Chapter 247: 241 Alliance with China Resources to open a supermarket, I'll drive you to extinction, Boss Li!

Night,

The Peninsula Hotel,

Chairman Chu of China Resources walked into the Peninsula Hotel with his secretary.

Mr. Chu had an appointment with Guan Zu today.

At noon, the secretary's collection of information about Guan Zu had already been reported to him in detail.

After listening to the report, he learned many things about Guan Zu and felt more and more that Guan Zu was a very good ally for opening a supermarket.

So, he invited Guan Zu to come to the Peninsula Hotel for dinner tonight, to talk about intentions first, then chat slowly, to see if Guan Zu had any ideas in this regard.

"Mr. Chu, long time no see!"

"Mr. Chu, heard that your China Resources supermarket has been very popular lately..."

He took his secretary and walked toward the private room.

On the way, he met wealthy merchants and celebrities in real estate, finance, shipping, trade, and other industries.

Then he met Mr. Shaw.

Mr. Shaw could be considered a regular at the Peninsula Hotel, basically coming every day for afternoon tea, and after this year, he could be considered a legend sung about at the Peninsula Hotel.

After greeting Mr. Shaw, Mr. Chu arrived at the private room.

Guan Zu had already arrived in advance.

"Mr. Chu!"

Guan Zu saw Mr. Chu coming and hurriedly got up to welcome him.

Mr. Chu, born in 1935, was now 56 years old. His qualifications were very strong, starting as a technician, then working in embassies abroad, working as a deputy director, director, deputy bureau chief, assistant minister in important departments, then general manager at China Resources, and promoted to group chairman this year.

Guan Zu still respected him very much, this was an elder who had experienced wind and rain, had a big picture, and had foresight.

The two sat down.

Secretary Fong Ting poured tea at the right time, and a faint tea fragrance filled the air.

"Mr. Chu, knowing you are from Suzhou, I specially ordered a few Suzhou dishes, hoping they will suit your taste," Guan Zu said with a smile.

Mr. Chu heard this, and a happy look appeared on his face: "Mr. Guan is really thoughtful, speaking of Suzhou, I remember when I was young, in spring, the small fish and shrimp caught in the river, stir-fried with the simplest oil and salt, were supreme delicacies; if I was lucky, I could run into a few cheap field snails at the market, boiled with a few slices of ginger, the deliciousness was unforgettable..."

Guan Zu laughed: "My wife's ancestral home is Suzhou, she can cook authentic Suzhou dishes, heard they have a very Suzhou-Hangzhou hometown flavor, if Mr. Chu has time, you can come to my house to taste it."

For such an elder, Guan Zu was still very willing to make friends.

If there was a family banquet, it could quickly shorten the relationship between the two sides.

"Really?" Mr. Chu suddenly became interested, "Good, when I have time, I will definitely visit and taste Mrs. Guan's craftsmanship."

Guan Zu saw Mr. Chu was full of interest, so he struck while the iron was hot: "Then it's settled, when you are free, I will let my wife prepare a few of her signature dishes, such as steamed whitefish, squirrel mandarin fish, clear soup crab powder, and those famous Suzhou pastries..."

Mr. Chu knew it was "one of our own" as soon as he heard it, and laughed: "Good, when the time comes, I will also bring a bottle of good wine, let's not get drunk until we return, and have a good chat."

After chatting like this, the relationship between the two sides shortened a lot.

The atmosphere was much more harmonious and enthusiastic than the last meal.

After three rounds of wine,

Mr. Chu finally brought up the business of today.

Of course, he didn't say it directly, but talked about the business of China Resources Group, talked for more than 20 minutes, before talking about China Resources supermarket.

"Currently, we at China Resources have very strong channel capabilities, and the supply of various categories of goods is very sufficient..."

"And the supermarket is one of our pilot projects..."

Speaking slowly, steady and steady, very much like a leader's speaking style, but Guan Zu had already roughly understood what Mr. Chu wanted to do.

Mr. Chu: "Mr. Guan, I have studied your information and feel that you are very suitable to be our partner for China Resources supermarket!"

"I don't know, can we cooperate to establish a new chain supermarket company and open chain supermarkets in Hong Kong?"

Open a supermarket?

To be honest, Guan Zu hadn't thought about opening a supermarket, with his popularity, customers definitely wouldn't be lacking. But channels, suppliers, these were all problems, and he also knew that Boss Li, that ruthless guy, could drive supermarkets without big backgrounds to extinction with monopoly strength.

So, Guan Zu had never acted.

And what Guan Zu favored most was the "Pang Donglai" model, but the Pang Donglai model might require a higher information system (computers, software, systems) to cooperate, and now in 1990, the difficulty might be very high.

So, Guan Zu hadn't moved on supermarkets.

Didn't expect this Mr. Chu to actually propose to cooperate with himself to open a supermarket?

Then,

Guan Zu's eyes lit up!

Open a supermarket, that's fine!

Making money is one aspect, more importantly, establishing a cooperative relationship with someone like Mr. Chu makes things convenient later.

There is also one point, which is to fight against Boss Li's retail empire (ParknShop, Wellcome, 7-Eleven, Watsons).

