Chapter 179: Forming the Intelligence Department
After settling the negotiations with the Ma family, Lin Haoran's next step was naturally to finalize the transaction as quickly as possible. Originally, he had planned to purchase Oriental Press Group through Hongkong Electric Holdings. That way, he could both save HK$200 million and still control the newspaper — a perfect win-win.
However, considering the need to secure the deal with the Ma family immediately — lest they change their mind and call off the sale — he decided it was better to act quickly. Acquiring Oriental Press through Hongkong Electric, although feasible since he controlled the company, would still require going through formal board approval procedures, which would waste time. Right now, with nearly HK$4 billion in liquidity, spending HK$200 million was trivial for Lin Haoran.
Moreover, once he sold Changye Building next year, he could easily recoup over HK$300 million. Located in Wan Chai's core district and standing 18 stories tall, Changye Building was actually in a stronger location than Wan'an Group's headquarters in Causeway Bay, although it had a slightly smaller footprint. Once sold, Lin Haoran would not only have acquired Hong Kong's top-selling newspaper practically for free but would even make a handsome profit of at least HK$100 million.
From the moment the Ma brothers agreed to the deal, Lin Haoran set things into motion. In just over three hours — from auditing Oriental Press Group's assets, to signing the contract, transferring the funds, and officially becoming the new owner — everything was completed. It was an incredibly fast transaction.
"Mr. Ma, it's been a pleasure working with you. I wish the Ma family great success in Taiwan," Lin Haoran said, shaking Ma Chengkun's hand warmly.
"Thank you for your good wishes!" Ma Chengkun responded. After shaking hands, he turned to glance around the office one last time. From today onwards, this place no longer belonged to him. There was a bittersweet sadness in his eyes. Selling the Ma family's last asset in Hong Kong had happened so suddenly that even now, after finalizing the deal, it didn't feel entirely real.
Inside the general manager's office of Oriental Press Group, besides Lin Haoran and Ma Chengkun, two other people were present: Deputy General Manager Cui Zilong, who oversaw the company's day-to-day operations, and Chief Financial Officer Han Ning. Since Oriental Press was a private company, even a major ownership change didn't require any public announcements — unlike listed companies with strict disclosure rules.
Lin Haoran had no intention of announcing the change publicly, at least for now. As long as the senior management kept it quiet, his acquisition would remain a secret in the short term. He had his reasons for this discretion. When negotiating with Land Holdings, he had sensed that Percy Niblett suspected he might be planning a takeover. Therefore, he had to keep a low profile for the time being.
Announcing another major acquisition would only attract unnecessary attention. Although Hongkong Electric already held shares in Land Holdings, it was crucial that Huanyu Investment's continued accumulation of shares remained under the radar.
"Mr. Ma, Mr. Cui, Mr. Han, please have a seat. Let's chat," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
"Of course, Boss," the two executives replied in unison, following him to the seating area.
As media professionals, they were well aware of Lin Haoran's growing reputation and treated him with great respect.
"Mr. Han, tell me about the financial situation of Oriental Press Group," Lin Haoran requested.
"Boss, Oriental Press has four main revenue streams," Han Ning began to explain. "First, rental income from Changye Building. It's an 18-story tower; except for the 6th and 7th floors used by our own staff, the remaining 16 floors are leased out, generating just over HK$1 million per month. Second, advertising revenue from our newspapers and magazines, which brings in over HK$2 million monthly. This is our largest and most stable source of income."
"Third, newspaper and magazine sales revenue — both subscriptions and retail. Higher circulation directly boosts this income. Oriental Daily consistently leads Hong Kong's newspaper sales, rarely falling below 100,000 copies daily, sometimes peaking at nearly 300,000. Oriental Weekly magazine also sells between 50,000 and 100,000 copies monthly. Combined, they generate about HK$1 million to HK$1.5 million in monthly revenue."
"Fourth, book publishing, including martial arts novels, science books, and other genres, contributes an additional few hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars monthly."
"In addition," Han Ning continued, "we also boost revenue through events like journalism seminars and exhibitions. These activities enhance brand visibility and attract more sponsorships. We also offer value-added services like market research, data analysis, and news content licensing, though these bring in modest amounts compared to our main businesses."
"Altogether, Oriental Press Group earns about HK$5 million in revenue per month. On an annual basis, that's around HK$50 million to HK$60 million."
