The Tyrant Billionaire

The young girl beside him was exhausted, no longer showing that feisty resistance from the night before.

She would probably sleep a little longer.

Hardy got out of bed, took a shower, and headed to the gym for an hour-long workout. After washing off the sweat, he enjoyed breakfast. It was already past ten o'clock when Taylor finally woke up. She looked around the room, realizing with a start that she was in Hardy's bedroom.

She was lying on Hardy's large bed.

And she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

Memories of last night's passion rushed back, making Taylor blush with delight. The feeling from yesterday—it had been wonderful!

Taylor had heard friends her age talk about the intimacies between men and women, but only through experiencing it firsthand did she understand what it truly felt like.

Wearing a sleep robe, Taylor walked out and saw Hardy reading in the living room. She blinked her big eyes and asked, "Hardy, aren't you supposed to be working?"

Hardy put down the papers and approached her, giving the girl a kiss. "Today, I'm not going anywhere. I'm spending the day with you."

"That's wonderful," Taylor said joyfully.

She decided to take a bath, recalling how much she had perspired last night. Hardy took her hand and led her to the bathroom. Not long after, Taylor's singing echoed from inside.

Hardy truly hadn't intended for anything to happen.

He simply wanted to help Taylor turn on the water, but the girl, now aware of certain pleasures, initiated a kiss. Hardy couldn't refuse her affections; rejecting her would make her feel unloved and upset.

A few days after Taylor's birthday, Hardy said goodbye to the women and boarded his private plane, ready to return to Japan. However, before heading there, he planned to make a stop at the Malaya base, having already notified the base commander.

This time, Hardy wasn't traveling alone; he had invited Lancer and Henry to accompany him.

To be honest, Hardy had developed ambitions for Singapore. He wasn't sure if they would bear fruit, but it was worth trying—what if he succeeded?

The potential benefits weren't just a matter of earning a few billion dollars or establishing a few companies; they could be monumental.

Over the past few days, he had been reviewing documents Henry had compiled, which included extensive information about Malaya: the current British-appointed governor, the fragile power dynamics among the Malay sultans, the growing influence of the Chinese population, and the increasing threats posed by communist ideology.

He now had a clearer sense of the region's precarious situation.

Malaya had been colonized successively by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British. During World War II, the Japanese had ousted the British and occupied Malaya. When Japan surrendered, the British returned to re-establish colonial rule.

But after the war, anti-colonial movements surged globally, and independence movements were rising in Malaya as well. The British, however, managed to suppress them. One significant factor was that Malaya was fragmented, with various sultans ruling over divided territories.

This division made it challenging for the Malays to present a united front, which allowed outside influences, particularly from the Chinese community, to gain ground.

At that time, Singapore served as the administrative center of British rule over Malaya, with the governor's office located there.

However, the British administration had its own agenda. Fearing the rise of a strong, unified Malay independence movement that could threaten their colonial grip, they employed divide-and-rule tactics. By subtly supporting and empowering the Chinese community in strategic areas like Singapore, Penang, and Malacca, the British fueled tensions between the Chinese and Malay populations.

They provided economic incentives and preferential trade opportunities to the Chinese, while quietly encouraging the community to assert dominance in commerce and politics.

This support emboldened the Chinese population, leading to provocations that deepened Malay resentment. The British cleverly manipulated these growing conflicts, using the fear of communist influence as a justification to retain their presence and authority in the region.

The situation was further complicated by the influx of Chinese settlers, many of whom brought with them not only wealth and trade skills but also an increasing allegiance to the Communist ideology championed by the CCP.

In 1946, the British proposed the establishment of a federated state with an elected government, but the Malay population, wary of Chinese influence, strongly opposed it. They feared it would weaken the authority of their sultans and, even more troubling, that it would give rise to a government swayed by pro-CCP factions within the Chinese community.

The Malays, who had embraced a capitalist system rooted in traditional leadership, saw this as an existential threat to their way of life.

As a result, the proposal was shelved.

Tension further escalated and manifested itself in conflicts both small and large. In areas like Singapore, where the Chinese population held a significant majority, Malays found themselves increasingly marginalized, often bullied or economically oppressed. Stories of harassment and discrimination spread among Malay communities, feeding a narrative of cultural erosion and economic displacement.

British officials fanned these flames, strategically positioning themselves as "peacekeepers" while deliberately provoking conflict between the two groups.

They supported Chinese businesses and organizations, sometimes covertly encouraging anti-Malay sentiments to prevent the Malays from organizing a strong, unified resistance against colonial rule. By keeping the Malays distracted with internal strife, the British effectively weakened any serious push for independence. Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire

Later, when Singapore sought to join the Malayan Federation, the Malays were horrified by the implications. The demographic shift would have handed enormous political power to the Chinese, many of whom had connections or sympathies for the CCP.

The Malays, driven by a desire to protect their sovereignty and capitalist system, stood firm. This resistance led to Singapore's eventual expulsion from the federation.

In short, Singapore's independence was not simply a political necessity but a desperate measure to prevent an even greater internal conflict, one that might have erupted between a capitalist Malay society and a Chinese population increasingly seen as a potential instrument of communist expansion.