Chapter 458 Killing Two Birds with One Stone
The plan to take revenge on Lin Haoran had been approved by Henry Keswick himself. Therefore, at this moment, Henry Keswick understood that blaming his younger brother for poor execution was meaningless.
Finally breaking the silence, Henry Keswick spoke in a cold, calm voice:
"Simon, the current situation is indeed tricky, but not without solution. We need to find a scapegoat to divert public attention and lessen the pressure on Jardines Matheson."
"A scapegoat?" Simon Keswick's heart stirred, sensing the deep meaning behind his brother's words.
"Exactly—Bautista," Henry Keswick stated without hesitation. "He was the direct executor of this operation and the only one with direct external contact. Pushing him out would both appease public outrage and protect Jardines Matheson's core interests. It would also serve as an explanation to the Governor's Office. Although it may not completely sever our connection to the incident, it will at least mitigate our culpability."
Simon Keswick frowned. "But brother, Bautista is one of us. Wouldn't this be too cruel?"
"Cruel?" Henry Keswick chuckled coldly. "In business, there are no eternal friends or enemies, only eternal interests. Bautista was careless and caused the operation to leak. He must pay for his mistake."
"But won't this cause internal unrest and dissatisfaction?" Simon hesitated, knowing full well what such a decision would mean for Bautista.
"Don't worry. We can handle it delicately," Henry Keswick continued calmly.
"We'll offer Bautista a generous severance package, compensating him for 'resigning due to personal reasons.' Then we'll quietly send him out of Hong Kong. Publicly, we will claim that all actions were Bautista's personal decisions, made in an attempt to impress us and gain promotion, without Jardines Matheson's knowledge or approval."
Simon Keswick, although still somewhat reluctant, knew this was the only way to protect Jardines Matheson's reputation as much as possible.
The photos had already thrown Jardines Matheson into a whirlpool of public outrage—they needed a way out.
"I understand, brother. It's unfair to Bautista, but it's necessary for the greater good of Jardines Matheson," Simon finally sighed, nodding his head in agreement.
Once this was done, Bautista would essentially be exiled, unable to return to Hong Kong or even Britain.
After hanging up the phone, Simon Keswick immediately convened a late-night emergency meeting with Jardines Matheson's public relations team and legal advisors to begin preparing the scapegoat plan.
Meanwhile, at Government House, Governor MacLehose sat with a grim expression.
The TV was still tuned to Jade Channel, now broadcasting the New Year's Gala. Sam Hui was performing the familiar song Ten Girls, a hit from his 1979 Cantonese album.
However, Governor MacLehose had no interest in the cheerful music.
His face was heavy and dark, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, his jaw clenched with anger.
Sometimes he would sigh deeply, a sign of helplessness and fatigue.
The past few days had been sleepless for him.
The sudden slump in the real estate market had cost the Governor's Office two to three billion HKD in lost revenues.
To save Hong Kong's economy, MacLehose had been forced to personally intervene, inviting Lin Haoran to negotiate and asking him to bid on all five government plots to restore public confidence.
That Lin Haoran had succeeded was vital—but it came at a high price, both financially and politically.
Even more humiliating, the Governor's Office had had to lower itself, practically begging for Lin Haoran's cooperation.
And now, learning that Jardines Matheson was behind the media campaign that triggered the crisis enraged MacLehose even more.
Sitting at his office desk, MacLehose tapped his fingers on the polished wood, his eyes reflecting both fury and deep contemplation.
He realized now that this scandal was far worse than he had initially imagined.
It wasn't just a commercial battle—it had escalated into a full-blown political crisis.
Until now, he had usually turned a blind eye to the favoritism shown toward British firms over Chinese companies.
But Jardines Matheson's actions had crossed a line, threatening not only Hong Kong's economy but the very reputation of British governance in the colony.
They had treated the Governor's Office's authority with utter disregard, all for petty personal revenge.
In his career as Governor, this was shaping up to be one of his darkest moments.
Yet, in some ways, MacLehose felt relieved.
Now he had clear evidence to report back to Britain.
Jardines Matheson would be held fully responsible.
The newspapers involved would not escape punishment either.
This matter was too sensitive to handle lightly; it would require careful coordination with the Financial Secretary, Attorney General, and Commissioner of Police.
However, it was already deep into the night.
Even for an emergency, meetings would have to wait until morning.
That night, Lin Haoran's ten-minute address had caused a massive storm across Hong Kong.
People were talking, rumors flying, speculation rampant.
But the night's seeming calm was merely the brief pause before a much larger storm would break.
Lin Haoran and Shao Yifu stayed to watch almost the entire New Year's Gala at TVB, finally leaving around 9:30 PM.
The evening's programs had been vibrant and engaging, even capturing Lin Haoran's attention, despite his experience with far more advanced media platforms in the future.
Without a doubt, TVB's ratings tonight would be explosive, especially following Lin Haoran's appearance.
Even after his speech ended, viewers had stayed glued to Jade Channel, enjoying the rest of the show.
As for the final ratings, they would have to wait until the research firms completed their surveys the next day.
Morning came swiftly.
Lin Haoran woke up early.
Beside him, Guan Jiahui still slept soundly, exhausted from managing her boutique's busiest day since opening.
Without disturbing her, Lin Haoran got up, washed, and went downstairs where the servants were already preparing his breakfast and the morning papers.
As he expected, the newspapers were dominated by coverage of his televised speech and the resulting uproar.
Every headline, every major story revolved around him and the real estate market's sudden turnaround.
He wasn't surprised.
The moment he decided to speak publicly, he knew this would happen.
Now, the whole situation was still fermenting.
But eventually, Jardines Matheson and the three newspapers would be punished.
How severe the punishment would be was something Lin Haoran was looking forward to seeing.
There was no way the Governor's Office would forgive the loss of billions lightly.
This was precisely why Lin Haoran had made his public address—to kill two birds with one stone.
When he obtained the three photos, he had already decided: revenge was certain.
But revenge didn't have to be by his own hand.
Letting the Governor's Office deliver justice was the best move.
If the punishment turned out to be too light, Lin Haoran would have further measures ready.
This business war was far from over.
For now, all he needed to do was wait.
After breakfast, Lin Haoran sat quietly in his study.
He had no plans to go out.
Between 9 and 10 AM, he received a flood of phone calls from various Hong Kong business magnates.
They praised his courage and expressed their support.
In a way, it felt like a victory for all Chinese businessmen.
For years, British firms had bullied Chinese businesses in Hong Kong, and most Chinese tycoons had dared not speak out.
Now, Lin Haoran had taken a stand.
By 11 AM, the phone in his study rang again.
Lin Haoran quickly picked it up.
"Hello, this is Lin Haoran."
"Boss, it's Ma Shimin. I have urgent news to report!" Ma Shimin's voice was filled with excitement.
"Speak," Lin Haoran said calmly.
"We've just received reports—this morning, all major property sales offices are packed with real buyers, not fake ones hired for show! It seems Hong Kong's real estate market is experiencing an unexpected rebound!"
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