Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire.

Chapter 271 Ripples (4K) (Seeking monthly votes, recommendations, and subscriptions!)

Chen Bingwen's office is located on the top floor of the Weiye Building.

Huo Jianning stood in front of his desk, his expression not very good. He gently placed a document on the desk.

"Mr. Chen, things have changed at Hongfa Building."

Chen Bingwen looked up from a report on sales data in the North American market, glanced at Huo Jianning, and gestured for him to continue.

"The developer withdrew its previous offer of 850 million."

Huo Jianning reported with a hint of anger, "New offer: HK$1.08 billion."

Moreover, their attitude was very firm, leaving almost no room for negotiation.

"One billion eighty million?"

Chen Bingwen paused for a moment, repeated the number, leaned back in his chair, and laughed, "It's 140 million more than the 940 million we initially agreed on."

What's the reason?

"It is said that the market is currently on the rise, especially after the Caring Group acquired the Golden Gate Building for nearly one billion yuan, which has restructured the valuation system of Grade A office buildings in Central."

Huo Jianning explained, "They believe that the previous offer significantly underestimated the value of the Hongfa Building."

"Jia Ning — Chen Songqing —" Chen Bingwen murmured the name.

This speculative frenzy sweeping Hong Kong Island ultimately affected his plans.

The developer was clearly inflated by the exorbitant price of the deal with Jianing and wanted to take advantage of the situation to make a quick buck.

He remained silent for a moment, quickly calculating in his mind.

One billion eighty million was far beyond his psychological valuation of the building.

Paying nearly 200 million yuan more for a group headquarters location is not worthwhile.

This is inconsistent with his style of prudent management.

"Jianning," Chen Bingwen said decisively, "Reply to the developer that we cannot accept this price."

The acquisition of Hongfa Building is now complete.

Huo Jianning didn't seem surprised by the decision and nodded: "Understood."

"Then, regarding our headquarters location selection—"

"Let's put it on hold for now." Chen Bingwen waved his hand. "The Weiye Building may be a bit crowded, but it can still hold on."

The current real estate market is overheated, so it's not a good time to buy.

We can wait.

He paused, already having a new plan in mind.

Since the developers want to raise prices arbitrarily, he's not going to play along with them.

There will always be a correction in the real estate market in the future, and there may be better opportunities then, or even—his gaze inadvertently swept over the outlines of the iconic buildings owned by Jardine Land in the distance.

"Okay, Mr. Chen."

I'll take care of it right away.

Huo Jianning picked up the documents, turned around, and left the office.

By abandoning the acquisition of Hongfa Building, a considerable amount of cash flow was saved.

Chen Bingwen needs to find a new place where the money can be returned more quickly.

It was now mid-April 1980.

The sensational takeover battle by Wharf Holdings, which shook Hong Kong, is about to begin.

At this moment, the two opposing sides, Jardine Matheson and Y.K. Pao's Worldwide Shipping, are both secretly accumulating strength, hoping to strike first and eliminate the other from the game.

However, in order not to alert the other side, neither side dared to make any big moves in the secondary market, for fear of provoking the other, revealing their intentions, and thus igniting a war.

This delicate balance and restraint, ironically, gave the third party a brief window of opportunity.

An opportunity to quietly accumulate chips before the storm arrives.

Chen Bingwen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Wharf Holdings—owning large tracts of prime land and dock assets in Tsim Sha Tsui, whose book value is far lower than its actual asset value, has always been a coveted target for capital.

If one can quietly acquire a portion of Wharf Holdings' shares on the secondary market while both sides remain inactive, the value of these shares will multiply regardless of whether Jardine Matheson or Y.K. Pao emerges victorious in the future.

Even without participating in the final battle for control, reselling at a high price would still yield a very considerable profit.

If handled well, it's possible to earn enough to build a headquarters building.

Thinking of this, he pressed the internal intercom button and instructed, "Ali, please ask Manager Xie Jianming to come over."

A few minutes later, Xie Jianming, the head of the investment department, strode in.

"Mr. Chen, you wanted to see me?"

"Jianming, sit down." Chen Bingwen gestured for him to sit, then asked directly, "Approximately how much working capital do we currently have that won't affect other businesses in the short term?"

Xie Jianming was clearly aware of the financial situation and immediately replied, "After deducting the funds for maintaining daily operations and approved projects, the funds that can be flexibly mobilized at present are approximately HK$1.53 billion."

