Chapter 995: I Need Your Help!

Downtown. Peninsula Club!

In the luxurious reception room on the top floor, soothing piano music was playing.

Near the window, Li Yi and Dolsen sat across from each other at a small round glass table, with two steaming cups of coffee placed on it.

Dawson stirred his coffee with a spoon while looking at Li Yi across from him, his expression complex.

“Mr. Dolsen, why are you looking at me like that?” Li Yi asked casually.

“Li, I knew those fools weren’t a match for you, but I never imagined they’d lose so badly,” Dolsen said with a sigh.

“Haha, we’ve already lost controlling stakes in all our companies. Sang Chai and his crew not only successfully seized control of our various companies but also forced quite a few members to voluntarily withdraw from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. It seems a bit premature to say they’ve lost!” Li Yi said with a half-smile.

Dawson glanced at Li Yi and said, “Li, we both know that Sangchai and his crew are already trapped. As you Chinese say, they’re like fish on a cutting board—helpless and at the mercy of others.”

“Besides, I’ve read today’s newspapers. With all that negative news out there, the stock prices are bound to plummet. It’s unlikely that Sangchai and his group will be able to walk away unscathed this time.”

When the stock market took a sudden turn yesterday afternoon, Dolsen realized Li Yi was about to crash the market. Knowing Li Yi as he did—a man highly skilled at leveraging public opinion—he was certain today’s newspapers and magazines would carry stories unfavorable to Sang Chai and his associates.

So, first thing this morning, he personally visited a newsstand near his residence to get a sense of the situation.

The results were exactly as he had anticipated: nearly every newspaper and magazine was reporting on the matter.

Some claimed that major companies under the Chinese Chamber of Commerce had fallen victim to hostile takeovers, with the founders and controlling families voluntarily stepping down.

Others claimed that overseas consortiums had attempted to take control of major listed companies on Hong Kong Island, only to be outmaneuvered by the Chinese businessmen and left stuck holding the bag at inflated prices.

Still others claimed that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was preparing to cut off the supply at the source by removing the entire management team, leaving Sangchai and his associates with a mess to clean up…

Although these media outlets and magazines approached the story from different angles, Dolsen could see clearly that all their reports were aimed squarely at Sangchai and his associates.

After all, none of the above news was good for Sangchai, who had just acquired a controlling stake in the Chinese-owned company. Li Yi simply wanted to warn the people of Hong Kong Island that these companies were facing major upheavals and that they must be extremely cautious when investing.

As expected, today’s stock market would undoubtedly be a scene of widespread despair, with prices plummeting across the board!

Even if the stock price were to drop by just 10%, Sangchai and his associates would lose tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars.

But given the current situation, forget a 10% drop—even if Sangchai and his associates managed to break even with the stock price halved, they’d still be laughing all the way to the bank.

Li Yi didn’t deny Dolsen’s speculation; instead, he said calmly, “Let’s not dwell on that. I asked you out today mainly to ask for a favor.”

“You want me to step in and help you acquire the shares held by Sang Chai and his group?” Dolsen asked, looking at Li Yi.

Li Yi nodded. “Exactly. If things go as expected, once Sang Chai and his group can’t hold on any longer, they’ll hand over those Huashang shares to you!”

“That way, they’d not only successfully break even but also stir up conflict between us, allowing them to sit back and watch the two of us fight it out. I’m sure you don’t want that to happen, do you?”

Dawson looked at Li Yi and said, “Li, asking for my help today is just a pretext. You’re actually worried that once our British Capital Group takes over those company shares, we’ll control them and turn against you, aren’t you?”

Li Yi’s lips curled slightly upward, and he replied with a half-smile, “Work against you… would you dare?”

Dawson shook his head with a wry smile. “No, I wouldn’t.”

To be honest, at that moment, Dolsen had no intention of opposing Li Yi or the Chinese Chamber of Commerce—nor would he dare.

Several confrontations had already made him fully aware of Li Yi’s formidable strength.

Take this recent battle, for instance, when Sang Chai and his men launched a full-scale assault on Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Not only did Sang Chai and his group possess far greater financial resources than Li Yi, but they also had the backing of the Governor’s Office and London. It could be said they held every advantage—timing, location, and manpower.

Dawson believed that if he were in Li Yi’s shoes, he could at best minimize losses, but he could never achieve what Li Yi had.

So, realizing he was no match for Li Yi, Dowson warned himself never to cross this terrifying man.

“So, will you do me this favor?” Li Yi asked again.

“What’s in it for me if I help you?” Dolsen asked, looking at Li Yi.

“I’ll owe you a favor, or maybe I can take you along next time I have the chance!” Li Yi said.

Hearing this, Dolsen’s eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately said, “Alright, I’ll do it!”

“Good…”

After that, the two began discussing the steps and details of buying back those company shares…

……….

Far East Stock Exchange!

Just as Li Yi and Dolsen met at the Peninsula Club, the stock market opened.

Influenced by related reports in the morning newspapers and magazines, the stock prices of the former Huashang Group companies plummeted in unison right after the market opened.

Everyone knew these companies had suffered a major upheaval, making a drop in stock prices almost inevitable.

Compounded by the fact that current stock prices were clearly overvalued, retail investors, speculative capital, brokerage firms, and even figures like Sangchai were all looking to cash out as quickly as possible to cut their losses.

As is well known, when everyone wants to run, it’s easiest for a stampede to occur.

The stock market is no different. With so many people looking to cash out, it would be fine if there were buyers to take the other side of the trade.

But with a crash clearly imminent, only a fool would choose to step in and buy at this moment. Consequently, the market is currently flooded with sell orders, yet there are no buyers.

Under these circumstances, the only option is to keep lowering prices, hoping to attract investors at rock-bottom levels.

Consequently, in just a single morning, the stock prices of various companies plummeted like a runaway train, with declines exceeding 20% across the board.

And this was only the beginning. Although at noon, Sangchai and his associates asked the Governor to step in and deliver a speech, stating that the government would not allow so many companies to run into trouble and would assist the Sini Group, the Nanfei Group, and other companies in stabilizing the situation if necessary.

Sangchai and his associates had originally intended to use the Governor to calm public sentiment and stabilize stock prices, but he had clearly overestimated the Governor’s standing among the general public.

As a result, when the market reopened in the afternoon, the situation showed no signs of improvement, and stock prices continued their downward slide.

By the close of trading that afternoon, the stock prices of most of these companies had fallen by about half, and the market capitalization of some had even evaporated by 60%.

This catastrophic outcome was not entirely due to the negative news; more importantly, the stock prices of these companies were already abnormal to begin with.

After all, the current high stock prices were not the result of improved corporate performance driving natural growth; rather, they had been artificially inflated by Sangchai and others using their “financial clout.” Without actual performance to back them up, these stock prices were nothing more than castles in the air.

Now that these companies are facing turmoil, their stock prices are naturally falling and will eventually return to relatively reasonable levels.

With the sharp plunge in stock prices, Sangchai and his associates have naturally suffered massive losses.

In just a single day, the stocks they held—which were originally worth over 400 billion Hong Kong dollars—are now worth less than 200 billion.

Moreover, given the current situation, the stock price is expected to fall further tomorrow.

Sangchai and his associates realized the gravity of the situation and immediately gathered to discuss a response.

However, before they could even work out the details, bad news arrived from their parent company…

………..