Sang Chai’s brow was deeply furrowed; the very thing he feared most had come to pass.
He wasn’t afraid that Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce would forcibly prop up the market, nor did he care whether they would simply surrender. What he feared most was that these parties would take full advantage of the low prices to aggressively snap up shares on the market.
If that happened, Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce might find themselves stuck with a massive amount of capital tied up in the short term, yet they would be able to significantly increase their shareholding ratio.
More importantly, this would lead to a significant reduction in the number of shares available for trading on the market.
Once the number of shares in circulation decreased, their room for maneuver would be greatly reduced.
After all, whether it’s seizing control of a company or manipulating stock prices, a large volume of tradable shares is essential as a foundation.
Without sufficient free-floating shares, no matter how capable they are, they would have no room to maneuver.
It could be said that Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce are essentially trading capital for survival; the inevitable outcome will be a lose-lose situation for both parties, with neither coming out ahead.
Fortunately, he had already anticipated this scenario and prepared a contingency plan…
Just as Sangchai was deep in thought, Monroe couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Sangchai, what should we do now? Should we keep dumping shares?”
“No, we need to drive the stock price up!”
Sangchai then turned to Sanchez and said, “Pass the word: buy up as many shares of these companies as possible and drive the stock price up!”
“Yes, sir!”
Hearing this order, Monroe and the others sighed, but ultimately decided to launch the buyback plan ahead of schedule.
At the current stock price, while they could make a profit, gaining control of these companies would be a bit difficult.
Just as everyone was lamenting, a piercing bell suddenly rang outside—it was time for the midday trading halt.
Since the midday break lasted only an hour and a half, retail investors typically used this time to grab a bite to eat and take a short break.
Meanwhile, corporate teams and brokerage firms would use this time to review the morning’s performance and adjust their plans for the afternoon.
So, as soon as the bell rang, Sangchai stood up from his seat and was about to leave.
Just then, Dolsen suddenly spoke up: “Mr. Sangchai, shouldn’t we discuss our plan of action for the afternoon?”
“Nothing is more important than eating. We can discuss the plan after lunch!”
With that, Sangchai ignored the others and walked straight out, leaving the crowd below staring at one another in bewilderment…
A dozen minutes later, in a luxury suite at the hotel across from Far East Securities.
Sangchai stared at the several sheets of paper covered in writing in his hands, his face dark with gloom.
After a long moment, he looked up at the middle-aged man standing before him.
“Yuni, are you certain that the traders managing these accounts are all Dolsons’ people, and that these orders were all issued by him personally?”
Hearing Sangchai’s question, Yuni hurriedly replied, “I’m certain. I paid a hefty sum to bribe one of Dolsen’s investment managers to get this intelligence; there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“Yuni, do you know what this means?” Sangchai asked again.
Yuni paused briefly before answering, “I know. It means Dolsen isn’t on the same page as us. He’s not someone we can rely on, but…”
“But what?”
“It just means that aside from these few pieces of paper, we have no other evidence. If we try to press charges against him based on this, the chances of success aren’t very high. At that point, Dolsen could simply deny everything, or just pin it on a scapegoat…”
Before he could finish, Sangchai shook his head and said, “The police need evidence to build a case. All we need to know is that Dolsen is untrustworthy.”
“Besides, I strongly suspect that Dolsen isn’t just unreliable—he’s likely already colluding with those people from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce!”
Upon hearing this, a look of shock flashed across Yuni’s face.
“Sir, are you suggesting that Dolsen might have betrayed the family?”
Sangchai nodded and said, “It’s not a possibility—he has definitely defected!”
“That… that can’t be possible. He’s one of the family’s two heirs. What would he gain by betraying the family?”
Sangchai replied coldly, “You know Dolsen’s position within the family. His status as an heir isn’t secure—otherwise, I wouldn’t be the one in command of this operation.”
“If we crush Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce this time, Dolsen will be next in line. He has every reason to team up with Li Yi—it’s his only chance of survival.”
After a moment’s thought, Sangchai continued, “More importantly, Gusta’s downfall in Hong Kong was far too suspicious. Whether it was his business offensives or his plan to assassinate Li Yi, the other side neutralized them completely—as if they’d known his plans all along.”
“Whoa, sir, are you saying that Dolsen had already betrayed his family back then? That he and that Oriental guy teamed up to screw over Young Master Gusta?” Yuni asked in astonishment.
“Barring any surprises, that’s likely the truth!” Sangchai said.
“No wonder you had us secretly investigate Dalson—so you’d already suspected him, sir!”
Then, as if a thought struck him, Yuni’s expression suddenly changed. “Sir, if Dolsen really has betrayed us, does that mean that Oriental man already knows our entire plan?”
“Theoretically, yes!”
Sang then changed the subject and added, “But don’t worry—I’ve already taken precautions!”
“What should we do now?” Yuni asked.
“Keep your men watching Dolsen’s people. If there’s any unusual activity, report it to me immediately. I’ll handle the rest!” Sangchai said.
“Yes!”
After saying that, Yuni hurriedly left the hotel.
After Yuni left, Sangchai’s gaze fell once more on the papers, and a cold smile spread across his face.
At the same time, he muttered under his breath, “Dawson, you think you can sell out the family’s interests and compete with the young master for the inheritance? That’s nothing but a pipe dream. This time, I’ll make sure you suffer heavy losses and end up disgraced…”
……….
At 1:30 p.m., as the opening bell rang, the stock exchange—which had been relatively quiet for the past hour and a half—burst into a frenzy once more!
The trading floor, already crowded, could now only be described as teeming with people, packed to the brim.
Looking down from the upper floors, the view was a sea of heads, packed shoulder to shoulder, filling nearly the entire exchange.
As for the trading counters, they were completely swamped by the crowd.
The traders behind the counters were constantly taking and placing orders, so busy they seemed to have no time even to catch their breath.
Since just before the morning trading session closed, various market forces had suddenly shifted their strategy, switching from short-selling to scrambling to buy up shares of various companies.
Although this situation lasted only about ten minutes before being halted by a temporary market suspension, a significant number of investors had already keenly sensed that the market’s direction had shifted.
Consequently, as soon as the market reopened in the afternoon, a massive crowd of investors surged toward the counters, scrambling to buy shares of companies like Wharf Holdings, Hang Seng Bank, and Ho Group.
Under these circumstances, the stock prices of these companies surged rapidly, showing a clear upward trend.
By 3:00 p.m., the share prices of these companies—which had previously been nearly halved—had returned to their levels at the morning opening and were even continuing to climb rapidly.
During this period, whether it was Starry Company or Li Futao, BB Xi TR He Dongying, and Bao Chuanwang, they all purchased large quantities of shares, causing their shareholdings to surge.
However, just as these tycoons were preparing to continue pouring money into buying up their own stocks, Li Yi suddenly had someone notify them: Immediately dump all the tradable shares in your hands!
Just minutes after Li Yi’s order was issued, Sang Chai made a phone call and issued the exact same command.
In an instant, the market sentiment shifted once again…