Chapter 364 The Change in Niu Bijian's Attitude
Cui Zilong took the list Lin Haoran handed him and couldn't help but say, "Boss, isn't this approach a bit too hasty?"
In his view, deciding who passed based only on a few casual conversations did seem somewhat rash.
The head coach of the training base, Peng Donghai, standing nearby, also nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with Cui Zilong's point.
"Just follow the plan," Lin Haoran said with a smile. "You still have a few spots left for final confirmation, don't you? Besides, you both mentioned that the abilities among these twenty people don't differ much. I'm just picking the ones who fit best; there's really nothing wrong with that."
Of course, Lin Haoran couldn't possibly explain that he had a golden finger allowing him to see loyalty levels.
That would sound ridiculous—and no one would believe it.
Moreover, his golden finger was a secret he would never reveal.
Hearing Lin Haoran's response, Cui Zilong said no more. He looked over the names on the list and then handed it to Peng Donghai.
Although these twenty individuals had only recently been transferred back from the Philippines, Peng Donghai was already very familiar with them.
Thus, after glancing at the list a few times, a surprised look crossed his face.
Among the nine names listed, several were deeply etched in his memory—individuals who undoubtedly ranked among the top in terms of strength.
It was astonishing that the boss, with just a few casual chats, could distinguish the stronger ones!
Though surprised, Peng Donghai didn't say anything aloud.
Their task was to select ten to fifteen Dark Guards. Now that Lin Haoran had confirmed nine names, they would just pick a few more to complete the team.
"By the way, how much longer will it take to finish the Dark Guard team's training?" Lin Haoran asked.
Bringing more than ten bodyguards wherever he went made him extremely conspicuous, something he found quite uncomfortable.
Frankly speaking, traveling so visibly could even increase his risk.
Back when he only traveled with Li Weidong and Li Weiguo, he drew much less attention.
Once the Dark Guard team was fully operational, that would change: he would become less conspicuous while dramatically increasing his security.
"Boss, based on the current progress, about another week," Peng Donghai answered. "Our invited international security expert noted that most of these trainees have shown exceptional comprehension. Once training ends, we can begin the final screening and formally integrate the selected ones into your protection detail."
Lin Haoran nodded slightly. A week was a reasonable timeframe.
After speaking with both men, Lin Haoran deliberately visited the training field and engaged in an in-depth discussion with the international security expert.
After consulting extensively with the expert and hearing his professional opinion, Lin Haoran made a final decision: the Dark Guard team would be organized into a unit of thirteen people.
Why not fifteen?
The expert explained that the core of Dark Guard operations was concealment—the more people involved, the harder it would be to keep things discreet.
Ten would be too few for sufficient strength, so thirteen was the ideal middle ground.
Including Li Weidong and Li Weiguo, the total number would rise to fifteen, and adjusting by one or two people wouldn't impact overall operations significantly.
With nine names already confirmed, Lin Haoran realized they only needed to pick four more to finalize the roster.
After discussing this, the twenty trainees performed demonstrations of what they had learned.
After two hours at the training base, Lin Haoran was thoroughly satisfied with his trip to Sai Kung.
All he needed now was to wait for the new team to be formally established.
Time quickly passed, and soon it was November 13th.
After more than a week, Lin Haoran once again visited Jardine House.
At Land Group, ever since Ma Shiming took over, everything had been handled smoothly and systematically.
Lin Haoran had visited the previous day and was very satisfied with Ma Shiming's management abilities.
This man, who in Lin Haoran's past life was known as Lee Ka Shing's strongest strategist, now demonstrated management skills on par with, if not superior to, Niu Bijian.
Thus, Lin Haoran felt very assured about Land Group's future.
As long as his top generals remained loyal, he could entrust the companies to them without worry.
But Jardines Matheson was another matter.
Although Niu Bijian was in charge there, Lin Haoran still felt uneasy.
The reason was simple: he didn't distrust Niu Bijian's management abilities, but rather Niu Bijian's loyalty.
