Chapter 191 The True Top Circle of Hong Kong
On the rooftop terrace of the villa, Lin Haoran and Lin Haoning sat on lounge chairs, admiring the dazzling fireworks bursting around them.
At that moment, although they were brothers, Lin Haoning was already very aware that he and his younger brother no longer stood on parallel lines in terms of status and wealth.
The assets that Lin Haoning had received during the division of the family property were worth over a hundred million Hong Kong dollars at current value. But compared to his younger brother Lin Haoran, the wealth he controlled was barely worth mentioning.
The gap between them in terms of wealth was simply too vast, and it looked like it would only continue to grow.
Looking at his younger brother beside him, Lin Haoning felt a deep sense of emotion.
"Brother, what do you want to talk about?" Lin Haoran asked, smiling as he turned to look at the colorful fireworks soaring up from the direction of Bao Yugang's villa.
"Actually, no specific topic. Just feeling a bit emotional all of a sudden, and I wanted to spend a moment alone with you, reminiscing about our childhood. Do you still remember the days when the four of us siblings used to set off fireworks together? Back then, I wasn't married yet, and you were still little. Life was so carefree," Lin Haoning said, immersed in his memories.
Although they were brothers, Lin Haoran was the youngest, and Lin Haoning was the eldest, with nearly ten years of age difference between them.
"Of course I remember, especially the time you launched a firework that flew into the neighbor's villa and almost set their roof on fire. They even came knocking on our door afterward. Luckily, it was caught in time and didn't cause any real trouble," Lin Haoran said, laughing as he recalled the memory he had retrieved from his mind.
In wealthy families, if members had similar strength, conflicts were often inevitable.
However, the Lin family was now an exception.
Lin Haoran, as the head of Hong Kong Electric Group, a company valued at twenty to thirty billion Hong Kong dollars, had carved out his empire with his own abilities in a short time—a strength that Lin Haoning was fully aware of.
Thus, even as his elder brother, facing such an outstanding sibling, Lin Haoning couldn't help but feel somewhat inferior.
This was the invisible pressure brought by Lin Haoran's business status, and had nothing to do with family affection.
"How's your Wanfeng Fan Factory doing now?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"We've entered the off-season, and orders have indeed dropped a lot. But after entering the North American market last year, we still made over thirty million Hong Kong dollars in profit. I'm planning to expand further this year. Do you have any advice?" Lin Haoning asked sincerely.
He was thoroughly convinced of his younger brother's ability to make money.
"The North American market is different from the Middle East. Summers there are short. These past two years have seen good sales mainly because of the oil crisis, forcing people to rely on electric fans.
Also, since the hot season is short, fans are used less frequently and are very durable, so the market easily saturates.
This year, sales might still be decent, but by next year, market demand could start to decline.
It's up to you to decide how to proceed," Lin Haoran said, giving his assessment without thinking too deeply about it.
The two brothers chatted at length on the rooftop, with Lin Haoning maintaining a humble attitude of learning, and Lin Haoran generously sharing his insights and advice.
After all, they were both Lin family members. Although Lin Haoning's previous actions had once disgusted Lin Haoran, those were typical struggles found even among siblings in rural villages.
No matter how fierce the fights, they were still family.
Thus, Lin Haoran had long since put the past behind him.
However, he would only offer advice; whether Lin Haoning listened was his own decision.
Last year, when Lin Haoning followed Lin Haoran's suggestion to expand into the North American market, he earned a significant profit.
Had he stayed in the Middle East, battling countless competitors, even working diligently might have yielded only ten to twenty million Hong Kong dollars a year at best.
Perhaps because he had stayed up too late the night before, Lin Haoran didn't wake up until after ten in the morning.
The villa was near the sea, and with the sea breeze blowing, the smell of fireworks had long dissipated.
On the first day of the lunar new year, Lin Haoran spent the whole day at home with his family—a rare occasion for him.
It wasn't until evening that he took his Rolls-Royce and left Deep Water Bay, heading toward the Governor's House.
When the family learned that Lin Haoran had received an invitation from Governor MacLehose to attend the Spring Festival banquet, both Lin Wanan and Mother Lin, as well as Lin Haoning and his wife, were utterly shocked.
Amid the shock, Father Lin felt overwhelming pride for his son.
The Lin family had finally made it.
Being invited by the Governor—the highest-ranking official in Hong Kong—was an honor he had never achieved despite decades of hard work in business.
Driving along the winding roads, Lin Haoran arrived half an hour later at the Governor's House, located between Upper and Lower Albert Roads in Central's Mid-Levels.
In front of the Governor's House, luxury cars were parked everywhere: Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Maybachs.
Even regular Mercedes-Benz and BMWs were rare here.
After all, those invited by MacLehose were among Hong Kong's elite—the rich and powerful, those to whom money was no object.
Accompanied by Li Weidong and Li Weiguo, Lin Haoran entered the Governor's House. After handing over his invitation, staff members guided him through several corridors and finally into a luxurious hall.
Meanwhile, Li Weidong and Li Weiguo were escorted to a separate area to wait.
Inside the hall, around twenty people were already gathered.
As expected, most of them were foreigners; there were very few Chinese faces.
In fact, there were only two other Chinese besides Lin Haoran: Bao Yugang of Wharf Holdings and Li Jiacheng of Hutchison Whampoa.
