In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 711 Li Jiacheng and others were furious

Lin Haoran had his reasons for reminding Liang Zhonghao twice not to spread his pessimistic views on Hong Kong's real estate industry over the next two or three years.

Previously, when Hongkong Land Group sold off those real estate businesses, Hong Kong almost fell into a real estate crisis ahead of schedule.

The Governor's Office paid a considerable price to stop the real estate crisis from continuing, allowing Lin Haoran to make a huge profit by buying five prime plots of land.

The site where the world's tallest building is now under construction was purchased during that time.

Moreover, these plots of land, which should have fetched a record price of five or six billion Hong Kong dollars at auction, were ultimately acquired at a cost price of three billion Hong Kong dollars, and the payment could be delayed for a full three years.

The British and Hong Kong governments suffered huge losses.

This is precisely why Lin Haoran saw the Governor's Office's emphasis on Hong Kong's real estate industry and its desire to prevent it from falling into a slump.

The reason is quite simple: a downturn in the real estate industry would significantly reduce the revenue of the British and Hong Kong governments, which would in turn reduce the benefits transferred to Britain.

Therefore, Lin Haoran had no intention of letting his words get out, as that would definitely offend the Governor's Office.

However, Liang Zhonghao had no evidence to suggest that Lin Haoran had said these things, as he did not carry any recording pen or similar items with him.

Therefore, even if the other party does spread the rumor, Lin Haoran can openly and honestly deny that he said such a thing.

Of course, Lin Haoran also believed that the other party would not speak carelessly; if they did, it would only cause trouble for the Liang family.

Lin Haoran isn't afraid of even the most powerful British-owned conglomerate in Hong Kong, so why would he be afraid of a second-rate wealthy family?
After seeing Liang Zhonghao off at the villa gate, Lin Haoran returned to his study. He first faxed a copy of the contract to Ma Shimin, and then sat on the sofa, looking at the contract in his hand with some emotion.

Even forty years from now, in the 2020s, the Peninsula Hotel will still be a symbol of luxury and history in Hong Kong, and one of the benchmarks in the global hotel industry.

Today, the hotel is essentially under one hand's control.

With just this nearly 50% shareholding, Lin Haoran didn't believe that Laurence Kadoorie had any room to resist.

Lin Haoran gently closed the contract and walked to the study window.

The dazzling lights of Central, a bustling area at night, were reflected in his deep eyes.

Lin Haoran could even vaguely see the magnificent and luxurious Peninsula Hotel on the north shore of Victoria Harbour.

The Peninsula Hotel, a representative of luxury hotels in Hong Kong, resembles a classical art palace standing on the shore of Victoria Harbour. It blends the solemnity of Neoclassicism with the exquisiteness of Art Deco and has maintained its elegance and majesty for nearly sixty years.

Lin Haoran's villa on Shixun Road is located on a relatively high level. Behind the study is a wide slope, so even from the first floor, one can see the bustling night view in the distance.

He began to look forward to seeing how Laurence Kadoorie would react when his house was robbed while he was plotting with Li Jiacheng and others to oppose him.

This magnificent and luxurious hotel was built at great expense by Laurence Kadoorie's elders, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is the pride of the Kadoorie family.

Thinking of this, a playful smile appeared on Lin Haoran's lips.

The moment the Kadoorie family chose to be his enemy, they had to bear the consequences of his revenge.

He didn't care what kind of British-owned elites or powerful figures they were in Hong Kong. Offending them meant paying the price; it was that simple.

In the blink of an eye, a night had passed.

Three prominent business figures have been spotted at Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport.

Li Jiacheng, Henry Keswick, and Brown from Standard Chartered Bank were present here discreetly.

Soon, they boarded a flight bound for Singapore.

This time, their goal was clear: to secure the Raffles Hotel, Singapore's benchmark luxury hotel!

In their view, the fact that three major financial groups came to visit them at the same time was definitely a sign of respect for Singapore, and that Singapore would certainly consider selling given their investment strength.

Therefore, all three boarded the plane with confident expressions.

However, they never dreamed that just three days ago, Lin Haoran had made a single phone call and directly persuaded the Singaporean side, and sent Ma Shimin there, and successfully signed the 100% equity agreement for Raffles Holdings.

Today, this luxury hotel, which holds a similar status to the Peninsula Hotel in Singapore, has quietly changed hands.

As the plane landed at Singapore Changi Airport, Li Ka-shing walked down the steps with an air of triumph, as if he could already see the Raffles Hotel in his grasp.

Besides the recent sharp decline in the performance of several businesses of Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa, there is another very important reason why Li Ka-shing is targeting Lam Ho-yin.

