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Perhaps because he was about to take over Wheelock & Co., Bao Yugang was clearly in a great mood, and his speech was much more relaxed.

He laughed and patted Lin Haoran on the shoulder: "Haoran, you're right. I was being too formal. Let's not talk about these formalities. After the Defeng matter is settled, I'll treat you to a good drink."

Lin Haoran smiled and nodded: "Then I'll be waiting for Uncle Bao's good wine."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and the topic gradually turned to business.

Bao Yugang's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Haoran, when you talked to Ma Deng last night, did he mention Zhang Yuliang's situation?"

Lin Haoran shook his head: "He didn't go into details, but you can tell from his words that the Zhang Yuliang family is very dissatisfied with the Wheelock Group's failed investment. What they said at the board meeting was already an open challenge."

The Madden family only holds 13.5% of the shares, relying entirely on an dual-class share structure. If Zhang Yuliang, along with other shareholders, were to demand the abolition of the dual-class share system, Madden would have no chance to retaliate.

Bao Yugang pondered for a moment: "Zhang Yuliang is indeed a variable. He holds 40% of the shares and is the largest shareholder of Wheelock. If he doesn't cooperate, even if Madden sells the shares to us, we may not be able to take over smoothly."

“I’ve thought about this issue too.” Lin Haoran picked up his teacup and took a sip. “However, I think the Zhang Yuliang family shouldn’t object. They’re smart people and know what’s best for them.”

Wheelock is in a dire situation right now. Their shipping business is losing money hand over fist, and their real estate business is barely surviving. They're more anxious than anyone else. If someone were willing to take over and help them out of this mess, they'd be more than happy to do so.

After a pause, he added, "Moreover, although the Zhang Yuliang family is the largest shareholder, they are not the controlling party. Under the dual-share structure, the Madeng family is the one in charge. If Madeng wants to sell, he can't stop them. Rather than resisting, it's better to go with the flow and get a good price to leave."

Upon hearing this, Bao Yugang nodded and said, "My relationship with the Zhang Yuliang family is so-so. This family is very low-key in Hong Kong's business world. Although they are major shareholders of Wheelock and Company, they rarely appear in public."

I've dealt with Zhang Yuliang a few times, and he's definitely a smart man. He knows when to advance and when to retreat.

Bao Yugang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "Back when Wheelock was at its most glorious, the Zhang Yuliang family rarely appeared in public, leaving the Madden family to lead the charge."

Now that Wheelock is in trouble, they won't be foolish enough to hold on stubbornly. I'll personally visit them later. Because of Thatcher's fall, the negotiations are unfavorable to Britain, and I think the Zhang family must be quite panicked, fearing future retribution!

"Oh? Isn't the Zhang family Chinese businessmen? Why are they more panicked than foreigners? Are they afraid of being purged?" Lin Haoran asked with some surprise.

Upon hearing this, Bao Yugang sighed and said, "Haoran, you don't know this. The Zhang family's history of rising to power is not so glorious. When I first came to Hong Kong, the Korean War broke out."

After the outbreak of war, Western countries imposed an economic blockade on the mainland, resulting in a severe shortage of Western medicines. The Zhang family keenly seized this business opportunity and quickly became an important supplier of Western medicines in Hong Kong by acting as agents for pharmaceutical companies in Britain and the United States.

In pursuit of higher profits, the Zhang family resorted to unfair means in the pharmaceutical trade, breaking down large packages of medicine into smaller ones and significantly increasing their prices.

Even more appalling, the Zhang family also smuggled expired, ineffective, and even deteriorated medicines into the market, causing a large number of wounded soldiers to die from the use of substandard drugs. This history has become an indelible stain on the Zhang family's wealth accumulation process.

After the Korean War, the Zhang family used the enormous wealth they had accumulated during the war to begin investing heavily in Hong Kong's real estate sector. They purchased a large number of shops and landmark buildings, such as the Federal Building and the International Building, and quickly rose to become an important force in Hong Kong's real estate industry.

Through sophisticated capital operations such as backdoor listings, Zhang Yuliang successfully integrated his family business with the British giant Wheelock & Co. He used family properties to exchange for Wheelock shares, ultimately becoming Wheelock's largest shareholder.

