"There's something I want to tell you..." Meng Wanqing carefully removed the bones from a piece of fish for Song Tianyao and then placed it on Song Tianyao's plate.
Song Tianyao noticed that Meng Wanqing was trying to avoid eye contact with him with this gesture, and frowned slightly. "What is it? Are you pregnant?"
In his view, Meng Wanqing would never bother him unless she was pregnant, in which case she would only want to see him.
Meng Wanqing glanced up at Song Tianyao, her pretty face flushing slightly, and immediately denied it. "No."
Although there were no other words, that glance made Song Tianyao understand that Meng Wanqing was trying to say that the two of them hadn't had a chance to spend time alone together lately, so how could she possibly be pregnant?
"What exactly happened?"
"My father doesn't want to continue running the garment factory business and is preparing to withdraw," Meng Wanqing said, pursing her lips and looking at Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao was taken aback. "Why would you go to such lengths for something like this... What happened? Is Uncle's garment factory in trouble? Didn't Scribe Hui get a lot of orders from the British Army?"
"I don't want to be a gossip or whisper in someone's ear. It's true that my father is planning to withdraw from the garment factory business because he doesn't have the money to continue investing like Ah Hui did," Meng Wanqing said earnestly to Song Tianyao.
Scribe Hui?
This bastard's causing trouble again? And even messing with his own cheap father-in-law? It's been so long, is Scribe Hui just looking for a good scolding?
He turned to Meng Wanqing and asked, "What happened?"
"Ah Hui said he's planning to open a new factory. Since it's a business partnership, the cost of new equipment will naturally be shared. The new factory requires an investment of three million Hong Kong dollars. He called my father and asked him to prepare one and a half million Hong Kong dollars, so..." Meng Wanqing said softly from the side, "My father said he doesn't blame Ah Hui. He's already made a lot of money, and it's good that Ah Hui, being young, wants to expand his business. But he really can't come up with one and a half million Hong Kong dollars, so he's planning to withdraw. Don't blame Ah Hui."
Song Tianyao slowly savored the fish that Meng Wanqing had placed on his plate. After finishing the fish, he said, "It's fine to ask Uncle to step down. Let Scribe Hui run the factory himself. I'll prepare 1.5 million to invest in it. I have a feeling that Scribe Hui is going to do something big to scare me lately. A new factory, three million Hong Kong dollars? Damn, that's terrifying! My wig factory only cost a little money to start, and he wants three million Hong Kong dollars for a new factory?"
Chapter 352 Scheme
"The rapid rise in Xizhen Properties's stock price is not a good thing; it's a double-edged sword. A high stock price can double the funds invested by hostile takeover bidders, but it also puts us in a very passive position when it comes to repurchasing shares with Jardine Matheson. Jardine will offer the same price as the market price. That old wolf Keswick, won't give up this piece of meat that's right in front of him so easily." Lin Xiaohe gently rubbed his temples as he sat on the sofa and said to his elder brother Lin Xiaoze.
Lin Xiaoze stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, his expression arrogant. He meticulously adjusted his tie, gazing at his reflection in the glass, and calmly stated, "My opinion is to act decisively. Whether it's HSBC, Standard Chartered, Bank of Bank of East Asia, Chinese, or Wing On, raise funds as soon as possible to repurchase the shares. The longer we delay, the more variables will arise."
"Aside from Song Tianyao, other Chinese businessmen probably don't have much interest in Xizhen Properties. With the smoke of war still lingering in the North Korea War and Hong Kong's future uncertain, not only are the Britain thinking of returning to their homeland to avoid the storm, but local Chinese businessmen, apart from a few who have already expressed their stance, are also worried that if Hong Kong is forcibly retaken, the real estate will be confiscated. After all, the idea of 'redistributing land to the rich' back then wasn't just empty talk. I heard that Song Tianyao helped the Chu Family fight for the pharmaceutical distribution rights, mostly by using scarce and in-demand drugs to establish some connections with the Mainland. So he's betting on what will happen if Hong Kong is forcibly retaken after the Korean War, and then this so-called patriotic businessman who is loyal to the country during wartime..." Lin Xiaohe stood up from the sofa and walked to the bookshelf on Lin Xiaoze's desk, admiring the several sailboat models displayed inside through the spotless glass.
Lin Xiaoze is a civil engineering major who aspires to become an engineer. He has an extraordinary passion for various crafts and productions. While other businessmen's bookshelves are filled with famous books or valuable antiques, Lin Xiaoze collects various sailboat models and even designs simple ship models himself when he has time.
Lin Xiaohe pushed open the glass window and took out a model of a three-masted sailing ship, holding it in his hand. "I'm worried about Pedro Lobo now. If he has made contact with Song Tianyao in Macau, given Pedro Lobo's vengeful nature, he'll definitely pay up to see the Lin Family make a scene without hesitation."
"So? You're planning to deal with Song Tianyao again?" Lin Xiaoze walked over and took the sailboat model from Lin Xiaohe, carefully placing it back in the bookcase as if it were a precious treasure. "Don't touch it. If it falls apart, it will be hard to put back together."
Lin Xiaohe let out a breath, leaning back comfortably against Lin Xiaoze's desk. "Of course we can't do that again. The first time was a surprise attack, just like you said, big brother, a swift and decisive move. Doing it again would be foolish. Now we should all make our moves fair and square. What a pity, what a pity, the opportunity was so good last time, but..."
"What do you mean by saying that to me?" Lin Xiaoze put the sailboat back and stabilized it. He turned around Lin Xiaohe. As the Lin Family, Lin Xiaoze had more of the dignity and temperament of an elder brother than Lin Xiaohe, who was leaning lazily on the desk, saying "I regret it" but showing no regret on his face. Instead, he looked like a carefree middle-aged idler with a smile on his lips.
Lin Xiaohe grinned at his eldest brother. "I had people investigate why Fifth Uncle and Sixth Uncle passed away, why that matter went wrong, and why Song Tianyao was able to use a scheme to lure Fifth Uncle out. In the end, the investigation led back to Second Brother."
"A Qia?" Lin Xiaoze was taken aback, his eyes scrutinizing Lin Xiaohe's facial expression. He first looked puzzled, then said sternly, "A He, you need to think things through before you speak. A Qia wouldn't do such a thing. If he were dissatisfied with you and A-Sen, he could have done it ten years ago in Guangzhou..."