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

Chapter 719 All for One!

Seeing Shen Bi's hesitant posture, Li Changhe smiled disdainfully to himself.

The old man was still trying to probe him with his words.

To be honest, if Shen Bi dared to invite him to rescue the market, Li Changhe would have readily agreed and poured all his money into it.

Anyway, the Hang Seng Index has already fallen to 800 points. Buying now, even if it's not the lowest price in history, won't be much higher.

Moreover, with this guy's endorsement, he doesn't need to take any political risks.

Unfortunately, he knew that Shen Bi wouldn't be that foolish.

As expected, after only a slight hesitation, Shen Bi smiled and looked at Li Changhe.

"Ah Yang, we definitely need to rescue the market, but if we want to save the Hong Kong stock market, we still need to find the root cause of the stock market crash."

"This stock market crash in Hong Kong is not simply an economic problem, but is clearly influenced by political factors."

"I believe you know the reason. It's because of our negotiations with the North. They are determined to take back Hong Kong Island and are even threatening us with force."

"It was these remarks that caused public panic, which led to the stock market crash."

“If the problem isn’t addressed at its root, I don’t think the Hong Kong stock market will ever recover.”

"Putting your money into the stock market might stabilize the index in the short term, but in the long run, it's unlikely to be effective."

Upon hearing Shen Bi's words, Li Changhe couldn't help but curse inwardly.

These foreigners are all the same; don't they know why the Hong Kong stock market crashed?
They're still shamelessly shifting the blame to the mainland without batting an eye; they're utterly shameless and have no bottom line.

"Your Excellency, I am a businessman, or more precisely, a financial investor."

"In my opinion, there is already a lot of room for buying at the bottom in the Hong Kong stock market. This kind of sharp drop in the short term is actually very unreasonable."

"From a financial perspective, the performance of the stock market is actually a reflection of the local economic situation."

"In recent years, the economic situation on Hong Kong Island cannot be described as entirely positive, but it has actually been developing steadily."

"So I don't think this crash will last long."

"Admittedly, as you said, this plunge may be influenced by other factors, but such influences come and go quickly. I think neither of you would want to see Hong Kong Island turn into ruins."

"The current situation is simply a matter of both sides putting pressure on each other."

"However, this is an excellent opportunity for us investors, and to be honest, I have no reason to give it up."

Although Li Changhe was unhappy, he still spoke calmly on his face.

Upon hearing this, Shen Bi knew that this kid was not easy to deal with. He clearly understood the situation, yet he was still playing coy with him.

"Ah Yang, so you saw all this a year ago, and you borrowed money back then to set up this plan for today, didn't you?"

At this moment, Shen Bi calmly asked another question.

Li Changhe swirled the wine in his glass: "More or less, I'm just taking a gamble!"

"In fact, ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, I have felt that the issue of Hong Kong Island would be a protracted battle, and the United States would not take sides with Downing Street during this period."

"To put it bluntly, Britain's current national strength is insufficient to pose an overwhelming threat to the north."

There's a saying that goes, "What you can't get on the battlefield, you'll hardly get at the negotiating table either."

“That’s how Hong Kong is now. No matter how much Downing Street clamors, in my opinion, Downing Street doesn’t have any military advantage at all. After all, it’s not a hundred years ago.”

"When it comes to fighting, they haven't lost a single battle in the last few decades!"

Upon hearing Li Changhe's words, Shen Bi's expression changed slightly, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

Bao Zeyang's behavior was practically a blatant declaration that Daying was finished and beyond repair.

This was an unacceptable humiliation for Sir Michael Sandberg, who had enjoyed the glory of Great Britain for decades.

Unfortunately, upon considering the identity of the young man before him, Shen Bi suppressed his dissatisfaction.

Even among the wealthy in Hong Kong, there are differences. Some people can only live off the whims of others, while others can live without caring about their opinions.

Unfortunately, the young man in front of me belongs to the latter category.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to invite Bao Zeyang to dinner tonight.

“Ah Yang, since you’ve come this far, I’ll speak frankly with you and say a few words from the bottom of my heart.”