Because of the stain of their past during the War of Resistance against Japan, the Zhang family has always been cautious and timid in their political stance. They dare not get close to the mainland, nor dare they completely side with Britain. They can only try to survive in the cracks.

Now that the negotiations have turned out badly for Britain, they are naturally more panicked than anyone else. They are not afraid of the British themselves, but rather of having past grievances brought up again in the future.

After listening, Lin Haoran remained silent for a moment.

The Zhang family was so low-key that he had hardly heard of them in his previous life, so he naturally knew nothing about them.

In this world, since he had no connection with the Zhang family, he naturally wouldn't bother to investigate their family history.

He never imagined that there was such a story behind the Zhang family's rise to power.

They made their fortune by profiting from war, and then adulterated medicines to make a profit, leading to the deaths of wounded soldiers from substandard drugs...

If these things are brought to light, not only will he be unable to establish himself in the business world, but he might even lose his life and fortune.

No wonder Bao Yugang so easily persuaded the Zhang family to sell their shares to Wharf Holdings in his previous life.

"No wonder the Zhang family has always kept a low profile," Lin Haoran said thoughtfully. "It's not that they don't want to stand out, it's that they dare not."

Bao Yugang nodded: "That's right. Zhang Yuliang is shrewd, but his biggest weakness is this shameful history. So for years he has been hiding behind the Madden family, letting the British charge ahead. Now that the British are leaving, he is naturally panicked."

He paused, then said, "So when I go to talk to him, he probably won't refuse. For him, selling his shares for a good price and leaving Hong Kong with the money might be the best option."

Lin Haoran suddenly laughed: "Uncle Bao, your move was truly brilliant."

Bao Yugang waved his hand: "Whether it's clever or not is another matter. I just seized the opportunity. Right now, the whole world is reporting on the setbacks in the British negotiations. The Zhang family is in their most panicked state. Making a move at this time will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"In that case, Uncle Bao, why don't you secretly persuade the Zhang family to sell their shares to Wharf Holdings first? As for John Madden, it won't be too late for me to contact them a couple of days later. I guess he'll mistakenly think that I've been trying to persuade you to use Wharf Holdings to acquire Wheelock in the past few days."

"In this way, both sides will have reached an agreement, and then we can announce it to the public together. By then, it will be a fait accompli, and even if others want to object, it will be too late," Lin Haoran suggested.

Upon hearing this, Bao Yugang's eyes flashed with approval: "Your idea is good. First, settle things secretly with both sides, and then announce them together. This will prevent any unexpected problems from arising in the middle."

Lin Haoran nodded: "Uncle Bao, it's good that you know what's going on. But there's something I need to remind you. Although the Zhang family is feeling guilty, they definitely won't be taken advantage of when it comes to negotiating prices. You need to be careful not to let them feel that there's something to gain, but also not let them feel that we can't do without them."

Bao Yugang laughed: "Don't worry, I've been in business for decades and I've seen all kinds of people. No matter how shrewd Zhang Yuliang is, he can't escape my grasp. Besides, his 40% stake isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either."

The Madden family has decided to sell 13.5% to us. Combined with the 11.8% held by Hongkong Land, we now control more than 25% of the shares, and we have completely surpassed them in voting rights.

Even if Zhang Yuliang doesn't cooperate, we still have a firm foothold on the board. If he's smart, he should know to go with the flow.

Lin Haoran picked up his teacup, offering tea in lieu of wine: "Then I'll congratulate Uncle Bao in advance."

Bao Yugang laughed heartily, raised his glass and clinked it with his: "Congratulations to you both. Once this is done, I'll treat you to a good drink."

The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.

That afternoon, Lin Haoran received a call from Bao Yugang. He had already made initial contact with Zhang Yuliang, and the latter's attitude was even more cooperative than expected.

"Haoran, you're right, the Zhang family is indeed very panicked right now." Bao Yugang's voice on the other end of the phone carried a hint of ease. "Zhang Yuliang knows that I often go to Beijing, and he specifically asked me whether the mainland holds such a tough stance on the Hong Kong issue as the media reports."

After I gave a very affirmative answer and explained my insights, I saw him break out in a cold sweat, and I knew then that the matter was almost certainly true.

Upon hearing this, Lin Haoran nodded inwardly.