As for famous Chinese tycoons like Cheng Yutong, Kwok Tak-seng, Li Zhaoji, Zhao Chongyan, and Sir Run Run Shaw, none were present.
Apparently, either they hadn't been invited, or they hadn't arrived yet.
Since it was Lin Haoran's first time receiving such an invitation, he wasn't entirely sure about the situation.
Among the foreigners, Lin Haoran recognized many: David Newbigging of Jardines Matheson, Roland Kadoorie of CLP, John Madden of Wheelock, and others, including political figures he wasn't familiar with.
Governor MacLehose was also there, standing amidst a circle of dignitaries, chatting warmly.
Even though it was Lin Haoran's first time seeing him in person, MacLehose's appearance was familiar—after all, his face often appeared on TV and in newspapers.
At many major public events, MacLehose was always present.
Despite being the Governor, he maintained a relatively approachable image. Whether genuine or not, at least he made the effort.
Lin Haoran's arrival immediately drew the attention of the entire hall.
There were only about twenty people here, making the spacious hall feel rather empty.
MacLehose was the first to approach, smiling warmly. "Mr. Lin, you're the last one we were waiting for."
"Good evening, Governor MacLehose. Sorry for being late—it's my first time here, and I thought I was early!" Lin Haoran said with an embarrassed smile as they shook hands.
Unexpectedly, he really was the last to arrive.
He had come twenty minutes early—the invitation stated 8 PM, and it was now only 7:40 PM.
Before arriving, he had dined with his family but hadn't eaten too much, knowing there would be another banquet tonight.
After checking the time again, Lin Haoran confirmed he wasn't mistaken.
"Haoran, we usually arrive half an hour early. The banquet hasn't officially started yet—you're not late," Bao Yugang said with a chuckle, sensing Lin Haoran's awkwardness.
Given that it was Governor MacLehose's invitation, arriving half an hour early was customary.
Once gathered, people would network and discuss cooperation—projects worth hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars.
After greeting MacLehose, Lin Haoran took several minutes to shake hands and exchange a few words with nearly every guest: David Newbigging, Roland Kadoorie, John Madden, and others.
"You're truly accomplished at such a young age. Didn't expect Hong Kong Electric Group to fall quietly into your hands."
"Not at all, Mr. Madden. You are seasoned veterans of the business world. I am just a newcomer, still with much to learn."
"Mr. Lin, I hope we have opportunities to collaborate in the future."
"I would love that. CLP and Hong Kong Electric are peers. There are many areas for technical cooperation."
"Mr. Lin, last time's transaction was very smooth. I hope we work together again."
"Of course, Mr. Madden. I'm very satisfied with the two commercial buildings I acquired."
It took a good five or six minutes of polite conversations before Lin Haoran finished greeting everyone.
Most of these people were figures he previously could only glimpse on the news.
After greeting the foreigners, he turned toward the two Chinese figures in the room—Li Jiacheng and Bao Yugang.
"Haoran, come over!" Bao Yugang called warmly when he noticed Lin Haoran looking their way.
"Uncle Bao, Mr. Li, Happy New Year!" Lin Haoran said with a smile as he approached.
"Finally, we Chinese have another one among us," Bao Yugang said with a sigh.
"Uncle Bao, why are there only you two here? What about Cheng Yutong, Kwok Tak-seng, Li Zhaoji, Zhao Chongyan, Sir Run Run Shaw, and the others? Weren't they invited?" Lin Haoran asked curiously in Cantonese.
"Haoran, Mr. MacLehose hosts a few banquets each year—Christmas, New Year's, Easter, and Chinese New Year. You may not know this, but in previous years, I was the only Chinese invitee. Li Jiacheng is here for the first time too, just like you.
This is a circle—the true top circle of Hong Kong. Only those recognized by Mr. MacLehose are invited. When I saw you today, I was surprised too. I didn't expect you to be invited," Bao Yugang explained with a smile.
"Really?" Lin Haoran was amazed.
The true top circle of Hong Kong?
Even figures like Cheng Yutong, Kwok Tak-seng, and Li Zhaoji weren't included?
"So in Governor MacLehose's eyes, even those famous tycoons aren't considered true top figures?" Lin Haoran thought, astonished.
"Mr. Lin, I believe the reason we were invited is because I acquired Hutchison Whampoa and you acquired Hong Kong Electric Group. These are among Hong Kong's traditional major companies. Owning them places us among the true top tier of Hong Kong's business world—that's probably why Mr. MacLehose invited us," Li Jiacheng added with a smile.
Lin Haoran nodded. Based on what Bao Yugang and Li Jiacheng said, that seemed to make sense.
Just acquiring Hong Kong Electric Group might not have been enough. But adding Cheung Chau Cement and the recent 10 billion Hong Kong dollars purchase of two commercial buildings from Wheelock—those moves placed him on par with the Four Major Foreign Firms.
That likely explained why he was invited.
"Uncle Bao, what are the benefits of being in this circle?" Lin Haoran asked curiously.
"Benefits? You'll have to experience them yourself. Outsiders dream of getting in, but it's very exclusive. You know, after all, this is British-ruled Hong Kong, so the circle is predominantly British.
The only reason I was invited before was because I was named the world's top ship king, gaining international influence. Even I was surprised when you two were invited this year," Bao Yugang said with a laugh.
(This chapter ends.)
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