song, at least according to Lin Jianlu. It's nowhere near as good as Aaron Kwok's "I Can't Stop Loving You." But how should I put it? It depends on who sings it!

If Vivian Chow were to sing, she would be adorable and there wouldn't be any problem at all.

It can't be much worse than "I'm a Girl" and "Health Song"!

Speaking of which, just how popular is Xu Huaiyu lately? A few days ago, while we were having dinner, Stephen Chow tentatively asked Lin Jianlu if she could cast Xu Huaiyu as the female lead in his new film, "King of Comedy"!
Of course, it was rejected, so let's leave Liu Piaopiao to Cecilia Cheung to become a masterpiece!

But Lin Jianlu had already sensed the girl's explosive popularity this year!

The "Health Song" was even featured on the Spring Festival Gala not long ago!
Therefore, catchy pop songs are indispensable!
Then... "Sad Swing", "Onion" and "Unfortunately It's Not You" are all standard love songs. In terms of vocal characteristics and personal image, they are quite suitable for Vivian Chow and form the foundation of the entire album.

The foundation lies in reputation.

To be a pioneer and boost sales, you need catchy pop songs like "Seaweed Dance" and rock songs like those sung by Vivian Chow that can generate buzz. But if you only have these kinds of songs, your popularity will only be a passing fad.

A good reputation is essential for long-term success and a loyal following.

But even with catchy pop songs, buzz, and positive reviews, the sales would only be around two million. You need a third element – ​​the "Cassiopeia" campaign that EMI Records helped Wang Fei create was fantastic, practically textbook-level!
She not only directly and blatantly capitalized on her own popularity and generated buzz, but also highlighted the unique qualities of her voice through her commentary, instantly distinguishing her from all other female singers—good songs, good marketing, and a great persona—that's the key to success!

So, we still need to add more flair and keep generating buzz for Vivian Chow's album!
Vivian Chow is an excellent dancer, so we chose two special pieces for her: "Dancing Girl" and "Three Days and Three Nights"—both of which, along with "Seaweed Dance," will be choreographed by top choreographers.

Wow, she's still hailed as a stunning beauty with "legs that will last for three generations" even 20 or 30 years later. With such a great figure and such a talent for dancing, it would be a waste of her pure yet mature beauty in her early thirties if we didn't choreograph some dances to showcase her beauty to the fullest!

Then, we'll give her another song, "Snowflakes Falling," to continue experimenting with R&B.

Last but not least, to show his special affection for her, and also to ensure that she could successfully launch the music factory's reopening with a bang, Lin Jianlu decided to personally sing two songs with her, "Knight Spirit" and "Happy Worship"—to provide the final insurance for the album's guaranteed success!
At this point, it feels like her new album is almost complete, with nothing missing.

There's still no news of her last album selling over 3 million copies. Of course, the distributor, Rock Records, is definitely cheating on sales figures again, but there's not much to say about that; the whole industry does it. I was drinking with Han Shanping and Zhang Heping during the Chinese New Year, and we were talking about the recent cultural boom in China. Zhang Heping even said that book publishing in China is even more rampant with sales cheating. The publisher tells you that the official version has sold 300,000 copies, but if you include the publisher's own secret reprints, it's already over 500,000 copies. The secret reprints aren't just to save the author's royalties; they're mainly to save on the taxes that need to be paid to the authorities!
Hey, that's how it is!
The story of two sets of accounts, one true and one false, has been going on for thousands of years!
However, we must help Vivian Chow's next album sell over three million copies!

As I said before, the record industry is in its last few years. If we're going to do it, let's just give Vivian Chow, who is so beautiful, sings so well, and is so dedicated, a true queen of pop!

A time traveler must have this ability!

…………

Around nine o'clock, Lin Jianlu went out.

I'm going to take a stroll around the Hang Seng Bank in the new territory and take a piss.

