Manhattan Island. Green Manor!
Li Yi, who was in the middle of a meeting, heard that Reggie Green had arrived and immediately adjourned the meeting, heading to the estate’s living room.
On the sofa in the living room, Reggie Green was looking anxiously toward the staircase.
When he saw Li Yi and the others coming down the stairs, Reggie Green immediately stood up and went to greet them.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Reggie Green asked to speak with Li Yi privately. Li Yi naturally agreed; he was deeply grateful for the assistance his white friend, Li Fuzhao, had provided them over the past period.
Without Reggie Green’s help, Li Yi could still have successfully shorted gold, but it certainly wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did.
In particular, Sharp Corporation—which Reggie Green introduced to them—not only provided Li Yi with affordable, high-quality services during this major battle to short gold, but also stood the test when Legendary William targeted them.
Li Yi kept all of this in mind.
The two of them, along with Li Yunbao acting as an interpreter, then proceeded to a meeting room on the second floor.
After taking their seats, Li Yi cut straight to the chase: “Mr. Green, you didn’t come all this way in such a hurry just to catch up. If there’s something on your mind, please speak plainly!”
Upon hearing Li Yunbao’s translation, Reggie Green immediately sat up straight and said, “Li, I’m truly sorry to disturb you. Actually, the main reason I’m here is to ask if you have any plans to make a long-term investment here?”
“Long-term investment?”
“Yes. Actually, I wanted to ask you, Li, if you’d be interested in investing in our Green Brothers company?”
Li Yi didn’t answer Reggie Green’s question directly. Instead, he looked at him and said, “Mr. Green, has your company encountered any issues affecting its operations?”
Reggie Green paused to think for a moment, then nodded and said, “We’re actually facing a huge problem!”
“Would you mind sharing what it is?”
Reggie Green sighed and said, “Actually, our company’s operations aren’t the problem—it’s that the management team has fallen into internal strife due to serious disagreements!”
“Internal strife?”
“Yes. Aside from the 30% of shares held in public circulation, the remaining 70% is held collectively by over a hundred shareholders of varying sizes. I personally hold 28%, making me the company’s largest individual shareholder, while Davis holds 20%, making him the second-largest individual shareholder. The remaining shareholders align with one of us, so two factions have formed within the company!”
Reggie Green continued, “Over the past few years, Davis and I have worked together fairly well. Although there were some minor friction, it didn’t affect the company’s decision-making.”
“However, over the past year, our differences on certain matters have grown increasingly pronounced, leading to intensifying internal conflicts within the company. These have reached a point of near irreconcilability, severely impacting the company’s operations and development…”
After listening to Reggie Green’s brief account of the situation, Li Yi looked at him again and said, “Mr. Green, from what you’re saying, it sounds like you want me to invest in your company to help you take down Davis?”
“No… no… no… you’ve misunderstood me, sir. I have no intention of asking you to help me take down Davis!” Reggie Green hurriedly replied.
“Then what do you mean?”
“I’d like you to take over the shares held by either me or Davis, to prevent our serious disagreements from harming the company and the shareholders’ interests!” Reggie Green said earnestly.
Hearing this, Li Yi seemed to understand!
Reggie Green’s point was that either he or Davis would be leaving Green Brothers Investment permanently, and he was now asking Li Yi to step in as a buyer to take over the shares of the departing party.
“Why me? Given Green Brothers’ track record, I’m sure there are plenty of people on Wall Street who’d be happy to join your firm!”
Although Green Brothers wasn’t yet as formidable as it would be a decade or so later—and wasn’t one of the “Big Four” investment firms—the company’s growth trajectory was still impressive.
Looking across all of Wall Street, there were certainly no more than twenty firms performing as well as Green Brothers. In the eyes of those financial titans, this was undoubtedly a prime target worth acquiring at a premium.
Reggie Green knew he had to explain this clearly; otherwise, Li Yi would never invest. After all, as a foreigner in a strange land, he would never dare to invest such a large sum in a company he knew nothing about.
“Li, it’s true—there are plenty of people on Wall Street waving checks, eager to become shareholders of Green Brothers, preferably controlling shareholders. But neither Davis nor I like people like that!”
Reggie Green continued, “The fact that two of us, who were once such close friends, have come to this point is entirely due to a clash of business philosophies. Bringing in someone else from Wall Street wouldn’t make much of a difference. Neither of us wants to replace one of us and keep fighting—that’s not in our best interest, nor is it in the best interest of the company or the shareholders!”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Mr. Green, you still haven’t answered the most crucial question: why does that investor have to be me?”
“There are two main reasons for choosing you. First, you have the financial strength to take over the shares held by me or Davis.”
Reggie Green continued, “Although our firm isn’t a top-tier investment firm—we can’t compare to JPMorgan or Sharp—our market capitalization still exceeds $2 billion. A 20% stake is worth four to five hundred million dollars; that’s not something just anyone can come up with!”
“Go on,” Li Yi said.
Reggie Green immediately replied, “Furthermore, as a foreigner, you cannot remain in New York for an extended period! If you were to invest in Green Brothers, you likely wouldn’t take an executive role within the company but would instead delegate all shareholder rights to a proxy.”
“In that case, whether I or Davis remains with the company, we can manage it according to our own business philosophy. This is the best way to ensure the company’s healthy development!”
After hearing Reggie Green’s explanation, Li Yi fell into deep thought.
To be honest, Reggie Green’s proposal was indeed very tempting to him.
It’s important to note that while Green Brothers Holdings is currently only moderately well-known in New York, in a decade or so, the company will become the fourth-largest investment firm in the United States, with operations spanning capital markets, investment banking, and asset management, among others.
At its peak, Green Brothers’ market capitalization exceeded 800 billion, whereas its current market cap is just over 2 billion dollars.
In other words, investing in this company now would yield a staggering 400-fold return on investment in the future.
Although the company eventually went bankrupt due to a series of issues, including investment missteps, Li Yi had countless opportunities to cash out before the bankruptcy. This investment is undoubtedly a massive windfall.
Furthermore, as New York is a global economic hub, Li Yi will undoubtedly visit frequently in the future to invest in the stock or futures markets.
After all, there are plenty of money-making opportunities here in the future, and Li Yi certainly wouldn’t want to miss out on them.
Therefore, he needs a reliable ally to assist him.
But in the capital markets, no one is absolutely reliable—unless they’re one of your own.
Consequently, before coming here, Li Yi had considered whether he should set up his own investment firm—a company he founded himself would undoubtedly be trustworthy.
But setting up a company from scratch takes too long and is too energy-consuming. Since there’s a ready-made company available, why go through the trouble of starting a new one?
After all, it’s all about using someone else’s resources to achieve his goals—why should he worry about whose resources he’s using?
With that in mind, Li Yi made up his mind on the spot…
……….