money player

Six fifty.

Sin Yiu-man and Chi Tak-chun sat in the restaurant having breakfast together.

"Adam, have you been staying in Bao'an ever since we broke up?"

"Yes, until the end of the war, where did you go after Huizhou?"

“I worked for the British Army Aid Corps in Huizhou for a few months, and then went to India to participate in the reorganization. From 43 to 45, I fought in Southeast Asia and was in charge of the Japanese surrender in Thailand.”

"When I met you, you were a lieutenant?"

"Yes."

"You were promoted from lieutenant to colonel in just three years, and you're so young, why don't you stay in the military?"

"Adam, you don't understand the British army. Too many officers were promoted to colonel during the war. After the war, the army was downsized, and most of the officers who were promoted temporarily had to retire. I was in the first batch to retire."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, "Active or passive?"

"passive."

"This is a sad story."

Qi Dezun shrugged. "I returned to Hong Kong in '47 and joined Hutchison Whampoa, where I'm still now. What did you do after the war ended?"

“After attending secondary school for a few years, I started working and came to Hong Kong in 49 to do some small business.”

"Who in Hong Kong would dare say that Sin Yiu-man is running a small business?" said Chi Tak-chung humorously.

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "I've been lucky; I've always met helpful people. Like now, I've met another one."

"Ha, the truth should be said the other way around, I met you, my benefactor."

"Alright, let's be each other's benefactors."

“That’s a good suggestion,” Qi Dezun said, picking up his coffee cup. “We should have a drink.”

Sin Yiu-man picked up his coffee cup. "Cheers."

After setting down his cup, Qi Dezun cut off a piece of sausage, forked it into his mouth, and said while chewing, "Do you know Sir Cassidy?"

"Hutchison's Taipan".

"He plans to retire next year."

Hutchison's origins can be traced back to Hutchison Whampoa, founded in Guangzhou in 1849, and it was officially registered in Hong Kong in 1877, becoming a corporation.

However, Hutchison's shareholder structure changes every few years. If we define Hutchison as a people-oriented company, the current Hutchison was more accurately founded in 1921 by Philip Cassidy and his brother-in-law Thomas Pierce.

"Just retirement?"

"There's also the exit strategy; he will gradually sell his Hutchison shares."

"You are interested in?"

"of course."

After swallowing the fried egg in his mouth, Xian Yaowen wiped his lips and said earnestly, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Qi Dezun put down his knife and fork and said unhurriedly, "My family is an ordinary family that has developed in Southern Rhodesia. They can't provide me with much help. I need to get help from outside."

“If you mean financial assistance, we can talk about it. My company, Jin Fugui Holdings, just received $800 million in entrusted funds and is in need of projects to invest in.”

Qi Dezun smiled faintly and said, "Adam, you are indeed my benefactor."

"You can talk to me whenever you need to."

"It's not needed now, but it will be soon."

"uh-huh."

Nine o'clock.

Sin Yiu-man appeared downstairs at Li Chih-ching's residence.

Li Zhiqing was thoughtful; a stone table was placed in front of the building, and tea and fruit were prepared.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Zhiqing poured tea, and Xian Yaowen got straight to the point.

“Ms. Li, let me briefly explain to you where your funds will go in the future.” Xian Yaowen opened his notebook and placed it in front of Li Zhiqing, showing her the notes he had prepared on the way here. “The $200 million will be transferred to the United States in the next few days to buy some company stocks. After I get the stocks, I will use them as collateral at the bank to borrow money to continue buying stocks.”

From this point onward, all investments are my personal investments and have nothing to do with Ms. Li. If the investments fail, I will compensate Ms. Li for the stock premium she is entitled to.

Li Zhiqing looked up, shifting his gaze from the notebook to Xian Yaowen's face. "Mr. Xian, I don't quite understand. Could you explain in more detail?"

"Ms. Li, there used to be stock brokerage firms in Shanghai, so you should be familiar with stocks, right?"

"I don't know how to trade stocks, but I've heard many people lose everything by investing in stocks."

