In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 710 A contract worth over one billion Hong Kong dollars has been reached!

The reason the Liang family became the major shareholder of Xiangjiang Hotel was not for the hotel industry itself, but because they were interested in the real estate industry to which Xiangjiang Hotel belonged.

Liang Zhonghao also holds another position: a major shareholder and board member of New World Development.

As one of the giants in Hong Kong's real estate industry, New World Development's shareholder, Leung Chung-ho, naturally has a deep understanding of the real estate sector.

However, the development of New World is controlled by the Zheng Yutong family, and the Liang family does not have much say in the development of New World.

That's why the Liang family set their sights on the Xiangjiang Hotel.

As one of the giant enterprises in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Grand Hotel Company, although named after a hotel, has actually become a diversified enterprise after many years of development.

In addition to the Peninsula Hotel and Kowloon Hotel, the company also owns Repulse Bay Park in Hong Kong Island, St. John's Building in Central, The Peak Tower and The Peak Tram Company, and has also invested in hotel businesses overseas.

As long-established hotels, they all have a considerable amount of land reserves in Hong Kong.

These plots of land are all in very good locations and are extremely valuable.

Therefore, the Liang family gradually became the major shareholder of Xiangjiang Hotel through acquisitions.

Knowing that the Leung family had no interest in the hotel business of the Xiangjiang Hotel, the Kadoorie family allowed the Leung family to become the major shareholder.

Ultimately, the two families reached an agreement: Kadoorie would manage the hotel industry and related businesses, while the Leung family would focus on the real estate sector.

The two families had been living in peace, each minding their own business.

Therefore, Liang Zhonghao didn't pay much attention to matters in the hotel industry, since everyone would report to each other during board meetings anyway.

However, unexpectedly, in the past six months, Hong Kong's real estate industry has declined rapidly. Fewer people are buying houses, mortgage interest rates have increased, and even the auction prices of government land have stopped rising. Furthermore, the company's investment project in Kowloon Tong has fallen into an awkward situation due to the inability to recoup funds.

Now, coupled with Lin Haoran's analysis of Hong Kong's real estate industry, he gradually came to believe Lin Haoran's words.

He understood that Lin Haoran's words were true. He had actually noticed these data and phenomena long ago, but he had been unwilling to face the impending winter for the real estate industry. He had always believed that it was only temporary and that housing prices had not yet fallen sharply, and that the real estate industry would soon recover.

At this moment, Lin Haoran's straightforward and detailed analysis forced him to re-examine his business strategy.

In his heart, he had already been persuaded by Lin Haoran.

If he sold his shares at this time, before the real estate industry fell into crisis and when the Xiangjiang Hotel's stock price was at its peak, he would not have lost money.

With such a sum of liquid funds, the Liang family will have no worries about turning their fortunes around in the future.

Therefore, he had already agreed in his heart to the plan of selling the shares to Lin Haoran.

"If I sell my shares to Mr. Lin, what price would you be willing to pay?" Liang Zhonghao asked tentatively.

"Mr. Leung, let me be frank with you, I am not optimistic about Hong Kong's real estate industry in the next few years. This means that, in my opinion, Hong Kong's real estate industry will continue to drag down related stock prices in the next few years."

Since the real estate business of Xiangjiang Hotel is one of the company's main business segments, I predict that the market value of Xiangjiang Hotel will likely decline in the future.

If you sell your shares to me, then the funding problem for the Kowloon Tong project will naturally not be a problem. As you know, with my wealth, I can easily ensure that the Xiangjiang Hotel can weather any crisis.

However, I won't dwell on this too much. It would be quite difficult to find a buyer to take over such a large number of shares in one go. Those who know me know that I'm always decisive and don't like to haggle over prices.

"Let me be frank, I can acquire your shares at the current market price, and the payment will be made without delay. We'll sign the share transfer agreement and settle the payment immediately. What do you think?" Lin Haoran said with a smile.

Xiangjiang Hotel's current market value is not low, exceeding HK$3 billion, fluctuating between HK$3 billion and HK$31 billion, and it has long been consistently ranked among the top 20 listed companies in Hong Kong.

