Mixed in 1980

Chapter 369 Detonation in Advance
He Litai stopped in his tracks, frowning as he stared at the television. Then he heard a reporter ask, "Mr. Yu, is Mr. Chen selling off land and houses because he's not optimistic about the real estate market?"

Upon hearing this, He Litai's heart trembled!
Chen Fan carries significant weight in Hong Kong; often, a single word from him can cause economic ripples. If Yu Jing were to simply say "yes," it could potentially impact the real estate market.

Fortunately, Yu Jing did not say those two words: "No, Mr. Chen has been investing in the mainland for many years, and now he has his eye on a big project that requires a large amount of funds."

"With the Hong Kong property market booming, Mr. Chen is considering selling his assets to invest in the mainland. Spark Investment's strategic focus will also be on the mainland in the future."

"According to Mr. Chen's plan, the headquarters of Xinghuo Investment, Xinghuo Real Estate, and Chinatown Supermarket will all be relocated to the mainland within the next 2-3 years."

The interview ended there. He Litai then forcefully pulled down the television and smashed it. Yu Jing's words were even more serious than simply saying "I'm not optimistic about the real estate market."

Spark Investment is Hong Kong's largest financial enterprise; Spark Properties is Hong Kong's largest real estate enterprise; and Chinatown Supermarket is Hong Kong's largest retail enterprise, ranking among the top in the world.

These three companies drive three industrial chains and create a huge number of high-paying jobs. If they were all moved away, the impact on Hong Kong's economy would be enormous.

The economy does affect the real estate market!

Chen Fan is speculating in real estate himself, and he also wants to undermine Hong Kong's economy. His intention is clear: to cause a sharp drop in property transactions and trap capital.

“Shit…” He Litai cursed again.

If it weren't for Chen Fan, Yingzi wouldn't be in such a passive position. They originally held a lot of land, but Chen Fan took it away, forcing them to invest more money to buy land and real estate.

"British and foreign companies are having a tough time!"

At Li Zhaoji's house, Old Huo sat in front of the TV, watching Yu Jing say, "That kid is really ruthless; the houses aren't selling."

Li Zhaoji shook his head and smiled bitterly: "My family still has many houses that haven't been sold, but it doesn't matter. We sold enough in the early stages. If Chen Fan hadn't intervened, we wouldn't have been able to sell so many."

“Just look at Sun Hung Kai Properties. The Kwok brothers have always been reluctant to sell and have limited sales. Now that prices have gone up, they haven’t sold many.”

"We should be glad we ran fast!"

After hearing this, Old Huo laughed loudly: "My family doesn't have many houses, just a few buildings left. I'll see if I can sell them off later."

Li Zhaoji chuckled: "Stop dreaming. We'd be happy enough to sell a few here and there. Who's going to buy them now?"

"Capital isn't stupid!"

"Where do ordinary consumers get the money to buy a house?"

"Everyone is trapped now because they all see Chen Fan as a businessman and view him from a businessman's perspective."

"They thought everyone was the same, all seeking wealth. Chen Fan was the biggest real estate developer, and making money together was in their common interest. Unfortunately, Chen Fan wasn't one of them."

"He's an oddball!" Old Huo burst out laughing.

The ideas of "harmony brings wealth" and "maximizing profits" work for Chen Fan most of the time, provided he remains calm and composed.

If you're angry, you should fight back!
After laughing, Old Huo took out a cigarette and lit it: "Before 1997, that kid probably wouldn't have come to Hong Kong. The British definitely wanted to get rid of him."

Li Zhaoji lit a cigarette and took a deep drag: "It's highly likely. What dirty tricks haven't the British used? Do you think Chen Fan will really move the company?"

Old Huo shook his head slightly: "No, it's just for show. After 1997, Hong Kong needs stability and is a window to the outside world. The higher-ups won't agree to it."

"makes sense!"

Li Zhaoji nodded slightly, then raised the corners of his mouth: "A year has passed, how is the plan in Siam going? Your side is the first stop."

The economic crisis began in Siam.

When the tasks were assigned, this area was entrusted to the Huo family, while the resources of other families in the Siam region were controlled and managed by Old Huo.

Speaking of this, Old Huo couldn't help but laugh: "Chen Fan's prediction was very accurate. Siam is just like Hong Kong now, with unprecedented prosperity in the real estate and stock markets. All the money is flowing into the real estate and stock markets."

"The manufacturing industry cannot develop without money, export capacity will decline sharply, and the exchange rate is pegged to the US dollar, which has huge loopholes that can be easily triggered."

"Money is flowing into the real estate and stock markets, leaving the real economy short of funds. A large amount of capital is flowing into our area, making it very easy to invest, acquire, and obtain loans."

"It's going very smoothly so far!"

"However, the acquisition wave should come after the economic crisis is triggered, when a large number of companies will experience cash flow problems, and that will be the best opportunity."

After listening, Li Zhaoji took a drag of his cigarette: "We need the minerals and the ports, and we can't let go of the rubber plantations, durian orchards, and forest farms over there."

"Don't underestimate the low profits in agriculture. These assets are extremely profitable. Once you buy them, you'll be a permanent resident with a stable income every year."

“Of course!” Old Huo nodded slightly.

He took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Chen Fan is indeed more ambitious than us. After reaping these assets, even if his descendants are not successful, they can still live comfortably."

