On his second day in Hong Kong, Tang Boqi made a point of visiting Song Tianyao's factory to learn its address. Now, on his way to the wig factory in a taxi, he was still pondering the purpose of Song Tianyao's order. He didn't believe Song Tianyao was a fool, but the fact that two years' worth of products had been sold to Britain department stores clearly created an opportunity for others entering the industry to grow their businesses. The largest market for wigs was now the United States, and the current Britain trends were influenced by the United States. Without taking precautions, was Song Tianyao going to wait two years to enter the United States market and fight tooth and nail with his competitors?
What on earth is this guy up to? Tang Boqi couldn't figure it out himself, so he thought it would be better to ask Song Tianyao directly.
Upon arriving at the factory, Tang Boqi got out of the car and found the gate tightly closed. Unlike most United States factories, there were no security guards outside. So he carefully walked in through the half-open side gate. As soon as he entered, three fierce dogs pounced on him from their cages and barked. Sister Xiong, the boss of the wig factory, came out carrying a large kitchen knife, intending to chop up meat to feed the dogs and check who it was. She had only intended to glance at Tang Boqi, but when her eyes fell on his face, her eyes widened. Forgetting about feeding the dogs, she charged at Tang Boqi with the kitchen knife.
Sister Xiong's knife-wielding pose startled Tang Boqi, who immediately retreated outside the factory. He wondered if Song Tianyao's factory was off-limits to outsiders, and if unauthorized intruders were hacked to pieces and fed to the dogs. He thought, " In the United States, security guards can apply for gun licenses and carry firearms; here in Hong Kong, are they carrying knives?"
"Where did this young man come from? Such a handsome fellow, is he trying to pick up girls at the factory?" Sister Xiong, carrying a knife, chased after Tang Boqi, who was still somewhat dazed from being frightened by her, and asked him.
When Sister Xiong first saw Tang Boqi, she had only one thought: this young man is really handsome. Even though she was biased towards Song Tianyao, she couldn't say that Song Tianyao was more handsome than her.
When this handsome young man came to the wig factory, Sister Xiong naturally assumed that he was there to seduce the young female workers. That's why she excitedly chased after him. But after carefully looking at Tang Boqi in front of her, she realized that he wasn't like those young men who used to linger over walls. The handsome young man in front of her was dressed in a suit and had a demeanor and style somewhat similar to her boss.
"Excuse me, ma'am, is the owner of this factory Song Tianyao?" Tang Boqi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the burly, stout woman opposite him hadn't attacked him with a knife at the slightest provocation. He smiled and asked Sister Xiong.
Sister Xiong stared at Tang Boqi's face and nodded. "So what if it is?"
"Um... I'd like to see Boss Song. Could you help me contact him, Auntie? My name is Tang Boqi, and I'm a friend of his from when we were in United States," Tang Boqi said to Sister Xiong.
"The boss isn't here; he went out with his wife." Hearing the three dogs in the factory still barking incessantly because they hadn't received any meat, Sister Xiong turned and went through the side gate, yelling at the dogs, "Shut up! I'll feed you three later! If you make another sound, I'll stew you all to help the boss recover!"
The three fierce dogs that had just been baring their teeth and threatening to attack Tang Boqi in the cage fell silent at Sister Xiong's shout. Sister Xiong, still grumbling, turned back to Tang Boqi and said, "Why don't you come back tomorrow? If it's urgent, go inside and wait. I don't know if he'll be back today."
Tang Boqi was intimidated and impressed by Sister Xiong's domineering presence. It turned out that not only was he afraid of her, but even the three big dogs were afraid of her. He took two steps back and waved his hand, "I'll wait outside. The air is better outside. I'll have a smoke."
His appearance made Sister Xiong wary again. Holding the knife in one hand, she wiped her oily hand on her apron and stepped forward to touch the fabric of Tang Boqi's suit. It didn't look like the cheap suits worn by those down-on-their-luck workers pretending to be rich. "You're really not here to pick up girls at the factory? Then you can wait outside. You're so handsome, I won't feel at ease going in."
After saying this, which left Tang Boqi puzzled, Sister Xiong returned to the factory, while Tang Boqi waited outside, lighting a cigarette.
While Tang Boqi Song Tianyao waiting for Song Tianyao, Song Tianyao, Chu Yaozong, Angie Perlis, Chu Shuheng, and their lawyers were meeting with HSBC's Michael Sandberg. Michael Sandberg was 28 years old, handsome, and tall. Having served in the military, he possessed a masculine air that was unusual for ordinary Britain bank employees. He was decisive and efficient. Song Tianyao had a very good first impression of this future HSBC tycoon, Michael Sandberg also had a good impression of Song Tianyao, as Song Tianyao was the first China client he had been responsible for receiving after returning to the Hong Kong headquarters from the Japan branch.
Michael Sandberg joined HSBC in 1948, and within just three years, he rose to the position of client manager in HSBC credit management department, demonstrating his remarkable abilities.
By this time, the loan procedures had been completed, and all that remained was a casual chat among a few people after finishing their business. Michael Sandberg was currently speaking to Song Tianyao in English, his tone full of incomprehension towards China businessmen taking out loans:
"Most Hong Kong Chinese lack sufficient trust in British or foreign banks, which is the complete opposite of what I encountered in Japan. Japan trust HSBC, but when Hong Kong Chinese need financial assistance, they only consider money shops, banks, etc., run by their fellow countrymen, even if HSBC's interest rates are much lower than those of China banks and it is larger and more reputable. They will still stubbornly choose Bank of East Asia, Hang Seng, or even smaller Chinese-owned banks without branches."
Song Tianyao smiled at Michael Sandberg's words but did not agree. The problem Michael Sandberg pointed out was indeed real and perfectly normal. Compared to trusting the Britain, China person trusted their fellow countrymen more, and would only borrow money from banks and banks run by people from their own hometown. However, the fact that foreign banks were not friendly to China person also played a significant role in this situation.
"This problem is only half due to traditional China person thinking. The other half is because foreign banks, especially HSBC, are not friendly enough to China individual customers. If an ordinary China worker wants to deposit his salary in HSBC, he simply has no chance because he doesn't know anyone influential enough to help him HSBC. Currently, whether opening a company account or a personal account at HSBC, you need a referral from an existing client. My company experienced this problem when opening an account at HSBC; it was only after Mr. Chu introduced me to the bank manager that HSBC accepted Xianrong Company's account opening. The deposit requirements are already discriminatory. For many years, HSBC has only wanted to attract high-quality clients, excluding ordinary people. This has led many China person, even after accumulating wealth, to avoid HSBC and deposit their money in other Chinese-owned banks. When they need money, they will only consider Chinese-owned banks."