Chapter 350 A Minute of Silence for Li Chao Ren
"Mr. Ma, I guess the real reason you left Jardines Matheson was that you saw no future there, and so you decided to start your own business, right?" Lin Haoran looked at Ma Shiming and asked.
Ma Shiming nodded without denying it.
At the same time, he was a little surprised that Lin Haoran could so accurately grasp his true motivation.
He hadn't shared these thoughts with many people.
Inwardly, Ma Shiming started to develop some interest in this young man.
After all, here, with Lin Haoran, he was treated with the utmost respect — something he had never received from the British consortiums.
During his many years at Jardines Matheson, no one had ever told him that his abilities were comparable to those of Niu Bijian.
After rising to senior management, what he saw more often was internal strife —
struggles between executives, power battles between shareholders and management.
"Mr. Ma, I believe you can already feel my sincerity.
I have great respect for your talents — otherwise, I wouldn't have traveled all the way from Hong Kong to personally invite you.
I hope you will join me in building an even greater future for Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson.
If you wish, I can even arrange for you to take over Jardines Matheson entirely from Niu Bijian.
Moreover, I know you've been preparing to start your own business, and I've heard the Rothschild family plans to invest in your new venture.
But the initial funding you might secure would likely be only a few million Hong Kong dollars, right?
Even with your extraordinary abilities, how easy would it be to grow a new company with such modest capital into a major group valued in the billions?
You are already in your forties — do you have confidence that within ten years, you could develop a startup into a company worth tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars?
Meanwhile, Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson today together have a market value close to HKD 20 billion — and I firmly believe their real value is much higher.
If you are willing to join me, you would immediately become the leader of these two major groups.
Would you not regret letting such an opportunity slip away?" Lin Haoran sincerely continued.
Ma Shiming nodded slightly, obviously touched by Lin Haoran's words.
He knew very well:
what Lin Haoran said was not without reason.
Although he had years of experience and a valuable network,
building a successful enterprise from scratch would be incredibly difficult.
Lin Haoran pressed further:
"Mr. Ma, you want to start your own business because you felt there was no future at Jardines Matheson —
you sought a bigger platform for your talents.
But if you create a startup, wouldn't that be a waste of your abilities?
It would be a real shame.
With Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson,
you would not only have immense capital and brand power behind you,
but also a global business network and partnerships.
If you come back,
we can offer you a far bigger stage to fully unleash your talents and potential."
Lin Haoran paused, locking eyes with Ma Shiming, trying to catch any subtle emotional shift.
Sure enough, a flicker of hesitation and contemplation appeared in Ma Shiming's expression.
Just as Lin Haoran had judged —
even if Ma Shiming had full confidence in his startup plans,
starting from nothing was still a daunting, uphill battle.
Especially in Hong Kong's harsh business environment,
where giants like Jardines Matheson, Jardines Matheson, and Huifeng Bank had taken nearly a century to reach their stature.
While Carnation Group had exploded onto the scene in just two or three years,
Ma Shiming knew perfectly well that such rapid success was unsustainable —
fueled by murky, unexplained funding rather than true business strength.
And he, Ma Shiming, did not have such massive financial backing.
The more he thought about it,
the more he realized how tough it would be to climb from scratch —
grinding for years just to build a modest company,
with no guarantee of breaking into the big leagues.
Was that really the life he wanted?
Was he willing to settle for that?
If he accepted Lin Haoran's offer, he would instantly stand atop the business world —
with unlimited resources and the ability to fully realize his ambitions.
Ma Shiming furrowed his brows in deep thought.
Seeing this, Lin Haoran's heart quietly cheered —
he knew he had successfully shaken Ma Shiming's resolve.
Lin Haoran kept pushing:
"Mr. Ma, you are a man of grand ambition.
At Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson,
you wouldn't just achieve your entrepreneurial dreams —
you could unleash your commercial genius to its fullest extent.
And as the owner,
I will fully support your work and decisions,
building an even greater business empire together."
Ma Shiming listened quietly, weighing every word.
He knew Lin Haoran wasn't making empty promises.
The reality was: Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson had resources and advantages he could never replicate in a new company.
While he was deeply passionate about starting his own business,
he knew the road ahead would be long and hard.
Very hard.
And if he joined Lin Haoran,
the platform was already there —
waiting for him to shine.
Seeing that Ma Shiming had stopped rejecting him outright,
Lin Haoran knew he was winning.
It was a good thing he had come early.
Although Ma Shiming had secured investment pledges for his startup,
the company had not yet been formally established.
There was still time to convince him.
Otherwise, as Lin Haoran knew from another timeline,
Ma Shiming would eventually start a consultancy firm,
work with Li Jiacheng,
and eventually be recruited by him after several failed invitations.
Now, none of that had happened yet.
Whether Ma Shiming agreed immediately or not,
Lin Haoran would not give up easily.
Talent like Ma Shiming was far too rare to let slip away.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
The waiter entered and served the dishes.
Soon, the private dining room returned to calm.
Li Weidong and Li Weiguo weren't in the private room;
they sat nearby in the main dining area,
giving Lin Haoran and Ma Shiming the privacy needed for such sensitive discussions.
"Mr. Ma, let's eat first.
You can think it over slowly," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
Ma Shiming returned to himself, picked up his chopsticks, and joined him.
Despite being British,
after living in Hong Kong for over a decade,
he was perfectly comfortable with Chinese dining customs.
As they ate, Lin Haoran casually chatted about the Hong Kong business scene.
Clearly, Ma Shiming's mind was elsewhere —
he was still debating his choice internally.
Half an hour later, they finished their meal.
Just as Lin Haoran thought Ma Shiming would need more time,
Ma Shiming finally spoke:
"Mr. Lin," he said,
"your sincerity and determination have deeply moved me.
I am willing to join Jardines Matheson,
and work with you to create an even greater business future.
But before we proceed,
I must be assured that what you promised today is absolutely sincere,
not a momentary impulse.
I do not wish to find that things change after I officially join."
Hearing this, Lin Haoran's heart surged with joy.
"Mr. Ma, welcome aboard!"
Lin Haoran said sincerely.
"I believe under your exceptional leadership,
Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson will reach even greater heights.
Moreover,
while I may be young by Hong Kong business standards,
I believe my character and credibility over the past few years have been proven to everyone.
Integrity is my guiding principle."
"I came all the way here to Singapore just to invite you personally,
because I have full confidence in your extraordinary talents," Lin Haoran said.
"In that case, Mr. Lin,
I look forward to working together,"
Ma Shiming said, standing up and extending his right hand.
At this moment,
it was clear:
Ma Shiming had abandoned his entrepreneurial plans.
Even though he had secured backing from the Rothschild family,
joining Jardines Matheson offered a far bigger stage.
"Happy cooperation!"
Lin Haoran smiled and shook hands solemnly with the talented middle-aged man.
At the same time, he silently offered a minute of mourning for Li Chao Ren.
Having now lost both Huo Jianning and Ma Shiming,
what would become of Li Jiacheng's future?
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1