Chapter 504: Dividing the Profits!
After leaving the Far East Stock Exchange, everyone felt a bit incredulous.
They could hardly believe that Li Yi had actually refused this Far East Association bigwig so bluntly, and yet the man hadn’t even gotten angry.
This was the godfather of the stock market, a core member of Hong Kong’s most powerful family.
Given his status in Hong Kong, even the Governor would have to show him some deference. It was truly baffling what gave Li Yi the confidence to refuse him outright!
Once they got into the car, it was just Huang Lixing and Li Yi, plus Ah Biao behind the wheel!
Huang Lixing didn’t let Ah Biao drive; instead, he looked at Li Yi and said, “Bro, you shouldn’t have turned down Chairman Li just now!”
“You mean the people behind him?”
“Yeah, Chairman Li made it very clear just now—he was inviting you on behalf of Hong Kong Island’s elite families. By turning them down like that, you’re just not giving them any face!”
Then Huang Lixing pointed to a convoy of cars in the rear right corner of the parking lot and said, “See that convoy over there? That’s the Ho family’s fleet—they’re the second-most powerful family after the Lis.”
“And that convoy over there? That’s the Lo Man-kam family’s fleet. The Lo family ranks fourth on Hong Kong Island, but their true strength is in no way inferior to the Li or Ho families. Plus, people from Cheung Kong Holdings, Jardine Matheson, Chinese Estates, and the Governor’s Residence are all here. Acting like this will easily piss them off!”
However, Li Yi’s reaction took Huang Lixing completely by surprise. He simply said indifferently, “So what?”
“Um…”
Just as Huang Lixing was at a loss for words, Li Yi spoke again: “Actually, I understand what you just said, but I simply don’t want to see any of them right now!”
“Brother Li Yi, you… you did that on purpose?”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Yes, I did it on purpose. Because now isn’t the best time to meet them, and the way we’re meeting isn’t right either!”
“???”
Seeing Huang Lixing’s bewildered expression, Li Yi immediately explained, “Think about what kind of day today is. We just wiped out the Hong Kong stock market and raked in billions—we’re riding high right now.”
“Now look at those Hong Kong tycoons—most of them have suffered massive losses in this stock market crash. If we go over there now, it won’t just come across as us flaunting our success; it’ll also stir up jealousy, envy, and resentment from certain people!”
Huang Lixing was completely taken aback; he really hadn’t thought that deeply about it.
Having spent most of his life in Hong Kong, he believed in avoiding conflict with these wealthy families at all costs. With so many people inviting them over, his first instinct was to worry that declining the invitation might upset them—he hadn’t considered whether going would actually make them happy.
“So you’re saying that no matter whether we go or not, someone’s going to be unhappy?”
“Exactly. So we’ll just decide based on how we feel. Why should we have to go just because they asked us to?”
Then Li Yi said boldly, “If they want to see me, they can come over themselves tomorrow!”
“But… what if no one shows up tomorrow?”
“Haha, that won’t happen. Even without Li Futiao stepping in, most of them would come anyway—not to mention the Li family’s reputation is on the line!” Li Yi said.
“Why is that?” Huang Lixing asked, puzzled.
“Because they want to see if I, Li Yi, am a true rising star or just some young upstart who got lucky. More than anything, they want to know what I’ll do now that I’ve made such a huge fortune!” Li Yi said.
“Hmm, then we’d better figure out how to entertain those people. We can’t let anyone say we’re too stingy!” Huang Lixing said.
“Let’s head back to Cloud Peak No. 1 first. We’ll figure it out when we get there. By the way, I have something else I need to discuss with you!”
“Alright!”
……..
They returned to Cloud Peak No. 1 just before five o’clock!
Li Yi asked Lan Xinyi and the others to rest downstairs for a while and head to the Emperor Hotel at seven o’clock when it got a little darker, while he and Huang Lixing went up to the study.
After sitting down across from each other at a small round table, Li Yi spoke first: “Old Huang, this investment is officially wrapped up. As you just heard, we made a total profit of 4.02637 billion yuan on an initial investment of 43 million.”
“Even brothers should keep their accounts clear. Now, let’s calculate how to split this money according to the distribution plan we agreed on earlier!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Huang Lixing immediately replied, “Brother Li Yi, whatever you decide to give your old brother, I’ll accept it without a word of complaint…”
“Old Huang, you know my temperament. I’m not one to take advantage of others, especially not my own brother. Let’s stick to what we agreed upon from the start!” Li Yi said.
“Alright!”
With that, Li Yi took out a pen and paper and began calculating. After a short while, he was done.
“After deducting the principal, there’s 3.98337 billion left. Of that, I invested 6 million Hong Kong dollars myself, so I can take 555.81 million for myself. The remaining 3.42755 billion, we’ll split evenly as we agreed—each of us gets 1.71377 billion!”
No sooner had Li Yi finished speaking than Huang Lixing said, sounding somewhat excited, “So, that means I’ll get a total of 1.75 billion, including both principal and interest?”
“That’s right!”
“That’s too much, really too much. How about…”
Knowing exactly what this guy was about to say, Li Yi immediately cut him off, saying, “Hold on, I know exactly what I’m entitled to!”
“Alright then, I’ve really taken a huge advantage of you this time, old buddy!” Huang Lixing said.
“Not at all. Without your 37 million in principal and your unconditional trust, I wouldn’t have been able to make this much money either. This is a win-win situation!” Li Yigang said.
“Right, right, exactly—a win-win situation! Hahaha!”
After settling the profit-sharing, Li Yi spoke again: “Old Huang, Miss Lan’s team and Tie Ying put in a lot of effort on this investment. We have to show our appreciation. How about you and I each chip in 1 million to reward them?”
“That’s only fair. But isn’t a million a bit too little for each person?”
“It’s plenty!”
Two million divided among twenty-some people—that’s an average of 100,000 per person!
In Hong Kong today, the average monthly salary is around 2,000 Hong Kong dollars, and even for high earners, it’s only 4,000 to 5,000. 100,000 Hong Kong dollars is enough for many people to live on—without spending a penny on food or other expenses—for four or five years.
Moreover, in Hong Kong’s most bustling districts, property prices are only around 500 to 600 Hong Kong dollars per square foot. With 100,000 Hong Kong dollars, one could easily purchase a small 200-square-foot apartment in the city center.
“Alright, let’s do it your way!” Huang Lixing said.
Li Yi nodded and said, “Old Huang, the small place we rented in the city has been renovated, and the new company is ready to open. I plan to inject all the funds into the new company once the settlement from the stock market comes through!”
“All of it?”
“Right. Anyway, bringing this money back to the mainland won’t do much good—it’s better to keep it in the new company for further investment!”
Li Yi continued, “I’m not telling you this to get you to invest all your funds into the new company like I am. You just need to contribute 30% based on your shareholding percentage!”
“Alright! I’ll also put another 30% of the remaining funds into the security company to cover operating expenses!” Huang Lixing said.
“Alright…”
The two talked from a little past five until seven o’clock. Only after the sky had grown slightly dark did they head downstairs, then took Lan Xinyi and the others straight to the Emperor Hotel!