Chapter 843: We Can’t Let Them Outdo Us!

Li Yi, who was far away in London, had no idea what was happening on Hong Kong Island. At that moment, he was already making preparations to return to Hong Kong.

But during the few days Li Yi waited for the bank funds to clear, the London stock and futures markets were once again rocked by a massive upheaval due to Sheffield Steel’s resumption of trading.

As massive short positions in steel were liquidated, trading volume in the futures market surged dramatically over just a few trading days, and Sheffield Steel’s trading volume skyrocketed.

Naturally, the company’s performance was reflected in its stock price. Although Sheffield Steel’s share price had already been cut in half, and its market capitalization had plummeted,

However, spurred by this development, the stock price rose for three consecutive days, jumping from £17 per share to £26, while the market capitalization surged from £5.5 billion to £8.2 billion.

And this was just the beginning…

On June 29, media outlets such as The Times and the Oxford Gazette reported that the government had suspended its investigation into Sheffield Steel. This decision followed the new board’s agreement with workers on wages and benefits, as well as the company’s commitment to resume production by mid-next month.

This news was undoubtedly a major boost for Sheffield Steel, effectively removing the sword of Damocles hanging over the company.

Shortly thereafter, reports emerged that Sheffield Steel was preparing to invest heavily in acquiring Montella Steel, which had previously gone bankrupt due to a short squeeze.

As soon as this news broke, it sent Sheffield Steel’s stock price soaring.

It is worth noting that prior to its bankruptcy, the company had been the Empire’s second-largest steel producer, accounting for 20% of the British Empire’s annual steel output.

If Sheffield Steel were to merge with Montara Steel, it would single-handedly control 80% of the Empire’s steel production, effectively monopolizing the Empire’s steel industry.

In any industry, once a company reaches this scale, it is nearly impossible not to turn a profit.

More importantly, after several months of the futures war, most investors realized that the Empire’s steel industry’s production capacity was not as high as previously imagined.

In other words, while the British Empire’s steel production capacity may be just a tad higher than consumption, it certainly cannot be considered overcapacity.

Furthermore, the government has just announced that, to stimulate the economy, it will undertake massive infrastructure investments over the next few years.

Infrastructure projects naturally require vast amounts of steel; consequently, even as prices for other metals plummeted following the war’s end, steel prices remained largely stable.

Amid these favorable conditions, Sheffield Steel’s stock price surged again, approaching the previous milestone of 35 pounds.

The company’s market capitalization soared as well, and the outlook was extremely promising.

However, Li Yi paid this no mind; he didn’t care whether the company’s stock price rose or fell.

This wasn’t him trying to show off; it was simply that Li Yi had no intention of investing in a high-quality company like Sheffield Steel—at least not at the moment.

It’s like owning a single home with no plans to sell it—so whether property prices rise or fall has little to do with you.

Still, seeing the company’s stock price climb steadily put him in a good mood.

What put him in an even better mood, however, was that after three days of waiting, the funds from the bank had finally arrived.

Shortly after, Li Yi and his companions boarded their flight back to Hong Kong Island, officially bringing their London trip to a close…

………

Hong Kong Island. Kai Tak Airport!

As July began, temperatures on Hong Kong Island soared, frequently reaching the 30s and 40s.

Today was no exception; even before noon, a wave of heat hit them in the face, and the pavement seemed as if it were about to melt.

Yet, despite these conditions, convoys of luxury cars suddenly appeared without warning in the parking lot outside the airport.

Before long, the already modest-sized parking lot was completely packed.

Residents near the airport quickly realized that these luxury car convoys belonged to Hong Kong Island’s prominent Chinese families—not only the Li family of the Far East Club, but also the Ho, Lo, Piao, and Fok families, among others.

It could be said that representatives from the most powerful Chinese families on Hong Kong Island had all been dispatched.

Just as everyone was speculating about what these families were waiting for, the media suddenly broke the news: Li Yi, Vice President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Star Investment, was returning.

