Chapter 69: A Broader Horizon
Li Ka-shing was an extremely busy man. It was impossible for him to spend too much time chatting with Lin Haoran. After they spoke candidly, cleared up the misunderstandings between them, and untied the knots in their hearts, Li Ka-shing politely bid Lin Haoran farewell before leaving.
For both sides, the meeting ended in a win-win outcome.
Not only had Lin Haoran obtained Li Ka-shing's clear promise to stop acquiring shares of Qingzhou Yingni, but he had also successfully reached an agreement to purchase Li Ka-shing's holdings in the company. This significantly strengthened his control over Qingzhou Yingni, bringing his total shareholding to a highly satisfactory level.
As for Li Ka-shing, the meeting allowed him to completely put his worries to rest while cashing out his steadily depreciating Qingzhou Yingni shares at a reasonable price, thereby optimizing the allocation of his assets.
After Li Ka-shing departed, Lin Haoran returned to the company with his bodyguards.
It was already past six in the evening. The setting sun cast its brilliant rays through the clouds, illuminating the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office with dazzling colors, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
Sitting on the sofa, Lin Haoran reflected on everything that had happened over the past month.
When he had first arrived in this world, his sole objective had been to win the battle for the inheritance.
But now, as his strength in the business world continued to grow and his wealth steadily increased, Wan'an Group—a publicly listed company worth over a hundred million Hong Kong dollars—no longer seemed particularly attractive.
What had once been a difficult inheritance struggle had gradually become an easy one.
His horizons had expanded alongside his growing strength.
Over the course of just one month, he had personally met three of Hong Kong's most influential business tycoons—Pao Yue-kong, Michael Sandberg, and Li Ka-shing—and had left a lasting impression on each of them.
Such a thing would have been unimaginable just over a month ago.
After all, when he had first transmigrated into this world, he had merely been a young man who had graduated from university not long before.
In little more than a month, he had gone from owning nothing more than a single cement factory to standing on the verge of controlling a listed company with a market capitalization exceeding HK$200 million and an actual valuation of more than HK$500 million, all while holding tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars in cash.
It was simply unbelievable.
At present, he owned 11.459 million shares of Qingzhou Yingni.
Li Ka-shing had also agreed to sell him the 3.91 million-plus shares in his possession.
That meant that once tomorrow's transaction was completed, Lin Haoran's holdings would increase to over 15.37 million shares, accounting for approximately 30.7% of Qingzhou Yingni's total outstanding shares.
That level of ownership would most likely be enough for him to formally take control of Qingzhou Yingni.
Still, it wasn't entirely foolproof.
According to the detailed information he had gathered recently, Qingzhou Yingni's current chairman was a British national who personally owned 12.6% of the company's shares.
Besides the chairman, there were another five British shareholders listed in the company's public disclosures. Together, they held nearly 16.2% of the company.
If these British shareholders remained united, their combined stake would reach 28.8%, making them a force that could not be ignored.
There were also three Chinese shareholders on the list.
Although each held a relatively small individual stake, together they owned approximately 7.9% of the company's shares.
In other words, among the publicly known shareholders—including both the British and Chinese investors—they collectively controlled about 36.7% of Green Island Cement.
In his previous life, Lin Haoran had once read a brief account of Li Ka-shing's acquisition of Qingzhou Yingni.
The article mentioned that Li Ka-shing had only formally taken control of the company's board after increasing his stake to 40%.
This clearly indicated that Li Ka-shing had considered the publicly known 36.7% shareholding and, to ensure absolute success, had quietly accumulated his stake to 40% before officially assuming control of the board.
With the funds currently at his disposal, continuing to purchase shares on the stock market would soon allow him to surpass the holdings of these shareholders.
Moreover, he had already learned that none of those shareholders were particularly powerful tycoons.
That was also why, in the other world, Li Ka-shing had taken control of Qingzhou Yingni with such ease.
There had never been a battle for corporate control.
Simply put, there hadn't been anyone capable of putting up a fight.
Perhaps...
He could first join Qingzhou Yingni's board of directors.
As for becoming the chairman, there was no need to rush.
At this point, Qingzhou Yingni was already as good as secured.
The reason for joining the board first was to familiarize himself with the company's operations while also establishing relationships with the existing shareholders.
Once his shareholding increased further in the future, taking full control of the company would become much easier.
Having reached this conclusion, Lin Haoran made up his mind.
After successfully completing tomorrow's transaction with Li Ka-shing, he would pay Qingzhou Yingni a visit.
The company he had been plotting to acquire for so long...
It was finally time for it to bear his mark.
Just as Lin Haoran was immersed in thought, the telephone in his private office suddenly rang, interrupting his train of thought.
He rose from the sofa, walked steadily to the desk, and picked up the receiver.
"Hello, this is Lin Haoran speaking."
"Brother Haoran, it's me—Jiahui. Are you free right now?" Guan Jiahui's sweet voice came from the other end of the line.
"I'm free. I'm still at the company. What's the matter?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"Brother Haoran, my daddy is coming back from Malaysia tomorrow afternoon. I don't know when he'll leave on another business trip again, so I wanted to see you before he gets back," Guan Jiahui said quickly.
Having just experienced the sweetness of first love, she had only gone one night without seeing him before she found herself unable to resist missing him again.
"Alright. Where are you? I'll send someone to pick you up," Lin Haoran replied with a smile.
"Brother Haoran, I'm downstairs at the convenience shop beneath Hengfeng Building. Since you're upstairs, I'll just come up to see you."
"Alright. I'll be waiting."
After hanging up, Lin Haoran couldn't help but feel surprised.
He hadn't expected Guan Jiahui to travel all the way from Kowloon to Central by herself just to see him.
Ten minutes later, he indeed saw Guan Jiahui waiting outside the company.
"Young Master, we'll head downstairs first,"
Li Weiguo and his brother tactfully said.
"Alright. Go ahead. Tonight, stick to the usual arrangement and stay at the hotel across the street," Lin Haoran replied with an easy smile.
Those words immediately caused Guan Jiahui's cheeks to flush crimson.
After the two bodyguards left, Lin Haoran closed the office door before looking carefully at Guan Jiahui.
"Have you had dinner yet?"
"Mm, I have. Before coming here, I grabbed something simple at a snack shop over in Hung Hom," she answered, her voice carrying a hint of shyness and sweetness.
With the departure of the Li brothers, the subtle tension she had felt seemed to melt away, allowing her to return to the relaxed intimacy she always enjoyed when she was alone with Lin Haoran.
Guan Jiahui's arrival undoubtedly added a splash of brightness to Lin Haoran's evening, making the rest of the night especially enjoyable.
After a busy day of work, being able to relax in such pleasant company was truly a rare and welcome luxury for him.
As night fell, the feelings between them naturally grew warmer.
Their passionate embrace and lingering intimacy became an inseparable part of the evening.
At the height of her youth, Guan Jiahui's heart was filled with dreams and longing for love.
She was completely lovestruck.
Reality, however, was often less ideal.
Although Lin Haoran genuinely liked Guan Jiahui, his feelings were mixed with far more complicated motives.
Part of the reason he had pursued her was because, in his previous life, she had been a famous superstar. That fame had stirred both his curiosity and the thrill of pursuing someone who had once been an untouchable celebrity.
Because of that, it was impossible for him to devote himself entirely to her the way she hoped.
After all...
Having finally transmigrated into this world, how could one Guan Jiahui alone possibly satisfy him?
At the very least...
He wanted enough women to fill a mahjong table.
His standards weren't that high.
(End of Chapter)
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