Well, time is very tight right now. Cai Zhongxin and Lin Jianlu discussed that they will not make any major personnel changes to Hang Seng Bank for the time being, and will wait a few more days before making any decisions. The buyer has agreed, the seller has agreed, and the Securities and Futures Commission has agreed, but who knows what kind of trouble the management might cause!
Moreover, with the Hong Kong government winning the financial battle yesterday, HSBC might regret its decision and disrupt the handover of Hang Seng Bank's management, or even renege on the deal!
Let's proceed cautiously for now.

Of course, Cai Zhongxin was busy all day yesterday, having already gone to Hang Seng Bank to take over the assets.

The financial markets are calm today.

The stock market remains calm and undisturbed.

Following yesterday's major battle, in which the Hong Kong government declared a resounding victory and claimed to have inflicted considerable losses on overseas speculative capital, the stock market began to slowly stabilize and even rebound. Upon opening today, the entire market seemed to have suddenly begun to breathe again, with the market gradually rising.

Ah, very good.

It is said that the Hong Kong government won, but insiders can see that the Hong Kong government only held the last line. The Hong Kong government's response to the three consecutive financial crises was not very effective, but it was not outstanding either. Basically, the Hong Kong stock market was ruthlessly harvested by others three times - the Hang Seng Index reached a high of 11000 points, and now it is only a little over 6,000 points. Where did all that money go?

They'll never be able to come back!

That's all accumulated over the years by countless investors, big and small, in the Hong Kong stock market!
Next, everyone can only start from scratch and slowly accumulate, and then gradually boost the stock market and raise the Hang Seng Index through economic development and people's wealth!

But there is no doubt that the darkest hour has passed.

The Hong Kong government ultimately won the most crucial battle – the key point being that almost no one dared to make such a prediction or expectation beforehand!

This incident shows that we shouldn't overestimate HSBC's standing. The Hong Kong government may trust it, but the capital city doesn't necessarily trust it completely—at least HSBC had absolutely no prior knowledge of this before taking action!

Otherwise, how could they have sold Hang Seng Bank at such a low price the night before their victory!
If you're going to sell, you should wait until things calm down and the stock market stabilizes a bit before selling—you'll get at least double the price!

That's easily two or three billion Hong Kong dollars!
Well, on the contrary, it seems to outsiders that I had foreseen the inevitable move of certain funds and forces, and even the timing seemed to be precisely "foreseen"—sigh! The way Lao Duan, Lao Luo, and Guo Fucheng looked at me yesterday afternoon was really... well, it gave me a sense of helplessness that I couldn't explain myself.

But at the same time, there was a secret sense of smugness—Garlic Bird, Garlic Bird, Governor of Hong Kong it is, who cares if I do look more and more like him!

Anyway, I didn't lose out; on the contrary, I benefited!
A great deal of tangible and intangible respect, concessions, and fear can enable one to carry out certain things in Hong Kong with almost no significant resistance!

This is a bargain for someone who's not young!
When the car arrived at the Hang Seng Bank Building, it was clear from afar that Choi Chung-shun had already arrived to wait, accompanied by a large group of bankers and Hang Seng Bank executives, to welcome the new owner.

So it looks very impressive.

Of course, Lin Jianlu tried his best not to appear too smug. As soon as the car stopped, he opened the door and got out. Then, he shook hands with everyone as humbly as possible. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he went inside for a tour. He didn't disturb the internal operations too much. He just wandered around and looked around casually. Then, he sat in the conference room with a group of senior executives and listened to everyone express their loyalty. That was considered his tour of the new territory.

He doesn't understand banking operations, so it's obviously impossible for him to guide people in their specific work.

Afterwards, back in the Chairman's office, Cai Zhongxin, along with Mr. He Shaowen, the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hang Seng Bank, had a relatively open and frank discussion about the current situation and operational difficulties of Hang Seng Bank. They then basically finalized the major matters concerning Hang Seng Bank going forward.

He Shaowen is in his early fifties. His father, Mr. He Shanheng, was one of the founders of Hang Seng Bank. Although he did not invest much at the beginning, he contributed the most to the development of Hang Seng Bank in the following decades. Even during the banking crisis in the 1960s, when the He family had to relinquish their controlling stake in Hang Seng Bank, they forced HSBC to agree never to interfere in the operation of Hang Seng Bank. This preserved the Chinese bloodline of Hang Seng Bank to this day.

