Chapter 399 A Sudden Kiss, Departure for New York!
This batch of commercial buildings and land, with a market valuation exceeding three billion Hong Kong dollars, included the International Plaza that Jianning Group wanted to buy, valued alone at one billion. Not to mention the Wan'an Building, the newly completed tower in North Point, and others, which together were already worth over two billion. Most of the land plots had tripled or even quadrupled in value, so the funds from their sale would be considerable — more than enough for Lin Haoran to use for a long time.
As for why Jianning Group wanted to buy International Plaza, Lin Haoran didn't even need to think much to understand Chen Songqing's intentions. It was nothing more than using the purchase to promote Jianning Group's strength, staging a fake resale later by announcing they had sold it at an even higher price, thereby pushing up Jianning Group's stock value and gaining greater profits.
Just like earlier in January this year, when Land Holdings Group sold Golden Gate Tower to Jianning Group for 715 million Hong Kong dollars. That transaction catapulted Jianning Group to the forefront of Hong Kong's real estate scene. Even the Asian Wall Street Journal commented, "This deal positions Jianning Group at the forefront of Hong Kong's real estate market, representing the largest South Asian incursion into the property sector."
Afterward, Jianning Group's influence in Hong Kong expanded rapidly. Even Land Holdings Group collaborated with them on several projects, making Jianning Group one of its major real estate partners.
A few months later, Jianning Group announced it had sold the building to Baningshun Group for 1.68 billion Hong Kong dollars. Whether this transaction was genuine or fabricated, no one questioned it — not even Baningshun Group denied it — so everyone believed it was real. Once the news broke, investors rushed in, and Jianning Group's market value soared from five hundred million to 3.6 billion Hong Kong dollars — more than sevenfold.
Subsequently, Jianning Group acquired Aimco shares and now sought to purchase International Plaza, clearly aiming to repeat the previous tactics: expanding influence and boosting their market valuation even further.
However, none of this concerned Lin Haoran. As long as Jianning Group paid, he would sell. What they did with it afterward was none of his business.
A deal was a deal. Once completed, it was no longer his concern.
"Alright, boss, I'll arrange everything. The properties from Qingzhou Cement and Wan'an Real Estate have already been listed for sale through our channels. We've already received numerous inquiries from real estate companies about the land plots. Selling them won't be a problem.
Rest assured, our negotiation team will work hard to achieve the best selling prices. Each time a property is sold, the proceeds will be immediately transferred to Universal Investment Company's account," Burton assured him.
Burton understood that Lin Haoran was currently tight on cash. The fact that he wasn't using Wanching Group's funds during this period was already surprising, so naturally, there was no reason for Wanching Group to hold onto proceeds from property sales.
Given the ongoing intense competition for public land auctions conducted by the Governor's Office, selling off these plots would be easy.
Lin Haoran nodded in approval. He trusted Burton — his 92 loyalty rating was more than enough reassurance.
Though foreign professional managers often craved power, many were extremely loyal to their companies.
After discussing a few more matters, Lin Haoran bid farewell to Burton and went over to Hongkong Electric to give Chen Shoulin some final instructions, given that he was unsure how long he would be staying in America this time.
It wasn't until evening that Lin Haoran finally left.
Wan'an Real Estate and Qingzhou Cement would likely sell off their stockpiled assets over the next period, helping him raise over 3 billion Hong Kong dollars.
Although Wan'an Group had borrowed 130 million Hong Kong dollars from HSBC, secured against Wan'an Building, compared to the tens of billions he expected to raise, that debt was negligible and easily repayable once the sales were completed.
Lin Haoran was confident the sales would proceed smoothly, meaning he wouldn't lack funds afterward.
Today was already December 8th, and Apple's IPO date was fast approaching.
With everything arranged in Hong Kong, it was time to head to America.
Given the 14,000-plus kilometers distance between Hong Kong and New York, there were no direct flights; a transfer was necessary, meaning over twenty hours of travel.
Plus, he would need time to rest upon arrival.
Thus, Lin Haoran decided to depart on December 9th at noon.
Barring delays, he would arrive in New York on the evening of December 10th, accounting for the 13-hour time difference between Hong Kong and New York.
Shortly after returning home, Lin Haoran heard a car pulling up outside.
To his surprise, it was Guo Xiaohan, alone.
He invited her into the ground floor living room and ordered the kitchen to prepare two extra dishes for dinner before returning to the hall.
"Xiaohan, what brings you here?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"Brother Haoran, I heard from my uncle that you're heading to the U.S. Is that true?" Guo Xiaohan asked, turning to him.
Lin Haoran nodded. Previously, when Guo Henian had called to offer financial help, Lin Haoran had mentioned it.
"Brother Haoran, are you really not facing financial difficulties? If you are, the Guo family can help!" Guo Xiaohan said seriously.
Given how widespread and detailed the rumors were, even Hong Kong's business tycoons believed Lin Haoran was in trouble — let alone Guo Xiaohan, who lacked such worldly experience.
"Don't worry, Xiaohan. It's nothing for you to be concerned about. I can handle it," Lin Haoran reassured her with a smile.
The fact that she had come to see him, instead of distancing herself, touched Lin Haoran.
The Guo family had indeed been loyal and supportive.
If, after two years, Guo Xiaohan still felt the same, Lin Haoran wouldn't mind marrying her. By then, he would be 28 years old — the right age for marriage, and given his vast business empire, he would need heirs.
Guo Xiaohan's visit tonight had two purposes: first, to see if Lin Haoran needed help; second, because she couldn't bear to see him leave.
In Hong Kong, even though they didn't meet every day, she could always find him if she wanted. In America, it would be different.
That evening, they shared a warm dinner together.
After dinner, Guo Xiaohan reluctantly said goodbye.
"Brother Haoran, I'll go now. Safe travels to the U.S. Please call me when you arrive safely," she said as he walked her to her car.
"Be careful driving back. Stay safe," Lin Haoran smiled.
"I will," Guo Xiaohan said before opening the driver's door.
Just as she was about to step in, she suddenly turned back, walked up to Lin Haoran, hugged him tightly, and kissed him on the lips.
Lin Haoran froze momentarily but quickly responded, enjoying the unexpected kiss.
Guo Xiaohan kissed awkwardly at first, but soon melted into the moment under Lin Haoran's guidance.
Only when she was almost out of breath did she pull away, blushing fiercely, before quickly getting into her car and speeding off — as if lingering even a second longer would make it impossible to leave.
Lin Haoran watched her drive away, smiling softly to himself: "Silly girl."
Turning to his bodyguard Li Weidong, he ordered, "Follow her and make sure she gets home safely."
"Yes, boss!" Li Weidong immediately got into a Volkswagen and followed.
The next day, December 9th, had arrived.
Today was the day Lin Haoran would depart for New York.
Last night, he had called Steve Jobs to inform him that he would arrive before Apple's IPO.
Jobs said the Apple executive team had started their roadshow a week ago, traveling from California to New York, and they were now making final preparations there.
Jobs even suggested they come to the airport to greet Lin Haoran, but Lin Haoran declined.
Su Zhixue had arrived in the U.S. a week earlier, and by now should have everything settled. It was better to have trusted people meet him.
At 11 a.m., after some minor disguise measures, Lin Haoran left for the airport with two bodyguards and thirteen disguised secret guards posing as regular passengers.
Lin Haoran hadn't informed many people about his trip — only his top aides, parents, and Guo Henian.
Boarding the flight to New York, Lin Haoran leaned back and closed his eyes to rest.
At 10:30 p.m. on December 10th, the plane landed safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
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