Chapter 18: Smoother Than Expected

After bidding farewell to Su Zhixue, Lin Haoran returned to his office once more. Checking the watch on his wrist, it was only five in the afternoon—still early. At this hour, Yang Changdao would surely still be at the company.

Sure enough, he called Yang Changdao’s office, and it wasn’t long before the other party answered.

“Uncle Yang, this is Lin Haoran,” Lin Haoran identified himself immediately after the call connected.

“Haoran, what’s the reason for your call?” Yang Changdao asked curiously upon hearing Lin’s voice.

“I want to check on the progress of the loan application,” Lin Haoran asked directly.

“Haoran, this can’t be rushed. I just finished organizing the documents today; they haven’t even been submitted yet. According to the standard procedure, once I submit the materials, the Yumin Bank headquarters will dispatch an investigative team to Hong Kong to look into your situation. After the investigation results come back, the headquarters will review them. Once approved, the funds will be disbursed. This process takes time. Normally, you can expect the funds to arrive between next Tuesday and Wednesday.”

“Uncle Yang, to be honest, I’m in urgent need of the money. I want to quickly secure the stocks of that listed company. Is there any way to speed up the disbursement?” Lin Haoran pressed on.

Yang Changdao pondered for a moment before replying, “Speeding up the disbursement is indeed difficult, especially with a loan as large as 50 million Hong Kong dollars. Naturally, the headquarters will pay extra attention.

However, considering your situation, I have a proposal. I can forge a guarantee letter in the name of Mr. Lin Wanan. The investigative team is all my people; I can ensure they will handle this discreetly and won’t actually disturb Mr. Lin Wanan.

But you must remember, if this guarantee letter is accidentally leaked, you must ensure Mr. Lin Wanan acknowledges its validity as collateral. This is crucial for the process to proceed smoothly. Otherwise, it would be detrimental to both you and me.

With Mr. Lin Wanan’s name as the guarantor, I will mark this as an expedited case. Once the internal review process is complete, the bank president might use special approval authority to advance the disbursement date significantly. If all goes well, we might even complete the fund transfer by this weekend at the earliest.”

“Will the Yumin Bank headquarters call my father to investigate? I don’t want him to find out about this,” Lin Haoran voiced his concern to Yang Changdao.

“Haoran, rest assured. The headquarters doesn’t fully understand the specifics of the Hong Kong branch and won’t easily intervene in local matters. All investigations are conducted by a professional team sent by headquarters, and the team leader is a brother of mine. We share a deep bond and support each other through thick and thin. To be honest, the 500,000 Hong Kong dollars—the so-called ‘tea money’—I have to split it with him. So, your worries are completely unnecessary. We will handle everything properly!” Yang Changdao said confidently.

From Yang Changdao’s words, Lin Haoran deeply sensed that for the sake of that half a million Hong Kong dollars, Yang was truly going all out, willing to use all kinds of resources and means to expedite the loan approval.

Yet Lin Haoran astutely realized that Yang’s unscrupulous methods borne out of greed might ultimately backfire in the long run.

After this deal, he had no intention of entangling himself further with Yang Changdao.

Hong Kong’s financial landscape was fertile ground, with numerous banking-related enterprises. Particularly after the Hong Kong government issued additional licenses, more international financial firms were entering. As Lin Haoran gradually made a name for himself in the business world, future financial needs like loans would naturally have more legitimate and reliable channels to choose from.

Maintaining a clear head and choosing partners cautiously was the path Lin Haoran intended to follow going forward.

For now, it was out of necessity. Apart from Yumin Financial Company, no other institution would approve a loan as large as 50 million Hong Kong dollars.

Lin Haoran’s approach cleverly exploited Yang Changdao’s greed.

He had his own calculations for any unforeseen changes that might arise.

Even if Yang Changdao’s schemes were exposed somehow, Lin Haoran was not overly worried.

He knew that he had merely followed the normal loan procedures; everything else was Yang’s doing and unrelated to him.

The 500,000 Hong Kong dollars he proposed as a tip would be paid in cash, leaving no evidence.

As long as he repaid on time after a year, everything would remain smooth.

Whether his father would ever learn of this was something Lin Haoran had already considered.

In his view, Yang Changdao and his associates were unlikely to leak any information on their own. In other words, there was no need to worry within that year.

By the time the truth came to light, he would have already established a firm footing in the business world with notable achievements.

At that time, he would have the strength and confidence to face any challenges, including questions or doubts from his father.

Moreover, his father had always been indulgent toward him; by then, he might already have inherited the chairman position of the Wanan Group.

Thus, he remained quite calm about this matter.

“In that case, Uncle Yang, I’ll leave this to you. I look forward to your good news,” Lin Haoran said with satisfaction before hanging up.

Things were going more smoothly than he had anticipated; originally, he had only intended to give it a try.

Stepping out of the office, Lin Haoran took along the two brothers, Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, preparing to head straight to the villa at Deep Water Bay.

Having merged his memories, he had fully accepted everything in this world—family, friendship.

So while things were still not too busy, he would make time to visit and accompany his parents more often.

The night before, Lin Haoran had already consulted his father, who agreed to let Li Weiguo and Li Weidong stay at the villa. After all, there was space on the first floor of the Lin family’s residence.

Otherwise, they couldn’t keep putting them up in hotels.

How could that ensure their safety?

In such a chaotic society, even wealthy heirs like him were not immune to becoming targets of criminals. Kidnappings were all too common, making vigilance imperative.

With Li Weiguo and Li Weidong accompanying him, it was much safer.

The car left Central District toward Deep Water Bay, passing through a winding mountain road.

In that era, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai Tunnel was not yet completed, so the road to Clear Water Bay was still inconvenient, lacking a direct, fast route.

As a result, Clear Water Bay retained a rare tranquility and seclusion. It was like a jewel isolated from the world, far from the city’s hustle and bustle—peaceful and serene. This unique charm attracted many wealthy tycoons, turning it into their ideal retreat.

“Weiguo, Weidong, do you know how to drive a car?” Lin Haoran asked as he drove back.

“Master, I’ve never touched the steering wheel before, but my brother has driven a tractor, so he probably has some basics,” Li Weidong answered straightforwardly.

“Alright, I’ll find a place for you to practice driving tomorrow so you can get your licenses,” Lin Haoran said directly.

It always felt odd when the boss drove the bodyguards’ car, making the roles seem reversed and somewhat unnatural.