Normally, market price is calculated based on market capitalization.

This means that Lin Haoran's offer was based on the total market value of Hong Kong Grand Hotel of HK$30 billion to HK$31 billion, in order to acquire the shares held by Liang Zhonghao that gave him considerable influence in Hong Kong Grand Hotel.

It is worth noting that the Liang Zhonghao family holds a 34% stake in Xiangjiang Hotel.

If Lin Haoran really wants to buy these shares, the funds required will exceed HK$10 billion!
Don't be fooled by the fact that Lin Haoran seems to make money effortlessly. In fact, there are only a handful of families in Hong Kong with a net worth of over one billion.

This is undoubtedly an extremely large sum of money!

For Lin Haoran, considering the dozen or so shares of Xiangjiang Hotel he had already acquired, plus the 34% stake held by the Liang family, he felt it was well worth the investment of over a billion Hong Kong dollars to gain control of Xiangjiang Hotel.

Even forty years from now, the Peninsula Hotel will still be Hong Kong's most prestigious and representative hotel.

In addition, the land and real estate projects of Xiangjiang Hotel have huge potential for appreciation.

Those land reserves are in excellent locations, and as the city develops and the surrounding infrastructure continues to improve, their value will inevitably increase exponentially.

Existing real estate projects, with just a little effort to improve their quality and services, can also gain a more advantageous position in the market and reap substantial profits.

As for the Hong Kong property crisis, it will only last for two or three years before it begins to recover, and prices will rise even more sharply in the future.

Lin Haoran knew that once he successfully took control of the Xiangjiang Hotel, his strength in the Hong Kong real estate industry would be further enhanced.

He can leverage his personal network to comprehensively integrate and optimize the hotel's real estate business.

For example, some idle land can be rationally developed to create high-end residential buildings, commercial complexes, or distinctive tourism projects;
For existing real estate projects, upgrade and renovate them, introduce internationally advanced property management concepts, and improve the overall quality and competitiveness of the properties.

Moreover, controlling the Xiangjiang Hotel can bring about a series of chain effects.

As a giant enterprise in Hong Kong, it has extensive influence and resources in the business field.

By engaging in in-depth cooperation with other businesses under the hotel group, such as the mountaintop cable car company and overseas hotel operations, the company can achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages, further expand its business footprint, and enhance its overall strength.

In short, from a long-term perspective, buying the Xiangjiang Hotel will not only not result in a loss, but will actually bring in a huge profit.

With all this in mind, he was even more eager to acquire this highly renowned giant company.

He looked at Liang Zhonghao, waiting for his reply. Seeing the other man's furrowed brows, he knew that the other man was struggling with extremely difficult considerations.

The Liang family was entirely at Liang Zhonghao's disposal, so he didn't need to wait for the other party to say that he needed to go back and discuss the matter with his family.

Meanwhile, Liang Zhonghao was also engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

On the one hand, he has a deep affection for the Xiangjiang Hotel, after all, it is the result of the Liang family's hard work over the years;

On the other hand, he also understood the grim situation in the current real estate industry, and Lin Haoran's proposal was indeed very tempting.

If the Liang family were to sell their shares now and obtain a huge sum of money, they might be able to weather the highly likely real estate downturn and even have the opportunity to find new development opportunities in other fields.

In fact, even if the real estate industry hadn't experienced a real estate crisis, he wouldn't have lost money. He would have realized over a billion Hong Kong dollars. Normally, if Lin Haoran hadn't made this request, he might not have been able to sell it!

Liang Zhonghao frowned, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table, his thoughts tangled like a jumbled mess.

He knew that this was not just a simple business transaction, but also concerned the future rise and fall of the Liang family.

Lin Haoran watched him quietly, without urging him, but a faint smile remained on his lips. This smile made Liang Zhonghao feel even more pressure.

Even though the other person was just a young man in his twenties, while he was almost fifty, he never expected that the other person could exert a kind of inexplicable pressure on him.

It's true that the younger generation surpasses the older one, with each generation being stronger than the last!
Liang Zhonghao's business style is characterized by caution.

