"Lord Ting never said he was going to do anything for anyone. He only told me he was going to Malaysia to discuss the Yellow Arsenic business with you." Chang Yue'e said calmly, her face expressionless as she stared at Song Chunzhong.
Song Chunzhong slowly loosened his tie, and after unbuttoning each button on his shirt, the gunshot wound on his chest was revealed.
The gunshot wound was exposed to everyone, even the thugs were somewhat surprised. In the underworld, knife wounds were common, but gunshot wounds were not so common, especially someone like Song Chunzhong, who survived a gunshot wound to the heart.
Song Chunzhong looked down at the gunshot wound and said to Chang Yue'e, "If you think that a small Malaysia Rubber Plantation owner like me could get someone as important as Lord Ting to help transport contraband, ultimately leading to his and the other brothers in Shui Fong's deaths, then feel free to shoot me in the chest again. Last time, someone didn't believe me and shot me, but I didn't die, and they believed me. It's the same this time. If they don't believe me, they'll shoot. To be honest, sister-in-law, you should have already realized that Shui Fong is in big trouble this time. There are several newspapers in the bag I brought. Even if you haven't read them, you should have heard others say that even the English newspapers are starting to talk about the Lin Family's downfall. Shui Fong worked for the Lin Family and for China. You know how the Britain will treat Shui Fong. Whether you shoot me in the chest or listen to me say one more word, the decision is yours."
"Tell me first, then I'll decide whether to kill you or not."
"The only way now is for all the families and cronies of the Big Brother in the Shui Fong to go to Malaysia. Lord Ting are now considered Patriotic Martyr among the Malaysia Chinese. The Britain have already been offended; we can't afford to further alienate the Chinese by saying Lord Ting wasn't involved in smuggling embargoed goods. As long as we insist Lord Ting died for his country, given Lord Ting current prestige, and if you, Sister-in-law, are good at utilizing your connections, you might just be able to secure a position as the New Fuzhou in three to five years. That's not just a matter of Hong Kong." What can a big-headed woman compare to? She represents hundreds of thousands of Chinese in a state; she can command a huge following with a single call. To put it bluntly, even if you wanted to kill someone, you wouldn't need to say a word; countless people would do it for you. Even if you don't plan to use this opportunity to develop your career and become wealthy in Malaysia, it's still better than staying in Hong Kong living in fear. Listen to my heartfelt advice: of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best. I hit it off with Lord Ting the moment we met. I was powerless to help him pass away, but I did my best to settle his family and relatives as a token of my gratitude, and to live up to the word "loyalty"!
With his chest bare and face full of righteous indignation, Song Chunzhong declared, "I, Sun Zhizhong, have made my name through loyalty and honor in this world! If you don't believe me, sister-in-law, then take action!"
"Knock knock!" There was a sound on the stairs outside. A member of the Wo On Lok said anxiously, "Brother Zhen! Just now, A-Quan from Jordan sent someone to deliver a message. The Foreign Devil led the police and stormed into Da Zui Cai's house. I heard that Brother Cai only complained that being handcuffed was undignified and said a few curse words in response, and the police shot him dead on the spot! They framed him with dozens of crimes!"
Chapter 421 Keeping the Breath Hanging
Michael Sandberg gazed intently at Lin Xiaosen, who was deep in thought across from him.
Besides conveying HSBC tycoon Michael Turner's condolences to Lin Xiaosen on behalf of HSBC patriarch Michael Turner, he also wanted to discuss HSBC's goodwill in light of the recent plunge in Xizhen Properties's stock price and the crisis facing the Lin Family.
Regardless of whether Lin Xiaohe or Lin Xiaoze were in charge within the Lin Family, at least on the surface, Lin Xiaosen was the one in the Lin Family. With Lin Xiaohe behind him, Lin Xiaosen was nothing more than a rubber stamp, obeying Lin Xiaohe's every word. Moreover, all matters, big and small, of the Lin Family were decided after discussions among the brothers.
But tonight, Lin Xiaohe lost contact, and Lin Xiaosen and Lin Xiao qia Lin Xiaoze. At this moment, Lin Xiaosen is the true master of the Lin Family, and with his public status, he can decide everything in the Lin Family with a single word.
"Is this Mr. Turner's intention?" Lin Xiaosen tried to drive away the agitation and anger in his mind and asked Michael Sandberg in as calm a voice as possible.
Michael Sandberg nodded politely. "As Hong Kong's largest and most responsible financial institution, HSBC does not want to see any of its valued clients in trouble. Neither Mr. Turner nor I personally believe the rumors circulating outside. However, the stock market has been severely impacted by the series of events involving the Lin Family. This year's Stock Exchange trading volume has increased significantly compared to previous years. Neither the Hong Kong Government's Economic Affairs Department nor the Stock Exchange Commission, nor even HSBC, which holds multiple positions on the committee and provides services such as cash accounting, want to see the stock market exhibit any undesirable behavior. We cannot allow investors to completely lose confidence in the slightly recovering stock market during this period due to the Lin Family incident. Therefore, HSBC is considering using HK$80 million in cash to acquire the shares of Xizhen Properties held by the Lin Family to stabilize the stock market."
"Eighty million?" Lin Xiaosen frowned. "Only eighty million? Song Tianyao had already offered one hundred and eighty million to acquire the 24% stake in Xizhen Properties Jardine."
With a composed smile, Michael Sandberg said, "That was just the price he quoted; he didn't actually acquire it, did he? Forgive my bluntness, but last year, Xizhen Properties was valued at only Hong Kong dollars 37 million. If it weren't for stabilizing public sentiment, HSBC wouldn't have offered even HK$80 million. Moreover, I think Mr. Lin, you'd better make a decision quickly. If the situation worsens further, HSBC's friendly acquisition may fall through. In that case, no matter how dire the situation becomes, the Lin Family will have to bear the consequences. Judging from the various negative news surrounding the Lin Family, it might not be long before Xizhen Properties's price falls back to last year's level, or even lower. At that point, the value of the Lin Family's shares might be less than Hong Kong dollars 10 million."
"I need to consider whether I'd like to repurchase the shares after the Lin Family's internal affairs are resolved," Lin Xiaosen asked slowly after a moment's thought.
Although he was not as capable as Lin Xiaoze, Lin Xiao qia, and his older brother Lin Xiaohe, he was still someone who had studied abroad. However, he had always lived in the shadow of his brothers' achievements, so he was not particularly outstanding. In addition, his mother's favoritism and pampering had fostered his impatient and irritable personality.
HSBC's visit wasn't uninvited; he had contacted HSBC beforehand, intending to temporarily hand over the Lin Family's shares to HSBC to obtain cash and temporarily withdraw from the external battles, allowing him to focus on dealing with the internal strife that had emerged within the Lin Family.