Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 346 An Irresistible Choice
"Are we really going to sell Jardine Matheson?" Liang Kun asked Wang Dao for the umpteenth time.

Afraid that Wang Dao would be angry, Bo Zi quickly said, "Brother Kun, A Dao hasn't eaten with us in a long time. Do you have to say these things?"

Liang Kun said nonchalantly, "It's been a long time since we've all gotten together, hasn't it?"

Chen Guozhong smiled and said, "Don't drag me into this. I don't get together with you guys very often anyway."

Han Bin shrugged:

“Brother Zhong doesn’t count, your circle is not really related to ours anyway. But Brother Kun is right, it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten together.”

"When did this start?"

After thinking for a moment, Liang Kun said:

"What happens after we become billionaires?"

Le Huizhen corrected:

"No, it happened after we had the company."

Handsome Kun sighed:

"When I was out in the workforce, I always envied those rich people."

"They always seemed to frequent high-end venues, always accompanied by luxury cars and beautiful women, and were admired by everyone wherever they went."

"I was incredibly envious back then."

"When I finally live that kind of life."

"Only then did I realize that things weren't like that at all."

Everyone fell silent. They were working like dogs; how could it be so easy?
Wang Dao smiled and said:

“There is a quick way to understand things, and that is stereotypes.”

"This is not meant as a derogatory term."

"It's like when people mention that someone is a member of a gang, they know that he is not a good person."

"If someone is a policeman, you know that he is in charge of catching thieves."

"When someone mentions that they are a lawyer, you know that the other party is a liar."

"While this makes it easier for us to understand society, it has also caused some misunderstandings."

"That's life in high society."

"The spending habits of billionaires are far superior to those of ordinary people."

"But correspondingly, there will be a price to pay."

"The cost might be time, or it might be something else."

Liang Kun complained:
"What kind of wealthy families are they showing on TVB Jade?"

"Golf, horse racing, yachts, cocktail parties... I've never seen anyone working in a wealthy family. They're all busy with romance and love-hate relationships."

"But now I have to calculate the time even if I want to eat a meal."

"Why can't I be as dashing as Jade Terrace?"

Le Huizhen sighed:
“The writers on TVB Jade don’t know what real life is like in a wealthy family.”

"True wealthy families integrate life and work; where would they find so much time for love, hate, and grudges?"

"That's something only the second generation can do."

Liang Kun was even more speechless.

Chen Guozhong and Apple exchanged a glance and smiled without saying a word.

These two are different. Chen Guozhong has his own stable job, while Apple is currently learning.

Both of them had relatively fixed working hours. Even though Chen Guozhong was still a supervisor at the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB), his position had been promoted, and his frontline work had decreased, so he actually had more time to spend with his family than before.

Han Bin said blankly:
"Wait a minute, aren't you guys exaggerating a bit?"

"Apart from certain meetings, I feel fine."

Wang Dao sighed softly:

“Binny, you are in the best time of your life as a millionaire right now, cherish it.”

"These days are numbered, every day that passes is one less day to come."

Han Bin said incredulously:
"What does this mean?"

"Aren't we all billionaires? What's the difference?"

The Way of Kings is straightforward:
"Because you joined later, our situations are still different."

Han Bin thought for a moment, then suddenly said:
"You mean to say that because I have less wealth than you, I'm more comfortable with my life now?"

Wang Dao smiled and clapped:

"As expected of Benny."

Han Bin looked at everyone, then at Wang Dao:

"Brother Dao, you're not mocking me, are you?"

Han Bin was very upset that he didn't get on the bus sooner.

He doesn't know how many days and nights he woke up from regret, secretly regretting why he hadn't gotten on the bus sooner.

Now, he has billions less in assets than Wang Daoliangkun and Chen Guozhong.

There was no other way; at the time, he wouldn't be convinced unless he clashed with Wang Dao.

This is Han Bin's sense of self-esteem.

