Chapter 446 Could the Hidden Hand Be Jardine Matheson?
Lin Haoran was not yet fully aware of the extent of the external reactions.
However, from the negative press coverage he read in the morning newspapers, he could vaguely sense that a major controversy was brewing.
These media outlets, even if they wouldn't dare to offend him openly in the future, would say anything for the sake of traffic behind his back.
It was very likely that this matter could indeed cause fluctuations across Hong Kong's entire real estate market.
Even so, Lin Haoran had no intention of taking any immediate action.
Seated on the sofa in his villa, he lightly brushed his fingers over the newspaper's headlines, his brow occasionally furrowing.
He had always remained calm in the face of external speculation and public opinion.
After all, the waves of the business world were never stirred by a few words.
He gently set down the newspaper and cast his gaze outside the window.
Today, Hong Kong had a touch of warmth, though the early morning temperature still hovered only around the low teens Celsius.
Having visited all his major companies yesterday, he had nothing planned for today, so he decided to stay at home for the morning.
Time flew by quickly, and soon it was noon.
After lunch, Lin Haoran returned to his study, picking up a business book from where he had left off, ready to continue reading.
At that moment, the phone in the study rang.
Lin Haoran sighed slightly, closed the book, and went over to answer the call.
"Boss, it's Cui Zilong. There's something I need to report," said the voice after confirming it was Lin Haoran.
"Go ahead," Lin Haoran replied, curious but not overly concerned.
"Boss, you've probably seen the reports in this morning's newspapers.
According to feedback from our people, the entire city is now heatedly discussing the rumors about you directing your companies to offload property projects and land plots.
Led by certain newspapers, many people are beginning to worry whether you have lost confidence in Hong Kong's real estate market.
Because of this, many are now deeply concerned that property prices might plummet.
Additionally, based on data up to noon today, customer traffic at major sales offices across the city has dropped by at least 90%.
Even some of the previously hottest developments have been eerily quiet this morning.
Moreover, we learned from the Land Registry that of over 800 scheduled property transfers today, fewer than 100 actually went through.
Most buyers chose to pause or cancel their transactions.
In short, these reports might cause significant shockwaves across the real estate industry," Cui Zilong reported in detail.
Lin Haoran frowned deeply as he listened.
These unscrupulous media outlets—truly they feared nothing more than a lack of chaos.
He hadn't expected a few articles to trigger such a massive effect.
His original plan to leak rumors was only meant to soften the impact of selling off real estate.
But now, with the media's wild exaggerations, how could ordinary citizens possibly understand the real nuances?
If things continued like this, wouldn't he end up being blamed as the "criminal" who crashed the real estate market?
He would be making a lot of enemies.
In recent years, Hong Kong's property market had been booming, with daily transaction volumes soaring into the thousands.
The persistent rise in housing prices had drawn virtually every middle-class and upper-class investor into the frenzy.
"Could there be a powerful force behind this deliberate manipulation?" Lin Haoran pondered.
Even though his strength in Hong Kong was now formidable, the reality remained that he was still just a businessman within a colonial system.
If someone wanted to target him, it wasn't impossible.
"Mr. Cui, do you think someone is behind this?" Lin Haoran asked directly.
"Boss, it's highly possible.
I studied the newspapers stirring up the fears—like Sing Tao Daily, Wah Kiu Yat Po, Hong Kong Industrial and Commercial Daily.
They all lean heavily pro-British in their usual reporting.
Given this pattern, I suspect if someone is orchestrating things against you, it's likely the British conglomerates.
Only they have the influence and resources to simultaneously mobilize these mainstream media outlets," Cui Zilong replied without hesitation, clearly having thought this through.
Hearing Cui Zilong's analysis, Lin Haoran fell into deep thought.
If it was the British forces stirring trouble, it wouldn't be hard to narrow down the suspects.
In Hong Kong, only a handful of British conglomerates had the audacity to cross him.
