Newbigin's face turned purple and his voice broke with excitement, but he suppressed it and tried to make his defense seem more reasonable.
Shen Bi looked at him coldly, the hint of mockery still lingering on his lips. He knew all too well what these established British investors were thinking. Preparing for a rainy day? Just a nice way of saying it.
"It was just bad luck. The transferred assets incurred some temporary losses on overseas investments."
Newbijian took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, knowing that simple excuses would be useless and that he had to come up with something substantial.
"But there's still room for recovery! As long as we have a few hundred million in cash flow to fill this hole, we can quickly revitalize the company! Our core asset, the Hong Kong Land Group, is severely undervalued!"
Newbigin's mood became anxious, and he stabbed the table hard with his fingers.
"Peter, you know! We've been suppressing Hong Kong's market value. The actual value of the land and properties it owns is far more than a few billion! Let alone the current market value of 700 to 800 million, even if it breaks 10 billion, it's only natural for it!"
Shen Bi raised his eyelids slightly, and seemed to finally be interested in listening.
Seeing the change in Shen Bi's eyes, Niu Bijian grabbed a life-saving straw and immediately took out a beautifully bound document from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Shen Bi with a desperate and urgent action:
"Look at this! This is our way of dealing with the sudden surge and plunge of 'Xiaolin concept stocks'. It's also a substantial move to break with past practice and show goodwill to our shareholders!"
Chen Bi's eyes fell on the cover of the document—"Draft Special Dividend Plan for 1977 of the Hong Kong Land Group (Draft)." He reached for it, flipping through it quickly. The core content was clear: In view of the current market enthusiasm and the company's positive cash flow projections, the Hong Kong Land Group proposed to distribute a special cash dividend of 10% of the current market value per share to all shareholders before the end of the 1977 fiscal year!
10%? Shen Bi paused, gripping the document. This percentage was unparalleled among Hong Kong's listed companies at this time and place! Especially Hong Kong Land, whose strategy had always been to pay low or even no dividends, relying on a low market capitalization and high leverage to snowball its growth. This was one of the reasons its stock price had been suppressed for so long. Newbijian's move was like piercing a window paper.
"Breaking the 10% dividend promise..." Chen Bi muttered, his fingertips tapping on the key figures in the plan. His mind raced, assessing the power of this plan. If it were truly realized, even if Xiaolin Tianwang stopped buying Hong Kong Crown Land, the share price wouldn't instantly fall back to 66 yuan. It would give the market a strong expectation of a bottom line. Holders would calculate the cost after dividends and consider the long-term value of their assets. This was far more stable than simply speculating on the topic.
He raised his head, examining the Jardine Matheson manager before him. Newbigin's face was a mixture of nervousness, anticipation, and a reckless determination. Shen Bi finally put the document down and leaned back in his chair, but the cold, distant air he had previously held had already dissipated considerably.
"How much do you need? How long?"
Shen Bi's voice returned to its usual calmness, as if the fierce confrontation just now had never happened.
Newbijian's heart skipped a beat, and he tried to keep his voice steady:
"300 million Hong Kong dollars. Used to fill the temporary gap caused by the Australian mine strike and the London silver margin. Once the mines resume work and the silver price stabilizes, it will be repaid immediately! Australia conservatively estimates that once the ore is exported, the cash flow generated by the iron ore will cover the loan principal and interest within three months at the latest. This money will also help Hong Kong Land to increase its dividend distribution and instill greater confidence in the market!"
Shen Bi was silent for a few seconds. The only sounds in the office were the crackling of his slowly burning cigar and the faint hum of Central traffic outside the window.
"Three hundred million."
Shen Bi finally spoke, his tone carrying an unquestionable weight.
"The collateral is still the 17% stake in Hong Kong that you pledged to HSBC. If you pledge another 3% to make it 20%, we can barely grant you a 300 million credit line. But Newbigin, listen carefully."
His eyes are sharp as an eagle,
"HSBC's maximum tolerance for you is HK$60 per share! If Hong Kong's share price falls below HK$60 in the market, even by a fraction of a cent, even for just one minute, HSBC will immediately, instantly, sell off that 17% stake at the market price to close out the position! Business is business, friendship is friendship. There will be no prior notice, and no room for negotiation. Do you understand?"
Shen Bi spoke the last three words very slowly, with a cold metallic texture.
"I understand! I understand completely!" Newbigin almost roared out. The huge ecstasy instantly broke his tense nerves. He stood up suddenly and stretched out his hand.
"Peter, it's a deal! I promise! I will never let the share price of Hong Kong Land fall below 60!"
Shen Bi looked at the other party's outstretched hand, but did not shake it immediately. He picked up the pen on the table, signed his name on the approval document, and then slowly handed the document back to Niubijian.
"William will follow up on the procedures, and the funds will arrive in your designated account as early as tomorrow morning."
Shen Bi stood up, walked around the large desk, and then symbolically touched Niu Bijian's hand.
"Sir Newbigin, take care of yourself. I hope your dividend plan is more than just a pipe dream."
Newbigin held the signed document tightly, feeling the heavy weight of the paper.
"It's definitely not an empty promise! Peter, just wait and see!"
His face was filled with a smile of relief, even a hint of excitement. Three hundred million Hong Kong dollars! As long as this money arrived, the silver hole would be plugged, and the deadlock at the Australian mine would be solved! As for the Hong Kong Land's share price? With the trump card of a 10% dividend and that crazy Lin Tianwang stirring up the market, how could it possibly fall?
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