Chapter 850: The Time for a Showdown Has Come!
Beijing. The Li Family!
While Li Yi was busy dealing with Gusta and the others, Jiang Xue had finally received her vacation leave.
Having not seen her husband for several months straight, and only occasionally hearing news of him from Lan Xinyi, He Tiansheng, and others, Jiang Xue had long been itching to go to Hong Kong to find him.
On the day her vacation began, Jiang Xue eagerly invited her mother over to discuss the matter.
In the living room of the main house, Ye Lingyun was helping her granddaughter, Yun Jin, change into a new outfit—a little floral-print dress she had sewn herself.
Perhaps because they had missed out on their own daughter’s childhood, both Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun doted on Yun Rui and Yun Jin.
Not to mention the delicious food and drinks they provided daily, but every time the seasons changed, Li Yi and Jiang Xue didn’t have to worry—Grandpa and Grandma would have the seasonal clothes ready well in advance.
Moreover, most of the clothes were sewn by Ye Lingyun herself; every stitch was imbued with her deep love for the children.
On the floor of the room, Jiang Xue and her older sister Li Mei watched their respective sons, their expressions tinged with a touch of anxiety.
The two children had just learned to walk but weren’t very steady yet. They were afraid the children might fall or bump into something, yet they couldn’t stop them from walking.
While helping her granddaughter put on a little dress, Ye Lingyun asked, “Xiao Xue, you said earlier that you wanted to go over there to find Xiao Yi, right?”
“Yes. I heard from Manager Lan that he’s already returned to Hong Kong from London, so I want to go find him,” Jiang Xue replied.
“Go ahead. When you leave, I’ll move over here to live with Meizi and help you take care of Yunrui and Yunjin!”
Ye Lingyun was very supportive of her daughter’s plan to go find her son-in-law.
Having been through it herself, she knew how agonizing the longing between young spouses could be, and she understood that a couple’s bond needed to be nurtured gradually while they were together; constant separation was detrimental to their relationship.
Li Mei chimed in, “With me and Auntie here, we’ll definitely take good care of the children. You can stay and spend a few more days with Xiaoyi over there—it won’t matter if you don’t come back until school starts!”
However, Jiang Xue shook her head and said, “Mom, Big Sister, what I mean is that we should all go together. It would be so boring if I went all by myself!”
“Besides, Xiao Yi hasn’t seen the kids in months—he must really miss them.”
Ye Lingyun smiled and said, “I won’t be going, Mother. I already went once at the beginning of the year, so I’ve seen enough of the world.”
“Besides, your father is a government official. As his wife, it wouldn’t look good for me to be running around all the time for no reason!”
“If Auntie and I go,” the eldest sister added, “the kids will have to come along too. It’d be such a hassle to bring the whole family—you should just take Xiaofeng and Miaomiao with you.”
Jiang Xue looked at Li Mei and said with interest, “Big Sister, your husband’s illness has been cured. Don’t you want to see him?”
“Well…”
Seeing her sister-in-law hesitate, Jiang Xue pressed her advantage: “Your husband is busy with work and can’t come back right away, but I’m sure he really misses you and Ruirui. If you go over there with Ruirui, it’ll save him the trouble of making the trip back!”
Hearing this, Li Mei was genuinely tempted.
Ever since Yang Wenguang went to New York for surgery, he hadn’t returned. Although he’d written letters and sent quite a bit of money, none of that could truly ease the pain of missing him.
At that moment, Li Mei turned her gaze to Ye Lingyun and said hesitantly, “Auntie, why don’t we…”
Ye Lingyun could tell right away that Li Mei had been persuaded by her daughter. She immediately looked at Jiang Xue and said with a doting expression, “I can go with you, but we’ll have to let your father know in advance and ask for his opinion…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Xue chimed in with a laugh, “I’ve already called Dad. He didn’t object, but he wants Mom to stay in Guangzhou a few more days.”
“Did your father really say that?” Ye Lingyun asked, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“Don’t you believe me? I’ve also contacted Deputy Director Zhou, and he’s already reported our plans to the higher-ups. When we’re ready to leave, we just need to let them know, and he’ll arrange a plane for us!” Jiang Xue added.
