Chapter 143 - Poaching a Top Talent
In Hong Kong, a city where prosperity and undercurrents coexisted, there existed a marginalized gray industry specializing in gathering and providing basic intelligence. Lin Haoran had learned about it through his father. The lower levels of Hong Kong society were intertwined with complex triad networks, acting like the city's capillaries, silently controlling a vast amount of basic data and information sources. Although they couldn't access highly classified information, they were astonishingly efficient and accurate at finding people.
Lin Haoran needed to find someone — and for such a task, these gray-market networks were perfect. Of course, for more complex intelligence gathering, such networks would be insufficient. That would require creating his own intelligence department — something major forces typically kept for themselves unless offered great rewards. Building a capable intelligence agency was not something that could happen overnight; it required time, resources, and meticulous planning.
Thus, although Lin Haoran would eventually need his own intelligence system, he wasn't in a hurry right now.
His current target was none other than the future "King of the Working Class" in Hong Kong — Huo Jianning. This legendary figure's life was a grand epic in the corporate world, one of the most outstanding Chinese professional managers. According to Lin Haoran's knowledge from his previous life, Huo Jianning had just returned from studying abroad in the United States and had not yet joined Cheung Kong Holdings.
This was the best time to intercept him. If Lin Haoran didn't act, Huo Jianning would soon join Cheung Kong Holdings as a Chief Accountant and quickly rise to become Li Jiacheng's indispensable right-hand man — practically his personal strategist, much like Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei.
Such an exceptional future business strategist was not someone Lin Haoran could let slip away. From what he knew, Huo Jianning was a Hong Kong native who graduated from the University of Hong Kong, then studied in the U.S., and had recently returned to Hong Kong. He was 27 years old.
Given this sparse information, finding him among Hong Kong's nearly five million residents might seem difficult. But for professional information networks, it was easy. His background narrowed the search considerably — for instance, only a small percentage of Hong Kong families could afford to send a child to study in the U.S. This alone filtered out 80% of the population.
Moreover, he was a graduate of the University of Hong Kong, and the number of students per class in the 1970s wasn't large. With a little money slipped to the right archive clerk, it was easy to retrieve personal information. Thus, within two days, Lin Haoran had what he needed — at a cost of just 20,000 Hong Kong dollars. Well worth it.
Meanwhile, matters at Qingzhou Cement had also been wrapped up. Former CFO Maca would soon face trial. The embezzled funds had been recovered through legal procedures. According to Burton, Maca would be sentenced to at least seven years — his life ruined.
At Aimeigao, dividends had been disbursed a day earlier. As planned, 80 million Hong Kong dollars were divided — 40 million each for Lin Haoran and Liu Luanxiong. Liu Luanxiong had also repaid the 1 million Hong Kong dollars he had borrowed. Thus, Lin Haoran now had an additional 41 million Hong Kong dollars in liquidity.
His original investment in Aimeigao had been only 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars. In just over half a year, the return had already reached 40 million — and future dividends would only increase. It was no exaggeration to say that this venture would return a hundredfold within a year.
On the morning of July 10th, Lin Haoran, accompanied by Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, arrived at a residential complex in Yau Ma Tei. This was clearly a neighborhood for affluent families — not villas, but quiet and comfortable. There was no property management or security at the entrance, allowing them to easily find Huo Jianning's home.
According to the information Lin Haoran obtained, Huo Jianning had returned from the U.S. about two weeks ago and was currently unemployed at home. Arriving at unit 301, Lin Haoran knocked on the door. Soon, a woman in her fifties opened the door, looking at Lin Haoran and his muscular bodyguards with a suspicious expression.
"Who are you looking for?" the woman asked. "Good morning, Auntie. Is this Huo Jianning's home? I'm his friend — I have something to discuss with him," Lin Haoran said politely.
Peeking through the gap, Lin Haoran noticed a piano and a large living room, suggesting the family was comfortably middle-class. The woman visibly relaxed. "Wait a moment. Jianning is reading in his room. I'll go call him," she said, closing the door without inviting them in — understandably cautious seeing two bodyguards.
Soon, a young man appeared. It was the youthful version of Huo Jianning, exactly as Lin Haoran remembered. "You are...? Do we know each other?" Huo Jianning asked, puzzled.
Lin Haoran smiled and handed over his business card. "I'm Lin Haoran, Chairman of Qingzhou Cement Company. Sorry for the sudden visit."
"Chairman of Qingzhou Cement?" the woman gasped. "I remember reading about you in the papers and seeing you on TV! You're the first Chinese to acquire a British-listed company in Hong Kong — everyone was talking about it half a year ago!"
Having received confirmation from his mother, Huo Jianning's demeanor changed. "Mr. Lin, what can I do for you?" he asked more formally.
Huo Jianning didn't know the details of Qingzhou Cement's business, but the brand was famous — synonymous with construction in Hong Kong for decades. "There is indeed something I'd like to discuss," Lin Haoran nodded.
"Please come in. Let's talk in the living room," Huo Jianning said, inviting him inside. "Sorry for the trouble," Lin Haoran smiled and entered.
"Please have a seat. I'll make some tea," the woman offered. "No need, Auntie. We won't stay long," Lin Haoran said politely. He and Huo Jianning sat down.
"Mr. Lin, please get to the point," Huo Jianning said. "Then I'll be direct: I'd like to invite you to join Qingzhou Cement Company as our Chief Financial Officer," Lin Haoran said.
In truth, with Huo Jianning's talents, he was better suited to be a Chief Accountant. But Qingzhou Cement didn't have a separate accounting department; all accountants fell under the finance department. Lin Haoran viewed this as merely the first step in grooming Huo Jianning — soon enough, he would manage a much larger group as a general manager.
Starting at Qingzhou Cement, a simple business, would allow Huo Jianning to quickly gain practical leadership experience.
Huo Jianning's mother was ecstatic — never imagining that the Chairman of Qingzhou Cement would personally come to invite her son to a senior position. Especially after her son had returned from America uncertain about his future.
However, Huo Jianning himself was cautious. "Mr. Lin, may I ask how you came to know about me? I'm just a recent returnee. Isn't this decision a bit hasty?" he asked.
"I was referred by someone who spoke highly of you," Lin Haoran said, keeping things vague. "Our previous CFO left recently, leaving a vacancy. I heard you had returned, and with your academic background — a U.S. CPA and a strong debating and negotiation record — I thought you would be a perfect fit. As for who recommended you, let's just say it's someone who knows your abilities well and wants to see you succeed."
Lin Haoran couldn't exactly say, "I know your future from a past life," after all.
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