"Big brother, what have you thought of me? I don't doubt second brother. Everyone has seen how much he has done for the family over the years, but..." Lin Xiaohe began to explain with a wry smile, rubbing his forehead as if quite troubled. "I just don't understand why second brother went to see Song Tianyao's people, deliberately adding unnecessary complications. Maybe second brother still doesn't realize that it was because of this insignificant little thing he did that he caused the deaths of fifth and sixth uncles."
"You're telling me you want me to talk to A Qia?" Lin Xiaoze raised his eyebrows slightly and asked Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe nodded. "I suspect that Second Brother already knows that this matter may have failed because of him, but he has remained silent. He is probably filled with guilt, and keeping this in his heart will easily ruin him. Second Brother already had some complaints about me because of Fifth Uncle and Sixth Uncle. Now, it's more appropriate for you, Eldest Brother, to talk to him instead of me, the younger brother. There are people outside eyeing the Lin Family now, and we can't let Second Brother harbor resentment and damage our relationship. We brothers should weather the storm together; unity is the foundation of family harmony."
"I'm going to see A Qia." Lin Xiaoze patted Lin Xiaohe on the shoulder. "You did the right thing."
Looking at Shen Bi, who couldn't hide his excitement, Song Tianyao asked with a smile, "How's it going? So happy, aren't you planning to pack your bags and go to Sabah, Malaysia?"
"Of course I'll go. A trip to Malaysia would be nice." Michael Sandberg smiled at Song Tianyao. "But I don't think I'll need the gift you gave me for the time being."
Song Tianyao was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"Morse is now under immense pressure from the board, with China's stance hardening. If the stalemate continues, the board's calculations show that just maintaining the basic expenses of the Mainland branches while they are closed would require Hong Kong dollars 2.5 million to HK$4 million annually. This is the bare minimum; the longer it drags on, the greater the losses. However, there is absolutely no room for negotiation with China. To resume operations or discuss development, Mainland depositors must be allowed to withdraw banknotes at the exchange rate set by China, HSBC cannot afford. Consider how the Fabi depreciated during the China Civil War." "Everyone knows that an ordinary China citizen can easily come up with tens or hundreds of millions of Fabi tender deposits. If, during the period when 20,000 Fabi could buy a house, a hundred depositors with 1 billion Fabi went to HSBC branches to exchange their deposits, half of HSBC would be wiped out. It's a dead end. No matter how things develop, Morse's resignation is a foregone conclusion; it's only a matter of time. After all, it was his initial decision that put HSBC in this awkward and passive position." Michael Sandberg stirred his coffee with great interest and said to Song Tianyao.
After learning from Bao Yuehan Bowser about the turmoil at HSBC, Song Tianyao contacted Michael Sandberg, who was preparing to report to the Malaysia branch soon. Upon receiving Song Tianyao's call, Michael Sandberg immediately came out to meet Song Tianyao, his previous disappointment gone.
Song Tianyao poured cold water on Michael Sandberg's enthusiasm. "What's it to you to say all that? You're just a lowly account manager now. Whoever takes the lead, you'll still end up in Malaysia."
"It's different. Morse stepped down, and his designated second and third successors, who are all from the same lineage, are unlikely to be reinstated. On the contrary, the fourth successor, Mr. Turner, the former deputy general manager of HSBC in charge of Southeast Asia, is the most likely to succeed Morse as chairman. Mr. Turner was one of the people who opposed Morse's insistence on retaining the Mainland China branch and preparing to do business with the Communist Party. He advocated using an encirclement and expansion strategy to first expand HSBC's influence in Asia, and then try to return to the China market in the end." Michael Sandberg looked at Song Tianyao: "When I was transferred to the Japan branch, it was Mr. Turner signed the document. He also signed the document to transfer me back. The only exception is this trip to Malaysia, which was ordered by Mr. Morse. So if Mr. Turner really becomes the new HSBC patriarch, I probably won't have to go to Sabah to get tanned like a charcoal briquette."
"In other words, regardless of which option HSBC chooses—to exchange or refuse to exchange— HSBC faces substantial losses. We don't know what Mr. Turner's appetite is..."
"Mr. Turner has always believed in putting profit first. If Mr. Turner becomes the new HSBC tycoon, I would say that with the Lin Family's real estate and properties in HSBC's hands, your chances of getting them will be much higher than when Mr. Morse was in charge." Michael Sandberg lowered his voice. He knew that Song Tianyao wanted to see him simply to find out about the current situation of HSBC.
HSBC now faces a choice: either completely abandon its branches, properties, real estate, and assets temporarily frozen by China in more than a dozen cities in Mainland China, or comply with China's demands and obediently redeem its past deposits, resulting in a massive financial loss. Whether it's a drastic measure or a self-sacrificing act, both options will cause HSBC huge losses. To stem the bleeding, HSBC will inevitably sell off many of the real estate and properties it has taken over as HSBC to realize its losses.
That's why Michael Sandberg told Song Tianyao that if Turner came to power, Song Tianyao's chances would be much greater than they are now.
"Do you know the China idiom, 'to seek help from a tiger for its skin'?" Song Tianyao said to Michael Sandberg. "I suspect that even if HSBC is willing to sell me those mortgaged and taken over properties, they will still take a lot of benefits from me, such as investing in my business. That's the usual practice of banks."
"Song, you can't expect banks to be sentimental. Like I said, banks are purely financial institutions; profit is their only goal. If a bank helps you get what you want, you will naturally have to pay a price. Banks are not charities," Michael Sandberg immediately explained after hearing Song Tianyao mention HSBC's usual tactics in the Hong Kong business world.
Song Tianyao picked up his coffee and took a sip. "I know, and I don't think HSBC is wrong to do this. I like this kind of pure, fair exchange."
"However, it seems that Xizhen Properties has no intention of formally contacting HSBC yet. There's no news that they've used their properties or real estate as collateral to borrow money from HSBC," Michael Sandberg said to Song Tianyao, taking a sip of his coffee.
Song Tianyao turned to look out the window. Yan Hung was hurriedly getting out of a car outside, seemingly heading towards the Dulles Hotel's coffee shop.