Chapter 184: Rapid Development

Zhongyi Hall.

The Zha FIT Rens and Red Poles of Hongxing sat on the left and right sides respectively, and the entire Zhongyi Hall was packed with people.

After Chen Jiajun led everyone in offering a stick of incense to Guan Erye, he took his seat in the Dragon Head's main chair.

As the White Paper Fan of the society, Xing Shu reported the company's financial situation for this period to all the Hongxing brothers:

"Ada, and all the brothers of Hongxing."

"This month, the total revenue from the game halls under Hongxing is 140 million."

For operators and societies, this industry is a good investment with low capital and high profit, and it can still be called a blue ocean market.

"After deducting the dividends for the Hongxing brothers, the stalls on Sneaker Street and Women Street only have a surplus of 20 million this month."

Taking a puff of his cigar, Chen Jiajun looked at Xing Shu and said, "Xing Shu, continue."

"Ada, all Hongxing brothers."

"The protection fees collected from all of our Hongxing territories this month total 350 million."

"After deducting the dividends for all the Hongxing brothers, the remaining portion of this month's earnings has been injected into the Guojun Fund as per your instructions, Ada, and is being managed by professional brokers."

"Brothers, this is the situation for Hongxing this month."

After Xing Shu finished his report, Chen Jiajun exhaled a puff of cigar smoke and looked around, saying, "Hmm, does any of the big bosses have anything to add?"

Just as he finished speaking, Xing Shu said, "Ada, there is one thing I would like to mention. The brothers who previously followed Feilao Li and Jing Ma to withdraw their stalls want to return to Hongxing."

"When Hongxing was in difficulty, they withdrew their stalls. Now that Hongxing has grown big and strong, they want to come back? Not allowed!"

Chen Jiajun refused decisively.

After Feilao Li from North Point left Hongxing, he started a laundry powder business, but his territory had shrunk by more than half.

Coupled with the fact that Hongxing's income has increased significantly over the past six months, with an ordinary Four-Nine Boy having a stable monthly income of 3,000 dollars—not including the wages earned from working at Hongxing Entertainment or various other positions—this group of people naturally developed the idea of returning.

Ji Ge nodded and said, "Exactly, why should we take them along to make money?"

After Ji Ge finished speaking, Xing Shu said with a flushed face, "Ada, there is another matter I would like to bring up while everyone is here."

"Go ahead," Chen Jiajun nodded.

Xing Shu said with a face full of smiles, "Ada, you know that I am almost sixty years old. Wili is now working for Lao E in Macau. He has been messing around outside and has fathered a child. I want to retire."

"Currently, the accounting is all being done by Menggui Tian. He has a high level of education, a sharp mind, and keeps the accounts very clean."

He was originally a Zha FIT Ren who was rehired for his importance near retirement; now that his son has given him a grandson, he naturally wants to retire.

Chen Jiajun agreed to this request very readily, "Xing Shu, pick an auspicious day in a few days, and I will hold a farewell for you."

"In addition, you will receive a pension of 50,000 per month, and you do not need to withdraw your shares in Hongxing."

"Brothers, although Xing Shu is retired, he is still one of our Hongxing people. Whoever dares to be disrespectful to Xing Shu will be dealt with by Family Law!"

"Xing Shu, congratulations, congratulations." The atmosphere in Zhongyi Hall became filled with joy.

Chen Jiajun pressed his hands down: "Alright, lastly, I will mention one important thing. Every brother present must listen carefully: if anyone has any extra properties on hand, sell them all off within these two months."

"If you have mortgages with banks, have a word with the finance company; the company will help you advance the funds to clear the liens."

"As for the reason, I won't say much; everyone will understand next year."

The current Hong Kong economy is mired in a false prosperity. Last year, the Hong Kong property market experienced a crazy year, sparking a wave of speculation in office buildings and hotels.

By the beginning of this year, Chen Jiajun clearly felt that the transaction rate in the Hong Kong property market had dropped significantly, and the vacancy rate was getting higher and higher.

A more critical point is that while property prices have gone up, the rental income is about the same as last year, which shows that the Hong Kong property market has peaked.

In fact, this is indeed the case; the Hong Kong real estate market has turned sluggish.

Coupled with the negotiations next year, property prices will plummet crazily. How miserable will the fall be?

Land prices will generally fall by 40% to 60%.

Guojun Academy has opened many investment and financial management courses, and many brothers have used the money on hand to invest in the Hong Kong property market. Now that it is the best time to exit, Chen Jiajun must provide a reminder.

"Received, Ada!"

Regarding the instructions from their boss, the Hongxing brothers would never have any hesitation.

"Ada, if I sell all my properties and have 100 million Hong Kong dollars on hand, where should I put so much money?" Jing Kun started to humble-brag.

"Put it all into the Guojun Fund. If you don't know how to manage it, just put it all into the Guojun Fund," Chen Jiajun said while flicking the ash off his cigar.

Currently, the entire Hongxing Group.

Has a total of 6.3 billion Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to 1.26 billion US dollars in funds, which are handed over to members of the Landlord Association such as Sima Xiang and Huang Shitong to manage.

