Chapter 842: The Banbanhaobang Manor Ball!

Hong Kong Island. The Castle Estate!

At that moment, a grand ball was in full swing at the estate.

To the sound of beautiful, melodious music, the vast estate was filled with men and women dancing gracefully, as well as business elites clinking glasses and engaging in lively conversation.

This afternoon, Dolsen had convened all members of the British Investment Group to present the results of their recent investment venture in the British Isles and distribute dividends to all investors.

According to the investment team’s report, they raised a total of 1.5 billion pounds for this investment and generated a profit of 2.1 billion pounds—equivalent to 35.7 billion Hong Kong dollars—in less than three months.

After deducting various operating expenses and team commissions, all investors will receive a total of 17.8 billion Hong Kong dollars in dividends.

To enhance his own influence and strengthen the alliance’s cohesion, Dolsen hosted this grand ball at the castle estate following the dividend distribution ceremony.

Since Dolsen was the head of the British-owned group and one of the two heirs to the Sassoon family, both the Governor’s Office and other prominent figures sent representatives.

Consequently, the ball was held on a grand scale, attracting nearly half of Hong Kong Island’s business elite.

On a terrace on the third floor, three people—two elders and a young man—sipped red wine while taking in the lively scene below.

At that moment, the gentleman on the left remarked with a touch of nostalgia, “It’s been a long time since the estate was this lively!”

“How long has it been?” the elderly man on his right asked with interest.

The Jazz sighed immediately and said, “Not since that dreadful young man appeared on Hong Kong Island have we been this happy!”

The elderly man was well aware of how badly his good-for-nothing cousin had been treated—so badly, in fact, that he hadn’t even managed to hold onto his position as the man in charge here, having ceded it to his nephew, Dolsen.

At that moment, a sneer crossed his face, and he said, “Actually, when it came to dealing with that guy, you were wrong from the very beginning!”

“Wrong in what way?”

“The method was wrong!”

Hearing this, Dolsen frowned and asked, “Uncle Gustaf, what exactly was wrong with our approach?”

Gusta replied calmly, “I’ve studied this young man’s rise to prominence. He made billions of Hong Kong dollars on his very first move—it’s clear he has exceptional investment skills. By going head-to-head with him in the stock market, you were pitting your weaknesses against his strengths. You deserved to lose!”

“When dealing with someone like him, you should have immediately changed your strategy after the first loss in the stock market and taken him out once and for all, rather than continuing to go head-to-head with him in the market, only to be fleeced time and time again.”

At that, both Jazz and Dolsen flushed red.

In front of Li Yi, the two of them were indeed like chives in a field, being harvested by him time and time again.

And every leap in Li Yi’s wealth and influence had been built on using them as stepping stones.

“Uncle Gusta, it’s not that we don’t want to use unconventional methods, but that guy is backed by the Communist government across the strait. If we dare to pull a dirty trick, they certainly won’t just sit idly by!” said Dolsen.

“Hah, Hong Kong is part of the British Empire. Even if they’re furious, what can they do to us? Do you really think they’d dare send troops to occupy Hong Kong?”

A cold smile then curled at the corners of Gusta’s mouth as he added, “If they really dared to do that, they would have done it long ago—they certainly wouldn’t have waited until now.”

“But they sent warships last time and even seized our coast guard vessel. What’s there to be afraid of?” the Jazzman frowned.

“That’s different!”

Then Gusta added, “Never mind, let’s not talk about this anymore!”

“I just received word that that guy has taken out a massive loan from Citibank and the Imperial Royal Bank. I imagine as soon as the funds come through, he’ll storm back to Hong Kong Island. We don’t have much time left!”

Dawson said gravely, “Well then, Uncle Gustaf, you’d better be careful. That guy is a real pain in the neck!”

But Gusta scoffed, “He’s just a yellow-skinned monkey. When we were reaping the rewards of the global financial markets, he didn’t even know where he was!”

“He was just lucky not to run into me before—otherwise, I would’ve sent him packing long ago!”

As soon as those words were spoken, both Jazz and Dolsen looked a bit awkward.

However, Gustaf didn’t linger to speak with them; he simply picked up his glass and left the terrace, soon appearing among the crowd below.

Back on the terrace, Jazz, his face dark with worry, said, “Gusta is far too arrogant. He doesn’t take that young man seriously at all. If he keeps this up, he’s going to pay dearly!”

Dawson, however, replied impassively, “If he’s looking for trouble, we shouldn’t stop him. People like him deserve a lesson!”

“But… but it’s our family’s strength that will suffer!” the Earl protested.

“That may be so,” Dalson replied calmly, “but if we don’t do this, how will they ever understand the pressure we’re under?”

From his tone, the Earl detected not a trace of worry, but rather a sense of anticipation.

Jazz froze in place. It suddenly occurred to him that his cousin Dalson’s perspective—or rather, his stance—seemed quite different from his own.

For someone like him, who had lost his eligibility to compete for the family inheritance, Gustaf—though not particularly close—was still a member of the family and could, at a stretch, be considered family.

But for Dalson, who was currently vying for the family inheritance and had already made it to the final round, Gusta was not necessarily a relative—after all, he was the uncle of Dalson’s sole competitor.

As a peer who had once competed for the family inheritance, he knew all too well how brutal the family’s training of heirs could be—the family wanted only the strongest.

It was just like gladiators in the Colosseum—one had to defeat everyone else; it was no exaggeration to call it a fight to the death.

Until the family heir is determined, the relationship between Dolsen and Gusta is unlikely to be very close.

To put it bluntly, Gusta’s loss this time might actually work in Dalson’s favor!

After a long pause, the Earl looked at Dolsen and said, “You… you really just stood there and watched him…”

Before he could finish, Dolsen replied calmly, “Out of kinship, I did warn him. But as you saw, not only did he fail to appreciate it, he openly and covertly mocked us. A man like that is beyond redemption!”

“But if Gusta loses, the strength of that group of Chinese will surge again, and our situation will become even more difficult!” the Jazz said.

Dawson shook his head and said, “Even without Gustaf, the Chinese faction led by Li Yi has already established its dominance. If we were still a match for them before, after this trip to London, we’ve been completely surpassed by them!”

The Duke was taken aback for a moment, then said, “How is that possible? We made over 37 billion Hong Kong dollars this time…”

“So what? Do you know how much Li Yi made?”

“Well… I’m not exactly sure!”

“A conservative estimate of 7 billion pounds!”

Whoa…

The Jazz couldn’t help but gasp—that’s over 100 billion Hong Kong dollars!

Good grief, that’s enough to buy up all four major stock exchanges on Hong Kong Island.

At that moment, Dolsen spoke again: “More importantly, Li Yi didn’t just make money—he also wrested controlling interest in Sheffield Steel from the family and left Sand as his representative in the British Isles. Do you know what that means?”

The爵士 said in a low voice, “It means Li Yi has already secured the support of the Henry family!”

“Exactly. Although the Henry family’s financial strength is average, they wield considerable influence in both the military and political spheres of the British Empire. It may not be long before the Governor’s Office changes its stance!” Dalson said solemnly.

“This… Does that mean we have absolutely no chance at all?” the Jazz asked, sounding somewhat reluctant.

“We do!”

Dawson continued, his words laden with meaning, “It’s time for us to change our stance toward Li Yi!”

Upon hearing this, a look of shock instantly flashed across the爵士’s face…

……….