Hong Kong 1980: The Savage Era

Chapter 189 [Is it a rumor? ]

"Mr. Huang, Mr. Huang, hello!" Luo Qihong was the first to greet them. In terms of strength, the Huang Tingfang family was much stronger than his.

"Haha! Hello, Mr. Luo!" Huang Tingfang took the initiative to shake the right hand extended by Luo Qihong.

He also shook hands with his son Huang Zhixiang, and the three of them took their seats one by one.

After picking up their chopsticks and chatting for a while, Luo Qihong got down to business and discussed the acquisition of Dongchang Building on Cotton Tree Road in Admiralty.

"Mr. Huang, I heard that your company is planning to sell the Dongchang Building in Central. I wonder what price you want to sell it for?"

"Haha! Luo Sheng, do you plan to buy the whole building or part of it?" Huang Tingfang asked with a smile.

Luo Qihong put down his chopsticks, picked up the goblet, and said, "Of course it's the whole building, otherwise we wouldn't have asked Mr. Huang to come out to discuss. But if the price is too expensive, it will be difficult for Zhaoan Real Estate Company to afford it."

Huang Tingfang knew that Luo Qihong's hidden meaning was not to make a random offer, otherwise the cooperation would fail. "Don't worry, just go with the current market price, 2 yuan per square foot. The floor area of ​​Dongchang Building is 8 square feet, and the selling price is 24 million yuan."

Luo Qihong laughed and said, "Mr. Huang, Dongchang Building is a newly built commercial building, so it is naturally worth this price. However, the current large commercial buildings in Central are priced at this price. Can it be cheaper?"

Huang Zhixiang said at Huang Tingfang's suggestion, "Mr. Luo, the price of Dongchang Building can be cheaper, but we have a condition."

Luo Qihong realized that the Huang family father and son had bad intentions, but he still asked, "What are the conditions?"

"Sun Hung Kai Properties is interested in acquiring a stake in Siu On Properties. This will also be beneficial to Siu On Properties as it will not need to take on too much debt and increase operating risks." Huang Zhixiang smiled and looked at Luo Qihong.

Luo Qihong thought to himself, "What a wild idea! Issuing new shares to Sino Real Estate would be like inviting a wolf into the house. Besides, Zhaoan Real Estate Company doesn't lack these tens of millions of funds."

"I'm sorry to let Mr. Huang down. Zhao'an Real Estate Company already has a plan to resolve this payment. You don't have to worry about it." Luo Qihong politely declined.

Huang Tingfang did not force it, and said with a smile, "Well, cooperation cannot be forced. Sino Real Estate Company also wants to make friends with Luo Sheng, so let's set it at 2 yuan per square foot, for a total price of 7 million yuan."

The price was reduced by NT$1 per square foot, which makes it NT$2 million cheaper. Unfortunately, this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the total price, and there is still a big gap between it and the price that Luo Qihong wanted.

Luo Qihong glanced at Huang Tingfang and Huang Zhixiang. "2 yuan per square foot, the selling price is 5 million yuan, how about that?"

The price was directly cut by nearly 5 million yuan, and Huang and his son suddenly became restless.

"Mr. Luo, your bargaining is too sharp." Huang Zhixiang couldn't help but speak in a heavier tone.

Luo Qihong was in no hurry to answer. He poured himself a cup of tea and said calmly, "As for bargaining, how can you know if it's possible if you don't speak out?"

Negotiations have always been a process of constantly testing each other's bottom line. No businessman will quote a bottom line price right at the start. All prices fluctuate reasonably above and below the bottom line.

Huang Tingfang patted the back of Huang Zhixiang's hand, signaling Huang Zhixiang to calm down, and then said, "Mr. Luo, we are all real estate developers, so we won't give you a false price. 2 yuan per square foot. If it's okay, we'll make a deal."

Luo Qihong smiled and touched the cup on Huang Tingfang's desk with his cup, "Happy cooperation, Mr. Huang!"

每平方尺2千6百元，总价6亿4千2百20万元。

According to calculations by employees of Siu On Real Estate, Sun Hung Kai Properties' cost for the Dongchang Building was around 4 million yuan, with a profit of at least 5 million yuan.

In fact, the selling price of Dongchang Building is not too high. After all, Zhaoan Real Estate Company can raise half of the money through a one-time fundraising and share offering.

This price was the most ideal price that Luo Qihong had expected. If it was any lower, Huang and his son would naturally not agree.

Next, the two parties discussed the payment ratio, method and other issues.

What Luo Qihong didn't expect was that the Huang father and son were very familiar with the situation of Zhaoan Real Estate Company, which made Luo Qihong feel a little cold.

It is conceivable that this father and son must have had evil intentions towards Zhaoan Real Estate Company, otherwise why would they be so familiar with each other.

Moreover, their intentions were so obvious that Luo Qihong suddenly realized that Huang and his son were not easy people to deal with.

a

As the Spring Festival approaches, the streets are filled with popular goods and even some high-end department stores are offering discounts to attract customers.

Zhaoan Real Estate Company successfully raised funds for its rights issue and paid a down payment of 3 million yuan to Sun Hung Kai Properties, while also obtaining a mortgage loan of 3 million yuan from HSBC Bank.

Luo Qihong was not in a hurry to use the loan to pay Sun Hung Kai Properties, but instead bought a large number of Jardine Matheson shares.

Dean's Office

Luo Qihong browsed the submitted report. The share price of Star Ferry Company had already risen by 50%. The shares held by De'an Company were also sold successfully, making a profit of tens of millions of yuan.

