Upon hearing Pan Guoyang utter the words "Golden Mountain," Lu Rongfang suddenly stopped, staring at Pan Guoyang with a look of sudden realization. "Mountain! That's right! It's a mountain! I understand! Xizhen Properties owns a barren mountain that's almost been forgotten!"
"Miss Rong, how about I take you for a spin at Little Olive Psychiatric Hospital? Your expression is frightening me," Pan Guoyang said, feigning unease and taking a step back.
"A hostile takeover of Xizhen Properties is simply impossible for Song Tianyao with his meager assets. To get those shareholders close to the Lin Family to sell their shares to him, the price would be outrageously high. He wouldn't have enough funds; he'd be wiped out before he could even get half! But what if he acquires a batch of shares, putting on a show of a 'snake swallowing an elephant' to intimidate others, but actually only wants a portion of the property? Like, a barren mountain?" Lu Rongfang squatted on the ground, picked up a small stone, drew a circle on the ground, and muttered rapidly, as if afraid she'd forget if she spoke too slowly, "This is Xizhen Properties. After the liberation of Hong Kong, the Lin Family expanded..." Through multiple IPOs to raise funds, the Lin family diluted their shareholding. Although the board of directors of Xizhen Properties has not publicly disclosed its ownership, the Lin Family's shareholding should be around 27% to 30%. Considering the underwriting by closely related banks or other companies during the IPOs, those companies and institutions would hold another 15-20% of the shares. If Xizhen Properties faces a hostile takeover, as long as the Lin Family buys back the shares held by those companies and institutions, the combined shareholding of the Lin Family brothers would immediately recover to nearly 51%, firmly controlling the board of Xizhen Properties and the company. Even if Song Tianyao were to start from scratch... It's unlikely that Song Tianyao could absorb a large number of shares, so my initial thought was that his most likely intention was to short-sell Xizhen Properties's stock to make a profit. If he wasn't short-selling but genuinely wanted to acquire Xizhen Properties, Song Tianyao lacked the strength. His initial capital might be enough to sustain the situation, but it would quickly become tiresome if the situation dragged on. No matter how many shares Song Tianyao held, it wouldn't be as many as the Lin Family's. Therefore, the only outcome of his holdings would be to become a director on Xizhen Properties's board of directors. However, even as a director, Song Tianyao wouldn't have enough power and influence to effectively influence Xizhen Properties's development. Given time... "If the Lin Family joins forces with other shareholders to increase capital, they can immediately drive Song Tianyao out. My older brother and I were driven from Malaysia to Hong Kong using this method. So I've never understood whether Song Tianyao wants to make a quick buck through short selling or if he really wants to swallow a much larger company. It's just a coincidence, and fate has been on my side. If I hadn't come to Bird's Beak to check out the site and figure out how to make some extra money through land reclamation, and if you hadn't mentioned the 'Gold Mountain,' it would have been really hard to figure out that guy's third path between making money through short selling and swallowing a larger company. This guy's strategy is shrewd; he can profit from both advances and retreats. However, there are still two questions I can't answer, and I need to ask him personally."
Lu Rongfang stood up, threw the stone in her hand far out to sea, and said to Pan Guoyang, "Let's go!"
"Where are we going again? Didn't you say you were going to Bird's Beak?" Pan Guoyang asked impatiently, confirming that Lu Rongfang had finished her tantrum.
Lu Rongfang was definitely a woman of action. While urging Pan Guoyang to leave, she herself was already walking towards the car in the distance. "Of course we're going to see Song Tianyao. Hey, we should make money as early as possible. Let's go!"
"Introduce Chunmei to me, and I'll go," Pan Guoyang said, following behind.
Lu Rongfang opened the car door and said to Pan Guoyang, "I'll introduce you to someone, are you in?"
"I'll get you sooner or later!" Pan Guoyang rolled his eyes, got into the driver's seat, and said, "Didn't you already say he was average-looking and not worth mentioning at the Six-Person Dinner? Why are you in such a hurry to meet him now?"
"His looks are average, but I'm not choosing a wife. Whether he's handsome or not has nothing to do with me. The most important thing is that he's smart. Of course, I'll try to curry favor with him. Anyway, my older brother and I are outsiders and have no connection with the Lin Family. I won't feel ashamed to follow Song Tianyao and take a small piece of the Lin Family's flesh. On the contrary, Song Tianyao is young, so of course I'll try to get on his good side. Since the previous patriarch, Lin Xizhen, was shot and the Lin Family stopped doing opium, their strength has declined considerably. If it weren't for the large amount of property and land that Lin Xizhen had hoarded back then, the Lin Family would have fallen into decline long ago when the opium business ended. The current patriarch Lin Xiaoze, is involved in hotels, building skyscrapers, shipping, trade, and so on. He has many companies." They have many interests, but no clear plan; it's clearly just casting a wide net. Their only strength is that when the Korean War broke out, the Lin Family didn't follow other large Chinese business families or Britain companies in shifting their focus to prevent the mainland from militarily retaking Hong Kong. Instead, they took advantage of the economic downturn to continue their bottom-fishing expansion across various industries. As long as the Korean War ends and the mainland doesn't attack Hong Kong, thanks to Lin Xiaoze's expansion over the past two years, the Lin Family will be wealthy for at least several decades. Even a devastating storm in any particular industry might not be able to bring them down. However, no matter how good the Lin Family is, I still think it's better to maintain a good relationship with Song Tianyao. He's young, and he shouldn't lose this time. Besides, even if he loses, he still has a chance.
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"It's really exhausting talking to you. Do you really want me to be so direct? To be honest, Lin Xiaoze bold, Song Tianyao is smart, and I'm just lucky. As for why I went to see Song Tianyao to make friends, it's because the Lin Family wouldn't bother with a nobody like me trying to curry favor. Do you understand now?"
"I understand, Miss Rong. You said you're a loser, that's a very succinct and insightful statement," Pan Guoyang said with a wicked grin.
Lu Rongfang felt incredibly lucky to have guessed Song Tianyao's thoughts so perfectly, and quite excited, she looked out the window at the desolate Bird's Beak and said:
"The moon in the sky never shines eternally, but spring will surely come again on earth. The Lin Family will not be the eternal moon, but even if Song Tianyao fails this time, spring will eventually come again."
Chapter 316 Interesting Stories about HSBC and Jardine
Bao Yuehan, 27, from HSBC's Securities Affairs Department, looked more like a financial elite than Sir Michael Sandberg, whose appearance was slightly more rugged. Compared to Michael Sandberg's broad frame, Bao Yuehan appeared somewhat thin and slender, with a well-proportioned figure and a typical Britain high-bridged, aquiline nose perched on his nose. He wore a white polo shirt and crisp cotton trousers, with a golf glove on his left hand, and was swinging his club with a graceful motion. The small golf ball, upon being struck, rolled along the slope of the grass towards the hole and went in accurately.