However, if it's for repaying loans, there won't be that much, probably only around one billion.

"One billion—" Chen Bingwen pondered. This figure was even more substantial than he had anticipated, clearly due to the significant contributions from the profits in the London gold market and the stable sales cash flow of the Pulse energy drink.

"Okay. I have a task for you."

He lowered his voice and said, "Starting tomorrow, use this money to quietly acquire Wharf Holdings shares on the secondary market."

A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Jianming's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

As the head of the investment department, he naturally paid close attention to market dynamics, and he was aware of the undercurrents in the Wharf Holdings equity dispute.

"Mr. Chen, what is our goal?"

"Take as much as you can, the more the better."

Chen Bingwen explained, "At this point in time, Jardine Matheson and Universal are both hesitant to act rashly, which is a good opportunity for us to quietly build up our positions."

Even if we don't ultimately participate in the acquisition, the stock price will inevitably soar once the war breaks out, and we can resell it to make a considerable profit.

He doesn't need to fight for controlling stake; that would involve a fierce battle between the two giants, which would be too costly.

What he needs to do is be a quiet fisherman, taking advantage of information and time differences to steadily profit from market fluctuations.

Even if we take a step back and resell these shares to Y.K. Pao later, we can not only make a profit from the price difference but also gain a favor.

This money can be used to support the rapid expansion of his business empire.

"Understood! I'll do it myself."

Xie Jianming immediately understood his boss's intention. This was a classic case of playing with fire, but if handled properly, the profits could be enormous.

"Go ahead, but be careful with risk control," Chen Bingwen instructed.

"yes!

'

In April, winter still lingers in Gaoguanchun City, Jilin Province, and the wind carries a biting chill.

It was past five o'clock in the evening, and the sky had already darkened.

In an old laboratory building at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, there was a faint smell of ammonia mixed with organic solvents.

The lights were dim, and several old instruments emitted a low hum.

Huang Jichang was wearing a faded Zhongshan suit with some wear on the cuffs.

He was leaning over a makeshift fume hood, carefully adding liquid drop by drop into a three-necked flask using a burette.

This simple set of glass instruments is the pilot-scale apparatus for the "synthesis of taurine by ethylene oxide method," which he has been working on for several years.

The reaction solution in the flask appeared as a cloudy, milky white.

Huang Jichang frowned, his eyes fixed on the changes in the liquid surface, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Although the temperature in the laboratory was only around ten degrees Celsius, the intense work still made him feel stuffy.

"Drip—drip—" The liquid in the burette slowly dripped down.

Huang Jichang's heart was also in suspense with the ticking sound.

This is a crucial step in the small-scale synthesis of taurine using the ethylene oxide method—the cyclization reaction.

The reaction temperature, feeding rate, and catalyst activity—any slight error in any of these areas could lead to the failure of all previous efforts, resulting not in the target product taurine, but in a pile of useless tar.

This is the third time he has repeated this experiment this week.

The first two times, the reaction was incomplete because the ethylene oxide was not pure enough.

On another occasion, due to slight fluctuations in temperature control, the product's color was alarmingly dark, and its purity fell far short of requirements.

The institute was short of funds, and it was especially difficult to apply for raw materials like ethylene oxide, which were not part of the planned budget. Every bit used was precious, and he couldn't help but feel the pinch.

"Gurgle—" A soft sound came from the abdomen.

Huang Jichang then remembered that he had only eaten two cold steamed buns he brought from home at noon in order to meet the experimental schedule, and his stomach was already complaining.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to concentrate, and made his movements even gentler and more steady.

Finally, the last drop of liquid was added.

He quickly closed the burette stopcock and carefully recorded the time and temperature.

Over the next few hours, the mixture needs to be kept at a constant temperature and stirred to allow the reaction to proceed fully.

He straightened his aching back, took off his heavy reading glasses, and rubbed his dry eyes vigorously.

No matter how difficult it is, he doesn't want to give up on this research.

Compared to mainstream methods abroad, the ethylene oxide process is more advanced, lower in cost, and less polluting.

If it succeeds, it will be a good thing for the country and for the people.

However, the next step of pilot-scale production requires at least 50,000 yuan in funding. Where will this money come from?

It's impossible to stay at the institute. Do we really have to go out and "beg" from companies, as some people have suggested?

But these days, which company would be willing to invest money in a research project that seems to be a long way off?

