Chapter 107: Visiting an Important Figure
Although Lin Haoran very much wanted to acquire all of those shares, he was facing an awkward problem.
He simply didn't have enough available capital.
Originally, he had HK$13 million in available funds. However, he had recently purchased approximately one million shares of Qingzhou Yingni, which had cost him nearly HK$4.1 million, causing his cash reserves to shrink rapidly.
After that transaction, Lin Haoran's available capital had dropped to less than HK$9 million.
Meanwhile, the nearly seven million shares currently listed for sale on the stock market would require at least HK$26 million to purchase in full.
The gap between his available funds and the amount required was simply too large.
Given his current financial situation, Lin Haoran calculated that using his remaining HK$9 million to buy as many shares as possible was certainly feasible.
However, that amount would only be enough to absorb roughly one-third of the outstanding sell orders.
Once those shares were quickly bought up, the sellers of the remaining two-thirds might become suspicious. They could either raise their asking prices or withdraw their sell orders altogether, making any further acquisition both more difficult and more expensive.
After considering the situation carefully, Lin Haoran concluded that a conservative strategy was the wiser choice.
He decided to wait patiently for the right opportunity before making his next move.
Turning to Su Zhixue, he calmly said,
"I understand. Zhixue, go ahead and continue with your work. Keep monitoring the market closely. If I come up with any new plans, I'll notify you immediately."
"Understood, Mr. Lin, Chairman Lin."
Su Zhixue respectfully excused himself from the office and continued carrying out his task of monitoring the stock market.
During the past few months, Huafeng Cement Factory had generated more than HK$300,000 in profits for him.
However, that money had already been withdrawn and completely used to cover Universal Investment Company's daily operating expenses, including employee salaries, office costs, market research, and other necessary expenditures.
In practical terms, Huafeng Cement Factory was unable to provide Lin Haoran with any meaningful financial support for further stock acquisitions.
Compared to the amount of money he currently needed, the factory's profits were nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
At this moment, Lin Wan'an's attention also shifted to the report detailing Qingzhou Yingni's stock data in Lin Haoran's hands.
As his father, he had long understood his son's objective—
To completely privatize the historic British-owned company, Qingzhou Yingni.
Naturally, Lin Wan'an fully supported this ambition.
Having dealt with Qingzhou Yingni for many years, he knew exactly how much value the company possessed—especially its valuable seaside land in Hung Hom.
Once the company was successfully privatized, the value of that land alone would be immeasurable.
"Haoran, look at this trading volume and these asking prices. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It would be a shame to let it slip away."
After carefully examining the report, Lin Wan'an couldn't help sighing.
Lin Haoran smiled bitterly.
"I know. It's an incredibly tempting opportunity. Unfortunately, my current financial situation simply isn't enough to support such a large-scale acquisition."
His words carried both helplessness and regret.
The opportunity was excellent...
But it was just beyond his reach.
As for taking out another loan, that was certainly an option.
However, he was already personally carrying more than HK$300 million in debt.
Borrowing even more would only cause that debt snowball to grow larger, so he had no intention of doing so for the time being.
"Haoran, how much money can you still mobilize?" Lin Wan'an asked curiously.
"About HK$8 million... almost HK$9 million."
Lin Haoran answered honestly, his tone filled with resignation.
A smile appeared in Lin Wan'an's eyes.
He patted his son's shoulder confidently.
"Haoran, that's not difficult to solve.
"We can purchase those shares first under Wan'an Group's name. Once you have sufficient funds, we'll transfer them to you internally at an appropriate price.
"Don't worry. Although most of Wan'an Group's capital is currently tied up in our North Point real estate project, coming up with more than HK$10 million to support your plan isn't a problem."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"Wan'an Group may be a publicly listed company, but because the Lin family holds absolute control, it's essentially our family business.
"Our authority within the company is unquestionable.
"The opinions of the minority shareholders won't materially affect our decisions.
"So, whatever you want to do, go ahead without hesitation."
Lin Haoran's eyes instantly lit up.
"Dad, you've really opened my eyes!"
His face was filled with excitement.
Sure enough, he was still inexperienced in the business world.
Although he had already become the largest shareholder of Wan'an Group, he had never considered using the company in this manner.
He immediately realized that this wasn't merely a solution to his funding problem—
It was also a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity.
Although the oil crisis had cast a shadow over the market, the Hong Kong stock market wasn't suffering nearly as much as many people had expected.
Once investors realized that, stock prices across Hong Kong would likely rebound quickly.
By then, investors would discover that the panic had been unnecessary, and there certainly wouldn't be so many Qingzhou Yingni shares available for sale.
Yes...
Prices would probably recover sooner or later.
But the truly important point was that there were currently so many shares available at bargain prices.
If he missed this opportunity, it would likely never come again.
"Alright, Dad. I'll make the arrangements immediately.
Please speak with Minister Dai Bin from the Group's Securities Business Department and have him prepare everything.
I'll also notify Su Zhixue right away so his team can coordinate with Minister Dai's department.
We'll work together from both sides and make sure we acquire every one of those shares as quickly and efficiently as possible."
Lin Haoran spoke with complete confidence.
Lin Wan'an nodded approvingly.
