Chapter 487: A Forced Melon Is Never Sweet
Lin Haoran accepted the personnel files handed over by Ma Shimin and began carefully flipping through them.
Meanwhile, Ma Shimin busied himself with company matters.
As Hong Kong's leading real estate enterprise and now its largest private company, Land Corporation had an enormous daily workload.
Although many smaller tasks had been delegated, major decisions still needed to be handled personally by Ma Shimin, keeping him extremely busy.
As Lin Haoran slowly reviewed the files, he realized that although he knew most of Land Corporation's senior executives by name, he had little understanding of their actual abilities.
Originally an Anglo-backed company, Land Corporation had relatively few Chinese executives.
When it was still a listed company, the board alone had dozens of directors and executive directors — not to mention the many senior managers.
Now, after privatization, those former board members had been dismissed, cutting ties with the company.
Even so, Land Corporation still had a large management team, comprising general managers, deputy managers, directors, and assistant directors — totaling 48 people.
This didn't even include executives from subsidiaries like Dairy Farm International, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and Kwai Chung International Terminal.
Given Land Corporation's scale, having such a sizable management team was actually quite appropriate.
As Lin Haoran skimmed through the profiles, he noted that among the 48 high-level executives, 36 were foreigners and only 12 were Chinese.
Of the 12 Chinese executives, six had already been in place before he acquired the company, while the other six were headhunted afterward.
Lin Haoran focused more closely on the Chinese executives' profiles.
Unfortunately, most of them excelled only in specialized fields and mainly held vice-director positions.
Crucial comprehensive management roles remained dominated by foreigners.
Finding a well-rounded senior executive to serve as his deputy in Japan proved unexpectedly difficult.
Besides Ma Shimin, whom he had personally recruited, Lin Haoran lacked deep trust in the others.
Although he could use his golden finger to check loyalty scores, trust wasn't built solely on loyalty.
Capability was crucial too — and Lin Haoran needed someone capable of handling massive operations, not just an obedient follower.
Choosing the wrong person could easily cost him billions.
Thus, the importance of this selection could not be overstated.
Faced with dozens of candidates, Lin Haoran found it increasingly difficult to decide.
After more than half an hour of reviewing, the more he looked, the less confident he became.
He didn't even feel like calling them in for interviews.
Finally, he closed the file, set it aside on the desk, and rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Boss, having trouble choosing?" Ma Shimin said, setting down his own work and glancing over.
"Yes," Lin Haoran admitted.
"The Japanese market is even larger than Hong Kong's.
If I invest heavily, the assets we manage there could soon surpass Land Corporation's holdings here.
But since you can't leave Hong Kong for long, the person managing Japan must have exceptional comprehensive abilities — and my absolute trust."
"Exactly why I didn't dare casually recommend anyone," Ma Shimin agreed seriously.
"Though it's framed as a branch office, with your ambition and plans, it's really about building a second Land Corporation in Japan.
This role is far too critical to choose lightly."
As Land Corporation was now a private enterprise under Lin Haoran, not a listed company, Ma Shimin had to tread carefully in such major matters.
"I understand," Lin Haoran nodded, sinking into thought.
Perhaps he didn't need to select from the existing senior executives at all?
A new idea suddenly struck him.
After a moment, he handed the personnel file back to Ma Shimin.
"Take this back for now.
I'll think it over carefully and let you know when I decide.
For now, I'm heading out."
"Yes, Boss," Ma Shimin said, accepting the folder.
Leaving Ma Shimin's office, Lin Haoran headed down to the 39th floor — the headquarters of Galaxy Securities, where Dai Shi and Allen worked.
The office was bustling, with employees busy at desks or on calls.
Compared to the old Huanyu Investment Company, Galaxy Securities had transformed beyond recognition.
After briefly inspecting various departments under Allen's leadership and hearing some reports, Lin Haoran took the elevator down to the parking garage.
"To Hong Kong Electric Group headquarters," Lin Haoran instructed Li Weidong after getting into the car.
"Yes, Boss," the driver responded.
The car started and slowly pulled out of Concordia Building.
Three plain-looking sedans followed closely behind.
Twenty minutes later, four cars pulled into the underground parking lot of Hong Kong Electric Group's headquarters.
After getting out, a patrolling security guard respectfully pressed the elevator button for him.
Soon, Lin Haoran arrived at Chen Shoulin's office.
"Boss, you're here," Chen said, standing up and coming to greet him.
"Yes. Tell me, how is Kenneth doing in the company?" Lin Haoran asked.
Indeed, Lin Haoran was considering taking Kenneth Ho with him to Japan.
But he didn't know if Kenneth would be willing.
Previously, after finishing negotiations with the British-backed consortiums, Lin Haoran had suggested that Kenneth transfer to Land Corporation.
Kenneth had declined at the time, feeling it wasn't good for his career to move so soon after joining Hong Kong Electric Group.
Everyone had their own plans and ambitions.
If someone was unwilling, Lin Haoran wouldn't force them.
After all, a forced melon is never sweet.
The last time he had seen Kenneth was during the critical negotiations —
where Kenneth had performed brilliantly, helping Lin Haoran privatize Land Corporation and deal a heavy blow to Jardines Matheson.
Several months had passed since then.
Although Lin Haoran occasionally visited Hong Kong Electric Group, he had never specifically inquired about Kenneth's situation.
"Boss, Mr. Ho is still serving as Deputy Director of the Finance Department," Chen Shoulin said.
"Honestly, with his abilities and contributions, he deserves a promotion.
I was actually thinking about recommending him as Group CFO or even as Assistant to the President."
"In December, during the negotiations with the Bangkok government for the hydroelectric project, Mr. Ho did an outstanding job.
He's talented, hardworking, and limiting him to a single department would waste his potential.
I think he should be involved in broader management matters.
He's young but already very capable.
Frankly, Boss, bringing him to Hong Kong Electric Group was a very wise decision."
Chen Shoulin, now in his late fifties, clearly understood that he wouldn't be at the helm for many more years.
The future belonged to younger talents.
And Kenneth Ho was someone he genuinely appreciated.
Chen's praise didn't surprise Lin Haoran.
He had long recognized Kenneth's brilliance.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have personally recruited him.
This year, Kenneth was thirty years old — still young by business standards — but he had already gained significant experience at Hong Kong Electric Group.
In Lin Haoran's previous life, Kenneth had also become a director at Hutchison Whampoa by his early thirties.
No matter how much history had changed because of Lin Haoran's arrival in this world, some natural talents were destined to rise.
Einstein had once said:
Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.
Kenneth wasn't just talented — he was hardworking too.
If he didn't succeed, who could?
"Is he in the office now?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"He should be," Chen replied.
"But the Finance Department has been busy recently, conducting audits across our subsidiaries.
They're often in and out."
"I'll go look for him myself," Lin Haoran said, waving off Chen's offer to fetch him.
He walked down the quiet corridor.
This floor housed Hong Kong Electric Group's management offices, so foot traffic was light.
Soon, he arrived at the Finance Department's area.
There, he spotted Kenneth holding a stack of documents, discussing something with another manager.
Someone noticed Lin Haoran's arrival and greeted him, prompting everyone in the office to look up.
Lin Haoran smiled and responded warmly to their greetings.
Then he said to Kenneth,
"Kenneth, come with me for a moment."
"Yes, Boss," Kenneth said quickly, placing the documents back at his desk.
He then followed Lin Haoran out of the office, leaving behind envious stares from the other staff.
Everyone knew that Kenneth enjoyed an especially close relationship with the Boss —
his future was bright.
Many silently wished they could have such luck too —
including the current Finance Director.
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