Hong Kong: Rise of the Kings.

Chapter 923 0911 [Ask for forgiveness]

boom!
Blast!

Claiming 100 million?!
Everyone at the scene couldn't sit still.

Ni Kuang was the first to jump up: "Are you kidding me? He actually dared to ask for 100 million yuan in compensation?"

Shen Baoxin continued, "Yes, even if they really want to claim compensation, it wouldn't be so exaggerated - one hundred million, it's just a pipe dream!"

Jin Yong also felt that this matter was a bit exaggerated. One hundred million? Give it to me!

Others were shocked but also laughed, thinking that Du Yongxiao's legal team was making a fool of themselves. There hasn't been a lawsuit like this in Hong Kong in all these years, and the amount of compensation for loss of reputation was 100 million. Did they think this was a fairy tale?
However, Li Zhihui, the newspaper's legal adviser, had a serious expression on his face. He looked at everyone laughing and seemed not to have realized how serious the situation was.

"Everyone, please listen to me." Li Zhihui had to speak.

"Haha, Lawyer Li, go ahead and talk."

"Yes, let's hear what you, as a legal expert, have to say about this matter."

Jin Yong and others quieted down and looked at Li Zhihui together.

Li Zhihui then took a deep breath and said, "Everyone, based on my many years of legal experience and my deep knowledge of British law, the claims made by the Du Group and Du Yongxiao himself against our newspaper... are reasonable!"

boom!
The scene exploded again.

"What did you say?"

"Did I hear you right? Claiming 100 million yuan, is that reasonable?"

"Lawyer Li, please don't exaggerate!"

Everyone questioned Li Zhihui.

Jin Yong also looked at Li Zhihui in confusion. When everyone calmed down, he asked, "Lawyer Li, don't be ridiculous. A claim of 100 million yuan is unreasonable!"

"Yeah, how is such a terrifying number possible?" Shen Baoxin also questioned.

Li Zhihui knew that no one would believe him unless he produced evidence.

So Li Zhihui opened the briefcase he carried with him, took out a pile of documents, put them on the conference table, pointed at the documents and said, "Everyone, at the beginning, I was just like everyone else. I had doubts about the Du Group's claim for compensation. I thought they were exaggerating, especially the huge amount of compensation, which was beyond imagination. So I carefully investigated the Du Group and some of Du Yongxiao's personal circumstances. I didn't know until I investigated. These are the results of my investigation. You can take a look--"

Seeing how serious Li Zhihui was, everyone was suspicious and took the information and looked through it one by one.

Jin Yong, Shen Baoxin, and Ni Kuang also picked up the information and looked at it.

Li Zhihui said: "First of all, regarding Du Yongxiao himself, he asked for compensation for mental damages and reputation damages. If it were an ordinary person, we could just ignore it. But Du Yongxiao himself is the first Chinese police commissioner in Hong Kong. He is in a high position and has a special status in the Hong Kong government. Even the governor of Hong Kong has to be wary of him. In addition, he is also the president of Phoenix Pharmaceutical Group in the United States and the United Kingdom, the chairman of the Paramount-Fox Film Alliance in the United States, and a close friend of Edward, the leader of the London Conservative Party, and a close friend of President Carter of the United States. If you think these relationships are not enough, then Du Yongxiao, as the first Chinese earl of the British Empire, this title is enough to kill everything!"

Everyone at the scene started to gasp.

Earl of the British Empire,

Commissioner of Police,

Business tycoon,

Dear Friend the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,

Old friend of the US President——
With such status and position, his reputation has been damaged. How much compensation should he receive?

Seeing that no one said anything, Li Zhihui sighed and said, "Okay, I know this is a bit too general. After all, a person's status cannot be measured by specific money. So let's take a look at the Du Group's claim--"

"The Du Group owns Hong Kong Hengchuang Real Estate, Shunfeng Express, McDonald's, and the Mitsubishi Motors that is currently under construction. It also owns Phoenix Pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom and the United States, two major Hollywood film companies, PolyGram Records, and Pangu Security, etc. These are the ones I have been able to find. If my guess is correct, there are still many subsidiaries of the Du Group that I have not found."

"Just looking at these companies, their total assets are as high as tens of billions of dollars, and their annual profits are also calculated in hundreds of millions of dollars—"

Before Li Zhihui had finished speaking, the scene exploded again.

"Impossible! How can the Du Group be so huge?"

"Hundreds of billions? Then doesn't Du Yongxiao really deserve to be called a billionaire?"

"Is the Du Group's wealth so terrifying?"

No wonder these people are asking soul-searching questions.

Since its establishment, the Du Group has adhered to Du Yongxiao's principles of doing things and never showed off. Therefore, no one knows about its huge size, and its financial resources are probably even unknown.

Now that Ming Pao has been sued for compensation, Li Zhihui has conducted a comprehensive asset investigation of the Du Group for the first time.

When he knew the result, his expression of surprise was no less than that of everyone present.

Who would have thought that the Du Group, which everyone often talks about, is so terrifying, and with such strength it is enough to occupy a place among the top 100 companies in the world.