Sin Yiu-man nodded. "In the past, most of the stocks issued in Shanghai were worthless, with artificially inflated prices. The situation was a bit better in the United States; there were some worthless stocks there too, but most stocks were still normal."

In the West today, the United States is the dominant power, its economy is not too good, and the prospects for every industry are good. You can buy stocks with your eyes closed, and as long as you are not unlucky, the possibility of losing money is not high.

However, there are differences between stocks. Some may multiply several times in a year, while others may only rise slightly over several years. Some may even fall, not indefinitely, but rather fluctuating. If you don't time it right, you might buy at the highest point and sell at the lowest, resulting in a loss.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Just like now, with the war in North Korea, stocks related to the military industry are doing well. But this trend is visible to both us and others. Military stocks are hot stocks; there are many buyers and few sellers, making it difficult to buy too many shares at a reasonable price."

Ms. Li, your $200 million will be used to buy multiple stocks, while I will use the stocks as collateral for loans to buy other stocks. My risk is greater than Ms. Li's because I also have to bear loan interest, so I will choose stocks with higher risk but also the opportunity to earn more money.

I've already been doing stock-backed purchases, pledging a significant amount of stock to the bank. To put it simply, it would be very difficult for me to come up with $200 million in a short period. My money is tied up in various businesses and stocks. If I don't buy the right stocks later and can't provide additional collateral to the bank in time, Ms. Li, your stocks could potentially belong to the bank.

What I meant earlier was that if this were to happen, I would return the $200 million principal and all dividends to Ms. Li.

"Mr. Xian has bought a lot of stocks in the United States?"

"It was quite a lot, and it's all thanks to the fact that it took me several years to recover. However, I didn't put all my eggs in one basket, so I didn't suffer any serious damage."

Li Zhiqing smiled gently, "Mr. Xian, you don't need to misunderstand. I didn't mean to worry about you."

"Ms. Li, please don't misunderstand. I'm just assuring you that your funds are safe. There's nothing else in my words."

Xian Yaowen moved his chair closer to Li Zhiqing so he could speak with his head down. "Ms. Li, I'll just be frank. Six million US dollars is a lot, and you're probably hiding a lot more. For such a large sum of money, many people would commit murder and arson, and I'm probably one of them."

But Ms. Li is shrewd enough to approach me at the right time and entrust me with her money. The value of this matter itself exceeds ten or twenty times the value of $600 million. Ms. Li, your little bit of money is not enough.

I will not only guarantee the absolute safety of Ms. Li and her family, but also ensure that Ms. Li earns a lot of money. Therefore, please rest assured and do not need to be constantly on guard against me.

Li Zhiqing remained expressionless. "Mr. Xian, did I make the right bet?"

"I hope I won the bet and didn't pay out too much. Ms. Li has way too much money."

"Mr. Xian is a man of few words, and I will not be a coward for him. To be honest, the Huang family's wealth is not that great. A certain percentage of this money is public funds of the Green Gang. With Yue Sheng gone, it is hard to guarantee that no one will be tempted."

Xian Yaowen frowned slightly. "Things are indeed similar to the worst-case scenario I predicted. It seems that protecting Ms. Li is going to be a tough job."

Li Zhiqing smiled and said, "Mr. Xian, do you want to back down?"

Why not hand it over?

"If there's no suitable person, it makes no difference whether you befriend them or not."

Xian Yaowen said sternly, "Ms. Li, cooperation requires integrity. If similar situations occur again, please inform me proactively. Don't wait for me to ask indirectly. You have the right to joke with your life, but you can't joke with my time. If you die without knowing why, who can I complain to?"

“Mr. Xian, I have already confessed, so why are you being so aggressive towards a woman?” Li Zhiqing’s words carried a hint of resentment.

“It’s not that I’m being aggressive, it’s that I want to make my stance clear. Because of your concealment, my costs and risks have increased. I need you to provide a few names and $20. Even the best-laid plans can have oversights. Rather than passively defending, it’s better to take the initiative and eliminate the most threatening ones first.”

Li Zhiqing's expression changed. "You really want to do this?"

"The decision is yours."

"I need to think about it carefully."

