Hong Kong variety show: Building a century-old family, starting with Hung Hing

"Real estate is still the most stable."

"Heroes see the same thing."

Gao Shengquan laughed loudly, then suddenly changed the subject.

"Zhong Wei, have you ever considered... taking over the Landlord Association?"

Zhong Wei's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face, simply shaking his head modestly.

"I am still inexperienced and dare not think about such things."

Gao Shengquan looked at him meaningfully.

"I'm getting old, and there will come a day when I retire. Then..."

He deliberately dragged out the tone.

"If you are interested, the landlord may give it to you."

Zhong Wei feigned surprise and delight.

"If that day ever comes, I will certainly live up to Mr. Gao's expectations and develop the landlord association even better."

Once he's made his last big profit, he'll have already flown away.

"it is good!"

Gao Shengquan patted Zhong Wei on the shoulder.

"Go and prepare. Remember, the Paramount Ballroom will be closed for two days before any further action is taken."

At the same moment, in VIP room 363 of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central, Jiang Tiansheng was pouring tea for Li Fushu.

"Mr. Li, thanks to your help, East Asia Bank was able to release the loan so quickly this time."

Jiang Tiansheng said respectfully.

"It was nothing. But I heard..."

Li Fushu took a sip of tea.

"Have your companies been accumulating large amounts of Paramount stock recently?"

Jiang Tiansheng's smile remained unchanged.

"The landlords might try to drive up the Paramount stock price to fleece the investors, but I'm not going to let them have their way."

"Oh?"

Li Fushu leaned forward with great interest.

"As far as I know, the Paramount Ballroom is worth only two billion. Is it worth your personal involvement?"

Jiang Tiansheng put down the teapot, his eyes filled with ruthlessness.

“That old fox Gao Shengquan tricked me in the Kowloon area last time. Let’s teach him a lesson this time.”

He paused.

"Besides, the old building at the Paramount Ballroom is in a good location; it can be renovated and sold for a lot of money."

Li Fushu nodded knowingly and took a document from his briefcase.

Speaking of money, regarding the acquisition payment from Chinese Estates Holdings…”

Jiang Tiansheng took the document and quickly browsed through it.

"A three-month payment period is too long; I urgently need funds."

Li Fushu frowned.

"Three billion is no small sum, and three months is already the fastest..."

"The down payment is raised to 40%, and the remaining balance will be settled within two months."

Jiang Tiansheng interrupted him.

"In addition, I need the Bank of East Asia to provide another 700 million in loans."

"Seven hundred million?"

Li Fushu pushed up his glasses.

"What is its purpose?"

Jiang Tiansheng lowered his voice.

"Acquire a portion of the equity in Hong Kong and China Gas Company."

A glint of light flashed in Li Fushu's eyes.

"A gas company? That's a lucrative business. But..."

He looked at Jiang Tiansheng meaningfully.

What will you use as collateral?

"20% equity stake in Zhaoan Real Estate".

Li Fushu shook his head.

"That's not enough. If you really want this loan..."

He flashed a shrewd smile typical of businessmen.

"I want the shares of Hong Kong and China Gas as collateral."

After a long pause, Jiang Tiansheng extended his right hand.

"8% interest?"

"make a deal."

Li Fushu grasped his hand.

"But what about the acquisition method? Wheelock is not easy to deal with."

Jiang Tiansheng revealed a confident smile.

"I have my own connections."

Li Fushu remembered something.

“Wait a minute, I have some connections with John Madden of Wheelock. Should I arrange a dinner for you?”

A look of surprise flashed across Jiang Tiansheng's eyes.

"That's perfect!"

The two smiled at each other and clinked their glasses.

At night, the European-style villas in Ulsan Garden in the semi-mountainous area are brightly lit.

Jiang Tiansheng, reeking of alcohol, pushed open the door to his home.

"You drank so much again!"

Lin Ya walked briskly out of the kitchen, carrying a cup of steaming honey water.

Although she was over fifty, her well-maintained face showed only a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes that betrayed her age. At this moment, her phoenix eyes, which were exactly like Jiang Tiansheng's, were filled with reproach.

"What did the doctor say during the last physical exam? All my liver function indicators were high!"

Jiang Tiansheng took the cup, and the warmth was transmitted to his palm through the ceramic.

"Mom, today's drink was worth it."

He tilted his head back and gulped down half a cup of honey water; the sweet taste diluted the alcohol smell in his mouth.

“If this works out, our family will truly have a place in Hong Kong.”

Lin Ya was about to say something when footsteps came from the stairs.

Luo Qixing came downstairs in his pajamas, his eyes beneath his thick eyebrows filled with inquiry.

"Tiansheng, I heard you met with Li Fushu today?"

He was five years older than Jiang Tiansheng, and his face appeared more composed.

"Are you planning to acquire some large company?"

"Trade secrets."

Jiang Tiansheng loosened his tie, slumped onto the leather sofa, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

"But brother, how's things at the printing plant?"

Luo Qixing's expression suddenly turned serious.

"That's exactly what I was about to tell you. After Yulang International acquired Yongxing Printing at a high price, it started aggressively taking away our business."

He sat down opposite Jiang Tiansheng and pulled a stack of documents out of his briefcase.

"We lost three big orders today."

Jiang Tiansheng suddenly opened his eyes, the drunkenness vanishing instantly.

Is this targeting us, or the entire industry?

"All."

Luo Qixing opened the document and pointed to a few lines of data.

"They quoted customers 15% of the market price, extended the contract period to three years, and set extremely high penalties for breach of contract. Shengyun Printing lost 70% of its business, and its competitors also suffered significant losses."

Jiang Tiansheng paced back and forth in the living room, his leather shoes making a crisp sound on the marble floor.

He suddenly stopped.