After the collision, his anger subsided, but his family fortune had been significantly reduced.

It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!
Wang Dao gently shook his head:

"Binny, if a person's wealth is categorized into several levels: zero, one million, ten million, one hundred million, one billion, and ten billion, which level do you think would allow us to live the best life?"

Han Bin was about to answer when he suddenly paused, thinking for a long time without finding a solution, and then said:

"Isn't this 10 billion the accurate answer?"

Liang Kun asked suspiciously:
"In traditional thinking, isn't it true that the more money the better?"

Everyone was somewhat surprised and uncertain.

Liang Kun spoke their minds: in traditional thinking, the more money the better.

That way, you can buy whatever you want.

But the meaning of "the way of the king" is clearly not like that.

Wang Dao sighed:

"If only things were that simple."

"Benny, your net worth is around 500 million now. This is the happiest time of your life, so cherish it."

Han Bin asked, puzzled:
"why?"

Wang Dao replied:
"At your level of wealth, you're in a prominent but inconspicuous position in Hong Kong."

"Don't worry about others tripping you up. As long as you don't do anything stupid, you can do whatever you want. Don't be too carefree."

"But when it came to our point..."

Wang Dao drew a circle, encompassing both Liang Kun (Chen Guozhong) and himself.

"When it comes to our situation, the problems become much more complicated."

"Do you think my reputation as Hong Kong's richest man sounds intimidating?"

"That's really scary..."

"Once the richest man becomes famous, all sorts of scoundrels and monsters start to emerge."

"So a few days ago, someone slipped me some money."

"The Ugly Country has 3 billion US dollars, and the Governor's Mansion has 2 billion Hong Kong dollars."

"I don't want it, that's not okay."

Everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

Liang Kun exclaimed:
"Ado, you mean all this money was 'inserted' into your account by someone else? It wasn't what you wanted?"

Wang Dao smiled wryly:
Why do I want it?

"Acquiring HSBC to quell the bank run was part of our plan. Do we need any additional support for that?"

“No need.”

Han Bin nodded:
"Indeed, it's not necessary."

"The run on banks has subsided."

"Hung Hing contacted its fellow members in the triads, and fortunately the demonstration was completely wiped out."

"In fact, a month has passed, and if we hadn't been secretly providing financial support, those marches wouldn't have been able to continue at all—they wouldn't have money to eat if they didn't work."

"Survival is always the first priority."

"After we greeted them, the protesters disappeared without a trace."

"The bank run has subsided."

Everyone nodded slightly.

Handsome Kun frowned and said:
"Now that the acquisition spree has subsided, can't we refuse those two funds?"

Wang Dao sighed:

"I dare not refuse."

Liang Kun said incredulously:
"Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do in Hong Kong?"

"The Governor's mansion was under renovation for a full two weeks!!"

"If you've already refuted the Governor's request, then so be it!"

Who else can put enough pressure on you?

Everyone nodded in unison, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction.

The foreign eunuch Du Ye came to Wangdao to show off, but ended up getting humiliated instead. It was quite satisfying.

They found it strange that this formidable man, who didn't even give face to the governor, would dare to give face to anyone.
Wang Dao choked half to death, covering his face with one hand and said:
"This is the downside of rising too fast."

"Our growth is lagging behind."

Everyone looked at each other.

Han Bin murmured:
"I always felt that Brother Dao was swearing, but I had no proof."

Wang Dao rolled his eyes and said:

"Stop messing around, I'll just tell you the truth now."

"Take student organizations as an example."

"Blue lanterns represent one level, 49 represents another, the bottom represents a third, and the leading stock represents yet another."

Who will have the most comfortable life?

Han Bin immediately gave the answer:
"The bottom!"

Wang Dao clapped his hands and said:
"That's right, the bottom."

"Blue Lanterns are starving and cold, and they have no one to rely on. They live the most miserable lives."

