Free Web NovelTowel in hand, I rubbed my wet hair dry as I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Is it urgent?”
“It’s about the background checks you ordered.”
So they’d found something.
Recently, we had run background checks on everyone—from Jiyoung’s manager to the longtime gardener and housekeeper working at the Pyeongchang-dong mansion.
“Did anyone come up suspicious?”
“We checked all accounts, including relatives’. No large sums of money exchanged hands. However, the gardener is worth looking into more closely.”
“The gardener?”
“Yes.”
I pictured the gardener’s face—an older man I’d seen now and then.
He was someone Grandpa had known for over thirty years.
“Is there something off?”
“His children’s sudden increase in assets is a bit odd. I plan to dig deeper.”
“Do it as fast as you can. The more time passes, the riskier it gets.”
“Yes, sir.”
Thankfully, aside from a minor flag on the gardener, it didn’t seem like anyone had been bought or turned.
As for the bodyguards, like Chief Ha and Chief Ma, they’d been raised by Grandpa since they were young.
“Anything else?”
“There was a call from President Han. He asked you to return it when you woke up.”
“I’ll call him now.”
Chief Ma bowed and left.
I immediately picked up the phone.
“Hey, hyung. You called?”
— The negotiation with Jack Ma isn’t going well.
“What are his terms?”
— The guy’s stubborn as hell. He refuses to give more than 20%. He wants 20 million dollars.
“We offered 30 million for 45%, didn’t we?”
— Yeah. But he’s spouting nonsense, saying too much capital will get in the way of the business. He’s insisting on 20% for 20 million. After about an hour of negotiations, he said we’d talk again later.
Soon, Masayoshi Son from SoftBank would meet with Jack Ma.
We had to secure the deal before that.
If I remembered right, Chairman Son wanted 49% for 30 million but ended up with 30% for 20 million.
“What about Tencent?”
— After I finish today’s schedule in Shanghai, I’m planning to meet them tomorrow.
“I’ll head to China myself.”
— Is that necessary? I can handle it.
“You handle Tencent. I’ll deal with Alibaba directly.”
— ...Fine.
I hung up and sat quietly in thought.
By the time the call ended, my hair was nearly dry.
‘There must be a reason Jack Ma is being so stubborn.’
Alibaba was currently under serious financial pressure.
I thought we could secure about 35% for 20 million.
Maybe Masayoshi Son had already pulled some strings.
“Well, sitting around thinking won’t give me answers.”
I casually tossed the towel around my neck.
It flew in a wide arc and landed neatly in the laundry basket.
* * *
Han Kyungyeong was at a hotel party to meet Wen Jiabao.
“Welcome.”
“Yes, Vice Premier.”
Having met a few times now, Wen Jiabao greeted Han more comfortably than before.
“This is your final schedule here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, just a few more investments left.”
The two walked side by side as they talked.
“Have you found any promising opportunities?”
“Thanks to you, sir, I believe the results will be good.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I hope you’ll invest generously.”
Soon, the grand doors opened and the two men entered the banquet hall.
The presence of a major candidate for the next premiership immediately silenced the room, drawing everyone’s attention to Wen Jiabao.
Han matched his pace as they walked confidently into the crowd.
Just then, a man in his sixties with square-framed glasses approached Wen Jiabao.
“Vice Premier, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, Secretary Huang Ju. It’s been a while indeed.”
The two greeted each other warmly, clearly familiar.
Han recalled what Muhyuk had told him about China’s political structure.
‘Unofficially, the Chinese Communist Party is divided into three major factions. They balance each other by checking one another. Here in Shanghai, the Shanghai clique holds sway. So keep an eye on Huang Ju, the Shanghai Party Secretary.’
Wen Jiabao gestured toward Han and introduced him.
“This is James Han, an investor from the U.S.”
Secretary Huang Ju extended his hand with a pleasant expression. freeweɓnovel.cøm
“Nice to meet you. I’m Huang Ju, Shanghai Party Secretary.”
“Yes, Secretary. Pleased to meet you.”
As expected of a Shanghai leader branding the city as an international hub, his English was fluent.
A moment later, Wen Jiabao moved on to greet others, leaving the two of them alone.
Huang Ju smiled as he struck up conversation.
“Is this your first time in Shanghai?”
“Yes, it is. I think it’ll be quite an exciting city in a few years.”
“You have a good eye. I, too, have high hopes for Pudong New Area, recently designated a special economic zone.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“But what’s your relationship with Vice Premier Wen Jiabao?”
“We’re good friends.”
“...Friends, huh. Was this order from Charlie Kim?”
Han’s smiling face instantly hardened.
Huang Ju continued with a subtle smirk.
“I was surprised. Vice Premier Wen has always been a neutral figure—aligned with no faction. But now he’s openly associating with the legendary American investor, James Han. After a bit of digging, I found that the real owner of Dreamhigh Investment appears to be Korean... Very interesting.”
The current ruling faction was the Shanghai clique.
That was thanks to Jiang Zemin, the first leader to simultaneously hold the titles of State President, General Secretary of the Communist Party, and Chairman of the Military Commission.
“Is that really important?”
“Of course. I’m simply curious what Vice Premier Wen sees in you.”
Han knew there was no hiding Kim Muhyuk anymore.
Forbes had already informed them they’d be listing Charlie Kim’s name in the January issue.
Until now, U.S. government pressure had kept it under wraps, but that couldn’t last forever.
