After leaving HSBC, Lin Baicheng called Cheng Yufeng and Haruko Mouri to meet him at Baisheng Securities.
He told Haruko to stay in Hong Kong for another day or two, while Hiroto Sasaki had already returned to Japan—he needed a few days to handle personal matters before resuming work.
Lin then recounted to them his entire conversation with Shen Zhou at HSBC.
After listening, Cheng Yufeng said,
"President Lin, HSBC's conditions are quite generous. Not only is there no downside for you, but you'd also have access to massive funding from HSBC whenever needed. With their support, your business development would go much more smoothly."
Haruko Mouri nodded in agreement.
"Chairman, if you think fifty years is too long, we might be able to negotiate the term. The details of the conditions could probably be adjusted too—to get you a more favorable deal."
Their opinions were aligned—having a powerful international bank as a backer would make future expansion much easier and bring many benefits.
But Lin Baicheng shook his head and said,
"Have you ever thought about this—if I accept their terms, how will I ever establish my own bank?"
Both Cheng and Haruko exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't expected their boss to be thinking that far ahead—to even plan on founding a bank of his own.
Lin continued,
"My long-term goal is to build my own financial conglomerate. And a true conglomerate cannot exist without its own bank. That goal will never change—I'll keep moving in that direction."
Cheng sighed.
"In that case, we'll have to refuse HSBC's proposal. But doing so means HSBC definitely won't sell you the Hutchison Whampoa shares at a discount anymore. In fact, they might even raise the price."
Haruko added softly,
"That's potentially hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars lost. Whether it's worth it or not, President Lin, that's something only you can decide."
Both assistants privately thought Lin's ambitions were unrealistic for now. They felt he should seize the immediate opportunity first instead of worrying about building a future conglomerate. But ultimately, their job was to assist him, not to decide for him.
Lin said firmly,
"The offer is tempting, but not without strings. I've already decided to decline."
If the term were only three to five years, he might have considered it—he wasn't going to build a bank overnight anyway. But fifty years? Even if they negotiated it down, it'd still be twenty or thirty—far beyond his limits. There was no point continuing.
He had called the two mainly to discuss how to handle the aftermath—how to refuse without offending Shen Zhou, and how to still convince him to sell the Hutchison Whampoa shares.
After some planning, Lin had a general idea of what to do. The specifics would depend on how the next meeting unfolded.
The next morning, Lin personally drove Haruko to the airport and gave her instructions regarding the company's Japanese branch.
That afternoon, he went back to HSBC for his scheduled meeting. Bao Yugang was also present.
"Mr. Shen," Lin began politely,
"I'm very sorry, but I have a good relationship with Mr. Huo of Standard Chartered, and our cooperation has been going very well. I can't abandon that partnership just to acquire Hutchison Whampoa's shares at a discount. As much as it pains me, I must decline."
He couldn't very well tell Shen Zhou he planned to have his own bank someday—so citing Standard Chartered as an excuse was the perfect cover.
Shen looked at him with some surprise.
"Mr. Lin, this is a discount worth hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"
Lin smiled and shook his head.
"To be honest, Mr. Shen, I just borrowed HK$300 million from Standard Chartered for Asia Television a few days ago. They've supported me a lot—I can't just turn my back on them now. That's my principle. So although your offer is very tempting, I must refuse."
Shen Zhou nodded with a faint smile.
"Mr. Lin, you truly are a man of integrity—a rare quality in business."
Of course, he couldn't very well tell Lin that a "qualified businessman" should always prioritize profit over principle. Some things can be done—but never said aloud. Outwardly, everyone must appear honest and law-abiding.
"It's a pity we can't establish a long-term partnership," Shen said. "But this won't affect our current cooperation. If you ever need financing or loans, HSBC will still be available. I also hope we can continue working together in the future."
Lin replied warmly,
"HSBC is the largest bank in Hong Kong. I'm sure I'll have plenty of reasons to work with you in the future—it would be my honor."
Then he smiled and added,
"So, about the transaction?"
Shen nodded.
"The deal can still go through. It's just that the price will no longer be as low as before."
He still intended to sell HSBC's shares in Hutchison Whampoa—if Bao Yugang wasn't taking them, Lin was the next best buyer. But now, the price had to be negotiated higher.
Lin immediately followed up,
"After acquiring HSBC's shares in Hutchison Whampoa, I plan to use those shares as collateral for a loan from HSBC. And once I gain control of Hutchison Whampoa, I'll need further financing to develop it. Would HSBC be open to providing those loans?"
He knew perfectly well that by refusing Shen's private offer, the discounted price was off the table—no matter who he was. Even if Li Ka-shing himself had refused such a deal, he wouldn't have gotten that price either.
From this experience, Lin could now confirm what had really happened in his previous life: Li Ka-shing must have secretly signed a private agreement with HSBC. That was the only way he had been able to buy the shares so cheaply and pay only part of the amount upfront. HSBC and Shen Zhou weren't fools—they wouldn't hand out hundreds of millions for free otherwise.
And in hindsight, both sides had benefitted. Without HSBC's backing, Li Ka-shing could never have become Hong Kong's richest man. And for HSBC, supporting him turned out to be extremely profitable.
But Lin believed that even without HSBC's help, his understanding of future trends would ensure his own success.
If, decades later, he still couldn't surpass the Li Ka-shing of his past life—then that would be his greatest failure.