Chapter 238: Targeted
"Good morning, Chairman."
"Good morning, Chairman!"
"Good morning, Boss."
As Lin Haoran walked through the offices, staff members from Hongkong Electric Group greeted him respectfully. Lin Haoran, in turn, nodded and smiled at each greeting.
Today, Hongkong Electric's employee composition had reached a fairly balanced ratio: half Chinese, half Westerners. This was a significant shift compared to when Lin Haoran first assumed leadership. Back then, although there were already a number of Chinese employees, Westerners still dominated key positions. After Lin Haoran's full takeover, under his discreet instructions, Chen Shoulin gradually increased the proportion of Chinese staff.
After all, Hongkong Electric had transitioned into a Chinese-owned enterprise; it was no longer the British-dominated company it once was. In senior management, race no longer mattered — only capability and loyalty did. Whether Chinese or Westerner, the best candidates rose to the top. However, for middle and lower-level positions where skill demands were lower, relying mainly on Westerners would have been inappropriate.
This did not mean dismissing all Western employees overnight. Capable and loyal Western staff were retained. But for those with poor loyalty or potential rebellious tendencies, regardless of race, Chen Shoulin was instructed to quietly phase them out.
Soon, Lin Haoran arrived at the finance department.
"Good morning, Boss," said Ho Kin Ning, who had previously been the finance director at Green Island Cement and had now been transferred to Hongkong Electric, where he had already been for a month.
Though Wanqing Group, the parent company above Green Island Cement, was no weaker than Hongkong Electric, Lin Haoran had carefully considered the matter before transferring Ho. Wanqing's financial director was a very capable individual, boasting loyalty above 80%. If Ho stayed, promotion opportunities would be limited.
Meanwhile, at Hongkong Electric, the current CFO was a Briton with only about 70% loyalty. It was clear that sooner or later, Ho would replace him. After that, with further training, he could be elevated beyond finance roles altogether.
At twenty-eight, Ho Kin Ning still had plenty of time to grow.
"How's everything here? Are you settling in?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"Very well, Boss. I feel I'm learning even more here than at Green Island Cement. Also, Mr. Chen has been guiding me personally, teaching me a lot about management. I'm truly grateful for your support," Ho said sincerely.
He was fully aware that Lin Haoran had been grooming him carefully, something that distinguished him from other employees. Ho's loyalty had already reached 92% months ago and now, after the transfer, had risen to 95%. That was among the highest of all Lin Haoran's subordinates.
"Work hard. I have no shortage of platforms for you to showcase your talent. I already have several big companies under my command, and more will come. I'm looking forward to the day you can independently run a listed company," Lin Haoran encouraged.
It wasn't just flattery — Lin Haoran genuinely believed in Ho's talent. In his previous life, Ho had risen to become one of Li Ka-shing's most trusted right-hand men, instrumental in helping Cheung Kong Holdings secure major victories. That alone was proof of his abilities.
This lifetime, Ho Kin Ning had already been claimed by Lin Haoran.
With a loyalty score of 95%, not nurturing him would be a colossal waste.
Lin Haoran hoped Ho would grow quickly to help expand his empire.
Hongkong Electric was a different beast compared to Green Island Cement.
Though electricity sales remained the core business, its diversified operations — real estate, engineering, property management, financial services, electrical appliance manufacturing and sales — had all flourished.
Thus, even if Ho's current title seemed lower — going from a senior position at Green Island Cement to a middle manager at Hongkong Electric — in reality, the move was highly beneficial for his long-term development.
Satisfied with Ho's progress, Lin Haoran made his way to the CEO's office.
Inside, Chen Shoulin was deeply engrossed in reading something, frowning. When he heard Lin Haoran enter, he looked up.
"Mr. Chen, what's troubling you?" Lin Haoran asked curiously.
It was rare to see Chen Shoulin so troubled — clearly something serious had happened.
"There was a recent accident in Chai Wan," Chen began. "A young couple were electrocuted while using a water heater during a bath. The appliance involved was a Foreshine brand heater — one of our own products. Police investigations showed that while the heater itself wasn't defective, the couple had used a faulty external power strip that got wet. However, despite the findings, the couple's family started protesting in front of our company three days ago, claiming our product killed their children.
What's worse, some tabloids, particularly Hong Kong Times, sensationalized the story, blaming our heater for the deaths. Our brand's reputation has taken a major hit — sales have plummeted and even existing customers are canceling orders. Short-term impact is manageable, but if this persists, it will deal a serious blow to Foreshine's future."
Chen handed Lin Haoran a copy of the Hong Kong Times.
Foreshine Electric, a subsidiary of Hongkong Electric, had been a major success story.
Originally established to promote electric water heaters as a way to boost electricity consumption — especially after Hongkong Electric failed to acquire Hong Kong and China Gas — Foreshine expanded into a full-fledged home appliance brand.
Today, Foreshine was the best-selling water heater brand in Hong Kong, with an annual revenue of over 100 million HKD and profits exceeding 10 million.
Glancing through the newspaper, Lin Haoran saw the report — boldly accusing Foreshine's water heater of causing the deaths, completely distorting the truth.
Though Hong Kong Times wasn't as prestigious as Oriental Daily, Sing Tao Daily, or Hong Kong Economic Journal, it still ranked among the top ten in circulation. Tens of thousands of copies were sold daily.
Setting the paper down, Lin Haoran asked, "Does Foreshine have many competitors?"
"Plenty. The home appliance market here is cutthroat," Chen replied.
"I also suspect that rivals may have bribed the victims' families to stage protests and manipulate public opinion," Chen added grimly.
"Did we involve the police?" Lin Haoran asked.
"We did. But given that the families just lost loved ones, the police have been very cautious, only taking statements and refusing to intervene aggressively. I suspect powerful backers are involved — people the police don't want to offend," Chen explained, massaging his temples in frustration.
Lin Haoran nodded. From everything he'd seen, there was definitely something fishy going on.
Even though a company making tens of millions wasn't huge by Lin Haoran's standards, every business counted.
If small attacks were ignored, they could snowball into major crises.
Moreover, this was clearly a deliberate attempt to damage one of his companies.
"Mr. Chen, do you have any suspects?" Lin Haoran asked.
Having managed Hongkong Electric for so many years, Chen Shoulin undoubtedly had sharp instincts. Lin Haoran suspected he might already have some ideas.
If they let this smear campaign go unchecked, years of hard-won brand equity would be destroyed — a major blow to Hongkong Electric's diversified strategy.
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