Chapter 335 Where should I put my face?
Under such a sharp contrast, Chow Tai Fook naturally became the target of everyone's criticism, while Hutchison Jewellery, in this way, became very popular!
The most obvious manifestation of this is the sales volume of the two during this period, one increased while the other decreased!
As a result, even Zheng Yutong couldn't figure out how much loss had been caused.
Zheng Jiachun shook her head, a little puzzled, and said: "No, these people didn't steal jewelry, they just smashed it and left. Even the clerks and security guards were not hurt."
Zheng Yutong breathed a sigh of relief subconsciously and said, "It's good that you don't steal the jewelry. As for the life and death of the employees, I don't care."
"Wait, are you saying that all of our sixty-two gold shops on Hong Kong Island were attacked at the same time?"
Zheng Jiachun nodded and said nothing.
Zheng Yutong had been in the business world for so many years, and he immediately felt that something was wrong with this matter. If such a large-scale action was said to be a coincidence, it would be an insult to his IQ.
However, after thinking hard, he didn't feel that he had offended anyone during this period, especially a big shot in the underworld.
"Could it be Lin Zehao?"
After this thought flashed through Zheng Yutong's mind, he quickly rejected it.
In his opinion, considering Lin Zehao's age, which is not even older than his son, he is very lucky to have earned his current fortune through business.
How is it possible that there is such a powerful underworld force?
Chow Tai Fook has 62 stores across Hong Kong Island. If they launched a smashing and looting attack of this scale at the same time, even if each store only sent out ten people, at least nearly 700 people would have to be mobilized!
Is this kind of thing possible for a young man like Lin Zehao?
Zheng Yutong didn't want to believe it, nor did he dare to believe it.
At this time, Zhou Cuiying also walked over quickly with an ugly look on her face. The first words she said when they met made Zheng Yutong's heart fall to the bottom.
"News has also come from the New World headquarters. The office floor was splashed with paint, and a group of people dressed in tight clothes entered the company and started smashing things and setting fire to a lot of documents."
"Two security guards stepped forward to stop them, but they were also scolded and are now lying in the hospital..."
"Husband, who did you offend? This happened just as Lin Zehao hung up the phone this morning..."
After a pause, Zhou Cuiying hesitated for a moment and said, "No, just call and apologize..."
Zheng Yutong snorted coldly and said, "A young man who is not even as old as Jiachun wants me to apologize to him? Then how can I, as a senior, put my face?"
"Besides, it's not that I look down on him, but how can a young man like Lin Zehao have such strength?"
Zhou Cuiying was also anxious, and her words were a little out of order. She said, "Now all 62 gold shops in Hong Kong Island are closed. If this group of people comes again tomorrow, what should we do?"
"You know how much we lose if we don't open for a day!"
"Besides, Chow Tai Fook is my father's hard work, it cannot be destroyed in your hands!"
As soon as these words came out, the butler standing outside the door was startled, and quickly tiptoed back, and gave a wink to the servants beside him.
This topic has always been a taboo in the Zheng family!
Zheng Jiachun on the side was also confused. His parents were arguing, and as the eldest son, it was not easy for him to interrupt, especially since it was such a sensitive topic. He could only lower his head, silently open the door, and walk out.
Zheng Jiachun leaned against the wall, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth and lit it.
After taking a deep breath, he exhaled along with the smoke and a long sigh.
Every family has its own problems. Although the Zheng family is considered a wealthy family in the eyes of ordinary people, it still has many troubles.
At this moment, in the room.
Zheng Yutong's eyes widened as if they were about to fall out of their sockets at any moment. He pointed his left index finger at Zhou Cuiying like a volcano about to erupt, and said word by word: "What are you talking about? What do you mean by your father's hard work?"
"When I took over Chow Tai Fook, it was just a small gold shop in Haojiang. If I hadn't worked tirelessly to run it, would it be what it is today?"
