1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 714 Wrestling Headlines!

On a Hawaiian beach, Li Changhe lay leisurely on a sun lounger.

After Guo Bingxiang's wedding, Bao Yugang's family went back home, but Li Changhe stayed and took Gong Xue to Hawaii.

"Boss, the negotiation team just called. They've reached an agreement with Kaku Corporation for $20 million. They're willing to sell all their shares in Lanai Island."

After nearly half a month of back and forth, Li Changhe's negotiation team and Kaku Company finally reached an agreement.

"Okay, let's do it this way. Let the team prepare and then we'll start talking to the Hawaiian government again."

Buying shares in Lanai Island is just the beginning, because Li Changhe's goals are different from those of Kaku Company.

Kaku Company previously used Lanai Island as a plantation, mainly for growing pineapples, but Li Changhe did not; he wanted to develop Lanai Island.

Therefore, he needs to renegotiate terms with the Hawaiian government, including the relocation of some natives and the ownership of the last two percent of Lanai Island.

"Understood!"

Anna then turned and left.

"Let's go, let's go see the island that will be ours in the future!"

Li Changhe then called Gong Xue, who was playing in the sea, over, and then boarded a helicopter to fly towards Lanai Island.

Although Lanai Island was used as a plantation by the Kaku Corporation, it wasn't entirely devoid of buildings.

The island has a small town, a hotel, a small park, and a population of over two thousand.

Li Changhe and Gong Xue first took a helicopter and circled the island once to survey the terrain before landing at the small airport on Lanai Island.

"The beach here is nice."

After landing, Gong Xue looked at the beautiful beach in front of her and exclaimed in admiration.

The most beautiful thing about Lanai Island is probably its beaches; the island boasts more than a dozen excellent beaches.

"It's a pity that there's no big waterfall on this island, which is a bit of a shame."

Li Changhe shook his head, somewhat regretful.

Many islands in Hawaii have waterfalls, some with drops of hundreds of meters, which are very spectacular, but Lanai Island does not have one.

Over two days, Li Changhe took Gong Xue to wander around the island, and they even experienced a night in the primeval forest, but unfortunately, the experience wasn't very good.

It can only be said that without sufficient logistical support, life in the primeval forest is nothing like the comforts of modern life.

A week later, Anna returned to Li Changhe's side with the results of the negotiations.

"Boss, the Hawaiian government has agreed to sell us ownership of the islands, but requires us to guarantee the residency rights of the native inhabitants."

“Based on your wishes, we have agreed on two options with them. For the natives who are willing to leave Lanai, we can provide them with a house of the same size on the Big Island of Hawaii, plus a cash subsidy.”

"For those who are unwilling to leave, we acquire their residential land, renovate it, and at the same time sign permanent residency contracts with them. They enjoy permanent residency rights and cannot trade or sell it."

"However, according to the financial calculations, these two items alone will cost us at least fifty million US dollars, or even more!"

Anna said softly at this moment.

For the Hawaiian government, Lanai is a double-edged sword: it's small, has few native inhabitants, and isn't within the scope of development. They have no objection to selling it to wealthy individuals, with their only demands being some restrictions on environmental protection and tourism development.

For Li Changhe, buying the island was only the initial expense; the real cost was in its development. This included the relocation of over two thousand local residents and the overall development of the island, all of which required continuous investment.

"Okay, I'll leave this to you."

"Anna, your next task is to go to the United States and find a design company to conduct a site survey of the entire island and create a comprehensive tourist area plan."

Li Changhe simply handed over the development work here to Anna, since she didn't have much to do in the United States anyway.

“Boss, I have contacted three landscape design firms: EDSA, EDAW, and Belt Collins. Belt Collins is located in Hawaii.”

"Their team can arrive tomorrow to conduct an on-site survey of Lanai Island."

Anna immediately replied.

Li Changhe glanced at her, then nodded approvingly: "Very good."

Sure enough, the next day, a group of designers arrived on the island by ferry.

“Hello, Mr. Victor, I am Lucas, the designer from Belt Collins.”

Lucas was quite surprised to see Li Changhe, not expecting that his employer this time would be an Asian.

"Excuse me, are you from Japan?"

Lucas, who was also Asian, looked at Li Changhe's appearance, hesitated for a moment, and then asked.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "What? Do I look like a Japanese person?"

"Our boss is from Hong Kong Island!"

Anna, who was standing to the side, spoke up.

