In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 743 Betrayal by Li Jiacheng's Allies
The sudden suspension of trading by Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings, and the announcement from Galaxy Securities, spread rapidly throughout Hong Kong even before the media had a chance to report it.

Especially on major stock exchanges, many investors were planning to make a big move in the afternoon because of the sudden surge in Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings in the morning.

As a result, before the stock market even opened in the afternoon, this news came out.

This left many investors kicking themselves in regret for not following up in time that morning.

After all, no one expected that Lin Haoran would set his sights on Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings.

Just look at the listed companies under Lin Haoran's control today: Hongkong Land Group, Hong Kong Telephone Company, Hong Kong and China Gas, etc. After Lin Haoran took control, the stock prices of these companies have increased many times over.

In everyone's eyes, Lin Haoran has become a calling card to the road to wealth. With him involved, what is there to fear about the broken capital chain of a company?

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange was not yet open for trading, but the hall was already packed with people.

The trading hall was bustling with noise and chatter.

"If I had known this would happen, I should have bought in with all my funds this morning. Once Hutchison Whampoa is acquired by Lin Haoran, even a market value of over HK$10 billion will not be much, and it will definitely continue to rise."

"Lin Haoran is really awesome, that move was absolutely brilliant."

"Li Jiacheng is likely to suffer a setback this time."

"Seeing the fierce price war between ParknShop, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, and Wellcome, a subsidiary of Hongkong Land, I thought Li Ka-shing had plenty of funds. But it turns out it was all just for show. Lin Haoran's move was brilliant, completely disrupting all of Li Ka-shing's plans. I bet Li Ka-shing is in a real bind right now, not knowing how to deal with this sudden turn of events!"

"Who told him to offend Lin Sheng? If you ask me, if Li Sheng hadn't gone against Lin Sheng, given Lin Sheng's character, he would never have targeted Li Sheng. Li Sheng has only himself to blame."

"Li Ka-shing must be regretting it now. He finally managed to acquire Hutchison Whampoa, but now he's about to lose control. Even his own company, Cheung Kong Holdings, is being targeted by Lam Ho-yin. This is going to be interesting."

……

Galaxy Securities holds 46.9% of Hutchison Whampoa shares and 30.3% of Cheung Kong Holdings shares—data that has shocked investors.

After all, there is a premise here: both Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings have a major shareholder holding 40% of the shares.

Under these circumstances, it is remarkable that Lin Haoran had not sent any news beforehand.

This is truly a case of "silence before the storm, but a stunning achievement at that moment!"

This action reminded everyone of the tactics Lin Haoran used to deal with Jardine Matheson.

How similar they are!

This is simply copying another technique.

However, only Lin Haoran can pull off such a tactic; it's impossible for anyone else to do it this way.

This requires a large amount of capital as a support.

Nowadays, only Lin Haoran in the entire Hong Kong could casually come up with so much money!
At this moment, Lin Haoran's abilities once again amazed everyone, as if he were shrouded in a mysterious and powerful halo, causing the entire Hong Kong business community to be shaken.

Besides these shareholders, the whole of Hong Kong was buzzing with discussion about this matter.

Although Li Ka-shing in this world gained access to Hong Kong's top conglomerates after acquiring Hutchison Whampoa, his influence in Hong Kong is indeed not as great as that of Lin Haoran.

Although Lin Haoran has only been rising to prominence for three short years, his name has already been deeply etched in the hearts of ordinary citizens in Hong Kong.

People in tea restaurants and convenience stores on the streets, who were originally discussing everyday topics, started talking about it after learning about it.

"Lin Haoran is a really capable young man. He turned Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings upside down in no time," an elderly man with gray hair said with a sigh, holding a teacup.

"Yes, but they have the capability. They've acquired so many large companies, and each one of them is thriving."

"Besides, even British giants like Jardine Matheson and Huafeng Bank have fallen to Lin Haoran, so what is Li Jiacheng?" A middle-aged man next to him chimed in.

