Chapter 799: Dolsen’s Ultimate Move!

At the very moment Li Yi and Li Futao were speaking, in the ancient castle villa on the outskirts of the city, the executives of the British-owned conglomerate were also discussing their countermeasures.

“Crack!”

An exquisite coffee cup was violently smashed onto the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces in an instant.

Immediately afterward, a slightly aged voice rang out in the villa’s grand hall: “How dare that yellow-skinned monkey go after Huifeng? Is he looking for death? Does he really think we won’t take him out?”

The speaker was Henry, the general manager of Huifeng Company. He had just learned that in less than an hour, Star Investment had snapped up 5% of Huifeng Bank’s publicly traded shares in one fell swoop and filed a report against his company through relevant authorities.

In Henry’s view, this was not merely an insult from Star Investment and Li Yi—it was a direct provocation against Huifeng. This infuriated the typically arrogant Henry, leaving him seething with a touch of humiliation.

At that moment, the gray-haired elder sitting next to Dolsen said calmly, “Henry, you need to stay calm. Given the current situation, we really can’t do anything to him!”

“Alex, how am I supposed to stay calm? That yellow-skinned monkey actually wants to forcibly take over Huifeng Bank! Once we lose Huifeng, we’ll effectively lose our financial leadership and control over Hong Kong Island—and it won’t be easy to get it back!” Henry shouted.

Dawson suddenly spoke up: “Five percent isn’t fifty percent. That small stake is nothing. The Alliance has already received 15 billion in funds, and we’ll lend this money to you for now to help you weather the crisis!”

“But I heard that yellow-skinned monkey has 60 billion Hong Kong dollars ready!” Henry said.

At those words, the entire living room fell silent…

60 billion Hong Kong dollars—the figure weighed on everyone’s minds like a mountain.

At present, Huifeng’s market capitalization was barely over 18 billion, and its shares were highly fragmented. If the other side went all-in and poured massive funds into acquiring Huifeng’s stock, it wouldn’t be particularly difficult to secure a 51% controlling stake.

Once the other party took control of Huifeng, they would immediately convene a board meeting and sweep all of them—the senior executives—out the door.

At that point, they would lose not only control of Huifeng, but also the jobs they depended on for their livelihoods.

After all, Dolsen was the carefully groomed heir of the Sassoon family. He understood all too well what a bank with the power to issue currency meant to the entire British Capital Group.

If Huifeng were to be acquired by those Chinese investors while under his watch, his trial would be over. Not only would the leadership of the British Capital Group change hands, but he would likely lose his chance to become the family patriarch.

In light of this, Dolsen said in a grave tone, “Although Star Investment claims to have 60 billion in capital, they cannot possibly use all of it against us. Therefore, we must now concentrate all our efforts on repelling their attack.”

“Henry, you must immediately raise funds to save the company. If necessary, you may use a portion of the depositors’ funds—I’ll put in a good word with the regulatory authorities!”

“Alright, I’ll cooperate fully!” Henry replied.

Dawson continued, “Furthermore, Li Yi isn’t acting alone. There are quite a few companies within the Chinese Business Association that are struggling financially. We can certainly target those companies—as they say, ‘besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.’”

“I’ll also report the situation to the family. I hope they can allocate more funds to assist us. If all else fails, we’ll have no choice but to resort to our ultimate measure!”

As soon as he said this, everyone’s gaze fixed on Dolsen. Everyone wanted to know what he meant by “ultimate measures.”

Seeing everyone staring at him, Dolsen said in a deep voice, “Hong Kong is our Hong Kong. We set the political and legal rules here. If necessary, we can completely halt trading of a certain company’s stock—or order a certain company to go public!”

Whoa!

Hearing this, everyone in the room couldn’t help but gasp in shock, yet at the same time, they felt a surge of excitement.

This move was truly ruthless—it was clearly a move to cut off the enemy’s lifeline.

Once implemented, it wouldn’t matter how much money Star Investment had or how clever Li Yi’s tactics were—it would be utterly useless.