Outside the window, the last glimmer of light had disappeared.

In the laboratory, only the monotonous sound of the reactor stirrer and the slight hum of the fluorescent lights accompanied the middle-aged researcher who was in trouble.

He walked to the window, gazing at the deepening night outside and the scattered lights of the residential area in the distance, his heart heavy.

He is 48 years old this year and has worked at the Institute of Applied Chemistry for almost 20 years, so he is considered one of the institute's veterans.

But life became increasingly difficult.

Since last year, the institute has implemented a "budget contract" system. The increase in operating expenses allocated from above cannot keep up with the rise in prices, so each research group has to find its own way to "make ends meet".

His project, "synthesis of taurine by ethylene oxide method," was listed as a key research project by the State Science and Technology Commission a few years ago and its prospects were promising, but it still falls under the category of "food additives."

Given the current focus of the institute on supporting the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" project and defense chemical projects, it appears somewhat "out of the ordinary," making it extremely difficult to secure funding.

This laboratory is still the old building from when the institute was built in 1958, and the paint on the walls has peeled off in some places.

In winter, heating is done by burning coal, and the temperature fluctuates greatly, which has a significant impact on experiments.

Summer is hot and humid.

He applied several times to replace the water bath with a better one, but his applications were ignored.

The research project wasn't going well, and it seemed like things weren't going well at home either.

Thinking of home, Huang Jichang frowned even more.

His wife works as an accountant in a small factory in the neighborhood, earning a meager income.

My elderly mother is in poor health and takes medication regularly.

My son is taking the college entrance exam this year, and my daughter is still in junior high school. We need money for everything.

His meager monthly salary barely covers his family's expenses, leaving him with almost nothing.

Last time, my wife said that our son had his eye on an English reference book that cost several dollars, and she hesitated for a long time before deciding not to buy it.

Thinking of this, Huang Jichang felt a pang of guilt.

This father, who is a researcher, seems to have nothing more to offer his children than a room full of bottles, jars, and piles of data.

This predicament, like an invisible shackle, constantly bound him.

"well----"

A barely audible sigh was heard.

He knew that things were difficult for his institute and for the country.

But seeing his hard-earned new technology stalled due to a lack of pilot-scale funding of only tens of thousands of yuan, he felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.

When will our own technology be able to break free from the constraints of poverty?

"Teacher Huang, the data has been recorded."

Just then, a young research assistant came over with a notebook, his nose red from the cold.

There are few young people in the institute, and even fewer who are willing to follow him on such "no-prospect" projects.

"Okay, put it there."

Huang Jichang nodded, sighing inwardly.

He knew that his young subordinates had it tough too; following him, they received no bonuses or benefits, and didn't even have decent experimental facilities.

Their colleagues in the key laboratory have long been using imported instruments, while they're still tinkering with these outdated glass bottles.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, Huang Jichang took off his white coat and carefully hung it up.

Instead of going directly to the canteen, he went back to his home in the institute's residential area first.

It's called a home, but it's actually a small room of about 30 square meters, where the four members of their family are crammed together.

It was just as cold inside as outside, so we had to use the coal briquettes for heating sparingly.

"Dad, you're back." The eldest son was doing his homework under the dim light, giving the only decent table to his younger sister.

"Hmm," Huang Jichang responded, and seeing his son writing on a small stool by the bed, he felt a pang of sadness.

He patted his pockets; his salary for the month was almost gone again.

"Old Huang, is there still no news about that project at the institute?" His wife asked cautiously as she brought in a bowl of cabbage.

She knew how much effort her husband had put into this project, and she also knew that the family's predicament was largely due to her husband's stubbornness in refusing to switch to a project that would bring in quicker money.

"—Almost there, just wait a little longer," Huang Jichang mumbled, turning to help his wife pick vegetables.

He couldn't tell his wife that the report might have been shelved again.

The intellectual's sense of superiority and his sense of responsibility as a father and husband were tearing him apart.

Sometimes, when he wakes up in the middle of the night and looks at his sleeping child and his wife's tired profile, he wonders if his persistence is worth it.

"Grandma doesn't love me, and my uncle doesn't care about me."

This phrase perfectly describes his taurine project.

It's not on the agenda for national tasks, and market applications haven't taken off yet; it's stuck in the middle, caught between two undesirable goals.

Life is so tight, and there seems to be no end in sight.