In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 713 Two tigers cannot share one mountain!

In the past, when facing interviews with reporters, Li Jiacheng always gave people the feeling that he had the victory in his grasp.

But today, he was like a cornered beast, completely losing his former composure and demeanor.

Therefore, although Li Jiacheng had already left the airport, the reporters present had already captured the moment when Li Jiacheng lost his composure.

These are valuable news topics for journalists.

They never expected to get such exclusive scoops at the airport!

Before the reporters could react, Brown quickly left the airport with his assistant.

However, these reporters no longer cared.

The scene they captured of Li Jiacheng losing his composure is enough to warrant a feature article in tomorrow's newspapers.

Coupled with Hongkong Land Group's acquisition of the Hong Kong Grand Hotel, a series of news reports made everyone realize that tomorrow's newspapers were destined to become a significant chapter in Hong Kong's business history.

On the other side, the Kang Le Building.

After announcing these major events, Ma Shimin and Liang Zhonghao gave an interview to reporters.

The press conference did not end until 6:30 p.m.

However, by this very moment, the news had already spread throughout Hong Kong.

After all, this was being broadcast live by a television station.

In addition, Hong Kong radio stations broadcast the news live, and almost all drivers and passengers who were driving heard the news.

As the sun sets and Hong Kong begins to be shrouded in night, the commercial pulse of this city that never sleeps beats even more vigorously than during the day.

Hong Kong, brightly lit, is exceptionally beautiful.

In the streets and alleys, in teahouses and restaurants, and even at the dinner tables of ordinary people, everyone is talking about this sudden big news.

"Have you heard? Li Ka-shing threw a tantrum at the airport today. It seems his attempt to join forces with other hotel companies to take down the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has failed!"

"It's on TV! Mr. Lin is really ruthless this time, he raided the Kadoorie family's stronghold!"

"If you ask me, the rule of Hong Kong might soon belong to the Lin family!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! Back then, British-owned companies were so prestigious in Hong Kong, but now..."

The Xiangjiang Hotel Company is as well-known as leading companies like Hong Kong Electric Group and Hongkong Land Group.

For a long time, people have been accustomed to the association between the Peninsula Hotel and the Kadoorie family.

When you think of the Peninsula Hotel, you think of the Kadoorie family.

Therefore, no one ever imagined that the Peninsula Hotel's parent company, Xiangjiang Hotel Company, would be acquired by a Chinese conglomerate, and in such a dramatic way!

Even in the lobby bar of the Peninsula Hotel, several foreign guests who frequently stay at the Peninsula Hotel gathered together, their faces filled with disbelief.

“It’s unbelievable,” a British businessman shook his head. “I’ve been a customer of this hotel for twenty years, staying here for at least several dozen days every year, and I never imagined I’d see the Kadoorie family lose control.”

"Who says otherwise? As a Briton, I have mixed feelings watching British-owned enterprises in Hong Kong decline step by step. First it was England Oil Corporation in Champa, then Hong Kong Electric, Hong Kong and China Gas, Hong Kong Telephone, Hongkong Land, and so on."

By today's Xiangjiang Hotel Company, one British-owned enterprise after another has been acquired by this young Chinese tycoon. "Another British man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, clearly very familiar with the situation in Hong Kong, remarked with some emotion."

Although they were mostly there on business trips, Hong Kong was still a British colony at that time, and the change of ownership of these British-owned enterprises was tantamount to witnessing the fading glory of the empire.

Their conversation piqued the interest of an American international traveler nearby: "Just who is this Mr. Lin? I've heard of Lin Haoran on Wall Street, but I never imagined he could even secure this luxurious Peninsula Hotel."

I have stayed in many luxury hotels around the world, and in terms of location, spatial layout, landscape design, details, service brand culture, dining experience, and so on, The Peninsula Hotel is definitely among the top five globally.

“Mr. Lin is only in his twenties,” the British businessman said in a low voice, “but he is very shrewd. When he acquired Hongkong Land last year, he demonstrated amazing financial strength and courage, and even almost took over Jardine Matheson.”

