In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

With Lin Haoran's existing company structure, plus the stocks of companies that Huanyu Investment Company has secretly purchased in the US, Japan, and Europe, he can be assured of remaining among the world's richest people for the rest of his life without any pressure.

But these things no longer pose a challenge to him.

Therefore, he felt it was time for him to explore a more challenging and novel field.

Moreover, these new pursuits will not prevent him from continuing to accumulate wealth in other areas.

Lin Haoran slowly stood up and walked to the window of the study.

Outside the window, the bustling Central district below is laid out before you, with towering buildings, heavy traffic, bright lights, and ships constantly shuttling back and forth in Victoria Harbour.

This was part of the business empire he had helped build, but at this moment, his gaze seemed to pierce through the scene before him and look toward a more distant future.

For him, money has long been nothing more than a numbers game.

Hong Kong's richest man, a source of pride for the Chinese people...

The marginal utility of these titles is decreasing.

His status and reputation have reached the pinnacle in Hong Kong, and he enjoys a great reputation even in the Asia-Pacific and global business circles.

So, what should we pursue in the next stage of life?
Is it like many wealthy businessmen, who remain prudent and enjoy the comfort and prestige that wealth brings?

Or will they continue to conquer familiar territories, expanding their business empire to the extreme in pursuit of becoming the world's richest person?

These all seem to lack sufficient appeal.

If being reborn is merely for accumulating more wealth, then the meaning of this rebirth seems rather thin.

He needs something grander, more enduring, something that can carry his ideals beyond personal gains and losses.

The semiconductor field provides just such a perfect platform.

This is not just a business, but a technological long march that will determine the fate of the nation for the next century, an epic adventure that closely links personal destiny with national rejuvenation and the tide of the times.

If he succeeds, he will not only be a businessman with immense wealth, but he may also become a key figure in driving technological progress in an era, a flag bearer for the Chinese world in the field of hard technology, and even an important pawn in the future great power game.

Its significance far exceeds what money can measure.

Failure could result in significant financial losses and damage to one's reputation.

But so what?
He already possessed wealth and a safety net that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

Moreover, given his foresight and strategic planning, while the probability of failure exists, it is not the norm.

If Samsung can do it, why can't he?
This is a high-stakes gamble with a high chance of winning, a victory that will benefit the present and future generations, and a loss that will also have its limits.

What's even more ingenious is that this "high-stakes gamble" itself can bring extremely considerable commercial returns, which in turn support his other businesses, forming a perfect positive cycle.

Thinking of this, Lin Haoran felt a sense of clarity and a long-lost feeling of pride, passion, and a sense of mission welled up within him.

……

In the blink of an eye, a night had passed, and it was the morning of January 13th.

Li Bingze woke up from his dream at the Kowloon Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.

He was in a good mood, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, his visit to Lin Haoran today would surely be fruitful!
I opened the window and looked out at the bustling morning scene of Victoria Harbour. Sunlight shone on the sparkling water, cargo ships and ferries crisscrossed the harbor, and the skyscrapers of Central on Hong Kong Island gleamed in the morning sun.

He couldn't help but feel impressed, Hong Kong truly deserves its reputation as one of the world's three major financial centers.

Seoul is not bad, but its current urban landscape is indeed far inferior to that of Hong Kong.

But so what?
He believes that with South Korea's current rate of development, Seoul will one day be no less impressive than Hong Kong, especially with the help of Samsung.

Li Bingze is 72 years old this year, but he is in good spirits and has sharp eyes.

He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the suite's living room, wearing a dark gray silk bathrobe, holding a glass of warm water in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were thinking about something.

Yesterday's meeting with Ma Shimin ended unhappily, which was expected, but it also surprised him somewhat.

As expected, he knew his conditions were quite demanding, and the other party's refusal was a normal business response.

Surprisingly, Ma Shimin's refusal was so decisive and forceful, leaving little room for maneuver. This was not the style of a pure professional manager, but rather seemed to be supported by a stronger will behind the scenes.

However, he never fights a battle unprepared.

Over the past few decades, Samsung's development in South Korea has been arduous, growing from a small trading company into the behemoth it is today. Lee Byung-taek has experienced countless hardships and obstacles, and is also accustomed to exerting pressure and striving for maximum benefits in negotiations.

He knew that when facing foreign capital, local political and business networks and resource advantages were often the most effective bargaining chips.

Over the years, Samsung has defeated many foreign conglomerates in South Korea, and even seized the resources of these losers in South Korea, growing stronger step by step.

