Chapter 502

Other protesting citizens also shouted,

"Compensate for mental distress!"

"Apologize!"

As time passed, more and more passing citizens were arranged by Da Tou to come here.

At the same time, some citizens who had also suffered this kind of discrimination joined in.

The group kept growing, and the momentum became increasingly grand.

It even affected the foot traffic of customers in the Taikoo shopping mall.

……

Upstairs in the Taikoo Building,

Cathay Pacific's CEO, Tang Baolin, was standing in front of his office window, looking at the boiling crowd of protesters downstairs, his face livid.

"Damn it!"

"We've already issued a statement of apology, what else do they want!"

Suddenly, he realized,

"Could it be that Director Guan Zu is behind this?"

Upstairs from him,

Taikoo Group Director, Peng Peng Lizhi, was also in his office, his brows locked into a "chuan" shape, his face full of displeasure.

"Didn't they already apologize? Why is there still a protest?"

If they keep protesting like this, the normal operations of the plaza will be ruined.

Who will bear this loss?

For Cathay, the business of the Taikoo shopping mall is obviously more important!

Peng Peng Lizhi made a call to Tang Baolin: "The matter downstairs, you have one hour to settle it!"

Tang Baolin hurriedly said: "Yes, I'll go down immediately!"

Soon, Tang Baolin and his team hurried downstairs.

Downstairs,

"Everyone, everyone!"

Tang Baolin forced a professional smile onto his face and walked quickly to the protesting crowd.

"Everyone, please calm down first. Our Cathay Pacific has already sincerely apologized for the previous incident, and the company is also actively rectifying, strengthening employee training; it definitely won't happen again in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man stood out from the crowd.

"Apologize? If apologizing were useful, what would we need the police for? Last time I flew, because I said something wrong in English, a flight attendant rolled her eyes at me with a look of disgust; her attitude was as if I were a bumpkin from Lantau Island."

(Lantau Island citizens:??? Not cool, brother, why are you dragging me into this?)

"You must compensate me for mental distress!"

The surrounding crowd echoed one after another:

"Right! Compensation! Must compensate!"

"I was also discriminated against by a flight attendant, I want compensation too!"

"Me too!"

"Compensation! Compensation!"

Tang Baolin almost vomited blood.

Damn it, this group of people is definitely not just random individuals; they must be organized to stir up trouble.

Tang Baolin hurriedly said: "Everyone, I understand everyone's feelings, but compensation isn't something you can just pay; it requires evidence, a basis, and then going through company procedures. We are already working hard to improve our service attitude, please give us a little more time and trust us one more time."

Someone in the crowd shouted: "Time? It's been over ten years? You still have this attitude, how can I trust you? Must compensate today, or we're not leaving!"

The crowd supported him.

"Right! Over ten years! Damn it, it hasn't changed in over ten years, who believes you!"

"Must compensate!"

Tang Baolin was sweating profusely.

In the past, when employees turned Hong Kong people into second-class citizens, they didn't think anything of it. Now that the incident has been stirred up by Director Guan Zu, they only feel it's all a huge pit!

Just as the two sides were deadlocked,

At this time, TVB and ATV interview vehicles arrived one after another like lightning.

Reporters held microphones, and cameramen carried cameras.

"Citizens, I am currently at the Taikoo Building in Taikoo Place, Jin Zhong..."

"A protest is taking place here."

The camera gave a shot of the protesting crowd,

And finally gave one to Tang Baolin.

Subsequently, the ATV reporter also arrived.

Not long after, various media reporters arrived one after another.

Click-click-click~~~

Snap-snap-snap~~~

It became even livelier!

"Hello, may I ask why you came to participate in this protest?"

Reporters first interviewed individual citizens.

"I was discriminated against by Cathay before, I kept complaining, but Cathay ignored me. This time, I want to complain together with everyone!"

"Make Cathay give us bullied passengers an explanation!"

"Compensate us for mental distress!"

"Compensation!"

Then, the reporters turned to Tang Baolin.

Facing the camera, Tang Baolin pretended to be calm, but fine beads of sweat still appeared on his forehead.

The reporters' questions came one after another, sharp and direct:

"Regarding the compensation demands raised by humiliated passengers, will Cathay compensate or ignore them?"

"If you ignore them, doesn't that mean the previous apology was just an apology without admitting fault?"

Tang Baolin: "…………"

Sweating buckets, aren't you, brother!

He could only keep repeating clichés about how the company already attaches importance to it and is working hard.

However, this instead stirred up the anger of all the citizens.

……

As time passed, more and more protesting citizens arrived.

They were all true victims.

And the number of citizens watching the fun had become increasingly large.

