Chapter 1814: Originating from the Idea of Sir Ho

In a sense, Zhao Fusheng had no particular dislike for the man Li Chao.

After all, he was one of the top tycoons in Hong Kong.

You couldn't expect everyone to be a true patriot like Sir Ho.

Speaking of Sir Ho, compared to other Hong Kong billionaires, perhaps because he passed away in 2006, not many people knew about him; more were aware of news like his son's divorce or his grandson marrying the diving queen.

But in the eyes of someone like Zhao Fusheng, who was well-versed in history, Sir Ho's status in Hong Kong was absolutely transcendent.

To be precise, although in terms of wealth, tycoons like Li Chao might be richer than the Ho family, in terms of status, ten Li Chaos could not compare to one Sir Ho.

After all, not everyone was qualified for a state funeral.

From such treatment alone, it was evident how highly Sir Ho was regarded in the capital.

Sir Ho was born in the 1920s. He lost his father at the age of seven, and soon after, the War of Resistance against Japan broke out, and Hong Kong fell under the iron heel of the Japanese army.

From wandering ashore to the iron heel of the Japanese, the dark days seemed endless. He once achieved nothing, was fired from seven jobs. Sir Ho later recalled that he sometimes thought perhaps life was like this, fate was like this.

It wasn't until the Japanese surrendered that the darkness receded. Thereafter, Hong Kong developed from a small fishing village into the Pearl of the Orient, and Sir Ho was involved in almost every major event during that period.

In the early 1950s, a vigorous Sir Ho built the tallest building in Hong Kong at the time—the Moon Palace—in Causeway Bay and lived on the top floor. This child born on a sampan had never imagined he would reach such heights in such a short time.

But a tall tree catches the wind. Having gained both fame and fortune, Sir Ho soon became embroiled in the political situation, suffering the most severe and longest-lasting blow of his life. Because of this blow, he fell from the first peak of his life, missing the most brilliant golden period of Hong Kong's economic development.

During the construction of the Moon Palace, many negative rumors about Sir Ho spread, including that he had smuggled goods and sold arms. These slanders still circulate today.

Sir Ho knew the rumors did not spread on their own; two forces were behind them: first, the British Hong Kong government held a grudge against him for his trade with the mainland during the Korean War; second, some traditional real estate developers were envious and jealous of him as an upstart.

These rumors had a great impact on Sir Ho, the most important being that he decided to gradually withdraw from Hong Kong's business circles.

In 1964, Sir Ho was invited to attend the 15th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. To alleviate the mainland's food pressure, he carried a large backpack and traveled for dozens of hours. That year, the leader shook his hand, and he was deeply moved by such courtesy.

Although the whole process was kept secret, paper could not wrap fire.

After returning from the capital to Hong Kong, the British Hong Kong government began to discriminate against Sir Ho in every way: the land he won in bids was taken back and not sold; his Star Light company was eventually forced to sell to a British real estate company, but he only received an IOU. A building exchanged for an IOU—for Sir Ho, this was no longer a matter of money but an unprecedented humiliation.

After successive blows and oppression, Sir Ho decided to completely withdraw from Hong Kong's business circles. After he left, figures like Li Chao and Shark Tan rose to become the mainstays, ushering in a new era of power struggles.

Once, when Zhao Fusheng read this, he even sighed with regret for Sir Ho. If he hadn't been suppressed by the British Hong Kong government and forced to withdraw, perhaps the Ho family's wealth would not be less than Li Chao's now.

After all, the so-called presale market in Hong Kong was originally pioneered by Sir Ho.

But there was no way around it; one must gain and lose, and he had to bear these consequences.

By the same token, if he hadn't been patriotic, Sir Ho wouldn't have had the later glory.

Because of his good relations with the mainland, he successfully controlled the most important sand and gravel business in Hong Kong. Anyone who wanted to build houses or do projects in Hong Kong had to go through the Ho family.

And with years of support for the mainland, Sir Ho's most glorious moment was the year of the handover.

"Impressive! That's how one should live!"

Zhao Fusheng sat in his office and let out such a sigh.

He suddenly felt that not being able to meet that tycoon was a great regret. That old man, who had always strived for the rise of this country and nation, whose lifelong wish was for the capital to host an Olympic Games, might have very much wanted to know what the future of China would be like.

...

...

"What's wrong with you?"

When he got home, Fan Baobao looked at Zhao Fusheng with some surprise and asked.

She clearly sensed that Zhao Fusheng's mood was a bit strange.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Nothing, just thinking of someone, and suddenly feeling that maybe I should do something meaningful."

"Huh?"

Fan Baobao looked confused, not understanding what Zhao Fusheng meant.

"Do you know Sir Ho?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and asked Fan Baobao.

"No, he's from Hong Kong, right?" Fan Baobao thought for a moment and said casually, "I remember that after every Olympics, when Chinese athletes win gold medals, they go to Hong Kong. There's a foundation there that gives them rewards, and then they have a float parade in Hong Kong?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then recalled that Sir Ho's foundation had indeed been doing that all along.

As a sports ambassador, Sir Ho's investment in this area was truly wholehearted.

In his memory, he had always worked hard to promote Beijing's bid for the 2000 Olympics and was deeply saddened when it failed.

Moreover, in sports events, especially large-scale ones, the Ho family would invest heavily.

"Yes, it's him."

Zhao Fusheng nodded and said to Fan Baobao, "I plan to learn from him and do something meaningful."

"Huh?"

Fan Baobao looked at Zhao Fusheng blankly: "Are you planning to sponsor sports events?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled. He thought for a moment and said to Fan Baobao, "What do you think about us starting now to donate to charity in our personal names?"

"That's fine." Fan Baobao first looked at Zhao Fusheng with some curiosity, then said, "But I think it's better for us to supervise it ourselves. Otherwise, if you donate the money, who knows where it will go."

As she spoke, she laughed: "I always feel those charitable foundations have issues."

Zhao Fusheng laughed. On this point, Fan Baobao and he shared the same view, except he had come to understand it after experiencing various events.

While Fan Baobao relied on women's intuition.

"Okay."

Zhao Fusheng said to Fan Baobao, "Let Sister Feihong get involved. The foundation she was in charge of has been doing this, but this time, I plan to fund it personally and ask her to help."

"That works too. Consider it accumulating virtue for our daughter." Fan Baobao said.

Since having her daughter, her personality had changed a lot. Simply put, she had become much softer. When she saw beggars on the street, she would give them change, even if Zhao Fusheng told her that the beggars might not be truly poor.

In her own words: just to ease her conscience.

"Okay, I'll start arranging it later."

Zhao Fusheng nodded. Compared to other tycoons, he and Fan Baobao were not the type who liked to spend money lavishly.

The next day, Zhao Fusheng called Wu Sijie over and explained his plan.

"No problem."

Wu Sijie nodded: "But this might take some time. What do you think?"

"That's fine, no rush."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. He thought of something else.

"By the way, contact Miss Dong. I have something to discuss with her."

"Okay."

Wu Sijie agreed and went out to call Dong Chenxi, asking her to come to the group headquarters to meet Zhao Fusheng.

Soon, Dong Chenxi arrived at Zhao Fusheng's office, but what greeted her was news that left her astonished.

"Are you kidding?"

Looking at Zhao Fusheng, Dong Chenxi asked in surprise.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "What, do I look like someone who likes to joke?"

"No, I just don't understand how you came up with this idea..." Dong Chenxi looked at Zhao Fusheng helplessly.

Just now, Zhao Fusheng told her that he planned to restructure the future investment.