In exchange, Forbes agreed to use only the American name, Charlie Kim, and withhold personal details.
“I’ve built a strong relationship with Vice Premier Wen. That’s why I came to China myself. Though I fail to see how that concerns you, Secretary.”
“Haha, you’re great with investments, but you don’t seem to know China well. I just thought I’d inform you—Shanghai is mine.”
It was said that nothing in China happened without bribes, but for someone in the top 10 of China’s power hierarchy to be this blatant, even in public...
“We’ll be establishing Dreamhigh’s China branch here soon. The man who will serve as branch director will greet you properly then.”
Han introduced Rocky, standing beside him, with a stoic expression.
Huang Ju turned to Rocky and asked in Chinese:
“Are you Chinese?”
“I’m ethnically Chinese, yes. But I hold American citizenship.”
“Once a Chinese, always a Chinese. I hope we build a good relationship.”
Han signaled Rocky with his eyes, and the two moved away.
He glanced around and saw Wen Jiabao still deep in conversation, surrounded by people.
He headed toward the windows to cool off.
But people wouldn’t leave him alone.
“James?”
Han turned toward the voice.
“You’re the CEO of Dreamhigh Investment, correct?”
“I am. And you are?”
“I’m Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Wanda Group.”
Han gave a polite smile.
“Ah, I see. I’m James Han.”
“Haha, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I received a report that you were staying at our hotel. I hope everything is to your satisfaction?”
“Yes, no issues at all.”
Unlike the Beijing event, which was filled with politicians, Shanghai’s business-centric environment brought out the corporate leaders.
“Your legendary success is well known among Chinese companies too. I heard you profited greatly during the financial crisis. Very impressive.”
“You flatter me.”
“May I ask where in China you plan to invest?”
It sounded casual, but Han had heard this question far too many times since arriving.
“Well... I’m mainly looking into IT companies.”
Of course, he didn’t show his annoyance.
“No interest in real estate, then?”
“Isn’t all land in China state-owned?”
“Yes, but it’s traded through land-use rights. Functionally, it’s the same as real estate transactions in the U.S.”
Han scoffed inwardly.
“But there’s a time limit, isn’t there?”
“The government extends it.”
“Which means they can revoke it whenever they want. Not exactly attractive to me. Maybe for a local, but for a foreigner...”
“Wouldn’t that make it safer for a foreigner?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Let’s build an empire together in China. What do you say?”
Persistent.
Han sipped his champagne to hide his expression.
“A real estate empire and a media empire. That’s the future I envision for my group.”
“I’ll consider it.”
Just then, Wen Jiabao approached.
“Chairman Wang, it’s been a while.”
Wang Jianlin quickly bowed.
“Vice Premier, it’s good to see you again.”
“I’ve heard your business is doing well.”
“All thanks to your support.”
“I hardly did anything. So, what were you discussing with James?”
Han sighed internally.
He felt like a toy caught between greedy children.
“He asked if I’d be interested in partnering in Chinese real estate.”
“That’s a fine idea. What’s your opinion, James?”
“I said I’d think about it.”
Wen Jiabao nodded, then turned to Wang Jianlin.
“Are you still close with Bo Xilai?”
“Pardon?”
“I know you’re close with Bo Xilai. Rumor has it you’re his banker.”
Wang Jianlin kept a composed face, but Han could sense a flicker of unease.
“No, sir. We’ve known each other since we were young, but that’s all.”
“Be careful. You may need political power to do business, but don’t lose your footing.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’ll be taking James for a private chat now.”
“Understood. See you in Beijing.”
Wen Jiabao watched Wang Jianlin’s back with a meaningful gaze.
“He’s part of the Princelings. Not many of them entered politics, but they wield immense power in business. With parents in high places, privileges naturally followed. A sad reality of our country.”
Han nodded slowly.
Wen Jiabao continued with a note of caution.
“Huang Ju, whom you met earlier, is a core member of the Shanghai clique. His role as Shanghai Party Secretary alone says it all. They’re the ruling faction now.”
“I see.”
“I despise factional politics. They value power over people’s lives. That’s why I needed Kim Muhyuk’s help—to secure the premiership. Please convey that I’m counting on him.”
“Understood. He’ll be arriving in China soon.”
Wen Jiabao raised an eyebrow.
“For what reason?”
“There’s a deal he’s been working on that’s hit a snag.”
“Where? I’ll help however I can.”
“He’ll explain himself once he arrives.”
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Han nodded, masking his exhaustion.
* * *
At Shanghai International Airport, thanks to Wen Jiabao’s pull, I passed through without any trouble.
Far off, I saw Han Kyungyeong surrounded by bodyguards.
Hands in his slacks pockets, he was kicking at a rock when he noticed me.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah. You’ve aged a bit since I last saw you.”
As if he’d been waiting for someone to ask, Han let out a sigh deep enough to cave the ground.
“This place is a damn jungle. The guys in power ask for bribes to your face, and the businessmen treat me like an idiot. It’s insane.”
His grumbling right off the bat made me laugh.
“Let’s go. You set up a meeting with Jack Ma, right?”
“Yeah. If we leave now, we should make it on time.”
We started heading to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Jack Ma’s company as Han filled me in on everything that had happened in China.
We arrived at a rundown apartment in a residential area of Hangzhou.
“This is it?”
Alibaba.
So even China’s biggest company started out in a place like this.