“Although they are both Chinese businessmen, I absolutely support Lin Haoran. After all, Li Jiacheng has close ties with British conglomerates, while Lin Haoran has become a hero in Hong Kong against British conglomerates. He is the pride of us Chinese!” Another elderly man in his sixties wearing reading glasses said with a smile.

“I agree with that. Many of my friends idolize Lin Haoran. But to be fair, he is indeed worthy of our admiration. At such a young age, he has built such a huge empire. Who else can do that?” A young man drinking morning tea at the next table laughed.

Sun Hung Kai Chairman's Office.

Upon receiving the news, Guo Desheng immediately convened a meeting with his sons to warn them: "See? This is the business world. Today's friend may be tomorrow's enemy. We must learn from this and re-examine our relationships with other allies!"

Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong headquarters, executive office.

Upon receiving the message, Tyron immediately dialed the international hotline to inform the headquarters in London, England.

At this moment, he felt very fortunate.

Fortunately, the funds he authorized had not yet entered the stock market; otherwise, if he had lost hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars, he would certainly have had to bear the responsibility.

After all, Lin Haoran now holds 46.9% of the shares, so what need does Standard Chartered Bank have to support Li Ka-shing in his battle with Lin Haoran for control of Hutchison Whampoa?
If Lin Haoran's shareholding were less than 40%, then there would still be room for negotiation, but as for now, it's pointless.

After all, what does Standard Chartered Bank have to compete with Lin Haoran on?

Standard Chartered Bank can't even compare to Hengsheng Group, which is under Lin Haoran's control.

Hengsheng Group has extremely healthy finances, while Standard Chartered Bank is already heavily indebted due to its acquisition of Huifeng Bank. If it's not careful, it might fall into a crisis of broken capital chain.

And these responsibilities cannot be blamed on Tyronn.

After all, this was Li Jiacheng's failure, and had nothing to do with him.

He happened to be a meritorious contributor; in such an emergency, his judgment saved Standard Chartered Bank from losses of hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars, which is a great achievement!

Therefore, Allen knew that his status as a Hong Kong tycoon was basically secured.

After consulting with several senior executives, Lord Derek Barber, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Standard Chartered Bank, responded: "Hutchison Whampoa cannot be saved. Let's do everything we can to save Cheung Kong Holdings!"
Once Lin Haoran takes control of Hutchison Whampoa, there will be no more concerns about Huifeng Bank's debt to Hutchison Whampoa, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, this company will no longer be able to cooperate with Huifeng Bank.

Therefore, having lost such an important partner as Hutchison Whampoa, we cannot afford to lose Cheung Kong Holdings as well. We must find a way to get Mr. Li Ka-shing to raise funds and do everything in his power to save Cheung Kong Holdings. Ideally, Mr. Li Ka-shing should personally visit Mr. Lam Ho-yin to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this matter.

The news of Standard Chartered Bank's decision quickly reached Li Ka-shing's ears.

Upon learning that even Standard Chartered Bank had urged him to completely abandon Hutchison Whampoa, Li Ka-shing's hand holding the microphone trembled slightly.

The last possibility has completely disappeared.

What does he have to compete with Lin Haoran?

They don't have as much money as others, and their shareholdings have been surpassed by others.

Now it seems that preserving Cheung Kong Holdings is indeed the only way out.

If he confronts the issue head-on, he might even lose control of Cheung Kong Holdings!
Despair. At this moment, Li Jiacheng was filled with utter despair.

He paid a heavy price to acquire Hutchison Whampoa, and planned for it for several years.

But now, all of this is about to vanish into thin air.

He became a laughing stock and a loser in Hong Kong's business community.

How ridiculous, how utterly ridiculous!

The sound of rain pattering outside the window seemed to accompany his mood at that moment.

"I understand." Li Jiacheng finally uttered only these three words before slowly hanging up the phone.

It's practically impossible to get any useful help from Standard Chartered Bank.

There was dead silence in the office.

