Chapter 1 The Troubles of the Affluent

That evening, after accompanying Xiao Nizi and Jiang Yu for supper and a few drinks at a bar, they all went home to rest.

The next day.

Su Yehao got up bright and early and headed to the hello~ o(*￣▽￣*)ブ Building in Yau Tsim Mong. He arrived to find construction workers putting the finishing touches on the rooftop, gazing into the distance.

The direction he was facing was none other than Kai Tak Airport.

He could just make out the former airport runway, stretching straight into Victoria Harbour, a product of artificial reclamation.

Down below at the hello~ o(*￣▽￣*)ブ Building, the workers were wrapping things up.

The team under his father's command was responsible for leading the renovation project. After half a year of preparation, it was basically complete, only needing a final clean inside and out, furniture installed, and then they could prepare for the grand opening.

As for eliminating harmful gases, they had tried to keep the windows open for ventilation during construction, and the custom-made boards had been aired out in advance. The rest could be handled by a professional team specializing in catalytic decomposition to minimize any lingering odors from the renovations.

Seahills International had its own decoration and building materials companies, and even if they wanted to make money, they couldn't possibly screw over their own young master. So there was no question about the quality.

Su Yehao had just randomly checked six rooms on different floors, only pointing out minor issues, such as poorly filled tile gaps or color differences on the walls, and had already asked for them to be redone.

You get what you pay for.

Construction workers in Hong Kong were paid three to four hundred Hong Kong dollars per day, and they left work on time, with overtime pay for extra hours. They certainly didn't cut corners to rush the job.

In total, more than two hundred million Hong Kong dollars had been invested, and the dilapidated building that once belonged to the East Phoenix Group had been completely transformed in Su Yehao's hands.

It was a pity that it was located in Yau Tsim Mong, and the surrounding environment was a bit old. If it were located in Central, its value would have at least doubled. Now it could only be positioned as a mid- to high-end hotel, and the room prices couldn't be too high, only five or six hundred Hong Kong dollars a night.

Recouping the investment seemed a long way off, but the building itself had already appreciated by two or three hundred million Hong Kong dollars as property prices rebounded.

The increase far exceeded the loan interest, so it was definitely a profit.

Seeing Su Yehao spacing out, Linda Yun, worried about getting tanned by the sun, leaned in and asked, "Shall we go downstairs? The sun is so strong, my head is about to burst into flames. Are you looking at the land where Kai Tak Airport used to be? The assistant's office is already putting together a team, and they've hired people from McKinsey Consulting to help. I'm sure they'll come up with a plan soon."

"...No, I'm struggling with a problem."

Su Yehao said with a hint of melancholy. Linda Yun pressed him: "What's the problem?"

"Last night, Nangong suddenly mentioned the rooftop of Block Two of Shangfeng Shangshui, saying she heard Jiang Yu mention that there was a beauty living there. I don't know if word got out somehow, but I feel like there's no smoke without fire. Is this a subtle warning...or am I just feeling guilty?"

"..."

Linda Yun thought about it seriously and said, pouring cold water on him, "Never underestimate a woman's intuition, especially a smart girl like Nangong Tian. You're not only partners with Nong Qingying in business, but you also took her skiing in the French Alps and to New York to ring the bell at the stock exchange. If Nangong finds out, it would make perfect sense, wouldn't it?"

Su Yehao thought so too, sighing and saying, "Alas...you're bound to run into a ghost if you walk the streets at night too often. I guess I was careless."

In Linda Yun's view, Su Yehao's personal life troubles were self-inflicted. He enjoyed being carefree when he was, and there was no need to sympathize with him at all.

So she gloated and told him, "Nangong hasn't confronted you? That should be a good thing, right? It's your own fault for being so affectionate. If she were a difficult woman, she would have made a scene long ago. Why would she indulge you so much?"

This problem was unsolvable to begin with. He had been taking things one step at a time.

