In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 744 Since we've already become traitors, we might as well go all the way!
Xu Yuhui cautiously glanced around, then lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Lin, I have sensitive information on three major shareholders of Cheung Kong Holdings, including allegations of irregularities by three directors in their business operations, and even allegations of hiring thugs to assault people."

He took a sealed document bag from his briefcase and gently pushed it in front of Lin Haoran: "This information is enough to subject them to criminal charges. If Mr. Lin needs it, I can help you persuade them to change their stance."

Lin Haoran took the file bag, took out a few documents, glanced at them briefly, and then handed them to Ma Shimin.

According to the information, the three shareholders collectively control 5.3% of Cheung Kong Holdings' shares. If we add the 2.8% held by Xu Yuhui, they will own a total of 8.1% of the shares.

If Lin Haoran acquires this 8.1%, he will be very close to the 40% stake held by the Li Jiacheng family.

At that time, even if he wanted to become the largest shareholder of Cheung Kong Holdings, it wouldn't be impossible, unless Cheung Kong Holdings was permanently suspended from trading, which is simply impossible.

Of course, he didn't intend to take over Cheung Kong Holdings. Even if he became the largest shareholder, he would have difficulty controlling the company. Li Ka-shing was the true soul of Cheung Kong Holdings.

He doesn't need a pure real estate company.

He already owns real estate businesses such as Hongkong Land Group, and has enough properties in Hong Kong. If he were to acquire Cheung Kong Holdings, it would really cross the Governor's bottom line, as he already controls too much land.

After Ma Shimin took it, he looked at it even more carefully.

After a long while, Ma Shimin finally put the file back on the desktop.

Lin Haoran and Ma Shimin exchanged a glance.

Ma Shimin nodded slightly, indicating that this intelligence was invaluable.

Today, they have become the largest shareholder of Hutchison Whampoa.

But this is not enough!

Li Ka-shing remains the chairman of Hutchison Whampoa's board of directors, and it won't be easy to oust him.

The best solution is to get him to give up his shares in Hutchison Whampoa.

In this way, Lin Haoran can truly take control of Hutchison Whampoa.

The more shares of Cheung Kong Holdings he controls, the greater his advantage will be.

However, Cheung Kong Holdings has been temporarily suspended from trading, so the best solution is to acquire it from other shareholders of Cheung Kong Holdings.

Originally, after investigating those shareholders and learning about their relationship with Li Jiacheng, Lin Haoran had already given up much hope.

Unexpectedly, Xu Yuhui appeared here.

What he didn't expect was that Xu Yuhui would betray his former ally in order to gain more benefits.

This approach is indeed excessive.

We were originally the best partners, but who would have thought that Xu Yuhui would embark on this path of betrayal for his own benefit?

This guy is indeed a ruthless character. What's most unbelievable is that Li Jiacheng worked with him for many years and never realized he was this kind of person.

Lin Haoran narrowed his eyes slightly, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

Although he longed to further expand his influence in the business world, he couldn't help but feel a bit contempt for Xu Yuhui's unscrupulous behavior.

Xu Yuhui's move completely tore through Li Jiacheng's defenses and utterly dismantled the opponent's antique alliance.

Cruel, too cruel.

Indeed, it's hard to find kind-hearted people in the business world.

However, despite his disdain, this is ultimately a good thing for him. It may be a rare opportunity that allows him to gain more advantages in his business competition with Li Jiacheng.

He doesn't hold back when dealing with this kind of person; if he can squeeze every last drop of usefulness out of them, that would be ideal.

Lin Haoran quickly suppressed the contempt in his heart, and a faint smile appeared on his lips again. He said, "Xu Sheng, the help you mentioned is indeed quite good."

However, Cheung Kong Holdings' share price was already inflated by our side. Adding a 25% premium would far exceed Cheung Kong Holdings' actual value. Therefore, you need to show me more sincerity that can truly impress me.

Xu Yuhui's heart tightened. He hadn't expected Lin Haoran to be so difficult to deal with. He thought that if he presented these materials, the other party would definitely agree readily, but since things had come to this point, he could only grit his teeth and continue.

"Mr. Lin, this is all the evidence I have. There's really nothing else. If you have any other requests, please let me know, and I'll do my best to cooperate," Xu Yuhui said with a wry smile.

He was completely willing to go all out for his own benefit.

But he also knew that after this, he could no longer stay in Hong Kong and would have to go overseas to develop his career.

Lin Haoran leaned back slightly in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, looking calmly at the other person. He had been waiting for these words.

He leaned closer to Xu Yuhui and lowered his voice, saying, "Mr. Xu, since you are so sincere, I have a suggestion. After these shares are settled, you should hold a press conference as a director of Cheung Kong Holdings. At the conference, you should expose in detail Li Ka-shing's financial crisis, especially his excessive leverage in order to acquire Hutchison Whampoa."

