Chapter 66: Does He Possess Substantial Financial Strength?
Lin Haoran was leisurely sipping his tea when a crisp knock on the door broke the room's tranquility.
Immediately afterward, the smiling young lady from the cashier's desk led Li Jiacheng into the private room.
The moment Li Jiacheng stepped inside and locked eyes with Lin Haoran, he froze, secretly wondering if the cashier had brought him to the wrong room.
Instinctively, he considered turning around and leaving, so as not to disturb the young man enjoying his tea.
However, just as he was about to move, Lin Haoran's warm and magnetic voice sounded, "Mr. Li, please come in and have a seat."
As he spoke, Lin Haoran's face lit up with a sincere smile, and he extended his hand toward Li Jiacheng.
At that moment, Li Jiacheng suddenly realized — the person he had arranged to meet today was indeed this extraordinary young man before him.
Li Jiacheng, now fifty years old, appeared exceptionally steady. Wearing black-rimmed glasses that gave him a scholarly air and a well-tailored suit, his every movement exuded elegance and refinement, leaving a lasting impression of cultured sophistication.
After the young lady politely exited and gently closed the door, Li Jiacheng, unable to restrain his curiosity, asked, "You look quite familiar. May I ask your name? Are you the major shareholder of Qingzhou Cement that Mr. Bao Yugang mentioned?"
He racked his memory carefully and was certain he had seen Lin Haoran before. Plus, Mr. Bao Yugang had mentioned that the person was a neighbor from their area, reinforcing his conviction that his memory wasn't mistaken.
However, because Lin Haoran was so young and there had been no direct interaction between them, it was natural that they did not know each other well.
Although Deep Water Bay didn't have many residents, most of those whom Li Jiacheng knew were the heads of prominent families.
As for the younger generation like Lin Haoran, he instinctively classified them as "the juniors," with whom he had no substantial connection. Hence, it was quite reasonable that they hadn't interacted before.
"Indeed, I am Lin Haoran, currently the largest shareholder of Qingzhou Cement. My father is Lin Wanan — perhaps Mr. Li has heard of him. It is an honor to meet you," Lin Haoran said with a humble smile, introducing himself.
"Lin Wanan? You're Lin Wanan's son?" Li Jiacheng repeated, unable to hide his disbelief.
Compared to Bao Yugang, Li Jiacheng was more familiar with Lin Wanan.
After all, although Wanan Group was significantly smaller than Cheung Kong Holdings, both were deeply involved in the real estate sector and both were members of the Hong Kong Real Estate Association, creating numerous opportunities for interaction and mutual understanding.
Although the real estate industry in Hong Kong was booming and competitive, Li Jiacheng did not view Wanan Group as a direct competitor.
As neighbors in Deep Water Bay, he had even advised Lin Wanan that to accelerate business growth in such a fast-changing industry, it was necessary — and sometimes essential — to wisely use financial leverage and take on some debt.
However, it was clear that Lin Wanan had a different philosophy and had not taken his advice.
"Lin Wanan's son... he possesses such substantial financial strength?" Li Jiacheng thought to himself, visibly puzzled.
It was obvious that Li Jiacheng was not entirely convinced.
He found it hard to reconcile the image of this youthful successor with the idea of someone capable of controlling vast amounts of capital and becoming the major shareholder of Qingzhou Cement.
"Could it be that Brother Bao has been deceived by this young man?" This notion briefly crossed Li Jiacheng's mind but was quickly dismissed.
"No, with Brother Bao's shrewdness and caution, he would never be so easily deceived by a youngster."
At that moment, Li Jiacheng's mind was clouded with confusion.
The more he tried to think it through, the more bewildered he became.
The stark contrast between Lin Haoran's youthful appearance and the immense capital he wielded created an unprecedented sense of puzzlement.
Observing the subtle changes in Li Jiacheng's expression, Lin Haoran easily guessed his thoughts.
He understood that Li Jiacheng's current doubts and skepticism mirrored the reaction Bao Yugang had shown upon first meeting him — disbelief that someone so young could possess such vast wealth.
It was an understandable reaction.
In most people's eyes, even if Lin Haoran, as Lin Wanan's son, had inherited some family wealth, it should not have been enough to independently manage such large-scale financial operations.
Especially for someone like Li Jiacheng, who understood the relative strengths of Wanan Group and Qingzhou Cement, it would be difficult to view them on equal footing.
Although Wanan Group had some status in the industry, it still lagged far behind a giant like Qingzhou Cement.
To engage in such a bold play seemed almost unthinkable.
Furthermore, during this period, Li Jiacheng had not heard of any major fundraising activities by Wanan Group, nor had he heard that Lin Wanan had enlisted the aid of a heavyweight like Bao Yugang.
All of this added layers of confusion.
He simply couldn't comprehend how a seemingly ordinary young man had, in such a short time, accumulated such vast wealth and succeeded in becoming the largest shareholder of Qingzhou Cement.
Even more incredible to Li Jiacheng was the fact that Lin Haoran had not only amassed such enormous wealth on his own but had also managed to enlist the help of a titan like Bao Yugang as a negotiator — convincing him to persuade Li Jiacheng to withdraw from the acquisition.
A favor from Bao Yugang was exceedingly valuable.
All of this seemed like a dream — real yet unreal, elusive and mystifying.
Li Jiacheng understood the gravity of Bao Yugang's position in the business world; every one of his decisions was made with careful thought and was not easily swayed by others.
Now, however, Lin Haoran had been able to influence and change one of Bao Yugang's major decisions, forcing Li Jiacheng to re-evaluate this young man completely.
"Mr. Lin, I am quite curious. How did you persuade Brother Bao to act as your negotiator?" Li Jiacheng finally asked the question that had been weighing heavily on his mind.
"It's simple. I had something he needed very badly. We reached a deal: in exchange for what he wanted, Uncle Bao agreed to help me persuade you," Lin Haoran replied with a smile.
This was no secret — if Li Jiacheng wanted to know, he would soon find out anyway.
"What Brother Bao needed so badly... could it be Wharf Holdings stock?" Li Jiacheng quickly made the connection.
After all, he had just recently traded a significant amount of Wharf Holdings shares himself, and everyone in Hong Kong knew that Bao Yugang's most urgent priority was acquiring more Wharf Holdings stock.
"Exactly. Mr. Li, your insight is truly admirable. I had previously completed an important transaction with Uncle Bao, selling all my Wharf Holdings shares to him. In return, Uncle Bao agreed to persuade you to withdraw from the Qingzhou Cement acquisition.
Although I was already quite confident that I could secure control of Qingzhou Cement, I still believed that avoiding unnecessary competition with you would be the best way to protect both our interests and prevent a lose-lose situation.
Given Mr. Bao's status and influence in the industry, he was undoubtedly the best candidate to effectively dissuade you," Lin Haoran explained.
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