Chapter 979: Opportunities for Each Family!

When Li Fu and the others pushed open the door and walked in, Li Yi immediately stood up from his seat.

Then, he smiled and said, “You’re a bit early!”

Li Futao and the others were completely baffled by his inexplicable remark!

“What do you mean, ‘a bit early’?” Li Futiao asked, looking puzzled.

“You arrived a bit earlier than I expected!” Li Yi replied.

He had expected Li Futiao and the others to come see him at the very least after the morning market bell rang, but he hadn’t expected them to show up as early as 11:30.

Li Futiao and the others immediately understood—Li Yi was implying they were being a bit too hasty.

Immediately, Li Futiao hurried to explain, “Brother Li Yi, please don’t misunderstand. We didn’t come here to pressure you; we just wanted to ask what your next steps are!”

As he spoke, Li Futiao’s face flushed slightly. He thought to himself that coming over now was indeed a bit inappropriate and could easily be misinterpreted.

However, they truly had no ulterior motives. After all, Li Yi had already promised to cover their losses. The only reason they’d rushed over so hastily was that they’d been frightened by the perilous situation outside.

That’s right—they were simply scared!

For the past two and a half hours, they had been watching the battle unfold from upstairs and downstairs.

Yet the way events were unfolding left them feeling a chill run down their spines.

The market had been open for less than two and a half hours, yet the stock prices of the short-sold companies had already taken a severe hit.

For those with smaller losses, their market capitalization had evaporated by a fifth or two; for those with heavier losses, it had plummeted by as much as a third.

At this rate, the stock prices could be cut in half before the market even closes.

After all, right now it’s only those people selling off their shares, but if the prices are allowed to keep falling—breaking through investors’ psychological tolerance threshold—ordinary investors will also start dumping their holdings.

At that point, the situation would spiral completely out of control, escalating into a full-blown disaster and potentially triggering a new stock market crash.

Although they had already received Li Yi’s promise that their losses would be fully covered,

But with the stock price plummeting so rapidly, it was still proving difficult for them to bear.

It was under these circumstances that Li Futao and the others, unable to withstand the pressure, came to seek out Li Yi…

At this point, He Dongying also realized that coming to see Li Yi at this moment seemed somewhat inappropriate, as it made them appear distrustful of him.

She immediately echoed Li Futao’s words, explaining, “Brother Li Yi, we truly mean no offense; we were simply startled by the situation just now.”

Li Chaoren immediately added, “That’s right. The situation out there is truly perilous. In just a short time, the combined market capitalization of our companies has evaporated by over 50 billion Hong Kong dollars—it’s terrifying!”

“I’ve been in the business world for decades and have weathered many storms, but this is the first time I’ve seen a situation like today’s. For a company’s market value to lose half its value in just a few hours—most people simply couldn’t handle that!”

The speaker was the renowned “King of Chartering.” As of now, the Bao family’s Wharf Holdings had suffered the most severe blow and incurred the greatest losses.

What was once a market capitalization of over 20 billion Hong Kong dollars had now dwindled to just 12 billion, with the stock price nearly halved.

After listening to everyone’s comments, Li Yi replied calmly, “Gentlemen, please remain calm. It’s just market capitalization—it’s not as if we’ve actually lost that much money.”

At this remark, Li Futao and the others were instantly at a loss for words.

Li Yi wasn’t wrong. While a listed company’s market capitalization is certainly important, it’s not as crucial as people might imagine.

Think of it this way: a company’s market capitalization is like the price of a house—whether it goes up or down really only matters when you’re selling the house.

If you have no intention of selling your house, whether the price is high or low doesn’t affect your life.

That’s precisely why many listed companies don’t really care much about their stock prices; as long as they stay within a certain range, that’s considered stable.

But in today’s volatile market, with prices swinging wildly, a single misstep could send the stock price plummeting below investors’ psychological expectations—it’s truly nerve-wracking and makes it hard to feel at ease.

Just as the room fell silent, Li Yi made another startling remark: “I might as well tell you now—it’s not just those bastards across the room shorting these companies; we’re doing it too!”

At these words, everyone was once again left speechless—except for Li Futao, who looked deep in thought.

“This… Mr. Li, what on earth is going on? How could you be helping those people short our company…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “I’m not helping them—I’m just going with the flow to recoup some capital.”

“Based on the current stock prices of these companies, we’ve made at least 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in the past two hours. Next…”

Just as everyone was focusing their attention, ready to hear Li Yi’s next instructions, the door to the VIP lounge swung open again. Yang Qian, in charge of intelligence gathering, hurried in.

After quickly approaching Li Yi, Yang Qian glanced at Li Futi and the others before saying, “Boss, Wharf Holdings’ stock price has already dropped to the target line of 25 Hong Kong dollars!”

At those words, Li Futao, He Dongying, Bao Chuanwang, and the others felt their hearts sink once more.

For Wharf Holdings, which had opened at HK$46.60 per share, a price of HK$25 represented a near-50% drop.

In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned to Li Yi, eager to see how he would react.

“Got it!”

Li Yi then turned to Li Futao and the others, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, leaving everyone utterly baffled.

The stock price has dropped again—how can you still be smiling?

But just as everyone was filled with confusion, Li Yi spoke up: “Old Bao, the economic situation hasn’t been great these past few years. The Wharf Holdings shares held by your Bao family have been steadily flowing out, and your stake is now less than 30%!”

“Now that the stock price is about to hit rock bottom, this is your chance to regain control of the company. Whether you want to step in and buy back Wharf Holdings shares is up to you!”

Bao Chuanwang immediately replied with a smile, “That is indeed an opportunity. I know exactly what to do!”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Li Yi then turned his attention to Li Futiao and the others, saying once more, “Old Li, Old He, and Old Huo, the Bao family’s opportunity is also an opportunity for all of you. Whether you want to get involved is up to you.”

“By the way, my people are currently working full steam ahead to buy up shares in our various companies. Barring any surprises, the stock prices should rebound soon…”

Before he had even finished speaking, Li Futiao turned to Zhou Xinghua beside him and said, “Issue the order immediately: buy back shares in all our companies with everything we’ve got.”

“Yes…”

Li Chaoren, however, said nothing. He turned and walked toward the exit, breaking into a light jog after just a few steps.

Seeing this, the others didn’t want to be left behind and hurriedly left VIP Room No. 9.

Although they had come today merely as spectators, they had all brought their own teams with them, ready to jump into the fray at any moment.

Now… the opportunity had finally arrived!

And with the Li and Bao families—these business titans—entering the fray, the already chaotic situation instantly became even more chaotic…

………..