Chapter 688

After returning from the top of Victoria Peak,

The next day, his secretary Faiman put on a disguise and secretly arrived in Causeway Bay.

Meeting location: The former Five Star Group building.

He was invited into Director Guan Zu's former office, which had now been converted into a reception room, and the staff poured him a cup of coffee.

"Tap, tap, tap~~~"

He waited for a few minutes before the sound of leather shoes came from outside the door.

Faiman looked over.

The door opened,

A man in a suit and leather shoes with a cold expression walked in.

Gao Jin!

Faiman: "Why is it you?"

He had originally arranged to meet Director Guan Zu, but he hadn't expected Director Guan Zu not to come.

Gao Jin: "The boss is busy today, so he arranged for me to meet you."

In reality, Director Guan Zu felt that Faiman wasn't qualified enough, so he sent Gao Jin instead.

"Sit~~~"

The two of them, one drinking tea and the other coffee, chatted about small talk—it was all part of the standard routine.

After chatting for more than 10 minutes, the atmosphere was right.

Faiman became serious: "I came here this time representing the Governor, wanting to establish a cooperative relationship with Mr. Director Guan."

"In Hong Kong, we shouldn't be enemies, but friends."

Gao Jin smiled: "Our boss means the same thing. When you Governor first arrived, our boss actually wanted to be friends with you too, but you were too aggressive, which wasn't suitable for being friends. Now that you Governor have started to calm down, we can finally be friends."

Faiman gave a bitter laugh.

Why calm down?

Wasn't it because they got beaten up?

Faiman regained his composure: "Regarding the 'Restriction Ordinance,' how much are you prepared to pay?"

Gao Jin: "Given that in this matter, whether the Governor signs it or not isn't very important, 1 million US dollars."

1 million US dollars...

Faiman's heart jumped violently.

Just as Gao Jin said, whether the Governor signs it or not isn't very important, so being able to get 1 million US dollars was a bit of a surprise.

This Five Star Group is truly generous.

Money, they really give it!

At this moment, Faiman even felt a sense of regret: Damn it, why didn't we soften our stance earlier?

Soften early, earn money early!

Damn~~ missed out on so many US dollars!

Heartache, want to cry~~~

Faiman regained his seriousness: "How exactly will the transaction be handled?"

Gao Jin sipped his tea slowly: "According to our old rules, a Swiss bank anonymous account. You provide the account, and we will transfer the funds from overseas. It won't pass through Hong Kong; no one will know."

Faiman gave a thumbs up: "Professional!"

Gao Jin: "That goes without saying. After all, there are so many people cooperating with us; we've long had a mature method."

"Happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation!"

The two shook hands, looked at each other, and laughed out loud.

……

……

30 minutes later,

Gao Jin returned to the Five Star Group building.

In the office,

Director Guan Zu was putting fish food into the fish tank, watching the fish eat. Seeing them look so stupid and cute, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating—how comfortable. It made Director Guan Zu, who had turned into a beast of burden, angrier the more he looked...

Damn, not feeding them anymore!

Starve to death!

Director Guan Zu put the fish food away and threw it on the table.

The fish: "............"

No, are you a childish ghost!

Knock, knock, knock~~~~

"Brother Zu!"

Gao Jin knocked and entered.

Director Guan Zu stood up: "Done?"

Gao Jin smiled: "Done. The other side was very straightforward; it seems they really have made up their minds."

Director Guan Zu laughed: "That's good."

Actually, if the Governor signed it, the result would be even more perfect.

Don't look at the ICAC as being biased; it really is a sharp sword.

Anti-corruption has always been the most critical part of city management, and the ICAC has always done a very good job, and the citizens trust it very much.

Director Guan Zu still hopes to preserve its status and power.

Of course,

It is also very necessary to cage it within the law; otherwise, like in the previous life, hacking people randomly would be wrong.

……

……

Faiman, on his side, also returned to the Government House.

His secretary Alica walked out of the Governor's office and glanced at Faiman.

"Faiman, you're late."

Faiman sneered: "You're overstepping your bounds; I am the First Secretary!"

Alica: "Heh~~~"

She twisted her waist and left.

Faiman's eyes darkened slightly. If it weren't for the heart-to-heart talk at the top of Victoria Peak yesterday, he would really be worried that Ashdown wouldn't be able to distinguish between what's important and what's not, daring to trust any woman.

He walked into the office.

Ashdown met his gaze.

Faiman walked over and reported in a low voice.

"1 million US dollars?"

Ashdown was a bit surprised.

"Yes." Faiman nodded.

"Faiman, I have some regrets."

"??"

"Regret why I didn't cooperate with Director Guan Zu sooner."

At this moment,

Ashdown felt a bit of regret for his great ideals from before.

How much are ideals worth!

Ashdown took out the "Restriction Ordinance," didn't say a word, took out a pen, and swish, swish, swish~~~ signed his name.

