America: My Time

Chapter 425 Influence
Chapter 425 Influence

“Mr. Dong, this is no small matter. You don’t need to think about it again. Actually, you don’t need to be nervous. Since I’ve said this, I won’t go back on my word. As long as I leave Hong Kong, my word will stand, and it won’t change because of other circumstances!” John understood the other party’s concerns, so he tried to persuade him.

“Mr. John, I understand your good intentions, and to be honest, I do have some concerns. In truth, I don't really have that many choices. Orient Overseas is on the verge of bankruptcy, and the conditions you've proposed are very fair; I have no reason not to agree. If I can get investment from Quantum Mining, I can finally sleep peacefully. Frankly, I haven't had a good night's sleep in years! Now that I have this opportunity, how could I possibly give it up!”

"Alright, I'll notify Quantum Mining and have them come over to sign the contract with you as soon as possible. If there are no problems, we'll have results soon. You'll just need to wait a few days!"

"Sure, no problem. I just don't know when the funds will be available?"

"As long as the contract is signed, the funds will be in place immediately, so funding won't be a problem for Quantum Mining. You can rest assured about that. Also, I'll discuss with the Japanese side about Orient Overseas' loan in Japan and ask them to give it a break. Don't worry, these are minor matters. You just need to stabilize the company's situation; nothing else matters! If funds are insufficient, Quantum Mining can provide more financial support, so you don't need to worry about that at all!"

In John's view, neither the loan from Japan nor the transportation of goods were problems. As long as there were no internal issues within OOCL, everything would be OK, which would greatly reduce its own problems.

"Old Bao, it seems that the Dong family's kid has received help from them. What do you think are the chances of Dongfang Haiwai escaping danger?"

"If OOCL could secure some shipping orders from them, they would be out of danger. Their capabilities are beyond your imagination. Orders from mining giants are not as simple as you think, let alone petrochemical giants. I originally had some ideas about taking some orders from them, but now it seems hopeless. As far as I know, Quantum Minerals has a large share of iron ore exports from Australia, and many shipping companies wanted to get their hands on that business, but now it seems OOCL has won it."

"Old Bao, doesn't he have his own shipping company? Why does he need other shipping companies to help transport iron ore? Besides, he has quite a few new ships in Japan, so he should have ample transport capacity."

"You're an amateur! You're such an amateur! The shipping company is focused on the trade with the Russians, which makes so much money. Why would they put their energy into ordinary freight? It's just that the Dong family kid acted quickly enough, otherwise the opportunity wouldn't have been his. And this matter is probably not that simple; someone is pushing things along!"

"I think I know who it is. Only the Huo family has that kind of power and can pull such strings for him. However, I don't understand if shipping is really going to recover. Otherwise, why would they invest so heavily in the shipping industry?"

"I don't know. Nobody knows when the shipping industry will recover, but the other party doesn't care whether the shipping industry recovers or not. He has enough demand, and that's enough. He represents a conglomerate, a newly established conglomerate, a conglomerate that has gained recognition from all sides in the United States."

"No way, Lao Bao, how do you know this? Such a secret shouldn't have spread to Hong Kong so quickly!"

"It was Shen Daban who told me this. Otherwise, do you think the British would let him take over Standard Chartered Bank so easily? It's because he has the United States behind him. He is a newly established conglomerate in the United States that can force the recognition of the top ten conglomerates in the United States and the recognition of the US government. How strong do you think he is? What we see is only the surface strength. We know nothing about his deeper strength."

"He became a legend in one battle. For a long time, no one dared to confront him head-on in the financial industry. A monster who could bring down Lehman Brothers and force them to pay up was indeed terrifying. They were giants on Wall Street. To be honest, I was shocked when I saw this news and could hardly believe it."

"Yes, although he is not a Wall Street giant, and Hurricane Investment is not among the top on Wall Street, no one dares to underestimate him. It is said that he now controls the second largest telecommunications company in the United States, a true media tycoon, and controls global discourse power. The defeat of HSBC and Standard Chartered this time was due to the cooperation of media forces, otherwise they would not have lost so quickly! Most importantly, he has a very good relationship with Japanese banks and has the best reputation in Japan. As long as he asks, Japanese banks can provide financial support at any time. This is what is most frightening."

