He leaned back comfortably in the large, high-backed leather chair, and spoke to Chen Bi on the other end of the phone with a tone full of triumphant joking: "We haven't even started to block his supply of building materials by sea! We just expressed some 'reasonable concerns about his ability to manage the stable development of Hong Kong' to the outside world, and with these sieges from Chinese capital, with just this little pressure, this high-spirited 'Little Linsheng' rushed to the Governor's House to beg Murray MacLehose for help? Tsk tsk tsk tsk... He was so vulnerable! He didn't even use the chess move we had prepared for him!"
Newbigin picked up the silver cigar cutter on the table and casually trimmed the end of the cigar, continuing to tease, "If you ask me, Peter, you think too highly of him! Look at these poor moves he made! Normally, shouldn't he have immediately come to you, his 'creditor', and begged you for advice?"
He imitated the humble tone that Kobayashi Tenmo might use: "Sir Shen Bi, for the sake of HSBC's billion loan, I beg you to mobilize the power of the British capital circle to help me temporarily solve this urgent problem? I can sign a new supplementary agreement!"
Newbigin finished his exaggerated imitation and sneered, "If he had solved it privately, he would have only embarrassed a few people. If he had done it right, he could even have demonstrated his connections! But he chose the stupidest path! To petition the Governor's House? Did he really think he was a Hong Kong celebrity who could 'petition' the Queen's envoy? He greatly overestimated his own influence and the influence of those newspapers! And he also underestimated MacLehose's political skills!"
On the other end of the line, on the top floor of the HSBC Building, Shen Bi listened to Newbigin's taunts with a distant, polite smile on his face, his gaze sweeping across the tranquil surface of Victoria Harbour towards the Governor's Mansion. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were thoughtful.
"Maybe, Sir Newbigin. Young people... have just been hit by a huge cake and surrounded by wolves, so it's possible that they are confused for a moment." His tone sounded very gentle, as if he was explaining for Kobayashi Tianwang, but he immediately changed the subject, with a shrewdness that saw through everything.
"But... this move of his really caught me off guard. I thought he'd be smarter, that he'd find a way to balance things out with us at the table. Going to the Governor's Mansion now... Tsk, is he desperate?"
He shook his head slightly, his voice tinged with amusement. "Or... does he have other plans? He wants to use this public gesture of 'breaking off ties with Chinese capital' to present a bigger token of allegiance to Murray MacLehose and our core circle of British capital? In exchange for our true 'entry'? Let's see how Sir Murray MacLehose responds to this move... When an old fox takes on a young fox, there's always something interesting to watch."
While the two were talking on the phone, other British giants such as Swire Schmidt, Wheelock & Madden and others mostly watched the show with a nonchalant attitude.
They would either leisurely ask their secretary for a refill of coffee or make a few jokes about it in the club as the topic of the day. In their eyes, this was just a minor farce of internal strife among Chinese capital, mixed with an upstart's attempt to undermine the authority of the Governor's Office.
The final result was that Sir Murray MacLehose would perfunctorily give Kobayashi Tenmo a few conciliatory promises, allowing him to step down with dignity, while British capital would be happy to see Chinese capital continue to waste energy among themselves.
At this moment, inside Governor's House, the gardens were peaceful and pleasant. Mrs. Murray MacLehose, Teresa Tang, put down the latest briefing handed to her by the waiter, a hint of irony playing on her elegant lips.
She picked up the exquisite bone china teacup and gently blew away the cool air. "Look, dear, I've said it before, young people are young after all. Having just acquired the hot potato of Hong Kong Hong Kong, it's only natural that they'd get a little carried away. Now that they're facing backlash, how can they be so impatient? A 'tycoon' who owns a controlling stake in Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is following the example of a commoner and protesting at the gates of Governor's House?"
She shook her head, her tone tinged with disdain. "This isn't the wisdom of an Eastern businessman. It's more like a poor imitation of Western street politics. It's too... disrespectful of one's status."
Hong Kong Governor Murray MacLehose, dressed in light morning exercise attire, had just put down his dumbbells. He wiped the sweat from his temples with a warm towel, walked over to his wife, took the briefing and glanced at it.
"Can't keep your cool? Oh, not necessarily." His blue eyes flashed with the cold light and insight unique to politicians. "This Xiaolin Tianwang... he's smart, but this move..."
He paused briefly, picked up a small piece of avocado with his fork, and chewed it slowly. "As the Chinese would say, this is a low-level conspiracy. He figured that if he asked for a private meeting, I would definitely refuse on the grounds that 'commercial disputes are market behavior' and send him back to Shen Bi to handle it. Shen Bi can help him, but how much? How? It all depends on what kind of new indenture he is willing to sign!"
Murray MacLehose stood up, walked to the French window, and looked at the small number of onlookers who had begun to gather outside the mansion.
"That's why he pulled this stunt, bringing all the media hype with him, forcing me to respond to him in public. He wants to use public pressure to force me to publicly express my support for him?
Help him break the blockade of those Chinese tycoons like Huo Yingdong? Even... hinting that I should guarantee a smooth handover of the land for him? This idea..."
He turned back, a smile of control on his face: "That's too naive. You underestimate the political balance of the Governor's Office."
He took his wife's hand and said, "Let's go, my beautiful wife. The guests will be at the door soon. Let's have a good meeting with this young gentleman who has created a 'Kobayashi whirlwind' in Hong Kong Island... hehe." His tone was condescending and full of curiosity, as if he was waiting for a drama to begin.
Meanwhile, at Bao'an Airport, a flight from Beijing had just landed on the runway. Mr. Liao, accompanied by his entourage, quickly descended the gangway. The humid, hot air of the south hit him, bringing a distinctly different aroma from the north.
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