As for whether Director Guan Zu wouldn't give the money?

That would be a bit insulting to Director Guan Zu, and also a bit insulting to Ashdown's intelligence.

In the afternoon,

Ashdown made a call to Major at Downing Street in the UK.

"Prime Minister, I have finally chosen to sign..."

"First, we still need the reputation of the ICAC; we will need it to do things in the future."

"Second, it is also a temporary softening to relax that Director Guan Zu's vigilance... after all, our true goal is the 'Parasite Plan'..."

Ashdown's reasoning received Major's affirmation.

"Good!"

……

A new week,

The "Government Gazette" officially published the latest revised version of the "Restriction Ordinance."

All Hong Kong media reported on this matter together.

The next day,

Director Guan Zu got up early, went downstairs, and bought a copy of the "Oriental Daily News."

It unsurprisingly used it as the headline:

"Power Finally Caged! 'Restriction Ordinance' Officially Takes Effect; Political Department and ICAC Must Be Subject to Legislative Council Supervision"

Director Guan Zu looked at the content:

"Yesterday, the 'Government Gazette' officially published the passage of the 'Ordinance on Restricting and Constraining the Powers of the Political Department and the Independent Commission Against Corruption' (hereinafter referred to as the 'Restriction of Power Ordinance'), marking the first time the power operations of the two major law enforcement agencies will be included in the Legislative Council's supervision framework."

"According to the ordinance, in the future, high-level investigation operations by the Political Department and the ICAC will need to be approved by a committee to ensure that procedures are legal and transparent."

"Legislative Council President John stated: The new ordinance aims to balance law enforcement efficiency with civil rights and avoid abuse of power."

"Vice President Director Guan Zu emphasized: The core of the spirit of the rule of law is the balance of power; no agency should be above the law."

Director Guan Zu was happy.

This report in the "Oriental Daily News" was quite high-quality.

Being able to be the number one newspaper was certainly no fluke.

Director Guan Zu looked at another newspaper.

"Ming Pao."

Ever since Old Man Cha was fooled into selling "Ming Pao" and lost control, the new boss had led "Ming Pao" to advance by leaps and bounds, leaning toward the "Oriental Daily News" in every way.

Old Man Cha didn't even dare to look at "Ming Pao" now, for fear of being angered to the point of vomiting blood.

Headline: "From Political Department Scandal to Power Reform"

"The exposure of the Political Department's surveillance files last time finally led to the rapid passage of the 'Restriction Ordinance'."

"Many citizens in tea restaurants spoke bluntly: 'It should have been like this long ago! Does wiretapping and assassination count as the rule of law?'"

"Mr. Chen, a white-collar worker in Central, said: The ICAC has handled many big cases, but if there is no one to supervise, who can guarantee it won't become a political tool?"

"There are also legal professionals who worry that the approval process might drag down anti-corruption efficiency, but the President of the Bar Association believes: Procedural justice and law enforcement efficiency need to be balanced, and transparency can actually enhance credibility."

……

……

Some are happy, some are sad.

The Political Department is sad, but not that sad, after all, it's about to be disbanded, and the people have been arranged for the most part.

The ICAC, on the other hand, is even sadder.

"Legislative Council, aren't they afraid of us investigating them!"

"What power committee? This is clearly trying to tie our hands and feet!"

One by one, the senior leadership was furious.

Some kept smoking.

Some threw newspapers.

Some sneered.

Some were unwilling.

Basically, they all believed this move was a serious weakening of the ICAC's independence, and some even privately contacted London to seek support.

On the contrary, many 'local' staff members held a different attitude, believing that power balance was indeed necessary, especially regarding the past abuse of investigative power by foreign senior leadership—such as suppressing investigations into British-funded company cases while investigating Chinese-funded company cases. They had long been dissatisfied, and now that there were constraints, it was actually a good thing.

At this moment,

On the roof of the ICAC building.

The wind was very noisy.

Yu Yu Hongsheng and Lu Lu Zhilian stood in front of the railing, blowing in the wind and looking at Victoria Harbor.

Yu Yu Hongsheng was a bit broken; he had licked the foreign devils a bit too much over the years.

But in the last year or two, the wind direction had turned a bit fast, so he hadn't had time to turn around.

It was very clear that the future would be Chinese people leading the ICAC.

He really wanted to cry out: If I kneel now, is it still too late?

He was actually a bit envious of Lu Lu Zhilian now.

Yu Yu Hongsheng: "Lu Zhilian, in the future, I might need you to look after me."

Lu Lu Zhilian: "I don't understand what you mean."

Yu Yu Hongsheng: "Stop pretending. With Tan Tan Meili there, you must have already contacted Director Guan Zu long ago."

Lu Lu Zhilian shook his head and said seriously: "I've only met him once; I'm not familiar with him at all."

Yu Yu Hongsheng: "Once is enough; at least leave an impression."

Yu Yu Hongsheng was now a bit worried about whether he could continue to stay in the ICAC after '98.