"Although Sijiu is a formal member of the gang, his status is too low and his money is too little. Any big shot can make him miserable. It's impossible for him to live a comfortable life."

"The leader has to face competition from various organizations and suppression from the authorities. Although he has a lot of money, living a good life is just a pipe dream."

"Only the common people live the most comfortable lives." "To be specific, those common people who have no ambition, stay in their own little world, and have good interpersonal relationships live the best lives."

"There are no specific contradictions, whether going up or down, and even from the perspective of other groups, such a bottom line will not pose a great threat."

"They have the best life."

"You agree with this, right?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

Kingly Way claps hands
"Hey, let's change these levels back to money: zero, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions, billions, or tens of billions."

"Everyone understands now, right?"

"Binny's level is in the hundreds of millions, while Kun, Zhong, and I are in the billion level."

“No one can stop Benny from doing whatever he wants. Although your wealth is not much compared to the top few, you have considerable retaliatory power. No one will be foolish enough to offend you.”

"You are carefree and at ease, and those who are inferior to you would never want to provoke such a big tiger."

Therefore, you are the most carefree.

"However, we are at a different level now."

"We are too valuable to be of any use."

“Someone asked us to take something, so we had no choice but to.”

"Someone asked us to be a front man, so we had no choice but to be one."

“Our share of the money is rightfully ours, not a penny less.”

"But things that shouldn't be ours... we shouldn't even think about them."

"Our group will grow stronger and stronger. As long as we don't do anything reckless, we will only grow stronger day by day."

“People who don’t know the situation will only think that our group has attracted too much investment.”

"They have no idea that, if possible, we would not want any of these investments at all."

"However, it's useless."

"If someone gives it to you, you'd better accept it. Otherwise, the consequences will be..."

Wang Dao spread his hands, looking serious and earnest.
"Believe me, absolutely no one wants to experience these terrifying things."

Everyone is stunned!
Everyone looked at each other, feeling incredulous.

Bozi said in a trembling voice:
"Ado, must we accept this?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Some time ago, something happened in the martial arts world. It seems that Da Pu Hei from Lian Sheng stole some of the powder."

"I can tell you all that Oura Black's departure from the fandom was orchestrated by someone."

Can he refuse?

"Dare you refuse?"

"If they refuse, that's easy. Not only will Dapuhei be finished, but Liansheng may also be implicated."

"If we don't refuse, there's still a glimmer of hope."

"It's a pity that of all things to do, they had to become fans."

"It was resolved internally by Heliansheng."

Bozi's pupils suddenly dilated:
"Have we really gotten to this point?"

Wang Dao explained:
“A top businessman in Hong Kong, the richest Chinese businessman, or now we can call him the richest Chinese person.”

"Whether we like it or not, we have indeed reached this point."

Suddenly, everyone lost their appetite.

I originally thought this was an internal dinner for the core team, a chance to have a nice meal and drinks.

The group has secured a US$3 billion investment, plus a HK$2 billion interest-free loan, so it can relax a bit.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Dao brought such a frightening piece of news.

That money wasn't what Wang Dao wanted; it was given to him by others, and he had no choice but to accept it!
No one here is a fool; they would never believe in any free lunch.

This money is too hot to handle!
Everyone looked at each other, their brows furrowed.

Han Bin's forehead was covered in sweat:

"Ado, you can't refuse this money?"

Wang Dao shook his head:
"cannot!"

"The Governor's Mansion is alright; they acted on a whim."

"However, the Ugly Kingdom..."

"That's impossible to refuse."

Do you really think diodes are playing a joke on you?
Apart from the red bear in the north, the Ugly country is really not afraid of other countries.

Well, as long as it doesn't involve violence, he's not afraid of his hometown.

There's an old saying in my hometown: "The common people can't fight against the officials."

“Even in the Western world, no large corporation wants to fight against the government.”

"At best, they will train agents to enter the government and gradually change the policies that are favorable to them."

"The government is always the government."