I'll drive you to extinction, Boss Li!

Guan Zu then made the decision: "I have no problem, but specific investment, shareholding ratio, and cooperation methods all need to be discussed."

Mr. Chu laughed: "No problem, eat first!"

As long as the intention is set, the next negotiations will take time, no rush.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!" 【2

"Cheers!"

The two clinked glasses, both in excellent spirits.

Mr. Zhu saw the potential for the supermarket's rapid expansion; having just taken office as chairman, he happened to need a brilliant achievement to prove himself.

And as for Guan Zu? Being able to establish a connection with Mr. Zhu was the greatest harvest of this trip.

Supermarket profits and the like were, on the contrary, no longer the main point.

As long as his approval rating covered all of Hong Kong and the momentum was established, making money would become very easy.

No rush,

take it slow, keep a low profile and develop!

……

……

At this moment,

Cheung Kong Group,

Mr. Li's office.

The person in charge of the Li Ka Shing Foundation was reporting to Mr. Li about Guan Zu's specific methods regarding charity and how to gain the support of the neighborhood residents.

As he listened, Mr. Li felt something was not quite right.

"Helping the elderly cross the street? A reward of 20 dollars each time?"

"Organizing street cleaning?"

Mo Xiang Yang learned that Guan Zu was returning to Causeway Bay for a while, so he also returned from Wong Tai Sin to live in Causeway Bay.

"Helping the elderly with chores?"

"Every time a good deed is done, there is a monetary reward?"

Mr. Li: "???"

(_)

Are you f*cking kidding me?

I am good at doing charity; it's nothing more than donating money, giving money to the poor and those in need of emergency aid...

But what the hell is this cleaning, helping the elderly cross the street, and tutoring children with their homework?

Which charity organization has so much manpower!

And, you f*cking give a 20-dollar reward each time?

Mr. Li expressed: I don't understand, I don't understand at all!

Mr. Li asked the person in charge, Jack Li: "Do you think this behavior of Guan Zu's is the key factor in why he is so popular and supported by the citizens?"

Jack Li shook his head repeatedly: "I don't think so!"

He was thinking to himself: If he answered yes, and then Mr. Li made him recruit a lot of lackeys to do these 'small good deeds,' and pay 20 dollars for every single good deed, that would be a terrible waste of money.

In his view, the foundation's money was the Li family's money.

The normal way of doing things should be for the foundation's employees to take a sum of money to do charity, for example, 1 million; then he and his people take 300,000, the employees take 100,000, and the recipients take 600,000.

This is reasonable. If you hire lackeys to do things, 20 dollars per item, then how do you split this money? It's not easy to split! Giving money to lackeys is too wasteful.

And it's trivial and troublesome; it's not as fast as having one's own people do charity and split the money.

This is the disease of large enterprises.

When an enterprise is large and there are many factions, there are many little schemes among various groups.

And they are not as united.

For example, some large companies in later generations hire a bunch of people to sit in offices, with all salary increases and benefit packages fully loaded; as for whether the work done will screw over the company, that's up to fate.

Can the leadership see these things? Nobody knows.

And that penguin giant, every year anti-corruption efforts can catch a large group of people; it is truly endless.

Cheung Kong Holdings is already a company of several decades, and the disease of large enterprises has already appeared.

Mr. Li is old, and many times his energy cannot keep up, so he is taken advantage of by many parasites, with everyone from top to bottom deceiving 'His Majesty.'

Mr. Li did not know Jack Li's little thoughts and asked again: "What do you think is the reason why that Guan Zu is so popular with the neighborhood residents?"

!.

Jack Li had a prepared answer: "On this point, our foundation's senior management has held meetings, and everyone unanimously believes it is the Five Star Education Group's improvement of student grades, as well as the charity foundation's relief subsidies for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled residents."

"First, the Five Star Education Group uses some simple means to improve students' grades, and at the same time uses some small tricks, such as sending report cards and holding parent-teacher meetings, to gain the gratitude of parents."

"In addition, there is the relief money..."

These two items were the easiest for the foundation to intervene in and siphon money from, so the foundation's senior management unanimously decided to report these two points to Mr. Li as priorities.

Mr. Li had no data support, and even less had he conducted on-site inspections, so he could not tell which was more important.

However, out of trust in his subordinates, he subconsciously leaned towards what Jack Li reported—education and relief money.

"Since you believe it is these two aspects... what kind of plan have you made?"

"My goal is to use our foundation's actions to offset Guan Zu's support among residents in these areas, and make these residents turn to support our Cheung Kong Holdings!"

Jack Li was overjoyed,

the big project for siphoning money had arrived!

"Boss, we have already made the plan!"

"First..."

Blah blah blah~~~

Jack Li began to report; the plans were all things like 'increasing charitable efforts,' 'snatching charitable resources,' 'leaving Guan Zu with nowhere to go'... and so on.

……

……

Hong Kong Sunbeam Theatre,

Mr. Cha was wearing a hat, just like an ordinary person, hidden in the crowd, sitting in the theatre, silently waiting for the start of "The Butterfly Lovers," without attracting people's attention.

