Started from Hong Kong Island

Chapter 237 [Kowloon Wharf]

The Hong Kong Building in Wan Chai covers an area of ​​only 1.7 square feet, but the original area was 2.1 square feet. The Zhongming Building is slightly larger, covering an area of ​​2.3 square feet. With some green areas, the actual area reaches 2.6 square feet.

Therefore, the ratio of the actual areas of the two buildings is 44.7%:55.3%. Under Li Wendi's efforts, Li Huanggua finally gave in and the investment and profit distribution were both based on 45%:55%.

At first, Li Huanggua was thinking of going with a ratio of 40%:60%, because Changxin Real Estate Company did not have sufficient funds at the moment, and adhering to Li Wendi's idea of ​​size, he actually wanted to take more of the future profits.

Compared to the construction cost, the profit return is at least several times of the construction cost. Li Huanggua's calculations are clattering. Li Wendi certainly understands the truth. He sneers in his heart that Li Huanggua appears to be kind and righteous on the surface, but is actually selfish and profit-oriented. There is really not much comparison between him and a businessman like Baochuan Wang. No wonder he was disliked by the people in his previous life.

According to the current market conditions, the construction cost is not high and is much cheaper than before 73. In addition, Li Wendi plans to let the people from Wen Yan Decoration Engineering Company get involved in the demolition and reconstruction of the building. After all, most of the people from Wen Yan Decoration Engineering Company were poached from Poly Construction Company and are experienced. There is no need to worry about construction issues. It is just a matter of accumulating some construction information and reputation for Wen Yan Decoration Engineering Company.

Li Huanggua had no objection to this, because Cheung Kong Holdings did not have any construction companies under its umbrella. Instead of hiring an outside company, it would be better to do Li Wendi a favor.

The two also discussed some other details, including how to accommodate those corporate merchants who were unwilling to move out of the two buildings.

Li Wendi was very careful when dealing with people like Li Huanggua, for fear of being tricked by Li Huanggua. Li Huanggua, who had been in the business world for decades, was not only experienced, but also good at learning and dealing with people. He had learned all those little tricks, which was really a bit scary.

Late September

The trading hall of HSBC Bank was still deserted. The employees in red vests were leisurely reading newspapers. When they saw Li Wendi come in, they glanced at him, then lowered their heads to read the newspapers, yawning from time to time.

The Hang Seng Index has now fallen to 242 points, down nearly 8 points from August. Although the drop is not large, it is almost hitting bottom. No one knows whether it will rebound, and no one dares to hold too much hope.

After all, the lessons from the previous two times are still fresh in our minds. Once expectations are too high, the losses will be greater.

Three minutes later, Wu Xiong appeared and trotted to Li Wendi's side. Li Wendi was his big client. Wu Xiong made back his losses in the stock market just by investing in the appreciation of the mark. Other colleagues were also eyeing Li Wendi. If a colleague poached him, Wu Xiong would regret it to death.

"How is the acquisition of Wharf Holdings' shares going?" Li Wendi asked Wu Xiong after looking at him.

"It's almost finished. We have about 400 million in funds left, and we have secretly purchased 1560 million shares, which accounts for about 15.6% of the total share capital. If we acquire another 0.4%, Mr. Li, you will be able to join the board of directors of Wharf Holdings and become a director." Wu Xiong's words were a little excited. This was a large British-owned enterprise and was well-known in Hong Kong.

I believe that once the news spreads, Li Wendi's reputation will reach another height.

After all, Chinese companies have not yet started to deal with British companies, let alone embezzlement and acquisition cases.

"Then let's go ahead. How is the market's reaction?" Li Wendi was still a little worried about being discovered. Although it was a matter of time, he was not ready yet.

"The stock market is very depressed now, the Hang Seng Index is still falling, and the share price of Wharf Holdings is unstable. Few people will pay attention to these things, and we are also very careful, so no one will find out for the time being." Wu Xiong continued, "There are still many scattered shares in the market. Mr. Li, do you want to buy more?"

Wu Xiong also knew that it was impossible to keep the matter secret forever. After all, the board of directors of Wharf Holdings needed to be informed within a certain period of time after exceeding 16%. This was part of the Hong Kong Company Law.

"Yeah!" Li Wendi nodded. It was easier to acquire Wharf Holdings' stocks now, but it might not be so easy later because the top management of Wharf Holdings were not fools and would definitely keep a close eye on Li Wendi, a Chinese.

"Okay, transfer another 1000 million from my account and try to acquire 20% of the shares of Wharf Holdings." Li Wendi immediately made up his mind to make a big move.

Wu Xiong was slightly stunned, then immediately said yes.

Li Wendi asked some more questions about the stock market situation and then left HSBC.

A few days later, the senior management of Wharf Holdings discovered unusual movements in their company's stock. After paying attention for a whole morning, they found that an account was absorbing a large number of stocks. They then suspected that someone wanted to take over Wharf Holdings during the stock market downturn.