Although our expenditures are not small either, averaging around three million Hong Kong dollars per month, fortunately, we own our property and do not need to pay rent while still collecting rental income. Combined with the fact that our newspaper has maintained the top circulation in Hong Kong for years, our company's revenue and profits are among the leaders in the newspaper industry. Additionally, we have some overseas business, primarily in regions with large Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. However, the market share overseas is relatively small, and the profits are almost negligible. As of now, the company has over 5.54 million Hong Kong dollars in cash on hand," Han Ning finished his detailed report to Lin Haoran.
Ma Chengkun had been quite fair, selling the company to Lin Haoran without withdrawing the available cash.
Lin Haoran silently listened to Han Ning's report.
For Oriental Press Group to have only about three million Hong Kong dollars in monthly profit — and that figure including rental income — did not surprise Lin Haoran.
After all, his interest in acquiring Oriental Press was never about how much money it made but rather about the value it could provide in intelligence gathering, public opinion control, and advertising reach.
"Alright, Mr. Han. You may return to work now. Also, for the time being, please do not publicize the fact that I am now the owner," Lin Haoran instructed.
"Understood, Boss," Han Ning replied respectfully and left the office.
Lin Haoran then turned his gaze toward Cui Zilong, who was still seated nearby.
This Deputy General Manager was no ordinary figure. Cui Zilong had been handpicked by Ma Xizhen a few years ago, possessing great natural talent in corporate management.
Although only in his early thirties, he had successfully managed the massive Oriental Press Group, maintaining Oriental Daily's position as Hong Kong's top-selling newspaper — no small feat.
Cui Zilong: [Loyalty: 79/100]
From the loyalty level, Cui Zilong's loyalty to the company was merely moderate. Not particularly high, but not low either. Perhaps it was because the Ma family had completely withdrawn from Oriental Press, leaving him feeling a bit disillusioned, causing his loyalty to waver.
"Boss, I wonder what plans you have for my position?" Cui Zilong asked frankly.
He assumed Lin Haoran would soon replace the senior management with his own trusted people, and he wasn't very optimistic about being retained. Still, with his abilities, he was confident he could find another position elsewhere if necessary.
"I've looked into your background. I know you're a very capable person. I plan to promote you to General Manager and continue entrusting you with the management of Oriental Press Group. As for myself, you know I have many businesses under my control — Qingzhou Cement, Wan'an Group, Hongkong Electric Holdings — so I don't have much time to personally manage everything here. What do you think?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
Cui Zilong looked surprised.
He hadn't expected that not only would Lin Haoran not dismiss or demote him, but he would actually promote him.
Although he had been de facto in charge before, his title had always been Deputy General Manager — a position with some limits.
From Lin Haoran's tone, it was clear that he truly intended to hand over full management authority to him.
This was undoubtedly a positive development.
"Thank you, Boss, for your trust. I will not let you down!" Cui Zilong said solemnly.
His loyalty level immediately rose from 79 to 85.
Seeing this, Lin Haoran nodded in satisfaction. Now that was more like it!
"Although I won't interfere too much in day-to-day operations, I will pay close attention to developments here. Also, I need you to take on an important task. I hope you won't disappoint me," Lin Haoran said, fixing his gaze on Cui Zilong.
"Boss, please give your instructions!"
"I want you to use Oriental Press Group's existing resources to form an intelligence department dedicated to gathering critical business information and reporting it to me promptly. Additionally, when I have specific intelligence needs, I will instruct you to obtain that information. Do you understand?" Lin Haoran said seriously.
In this era of information explosion, we are constantly surrounded by a sea of data and intelligence. From newspaper headlines to street gossip, from market rumors to policy shifts — all this information can be crucial in accumulating wealth.
As the saying goes, "Place intelligence and information first, and wealth will follow. The depth of what you know determines the height of what you achieve."
This accurately captured the essential role of information in the pursuit of success.
Moreover, timing was critical.
The earlier one obtained crucial information, the greater the advantage.
Why had Lin Haoran been able to amass such a fortune in just two years?
It was because, as a transmigrator, he knew many things ahead of time that others didn't.
Of course, when it came to Oriental Press Group's intelligence capabilities, Lin Haoran didn't expect miracles.
He simply needed to ensure that once something happened, his intelligence department could be the first to inform him. That speed alone would be enough.
In fact, many top businessmen in Hong Kong had their own intelligence networks.
Figures like Shen Bi of HSBC, Li Jiacheng of Cheung Kong Holdings, Percy Niblett of Jardine Matheson, and Pao Yue-Kong of Wheelock all had varying degrees of intelligence capabilities.
Thus, it was absolutely necessary for Lin Haoran to build his own intelligence system.
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