“Please take your time to consider it. I’ll continue with where the funds are going.” Xian Yaowen’s face regained its warm smile. “The other $400 I invested in a company called Jin Fugui Holdings. Jin Fugui Holdings is a company that was registered a long time ago, but I spun off its previous business and turned it into a brand new company. Moreover, it is a British-owned holding company. You can think of Jin Fugui Holdings as a foreign firm.”

He pointed to the notebook, "It says here that the source of funds for Hong Kong Jin Fu Gui Holdings is your $400 million and Michelle Morgan's $400 million. I did not invest any funds."

The future shareholding structure will be: London Golden Fortune Holdings 52%, Michelle Morgan 20%, and me 18%. You will not hold shares, but will only receive half of my personal dividends.

“Why don’t I have any shares?” Li Zhiqing interrupted Xian Yaowen. “I know I can’t compare to Miss Morgan and I don’t dare to ask for 20%, but Mr. Xian’s 18% should include half of mine.”

"Let me finish what I have to say," Xian Yaowen said with a faint smile. "The shareholders of London Golden Fortune Holdings include the second generation of British nobles and political families, as well as princesses. Of course, this is just a concept and has not yet become a reality, but I can make it happen."

Okay, I've finished explaining. Do you have any questions?

"How should I calculate my money... no, what should I calculate it as?"

“Your money is considered an investment. If you don’t withdraw the money, you will receive half of the 18% dividend. If you withdraw the money, the dividend will stop immediately. However, you can receive a sum of money at the end. I haven’t decided what this money is for yet. In short, once you receive this money, our cooperation will terminate immediately, and I will no longer fulfill any obligations.”

After a moment of silence, Li Zhiqing asked, "How much money will this be?"

“It’s hard to say now, it depends on the operating situation of Jin Fugui Holdings at that time, but the upper limit is 400 million US dollars, which will not exceed your principal. Hmm... how about we call it chicken rent? I borrow your chicken to lay eggs and pay you a rent.”

"Can I withdraw the money anytime?"

"Anytime in three years, but please give me a quarter in advance to allow me enough time to raise funds."

How can I become a shareholder?

Xian Yaowen tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table. "You're a shrewd man, why would you ask such a question?"

Li Zhiqing chuckled lightly, "One can't always go backwards as one gets older. Perhaps one day I'll be qualified to sit at the bottom."

"When that day comes, I will naturally pull out a chair for you."

Li Zhiqing's smile grew even brighter. "I don't have any US dollars left, how about gold bars?"

"Everything is the same, just write down the names clearly, and write down all the information you know."

Li Zhiqing turned to look at the tenement building behind him, "I've lived here for a few years, and I'm getting a little tired of it."

“As long as you don’t mind that the room is small, I can make room for you to stay temporarily, and you can move in after the new building is completed.”

Li Zhiqing turned around and nodded in acknowledgment, "There are some gold bars in the house, so I'll have to trouble Mr. Xian to send someone over to move them."

"You pack your things and I'll call someone over to help us move them."

"it is good."

"Pleasant to work with."

"I hope Mr. Xian will continue to take care of me in the future."

Ten twenty.

Wang Xiamin's Building No. 15.

kitchen.

Wang Xiamin was pulling alkaline water noodles, while Xian Yaowen was washing pickled mustard greens with a bamboo sieve by the tap.

"You pickled some mustard greens in April, but I haven't seen you take them out to eat yet."

Wang Xiamin slapped the alkaline noodles twice on the cutting board, then put the half-pulled noodles aside. "The pickled mustard greens grown here don't keep well. They were all eaten while you were away, sir."

"Oh, maybe it's because the weather here is too hot, and the snow cabbage hasn't been touched by frost."

“Experts say that sunlight, temperature, growth cycle, and soil pH all play a role.” Wang Xiamin scooped a few pickled bamboo shoots from the jar. “Sir, we only have a few acres of vegetable garden. Isn’t it an overreaction to hire two agricultural experts to take care of it?”

Didn't you ask Zhilan?

"what?"

“They’re not from the Xian family’s household. They’re from the Zhongfeng Laboratory, conducting experiments in their vegetable garden. They’ll go back home when they’re done.”

