The signing ceremony proceeded smoothly; this time, no “Chosen One” emerged to disrupt proceedings.
After the signing was completed, Zhao Xinlan, the financial representative from Star Investment, finalized the payment with Dolsons’ representatives, thereby bringing the share transfer agreement to a complete close.
Once everything was settled, Li Yi didn’t linger at the Emperor Hotel. After exchanging a few words with Dolsen, he left with Li Futao, Huang Lixing, and the others.
Upon leaving the Emperor Hotel, Li Yi and his party headed straight for the Li Family Estate, where all members of the Chinese Business Association were waiting for them.
In the estate’s grand conference room, everyone watched the entrance intently, looking as though they were eagerly awaiting someone’s arrival.
Suddenly, someone pointed out the window and exclaimed, “Cars… a motorcade!”
The crowd immediately rushed to the windows and indeed saw a long convoy of cars rolling into the Li family estate.
Upon seeing the lead vehicle, someone immediately shouted, “It’s the two Mr. Lis returning…”
Sure enough, under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Li Yi, Li Futiao, and the others stepped out of the cars and strode purposefully toward the upper floor.
As Li Yi, Li Futao, Huang Lixing, and the others entered the conference room, everyone immediately surrounded them, bombarding them with questions.
Looking at the chaotic conference room, Li Futiao immediately shouted, “Quiet… quiet! Everyone back to your seats. This has turned into a marketplace—how are we supposed to discuss anything?”
At Li Futiao’s command, the crowd reluctantly returned to their seats, while Li Yi and Li Futiao made their way to the head of the table and took their seats.
Once seated, Li Futiao cleared his throat and said, “I know you’re all eager to hear the results. Now, please allow Brother Li Yi to announce them.”
There was no applause, no cheering; everyone stared intently at Li Yi, their eyes brimming with anticipation.
Li Yi didn’t beat around the bush. He stood up immediately and said, “I’ve fulfilled my mission. We’ve repurchased all the shares from every company, at a total cost of 10 billion US dollars.”
The conference room fell into a moment of dead silence, followed by a deafening roar of cheers and a burst of enthusiastic applause.
Deep down, everyone had been confident they could repurchase these shares. After all, the situation was clear: for every day those foreign conglomerates held on to them, the value of their shares would shrink further.
Now that someone was willing to take over these shares, they were certainly more than happy.
So, rather than whether the buyback would succeed, everyone was actually more concerned about the price at which these shares would be repurchased!
But what no one could have imagined was that Li Yi had acquired shares with a market value of 17 to 18 billion US dollars for a mere 10 billion US dollars—it was truly shocking.
Just as everyone was reeling from the shock, Li Yi spoke again: “All the company’s shares have now been repurchased. Let’s discuss how to allocate them.”
At these words, the conference room—which had been in an uproar just moments ago—fell silent once more, and everyone’s gaze fixed on Li Yi.
At that moment, Li Yi took a document from the briefcase he was carrying and said, “This outlines the shareholding details for each company following this buyback. I’ll read them out to you: Wharf Holdings 84%, Hongniao Real Estate 75%, Longheng Bank 66%, Hang Seng Bank 68%, Ho Group 76%…”
After listing the shareholdings for all companies, Li Yi continued, “All shares are now held by Starry Sky. To thank everyone for your trust and support during this process, Starry Sky will transfer back to you the shares you held prior to the crisis at the original repurchase price.”
“For example, the Bao family previously held 38% of Wharf Holdings, and now holds 6%. I will transfer that 32% back to the Bao family at the original price, while the remaining shares will be held by Star Investment. Does anyone have any objections?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Bao Chuanwang replied with a complex tone, “So, does that mean Star Investment will hold a controlling stake in Nine Dragons from now on?”
Li Yi currently held 84% of Wharf Holdings. After transferring 32% to the Bao family, he would retain 52%, which would meet the requirements for controlling interest.
Li Yi smiled and said, “Mr. Bao, there’s no need to worry. Star Investment has no intention of taking control of any of these companies.”
“To protect everyone’s interests, shareholders holding less than the controlling stake may submit a buyout request to Star Investment, though the price will not be calculated based on the repurchase price.”
Li Yi then explained further, “As you all know, the value of these shares far exceeds 10 billion US dollars. The reason we were able to acquire them at such a low price is that Star Investment and I paid a significant price to do so. I hope you all understand!”
Li Yi certainly intended to retain a portion of the shares in these Chinese-owned companies, but he did not need to hold a controlling stake in them.
After hearing Li Yi’s explanation, everyone present immediately understood.
Although Li Yi didn’t specify what that cost was, it was clearly substantial. If they had insisted on having the companies transfer their shares to them at the buyback price, it would not only have been unreasonable but also inconsiderate.
Besides, in this stock market battle, under Li Yi’s leadership, every one of them had made a fortune. Spending a little extra to buy back some shares was no big deal.
At that moment, Bao Chuanwang spoke up first: “Mr. Li, I agree with your proposal. Furthermore, the Bao family is willing to repurchase 13% of the shares in Wharf Holdings at twice the market price!”
“Agreed!”
“Mr. Li, the He family also accepts this proposal and will repurchase 17% of Ho Group shares at twice the market price!”
“Agreed!”
“Mr. Li, our Luo family also…”
Soon, the distribution of shares in these companies was finalized.
Although Li Yi’s shareholding had been significantly reduced, he had made a substantial profit.
Li Yi was extremely satisfied with this outcome.
Not only had they reaped substantial profits from this major deal, but they had also secured shares in nearly all of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s listed companies—a gain that meant far more to him than making a few billion dollars.
It wasn’t just because he knew that Hong Kong’s economy would fully recover in a few months; as the broader market rebounded, the market capitalization of these listed companies would rise accordingly.
More importantly, with these shares, he had become a shareholder in these Chinese-owned companies.
This not only strengthened his ties with others but also gave him leverage to influence them, thereby increasing his clout within the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
In short, the benefits were numerous…
But just as Li Yi and the others were busy dividing the spoils here, the outside world was in an uproar.
As the signing ceremony concluded, news of what had just happened at the BB Xi TR venue spread like wildfire.
“Six Major Conglomerates Suffer Total Defeat; Sangchai Fumes So Much He Coughs Up Blood!”
“Dawson Forced Out of the Sassoon Family, Publicly Announces He’s Striking Out on His Own in Hong Kong Island!”
“The Chinese Chamber of Commerce Regains Controlling Stake in the Company; Li Yi Emerges as the Biggest Winner!”
“Dawson Sacrifices 10 Billion Hong Kong Dollars for Friendship, Sharing a Bond of Mutual Admiration with Li Yicheng!”
With the Hong Kong media in full swing, one bombshell after another quickly spread across the entire island.
As these reports spread, they triggered a chain reaction.
First, the stock price of Huashang Company, which had been in a steady decline, suddenly stopped falling and began to rise slightly.
Second, as these reports crossed the oceans to reach London, Tokyo, and New York, they once again sent shockwaves through the stock prices of the six major conglomerates and other listed companies under the Sassoon family.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Li Yi immediately ordered his overseas investment team to close the deal…
………..