Hong Kong 1980: The Savage Era

Chapter 125 [Landlords will sell in bundles] (Request first order)
"Is Yulang International Company taking any action?" Luo Qihong asked calmly after taking a sip of soup.

In his opinion, Wong Yuk-long was nothing but a clown, and even if there was a lawsuit, Yuk-long International Company would not gain any advantage.

Luo Qixing thought for a moment and responded, "Yulang International has sent a lawyer's letter to Shenzhen Bao Printing Company, demanding that we compensate Yulang International for its losses of 1 million yuan and publish an apology letter in major newspapers."

Luo Qihong snorted and laughed, "Let them sue. Tomorrow I will ask a few reporters to help promote Yulang International Company. Big brother, you have to cooperate well and tell us how Shengyun Printing was deceived."

Luo Qihong felt that once these things were published in the newspapers, many small companies would not dare to cooperate with Yulang International anymore. Everyone is afraid of having their company swallowed up after working so hard to build it.

As for those large printing companies, they may not worry about being acquired by Yulang International. However, Luo Qihong believes that even large companies will be more cautious when cooperating with Yulang International, or directly increase the printing cost price of Yulang International.

"Okay, I understand." Luo Qixing nodded. He certainly understood what Luo Qihong's purpose was.

"Ah Hong, isn't it inappropriate for you to do this?" Luo Zegui asked with a very serious expression.

The "not so appropriate" here refers to killing everyone, which, according to the Chinese, can easily backfire.

Luo Qihong understood what Luo Zegui meant, so he told him the content of the conversation he had had with Wong Yuk-lang some time ago, intending to explain that even if he did not kill all of them, Wong Yuk-lang would not give up. On the contrary, killing all of them might make Wong Yuk-lang restrained and fearful.

Hearing this, Luo Zegui pondered for a while, and then advised, "You still have to leave room for maneuver when doing things. Even if the other party is a vicious person, forcing them to do something is not a good idea."

Luo Qihong nodded. He did not think that Luo Zegui's statement was old-fashioned, but he would still ask the reporter to put an advertisement in the newspaper, because Wong Yuk-long had already come knocking on his door and there was no possibility of not fighting back. At the same time, this was also a way to win over colleagues and isolate Wong Yuk-long.

On the morning of the third day, the news about Yulang International using despicable means to acquire the printing company came out as expected, causing quite a stir, perhaps because Hong Kong citizens love to eat melons.

General Manager's Office of Yulang International
Wong Yuk-lang sat on a leather chair with a gloomy face. In front of him stood a group of people trembling with fear. They seemed to be the company's senior executives.

"Master, three printing companies have already wanted to terminate their cooperation with us. The reasons they gave are all kinds of strange. Even 'my son doesn't like our comics' can be used as a reason for non-cooperation." A young man with a middle-parted hair said helplessly.

Most of the internal employees of Yulang International are Huang Yulang's apprentices, and all the core personnel are apprentices. That's why Huang Yulang dared to acquire the printing company in such a big way, without fear of his peers uniting to deal with Yulang International.

Huang Yulang gnashed his teeth and said, "They are just a bunch of fence-sitters. They will never amount to anything."

"Master, we have to find a printing company to take over the printing business immediately, otherwise we will be shut down soon." The somewhat fat female apprentice said anxiously.

Huang Yulang frowned deeply, looked up at the male apprentice in a plaid suit and said, "Is there any way to guarantee the publication of the next issue of the comic?"

The man in the plaid suit shook his head. "It's hard to find an alternative printing company in a short period of time. I need some time."

The corners of Wong Yuk-lang's mouth twitched, and he said in a deep voice, "Let our own printing company print day and night, and finish the workload for the next issue first. We must find a cooperative printing company for the next issue of comics as soon as possible."

"Master, why don't we buy some new equipment and expand the printing company's business scale. Perhaps this can solve the problem more effectively." The man with a middle part suggested.