That is, Li Ka-shing's funds have not given up his ambition, an ambition to become the richest man in Hong Kong and even Asia.

Standing in front of the glass facade of Changi Airport, Li Jiacheng gazed at the bustling cityscape of Singapore, a sinister glint in his eyes.

Changi Airport only officially began operations last month, while the old Paya Lebar Airport has ceased its function as a civilian airport.

However, Li Jiacheng had absolutely no interest in the new airport.

At this moment, he recalled his own high spirits when he first took over Hutchison Whampoa.

At that time, he was a rising star in Hong Kong's business world, hailed by the media as "Superman".

But Lin Haoran's sudden emergence overshadowed his own glory.

Every company Lin Haoran acquired was enough to shock the entire Hong Kong.

Which of Hong Kong Electric Holdings, Hongkong Land Group, Hongkong Telecom, etc., is worse than Hutchison Whampoa?

With Lin Haoran around, how could he possibly ascend to the throne of Hong Kong's business world?

Li Jiacheng clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

He recalled the time when Lin Haoran defeated Jardine Matheson and successfully acquired Hongkong Land Group. On the cover of Financial Weekly, next to a photo of Lin Haoran in high spirits, were the five words "New Overlord of Hong Kong".

Even though he controlled Hutchison Whampoa, one of the four major foreign trading companies, he gradually received less and less media coverage.

The contrast was so stark that it was hard for him to accept.

Therefore, if Lin Haoran's strength is not suppressed, he will never have a chance to rise to prominence.

He himself might not be able to defeat Lin Haoran.

But what if we could bring most of Hong Kong's business tycoons into an alliance?

At that time, there might still be an opportunity.

As long as Lin Haoran is isolated in Hong Kong's business community, his business empire will be subject to constraints at every turn.

At that time, Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings may try to take advantage of the situation and even try to take a share of the profits, or even nibble away at some of the businesses under Lin Haoran's control. Only in this way can they break through the existing constraints.

This is the main reason why he spearheaded the anti-Lin alliance.

Ambition can make a person incredibly powerful, or it can drive them to madness.

"Mr. Li, the car is ready." His assistant's voice brought him back to reality.

Henry Keswick, who was standing nearby, chuckled and asked, "Mr. Lee, what are you thinking about?"

Li Jiacheng shook his head, smiled calmly, and said, "It's nothing. Let's go, we'll head straight to the Raffles Hotel."

Brown had already made arrangements with the relevant people the day before he arrived.

Therefore, this time they only need to go directly to the hotel, and someone will greet them.

Singapore is not big; it's only a dozen kilometers from the airport to the Raffles Hotel.

Therefore, in less than half an hour, the group had arrived at the entrance of the Raffles Hotel.

Since the equity transfer agreement was signed only recently, the handover between Singapore and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has not yet taken place. In other words, Raffles Hotel is still temporarily under the management of Singapore.

"It's so luxurious! It's just as good as the Peninsula Hotel owned by the Kadoorie family!" Brown looked up at the luxurious hotel.

Raffles Hotel was built in 1887 and has a history of nearly 100 years, making it older than the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.

As a representative building from Singapore's colonial period, it is known for its luxurious suites, fine dining, and historical significance. It is on par with Singapore's Merlion and is one of Singapore's iconic buildings.

Their arrival has already attracted the hotel's attention.

Not long after, a middle-aged man came out of the hotel and personally greeted the other party.

"Mr. Henry, Mr. Lee, Mr. Brown, hello, welcome to Singapore!" The middle-aged man smiled and shook hands with each of them.

“Mr. Liu, I apologize for disturbing you,” Henry Keswick said with a smile.

The other party is the true controller of Temasek Holdings.

"Please come in, everyone," Mr. Liu gestured for them to enter.

The group soon arrived at a luxurious conference room.

Mr. Liu was somewhat surprised by the purpose of everyone's visit.

Henry Keswick, in particular, has contacted him for two consecutive days in the past week, wanting to acquire the Raffles Hotel.

This time, he was surprised to find that he had come with two other Hong Kong business tycoons.

However, these are the major investors that Singapore hopes to win over, so they cannot be neglected.

Mr. Liu personally poured tea for the three of them and said with a smile, "You've come from afar, is there anything I can do to help you?"

“Mr. Liu, the purpose of our visit this time is the same as before. We have decided to jointly acquire Raffles Holdings. As for the conditions, please feel free to name them, and we will do our best to meet them as long as they are reasonable!” Henry Keswick stated his purpose directly without beating around the bush. Although Mr. Liu had expected this, he still sighed slightly upon hearing their directness.