After settling the issue of these 8.1% shares, I can settle the account with you based on the stock price before the trading halt. As for the 25% premium, I will transfer the funds immediately after you hold this press conference. I can give you time to arrange for your family to leave Hong Kong first. What do you think?

Lin Haoran's suggestion can be described as even more ruthless.

He was ruthless not only to Li Jiacheng, but also to Xu Yuhui in front of him.

Xu Yuhui's face turned pale instantly: "Lin Sheng, this, this is too much..."

"Too heartless?" Lin Haoran chimed in, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Mr. Xu, since you've chosen this path, you must see it through to the end. You must clearly state at the press conference that, out of responsibility for the future of Cheung Kong Holdings, you've decided to sell your shares to me, because only I can bring stable development to Cheung Kong Holdings."

Since we've already become traitors, we might as well go all the way!
Xu Yuhui's hands began to tremble slightly: "But by doing this, I have completely offended Li Jiacheng..."

"Don't you think your actions have completely offended Li Jiacheng? Mr. Xu, when you chose to meet with me, there was no turning back. Either do as I say, take the hefty reward, and fly away; or I'll expose our meeting today. In that case, you won't just not get a penny, but you'll also face the furious retaliation from Li Jiacheng and your partners. Think it over carefully!" Lin Haoran sneered.

You can't be soft-hearted when dealing with this kind of petty person.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xu Yuhui's forehead. He knew that Lin Haoran's words were true; he had betrayed Li Jiacheng for his own benefit and was now standing on the edge of a cliff.

The condition Lin Haoran has put forward now, although it makes him a despicable person in the Hong Kong business world, is now, as the other party said, the only way he can go all the way.

After a long silence, he gritted his teeth and nodded with difficulty, saying, "Okay, Mr. Lin, I promise you, but you have to promise to keep your word afterward."

"Of course, you can rest assured. We'll sign a written agreement, and you won't be shortchanged by a single penny after it's done. By the way, I don't plan to pay a 25% premium for the shares of the other three directors. I'll just buy them at the share price before the trading halt. That's already very lenient with them. I think you can do that, right?" Lin Haoran smiled after hearing the other party's agreement.

Xu Yuhui's face instantly turned extremely ugly. He did not expect Lin Haoran to be so relentless, even trying to lower the price for the acquisition of shares from the three directors.

But now he had no way out and could only bite the bullet and reply, "Mr. Lin, I will try my best to persuade them, but I can't guarantee that they will agree."

Lin Haoran's eyes sharpened, his tone carrying an undeniable authority: "Xu Sheng, this isn't a matter of 'trying our best,' it's a must. Since you've chosen to cooperate with me, you must demonstrate sufficient sincerity and skill."

You have incriminating evidence against those three directors; you can use that to negotiate with them. If you can't even handle this simple matter, then there's no point in continuing our cooperation.

Xu Yuhui inwardly groaned, but for the sake of the generous reward and his future, he could only nod and say, "Lin Sheng, I understand. I will do my best."

"Just leave this document here for now. I think you probably have a backup, so you don't need to take it with you," Lin Haoran said directly, looking at the document in front of Ma Shimin, leaving no room for negotiation.

Xu Yuhui nodded with a wry smile. He didn't know if his decision this time was right, but he had already come this far and there was no turning back.

He originally thought that Lin Haoran was an easy person to talk to.

Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking things.

"I'll give you two days over the weekend. I believe you should be able to persuade these three shareholders one by one during these two days. By Sunday night at the latest, I want to get these 8.1% of the shares. As for the press conference, I hope it can be held on Monday. I will help contact the media reporters then!" Lin Haoran was in a very good mood at this moment.

Two days over the weekend would be enough for him to arrange for his family to leave Hong Kong.

He was never merciful to his enemies.

Therefore, when Li Jiacheng became his enemy, he naturally wouldn't hold back.

However, at this moment, Xu Yuhui suddenly had a crazy idea. He said to Lin Haoran, "Mr. Lin, if I bring those three shareholders to a press conference and expose Li Jiacheng's financial crisis in detail at the press conference, can you also give them a 25% premium on the share purchase price?"

In this way, I will not only be better able to persuade them to sell their shares to Mr. Lin, but Mr. Lin's goal of dealing with Li Jiacheng will also be more successful. I think this is what Mr. Lin wants to see!

That's right, Xu Yuhui wanted to drag those three shareholders down with him completely.

He can't be the only one to take the blame.

Once these three shareholders are all involved in this revelation, they will all become Li Ka-shing's mortal enemies, and no one will be able to escape the connection. They will then have allies and will no longer be isolated and helpless.

