Chapter 674: Three Conditions!

Li Family Manor. Study!

Upon hearing Li Futiao’s words, Li Yi fell silent.

To be honest, he himself had absolutely no interest in joining this Chinese Capital Alliance.

The reason was simple: Li Yi didn’t want to have his hands tied.

His purpose in coming to Hong Kong was to make money—and not just from those British-owned conglomerates and their expats. Everyone on the island was his target, naturally including wealthy families like the He and Luo clans.

If he joined this alliance, their relationship would change—it would evolve from mere acquaintances to allies.

With that kind of relationship in place, how could Li Yi possibly seize an opportunity without hesitation?

Take Li Futao, for example. Based on Li Yi’s understanding of him, four years later, Li Futao’s Far East Stock Exchange would, under the mediation of the British Hong Kong government, formally merge with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Gold and Silver Stock Exchange, and the Kowloon Stock Exchange to form the United Stock Exchange. At that time, Li Futao would become the first chairman of the United Stock Exchange.

However, shortly after he took office, the Stock Exchange faced a stock market crash of unprecedented scale—the 1987 Crash.

After the crash, Old Li, due to a misjudgment, implemented a series of disastrous measures, causing the Li family—and indeed the entire Hong Kong stock market—to suffer heavy losses.

Originally, Li Yi’s plan was to snap up assets from major companies at rock-bottom prices after the market had been severely battered. But now that their relationship was so close, Li Yi naturally couldn’t stand by and watch Old Li make such mistakes.

Similarly, if he formed an alliance with the He and Luo families, Li Yi’s actions would be severely restricted, and one misstep could easily make him look like a villain kicking someone when they’re down.

Seeing the look on Li Yi’s face, Li Futao seemed to grasp his meaning and said, “Brother Li Yi, are you reluctant to join this alliance?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “I’m actually not very keen on it!”

“Could you share your thoughts?”

Li Futao continued, “Don’t get me wrong—I just think this might not be a bad thing for you. After all, if this goes through, you’ll gain dozens, even hundreds, of billionaire allies here in Hong Kong. Your foundation will truly become unshakable.”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Old Li, I understand what you’re saying, but have you considered this: if I join this alliance, it will inevitably severely restrict my operations in the Hong Kong stock market.”

“After all, I’m the kind of person who either doesn’t act at all, or when I do, it’s a massive, sweeping move that affects a wide range of people—sometimes without distinguishing between friend and foe. Joining them would really limit my ability to operate freely.”

Li Futao, Huang Lixing, and Li Yunbao were all taken aback. They had anticipated that Li Yi might refuse, but they hadn’t expected his reason for refusal to be this.

But upon closer reflection, what Li Yi said did make a certain amount of sense.

Hong Kong Island was a small place to begin with, and there were only so many listed companies. Having too many allies would indeed make it difficult to operate.

“I understand!”

But changing the subject, Li Futiao continued, “I respect your opinion, but since I’ve been entrusted with this, I should finish what I have to say. Mr. He and the Luo family head anticipated you might refuse, so they’ve offered quite a few terms. Would you like to hear them?”

“Hmm, I suppose I might as well listen.”

“If you and Starry Sky Company join this Chinese-funded alliance, they’re willing to jointly nominate you as the alliance’s leader—just like the British-funded group’s Sir.”

“Not interested!” Li Yi said indifferently.

Although the title of “leader” might sound impressive, in Li Yi’s view, it was nothing more than needlessly complicating his life. He didn’t even know who to entrust with managing all the businesses under his own name—how could he possibly have the time or inclination to meddle in others’ affairs?

Besides, his roots were in the mainland, and he would most likely be residing in Beijing in the future; serving as this leader would simply be too inconvenient.

Li Futiao spoke again: “Furthermore, we are aware that the mainland is currently implementing reform and opening-up policies and is actively attracting foreign investment on a large scale. If you are willing to join the Chinese Capital Alliance, all Chinese-owned companies—including the He, Luo, Bao, Guo, and our Li families—are willing to invest on the mainland to support the nation’s development.”

The reason they proposed these terms was primarily because they were firmly convinced that Li Yi was an official from the other side; thus, they sought to use this approach to curry favor with Li Yi—or rather, with the forces behind him.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi’s expression shifted slightly!

If it were a matter of his own personal gain or loss, Li Yi could indeed brush it off—after all, for someone as gifted as him, making money was a breeze.

Especially from the 1980s through the turn of the millennium, business opportunities were everywhere; if he wanted to, he could easily hit a small daily profit target.

So he could easily dismiss the idea of forming alliances with those people, let alone taking on the role of some so-called “decision-maker.”

However, the condition Li Futiao had just proposed forced him to give it serious consideration, because it touched on another very important matter—the influx of foreign capital.

Calling it an “invasion” might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s undeniable that with our large-scale reform and opening-up, foreign capital has poured into the domestic market, inevitably leading to the problem of foreign capital seizing a high market share.

Relying on their deep pockets and extensive management experience, these foreign capital firms have been dominating domestic enterprises for a long time. Many of our household-name brands have ultimately become tools for these foreign investors to make money—such as the renowned Zhonghua Toothpaste, Meizhiyuan, Harbin Beer, Yinlu, Taitaole, Jinlongyu, and Beibingyang Soda, among others.

The acquisition of domestic brands is still the better outcome. More concerning is that some foreign capital, fearing that the rise of our brands might compete with them for the international market, simply uses its capital advantage to acquire these brands first and then directly destroy them.

Take, for example, Beibingyang Soda and Tianfu Cola—once the pride of the Chinese people. After being acquired by foreign capital, they were “shelved,” missing the golden age of market development and ultimately becoming mere cannon fodder.

Li Yi is naturally aware of this situation and is determined to change this outcome.

But he alone could not bring about significant change. Our country is simply too vast; any private capital pales in comparison to such a great nation.

If these Chinese capitalists from Hong Kong could truly band together to invest in the mainland, the situation would be quite different.

While it’s unrealistic to expect them to compete with capital from around the world, their presence alone could make a significant difference.

With that in mind, Li Yi looked up at Li Futao and said, “Old Li, from what you’re saying, you want me to join this Chinese Capital Alliance, don’t you?”

“That’s right. We don’t want to be bullied anymore, and you are our greatest asset in defeating those Westerners. Even if you do nothing, just having you here gives us confidence!” Li Futao said.

Li Yi nodded and said, “Since you’ve put it that way, I’ll join this Chinese Capital Alliance—but I have conditions of my own!”

“What conditions? Go ahead.”

“First condition: I won’t be the leader of this alliance, but I’ll step in if necessary.”

Li Yi continued, “Second condition: not just anyone can join this alliance. We’ll look not only at strength but also at values and contributions to the alliance. Aside from the founding members, any new members must be approved by a vote of the entire membership—they can only join if more than two-thirds agree!”

“The third condition is that all members joining the alliance must invest in the mainland. While there’s no specific amount required for ordinary members, core members must invest no less than ten billion Hong Kong dollars within three years!”

Li Futao replied immediately, “I’ve noted these three conditions. I’ll discuss them with the heads of the He, Luo, and Guo families to see what they think. I’ll let you know as soon as I have any news!”

“Alright!”

Li Yi then added, “Now that we’ve covered the side matters, let’s get back to discussing the investment dividends!”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Futiao and Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up instantly…

………