Chapter 785: How can I pick the melon from Huangtai again?
Du Weiguo naturally knows that Bao Yugang is also a famous rich man in Hong Kong Island. Although he is still far from reaching his peak, he has already begun to show his prominence.
His identity is far more than just an ordinary rich man, he is also a patriotic businessman, and at the same time, he is also a serious world shipping king.
Around the 1980s, when the chartering king's career was at its peak, his maritime transport capacity had even surpassed that of the two competing superpowers, the United States and Russia.
At that time, Bao Yugang's influence in the world was unparalleled and he was a guest of the Queen of England and prime ministers of various countries.
Of course, his fleet has just opened up, and the shipping business has just started. There are only a few old and dilapidated ships, and they are not large-scale.
As for the Strait of Malacca and Sumatra, it is true that pirates have always been rampant here, but ships carrying chemical raw materials have always been rarely robbed.
This thing is worthless at all. One ton only costs tens of dollars, and a fully loaded sea-going ship is only worth hundreds of thousands.
Therefore, pirates usually do not want to pursue such a ship. Whether it is asking for ransom or digesting it on their own, it is very difficult.
This group of bloody pirates opened their mouths and actually demanded a ransom of 20 million US dollars. Even the ship and the cargo were not worth it.
Sumatra is part of the Thousand Islands Country. Du Weiguo even wondered if the pirates had ulterior motives when they suddenly hijacked these ships, and if there was someone behind the scenes who was causing trouble!
"Xian Huo, the ship was detained. Is there any response from the government of the Thousand Islands Country?"
Du Weiguo tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table and asked in a deep voice. Mr. Huo looked gloomy and sneered, his tone both contemptuous and indignant:
"Hmph! Forget it, the government of the damn Thousand Islands Country responded very shamelessly. The ransom demands made by the pirates were just what they relayed.
As for the rescue, the excuse they gave was that the pirates were all hiding in the uninhabited jungle of North Sumatra, and they were beyond their reach and could do nothing."
Damn it! What a perfunctory excuse. Du Weiguo's eyes were cold. He was now convinced that this incident was no accident.
It is even possible that from beginning to end, it was simply a drama directed and performed by some people. The reason why Malacca pirates have repeatedly banned and succeeded frequently is that there is no possibility for a thousand-island country to guard and steal and support the pirates.
Huo Xian saw that Du Weiguo was silent and said carefully:
"Little friend, Lao Bao's business has just opened, and the capital is not very high, but he is also willing to pay 2 million U.S. dollars, please take action~"
Du Weiguo waved his hand:
"Mr. Huo, in this case, I will first go see Director Zhao of the Bank of China you mentioned, and then we will study the rescue issue."
"Okay, I will take you to see him now."
Mr. Huo simply agreed. He had been up and down for a long time and was well-versed in people. He naturally knew the priorities of things. That gentleman's call must be above all else and his priority was incomparable.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, the dark clouds dispersed. Room 806, Bank of China Building, Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong Island, is Director Zhao's office.
Director Zhao, whose full name is Zhao Mingwei, is a thin-looking middle-aged man, about 40 years old, wearing black-rimmed glasses, dressed simply, and elegant.
Zhao Mingwei's position is very interesting. He is called the Director of the Foreign Exchange Office. To put it bluntly, he is the person who manages China's overseas foreign exchange.
Zhao Mingwei is a typical person with low status and authority. According to China's current rank classification, his director is only the 15th level, deputy director, while Du Weiguo was already the 13th level, division level cadre two years ago.
According to the rules, he still has to call Du Weiguo the leader, hehe.
Zhao Mingwei is from Hunan Province. As early as 1955, he was sent to work on Hong Kong Island and has worked hard without complaint for 12 years.
Seeing Du Weiguo, Zhao Mingwei was very affectionate and even a little excited. He hurriedly stretched out his hand:
"Mr. Wesley, hello, hello, I have long admired your name."
