Chapter 91: T-This... How Is This Possible?
"Mr. Harold, why don't you speak first?"
Lin Haoran pushed the microphone toward Haril Centurion.
For Qingzhou Yingni, this marked the end of an era.
In that case, it was only fitting that Harold himself be the one to bring that era to a close.
Harold nodded and spoke with a lonely expression.
"Everyone, may I have your attention, please."
The chatter throughout the venue immediately died down.
"I have an announcement to make.
"I have officially resigned from Qingzhou Yingni.
"From this day forward, I will no longer hold any position within the company.
"My successor as chairman is Mr. Lin Haoran.
"I have served as Chairman of Qingzhou Yingni for sixteen years, and I have deep feelings for this company.
"Although I am stepping down today, I sincerely wish the company an even brighter future."
After finishing his remarks, Harold bowed to everyone before quietly taking his seat.
Naturally, he would never reveal the true reasons behind his resignation during the press conference.
Those reasons were his greatest humiliation.
The moment Harold finished speaking, the reporters, who had just fallen silent, erupted into excitement once again.
Many couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
Qingzhou Yingni had truly undergone a complete change in leadership.
The chairman of a major British-owned enterprise had actually become a young Chinese man whom no one had ever heard of.
This was undoubtedly a historic first in Hong Kong.
While most people were unfamiliar with Lin Haoran, one group of reporters recognized his name—
The journalists from the Hong Kong Business Daily.
Previously, when Lin Haoran had been appointed Vice Chairman of Qingzhou Yingni, the company had announced it through the Hong Kong Business Daily.
At the time, however, the announcement hadn't attracted much public attention.
Who could have imagined that only a short time later, he would be promoted from Vice Chairman to Chairman?
Everyone knew exactly what that position represented.
The chairman was the true leader of the company.
The real boss.
At that moment, every reporter's gaze shifted toward the young man seated at the center of the stage.
There was no need for introductions.
He had to be Lin Haoran.
After all, among the three people seated at the table, he was the only Chinese.
"Good afternoon, everyone.
"My name is Lin Haoran, the newly appointed Chairman of Qingzhou Yingni.
"I'd also like to share another piece of news.
"I have now acquired a controlling interest in Qingzhou Yingni, with my shareholding exceeding fifty percent.
"Qingzhou Yingni is a company with a history spanning more than ninety years.
"It is an honor to become its leader.
"At the same time, former Deputy General Manager Mr. Burton has officially been promoted to General Manager.
"I hope that together, Mr. Burton and I can lead Qingzhou Yingni toward an even more brilliant future.
"Thank you."
Lin Haoran had no intention of delivering a lengthy speech.
A few simple sentences were enough.
Including the 12.6% stake held by Lin Wan'an, their combined holdings indeed exceeded 50%, so his statement was entirely accurate.
The audience was stunned.
Every reporter wondered if they had heard correctly.
Not only had he become the new chairman—
He also held absolute control over the company.
Under an absolute controlling interest, the remaining minority shareholders effectively lost any meaningful voting power.
They neither had the ability nor the motivation to supervise the company.
Simply put—
From now on, whatever Lin Haoran said would be final.
Even if every other shareholder opposed him, it would make no difference.
"Mr. Lin, may I ask how you managed to acquire Qingzhou Yingni?"
"Mr. Lin, could you tell us about your background?"
"Mr. Lin, what are your future plans for Qingzhou Yingni?"
"Mr. Lin, as the first Chinese businessman to acquire a British-owned publicly listed company in Hong Kong, how do you feel?"
...
The moment Lin Haoran finished speaking, questions came flooding in from every direction.
Judging by the reporters' excitement and astonishment alone, it was obvious how earth-shattering this news truly was.
There was no doubt that once the story was published, it would become the talk of all Hong Kong.
The press conference lasted for well over an hour.
Had Lin Haoran not decided he had more important matters to attend to, the reporters would probably have continued asking questions indefinitely.
After he finally left the venue, the journalists seemed to snap back to reality.
They hurriedly rushed out of Qingzhou Yingni, eager to return to their offices and submit their reports.
Everyone knew this story would shock the entire city.
If their articles weren't compelling enough, they would fail to capture the public's attention.
Thanks to their broadcasting advantages, TVB and Rediffusion Television were able to report the news faster than anyone else.
As expected, the evening news on both stations featured Qingzhou Yingni's change in ownership as one of the day's headline stories.
After all, this was the first time in Hong Kong's history that a Chinese businessman had successfully acquired a British-owned publicly listed company.
Previously, in 1977, Li Ka-shing had acquired Yonggao Company, a foreign-owned enterprise in Hong Kong.
However, Yonggao had been an American-owned company.
British-owned enterprises were an entirely different matter.
In Hong Kong's business world, British companies had always represented the strongest commercial forces.
Historically, ownership of British companies had almost always been transferred only between British business groups.
Therefore, although Qingzhou Yingni's market value wasn't among Hong Kong's very largest corporations—it was simply a major publicly listed company—it carried enormous symbolic significance.
Lin Haoran had created a precedent.
For the first time in Hong Kong's history, a Chinese business group had successfully acquired a British-owned publicly listed company.
That evening, TVB's 6:30 News Report devoted extensive coverage to Qingzhou Yingni's change in leadership.
At the same time, Rediffusion Television aired a detailed report during its evening news broadcast.
