Chapter 840: The House Was Burglarized!

North Suburbs. The Castle Villa!

In the study, after listening to Li Yunbao’s report, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “How many companies have been targeted by these foreigners so far?”

Li Yunbao nodded and replied, “As of now, there are four: the Li family’s Chinese Estates, the Bao family’s Wharf Holdings, and Hang Seng Bank and New Territories Warehouse, both subsidiaries of our Starry Sky Group.”

“And these foreigners are coming on strong. They’ve hit us hard with money right from the start, pouring in massive funds. Our companies have all suffered significant losses!”

Li Yi said in a low voice, “Do you know who’s behind this?”

“It’s likely the Sassoon family. My old man found out that a week ago, Dorrison returned to Hong Kong Island, and he was accompanied by quite a few unfamiliar foreigners. It must be these people who are behind it!”

Li Yi nodded. “Your old man’s assessment is spot on. That provisional agreement still has a few days left before it expires. Normally, Dolsen wouldn’t dare to get personally involved.”

“Brother Yi, what should we do now?” Li Yunbao asked.

Hearing this, Li Yi fell into deep thought.

Li Yi had long been mentally prepared for the Sassoon family’s counterattack.

After all, he knew full well that he wasn’t dealing with a family of refined gentlemen, but a gang of bloodthirsty bandits.

For a group that had built their fortune on opium and slave trading, the so-called refinement they displayed on the surface was merely for show; deep down, they were a pack of demons who devoured their prey without sparing a bone.

Having suffered such a massive loss on the London futures market, there was no way they would let it go.

So when he acquired shares in the Sheffield Company from them, Li Yi had already braced himself for a storm.

He had assumed the Sassoon family would leverage their formidable influence in the European market to launch a full-scale assault on Sheffield Company, so he had made extensive preparations here.

But what he hadn’t anticipated was that those bastards would choose Hong Kong as their battlefield.

Li Yi could see that these foreigners clearly knew most of his funds were tied up, and they intended to take this opportunity to attack his home turf—these foreigners were planning to raid his home base.

Their goal wasn’t merely to retaliate for his actions in London; more importantly, they intended to destroy the newly established Chinese Chamber of Commerce in one fell swoop, ensuring that the British-owned conglomerate would continue to dominate the market.

What a vicious scheme!

You see, for this investment, he had brought most of the cash from the various companies under the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to London, leaving each company with barely enough funds to keep operations running.

Now, facing a sudden attack, they simply don’t have enough funds to prop up their shares or mount a counterattack.

Moreover, while the companies under the Chinese Chamber of Commerce aren’t as widely dispersed in ownership as those in the British-owned conglomerate, very few families hold a 51% controlling stake—which gives those foreigners an opening to exploit.

To make matters worse, most of his capital was tied up in the Sheffield company and those 20 million tons of steel.

With his back burning at this critical moment, he could either stand idly by or sell off his holdings at a loss.

Whichever option he chose, he would suffer heavy losses!

Fortunately, he had the foresight to secure a loan agreement with the local bank through Sandy just moments ago; otherwise, this situation would have been truly dire.

With that in mind, Li Yi immediately said, “Since those foreigners have drawn their swords, we certainly can’t just sit here and wait to be slaughtered. We must fight back with everything we’ve got. It’s just a matter of mutual destruction—who’s afraid of whom!”

“Should we head back to Hong Kong Island right away?” asked Li Yunbao.

“No. The top priority right now is to raise funds. Without money, there’s no point in going back!”

With that, Li Yi picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.

“Ring… ring…”

After a few rings, Sandy’s familiar voice came through on the other end: “Hello, who’s this?”

“Sandy, it’s Li Yi!”

“Boss, what can I do for you?”

Ever since gaining a clear understanding of Li Yi’s capabilities, Sandy had adopted a very humble demeanor.

Actually, most Westerners are like this: when meeting someone for the first time, they usually act aloof and arrogant, acting like they’re the king of the world.

If you’re not as good as them, these guys get even more arrogant, but if you’re better than them, their attitude changes immediately—it’s classic admiration for strength.

“Get me in touch with the head of Citibank. I want to discuss a major deal with him!” Li Yi said.

“Boss, is this about a loan? If so, there’s no need—I’ve already spoken with the president of Royal Bank…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi said in a deep voice, “Sandy, the situation has changed. I urgently need a large amount of capital—especially US dollars!”

Sandy paused briefly, then said, “All right, I’ll contact them right away. I’ll call you as soon as I have any news!”

“Alright…”

……….

Citibank, London Headquarters!

Accompanied by Sandy, Li Yi finally met Johnson, the head of Citibank’s operations in the British Isles.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Johnson looked at Li Yi and said, “Li, Mr. Sandy mentioned that you have a major business venture you’d like to collaborate with us on. I wonder what it is?”

“I’d like to take out a loan from your bank—with collateral!” Li Yi said.

“I’m curious, Mr. Li, how much are you looking to borrow, and what is the collateral?” Johnson asked.

“8 billion US dollars. The collateral is a 50% stake in Sheffield Steel!”

Upon hearing this, both Johnson and Sandy—who had accompanied Li Yi—were stunned by his words.

8 billion US dollars—that was indeed a massive deal.

Corporate loan interest rates these days are not low. Even at the minimum annual rate of 5.5%, the interest on 100 million US dollars for one year is 5.5 million; for 8 billion US dollars, the interest alone amounts to 440 million US dollars annually.

“Mr. Li, we are currently unfamiliar with Sheffield Steel’s situation. We need to conduct an investigation into your company to assess the value of the 50% stake…”

Before Johnson could finish, Li Yi spoke in a firm tone: “Mr. Johnson, the company has already overcome its crisis, and our stock price has been recovering recently. A 50% stake is worth at least 4 billion pounds, which is equivalent to 9.8 billion US dollars—more than the loan amount.”

“But I urgently need funds right now, so I don’t have time to wait for your valuation. If you’re willing to cooperate, let’s continue the discussion; if not, there’s no need to waste any more time!”

Hearing this, Johnson’s brow furrowed involuntarily, but his gaze shifted to Sandy standing beside him.

He and Sandy were very close friends, and as the general manager of Sheffield Company, Sandy should have a clearer understanding of the company’s situation than he did.

Seeing his friend looking at him, Sandy immediately said, “Johnson, the company has returned to normal operations, and we have over 7 billion pounds in outstanding receivables in the futures market, which will be settled within a month.”

“Moreover, the company’s stock price has risen by 9% this week, and a 50% stake is worth 8 billion US dollars.”

At that moment, Li Yi spoke again: “Mr. Johnson, if this partnership succeeds, Citibank will become Sheffield Company’s sole settlement bank going forward, and I can offer an interest rate of 6.5%!”

Upon hearing this, Johnson’s eyes lit up immediately.

The terms Li Yi offered were simply too tempting. Sheffield was, after all, the largest steel company in the British Isles, and opening their corporate accounts with Citibank would be of immense significance to them.

As for the interest rate increase, typically with such large loans, if the client has excellent creditworthiness, they would usually offer concessions on the interest rate.

Yet Li Yi not only didn’t ask for a discount—he actually raised the rate by 1%.

Though it was only 1%, it would mean an additional $80 million in annual revenue for them.

After a moment’s thought, Johnson ultimately decided to take on this major deal…

……..