"What you have in your hands now are the financial statements of the Du Group in recent years. Of course, these are only a part of it, the public part. I don't have the ability to get the details. But even with these in front of me, the total figures are enough to shock me! 3.3 billion US dollars in profit, converted into Hong Kong dollars, is 25 billion! Therefore, the other party's total claim for compensation of 100 million Hong Kong dollars is actually not high!"

Li Zhihui's words directly ignited the scene.

"Isn't a claim of 100 million too high?"

"Damn it, why is the Du Group so valuable?"

"It's over! There's no way to escape the 100 million!"

Jin Yong looked even more pale as he held the documents in his hand.

Ming Pao was created by him, just like his own son. Now someone wants to cut off his son's flesh, and the cost is 100 million! After cutting off his son, he will definitely die!

Shen Baoxin also had sweat on his back. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead and said, "Impossible! How is this possible?" It seemed that he still couldn't believe what he saw.

Ni Kuang opened his mouth wide and muttered, "One hundred million! This Du guy is amazing. He didn't do anything, but he could earn one hundred million with just a lawsuit! I can't earn that much even if I write novels for my whole life!"

The others were even more anxious and talked a lot.

"There's no way to save it!"

"How can we fight this lawsuit?"

"Lawyer Li, do you have the confidence to win?"

"Yes, Lawyer Li, you are the chief lawyer of our newspaper. Only you can solve this kind of problem!"

Everyone once again focused their attention on Li Zhihui, hoping to see the light.

Li Zhihui smiled bitterly, "Although our legal team is very good, it is inferior to the Du Group in both hardware and software! Not to mention anything else, the other party's chief lawyer Brando alone is not something you and I can deal with!"

“So amazing!”

"Brando? I think I've heard of him. He's a very sharp man!"

Everyone fell silent again, no longer singing and laughing as before, and clamoring for a celebratory banquet.

At this moment, Ming Pao's sales volume ranked first, surpassing all other major newspapers. The joy brought by these good news disappeared, and the newspaper was filled with the worry that it would be sued or even go bankrupt.
Jin Yong suddenly stood up and said, "Okay, no need to discuss this anymore."

After a pause-——
"The meeting is dismissed!"

sound,

Weak.

……

Jin Yong held a serving of Zha Zha and brought it to his mouth little by little with a silver spoon. When he was young, he boasted at the dinner table and ate as much meat as he could. But as he got older, he didn't have as many things to say, and the meat and wine were too greasy. Instead, he became interested in some sweets that he was too lazy to touch in the past.

When I founded Ming Pao, I often ate these cheap street sweets commonly seen in Macau. After eating, I would write novels. I relied on thirty-six novels to support the entire Ming Pao.

As his status and position gradually improved, Jin Yong had long been tired of bird's nests and shark's fins. Instead, he had a special liking for this kind of street snack. But now, if he doesn't try a bowl of it every day, he always feels that his mouth is tasteless.

After slowly eating the bowl of dessert and waiting for the maid to wipe the corners of his mouth, Jin Yong said to Li Zhihui, who had been sitting next to him for more than ten minutes and had been patiently waiting for him to finish eating, "Ah Hui, there are many things that cannot be said in the meeting today. Are you sure about this lawsuit? If so, how likely are you?"

"Honestly, Mr. Cha, we're not very confident!" Li Zhihui poured cold water on Jin Yong directly, "What I said in the meeting were what I really wanted to say. Even if you invite me here tonight, the same thing applies. If we really want to sue, we don't even have a 30% chance of winning!" Li Zhihui saw Jin Yong's fingers move, and immediately handed him a cigarette, lit it for him, and spoke.

"Not even 30%?" Jin Yong frowned and stopped smoking. "Are you saying we are bound to lose this lawsuit?"

"Yes!" Li Zhihui said without hesitation, "Not only will you lose, but you may even go bankrupt! In addition, as the person in charge of the company, that is, the legal representative, if you lose the lawsuit and cannot repay the 100 million Hong Kong dollars in compensation, then you may even go to jail!"

"What?" Jin Yong stood up suddenly in shock and stared at Li Zhihui with wide eyes.

Li Zhihui said calmly: "I shouldn't have said these words, but as the company's legal representative, I still think it's better to make it clear."

Jin Yong rubbed his forehead and felt a little headache. He had wanted to change the company's legal person a long time ago. He used the excuse of being too old to take the position so as to avoid being involved in a lawsuit. He didn't expect that plans would not change as quickly as they did.

"How credible is what you said?" Jin Yong said as he unbuttoned his shirt. The maid beside him hurriedly raised a fan to fan him gently.

Li Zhihui pondered for a moment and said, "Du Yongxiao is a vindictive person. If you offend him, he will put you in jail! Unless you can pay 100 million yuan in compensation."

"One hundred million?" Jin Yong smiled bitterly. "Everyone says I'm a newspaper tycoon, but I don't have that much personal money! Unless I sell all the copyrights of my novels at once, I can only get the money together in a short time."

