Chapter 703: The Lin Family Has Gone Bankrupt!
Hong Kong Island. The Lai Family Jewelry Store!
When Li Yi arrived at the Lai Family Gold Shop with his entire family in tow, it immediately caused a sensation, drawing a large crowd of onlookers.
Although Li Yi had only been in Hong Kong for a little over half a year, his fame here was no small matter; he frequently made the front page of mainstream newspapers.
On top of that, he was the undisputed star of many gossip tabloids. Regardless of whether the reports were true or false, fueled by the media’s sensationalism, Li Yi had become an absolute celebrity in Hong Kong, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Chinese tycoons like Li Futao, Sir Pao, and Li Ka-shing.
And today, with so many male and female bodyguards surrounding him, it was hard not to attract the attention of ordinary people.
When ordinary people recognized Li Yi, they flocked to get a closer look at this newly minted tycoon. After all, for people like them, it was a rare opportunity to get this close to—or even interact with—such a super-rich individual.
Unlike other tycoons who keep people at arm’s length, Li Yi, seeing that the citizens were behaving quite restrainedly, immediately picked up his little princess Yunjin and took the initiative to greet the crowd.
Meanwhile, upon receiving a call from the store manager informing him that Li Yi and his family had arrived at his jewelry shop—apparently to purchase jewelry—Li Jiuying immediately drove over.
When he arrived at the store, he saw Li Yi holding his child in one arm while accompanying a beautiful woman as she browsed the jewelry, with several bodyguards scattered around them.
He took a deep breath and strode toward Li Yi.
But before he could get close, he was stopped by Zhang Ziqiang and his men.
Although Zhang Ziqiang knew Li Jiuying, he couldn’t allow an outsider to approach Li Yi without authorization—that was the most basic requirement of a security officer.
“I’m Li Jiuying, the owner of Li’s Gold Shop. I have something I’d like to discuss with Mr. Li…”
Just as Li Jiuying was explaining this to Zhang Ziqiang, Li Yi noticed the commotion. He turned around, saw that it was Li Jiuying, and immediately instructed Zhang Ziqiang to let him through.
Once he was in front of Li Yi, Li Jiuying immediately said respectfully, “Mr. Li, if you were coming over, why didn’t you give me a call beforehand so I could make the necessary arrangements?”
Li Jiuying had previously harbored some resentment toward the young Li Yi, feeling that his defeat had been somewhat undeserved.
But after seeing how Li Yi had taken down the British Capital Group—especially since he’d personally participated in Li Yi’s gold long position and witnessed firsthand how Li Yi effortlessly fleeced the British Capital Group out of tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars—he was thoroughly convinced.
He knew that he and Li Yi were simply not in the same league; his defeat was well-deserved!
“Haha, no need to go to all that trouble. I’m just here today with my family to buy some jewelry. As for Hong Kong Island, I only know of your Li Family Jewelry and the Lin Family Jewelry. Compared to them, I have more confidence in your Li Family, so I came here!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Thank you for your recognition, Mr. Li!”
Li Jiuying then turned to Jiang Xue and said, “Mrs. Li, if you see any jewelry you like, just have the staff wrap it up, and I’ll have them charge you cost price.”
He knew Li Yi wasn’t short on money, so he didn’t offer to waive the charges, but he also didn’t dare to profit from Li Yi, so he could only say that.
Jiang Xue didn’t understand Cantonese, but after hearing Zhang Feng’s translation, her pretty face instantly flushed red.
Being called “Mrs. Li” for the first time was a completely new experience for her; she stood there dumbfounded for several seconds before she could react.
“Thank you!”
Li Jiuying nodded, then turned to Li Yi and said, “Mr. Li, I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?”
Li Yi noticed that Jiang Xue seemed a bit uncomfortable talking to a stranger like Li Jiuying, so he immediately asked her and his mother-in-law to browse the jewelry while he carried Yun Jin and went with Li Jiuying to the office in the back.
After they had seated themselves, with Li Yi as the host and Li Jiuying as the guest, Li Yi asked right away, “How has business been lately? Have you resolved the supply issues?”
“It’s been resolved!”
