Started from Hong Kong Island

Chapter 229 [Reclamation Land in Tsim Sha Tsui East]

Tsim Sha Tsui Happy Tea House
Li Wendi has been to this teahouse many times, each time for different purposes. However, things became more and more troublesome, so Li Wendi doesn't like this teahouse at all. It's not that Li Wendi is superstitious, some things are really God's reminders, but sometimes he just doesn't notice them.

Xu Shoukun booked a private room and had been waiting for Li Wendi's arrival early. In fact, Xu Shoukun, who was sitting on the chair, looked annoyed, but when he saw Li Wendi, he still forced a smile.

"Mr. Li, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for quite some time."

Li Wendi smiled and said, "Didn't we agree on lunch time at noon? White-collar workers in Central usually get off work at 12 noon. It's 12:20 now, which is exactly noon."

Li Wendi knew that Xu Shoukun was very anxious, but Li Wendi himself was not impatient. After all, the ICAC could not do anything to Li Wendi for the time being and could only put some pressure on Li Wendi.

"Well, then, Mr. Li was not late. It might be that I was too impatient." Xu Shoukun rarely apologized to Li Wendi.

Li Wendi didn't want to be aggressive, so he smiled and changed the subject, "Why is Inspector Xu so anxious to find me?"

Li Wendi naturally had to pretend to be confused. He was the first to point out the topic, but he was at a disadvantage in terms of taking the initiative, which was not good for him.

"I heard that the ICAC came after you. It's all my fault. I accidentally fell into their trap and let them trick me into revealing some information." Xu Shoukun said apologetically, "But don't worry, Mr. Li. Our business has always been legal. The ICAC should not be able to find any actual evidence."

Li Wendi is in charge of all these businesses. He probably knows better than Xu Shoukun whether there are any problems or not. There is no need for Xu Shoukun to be a good guy and accept this favor.

"I know. I handle all these matters." Li Wendi looked at Xu Shoukun and smiled slightly. "Inspector Xu, is there anything I can help you with? Tell me first and I'll see if I can help you."

Instead of talking nonsense with Xu Shoukun, it is better to point it out directly. Otherwise, there is no idea how long Xu Shoukun will talk about the personal relationship.

Seeing Li Wendi asking again, Xu Shoukun couldn't delay any longer. After all, words are as light as water after being said three times. "Mr. Li is now successful. He must have more friends in the business world than I do. Can we ask the legislators to help us and ask the people from the ICAC to check on the others first?"

In fact, Xu Shoukun wanted Li Wendi to help him handle the matter and drag the councilor into the water, so that the severity of the matter would be raised to a higher level, thereby affecting the judgment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and Xu Shoukun would have more time to deal with these matters, including absconding.

However, in Li Wendi's opinion, this was impossible. Which congressman was so stupid as to jump into Xu Shoukun's trap without caring about his own future? So Xu Shoukun was so anxious that he almost lost his mind.

Moreover, once Li Wendi acts as the middleman, it will only cause greater trouble, and he may even have to bear part of the blame for bribery on behalf of Xu Shoukun.

"Inspector Xu, I'm just a small businessman. How could I know any congressmen? And how could those congressmen look down on a small person like me? I'm sorry, I really can't help you in this matter." Li Wendi refused.

The smile on Xu Shoukun's face froze in vain, and a gloomy look spread over him. "I know that this is a bit embarrassing for Mr. Li, but this is not only my business, but also yours. The company we opened before has been investigated. If something is found out, it will be very disadvantageous to everyone."

Li Wendi just shook his head and smiled at the threat. "Let them check. All the documents and accounts are legal. I have never had any private transactions with you, Inspector Xu. If you insist that those documents are illegal, the departments involved are not just two or three, but many departments under the Hong Kong government."

Before taking action, Li Wendi had consulted other lawyers. The reason he did not replace Zhao Wanying was that Zhao Wanying was more capable of handling the case than other lawyers, and there was also some friendship between the two.

Xu Shoukun took a deep look at Li Wendi and immediately fell silent. He didn't expect that although Li Wendi was young, he was so flawless in his work.

Seeing that threats didn't work, Xu Shoukun continued to play the favor card. "I was so anxious that I lost my mind. I'm sorry, Mr. Li!"

Li Wendi waved his hand. Any apologies were just lies. What he was going to say next was the most important.

"Mr. Li, I'm in a very bad state now because of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and I'm forbidden to leave Hong Kong. I'm really living a miserable life. Can you lend me some money? 300 million will be enough." Xu Shoukun really wanted to escape from Hong Kong. Things had reached a point where they were irreversible.

Li Wendi was slightly stunned, then sighed and said, "Inspector, you don't know, I just bought a lot of company stocks, and the economic environment is not good. I really can't take out 300 million now. I have to get 30 in cash together."

Xu Shoukun frowned, feeling very unhappy, but he was helpless against Li Wendi. Even if he wanted to drag Li Wendi into the water, he had to have actual evidence. Just talking could only create some trouble for Li Wendi, which would anger Li Wendi and would not help the situation, and might even make it worse.

