Chapter 311 Releasing the News — Selling Shares of Aimeigao Company!
Although Lin Haoran still had ample funds, that money had ultimately been acquired through loans, and it would have to be repaid eventually.
If he could raise a large sum himself, it would be even better.
In the blink of an eye, it was already 4:00 p.m. — time for the Hong Kong stock market to close for the day.
At 4:15 p.m., Su Zhixue came into Lin Haoran's office carrying a report.
"Boss, we caught everyone off guard.
After aggressively pushing Land Development Corporation's stock price to HKD 74 per share — lifting the company's total market cap to HKD 110 billion — our total shareholding now stands at 33.78%.
We are just a hair away from reaching 34%!
Also, after we pushed the price up, we noticed that the opposing side temporarily stopped buying.
But whether they will move again tomorrow remains unknown.
Moreover, our aggressive buying triggered a surge in the transaction price, causing many investors to cancel their sell orders for fear of underselling.
As a result, there are fewer Land Development shares available in the market, making further acquisitions more difficult," Su Zhixue summarized while handing the report to Lin Haoran.
"33.78%?"
Lin Haoran repeated, a smile blooming on his face.
What did this mean?
It meant that he now controlled close to 40% of Land Development Corporation's shares!
Once he absorbed a little more, including the 6% held by Hong Kong Electric (which he controlled), he would easily surpass the 40% mark.
Taking the report, Lin Haoran glanced through it and said, smiling,
"You all did an excellent job!"
While his holdings in Land Development had soared to 33.78%, his holdings in Jardines Matheson remained stuck at about 20%.
After the news of his supposed Jardines acquisition spread, its stock price had stayed too high for further action.
Given the slim chances of successfully acquiring Jardines, Lin Haoran had no intention of throwing more money into it.
Today, Universal Investment did not touch Jardines' stock at all.
Land Development was now firmly within his grasp.
With ample capital at hand, even if Jardines wanted to resist, it would be useless.
Still, although Lin Haoran knew the chances of acquiring Jardines were slim, he had no intention of stopping the "show."
Jardines still had strategic value —
especially the Jardines shares he already held.
And — the shares of Aimeigao Company.
At first glance, Jardines Matheson and Aimeigao Company seemed completely unrelated.
But in Lin Haoran's eyes, the chaos surrounding the Jardines acquisition could absolutely be tied to Aimeigao.
After handing the 13K-provided evidence to Su Zhixue for further handling, Lin Haoran leaned back to plan his next move.
Su Zhixue, after reviewing the evidence, was visibly shocked.
He hadn't expected that it really was Ruan Jingcheng who had leaked company secrets.
Today, Ruan Jingcheng hadn't shown up for work.
Earlier, his family had even called Universal Investment to report that he hadn't returned home at all — missing since yesterday.
Seeing the evidence now, Su Zhixue fully understood:
it was the boss who had acted against Ruan Jingcheng.
"Boss, rest assured.
I'll publish a company-wide announcement about this incident to warn everyone.
I'll also contact the police — Ruan Jingcheng will face the consequences he deserves," Su Zhixue said seriously.
At the same time, his admiration for Lin Haoran deepened.
To be able to find the mole so quickly among so many employees — this was beyond impressive.
Had the matter been left to the police, they might not have found the real traitor at all.
Lin Haoran nodded and, after a few more words, left Universal Investment.
He had spent almost the whole day at Wanching Tower.
Now it was time to meet with Niu Bik Kin.
After getting into his private car, Lin Haoran instructed Li Weidong to drive him to Jardines House.
In less than ten minutes, he arrived at the underground parking lot of Jardines House.
When he tried to go straight to Niu Bik Kin's office, however, a security officer stopped him.
"Mr. Lin, do you have an appointment?
If not, I'll need to inform Mr. Niu," the head of security said respectfully.
In Hong Kong, almost everyone — even foreigners — knew who Lin Haoran was.
The security officer recognized him instantly and was aware of the tensions between Lin Haoran and Jardines.
Thus, he stopped Lin Haoran without hesitation.
"I am the largest shareholder of Jardines Matheson.
I have every right to be here.
What reason do you have to block me?" Lin Haoran said, arms crossed.
"I'm sorry, sir.
It's just my job," the security officer said helplessly.
"Fine, then call Mr. Niu.
Let's see if he really dares refuse to meet me," Lin Haoran said with a smirk.
At that moment, the lobby was bustling with people — including some reporters lurking around, hoping to catch news or interview Jardines executives.
Naturally, they spotted the scene.
In an instant, a swarm of reporters rushed over.
Even the security guards couldn't stop them.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Niu Bik Kin says you'll never succeed in acquiring Jardines Matheson.
What do you think?" a reporter eagerly thrust a microphone toward Lin Haoran.
Lin Haoran didn't shy away.
In full view of Jardines employees and journalists, he calmly answered,
"Don't rush to conclusions.
In Chinese, we have a saying: 'Only when the deer dies do you know whose hands it falls into.'
Until the very last moment, who can say if I will succeed or fail?"
"Mr. Lin, everyone is curious — where exactly did you get the funds for these massive acquisitions?" another reporter asked quickly.
It was a reasonable question.
After all, Lin Haoran had already bought Qingzhou Cement, Hong Kong Electric, China Gas, Kowloon Bus — and now he was aiming at Jardines Matheson!
Many suspected that Citibank was secretly backing him.
"I'm not afraid to tell you.
Two months ago, I secured a HKD 2 billion loan from Huifeng Bank," Lin Haoran replied with a smile.
The crowd was stunned.
So that's where the money had come from!
No wonder he could afford to scoop up so many Jardines shares.
"Mr. Lin, if your acquisition attempt fails and the loan comes due, what will you do?" a reporter pressed.
"Failure?
I don't believe I'll fail.
As for the funds — yes, I do face a little pressure.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed a loan.
But I have a solid backup.
Everyone knows Aimeigao Company successfully went public not long ago.
Its current market cap exceeds HKD 2 billion.
I personally hold 40% of Aimeigao's shares.
To strengthen my position in acquiring Jardines Matheson,
I am considering selling my stake in Aimeigao Company to a suitable buyer."
Lin Haoran had just dropped a bombshell.
He had used the gathering of reporters to announce that he was putting his Aimeigao shares up for sale!
It was the perfect opportunity — the timing couldn't have been better.
Compared to the importance of Aimeigao Company, the acquisition of Jardines Matheson was a thousand times more critical.
Any reasonable businessman would prioritize Jardines.
Moreover, he already had a plan to appease Liu Luanzhong if needed.
After all, Lin Haoran had planned from the start to cash out of Aimeigao while it was still at its peak.
He just hadn't decided when to leak the news.
Now was the perfect moment.
The reporters were ecstatic — what huge breaking news!
Lin Haoran selling his Aimeigao stake —
especially with the company's market cap now exceeding HKD 2.2 billion —
was sure to dominate headlines.
The reporters frantically took notes, knowing that by tomorrow morning, the news would be the talk of the entire city.
And they didn't even have to wait for newspapers.
Word-of-mouth among the people in Jardines House alone would spread the news by tonight.
"Mr. Lin, everyone knows the British consortiums hold a lot of shares.
Experts say your chances of acquiring Jardines are slim.
Aside from financial strength, what else gives you so much confidence?" another reporter asked eagerly.
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