At HSBC Bank, the morning began with an unexpected visitor. The day after meeting Lin Baicheng, Bao Yugang came to see Shen Zhou, making his intentions clear.
"I do intend to sell our shares in Hutchison Whampoa," Shen Zhou said after listening, "but since the real buyer isn't Mr. Bao himself, the price will have to be discussed carefully."
Shen Zhou didn't mind selling HSBC's stake in Hutchison Whampoa—in fact, the bank had already been considering it. Now that the company's performance had slightly improved and its market value had rebounded, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to sell.
Back in 1975, when HSBC invested HK$150 million in Hutchison International, it had acquired over 33% of the company's shares. Later, when Hutchison International merged with Whampoa Dock to form Hutchison Whampoa, HSBC's stake was diluted to 22.5%. Based on Hutchison Whampoa's current market value of more than HK$2.8 billion, HSBC's shares were now worth over HK$600 million.
And this was still early 1978. Had HSBC waited until the end of 1979, as in Lin's previous life, the value of its shares would have exceeded HK$1 billion—an enormous profit.
However, the future of Hutchison Whampoa was far from certain. Even with a gain of around HK$500 million, HSBC's board was inclined to cash out while the opportunity was good.
Few outsiders understood the company's true condition, but HSBC—being both a major shareholder and its main creditor—knew it all too well.
Hutchison Whampoa had indeed posted a profit last year, earning just over HK$100 million and even issuing dividends to shareholders. But that success had largely come from Dr. William's (Wei Li's) short-term maneuvering—selling off stock investments when the Hang Seng Index climbed above 400 points and recovering several hundred million in cash. It was a temporary windfall, not a sign of real strength.
Beneath the surface, Hutchison Whampoa's foundation was still shaky. The company was carrying over HK$1.3 billion in debt—nearly HK$800 million of it short-term. A single misstep could easily bring the same kind of collapse that had once destroyed Hutchison International.
Given this situation, HSBC naturally wanted to sell. The risk was simply too great.
The bank not only held a 22.5% stake in Hutchison Whampoa but was also owed several hundred million in outstanding loans. If Hutchison Whampoa failed, HSBC's total loss could exceed HK$1 billion—an amount even Hong Kong's largest bank couldn't easily afford.
After all, having the right to issue banknotes didn't mean HSBC could print money at will. If printing bills were that simple, there'd be no need for banking at all.
Bao Yugang nodded after hearing Shen Zhou's reasoning. "Then how about this—let you and Mr. Lin discuss the specific terms face-to-face?"
"Excellent. I've been wanting to meet this rising star of the business world," Shen Zhou replied with a faint smile. He genuinely wished to meet Lin Baicheng. It was a rare opportunity, and if things went well, perhaps he could draw Lin closer to HSBC's circle and strengthen cooperation between them.
To Shen Zhou, a bank was neither a charity, nor a political body, nor a gentlemen's club. A bank was a business—and its principle was simple: profit.
For that reason, HSBC's creed was clear—whoever could make money for the bank was a friend of the bank.
Whether Lin Baicheng was Chinese or British made no difference to Shen Zhou. What mattered was whether he could bring profit, and whether he was a partner worth keeping in the long run.
That very evening, Bao Yugang contacted Lin Baicheng to inform him that Shen Zhou wished to meet and discuss the Hutchison Whampoa share transaction. Lin agreed at once, setting an appointment for the following afternoon at HSBC headquarters.
The next morning, Maoli Haruko arrived in Hong Kong with three people in tow.
They were professionals she had selected for Lin's new real estate venture—each with extensive experience in property development. Lin personally interviewed all three and finally chose a middle-aged man named Sasaki Hiroto. Sasaki had spent his entire career in real estate and had deep expertise in project execution. More importantly, he wasn't overly headstrong—a quality Lin valued in a subordinate who could follow his strategic direction faithfully.
"Haruko, Sasaki," Lin said, outlining his plan, "aside from the US$10 million we're using at Mitsubishi Bank to leverage tenfold on gold futures, all remaining funds will go into buying land. Whether you develop residential properties or office buildings will depend on each site's potential—Sasaki, that's for you to decide."
He continued, "Remember, we need our own construction team. Buying land doesn't mean we develop it all immediately. Start small, train the team first."
"As for acquiring land, I trust I don't need to spell it out? Contact Iwasaki-kun and use his connections. I expect good results."
Baolong Commercial Company—the real estate arm Lin co-founded with Iwasaki Fenglong—had been named by combining a character from each of their names.
"Yes, Chairman!" both Haruko and Sasaki replied in unison.
Then Lin added, "Haruko, once you're back, contact Iwasaki-kun immediately. Buy into gold futures and store the contracts with the bank. Don't sell without my approval."
"I'll handle it as soon as I return," Haruko said, nodding.
After Sasaki left, Haruko presented several manuscripts.
"Chairman, these are the third-episode drafts for Mobile Suit Gundam, Macross, and Transformers from the manga studio. Please review them and let us know if they need any changes."
"They've already started drawing?" Lin asked, surprised and delighted. Taking the Gundam draft first, he flipped through the pages carefully.
He wasn't overly concerned about the storylines—not at this early stage. What mattered now were the art style, character design, and dialogue.
"Good. Continue drawing in this style," Lin said after a moment, clearly satisfied. The artwork matched closely with the animation style in his memory—good enough, even if not identical. Whether it succeeded or not would depend on the market.
He then reviewed Macross and Transformers. Macross met his expectations perfectly, but Transformers needed some work. Lin pointed out the flaws and asked Haruko to relay them to the artists for revision.
He couldn't predict which series would capture the audience's imagination, but with the original works in his memory as reference, Lin was confident that the projects he personally approved had a much higher chance of success.