Li Jiacheng stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at Victoria Harbour through the rain.

After decades of ups and downs in the business world, he had never felt so powerless. Even his biggest ally, Standard Chartered Bank, advised him to give up on Hutchison Whampoa, which meant that he was completely out of the game in this battle with Hutchison Whampoa.

He, who was once full of vigor, is now so negative.

He stood there for an unknown amount of time, and gradually calmed down from his negative mood.

The crisis at Cheung Kong Holdings is still ongoing; it's not time for Li Ka-shing to wallow in despair and self-pity.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and a renewed fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes.

This is Li Ka-shing, the Li Ka-shing who never admits defeat.

Even though he is about to lose now, and lose completely.

But so what? He is still the major shareholder of Cheung Kong Holdings.

Knowing that Lin Haoran controlled 30.3% of Cheung Kong Holdings' shares, he still had enough confidence.

Even if he loses Hutchison Whampoa, he still has Cheung Kong Holdings.

In addition to his own holding of approximately 40% of Cheung Kong Holdings' shares, several of his close associates and partners hold nearly 10% of the shares.

In other words, he and his partners hold a full 50% stake.

These shares are enough to form an unbreakable alliance.

Although Ma Shimin called these people to discuss the matter, they had all called Li Jiacheng and told him that they would never betray him.

So, with the support of these people, what does it matter how rich Lin Haoran is?
However, Lin Haoran's holding of so many shares in Cheung Kong Holdings remains a potential problem, and he must find a way to get them back; otherwise, he will feel uneasy.

Having decided to abandon Hutchison Whampoa, Li Ka-shing now began to consider how to extract the greatest possible benefit from this failed battle.

Presumably, Lin Haoran also wants the Hutchison Whampoa shares he holds, right?

Thinking of this, Li Jiacheng strode back to his desk and pressed the intercom button: "Immediately contact all major shareholders of Cheung Kong Holdings and invite them to dinner tonight in my personal capacity." The rain had stopped sometime earlier, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting dappled shadows on the office floor.

Li Jiacheng sat at the intersection of light and shadow, his face a mixture of light and dark, just like his mood at that moment—both the bitterness of defeat and the determination to fight back from the brink of defeat.

Time quickly passed and it was 5:30 in the afternoon.

Shenzhen, Shekou Port.

Lin Haoran, accompanied by Guo Xiaohan and twelve bodyguards, once again boarded the wingboat.

Several important leaders of Pengcheng City were standing on the dock.

Originally, he planned to stay overnight here so that Guo Xiaohan could experience more of life in Shenzhen.

However, the situation in Hong Kong is somewhat unexpected, so it would be more appropriate for him to go back and oversee things.

Moreover, at 3 p.m., Ma Shimin contacted him again, saying that there was an important matter that he needed to go back and make a decision about.

Shenzhen and Hong Kong are not far apart, so there will be plenty of opportunities to come in the future, so there's no rush.

The wingboat sliced ​​through the calm sea and sped confidently toward Hong Kong.

Lin Haoran and Guo Xiaohan stood on the ship's railing, watching the silhouette of Shenzhen gradually disappear into the distance, and the figures of Shenzhen's leaders waving goodbye, their hearts filled with countless thoughts.

The members of the Lin Haoran Charity Foundation team who came with them will stay in Shenzhen to build a mainland team, since the mainland will be an important area of ​​activity for this charity foundation in the future.

The Lin Haoran Charitable Foundation will exercise oversight over the use of every penny of the HK$1 million donation to Pengcheng University for its construction.

In addition, the plan to donate to primary schools is also about to begin.

It's already mid-September, and there's not much time left in 1981. Therefore, donating 100 schools in 1981 is clearly unrealistic.

Moreover, the charitable foundation was newly established and many things needed to be gradually improved. Therefore, the donation of schools would begin in 1982.