This can be seen from the fact that he voluntarily sold off those 34% of the shares a few years later.

Liang Zhonghao was terrified that even the slightest crisis could destroy the Liang family's hard-earned wealth accumulated over many years.

At this moment, two completely different outcomes kept flashing through his mind.

If they reject Lin Haoran's offer and continue to hold onto their shares in Xiangjiang Hotel, the hotel's stock price will inevitably plummet if the real estate downturn is indeed as severe and prolonged as Lin Haoran predicted.

At that time, the value of the shares held by the Leung family will shrink significantly, and the problem of insufficient funds for the Kowloon Tong project, as well as the difficulty in recovering funds from other real estate projects, will be like a time bomb that could explode at any time, dragging the Leung family into an abyss of no return.

The Liang family currently holds a full 34% stake. If the Xiangjiang Hotel goes bankrupt, the Liang family will suffer the greatest losses.

In contrast, the Kadoorie family currently holds a minority stake and controls the hotel business of the Hong Kong Grand Hotel. Even if the Hong Kong Grand Hotel were to collapse, the Kadoorie family would not suffer significant losses.

Moreover, the Kadoorie family has CLP Power as a backing.

As for the Liang family, although they are one of the major shareholders of New World Development, their shareholding is not actually that large, and they do not have much say in the matter.

Therefore, if the Xiangjiang Hotel is indeed implicated by the real estate industry, the reputation and status that the family has built up over the years in the business world may plummet, becoming a laughing stock for others.

This is something Liang Zhonghao certainly doesn't want to happen.

However, if they agree to Lin Haoran's offer to sell the shares, the Liang family will receive a huge sum of money, but it will also mean completely giving up their say in the Xiangjiang Hotel and any potential future real estate profits.

If the real estate industry doesn't turn out as badly as Lin Haoran predicted, and even recovers quickly, then the Liang family's move would be tantamount to cutting off their own arm, handing over a gold mine to someone else.

Moreover, the prime land and projects under the Xiangjiang Hotel Group do indeed have unlimited potential in the long run.

Liang Zhonghao couldn't help but recall his father's words when he was alive: "The root of real estate lies in the land. If you can hold onto the land, you can hold onto the future."

Over the years, the Liang family has been able to stand firm in the business world precisely because of their keen sense of the land.

Although they don't reach the level of top-tier wealthy families, they still have their own place in Hong Kong.

These two results left Liang Zhonghao in a state of extreme inner conflict.

Thinking of this, Liang Zhonghao suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Haoran: "Mr. Lin, your analysis makes a lot of sense. However, the shares of Xiangjiang Hotel are of great significance to our Liang family. My father's generation started planning for Xiangjiang Hotel. Even if we sell the shares, I don't know what to invest in next. We can't just sit around and do nothing, can we?" Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Lin Haoran's eyes.

He slowly picked up his teacup, took a sip, smiled slightly, and said, "Mr. Liang, if you have any other conditions, please feel free to speak them. If I can meet them, I will naturally not refuse. After all, we are both seeking development in the business world. If we can achieve a win-win situation, that would be even better."

Liang Zhonghao took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and slowly said, "Mr. Lin, although my Liang family has been involved in many industries over the years, we have not been deeply involved in emerging fields. The current economic situation in Hong Kong is too unpredictable. I am worried that even if we get this money, it will be difficult to find a suitable investment direction."

Therefore, I hope that if this transaction goes through, Mr. Lin can, at a suitable time in the future, mentor the Liang family and give them the opportunity to participate in some promising and promising projects.

In the entire Hong Kong elite circle, who doesn't know that Lin Haoran has the best investment acumen?

In just three years, they have fought so many business battles and acquired so many giant companies without a single failure.

Everyone wants to rely on a person like that.

Liang Zhonghao didn't have much ambition; unlike Li Jiacheng, he didn't want to be the most powerful person in Hong Kong's business world.

Therefore, in Liang Zhonghao's view, if he could get guidance from Lin Haoran in the future and participate in some promising projects, then even if the Liang family lost its shares in Xiangjiang Hotel, it could still gain greater room for development in other fields.