The competition with Huifeng Bank in the past two months plunged Huifeng Bank into a deep crisis. If it weren't for Standard Chartered Bank's intervention, Huifeng Bank might have faced bankruptcy. Now it seems he was playing a much bigger game all along.

"So young? That's an amazing age!" the American traveler exclaimed in surprise.

Just then, dozens of reporters suddenly burst in.

Because it was so sudden, the security guards at the entrance didn't even have time to stop them before the reporters swarmed in.

The guests in the lobby were also taken aback by this sudden scene and turned to look.

However, the Peninsula Hotel's security team reacted quickly. As soon as they stepped into the lobby, more than a dozen security guards rushed out and formed a human wall, blocking the reporters at the lobby entrance.

The security captain, speaking fluent English, announced loudly: "Dear media friends, please maintain order! The Peninsula Hotel always respects press freedom, but it must guarantee the privacy and safety of its guests. Please leave the Peninsula Hotel!"

“We are here to interview Mr. Laurence Kadoorie, and we hope that Mr. Kadoorie will come out for an interview!” a reporter from the South China Morning Post shouted.

Other journalists also requested to see Laurence Kadoorie.

Hong Kong is only so big, and the media are the most well-informed. They already knew that Laurence Kadoorie was at the Peninsula Hotel today.

Now that the Hongkong Land Group's press conference was over, they naturally wanted to interview the other protagonist in the sudden acquisition of the Hong Kong Grand Hotel.

They wanted to know if Laurence Kadoorie knew about this beforehand.

If they knew about this beforehand, why would they willingly allow this hotel, a symbol of their family's honor, to be taken over by others?

If they didn't know, these journalists would also like to know what Laurence Kadoorie would think.

However, these reporters were destined to fail. Just as the security captain was dealing with the reporters, a commotion suddenly broke out at the hotel's concierge office near the side entrance.

"Mr. Kadoorie left through the staff entrance!" a sharp-eyed reporter suddenly shouted.

The reporters immediately became agitated, with some trying to break through the security guards' blockade and others turning around and running out of the hotel.

But it was too late—through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could only see the silhouette of a black Rolls-Royce slowly driving away from the hotel.

Laurence Kadoorie, of course, would not give an interview. He was very troubled at the moment. As the head of the Kadoorie family, he knew what losing the Peninsula Hotel would mean for the family.

Therefore, he is unwilling to accept these interviews at all. He just wants to return to his family as soon as possible and discuss with other family members how to deal with this sudden event.

Ten minutes earlier, he had already called both Brown and Li Jiacheng.

However, there was no useful information.

He suddenly began to regret why he had listened to Li Jiacheng and Brown's deception and joined the so-called "anti-Lin Haoran alliance".

In his view, Lin Haoran's sudden move to target the Hong Kong Grand Hotel was definitely a retaliatory act against the Kadoorie family for their actions.

Now, the Kadoorie family has become the first target of Lin Haoran's counterattack.

Laurence Kadoorie's temples throbbed. He recalled Li Jiacheng's solemn promise from a month ago: "As long as we outnumber each other, we will be strong. Lin Haoran will definitely be too busy to take care of himself. Now, Lin Haoran's companies are too ambitious in various industries. This is the best time for us to join forces and fight back."

At the time, he strongly agreed with Li Jiacheng's statement.

After all, even iconic luxury hotels like the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong have seen their occupancy rates plummet due to competition from Lin Haoran's hotel business.

This is just the luxury hotel industry; according to his research, the same applies to many other industries.

It was for this reason that Laurence Kadoorie was eventually persuaded by Li Jiacheng and Brown to join them in dealing with Lin Haoran.

According to Laurence Kadoorie, although Lin Haoran had not offended their family, this society is all about profit.

Suppressing Lin Haoran is a good way to promote the better development of Xiangjiang Hotel.

With a monopolistic enterprise like CLP Power, the Kadoorie family has nothing to fear in Hong Kong's business world.