"Then how much can Mr. Li take out?" Xu Shoukun felt that a 'mosquito' was also meat, and the more the better.

"Well, I have to go back and ask the finance department. Maybe I can lend you 50." What Li Wendi has to do now is to procrastinate. If he gives this money to Xu Shoukun, it will either go down the drain or cause huge trouble.

What if the ICAC asks, "Why did you lend money to Xu Shoukun? Is it to keep Xu Shoukun quiet?"

If Xu Shoukun took the money and ran away, Li Wendi would have no way to explain himself. Xu Shoukun was now a time bomb, and it was possible that he accidentally killed Li Wendi.

After dealing with Xu Shoukun for a while, Li Wendi successfully escaped.

Li Wendi in the car had a heavy face. He already knew that Xu Shoukun had turned into a mad dog and might have bitten more than just him. At this moment, he was considering whether to kill the vicious dog. However, if he killed the vicious dog, he might get covered in blood.

Before he knew it, the vehicle had driven into the underground garage of the office building. Only when the bodyguard reminded Li Wendi that they had arrived did he come to his senses.

At the same time, he thought it through and decided that he still had to take some action, but before that he had to take safety precautions. So he asked the head bodyguard to strengthen the security around Guo Cuiting and Li Xiaonan, and asked the driver to drive to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Why not the police station?
Because Xu Shoukun has complicated relationships within the police force, who knows if he will receive news as soon as he leaves, and the enemy of his enemy is actually his friend.

Bai Liyun, Chief Investigator of the Enforcement Division of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, personally received Li Wendi because Li Wendi wanted to report Detective Inspector Xu Shoukun of Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station.

"Mr. Li, are you saying that Xu Shoukun openly demanded a bribe from you? Do you have any evidence?" The bald Bai Liyun asked seriously. He naturally knew some of the relationships between Li Wendi and Xu Shoukun. Now that Li Wendi was willing to break up with Xu Shoukun, it would be very beneficial to their investigation.

"No, but your people should have seen me meeting Xu Shoukun at the Happiness Teahouse. Xu Shoukun also said that if I didn't give him the money, he would tell you that I had bribed him. Although he can't bring me down, he won't let me off easily because you will drag it out for a year or two. How can I do business then?" Li Wendi's tone was a little impatient.

"Mr. Li, words are not enough! The law is about evidence. Without evidence, no matter how reasonable it is, it is useless." Bai Liyun still wanted to find a breakthrough from Li Wendi.

Li Wendi considered whether to reveal more information, but finally gave up the idea. Revealing information would be like drinking poison to quench thirst.

Li Wendi thought for a moment and reminded, "Xu Shoukun is very panicked now. He must be trying to escape. He must have blackmailed more than just me. Maybe those people have evidence."

Bai Liyun paused and said, "Mr. Li's reminder is very useful. I will immediately arrange for someone to investigate this aspect."

So, Li Wendi stood up, said goodbye and left the ICAC building.

After Li Wendi left, another person walked into the office and sat down casually. "This Li Wendi is not a simple person. He has earned two listed companies on his own at a young age. His net worth is tens of millions, and this is just a rough estimate. I guess if we really check his net worth, it may be over 100 million. How could such a person be threatened by Xu Shoukun?"

"He probably wants us to get rid of Xu Shoukun as soon as possible to prevent him from getting into bigger trouble." "Then do you think the story of him bribing Xu Shoukun is fake?" Bai Liyun asked with a smile.

"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not. The Governor of Hong Kong has said more than once that the corrupt officials in the police force and the government should be removed as soon as possible to give the people of Hong Kong a clear sky. So I don't suggest continuing to investigate whether businessmen like Li Wendi are corrupt. That's a matter for the future."

Bai Liyun nodded slightly and couldn't help but sigh. In his eyes, the law is the most important, but the butt determines the head, and the current situation does not allow him to make concessions.

"Okay, let's let Li Wendi and the others go for now."

Tuesday, March 3

Li Wendi came to HSBC and found Wu Xiong.

"Mr. Wu, I want to buy a batch of Japanese yen. How many times of leverage can your bank provide?" Li Wendi asked very directly.

He suddenly thought of investing in the Japanese yen. In his previous life, the United States decided to allow the Japanese yen to appreciate in order to "divert trouble to others" and ease the domestic economic situation. Although the appreciation was not large, it took a long time, several years. However, the first appreciation in the 70s was not low.

Wu Xiong was a little stunned. He didn't understand why Li Wendi suddenly wanted to buy a large amount of Japanese yen. Was the Japanese yen going to appreciate?

Apart from this possibility, Wu Xiong could not think of any other reason. He knew that Li Wendi was a very eager speculator.

"Based on your bank transaction flow, Mr. Li, it should be able to provide a 10x leverage." Wu Xiong replied uncertainly.

10 times! That is definitely not enough, far from enough.

Li Wendi still wants to make a lot of money from this, but how can he make a lot of money if the capital is not enough?

