On the very day Miss Asia began official registration, Lin BaoCheng hosted Xinhua's Wang YiPing and Li FuQuan at Galaxy Games.
Although Lin spent most of his time at Hutchison Whampoa, that company's nature made it unsuitable for entertaining mainland officials. Doing so would only draw unwanted scrutiny from the colonial Hong Kong government.
When Wang and Li arrived at Galaxy Games, they saw trucks constantly coming and going, and couldn't help but feel envious.
Out of respect, Xinhua hadn't investigated Galaxy Games' exact revenue or profits. But from arcade machine prices and sales data available on the market, they could already imagine how lucrative the company was.
To put it in perspective, China's foreign exchange reserves at that time were just over US$100 million — less than Galaxy Games' revenue.
"President Wang! President Li!"
Though Lin's wealth was now vastly different, he still personally greeted them at the building entrance, his attitude unchanged.
"Mr. Lin!"
They shook hands warmly.
"Please, let's go to my office," Lin said with a smile. "This isn't the place to talk."
His secretary Qin Lan, as always, was by his side. After serving tea, Lin asked her to step out.
"Gentlemen, please enjoy some tea," Lin said, raising his cup.
They accepted without hesitation.
As they drank, Wang said:
"Since you enjoy tea, Mr. Lin, next time I'll bring some leaves for you. I hope you'll like them."
"I'll gladly accept," Lin replied. Sometimes exchanging gifts helped strengthen ties.
After some small talk, Li FuQuan said:
"Mr. Lin, we came today mainly to confirm the specific date for traveling to Beiping. It's basically set."
"What day?" Lin asked immediately.
"Preliminarily October 10, right after National Day," Wang explained. "Unless something unexpected happens, the date will only shift by a day or two."
"Why after National Day?" Lin asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't it be better during? Beiping will be holding celebrations then. Wait… could it be—"
His expression changed slightly. It was only 1978. Perhaps he was too optimistic. Maybe some mainland leaders still opposed businessmen, viewing them as capitalists. If so, it would be safer not to go too soon.
One thing Lin knew for certain: the policy of reform and opening would not change. In a few years, going would be no problem.
Seeing his reaction, Wang and Li realized he had misunderstood. Wang said:
"Mr. Lin, I don't know what you suddenly thought, but I believe you're mistaken. Please tell us honestly, and we'll explain."
Lin admitted:
"I was wondering if some leaders don't welcome businessmen, seeing us as capitalists. After all, that incident only ended two years ago."
Wang understood what he meant and replied:
"You've misunderstood. The reason we don't invite you during National Day is simple."
Li added:
"Hong Kong is still under British rule. You must consider the colonial government's attitude. If we invited you to Beiping for the National Day celebrations, it would harm you."
"In fact, we know most businessmen would hesitate if invited then, since they must operate in Hong Kong. We see your patriotism clearly, but we cannot put you at risk," Wang said sincerely.
Lin smiled apologetically:
"Sorry, I was overthinking. But I'll remember this: when I go to the mainland, I'll stick strictly to business investment. Politics is not my arena."
Wang waved it off:
"No problem. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared."
Lin said firmly:
"I'll state it here — I will definitely go."
"Thank you for your support," Wang and Li said happily. Lin's clear commitment stood out among Hong Kong's businessmen, many of whom gave vague answers like "we'll see."
Li then added:
"Mr. Lin, we have another matter, entrusted to us."
"Please, go ahead," Lin said.
"It's like this," Li explained. "Mr. Fok Ying‑Tung's eldest son has set his wedding date for September 25. Mr. Fok wishes to invite you, but since he doesn't know you well, he asked us to check if you'd be willing to attend."
"If you agree, we'll inform Mr. Fok, and he'll send you an invitation," Wang supplemented.
"Please tell Mr. Fok I'd be delighted to attend his son's wedding," Lin replied at once. Befriending the Fok family could only benefit him.
"We'll pass it on," Wang and Li nodded.
After chatting a while longer, they took their leave.
Lin saw them off, then went to the hardware department to find Yokoi Kunihira, wanting to hear about progress on the console.