No matter what the mountain, what song to sing, Zhao Mingwei is also smart and full of eyes, so he will not foolishly call the leader.
Du Weiguo also acted very cordially. He shook hands with him and said in a gentle tone: "Hello, Director Zhao. Nice to meet you."
Zhao Mingwei looked at Du Weiguo's young and handsome face, his eyes full of disbelief:
"Mr. Wesley, you look like a movie star. You are so dazzling. It's unbelievable that you are so famous. Hey, please take a seat."
Zhao Mingwei knew that he had made a mistake, so he quickly stopped talking with a smile and changed the topic. In fact, it was not surprising that he had such emotion, it was indeed a sentiment.
Du Weiguo is now wearing the same outfit as when he massacred the city on a rainy night last night.
He wears a black cowhide hunting jacket with a stand-up collar, black slim-fitting jeans, and a pair of high-waisted Magnum paratrooper tactical leather boots, with the boots tucked into the pants.
This smart outfit, combined with Du Weiguo's silhouette that resembles a sword or an axe, makes him look unrestrained and heroic.
Now that we have talked about it, let me just add a digression. In recent years, a very underworld way of dressing has become popular.
Just tie the legs of tight jeans into boots. Especially some so-called idols like to dress like this, which makes their legs look extremely short and ugly.
Soldiers wear trousers on their training uniforms for ease of movement and to prevent scratches. Jeans with trousers tied on the hems are pure cult, and a typical tiger-like image cannot be compared to a dog.
Uh, I digressed, and back to the topic, Du Weiguo looked calm and said it for him nonchalantly:
"Ha, why, don't I look like a notorious, murderous, and terrifying evil god?"
Zhao Mingwei quickly waved his hand:
"Mr. Wesley, you are joking. He is like arsenic and I am like honey. You are the crown prince of the country, a great hero who has shown great courage and courage. You are truly a hero. We all know it in our hearts."
"Ha! I don't dare to be considered a hero in the Qiancheng of the country. Director Zhao has given me too much praise."
Du Weiguo shook his head, laughed, and sat casually on the sofa. He saw an ashtray on the coffee table and lit a cigarette.
Zhao Mingwei's office is not big, with a simple layout, a desk, a file cabinet, and two small sofas against the wall.
After sitting down, Zhao Mingwei was busy making tea, but Du Weiguo waved his hand:
"Director Zhao, you're welcome. Mr. Huo has something urgent to ask me. Just wait downstairs. Let's get straight to the point. If you have anything to say, just say it."
"Ai ai."
Zhao Mingwei responded nonchalantly, rubbed his hands awkwardly and sat down, his expression a little embarrassed, and he hesitated to speak.
Du Weiguo raised his eyebrows and asked in as gentle a tone as possible:
"Oh, Director Zhao, you went through Huo Xian and went through a lot of trouble to find me. You must have something urgent to talk about. Let's stop playing charades and go straight to the topic, right?"
Zhao Weiming bit his lip, as if he had made up his mind, and then nodded heavily:
"Okay, Mr. Wesley, please wait a moment."
After finishing speaking, Zhao Weiming stood up and opened the roll cabinet on the wall. There was a pocket safe on the lower floor. After opening it quickly, he took out a letter and handed it to Du Weiguo with great care.
After receiving this pure white envelope with a red stripe, Du Weiguo's expression inevitably became solemn, and he swallowed subconsciously.
Opening the envelope, there was only a piece of letter paper inside, with strong fonts, iron hooks and silver paintings, and the content was very short:
Comrade Xiao Du, my words are like my face. I am very relieved to know that you have arrived in Hong Kong safely. I have understood your matter and you have been wronged~~
In fact, when he saw this title, Du Weiguo felt his nose was sore and his eyes were a little hazy. Comrade Xiao Du, a title that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
In an instant, Du Weiguo was brought back to Forty-Nine City. The anger in his heart was almost wiped away, and the blood that had cooled down began to boil again.
