Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 211 Dragon's Nest (Seeking monthly tickets, recommendations, and subscriptions!)
Huo Jianning's initiative to join Chen Bingwen was like a key that unlocked a previously overlooked area in Chen Bingwen's mind.

Previously, all his energy was focused on the battle for funds, projects, and equity, competing with Li Jiacheng, fighting with Shen Bi, and forming an alliance with Wei Li, all thinking about how to swallow more assets.

It wasn't until Huo Jianning stood right in front of him that Chen Bingwen suddenly realized that the ownership of top talent was also a crucial, unseen war, the importance of which even surpassed the gains and losses of a single project.

The vast business empire built by Li Jiacheng in his previous life was certainly due to the opportunities of the times and Li Jiacheng's personal vision and courage.

However, without the assistance of a group of outstanding assistants such as Huo Jianning, Mai Lisi, Zhou Nianmao, and Hong Xiaolian, he might still have succeeded, but he would likely have stopped at being a wealthier "Li Jiacheng" and would have found it difficult to become the "Li Jiacheng" who dominated the world and built a vast business empire.

Huo Jianning is definitely the most dazzling one among them.

This man was later hailed as "Li Ka-shing's right hand" and was the true mastermind behind the capital operations of the Cheung Kong Group.

Without Canning Fok, Li Ka-shing might still have succeeded, but he would never have become the Li Ka-shing who controlled Hutchison Whampoa and dominated the world.

It was Canning Fok who, after taking over Hutchison Whampoa, spearheaded the development of Whampoa Garden. He used a clever "off-balance-sheet financing and cooperative development" model to leverage a massive project with very low equity and debt, quickly recovering funds and establishing Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong's position in the real estate industry.

If Li Ka-shing were in charge, and the traditional high-leverage model were followed, the debt ratio would soar, and the consequences would be unimaginable if the real estate market experienced a downturn like in 1982.

It was also Canning Fok who later spearheaded the restructuring of Hutchison Whampoa's loss-making businesses, propelled its internationalization, and acquired Husky Energy and Orange Telecom.
Behind this series of classic battles, there is the figure of this "King of Migrant Workers".

He is not only a financial officer, but also an executor of strategy, and even one of the planners.

"Talent."

Chen Bingwen muttered to himself.

"Projects and funding are hard power, while talent is soft power, and it is also an amplifier that maximizes the potential of hard power."

His business is expanding rapidly, including Sugar Capital, Chen Ji Foods, Watsons, North American operations, and now he has added a controlling stake in Qingzhou Yingni. In the future, he will inevitably become more deeply involved in Hutchison Whampoa.

Fang Wenshan is a versatile talent, but he is showing signs of fatigue.

Ling Peiyi is focused on her work and excels at execution.

Gu Yongxian is an expert in law.
The other regional managers still need to be trained and developed.

He currently lacks a top-tier leader like Huo Jianning, who can stand alone and provide him with tremendous support in terms of finance and strategy.

Huo Jianning's arrival timely filled this most crucial piece of the puzzle.

But this is not enough.

One Huo Jianning is not enough.

He needs to build his own "cabinet," a team capable of supporting a larger future business empire.

Thinking of this, he pressed the intercom button: "Ali, come in for a moment."

Secretary Ali quickly came in.

"Chen Sheng."

"Take a pen and paper and write it down."

Chen Bingwen pondered for a moment, then began to dictate, "I've made a list and asked a headhunting firm to contact them."
If possible, poach them regardless of cost, but do it discreetly; don't let the whole city know.

Ali immediately took out her notebook, ready to write something down.

"The first one is Myris, who was the president of the Singapore Tiger Balm Company. He is British and familiar with international business and dealing with trading companies. He should still be in Singapore or has just left the company."

Find him and invite him to come over, either on behalf of Sugar Heart Capital or Chen Ji Foods. The position can be discussed initially as senior advisor or international business director, depending on his preference.

"The second one is Simon Murray. He should still be working for a company under Jardine Matheson Group, possibly in the Middle East or Southeast Asia."

He was British, but extremely adventurous and strategic. We recruited him and told him that our stage was big enough and more challenging than that of old-established trading companies like Jardine Matheson.

The position may involve responsibility for future overseas expansion or new project development.

He paused for a moment, his brain rapidly searching for fragments of memories from his past life.

In the rise of Chinese capital in Hong Kong, besides Li Ka-shing's team, there were other prominent figures.

"Also, keep an eye on a man named Du Huilian. He should be working as a stockbroker at a British-owned securities firm. He has a keen sense of the capital market and is good at financing and mergers and acquisitions. You can make contact with him first."

"In addition, among local Chinese-owned companies, there is an engineer named Ho Ping-cheung under Hopewell Holdings' Gordon Wu. He is very good at infrastructure and large-scale project planning. Let's see if there is an opportunity to get in touch with him."

And on Sun Hung Kai Properties' side, Kwok Tak-seng had a sales elite named Lui Kwok-kwan.
No, those were people who later got into film. I don't remember their names very well. Have headhunters investigate, find the best performers in Sun Hung Kai's sales team, see if they can poach them.

If we're going to poach talent, we should poach all capable individuals, not just target Li Jiacheng's family.