After investigation, it was found that it was a HSBC account. Unfortunately, HSBC's confidentiality measures were very strict, and the senior management of Hutchison Whampoa Company used many connections to trace it to Li Wendi.

When Wu Xiong saw such a big commotion, he quickly contacted Li Wendi and reported the matter. After all, Wu Xiong could not hide such a big thing.

"What's going on? How much stock have you acquired?" Li Wendi didn't hear the whole story clearly over the phone, but he knew that the top management of Hutchison Whampoa had discovered their stock acquisition activities.

"Wharf Holdings has already traced you back through their connection with Jardine Matheson Holdings. They have now acquired 20% of the stock, completing the second step of their goal," Wu Xiong reported with a solemn expression.

Li Wendi frowned. He didn't expect that Hutchison Whampoa would act so quickly and even work with its parent company to get to the bottom of things. It seemed that they had a strong sense of prevention and were far from being as arrogant as described in the records of his previous life.

"Should we continue to increase acquisitions? We have been exposed anyway." Wu Xiong suggested that since they had already offended the Wharf Group, they might as well get more capital so that they would be more powerful in future negotiations.

Li Wendi nodded. The current stock price is definitely cheaper than in the future. Although the current funds are of great use, he can't care about so much. Being targeted by Hutchison Whampoa is not a pleasant thing.

"Continue the acquisition, and stop when it exceeds 5 yuan." Li Wendi still did not want to start a takeover war with Hutchison Whampoa and Jardine Matheson at this time. After all, his funds were insufficient.

"Okay!" Wu Xiong hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "If the top management of Wharf Holdings invites you to meet, will you meet them?"

It seemed a little inappropriate not to meet, and after thinking for a while, Li Wendi nodded and said, "Meet, but if those little Karami meet me, then there is no need."

Li Wendi felt that it could not be ruled out that the people from Wharf Holdings were arrogant, and sending a small figure to negotiate would only damage their own status.

"I understand! I will take care of this for you." Wu Xiong said solemnly.

Jardine Matheson controls Hong Kong Land Development, which controls Wharf Holdings. Hong Kong Land Development holds only 26% of Wharf Holdings' shares. The controlling stake is naturally unstable because they are very confident that no one would dare to mess with them. Unfortunately, their "front teeth" were knocked out this time.

In the meeting room of the Landmark Company

The new manager Newbigin convened a meeting and many senior executives of Jardine Matheson attended.

Although Wharf Holdings and Hongkong Land are known as the two wings of Jardine Matheson Holdings, Jardine Matheson Holdings does not directly hold shares in Wharf Holdings. However, the senior executives of Wharf Holdings were all sent by Jardine Matheson Holdings and have little to do with Hongkong Land.

Niu Bijian said with a gloomy face, "We have already investigated clearly. It was Li Wendi, the chairman of Changxin Real Estate, who initiated a secret purchase of Wharf Holdings' shares. He has now absorbed about 20% of the shares, which is only 6% less than ours. Although the market value of Changxin Real Estate is only tens of millions, the boss Li Wendi's personal funds exceed 2 million, and he has made a lot of money in the currency market before." Niu Bijian meant that if Li Wendi went all out, it was not impossible for him to embezzle Wharf Holdings without regard for the consequences.

Bao Fuda, the president of Hong Kong Land, pondered for a moment and said, "For now, we must mobilize funds to acquire shares of Wharf Holdings and increase Hong Kong Land's shareholding. I don't think Li Wendi is very determined, so we can buy some time with this."

The current Hong Kong Land Development is in the process of rebuilding the Central Building, which has already consumed a lot of funds. Although part of the funds can be transferred for use first, it will still take time.

So Bao Fuda wanted to ask Jardine Matheson for help.

Newby smiled bitterly and said, "Jardine Matheson's cash reserves are running low. If we really start a takeover war, our funds won't be enough to buy many shares."

Everyone in the conference room fell silent. Why did Jardine Matheson have no money?
Part of the reason was the bad market conditions, but mostly because the Keswick family had already transferred a large amount of funds to overseas development, wanting to build Jardine Matheson into a giant multinational corporation.

"I'll go talk to Li Wendi first, at least to buy some time. The Swire Properties still has some funds, which should be enough to increase the stock holdings to 30%." Bao Fuda said helplessly.

"Thank you for your hard work, President Bao Fuda!" New Bijian nodded.

Now they no longer care about their prejudice against the Chinese. If Li Wendi succeeds in acquiring Wharf Holdings, the reputation of Jardine Matheson will be thrown into the garbage dump.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Central
Bao Fuda was very efficient. He did not make an appointment with Li Wendi through his connections at HSBC. Instead, he called Li Wendi's office directly and expressed his desire to have a chat with Li Wendi.

"Hello, President Bao Fuda!" Li Wendi shook hands with Bao Fuda, and then they took their seats.

"Mr. Li is quite resourceful. He actually set his eyes on Wharf Holdings." Bao Fuda was a bit arrogant. He thought that his position as the president of Hutchison Whampoa was enough to gain Li Wendi's respect. Besides, Li Wendi was too young. Perhaps it was a case of 'blind punching against a master'.

