Started from Hong Kong Island

Chapter 360 Chapter 358 [Ask for it and get it]

"Boss, the reserve price is 1.9 million yuan, and the price per square foot is already more than 9000 yuan. Should we keep up?" Wang Tichuan asked solemnly. This price is a bit high, and it can easily exceed 2.5 million yuan.

Before Li Wendi could reply, a bid of 2 million yuan was heard again in the meeting room.

Li Wendi pondered for a moment. Even though the auction price of 3 million yuan was not very expensive, it was a considerable burden for Changxin Group.

"Name your price, but don't bid more than 3 million yuan." Li Wendi also wanted to dominate the Admiralty area and become the landlord in the Admiralty area.

"2.1 million!" Wang Tichuan immediately raised the sign.

Wang Tichuan's bid attracted a lot of attention. Many people in the industry knew that Changxin Group wanted to acquire the twin towers of Haifu Center, which were buildings with a market value of more than 7 billion yuan. Even if Changxin Group wanted to acquire them, it would have to pay million yuan in cash.

Having just paid 5 million yuan in cash to the subway company in May, and now needing another 2.5 million yuan, how powerful is Changxin Group?
Bao Fuda of the Hong Kong Land Development Company saw that Changxin Group was out of business, so he quickly raised the price, "2.2 million!"

Sun Hung Kai Properties' Guo Desheng followed suit and bid "2 million!"

Not to be outdone, Lee Ka Shing of Cheung Kong Holdings said: "2 million!"

At Li Wendi's suggestion, Wang Tichuan immediately raised the bid to 2 million.

The auctioneer's hands trembled when he heard the price, and he excitedly dropped the hammer, "2.5 million, first time! Is there a higher price than this?"

"2.52 million!" John Madden of Wheelock Properties suddenly made a bid, surprising many people.

In recent years, Wheelock & Land has mainly focused on shipping, and many of its lands are acquired in cooperation with other real estate developers. It should be noted that Harriman Developments, a subsidiary of Wheelock & Land, has rich experience in real estate development and does not need to rely on any developer. Such concessions prove that Wheelock & Land does not have much sufficient funds.

Therefore, bidding for the Golden Bell land king at this time seems to reveal a very strange taste.

"2.6 million!" Zheng Yutong followed up. Although he hated malicious bidding, the other party was British, so he would not be polite.

"2.62 million!" Bao Fuda glanced at Li Wendi, as if to say 'Don't try to steal the chicken'.

Bao Fuda suspected that Li Wendi and Zheng Yutong had formed an alliance to disperse the bidding for the Golden Bell land. After all, Li Wendi had too many enemies, so this would make it easier for him to win.

After several rounds of bidding, the auction price reached 2.9 million yuan, and the price per square foot of the land was close to 14000 yuan.

"3 million!" A Southeast Asian consortium stood up and shouted a price.

Li Wendi felt that the cost of this piece of land would exceed 4 million yuan, and it was certainly not worth it now. If Changxin Group had sufficient funds, it could still acquire it for 3.5 million yuan. What a pity. So Li Wendi shook his head at Zheng Yutong, indicating that this piece of land was no longer worth it, and Zheng Yutong also nodded slightly.

Hilton Central Hotel

Wang Tichuan was busy pouring wine for Li Wendi and Zheng Yutong and his son. Among these four people, his position was the lowest, so he was the only one who could pour wine. Of course, he was happy to do so.

"Brother Jiachun, I'll toast you!" Li Wendi raised his glass and said with a smile on his face.

Zheng Jiachun was born in 46, four years older than Li Wendi who was born in 50. There is nothing wrong with calling him brother. In addition, with the relationship of Zheng Yutong, the two can have a closer relationship.

"Cheers!" Zheng Jiachun was a little taciturn, but he was familiar with the rules of the dinner table.

"You two should get closer. You are both young people and will be much easier to talk to." Zheng Yutong said with a laugh. He recognized and admired Li Wendi's abilities. He knew that although Li Wendi seemed overbearing and ruthless, he was actually a person who valued friendship. It's just that the way he thought of friendship was a little different.

"Haha!! Uncle Tong is right! Brother Jiachun should take me to more parties. I don't have any connections, and I don't know many people in the circle." Li Wendi said.

"Okay! I'll call you next time." Zheng Jiachun said with a smile.

Seeing that it was almost done, Zheng Yutong returned to the main topic and said, "It's a pity to lose this piece of Jinzhong land today, but 3 million yuan is a bit expensive. The cost of building a building will definitely exceed 4 million yuan. Our profit margin is not large."

"In fact, if Changxin Group has sufficient funds, I will follow suit with 3.5 million yuan. The city is now almost recovering the glory days of 71. As long as I hold on to the funds for two or three years, an increase of 2 to 3 million yuan will not be a problem," said Li Wendi.

Zheng Yutong shook his head and said, "It's not cost-effective to tie up such a large amount of funds in the building. If we build more residential buildings or commercial buildings, the profit will be no less than here."

"Wendy, you want to hold these shopping malls for a long time, right?" Zheng Jiachun asked with a stern face.

"Brother Jiachun, you've seen through me." Li Wendi restrained his smile and said, "The Hong Kong Land Company has become a kingdom in Central. I plan to build a similar kingdom in Admiralty."

When these words came out, even Zheng Yutong was stunned. This idea had to be said to be crazy. If you want to build a kingdom in Admiralty, the funds needed must not be less than 50 billion yuan. Currently, no Chinese company has a market value of more than 50 billion yuan, and Zheng Yutong does not have 50 billion yuan in assets.