After reading it twice, Du Weiguo slowly folded the letter and carefully put it away.
(I really don’t dare to write more about this person’s content. Anyway, the general content is just encouragement. You can make up your own mind. This old dog is frightened and has already been banned.)
Du Weiguo was so emotional that even his eye circles were a little red. He took a few puffs of cigarette and exhaled the smoke for a long time. Then he calmed down and asked in a hoarse voice:
"Director Zhao, tell me, what exactly do you need my help with?"
Zhao Weiming had been paying attention to Du Weiguo's reaction. At this moment, he saw that his eyes were red and he could not control himself. Knowing that he was deeply attached to the motherland, a big stone fell in his heart:
"Mr. Wesley, it's like this. Due to the special situation recently, our bank has had many overdue loans and we cannot collect them.
Many factories with strong backgrounds are blatantly refusing to pay their debts, even refusing to pay the principal and interest."
Upon hearing this, Du Weiguo suddenly frowned, dumbfounded: "So, Director Zhao, do you mean to let me help you collect the bill?"
Zhao Weiming had an embarrassed look on his face, adjusted his glasses frame, glanced at Du Weiguo's face, and explained timidly:
"Mr. Wesley, I'm very sorry. I also know that this kind of thing is really overkill for you and is beneath your status.
But the recent overdue situation of our bank is so serious that it has affected the normal operation, and the demand for foreign exchange in the north is tight~~"
He rambled unhappily, and Du Weiguo became a little impatient. He crushed the cigarette butt and raised his eyebrows, like a sword unsheathed:
"Director Zhao, just tell me directly, how many overdue transactions are there? How much is the total?"
Zhao Weiming instantly felt a chill all over his body, shivered violently, gritted his teeth, and stammered:
"There are hundreds of overdue transactions. Added together, the total amount has exceeded HK$500 million."
Tsk! 500 million Hong Kong dollars is indeed a lot. If you calculate it, it is already more than 60 million US dollars. This is an astronomical figure.
You know, at the moment, the total foreign exchange reserves of China as a whole are only a few hundred million US dollars. Is this really a big deal?
Du Weiguo's eyes sharpened and his tone suddenly became cold:
"500 million! All this money is in foreign exchange? Are you using your foreign exchange reserves to make loan sharks?"
Zhao Weiming broke out in cold sweat on his forehead and hurriedly explained:
"No, no, no! Absolutely not, Mr. Wesley, you misunderstood. We are all conducting formal credit business of the bank.
You also know that the current situation is chaotic, and we dare not rush into the financial market, so we can only rely on short- and medium-term interest rates to survive."
Upon hearing this, Du Weiguo's face brightened slightly, but his tone was still cold:
"Since this is all formal credit business, how come we have accumulated hundreds of overdue loans? Why don't you take legal action?"
Zhao Weiming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hesitated:
"Let's go, let's go. We have repeatedly negotiated with the court, the police station, and the three departments, and even sent diplomatic notes. They are just kicking the ball, with very little effect~~"
Du Weiguo let out a breath of turbidity, and he already understood in his heart that this was obviously taking advantage of the situation! The situation in the north was special, beyond reach and powerless, so the Bank of China, which was alone overseas, became a piece of fat.
Du Weiguo frowned, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice:
"There are hundreds of overdue transactions. I can't help you collect them one by one. I'll just pick out a few of them that are the largest, the most difficult, and the most representative."
Zhao Weiming nodded vigorously, stood up quickly, picked up a thick document bag from his desk, and a directory:
"Mr. Wesley, I prepared these early in the morning. I also know that your time is precious, so I specially selected 6 large overdue transactions.
This is the loan contract and the list of debts owed. By the way, our bank is also willing to pay 6% commission. If it is not enough, it is okay~~"
Du Weiguo took the document bag and waved his hand carelessly:
"Forget it, you guys are living a hard life too. There is no need for commissions or anything like that. Save some money and support the North. I personally have done my own small part."