The moment this news broke, it immediately captured everyone’s attention, and media outlets from all over rushed to the airport, eager to secure firsthand news.

As large numbers of media and onlookers flooded toward the airport, traffic leading to the airport inevitably came to a standstill.

It was hardly surprising that everyone was in such a frenzy; the main reason was that everyone wanted to know exactly how much money Li Yi had made on this trip.

After all, the fact that the two major powerhouses—the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the British-owned conglomerate—had reached a truce and were joining forces to expand into London was already common knowledge among the people of Hong Kong.

With the two of them heading to London to invest together, people were bound to compare them.

People had been debating for quite some time which of the two had the better track record, and some casinos had even opened betting lines on the matter.

Just a couple of days ago, the British-owned group released news that this time, Dolsen had used a principal of 1.5 billion pounds to generate 2.1 billion pounds in profits within three months—equivalent to 35.7 billion Hong Kong dollars.

This news instantly caused a sensation across Hong Kong Island. Even when Li Yi went to New York last year, his net profit was only around 5 billion US dollars, which is less than 30 billion Hong Kong dollars.

For this very reason, both the public and the media in Hong Kong are eagerly anticipating Li Yi’s return.

Everyone wanted to know what kind of track record this legendary investor would achieve!

At 11:30 a.m., as the airport’s arrival announcement sounded, the crowd outside the terminal began to stir with anticipation.

At the same time, bodyguards from various prominent families, along with Yang Wenguang, Yan Guangming, and others assigned to the escort mission, remained on high alert.

Ever since several companies affiliated with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce were attacked a few days ago, the situation had become tense, and they had to guard against the other side resorting to underhanded tactics.

Therefore, upon learning that Li Yi was returning, Huang Lixing immediately dispatched Yang Wenguang and his team to ensure Li Yi’s safety.

Soon, under everyone’s watchful eyes, a group of about a dozen people appeared at the airport exit.

Those with a keen eye quickly recognized that the young man surrounded by several bodyguards was none other than Li Yi.

In an instant, the reporters’ cameras—both long-lens and wide-angle—all trained on Li Yi, their shutters clicking nonstop, devouring roll after roll of film!

At the airport exit, Li Yi was also taken aback by the dense crowd outside.

Just as he was wondering what all those people were doing out there, he saw Li Futao, Huang Lixing, He Dongying, Bao Chuanwang, Li Chaoren, and others stepping out of their cars and walking toward him.

Seeing that all these major Chinese business tycoons from Hong Kong Island had come to the airport to welcome him, Li Yi felt a bit overwhelmed by the attention.

But upon reflection, he understood—after all, he was heading to London to make money for them, so it made perfect sense for them to pick him up at the airport.

When they met, Li Futao gave Li Yi a big hug and said with a smile, “Brother Li Yi, welcome home!”

“Old Li, why did all of you come? It really wasn’t necessary…”

Before Li Yi could finish his sentence, He Dongying cut in, “We had to come. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce can’t let those foreigners outdo us!”

Noticing the slight look of confusion on Li Yi’s face, Li Futiao immediately explained, “A while back, when Dorrison and the others returned to Hong Kong Island, the British-owned conglomerates practically mobilized their entire staff to welcome them, causing quite a stir.”

“So we decided we couldn’t let those foreigners outdo us. That’s why today, not only are there more people here to welcome you, but the event is even bigger.”

Li Yi stood in the crowd and looked ahead. All he could see were a sea of luxury cars, along with a massive crowd of people and security personnel.

To his pleasant surprise, he spotted his older sister’s husband, Yang Wenguang, in the crowd.

Seeing him deftly directing those around him to maintain order, it was clear he was back in top form.

“Brother Li Yi, what do you think? Pretty impressive, right?” Huang Lixing asked with a smile.

“Absolutely!”

Li Yi then addressed the crowd: “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to welcome us here. I won’t say much else—same as always, let’s head to Cloudtop No. 1!”

With that, Li Yi followed Li Fu into the Li family’s car, and they headed straight for Cloud Peak No. 1 on Tai Ping Shan…

………..