"At least 20 times leverage, 10 times leverage is not enough." Li Wendi said with a stern face.

"I need to ask my superior about this." Wu Xiong was hesitant. This was not within his authority. He knew that Li Wendi would need a lot of capital to leverage, and it was very likely that he would need hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Okay, go ahead! I'll wait for news here." Li Wendi sat down next to him.

Not long after, Wu Xiong came over with the bank's vice president and talked with Li Wendi for a while. He decided to provide Li Wendi with a 20x leverage, but the leveraged principal could not exceed 1500 million yuan, which means that Li Wendi's leveraged funds were only 3 million yuan.

This is somewhat different from Li Wendi's expectations, but the difference is not big, and he may not be able to obtain such a large amount of funds in other securities companies or banks.

At the same time, Li Wendi asked HSBC to help buy Japanese yen worth 3 million Hong Kong dollars. The banknotes were stored in the HSBC safe, and he would pay the storage fee on time.

按照现下的香江币与日元的对率是72，即1香江币换算72日元，3亿香江币可以换到216亿日元。

This number is scary enough, but purchasing power is limited.

Due to HSBC's relaxed loan policy and as an old customer, Li Wendi received an interest rate of 8%.

At this point, Li Wendi's funds were all used up. If any major accident occurred, he might face personal financial bankruptcy.

The next morning, Zhang Wentao walked into the office anxiously and reported, "Boss, I received news that Chinese Estates Holdings is interested in selling the Chinese Bank Building in Central. Should we get involved?"

Li Wendi couldn't help but frown. Although the Bank of China Building was built in 1924 and is a very old commercial building, this piece of land is located in the core area of ​​Central and its value is not comparable to those small commercial buildings and general Grade A commercial buildings.

Moreover, as its name suggests, the China Bank Building is the first commercial building in Central that truly belongs to the Chinese. It has extraordinary significance to many Chinese people. Since it is for sale, many companies must have set their eyes on this piece of fat meat.

Li Wendi remembered that this shopping mall seemed to be acquired by Li Jiacheng's Cheung Kong Company for 2700 million US dollars, which is equivalent to 1.35 million Hong Kong dollars. How could the Changxin Real Estate Company have so much money to acquire such a top-notch property building?

"This building is of such high quality that there must be many competitors. The price may very well exceed 100 million. We don't have that much money." Li Wendi shook his head. He was really powerless with regard to such a Grade A commercial building. Even if he wanted to snipe Li Jiacheng, he couldn't do it.

If Li Jiacheng doesn't keep up, Li Wendi won't have enough money to fill the hole.

"Boss, we don't need to buy it alone. We can join forces with other companies to raise funds to buy it. When the market recovers, it shouldn't be a problem to make 10 or 20 million." Zhang Wentao was a little crazy. Buying the Bank of China Building would give him a chance to show off his wealth.

Zhang Wentao's suggestion is very practical. In an economic crisis, every businessman wants to buy at the bottom, so they will reduce the consumption of funds. However, when faced with "fat meat", they can't help but take a bite. Therefore, joint competition is the best way out.

After thinking it over again and again, Li Wendi nodded and said, "Go ahead and contact them, but be careful about the company's capital turnover and don't cause any big trouble."

"Yes, don't worry, I will do a great job." Zhang Wentao promised.

Li Wendi wanted to say something, but Zhang Wentao had already walked out of the office, leaving only his back. He shook his head helplessly.

On the same day, Li Wendi learned from the newspaper that the Hong Kong government announced the development of a new town in the Sha Tin area to alleviate the urgent population pressure on Hong Kong Island.

This is a bigger piece of fat meat with terrifyingly high profits, but the investment is also huge, otherwise the Hong Kong government would not have sold the reclamation business of the new town to private enterprises through bidding in the late 70s.

It is only the 74th year now, and there are still 4 or 5 years before the bidding. Li Wendi just took a look and no longer paid attention to it.

As for purchasing the land in Sha Tin now, Li Wendi still feels no rush. After all, he is short of funds and other real estate developers are also waiting and watching. The land in the city has not been fully developed yet and not many people are willing to go to a place like Sha Tin.

Not long after, Zhang Wentao came to the office again and informed Li Wendi that the Hong Kong government wanted to hold an auction of government land in order to stimulate the land market in Hong Kong.

At this time, the Hong Kong government has already tasted the sweetness of auctioning government land, which has brought a lot of income to Hong Kong's finances. Naturally, it cannot stop now, and relevant departments all want to get a share of the auction proceeds.

When Zhang Wentao mentioned that there was an auction of reclaimed land in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Li Wendi immediately became interested. The land in Tsim Sha Tsui East is very cheap now, and it will not be so easy to get it in two years.

Therefore, Li Wendi asked Zhang Wentao to sign up quickly, and Changxin Real Estate Company must participate. It would be best if they could acquire a piece of reclaimed land in Tsim Sha Tsui East and keep it until the real estate market recovers before developing it.

(End of this chapter)