As for this year, the foundation's management team will first get a clear picture of the situation in mainland China, such as how many schools in Shenzhen need to be rebuilt, which areas need new schools built, and what the learning situation is like for children in impoverished mountainous areas, so as to truly help those children in need.

Shenzhen is just the beginning; in the future, it will serve as a fulcrum to radiate to the entire land of China.

Guo Xiaohan had many feelings about this trip.

At this moment, she felt even more keenly the weight of her future responsibilities.

This is the responsibility that Mrs. Lin should have; she knows that she must do it well!

An hour later, the wingboat docked smoothly at a private pier in Central.

It was already 6:30 pm. The setting sun cast a shimmering glow over the entire Victoria Harbour, as if a layer of fine gold had been sprinkled on it.

Holding Guo Xiaohan's hand, Lin Haoran, surrounded by bodyguards, slowly walked off the wingboat and boarded the waiting Rolls-Royce.

"Let's go to the Joyful Restaurant in Central first!" Lin Haoran said as Li Weidong was about to start the engine.

Ma Shimin was already waiting for him at the Joyful Restaurant; there was something important for him to handle there.

"Okay, boss!" The car started slowly and quickly sped through the bustling streets of Hong Kong.

Outside the car window, neon lights gradually illuminated, adorning the city like a dream.

Guo Xiaohan leaned on Lin Haoran's shoulder, her heart filled with both aspirations for the future of philanthropy and reflections on the ever-changing business landscape in Hong Kong.

She wasn't worried about Lin Haoran encountering any trouble in business because she had too much faith in her fiancé's abilities and had plenty of confidence in him.

On the bus, Lin Haoran first used his mobile phone to call Ma Shimin and tell him that he had returned to Hong Kong and was on his way there.

It was rush hour, so it took a full twenty minutes to drive less than a kilometer to reach the Xiyuelai Restaurant.

After parking their car in the designated parking space, Lin Haoran and Guo Xiaohan were quickly led to a luxury private room by the security guard.

Inside the private room, Ma Shimin was sitting, along with a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses.

Upon seeing Lin Haoran enter, the two quickly stood up and greeted him.

"boss."

"Lin Sheng."

Lin Haoran nodded and said with a smile, "Please sit down."

After sitting down with Guo Xiaohan, Lin Haoran looked at the middle-aged man.

"And who is this?" he asked with a smile, pretending not to recognize her.

In fact, he already knew the other party's identity; Ma Shimin had already given him a brief introduction that afternoon.

"Mr. Lin, hello! Let me introduce myself first. My name is Xu Yuhui, and I am a shareholder of Cheung Kong Holdings, currently holding 2.8% of Cheung Kong Holdings' shares."

Seven years ago, my company was acquired by Cheung Kong Holdings and merged into Cheung Kong Holdings. I remained with the company through a share swap.

For many years, I have followed Mr. Li closely, and now I am also one of the important directors of Cheung Kong Holdings.

"Since Mr. Lin wishes to acquire my shares, I hope he can offer a suitable price." The middle-aged man pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, his expression slightly nervous yet sincere.

In fact, his real purpose in coming here was to take the opportunity to sell his shares and hope to get a good price.

Back then, when his real estate company was acquired by Cheung Kong Holdings, they were impressed by Li Ka-shing's outstanding abilities and forward-thinking strategic vision in the real estate industry. Therefore, he did not choose cash compensation but insisted on holding shares.

Facts have proved that his choice is correct.

Over the years, Cheung Kong Holdings has been thriving. Not only that, it also acquired Hutchison Whampoa, becoming its largest shareholder.

As a major shareholder of Cheung Kong Holdings, Xu Yuhui has indeed profited handsomely over the years and has become an important senior executive of Cheung Kong Holdings, wielding considerable influence within the group.

This undoubtedly proves that his decision to exchange shares for cash instead of providing compensation was absolutely correct.

However, the recent fierce competition between Li Jiacheng and Lin Haoran has made him keenly aware of Li Jiacheng's shortcomings.

