Chapter 84

"From here, you can overlook Victoria Harbour; it's really nice," Li Xu said, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass window, gazing at the shimmering bay outside.

"Mr. Li mentioned the need for an office with a beautiful view, so I chose to rent office space in Jardine House," a courteous Chinese man in his thirties said beside him.

Li Xu smiled but did not respond. As Hong Kong's first skyscraper, Jardine House indeed had a great view, situated right by the bay. Even in seven or eight years, when the island would be filled with high-rise buildings, it wouldn't be obstructed.

However, if possible, he would prefer to rent office space in the Standard Chartered Building. After all, in his plans, that was the first target outside the entertainment industry and the only one he needed to operate in Hong Kong.

Think about it, nine years later, foreign capital would withdraw from the north, but only Standard Chartered, under his control, would guarantee the north. How much would the return be?

Jardine was too large, with industries spread worldwide, and had to follow political steps. Standard Chartered's main business was in Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and without a change like Zhao Yaxi, the possibility of controlling Standard Chartered was higher.

Of course, this was not an easy task and required his parents' cooperation. Before the situation became clearer, he could only prepare on his own.

Moreover, the Standard Chartered Building was a bit far from the bay. It wasn't a problem now, but in seven or eight years, the view would definitely be blocked. After the Bank of China Tower was completed, they would move over, so he decided against it.

Even if Hong Kong was just a stepping stone, he still wanted to be comfortable.

"Hong Kong's affairs are currently entrusted to you. Although it's not easy to open up the situation, it's also an opportunity, right, Todd?" Li Xu turned and smiled.

"Yes, Mr. Li," the Chinese man still had a courteous expression.

His surname was Chen, his Chinese name was Chen Bolan, and his English name was Todd. He was born and raised in Hong Kong but attended high school and university in the United States, graduating from the University of Virginia and studying at Harvard Business School. He had worked as a trader on the New York Stock Exchange and managed some investment companies.

Li Xu needed someone in Hong Kong with certain interpersonal relationships, bold and meticulous, greedy but not blinded, and trustworthy to manage the business here. So his father recommended Todd Chen and gave a hint: Sakuyama Satoru.

Li Xu understood immediately. After a few words, the Chinese man in his thirties became the general manager of the branch.

It was simple. Sakuyama Satoru was a Japanese man, known in English as David Phillips. His father was an editor at the Asahi Shimbun who entrusted his son to a professor named John Phillips, who served the U.S. Air Force in Japan, out of admiration for the "beacon of humanity."

Thus, the Japanese boy Sakuyama Satoru was adopted by Phillips and lived in Long Beach, California, for 13 years. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, he joined Morgan Stanley's securities department.

However, the immigration bureau later questioned the adoption and deported him—according to the available records, at least.

Thus, Sakuyama Satoru became the representative of Morgan Stanley's Tokyo office, quickly gaining the trust of some people, frequently visiting the Ministry of Finance without arousing suspicion, and successfully opening a new chapter for Morgan Stanley in Tokyo.

Even in 1977, when the Financial Services Agency investigated an economic case and noticed something amiss, the investigation came to nothing.

From this, it was clear that American capital's penetration into Japan was pervasive. In 1984, Morgan Stanley's successful establishment of a branch and issuance of securities in Japan was a natural progression.

This method of cultivating agents had existed for decades, such as the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program. So, with his father's resources, finding a targetedly cultivated Chinese person, though not easy, was not impossible.

Of course, trust was one thing, and ability was another. Even if his evaluation report looked good, this was not the United States.

"For the next year, I will give you full authority. Unless there are special circumstances, I won't interfere with your operations," Li Xu continued. "In addition, try to acquire some Standard Chartered shares without alarming them."

"Yes, Mr. Li," Chen Bolan nodded and then asked, "Is our ultimate goal to enter Standard Chartered's board of directors?"

"Indeed, but there's no rush. We have at least five years to achieve this," Li Xu smiled. "For now, focus on your own tasks."

"I understand," Chen Bolan nodded again.

"That's it. I'll leave in two days, and I'll leave this to you for now." Patting the man's shoulder, Li Xu left the office and looked at the work area, which, though not crowded, was well-organized and complete, and praised it in his heart.

Being able to establish a company that could operate smoothly from scratch in two weeks, even with many issues to resolve, still made him a competent manager.

