City Center. Star Tower!
By the time Li Yi and Huang Lixing arrived at Star Company’s headquarters, it was already noon.
Upon arriving at the company, Li Yi made a brief appearance and immediately called a meeting with the company’s leadership.
Just moments ago, Huang Lixing had briefly briefed Li Yi on the company’s business situation.
Over the past few months, business had not been going smoothly for either Starry Sky Corporation or the Green Dragon Society.
This was especially true for Shield Security, the company in which Li Yi had placed such high hopes; it had now become a massive burden and liability.
Currently, the security firm has a total of 822 instructors and security personnel. Among them, more than 50 are from the mainland—all elite veterans from the military—while the rest are former Qinglong Society henchmen selected through intensive training.
These personnel are now divided into 4 security companies, 16 security platoons, and 64 squads!
Originally, according to Li Yi’s plan, once this force completed its training, it would take on assignments in the form of security squads or teams, gradually establishing Shield Company as Hong Kong Island’s top security firm.
This would not only establish a powerful force for him in Hong Kong but also gradually whitewash the Blue Dragon Society’s reputation, while even generating revenue through this security operation.
However, the reality was frustrating: in the more than six months since its establishment, Shield Security had taken on fewer than 30 assignments.
During this period, Li Yi and Huang Lixing had collectively invested over 50 million Hong Kong dollars into Shield Corporation, yet their returns hadn’t even reached one million Hong Kong dollars—a net loss!
On top of that, most of the Blue Dragon Society’s operations on Hong Kong Island have suffered a devastating blow.
Huang Lixing voluntarily shut down all three of their casinos—not a single one remained.
Businesses such as smuggling and home appliance sales were subjected to a full-scale crackdown by the British Hong Kong government and British-owned conglomerates, ultimately collapsing beyond recovery.
Today, the Blue Dragon Society is propped up by only a small amount of business at the docks, but it is clearly on its last legs.
But what worries Huang Lixing the most is Star Investment. The company currently has over 18 billion Hong Kong dollars in its accounts, yet with both the property and stock markets in Hong Kong Island in freefall, it is simply not the right time for large-scale investments.
The company’s investment managers have been trying to enter the stock market recently, but they haven’t been able to make any money. Even the most experienced and skilled ones, such as Lan Xinyi and Cai Bingyan, have barely managed to break even.
As for the rest, needless to say, they were essentially all in the red.
If this continues, it will not only damage the company’s hard-earned reputation but also place enormous financial pressure on the company.
We’re talking about over 18 billion Hong Kong dollars here. Even if we calculate based on a guaranteed minimum return, that money would require 1.8 billion in interest payments over the course of a year.
Such a massive sum amounts to nearly 5 million Hong Kong dollars per day on average!
And that’s just the payments to investors—it doesn’t even include employee salaries or the various taxes and fees owed to the Hong Kong government. If you really add it all up, these expenses would amount to an astronomical figure.
That is precisely why even Huang Lixing, who is usually reluctant to get involved in company affairs, is starting to feel a sense of urgency.
And Li Yi has come here now specifically to resolve the issue of the company’s idle funds…
………
In the large conference room, all the department heads and deputy heads from Starry Sky Company had gathered.
Seated at the head of the table, Li Yi looked around and noticed quite a few new faces—clearly recent promotions.
After all, a large number of senior executives, including Lan Xinyi and Cai Bingyan, had been transferred by Li Yi to the mainland to establish a branch office, and the vacancies left behind by their departure needed to be filled.
“Is everyone here yet?”
Chief Steward Lan Xinming immediately stood up and replied, “Boss, everyone is here!”
Li Yi cleared his throat and asked again, “The Li, He, Luo, and Bao families, among others, should have all come by this morning. How much funding have we raised in total?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the newly appointed head of the Investment Department, the chubby young woman Pang Feiyan, stood up and said, “So far, we’ve raised a total of 17.6 billion Hong Kong dollars. Of that, 15.8 billion has already been deposited, and the remaining 1.8 billion is expected to be deposited by 2:00 p.m.!”
