The day after signing their employment contracts, Haruko Mouri, Isabella Kent, and Cheng Yufeng officially became Lin Baicheng's assistants. Lin called them together and assigned their responsibilities one by one.
"Haruko, from now on, you'll be responsible for assisting me with operations in Japan. Currently, the only business I have there is the Galaxy Games branch, but I'm planning to acquire a manga publishing company. I'm very optimistic about the Japanese manga market."
"I've already shortlisted several targets. Your task is to choose the manga publishing company you believe is the most suitable. I'll oversee the general direction of the company's development, while the specific execution will be handled by you and the company's president."
"Yes, Chairman."
Haruko acknowledged respectfully.
Lin continued, "The acquisition of the manga company shouldn't exceed 50 million Hong Kong dollars. I'll give you a budget of 100 million dollars. After deducting acquisition costs, the remaining funds are for company development. Remember, if necessary, the manga company can take bank loans to support its growth." Of course, the money wouldn't be directly handed to Haruko—she would simply have the authority to use up to 100 million.
"In terms of development, I want you to recruit skilled manga artists. I will provide two anime storylines—assign people to illustrate them. As for other serialized works, that will be up to you. Regarding distribution, stores should be purchased using bank loans, but they must belong to the company. Property values in Japan will definitely rise more than the interest rates."
Lin didn't plan to reveal too many manga titles right away. He would test the waters with two and see if other artists could produce high-quality works. This would also help him evaluate Haruko's capabilities.
While taking notes, Haruko said, "Chairman, if we purchase properties using bank loans, the company's debt ratio will become very high. If property prices don't rise as expected, it could negatively impact the company's future."
"It's fine—you don't need to worry about that. Make full use of bank loans to acquire fixed assets. If the company runs into difficulties, you can come to me for help."
Lin was confident—after all, as someone reborn with future knowledge, he understood how insane Japan's real estate bubble in the 1980s would become. Property prices would soar even higher than in Hong Kong, and real estate in Japan would be immensely profitable.
However, without strong political connections in Japan, foreign investors could not easily buy land and develop real estate themselves. Buying existing commercial buildings or office spaces, however, was no problem.
"Yes, Chairman!"
Although Haruko still thought it was risky, Lin was the boss—so she accepted.
After assigning Haruko, Lin turned to Isabella. "Isabella, I have many assets in the United States: the Galaxy Games branch, shares in Microsoft and Apple, and futures investments in gold. You need to monitor all of these—especially Microsoft and Apple. Although I'll only be sending financial officers, you must visit them regularly to remind them I'm watching. They must not act against my interests."
"Don't worry, boss—I'll take care of it."
Isabella nodded firmly. The more assets her boss had in America, the greater her importance—and the higher her chances of promotion and a salary increase.
"Also, before I returned recently, I told Eric from the game division to register a software company and begin recruiting software developers. Once you get to America, you'll take over this task and set up the company structure. Around February or March next year, I'll go there to lead the development of office software."
Lin hadn't forgotten the massive potential of the office software market. With the personal computer boom on the horizon, office software would be extremely valuable—and the company could easily be worth hundreds of millions.
"Understood, boss!"
"Lastly, Yufeng, it's your turn."
Lin looked at Cheng Yufeng. "In Hong Kong, I have Galaxy Games and Baisheng Securities. I'm also trying to acquire Rediffusion Television, but I'm not sure yet if that will go through. Besides that, I plan to start a toy manufacturing company—help me find a suitable one to acquire, preferably a factory that can begin production immediately."
Cheng nodded. "Got it, Mr. Lin. I'll get back to you in a few days."
Lin looked at the three of them and said, "My business isn't very large yet, and even Yufeng has only worked for one year. But I believe that in a few years, the company will grow much bigger, and all of you will be founding members of its high-level management."
"You're all young, and I'm young too. So let's fight together—for our dreams."
Lin's speech wasn't particularly passionate, but Haruko, Isabella, and Cheng still clapped enthusiastically, expressing their determination to work hard for the company's success.
That evening, Lin treated the three of them to dinner. They talked about life and got to know each other better.
The following day, Haruko and Isabella both needed to return to the United States first. Lin drove them to the airport.
After returning to America, Isabella would immediately start working. Haruko would spend a few days handling personal matters before returning to Japan to begin her tasks.
With Cheng assisting in Hong Kong, Lin had more personal time. Most of his days were spent with Miyamoto and others discussing new game concepts.
Unlike hardware development with Yokoi, where Lin couldn't help much, he was able to actively contribute to game development. His input significantly accelerated the process—after all, while his team had to gradually build concepts through trial and error, Lin already had complete game ideas in his mind.