Now, Mr. Ho Sin Hang has long since retired, and his son Ho Siu Wan has taken over the business and has been in charge of Hang Seng Bank for almost ten years. However, of course, with a new owner, and Lin Jianlu being Chinese, it is obviously impossible for him to abide by the agreement reached between the Ho family and HSBC. Naturally, he wants to interfere in Hang Seng Bank!
However, Lin Jianlu had no intention of changing He Shaowen's position within the next two or three years.

The Ho family are renowned Justices of the Peace who have managed Hang Seng Bank in Hong Kong for over sixty years across two generations. They have always been influential in the public and business communities and are known for their business acumen. In fact, the banking crisis that began in 94 and 95 and continued until it was triggered by the financial storm was not the fault of the managers.

In fact, barring unforeseen events, mortgage loans and commercial property mortgage loans have always been the best, most stable, most profitable, and most profitable businesses in the banking industry!

The He family's past business operations have not had any major problems.

If you insist on finding fault, at most you could say that as the leader of the Chinese banking industry, he failed to foresee the ill intentions of the British before their withdrawal, nor did he accurately sense the impending financial crisis, which shows a lack of industry sensitivity. But all of this is just an imposed argument, a belated summary, and criticizing someone who cannot foresee the future is like using Qing Dynasty laws to execute a Ming Dynasty official!
In fact, once the financial crisis subsides and the market stabilizes, the Ho family can continue to operate Hang Seng Bank in the same way they have in the past without any major problems—probably after 2000, we'll see how Ho Siu-man performs, and whether he can keep up with Lam Kin-lu's ideas and be willing to lead Hang Seng Bank to expand its business in the mainland before making a decision.

Yes, Ho Siu-man had no objection to bringing in Wing On Bank and Wing Lung Bank.

Next, once the stock market stabilizes slightly, a private placement of new shares will be made to the major shareholder, Longhua Investment, to inject capital into Hang Seng Bank and improve its operational predicament. He Shaowen is unlikely to have any objections!

Those who are willing to acquire banks at this time, and who are also willing to invest real money to save the banks from their predicament, are true saviors!
Of course, He Shaowen reiterated his stance—he would be loyal, manage the business well, and never let Lin Sheng down! The handling of bad debts related to real estate mortgages, which you value most, is already being planned. Once we get through the chaos in the next few days, we will convene a meeting to discuss it and then implement it.

Well, Lin Jianlu is generally satisfied with this person.

I've finished urinating.

Before leaving, a group of Hang Seng Bank executives, including Cai Zhongxin and He Shaowen, saw him off downstairs. He Shaowen personally opened the car door for Lin Jianlu, shielding him from the door frame as he got into the car.

After Lin Jianlu got into the car, she rolled down the window, reached out and shook hands with He Shaowen again, saying, "Mr. He, I'm counting on you!"

He Shaowen quickly replied, "I will certainly live up to Lin Sheng's expectations!"

So the group of Hang Seng Bank executives standing a few meters behind him all breathed a sigh of relief—this showed that the talks went well and Chairman He had initially won the trust of his new employer!
This is definitely a good thing!

…………

As the car drove along the road, Lin Jianlu soon received a call from Cai Zhongxin.

The call connected, and he said, "The results are great! Everyone says that the new employer is outstanding and clearly knows how to appoint people to positions of authority, so we are all at ease."

Lin Jianlu laughed heartily, "Stop flattering me! ...Keep an eye on this mess for me!"

He paused, then emphasized, "You know how nervous I've been lately about this, about this bank! Old Cai, keep an eye on it, straighten it out, and I promise you a lifetime of wealth!"

These words were a bit harsh, but coming from Lin Jianlu, Cai Zhongxin subconsciously felt Lin Jianlu's sincerity—since they met, his boss had always been a man of his word, kept his promises, and kept his word!

"Thank you, Mr. Lin! Please rest assured, I will do my best!"

"Hang up, I'm going to pick up girls!"

(End of this chapter)