Chapter 335 Go to Connaught Centre, I Have an Important Announcement!
Leaving the Governor's House, Lin Haoran was in an extremely cheerful mood.
The thing he had been most worried about was finally resolved, and he now had no more concerns holding him back.
It was time to move forward with the most important step.
It was already October 1980, and investments made by Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson were still reasonable for the time being.
But starting from 1981, both companies, especially Jardines Matheson, would begin blind expansions, leading to severe losses in numerous investment projects.
Such a situation was precisely what Lin Haoran wanted to avoid.
Thus, it was time to seize control of Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson without delay!
After leaving the Governor's House, Lin Haoran headed straight for Wanqing Building.
Just as he came up from the underground parking to the lobby, he saw a large group of reporters gathered outside, clearly hoping to catch him there.
Yesterday's events had caused a sensation throughout Hong Kong, and their newspaper sales had soared.
Naturally, they were eager to extract more newsworthy material from Lin Haoran.
"Mr. Lin, please wait, I have a question—"
"Mr. Lin, just a few minutes of your time!"
"Mr. Lin, what are your plans regarding Jardines Matheson?"
The moment Lin Haoran appeared in the lobby, more than twenty reporters rushed forward, trying to interview him.
However, security personnel quickly stopped them.
Even so, they all stretched out their microphones, hoping to get Lin Haoran to stop and speak.
To their delight, Lin Haoran indeed turned to face them.
At that moment, all the reporters thought he was about to accept their interviews.
"Everyone, please head to Connaught Centre first. I will soon go there to make an important announcement!" Lin Haoran said across several meters.
After that, he ignored the reporters and entered the elevator, heading up to Wanqing Group's headquarters office, leaving behind a group of bewildered reporters.
"Connaught Centre? Isn't that the headquarters of Jardines Matheson?"
"Could it be that Mr. Lin has a move planned against Jardines Matheson?"
Many reporters immediately realized something significant was about to happen.
They became excited—there was clearly going to be a big show today.
Soon after, the reporters cleared out of Wanqing Building, moving as a group toward their new destination: Connaught Centre, just a few hundred meters away.
No one thought Lin Haoran would lie.
If he tricked them into going to Connaught Centre without any news, he would be offending all the media at once.
Thus, since Lin Haoran had asked them to wait at Connaught Centre, there was certainly something important about to happen.
Meanwhile, Lin Haoran had arrived at Burton's office.
At that moment, Burton had just hung up the phone and, seeing Lin Haoran, smiled and said, "Boss, you're finally here. Some of those reporters have been waiting for over an hour."
"I've sent them all away," Lin Haoran said, waving his hand.
"Those people are so persistent; it's really troublesome," Burton sighed.
"No more words. I plan to have you assist me in announcing the acquisition of Jardines Matheson. Quickly prepare, gather the necessary personnel, and we'll head to Connaught Centre," Lin Haoran instructed.
"Boss, you're finally going to announce it! Congratulations! I'll prepare immediately, bringing the legal and finance departments. That should be enough to facilitate your initial takeover of Jardines Matheson.
Of course, fully controlling the company will require gradually replacing the senior management with your own trusted aides. That won't be achieved overnight," Burton said with a hint of excitement.
Although he wasn't obligated to help Lin Haoran take over Jardines Matheson, considering that Wanqing Group was wholly owned by Lin Haoran and he was ultimately just an employee, he naturally had to assist.
"Alright, go quickly. I'll wait for you," Lin Haoran said.
Though it seemed rushed, in fact, Lin Haoran had been prepared for a long time.
Now that he had eliminated his last worry, he had no intention of delaying any further.
"Understood, Boss. I'll be quick," Burton said, then left to prepare.
Meanwhile, at Connaught Centre a few hundred meters away, the scene was already bustling.
In the lobby and outside the building, many reporters were gathered.
More and more journalists kept arriving.
Hong Kong was small, and the media were exceptionally well-informed.
When Lin Haoran told reporters to head to Connaught Centre, the news quickly spread from one reporter to another, reaching numerous media outlets in no time.
On the 51st floor, in the general manager's office of Jardines Matheson, Bofuda was handling business affairs.
As the head of such a colossal company, he naturally had an enormous workload each day.
While he was deeply focused on work, the phone beside him rang.
"Hello."
"Mr. Bofuda, there are a lot of reporters gathering downstairs," a subordinate reported.
"Lots of reporters? Why are they here?" Bofuda asked in confusion.
"I asked them already. They said they don't know the details, only that Mr. Lin Haoran summoned them and will soon make an important announcement," the subordinate explained.
"Alright, I understand. Have security maintain order!" Bofuda instructed.
Putting down the phone, Bofuda frowned.
Why would Lin Haoran summon reporters to Connaught Centre?
This matter was too important to ignore.
Moreover, given it involved Lin Haoran—especially after the conflict yesterday—he could not decide on his own.
Thus, he quickly made two phone calls: one to Jardines Matheson boss Niu Bijian, and another to British consortium representative Henry Keswick.
After informing them of the situation, both said they would come over immediately.
At the hotel, Henry Keswick was preparing to board a flight back to London that evening.
In his mind, after expelling Lin Haoran from Jardines Matheson's management, his mission was complete.
He intended to leave the remaining matters to his representatives in Hong Kong and control things remotely.
However, Lin Haoran's sudden announcement at Connaught Centre made him uneasy, and a bad premonition arose.
"Cancel tonight's flight. We're going to Connaught Centre immediately!" Henry Keswick instructed his secretary after walking out of the hotel.
Though uneasy, he had no idea yet what was about to happen, so he had no choice but to go see for himself.
At Wanqing Building:
"Boss, I've gathered dozens of people. They're enough for you to initiate the takeover of Jardines Matheson. We can leave at any time," Burton reported to Lin Haoran, who was reviewing Wanqing Group's September financial report.
"Good. Let's go then!" Lin Haoran said immediately.
Checking the time, it was only around eleven o'clock in the morning.
Thus, Lin Haoran, leading a large group, departed for Connaught Centre.
A Rolls-Royce led the way, followed by several private cars and a bus.
In twenty minutes, they arrived at the outdoor parking lot of Connaught Centre.
Looking up at the 52-story skyscraper, Lin Haoran felt a surge of pride.
This building would soon be his!
Connaught Centre stood proudly in Hong Kong's Central District.
Completed in 1973 by the renowned Jardines company, it combined concrete, cladding stone, and metal casing, giving it a strong modern aesthetic while preventing safety hazards from stone fall.
As Hong Kong's first true skyscraper, it was famous for its iconic round windows and quickly became a city landmark.
Even after decades, its landmark status remained unshakable.
The building's circular "moon gate" windows elegantly incorporated traditional Chinese architectural aesthetics, offering stunning views of Victoria Harbour and Victoria Peak.
It had inaugurated the skyscraper era for Hong Kong and, during the 1970s, was the tallest building in both Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
Only recently had it been surpassed by Hopewell Centre in Wan Chai.
Nevertheless, Connaught Centre's value remained higher due to its prime Central location, superior to Wan Chai's real estate.
Leading dozens of people, Lin Haoran majestically entered the lobby of Connaught Centre.
Though security guards initially tried to stop him, seeing that the leader was the prominent Lin Haoran, they quickly backed off.
The lobby was a public space, and they couldn't very well block a business tycoon like Lin Haoran.
His appearance immediately caught the attention of the waiting reporters.
The reporters rushed toward him.
"Everyone, don't be impatient. I'll make an announcement soon. Let me first head upstairs to talk with Mr. Bofuda!" Lin Haoran said, calming the eager reporters.
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