Jin Yong spoke slowly. Although his eyes were a little cloudy, his thoughts became clearer. "The question is, who is willing to help me in this situation?"

Jin Yong was right in saying this, the person he offended was Du Yongxiao.

Who is Du Yongxiao?
Commissioner of Police of Hong Kong, business tycoon.

Now that the news has spread, everyone knows that Ming Pao was defrauded by the Du Group and was demanded to pay 100 million yuan. Who would dare to help him in this situation?
If I help him, I will offend Du Yongxiao.

At that time, Du Yongxiao will definitely retaliate against him.

Li Zhihui sighed and said, "Chasheng, actually you still have a choice now..." He was about to say something but stopped.

Jin Yong was slightly stunned when he saw Li Zhihui's expression. "What choice? Just tell me!"

Li Zhihui gritted his teeth and said, "That is... go find Mr. Du, and then - take the blame!"

"Bearing a thorn stick to ask for forgiveness?" Jin Yong was stunned.

Not only is he so old, he is also a cultural landmark of Hong Kong, a famous martial arts master, and has a great reputation. Now he is asked to "take the blame" in front of a young boy -——
Why is the love?

"Is there no other way?"

"No!" Li Zhihui shook his head. "For now, only you can save Ming Pao!"

"Am I the only one who can save Ming Pao?" Jin Yong closed his eyes.

Is personal reputation more important, or is Ming Pao more important? It’s really hard to decide!
……

New Territories, private villa.

"Uncle Shao, what's the matter that makes you call so late?" Du Yongxiao held the receiver and said to Shao Yifu, the tycoon Shao, on the other end of the line.

During this period, Du Yongxiao was busy with construction work at the Tsuen Wan site and lived in the New Territories, rarely returning to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

Shao Daheng's voice was very loud, and it was obvious that his health preservation and Qi training had reached a new level during this period: "You are a very busy man, and your phone number is especially valuable. I had a hard time getting it from Yan Xiong, and he told me that he had something urgent to tell you, and only then was he willing to tell me your current number..."

Shao Daheng's tone was full of helplessness.

Once upon a time, Du Yongxiao was just a small Chinese detective. If you wanted to make a movie, you had to look up to him for approval. But now, he, the great tycoon Shao, has to go through all means to get the other party's phone number.

"Ahem, sorry, Uncle Six! There have been too many people looking for me recently, so I gave my number to--"

"No need to explain, I know this kind of thing." Shao Daheng interrupted Du Yongxiao and said, "You are a busy man, and so am I, so there is no need to be too polite when speaking, let's get straight to the point."

"Okay, Uncle Six, what do you want me to do?"

"I dare not give orders, but I am entrusted by someone. I heard that you are suing Ming Pao recently, right?"

"It is true." Du Yongxiao said, "The other party published a lot of news that damaged my reputation regardless of whether it was true or not, so our company's legal team is collecting evidence to sue the other party."

"Give me some face and let this matter drop here, okay?"

"Haha, of course I have to give you face, Uncle Six, but I can't make the decision on this matter. Our company's legal team is handling it, and I personally can't interfere with their work..."

"You mean you don't want to?" Shao Daheng said in an unhappy tone.

He has a very good personal relationship with Jin Yong.

In particular, Shaw Brothers was able to dominate the Hong Kong film industry thanks to Jin Yong selling the exclusive adaptation rights of the novel to Shaw Brothers, which allowed Shaw Brothers to take the lead in martial arts films.

In addition, Shao Daheng himself also likes to communicate with cultural people. They have morning tea or coffee and talk about literature and art together. He feels that his level has been improved a lot.

Now that Jin Yong took the initiative to find him for help, he certainly felt obliged to do so. He thought that he could rely on his old reputation to get Du Yongxiao to give him face, but he didn't expect Du Yongxiao to refuse like this.

"I know what I can do to satisfy you!"

"Satisfy me? Haha, Uncle Six, you think too highly of me. I'm just a businessman and a government official, not an emperor in the old society..." Du Yongxiao laughed, "I won't get angry no matter who offends me. Just go through the legal process!"

"Then there's nothing to talk about!"

"Even if we talk, it should be Mr. Cha who talks to me, right? Why bother you?" Du Yongxiao smiled slightly, and finally said: "No need to say anything else. I am in Tsuen Wan now. I will treat you to tea when I return to Hong Kong Island." Du Yongxiao hung up the phone easily with a smile on his face.

Given his current status and position, he can ignore anyone's face!
Not to mention Mr. Shao, even if the Governor of Hong Kong came, it wouldn’t work!
On the other end of the phone——
Shao Daheng put down the phone awkwardly, turned to Jin Yong who looked hopeful and said, "Sorry, there's nothing I can do!"

Jin Yong was stunned for a moment: "Is there no other way?"

Now he was completely anxious.

Du Yongxiao doesn't even give face to Mr. Shao, let alone himself. Ming Pao might go bankrupt.

"The one who tied the bell must untie it!" Shao Daheng said earnestly, "As for you, take care of yourself!"

(End of this chapter)