"Why are people from Zhongfeng Company still drawing money from the Xian family's accounts?"

“I had them do something else.”

"Oh." Wang Xiamin washed the pickled bamboo shoots and placed them on the cutting board to chop. "Sir, how about we cook two dishes? Would it be impolite to only have a bowl of Pian'erchuan noodles?"

“We’re already so familiar with each other, no need for formalities. Peanuts and pork cracklings will do.” Xian Yaowen took a bamboo sieve from the sink and placed it on the drainer. “Is there anything else you want me to make?”

Wang Xiamin shook her head, "It's fine for you to stay here with me, sir."

"What's your apprentice's name?"

“Celine”.

"Can you handle the situation?"

"It's still a bit lacking. Why did you suddenly bring her up, sir?"

"It just suddenly occurred to me that everyone has their own business, and you can't be without one either. I was thinking about what you might like to do."

"Sir, you've decided to sing?"

"Ah."

“I already have the Min Song Group.”

“The Min Ge Group is your hobby, it’s not the same thing.”

"The Min Ge Troupe is also a business."

“It’s different. You’re doing it for fun, not primarily for making money. It’s just a hobby.”

Wang Xiamin picked up a piece of pickled bamboo shoot and brought it to Xian Yaowen's lips, "Then let's turn our hobby into a business."

"I think I'd better not. Turning a hobby into a profession would be painful, and turning it into a business would be even more painful. A hobby is a hobby; I shouldn't try to change it. When I have some free time, I'll run a few businesses that aren't for making money."

"Soccer ball or musical instrument?"

“Do it all. First, open a musical instrument store, find your own suppliers, decorate it yourself, and run the store when you have free time.”

Wang Xiamin chuckled and said, "Let's find someone to do the renovation. The master doesn't have time for it."

“We can still find the time.” Xian Yaowen hugged Wang Xiamin from behind. “Let’s not talk about me for now. You should take some time to think about your business. When I come back next time, we can go over it properly together.”

"it is good."

The two were cuddling in the kitchen when, at eleven o'clock, Liu Rongju and Axiu arrived.

Ah Xiu went into the kitchen to help Wang Xiamin, even though there wasn't much for her to do.

Sin Yiu-man and Lau Wing-kui were chatting in the living room.

"I want to discuss something with you."

"what's up?"

“I plan to transfer half of my shares in Gantian Fruit Company to Lu Yansu, at the original investment price.”

Xian Yaowen paused for a moment, then said, “It’s not time to give her so many shares yet. You should transfer them to me first, and I will divide them into several parts to reward her gradually. Before handing them over to her, the dividends will still be yours.”

"In that case, you don't need to give me money."

“I’ve pretty much got the smuggling channels in Taiwan working, and I’ve already got people in touch with the local gangs. If you’re interested, you can get a share.”

"Should I step in?"

Sin Yiu-man smiled faintly and said, "I am a legitimate businessman."

Liu Rongju nodded and said seriously, "Everyone in Hong Kong knows this."

"Haven't seen you for a while, and your flattery skills have improved."

Liu Rongju laughed and said, "It's not shameful for me to shine your shoes."

“There’s a new business opportunity.” Xian Yaowen explained the idea of ​​the shuttlecock to Liu Rongju. “We’ll still leave the peripheral business to Dongfuhe.”

"Kicking shuttlecock, is there potential?"

Is word puzzle fun?

Liu Rongju nodded, "That's true. As long as it's gambling, there's always potential. It doesn't matter what you gamble on."

"I'll take 20% of the profits, the foreigner 50%, and you 30%."

Liu Rongju was taken aback, "You only want 20%?"

"My main purpose in doing this is not to make money. Of the 20% of the profits, I will only keep a small amount for myself and use the rest to subsidize the team."

"If not for money, why do charity?"

"Promote shuttlecock."

What's the point of promoting shuttlecock kicking?

"I don't really know what the significance is. I'll just treat it as a business to do first. Maybe in time, the significance will come."

I can't figure out what you're thinking.

"Then let's not guess, just wait and see." Xian Yaowen chuckled. "You always bring Ah Xiu with you, haven't you thought about giving her a proper status?"