"What is our break-even price?"

"At least 60%."

Luo Qixing pushed up his glasses.

"Any lower and we'll lose money."

"Reduced to 70%."

Jiang Tiansheng said firmly.

“If the contract terms are copied from theirs, the penalty for breach of contract will be increased by 10%.”

Luo Qixing gasped.

"What if other customers follow suit and try to lower the price?"

“Set a quantity threshold.”

A glint of light flashed in Jiang Tiansheng's eyes.

"Only orders with a monthly volume exceeding 200,000 can enjoy this discount, with volume offsetting profit."

"But this means we'll have to buy new equipment to meet production capacity."

Luo Qixing was deeply worried.

"The cash flow will be tight."

Jiang Tiansheng walked back to the sofa and patted his brother on the shoulder.

"To do business, you have to be bold enough to expand. I'll give you 200,000 as a down payment for the equipment, and the rest can be financed through a loan."

He paused.

"Or...we could raise the price of raw materials from our suppliers by 5 percentage points."

Luo Qixing shook his head repeatedly.

"This won't do! Our peers will accuse us of breaking industry rules, and how will we ever be able to survive in this industry again?"

"Then let's go with the first option."

Jiang Tiansheng said decisively.

"We'll post a notice tomorrow announcing the purchase of used equipment and the recruitment of ten skilled workers."

Lin Ya frowned as she listened.

"You two, you start talking business as soon as you meet. Tiansheng, finish your honey water first."

Jiang Tiansheng obediently took the cup, but his thoughts had already drifted to another matter.

He turned to Luo Qixing.

"I have already sold that tenement building project in southeast Kowloon to Siu On Properties for 19 million."

"So fast?"

Luo Qixing asked in surprise.

"Isn't that project not scheduled for completion until next month?"

"A low-key deal."

Jiang Tiansheng said it casually.

“The Paramount made a net profit of 1.3 million on this deal. The payment will be made in three installments over three months, and I also asked them to delay the down payment by two weeks.”

Luo Qixing seemed to be deep in thought.

"Is Zhaoan facing financial difficulties lately?"

"That's why they need this project even more."

Jiang Tiansheng's eyes were filled with calculation.

“If this land is managed properly, it can bring them more than three million yuan in profit. Doing favors now will bring returns in the future.”

Lin Ya couldn't stand it anymore and snatched the empty cup from Jiang Tiansheng's hand.

"Can you two brothers just calm down for a bit? Tiansheng, go take a shower and sober up. Qixing, you should get some rest too."

Jiang Tiansheng smiled and put his arm around his mother's shoulder.

"Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."

He turned to Luo Qixing and lowered his voice.

"Give me detailed information about Jade International tomorrow, including the background of their financial backers."

In the bathroom, hot water washed over Jiang Tiansheng's muscular body.

He closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and let the water splash on his face.

Numbers kept flashing through my mind.

Zhao An Real Estate has liabilities exceeding 100 million. Its main assets are the Deer Island Building in Wan Chai and the On Lok Yuen Building in Central, with total assets of over 300 million. Its debt ratio exceeds 50%, and its market value is approximately 140 million.

"That's too risky..."

He muttered to himself and turned off the tap. The bathroom mirror was fogged up by steam, so he reached out and wiped it clear, revealing his reflection with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Wrapped in a bathrobe, Jiang Tiansheng returned to his study, opened the safe, and took out a stack of documents.

Best Property's acquisition plan has been revised to its seventh version. If all goes well, it could bring him tens of millions in profit and reduce Zhao'an Real Estate's debt by 20% to 30%, bringing the debt ratio down to around 45%.

"No speculation, no fundraising through rights issues..."

He flipped through the documents, his pen unconsciously drawing circles on the paper.

"The only option left is to start with the stock market."

However, the news of his impending acquisition of Hong Kong and China Gas will cause his personal debt to surge to 710 million, and when combined with the debt of Chiu On Properties, it will approach the 900 million mark.

Even more frightening is that he must prepare sufficient cash for a possible stock market crash.

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket..."

Jiang Tiansheng picked up his phone and dialed his assistant Su Qishan's number.

"President Jiang?"

Su Qishan's clear voice came from the other end of the phone, indicating that he was still working overtime.

"Help me gather information on export industries such as trade, electronics, and food, the more detailed the better."

Jiang Tiansheng looked out the window at the night view of Hong Kong, where neon lights blurred into a hazy color in the rain.

"Remember to keep a low profile."

The next day, Jiang Tiansheng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the conference room.

"13.5 yuan per share, a 20% premium."

Jiang Tiansheng turned around and glanced at John Madden and Zhang Yuliang across the conference table.

"This price is very fair."

Zhang Yuliang chuckled and slammed his thick hand on the conference table, making the coffee cup clink.

"Mr. Jiang, do you think we're some old ladies buying groceries at the market? Hong Kong and China Gas's profits grew by 15% last quarter, this price is too low!"

Jiang Tiansheng pulled out a chair and sat down, his fingertips gently stroking the folder.

Li Fushu sat to his left and secretly gave him a look.

"So, how much do you think is appropriate?"

Jiang Tiansheng leaned forward, revealing half of his platinum watch strap peeking out from the cuff of his custom-made suit, which gleamed coldly under the light.

"At least an 80% premium."

Jiang Tiansheng's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Thirty percent."

He uttered two words, his voice soft but resounding.

Just as Zhang Yuliang was about to retort, Li Fushu suddenly interrupted.

"Mr. Madden, Hong Kong and China Gas is of high quality, but the Hong Kong government's new regulations on gas pipeline renovations will probably increase costs considerably, won't they?"

He smiled and opened a document.

"This is a forecast made by our analysts; maintenance costs may increase by 30% over the next two years."