Su Yehao waved his hand and instructed as he went downstairs, "Once the Kai Tak Digital Port working group is established, have them contact me for a meeting to avoid making the wrong planning decisions. Also, spread the word for me and see if anyone主动找I'm interested in partnering with me. And prepare some gifts for when I visit Zhao Yimeng's parents, as well as He Shaofan's father. Prepare one for Peng, the president of Bank of China, as well..."

After last night's dinner, the news that he was trying to develop Kai Tak Airport had probably already spread.

Such a large project would be difficult to implement in a short period of time. Su Yehao was worried that the old Li family would speed up their progress after hearing the news, catching him off guard. So he contacted Vice President Zheng Yongwen again, inviting him for a cruise.

Zheng Yongwen was obliging and quickly arrived at the Central Pier, boarding the over-forty-meter-long Seahills International yacht.

After boarding the ship.

He said to Su Yehao, with a slightly helpless tone, "I'm just a retired old man. Mr. Su, you're such a big boss, why do you care so much about me? Wouldn't you rather be out at sea with beautiful young women? I don't have any say in the development of the Digital Port. I'm just here for a good drink, and I happen to want to borrow your yacht to go fishing with my friends."

Seeing that Zheng Yongwen was immediately distancing himself and had no interest in getting involved in the project, Su Yehao said with a smile, "I haven't even graduated from Hong Kong University yet. I'm still a student under your guidance. Now that I'm in trouble, Mr. Zheng, can you really stand by and watch me suffer?"

"Yes, I can."

Zheng Yongwen finished without hesitation, lazily lying back in the wicker chair, and continued, "What kind of trouble could you possibly be in? Are you making too much money and feeling overwhelmed? You own a listed company with a market value of over eight billion US dollars, and you're one of the major shareholders of Yahoo, and you've invested in a bunch of other companies. I wouldn't dare advise you. Please don't treat me like your advisor."

"Cough, I wouldn't dare even if you gave me the courage to. It's just that I thought there was a good project and wanted to ask if you were interested. Last night, I had dinner with representatives from several developers, and they were too timid. After I mentioned my plan to develop Kai Tak Airport, they didn't dare to put up the money to acquire the land. Instead, they wanted to pull the government in with them, so that they could reduce the risk and the investment through a public-private partnership."

Su Yehao took a deep breath and added, "According to my idea, it's more interesting to invest on my own. I'm thinking of separating the Digital Port from the residential project."

After listening.

Vice President Zheng Yongwen had a strange look in his eyes and couldn't help but ask, "You really talked to them about jointly developing Kai Tak Airport?"

"What is it?" Su Yehao asked, puzzled, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Zheng Yongwen shook his head and simply explained, "It's nothing. I just think you and your father are really alike. You were both willing to take risks when you were young, and your ambition is truly astonishing. Others can't wait to pull the government in to invest less money in the project, while you're always thinking about making more money. But that's probably a good thing, and why you're able to make a fortune. I'm the kind of person who's happy as long as I have enough money to spend."

"I can see that. If you hadn't gone to become a chief financial advisor back then, the two of us could have made tens or hundreds of millions more together."

After Su Yehao finished speaking, he tentatively asked, "You understand the rules above better. Help me out this time. My businesses are so numerous and complex, and several large projects are colliding with each other. I'm really a bit overwhelmed. I'll be responsible for the funding and the plans. I just want you to contact some potential investors and communicate with the higher-ups to negotiate the details of the cooperation. Your accumulated relationships can also be used for the reform of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, giving you the opportunity to connect several major families."

"...Is that an invitation? I'm just meddling in the affairs of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Anyway, I don't have the strength to become a shareholder of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. What does it have to do with me?"

Just as Zheng Yongwen finished speaking.

Smiling, Su Yehao said, "Then, what if I guarantee that I'll do everything I can to get you the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange? Once the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is reformed, it won't be directly managed by the higher-ups, and there should be some good positions available."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Zheng Yongwen took the cocktail that the waiter handed him and said, "Tell me about it first. What plans did you come up with with those real estate developers last night? I'm not necessarily going to help you, but it is a bit of a waste to leave Kai Tak Airport idle like that. You're not learning the good things, and you're becoming more and more like a profiteer."

...