"Let's talk about it in two years." Liu Rongju didn't want to discuss this, and instead said, "Two shipments of goods came from North Korea..."

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand, interrupting Lau Wing-kwan, "You don't need to tell me that, I'm not interested in knowing."

"You should get your share of the profits."

"I'm just providing you with information; there's no need for me to share the profits."

"Really not?"

“There’s really no need for that.” Sin Yiu-man whispered in Lau Wing-ku’s ear, “Do you know Li Chih-ching?”

"I know who it is, but I've never had any contact with them."

“We had just started a partnership, and she asked me to help her solve a few problems.”

Liu Rongju immediately understood, "You want to offer a bonus?"

"Big Red Flower".

"How big?"

"One problem can cost tens of thousands."

"You want to get rid of Ge Lianghong?"

"A member of the Green Gang."

"Du Yuesheng is dead. Which member of the Green Gang in Hong Kong is worth such a high price?"

"My requirement is to be clean and efficient, leaving no loose ends."

"On behalf of Dongfuhe's brother, I thank you. You can do a small business peacefully by making one deal."

"Ah Yan will come looking for you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ah Xiu came out of the kitchen carrying a tray. "Dinner is ready."

"Let's have dinner, let's have dinner."

Xian Yaowen stood up from the sofa, muttering something, and took the tray from Ah Xiu, placing it on the coffee table. When the building was initially constructed, Wang Xiamin hadn't designed a dining room, or even a dining table; meals were eaten at the coffee table.

Wang Xiamin then came out with a tray containing four bowls of noodles, a dish of peanuts, and a plate of pork cracklings—everything was ready.

The four of them sat in one corner, picked up their chopsticks, and started eating.

It's afternoon tea time.

On the rooftop of Building 1, Sin Yiu-man, Lam Kong, and Li Ching-an discussed the matter of the stylish clocks.

Li Jing'an agreed to join Pai Tou, not only taking 5% of the management shares, but also spending HK$10 to buy another 20% of the shares, for a total of 25% ownership, taking half of Sin Yiu-man's shares. Sin Yiu-man earned his first HK$10 from the Pai Tou project.

Juliet Brand Management has plans to launch its own watch brand, but Sin Yiu-man did not intend to rely on prestige. Watches cannot easily command a brand premium of thousands of times compared to handbags. Watches cannot sell at high prices by relying solely on gimmicks; they must have the quality to support the high price.

A watch may be small, but it's technically complex. It's almost impossible to do it well just by talking about it on paper. For an outsider like Xian Yaowen to develop it on his own, he would need to invest a lot of energy. Rather than that, it would be better to find someone knowledgeable like Li Jing'an to join him.

However, even with Li Jing'an and the company's full commitment to developing its own watchmaking, it's still a long way off to perfect the movement. If Juliet wants to catch up with the booming watch market, she can only try to find a solution in Switzerland by investing heavily in acquisitions and mergers to quickly build up full-chain self-production capabilities before launching her own brand.

The "Pai Tou" watch embodies his expectations for quartz watches. Presumably, by the time quartz watches are released, Pai Tou will have mastered the production technology of other watch components besides the movement, so that he can launch a high-end quartz watch in a timely manner.

Furthermore, there's the matter of looking north towards the Central Plains, but that's a story for another time.

After having afternoon tea, let's go to another teahouse for another meal.

This time, while drinking with a woman, Lan Gang chatted for two hours with Lin Peiyu, his girlfriend, and got a general idea of ​​her situation.

Bringing Li Jing'an into the game was intended to utilize him, but precautions had to be taken. Production and technology could be completely delegated, but business operations could not be allowed to be interfered with. Otherwise, with both technology and business, the initiative would be entirely in the other party's hands.

It would be best to have someone in the factory who can keep him in check. Lin Peiyu, as the woman and representative of the major shareholder, is the most suitable candidate. In the future, the business will also need someone to take over, and Lin Peiyu can take on both.

Lin Pei-yu seems somewhat promising; we can wait and see.

dinner.

He wasn't idle either; he invited Zhuang Jiacheng to his home to catch up.