Moreover, if he could use this opportunity to get Lin Haoran to offer a premium on the shares to the three shareholders, they would definitely cooperate more actively, greatly reducing the difficulty of persuading them. The business world has always been a world driven by profit; he simply couldn't believe these people would be hostile to money!
Lin Haoran was slightly taken aback, then a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. This business battle was getting more and more interesting.

He hadn't expected Xu Yuhui to come up with such an idea under such dire circumstances; it was quite a quick wit.

He gently stroked his chin with his fingers, pondered for a moment, and then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: "Mr. Xu, your plan is quite ingenious. However, this suggestion is not entirely out of the question."

Xu Yuhui was overjoyed and quickly said, "Mr. Lin, this is good for both of us. Once those three shareholders are publicly revealed at the press conference, their influence will be much greater than mine alone, and the blow to Li Jiacheng will be more fatal. At that time, Mr. Lin, you will definitely be able to handle the matter between Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa more smoothly."

Lin Haoran nodded, stood up, and paced around the room in thought.

He knew Xu Yuhui was right. If he could get those three shareholders to speak out together at the press conference, it would indeed create a bigger storm and put more pressure on Li Jiacheng.

However, he was also weighing the risks involved.

If this matter escalates too much, will it attract even more serious attention from the Governor-General's Office?
Will it cross any lines that shouldn't be crossed?

Although Li Ka-shing is not a British-funded conglomerate, he is unsure whether the other party has any backing in British politics.

Of course, even if he really has powerful backers, it's not a big problem, because he has never considered taking over Cheung Kong Holdings as well, even now that he has the opportunity to become the largest shareholder of Cheung Kong Holdings.

Ultimately, the other party owns 40% of Cheung Kong Holdings and is the soul of Cheung Kong Holdings. Without Li Ka-shing, Cheung Kong Holdings is just an ordinary real estate company.

Even if he acquires 40% of the shares, he'll still have to rack his brains to fight for power with the other party on the board of directors; it's too troublesome.

We're better off without a real estate company like that.

It would be better to use Cheung Kong Holdings shares to threaten the other party into transferring those Hutchison Whampoa shares to him.

In this way, he easily acquired Hutchison Whampoa.

Hutchison Whampoa was the one he truly cared about.

Seeing Lin Haoran deep in thought, Ma Shimin said softly, "Boss, this matter does have both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it can indeed form a strong offensive against Li Jiacheng; as for the disadvantages, from a risk perspective, we must also act cautiously. If this matter is not handled well, I'm afraid it will displease the Governor's Office and may even backfire."

Lin Haoran gave Ma Shimin an approving look, not expecting that the other man had thought of the same thing as him.

Lin Haoran stopped and sat back down in his chair. He looked at Xu Yuhui and said, "Mr. Xu, I can promise you that if those three shareholders are willing to expose Li Jiacheng at the press conference as we demand, I can give them a 10% premium on their shares. That's my bottom line. And you must ensure that they fully cooperate and that there are no mistakes!"

For Lam Ho-yin, if the premium is only 10%, he can save tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

Although he didn't care about the amount of money, he felt that the three shareholders attending the press conference together were not worth tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

Xu Yuhui was somewhat disappointed. He had originally hoped for a 25% premium, but getting a 10% premium was already pretty good. He knew he didn't have the right to bargain.

Moreover, he was secretly pleased that his price was higher than that of the other three shareholders.

Therefore, he quickly said, "Don't worry, Mr. Lin, I will do my best to persuade them. They have something on me now, and they know they have no other choice given the current cash flow problems of Cheung Kong Holdings. We are just business partners, not Li Ka-shing's vassals. I think they will make the right choice!"

"Okay, it's settled then. I look forward to you completing these tasks as soon as possible. Let's get ready to eat. Mr. Ma, go and call the waiter to serve the dishes!" Lin Haoran said cheerfully.

Although Li Ka-shing caught Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings off guard by suspending their trading, Hui Yu-fai also gave him a pleasant surprise!

"No, Mr. Lin, to be honest, Mr. Li Jiacheng had already invited me to dinner at 7 p.m. at the nearby Hilton Hotel. I'm already late, and I can't delay any longer. I'm very sorry," Xu Yuhui said, glancing at his watch.

In the afternoon, Li Ka-shing invited several major shareholders of Cheung Kong Holdings to dinner that evening. The purpose of this invitation is easy to guess.

Xu Yuhui was naturally one of them.

"Alright, since that's the case, then I won't keep you any longer. Take care, Mr. Xu!" Lin Haoran waved his hand and nodded.

Xu Yuhui is now acting as a double agent, so naturally he can't stop him.