As a powerful figure in Hong Kong's business world, Lin Haoran's actions have offended Li Jiacheng, and Li's future business ventures in Hong Kong will likely face significant difficulties.

Given this situation, Xu Yuhui felt that he might as well take this opportunity to plan a complete withdrawal from Cheung Kong Holdings.

Originally, he and Li Jiacheng had a very close personal relationship, and according to common sense, he should not have betrayed this friendship when Li Jiacheng was in trouble.

Under normal circumstances, selling Cheung Kong Holdings' shares to Li Ka-shing would undoubtedly be the most appropriate solution.

But he knew in his heart that Li Jiacheng was currently short of funds, and even if he wanted to sell his shares, the other party would not be able to offer a high price that he wanted.

At noon, after receiving a call from Ma Shimin, he personally called Li Jiacheng to tell him about the matter.

As it turned out, the other party simply told him to continue holding his shares in Cheung Kong Holdings and had no intention of acquiring them at all.

But Lin Haoran's situation is different. Since Ma Shimin personally called him, hoping to buy Cheung Kong Holdings' shares from him, he must be able to offer a price that satisfies him.

As the saying goes, "When disaster strikes, everyone flies away."

In Xu Yuhui's view, it is a wise move to fight for one's own interests at this moment and to be responsible for oneself and one's assets.

My 2.8% stake is not a small percentage.

Once the sale is successful, he will definitely be able to get a considerable amount of cash. Then he can take the cash and leave Hong Kong for Singapore, or to the UK, the US, or anywhere else.

As for betraying Cheung Kong Holdings and Li Ka-shing, although he felt somewhat guilty, in the business world, profit is paramount.

Faced with the lure of enormous profits, even a little bit of friendship seems insignificant.

"Mr. Xu, what price are you looking for? Tell me first," Lin Haoran said with a slight smile after taking a sip of tea.

He was not interested in Cheung Kong Holdings and knew he had little control over it.

However, Cheung Kong Holdings now holds a full 40% stake in Hutchison Whampoa. Therefore, if he wants to completely kick Li Ka-shing out of Hutchison Whampoa, he must control a sufficient number of Cheung Kong Holdings shares as leverage to negotiate with Li Ka-shing, or further gain an absolute advantage in the battle for control of Hutchison Whampoa.

However, Li Ka-shing has now applied for a trading suspension for both Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings, so even if he has the money, it will be difficult for him to continue to increase his holdings in the two companies during the suspension period.

As for shareholders, Hutchison Whampoa has already acquired all the ones it was supposed to acquire.

As for Cheung Kong Holdings, he had already investigated it beforehand and found that all the shareholders were staunch allies of Li Ka-shing, making it difficult to persuade them.

He had Simon Murray contact these shareholders, but only to deliberately leak the information to Li Ka-shing, letting him know that he was not only eyeing Hutchison Whampoa, but also Cheung Kong Holdings, so that Li would give up Hutchison Whampoa and choose to preserve Cheung Kong Holdings.

It was indeed unexpected that Xu Yuhui, Li Jiacheng's staunch ally and executive director of Cheung Kong Holdings, would choose to sell his shares.

This is tantamount to betraying Li Jiacheng.

However, this is fine.

Tearing open one of Cheung Kong Holdings' defenses will bring him unexpected benefits.

At that time, he will be able to gain greater benefits in negotiations with Li Jiacheng.

Therefore, he was determined to buy the shares held by this Cheung Kong Holdings shareholder.

“Mr. Lin, I want to sell at a price 25% higher than the closing price before the trading halt. I know this is excessive, as the price before the trading halt was driven up by Mr. Lin’s people. However, Mr. Lin, please don’t rush to refuse. I can also offer Mr. Li a favor that will definitely make you feel that this price is worthwhile.” Xu Yuhui’s eyes revealed a hint of greed and expectation.

Lin Haoran raised an eyebrow slightly, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, and said, "Oh? Mr. Xu, why don't you tell me what kind of information is worth this 25% premium?"

(End of this chapter)