Chapter 39: Mobilizing All Available Funds

Under the current circumstances, if one wishes to achieve a breakthrough in the stock market—especially regarding the battle for control over Tsing Chau Cement—accelerating the rise of Wharf Holdings' share price has become the most direct and effective strategy.

Currently, Lin Haoran has sixteen million Hong Kong dollars remaining. In terms of scale, this sum is neither a titan's fortune nor insignificant.

Even if the entire amount were used to purchase Tsing Chau Cement stock, the direct effect would be limited, at most increasing his holdings by just over three million shares.

Admittedly, this would allow Lin Haoran's stake in Tsing Chau Cement to leap past the critical threshold of 20%. However, faced with potential competitors like Cheung Kong Holdings, if they were determined to succeed, Lin Haoran's 20%-plus stake would appear meager and insufficient to form a decisive advantage.

In a war of attrition, the opponent would hold a clear upper hand by virtue of their much more substantial capital and strategic positioning.

Therefore, Lin Haoran's strategy must shift to a "quick strike" approach. He must strive to use precise operations and tactics within a short timeframe to prevent Li Jia Cheng from having enough time to lay his groundwork, thereby forcing Li Jia Cheng's side to voluntarily abandon the acquisition of Tsing Chau Cement.

On the other hand, Lin Haoran is also actively seeking to bolster his own financial strength.

Raising funds through the Wharf Holdings channel would undoubtedly be a significant boost.

He knew clearly that while selling shares directly at current market prices would yield considerable profit, it fell far short of his ultimate goals.

Given that the "Shipowner King" and the Jardine Group had already quietly entered the market and begun absorbing Wharf Holdings' low-priced shares, Lin Haoran keenly sensed an opportunity to drive up the stock price.

According to past market trends, Wharf Holdings' share price was expected to grow significantly within the next six months, with the potential to break the HKD 60 per share mark by next March, and perhaps even reach highs of over a hundred Hong Kong dollars by 1980.

However, Lin Haoran did not intend to wait passively for this natural process to unfold.

He planned to take the initiative, utilizing the covert maneuvers of the Shipowner King and Jardine to skillfully push them into the spotlight, turning this acquisition battle from an undercurrent of tension into an overt confrontation.

A few tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars was but a drop in the ocean for the massive Wharf Group, yet its influence was not to be underestimated; it was sufficient to serve as leverage to pry up the entire share price of Wharf Holdings.

This would not only accelerate the rise in stock price but also allow Lin Haoran to take the initiative at the negotiating table, realizing capital recovery under more favorable terms and thereby rapidly strengthening his financial position.

At the same time, Lin Haoran was very aware of the deep friendship between Bao Yugang and Li Jia Cheng, which presented him with the possibility of indirectly influencing Li Jia Cheng's decisions through Bao Yugang.

He mused that perhaps he could skillfully exploit this relationship, making Bao Yugang an ally in persuading Li Jia Cheng to give up on Tsing Chau Cement.

After all, while Tsing Chau Cement held a place in the Hong Kong business community, it was not a leader among top British-funded enterprises. For various considerations, Li Jia Cheng might be willing to give Bao Yugang face once more and thus abandon his obsession with Tsing Chau Cement.

However, to make Bao Yugang willing to do this for Lin Haoran, he had to make Bao Yugang feel that he owed Lin Haoran a favor.

In the business world, personal favors often sway many decisions that seem impossible.

Therefore, Lin Haoran needed to carefully orchestrate a situation, creating an opportunity for help that Bao Yugang would find difficult to refuse, so that Bao Yugang would be willing to step in later to fulfill that favor and facilitate Li Jia Cheng's decision to abandon Tsing Chau Cement.

After deep deliberation, Lin Haoran's state of mind gradually calmed. Facing even a formidable opponent like Li Jia Cheng, he no longer felt excessive tension or unease; instead, he began to feel a sense of excitement.

Placing the Tsing Chau Cement stock certificates into his briefcase, Lin Haoran walked out of the office, intending to make another trip to Hang Seng Bank.

At this moment, Su Zhixue and Dai Shi were immersed in their respective work. The vast space—this office of over a hundred square meters—was occupied only by the two of them, making it feel exceptionally spacious and somewhat quiet.

The two brothers, Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, sat side by side on chairs near the office entrance, each clutching a bodyguard manual, reading with intense concentration as if they were absorbing every detail and essential of their profession.

Their expressions were focused, and they occasionally exchanged whispered opinions; clearly, they held a very serious attitude toward how to protect their boss.

However, this tranquility was about to be broken, because starting next Monday, three new traders would arrive to inject new vitality into the team.

Furthermore, Lin Haoran planned to hire a receptionist to maintain the cleanliness of the office environment and handle daily receptions, such as cleaning and serving tea—tasks that, while basic, were indispensable to the company's daily operations and relatively easy to fill.

Even though the stock market had entered its closing period, the work of Su Zhixue and Dai Shi did not stop.

In the securities industry, technical trading skills alone were far from enough; one also needed profound analytical abilities and keen market insight.

Therefore, even during the market's silent days, they needed to intensively collect market information and analyze stock trends to prepare fully for the upcoming trading season.

Otherwise, Lin Haoran would have no need to let them stay until six o'clock.

Just before leaving the office, Lin Haoran turned to Su Zhixue and Dai Shi and said, "Zhixue, Ah Shi, I'm going out to handle some business. My return time might be uncertain. If I'm not back by six, don't wait for me; you can just head home."

"Understood, Boss," Su Zhixue and Dai Shi responded almost simultaneously.

The plan to have the Shipowner King intervene to persuade Li Jia Cheng to abandon the acquisition of Tsing Chau Cement was merely one part of Lin Haoran's many preparations, and he was not entirely confident in the success of this strategy.

Therefore, Lin Haoran decided to attack from two sides, mobilizing all available capital resources simultaneously to increase his chances of winning the competition.

He understood that against a powerful opponent like Li Jia Cheng, every bit of advantage was crucial.

Just like his previous successful operation, he planned to replicate that strategy. Although his current holdings of Tsing Chau Cement stock were limited, he had resolved to take out another loan of over ten million Hong Kong dollars to increase his chips.

In Lin Haoran's view, in the face of fierce commercial competition, more capital meant more opportunities to win.

He firmly believed that through these two-pronged preparations, he would surely secure a favorable position in the Tsing Chau Cement acquisition battle and ultimately achieve his goals.

Watching Lin Haoran walk out of the office, the brothers Li Weiguo and Li Weidong quickly and tacitly put away their bodyguard manuals and followed closely behind their boss.

Both the Hengfeng Building and the Hang Seng Bank headquarters were located in the Central district, and the distance between them was not far.

Ten minutes later, Lin Haoran appeared once again in the Chairman's office at the Hang Seng Bank headquarters.