Chapter 76: A Rebuttal
Perhaps because work had kept him busy, Lin Wan'an did not return home until around seven o'clock that evening.
After arriving home, he did not question Lin Haoran immediately. Instead, he had dinner with his wife and son before calling Lin Haoran into the study.
"Dad."
After entering the study, Lin Haoran casually found a seat and sat down.
"Haoran, have you been hiding something from your father?" Lin Wan'an asked, looking straight at him.
"Dad, what exactly do you know?" Lin Haoran asked curiously.
Lin Wan'an picked up a copy of the Hong Kong Business Daily and handed it to him.
The moment Lin Haoran saw the announcement in the newspaper, realization dawned on him. He finally understood how his father had learned about everything.
Earlier, he had secretly guessed that perhaps his father had run into Pao Yue-kong or Li Ka-shing somewhere and learned the news during a casual conversation.
After all, they all lived in Deep Water Bay. It was perfectly normal for neighbors to run into one another from time to time.
"That's right, Dad. The person mentioned in the newspaper is me," Lin Haoran admitted frankly, his tone carrying a sense of relief.
Hearing his son confirm it personally, the weight in Lin Wan'an's heart finally lifted.
To him, regardless of how his son had become a major shareholder of Qingzhou Yingni, it was ultimately good news worthy of celebration.
"Then tell your father everything. How much have you been hiding from me? And how exactly did you acquire 13.7% of Qingzhou Yingni?" Lin Wan'an asked again, his voice filled with both curiosity and anticipation.
He wanted to know more about his son's experiences.
"Dad, while I was in university, I became very interested in the stock market. After returning to Hong Kong and taking over the management of Huafeng Cement, I made a point of studying Hong Kong's listed companies.
After my research, I discovered that Qingzhou Yingni's share price was seriously undervalued and far below its true worth. What attracted me the most was the enormous piece of land the company owned in Hung Hom.
Given Hong Kong's rate of development, it was only a matter of time before the cement plant would have to move out of the city center. Once the entire site was redeveloped into commercial buildings, its value would multiply many times over.
What excited me even more was that the company's largest shareholder owned only 12.6% of the shares. Based on its market value, that stake was worth only around HK$30 million.
I realized it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. By quietly accumulating shares, I had a chance to gain control of the company.
So I was tempted.
But to acquire Qingzhou Yingni, the most important thing was money.
Taking out a loan was the fastest way to raise capital. However, loans have to be repaid, and there was no guarantee I'd have enough money when the loan matured, even if I succeeded in acquiring the shares.
So I began thinking about how to earn my first fortune as quickly as possible after borrowing the money.
At that time, Wharf Holdings' share price had fallen to rock bottom. I immediately saw the significance behind Mr. Pao Yue-kong purchasing Mr. Li Ka-shing's shares—he was aiming to seize control of Wharf.
I concluded that an intense battle over Wharf shares between Mr. Pao Yue-kong and Jardine Matheson was inevitable.
So I decisively mortgaged Huafeng Cement and secretly bought a large amount of Wharf stock at low prices.
Originally, I wanted to discuss it with you, Dad. But I knew your personality—you dislike running a business through borrowed money.
If I had told you, you would have strongly opposed it.
So in the end, I chose to keep it from you.
Just as I expected, Wharf's share price soared afterward. I sold my shares at over HK$70 per share and earned a huge profit.
Using that first pot of gold, I immediately began secretly accumulating Qingzhou Yingni shares.
That's how I became the company's largest shareholder.
Of course, even though I am now the largest shareholder, Chairman Harold Centurion has deep-rooted influence throughout the company. Simply becoming the largest shareholder wasn't enough to shake his position.
That's why, in the end, I used my status as the largest shareholder to become Vice Chairman of the Board."
Lin Haoran told his father a story that was partly true and partly fabricated.
He demonstrated his business vision and decisiveness while carefully concealing certain secrets.
Naturally, he had no intention of revealing everything.
Some things were better left known only to himself.
As Lin Haoran continued speaking, Lin Wan'an's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. His eyes were filled with concern over his son's risky actions.
"Haoran, your actions this time were indeed far too risky. But now that everything has already happened, I won't criticize you any further.
At your age, achieving what you have today makes me, as your father, extremely proud.
However, I hope that from now on you'll act more cautiously and avoid relying on loans whenever possible.
Over the years, I've managed Wan'an Group by adhering to a philosophy of steady and conservative growth, advancing one step at a time.
Because of that, our group's debt ratio remains among the lowest of all Hong Kong real estate companies.
That financial stability gives us greater resilience and room to maneuver should a property market crisis occur.
Remember this: stability is the path to lasting success.
Don't sacrifice long-term security for short-term gains."
Lin Wan'an hoped to pass his business philosophy on to his son, believing it would help him avoid future mistakes.
However, Lin Haoran naturally disagreed.
In his eyes, his father's management philosophy was simply too conservative.
It was also the very reason why Wan'an Group had always developed so slowly.
Deep down, Lin Haoran held a completely different opinion.
To him, his father's cautious business philosophy was precisely what had prevented Wan'an Group from achieving explosive growth.
