Chapter 107: Investment Terms!

Cloud Peak No. 1: The meeting continued!

Once everyone had signed, Li Yi spoke again: “After the meeting, you can have someone take the newly signed investment contracts to the finance department at Star Investment for settlement. That settles it.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than voices from across the conference room chimed in with expressions of gratitude.

This was truly an unexpected delight for everyone.

Once everyone had finished speaking, Li Yi spoke again: “Ladies and gentlemen, now that this matter has been resolved, the second thing I’d like to discuss with you concerns the future development plans for our Chinese Chamber of Commerce.”

At these words, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Li Yi.

“Although we ultimately triumphed over the overseas consortium’s joint assault—leaving them worse off than before—we must not forget that this victory was far from easy. There is still much we need to review and reflect upon!”

Li Yi continued, “For instance, when Sangchai and his group launched their surprise attack, hundreds of billions of Hong Kong dollars flooded into our stock market, catching us completely off guard. And when they launched their assault, many local companies on Hong Kong Island actively aided them—at one point, they forced us into a series of retreats. These ‘collaborators’ certainly played a significant role in that!”

“Therefore, while these events serve as a wake-up call, they also set new requirements for the future development of our Chinese Chamber of Commerce!”

“What kind of demands?” someone asked instinctively.

“First, we must maintain unity within our chamber and strengthen our cohesion. Only then can we unleash greater fighting power and stand firm against the challenges posed by all manner of demons and monsters. Ideally, we should establish a system or mechanism to ensure this.”

Li Yi continued, “Second, we must strengthen our own capabilities and reduce corporate risks. Remember, we must be strong ourselves to stand firm.”

“Furthermore, we must severely punish and hold accountable those traitors and collaborators who betray us. I’ve already had a list compiled of the local companies that cooperated with Sangchai and his group. Moving forward, our Star Company will unilaterally blacklist these companies. I hope everyone will follow suit—we must teach these spineless cowards a lesson…”

After Li Yi finished speaking, Li Futao immediately declared, “Brother Li Yi speaks the truth. The Li family fully agrees with this. As for any company that collaborated with Sangchai and his group this time—regardless of size—the Li family will never do business with them again.”

He Dongying chimed in, “The He family agrees as well. It’s time to set some rules for Hong Kong’s business community. How we fight among ourselves is our own business, but acting like ‘traitors’ when external enemies attack is unacceptable!”

“Exactly. Whether it’s an individual or a company, those who make mistakes must take responsibility. The Bao family will follow through on this!” Bao Chuanwang added.

“The Luo family also agrees with Mr. Li’s words and will cooperate fully…”

Seeing that the Li, He, Bao, and Luo families all agreed with Li Yi’s words, the others naturally had no objections and chimed in one after another.

Seeing this, Li Yi nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he made a decisive decision: “Since everyone thinks this is feasible, we will immediately, in the name of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, impose a total boycott on those companies and families that have colluded with Sang Chai and his group to target us!”

“Good, I support that!”

“I’m in favor of it!”

“I have no objections…”

……..

Once this was settled, Li Yi spoke again: “Finally, I’d like to discuss one more matter with everyone: our future investment plans!”

The moment he spoke, the conference room—which had been somewhat noisy—fell instantly silent. Everyone’s gaze turned back to Li Yi, their eyes brimming with fervor.

It was no wonder they reacted so dramatically. After all, every one of Li Yi’s investment moves had made people rich beyond their wildest dreams. It was no exaggeration to say that anyone who joined Li Yi’s investment plan could make money without lifting a finger.

On top of that, having just cleaned out Sang Chai and his crew, everyone had plenty of spare cash on hand, so naturally they were extremely interested in the investment plans Li Yi was about to reveal.

“Brother Li Yi, you already have a new investment plan so soon?” Li Fu asked excitedly.

“Yeah, and this time the investment scale is huge, with very attractive returns. The only downside is that the investment cycle is a bit long!” Li Yi said.

“Brother Li Yi, a longer cycle isn’t a problem, but I’m curious—what kind of return can we expect?” Li Futiao asked.

“Conservatively speaking, the annual compound return on investment should be around 50%!” Li Yi said.

As soon as he said this, everyone in the conference room immediately became excited.

Although a 50% annual compound return couldn’t compare to Li Yi’s previous deals, it was still mind-blowing in the investment world.

After all, current bank deposit rates hover around 5%, and the guaranteed returns from various investment firms are only about 10%—and that’s after paying a portion of the fees to the company.

“Brother Li Yi, what exactly is this project? Can you tell us about it?” He Dongying asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

“Investing in infrastructure on the mainland—things like highways, luxury hotels, and shopping malls!” Li Yi shared his vision.

At those words, everyone was stunned.

They had assumed Li Yi’s investment plan involved the stock market, but they never expected it to be an investment in the mainland—and specifically in infrastructure.

After all, infrastructure investment is notorious for its massive capital requirements, long time horizons, and high risks.

In an instant, the lively atmosphere in the conference room turned awkward.

After a long pause, Li Futiao spoke up: “Brother Li Yi, can the annual return on infrastructure investments in mainland China really reach 50%?”

“It can. And 50% is just a conservative estimate—the actual return could be far higher than I’ve projected!”

Li Yi wasn’t just spouting nonsense to attract investment. After all, in his previous life, the Hong Kong businessmen who were among the first to invest across the strait had, for the most part, made a profit.

And when it came to who made the most money, it was undoubtedly those who invested in infrastructure. Notable examples included the Guo family, who invested in hotels and shopping malls; the Li Ka-shing family, who invested in real estate; and the Ma family, who invested in highways, among others.

Of course, looking solely at the initial cash returns, the rate of return on investment wasn’t particularly high.

But as the mainland’s economy shifted into high gear, the appreciation of fixed assets far exceeded expectations.

Take the Kwok family, for example, who in the past invested in projects such as Beijing’s New Dong’an Plaza, Shanghai’s International Finance Center, and Guangzhou’s Tianhuan Center. When they entered the mainland market in the 1990s, their total investment amounted to only a few billion Hong Kong dollars.

Yet in just over two decades, the Guo family’s real estate holdings had ballooned to over 100 billion, with rental income from the mainland alone reaching 5 billion yuan—a return on investment far exceeding 50%.

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Futao immediately replied, “Brother Li Yi, I understand your point. The Li family is willing to invest 10 billion Hong Kong dollars in mainland infrastructure, but I have one condition!”

“What condition?” Li Yi asked immediately.

“I hope Brother Li Yi will set up a separate company to handle this. As long as you agree to this condition, our Li family is not only willing to invest 10 billion Hong Kong dollars, but we also promise not to interfere with the company’s operational decisions!” Li Futao declared, making a startling statement.

He Dongying chimed in, “Brother Li Yi, as long as you personally take charge of this, our He family is also willing to contribute 10 billion Hong Kong dollars!”

“The Bao family is the same. As long as Brother Li Yi agrees to this, the Bao family will contribute 8 billion Hong Kong dollars!”

“As for the Luo family…”

Hearing the statements from these major families, everyone’s gaze in the conference room once again turned to Li Yi…

……..