Chapter 985: The Tide Turns—Danger!

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed!

During this time, Li Yi, along with the key figures from Starry Sky Company and the Chinese Business Association, had been locked in a fierce battle on the stock market against the overseas consortium led by Sangchai.

Initially, the two sides vied for control of major companies such as Wharf Holdings and Hang Seng Bank.

Amid the fierce bidding war, the previously sluggish stock prices of these companies soared, and their market capitalizations skyrocketed.

In just one week, the stock prices of the seven major companies had at least tripled. Wharf Holdings, the subject of the fiercest competition, soared from its original price of HK$46.6 to HK$196—a fourfold increase.

Because the competition between the two sides was so fierce—with both sides adopting a strategy of spending whatever it took—the acquisition process proved exceptionally difficult for Sangchai and his team.

Although they have now acquired substantial stakes in various companies—in some cases even surpassing the controlling shareholders’ stakes, such as at Wharf Holdings and Longheng Bank—

even so, they have not secured a 51% controlling stake in any of the companies.

According to relevant provisions of the Companies Act, without a controlling stake, they cannot forcibly convene a shareholders’ meeting and thus cannot take control of these companies.

Seeing that Starry Sky Company was resolutely resisting and showed no signs of backing down,

Left with no other choice, Sangchai and his associates had no option but to broaden their scope of attack, targeting all publicly listed companies owned by members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, in the hope of diverting Li Yi and Star Company’s attention and financial resources.

In their view, Star Company’s funds were, after all, limited. As long as Li Yi refused to abandon a single company, his funds would soon be exhausted.

At that point, they would secure victory in this financial war.

To this end, Sang Chai and his associates not only diverted massive funds from their respective parent companies but also, through connections in London, secured an additional $5 billion in loans from Huifeng Bank, Citibank, and Imperial Bank by pledging the shares of their major conglomerates and their assets on Hong Kong Island as collateral.

They had already held a financial advantage, and now that advantage had become even more pronounced. Sangchai and his associates were fully prepared to crush Li Yi and Star Company.

Events unfolded exactly as Sangchai and his associates had anticipated. As wave after wave of capital was poured into the market, the pressure on Star Company to snap up shares grew increasingly intense.

By late October, nearly all of the nearly 100 billion yuan they had raised had been spent, and the situation suddenly became perilous…

………

Far East Club, VIP Room 9!

After the closing bell rang, Li Yi, exhausted from a day of fierce trading, slumped back on the sofa, his face worn with fatigue!

A short while later, Pang Feiyan, Yang Qian, Liang He, and the others—who had been directing operations from the trading floor—returned to the conference room one after another.

However, everyone’s expressions were somber, and the atmosphere in the VIP lounge felt oppressive.

“Boss…”

Hearing Pang Feiyan’s call, Li Yi slowly opened his eyes, then sat up straight.

“How’s the situation over there? Is the momentum still that intense?” Li Yi asked in a deep voice.

“Yes, they’re still throwing money around like crazy. By the market close, the stock prices of companies like Weihua, Yuanxiang Kitchenware, and the Yang Group had surged another 47%,” Pang Feiyan reported.

“Hmm!”

“What about the other retail investors, hot money, and brokerage firms? Have they started getting active again?” Li Yi asked.

“Yes. As the competition between our two sides grows increasingly fierce—and seems to be a fight to the death—those brokerages and speculative funds have started entering the market again.”

Pang Feiyan continued, “A few days ago, they were just testing the waters with small amounts, but over the past couple of days, they’ve been pouring in more and more capital.”

Li Yi sighed deeply. It truly was a case of “good advice falling on deaf ears, and mercy failing to save those who cut their own throats.”

A financial battle of this scale was simply beyond the reach of speculative capital and retail investors like them.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yi turned to Zhao Xinlan beside him and asked, “Manager Zhao, how much money is left in the company’s accounts?”

“Boss, we currently have 12.2 billion Hong Kong dollars, but at today’s rate, that won’t even last three days!” Zhao Xinlan replied.

