"Other buyers?" Lin Huowang put down his cup, leaned forward slightly, and casually rested his fingers on his knees. He looked at Gao Qiaohao sharply, "Mr. Gao Qiao, do you think that before Niubijian called me tonight, he hadn't thought about looking for other people?"
Gao Qiaohao was stunned.
"After all, we are still Chinese, so how could we be their first choice? But the British giants in Hong Kong Island - Swire, Wheelock, Hutchison Whampoa... even Standard Chartered, are their lives much better than Jardines?" Lin Huowang said calmly, as if stating a common fact. "Which of them doesn't want to follow Jardines' example and sell off their high-quality assets and properties in Hong Kong Island as soon as possible, convert them into US dollars and pounds, and transfer them to Australia and Canada?
They haven't even gotten rid of the "hot potato" in their own hands, which is burning like fire, and they are still coming to help Jardine Matheson pick up this equally hot "potato" and spend precious cash to buy shares in Hong Kong Land? Even if you give them money, they won't take it!
For them, Hong Kong Island real estate, especially in the core areas, is precisely the asset with the greatest risk in the future! All their efforts now have only one goal: retreat! Retreat safely! There is no other idea!
Gao Qiaohao's heart skipped a beat and he nodded thoughtfully.
"Let's look at the Chinese-owned families." Lin Huowang continued his analysis, his logic clear and his voice low but powerful. "Would HSBC's Chen Bi really let a Chinese-owned family acquire the Hong Kong Land Group? Would he dare to let Henry Fok take over Hong Kong Land?
The Huo family is too close to the mainland, and Pao Yue-kong's position in the shipping industry is unshakable. As for Li Ka-shing..." A hint of cold insight appeared at the corner of his mouth, "He recently won the subway overground property project, which required a huge investment and a large loan from HSBC.
In the next few years, he would indeed rise to prominence with this project and become a major force in the new generation of Chinese capital. But precisely because of this, Shen Bi would never give Li Ka-shing the fat piece of land, "Jia Li," which would instantly expand Li Ka-shing into a behemoth, to him at this moment.
What Shen Bi wants is checks and balances! Let these Chinese-owned companies check and balance each other, so that no one can dominate! The Huo family alone is already a headache for British capital, and now there's Li Ka-shing who has swallowed up the Hong Kong Land? Shen Bi will never allow such a situation to happen!
He paused slightly to let these words settle in Gao Qiaohao's mind.
"Then..." Gao Qiaohao's thoughts began to become clear, "Boss, what you mean is that only we..."
"That's right," Lin Huowang interrupted him, his voice firm. "Only us! My Japanese nationality, which on the surface keeps me at a distance from the mainland; my image as a 'mortal enemy' who publicly tore apart the Huo family; my 7.5% stake in Hong Kong Land, and... most importantly - 'Kobayashi Tenwang', who in Shen Bi's eyes might be 'impulsive', 'aggressive', 'rich', and a bit shrewd and clever...
All these conditions combined made Shen Bi believe that if I took control of the land, I could not only stabilize the situation and prevent the Huo family from interfering, but also check and balance the Chinese capital, stimulating the Huo family to continue fighting with us, and avoid creating another Pao Yue-kong-like tycoon. For example, if I were to give it to Li Ka-shing, it would be the perfect chess piece! It is their only choice when they have no other choice!
Lin Huowang looked at Gao Qiaohao's increasingly bright eyes and finally came to a conclusion: "So, do you understand? This phone call tonight, on the surface, is Niu Bijian begging me, but behind the scenes, it is actually Shen Bi giving me a final scrutiny.
He wanted to see if I, Xiaolin Tianwang, had been targeting the fat piece of meat of Hong Kong Hong Kong from the very beginning. If I had just heard about the 20% stake and ecstatically agreed, even eagerly accepting a loan from HSBC, then in Shen Bi's eyes, I would be a scheming, cunning, and long-planned covetous person of Hong Kong Hong Kong.
He walked to the bar, put a few new pieces of ice into the empty glass, and slowly poured the amber whiskey in. The ice cubes hit the wall of the glass, making a crisp sound, which was particularly clear in the middle of the night.
"What will they think?" Lin Huowang's voice was low and calm. "A newly arrived Chinese citizen from Japan has stirred up the stock market in a short period of time, loudly announcing the acquisition of Hong Kong Land shares, acting as if he was just doing it out of spite, but his ultimate goal is actually to gain control of the Hong Kong Land Group?
This scheming and plotting will immediately make them extremely vigilant! When Chen Bi gives the shares, he will definitely set layers of restrictions, or even go back on his word. Even if the deal is completed, I will be treated like a thief within the land. Unless I really use tough measures, I will never be able to truly control the land.
He raised his glass, stared at the swirling liquid in it, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"And now? Not only did I decisively refuse, I even 'misunderstood' them as being in a hurry to sell because they'd heard rumors that the mainland was going to take back Hong Kong, and they were frightened into selling their assets and running away? In Shen Bi's view, this just proved my 'naiveté' and 'short-sightedness'.
A speculator, deterred by the prospect of huge profits and focused solely on his immediate safety, a naive young man who hasn't fully grasped the true value of Hong Kong Land. In their minds, only this image fits my previous image of a dandy, aggressive man who built his fortune on luck.
Lin Huowang took a sip of wine, and the spicy feeling slid down his throat.
"More importantly, my 'misjudgment' has only heightened their sense of urgency. In their view, Kobayashi Tenmo, the most suitable buyer, not only refused to take the position, but also firmly believed that Hong Kong Island assets might be worthless in the future. He even planned to sell off his 7.5% stake the moment the market opened tomorrow!
This was a double whammy for Niubijian and Shen Bi! The more I refused, the more terrified I became. The more they had no choice but to raise the stakes and beg me to accept it!
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