RPAGF Chapter 19: Bao Yugang and Shen Bi Take Action
Chapter 19: Bao Yugang and Shen Bi Take Action
Three days later.
September 8th! Friday.
10:00 AM.
The battle between Li Ka-shing and Jardine Matheson over Wharf Holdings has been making headlines for the past three days.
Various reports and rumors are flying around.
Meanwhile, in recent days, more authoritative newspapers have joined in assessing the value of Wharf Holdings' businesses.
Hong Kong Commercial Daily: "This confirms that Wharf Holdings is severely undervalued, with its actual value far exceeding its market value."
Ming Pao: "Jardine Matheson made a serious miscalculation, and Wharf Holdings' great potential was hampered."
Commercial Daily: "A company whose brilliance has been overshadowed, Wharf Holdings' value has finally been discovered."
In addition, news has been reported that Li Ka-shing has been constantly visiting banks in the past few days, and rumors are circulating that he is raising money everywhere, determined to compete with Jardine Matheson.
Jardine Matheson also announced the day before yesterday that it would repurchase Wharf Holdings shares through a combination of cash and stock swap.
As these events unfolded one after another, the news about Wharf Holdings further boosted its share price, prompting a frenzy among investors.
In just three days, Wharf Holdings' share price broke through the HK$40 mark at the close of trading last night.
The opening of the market today was eagerly anticipated by thousands.
Hong Kong Island! At the stock exchange.
"Knock knock knock!"
As the bell rang, everyone on the exchange looked at the price display board at the same time.
Those who didn't come to the exchange were almost all listening to the radio at home, in the office, or in their cars.
One by one, listed companies released their quotes.
Soon we will arrive at the much-anticipated "Wharf Holdings".
When the figure of "43.81" Hong Kong dollars was announced.
"Whoa!!!!"
The trading hall erupted like a volcano, filled with a deafening roar.
Cheers, shouts, whistles, and table-pounding filled the air, creating a scene of fervent excitement.
Some people excitedly hugged the strangers next to them, some raised their hands and laughed loudly, and some even tore up the empty price list in their hands into pieces and let them fall like snowflakes.
"Yes! Congratulations, Mr. Li."
In the VIP room of Lijiagang.
When broker Wang Fusheng saw the offer from Wharf Holdings, he excitedly made a celebratory gesture.
He has spent the last few days following up on the business in Lijiagang and keeping an eye on the situation at Wharf Holdings.
With so many Wharf Holdings shares in his possession, when these shares are released, clients will make a fortune, and his commissions will increase accordingly.
Therefore, the agent also has to follow up.
"Manager Wang, calm down." A steady voice came from behind.
He wasn't as excited as the others; he just squinted slightly, watching the bustling crowd below.
As someone who traveled from the future, he knew that the price of "Kowloon Wharf" had not yet reached its peak and there was still at least HK$10 of room for growth.
but…….
Even though there is still a HK$10 upside potential, he has so many goods to sell that he can't wait until the price peaks before selling. When the price slows down, who would dare to buy in?
Therefore, at the current price, he needs to be prepared to close his position and cash out at any time.
He needs to leave some of the price difference for others to earn so that he can successfully sell all his goods.
Looking at the still calm Li Jiagang, Manager Wang became even more certain that he was no ordinary person. "Mr. Li has such composure," he exclaimed, while also wondering if he really had some kind of powerful background.
Otherwise, given the current surge in his investment in Wharf Holdings, how could he possibly remain completely unaffected?
Most people would be so excited by the fact that their stocks have risen so much that they would be completely overwhelmed.
No one would be as calm as him.
Most importantly, Li Jiagang is still so young, yet he remains calm and rational in the face of such a large sum of money. In Wang's opinion, he must be someone who frequently sees so much money, or someone with a much stronger background and status, to act this way.
He ignored what the broker said and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to observe the trading hall.
While everyone was focused on the soaring share price of Wharf Holdings.
Li Ka-shing's office.
"Knock knock knock!!!"
A series of urgent knocks sounded on the door.
"Come in."
His office receptionist rushed in: "Chairman, Mr. Simbair, the head of HSBC, is calling, but your line is busy."
Upon hearing this, Li Ka-shing quickly glanced at the phone in his office and, sure enough, saw that it wasn't placed steadily.
"Quick! Transfer me in."
"Yes, Chairman."
As his secretary left, Li Ka-shing's mind raced: "Sham Phillips! Contacting me at this time? HSBC never easily intervenes in private business battles, much less proactively contacts a 'challenger' who hasn't yet gained control. What does he want? To test me? To warn me? Or... to force me to concede?"