Hong Kong Radio also reported the story over the airwaves.
Once the two television stations and the radio network broadcast the news, Lin Haoran instantly became one of Hong Kong's hottest topics.
The story spread at astonishing speed, becoming the subject of conversations in offices, restaurants, tea houses, and neighborhoods across the city.
Hong Kong wasn't a particularly large place.
In fact, it was quite small.
By that very evening, more than 90% of Hong Kong's residents had already heard the news.
HSBC Group Headquarters
The Chief Executive's Office
Although Michael Sandberg had neither the time to watch television nor listen to the radio, his subordinates had already briefed him on the matter.
"I knew I hadn't misjudged him."
Looking at the report placed before him, Sandberg fell into deep thought.
"When I first met him, it only took one conversation for me to realize he was extraordinary.
"I never expected that, without making any noise whatsoever, he would quietly acquire Qingzhou Yingni.
"A young man like this is destined to become one of Hong Kong's top business leaders in the future.
"He's someone worth building a close relationship with."
Sandberg didn't resent the idea of Chinese entrepreneurs acquiring British-owned companies.
If such acquisitions benefited HSBC, he was even willing to help facilitate them.
For example, during the battle for control of Wharf holdings, both Pao Yue-kong and Sir Douglas Clague were HSBC directors.
Yet Sandberg had openly supported Pao Yue-kong rather than Clague.
The reason was simple.
He believed that Pao's acquisition of Wharf would bring greater benefits to HSBC.
Therefore, he had not hesitated to side with him.
Although Qingzhou Yingni wasn't particularly important in Sandberg's eyes, the significance behind the acquisition was extraordinary.
More importantly—
Lin Haoran was still very young.
And youth meant limitless possibilities.
Hutchison House
Li Ka-shing's Office
Looking over the report handed to him by one of his assistants, Li Ka-shing sighed quietly.
Cheung Kong had also been interested in acquiring Qingzhou Yingni.
Unfortunately, in the end, they had been forced to give way to Lin Haoran, missing the opportunity to acquire such a high-quality British-owned company.
Now, seeing that Lin Haoran had not only become chairman but had also gained control of more than 50% of the company's shares, Li Ka-shing found himself overwhelmed by mixed emotions.
Regret...
Disappointment...
Envy...
All of them surfaced simultaneously.
Deep Water Bay
The Pao Family Residence
That day, Pao Yue-kong had unusually returned home early to rest.
The battle for control of Wharf had been progressing smoothly.
Although competition with Hongkong Land continued, everyone understood that the decisive battle had yet to arrive.
Both sides were quietly accumulating strength.
Unlike Qingzhou Yingni, Wharf holdings was one of Hong Kong's premier corporations, with a market value worth several billion Hong Kong dollars.
The amount of capital involved was enormous.
There was no way the contest would be decided overnight.
The struggle for additional shares would likely continue for at least another six months—or even a year.
After returning home, dinner was still being prepared.
Pao Yue-kong sat in the living room watching television with his wife.
"Former Qingzhou Yingni Chairman Harold Centurion has officially stepped down.
"The company's new chairman is Chinese entrepreneur Mr. Lin Haoran.
"The following is our detailed report..."
Pao Yue-kong stared at the television in astonishment.
When he had previously traded Wharf shares with Lin Haoran, he had already known that Lin's target was Qingzhou Yingni.
He had even used one of his own favors to persuade Li Ka-shing to withdraw from the acquisition.
But...
How much time had passed since then?
Not even a month.
And Lin Haoran had already taken over Qingzhou Yingni?
The speed was unbelievable.
Even more astonishing, the report stated that the Lin family now controlled more than 50% of the company's shares.
At that moment, Pao Yue-kong felt not only shock—
But envy.
Yes.
He, one of Hong Kong's greatest business magnates, found himself envying a young man barely in his twenties.
After all...
Lin Haoran had truly succeeded in acquiring a British-owned enterprise.
Meanwhile, although Pao himself remained confident about eventually acquiring Wharf Holdings, no one could predict the final outcome until the very end.
"This young man..."
Pao Yue-kong couldn't help but sigh.
"He's even more capable than I imagined."
His wife looked at him curiously.
"Yue-kong, do you know this young man?"
Although Mrs. Pao wasn't involved in business herself, years of exposure had allowed her to understand quite a bit about Hong Kong's commercial world.
"Yes."
Pao Yue-kong nodded.
"I've done business with him before.
"Technically, we're neighbors.
"He's Lin Wan'an's younger son."
"Oh..."
Mrs. Pao suddenly realized.
"So he's Mrs. Lin's son."
Kowloon Tong Villa District
Lin Haoning's Home
"Honey!
"This is terrible!
"Come here quickly!"
Cao Shaoling shouted from the living room.
"What is it?"
Lin Haoning walked out of his study with an exasperated expression.
"I was busy reviewing feedback from our Middle Eastern clients about our products."
He was clearly unhappy about his wife's sudden shouting.
"Forget that for now.
"Come look!"
She pointed urgently at the television.
The screen was broadcasting a detailed report about everything that had happened at Qingzhou Yingni.
At the press conference, Lin Haoran—dressed in a tailored suit and tie—sat confidently on stage, answering reporters' questions with ease.
"T-This...
T-This...
How... how is this possible..."
(End of Chapter)
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