Although using such underhanded tactics would undoubtedly come at a heavy cost, it would ensure one’s own invincibility.

As long as there’s profit to be made, who else would care about anything else!

Dorson observed the shifting expressions on everyone’s faces and remarked calmly, “As you all know, such a move would severely damage the authority and credibility of the Hong Kong Government and the Governor’s Office. Therefore, it’s best to avoid it unless absolutely necessary!”

“I’m telling you this in advance so you’ll understand: although we’re currently at a slight financial disadvantage, we’ve long since secured an unassailable position. This battle allows us to fight with complete freedom!”

“Alright…”

……….

The next day!

At 8:30 a.m., before the stock market had even opened, Li Yi arrived at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a large contingent from Star Company.

At the same time, Dolsons and the senior executives of the British-owned group also arrived in a grand procession, and both sides entered the exchange hall almost simultaneously.

Li Yi spotted Dolsen, and Dolsen spotted Li Yi.

Their gazes met in midair, sparks flying instantly, and a tense atmosphere spread throughout the entire exchange.

However, they merely sized each other up briefly and did not stop to exchange a single word.

But this moment was captured by paparazzi who had been waiting near the exchange, and reports of their eye contact soon flooded the media.

Some gossip tabloids, eager to boost traffic and sales, used that single glance to spin a dramatic showdown worthy of a martial arts movie.

Li Yi and Dolsen did not disappoint. As soon as the bell signaling the market opening rang, the battle for Huifeng Bank shares erupted instantly.

As soon as the market opened, Huifeng Bank’s closing price of 22 Hong Kong dollars from the previous night was immediately shattered. Star Investment Company immediately placed a bid of 25 Hong Kong dollars per share, causing a sensation in the market.

We’ve seen crazy moves before, but never anything this wild—jumping the price by 12% right off the bat.

Fortunately, this was the early days of the Hong Kong stock market; had this been the mainland market, that surge alone would have hit the daily price limit.

Dorson wasn’t about to be outdone, immediately raising their bid to HK$25.50 per share, determined to outbid Starry Investment.

Watching the two giants go head-to-head, other players rushed into the fray.

In an effort to outbid the two giants and secure more shares, these smaller players and institutions charged in aggressively, offering prices higher than those of Starry Company and the British Capital Group.

They knew that if they couldn’t entice retail investors with their prices, they simply wouldn’t stand a chance against Starry Company and the British Capital Group.

As for whether bidding high would leave them stuck with a loss, there was no need to worry about that at the moment.

Unless Star Company and the British Capital Group reached a settlement, this battle would inevitably continue until one of them was defeated.

But everyone on Hong Kong Island knows the nature of the relationship between these two sides; from the stock market to the property market in the second half of last year, their clashes were visible almost everywhere.

No one would dispute that their animosity runs deep; given their history, it’s simply impossible for them to reconcile so easily.

As for one side collapsing, that is indeed a possibility. Last year, wasn’t Jardine Matheson ultimately crushed by Star Company after a fierce battle?

But Star Company has just announced a fundraising of 60 billion, and the British-owned consortium is the most powerful business alliance on Hong Kong Island, backed by the entire British business community—its strength goes without saying.

Therefore, even if one side were to fall, it wouldn’t happen that quickly.

Precisely because of this, these smaller players and brokerage firms looking to profit from the chaos felt emboldened, acting with complete impunity.

With their meddling, throughout the entire day of March 22, Huifeng’s stock price was driven straight from HK$22 per share to HK$28 per share—a doubling compared to the previous day’s price.

However, neither Starry Company nor the British-owned group managed to acquire many shares; instead, it was the speculative capital that reaped a large number of shares.

More importantly, this manipulation caused a fundamental shift in Huifeng’s equity-to-asset ratio.

Originally, the company’s market value of 18 billion was lower than its actual asset value of 21 billion; now, with the same 21 billion in assets, its market value has soared to 36 billion.

This has caused many to turn their attention to Star Investment, eager to see what they will do tomorrow—whether they will continue their acquisition or call it quits!