Although he had never met Sir Michael Sandberg, as the tycoon of HSBC and the helmsman of Hong Kong's financial lifeline, he often paid close attention to this man.
While I wouldn't say I know Shen Bi very well, I have studied his methods and style of dealing with people.
While HSBC appears to be neutral on the surface, it always quietly decides who should rise and who should sink at crucial moments, or rather, when there is enough benefit.
It is outright capitalist.
He is currently in the eye of the storm with Jardine Matheson over the "Wharf Holdings" incident, and the fact that Sir Michael Sandberg called him at this time makes him think twice.
He even wondered what he should do if Shen Bi used his status to pressure him and force him to comply.
Even someone as intelligent as him couldn't understand it at this moment.
He only snapped out of his thoughts when the phone rang, composed himself, and picked up the phone: "Hello, is this Mr. Sim Bi?"
"Yes! Mr. Li, I'm sorry, I didn't disturb your work, did I?" Shen Bi asked on the other end of the phone.
At that time, Shen Bi and Li Ka-shing had no connection whatsoever; they were complete strangers, perhaps only having heard of each other by name.
"Mr. Shen is too kind. Receiving a call from you is something many people would envy." Li Ka-shing couldn't help but flatter Shen Bi.
After all, Sir Michael Sandberg's authority in Hong Kong is too strong now; a single word from him could cause another company to fall from grace in Hong Kong.
"Mr. Li is joking."
Before Li Ka-shing could respond, Sir Michael Sandberg continued, "Mr. Li, are you free at noon today?" He didn't directly state his purpose, but rather, "If you are free, how about we meet and talk?"
Li Ka-shing hesitated for a moment on the other end of the phone, then chuckled and said, "Of course, Mr. Shen Bi said I'd go there at noon."
He was also sensible enough to understand that Shen Bi must have something to say to him, but since the other party didn't say, he couldn't very well ask.
They're all cunning old foxes; if they understood the reason, they might very well find themselves in a passive position instead of an active one.
After Shen Bi told Li Ka-shing the time and place for the meeting, the two exchanged a few polite words and then hung up.
Over at Shen Bi's office.
"Bag! All done."
"Okay, okay, thank you very much, Mr. Shen Bi." Bao Yugang nodded with a big smile.
But then he worried, "Although I have never met this Mr. Li, I have heard that he is a shrewd man. I wonder if he will transfer the business?" Bao Yugang had also heard of Li Ka-shing.
He was also worried that even if Li Ka-shing was willing to transfer Wharf Holdings shares to him, he would ask for an exorbitant price and rip him off.
Shen Bi, who was standing to the side, understood Bao Yugang's thoughts. He smiled and said, "Bao! Don't worry." He comforted his old friend, "Trust me, I will handle this matter for you."
With Shen Bi's help, Bao Yugang felt much more at ease. If he had to handle it on his own, he really wouldn't have been confident in doing a good job.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Shen Bi."
Shen Bi did not respond. He walked to his desk, took out another document, and handed it to him: "Bao! Take another look at this document." He mysteriously handed the document to Bao Yugang.
When he saw the contents of the document, a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "Hahaha..." Bao Yugang burst into laughter, "Mr. Shen Bi, I owe you another big favor."
"Bag! Let's not talk about that yet."
Do you recognize this person in the information?
"I don't know him personally, but I did meet his uncle, Li Yongsen, once, according to the records," Bao Yugang said slowly.
The person in this document is Li Jiagang.
"But this kid is quite interesting." Shen Bi flipped to the last page of the document and pointed to it, saying, "Take a look at all his information." Shen Bi then handed the document to Bao Yugang to look at.
As he read on, he became surprised: "Just a month ago, he was a playboy who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun. At the end of last month, he opened a margin trading account at Great Wisdom Investment Company and then bought a large number of Wharf Holdings shares?" Bao Yugang read the contents of the document in a low voice, and the contents made him somewhat suspicious.
"What's wrong with this kid?"
"It seems like this was premeditated?"
"You also think this kid is strange, right?" Shen Bi said with a smile.
Indeed, opening a margin account for one's first stock trading experience, especially targeting Wharf Holdings, is bound to arouse suspicion.
"Forget it, let's not guess anymore."
"I checked, he's not someone else's spokesperson, maybe it's just good luck."
"Let's arrange a talk with him then."
Upon hearing this, Bao Yugang could only nod in agreement.
Regardless of whether they were after Wharf Holdings shares or were simply lucky to have encountered this situation.
None of that mattered to him.
The key question is whether Li Ka-shing is willing to transfer Wharf Holdings to him.