Chen Bingwen knew that this list was somewhat ahead of its time; some people might not have fully emerged yet, while others might have already been recruited by other conglomerates.

But that's not important. Just cast the net and catch whatever you can.

What he wanted was not for everyone to be in place immediately, but to build a talent pool that could be replenished at any time.

"That's all. Let's proceed according to this list for now."

We should use different headhunting firms to conduct the recruitment process separately, so as not to give the impression that we are the only ones poaching talent.

In terms of compensation, it can be 50% to double the market price, and for key talents, it can be even higher.

What I need is ability, people who can get things done; cost is secondary.

Any one of these talented individuals on the list is well worth the salary.

“Understood, Mr. Chen.” Ali quickly jotted down all the names and key points. “I’ll contact several reputable headhunting firms immediately and we’ll work separately.” “Okay, go ahead.” Chen Bingwen waved his hand.

After Ali left, Chen Bingwen leaned back in his chair, feeling that his vision had become clearer.

In this game of capital and talent, he must excel in both areas.

On the other side, Vincent Fang and Canning Huo officially moved into Yingni, Qingzhou, and took full control of finance and auditing.

At the same time, an assessment of Qingzhou Yingni's cement business was initiated to make necessary preparations for subsequent relocation and divestiture.

He, on the other hand, began to deal with another pressing personal issue—his place of residence.

Although the apartments in Jindu Garden were nice, as his reputation grew, especially after the Battle of Qingzhou Yingni, more and more reporters and unidentified people began to frequent the area.

The old dessert shop on my parents' side of the street was also disturbed.

For the safety of his family and his personal privacy, he had to move to a more private and secure place to live.

He instructed Vincent Fang to contact a real estate brokerage firm under the name of Sugar Heart Capital privately.

Hutchison Whampoa has been operating on Hong Kong Island for many years and is extremely familiar with the resources of the top luxury residential market.

That afternoon, Ali knocked on the door and came in to report: "Mr. Chen, Hutchison Whampoa Properties has responded."

Based on your requirements, they have shortlisted several locations, and currently, it seems there is a villa on Deep Water Bay Road that best suits your needs.

"Oh? What exactly happened?" Chen Bingwen looked up.

75 Deep Water Bay Road.

The original owner was a British trading company that was recently liquidating its non-core overseas assets, so it put this property on the market.

The asking price is HK$4500 million, but I heard they're in a hurry to sell, so there's a lot of room for negotiation.

75 Deep Water Bay Road?
Chen Bingwen's heart skipped a beat.

He vaguely remembered this address; it was in what would become a well-known, ultra-wealthy area of ​​Hong Kong Island.

Did you bring the materials?

“I brought it.” Ali said, handing a document to Chen Bingwen. “The land is very large, over 2 square feet.”

According to current regulations, it can be rebuilt up to four stories, with a usable area estimated at 8000 to 10000 square feet.

It comes with an old-fashioned garden, and is located on a slope, so the view should be quite good.

but"

"But what?"

"However, that location is on the upper part of Deep Water Bay Road, which is not the most popular sea view area, so the price is much lower than that of similar villas in Repulse Bay."

Moreover, the villa itself is quite old and needs to be demolished and rebuilt or undergo large-scale renovation, which will require another investment.

Ali objectively analyzed the pros and cons.

Chen Bingwen looked at the location map in the document, his gaze slightly narrowing.

The map shows that number 75 is diagonally opposite, and numbers 73 and 79 are below it.

If he remembers correctly, number 73 was the residence of Y.K. Pao, while number 79 was the home of Li Ka-shing!
This discovery brought a slight smile to Chen Bingwen's lips.

What a coincidence?
Move it to the opposite side of two super-rich people, and even above them?
He closed the documents almost without hesitation and said, "Make arrangements, we'll go see the building tomorrow morning."

"Okay, Mr. Chen."

The next morning, Chen Bingwen, accompanied by his secretary Ali and Zhao Gang, drove to Deep Water Bay.

The car drove into the quiet Deep Water Bay Road, winding its way up the hillside by the sea.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of Repulse Bay, this place is exceptionally tranquil, shaded by green trees, and offers excellent privacy.

Guided by a senior manager from Hutchison Whampoa Properties, the car stopped in front of a slightly worn iron gate.

The house number is indeed 75.

Upon entering the gate, there is a long driveway lined with ancient trees that are somewhat messy but full of vitality on both sides.

At the end of the driveway stands a rather old-fashioned two-story European-style villa. The white walls have turned somewhat gray and are covered with vines, but the framework still reveals its former scale and grandeur.

"Mr. Chen, this villa was built in the early 1950s. The original owner was a famous British businessman."

After changing hands several times, it ended up in the hands of this foreign firm.

They haven't really managed it much; it's mainly held as an asset.

The real estate manager explained.

Chen Bingwen did not rush into the villa, but first took a walk around the huge garden.

The site is irregularly shaped, but its size is truly astonishing, exceeding 2 square feet, making it an absolutely top-tier luxury residential site on Hong Kong Island.

The location is elevated, and standing at the edge of the garden, you can look over the treetops and see the distant Deep Water Bay sea view. Although it is not a full sea view, the view is wide and the privacy is excellent.

(End of this chapter)