Chapter 817: The Non-Aggression Pact!
Exchange. VIP Room No. 1!
Li Yi was sitting with his eyes closed, deep in thought. The battle for control of Hang Seng had reached a fever pitch; barring any surprises, the outcome would likely be decided within the next day or two.
As things stood, they certainly held the upper hand, but whether they could ultimately secure controlling interest in Hang Seng remained an unknown.
The reason was simple: the British-owned group currently held far more Hang Seng shares than he did.
If the other side chose to fight to the bitter end, it would be extremely difficult for Starry Sky to secure a 51% controlling stake.
But Li Yi wasn’t in a hurry. Initiating the battle for Hang Seng and securing a controlling stake wasn’t his sole objective.
The top priority was to keep Dolsons and his crew tied up; taking over Hang Seng was merely a bonus—a side benefit!
Securing it would be great, but failing to do so wouldn’t be a loss—after all, he had already achieved his most important objective!
Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, Pang Feiyan hurriedly pushed open the door and walked in.
The plump young woman walked over to Li Yi and said somewhat breathlessly, “Boss, Dolsen and the others are here. They say they’d like to see you. Should you meet with them?”
A faint smile immediately appeared on Li Yi’s face. He uncrossed his legs and said, “Sure. They’re bringing us money—why wouldn’t I see them?”
“Bringing money?”
“Don’t pry into things you don’t need to know, kid. Show them in!” Li Yi said.
Pang Feiyan immediately retorted, “Boss, she’s already 25—she’s not a little girl anymore!”
Li Yi glanced at the flat expanse of her chest and said, “Hurry up and go. Don’t keep him waiting!”
Pang Feiyan’s face flushed instantly, and she couldn’t help but think of the lady’s ample figure.
She shot Li Yi a withering glance before stumbling toward the door!
Watching the chubby young woman leave as if fleeing, Li Yi couldn’t help but shake his head. Surely she hadn’t misunderstood something…
Soon, the VIP room door swung open again. Led by Pang Feiyan, Dolsen and Smith entered with three middle-aged men in tow, while their bodyguards were all blocked outside by Zhou Wen and his men.
Standing before Li Yi, Dolsen stared at him for a long moment before speaking slowly, “Mr. Li Yi, you’ve shown great skill—blending truth with deception, the real with the fake. I’m truly impressed!”
Li Yi’s expression remained unchanged, however. He simply replied calmly, “Mr. Dolsen, I assume you didn’t come here just to compliment me. There’s no need for us to beat around the bush. Let’s get straight to the point.”
“Straight to the point!”
Dawson continued, “I’d like to propose a deal to you, Mr. Li Yi. I wonder if you’d be interested?”
“Shares in Hang Seng?”
“Yes. I know you’re interested in Hang Seng Bank, and as it happens, we’re considering selling…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi replied with interest, “Are you planning to invest in the London market?”
“Doesn’t Mr. Li Yi want to go over there and make a fortune?” Dalson retorted.
“No!”
Hearing this reply, Dolsen’s expression changed instantly.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t keep his composure; it was simply that Li Yi’s response had completely caught him off guard, and it would have a massive impact on their future plans.
If Li Yi had no intention of investing in London, then the massive sum of money they held would forever hang like a sword of Damocles over the British Capital Group, keeping them awake at night.
But just then, Li Yi suddenly smiled and said, “You want to invest in London but are worried about trouble back home. Are you afraid of me?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m afraid. I simply believe we share common interests and should set aside our differences to focus on overseas markets together. After all, no matter how deep our animosity runs, there’s no need to turn our backs on money!” Dolsen replied.
Hearing this, Li Yi feigned hesitation and fell silent!
Seeing this, Dalson assumed he had persuaded Li Yi and immediately pressed his advantage: “If you agree to my proposal, I can represent the Alliance in transferring our 41% stake in Hang Seng to you at market value!”