"Very well. I'll go talk to Dai Bin immediately.
Haoran, just do what you need to do.
I'll support you completely."
Soon afterward, their carefully prepared plan was put into action by both Su Zhixue and Dai Bin.
The two sides worked closely together, carefully dividing up the acquisition strategy for Qingzhou Yingni shares.
To ensure both efficiency and secrecy, they meticulously planned the sequence of capital deployment.
Su Zhixue's team would first use every dollar available in Universal Investment's accounts to purchase shares.
Once those funds were exhausted, Wan'an Group would seamlessly step in and continue purchasing the remaining shares.
Since there were already very few active buyers in the market, their coordinated operation resembled a pack of hungry wolves devouring every available share.
The entire operation was executed with remarkable precision and efficiency.
Many shareholders who had placed sell orders hadn't even realized what was happening before their shares had quietly been purchased.
As the plan progressed smoothly, Lin Haoran's ownership of Qingzhou Yingni steadily increased, bringing him one step closer to fully privatizing the British-owned company.
After careful planning and execution, Lin Haoran successfully acquired another 1.91 million shares of Qingzhou Yingni through market purchases.
As a result, the combined holdings of Lin Haoran and Universal Investment rose to 58.2%, making him the company's undisputed controlling shareholder.
Meanwhile, Wan'an Group also acquired an additional 10.2% stake in Qingzhou Yingni, effectively purchasing those shares on Lin Haoran's behalf in advance.
At this point, the company's ownership structure had fundamentally changed.
Its actual operating status was now little different from that of a privately owned enterprise.
Lin Haoran's control over the company had reached an unprecedented level.
Although he had achieved remarkable success in the stock market, his finances had become extremely tight.
Nearly all of his available funds had been invested in purchasing shares, leaving him temporarily unable to formally announce the company's privatization.
However, this didn't discourage him.
On the contrary, he remained full of confidence about the future.
As for Qingzhou Yingni's remaining shareholders...
He already had a plan.
Now that the company was controlled by a man barely in his twenties, many of those shareholders had likely begun considering an exit.
After all, no one wanted to remain tied to a company that offered limited growth potential.
Therefore, Lin Haoran believed that as long as they were offered a reasonable opportunity to sell their shares, they would readily cash out and leave.
These shareholders had spent decades surviving in the business world.
Not one of them was foolish.
Knowing when to leave was, in itself, the wisest decision.
Despite his temporary shortage of funds, Lin Haoran remained completely composed.
In his view, Qingzhou Yingni's situation was already secure.
Now all he had to do was wait for oil prices to continue rising.
Over the coming months, international oil prices would keep climbing due to supply shortages.
Many oil companies would eventually find themselves unable to purchase enough crude oil at all.
By that time, the crude oil he had stockpiled in advance would practically sell itself.
Once word got out, buyers would come knocking on his door without him having to seek them out.
Before long, a new day quietly arrived.
That morning, Lin Haoran first visited Qingzhou Yingni to take care of some company business.
The company's current general manager, Burton, truly was an outstanding executive.
Previously, Lin Wan'an had harbored doubts about Burton's abilities.
He had personally visited Qingzhou Yingni to conduct a thorough inspection.
The results were highly satisfying.
Under Burton's capable management, the entire company was operating smoothly and efficiently, with everything in excellent order.
Moreover, Burton possessed an extensive network of business contacts in the Philippines.
After becoming general manager, he no longer held anything back and successfully brought numerous high-quality clients to the company.
At noon, Lin Haoran returned to Wan'an Group to continue learning corporate management from his father.
Every day, he felt himself improving.
Of course, Lin Haoran already had a clear vision for the future.
He had no intention of completely copying his father's hands-on management style.
He understood that although personally overseeing everything demonstrated tremendous responsibility and dedication, doing so over the long term would eventually exhaust both body and mind while also reducing overall operational efficiency.
Instead, he preferred adopting advanced Western management philosophies that emphasized teamwork and professional management.
Lin Haoran believed that a truly successful entrepreneur should know when to delegate authority, entrusting the company's daily operations to capable professional managers.
Qingzhou Yingni was a perfect example.
He had already boldly entrusted virtually all of the company's daily affairs to Burton.
In the future, once his father, Lin Wan'an, completely retired, Lin Haoran intended to recruit a suitable executive to manage Wan'an Group.
As for himself...
He only needed to control the overall direction of the company.
That alone would be enough.
"It's getting late, Haoran. It's time for us to leave. I've already scheduled the visit."
As evening approached around six o'clock, Lin Wan'an reminded his son.
The day before, he had already mentioned that he would be taking Lin Haoran to meet an important person.
Although the mystery had made Lin Haoran curious, he had remained composed and hadn't asked many questions.
Hearing his father's reminder, Lin Haoran quickly stood up from his chair.
"Alright, Dad! I'm ready."
After arriving at the underground parking garage of Wan'an Group Building, Lin Haoran couldn't help asking,
"Dad, where are we going?"
"We're going to Barker Road's villa district,"
Lin Wan'an replied with a smile.
Like the luxury residences at Deep Water Bay, the villas along Barker Road were home only to the extremely wealthy and influential.
(End of Chapter)
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