He had already planned that after obtaining cash from the stocks, he would deposit it into a bank in Hong Kong owned by Taiwan person, and then quickly transfer the money to Taiwan. Once the cash was in a Taiwan bank, whether it was Lin Xiaozhe, Lin Xiaoze Lin Xiao qia, or even the seemingly unassuming Lin Xiaojie, they would all be able to use all their connections in Hong Kong to ensure that Lin Xiaohe's permission. He could then calmly maneuver and work with his third sister-in-law Lu Yanqun to find a way to rescue Lin Xiaohe as soon as possible.
"The Lin Family has the right of first refusal, that's for sure. And as far as I know, nobody wants to take over real estate businesses right now, including Song Tianyao, whom you mentioned. His goal isn't really to acquire Xizhen Properties and get involved in the real estate industry. His goal is to manipulate the stock market by going long or short on Xizhen Properties's share price, and then quickly cash out when the time is right. He's already made a lot of money from this operation, far more than the returns from real estate development. Moreover, due to the impact of the Korean War, all real estate developers are pessimistic about the future of Hong Kong's real estate market, at least for the next two or three years," Michael Sandberg said earnestly to Lin Xiaosen.
"Could we discuss the price further? Eighty million..." Lin Xiaosen hesitated about the price.
He didn't hesitate to sell the shares to HSBC, but the price HSBC offered made him uneasy. Eighty million was a fortune for many local Chinese businessmen, but he was still worried that the price was too low for the Lin Family. You see, when Song Tianyao offered 180 million to acquire 24% of Jardine Matheson's shares, it raised the total value of Xizhen Properties to nearly 700 million Hong Kong dollars. Now, HSBC only offered 80 million Hong Kong dollars to acquire 27% of the Lin Family's shares.
Accumulated over three generations, vast amounts of land and buildings; if this were during a prosperous era...
As he hesitated, his driver, without even knocking, strode in and whispered in Lin Xiaosen's ear:
"Fourth Young Master, something's happened at the Soda Factory. The police say all the workers are suspected of engaging in organized crime activities, and they found opium, pistols, and knives in the factory warehouse. The police, along with the Industrial and Commercial Administration Office, have sealed off the factory. I heard they won't consider allowing the factory to resume operations until everything is investigated and clarified."
Lin Xiaosen suddenly felt dizzy!
He wasn't as far-sighted as Lin Xiaoze Lin Xiaohe in thinking things through. Accustomed to being a pampered young master, he was a rubber stamp. Lin Xiaosen was more suited to dealing with situations as they arose, following Lin Xiaohe's instructions step by step. At this moment, he was busy quelling the internal strife within the Lin Family, but now news of the Soda Factory being shut down had surfaced?
The Soda Factory is the Lin Family's cash cow. If it stops operating and cannot complete the entrusted orders on time, Coca-Cola alone can sue the Soda Factory to the point of closure, not to mention that in addition to Coca-Cola, there are also companies like 7-Up and Yuen Chun that have entrusted the factory.
If the project is halted due to breach of contract, the Hong Kong dollars 80 million in hand will likely be heavily taken by the clients! These clients aren't just local Hong Kong Chinese like Lin Xiao qia, Lin Xiaoze, or Ji Dongpu of Bank of East Asia; Coca-Cola is United States, with branches not only in Hong Kong but also in Taiwan. Tracing this money...
Etc.
Lin Xiaosen recalled that the Soda Factory business was initially managed by Lin Xiaokang, and later it was handed over to Lin Xiaojie. The original intention was to have Lin Xiaojie help the family raise some money from the Bank of East Asia, but Lin Xiaojie pretended to be deaf and dumb and did not make any move for a long time.
Regardless of whether Lin Xiaojie wanted to reap the benefits, since the Soda Factory had run into trouble, he was naturally responsible. Taking advantage of the fact that the blame couldn't be pinned on him, Lin Xiaosen raised an eyebrow and decisively said to Michael Sandberg in front of him:
"Eighty million, that's it, eighty million it is, sell it! If Mr. Turner doesn't mind going home late tonight, let's go to the HSBC Building now, sign the contract in the presence of a lawyer, and release the news as soon as the market opens tomorrow morning."
"Mr. Lin, what a spirit!" Michael Sandberg stood up with an admiring expression and shook hands with Lin Xiaosen: "With someone like you, the Lin Family will definitely be able to get out of the crisis quickly. HSBC and I have always firmly believed in this."
Lin Xiaojie hurriedly left the Lin Family and had just arrived at the Ji Family, intending to seek advice from his father-in-law Ji Dongpu. However, before Ji Dongpu could even offer any guidance, several plainclothes officers appeared outside the Ji Family's gate.
"Excuse me, is Mr. Lin Xiaojie here? We are officers from the Kowloon To Kwa Wan Police Station in Kowloon. We would like to request that Mr. Lam return to the Police Station to assist with an investigation."
However, in a family like the Ji Family, even the plainclothes officers weren't allowed to enter through the main gate. Two servants blocked their way and told them to wait obediently outside.
Ji Dongpu sat on the sofa in the living room, leaning on his cane, and instructed the butler standing beside him, "Call the family lawyer and have him accompany A-Jie to the Police Station to assist with the investigation."
After the butler agreed and went to call the Ji Family's lawyer, Ji Dongpu said to the somewhat bewildered Lin Xiaojie, "Don't panic. The Lin Family's affairs are not your fault. You don't need to say anything yourself. The lawyer knows what to do. Apart from blood ties, you've always worked for me in business with the Lin Family. You only recently took over the Soda Factory. Since they've sent people to you, it must be because there's a problem with the Soda Factory. After all, it's a lucrative business. With the Lin Family in trouble, those who are eager to take advantage of it certainly won't forget about it."
"Then I'll go to the Police Station first. But what could possibly happen at Soda Factory? It doesn't belong to Xizhen Properties Soda Factory, and it's a legitimate business." Ji Dongpu's two sentences put Lin Xiaojie at ease. His father-in-law had been in charge of Bank of East Asia, Hong Kong's largest Chinese-owned bank, for decades. Although he was now old, his reaction, eyesight, judgment, and analytical skills were still top-notch.
Ji Dongpu snorted, "The Soda Factory is a legitimate business, but the workers there aren't exactly respectable people. Your father's gangster mentality is too strong; he values loyalty and his previous businesses relied on gangsters. So, in the end, the entire Soda Factory was filled with his gangsters. Did he really think Hong Kong could openly support private armies? When I first started my bank, I also had gangsters help collect some difficult debts, but I couldn't let those scumbags work for my bank just because they helped me collect debts. Don't treat those gangsters like pet dogs; treat them like prostitutes. Pay them once you've done it, don't be sentimental. They come when you call and leave when you want, clean and simple."