Li Zhaoji teased, "Come on, all three of your children are quite good, especially your eldest son, who is very magnanimous and has a worthy successor."

After being praised, Old Huo smiled.

The Huo family's three children are indeed excellent, and their eldest grandson is also very good. The Huo family will have no worries for three generations!

While they chatted idly, the British were like ants on a hot plate, the house prices were too high, higher than anyone had expected.

"The shareholders of Hang Seng Bank are still speculating on properties. By next month, the average price might break HK$11000 per square foot." "They're already sluggish; any further price increases would be suicidal!"

Shen Bi was undoubtedly the one who suffered the most.

He fully supported HSBC's move to profit from the housing market, providing massive amounts of capital. However, if the houses couldn't be sold, they would become a pile of bad debts.

"Housing prices cannot rise any further, but there must be positive news that shows people the potential for future price increases. We must restrict those who speculate on housing."

As for the possibility of housing prices falling, no one dares to think about it. Housing prices can only rise, not fall. Once they fall, it will lead to a sell-off and trigger a major collapse.

Governor Peng Dingkang rubbed his temples: "I'll contact them and tell them to stop speculating on real estate. If that doesn't work, I'll investigate them. I refuse to believe there's nothing wrong with them."

"This is the only way!" Shen Bi said with a wry smile.

If we can't do anything about it economically, we can only resort to tactics, whether it's coercion or enticement, to force them to stand on the same boat.

Otherwise, it would be a catastrophic blow to British capital.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If Chen Fan comes to Hong Kong, find an opportunity to kill him. It would be a joke to worry about the consequences at this point."

"Chen Fan should die!" Huang Dazhi cursed as well.

Sino Group, comprised of Singaporean capital, purchased two plots of land from Spark Properties at a high price last year. The development plan was only finalized when the houses were already unsellable.

Sino Land also has other land and houses, which were sold on a large scale only a little over a month ago, following the lead of British investors.

Now it's all in my hands!
If the property market can stabilize, things will be fine; by selling gradually, they can eventually recoup their costs. But if it collapses, bankruptcy will be the fate of Sino Land.

As for the land they bought, Sino Land has no intention of developing it and can only look on and find someone to take it over.

I'd even be willing to take a loss!
Fortunately, the British acted swiftly, summoning all the shareholders of Hang Seng Bank to a meeting, with Zhou Wenya attending as Chen Fan's representative.

We used both threats and inducements to prevent them from raising prices!
The situation is beyond our control, and no one has any objections. Housing prices are already high, and there's not much room for further increases, as long as transaction volume doesn't pick up.

Foreign capital trying to flee won't find it so easy.

Compared to Hong Kong itself, everyone's attention is more focused on Southeast Asia, and everyone is putting in a lot of real money for this operation.

The Hong Kong property market has lost much of its appeal.

All we can do now is list the properties for sale, hoping to sell as many as we can. It's a way of competing with foreign companies for market share and trying to squeeze out the last bit of profit.

As for foreign capital, they are all busy speculating, with one wave of positive news after another, and major media outlets are all involved, which can entice some people to enter the market with high leverage.

Soon, it will be the end of August!

The housing market remains stagnant. Despite a constant stream of positive news, prices simply aren't rising. Some retail investors have realized that all the talk is just rhetoric without any real action.

Chen Fan ignored all of this and took the children to Mentougou. The zoo had already started construction and was basically modeled after Chimelong.

The difference lies in the significant climate difference between Guangzhou and Beijing, requiring the replacement of facilities, especially addressing the issue of snowfall in winter, which necessitates substantial investment.

"Dad, will there be many animals here in the future?" Yan Yin asked, squinting her big eyes.

Chen Fan nodded and said, "Yes, there will be many animals in the future. Whatever animal you like, we'll raise it, okay?"

The little girl nodded.

Chen Fan then said, "When you grow up, the zoo will be yours, okay?"

The little girl shook her head repeatedly: "No way, work is too tiring, I'd rather stay home with my dad."

Chen Fan smiled wryly; she was just a lazy girl.

Even Miss Zhao couldn't bear to watch, so she pinched her daughter's cheek and said, "Daddy has Mommy by his side. When you grow up, you'll be responsible for earning money to support Daddy and Mommy."

Yan Yin snorted, "Mom is a big bad guy!"

"..." Miss Zhao gritted her teeth, and in the end could only smile bitterly. She decided to give up. The girl was just like her. She could marry a reliable man and enjoy a good life.

After strolling around the zoo construction site and checking out the nearby villa area under construction, I made sure everything was alright and then went straight home.

Just then, Xin Yingjie came looking for him.

Chen Fan led the person to the living room, tossed them a cigarette, and brewed some tea: "You're quite busy, kid, you never even bring Qi Yue over for a visit."

Xin Yingjie lit a cigarette: "There's no other way, I have a ton of things to do. I'm here today on important business, and my superiors asked me to let you know."

"Hong Kong?" Chen Fan guessed.

Xin Yingjie nodded solemnly: "The transaction volume in Hong Kong's real estate market is not large, but there are still transactions. The higher-ups hope to further stifle foreign investment."

"It would be best to ignite the housing market in advance."

"It's better for the British to collapse before July next year than after July. The British have to bear the consequences of the landmines they planted."

PS: First update! Thanks for your support!
(End of this chapter)