Although Samsung has not yet truly expanded beyond South Korea, Lee Byung-taek believes that international business battles are much the same as domestic ones, essentially a contest of capital, connections, and strategies.

It's just that the stage is bigger and the opponents are more diverse.

He believed that Samsung's stronghold in South Korea, along with his decades of accumulated business acumen and decisiveness, would be sufficient to meet any challenge, including that of this rising young Hong Kong tycoon.

"Lin Haoran." Li Bingze murmured the name, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

This young Hong Kong tycoon's rapid rise, ruthless methods, and far-reaching plans have long attracted his attention.

After learning about Lin Haoran's career path, he couldn't help but recall the bits and pieces of Samsung's history since its founding.

Lee Byung-taek founded Samsung in 1938, and over the course of more than forty years, it has gradually reached its current scale, becoming one of the top ten chaebols in South Korea.

However, compared to the companies controlled by Lin Haoran, Samsung is indeed far inferior.

However, he was not discouraged.

Samsung's presence in the South Korean market alone is enough to place it among the top ten chaebols in South Korea, and it even has the potential to become the top chaebol.

Although Lin Haoran owns multiple groups, they were all acquired in the last two or three years, and their foundation may not be as solid and deep as Samsung's in South Korea.

Lee Byung-taek believed that Samsung possessed unparalleled home advantage in South Korea, an advantage that no outsider could shake.

To be honest, when 711-Eleven and Lawson entered the South Korean market, he didn't really think much of it.

After all, how much profit and influence can a chain of small stores generate?
Compared to the behemoths Samsung is involved in, such as electronics, shipbuilding, chemicals, and finance, convenience stores seem to be just a "small business" at the end of the retail chain.

However, as these two brands rapidly expanded into major South Korean cities, especially forming dense networks in core business districts such as Seoul and Busan.

Its stable cash flow, accurate consumer data, and deep-rooted community channel value are gradually becoming apparent.

More importantly, Li Bingze keenly realized that these convenience stores were becoming important distribution channels for certain brands of daily consumer goods, and were even beginning to influence the market landscape of some product categories.

This is hardly a small business anymore.

This is clearly a golden network embedded in the capillaries of the city, a direct port to reach countless consumers, and a valuable node for grasping market data and consumption trends!
Through further investigation, Li Bingze discovered that most of the daily necessities sold through 711-Eleven and Lawson convenience stores were from well-known brands.

To their surprise, they discovered that many of these international brands had been acquired by a Hong Kong company called Langwei Group over the past year, with products covering multiple fast-moving consumer goods categories such as tissues, toiletries, snacks, and beverages.

This Langwei Group is also part of Lin Haoran's vast business empire.

This completely changed the nature of the matter.

Convenience stores are no longer just shops that sell goods; they are the tentacles and terminals of Lin Haoran's consumer goods empire extending into the South Korean market.

If these convenience store networks continue to expand and deepen, then Langvi Group's products will be able to firmly occupy the daily lives of South Korean consumers with extremely low channel costs and extremely high penetration rates, and may even squeeze Samsung's market space if it wants to enter the consumer goods field in the future.

On a deeper level, the sales data and consumer preference information generated by these convenience stores every day are extremely valuable business intelligence.

Lin Haoran can use this data to precisely adjust product strategies, marketing plans, and even predict market trends.

In Lee Byung-taek's view, this was tantamount to installing a detector that continuously collects economic intelligence on Samsung's doorstep.

He might not be interested in small businesses, but when he sees a lucrative opportunity in an industry, he will never let it go.

He also considered creating his own convenience store brand to compete with Lawson and 711-Eleven.

However, after discussions among Samsung's think tank and his own years of business intuition, he concluded that this was neither an easy task nor the best strategy.

Convenience stores may seem to have low barriers to entry, but replicating the success of 711-Eleven and Lawson, especially their advantages in refined management, supply chain efficiency, brand standardization, and consumer loyalty, requires long-term accumulation and huge investment.

Although Samsung has abundant capital, it has no experience in retail operations, especially in highly sophisticated retail formats such as convenience stores.

Starting from scratch means paying a hefty price in tuition fees, facing established competitors with low odds of success, and the time cost is immeasurable. In contrast, directly acquiring or controlling an existing, successful network is undoubtedly a faster, more stable, and more cost-effective option.

Not only can they immediately gain access to mature stores, teams, and operational systems, but they can also directly sever Lin Haoran's consumer goods distribution channels in South Korea, achieving two goals at once.

