Chapter 8: I Want to Borrow Fifty Million

Take, for example, the Hong Kong Bumiputra Malaysia Finance Limited (BMF) right before us, which is currently facing such a situation.

Unable to obtain a Hong Kong banking license, they are forced to survive in Hong Kong under the guise of a finance company.

The background of Hong Kong Bumiputra Malaysia Finance is quite significant; it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank Bumiputra, a state-owned bank from Malaysia, and possesses substantial financial backing.

As the youngest son of the Wan On Group, Lin Haoran belongs to the upper echelons of Hong Kong society and already has a certain understanding of the local financial environment.

Moreover, having graduated from the London Business School, he knows for certain that he will be developing his career in Hong Kong, and thus pays particular attention to the city's financial industry.

Previously, while attending a business banquet with his father, Lin Wan'an, he had met Yang Changdao, the general manager of Hong Kong Bumiputra Malaysia Finance, once; that was during last summer break.

Pushing open the glass door, Lin Haoran walked in with his two subordinates.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?" Seeing Lin Haoran’s extraordinary bearing, the young receptionist greeted him with great enthusiasm.

"Is your General Manager Yang in? If he is, please go and tell him that Lin Haoran from the Wan On Group is here to see him about something."

An appointment, of course, he did not have; after all, Lin Haoran did not know this General Manager Yang's phone number.

But given his status, there was no need for an appointment at all.

The Wan On Group may not be a top-tier enterprise in Hong Kong, but it certainly has a certain level of prestige.

"Please wait a moment, I will go report to General Manager Yang immediately." Upon learning of Lin Haoran's identity, the young woman did not dare to be the least bit negligent and hurried off to report.

Less than a minute later, the young woman returned.

Following behind her was a middle-aged man in his forties.

This was none other than Yang Changdao, the person in charge of Hong Kong Bumiputra Malaysia Finance.

"Young Master Lin, your arrival truly makes our Bumiputra Finance feel honored."

"Uncle Yang, it has been a year since we last met, hasn't it? Time flies so fast. Seeing you looking so vigorous and radiant, I am truly happy for you. I presume your company’s performance has been thriving, your business flourishing, and your wealth pouring in from all directions during this time!"

As the two met, they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

It was clear that Yang Changdao also had a deep impression of Lin Haoran.

Lin Haoran’s use of the term "Uncle Yang" subtly bridged the distance between them.

Hearing Lin Haoran call him Uncle Yang, Yang Changdao’s smile grew even brighter.

"Come, Young Master Lin, let’s go sit in my office."

Lin Haoran nodded and instructed the Li Weiguo brothers to wait for him in the lounge outside.

Afterward, he followed Yang Changdao into the office.

Hong Kong Bumiputra Malaysia Finance was wealthy and powerful, having rented the entire 17th floor of the Admiralty Centre.

Yang Changdao’s office was decorated quite luxuriously.

"Would you like something to drink, Young Master Lin?" Yang Changdao asked after they sat down.

"No need for the trouble, Uncle Yang. You are my elder; just call me Haoran. My father has told me that you are an excellent entrepreneur, and if there is an opportunity, I should spend more time with you."

Lin Haoran had come with a purpose this time, so naturally, he had to be thick-skinned enough.

Yang Changdao might not be a major figure, but the Bank of Bumiputra behind him had deep pockets, and Lin Haoran was currently in need of money.

Therefore, it was necessary to build a closer relationship.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony and will take the liberty of acting like an elder, calling you Haoran directly. I wonder, what brings you to see me today? I have never liked beating around the bush, so let’s get straight to the point." Yang Changdao did not drag things out and went straight to the topic.

After all, they had only met once, and even if they were trying to build a rapport, they were still strangers to each other.

"Uncle Yang, I am here today to discuss a business deal with your company," Lin Haoran said with a smile.

"Haoran, are you representing the Wan On Group this time?" Yang Changdao’s words revealed a sense of anticipation and joy.

As the general manager of Bumiputra Finance, he naturally hoped for the company's performance to soar. However, it was clear that competition in Hong Kong's banking sector was too intense, and his company had no real advantage when competing with local banks.

Therefore, if he could cooperate with the Wan On Group, it would certainly bring him significant results.

The industry was too cutthroat, and as the person in charge of Bank of Bumiputra in Hong Kong, he had to find every possible way to improve performance.

He hadn't expected business to come knocking on his door today.

"Uncle Yang, I am representing myself this time, not the Wan On Group. I am looking to take out a loan from your company in my personal capacity," Lin Haoran said, shaking his head.

The matter of the Lin brothers competing to be the successor of the Wan On Group had not been disclosed, so naturally, Yang Changdao was unaware of it.

Lin Haoran’s words instantly left Yang Changdao feeling incredibly disappointed.

If it were an individual, the scale of the business would be much smaller.

However, Yang Changdao did not want to offend Lin Haoran; after all, perhaps he could use Lin Haoran to get a foot in the door with the Wan On Group!

Thinking of this, Yang Changdao asked, "Then, may I ask how much you are looking to borrow, Haoran?"

"I want to borrow 50 million Hong Kong dollars," Lin Haoran said, stating a figure that even he felt was nearly impossible.

He was short on cash right now, and the more capital he could command, the better. As for the future, he was confident he could pay it back with ease.

This figure shocked Yang Changdao.

He had originally thought that Lin Haoran would borrow at most 10 or 20 million Hong Kong dollars; in that case, even without collateral, he could have approved it based on Lin Haoran's status.

But 50 million Hong Kong dollars? That was simply impossible.

He shook his head directly and said, "Haoran, I’ll be blunt. If it were a loan in the name of the Wan On Group, I could approve even 100 million Hong Kong dollars. But if it’s a personal loan, I cannot lend you that much."

The Wan On Group had a market capitalization of over 100 million, but its asset valuation exceeded 200 million Hong Kong dollars. It was a high-quality listed company, and Yang Changdao knew that the stock market had severely undervalued it.

Therefore, if the loan were in the name of the Wan On Group, their company could indeed approve it.

Of course, he also knew that the Wan On Group rarely borrowed from banks, which was one of the reasons why the group's growth wasn't very rapid—a fact known to industry insiders.

If the Lin family didn't control over 50% of the shares, the Wan On Group would have long been secretly acquired by interested parties.

"Uncle Yang, I own a large cement plant under my name. This plant has an annual profit of over two million Hong Kong dollars and is currently my sole proprietorship. In addition, I have a plot of land in Yuen Long covering over 30,000 square meters. These can all be used as collateral."

Lin Haoran took the business registration certificate for the Huafeng Cement Plant and the land deeds out of his bag and handed them to Yang Changdao.

Yang Changdao took the registration certificate and the deeds and began to flip through them.