He put down his teacup, looking troubled: "Gentlemen, I'm truly sorry, but Raffles Hotel actually completed its share transfer two days ago. In other words, the shares of Raffles Hotel are no longer actually in the hands of our Singapore Temasek Holdings."

Upon hearing this, all three of them immediately changed their expressions.

Li Jiacheng's pupils contracted sharply, and his voice trembled: "The Raffles Hotel has been acquired? That's impossible!"

This was completely unexpected; they hadn't received any prior warning beforehand.

Henry Keswick chimed in, "Mr. Liu, this joke is no joke! Our three parties have joined forces with utmost sincerity; are we not even given a chance to negotiate?"

Brown frowned slightly, but did not speak, waiting for the other party to explain.

They had a bad feeling.

After all, they already knew that Simon Murray of Hongkong Land Group was in Singapore three days ago.

"To be honest, the company acquiring Raffles Hotel is Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a subsidiary of Hongkong Land Group. We've been negotiating for over two months, and only a few days ago did we finally reach an agreement, and the deal is officially completed."
"So, I apologize, everyone, you're late. Actually, when Mr. Henry called me, the deal had already been finalized, but because the share transfer hadn't been completely completed, it wasn't appropriate to make it public. Now that the three of you have come in person, I'll tell you the truth." Mr. Liu shrugged helplessly.

Li Jiacheng's face instantly turned gloomy, and he muttered, "So it really is Lin Haoran?"

They were ultimately too late.

Raffles Holdings is a formidable company, and the successful acquisition of Raffles Holdings by Mandarin Oriental Hotels undoubtedly strengthens its position and poses a significant threat to their luxury hotel business.

Mr. Liu nodded: "That's right, it's Mr. Lin's Land Group."

Henry Keswick slammed his fist on the conference table, making teacups clink: "Damn it! It's Lin Haoran again!"

As the owner of Jardine Matheson, Henry Keswick hated Lin Haoran to the core.

He was naturally furious to see the other party successfully acquire the Raffles Hotel right under their noses.

Brown's face was also terribly grim: "Mr. Liu, why wasn't there a single word leaked about such a huge deal?"

"It's a trade secret, please understand," Mr. Liu said apologetically. "However, Mr. Lin's offer was indeed very generous, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed. As for the specific terms, I'm sorry, I cannot disclose them!"

Upon hearing Mr. Liu's words, all three realized that the matter was already settled, and that continuing to argue would only bring them further humiliation.

I never expected that after traveling all the way from Hong Kong with such confidence, I would get such a result.

When they arrived, the three of them were full of confidence. In their view, with the three of them personally taking charge, there was nothing they couldn't handle.

After all, although Raffles Hotel has become a symbol of Singapore, it is ultimately just a hotel.

But now they realize that they have been slapped in the face by Lin Haoran once again.

The other party had already quietly taken over the Raffles Hotel, and they were completely unaware of it, even feeling that they were fully confident of taking over the Raffles Hotel before Lin Haoran.

What an ironic scene.

The three of them felt like clowns.

Li Jiacheng suppressed his displeasure, slowly stood up, straightened his suit, and forced a smile back on his face. He said, "Mr. Liu, in that case, we won't bother you any longer. We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate again next time."

The other two also got up to say goodbye.

Although they were unhappy, they knew it was inappropriate to show their temper in front of Mr. Liu.

After all, they also have a positive outlook on the Singapore market.

Although Singapore's development prospects may not be as good as Hong Kong's, its strategic position as an important port in the Strait of Malacca cannot be ignored.

Therefore, they will naturally also make arrangements in Singapore.

Therefore, no matter what, we must not offend Mr. Liu.

"Gentlemen, we have prepared a luncheon. You have just arrived from your flight, so let's have lunch together first. There are many investment opportunities in Singapore. Although the Raffles Hotel transaction is complete, we have other investment projects we can cooperate on," Mr. Liu warmly invited.

Upon hearing this, the group had no choice but to stay.

The entire lunch was spent in a half-hearted manner by the participants.

After the luncheon, they all said goodbye to Mr. Liu again.

Li Jiacheng walked out of the hotel with a horribly gloomy expression.

Standing on the stone steps in front of the Raffles Hotel, he stared at the century-old building with a sinister gaze.

The August sun in Southeast Asia was scorching and blinding, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his heart.

"We underestimated this young man!" Brown remarked with some emotion.

The other party always manages to be one step ahead.

Their carefully laid plans thus fell apart.

"Everyone, what suggestions do you have now? Since it's impossible to snatch the Raffles Hotel, there's no point in us staying in Singapore anymore," Brown said.

"Let's go straight back to the airport. We're heading back to Hong Kong now!" Li Jiacheng had no intention of staying in Singapore.