“It seems you’ve had this all planned out, young lady. So when do you plan to leave?” Ye Lingyun asked with a smile.
“In the next day or two!”
“Alright…”
………
Hong Kong Island. Far East Stock Exchange!
As large amounts of hot money and retail investors flooded the market, the battle for New Territories Warehouse shares reached a fever pitch.
Due to the fierce competition, New Territories Warehouse’s stock price skyrocketed at a staggering rate.
On July 2, the price was just HK$8 per share, but by the 4th, it had soared to HK$32—a fourfold increase.
Even so, there was no sign of it slowing down.
However, as massive amounts of capital poured in, the number of shares available on the market dwindled, and the turnover rate for New Territories Warehouse plummeted.
It was precisely at this moment that Li Yi quietly instructed his people to sell off their holdings of freely tradable shares.
At the same time, people arranged by Li Futiao were competing with Gusta’s people in the over-the-counter market to snap up tradable shares, driving up the price.
After several days of confrontation, the battle between the two sides grew increasingly fierce; they no longer held back, but instead fought openly and aggressively.
At this point, the conflict between the two sides had become completely public!
On July 6, new reports emerged from the Dolsons’ side: Gusta and his associates had spent 4 billion Hong Kong dollars to secure 25% of the tradable shares.
In addition, they had spent another 2 billion Hong Kong dollars to acquire 11% of the non-tradable shares on the open market.
At this point, Gusta’s group had secured 36% of New Territories Warehouse’s shares. In the company’s publicly disclosed shareholder list, their stake was second only to Star Investment Company’s 38%, firmly establishing them as the company’s second-largest shareholder.
Furthermore, Dolsen has relayed a crucial piece of intelligence: Gusta and his team currently have 400 million pounds remaining, totaling just under 7 billion Hong Kong dollars.
Upon learning of this, Li Yi knew it was time to close the net.
Soon, the media reported that the Governor’s Office had made a breakthrough in its investigation of New Territories Warehouse.
First, New Territories Warehouse’s infrastructure was outdated, with many berths already unusable; at least half of the 5 million TEUs in throughput it reported was inflated.
Furthermore, fire safety and other facilities at the port, docks, and warehouse areas failed to meet standards, leading to a prolonged suspension of operations for rectification.
Furthermore, New Territories Warehouse Management Company’s accounts were in disarray, and the company had falsified its performance figures—the issues were extremely serious.
Although the New Territories Warehouse management company vehemently denied these allegations, driven by those with ulterior motives, the news spread like wildfire across the entire island of Hong Kong.
As a result, New Territories Warehouse’s soaring stock price came to an abrupt halt and began a rapid decline.
HK$33… HK$30… HK$28… HK$27…
In just a single day, New Territories Warehouse’s stock price plummeted by a third.
Shortly thereafter, Star Investment officially announced that, given the significant risks in New Territories Warehouse’s operations, the company had decided to withdraw its HK$3 billion investment in the firm.
This announcement was like a depth charge, completely shattering the confidence of all investors.
The news came so suddenly that many investors didn’t have time to think it through and were forced to sell their shares at a loss.
New Territories Warehouse’s stock price plummeted once again—this time in a cliff-like drop: HK$25… HK$22… HK$19… HK$17…
But what no one expected was that Gustave, the largest holder of New World Development’s floating shares, not only refused to cut his losses and exit the market but instead took advantage of the falling stock price to buy a massive amount of shares once again.
Everyone could see that these foreigners were truly preparing to take control of New Territories Warehouse.
Sure enough, on July 8, after his stake reached 42%, Gustaf immediately sent representatives to New Territories Warehouse’s management company.
After presenting all their share certificates, they immediately demanded, in their capacity as major shareholders, that a new board meeting be convened.
At the same time, they trumpeted the news in the media with the air of victors.
When the news reached Star Investment, Li Yi responded immediately, agreeing to convene the board meeting and inviting Gustaf to attend in person.
Upon hearing the news, everyone knew that the moment when the two sides would truly go head-to-head had arrived!