Li Yi nodded, then asked again, “So how much is currently in the company’s accounts?”
The CFO, Zhao Xinlan, replied immediately, “Boss, excluding the 17.6 billion Hong Kong dollars raised today, we currently have over 18.24 billion Hong Kong dollars in the company’s accounts!”
“In addition, we have a large deposit of 1.2 billion at Citibank. The deposit matures on August 10, but we can redeem it early if we’re willing to forfeit some interest. However, this does not include the funds in your and Mr. Huang’s personal accounts!”
Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “Manager Zhao, immediately transfer all the funds from my personal account into the company account under the guise of an investment!”
“Yes, sir!”
Li Yi then turned to Huang Lixing beside him and said, “Old Huang, you can discuss with Manager Zhao later how much you plan to invest!”
“I have about 3.6 billion in my account. I’ll keep 600 million for emergencies and invest the remaining 3 billion in the company!” Huang Lixing replied.
“Good. With that, our company’s on-balance-sheet funds will reach nearly 60 billion Hong Kong dollars. I’ll just have to see what those foreigners have to offer to compete with us!” Li Yi’s lips curled slightly upward as he spoke with an air of dominance.
The dozen or so senior and deputy managers in the conference room, upon hearing this, were left completely dumbfounded.
They never would have imagined that just three months ago, the company had distributed the vast majority of its profits to shareholders and investors, yet in the blink of an eye, there was now a massive 60 billion in the bank.
Keep in mind that the total trading volume of the entire Hong Kong stock market is currently less than 5 trillion, and the market capitalization is even smaller, at only around 180 billion.
For the company to enter the market with funds amounting to one-third of the total market capitalization—if this news got out, not just any single company, but even a dozen major corporations combined wouldn’t be able to withstand such a shock!
However, Li Yi paid no heed to what others might think and continued, “Manager Lan, Feiyan, and Banbanhaobang, immediately assemble a team of 12 elite traders. This afternoon, you’ll accompany me to the securities exchange for a look around!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Alright, let’s wrap up today’s meeting for now. Xinlan and Yunbao, come to my office. Everyone else, you may go!”
With that order given, Zhao Xinlan and Li Yunbao followed Li Yi to his office, while the rest of the group dispersed.
Upon returning to his spacious, luxurious office, Li Yi immediately pointed to the chair across from his desk and said, “Sit down!”
Once Zhao Xinlan and Li Yunbao had taken their seats, Li Yi asked, “Manager Zhao, how’s the matter I asked you to handle a while back coming along?”
“Boss, as you requested, all of the company’s funds and all funds in your personal accounts have been converted into British pounds and transferred via secret channels to Far East Securities’ account in London!” Zhao Xinlan replied.
“Very good. Aside from setting aside 10 billion for emergencies, convert the rest of the funds raised today into pounds and transfer them to that account as well!” Li Yi instructed again.
“Yes, sir!”
“When do you expect this to be completed?”
“It will take two days!”
“Alright, go ahead and take care of it!”
“Yes!”
After Zhao Xinlan left, Li Yi turned to Li Yunbao and asked, “Is everything ready on your father’s end?”
“It’s all set. Tomorrow, Far East Securities’ top trading team will depart for London. I’ll be going with them and will follow your remote instructions!” Li Yunbao replied.
“Alright, set off as soon as you’re ready. We don’t have much time left!” Li Yi said.
“Yes, so when are you heading over, Brother Yi?” Li Yunbao asked.
“You guys go ahead first. I’ll stay here for now to keep those foreigners in check. I’ll head over when necessary, and I’ll let you know before I leave!” Li Yi said.
“Yes…”
And just as Li Yi and Li Yunbao were talking, the entire Hong Kong financial and investment sectors were in an uproar. A rumor involving 60 billion dollars quickly spread throughout all the major listed companies on Hong Kong Island…
……….