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

Chapter 721 Fund Supervision
"Car brand?"

Shen Bi was quite surprised to hear Li Changhe's words.

The main problem is that this thing has absolutely nothing to do with Li Changhe's business.

"That's right, a car brand!"

“I’ve heard that many of Leyland Motors’ brands are up for sale, and I hope Downing Street will allow me to buy one of them.”

Li Changhe nodded and said seriously.

"I can't guarantee that, and neither can the Government House. All we can say is that we'll give feedback to Downing Street."

"But to be honest, Ah Yang, based on the conditions you've offered, I don't think it's very likely."

"Airlines are one thing, as they fall within the Governor's Office's authority, but Leyland Motors, the influence we can exert is minimal."

"Moreover, I don't think the concessions you've made are enough to make Downing Street back down."

"This is just my personal opinion."

At this point, Shen Bi expressed his opinion, which in fact represented his attitude.

Regarding the car, he was surprised, but it wasn't something that couldn't be discussed. It's just that Li Changhe was offering too few concessions.

"Oh? What other concessions do you want me to make?"

"As I said, it's impossible to give up on this bottom-fishing opportunity. We've raised so much money, it's impossible for us to give up now."

Li Changhe was not surprised.

Negotiations are inherently a back-and-forth process; there's no such thing as agreeing to all conditions so readily.

"Ah Yang, can you tell me exactly how much money you've raised this time?"

Shen Bi then asked again.

"Fifteen billion US dollars!"

Li Changhe said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shen Bi smiled and shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's more than that!"

“Back then, you had a total of US$1.5 billion in loans secured by pledging loans with major banks in Hong Kong.”

"As far as I know, you made a huge profit in the Middle East afterward, earning a guaranteed $500 million."

"That adds up to two billion, not to mention the funds from the California consortium. You can't possibly have that little."

Initially, some of the funds from Kuwait in the Middle East went through HSBC's channels. Although HSBC couldn't have the exact details, they could still calculate some of the figures with a little extra effort.

In the past two days, Shen Bi has been trying his best to sort out the funds that Li Changhe can access through HSBC channels, and the Exchange Fund is also providing him with data.

According to Shen Bi's calculations, Li Changhe could definitely use more than two billion US dollars, or even more.

“Your Excellency, you do have a lot of data on me, but there’s one thing you shouldn’t forget: I’ve been investing in various places over the past year, and the money isn’t just sitting on the books.”

"I have new investments in Singapore, Europe, and the United States. These investments are all real money. After all, I'm not a greedy creature that only takes in and never gives out!"

Li Changhe said calmly at this moment.

The old man must have thoroughly analyzed his finances; his calculations were quite accurate.

"Well, the Hong Kong dollar has been depreciating against the US dollar recently, and there's a shortfall in US dollars at the Exchange Fund. Why don't you deposit this money into HSBC first?"

"I don't ask for much. Deposit two billion US dollars, and I'll help you acquire a car brand!"

Shen Bi said softly.

Li Changhe smiled upon hearing this.

Is the other party trying to bring his money under supervision? "Is Your Excellency trying to control our funds? If this gets out, it will greatly damage the reputation of HSBC and the UK."

Shen Bi shook his head: "It's not as complicated as you think. I just want you to put your money in a fixed deposit account!"

"Just do as we said, a nine-month fixed term, and HSBC will calculate the interest at the highest rate for you."

According to banking laws in Europe and the United States, the government cannot regulate such large sums of money unless the other party voluntarily transfers them out, unless the other party breaks the law and the court orders a freeze.

However, Shen Bi was not at ease with Li Changhe's guarantee. What if the other party made a feint and then secretly plotted against him? Wouldn't the Hong Kong government and Downing Street lose both their money and their army?
So Shen Bi made a tough decision: Li Changhe had to put the money into HSBC, even if it meant losing a large amount of interest.

"It's not impossible to put two billion US dollars into HSBC, but it can't be done on a regular basis."

“In that case, I’ll take another step back. I don’t need the maximum interest rate. I’ll deposit two sums, one billion US dollars each into HSBC and Hang Seng Bank, and the interest rate will be the same as the current demand deposit rate.”

"But I need this money whenever I need it. Can you guarantee that it won't go into the stock market, but only into real estate?"

"HSBC and Hang Seng can oversee that this money will only flow into real estate for bargain hunting, and will not flow into the stock market!"

Li Changhe spoke again.

Shen Bi then began to ponder.

If this money only flows into real estate, then the harm is not so great.

After all, the real estate market is much larger; a single building in Central can cost hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

Even if Bao Zeyang's two billion US dollars were all invested in Hong Kong Island real estate, it would only amount to a dozen or twenty buildings, not even as big as a single street block.

As long as this money doesn't enter the stock market to revive it, economic pressure won't ease.

Buying up real estate at rock-bottom prices does not affect their ability to exert pressure on the mainland.

Of course, Shen Bi also knew that 2 billion was by no means all of Bao Zeyang's money; the other party must have more funds.

However, the two billion was definitely the majority of what Bao Zeyang had prepared. Even if he had some US dollars left, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.

With an inflow of three to five hundred million US dollars, HSBC can handle it. If they're not afraid of losses, let the money flow in.

"Ah Yang, I think you've already planned this all along—this money is going to go into real estate, isn't it?"

Although he had made up his mind, Shen Bi still smiled and said it outwardly.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Your Excellency, the real estate market is cyclical, and the flow of funds is far less convenient than in the stock market."

“If we put money into the stock market, we can actually get in and out quickly, which does not affect our investment in real estate at all.”

"To put it bluntly, by leveraging our shares, we control several companies, and the land controlled by those companies is far more profitable than simply acquiring real estate."

“I think Mr. Big Boss is very clear about the difference in benefits here.”

The reason Shen Bi wouldn't let him enter the stock market was simply because, with the stock market crash, Li Changhe, with his vast wealth, could acquire countless companies.

By leveraging these companies, even more resources can be unlocked, including real estate, retail, and so on.

Shen Bi and his colleagues were also afraid that Bao Zeyang would use this opportunity to build a super-giant company.

With Hongkong Land and the other properties owned by the Pao family, it is now a behemoth on Hong Kong Island, comparable to the original Jardine Matheson.

If Bao Zeyang is allowed to continue his reckless acquisition spree in the stock market, it will not only revive the stock market, but more importantly, create a super behemoth that will influence the entire Hong Kong Island.

That was a consequence that the Governor's Office and HSBC would never accept.

This is also one of the reasons why Shen Bi tried every means to prevent Bao Zeyang's funds from entering the stock market.

Now that Bao Zeyang had exposed their intentions, Shen Bi couldn't help but sigh.

That kid is too smart!

"Alright, let's do it our way. When I get back, I'll contact Downing Street through the Governor's Office and get back to you!"

(End of this chapter)