Moreover, he never imagined that Lin Haoran would so suddenly acquire the shares held by Liang Zhonghao; he had never considered such a scenario before.

Therefore, this matter was nothing short of a bolt from the blue for Laurence Kadoorie.

However, it's too late to regret it now.

With the other party holding nearly 50% of the shares, while the Kadoorie family's mere 12% shareholding was simply no match for them.

Originally, Lawrence Kadoorie scoffed at the saying "Don't mess with Lin Haoran," as the Kadoorie family had never been afraid of anyone in Hong Kong!
Now, he's been woken up.

Even so, he was unwilling for his family to lose the Hong Kong Grand Hotel Company and the landmark Peninsula Hotel project.

We must find a way to take the Peninsula Hotel back from Lin Haoran!
……

While news of the acquisition of the Hong Kong Grand Hotel by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a subsidiary of Hongkong Land Group, spread throughout Hong Kong, Lin Haoran was at his villa in Deep Water Bay.

Today is August 25th, and there are only nine days left until his engagement day, September 3rd.

Therefore, Lin Wan'an specifically called Lin Haoran home to explain some things about the engagement.

Although Lin Haoran didn't need to worry about anything throughout the process, he still needed to understand the necessary procedures.

Otherwise, you'll end up being manipulated like a puppet, which would be a laughing stock.

Not only Lin Haoran was at the Lin family villa, but Guo Xiaohan and her parents were also there.

The two families are about to become in-laws and are very satisfied with each other, so they get along very well.

In the living room, Guo's father and Lin Wan'an were enjoying fine Longjing tea and discussing the details of their two children's wedding.

“Old Lin, I think we should hold the engagement banquet at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central. We can only invite a few close relatives and friends, just a few tables. After the engagement, our two families can choose an auspicious date and set the wedding date. Then we can have a big banquet. What do you think?” Mr. Guo said with a smile.

Lin Wan'an nodded: "That suits me perfectly. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is Haoran's property and a famous luxury hotel in Hong Kong. It's not impolite to place it there."

At this moment, Lin Haoran said with a smile, "Daddy, Uncle Guo, let's hold the banquet at the Peninsula Hotel. It's more suitable there. Daddy, you just need to coordinate with the Peninsula Hotel!" Lin Haoran's words immediately made everyone present look at him, and they all showed puzzled expressions.

After all, in their view, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is under Lin Haoran's control. Even if they were to hold a banquet, it would be more appropriate to do so at their own hotel. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is not much worse than the Peninsula Hotel, so why choose someone else's hotel?
Since they had gathered here that afternoon and were busy with matters concerning Lin Haoran's engagement, no one present except Lin Haoran knew about it.

Lin Wan'an put down his teacup, his brow furrowing slightly. "Hao'er, what do you mean by that? Isn't the Peninsula Hotel a property of the Kadoorie family?"

Lin Haoran smiled meaningfully: "Daddy, Uncle Guo, I have some news to tell you. I have officially acquired 50% of the shares of Xiangjiang Hotel. At 5 pm this afternoon, the Landmark Group will hold a press conference at the Kang Le Building to announce this."

In other words, starting today, Xiangjiang Hotel has been officially acquired by me, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will privatize Xiangjiang Hotel and completely take over this long-established luxury hotel brand!

As expected, all the major newspapers in Hong Kong will report on this matter tomorrow. Mr. Ma from Hongkong Land told me that more than sixty media outlets were invited to the press conference this afternoon!

These words immediately shocked everyone present.

Lin Wan'an's teacup fell to the ground with a "clatter," splashing tea everywhere. However, he was in no mood to care about it at the moment and would have the servants clean it up later.

This news came as a complete surprise.

Xiangjiang Hotel, yet another British-owned giant has been acquired by its own son?

The thought of the Peninsula Hotel's luxurious and elegant atmosphere made Lin Wan'an's fingers tremble slightly with excitement.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself: "Hao'er, why didn't you tell me about something this big beforehand?"

