In a short time, financial institutions throughout Hong Kong, as well as Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States, began to take action.
Telephone exchanges continued between different locations, discussing the veracity of the kidnapping case of Li Ka-shing's son and its impact on various aspects.
Those investment banks and financial giants saw an opportunity and prepared to bare their fangs, wanting to tear a piece of flesh from the Li family's business empire.
After all, such an opportunity is extremely rare.
Even the other three of Hong Kong's four major families are starting to get restless.
However, they remained patient, knowing just how deep Li Ka-shing's foundation was.
Even if the kidnappers demanded HK$1 billion, or even HK$10 billion, it would only be a significant blow to Li Ka-shing, but certainly not a fatal one.
Li Ka-shing's biggest weakness actually lies in rescuing his son.
If his rescue efforts fail, or if the rumors in those tabloids are true, that would be a fatal blow to Li Ka-shing.
After all, over the years, Li Ka-shing has cultivated an image of a kind, honest, and trustworthy elder in the business world, emphasizing win-win situations, benefiting himself as well as his partners and even competitors, rather than ruthlessly eliminating them.
If this matter is not handled well, and Li Ka-shing's reputation is damaged, it would be a significant blow to him.
Of course, it's hard to say whether things will escalate to that point, or to what extent they will be damaged.
Although all the major families have their own secrets and shady dealings.
However, precisely because of this, everyone is wary. Without absolute certainty, they won't reveal these things, fearing that their opponents will also reveal their vulnerabilities.
At most, these families will seize the opportunity to expand their influence, and even use some of the peripheral forces they control to do things, such as targeting the Li family's businesses.
Meanwhile, families that had good relations with Li Ka-shing, or second- or third-tier wealthy individuals who wanted to climb up to the Li family, all offered their help, hoping to help the Li family overcome this crisis.
After all, this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
As a result, those families who lacked connections and only had modest wealth became extremely anxious and scrambled to find ways to join this grand event.
Think about it, I can befriend the Li family and secretly gain some benefits at the same time, why not?
As the news gradually spread, Li Ka-shing's phone rang incessantly.
The calls were all from Hong Kong's top tycoons. They expressed their condolences to Li Ka-shing, confirmed the authenticity of the matter, and offered to do their utmost to provide assistance if needed.
Li Ka-shing answered all of these calls personally.
Despite his heavy heart and troubled mind, and the fact that he had talked too much and felt parched and short of breath, Li Jiacheng still insisted on continuing the call with them.
He repeatedly expressed his gratitude to them, saying that they had been too kind and that everything was fine at home. He concluded by saying, "Let's have tea together sometime."
From the moment he received the first phone call, Li Jiacheng's expression became extremely serious.
He now understands the purpose of his friends' calls, and he also anticipates that if things are not handled properly, his business and even his family's business will be greatly affected.
And what is most important to him right now?
Is it an industry?
No, industry is certainly important, but in his view, what is most important to him is his reputation, his image as a kind, generous, honest and trustworthy elder.
If this image collapses, then subsequent development will encounter enormous difficulties, and even his business empire will be severely damaged.
As the saying goes, "Small victories rely on intelligence, great victories rely on virtue."
He believes that to expand one's business and gain the trust of others, the most important thing is to maintain one's image, making people think that one is reliable, moral, worthy of friendship, and someone with whom one can do business.
Therefore, although Li Jiacheng felt guilty and sorry for his wife Zhuang Mingyue, he still presented a loving image to the outside world.
Of course, Zhuang Mingyue has rarely appeared in public in the past two years, citing poor health as the reason.
Now, he knows he must handle the matter of his son Richard Li being attacked and kidnapped properly.
If not handled properly, one's public image may collapse, and then the glory may very well vanish.
Of course, this possibility is unlikely, but it's always good to be prepared.
Similarly, as a capitalist, he knew the nature of capital, which is that it "abhors a vacuum."
Once he shows any weakness or signs of fragility, they will pounce on him like bloodthirsty sharks, until they devour him until only bones remain.
So he realized that he had to save his son and do everything in his power to do so.
The more disheveled and embarrassed they are afterward, the more they can demonstrate their deep love for their children.
Conversely, if one appears to be unharmed, it may arouse suspicion from the outside world.
Therefore, as soon as he hung up the phone, he instructed Li Zeju to speed up the fundraising process.
He emphasized, "We must do it at all costs, even if it means mortgaging important assets, as long as we can obtain funds more quickly."
It must be said that Hong Kong in 1993 was not as good as it was in 1996, at least in terms of the amount of cash it held, which made it very difficult for them to raise cash.
Upon hearing Li Jiacheng's words, Li Zeju could hardly believe it.
He never imagined that his father would actually be willing to spend so much money to rescue Ah Kai.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel ashamed. He had actually doubted that his father didn't want to save A-Kai. What a beast he was!
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