"Don't think that just because I'm a son-in-law, your Zhou family can use this to feed me for the rest of my life!"
"I'm telling you, if you make me unhappy, the worst that can happen is a divorce. I want to see what your Zhou family will be like without me, Zheng Yutong!"
Zheng Yutong's father was Zheng Jingyi, a silk merchant in Guangzhou. He was a fellow townsman and good friend of the gold merchant Zhou Zhiyuan.
Cheng Yutong only attended primary school. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1938, he dropped out of school and went to work at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Shop in Macau owned by his future father-in-law, Chow Chi-yuen.
As for the marriage with Zhou Cuiying, it was arranged by the parents of both parties.
From a certain perspective, Zheng Yutong’s development today is inseparable from the support of the Zhou family.
Of course, this is definitely closely related to his own abilities.
"Okay! Zheng Yutong, you've been with me for so many years, and I've really wronged you. You finally spoke out your true feelings!"
"Now that you have money and have become a wealthy man, you don't look down on a yellow-faced woman like me, right?"
"Don't think I don't know. You've been finding goddaughters everywhere these years, isn't it just to hear these bitches call you goddaddy in bed?"
Zhou Cuiying also exploded, turning all the grievances accumulated over the years into sharp knives and madly released them through her mouth!
"Since you want a divorce, I'll grant your wish!"
"Immediately find a lawyer and divide the family property clearly. This Chow Tai Fook brand is the legacy left to me by my father, not yours!"
"When the time comes, just take your goddaughters with you. I want to see if those bitches will still pay attention to an old thing like you if you don't have money in your pocket!"
After Zhou Cuiying finished speaking, she turned around and left, slamming the door angrily.
At this time, Zheng Jiachun, who had been waiting at the door, had just finished smoking a cigarette.
He threw the cigarette butt on the ground, put it out with his toes, straightened his suit, took a few deep breaths, and walked into the house.
As soon as she entered the door, Zheng Jiachun saw her father slumped on the sofa, covering his face with his hands, looking decadent and distraught.
Perhaps because he heard someone coming in, Zheng Yutong let out a long sigh, suppressed all kinds of thoughts in his heart, casually tidied up his messy hair, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed a number.
Soon, the call was answered.
"Yutong, I was just about to call you. I heard that New World's headquarters was smashed and a lot of documents were burned. What happened?"
"I'm in Singapore discussing business right now, and my phone is ringing non-stop. Did you offend someone?"
Sin Wai-kin is currently a director of Hang Seng Bank and also a shareholder of New World Development.
New World Development is a group company founded by Cheng Yu Tung, in which he owns 57 percent of the shares. Its main business is jewelry, but it also has interests in the hotel and real estate industries.
Most wealthy people will try to diversify their business after making their first fortune, and Cheng Yutong is no exception.
"You also know that for those of us who come out to do business, how can we not offend people?"
"There are only so many profitable businesses, so we have to use all means to grab them, otherwise how can we get to where we are today?"
"I'm calling you mainly to ask you, are you familiar with Lin Zehao from Hutchison Industries?"
Seeing this, Zheng Jiachun, who was standing by, took out a Jian brand cigarette from her pocket, took out a cigarette and handed it to her father.
Zheng Yutong glanced at Zheng Jiachun, said nothing, took it and put it in his mouth.
With the sound of flint rubbing against each other, the cigarette was lit.
"Lin Zehao?"
"What do you ask him to do?"
"Yutong, you won't offend him, right?"
On the other end of the phone, Xian Weijen, who was originally lying on a lounge chair on the hotel balcony, immediately straightened up subconsciously after hearing the name, and his tone became somewhat solemn and nervous.
"It's not an offense, I think it's just normal business competition..."
Zheng Yutong had already heard something was wrong, and immediately told the story of how he had asked someone to go to Hutchison Jewellery to cause trouble.
Of course, he certainly didn't tell the details so thoroughly and truthfully. After all, businessmen of their level don't care about their dignity.