Bao Yugang has maintained close ties with the mainland over the years and frequently travels to and from Beijing. Therefore, his words naturally carry significant weight in Zhang Yuliang's ears.

What the Zhang family fears most is having their past grievances brought up again in the future, and Bao Yugang's affirmation, to some extent, represents the prevailing sentiment in mainland China.

"So I took the opportunity to propose acquiring the Wheelock shares held by the Zhang family. Zhang Yuliang almost hesitated and immediately expressed his willingness to talk. However, he was still cautious and asked how the price would be set."

Bao Yugang's voice held a hint of amusement as he continued, "I told him that the price was negotiable, but it had to be done according to market rules. He thought about it and offered a price of 25% above the market price."

Upon hearing this, Lin Haoran raised an eyebrow slightly: "25%? It seems he's really in a hurry."

Wheelock's current share price isn't considered very high.

The reason is simple: Wheelock's financial statements have been poor in the past two years due to investment mistakes.

With the current real estate crisis in Hong Kong, this is simply adding insult to injury for Wheelock.

Therefore, Wheelock's current market price is not very high, and its market value has fallen by more than two-thirds compared to its peak.

Therefore, even with a 25% premium, it is still far less than Wheelock's market capitalization at its peak.

However, in reality, Wheelock's fixed assets, even after deducting liabilities, are far higher than Wheelock's total market capitalization.

Wheelock's current share price is actually severely undervalued.

But Zhang Yuliang couldn't care less about that now; all he wanted was to get rid of the stock as soon as possible and leave this place that made him so anxious with the cash.

After listening to Bao Yugang's explanation, Lin Haoran silently calculated in his mind. Acquiring Zhang Yuliang's 40% stake at a 25% premium over the market price, although this price was significantly higher than the market price, was still a considerable sum considering the large proportion of the Zhang family's shares.

After all, the shares held by the Zhang family are indeed very important.

In another world, it was precisely because Bao Yugang successfully acquired the shares from the Zhang family that he was able to win the battle for Wheelock and Company against the Nanyang Consortium.

“That’s right,” Bao Yugang laughed. “I didn’t agree immediately. I just said I’d think about it. His face didn’t look too good at the time, but he didn’t dare to say anything. Judging from his expression, I guess he’ll have trouble sleeping for several days after he gets back.”

"Uncle Zhang, aren't you afraid someone will interfere?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Bao Yugang replied with a smile: "Who doesn't know Wheelock's current financial situation? The shipping business is losing money hand over fist, and the real estate business is barely surviving. Even if someone wanted to take over, they would have to have the guts."

The Zhang family's 40% stake looks tempting, but taking it would be a hot potato. Besides me, who else has the guts to do it?

Lin Haoran nodded. This is not 1985. Hong Kong's real estate market had already recovered by 1985. At that time, China and Britain signed a joint declaration, and the clarification of this political prospect greatly boosted market confidence. Therefore, the Nanyang Consortium also set its sights on Wheelock.

Now, in October 1982, Hong Kong's real estate crisis had just broken out, and the future looked bleak.

At this point, who would dare to take over Wheelock's mess?

Those so-called Southeast Asian conglomerates are probably busy shrinking their operations and recovering funds right now, so they have no time to snatch this hot potato.

Bao Yugang had his eye on this opportunity.

"Uncle Bao is brilliant," Lin Haoran said sincerely. "By making a move at this time, there are no competitors, and the price can be driven down. By the time the market recovers, it will be too late for others to enter the market."

Bao Yugang laughed and said, "So, doing business depends on timing. If the timing is right, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort. If the timing is wrong, even the best business will not be successful."

Look at those who bought real estate at last year's peak; aren't they all now bankrupt? It's not that they had bad judgment, it's that they missed the right opportunity.

Lin Haoran wholeheartedly agreed.

Over the past year, Hong Kong's real estate market has gone from booming to crashing, with many small and medium-sized real estate developers going bankrupt and even some long-established British trading companies unable to survive.

He sold off ordinary real estate projects ahead of time, recouped funds, and cleared his debts. Now he holds a large amount of cash and watches this major industry earthquake with a cold eye.

When the time is right, he can openly and legitimately start buying at the bottom.

This is true business wisdom: not doing nothing, but doing the right thing at the right time.