In Lin Haoran's eyes, Niu Bijian was someone extremely loyal—to himself.
Such a person, if properly utilized, could be an incredibly sharp tool.
But if handled poorly, could easily turn and stab his master.
Arriving at Niu Bijian's office, Lin Haoran found it empty.
Only after about ten minutes did Niu Bijian hurriedly return.
"Boss, why didn't you let me know in advance that you were coming?" Niu Bijian said, but instead of the respectful demeanor he had previously displayed, there was a clear sense of unwillingness to face Lin Haoran.
However, Lin Haoran did not respond immediately.
He was staring intently at the number above Niu Bijian's head.
He remembered that last week, Niu Bijian's loyalty rating was still at 62.
It was already low—barely trustworthy.
Yet now, it had dropped to 48.
There was no need to think too hard; obviously, Niu Bijian's attitude toward him had shifted over the past week.
Had Niu Bijian used Jardines Matheson to seek personal gain?
Lin Haoran didn't think so—at least not yet.
If Niu Bijian had done that, his loyalty would have plummeted to the teens, not merely to 48.
But still, why such a significant change when Lin Haoran already fully controlled Jardines Matheson?
This puzzled Lin Haoran deeply.
Logically, as a professional manager, after Lin Haoran's total acquisition, Niu Bijian should have accepted reality without such emotional fluctuations.
Unless...
Unless Niu Bijian believed that Lin Haoran's control over Jardines Matheson was still unstable!
This thought flashed through Lin Haoran's mind, opening up many possible explanations.
"Boss?" Seeing Lin Haoran remain silent while staring at him, Niu Bijian couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, his skin crawling with goosebumps.
Did the boss already know something?
Lin Haoran snapped back to reality and smiled, saying, "Mr. Niu, although I haven't been to Jardine House much recently, I'm very aware of the situation here. You've managed everything exceptionally well. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's my duty," Niu Bijian replied modestly. "As the managing director of Jardines Matheson, receiving a salary from the board, it is only natural that I perform my responsibilities well."
Deep down, however, Niu Bijian considered himself loyal to Jardines Matheson, not to Lin Haoran, the new majority shareholder.
"Mr. Niu, I heard you're currently planning an acquisition of an Australian mining company. How's that going?" Lin Haoran asked casually.
Overseas investments had always been a tradition for Jardines Matheson. By now, the company controlled over seventy overseas enterprises.
When Lin Haoran took over, he had thoroughly familiarized himself with these assets.
Although he wasn't particularly concerned about the specific operations of these foreign companies, he had studied them carefully.
He found that while most weren't particularly famous, they were at least profitable and didn't burden Jardines Matheson with debt.
From his understanding of the company's strategy, Niu Bijian was focusing on expanding into Australia's mining and energy sectors—an area Lin Haoran didn't interfere with.
Even if the profits weren't massive, the investments weren't likely to incur significant losses either.
Thus, until he was ready to fully replace Niu Bijian, Lin Haoran didn't intend to interfere heavily with Jardines Matheson's internal affairs.
Right now, his top priority was securing total control over Land Group.
At Land Group, he had already conducted a loyalty audit of senior management.
Anyone whose loyalty was below 70 would eventually be replaced.
He had already given the replacement list to Ma Shiming.
However, such transitions couldn't be rushed; they had to proceed gradually.
Land Group's management transition was still underway, so Lin Haoran had no intention of rushing changes at Jardines Matheson.
Since Jardines Matheson and Land Group were now officially separated, Niu Bijian's influence over Land Group no longer existed.
"Boss, we're still in negotiations; no substantial progress yet," Niu Bijian answered.
However, his tone sounded distracted, as if he didn't want to discuss the matter further.
From his attitude, Lin Haoran became even more certain: Niu Bijian must have done something he didn't want Lin Haoran to find out about.
What exactly that was, Lin Haoran couldn't yet determine—because Niu Bijian was clearly not going to volunteer the information.
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