Even so, Xian Weiken could basically understand that this matter was entirely caused by Zheng Yutong's provocation.
Xian Weijian stood up straight, his tone very solemn: "Yutong, you have been developing in Hong Kong Island for so many years, how come you don't even know someone like Lin Zehao?"
"Some time ago, the ceremony held by Hutchison was extremely lively. Although it was only spread in some specific circles, with your identity and status, it shouldn't be that difficult to find out about it, right?"
"You've been doing business for so many years, don't you understand that before you do anything, you should check the other party's identity?"
As a director of Hang Seng Bank and a member of the Chinese community, Sin Wai-kin is very sensitive to many kinds of information.
Because most of the time, banks make money from the information gap.
Although he had never met Lin Zehao, he had already heard of his name.
Now Zheng Yutong actually dared to offend Lin Zehao, Xian Weiken really couldn't understand it.
"I was on a business trip in Southeast Asia some time ago, how would I know about those underworld things?"
"But I definitely know about Hutchison Whampoa, one of the four major gangs in Hong Kong. However, Lin Zehao is not even as old as my son, so what great abilities can he have?"
"Weijian, just tell me what Lin Zehao's position is in Hutchison. I'll find a middleman to talk to his eldest brother. If it doesn't work, I'll just give in and give him a red envelope. It will always be solved."
Zheng Yutong exhaled a puff of smoke and subconsciously pressed his throbbing temple. He had suffered a major blow in his career, and his wife had just been clamoring for a divorce.
Faced with so many troubles at once, he felt a little depressed, and his mind wasn't working as flexibly as usual.
In other words, there is a feeling of confusion, although it is not obvious, but there is indeed a trend in this direction.
"Talk to his eldest brother? Give him a red envelope if you admit your mistake?"
"Yutong, you really think things are too simple. Since you know Hutchison Whampoa, don't you know Weilonghao?"
"Wei Longhao is the leader of Hutchison! He is the most powerful among the tens of thousands of people in Hutchison. Where can you find his big brother?"
At this moment, Xian Weijen on the other end of the phone had stood up straight. Although the sunshine in Singapore was very warm, he still felt a chill in his bones.
You know, although Cheng Yutong is the major shareholder of New World Development, he also has a portion of shares in it.
If the company suffered any losses because of offending Lin Zehao, he would also have to suffer the consequences.
It's like you're sitting in a hotel and something happens to you.
Moreover, Xian Weiken had already understood that although Zheng Yutong had various seemingly reasonable excuses, in fact, he just looked at Lin Zehao's youth and subconsciously did not take him seriously.
Although Lin Zehao's identity in the underworld is not known to everyone and is only circulated within a specific circle, for wealthy people of their level, if they really want to check, they will always find out.
This shows that Zheng Yutong had underestimated the enemy from the very beginning, and did not pay attention to many details. He did not even do the most basic background check, which eventually led to the bitter consequences.
Hearing Xian Weijen's words, Zheng Yutong subconsciously stood up straight, and the microphone in his hand fell to the ground. Xian Weijen on the other end of the phone heard a loud noise and quickly moved the microphone away from his ear.
It was not until the cigarette in his mouth burned Zheng Yutong's lips that the burning pain made him subconsciously wake up.
Zheng Yutong never expected that in his eyes, he was just a young man who hadn't even grown all his hair yet, but he was actually the leader of one of the four major gangs in Hong Kong Island!
Moreover, when did these uneducated scoundrels stop fighting for territory and collecting protection fees and actually start doing business?
The most important thing is, it’s not just about doing business, but doing it so well!
Just one company, Hutchison Jewellery, has only been established for a short time, but it has already shown signs of catching up with Chow Tai Fook!
He is the most powerful one in the gang and is also quite successful in business!
Are there really such perfect people in this world?
Zheng Yutong still calls himself a senior, but compared with Lin Zehao, he has been living a miserable life all these years.
