Downtown. Li Family Estate!
Upon receiving the news from Li Yi, Li Futiao immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number.
After a few rings, the call was answered, and a slightly aged voice came through the receiver: “Who is this?”
“It’s me, Li Futiao!”
There was a noticeable pause on the other end, followed by a respectful reply: “Hello, Mr. Li. What are your instructions?”
Although the person on the other end was a man of considerable wealth, he instinctively adopted a humble demeanor when facing a heavyweight like Li Futiao.
The Li family wasn’t just about Li Futiao; the other two members of the Li family were equally influential in Hong Kong, especially the second son, who had ventured into politics and held a high-ranking position.
When it came to a super-family with such deep roots in both politics and business, there were very few people on Hong Kong Island who dared to go head-to-head with the Li family!
“I hear you hold a 2% stake in Hang Seng. I’m very interested. Name your price,” Li Futao said.
“Mr. Li, Hang Seng’s stock price has plummeted. If I sell now, I’ll take a loss…”
“I won’t let you lose money. As far as I know, Hang Seng’s stock is currently trading at only 15 Hong Kong dollars per share. I’ll offer 17. If that works for you, bring the contract to the Li family estate and find me!”
After saying that, Li Futiao didn’t say another word—he simply hung up the phone!
“Old Liang, I hear you hold shares in Hang Seng Bank. I’m very interested—why don’t we talk…”
“Mr. Kuris…”
“Mr. Douglas…”
As one call after another went out, it wasn’t long before quite a few people were driving their way to the Li Family Estate!
News travels fast, and soon, Dolsons and others at the exchange received word that Chairman Li of the Far East Association was making a high-profile move to acquire shares in Hang Seng Bank.
Moreover, the price he was offering was 10 to 20 percent higher than the market price on the exchange.
Upon hearing the news, the foreigners at the exchange began to grow restless; they were all baffled by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s actions.
Meanwhile, VIP Room No. 9 was in complete chaos, with the senior executives of the British-owned group chattering away, discussing the current situation.
Looking at the VIP lounge, which resembled a bustling marketplace, Dolsen’s expression darkened.
“Smash!”
Dorson slammed the coffee cup in his hand onto the floor and bellowed, “Quiet! Will all this chaos solve anything?”
Seeing Dolsen lose his temper, everyone in the room instinctively fell silent.
At that moment, Henry asked in a low voice, “Dawson, what exactly are those yellow-skinned monkeys up to? Why are they doing this?”
Dawson paused to think for a moment, then said, “There are two possible reasons for their actions. The first is that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has set its sights on Hang Seng. While they’re having Star Company’s people drive down Hang Seng’s stock price, they’re secretly buying up Hang Seng’s shares!”
“The other possibility is that those bastards are actually preparing to bail out. This news is just meant to throw us off the scent—just like a few days ago, when they publicly announced they’d acquired a certain number of Huifeng’s non-tradable shares, but in reality, they didn’t buy a single one!”
After hearing Dolsen’s analysis, everyone present couldn’t help but roll their eyes.
“You’ve covered every possibility. It sounds like you’re making sense, but it’s basically the same as saying nothing at all.”
“So what? What exactly are those yellow-skinned monkeys up to? Are they planning to bail out, or have they set their sights on Hang Seng?” Henry, whose brain wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, asked impatiently.
“They’ve set their sights on Hang Seng!” Dolsen said firmly.
“Shit… We absolutely can’t let those yellow-skinned monkeys get their way. We have to drive the stock price up…”
Before Henry could finish, Dolsen shook his head and said, “It’s pointless now!”
“Huh?”
Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone’s faces, Dolsen sighed and said, “Gentlemen, haven’t you figured it out yet? Starry Sky’s target has never been the stock market.”
“The stock market is merely a platform for them to drive down Hang Seng’s share price. Their real trump card lies in the over-the-counter market. As long as they acquire enough shares over the counter, they’ll achieve their goal of controlling Hang Seng!”
Henry asked, somewhat puzzled, “We can compete with them for shares in the over-the-counter market too. How can that be pointless?”
At that moment, Smith looked at his boss as if he were an idiot. He hadn’t intended to get involved, but he couldn’t help but interject, “We can’t compete with those Chinese investors. For one thing, we simply don’t have the same financial clout as they do, and for another…”
Seeing Smith’s hesitant expression, Henry snapped, “Smith, what’s the ‘on the other hand’? Spit it out!”
“I’ll say it!”
Then Dolsen spoke in a low voice: “What Smith is trying to say is that our business reputation has suffered serious damage recently. The shareholders of Hang Seng won’t sell their shares to us unless we’re willing to pay a higher price!”
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
They all recalled how, when Huifeng’s stock price plummeted a few days ago, the Alliance had breached dozens of contracts in a row.
Although they managed to avoid even greater losses following the stock price crash, the British-owned group’s business reputation was left in tatters. Under these circumstances, their chances of competing with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for shares in Hengbanbanhaobangsheng were slim to none.
Not to mention, this went against their established plan!
For a moment, the vast VIP lounge fell silent…
After a long while, Henry finally frowned and said, “So what should we do now? Are we just going to stand by and watch them snap up Hang Seng shares at rock-bottom prices?”
Dawson paused briefly, then said, “I intend to go see that man across the room right now!”
“Dawson, why are you going to see him?” Henry asked, puzzled.
“To strike a deal with him!”
“What kind of deal?”
“Sell him all of Hang Seng’s shares!” Dolsen said, making a startling announcement.
Hearing this, the reactions of those in the room varied: some looked astonished, while others remained unperturbed, as if everything had been expected all along!
“You…”
Before Henry could finish his sentence, Dolsen spoke again: “Henry, the other side has already anticipated our moves. If we keep fighting this out, we might not necessarily lose, but we certainly won’t gain much of an advantage!”
“More importantly, if our resources remain tied up here, we’ll miss out on investment opportunities in London. Compared to the expected returns in London, what’s the loss from Hang Seng?”
“I just can’t accept this!” Henry said through gritted teeth.
“Is making money more important, or saving face? Besides, business is like a battlefield—what’s one defeat? There’s plenty of time ahead, and we’ll have plenty of other chances,” Dalson retorted.
“Well… all right, then. I won’t get involved in this matter!” Henry said.
Dawson nodded, then stood up from his seat and said, “Everyone, I’m going to meet this Mr. Li Yi now. Anyone who’s interested is welcome to come along!”
With that, Dolsen headed straight for the exit of the VIP lounge, his pace slightly hurried…
………