Hearing the figure of 41%, Li Yi was slightly taken aback.
He knew that the British-owned group was Hang Seng’s major shareholder, but according to publicly available information, they only held 29% of the shares—he hadn’t expected the actual figure to be as high as 41%.
This meant that if the two sides went head-to-head, his chances of securing a controlling stake in Hang Seng were virtually zero.
But if he agreed to Dolsons’ terms now, those 41% of shares would be within his grasp. Combined with the 11% he currently held, that would total 52%—enough to meet the threshold for a controlling stake.
However, he didn’t rush to agree. Instead, he stared at Dolsen and said, “You want to use Hang Seng Bank’s shares to shut me up so you can go to London and make a fortune. Do you really think I’d accept that?”
Dawson smiled and said, “I think Mr. Li Yi will, because deep down, we’re cut from the same cloth!”
“Haha, I couldn’t agree more!”
Then Li Yi changed the subject and said, “I imagine these shares won’t be easy to come by. Tell me your terms.”
“I have only one condition: as long as Mr. Li Yi, representing Starry Sky Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, signs a non-aggression pact with our alliance under the witness of the Governor’s Office…”
Hearing this, Li Yi almost burst out laughing!
A non-aggression pact? Do they really think they’re an independent kingdom?
“Mr. Dolsen, how binding do you think such an agreement would be between us? Besides, you’ve surely heard the saying: ‘Agreements are meant to be broken.’ Do you really think you can rest easy relying on just a piece of paper?” Li Yi said.
Dawson fell silent. Given the bitter enmity between the two sides, a mere piece of paper truly held little binding power.
“Then what do you think we should do?”
Li Yi’s expression hardened instantly as he said coldly, “You’re right. We’re all in the same boat. I want to invest in the London market too, but I don’t trust you!”
“And don’t give me any of that ‘spirit of the contract’ nonsense. To you, that’s nothing more than toilet paper—something you only pull out when it’s convenient. If you want us to set aside our differences—or even our hatred—you’ll have to offer something far more sincere!”
“What kind of proof?” Dolsen asked instinctively.
“You put up Huifeng’s shares as collateral, and we’ll put up Star Investment as a guarantee. We’ll agree not to attack each other for three months. If either side violates the agreement during that period, the other party’s company will serve as the penalty!” Li Yi said.
Whoa!
These words not only made Dolsen, Smith, and the others gasp in shock, but also left Pang Feiyan and the others speechless.
After all, both Huifeng and Star Investment were massive corporations worth tens of billions. For Li Yi to propose using them as liquidated damages was truly beyond everyone’s expectations.
“Are you serious?” Dolsen asked, frowning.
“Yes. Just think about all the underhanded tactics you’ve used in the past. I wouldn’t trust you based on a mere piece of paper!” Li Yi said.
Dawson stared at Li Yi for a long moment before saying, “It seems you’re quite wary of us as well?”
“Fear? Are you even worthy of it?”
Li Yi continued, “I simply don’t want to waste precious capital on guarding against you. Don’t forget I currently have 66 billion in funds. As long as I set aside 10 billion, I can handle any tactics you throw at me. But if you were to set aside 10 billion, how much would you have left for investment?”
At these words, Dowson’s expression changed once more!
After a brief silence, he finally said, “Alright, I agree with your proposal. Let’s go to the Governor’s Mansion later to sign the agreement!”
“Not just the Governor’s Mansion—representatives from the judiciary and the legislature must also serve as impartial witnesses. Once the agreement is signed, it must be published in all media outlets!” Li Yi said.
“Agreed!”
“Then let’s talk about the Hang Seng shares. How much do you want?” Li Yi asked.
Dawson replied with a hint of frustration, “Hang Seng’s market capitalization has now fallen below 3.5 billion Hong Kong dollars. A 41% stake is worth nearly 1.4 billion. What do you think?”
“Deal!” Li Yi said.
“Deal…”
………..