Lin Haoran smiled and poured his father another cup of tea: "Dad, the business world is like a battlefield; opportunities are fleeting. This acquisition must be completed quickly, which is why I haven't told anyone."

Mr. Guo had already come to his senses and exclaimed in admiration, "Excellent! Fantastic! The Peninsula Hotel is a landmark of Hong Kong!"

He turned to his wife and said, "I remember the first time we came to Hong Kong from Malaysia, we stayed at the Peninsula Hotel!"

Mrs. Guo nodded repeatedly, her eyes shining with delight: "Holding the wedding at the Peninsula Hotel is indeed much more impressive!"

Guo Xiaohan's cheeks flushed slightly as she gently tugged at Lin Haoran's sleeve: "Such a large acquisition must have cost a lot of money, right? I remember the Xiangjiang Hotel's market value wasn't low either."

Lin Haoran smiled slightly, took her hand and said, "The reason I bought the Xiangjiang Hotel was for you, wasn't it? Ever since we confirmed our engagement, I've been planning the Peninsula Hotel, all to give you a perfect engagement banquet and a future wedding banquet. It's worth it."

In my opinion, of all of Hong Kong, only the Peninsula Hotel is the most suitable place to host our grandest wedding banquet!

These were, of course, lies to Guo Xiaohan.

Women love to hear romantic and affectionate words, and Lin Haoran was well aware of this.

A sweet lie is better than a thousand useless explanations.

Normally, he wouldn't have had much interest in the Xiangjiang Hotel.

He bought the Hong Kong Grand Hotel purely because the Kadoorie family was too unethical, actually colluding with others to target him, so he did not hesitate to fight back.

The plot to acquire the Hong Kong Grand Hotel can be seen as a severe lesson to the Kadoorie family.

The acquisition of Xiangjiang Hotel is just the beginning.

He will also deal with the others later.

Offending Lin Haoran will surely bring bad consequences.

Although he is young, it doesn't mean he will let others bully him.

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Haoran's eyes, but he quickly regained his gentleness.

He gently squeezed Guo Xiaohan's hand: "Besides, the staff at the Peninsula Hotel are all highly professional; they'll definitely give us a perfect and romantic banquet."

Guo Xiaohan was indeed moved by these words, her eyes reddening slightly. She gently leaned on Lin Haoran's shoulder and said, "Brother Haoran, thank you!"

Little did she know the turbulent business world hidden behind this acquisition.

Lin Haoran gently stroked her hair, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

He thought to himself: Women are indeed easy to coax. However, this acquisition was indeed a double-edged sword, giving the Kadoorie family a severe lesson and allowing him to show off his romance in front of his fiancée.

Mr. and Mrs. Guo looked at their prospective son-in-law with satisfaction.

To prepare for their daughter's wedding, the other party actually acquired the most famous and top-tier luxury hotel in Hong Kong, which was completely unexpected.

Since Lin Haoran treated their daughter so well, they felt even more at ease.

Lin Wan'an looked at his son, both proud and worried: "Hao'er, the Kadoorie family won't let this go so easily, will they?"

The Kadoorie family is a long-established and powerful family in Hong Kong. Having been established in Hong Kong for many years, they have long been one of the most formidable families in Hong Kong.

Everyone in Hong Kong knows that the Kadoorie family has always regarded the Peninsula Hotel as a symbol of their family honor.

However, with Hao Ran's acquisition of the Xiangjiang Hotel Company, the Kadoorie family has lost control of the Peninsula Hotel.

Lin Wan-an felt that the Kadoorie family would never swallow this insult easily.

"Don't worry, Daddy," Lin Haoran calmly picked up his teacup, "They can't cause any trouble. I've already arranged for people to keep a close eye on them. Even if they retaliate, I'm not afraid."

At the same time, I have already initiated the privatization process for the Xiangjiang Hotel by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. My shareholding in the Xiangjiang Hotel will only increase in the future, and the Kadoorie family will have no chance of regaining control of the Xiangjiang Hotel.