The man in the plaid suit retorted, "It's easy to deal with the equipment, but what about the workers?"

"We can poach them from other printing companies with high salaries. I don't believe that even if we have money, no one will work for us." The man with a middle part said with some disdain.

"It would be better to just buy the printing company at a high price. High-paid workers will only keep the printing company's costs high. It would be better to pay it in one lump sum." The man in the plaid suit retorted sarcastically.

Huang Yulang was already very annoyed, and now his apprentice was making a fuss. He immediately sneered, "Why are you making a fuss? I asked you to come here to solve problems, not to create problems for me."

Huang Yulang calmed down and thought for a while, then looked at the financial manager and asked, "How much money is left in the company's account?"

"370 million yuan!" the financial manager replied.

Wong Yuk-long knew that if he purchased new equipment to expand the scale, there would not be enough time for printing. It would be better to directly acquire the printing company at a high price so as not to delay the publication of the next issue of the comics.

"Ayuan, please let our own printing company work overtime to produce the next issue of the comics. We cannot let the comics be discontinued. I will figure out the other things." Wong Yuk-lang ordered the man in the plaid suit.

"Okay! I will try my best." A Yuan responded.

After everyone left the office, Wong Yuk-lang violently crumpled the newsprint on the desk into a ball and smashed it hard on the floor.

Then he exhaled heavily, gritted his teeth and said to himself, "Luo Qihong, you loser! I will settle the score with you after I get through this difficult time."

Luo Qihong, who was far away in the reception room of Sun Hung Kai Securities, sneezed and it took him a few seconds to come back to his senses.

"Ah Hong, is the air conditioning too cold? How about I turn it down a bit?" Bai Jinyan asked with concern.

Luo Qihong nodded and said, "Then raise it by 2 degrees. Maybe I've been too busy recently and my physical fitness has declined a bit."

Bai Jinyan immediately stood up and found the remote control inside the cabinet air conditioner to adjust the temperature.

"Since the day before yesterday, Hongpu Chemical Company has been releasing explosive news, saying that the overseas consortium's investment and the market value of 6 million yuan are all false. The purpose is to violently increase the stock price and take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune."

"The boss of Hongpu Chemical Company has fled Hong Kong. According to current information, Hongpu Chemical is in very poor financial condition and is heavily in debt. Even its production equipment has been mortgaged." Bai Jinyan said with a heavy face. She felt that Luo Qihong wanted to acquire this bankrupt company. After all, Luo Qihong made his fortune with this trick.

Hearing this, Luo Qihong's brows were twisted into a "川" shape. Even the production equipment was mortgaged, so the debt ratio must be very high. If he was not careful, the acquisition might very well become a huge burden.

Just when he wanted to give up, Bai Jinyan handed him a detailed document, "This is the current status document of Hongpu Chemical Company. It contains very detailed records."

After reading the document carefully, Luo Qihong rekindled new hope. Hongpu Chemical Company owns a large number of patents, but its environmental protection does not meet the requirements of the Hong Kong government. However, if the factory is moved to other Southeast Asian countries, it will be a popular choice.

There is no mortgage record for this batch of patents, so even if the factory does not move, these patents can be sold to chemical companies in other Southeast Asian countries.

Moreover, Hongpu Chemical has a number of properties that were mortgaged at a low price in 74. As long as there is money to pay off the debt now, these already valuable properties can be taken back.

In fact, Luo Qihong values ​​the listed company brand of Hongpu Chemical Company more. If it can be saved, the profit earned will not be much less than that of the Century Building project.

"How low has the stock price of Hongpu Chemical Company fallen now?" Luo Qihong asked while looking at the document.

"4 cents per share, and it's still falling. According to my estimate, it can fall to 2 cents." Bai Jinyan has already determined Luo Qihong's intention to acquire Hongpu Chemical Company. Luo Qihong was silent for a while, and asked, "If I acquire Hongpu Chemical Company, but don't want to bear such a large debt, and threaten the bank to treat the debt as a bad debt on the grounds that the company will go bankrupt and the bank will lose all its money, and I only pay back one tenth of the loan, do you think the bank will accept it?"