Every month, the funds collected by Hongxing Group and Guojun Group are all converted into US dollars or Japanese yen on the market and then transferred to Guojun Group's account in Japan.

And the final destination for this money is bank stocks in the Japanese stock market.

The decade of the 80s and 90s saw the biggest bull market in Japanese history.

And in this 10-year bull market, the Japanese banking sector rose by 831%, ranking first among all sectors.

Currently, the funds managed by the Landlord Association have an annualized rate of 50% if calculated in US dollars, and a full 65% if calculated in Hong Kong dollars.

After finishing the monthly Hongxing meeting, Chen Jiajun arrived at HSBC.

HSBC, VIP room.

HSBC taipan Shen Bi sat in front of Chen Jiajun and said, "Mr. Chen, you came over this time for the 1.5 billion you borrowed from HSBC last year??"

"That's right," Chen Jiajun raised his coffee cup to take a sip and crossed his legs.

Withdrawing his look of admiration, Shen Bi smiled, took out a calculator, and calculated a sum for Chen Jiajun: "Mr. Chen, the total amount of the loan you took is 1.5 billion, the loan interest rate is 14%, and the loan term so far is ten months, with interest of 175 million. If you transfer this money to your HSBC account, we can process the transfer at any time..."

"Wait."

Chen Jiajun interrupted Shen Bi in time: "Mr. Shen, I didn't say I wanted to repay the loan. I came here specifically this time to extend this loan."

Borrowed the money with my own ability, why would I pay it back?

Under the circumstance that it is already certain that the Hong Kong dollar is accelerating its depreciation, Chen Jiajun had no intention of repaying the loan to HSBC this year at all.

Repaying money is impossible; one can only live by relying on loans.

"What?" Shen Bi was stunned upon hearing this.

"Additionally, I would like for your HSBC to grant us another loan based on the situation of our Guojun Group. You also know that our Guojun Group has taken steps too large over these past two years, so we are a bit short on cash. Of course, you don't need to worry about our group being unable to repay the money."

As he spoke, Chen Jiajun reached out his hand to Dumu, and Dumu placed a folder into Chen Jiajun's hand.

Tossing the document in front of Shen Bi, Chen Jiajun said: "These materials are the stocks our group holds in the Japan stock market, currently with a market value of 1.89 billion USD. Calculated according to yesterday's exchange rate, that is 10.4 billion..."

10.4 billion, whether in 2022 or 1981, counts as a staggering sum of money.

What kind of concept is that in the present day?

Last year, the total annual betting turnover of the Hong Kong Jockey Club was only 8.7 billion.

Shen Bi picked up the folder and flipped it open to read, and Chen Jiajun continued: "I would like to use these stocks as collateral."

"Mr. Chen, our HSBC has never once accepted overseas financial stocks as collateral. This matter is of great importance; I am afraid I must take it to the Board of Directors for discussion before a decision can be made."

Shen Bi said to Chen Jiajun after pondering for a moment.

"Understood. Then, Mr. Shen, I shall take my leave first."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiajun stood up nimbly.

After Chen Jiajun left, Shen Bi immediately summoned Wen Basi of the Wardley company, telling him to verify the authenticity of these stocks. After flipping through them, Wen Basi said:

"Chairman, this is indeed true. As far as I know, top-tier Chinese brokers like Sima Xiang, Huang Shitong, Chen Zhan, and Mai Shengyun are all working for Mr. Chen."

"Go and confirm it again." Shen Bi nodded.

After Wen Basi left, Shen Bi opened the materials and flipped through the information regarding Chen Jiajun.

In the past year, after the name Chen Jiajun became a myth in the Hong Kong financial world, it quickly faded into silence. He never expected that after a year of not seeing him, Chen Jiajun would give him such a huge surprise.

If the stock data were true, Shen Bi would naturally be willing to grant Chen Jiajun the loan.

After all, the assets under the name of this Hong Kong Island Underground Emperor and Macau's Little Gambling King were truly high-quality.

This year, news that the Hong Kong authorities were preparing to build a large-scale port in Butterfly Bay had already spread like wildfire.

Although there were no official documents, it was basically a near certainty.

But what surprised everyone was that after investigating, they discovered that Butterfly Bay had long since been snatched up by someone else.

The entire territory of Butterfly Bay, including the surrounding land, was all under Chen Jiajun's name.

Guojun Building.

Xing Shu and Menggui Tian had long since received notification from the Dragon Head to submit the data, ledgers, and cash flow records of the three subsidiaries—Hongxing Property, Hongxing Entertainment, and Hongxing Logistics—to the key account manager sent by HSBC.

"Manager Lei, I am the Chief Financial Officer of the Hongxing Group. Our Chairman has already given instructions. These are the materials for our several subsidiaries."

These materials filled three large suitcases, and the key account manager felt a headache coming on the moment he saw so much data.

But facing the Hongxing Group's CFO, Xing Shu, he dared not be negligent at all. After carefully checking the bank statement data in the suitcases, he looked politely at Menggui Tian: "I will coordinate the specifics with Mr. Lin Yutian."

