HLM – Chapter 856 A New Idea

Wang Bo cut a piece of cheese and spread it onto his bread. The texture looked good—smooth, glossy, and evenly spread across the bread.

Hani took a bite, raised his eyebrows, and said, “Delicious. A familiar taste. I haven’t eaten this stuff for a while.”

Wang Bo also took a bite, and immediately a sticky sensation filled his mouth, accompanied by a flavor he couldn’t quite describe—slightly fishy, slightly funky—whatever it was, he couldn’t tolerate it.

He grabbed a napkin, covered his mouth, and spat it out at once, exclaiming in disgust, “Shit—shit—shit! This is even more disgusting than shit!”

Hani burst into laughter. Kidd looked at him sympathetically and said, “Boss, curiosity may be the driving force of progress, but sometimes it’s torture. Windsor Blue Cheese is the most hardcore cheese of all.”

“Fuck, why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

Wang Bo had tried many bizarre foods before and could usually tolerate them, but somehow this pretty-looking, nicely named cheese overwhelmed him completely.

Worse, the cheese was sticky—even after spitting it all out, he could still feel a layer clinging to his taste buds with that distinctive odor. It was extremely unpleasant.

Hani, knowing when to stop, ordered him a glass of lemon water for rinsing and said, “Sorry, boss, I forgot you Chinese prefer cheeses with higher cream content. Try Cheddar Cheese and Mt. Domet instead.”

After rinsing his mouth, Wang Bo looked at him skeptically. “You’re not setting me up again, are you?”

Hani laughed heartily and shook his head. “Trust me. You’ll like these.”

He recommended two yellow cheeses. Wang Bo spread a bit on bread and tasted them. They had a rich milky fragrance, a smooth texture, and a mildly sweet and sour aroma. They suited his palate very well.

“Not bad. Very Chinese.” Wang Bo cut off a piece with his dining knife and gestured toward Hani.

Hani truly loved Windsor Blue Cheese. Before leaving, he even ordered two big blocks to take home as gifts for his son.

Wang Bo could only think that New Zealanders had heavy tastes. But then he remembered that many Chinese people loved stinky tofu. Viewed that way, this cheese didn’t seem strange at all.

Bartier’s meeting ran until the evening. When he finally called Wang Bo back, he was concise: “What’s up, Wang?”

Hearing the exhaustion in his voice, Wang Bo asked with concern, “You sound tired. Something happened? I just wanted to ask for some advice.”

Bartier replied, “No issue, go ahead. It’s just routine exhaustion. Once I’m done handling the International Futures Fund this round, I’m going to Sunset Town for half a month for a long vacation.”

“Sunset Town always welcomes you. I’ve reserved a permanent room for you in the castle.”

“All right then, tell me.”

Wang Bo explained what he had prepared: “Well, I’m thinking about investing in Horton Motors…”

“Why do you have such a crazy idea? General Motors is preparing to file bankruptcy for Horton. The brand might be scrapped entirely,” Bartier interrupted.

Wang Bo asked, “Then do you think if I buy the brand, there’s any hope of reviving it?”

“Do you have a complete automotive design team?”

“No.”

“Do you have any close relationships with powerful automotive company leaders?”

“No.”

“Do you have a super-strong car sales network?”

“Also no.”

“Then who gave you the courage to try acquiring a bankrupt car brand? And do you even have that much money? Even if Horton is collapsing, it’s been Oceania’s sales No.1 for half a century. To acquire the brand? At least a billion dollars!”

Wang Bo replied, “Yes, I understand all that. But I want to expand into the industrial sector. Also, Horton is at rock bottom right now—the price is low. And I’m not trying to buy the whole brand, just some shares.”

Bartier analyzed, “There’s no doubt GM has abandoned Horton. The global economy is poor, especially in the machinery and automotive industries.”

“Whether you buy shares or buy the whole thing, it won’t change the fact that Horton is exiting the family car market. But… if you buy shares with the intention to resell later, you might profit.”

“How so?” Wang Bo asked. He hadn’t thought about that angle. He just wanted to invest in real industry.

Bartier said, “Some people are still interested in Horton. You could buy shares and then resell them to someone else for a margin.”

That was one way to make money—but not the industrial investment path Wang Bo wanted.

After more professional analysis, Bartier seemed to grow interested. “Don’t rush. I’ll have my secretary pull up recent cases of automotive acquisitions. Maybe there’s a real opportunity to profit here.”

“We?” Wang Bo immediately caught the word.

“Yes, we,” Bartier said enthusiastically. “We buy the shares together, find a buyer, resell—good business.”

But Wang Bo lost interest. Even if it made money, his goal was to control a brand.

The finance sector moved fast. The next afternoon, Bartier contacted him and sent documents.

They were case files of automotive acquisitions from recent years. Bartier commented, “You Chinese are getting richer. Look—nearly all these acquisitions were done by you guys.”

Wang Bo skimmed them. Most involved Chinese automakers: SAIC acquiring SsangYong Korea, Geely buying Volvo, SAIC and Nanjing Auto acquiring Rover assets…

He also saw a ridiculous case—Brilliance Auto bought an Italian motorcycle brand, SWM, and then repackaged it as a car brand for sale.

Seeing that, he stared. Damn, the tricks were endless. That one was really eye-burning. Brilliance was blatantly fooling the public.

After reading all this, Wang Bo understood Bartier’s intended operation: acquire Horton shares → hype it → resell to domestic automakers → profit.

Thinking of this, Wang Bo rubbed his chin. Working with foreigners to make money off fellow Chinese… what was that? Treason? Selling out his own people?

“No way I’m becoming a traitor! No one in my family has ever done something so shameless!”

Then he muttered, “But… this doesn’t really count as treason, right? This is redistributing wealth! This is being a righteous outlaw! Those domestic automakers are filthy rich anyway. Let’s do it!”