“Gentlemen, I won’t be going to Hong Kong with you. I have some matters to attend to here in Southeast Asia. If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact me, and I will do my best!” Henry Keswick said.

For Henry Keswick, Jardine Matheson no longer had any important business in Hong Kong, and he had dealt with most of it in Hong Kong in the past few days, so he was unwilling to return to Hong Kong.

On the contrary, Jardine Matheson still has many businesses in Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia remains an important market for Jardine Matheson.

“In that case, Mr. Henry, let’s say goodbye for now. We’ll keep in touch!” Brown said.

With a gloomy face, Li Jiacheng shook hands with Henry Keswick to say goodbye, then turned and strode towards the waiting car.

Brown quickly followed, and the two got into the car.

"Go straight to the airport," Li Jiacheng instructed the driver.

The car drove away from the Raffles Hotel and through the bustling streets of Singapore.

Looking out at the modern buildings flashing by, Li Jiacheng suddenly asked, "Mr. Brown, how did Lin Haoran manage to do that? Why was it so sudden? Just when we had a plan to intercept him beforehand, he was able to complete the acquisition at such a crucial moment?"

Brown sat next to Li Jiacheng, his brow furrowed. "I suspect there might have been an information leak within our ranks. Only a few of us knew about this operation, yet Lin Haoran was able to predict it precisely."

"It shouldn't be. After all, they talked for more than two months. It might just be a coincidence," Li Jiacheng said, shaking his head.

The three of them all hated Lin Haoran to the core, so how could they possibly leak the news and inform him?
Brown nodded thoughtfully: "That makes sense. Maybe it was just bad luck. But this completely disrupts our plans. Mandarin Oriental's acquisition of Raffles gives it a significant lead over the Peninsula Hotel in the Asia-Pacific region, and we haven't even disrupted their plans."

Their original plan was that if they could sabotage Lin Haoran's acquisition of the Raffles Hotel, then their counterattack against the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in the luxury hotel industry would be considered a great success.

However, it is now clear that the plan to hijack the Raffles Hotel has completely failed.

Although the luxury hotel market in Hong Kong has successfully regained a significant share, can such achievements really win over enough other Hong Kong businessmen to join forces against Lin Haoran?
The two were already exhausted from traveling all morning, and now, with this outcome, they were even more weary and frustrated.

Even so, they were unwilling to stay in Singapore for even a moment longer.

They just wanted to get back to Hong Kong as soon as possible to figure out what to do next.

……

Just as Li Ka-shing and Brown were purchasing the latest tickets from Singapore to Hong Kong, thousands of miles away at the Hong Kong Leisure Building, a scene of jubilation unfolded.

Senior executives from Hongkong Land Group and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group raised their glasses in celebration!

The champagne bubbles danced merrily in the crystal glasses, reflecting the undisguised joy on everyone's faces.

First, they acquired 100% of the shares of Raffles Hotel Singapore, and now they have acquired nearly 50% of the shares of Xiangjiang Hotel. This is definitely a huge leap for Mandarin Oriental Hotels!

If the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group was previously just a regional luxury hotel brand, it is now considered a major international luxury hotel brand.

The luxury hotel business has already spread to several international metropolises such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore.

"Boss, we still need you to step in. Every time you do, you can easily get what we need," Ma Shimin said with some emotion.

In the morning, Leung Chung-ho had already received the certificates for the more than 3100 million shares of the Grand Hotel, and the transaction funds of over HK$10 billion had been transferred to Leung Chung-ho by Hongkong Land Group through Hang Seng Bank.

Furthermore, Liang Zhonghao stated that in the future, all the cash flow of his family and even his company will go through banks under the Hengsheng Group!

This is naturally a good thing for Hengsheng Group.

After all, the Liang family is a powerful and wealthy family.

Originally, the other party's funds were held in Huifeng Bank. Later, because Xiangjiang Hotel was a British-owned enterprise, he tried to cooperate with British banks as much as possible for the convenience of funds.

Now, Lin Haoran has indirectly brought Hengsheng Group another big client.

"This is just the beginning, Mr. Ma. My goals are ambitious. I hope that the Mandarin Oriental Hotel can become the most well-known luxury hotel chain brand in the world. So, there is still a long way to go!" Lin Haoran said with a slight smile.

"Boss, please rest assured, I will definitely work hard to achieve your goal. In addition, I have already contacted the reporters. At 5 pm this afternoon, we will hold a press conference with Mr. Liang Zhonghao at the Kang Le Building. As a listed company, Mr. Liang Zhonghao's sale of shares to us must be publicly announced!" Ma Shimin continued.

"Okay, you can arrange it as you see fit!" Lin Haoran nodded.

(End of this chapter)