Chapter 8 I Want to Borrow Fifty Million
For example, the Hong Kong Malay Yumin Finance Company in front of him was facing exactly this kind of situation.
They had been unable to obtain a banking license in Hong Kong and could only operate under the name of a finance company.
Hong Kong Malay Yumin Finance Company had considerable backing—it was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Malaysian government's Yumin Bank, with strong financial resources.
As the young master of Wanan Group, Lin Haoran belonged to the upper class of Hong Kong society and already had some understanding of Hong Kong's financial environment.
Moreover, having graduated from the London Business School, he was fully aware that his future would remain tied to Hong Kong, so he had paid particular attention to the financial industry.
Previously, while accompanying his father Lin Wanan to a business banquet, Lin Haoran had met Yang Changdao, the general manager of Hong Kong Malay Yumin Finance Company—that was during last summer.
Pushing open the glass door, Lin Haoran entered with his two subordinates.
"Sir, do you have an appointment?" asked the receptionist politely, noticing Lin Haoran's extraordinary aura.
"Is Manager Yang in? If he is, please tell him that Lin Haoran from Wanan Group is here to see him."
Of course, Lin Haoran didn't have an appointment; he didn't even have Manager Yang's phone number.
But with his status, an appointment wasn't necessary.
Wanan Group might not be one of Hong Kong's top-tier companies, but it was still fairly well-known.
"Please wait a moment. I'll inform Manager Yang right away," said the receptionist, hurrying off respectfully after hearing Lin Haoran's identity.
In less than a minute, the receptionist returned, followed by a man in his forties.
This was Yang Changdao, the person in charge of Hong Kong Malay Yumin Finance Company.
"Young Master Lin, what an honor to have you visit our Yumin Finance Company!"
"Uncle Yang, the last time we met was already a year ago. Time really flies. Seeing Uncle Yang still looking so vigorous and radiant truly makes me happy. I'm sure your company must have been flourishing and prosperous lately!"
The two exchanged pleasantries as they shook hands.
Clearly, Yang Changdao had a strong impression of Lin Haoran.
Lin Haoran calling him "Uncle Yang" subtly brought them closer together.
Sure enough, Yang Changdao's smile grew even broader.
"Young Master Lin, come, let's sit down in my office."
Lin Haoran nodded and instructed Li Weiguo and Li Weidong to wait in the lounge outside.
Then he followed Yang Changdao into his office.
Hong Kong Malay Yumin Finance Company had deep pockets and had directly leased the entire 17th floor of Admiralty Centre.
Yang Changdao's office was luxuriously decorated.
"Would Young Master Lin like something to drink?" asked Yang Changdao after they sat down.
"No need to trouble yourself, Uncle Yang. You're my elder—just call me Haoran. My father often told me that Uncle Yang is an outstanding entrepreneur and that I should interact with you more if given the chance," Lin Haoran said, thickening the atmosphere of familiarity.
After all, he had come today with a purpose and needed to be tactful.
Yang Changdao might not be a particularly big figure himself, but he had the powerful Yumin Bank backing him, and right now, Lin Haoran desperately needed money.
Thus, building a closer relationship was very necessary.
"If that's the case, I'll shamelessly act like an elder and call you Haoran directly. So, Haoran, what brings you here today? I've never liked beating around the bush, so let's get straight to the point," Yang Changdao said candidly.
After all, despite the surface familiarity, they were not truly close.
"Uncle Yang, I'm here today to discuss a business deal with Yumin Finance Company," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
"Haoran, are you here on behalf of Wanan Group?" Yang Changdao asked expectantly, his eyes lighting up.
As general manager, he naturally hoped to boost his company's performance. But clearly, the intense competition in Hong Kong's banking industry made it difficult for finance companies like Yumin to gain an advantage over local banks.
Thus, if Wanan Group sought cooperation, it would be a significant achievement for him.
Competition among peers was too fierce; as the Hong Kong head of Yumin Bank, Yang Changdao had to think of every possible way to improve performance.
And now, unexpectedly, a big deal seemed to have come to his doorstep.
"Uncle Yang, I'm here on my own behalf, not representing Wanan Group. I wish to take out a personal loan from Yumin Finance Company," Lin Haoran said, shaking his head.
The rivalry between the Lin brothers for Wanan Group's succession was not public knowledge, so naturally, Yang Changdao knew nothing about it.
Hearing Lin Haoran's words, Yang Changdao immediately felt disappointed.
If it were a corporate loan backed by Wanan Group, the amount would be substantial.
But a personal loan would only count for much less in his performance metrics.
Still, Yang Changdao didn't want to offend Lin Haoran; after all, through him, he might still establish a connection with Wanan Group.
With that in mind, Yang Changdao asked, "So, how much does Haoran wish to borrow?"
"I want to borrow fifty million Hong Kong dollars," Lin Haoran said, quoting a figure so large even he found it nearly unbelievable.
Right now, he urgently needed money—the more, the better. As for repayment, he was confident it wouldn't be a problem later.
This shocked Yang Changdao.
He had originally thought Lin Haoran might request ten or twenty million, which, considering Lin Haoran's background, he could have approved even without collateral.
But fifty million? That was simply impossible.
He shook his head and said frankly, "Haoran, let me be honest. If this were on behalf of Wanan Group, even a hundred million would be no problem. But if you're borrowing personally, there's no way I can approve fifty million."
Wanan Group's market capitalization was over a hundred million HKD, but its actual asset valuation exceeded two hundred million. It was a very solid listed company—Yang Changdao knew this well.
Thus, if the loan were on Wanan Group's name, Yumin Finance Company would readily approve it.
However, he also knew that Wanan Group rarely borrowed from banks, which was one reason its development was somewhat slower—a fact known throughout the industry.
If not for the Lin family controlling over 50% of its shares, Wanan Group might have already been secretly taken over.
"Uncle Yang, I personally own a large cement factory with an annual profit exceeding two million HKD. I also own over 30,000 square meters of land in Yuen Long. I can use these as collateral," Lin Haoran said, taking out Huafeng Cement Factory's business registration certificate and the land title deed from his bag and handing them to Yang Changdao.
Yang Changdao accepted the documents and began reviewing them carefully.
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