Li Wendi crossed his legs. He naturally felt that Bao Fuda looked down on him, so he didn't hold out any hope for the outcome of today's negotiations. He smiled faintly and said, "It's just an investment. I don't mean to acquire Wharf Holdings. Doesn't Wharf Holdings allow people to invest in it?"

Bao Fuda smelled gunpowder, so he grinned and said, "As a listed company, Wharf Holdings naturally allows anyone to invest. We also welcome investment, but Mr. Li seems to hold too many shares, which makes the entire Hong Kong Land Company uneasy."

"Mr. Bao Fuda, your unrest has nothing to do with me. I am not the babysitter of your land company. I am responsible for your feelings." Li Wendi sneered, his eyes full of contempt. It seems that he is used to being high and mighty, always acting like a superior. Doesn't he know that everyone is equal?

Bao Fuda was speechless for a moment. He did not expect that Li Wendi would not even care about the power of the Hong Kong Jardine Matheson Group. But then he thought again, if Li Wendi dared to attack the Wharf Group, would he still care about the Hong Kong Jardine Matheson Group?

So, Bao Fuda adjusted his tone and said, "Mr. Li, you misunderstood me. To be honest, you don't have the strength to acquire Wharf Holdings. If you force it, you may suffer heavy losses. Of course, Hong Kong Holdings will not benefit, but will also lose some money. I don't think it's necessary to continue such a lose-lose situation."

"If Mr. Li agrees to reduce his shareholding, I can introduce him to the board of directors of Wharf Holdings and make him a Chinese director of Wharf Holdings."

Li Wendi certainly does not want to suffer losses together with the Swire Properties, because now is a period of great opportunity and his funds can be of great use and can generate more funds.

"I will not reduce my shareholding, but I can stop purchasing Wharf Holdings shares now, of course, on the premise that Mr. Bao Fuda fulfills his promise first." Li Wendi continued with a smile, "I am a very impulsive person, and I am very young. I have time to make a comeback."

As for whether he would offend Bao Fuda and the Jardine Matheson Group, Li Wendi no longer cared much, because he had already offended them and was not afraid of offending them further.

"Mr. Li, the share price of Wharf Holdings has started to rise. The Hong Kong Land Development is rebuilding its properties in Central and mobilizing a large amount of funds to buy stocks. This is a loss for us. It has also angered Jardine Matheson Holdings, which is not good for you on the board of directors of Wharf Holdings." Bao Fuda directly threatened Li Wendi.

Li Wendi shook his head and said, "You said that the board of directors of Wharf Holdings is full of your people. How can 20% of the shares shake the position of Hong Kong Land? But I can reduce my shareholding. Hong Kong Land wants to buy it at 6 yuan per share. How about that?"

"." Bao Fuda was speechless for a while. In the end, it was the Jardine Matheson Group that was going to suffer the loss.

The current share price is just over 3 yuan. If the price is 6 yuan, it would be better for the Swire Properties to buy it on the stock market.

Finally, an agreement was reached that Li Wendi would no longer purchase shares of Wharf Holdings Limited, and the time limit was three years. The Hong Kong Land Development would recommend Li Wendi to the board of directors of Wharf Holdings Limited and give him two seats.

The news could no longer be concealed and spread throughout the Hong Kong business community three days later. Many Chinese admired Li Wendi for being the "outsider" who dared to touch the tiger of Jardine Matheson Group.

高尔夫球 场

Li Wendi had just started learning to play golf, so his movements were a bit irregular, but he played well.

Zheng Yutong is a master on the court, so he can easily beat a rookie like Li Wendi.

"Haha!! Uncle Tong, you are really awesome. I have lost three games." Li Wendi wiped the sweat from his cheeks with a towel.

"Play more in the future and you won't lose so badly. I've lost before, too." Zheng Yutong said modestly.

"It seems like we will continue to lose in the future!" Li Wendi smiled. Although one ball cost 1 yuan, it was just a drop in the bucket for the two of them.

"It's OK if you fail in the football field but succeed in the business world." Zheng Yutong became a little serious. "You did a good thing for us Chinese people. You touched the butt of the tiger of Jardine Matheson Group."

"The British have always looked down on us Chinese. Now that you have done this, the British will not be so arrogant in the future."

Li Wendi would certainly not admit that he wanted to acquire Wharf Holdings. "I just wanted to invest in Wharf Holdings, but I accidentally acquired too many shares. I had no choice but to hold on."

"By the way, Uncle Tong, are you interested in becoming a director of Wharf Holdings? And help me share the pressure. Haha!"

The identity of a director of Wharf Holdings has some weight. At the same time, Cheng Yutong also wants to do Li Wendi a favor because the young man in front of him has given him too many surprises, and there may be greater cooperation in the future.

"Okay, then let's go to the tiger's den, the Wharf Group, and try our luck." Zheng Yutong agreed immediately.

(End of this chapter)