"Don't disappoint me, Todd." Li Xu said as he walked to the lobby, left the building, and got into the car prepared for him.

Actually, if everything went as planned, there would be a huge deal by the end of the year, which would be a good opportunity to open up the situation. However, Li Xu, wanting to further test Chen Bolan's abilities, would not tell him now.

The car quickly left the bustling Central district and drove up to Victoria Peak, stopping at a modern-style villa at the top.

The villa, about 400 square meters, had a garden, swimming pool, and garage, but they were all relatively small, far from comparable to those in Long Island, Beverly Hills, or the Bay Area.

After all, Hong Kong was a small place. A 200-square-meter house was considered a luxury, and a 400-square-meter one was a high-end luxury. To live in a thousand-square-meter mansion, one would have to go to Clearwater Bay, Tolo Harbor, or the New Territories.

However, the former two were not yet developed, and the latter was not even considered for development. So, when sending Chen Bolan to buy a house, after much consideration, they chose Victoria Peak.

"I'm back." After the servant opened the door, Li Xu walked in and called out.

Surprisingly, no one was in the living room.

"Mr. Li, the two ladies are on the rooftop balcony," the servant said.

"Thank you." Li Xu nodded politely.

He quickly went to the rooftop, which, though only about 400 square meters in area, had a much larger usable space.

If the area couldn't be expanded, the volume could, so many villas developed upwards, like the mountain city in the north.

Unfortunately, the villa Li Xu bought was a bit old, with only two floors plus the rooftop, while some newly built villas in other areas had three floors.

"Ha, you two are quite relaxed." On the rooftop, seeing Deng Lijun and Zhao Yaxi drinking tea under an umbrella, Li Xu greeted them with a smile.

"You're back." Deng Lijun waved with a smile, looking relaxed and happy, in stark contrast to Zhao Yaxi.

Although Zhao Yaxi was no longer as desperate and disoriented as when they first met, she still seemed listless and distracted, lacking the energy to do anything.

Having a 747 as a private jet was indeed impressive. Deng Lijun had been amazed, as had Shuang Lin, and now it was Zhao Yaxi's turn. Unfortunately, it wasn't his; it was his father's, though he could use it freely, it wasn't his own.

If he wanted to buy a 747 and have it modified... it wasn't unaffordable, but it would be troublesome to maintain and require hiring a crew and flight attendants... oh, that would add three or four more positions, not bad at all.

Thinking this, Li Xu sat down next to Deng Lijun. "I remember you said the Cantonese album was almost done. How about taking a vacation in the U.S. first?"

"Not that fast. We've only recorded four songs, and most of the time was spent on 'A Thousand Miles of Parting' and 'Where in Life Can We Not Meet Again?'" Deng Lijun pouted.

"But you can still take a break. After all, PolyGram has scheduled it for release in December," Li Xu said casually, putting his arm around her waist.

He noticed the change in her. If she had maintained a certain distance before, now she used small tricks to attract his attention.

Whether this was a subconscious act or a deliberate one, it was good for Li Xu.

"But there's still a lot to do, like taking promotional photos, making posters, and discussing promotional strategies," Deng Lijun sighed.

"That's so troublesome. How about I buy a TV station to help with the promotion?" Li Xu joked.

"Which one? TVB or ATV?" Deng Lijun asked immediately.

"Whichever one is willing to sell," Li Xu laughed. "We can set up a music channel and play your music 24/7."

Seeing them banter, Zhao Yaxi bit her lip, looking flustered and agitated, not dismissing his "big talk."

After all, besides the 747, there was also a villa on Victoria Peak. Others might not understand what this meant, but as a Hong Kong resident, she did.

Villas on Victoria Peak were almost exclusively occupied by foreigners, and they were all wealthy and influential, either high-ranking officials of the Hong Kong British government or executives of large groups like Jardine and Swire.

Almost no Chinese could live there, even the wealthy. Although Hu Wenhu had a villa here in the 1940s, very few could break this rule, which is why there was a half-mountain villa area.

A man with a Boeing 747 as a private jet, a super-luxury villa on Victoria Peak, and the ability to have the Taiwan Military Intelligence Bureau send women to please him... even if he looked young and handsome and was just an adult, the information he conveyed was already terrifying.

If Zhao Yaxi had any hope when she first met Li Xu, now she had no desire to struggle.