Bai Jinyan works in finance and is very familiar with the "three tricks" of banks, so the advice he gives should not be bad.

Bai Jinyan was shocked. She never thought that Luo Qihong had such a wonderful idea. If it succeeded, he would certainly make a fortune.

But banks are not so easy to fool. If the bank really lets Hongpu Chemical Company go bankrupt, Luo Qihong will get nothing and may even lose some money.

Hongpu Chemical Company has a total share capital of 1 million shares. Even if the price drops to 2 cents per share, Luo Qihong will need to spend 49.9 million yuan to acquire 1% of the shares.

"How much shares of Hongpu Chemical Company does the bank hold?" Luo Qihong asked thoughtfully.

Bai Jinyan recalled carefully and calculated, "The original owner of Hongpu Chemical Company held 61% of the shares. He mortgaged 10% of the shares to Bank of East Asia, 5% of the shares to Standard Chartered Bank, and 20% of the shares to HSBC. The bank holds 35% of the shares."

Luo Qihong lowered his head and began to ponder. He had to control Hongpu Chemical Company, but this acquisition could easily touch the 50% red line for a full acquisition, and the biggest problem was how to convince multiple banks.

"I discovered traces of the 'Landlord Association' during my investigation. The boss of Hongpu Chemical Company is very likely cooperating with the Landlord Association to hype up the stock price." Bai Jinyan suddenly mentioned a new term with a serious expression. It was obvious that this organization was quite powerful.

"Landlord Association?" Luo Qihong was puzzled. He didn't know the existence of this organization.

So, Bai Jinyan began to tell some things about the landlord society.

This is an organization founded by professional stockbrokers. They initially helped some wealthy people to hype up the stock prices of their companies, allowing them to take the opportunity to reap the funds of shareholders.

Today's landlords' associations have become very large. They will spontaneously hype up the stocks of some companies, following the rules of buy low and sell high. Many listed companies have fallen into their hands.

Luo Qihong shook his head. "No matter what, no one will be interested in Hongpu Chemical Company right now, let alone hype."

Bai Jinyan nodded and said, "Yes, the Landlord Association has already abandoned Hongpu Chemical Company and will probably not look back."

Paramount Corporate Office
Su Qishan has already investigated the business district surrounding Jiadu Building and checked the situation of Jiadu Building again.

The flow of people and the level of prosperity near Jiadu Building are not as good as those in Prince Edward area, but there are 3 schools, a large number of industrial buildings and a small number of office buildings nearby, and the level of prosperity is much better than that of the industrial zone.

Luo Qihong immediately felt that there would be no major problems in selling Jiadu Building again, but the selling price would not be too high and the profit earned might be less.

Then Su Qishan provided Luo Qihong with a detailed information of Hongpu Chemical Company. Luo Qihong pretended to flip through it and asked Su Qishan to continue to pay attention to the situation of Hongpu Chemical Company and report to him at any time.

An hour later, Luo Qihong met with Zhu Baiqi, the owner of Baiqi Real Estate Company, in his office.

He was a short, round-faced fat guy wearing a suspender suit and had a beer belly like an eight-month pregnant woman.

"Hello! Mr. Zhu! It's our first meeting. Thank you for your advice!" Luo Qihong greeted politely with a smile on his face, bent down to shake hands with Zhu Baiqi, and kept a very humble posture.

"I've heard of Luo Sheng's name a long time ago. He took over two listed companies in just one year and is worth hundreds of millions. You should give me more advice." Zhu Baiqi said with a laugh, praising Luo Qihong.

"Mr. Zhu, you're too kind! I'm just lucky. How can I compare to the achievements of you old seniors who have worked hard with your feet on the ground? If there are some winds and waves, my boat may capsize." Luo Qihong defended himself modestly.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business.