"Dad, if I remember correctly, Mr. Li Ka-shing entered the real estate industry around the same time you did, didn't he?" Lin Haoran asked in return.
Hearing the question, Lin Wan'an lowered his gaze slightly, recalling the past before slowly nodding.
"That's right. Mr. Li Ka-shing and I entered the construction and real estate business at roughly the same time."
Lin Haoran stood up and poured each of them a glass of water before sitting down again.
"Look at Mr. Li Ka-shing.
Today, Cheung Kong Holdings has become the leading Chinese-owned property company in Hong Kong. Its reputation speaks for itself.
Now compare that to Wan'an Group.
Although our foundation is solid and our debt is the lowest, in Hong Kong's fiercely competitive market we're only considered an above-average company.
Compared to the industry's top giants, the gap between us is obvious.
Examples like this are everywhere in the business world.
I'm not trying to belittle your efforts or achievements, Dad.
But the facts are right in front of us.
Let's not even talk about the British-owned conglomerates.
Among the major Chinese property developers alone—Fok Group, Sun Hung Kai, New World Group, Henderson Land...
Which one of them didn't grow by actively seeking outside partnerships and making flexible use of external resources?
Their success today is inseparable from their ability to leverage outside help.
While studying in Britain, I absorbed a great deal of business management knowledge.
Those lessons are the accumulated wisdom of countless generations.
They taught me one thing:
In business, only those who dare to break conventions and take calculated risks can achieve true greatness.
If we cling only to old methods, our accomplishments will ultimately remain limited.
Isn't business, at its core, an endless competition to surpass others?"
Now that he had achieved a series of remarkable successes, Lin Haoran was filled with confidence.
For the first time, he also had the courage to openly challenge his father's views.
Originally, he had planned to outwardly agree with his father while secretly continuing to follow his own plans.
However, during their conversation, his thinking gradually changed.
Once he gained control of Qingzhou Yingni, he knew the company's next major task would be developing the immensely valuable Hung Hom property.
Relocating the cement factory would be inevitable.
Over the past two days, he had also learned that although Qingzhou Yingni had developed three commercial buildings during the 1960s—the Qingzhou Building, Castle Peak Building and Tsing Tao Building— the actual construction had all been outsourced to professional contractors.
The company itself had virtually no experience in real estate development.
To maximize the value of the Hung Hom site, Lin Haoran believed it would be essential to partner with an experienced real estate developer.
Wan'an Group was undoubtedly an excellent choice.
After all, it was better to keep the benefits within the family than let outsiders profit.
The more he thought about it, the clearer the idea became.
It even gave rise to an even bolder ambition:
To have his father retire as soon as possible so that he could personally take over Wan'an Group and lead both Wan'an Group and Qingzhou Yingni into a new era together.
Once that thought took root, it spread like wildfire through his mind.
As for the competition over the family inheritance...
To Lin Haoran, it had already become insignificant.
He no longer wanted to waste time waiting for the one-year deadline.
With everything he had accomplished so far, his elder brother, Lin Haoning, no longer had any realistic chance of surpassing him.
Faced with his son's blunt honesty, Lin Wan'an's emotions were stirred, yet he found himself unable to become truly angry.
He understood very well that although his son's words were harsh, there was truth in them.
For years, he had constantly reflected on the gap between himself and the industry's leading tycoons.
Why was it that despite his tireless efforts managing Wan'an Group, he still couldn't close the distance between them—and instead watched the gap grow wider?
The dream of standing at the pinnacle of the business world had never faded from Lin Wan'an's heart.
He, too, longed to one day stand at the very top of the industry.
Yet his naturally cautious and conservative personality had always led him down the safer path, even if it meant giving up opportunities that carried greater risk.
Looking at the confident and ambitious young man before him, Lin Wan'an's emotions became complicated.
He was proud of his son's growth, yet for the first time in many years, he also found himself questioning his own future.
"Dad, the reason I haven't been paying much attention to Huafeng Cement is because I never intended to spend much more time there.
With what I've already accomplished, let alone giving my elder brother another year—even if you doubled that time, it would still be extremely difficult for him to surpass me.
My goal is already very clear.
I want to take over Qingzhou Yingni and completely control this major British-owned corporation."
Before his father could respond, Lin Haoran continued speaking.
Lin Wan'an sighed, feeling both pleased and worried.
"Haoran, your ambitions are admirable, and as your father, I'm sincerely happy for you.
But Qingzhou Yingni is far more complicated than you imagine.
Even with your talent, taking control of that company will be anything but easy.
Although Harold Centurion doesn't own many shares, his influence within Qingzhou Yingni is deeply entrenched.
His influence over the other shareholders isn't something you can shake so easily.
Even if I—and Wan'an Group behind me—gave you our full support, winning that battle would still be extremely difficult.
You're still too young."
Lin Wan'an sighed and slowly shook his head, clearly holding little hope for such an outcome.
To him, Lin Haoran's goal was simply too difficult to achieve.
His son's current accomplishments had already exceeded all his expectations.
As for actually taking control of Qingzhou Yingni...
Even Lin Wan'an himself had never dared to dream of such a thing.
(End of Chapter)
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