"Hong Kong Island?"

Upon hearing Anna's words, Lucas's eyes widened in surprise.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Victor, I thought you were from Japan. There are a lot of Japanese people here in Hawaii, and they are rich.”

"Actually, the founder of Belt Collins was also from Hong Kong Island, and I can also be considered a Hong Kong Island native, as my parents are from Hong Kong Island."

Lucas hurriedly spoke up at this moment.

Li Changhe smiled, not angry at all: "This is considered the first stop for Japanese tourists, right? I do see a lot of Japanese people here."

Lucas shook his head and explained, "Mr. Victor, it's not just about tourism. There are many Japanese residents here. At its peak, Japanese residents made up more than half of Hawaii's population."

"Most of them were laborers recruited when the Kingdom of Hawaii was making sugar. After the United States forcibly occupied Hawaii, they became Japanese Americans."

"After the attack on Pearl Harbor, these people were organized into a unit and sent to the European theater, but many of them remained."

"The reason why Japanese people like to travel here is because there are many Japanese Americans here, and they can communicate with each other without any difficulty. Although this area belongs to the United States, the proportion of white people is very low."

"I see, that explains it!"

Li Changhe was once again given a piece of useless knowledge.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Since you're a Hawaiian company, I assume you have some understanding of the situation on Lanai Island."

"Let me briefly explain my needs."

“I want to divide Lanai Island into two parts: one part will be open to the public for tourism, and the other part will be a private resort area.”

"The recreational facilities here can be designed to offer some high-end experiences, such as golf courses and racing tracks."

"By the way, I hope you will prioritize designing a wedding area; that's the most important task right now."

Li Changhe shared his thoughts with Lucas.

After listening, Lucas began to take notes quickly.

After recording Li Changhe's needs, the other party immediately led his men to begin an on-site investigation of Lanai Island.

Over the next two days, landscape design firms EDSA and EDAW also arrived on Lanai Island and began their own site visits and planning.

It was after the two companies arrived that Li Changhe saw what he wanted to see in the newspaper.

On September 22, 1982, Margaret Thatcher arrived in Beijing aboard a Royal Air Force plane to begin a five-day visit to China.

Just two days later, outside the Great Hall of the People, she provided the world's news media with a photo that made headlines.

On the steps outside the Great Hall of the People, the Iron Lady took a serious fall. Although the British media immediately denied it, saying that she had just undergone surgery or something similar, no one believed the British explanation.

The world's media was filled with mockery of the Iron Lady of Downing Street.

Just then, the phone on the table rang.

Li Changhe answered the phone; it was Ella calling.

"Boss, Mr. Bruce would like to schedule a meeting with you. He asked when you will be back?"

“Tell him I’ll be on Hong Kong Island tomorrow.”

Bruce is Lin Yuan's English name.

Afterwards, Li Changhe told Gong Xue to pack her things, and then they boarded a plane and returned to Hong Kong Island.

Back on Hong Kong Island, Li Changhe first took Gong Xue back to Deep Water Bay, and then drove to Sheung Wan.

"You're in such a hurry to see me, is it about negotiations?"

Arriving at the place the two had agreed upon, Li Changhe asked curiously as he entered.

Lin Yuan nodded.

"That's right. That old woman was somewhat restrained in Beijing, but as soon as she returned to Hong Kong, she showed her true colors, spouting nonsense about the 'Three Treaties' and saying that the British would protect the rights of Hong Kong residents."

Lin Yuan said angrily at this moment.

Seeing this, Li Changhe smiled and shook his head: "It's normal. Politicians in Europe and America are two-faced and act like snakes and rats. This is their standard practice."

"You didn't call me just to complain about this, did you?"

Lin Yuan shook his head: "No, I'm here to talk to you about a few things."

"The first thing is that the route you take back in the future will have to be changed."

"This negotiation was not particularly smooth. The British had many ulterior motives and even threatened to use force. The higher-ups planned to teach the British a lesson."

"The negotiation period we agreed on with Margaret Thatcher was two years. In other words, these two years are a buffer period. We will talk to her, and after two years, regardless of whether we reach an agreement or not, we will unilaterally announce our decision on Hong Kong Island."

“My family said that this is to let you understand the time frame. These two years are the last time we’re giving each other.”

"However, in the next two years, the British will expand their garrison in Shenzhen. We cannot rule out the possibility that the British may want to use force, so we will also be on guard."

