Chapter 356 Guo Henian Visits Again
For his own safety, Lin Haoran naturally placed great importance on the matter. Thus, he immediately contacted Cui Zilong and tasked him with organizing the Secret Guard unit. Most importantly, he instructed that the training be conducted by the world's top international security experts. Although the elites of Huanyu Security Consulting Company had undergone strict training, the formation of a Secret Guard team still required additional specialized courses — such as identity concealment, anti-surveillance, and anti-eavesdropping — skills that the current training system did not yet cover. As for other skills like combat and firearms, the selected elites were already highly proficient. Therefore, assembling the Secret Guard team would not take too much time.
According to Li Weidong and Cui Zilong's estimates, the Secret Guard unit could be fully operational within half a month, providing Lin Haoran with top-level personal protection. After discussing the plan with Lin Haoran, Cui Zilong immediately began taking action: on one hand, searching for international security experts, and on the other, departing for Manila to select suitable candidates for the team. Although Huanyu's Hong Kong branch had many outstanding talents, the complex and chaotic environment in Manila, where firearms were rampant, was considered more suitable for selecting the kind of elite fighters they needed. Moreover, Huanyu's training base in Manila had already become their largest and best facility.
Meanwhile, the timed bomb installed under Lin Haoran's Rolls-Royce was successfully dismantled by police bomb experts. To ensure absolute safety, the car underwent a thorough inspection before Lin Haoran dared to ride in it again. In light of the incident, Lin Haoran decided to minimize his public appearances until the Secret Guard was fully established, reducing opportunities for potential enemies to target him. At the same time, the security around his villa was dramatically strengthened. More than a dozen elite bodyguards from Huanyu were deployed around the clock. The police also promised to increase patrols along Shixun Road. With such tight protection, Lin Haoran naturally felt much more at ease.
Around 7 p.m., Lin Haoran was on the phone with Burton in his villa's first-floor study. As expected, Burton reported that the police investigation had made little progress. The perpetrators had been extremely cautious, leaving behind no useful evidence. The police promised to "try their best," but when results would materialize remained uncertain. At the same time, Cui Zilong's intelligence department had also launched an internal investigation. However, due to the secretive nature of the attack, even they found it difficult to gather useful leads. After all, in this era, surveillance technology was still limited. Once the suspect drove into deserted areas, tracking became nearly impossible.
After hanging up, Lin Haoran sat quietly in his chair, deep in thought. He methodically reviewed the list of people who might wish him dead. Henry Keswick? Bofuda? Dunhao Group's secret backer, Altair? Even his own brother, Lin Haoning, crossed his mind. Why Lin Haoning? Because if Lin Haoran died, his assets would undoubtedly pass to his parents. And with only two sons in the family, Lin Haoning would become the sole heir. Of course, he considered this unlikely. He understood his brother's personality well enough to know he wasn't likely to resort to murder. Still, one could never be too careful. Other than a handful of trusted subordinates and his parents, Lin Haoran realized he could trust no one absolutely. Life was too fragile — he couldn't afford to take chances.
Just then, the phone rang. Lin Haoran picked it up casually. After a brief conversation, he hung up, thoughtful. The call had come from Guo Henian, saying he wanted to visit with Guo Xiaohan. Lin Haoran naturally welcomed them, though he wasn't sure what their real purpose was. About ten minutes later, he heard a car horn outside. Walking out to the villa's entrance, he saw Guo Henian's private car pull up.
"Uncle Guo, welcome!" Lin Haoran smiled warmly and shook Guo Henian's hand as he got out. "Haoran, let's talk inside," Guo Henian said, pointing toward the villa. Lin Haoran nodded and led them inside. Guo Xiaohan also got out of the car, her face full of concern as she studied Lin Haoran. Lin Haoran responded with a gentle smile.
"Uncle Guo, have you had dinner yet?" Lin Haoran asked politely. "We have. We just came back from Tsim Sha Tsui. Xiaohan insisted on coming to see you, so we came straight here without going home first," Guo Henian explained with a laugh. Hearing this, Guo Xiaohan blushed but said nothing, silently confirming her concern. Lin Haoran quickly realized that they must have heard about the bomb incident. After all, Hong Kong was a small place. Even though he had tried to keep the matter quiet, powerful people like Guo Henian would inevitably learn about it. In fact, he had already received several concerned calls that afternoon, including ones from Bao Yugang and Li Jiacheng. After all, at their level, having private intelligence networks was standard practice.
The three of them entered the study on the villa's first floor. Soon, Guo Xiaohan went to prepare tea, while Guo Henian and Lin Haoran started their conversation. "I heard about what happened this afternoon," Guo Henian said gravely. "Frankly, when you reach a certain status, having enemies is inevitable. We can't control others' malicious intentions, but we can strengthen our defenses. This incident should serve as a warning to you." Lin Haoran nodded seriously. "You're right, Uncle Guo. This has been a real wake-up call for me. I've already begun strengthening my personal security." Guo Henian nodded approvingly. "Good. The earlier you take action, the better. Security is never a one-time effort — it must be ongoing. As your influence grows, the threats will only increase. You must never let your guard down."
"I understand," Lin Haoran said solemnly. "By the way, Uncle Guo, besides visiting me today, is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" "Yes," Guo Henian smiled. "Aside from Xiaohan wanting to see you, I also want to discuss something related to my trip to Tsim Sha Tsui this afternoon." "It's about Mr. Chen Songqing from Carnation Group. He invited me to collaborate on a major project," Guo Henian explained. "Let me guess — the East Tsim Sha Tsui Commercial Plaza project, with an investment of around HKD 3 billion?" Lin Haoran asked immediately. "Exactly," Guo Henian confirmed. "I visited the site this afternoon. It has huge potential — it could become another Landmark. I was very impressed. But I also heard that Carnation Group was originally supposed to partner with Jardines Matheson. Why did you cancel the cooperation after you took over?"
Lin Haoran finally understood the true purpose of their visit. "Uncle Guo, how much do you know about Mr. Chen Songqing?" Lin Haoran asked, smiling. "Not much, to be honest. I know he's from Southeast Asia, went bankrupt there, then came to Hong Kong, where he rose to become a top real estate mogul," Guo Henian answered truthfully. "After taking over Jardines Matheson, I looked into Mr. Chen," Lin Haoran said with a smile. "And what I found was... interesting." "Care to share?" Guo Henian asked, curious. Lin Haoran nodded. "My investigation suggests that most of his capital comes from high-interest loans. Constantly borrowing new loans to repay old ones. His major financial backers include companies like Yumin Finance and Bank of Communications. His rise wasn't built on solid business fundamentals— it was built on a pile of unstable debt. Of course, I can't guarantee my findings are 100% accurate. But Uncle Guo, if you trust me, you might want to think twice about working with him."
"And please," Lin Haoran added, smiling, "keep this information confidential. If word leaks, I'll deny I ever said any of it."
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