The Lin Family who contacted Lam Kong and Handkerchief Qing had a stronger sense of family and thought he was more meticulous than Lin Xiaohe. He wanted to help Lin Xiaohe and Lin Xiyuan clean up the mess in advance and remove all traces. This person was either the eldest son of the Lin Family, Lin Xiaoze, or the second son of the Lin Family, Lin Xiao qia.
However, this person did not expect that the more he thought and did, the bigger the mistakes would be. He did good deeds but made things worse. Lam Kong's phone call made Song Tianyao more vigilant. If it weren't for that phone call, Song Tianyao would already be down there selling salted duck eggs.
Song Tianyao slammed his hand heavily on the paper. "Brother Six, contact a ship. We're preparing to return to Hong Kong. We'll come back after Mr. He finishes his work. I need to go back and thank the Lin Family!"
"Boss, Dr. Dr. Pedro Lobo, the Director of the Macau Economic Bureau and advisor to the Macau Kiang Wu Hospital Charity Association, just called. He learned that you were among the first to distribute rice to the people of Macau on behalf of Hong Kong Oxfam Macau the unrest, helping the Macau government stabilize public sentiment. He praised you as a pioneer of charity in Hong Kong and Macau and is inviting you to dinner at the Green Tun Villa to express the Macau government and the Macau Kiang Wu Hospital Charity Association's gratitude to you and Hong Kong Oxfam." Huang Liu, having heard Song Tianyao's instructions, slipped in from outside and said to Song Tianyao, "He also said that his butler will personally deliver the invitation later; he hopes you will do him the honor of attending."
Given the current situation in Macau, does Pedro Lobo still have the mood to see me?
Chapter 343 Overthinking
"Mr. Lin, I have no intention of questioning Mr. Studwell's professional ethics or personal abilities, nor do I wish to offend him." Tang Boqi and Lin Xiaosen sat facing each other in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the top-floor suite of the Lin Garden Hotel, gazing at Hong Kong under the night sky.
Lin Xiaosen smiled at Tang Boqi, and the waiter behind him brought them two glasses of whiskey with ice water from the suite's mini-bar. Lin Xiaojie picked up a glass and handed it to Tang Boqi before saying, "I know Mr. Studwell doesn't think you offended him. The reason I invited Mr. Tang to dinner is to hear your thoughts on Song Tianyao's malicious acquisition of Xizhen Properties, and how to deal with Xizhen Properties next."
Tang Boqi was puzzled as to why the Lin Family, who had previously ignored his warnings, had invited him to dinner just a day later. He wondered what had changed their opinion of the Lin Family. However, this didn't stop Tang Boqi from speaking fluently and confidently to Lin Xiaosen.
"From the moment Song Tianyao's wig factory turned a profit in its first month, he started investing in the stock market, quietly accumulating shares of Xizhen Properties. I don't know why he chose Xizhen Properties, a real estate stock, but it's clear now that Song Tianyao has secured eight months' worth of orders from ten factories through near extortion. Although Song Tianyao hasn't publicly announced any acquisition plans, and to all onlookers it seems that Song Tianyao's strength is vastly different from the Lin Family's, the stock market doesn't judge by appearances. The stock market is a very pragmatic place; money is the sole measure of strength. Song Tianyao's current available cash and assets that he can borrow from banks are not much less than Xizhen Properties's market capitalization. At today's share price, Xizhen Properties is worth Hong Kong dollars 1.12 per share..." The stock price indicates that Xizhen Properties is currently worth less than Hong Kong dollars 100 million. If it were at the previous price of Hong Kong dollars 0.6-0.7 per share before Song Tianyao acquired the shares, Xizhen Properties would only have a market capitalization of Hong Kong dollars 40 million. Is Xizhen Properties really only worth HK$40 million? Even someone who doesn't understand economics or stocks wouldn't believe that Xizhen Properties, which owns a large amount of land, properties, and even entire streets, could only be worth Hong Kong dollars 40 million. This involves the influence of the environment, the situation, and Xizhen Properties's development direction. Song Tianyao had this in mind; he was optimistic about the future of Hong Kong's real estate industry, and Xizhen Properties, whose market capitalization was clearly undervalued by the stock market, was his target. He wanted to acquire Xizhen Properties while the price was low because once the real estate industry truly took off, the gap between him and the Lin Family would only widen.
"I've heard Ah Da talk about what happened between you and Song Tianyao, and I've also heard about the things that happen in the wig industry. What kind of person is Song Tianyao in your eyes?" Lin Xiaosen smiled and nodded at Tang Boqi, then asked another question.
This question prevented Tang Boqi from launching into a long, eloquent speech as before. Instead, he fell silent for a full four or five minutes before finally speaking to Lin Xiaosen with some difficulty, an unnatural smile on his face:
"I don't know how to describe him. He forced me to retreat to the United States, but looking back, I realized that my hatred for him was less intense than my hatred for myself. He wasn't a good person, but he wasn't a truly bad one either. The difficulty lies in the fact that you never know when you might be tempted by something he said, and he won't warn you. Instead, he'll stand by your side watching you get closer and closer to the abyss of greed, and then gently push you down, leaving you ruined while he achieves his success. Moreover, he makes you unconsciously despise him. Like now, Mr. Lin, I think you absolutely don't believe that Song Tianyao could buy Xizhen Properties, because no matter how you look at it, he doesn't have that much power. Back then, my uncle and cousin all lost because they underestimated their opponent. I kept reminding myself and my uncle and cousin not to underestimate their opponent, but it's human nature. When I realized that I had the power in the wig industry, Song Tianyao had been isolated and cowered, looking vulnerable at any moment..."
Tang Boqi paused for a moment, then continued, "Actually, I'm saying now that we can't underestimate him. He's used to feigning weakness, but I don't think I can guarantee I won't make the same mistake again when we face each other. Song Tianyao is extremely adept at leveraging or creating opportunities to achieve big gains with small investments. You don't know where he leverages his power. Last time, he leveraged the United States - Mainland China trade environment and McCarthyism in the United States. Who would have thought that a small Hong Kong wig factory owner, instead of focusing on production technology, would try to use this environment to undermine everyone in the industry? Nobody expected it, but that's how he made his move. That's the Song Tianyao I know. If you, Mr. Lin, ask me how to deal with him, I can only say I don't know. My suggestions are two."
"Which two?" Lin Xiaosen asked calmly.
Tang Boqi sighed, "First, the Lin Family is constantly increasing their stake in Xizhen Properties, raising their equity ratio. Second, whether it's positive news or direct actions, they are continuously pushing up Xizhen Properties's stock price, increasing the difficulty and cost of Song Tianyao's hostile takeover, forcing him to back down. He only has about 6% of the shares now. By driving up the stock price, we can force him to sell his shares and make a profit before he makes a move. There are no limits on the rise and fall of the Hong Kong stock market, so we need to stop his idea quickly and force him to withdraw before he can exert his strength."