Upon hearing this, Lin Haoran's smile deepened.

He had expected the other party to impose some difficult conditions on him.

I never expected the conditions to be like this.

This wasn't really a condition for him.

It's just another business partner; it's nothing special.

They have numerous partners, such as Hongkong Land Group, HK Electric Group, and Wan Tsing Group.

In Hong Kong, many wealthy families have achieved further growth in wealth and expansion of their business empires by cooperating with companies under Lin Haoran's control.

When competing with Huafeng Bank, Lin Haoran demanded that all his business partners transfer their funds to Bank of East Asia, resulting in Bank of East Asia having over HK$20 billion more in total funds. This demonstrates just how large his partners were.

In this world, no one can ever monopolize all the profits. Just like every industry has upstream and downstream supply chains, cooperation and win-win is the way to long-term success.

Therefore, Lin Haoran didn't care about Liang Zhonghao's conditions at all.

He put down his teacup and said seriously, "Mr. Liang, you are mistaken. This is not a difficult matter. I, Lin Haoran, have always appreciated partners who are farsighted and loyal. If this transaction is completed, the Liang family will be an important ally of me, Lin, in the Hong Kong business community. In the future, if there are suitable projects, I will naturally not forget the Liang family."

I have many projects that require partners. Since Mr. Liang trusts me so much, I can entrust some of these projects to the Liang family to guide them into the industry. Furthermore, if there are projects that I am optimistic about, I can give priority to in-depth cooperation with the Liang family, sharing resources and information so that the Liang family can quickly gain a foothold in the new business field.

In addition, I am currently making large-scale investments in Japan. I am very optimistic about Japan's development in the next few years. If you trust me, I suggest you go to Japan to look for investment opportunities!

Liang Zhonghao's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing Lin Haoran's words.

He didn't expect that Lin Haoran would not only readily agree to his conditions, but also take the initiative to bring the Liang family into the Japanese market.

It is well known that Lin Haoran's investment portfolio in Japan is no secret, with his Land Group making large-scale investments in the Japanese real estate industry.

In particular, a few months ago, Lin Haoran bought Toyota Motor stock in advance and made more than 200 billion yen. This not only caused a sensation in Japan, but also in Hong Kong, and many people were even proud of it.

After all, Lin Haoran is from Hong Kong!
However, although the Hong Kong conglomerates knew that Lin Haoran had made a lot of money in Japan, they did not have the confidence to ask him to go and invest there.

Since they are not familiar with the Japanese market, it would be better for them to steadily develop in the familiar Hong Kong market.

But at this moment, Liang Zhonghao sensed a different opportunity in Lin Haoran's words.

"Mr. Lin, are you saying we can invest in Japan with you?" Liang Zhonghao's voice was a little tense, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

This has completely exceeded his expectations.

At this moment, Liang Zhonghao felt only excitement.

He knew it was impossible to earn tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars like Lin Haoran, but he would be satisfied with just one-tenth of Lin Haoran's wealth.

"Of course, if Mr. Liang trusts me, I can give you some advice. As for whether to invest in the end, that depends on yourselves," Lin Haoran said confidently.

The Japanese market is so big, he doesn't care if one more person invests there.

Anyway, he can't finish it all.

Hong Kong is so small. Even if all the businessmen in Hong Kong went to invest in Japan and shared in the upcoming economic bubble, Japan could absorb it.

That's a country with over 100 million people, and it's a developed country.

Of course, Lin Haoran would not advise other Hong Kong businessmen to invest and make money in Japan; it's better to keep a low profile.

One more Liang family member wouldn't matter.

"Mr. Lin, I agree. I trust your promise. This deal will be sold to you at market price, and the transaction can be completed at any time!" Taking a deep breath, Liang Zhonghao said directly.

“Alright, Mr. Liang is indeed straightforward. Then let’s sign the contract today, shall we? If possible, I’ll call the Land Group right away and have them fax over the share transfer agreement.” Lin Haoran said with a smile, giving the other party no chance to back out.

It was only a little past seven in the evening.

