Chapter 37: A Competitor Appears
Inside the real estate agency, Lin Haoran first clearly explained exactly what he was looking for.
Based on his requirements, the agent carefully selected several suitable properties for him to consider.
The agency itself was a wholly owned subsidiary of Hongkong Land Group. Backed by its parent company's considerable reputation and resources, every transaction came with a guarantee that all recommended properties had undergone rigorous screening and verification to ensure there were no hidden issues, including—but not limited to—mortgages or other legal encumbrances.
Should any problem arise contrary to that promise, the company would assume full responsibility until the matter was completely resolved.
Naturally, that gave Lin Haoran complete peace of mind.
Considering both his current financial situation and his practical needs, Lin Haoran focused his search on properties priced below HK$1 million.
He understood that offices within this price range were unlikely to be particularly spacious, but he was perfectly comfortable with that.
For his current stage of development, it was a sensible and practical choice.
He planned to upgrade to a larger office after his financial situation improved.
After carefully reviewing and comparing the available listings, Lin Haoran quickly found one that caught his eye.
It was an office unit in Hengfeng Building, a commercial tower located near the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The twenty-one-story building occupied a prime location, and the office for sale happened to be on the prestigious nineteenth floor.
Not only did it offer an expansive view, but it also overlooked the breathtaking Victoria Harbour.
In Central, where land was worth its weight in gold, most commercial buildings were wholly owned by large conglomerates and were rarely sold as individual units.
However, exceptions always existed.
The building Lin Haoran was inspecting had originally belonged entirely to a well-known British-owned company.
Following the devastating stock market crash of 1973, the company suffered severe financial losses.
In order to survive and restructure, it had been forced to divide roughly half of the building into separately owned office units and sell them off.
Although the office Lin Haoran favored was relatively compact at approximately 1,620 square feet (around 150 square meters), its layout was efficient and made excellent use of the available space.
Considering its outstanding location, convenient transportation, and magnificent harbor view, the asking price of HK$1 million seemed entirely reasonable.
Since it was still early in the evening, Lin Haoran decided to strike while the iron was hot.
He immediately asked the agent to arrange a viewing.
The moment he stepped inside, he was attracted by the tasteful layout and modern renovations.
The office exceeded his expectations.
Practically nothing needed to be changed before it could be put into immediate use.
For someone who valued efficiency as much as he did, that was ideal.
Lin Haoran had always been decisive.
Satisfied with what he saw, he instructed the agent to arrange a meeting with the owner without delay.
Not long afterward, a middle-aged Chinese owner arrived.
He explained that his entire family would soon be emigrating to Canada, which was why he had reluctantly decided to sell the property.
The office had previously served both as a workplace and a residence.
Negotiations proceeded remarkably smoothly.
Since both parties recognized the property's value and treated each other with honesty and respect, they quickly reached an agreement.
The final selling price was settled at HK$950,000.
The seller was straightforward.
Lin Haoran was equally decisive.
Since there was still enough time before government offices closed, the agent promptly led both parties through the ownership transfer procedures.
Everything was completed before six o'clock that evening.
With the final signature in place, Lin Haoran officially acquired his very first piece of real estate in the heart of Central.
Afterward, accompanied by his two bodyguards, Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, Lin Haoran returned to inspect the office that now belonged entirely to him.
The property had previously been leased to a small company.
The former tenant had made excellent use of the available space.
It already featured a fully functional office layout, including:
A general manager's office,
A finance office,
A departmental office,
while the large central area had been thoughtfully divided into multiple workstations to accommodate different teams.
The office could comfortably house fifteen to twenty employees without any difficulty.
For Lin Haoran's current needs, it was extremely practical.
In fact, he could move in immediately.
He was especially pleased with the general manager's office.
Within roughly thirty square meters, the working area and living quarters had been cleverly separated.
If necessary, Lin Haoran could even live there overnight.
Walking through the spacious main office, his attention was inevitably drawn toward the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.
Outside stretched a breathtaking panorama.
The shimmering waters of Victoria Harbour lay directly before him.
Across the harbor, the outline of the Kowloon Peninsula stood out even more distinctly beneath the glow of the setting sun, resembling a magnificent painting.
Nearby stood another commercial tower rising more than twenty stories high.
It housed the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings.
At that very moment, inside one of Cheung Kong Holdings' conference rooms, Li Ka-shing sat at the head of the conference table while his advisory team conducted an extremely important strategic meeting.
"There are countless British-owned listed companies in Hong Kong, and many of them are of excellent quality."
Li Ka-shing spoke in his usual calm and refined manner.
"At present, we have abundant capital."
"Although we've missed our opportunity with Wharf Holdings, a new battlefield awaits us."
"Hutchison Whampoa remains our next major objective, but the timing isn't right yet."
"Mr. Wu, during this period, has your team identified any other promising targets worthy of our attention?"
Although Cheung Kong Holdings had ultimately failed to acquire Wharf Holdings, many people pitied Li Ka-shing for losing the opportunity.
However, Li Ka-Shing had his own calculations.
By withdrawing, he had avoided a direct confrontation with Jardine Matheson while simultaneously doing favors for both HSBC and Pao Yue-kong, laying the groundwork for Cheung Kong Holdings' future expansion.
It was truly a case of killing three birds with one stone.
Hearing the question, Mr. Wu quickly organized his thoughts before replying steadily.
"Chairman Li, after several days of in-depth research and analysis, our team unanimously believes that Qingzhou Yingni, located in Hung Hom, Kowloon, is currently an extremely attractive acquisition target."
"Its share price is presently stable at around HK$5 per share, giving the company a total market value of only HK$250 million."
"We believe it is significantly undervalued."
"What's especially noteworthy is that although trading volume has increased noticeably over the past month and the share price has risen accordingly, we have yet to determine the exact reason behind the increase."
"Nevertheless, our research indicates that the market is simply beginning to recognize the company's true value."
"Qingzhou Yingni not only possesses a solid operating business but also owns approximately 800,000 square feet of prime waterfront land in Hung Hom."
"The value of that land alone is far greater than what the company's current market capitalization reflects."
"Therefore, we firmly believe that if Cheung Kong Holdings successfully acquires Qingzhou Yingni and secures the development rights to the Hung Hom site, it will have an immeasurable positive impact on the company's future growth."
"This is our detailed research report, Chairman Li."
As he spoke, Mr. Wu respectfully presented a thick report with both hands.
Throughout Lin Haoran's accumulation of Qingzhou Yingni shares, he had remained extremely discreet.
As a result, even Li Ka-shing's highly capable advisory team had failed to discover that someone had secretly begun accumulating the company's shares long before them.
Li Ka-shing nodded slightly.
Taking the report, he immediately began reading it carefully in the conference room.
As he progressed through its contents, his expression continually changed.
At times, he frowned deeply while contemplating important issues.
At others, a satisfied smile appeared on his face, clearly impressed by certain findings.
Finally, after a long silence, Li Ka-shing closed the report.
"Good."
His voice was firm and decisive.
"Our next acquisition target..."
"...will be this company."
Author's Note:
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(End of Chapter)
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