Chapter 56: Who Exactly Is This Competitor?
"Uncle Pao, let's get straight to the point."
"I know why you're interested in these Wharf Holdings shares. Selling them to you would be a win-win situation for both of us, and I don't need you to pay above the market price."
"However, I do have one condition."
"If you're willing to help me with one matter, I'm confident our cooperation will proceed much more smoothly."
Lin Haoran spoke with complete sincerity.
He knew that if he didn't have this request, there would have been no reason to arrange this meeting and waste either of their time.
Pao Yue-kong immediately understood.
He had already suspected that Lin Haoran hadn't invited him here without a purpose.
As expected, there was indeed another condition.
"Haoran," Pao Yue-kong replied earnestly, "go ahead and tell me."
"As long as it's within my ability, I'll do everything I can to help."
He knew perfectly well that since Lin Haoran had arranged this meeting with a specific objective in mind, he had little choice but to cooperate.
Otherwise, the deal would most likely fall through.
Whatever little acquaintance they shared meant very little at this moment.
Although they were technically neighbors, they had met only twice.
That was hardly enough to build any deep personal friendship.
Pao Yue-kong understood one fundamental truth:
In business, mutual benefit always came first.
"Uncle Pao," Lin Haoran asked with a smile, "are you familiar with Qingzhou Yingni?"
"Qingzhou Yingni?"
Pao Yue-kong thought for a moment.
"I've heard of it."
"It has a respectable market value, though I don't know much about the company itself."
"I only know it's Hong Kong's largest cement manufacturer."
He truly wasn't familiar with it.
After all, Global Shipping Group's primary business was shipping, whereas Qingzhou Yingni dealt mainly with major property developers.
The fact that Pao Yue-kong even remembered the company was already noteworthy.
There were hundreds of listed companies in Hong Kong.
Had Qingzhou Yingni not been a publicly listed company worth two to three hundred million Hong Kong dollars, he might not even have remembered its name.
"To be honest, Uncle Pao..."
"I'm currently the largest shareholder of Qingzhou Yingni."
"I hold more than 20% of the company's shares, although I've kept that information confidential and never disclosed it publicly."
"My goal is to gradually acquire a controlling interest in the company."
"However, I've recently discovered that another powerful business magnate has quietly begun accumulating Qingzhou Yingni shares."
"Although their current holdings aren't yet enough to threaten me, the strength behind them places considerable pressure on me."
"I'm afraid I won't have much chance of winning if I face them alone."
"So I'd like to ask for your help."
"I hope you'll personally persuade them to abandon their acquisition plans."
"You own more than 20% of Qingzhou Yingni as well?"
Pao Yue-kong was stunned once again.
Quickly calculating in his mind, he recalled that Qingzhou Yingni's current market capitalization was roughly HK$250 million.
That meant Lin Haoran's stake alone was worth approximately HK$50 million.
The sheer amount was astonishing.
Combined with the previous revelation that Lin Haoran controlled over 1.47 million Wharf Holdings shares, Pao Yue-kong realized more than ever that this young man possessed far greater strength than appearances suggested.
It was as though Lin Haoran possessed an endless supply of hidden cards.
Every time Pao Yue-kong believed he had finally understood the young man, Lin Haoran would reveal yet another astonishing surprise.
Lin Haoran...
You're becoming more and more impossible to read.
Pao Yue-kong sighed inwardly.
Judging solely from his holdings in these two companies, Lin Haoran's personal wealth already exceeded that of his father, Lin Wan'an.
The young man sitting before him possessed not only extraordinary business instincts but also remarkably deep strategic planning and hidden strength.
During their previous private conversation, Pao Yue-kong had already sensed that Lin Haoran was anything but ordinary.
Now that he had learned just how much strength the young man had kept hidden, his shock became even greater.
Most astonishing of all was Lin Haoran's age.
Someone so young had already achieved so much.
His future seemed limitless.
Pao Yue-kong couldn't help but develop an even greater appreciation for him.
He understood that in business, associating with talented and intelligent people like Lin Haoran could only benefit the Pao family in the long run.
He had always believed that every additional friend created another path forward.
His own success throughout the business world had depended heavily upon friends who had supported him at critical moments.
From former HSBC chairman Sandberg, to current chairman Michael Sandberg, to Li Ka-shing, chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings, each had been an invaluable business ally.
Their assistance had played an indispensable role in his success.
Now, Lin Haoran occupied an increasingly important place in Pao Yue-kong's mind.
It felt as though he was witnessing the rise of a new business legend.
He genuinely looked forward to future cooperation with the young man.
What Pao Yue-kong didn't know was that this already represented the full extent of Lin Haoran's visible assets.
Behind everything still lurked debts totaling as much as HK$100 million.
"Of course."
"Uncle Pao, you can take a look."
"These are some of my Qingzhou Yingni share certificates."
Lin Haoran produced several certificates that he had prepared beforehand and handed them over.
Because some of his shares had been pledged as collateral to Hang Seng Bank, he naturally couldn't produce every certificate.
The pledged shares were represented only by mortgage documents, which were inappropriate to show.
If he wanted Pao Yue-kong's help, he had to reveal at least part of the truth.
Otherwise, why would Pao Yue-kong believe he was really Qingzhou Yingni's largest shareholder?
If it all turned out to be a misunderstanding, the situation would be incredibly embarrassing.
Pao Yue-kong, however, didn't even reach out to accept the certificates.
A brief glance was enough.
He already believed Lin Haoran.
"Put them away, Haoran."
Pao Yue-kong smiled.
"I trust you."
"What I'm more interested in now..."
"...is who this competitor actually is."
He knew that persuading another company to abandon an acquisition would inevitably require him to call in a considerable personal favor.
However, considering both the Pao family's urgent need for Wharf Holdings shares and his growing admiration for Lin Haoran, Pao Yue-kong had already decided to do everything within his power to help.
He believed that within Hong Kong's complicated business world, most people would still be willing to give him face after all these years.
"As far as I know..."
"The competitor is none other than Mr. Li Ka-shing, chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings."
Lin Haoran answered directly.
"Li Ka-shing?"
Bao Yugang frowned slightly.
Immediately, he fell into deep thought.
Li Ka-shing was not only one of his business partners but also one of his close personal friends.
Not long ago, Pao Yue-kong had personally persuaded Li Ka-shing to withdraw from the battle for Wharf Holdings.
By doing so, he had already incurred a considerable personal debt of gratitude.
And now...
Lin Haoran was asking him to persuade Li Ka-shing once again, this time to abandon Qingzhou Yingni.
That placed him in an extremely awkward position.
He understood very well that in the business world, debts of personal favor were often far more difficult to repay than debts of money.
If he asked again, he would likely place himself in an impossible situation.
"Haoran..."
Pao Yue-kong let out a helpless sigh.
"You've truly given me a difficult problem."
"I'm very close to Mr. Li Ka-shing."
"I already owe him a favor because of the Wharf Holdings matter."
"And now you're asking me to persuade him to give up Qingzhou Yingni as well..."
"I'm afraid that would be rather inappropriate."
(End of Chapter)
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