According to the court summons, he would go to court for a hearing tomorrow; he was the defendant, and Guan Zu was the plaintiff.

Today, he had a sudden whim and wanted to listen to his favorite opera.

And beside him was Mr. Yu, the famous empty-shell company operator and 'empty-handed white wolf' of later generations.

Mr. Yu's age was exactly the same as Mr. Cha's eldest son; this eldest son was extremely talented and very much liked by Mr. Cha, but in the end, the eldest son still committed suicide due to depression.

"Godfather, I had a friend bring three catties of hairy crabs from Shenzhen, and they have already been sent to the Peninsula Hotel. After we finish watching 'The Butterfly Lovers' later, we will go over to eat the hairy crabs you love most," Mr. Yu beside him said very thoughtfully.

"Good."

Mr. Cha was very happy.

This year he was already 67 years old, and he felt his energy was not as good as before.

The year before last, which was 1989, Mr. Cha announced at the Ming Pao annual meeting that he intended to sell "Ming Pao." Once the news came out, more than a dozen consortiums came to the door wanting to take over, such as British newspaper tycoon Maxwell, Hong Kong's richest man Mr. Li, Australian media king and major shareholder of the "South China Morning Post" Murdoch...

However, Mr. Cha was not satisfied with any of them.

He was selling "Ming Pao" not for money; he just wanted to find a successor.

In the past 10 years or so, he had been seeking a smart, capable, enthusiastic, sincere, and hardworking young person to whom he could entrust "Ming Pao."

Then, he met Mr. Yu, who was the same age as his eldest son.

Mr. Yu spent a lot of time accompanying Mr. Cha to watch operas and eat hairy crabs, and from time to time talked about his ideals for running a newspaper, which made the old Mr. Cha very happy.

Even, Mr. Cha praised Mr. Yu in a public setting: "If I weren't lucky, I wouldn't have met such a tailor-made talent who is even more wonderful than I imagined and required."

It can be seen how much Mr. Cha liked this 'prospective' successor, Mr. Yu.

If Guan Zu had not appeared, Mr. Cha would have been acquired by Mr. Yu in 1992 in a 'snake swallowing an elephant' fashion, with 130 million acquiring 400 million in shares, and at the same time, Mr. Cha would have allowed Mr. Yu to acquire the remaining 600 million in shares in batches.

It can be seen that coaxing an old man well has great benefits.

2 hours later,

"The Butterfly Lovers" was finished.

After watching it, Mr. Cha seemed a bit excited; he liked this play very much.

After his emotions calmed down, with Mr. Yu's support, Mr. Cha left the theatre, took a car to the Peninsula Hotel, and ate the hairy crabs he wanted to eat.

Arrived at the Peninsula Hotel.

"Godfather, we've arrived..."

Mr. Yu went around to the other side of the car door, diligently opened the door for Mr. Cha, and then blocked the car roof with his hand to prevent Mr. Cha from bumping his head on the door.

The care was meticulous and thoughtful.

Mr. Cha got out of the car and walked into the Peninsula Hotel with Mr. Yu.

I don't know if it was a coincidence,

they ran head-on into Guan Zu and Mr. Zhu, who had just finished dinner and were walking out.

Guan Zu: "…………"

Mr. Cha: "…………"

Both of them paused their steps.

Guan Zu sized up Mr. Yu beside Mr. Cha, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

Mr. Yu: "…………"

Damn, it feels like this is a mocking look; I shouldn't have seen it wrong, right?

Guan Zu's gaze looked back at Mr. Cha, and he chuckled: "Mr. Cha, you've already become a defendant, why? You still have the mood to come here for a big meal."

Mr. Cha greeted Mr. Zhu: "Mr. Zhu, long time no see."

Mr. Zhu nodded: "Long time no see."

Then Mr. Cha walked past Guan Zu with a blank expression, entered the restaurant, and Mr. Yu followed quickly.

Mr. Zhu looked at Guan Zu curiously: "What? Do you have a grudge?"

Guan Zu chuckled: "Last time 'Ming Pao' splashed dirty water on me, and they still haven't given me an apology. Tomorrow the court is in session; let's see how they quibble then. I'm actually very curious to see how these literati quibble."

Mr. Zhu remembered what was going on and said: "Do you want me to act as a middleman, have a meal together, and let him apologize to you."

When Mr. Cha was 'an official' in the past, the two sides had met, so there was a certain amount of sentiment.

Guan Zu shrugged: "If he's willing, I don't mind, but I feel more like he likes 'iron bones and integrity' and 'literati character'."

Hearing this, Mr. Zhu didn't say anything more.

Mr. Cha had some status when he was 'an official' in the past, but now that he is 'no longer an official,' there is no need to have a rift with Guan Zu because of this matter.

……

……

A new day.

38 Queensway

Court,

A car stopped at the court entrance, and Mr. Cha, whose hairy crabs in his stomach had not yet been digested, got out of the car accompanied by Mr. Yu.

"Click click click~~~~~~"

In an instant, more than thirty reporters swarmed up like sharks smelling blood.

Today was the day Guan Zu sued Mr. Cha; media reporters from all over Hong Kong had arrived at the court entrance early.

(End of chapter)