"Daddy, don't forget, even Jardine Matheson and Huafeng Bank were defeated by me, let alone a mere Kadoorie family. Don't worry, what can they possibly do against me?"

At this moment, Lin Haoran's confident charm once again captivated Guo Xiaohan, causing her to hold Lin Haoran's hand even tighter.

A man like that is hard to find anywhere in the world.

On the contrary, she felt more and more unworthy of Lin Haoran.

Looking at the perfect couple, Lin Wan'an felt both gratified and moved: "Hao'er, of course I believe in you. You're becoming more and more sensible in your actions."

He turned to Guo's father, "Old Guo, shouldn't we start planning the details of the engagement banquet?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Father Guo rubbed his hands excitedly. "Let's continue our discussion. The deadline is approaching, and we must do even better so as not to bring shame to the Lin and Guo families!"

Mr. Guo was naturally very pleased that his daughter was able to marry such a business tycoon.

Lin Haoran and Guo Xiaohan looked at each other and smiled.

That night, Lin Haoran simply stayed at the Deep Water Bay villa.

Guo Xiaohan, on the other hand, went back to the villa on Barker Road with her parents.

As night deepened, Lin Haoran lay in his small room in the attic, pondering his next business strategy.

Outside the window, the faint sound of ocean waves could be heard, but his thoughts had already drifted far away, and soon he fell into a deep sleep…

Before you knew it, the night had passed.
In the morning, influenced by his biological clock, Lin Haoran woke up around 7 a.m.

After yawning and washing up, I went downstairs.

Downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Lin were sitting on the sofa. Mrs. Lin was watching TV, while Mr. Lin was reading the newspaper.

Clearly, the two of them got up very early.

"Hao'er, get up! I'll go to the kitchen to heat up your breakfast." Seeing Lin Haoran come downstairs, Lin's mother got up and walked towards the kitchen.

Lin's father pushed up his reading glasses and said with a smile, "Hao'er, come here quickly. Today's newspapers are all about your acquisition of the Xiangjiang Hotel."

Lin Haoran also walked over to his father's side with great interest and sat down.

He also wanted to know how these newspapers reported it.

Lin's father then handed Lin Haoran a copy of the Hong Kong Commercial Daily.

Hong Kong Commercial Daily front page: Lin Haoran acquires Hong Kong Grand Hotel, Li Ka-shing's rage at the airport: a turning point in the century's business war!
[Live from Kai Tak Airport by our reporter Zheng Wenhao]
At 5:15 pm on August 25, Hutchison Whampoa Chairman Li Ka-shing and Standard Chartered Bank tycoon Brown returned to Hong Kong from Singapore. The two looked gloomy and walked in a hurry.

However, just as they stepped out of the airport arrival hall, the airport's television screens suddenly broadcast a joint press conference between Hongkong Land Group and Mandarin Oriental, announcing that Lin Haoran had successfully acquired 49.9% of the shares of Xiangjiang Hotel and initiated the privatization process!

Li Jiacheng lost control on the spot! The usually composed "Superman Li" turned ashen-faced and clenched his fists with veins bulging after seeing the news.

When pressed by reporters, he became unusually enraged, shoving them and even yelling, "Get out of my way!"

This scene was captured on camera by dozens of reporters present!
……

Lin Haoran looked at the news with great interest. Interesting, very interesting.

He already knew about Li Ka-shing and his associates' conspiracy.

As a time traveler, Li Ka-shing was very clear about his ambitions.

The other party's ambitions are so great that the entire Hong Kong cannot tolerate them.

However, Hong Kong is now dominated by Lin Haoran.

It's only a matter of time before the other side wants to change this situation and confront Lin Haoran head-on.

As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain.

Now, it is clear that Lin Haoran and Li Ka-shing are both undisputed tiger generals in the Hong Kong business world, and a fierce battle between them is inevitable.

However, Lin Haoran's strength is now far superior to Li Ka-shing's.

It will be difficult for Li Ka-shing to beat Lin Haoran!

(End of this chapter)