"Although I don't know your current attitude, I can confidently say that your Bao family's current business empire has only flourished under the governance of our British government."

“From the full support that the Sands tycoon gave your uncle back then, to the intangible help that HSBC provided when you acquired Jardine Matheson, I think you should be very clear that only under our system can you have such freedom to act.”

"If your uncle had stayed on the mainland back then, or if you were under the system on the mainland now, you would never have achieved what you have today."

"I think you wouldn't deny that!"

Shen Bi spoke earnestly to Li Changhe.

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe smiled and said, "Indeed, you are absolutely right about that."

Upon hearing Li Changhe's reply, Shen Bi nodded and continued, "Therefore, Ah Yang, as things stand, Hong Kong Island can only maintain its prosperity under our rule."

Li Changhe shook his head at this point: "Your Excellency, I have no intention of arguing with you about these things, but I can tell you something."

"According to the information I have received, the promise from the north is also 'Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong' and the system will remain unchanged. Although I don't know the timeframe, I don't find it objectionable at the moment."

"In fact, I don't want to get involved in this mess, which is why I have been reluctant to agree to some of the Governor's House's demands."

"Even if things really don't work out in Hong Kong, I can still go to the United States. I don't want to get myself involved in this kind of turmoil."

Submit your application!

Just then, Shen Bi interrupted Li Changhe.

He had already figured it out; this kid had a clear understanding of the situation and was fully aware of the attitudes of all the various forces involved. He was now sitting calmly, just waiting for him to speak first.

Normally, Shen Bi could have ignored him completely, just like before, if he didn't express his opinion, he could have simply left him aside.

But now, Shen Bi knew he no longer had the confidence, so he could only take the initiative and let Li Changhe propose the terms.

“Ah Yang, let’s be frank. You should know why I sent you here. Your money is currently a ticking time bomb for Hong Kong.”

"Although the stock market has fallen sharply, it is not a good time for you to enter the market."

“Before I came here, I had already obtained authorization from His Excellency the Governor of Hong Kong. As long as you do not enter the venue, you can make any demands, as long as we can do it.”

At this moment, Shen Bi spoke to Li Changhe with a solemn expression.

Li Changhe simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Big Boss, I can't agree to that right now."

"This investment is not just my business. This round of bottom-fishing in Hong Kong Island that I am preparing includes funds from many other people, such as the California arms consortium."

“Before this, we had already held a meeting and discussed the investment plan. Now you want me to stop and not participate in bottom-fishing in the Hong Kong stock market.”

"It's absolutely impossible for me to do that."

At this point, Li Changhe decisively shifted the blame to the Americans. After all, whether a meeting was held or not depended entirely on his word. If he said it was held, then it was held.

Damn it, it's the same old trick again, using Americans to put pressure on us!
At this moment, Shen Bi felt a surge of anger. Why was Bao Zeyang so familiar with the Americans?

Especially since it's a California-based arms conglomerate!
Those people are not easy to deal with.

What do these arms conglomerates have the most of?
It's not money, it's guns!
“Ah Yang, the current situation is that we can’t just hand over Hong Kong Island to the North; that would be a huge loss for you too.” “Helping us is helping yourselves. I think you understand that.”

"On the other hand, if we are really forced to leave, we will not give away the fruits of our labor for nothing; we will not do business at a loss."

"I think that this will be a huge loss for you at that time."

"If your money goes into the stock market, it probably won't generate any returns due to the prolonged slump. That would be bad news for the California conglomerate."

"So I hope you can renegotiate. There are some things we can discuss openly in private, so we can cooperate and achieve a win-win situation, don't you think?"

Shen Bi said expressionlessly.

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe knew that the old man was truly desperate.

He even threatened him, revealing his attitude of wanting to destroy everything.

It seems I need to tone it down a bit.

Li Changhe then sat down and began to think "seriously".

“Your Excellency, I am aware of everything you have said, but right now, I am truly at a point where I have no choice but to act.”

"I can't stop this wave of investment. All I can tell you is that I can buy you some time."

"After I go back, I will discuss with the US side to postpone the time. This is the biggest guarantee I can give you."

