Chapter 85: Creating History
Inside the headquarters of Wan'an Group, in Lin Wan’an's office.
Seeing Lin Haoran arrive, Lin Wan’an was somewhat surprised.
This month, his son had rarely come to the headquarters.
"What's the matter? Have you run into some trouble as Vice Chairman of Qingzhou Yingni?" Lin Wan’an asked with a smile.
"Dad, I actually came today to ask you for some advice. It's about Qingzhou Yingni," Lin Haoran answered honestly.
Since he was preparing to officially take control of Qingzhou Yingni, it was time to reveal more of the situation to his father.
"Go ahead," Lin Wan'an said seriously. "I've spent many years in business and have plenty of experience in the commercial world. I should be able to give you some sound advice."
"Dad, I want to tell you something. I'm planning to take control of Qingzhou Yingni within the next couple of days. But I lack experience in some areas, so I need your guidance. I also hope you'll help me with the takeover. After all, I'm fighting this battle almost entirely on my own," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
"Have you gone crazy? That's impossible!" Lin Wan'an exclaimed.
"Even if you're currently Qingzhou Yingni's largest shareholder, the shares you own aren't nearly enough to bring down Harold Centurion. His control over Qingzhou Yingni is far more entrenched than you imagine. I've dealt with Harold Centurion many times before. He's far from a simple man."
Hearing this, Lin Wan'an felt his son was underestimating the situation.
"Dad... what if I controlled more than one-third of the company's shares? Or even more?"
"If you controlled over one-third, then it would indeed be possible," Lin Wan'an replied thoughtfully.
"I've heard there are several Chinese shareholders in Qingzhou Yingni. If you could win their support, you might be able to overthrow Harold Centurion and become the company's controlling shareholder. But how could you possibly own that many shares?"
He simply couldn't believe it.
Just a few days earlier, the newspapers had reported that his son owned 13.7% of Qingzhou Yingni and had become its Vice Chairman.
Only a few days had passed.
How could things have changed so dramatically?
"Haoran... don't tell me you've become so obsessed with becoming chairman that you've lost your mind?"
Lin Wan'an walked over and carefully examined his son, wondering whether something was wrong.
"Dad, I'm perfectly fine."
"To tell you the truth, I now control 40% of Qingzhou Yingni's shares. Even if you add together the holdings of every member of the board, they still don't own as much as I do."
"I've simply been operating behind the scenes. The outside world only knows that I own 13.7%."
"Do you remember the bet we made?"
"At that time, I actually already owned more than 30% of Qingzhou Yingni. That's why I was so confident when I made that bet with you. The company was practically already in the palm of my hand."
"Over the past few days, I've accelerated my purchases even further. As of today, I've officially surpassed 40% ownership."
"With that level of shareholding, I have enough voting power to force my way into control."
"I didn't bring the share certificates with me today, so I can't prove it right now. But everything I've said is true. There's no reason for me to lie to you."
Seeing the seriousness on Lin Haoran's face, Lin Wan'an gradually calmed down.
"Haoran... tell me honestly."
"Where did you get that much money?"
"Forty percent of Qingzhou Yingni is worth well over HK$100 million. That's almost enough to buy the entire Wan'an Group!"
The revelation had completely exceeded his imagination.
He could understand how Lin Haoran had acquired 13.7% of the company.
After all, Lin Haoran had previously told him the money came from profits earned on Wharf Holdings.
But even then...
How could he possibly have made over a hundred million Hong Kong dollars?
Owning 40% of Qingzhou Yingni was simply unbelievable.
Even Lin Wanan himself couldn't accomplish such a feat.
Unless he mortgaged Wan'an Group to the bank and borrowed against the entire company—which he would never do.
Naturally, he was extremely curious about where his son had obtained such enormous capital.
"Dad, I really did sell my Wharf Holdings shares for over HK$111 million."
"I told you before that I earned several times my investment through Wharf Holdings."
"The transaction was completed directly with Mr. Pao Yue-kong."
"I even brought the transfer agreement with me."
As he spoke, Lin Haoran took the share transfer contract from his briefcase and handed it to his father.
1.478 million shares of Wharf Holdings.
Price per share: HK$75.53.
Total transaction value: HK$111.63 million.
At the bottom of the document were the signatures of both Lin Haoran and Pao Yue-kong.
Seeing the contract, Lin Wan'an finally believed him.
With that amount of capital, secretly accumulating Qingzhou Yingni shares until he controlled over 40% was entirely possible.
And that was exactly what had happened.
Lin Haoran had spent only HK$104.86 million to acquire 20.05 million shares.
The only thing he kept hidden was the true source of all his capital.
That was something he had no intention of explaining to his father.
After all...
He still owed nearly HK$100 million in loans.
There was no need to tell his father about that.
Of course, he still had approximately HK$63 million in available cash, meaning his debt ratio remained very healthy.
In fact, it was remarkably low.