The hype surrounding hula hoops has died down, and consumer enthusiasm has waned. However, competitors have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and sales are still there, though the days of a dozen factories operating around the clock are gone. Now, only two factories remain in long-term cooperation, with Zhuang Jiacheng's Changjiang Plastics Factory still holding the lion's share of orders.

Jinji Trading's plastic flower business has seen a steady increase in orders, and the OEM manufacturing is still being outsourced to Zhuang Jiacheng.

With the two businesses combined, Zhuang Jiacheng made a stable profit of several hundred thousand yuan a year. Even so, he didn't rest. He avoided the American market and tried to develop the European market, and also took on some direct orders.

Even if Chong Ka-shing isn't a "prophet" and a super high-performing stock, his ambition alone makes him likable to Sin Yiu-man.

After meal.

Take a moment to admire Xian Renmei from the rooftop.

It's been almost two years since her dad's penis came out, and she's almost two years old, but he hasn't held her more than a few times.

He lay sprawled on the recliner, his hands supporting the little girl under her armpits, letting her tiny feet step on his belly, while he played a sound-making game.

bb, dd, a few simple repeated syllables, kept being muttered to himself. Xian Yaowen didn't find it annoying, listening attentively and thinking about the origin of the syllables.

Suddenly, the little girl stopped, making "hmm-hmm" sounds first, followed by "cough-cough." Upon hearing this, Xian Yaowen thought to himself, "Oh no!" The little girl immediately burst into giggles.

The wet nurse, Sister Zhao, who was watching from the side, immediately knew what was going on. She walked over to Xian Yaowen and said, "Sir, Miss has pooped. I'll take her to change her diaper."

Upon hearing this, Xian Yaowen untied the little girl's diaper and glanced at the poop. Seeing that it was golden yellow with a hint of green and soft but firm, he said to Sister Zhao, "Wash her bottom with warm water and put some Vaseline on Enen. Ask the doctor to come and take a look tomorrow. Enen's diet may need to be adjusted."

"Okay, sir."

Sister Zhao carried Xian Renmei away, wondering why the husband, who was supposed to be taking care of the child, seemed to be quite adept at it.

As the rooftop quieted down, Xian Yaowen was about to drift off into a daze when Wang Xiamin arrived, followed by Zhang Zhangtai, whom he hadn't seen in a while.

"Feng Yu, come and sit down."

Zhang Tai swayed her slender waist as she sat on the armrest of the recliner, looking down at Xian Yaowen who was lying there. "Sir, it's been a while since we last saw each other."

Sin Yiu-man placed his large hand on Cheung Cheung-tai's smooth legs. "We're not strangers, so let's skip the formalities. This is a time for pleasure, and you're not at home with your lover. You must have something important to tell me. Go ahead, I'm listening."

Zhang Tai nodded and said softly, "I want to open my own plastics factory."

"Are you planning to put your heart into it?"

Mrs. Zhang smiled slightly and said in a slightly apologetic tone, "If you agree, sir, I plan to wait for Lizhen to return and formally resign to her."

Sin Yiu-man patted Cheung Cheung-tai's slender legs lightly with his large hand, then withdrew his hand and said warmly, "Wanting to start your own business is a good thing. I not only allow it, but I will also provide you with assistance."

Mrs. Cheung smiled radiantly, bent down and kissed Mr. Sin Yiu-man on the cheek, "Sir, thank you."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and teased, "You little hussy, you could have just thanked me verbally, but you dared to take advantage of me."

Zhang Tai smiled slyly, "Didn't I thank you with my words?"

Xian Yaowen wiped his cheek. "You've come up with a twisted logic. Since you're right, hurry up and make your demands. You might not find another opportunity like this."

Zhang Tai smiled broadly and pressed on, "I'm worried that we won't have enough orders after the factory opens. Could you give me a few orders, sir?"

Have you thought about what products you'd primarily focus on?

Zhang Tai shook his head slightly, "I didn't dare to think about it. In the early stages, we could only follow orders and do whatever was available."

"That's fine, it makes it easier for me to arrange it for you." (End of Chapter)