Otherwise, it would be easy for Li Jiacheng to discover it.

After Xu Yuhui left in a hurry, Lin Haoran and Ma Shimin exchanged a smile.

“Boss, Xu Yuhui has really helped us a lot,” Ma Shimin said softly, “but we can’t use someone like that twice.”

Lin Haoran nodded slightly, his eyes revealing a deep look: "That's natural. Xu Yuhui is the kind of person who can betray his former allies without any bottom line for the sake of profit. He can betray Li Jiacheng today, and he is very likely to betray us in the future."

However, at present, he is indeed an extremely useful piece in our hands. If we use him properly, we can gain the upper hand in this business war with Li Jiacheng.

Besides, after this incident, he certainly won't be able to return to Hong Kong, and what happens to him afterward is none of our business.

Although no agreement has been signed yet, he is not afraid that Xu Yuhui will go back on his word after leaving.

After all, he already had Xu Yuhui's weaknesses in his hands, and it was too late for the other party to back out.

Now that things have come to this, Xu Yuhui only has one path to take, and that is to see it through to the end.

Otherwise, even if he changes his mind, as long as Lin Haoran leaks today's events, along with the information on the dinner table, he will completely offend Li Jiacheng and the other three shareholders.

After watching Xu Yuhui leave, Lin Haoran said to Ma Shimin, "Send someone to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't change his mind at the last minute."

Ma Shimin nodded: "Understood. However, boss, if Xu Yuhui really convinces those three shareholders, our shareholding in Cheung Kong Holdings will approach 40%. Won't this arouse the Governor's Office's suspicion? Boss, you've indeed gained considerable influence in Hong Kong's business world. Not only have you acquired giants like Hongkong Land, Hong Kong Electric, Hong Kong and China Gas, and Hong Kong Telephone, but now you're eyeing Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings. This is tantamount to you having absolute control over Hong Kong's business world. The Governor's Office will definitely have objections."

Lin Haoran pondered for a moment: "Therefore, we must be careful with our actions. Acquiring these shares is not to control Cheung Kong Holdings, but to put pressure on Li Ka-shing and force him to give up Hutchison Whampoa."

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the night view of Victoria Harbour: "Remember, our target is Hutchison Whampoa, not Cheung Kong Holdings. Overexpansion will attract unnecessary attention."

With this acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa, his strategic layout in Hong Kong is basically complete, and there is no need for further expansion.

Otherwise, it would indeed be going too far; Hong Kong would have become the Lin family's city.

Guo Xiaohan, who had remained silent until now, looked at Lin Haoran with a hint of admiration.

The sheer brilliance of these business battles truly opened her eyes.

Even among her uncle Guo Henian's circle, such top-level strategic maneuvering was not uncommon.

Lin Haoran didn't specifically ask Guo Xiaohan to avoid this matter, because there was no need.

Not letting her interfere in my business doesn't mean I don't trust her.

Moreover, even if this matter is leaked, it will only cause him some more trouble in this business war; the overall situation will not change.

Moreover, if the couple is not of one mind, and Guo Xiaohan might leak information at will, then he would have to consider whether or not to hold the wedding.

Isn't this also a test for Guo Xiaohan?

Lin Haoran noticed Guo Xiaohan's gaze and smiled gently: "The business world is like a battlefield; sometimes, you have to resort to extreme measures."

Guo Xiaohan nodded gently: "I understand, but I just feel that people like Xu Yuhui are truly disheartening."

"This is the business world. When faced with interests, friendships are often fragile. So we must remember that no matter how far we go, we must never forget our original aspirations," Lin Haoran said calmly.

Although Lin Haoran has only been in the business world for a little over three years, that does not mean he lacks experience.

The numerous business battles he experienced over those three years were enough to give him a deeper understanding of the cruelty and complexity of the business world.

Xu Yuhui's betrayal was just a small episode in this business war, but it also made him more wary of the unpredictable nature of people in the business world.

Just as Ma Shimin was asking the waiter to serve the food, Xu Yuhui hurriedly arrived at a 26-story building several hundred meters away.

This is the Hilton Hotel Tower in Central, a luxury hotel under the Wing Ko Hotel Group, which was acquired by Li Ka-shing.

Xu Yuhui strode into a luxurious restaurant on the 21st floor of the building.

There were already five or six people sitting inside.

Seated in the main seat was none other than Li Ka-shing, the renowned owner of Cheung Kong Holdings.

Surrounding him are shareholders of Cheung Kong Holdings, all of whom are Li Ka-shing's partners.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li, everyone. I was stuck in traffic and I'm late. I, Xu, apologize to everyone!" Xu Yuhui bowed slightly with a face full of apology, but a hint of nervousness flashed in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)