During this period, due to the large number of tasks at the group, Ma Shimin often worked overtime until 8 p.m.

Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, there are still quite a few employees working overtime at the Kang Le Building at this time.

Liang Zhonghao was taken aback when he heard this, not expecting the other party to be in such a hurry.

However, he eventually nodded.

Lin Haoran was in such a hurry because he wanted to settle the matter before the Kadoorie family found out.

Galaxy Securities had previously taken the opportunity to acquire a full 12.73% of the shares, and in the past three days, it has acquired nearly 3% more shares.

If a contract is successfully signed with Liang Zhonghao, it means that his shareholding will increase by another 34%.

In this way, the company's stake in Xiangjiang Hotel will be very close to 50%.

The Kadoorie family holds only 1023 million shares of Hong Kong Grand Hotel, which is approximately 12%.

In this situation, what can the Kadoorie family use to compete with him?

Originally, Lin Haoran had little contact with Laurence Kadoorie. In addition, their electricity supplies were located in the north and south respectively, so there was nothing for them to compete with. Therefore, he never took the initiative to offend the Kadoorie family, and the two sides had always kept to themselves.

But since the other party took the initiative to join forces with Li Jiacheng to deal with him, then he shouldn't blame him for using the Kadoorie family as a warning to others!

Lin Haoran was well aware of how important the Peninsula Hotel was to the Kadoorie family.

It can be said that for the Kadoorie family, the Hong Kong Grand Hotel is a symbol of unparalleled wealth and achievement, and a source of pride for the Kadoorie family!

Lin Haoran's secret acquisition of direct control of the Xiangjiang Hotel was undoubtedly the heaviest blow to the Kadoorie family.

He immediately picked up the phone and dialed the number of Ma Shimin, president of Hongkong Land Group.

Sure enough, the other party was still at the company.

Lin Haoran didn't say much, and said directly, "Have the company lawyers prepare the share transfer agreement immediately. I've already reached an agreement with the Xiangjiang Hotel!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Shimin was so surprised that he immediately sat up from his chair.

This news came as a complete surprise.

He hadn't expected his boss to be so cunning.

The fact that he managed to persuade Singapore to sell the Raffles Hotel in just a few words had already astonished Simon Murray.

Unexpectedly, it hasn't been long since then, and the Xiangjiang Hotel issue has been resolved?
Although shocked, Ma Shimin quickly recovered and said directly, "Boss, please wait for me for twenty minutes, and I will have someone draft the contract immediately."

After hanging up the phone, Liang Zhonghao also used Lin Haoran's phone to call his legal advisor and ask him to come to Shi Xun Road.

After all, this involves a major contract worth over one billion Hong Kong dollars, so no one can afford to be careless.

An hour later, each of them held a copy of the contract.

At this moment, the other business tycoons in Hong Kong were unaware that a commercial transaction that would shake the entire city had been completed in this villa.

"Mr. Lin, it's a pleasure to do business with you!" Liang Zhonghao extended his right hand and smiled slightly.

Since it's a fait accompli, he's no longer dwelling on it.

"Mr. Liang, it's been a pleasure doing business with you. As for the funds, it's quite late now, but the finance department of Land Group will transfer the funds to your account by tomorrow morning at the latest. How about that? Of course, if you're in a hurry, I can send someone with you to Hang Seng Bank to handle it tonight." Lin Haoran smiled slightly.

“The contract has already been signed, so I’m not worried about Mr. Lin defaulting on the payment. Tomorrow is fine, I can wait. Besides, I will personally take the share certificates to the Land Group tomorrow!” Liang Zhonghao shook his head and smiled.

With the contract in black and white in his hand, he naturally had nothing to worry about.

"Oh, right, Mr. Liang, there's one more thing. Regarding those comments I made about Hong Kong real estate, please remember not to tell anyone. Even if you do, I won't acknowledge them!" Lin Haoran laughed.

Liang Zhonghao was slightly taken aback before replying with a wry smile, "Mr. Lin, please rest assured, I swear I won't tell anyone. After all, we hope you'll take the Liang family under your wing in the future!"

(End of this chapter)