"Good... very good!"
"My son has truly grown up."
"You're even more capable than your old man."
Lin Wan'an 's face was filled with pride.
Everything had exceeded his expectations.
But the outcome couldn't have made him happier.
The contract was genuine.
He could easily recognize whether Pao Yue-kong's signature and official seal were authentic.
Which meant...
His son had truly earned over a hundred million Hong Kong dollars through Wharf Holdings.
No matter how capable Lin Haoran was...
He was still his son.
How could a father not be proud?
"Dad, that's why I was so confident when I made that bet with you."
"So... please don't blame me for setting a little trap."
Lin Haoran laughed.
"Haoran..."
"You've created history."
"You've brought tremendous honor to the Lin family."
"Why would I blame you?"
"Do you realize that before today, no Chinese-owned business has ever gained controlling ownership of a British-owned listed company?"
"Even Mr. Li Ka-shing of Cheung Kong only acquired an American-owned listed company."
"British-owned companies are rarely acquired by Chinese businessmen."
"Taking control of a British-owned listed corporation..."
"That's something no one has accomplished before."
At that moment, Lin Wan'an was genuinely overjoyed.
Seeing his son achieve something so extraordinary...
How could he not be proud?
His son had surpassed him.
In just two or three months, Lin Haoran had achieved what had taken him an entire lifetime of hard work.
Naturally, he felt a trace of bitterness.
But far more than that...
He felt pride and happiness.
Because this remarkable young man was his own son.
A British-owned listed company.
This would undoubtedly become a milestone in Hong Kong's business history.
Although Qingzhou Yingni couldn't compare with giants like Wharf Holdings, Hutchison, Swire, or Jardine Matheson...
It was still a listed corporation valued at over HK$200 million.
Yet now...
Without attracting any public attention...
His son had quietly accumulated 40% of the company's shares.
That was enough to seize complete control and become Qingzhou Yingni's true master.
At that moment, Lin Wan'an could almost see the future.
With Lin Haoran's extraordinary business talent, the Lin family would steadily rise into the ranks of Hong Kong's elite families.
"I only wonder..."
"Will I live long enough to see that day?"
Thinking about his deteriorating health, Lin Wan'an couldn't help but sigh.
He knew his own condition better than anyone.
He had visited numerous renowned hospitals.
Every doctor had advised him to rest and recuperate.
Only by properly taking care of himself would he have a chance of recovering.
Otherwise...
He didn't have many years left.
That was precisely why he had wanted to hand over the family business to the next generation as soon as possible.
Now that he had witnessed Lin Haoran's remarkable ability...
He had already decided that his youngest son would become his successor.
"Dad, besides asking for your help in taking over Qingzhou Yingni, there's something else I need to tell you."
"My investigation has revealed that Qingzhou Yingni is far more complicated than I originally imagined."
"That's one of the reasons I've kept my actual shareholding a secret."
Lin Haoran then carefully recounted everything he had learned during this period, including all the rumors and information Liu Zhenxing had shared with him the previous night.
After listening quietly, Lin Wan'an didn't answer immediately.
He sat in silence, frowning as he pondered the matter.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
"Harold Centurion has controlled Qingzhou Yingni for more than ten years."
"Someone like that doesn't survive this long without exceptional methods."
"Those rumors... are probably at least partially true."
"Finding evidence won't actually be difficult."
"The prerequisite is taking control of the company's Finance Department."
"But there's a solution."
"Call a board meeting and vote to remove both Chairman Harold Centurion and the Finance Director."
"I'll temporarily assign Wan'an Group's Finance Director to Qingzhou Yingni."
"Once we secure control of the Finance Department and its records, we'll quickly uncover any irregularities."
"If Harold Centurion knows what's good for him, he'll resign quietly."
"Otherwise, you can report the matter to the Securities Commission."
"If the investigation uncovers evidence of illegal activities, he'll face not only heavy fines but also prison."
"Once that old fox is gone, taking complete control of Qingzhou Yingni will be much easier."
Lin Haoran nodded.
"I've been thinking along the same lines."
"That's exactly why I came to you."
"I want to gain full control of Qingzhou Yingni as quickly as possible."
"I have other important plans coming up soon, so I don't have the luxury of wasting too much time here."
"But as the company's largest shareholder, if I call for a board meeting myself, they could deliberately delay it for ten days or even half a month."
"I'm not Harold Centurion."
"I can't gather everyone together and convene a meeting within a single day."
"So I wanted to ask whether you might know a way to get the board meeting held as soon as possible."
In truth, Lin Haoran could simply postpone everything until after he returned to Hong Kong from handling his other affairs.
But now that he knew Harold Centurion had been harming the company's interests...
He had no intention of allowing what was now effectively his own company to continue suffering.
He wanted to convene the board as quickly as possible...
Remove Harold Centurion from power...
And, if possible, drive him completely out of Qingzhou Yingni.
(End of Chapter)
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