Therefore, he placed his bets on the "acquisition + exclusive agency" plan and prepared corresponding pressure tactics.

A cold, hard curve appeared at the corner of Li Bingze's mouth.

The business world is like a battlefield; opportunities are fleeting.

Now that the channel control, data value, and strategic synergy hidden behind the convenience store network have been recognized, incorporating it into the Samsung system has transformed from an optional option into a strategic goal that must be achieved.

He is used to being in control, used to holding onto all the advantageous resources. Samsung's success today is due to this keen sense of opportunity and decisive acquisition.

Therefore, after Ma Shimin's decisive refusal, he returned to the hotel and instructed the South Korean side to make arrangements.

To get the other party to agree, sufficient pressure must be applied to make them understand that Samsung's will cannot be defied in the Korean market.

Simply contacting the other party's core team through headhunters to exert pressure may not be direct enough.

Lee Byung-taek was well-versed in the rules of doing business in South Korea. Sometimes, non-market but legal and compliant methods could be more effective.

He believed that those preparations would surely force Lin Haoran to submit!

South Korea is his territory. What right does an outsider have to haggle here? Even a dragon has to coil up, and a tiger has to lie low!

Thinking of this, Li Bingze felt even more confident in his ability to control the overall situation.

He believes that when Lin Haoran sees his business in South Korea suddenly facing various "unexpected" administrative reviews and potential public opinion storms, he will soon understand what it means to be "a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake".

Faced with immense operational pressure and uncertainty, even the strongest principles must yield, and even the most ingenious plans must be compromised.

Just as he was leisurely having breakfast in his hotel suite, his assistant rushed in from outside, and judging from the assistant's expression, it seemed that there was some bad news.

"President, something terrible has happened!" the assistant said frantically at the door.

The assistant is a junior member of the Li family. Although he is not a direct descendant, he is a nephew and considered family. He has a good talent for business management.

Therefore, he is very willing to mentor the other person so that he can become an important senior executive at Samsung in the future.

Li Bingze frowned, put down the bowl of porridge in his hand, gently wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and said with a hint of displeasure in his tone: "How many times have I told you, no matter what happens, don't panic."

We, the members of the Li family, must possess the composure to remain calm even in the face of a collapsing mountain, especially in public. We must always be mindful of our demeanor, as this represents the dignity of the Three Stars.

The assistant took a deep breath, trying to calm his somewhat rapid breathing, but the anxiety and panic on his face were hard to completely hide.

He walked quickly to Lee Byung-taek's side, bowed slightly, lowered his voice, and said quickly in Korean, "Chairman, I'm very sorry to disturb your meal."

However, several extremely urgent and unfavorable messages have just arrived from headquarters in Seoul. The situation is likely much worse than we anticipated!

Li Bingze felt a chill run down his spine, but his face remained impassive. He simply looked sharply at his assistant and said, "Say it, the sky isn't going to fall."

He wondered to himself, could it be that 711 and Rosen reacted strongly after learning of his pressure tactics?
Or does Lin Haoran have some other tricks up his sleeve in Hong Kong?
The assistant swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly: "First, the chairman's office of Sharp Corporation in Tokyo, ten minutes ago, through formal diplomatic and commercial channels, sent letters to both Samsung Electronics and the group headquarters, unilaterally announcing an indefinite suspension of negotiations with us regarding the transfer of LCD panel production technology!"

The reason given is that they are reaching out to new potential investors with greater strategic synergy, and need to reassess all technology export and cooperation plans.

According to our urgent inside information at Sharp, this new investor is very likely closely linked to Hong Kong capital, particularly Hongkong Land Group!

"What?" The napkin in Li Bingze's hand slipped silently to the ground.

He sat bolt upright, his calm expression instantly shattered, replaced by disbelief and shock.

"Sharp? Suspended negotiations? Hong Kong Land?"

Hongkong Land Group, isn't that Lin Haoran's flagship real estate and investment company that has been expanding rapidly across Asia?

How can this be?

Negotiations between Sharp and Samsung have progressed to a fairly advanced stage, with both sides having basically agreed on the terms, and only the final signing remains!
He attaches great importance to this collaboration.

After all, Samsung is still a newcomer in the technology industry, especially in the field of high-tech display technology, where it has almost no presence.

Sharp, as one of the pioneers of LCD technology in Japan and even the world, possesses many key patents and mature production processes.

This technology transfer negotiation is a key step for Samsung to enter the high-end electronic components market, especially the core components for future televisions and displays, and is also an important part of its semiconductor strategy's "display technology" branch.