"Don't listen to the nonsense of the Ugly President or Mrs. Dalmatian of the Fog City, talking about small government and such."

"I have data showing that there are far more civil servants in the U.S. now than at any other time in history."

The crowd's expressions grew even more grim.

Chen Guozhong immediately grasped the key point:

"So, even after we've reached this stage, someone will try to bribe us?"

Wang Dao nodded slightly.

"Correct!"

"This is a tradition that has been carried over from the second season."

"Given our size, calling it an elephant in the room would be an exaggeration, but in a tiny place like Hong Kong, it is indeed a behemoth."

"It's hard for others to ignore us."

"It's only natural for people to give you things."

"This is something we had no other choice."

"It was inevitable."

"Companies of similar or larger size to us, regardless of who they are or what country they are in, will be given gifts."

Van couldn't help but ask:

What would happen if I refused them?

Wang Dao smiled and said:
"It's nothing much. The consequences of refusing are bankruptcy and the destruction of your family."

Van's face turned pale:
"It's so dark!"

Wang Dao thought for a moment and shook his head:

"It's not fair to call it black; it's all part of the necessary procedures."

There's no escaping it.

Van was stunned and puzzled.

Wang Dao used an analogy:
"Isn't Hetu amazing? It was the number one triad in Hong Kong back then, and even now, after it split off, it can still be ranked in the top ten."

"Such a size poses a serious threat to Hong Kong."

"Foreigners can't be blind."

"Therefore, Hetu had to work for the foreigners, accept their arrangements, and inevitably, some things were forced into Hetu's hands..."

Van asked Han Bin incredulously:

"Binny, is this true?"

Han Bin said nonchalantly:
"How could Brother Dao's words be false?"

"But then again, back then, if you wanted to join a gang, it was practically impossible without a foreigner backing you up."

"This is an open secret."

Van immediately shut up, feeling as if the world of chivalry in her heart had been shattered and broken.

Wang Dao laughed and said:

"Sister-in-law, don't think it's because our gang is too cowardly."

"No merchant in Chongqing can avoid it."

"Which of the four major trading companies hasn't received some kind of bribe?"

"Do you really think that everything at Jardine Matheson belongs to the founding family? That's no longer the case."

"To be honest, their shares have already been diluted."

"However, this thing has its pros and cons."

"The advantage is that, with the help of some capital, the business has expanded greatly and we've made more money."

"The downside is that as the company grows, the founding family may no longer have the final say."

Everyone fell silent once again.

The information Wang Dao provided was too much for everyone to process.

And so the dinner party ended in this eerie atmosphere.

As everyone sat around chatting over tea, Liang Kun suddenly said:
"Ado, what are your plans?"

Wang Dao calmly stated:
“We’ve developed too fast. I originally wanted to tell you these things later.”

"But then I thought, I should say it sooner rather than later."

"So that if someone really comes looking for you, you won't be caught off guard."

"By the way, we can't accept what everyone puts on us."

"My plan is simple too."

"The inflow of funds is a good thing, as it allows us to share the risks."

"As long as I have the final say, that's fine."

Han Bin frowned and said:
"Putting everything else aside, just look at the three billion US dollars from the US. With such a huge sum of money coming in, can we still have any say in it?"

Wang Dao laughed heartily:

"I can make them money, more money than they could under their control. If they don't listen to us, who will they listen to?"

"Don't worry about our share reduction. Those people are very disciplined. They won't take a single extra share that is rightfully ours. This is also one of the unspoken rules."

Liang Kun and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Good heavens, is this the world of the truly wealthy and powerful? What were they before?
Han Bin then reminded him:

"Three billion US dollars... can that really give us control over our own destiny?"

Wang Dao smiled and shook his head:

"This three billion US dollars isn't something they just gave us; what they wanted to give us hasn't arrived yet."

"These US dollars are just a test."

Everyone was stunned. A test of three billion US dollars? What a huge move!
(End of this chapter)