Moreover, this is Jin Zhong, where Director Guan Zu's approval rating is very high, and many citizens joined in to support the victims.

With more and more people, it had seriously affected the business of the Taikoo shopping mall.

Upstairs, the Cathay Group and Taikoo Group held an emergency meeting.

"Bang~~ It must be that Director Guan Zu! It was definitely him who stirred this up."

"Even if it is him, so what? We can't do anything to him!"

"How can we not do anything to him? Directly put their Five Star Group senior management on a blacklist so they can't fly!"

"Good!"

"Let's do it. Anyway, at most it's just an administrative penalty, it won't cost much money."

"We must vent this anger!"

Soon,

Many senior executives reached a consensus to give Director Guan Zu and the Five Star Group a taste of their own medicine.

Mainly because these Westerners and "bananas" are used to being high and mighty, considering themselves great British Empire people, looking down on Hong Kong people. Now that they are being pressured by Hong Kong people like Director Guan Zu, they are naturally very unhappy.

Moreover, this blacklist wouldn't be illegal; at most, they would just receive an administrative penalty.

"Alright, now we also need to think about how to deal with those citizens who want compensation."

"Do we really have to compensate?"

"If everyone says they want to come for compensation, wouldn't we lose a fortune?"

"Absolutely cannot compensate..."

……

……

Evening, 19:00,

TVB and ATV started reporting the news that happened today.

"At noon today, the Governor and Mr. Director Guan Zu appeared together at the Peninsula Hotel..."

"According to interviews, Mr. Director Guan and the Governor were discussing Cathay Pacific's discrimination against Hong Kong people..."

"(Switching to Fat Peng's footage) Fat Peng: I despise this kind of discriminatory behavior..."

"Director Guan Zu: The Governor is upright and thinks for the people. Today he chatted with me about Cathay Pacific's monopoly behavior and feels that a monopoly is undesirable..."

Tang Baolin, who had just finished the meeting, returned home.

Preparing to drink a cup of coffee to refresh himself,

He saw this news report.

"Pfft~~~~" A mouthful of coffee sprayed out directly.

He realized something was wrong; Director Guan Zu was actually with the Governor!

"Governor, you're on our side!"

You betrayed Great Britain!

The next news,

Wen Huixin: "This afternoon, at the entrance of the Taikoo Building, thousands of citizens gathered to protest Cathay Pacific's discrimination against Hong Kong people as 'second-class citizens' and demanded compensation..."

Tang Baolin was angered again.

The protesting crowd was only a few hundred people, the rest were just watching the fun!

This ATV is simply too disgusting!

At this moment, he felt for the first time the importance of mastering public opinion.

Wen Huixin: "Facing the citizens' protest, CEO Tang Baolin personally came out, trying to calm the anger, but he only kept apologizing and apologizing, while turning a deaf ear to the compensation... It's very clear that CEO Tang only knows how to apologize, but has not realized Cathay's mistakes. This is also Cathay's old tradition: bad attitude for ten or twenty years, countless apologies, but never correcting..."

Tang Baolin's anger +1+1+1+1...

Too sharp!

!

Hit the sore spot!

Then, the third news item:

Wen Huixin: "This afternoon, our ATV interviewed Mr. Director Guan Zu. Let's listen to his views..."

"(News camera on Director Guan Zu) Director Guan Zu: I believe passengers have suffered mental harm, and it is very reasonable and fair to propose compensation to Cathay... As a monopoly airline in Hong Kong, Cathay cannot disregard the rights of Hong Kong citizens just because it is a monopoly... It cannot treat Hong Kong people as second-class citizens just because it is British-funded... This behavior is simply lawless and reckless! It shows no respect for us Hong Kong people at all!"

"At the same time, I am pushing for the independence of Dragonair..."

"As the saying goes, Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong; this is the philosophy of the North, and even more so, the spirit of our Hong Kong."

"Therefore, we Hong Kong people must have our own airline!"

Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong?

Hong Kong people's own airline?

Tang Baolin looked at Director Guan Zu's dialogue on TV and couldn't help but sneer.

You think becoming the largest shareholder of Dragonair means you can get all the shares?

Naive!

Cathay has 30% of the shares, and Taikoo has 5%!

That's more than one-third!

As long as we don't sell!

What "Hong Kong people's own airline"?

……

……

20:00,

Government House,

The beautiful secretary of Taikoo Group's Swire Taipan, Merlin Swire, personally visited Fat Peng.

Merlin Swire is one of the family members of the Taikoo Group, who took over as group chairman in 1987 until he stepped down in 1997.

Of course, this time Merlin Swire was in Southeast Asia for a meeting, so he was in Hong Kong during this period, and thus sent his secretary over this time.