Li Jiuying continued, her face full of gratitude, “Thank you for your warning, Mr. Li. We sold off all our gold before the price plummeted. After the crash, we bought back in bulk at rock-bottom prices. Now our inventory is fully stocked, and customer traffic has returned to normal. The Li family is finally back on its feet!”
“What about the Lin family? Are they still opposing you?” Li Yi asked again.
Li Jiuying paused for a moment, then said, “There’s no Lin family left on Hong Kong Island!”
“Oh? What happened to the Lin family?”
“They went bankrupt!”
“When did that happen? How come I haven’t heard anything about it?” Li Yi asked in surprise.
He had originally been planning to find time to teach this upstart a lesson, but he hadn’t expected the Lin family to fall so quickly.
Li Jiuying sighed and said, “It’s been about two weeks now. From what I understand, Lin Zhengrong had stockpiled a massive amount of gold to take us on. And the money he used to buy that gold—apart from some bank loans—was largely high-interest loans he’d taken out from the triads!”
“When gold prices plummeted recently, the value of the Lin family’s gold reserves dropped drastically. Seeing this, the triad immediately demanded repayment. Once the Lin family couldn’t pay, all their properties on Hong Kong Island were seized by the triad to settle the debt. Without their gold shop business, the Lin family had no choice but to declare bankruptcy!”
“What about Lin Zhengrong?” Li Yi asked calmly.
“Lin Zhengrong committed suicide. He jumped from the 30th floor—it was a truly gruesome death!”
“What about the bigwigs backing him? Haven’t they stepped in to defend him?” Li Yi asked sarcastically.
“Those people are like clay Buddhas crossing a river—they can’t even save themselves. Who has the time or energy to worry about the Lin family’s mess?”
Then, Li Jiuying changed the subject and said, “Mr. Li, quite a few old friends of mine suddenly reached out to me last night, wanting to get to know you through me. What do you think about that…”
Li Yi replied indifferently, “Those friends of yours must be core members of the Yingzi Group, right?”
“Yes, their standing there is indeed quite solid,” Li Jiuying replied.
“Hah, why do they want to meet me? They’re just trying to back down and admit defeat!” Li Yi said indifferently.
Hearing this, Li Jiuying was suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding. Her expression turned anxious as she stammered, “Mr. Li… what… what exactly has happened? I…”
“I know this has nothing to do with you. Tell those people I’m very dissatisfied with their underhanded tactics. If they want me to let this slide, it depends on their sincerity!” Li Yi said.
“Mr. Li, what exactly do you mean by ‘sincerity’? I’d like to discuss this with them,” Li Jiuying said.
“This morning, Old Li gave me the list of the first batch of members for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. I saw your name on it. I’m sure you know there’s one condition for joining the Chamber: all members must invest in mainland China!”
Li Yi continued, “That’s the kind of attitude and sincerity you’ve shown. If those people want to be forgiven, they’d better follow your example!”
“I understand. I’ll pass your message on to them!”
Although Li Jiuying didn’t know exactly what the British-funded group had done to provoke such outrage and anger, drawing the wrath of the man standing before him,
But from their trembling, timid tone, he could clearly hear their anxiety and fear—this matter was clearly no ordinary affair.
Moreover, it was clear that those people had lost yet again, suffering a major defeat at the hands of the man standing before him, and were now forced to grovel and back down through him.
“It’s not a report—it’s a notification!” Li Yi declared authoritatively.
“Yes…”
Just then, Zhang Ziqiang pushed open the door and walked in, informing Li Yi that Jiang Xue and the others had already selected their jewelry.
Li Yi immediately ended his conversation with Li Jiuying and returned to the sales floor.
After settling the bill, he left Li’s Gold Shop with Jiang Xue and the others!
After Li Yi left, Li Jiuying immediately returned to her office and quickly dialed a number.
Soon, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the industry.
Shortly after, the Foreign Economic Commission was suddenly inundated with calls—all from Hong Kong seeking investment partnerships—leaving them completely bewildered…
However, just as the British-owned conglomerates were living in constant fear, an exciting piece of news spread through Hong Kong’s circle of wealthy Chinese tycoons—the Hong Kong branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce was about to be established!