"What's going on in this world?"
After Zheng Yutong sighed a few words, his heart immediately sank to the bottom.
He is a businessman doing honest business. If he offends such a gangster, will he have any chance to survive in the future?
He came from the era of跛豪 and knew how difficult these gang leaders were to deal with.
Even if the laws are sound now, these people would not dare to cause casualties, but with Lin Zehao's status in the underworld, he could completely prevent Chow Tai Fook from opening for business forever.
Even if the people he sent out were caught every time, given the size of Hutchison, Cheng Yutong would definitely not be able to hold on and would go bankrupt before all his subordinates were caught.
This is also the reason why many wealthy people who are making money in the right way are unwilling to offend the big guys in the underworld.
In this day and age, it may be difficult to make money, but if you want to make someone bankrupt, there are many ways to do it.
After realizing this, he quickly picked up the microphone on the ground and said in a panic, "Weijian, you have to help me at this critical moment."
"After all, you also have a share in New World Development. You don't want to see me go bankrupt, right?"
Xian Weijian sighed and said, "In fact, this matter didn't have to be brought to this point. I heard that this Wei Longhao is definitely a model of courtesy before force. He must have given you a chance, but you didn't cherish it."
Hearing this, Zheng Yutong's face looked a little ugly. He suppressed the anger rising in his heart and said, "He sent someone to kill my lucky diamond, and also threw the horse head on the bed in my bedroom!"
"If you are a man, who can tolerate such provocation?"
"Even if he is the leader of Hutchison, can he be so unscrupulous?"
After a pause, Zheng Yutong slowly said: "We live in a society ruled by law now. If he insists on being unreasonable, I will call the police and report Lin Zehao's gang identity!"
"He won't let me live, and I won't let him live well either. The worst that can happen is that both of us will suffer!"
Xian Weijian said quickly: "Don't be impulsive, and don't say such things again!"
"Do you think the Royal Hong Kong Island Police Force and the government don't know Lin Zehao's true identity?"
"You just said that we are now in a society ruled by law. You must provide evidence for everything. If you don't have any evidence, it's defamation!"
After Xian Weijian finished speaking, he suddenly felt thirsty. He picked up the water cup on the table and drank it all in one breath. He continued solemnly, "Don't blame me for not reminding you. Every industry has its own rules, especially the underworld, which pays more attention to this."
"If you break this rule, the consequences will definitely not be something you can bear. Even if you don't consider yourself, you should at least consider your family, right?"
"When those people do things, there is no such thing as bringing harm to their families."
At this moment, the little courage that Zheng Yutong had just felt up completely disappeared!
He couldn't accept the mere thought of bankruptcy, let alone physical extinction.
"Well, let me ask around for you to see if there is anyone willing to mediate."
"Don't be idle over there either, look for a suitable candidate too, and don't be stingy if you have to pay."
"I will contact you as soon as I have any news."
After Xian Weiken finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
Zheng Yutong hung up the phone in a daze, put the receiver back in its place, with a look of sadness on his face.
Zheng Jiachun considered carefully and asked, "Dad, what's going on? Is that Lin Zehao difficult to deal with?"
Zheng Yutong sighed, and slumped down on the sofa, saying, "It's not just difficult to deal with, it's like kicking a wall of iron."
"If I had known earlier, I should have admitted my mistake."
"Chow Tai Fook's 62 gold shops across Hong Kong Island are now unable to open for business. Not only is the daily loss a considerable sum, but it will also have an irreversible impact on the brand."
"You even want to get your mother's help and divorce me. You are being tough, but the loss is too great..."
Zheng Jiachun, who has been in the family business for such a long time, also understands that once the business is unable to operate, it means that there will be no liquidity coming in, which is very fatal for a high-cost, high-investment business like a gold shop.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that these wealthy people all look glamorous on the surface, wearing suits and ties, living in mansions, driving luxury cars, and having huge assets and workers.
(End of this chapter)