"Possessing absolute ability, yet restraining his greed, he hasn't made a big splash in the financial industry but has instead developed real businesses. This is indeed a formidable young man. Looking at his clashes with the British, he always left them room to maneuver. If he wanted to acquire HSBC, he might have faced a full-scale counterattack from the British, given HSBC's immense importance in Hong Kong. Acquiring Standard Chartered, however, would have been far less troublesome. Such foresight alone is enough to earn admiration." John didn't care what outsiders thought of his cooperation with the Tung family, nor did he care about the British's opinions. When Yuan Tianfan mentioned the Huo family, John had no intention of refusing to help the Tung family and Orient Overseas. Moreover, this cooperation aligned with his own interests. Although his development focus wasn't on Hong Kong, he still needed to maintain good relationships with the bigwigs in the Chinese community there, and his interests didn't conflict much with theirs.

Now, having integrated British-owned real estate companies, Mandarin Oriental is the strongest player in Hong Kong's real estate industry, possessing a large number of prime locations. However, Mandarin Oriental's development focus is not solely on Hong Kong, but rather expanding in all directions. Holding onto Hong Kong is not the outcome John desires; for a long time, the global real estate industry has enjoyed considerable growth, especially in Japan.

Because the development focus of the Mandarin Oriental Group is no longer in Hong Kong, the conflicts with various parties in Hong Kong have decreased significantly. The focus of the Mandarin Oriental Group now is on high-quality commercial real estate in Taiwan, Japan, and the United States, rather than competing for profits with major real estate companies in Hong Kong.

Taking a step back opens up a whole new world. By withdrawing from expansion in Hong Kong, there would be fewer troubles and conflicts. Although Hong Kong real estate is indeed very profitable, it is not on the same level as Japan. If John had a choice, he would naturally prefer to expand real estate in Japan and make more profits during the bubble era.

“Mr. Fok, I didn’t expect to meet you here. If you have time, I would like to pay a visit to your residence!” John said upon seeing the Fok family patriarch. Although it wasn’t his first time meeting the patriarch, he felt he should pay a visit as a sign of respect while in Hong Kong.

"If you have time, I'll be waiting for you at home tomorrow."

Many people might be hesitant to interact with Mr. Huo because of his association with the British, but John doesn't take the British seriously. Now that he has gained the recognition of various forces in the United States and become a new conglomerate, John has the right to confront the British.

Although the British were unwilling to be taken over by John, they ultimately had to compromise. This is why it was so easy to take over Hongkong Land, Wheelock and Jardine Matheson, and why they did not encounter any obstruction from the British side when they took over Standard Chartered. If you have the strength, you don't need to be timid.

After touring around and exchanging ideas with Hong Kong's elite, John was somewhat exhausted. These guys were always subtly trying to discuss financial matters with him, hoping to extract some useful information. This was incredibly tiring for John. The same thing happened in Japan, and now it was happening in Hong Kong. His meteoric rise to fame had brought him immense renown, but it had also brought considerable consequences. Almost everywhere he went, people would ask him about finance. Once or twice was fine, but when it happened repeatedly, it became incredibly frustrating.

After meeting up with the two beauties, Cherie Chung and Sally Yeh, John couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was so much more relaxed here with these beautiful women; there wasn't as much pressure. They talked about things like fashion and didn't seem to care much about the economy.

John was somewhat surprised by the celebrities in front of him. Many of them were chatting and laughing with Ye Qianwen, while Chung Chuh-hung had very few people around her. Perhaps this was the effect of her leaving the industry. She was no longer a part of it, so she was different from these stars. Different circles would hardly have anything to talk about.

Just as John was listening to the beautiful women gossiping, Old Bao and Old He were walking towards them, clearly looking for John. At this moment, those who had originally wanted to join in the fun stopped in their tracks.

At this moment, John stood up as a sign of respect. As the younger man, John didn't want any problems with etiquette, lest he become a laughingstock and be seen as arrogant. That was neither the outcome he desired nor wanted to see. In such a formal occasion, etiquette could not be neglected in the slightest; at the very least, he couldn't afford to make a mistake.

Upon seeing John's actions, the two elderly people who had walked up to him couldn't help but smile slightly. It seemed that they quite approved of John's performance. After all, they were very clear about John's identity. It was rare for someone who could become the head of a conglomerate and still maintain such respect for them. At least in their eyes, John was not as arrogant as they had imagined.

Polite people naturally earn the favor of others, and John's behavior naturally won the favor of these two people as well, making them feel that John was a good junior, much better than some arrogant foreigners!

(End of this chapter)