"Next, there will be occasional military exercises in Shenzhen. Your original route back will be occupied by the air force. The authorities have specially changed your route, which will be a bit more roundabout. I asked you to let me know."

“Once they strengthen their garrison and start exercises over there, the possibility of them spying on us cannot be ruled out. That route will become much more dangerous for you, so we should take another route.”

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe immediately smiled and nodded: "I understand. The truth must be within the range of the cannons, otherwise these people will not be able to come to the negotiating table."

He said it himself: negotiations are never that smooth. These foreigners came down to negotiate honestly, and it wasn't just because of words.

"The second thing is that your family wants you to be prepared. Hong Kong Island cannot be in chaos during this period. Our people have received intelligence that they may use disrupting Hong Kong Island's economy as a means to force us to make concessions."

“We have prepared some money ourselves, but it is definitely not as much as the British have, so we will need your help if necessary.”

Lin Yuan continued to relay the instructions, and Li Changhe nodded confidently after listening.

"Don't worry, I've already made all the arrangements. I'm just waiting for them to make their move."

Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Li Changhe's posture.

"I knew you were reliable."

"Oh, right, there's a third thing. Of course, the family said it's optional, and you can decide based on the situation."

"According to our intelligence, the British are very likely to play the public opinion card next."

“We are also on guard, but it’s hard to predict the specifics in this situation. The family’s opinion is that if the other side stirs up too much public opinion, we still hope that you will speak out!”

"Of course, you'll only be needed when public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of me. I'll contact you then."

"However, you'd better stay on Hong Kong Island during this time, just in case."

Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Li Changhe did not hesitate, but nodded seriously: "I understand. Then I will stay in Hong Kong Island for the time being."

Although he knew the outcome of the historical negotiations, he couldn't use that as an excuse at this time.

Clearly, the higher-ups are now treating him as a trump card, a trump card to turn the tide in Hong Kong. This was also the intention behind sending Li Changhe out in the first place: to train an army for a thousand days and use it for one.

After talking with Lin Yuan, Li Changhe left.

After Li Changhe left, Lin Yuan picked up the phone.

"Yes, the message has been relayed."

"He agreed immediately without the slightest hesitation."

"clear,"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yuan went to the window and looked at the towering buildings in front of him. For people like them, this war had only just begun.

Meanwhile, Li Changhe had just gotten into the car when he was informed by Ah Hu that Bao Yugang was looking for him.

Without a doubt, because Gong Xue has returned, Bao Yugang already knows that Li Changhe has also returned.

"Let's go, drive to Deep Water Bay."

Li Changhe then had Ah Hu drive towards Deep Water Bay.

Upon arriving at Bao Yugang's home, they were led to Bao Yugang's study.

"It seems you've already received the news, right?"

In the study, in front of Bao Yugang were many newspapers from Hong Kong.

Li Changhe nodded: "Uncle, did you meet with Margaret Thatcher?"

The Iron Lady made a detour through Hong Kong Island. After completing her negotiations in Beijing, she deliberately spent two days in Hong Kong Island, where she displayed her "assertiveness" before leaving.

Bao Yugang looked at Li Changhe, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded: "I've met him."

"If nothing unexpected happens, I will become the mouthpiece of Downing Street."

"If I'm not mistaken, the British will next use a combination of soft and hard tactics to put pressure on the mainland."

"They want you to be the mouthpiece for that softening continent, while they'll be using the hard side in every way, right?"

Without a doubt, in Hong Kong today, Y.K. Pao is the most suitable person to act as a mouthpiece between the two.

On the one hand, he had a close and tightly intertwined relationship with HSBC, and on the other hand, he was familiar with Downing Street.

On the other hand, his status as a shipping magnate made him highly regarded in mainland China, and as a Chinese, he was more easily accepted by the mainland.

Therefore, it was easy for Bao Yugang to become the middleman and messenger who was trusted by both sides.

"You seem to understand quite well. That's roughly the gist of it. Downing Street and Sir Michael Sandberg want me to persuade the mainland. I told them I need to think about it."

Bao Yugang said seriously.

Li Changhe nodded: "Uncle, my opinion is, go!"

“Perfect timing. You can work on their behalf, and I'll prepare to speak out for the mainland when public opinion is running high.”

"Let's each do our own thing and show them a 'betting on both sides' strategy, wouldn't that be perfect!"

(End of this chapter)