"It's a good thing to have ideas, but don't be too impatient." Zheng Yutong could only remind Li Wendi, he couldn't stop Li Wendi, the profits here were too huge and the risks were terribly high.

Wang Tichuan and Zheng Jiachun next to them rolled their eyes and did not speak for a long time. These words were really shocking.

A few days later, Li Wendi inexplicably received a call from Wells, saying that Shen Bi had acted contrary to his usual behavior and no longer made things difficult for him at the board meeting. Instead, he chose to remain silent and was perfunctory even to Wells' inquiries.

At the same time, Willis also asked about Li Wendi's stock acquisition. Li Wendi answered Willis very conservatively that the two were just allies after all, not partners who could be fully trusted.

In fact, through the acquisition of funds from Hengxin Investment Company and Starlight Real Estate Company, Li Wendi already holds about 10% of the shares of Hutchison Whampoa, while Tell Willis's shareholding is only 6%.

HSBC Bank Executive Office

Shen Bi hung up the phone with a sullen face, slumped in the leather chair, and muttered to himself, "Where did Li Wendi get so much money? That's 2 million US dollars, and he went to the United States to acquire it last year. This guy is really weird."

Shen Bi thought about it again and again, and he spent a lot of time and energy to find the target of Haifeng Bank. If he gave up Haifeng Bank, even if he could find a suitable bank to acquire it, there would not be enough time left for him to build HSBC into a world-class bank.

"Do we really have to bow down to this young Chinese man?" Shen Bi frowned. "No! Not necessarily."

So Shen Bi picked up the phone and said, "Please make an appointment with Li Wendi from Changxin Group for me. Yes, as soon as possible."

The Peninsula Tsim Sha Tsui
Li Wendi was led by the waiter to Shen Bi's private room. Although he knew that Shen Bi was here for Haifeng Bank, he still pretended to be stupid and said, "Mr. Shen Bi, long time no see, how are you these days?"

"Thanks to Mr. Li, I'm fine. Mr. Li, please sit down!" Shen Bi did not stand up, but just gestured.

Li Wendi and Shen Bi had a history of conflict, so there was no need for too much small talk. "Mr. Shen Bi is a very busy man, just speak directly. You foreigners don't like beating around the bush."

"Since Mr. Li has said so, let me get straight to the point." Shen Bi said, "I know that Mr. Li acquired Haifeng Bank in the United States. I wonder if it can be sold to HSBC? Don't worry, HSBC will definitely show enough sincerity."

"Oh? Then Mr. Shen Bi, please tell me the conditions you offer." Li Wendi said with a faint smile. He knew that Shen Bi would not be very sincere.

"HSBC is willing to pay a 3% premium to acquire Mr. Li's 51% stake in Haifeng Bank, which is US$2.6 million," said Shen Bi.

"Mr. Shen Bi, do you think I am the one who is short of 6 million US dollars? I acquired Haifeng Bank because I want to gain a foothold in the United States. Haifeng Bank is not for sale."

In fact, Shen Bi understood that Li Wendi did not leave the table immediately but continued to eat, which proved that Haifeng Bank was not unsellable, but the price was too low.

"Mr. Li, please name a price."

Li Wendi wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "I have experienced Mr. Shen Bi's methods. I was very embarrassed last time, but I don't want to make a fuss. I also know that Mr. Shen Bi wants to sell Hutchison Whampoa to Cheung Kong Holdings."

"I can sell Haifeng Bank to you, but Mr. Shen Bi needs to exchange two things, one is the Huangpu Dock Company, and the other is Wheelock and Company."

Shen Bi frowned when he heard this. He didn't expect Li Wendi to be so greedy and ask for two big companies.

"Mr. Li, you should know that HSBC is only the major shareholder of Hutchison Whampoa. We have no way of selling the Whampoa Dockyard Company to you. We have no decision-making power over Wheelock Company."

"Mr. Shen Bi, is this your reply? I made two requests, and both were refuted. Do you think this is a negotiation?" Li Wendi said with a sneer.

Shen Bi was so angry that his teeth were itching, but he could do nothing about Li Wendi. Li Wendi had a lot of assets, and even if HSBC banned him, there would still be banks that dared to lend to him.

"Mr. Li, HSBC can help you acquire Wheelock & Company, but it is unlikely that the Whampoa Dock Company can be split out." Shen Bi gave in.

"It seems that Mr. Shen Bi is very optimistic about Li Jiacheng." Li Wendi said sarcastically, and then said, "Let me change my request. Replace the Huangpu Dock Company with the Hebao Company. This is my last concession."

Hutchison Whampoa also has four listed companies under its umbrella, namely Hutchison Holdings, Hutchison Properties, Watsons and Kwan Yik Holdings.

Hutchison Whampoa is the most extensive listed company of Hutchison Whampoa. It was acquired through the acquisition of old foreign companies: Debao & Co. and Tay Wo & Co. Today, its businesses include import and export trade, commerce, machinery, automobile sales, supply of building materials, etc.

The Hebao Company can be said to be the arm of Hutchison Whampoa extending overseas, but compared with the Whampoa Dock Company, the Hebao Company is not that important.

In fact, Li Wendi’s target from the very beginning was the Hebao Company, not the more valuable Whampoa Dock Company, because the Whampoa Dock Company was difficult to acquire.

(End of this chapter)