"Of course, if you have any questions, Manager Lei, just give Tian Zai a call."

It is comfortable in Hongxing. The White Paper Fans of other societies deal with street thugs, but in Hongxing, those who deal with Xing Shu are large groups. The flattery from the HSBC key account manager made him feel very comfortable.

Back in the day, Xing Shu also wanted to open an account at HSBC, but without a legitimate profession, he was turned away by HSBC.

This left an indelible psychological shadow on Xing Shu's young heart.

At this moment, he was dressed in gold and silver, holding a thick cigar in his hand, and he couldn't feel any better.

Lin Yutian presented his business card: "Manager Lei, this is my business card."

"How about this, if you are free, Manager Lin, could you take me to visit a few of the subsidiaries?" Manager Lei proposed.

"Please follow me." Lin Yutian made a gesture of invitation.

In Hongxing, it has always been that those with ability occupy the positions. Lin Yutian, who had only joined Hongxing for one year, was placed by Chen Jiajun at Xing Shu's side.

Although the work was very busy, in this year, Menggui Tian's growth speed was very fast.

Downstairs.

A fleet of luxurious black Mercedes-Benz cars made Manager Lei feel a sense of awe.

Menggui Tian opened the car door: "Manager Lei, how about this, I will first take you to visit the property company Hongxing has in Central..."

Haojiang Pier.

Another HSBC pre-loan due diligence team, upon getting off the steamship, boarded a luxurious Rolls-Royce motorcade and arrived at the magnificent Aoyu Gambling Hall.

Xing Shu's son, Wili, was wearing a sapphire blue Youngor suit: "Manager Huo, on the streets of Macau, as long as a shop hangs the Hongxing sign, it is our property."

HSBC key account manager Huo Jianming looked up and gazed across; it seemed that the Hongxing sign was hanging all along the entire street: "Mr. Wili, this whole street is your Hongxing's property?"

"Not entirely. Some that hang our Hongxing sign are just receiving our protection. Manager Huo, please follow me, I will first take you to the Lisboa Hotel to check in."

Under Wili's guidance, they first went through the hotel check-in procedures, and then went to visit the gambling hall managed by Hongxing. The magnificent and grand decoration made the HSBC key account managers' jaws drop.

"Your Hongxing Group has an annual turnover of 18 billion Hong Kong dollars?"

In the office, after reviewing the data, Huo Jianming was stunned. What kind of concept is a turnover of 18 billion?

It was equivalent to the turnover of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Those who could sit as directors of the Hong Kong Jockey Club were basically the most prestigious group of people in Hong Kong, such as HSBC's Chief Manager Shen Bi, who was the Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

"Turnover is just turnover, it's not profit. Our Hongxing Group holds a 17.5% stake in the Aoyu Group, and the profit generated by the monthly turnover is only 150 million... it's far worse than a large group like HSBC."

Wili, who was already a father, said shyly.

Tuen Mun Butterfly Bay.

Banshou En's top lieutenants Lu Jinqiang, Lu Yongfu, Lu Jianbo, Luo Yongjiu, and others came forward to receive the pre-loan due diligence team from HSBC.

A year ago, Butterfly Bay was almost entirely wasteland, but today's Butterfly Bay is incredibly prosperous. Several office buildings with magnificent architectural styles were impressive, and the Guojun Academy, situated on a gentle slope, made many Hong Kong tycoons flock to it.

This key account manager was named Zhang Guoquan. He knew that the admission requirements for Guojun Academy were very strict. Apart from the free quotas provided for the New Territories, the remaining spots were fought over by the middle class of Hong Kong.

There was no other reason.

Because the teaching staff of Guojun Academy made the entire Hong Kong look sideways. Although Guojun Academy did not have an undergraduate department, it was said that students from the University of Hong Kong often came to audit the public lectures given by the professors there.

"Manager Zhang, this is the Double-Head Machine arcade cabinet produced by our Guojun Technology, 8,000 Hong Kong dollars per unit. Last year, we had 200,000 arcade cabinets sold as far as Taiwan. Our export volume ranks among the top enterprises in Hong Kong, and the relevant data can be verified by the Hong Kong Customs."

"Manager Zhang, this is Guojun Clothing Factory..."

Lu Jinqiang gave a detailed introduction.

However, that major account manager named Zhang Guoquan kept his eyes fixed on Guojun Academy, which combined European and modern styles on the gentle slope, and he asked, "President Lu, there is something I would like to ask you."

"Please go ahead," Lu Jinqiang said with a smile.

"I have a kid who isn't very bright. He is finishing kindergarten this year, and I've heard that the admission threshold for Guojun Academy is very high. I want to ask if Guojun Academy has any sponsored spots; I am willing to pay any amount," Zhang Guoquan said eagerly.

Lu Jinqiang immediately understood, "How about this, Manager Zhang. Our Guojun Academy doesn't have any such thing as sponsored spots, but if your kid wants to come here to study, I will keep an eye out for a spot for you."

As a native of Tuen Mun, he could easily secure an admission spot.

(End of chapter)