Chapter 38: The Game Just Became More Interesting
In the blink of an eye, time flew by, and October 6th quietly arrived.
Three days had passed since Lin Haoran purchased his new office.
The company had already relocated to its new premises, and the improved working environment had noticeably lifted everyone's spirits.
After moving into the new office, Lin Haoran simply decided to make it his permanent residence.
He no longer returned to the villa in Deep Water Bay.
Although he had grown accustomed to the peace and tranquility there, occasionally enjoying the vibrant lights and bustling atmosphere overlooking Victoria Harbour offered a completely different kind of pleasure.
He found it surprisingly comfortable.
Meanwhile, he officially registered a company under the name:
Universal Investment Limited.
Two days earlier, after learning that he was working in Central, his third sister had personally come to see him.
Without giving him any chance to refuse, she forcefully handed him a check for HK$2 million.
Although the amount was smaller than the HK$3 million his second sister had given him, Lin Haoran understood that every dollar represented his third sister's heartfelt concern and expectations.
His heart was filled with gratitude, though he also felt somewhat helpless.
He could only quietly accept her generosity and remember the kindness she had shown him.
The stock market continued to fluctuate like waves upon the sea.
Yet amid the ever-changing market, Lin Haoran and his team remained remarkably steady.
Especially after Dai Shi joined the team, both their coordination and decision-making efficiency had improved dramatically.
Every evening, when the closing bell rang through the stock exchange, it marked not only the end of another trading day but also another step forward in the team's achievements.
However, Lin Haoran's mood was unusually serious.
When Wednesday's trading ended, he had already noticed that the trading volume of Qingzhou Yingni had quietly begun to increase.
At first, he assumed it was merely normal market volatility.
After all, such fluctuations were common.
But after observing the market closely for three consecutive days, everything became crystal clear.
Someone else had set their sights on Qingzhou Yingni.
And there was a very high probability that person was none other than business magnate Li Ka-shing.
Even Su Zhixue and Dai Shi—both seasoned traders with years of experience in the stock market—had independently reached the exact same conclusion after carefully analyzing the data.
Someone was buying Qingzhou Yingni with the same objective they had.
Fortunately, thanks to Lin Haoran's careful planning over the past month and his continuous accumulation of low-priced Qingzhou Yingni shares, the supply of cheap shares remaining on the market had been greatly reduced.
That effectively created a solid defensive line for his side, giving him a significant advantage in this invisible battle.
During the past two days, Lin Haoran had been carefully monitoring his opponent's movements.
He noticed that although the opposing party clearly possessed enormous financial resources, their pace of accumulation remained surprisingly restrained.
They appeared to be in a testing phase, cautiously buying shares while deliberately avoiding pushing the stock price upward too quickly.
That perfectly matched Li Ka-shing's usual investment style.
His team excelled at quietly operating behind the scenes, patiently accumulating shares over long periods while maintaining an extremely low profile to ensure their acquisition plans proceeded smoothly.
The acquisition battle for Wharf Holdings was a perfect example.
Li Ka-shing's team had silently accumulated nearly 20% of the company's shares before Jardine Matheson finally realized what was happening.
That alone demonstrated just how patient, cautious, and calculating they were.
One could only admire how experienced—and how extraordinarily discreet—they were.
According to the memories from his previous life, Li Ka-shing had once managed to acquire 25% of Qingzhou Yingni in an incredibly short period of time, relying on his sharp market instincts to seize control of what had then been a relatively overlooked company.
But things were completely different in this parallel world.
This year, Li Ka-shing could no longer repeat that feat.
The reason was simple.
More than a month earlier, Lin Haoran had already begun quietly building a substantial position in Qingzhou Yingni.
That meant it was now virtually impossible for Li Ka-shing to secretly purchase massive amounts of shares through the secondary market without attracting attention.
Unless he was willing to resort to an all-out buying frenzy at premium prices.
But such an approach directly contradicted Li Ka-shing's consistently prudent and cost-conscious investment philosophy.
As a result, this unexpected change had quietly created a favorable opportunity for Lin Haoran.
On the surface, it appeared that Li Ka-shing was secretly laying out his plans, believing no one had noticed.
In reality, however, Lin Haoran had already seized the initiative through his knowledge of history from his previous life and his decisive early actions.
Without even realizing it, Li Ka-shing had already been placed in a passive position.
In this battle of the stock market...
Lin Haoran was the one who truly held the initiative.
Now that Li Ka-shing had officially entered the game, Lin Haoran sat quietly in his office, his brows tightly furrowed in deep thought.
He knew his opponent was unimaginably powerful.
So powerful that even if his own father intervened, victory would still be impossible.
He had to proceed with extreme caution.
To better understand the situation, he picked up the latest report Su Zhixue had just submitted.
The report clearly summarized their holdings in Qingzhou Yingni.
As of now, they owned 8.654 million shares, representing 17.3% of the company's total outstanding shares.
To acquire those shares, they had invested a total of HK$43.96 million, giving them an average acquisition cost of approximately HK$5.08 per share.
Lin Haoran silently calculated that if another force hadn't entered the market recently and made acquisitions more difficult, they would have surpassed an 18% ownership stake with relative ease.
But things had changed.
The situation had become far more complicated.
He would have to adjust his strategy.
"So..."
"Li Ka-shing has finally entered the game."
A faint smile appeared on Lin Haoran's face.
"This game just became much more interesting."
He began carefully considering how to break through the current deadlock.
Not only did he need to maximize his own profits, but he also had to avoid falling into one of Li Ka-shing's carefully laid traps.
Fortunately, operations involving Wharf Holdings were progressing exceptionally well.
The company had already accumulated 957,000 shares, investing a total of HK$25.07 million.
Thanks to their early purchases at bargain prices, their average acquisition cost remained only HK$26.20 per share, which was still entirely acceptable.
However, those impressive results also brought considerable financial pressure.
According to the latest figures, Lin Haoran had invested a staggering HK$69.03 million into the stock market in just over a month.
That figure didn't even include the operating expenses of his investment team.
Out of his original HK$81 million in capital, HK$950,000 had been spent purchasing the new office.
Combined with his stock investments, the balance in his account had shrunk to only HK$11.02 million.
Fortunately, his two sisters had generously given him a combined HK$5 million, increasing his available cash to approximately HK$16 million.
Although that still sounded like a substantial amount of money, within the current stock market environment—especially amid the battle for control of Qingzhou Yingni—it remained far from sufficient.
More importantly, Lin Haoran knew an even stronger opponent was now lurking in the shadows.
That forced him to plan every dollar with the utmost care.
Even if he invested every cent he possessed into Qingzhou Yingni, there was still no guarantee of victory.
His opponent's financial strength and strategic ability were equally formidable.
Faced with this dilemma, Lin Haoran once again reexamined his entire strategy.
He needed to find a more efficient approach—one that would strengthen his influence over Qingzhou Yingni while minimizing risk and protecting his overall interests in the stock market.
After a long period of careful contemplation...
Lin Haoran finally made up his mind.
Author's Note:
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(End of Chapter)
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