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone else in the VIP room darkened.

As elite traders, they knew full well that financial warfare was all about money. Running out of funds was like running out of ammunition on a real battlefield—they would be left defenseless against the enemy’s onslaught.

“Boss, should we take out a loan from the bank?” Pang Feiyan asked.

Before Li Yi could respond, Pang Feiyan sighed and continued, “Right now, aside from Hang Seng Bank—which we control—and Longheng Bank, which is barely holding its own, no other bank would ever lend us money.”

“Have you tried?” Pang Feiyan asked, frowning.

“Yes, I’ve privately asked a few friends who work at banks. Their management has indeed issued a directive prohibiting the approval of loans to companies affiliated with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In other words, not only can our Star Company not get a loan now, but neither can any other Chinese companies!” Zhao Xinlan said.

“Bastards! How dare they do this? Not long ago, they were hounding us every day, begging us to lend them money…”

Listening to Pang Feiyan’s angry outburst, Li Yi replied calmly, “No need to get upset. This was to be expected.”

In fact, Li Yi had known about this for a long time; Dolsen had told him the news a few days ago, but Li Yi hadn’t mentioned it to Pang Feiyan and the others.

“Boss, should we look for some outside help?” Yang Qian asked suggestively.

Li Yi naturally knew exactly who she meant by “outside help.” He figured that if he asked, the higher-ups would scrape together the funds for them, even if it meant selling off the family silver.

But Li Yi still shook his head and said, “We don’t need that for now!”

“Boss, if we can get some foreign reinforcements, we really should bring them in. We’re really on the verge of collapse!” Pang Feiyan said.

Just then, Li Yunbao, sitting below them, spoke up: “Boss, my old man told me to tell you that as long as you’re willing, our Li family is prepared to contribute another 5 billion Hong Kong dollars.”

“And the money is already ready; it can be transferred to our account at any time.”

“No need. It hasn’t come to that yet!”

Li Yi continued, “Manager Lan, tomorrow you’ll issue an announcement on behalf of the company stating that Starry Sky Company’s Fund No. 2, Deep Blue, is now open for public subscription. The fundraising target is 30 billion Hong Kong dollars, with a one-year term, a fixed return of 10%, and no management fees!”

A fixed return of 10%, no management fees, and a term of just one year!

Hearing this, everyone immediately understood: the boss was planning to borrow money from the public.

Compared to taking out a bank loan, borrowing from the public seemed to be the only option left.

“Yes, I’ll issue the announcement tomorrow. However, raising 30 billion will likely take two or three months—we might not be able to hold out that long!” Lan Xinming said.

“It’s fine. Just follow my instructions!” Li Yi said.

“Understood!”

At that moment, Pang Feiyan spoke up again: “Boss, given the current situation, Sang Chai and his men will launch their final all-out assault on us within three days at the latest. How should we respond?”

Li Yi replied calmly, “Since we can’t defend everything, we’ll have to focus our defenses on key areas.”

At these words, everyone was taken aback.

Li Yi’s intentions couldn’t have been clearer: he was sacrificing the rook to save the king.

“Boss, are you planning to give up controlling stakes in some of the companies?” Yang Qian asked.

“Yes. The stock prices of these companies have at least tripled. By giving up a portion of them, we can recoup some capital, which will allow us to focus our resources on defending those key enterprises,” Li Yi said.

“But won’t the companies we give up… won’t they be finished?” Pang Feiyan asked.

“When we’re outmatched, we have no other choice!”

Li Yi sighed and continued, “Feiyan, you and the other managers discuss this immediately and come up with a priority defense plan. Aside from those seven key companies, we can let go of the rest. Have it ready for me by tomorrow!”

“Yes!”

“Yunbao, go find your old man and have him gather all the members of the Chamber of Commerce. I need to talk to them. Set the meeting for two hours from now!” Li Yi said.

“Yes!”

“Dismissed…”

………..