Lin Haoran had not been sipping his tea for long when a crisp knock on the door broke the silence of the room.
Immediately following, the smiling young lady from the reception desk led Li Jiacheng through the door.
The moment Li Jiacheng stepped into the private booth, his eyes met Lin Haoran's, and he couldn't help but freeze. He wondered to himself if the receptionist had mistaken the room.
Subconsciously, he wanted to turn around and leave to avoid disturbing this young man who seemed to be enjoying his tea time.
However, just as Li Jiacheng was about to move, Lin Haoran's gentle and magnetic voice rang out: "Mr. Li, please, come in and sit."
As he spoke, a sincere smile spread across his face, and he extended a hand toward Li Jiacheng.
At that moment, Li Jiacheng had a sudden realization: the person he had an appointment to meet today was none other than this extraordinary young man before him.
This year, Li Jiacheng turned fifty. He appeared exceptionally steady, wearing black-rimmed glasses that added a touch of scholarly elegance to his look. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, his every movement exuded a refined and gentle temperament, making him appear scholarly at first glance.
After the receptionist politely exited the booth and gently closed the door, Li Jiacheng finally could not suppress his curiosity and asked, "Sir, you look quite familiar. May I ask how to address you? Could it be that you are the major shareholder of Qingzhou Yingni mentioned by Mr. Bao Yugang?"
He searched his memory carefully, certain that he must have met Lin Haoran before. Furthermore, since Mr. Bao Yugang had previously mentioned that the man was a neighbor in their area, Li Jiacheng was even more convinced that his memory was correct.
It was simply that because Lin Haoran was so young, there had been no significant interaction between them, so it was perfectly normal that he didn't recognize him.
Although there weren't many residents in Deep Water Bay, most of those Li Jiacheng knew were heads of prominent families.
As for the younger generation like Lin Haoran, they were naturally categorized as "juniors" in his mind. Since they had never socialized deeply, it was only logical that they were strangers.
"That is correct. I am Lin Haoran, the current major shareholder of Qingzhou Yingni. My father is Lin Wan'an; I presume you have heard of him. It is a great honor to meet you, Mr. Li," Lin Haoran introduced himself with a smile, his tone revealing a sense of humility.
"Lin Wan'an? You are Lin Wan'an's son?" Upon hearing this, a wave of disbelief surged in Li Jiacheng's heart.
Compared to Bao Yugang, he had a deeper understanding of Lin Wan'an.
After all, although the Wan'an Group and Cheung Kong Holdings differed greatly in scale, both were deeply rooted in the real estate industry and were members of the Hong Kong Property Association. They had many professional intersections, providing plenty of opportunities for mutual acquaintance.
With the booming development of Hong Kong real estate, even though they all belonged to the same industry, they weren't exactly competitors.
As a neighbor in the Deep Water Bay villa area, Li Jiacheng had even once advised Lin Wan'an that in the rapidly changing real estate industry, if one wanted to accelerate business growth, it was an inevitable and sometimes even necessary strategy to use financial leverage—that is, to take on a certain amount of debt.
However, Lin Wan'an clearly held a different view and had not adopted Li Jiacheng's suggestion.
"Lin Wan'an's son... does he possess such massive capital strength?" Li Jiacheng muttered to himself, his face filled with confusion.
Clearly, Li Jiacheng was skeptical.
He found it difficult to connect Lin Haoran, a seemingly young junior, with the identity of someone capable of controlling vast amounts of capital and becoming a major shareholder of Qingzhou Yingni.
"Could Brother Bao have been blinded by this young man?" The thought flashed through Li Jiacheng's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
"No, with Brother Bao's shrewdness and caution, he would never be so easily deceived by a young man."
At this moment, Li Jiacheng felt as though his mind were shrouded in a thick fog, his thoughts in disarray.
He tried to clear his head, only to find that the more he tried to understand, the more confused he became.
The massive disparity between Lin Haoran's identity and his actual strength left him with an unprecedented sense of bewilderment.
Observing the changes in Li Jiacheng's expression, Lin Haoran already had a good idea of what was happening.
He understood that the doubt and distrust in Li Jiacheng's heart were identical to Bao Yugang's reaction when he first met him—both were finding it hard to believe that someone so young could possess such immense wealth.
This reaction was actually quite understandable.
In the eyes of most people, even if Lin Haoran, as Lin Wan'an's son, inherited a portion of the family wealth, it would be difficult for him to independently support such massive capital operations.
Especially to someone like Li Jiacheng, who understood the strength comparison between the Wan'an Group and Qingzhou Yingni, it was even harder to equate the two.
While the Wan'an Group held a certain status in the industry, its comprehensive strength was still inferior to that of Qingzhou Yingni.
While it wasn't impossible for a small player to take on a large one, Li Jiacheng had not heard of any large-scale fundraising activities by the Wan'an Group during this period, nor had he heard that Lin Wan'an could enlist a heavyweight like Bao Yugang to assist him.
All of this left Li Jiacheng exceptionally perplexed.
He could not understand how an apparently ordinary young man could accumulate such vast wealth in such a short time and successfully become a major shareholder of Qingzhou Yingni.
What was even more incredible to Li Jiacheng was that Lin Haoran not only possessed such immense wealth on his own but had also successfully invited a business titan like Bao Yugang to act as a mediator, convincing him to abandon his acquisition plan for Qingzhou Yingni in exchange for a personal favor.
A favor from Bao Yugang was extremely valuable.
All of this felt like a phantom in the mist—both real and illusory, making it impossible to grasp.
Li Jiacheng knew that Bao Yugang held a significant position in the business world; every decision he made was carefully considered, and he would never be easily influenced by others.
Yet now, Lin Haoran was able to influence and change Bao Yugang's decision single-handedly. The hidden power and wisdom behind this forced Li Jiacheng to re-evaluate this young man.
"Mr. Lin, I am curious, how did you convince Brother Bao to act as your mediator?" Li Jiacheng asked the question he was most eager to know.
"It's quite simple. I have something he desperately needs. I reached a deal with him, on the condition that Uncle Bao would act as a mediator for me to Mr. Li," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
None of this was a secret; if Li Jiacheng wanted to know, he would find out very soon.
"Something Brother Bao desperately needs... Wharf shares?" Li Jiacheng immediately thought of this.
After all, he had just completed a massive share transaction with Bao Yugang involving Wharf shares, and now everyone in Hong Kong knew that the thing Bao Yugang needed most was Wharf stock.
"Exactly. Mr. Li's wisdom is admirable. I previously completed an important transaction with Uncle Bao, selling all the Wharf shares I held to him. In return, Uncle Bao needed to persuade you to abandon your acquisition plan for Qingzhou Yingni.
Even though I am confident and can almost guarantee obtaining controlling interest in Qingzhou Yingni, I still believe that avoiding your unnecessary intervention is the best way to protect the interests of both parties and prevent a lose-lose situation.
Considering Mr. Bao's status and influence in the industry, he is undoubtedly the best person to effectively persuade you to change your mind," Lin Haoran explained.
(End of Chapter)