Could it be Hui Fung Bank?
Unlikely.
Banks were major beneficiaries of the real estate boom—high-interest loans and a steady stream of mortgages meant massive profits.
Thus, Hui Fung Bank would not deliberately crash the market.
"That leaves a few others," Lin Haoran thought.
"Jardine Matheson, Swire, Wheelock—all of them have strong enough influence to manipulate the media."
However, he held no deep grudges with Swire or Wheelock.
Both were deeply tied to real estate themselves and wouldn't wreck their own interests.
Especially Wheelock—Jardines Matheson was now an important shareholder there.
If they were plotting against him, he would have known long ago.
Thus, the biggest suspect left was Jardine Matheson.
After all, he had thoroughly humiliated Jardine Matheson in recent months—snatching Jardines Matheson Group away, stripping them of most of their assets in Hong Kong, and now forcing them to contemplate leaving the city entirely.
If Jardine Matheson wanted to retaliate before leaving, this was entirely possible.
Could it be that Jardine Matheson, in a last act of revenge, had directed the media to stir up public panic, aiming to disrupt the market and trouble him?
At this moment, Lin Haoran strongly suspected it.
"Boss, are you still there?" Cui Zilong asked, sensing Lin Haoran's long silence.
"Mr. Cui, help me investigate whether this media storm was orchestrated by Jardine Matheson," Lin Haoran instructed after a moment's thought.
Even if finding out wouldn't change much, at least he would know where the attack came from.
And having a clear target would make investigation easier.
"Yes, Boss. I'll get on it immediately!" Cui Zilong responded firmly.
After hanging up, Lin Haoran rubbed his forehead in frustration.
Even after becoming the wealthiest man in Hong Kong, he could not afford to grow arrogant.
Respect on the surface meant nothing—behind his back, people were still scheming.
This incident was a harsh reminder.
Lin Haoran stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the vibrant but complex Hong Kong skyline.
It was clear: no matter how powerful he became, he must always remain cautious to survive in this treacherous business world.
"If Jardine Matheson really is behind this," Lin Haoran murmured,
"then even if you leave Hong Kong, I'll make sure you suffer a proper reckoning."
Jardine Matheson?
They were nothing more than a defeated opponent now.
Even with backing from the Rothschild family, Lin Haoran no longer saw them as a real threat.
Someday, he vowed, his fortune would surpass even the Rothschilds.
Just then, the study's phone rang again.
He walked over and glanced at the unfamiliar number flashing on the screen.
Still, anyone who had his private home line must be someone he knew.
Without hesitation, he picked up:
"Hello, this is Lin Haoran."
"Mr. Lin, it's Chan Sung-Ching. I hope I'm not disturbing you?" came a hearty voice from the other end.
"Oh, Mr. Chan! Not at all," Lin Haoran replied politely, though he was internally surprised.
He hadn't had much interaction with Chan Sung-Ching, the head of Ka Nin Group.
Their dealings had mostly been limited to one-off business transactions—selling him stakes in Aimei Gao Company, selling him the International Building, and selling off a few projects from Jardine Matheson.
Those were profitable transactions for Lin Haoran—easy money from a wealthy but overleveraged player.
"Mr. Lin," Chan Sung-Ching continued with a bitter laugh,
"You must have seen the news today.
The media these days... there are too many irresponsible ones.
Though we in the upper echelons understand the truth—that you sold property simply due to temporary cash flow issues—the public doesn't believe it.
This could seriously hurt Hong Kong's real estate sector."
"And so, Mr. Chan, what exactly do you propose?" Lin Haoran asked, already guessing his real purpose.
On the surface, Chan Sung-Ching seemed glamorous, but in reality, Ka Nin Group was already stretched thin.
Their billions in valuation rested atop mountains of fragile debt.
If a real estate crisis broke out now, Chan Sung-Ching's carefully built empire would collapse instantly.
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