"Kang Sheng has talked to me. Paramount Company is willing to offer 1 million yuan to acquire Wei Kee Building under Baiqi Real Estate. This price is indeed the highest among so many buyers, but I am not very satisfied. My ideal price is 4 million yuan." Zhu Baiqi began to test Luo Qihong's reserve price.

Luo Qihong knew that Zhu Baiqi still underestimated him. Seeing that he couldn't make a breakthrough on Kang Wenyi's body, he wondered if he could make one on him. He simply thought that Zhu Baiqi was young and inexperienced.

Luo Qihong smiled and said, "Mr. Zhu, according to the current market price, the Wei Kee Building is worth about 1 million yuan. There is no problem with a 3% premium in the first half of the year. But a few days ago, the Hong Kong government announced the recovery of 3 hectares of land in Tin Shui Wai and the sale of the Murray Road car park in Central, which had a significant impact on Hua Xia Bank. Now such a high premium is not allowed."

"If Mr. Zhu really wants to sell the Wei Kee Building for NT$1 million, then Paramount will no longer have a chance to own the building. I must consider the interests of Paramount shareholders."

Zhu Baiqi thought for a while and said, "What is the ideal price of Paramount Company?"

"The 1 million yuan proposed by Manager Kang is the ideal price for Paramount. Mr. Zhu, a 4 million yuan premium is already very sincere. If it was a few months ago, Paramount would have no problem with a 3% premium." Luo Qihong smiled and said, "The situation in the local market is very strange. No one dares to say whether the 1 crash will suddenly happen."

The two continued to haggle over the price, and Luo Qihong finally offered 1 million and said he would not raise the price any further.

Zhu Baiqi didn't say anything. Instead, his secretary took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to Luo Qihong.

Zhu Baiqi explained, "This document shows a residential tenement building owned by Baiqi Real Estate, which is 32 years old. I heard that Luo Sheng has the ability to turn decay into magic, so I want to sell this tenement building to Paramount Company."

"If Luo Sheng is willing to acquire this residential tenement building, I am willing to sell Wei Kee Building to Paramount Company for 1 million yuan."

It's just a shortfall of 2 million yuan, but this tenement building requires 1 million yuan to acquire, which is not cost-effective if you calculate it carefully.

This tenement building is located at 10 Ko Shan Road, Lao Lung Hang, Ho Man Tin. It has 10 floors, covers an area of ​​8700 square feet, and has a floor area of ​​only 5.8 square feet.

Logically speaking, this piece of land is valuable. As long as it is demolished and rebuilt, it can make a good profit. So why did Zhu Baiqi sell the Tang Building and Wei Kee Building together?
"Mr. Zhu, are there any other problems with this Tang building?" Luo Qihong asked seriously.

Zhu Baiqi said, "The main reason is that this tenement building cannot be demolished for the time being, and I don't have much cash to work with, so I want to sell it at a high price."

Luo Qihong was doubtful and felt that the problem was not that simple. There must be other reasons, but Zhu Baiqi was unwilling to say them out.

Kang Wenyi glanced at Zhu Baiqi, walked to Luo Qihong and whispered two words in his ear. Zhu Baiqi's expression suddenly changed.

After understanding the real reason, Luo Qihong smiled and said, "Mr. Zhu is really interesting. Are you planning to test my ability?"

The real reason why Zhu Baiqi sold the tenement building in Ho Man Tin was that the Hong Kong government was planning to build a Kowloon East Highway, which might pass through the tenement building. Then the tenement building would have to be demolished, but the Hong Kong government only gave half of the compensation.

Of course, the highway only occupies a part of the land of the tenement building. However, the area of ​​the tenement building is not large. After a part of it is expropriated, the utilization rate of the remaining land will be discounted. Such losses will probably be heavy.

(End of this chapter)