To facilitate this collaboration, Samsung not only offered a very attractive price but also leveraged its political and business connections, and even pledged long-term procurement orders.

Just when it was about to blossom and bear fruit, it was cruelly cut short at the last moment!
Moreover, it was hijacked by capital from Hong Kong!

An ominous premonition instantly gripped Li Bingze's heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

How could they suddenly be interfered with, especially by Hong Kong capital?

“Secondly,” the assistant’s voice lowered, almost trembling with tears, “the board of directors of SVLT Semiconductor in Silicon Valley held an emergency meeting half an hour ago and officially notified our negotiation team stationed in Silicon Valley.”

They decided to suspend negotiations with Samsung regarding the acquisition of all of the company's shares and technology patents.

The reason was that they received a more competitive acquisition offer from a representative of Citibank's investment department, which included several generous safeguards. The offer was higher, the payment terms were more flexible, and the offer promised to retain the core team and increase investment in research and development.

SVLT Semiconductor stated that its board of directors is inclined to accept the new offer.

All our previous negotiation efforts and sacrifices will probably be in vain!
Moreover, according to our sources, the actual buyer behind that new offer is extremely mysterious, but possesses immense power; even the original major shareholder of SVLT Semiconductor seems to have been persuaded.

"SVLT Semiconductor was also hijacked? A representative from Citibank?" Li Bingze felt a chill run from his feet to his head, as if his heart was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe.

SVLT Semiconductor was the first overseas technology springboard he carefully selected for Samsung's semiconductor strategy. Although small in scale, its several specific process patents and experienced engineering team are crucial to Samsung!
who is it?

Who can, at this crucial moment, precisely intercept his target through a behemoth like Citibank?
Is it Hong Kong again?
Or is it a competitor in the United States?
But why such a coincidence?

Seeing the president's face turn pale and his fingers tremble slightly, the assistant felt even more terrified.

But he still gritted his teeth and reported the most devastating news: "Third, and this is the worst news that just came from New York."

Citibank and Morgan Stanley, the two lead underwriters for this bond issuance, just now, almost simultaneously, formally notified Samsung Group's financing representative in New York and the finance department at its Seoul headquarters.

Upon hearing this, Li Bingze felt a bad premonition once again.

The assistant paused, as if it took a lot of courage to say what he was about to say: "They, they have decided to postpone indefinitely the $2.8 million unsecured bond issuance program that was originally scheduled to start next month for us!"

The reason given is that, based on a reassessment of the current changes in the international market interest rate environment and a prudent re-examination of the issuer's (Samsung Group's) future cash flow and debt repayment capacity in specific business areas, they need more time to conduct an 'internal risk check'.

Furthermore, Citibank subtly conveyed a message that they are reassessing their overall global cooperation framework with Samsung and may appropriately reduce the breadth and depth of cooperation in certain areas in the future.

"Postponement? Indefinite postponement? Risk assessment? Shrinking cooperation?" Li Bingze's voice suddenly rose.

He could no longer remain calm and abruptly stood up from his chair.

The chair fell backward with a "bang" due to the sudden movement.

He felt a sudden wave of dizziness and his vision went black. He quickly grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself.

2.8 billion US dollars!
This is crucial funding that Samsung has carefully raised to launch its massive semiconductor investment plan!

It will be the lifeblood of technology introduction, equipment procurement, and talent recruitment in the next two to three years!
Citigroup and Morgan Stanley are their most important international financing partners outside of South Korea!
At this critical juncture, they have joined forces to postpone this crucial financing with such vague yet severe reasons!

They even hinted at reducing cooperation?

This is absolutely not a normal business risk assessment!
This is clearly some kind of signal!

It's some kind of suppression or warning coming from a higher level against Samsung!
why?
Why is it?
Why did these three fatal blows—from Silicon Valley, Tokyo, and New York—occur at almost the same time?

The target is Samsung's nascent semiconductor strategy, to which it has poured countless efforts!

Technology acquisition, key acquisitions, and core financing—the three external pillars supporting semiconductor ambitions—were simultaneously and severely damaged, or even severed, in a precise and ruthless manner within just one or two hours!

This can't be a coincidence!

This was clearly a meticulously planned, multi-party coordinated, and lightning-fast precision sniping operation!
Did Samsung offend a power they couldn't afford to offend?
Li Bingze felt dizzy, his legs went weak, and he almost fell.

Fortunately, his assistant reacted quickly and caught the Samsung chairman.

At that moment, Li Bingze felt as if the sky was about to fall! (End of Chapter)