In the study,

Coffee was steaming.

"Governor, Mr. Merlin asked me to send you his greetings."

"Haha~~ I've long admired Mr. Merlin; I hope we can have a meal when he returns."

"Certainly, certainly."

Both sides exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes,

Fat Peng was getting a bit impatient; I need to sleep!

Next, the beautiful secretary humbly expressed the purpose of her visit, hoping that the Governor would not stand with Director Guan Zu.

After hearing this, Fat Peng felt very annoyed.

Damn, they're all adults, why are they still so ignorant?

What business is it of yours if I stand with Director Guan Zu?

Shouldn't you reflect on whether you've shown enough sincerity? Whether you've done a good job of buttering me up?

I've been in Hong Kong for four or five months, has your Taikoo come to give me money?

Now that something happened, you run over and ask me to stand with you?

Who are you?

Such nerve!

Just as Fat Peng was thinking this, the female secretary took out a check and stuffed it into Fat Peng's hand.

Fat Peng nodded slightly in his heart.

He looked at the check amount.

10 million Hong Kong dollars!

Fat Peng: "…………"

In your eyes, I'm only worth 10 million Hong Kong dollars?

He felt a bit unhappy inside; the one who respected him the most was actually his opponent, Director Guan Zu!

Actually, Fat Peng was a bit wrong about Taikoo Group. Taikoo Group belongs to several families together, so this kind of extra expenditure is relatively cautious. If they give too much, what would the other shareholders think?

10 million Hong Kong dollars is already a lot, equivalent to 1.3 million US dollars, which has great purchasing power internationally.

So the female secretary also felt this money was full of sincerity.

But compared to Director Guan Zu's sincerity... you call this damn thing sincerity?

Fat Peng smiled and pushed the check back.

"Sorry!"

"Although I want to help you, your Cathay Pacific discriminates against Hong Kong people, causing the whole of Hong Kong to curse you. If I help you, how can I complete the mission the Prime Minister gave me?"

"Kane, show them out!"

Waved his hand.

Kane walked into the study and showed the Taikoo Swire Taipan's female secretary, whose face was (???), out.

……

A new day,

All the newspapers in Hong Kong reported Director Guan Zu's speech from last night.

"Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong, Mr. Director Guan says he doesn't want Hong Kong people to be second-class citizens"

"Hong Kong people should have their own airline!"

"The dignity of Hong Kong people..."

It's been elevated!

After reading the newspaper, all the citizens of Hong Kong felt it directly and were moved by it.

That's right!

We Hong Kong people want dignity!

We don't want to be second-class citizens!

We want to have our own airline!

Subsequently, there were other news items,

"At the entrance of Cathay Pacific, thousands of citizens protest and demand compensation!"

"Cathay's arrogance, ignoring the compensation demands of second-class citizens"

"……"

The hatred was drawn fully.

Originally, there were many, many well-educated and wealthy citizens who didn't belong to Director Guan Zu's supporters, but now after seeing this news, they were also a bit shaken.

Second-class citizens?

I'm an elite!

And over at Cathay, seeing today's newspaper, their faces turned green.

They were also anxious!

Yes, we do have this problem, but aren't you guys being too ruthless by blowing this out of proportion?

Tang Baolin, in his office, scolded his secretary:

"It's been so long, haven't you handled those media outlets yet?"

"You useless piece of trash!"

The secretary was sprayed with spit all over his face.

Of course, among the many newspapers, it was inevitable that Fat Peng, the Governor, would be in the headlines,

"Governor is very indignant at Cathay's behavior!"

"Governor focuses on people's livelihood..."

Many citizens saw this news and expressed praise for the Governor, Fat Peng.

Public support is rising!

……

Government House,

Fat Peng looked at today's newspaper and felt comfortable.

He made the headlines!

Now, his public approval should have improved.

At noon,

Taikoo Swire Taipan Merlin Swire flew back from Southeast Asia, came to Government House, visited Fat Peng, and exchanged views.

He also apologized for the previous 1 million US dollars and was willing to increase it to 2 million US dollars.

Fat Peng took his own newspaper headline and handed it to Merlin Swire.

I already made the headlines, and you only just came.

How do you expect me to explain this to the citizens?

2 million US dollars?

Still not as generous as Director Guan Zu!

Is this all the sincerity you have?

Merlin Swire looked at the headline and knew he had come too late; he had made a big mistake—underestimating the enemy!

"This Director Guan Zu seems to be even harder to deal with than imagined."

However,

Merlin wasn't that afraid; as long as Taikoo and Cathay don't sell their Dragonair shares, no matter how much Director Guan Zu jumps around, it's useless!

(End of chapter)