"Mr. Wesley, thank you, thank you. You just donated 100 million in supplies. You are indeed upright and selfless~~"
Zhao Weiming was so excited that his face turned red, his eye circles were red, and his eyes were filled with tears. He hurriedly thanked her, and his rainbow fart burst out as if he didn't want money.
You know, collecting commissions is a common practice that has been used since ancient times, and the 6% commission is not a small amount of money, it has already reached tens of millions.
For ordinary people, this amount of money is an astronomical sum that is out of reach, but for Du Weiguo, it is just a drizzle of money.
He really doesn't care about this small amount of money now. In Korea before, although the process was not pleasant, the income was not ambiguous at all.
The commission given by Reina was 5 million pounds, plus the 20 million US dollars blackmailed from the Freemasons by capturing the metal controller alive, this is equivalent to more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars.
Also, Du Weiguo did not work in vain this time when he wiped out his family. He earned HK$120 million and then donated HK$100 million to the mainland.
What the hell is this concept? It only took Du Weiguo almost a week to earn Lei Luo's lifetime wealth.
Therefore, he is really wealthy now, and he is not short of money at all. His current net worth will not be squandered in a few lifetimes.
Du Weiguo accidentally glanced at the list of outstanding debts at the top, and immediately became energetic. He raised his thick eyebrows and said in a teasing tone:
"Huh? This San Po Kong Yangtze Plastic Flower Factory owes HK$30 million. The creditor's name is Wu Gangsheng and Director Zhao. Is the boss behind this factory surnamed Li?"
Zhao Weiming nodded honestly, with a firm tone, and replied without hesitation:
"That's right, this plastic flower factory is affiliated to Cheung Kong Industries, and the owner's name is Li Jiacheng."
"Ah!"
Cheung Kong Industries, Li Jiacheng, and Du Weiguo sneered, curled their lips, and rubbed the directory in their hands with great interest.
What’s interesting is that it’s actually Li Chaoren, who is known as the purest businessman Li Chaoren.
1967 is the year when he started his career. This summer, a big event is about to happen in Hong Kong Island, and the situation is turbulent.
At that time, Li Chaoren played a relatively special role in it. Afterwards, he even publicly said a famous saying.
How can I pick melons from Huangtai again?
Zhao Weiming was also a discerning person with a clear mind. He immediately noticed that Du Weiguo's expression was different, and he quickly asked carefully:
"Mr. Wesley, you, do you have any connection with Cheung Kong Holdings?"
Du Weiguo shook his head, put the directory into the portfolio, and handed it back to Zhao Weiming again:
"Director Zhao, I have taken over the collection work of your bank, but I have some other urgent matters to deal with now, which may take a few days."
Zhao Weiming put the portfolio aside, nodded to express understanding, and held a business card in both hands and handed it to Du Weiguo with a humble tone:
"Okay, Mr. Wesley, I'll wait for you. Here are my office and home phone numbers. If you need my cooperation for anything during this period, you can contact me at any time."
At noon, the sun was shining brightly, and Du Weiguo drove a brand new, extremely stylish BMW 507, a black convertible sports car, directly to Reina's office.
This car is so eye-catching and so showy that passers-by turned their attention to it. This car is Bao Yugang’s personal collection and he was entrusted to Mr. Huo to give it to him as a deposit.
It is the only one in Hong Kong Island and there are a total of 6 in Asia. To be honest, this is the first time that Du Weiguo has driven such a high-profile car.
Lei Na was somewhat surprised by Du Weiguo's sudden visit. The scene of the two breaking up on bad terms early this morning was still vivid in her mind.
In particular, Du Weiguo also adopted such a high-profile way of appearing, like a peacock spreading its tail, like a playboy who is inexperienced in worldly affairs.
If something goes wrong, there must be a monster. What kind of trouble is this guy going to do? Reina couldn't help but feel her heart beat.