"Of course, the premise is that you also have to pay the price."

After thinking for a while, Li Changhe finally spoke in a deep voice.

After hearing this, Shen Bi smiled.

This guy has finally regressed.

At this moment, Shen Bi felt a strange sense of pride.

This time, he finally forced Bao Zeyang to back down.

However, Shen Bi's thinking quickly returned to normal.

"Ah Yang, as I said, you can set conditions for many things, and we can all negotiate!"

"We may not be able to offer short-term benefits, but in the long run, the benefits of our cooperation may not be low."

At this moment, Shen Bi hinted without hesitation.

Li Changhe nodded: "Alright, Mr. Big Boss, if there's nothing else, I'll go back and call the US first."

"The timing is perfect; it's their working hours over there."

With both sides having already revealed their hand, Li Changhe naturally saw no need to continue the conversation with Shen Bi.

He had already thought of the conditions, but now was not the time to bring them up.

After leaving Shen Bi's villa, Li Changhe began to quickly review the events in his mind.

This old guy reacted quickly, eyeing the money Li Changhe had prepared early on to prevent them from entering the stock market and ruining their plans.

In this respect, Sir Michael Sandberg truly deserves his position as the tycoon of HSBC.

It's a pity the old man probably doesn't know how much money he actually prepared.

What they didn't know was that he had already broken it down into smaller parts, and now he was using Guo Ling's and the others' accounts.

However, a portion of the funds still needs to be shown to Shen Bi.

Li Changhe pondered this as he returned home.

"Ah Yang, your uncle just called and asked you to go to his house immediately after you get back!"

As soon as she entered, Gong Xue came over and said with concern.

Although she didn't know what was going on, she could tell that Bao Yugang's tone on the phone was very serious.

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe nodded: "I understand. You can wait for me at home!"

Then, Li Changhe turned around and went to Bao Yugang's house.

Soon, Li Changhe was led into Bao Yugang's study. Bao Yugang was drinking tea in the study. When he saw Li Changhe come in, he poured him a cup of tea.

"Give way, Ah Yang!"

After pouring the tea, Bao Yugang spoke calmly.

"Dennis called me today and asked me to advise you not to cause trouble for them at this time."

"Do you know what this means?"

"They're going to do something desperate!"

Li Changhe said calmly.

Bao Yugang looked at Li Changhe with some surprise. He didn't expect that Li Changhe could see through it.

"Shen Bi also came to see me today. His words went beyond mere attempts to win me over; they carried a threat!"

"I think if I don't know what's good for me this time, then next, it won't be Shen Bi talking to me, but bullets!"

Li Changhe said slowly.

Bao Yugang nodded calmly at this moment.

"It seems you've figured it out too. I was just thinking about how to persuade you."

“This time, the British value the interests of Hong Kong Island very much, and they will not give up easily. If you jump to their opposite side at this time, they will not tolerate it.”

"Neither my face nor the face of Americans can compare to the real money gains."

"No matter what, Britain is still a country, and a very powerful one at that. The fact that they are behaving according to the rules now is just for show."

"Moreover, Ah Yang, you must remember one thing."

"Only the living have value! When you die, no matter how talented or important you are in the United States, in the end, you will become worthless."

"So this time, let's take a step back and things will be much better."

Although Dennis spoke to him in a very mild manner, based on his years of experience dealing with politicians, he sensed a crisis.

Even Denise Thatcher has intervened, which means that the Governor's Office and Downing Street have reached their limit in their tolerance of Bao Zeyang.

If Bao Zeyang still doesn't back down despite this situation, then...

Without a doubt, what Bao Zeyang will face next is no longer amicable negotiation.

“I know that, so when I was dealing with Shen Bi, I made it clear that I was willing to back down.”

"Next, I plan to set some conditions and then talk to Sim Phillips."

Li Changhe said softly.

"It's good that you can see these things clearly. Don't carry all the pressure on yourself."

"Hong Kong Island belongs to many people, and its fate will not be changed by the efforts of one or two people."

"Ah Yang, you've done more than enough!"

(End of this chapter)