Jian Guo Hotel, Temporary Reception Room!
Li Yi looked at Li Yunbao, who was wrapped up tightly and looked like a giant stuffed doll, and asked with a smile, “Are you getting used to staying here?”
Li Yunbao shook his head and said, “Not really!”
“Oh, what’s bothering you?”
“First of all, the climate here is too dry and cold—it’s not as comfortable as Hong Kong!” Li Yunbao said honestly.
As a young master like him, he had never been to a place with such harsh living conditions since birth. During the few days he’d spent in Beijing, every day had felt like an eternity.
The howling northwesterly winds cut like knives, and the freezing temperatures forced him to bundle up like a big, clumsy bear every day; unless absolutely necessary, he would never step outside.
“The northern winter is indeed dry and cold, but it’ll be March soon, and the temperature will warm up quickly!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Mm-hmm!”
Li Yunbao continued, “As for work, the laws and regulations here—and the vast majority of legal principles—are completely different from those in Hong Kong. As a legal advisor here, I feel like a blind man; I can’t do a thing!”
“Heh, I saw that coming. But I didn’t bring you here to handle legal disputes—I brought you here to set up the legal department!”
Li Yi continued, “Although you don’t understand the local laws and regulations, you know how to set up a legal department and keep it running smoothly—that’s a skill the local legal professionals lack!”
Li Yi knew full well that after graduating, almost all law students here entered the public prosecution, police, and judicial systems, with very few “ending up” in the private sector as lawyers.
After all, the prevailing mindset here still favors the idea that those with academic excellence should enter public service; only those who are truly unqualified to join government departments end up representing private clients in court.
As for joining private companies and working in their legal departments, that was even less likely—mainly because there simply weren’t many private companies on the mainland at the moment.
That was precisely why Li Yi needed to transfer Li Yunbao over from Hong Kong!
“I understand. I’ll set up the legal department as soon as possible!” Li Yunbao said.
“Good. By the way, you mentioned earlier that you had something to report to me. What exactly is it?”
Li Yunbao replied immediately, “A couple of days ago, I received a message from my old man saying those Westerners are stirring up trouble again!”
“Oh? What are they up to?” Li Yi asked casually.
“That Dorrison has somehow raised a massive amount of capital. He’s been restructuring the British-owned conglomerate from within, bailing out some companies facing financial crises and stabilizing their internal power bases. At the same time, they’ve been infiltrating the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, causing some already wavering members to start siding with them!”
Li Yunbao continued, “On top of that, they’ve joined forces with the seven most powerful financial institutions on Hong Kong Island to launch a coordinated attack on Longheng Bank, which is controlled by our Li family. They’re trying to use this tactic to force our family—and the entire Chinese Chamber of Commerce—to submit!”
“Hah, a toad yawning—that’s quite a bold claim!” Li Yi said with a look of contempt.
“My old man is organizing a counterattack as well. Although we’re slightly at a disadvantage right now, we can still hold our ground!”
Li Yunbao continued, “Furthermore, my old man is mobilizing all his connections to reach out to those wavering factions. We absolutely cannot let them side with those foreign devils…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi immediately cut in: “Don’t even think about it. Tell your old man to leave those people alone!”
“???”
Glancing at Li Yunbao’s astonished expression, Li Yi said calmly, “If a dog goes to eat shit, you must never stop it. Otherwise, they’ll think you’re trying to steal it from them, and they might even bite you!”
Li Yunbao: @#￥%……&
“But those people are actually wavering inside. Maybe if we try to win them over, we can bring them to our side. That would both strengthen our own power and weaken the British-backed group—what’s there to lose?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “You silly boy, remember this: in this world, only gods can change themselves. Anyone who tries to change others is a lunatic. Do you want to be a god or a lunatic?”
“Uh…”
“Don’t worry about those people. Whether they join the British-owned group or our Chinese Chamber of Commerce is entirely up to them. We absolutely won’t force them—and we certainly won’t try to lure them in!”
Li Yi continued, “On top of that, we must maintain strict standards. Every family and company applying to join our Chinese Chamber of Commerce must undergo rigorous vetting. We’d rather have none than settle for the wrong ones!”
“Um… isn’t that a bit problematic?”
Li Yi replied calmly, “There’s nothing wrong with it. We’d rather have a single bite of a divine peach than a whole pile of rotten apricots!”
“If any of you from the Li family or the core members of the Chinese Merchants’ Association can’t hold out, let me know ahead of time, and I’ll make sure you’re safe!”
“With Brother Yi’s word, I’m completely at ease!”
Li Yunbao continued, “Also, my old man said the first batch of companies and families ready to invest here on the mainland is all set. There are 11 in total, including our Li family, the Guo family, the Bao family, as well as Cheung Kong Holdings and Chinese Estates. Each has set aside at least 200 million US dollars.”
Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly, and he asked right away, “Oh, when are they coming over?”
“They’re waiting for our telegram. As soon as our negotiations here wrap up smoothly, my old man and the others will each send their delegations over!”
“So it won’t be long now?”
“Right. I sent the results of the negotiations here back to Hong Kong yesterday. They’re expected to take action very soon!” Li Yunbao said.
“Great!”
“By the way, we’ve already settled the matter regarding Chung Ying Street. After spending over 40 million Hong Kong dollars, we’ve purchased more than 120,000 square feet of retail space, and renovations are currently underway!” Li Yunbao said.
Li Yi did a quick mental calculation: 120,000 square feet was roughly 12,000 square meters—that was indeed quite a substantial amount.
Besides, all he needed was a gateway connecting Hong Kong Island and Pengcheng—this was more than enough!
“As long as we’ve bought it, that’s all that matters!”
“By the way, my old man asked me to find an opportunity to ask you which industry would be best for our Li family to invest in over here!”
Li Yunbao continued, “As you know, Brother Yi, our family has primarily been involved in finance and real estate. But right now, both of those sectors here are subject to strict controls and aren’t open to foreign investment. We really have no idea what would be a good investment!”
Li Yi nodded. He knew the Li family was investing in the mainland mainly to save face for him.
Since they were giving him face, he couldn’t let them down.
With that in mind, Li Yi immediately said, “Currently, the vast majority of industries here are relatively underdeveloped. With labor-intensive enterprises from Europe and the U.S. set to relocate here, as long as you avoid investing in niche industries, you can basically make a profit.”
“Given your family’s background, you’d be best off in real estate—but not residential housing. Instead, build skyscrapers and iconic landmarks!”
Li Yi knew full well that many of the first wave of Hong Kong-funded enterprises to develop on the mainland had made a fortune by building skyscrapers.
Take, for example, the Kwok family from Hong Kong Island and Li Ka-shing of Cheung Kong Holdings: Li would acquire land and hold onto it, letting the value appreciate over time.
The Kwok family, on the other hand, went all-in on building skyscrapers, investing successively in projects like the New Dong’an Plaza in Beijing, the IFC in Shanghai, and the Tianhuan Center in Guangzhou.
Later, as the mainland continued to develop rapidly, rental income in these areas kept rising, and simply acting as landlords was enough to make a fortune.
Under normal circumstances, the Kwok family’s rental income from the mainland alone exceeds 5 billion, and the returns are quite stable.
Li Yunbao immediately replied, “Alright, I’ll run it by my old man!”
“Alright…”
Just as they were speaking, a series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded at the door…
……….
PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!