After New Year's Day in 1968, Zheng Bai Cheng acquired 3.3% of Hathaway's shares, bringing his total holding to 4.3%. This left him content, as he intended to keep these shares as a family heirloom to be passed down through generations. He decided that Hathaway would never distribute dividends, eliminating future headaches.
The reason for not acquiring more shares was simple: it was a risky endeavor. Buying more shares could lead to dissatisfaction from existing shareholders, resulting in them abandoning the company and starting anew. This was not a gamble he was willing to take.
In the future, when he had enough capital, he could simply follow the investments of others. If they bought something, he would do the same. What was the point of time-traveling if he couldn't even learn from others' mistakes?
On the other side, MARVCO. Comics had finally given their response. The asking price was at least 17 million US dollars, and both parties were still negotiating, with an expected conclusion soon. Amanda would handle the acquisition of MARVCO., so she remained in Los Angeles. Hans was also staying to provide security for her.
MARVCO. was based in New York, which was currently experiencing a blizzard and frigid temperatures. Amanda and Hans would have to fly there, leaving the warmth of Los Angeles behind for a completely different climate. This arrangement did not sit well with Amanda, but...
“Amanda, I've prepared a 100,000 dollar budget for your trip. After the MARVCO. acquisition contract is finalized, any remaining funds will be considered your bonus. If you need more, I'll send it to you.”
These were Zheng Bai Cheng's instructions to Amanda before returning to Hong Kong. She was overjoyed, her initial reservations forgotten. Cold weather? Winter? Who cares! Money was her true love. It was a good job, indeed.
Their return journey was similar to their arrival: flying from San Francisco to Hong Kong, with a stopover in Tokyo, as the route from San Francisco to Tokyo was shorter than a direct flight to Hong Kong.
Their return to Hong Kong was discreet. They did not announce their arrival, choosing to return quietly. However, the buzz around Zheng Bai Cheng had not died down, particularly due to the English edition of his novels, which had begun selling in Hong Kong.
Rod proved to be a money-minded, workaholic, cultural businessman. He moved quickly, striking deals with bookstores in English-speaking countries, commissioning local printing companies to print and distribute the novels.
In Hong Kong, English speakers were mainly comprised of foreigners (gweilos), Indians, white-collar workers in Central, university students, and a portion of high school students. Although this group was not large, the number of foreigners in Hong Kong was significant.
They arrived in the afternoon, greeted by the humid, cold air. Zheng Bai Cheng wrapped a scarf around Lin Xiaohua, eliciting a sweet smile from her. They looked like refugees, carrying large bags and standing outside Kai Tak Airport.
“Let's take the bus back,” said Lin Xiaohua, her face flushed. She spotted handcarts, taxis, and Kowloon buses outside, ultimately opting for the bus.
“Nah, let's just hail a taxi,” Zheng Bai Cheng replied, waving his hand as a car approached.
“Boss, how much to Yau Tsim Mong Dao?”
“Fifty cents.”
Although Zheng Bai Cheng was unfamiliar with taxi fares, he knew that fifty cents was definitely overpriced. He said, “Thirty cents, okay?”
“Thirty-five cents.”
“Deal.”
“Xiaohua, get in.”
In the taxi, Zheng Bai Cheng said to Lin Xiaohua, “When I have money, we’ll buy a car.”
“Young man, stop dreaming. It'll take you years to earn that much money, hehe...” The driver scoffed, thinking, "This guy wants to haggle even for a taxi ride? Does he think he's a tycoon?"
“Boss, don't be so quick to judge. Have you heard the saying, ‘Thirty years river east, thirty years river west, never underestimate a young man’?” Zheng Bai Cheng retorted with a smile.
The taxi driver thought the statement was quite insightful. He glanced at the young man through the rearview mirror and realized that the young man was probably an intellectual. Otherwise, how could he say something like that? “Young man, are you a student? Your words are full of passion. If you're that Hong Kong Jason who made millions, writing novels and earning a million dollars, then you’ll be fine." He spoke with a more sincere tone than before, losing the mocking air from earlier.
“Jason? Who’s that?” Zheng Bai Cheng was confused. Was this Jason him? Lin Xiaohua chuckled. She knew Zheng Bai Cheng was currently working on...packaging, yes, packaging.
“The little radish heads call him ‘Asia's Light.’ We Hong Kongers call him ‘Hong Kong's Son.’ His Chinese name is Zheng Bai Cheng, right? You guys probably don’t know, awesome, man!” The driver said with admiration, “He wrote a few novels. They say he’s already made a million or two dollars, which is six or seven million Hong Kong dollars. Pretty amazing, huh?”
“Awesome, awesome man!”
Zheng Bai Cheng gave a genuine thumbs-up in response.
“You think so too? He's young, you're young. When you said, ‘Never underestimate a young man,’ I felt that you were destined for greatness.”
“Thank you! That's a great thing to say. Here, I'll give you fifty cents, so that when I'm famous, I won’t be called out for haggling over taxi fares.” The taxi driver felt like he was being read by the young man, a bit embarrassed.
“It’s okay, thirty-five is thirty-five. No way, man!”
Lin Xiaohua laughed as she watched the two of them chatting animatedly. Twenty minutes later, they reached their destination. Under Zheng Bai Cheng’s direction, the taxi arrived at Chan Kee General Store. Now, Chan Kee General Store was doing even better. Perhaps due to their previous actions during the chaotic times, selling goods at affordable prices had earned them the recognition of local residents. As the residents emerged from the shop after their purchases, they spotted Zheng Bai Cheng and Lin Xiaohua getting out of the taxi. Immediately, they shouted, "Ah Cheng is back! Everyone come quickly, Ah Cheng is back!"
The bustling atmosphere of Chan Kee General Store suddenly erupted into chaos. Everyone knew who Ah Cheng was. They were neighbors, after all, and hadn’t seen him for almost a year, so it was naturally exciting to see him again.
The taxi driver was about to leave when he was caught in a throng of people. The crowd kept growing, making it impossible for him to leave. He panicked. There were too many people, how could he leave? He still had to make money.
Zheng Bai Cheng was also surprised by the scene. He turned to Lin Xiaohua, who looked equally bewildered. Xiaofen emerged from the shop, along with her teacher.