How about... I surrender first?

Surrender and lose half?

……

……

At this time, on the other side,

Central Plaza, top-floor office.

The rare senior leadership of the Five Star Group gathered together once again to hold an important meeting.

Director Guan Zu sat in the head seat.

Gao Jin, Ah Wah, Chen Yongren, Su Jianqiu, Gao Qiu, Tan Tan Meili... and so on, 13 people, all came.

Director Guan Zu's expression was serious:

"Last time, several tycoons exposed the Political Department's surveillance together, and there is one more thing that makes me very unhappy."

"That is Hong Kong Telecom!"

"The Political Department actually conducted illegal phone surveillance on everyone directly at Hong Kong Telecom."

"What does this explain?"

"It explains that Hong Kong Telecom can eavesdrop on any of our phone calls at will."

"For us, this is completely unacceptable."

"In the previous stage, in order to concentrate public opinion to deal with the Political Department and the ICAC, I didn't involve Hong Kong Telecom."

"Now that the Political Department and the ICAC have been handled, I want to deal with this Hong Kong Telecom."

Everyone nodded.

Last time, they had all seen the files and realized this important problem.

This time, the timing was ripe, so naturally, they couldn't let it go!

Setting aside company interests, they themselves also hated Hong Kong Telecom's ability and behavior of being able to eavesdrop on other people's phone calls.

"This time, we are going to acquire Hong Kong Telecom."

"As long as we have our shares and our people inside the telecom company, they won't be able to monitor us."

"Solve it at the source."

Gao Jin: "I agree!"

Ah Wah also nodded: "I agree too!"

Others also agreed one after another.

Director Guan Zu said to Liang Liang Xiaorou: "Distribute the materials to everyone..."

Soon,

A copy of "Hong Kong Telecom Data" was placed on everyone's desk.

"1925, Hong Kong Telephone Company; 1981, acquired by British Cable and Wireless."

"1987, Hong Kong Telephone and Hong Kong Cable and Wireless merged to form Hong Kong Telecom, then listed on the Hong Kong, New York, and Pacific Stock Exchanges."

"It has four main business areas: fixed-line (fixed telephone), international telecommunications (international telephone), mobile communications (mobile), and internet services."

"Moreover, it is entirely a monopoly business, with no other companies involved."

"1990, CITIC Group (Boss Rong) acquired 20% equity of Hong Kong Telecom for 10 billion HKD, becoming the first Chinese-funded strategic investor. However, this transaction was conditional; the terms of this transaction had to be personally approved by the Hong Kong Financial Secretary and included a restriction of 'not participating in daily management,' resulting in CITIC Group having no say in board decisions."

"This structure of 'British-funded holding + Chinese-funded participation without decision-making' makes it difficult for external capital to shake Cable and Wireless's control through conventional market means."

"Currently, Hong Kong Telecom's equity structure is: Cable and Wireless 45%, public shares 35%, CITIC Hong Kong 20%."

"According to current market data, its market value is approximately 120 billion."

(ps: citing content from "21st Century Business Herald" in 2003)

It took more than an hour,

Everyone had a rough understanding of Hong Kong Telecom's data.

It felt like a hard nut to crack.

First: Large market value, high difficulty in acquisition.

Second: Controlling interest is hard to handle. CITIC Group acquired 20% of the shares and didn't get any power at all; it was truly a bit of a joke to the world.

Director Guan Zu said: "The issue of controlling interest is mainly because in 1990, it was a sensitive transition period before the handover, and the Hong Kong British government was highly sensitive to the control of key infrastructure. As an information hub connecting the world, Hong Kong Telecom's submarine cable network and international communication nodes have strategic value."

"British-funded consortia and the Hong Kong British government formed a community of interests, so they deliberately set a cap on foreign shareholding, restricting non-British capital from entering core businesses."

"However..."

Director Guan Zu smiled,

"Times have changed..."

"Now the Hong Kong British government definitely won't be as tough as it was back in 1990..."

Director Guan Zu smiled.

Everyone laughed.

The Five Star Group has now become a behemoth, kneading the Hong Kong British government into whatever shape it wants, and now it has successfully subdued the Governor.

Therefore,

This Hong Kong Telecom, the Five Star Group can grab hold of it...

……

The meeting lasted for 3 hours, and in the end, everyone supported acquiring Hong Kong Telecom.

……

……

Evening, 7:00 PM,

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and the October autumn wind blew slowly.

At the entrance of the Xinhua News Agency, a black Chevrolet arrived.

Director Guan Zu got out of the car, took Wu Lianqian and Ding Hu, and walked in.

"Mr. Director Guan~~~"

"Sorry, Director, for disturbing you so late."

"Haha, not late, not late. For this kind of thing, no matter how late, it's not late."

After receiving Director Guan Zu's call today, the Director was very happy, so he came directly to the entrance to wait for Director Guan Zu to visit, to show his respect.