But he was able to make accurate judgments because he was a time traveler and knew these developments.

Bao Yugang, on the other hand, has a keen eye that he has honed through decades of experience navigating the business world.

The ability to see opportunities in a crisis and remain calm in the face of panic is true business talent.

Thinking of this, Lin Haoran's admiration for Bao Yugang grew even stronger.

No wonder he is a shipping magnate and a leader in Hong Kong's business community.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Bao Yugang said, "Okay, I'll go with this approach. Let Zhang Yuliang wait for a couple of days, and once he can't take it anymore, we can push the price down a bit more."

"Don't rush things with Madden. Wait until I've finalized things on my end before you go talk to him. If he calls to ask, just tell him I'm still undecided."

Lin Haoran replied, "Okay, I'll wait for Uncle Bao's news."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Haoran leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

The tea had gone cold, but he was oblivious, still plotting his next move.

Bao Yugang is right. At this point, no one would come to rob Wheelock.

Those British-owned conglomerates were preoccupied with their own problems, Chinese-owned conglomerates were also shrinking their operations, and the Nanyang conglomerates were even further away.

Putting aside everything else, just look at Guo Henan and you'll know.

Since the beginning of this year, Guo Henian has clearly reduced his investment in Hong Kong. Even with Lin Haoran's support, he still dares not invest too much. In fact, he has been going to Singapore to handle matters there in the past few months.

Guo Henan was already considered a representative of the Nanyang conglomerate. If Guo Henan had such thoughts, one can only imagine what other Nanyang conglomerates thought.

Wheelock and Company looks tempting, but it's actually a hot potato.

Aside from someone like Bao Yugang, who possesses strength, courage, and patience, no one dares to make a move lightly.

For the next two days, Lin Haoran remained inactive, letting Bao Yugang handle Zhang Yuliang's affairs.

John Madden did call to inquire about the progress.

Following Bao Yugang's instructions, Lin Haoran only said that he was still communicating with Mr. Bao and asked him to wait patiently.

John Madden didn't ask any further questions, but simply sighed and said, "Mr. Lin, thank you for your trouble."

Lin Haoran could hear the anxiety in his tone, but he also knew that he couldn't rush things at this time.

The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make things worse.

Bao Yugang was going to leave Zhang Yuliang hanging, and he also wanted to make John Madden wait a bit.

Only when both sides can no longer hold out can we close the net together and get the best price.

On the third day, just as Bao Yugang had predicted, Zhang Yuliang called him.

"Haoran, guess what?" Bao Yugang laughed from ear to ear on the other end of the phone. "Zhang Yuliang called early this morning and said the price could be negotiated. I took the opportunity to lower the price a bit, and in the end we got a 15% premium over the market price. That's 10 percentage points lower than the price he asked for himself."

Upon hearing this, Lin Haoran secretly admired him.

Bao Yugang played a brilliant move.

Taking advantage of the Zhang family's guilty conscience, they acted when they were most flustered, not only acquiring the shares but also driving down the price.

This negotiation skill is truly worthy of a seasoned veteran who has been navigating the business world for decades.

After all, no matter how low Wheelock's share price is now, its total market capitalization is still over a billion Hong Kong dollars.

The Zhang family owns 40% of the shares. Every percentage point less represents a difference of millions or even tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

Bao Yugang's pressure directly reduced the price by 10%, meaning the Zhang family lost at least tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

But Zhang Yuliang agreed without even haggling over the price.

It's clear he was really panicked, so panicked he didn't even care about the money.

"Uncle Bao is brilliant," Lin Haoran said sincerely. "This price is even lower than we expected."

Although tens or hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars are not a lot of money for Lam Ho-yin, it doesn't mean he would be taken advantage of.

Saving this money is naturally the best option.

Bao Yugang laughed heartily on the other end of the phone: "Haoran, you have no idea, when Zhang Yuliang finished signing, his face was as white as paper. When I shook hands with him to say goodbye, his hands were cold."

This man, shrewd his whole life, was ultimately ruined by his own guilty conscience. It's truly a case of reaping what you sow. If he had just done business honestly back then, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

Lin Haoran said calmly, "You reap what you sow. He made his own choice, so he can't blame anyone else." (End of Chapter)