At the same time, the share price of Star Ferry Company was also hit by 20%, which was slightly different from what Luo Qihong expected and was not as low as expected.

Luo Qihong frowned. It was much more difficult to carry out the plan and the funds required also increased.

De'an Company's funds were naturally insufficient, and it had to use private funds and even the funds in the trading company's account. It was truly a "full-system action".

"Ah Hong, do you want to continue as planned?" Bai Jinyan asked softly and tentatively.

There is little point in continuing now. A lot of funds are mobilized but the profit is small. It is an unprofitable project.

"Let's pause for now and let Li Zhaoji be proud for a while." Luo Qihong sighed helplessly.

"The share price of Zhaoan Real Estate Company has risen to 9 yuan, with a market value of 8.1 million yuan. It is estimated that it will exceed the 10 billion yuan mark before the Spring Festival and become one of the top 30 real estate companies in Hong Kong." Seeing that Luo Qihong was upset, Bai Jinyan talked about some happy things.

"Yeah!" Luo Qihong nodded lightly. He didn't care much about what Bai Jinyan said. The surge in the market value of Zhaoan Real Estate Company was natural. There was nothing to be too happy about.

"How is the purchase of Jardine Matheson shares going?" Luo Qihong asked.

Bai Jinyan was somewhat puzzled by this move. Was it because of the Central Bus Terminal project proposed by the Hong Kong government? Why was Ah Hong so optimistic about Jardine Matheson?

"There are not many individual shares of Jardine Matheson on the stock market. Although the current share price is only 29 yuan, we have only bought about 6% so far, and the loss of funds is 2 million yuan." Bai Jinyan couldn't help but ask, "Why invest in Jardine Matheson shares? Is it because of the upcoming bid for the Central Bus Terminal?"

Luo Qihong shook his head and said, "No, let's continue the acquisition. If the funds are insufficient, you can use some of my personal funds. Anyway, I will acquire as many shares of Jardine Matheson as I have."

Bai Jinyan naturally agreed. Luo Qihong's investment in the stock market had never failed and was very authoritative.

"Do we need to continue to follow Li Zhaoji?"

Luo Qihong waved his hand and said, "No need. Li Zhaoji is a cautious person. He dared to do this, so he must have made a plan to deal with it. Our current goal is to use the 3 million yuan pledged as collateral for the Dongchang Building loan to fill the hole."

"As for the Japanese stock market, I plan to go to Japan after the Spring Festival. Someone has already taken care of other matters. It is estimated that it will only take a month for me to return to Hong Kong." Bai Jinyan said.

Luo Qihong thought about it. 1 million Hong Kong dollars is not a small amount. The Japanese company is newly built and needs a trustworthy person to take charge. It is enough for him to look after Hong Kong. "You can stay in Japan for a while. I can spend some time to take care of Hong Kong. It shouldn't be a problem."

Bai Jinyan was also afraid that Luo Qihong would seize power. She knew very well that Luo Qihong did not have a suitable person to replace her, and she was also one of Luo Qihong's confidants, so there was no need to replace her.

As for Luo Qihong himself, he was busy enough with his China Gas Company, Zhaoan Real Estate Company and trading company, so he had no time to take care of De'an Securities Investment Company.

Tuesday, March 1

Market rumors have it that Li Ka-shing will acquire Jardine Matheson shares through Cheung Kong Holdings at HK$36 per share.

On that day, the Hong Kong stock market rose sharply, with the Hang Seng Index soaring 62.36 points. The share prices of Jardine Matheson and Hong Kong Land Development rose in tandem, with Jardine Matheson's share price rising by HK$7, from HK$29 per share to HK$36, a 24% increase.

On the morning of the next day, Luo Qihong was in charge of Dean Securities Investment Company and asked Bai Jinyan to sell Jardine Matheson shares as soon as the market opened.

He knew that such rumors were not groundless, but Li Jiacheng was so cunning that when Cheung Kong Holdings had sold most of its shares, he would definitely hold a press conference as soon as possible to clarify the "rumors".

All he had to do was to sell off all of Jardine Matheson's shares before Cheung Kong Holdings clarified the matter and take the opportunity to make a fortune.

"There's news from the exchange that an unknown account is selling a small amount of Jardine Matheson shares, but the number of accounts is not small, and the other party has sold about 2% of the shares." Bai Jinyan reported, "We have sold 1%, and the remaining 6%. If there are no accidents, we should be able to sell them all before the close of tomorrow's market."

"Speed ​​up, Cheung Kong Holdings won't be able to hold out for much longer. No matter how slow they react, they will take action before the end of get off work today, otherwise the outside world will become suspicious." Luo Qihong said thoughtfully.

"Okay, then I will try to sell 4% to 5% of the stocks before the market closes today." Bai Jinyan nodded.

If calculated based on a profit margin of 24%, Zhaoan Real Estate Company can make a profit of 7 million yuan from this investment project.

Although the amount is far from the amount used to repay the mortgage loan, Zhaoan Real Estate Company will have additional start-up capital, which will play a significant role in its subsequent investment plans.

However, this incident was a little unexpected. Until 19 o'clock in the evening on the 6th, Cheung Kong Holdings had not issued a clarification announcement, as if it had tacitly approved the acquisition.

Zhaoan Real Estate Company only sold 4% of the Jardine Matheson Group shares it held, and still had 3% left. However, the average price of the shares sold that day was as high as 37 yuan, and the current profit has reached 5 million yuan.

"What does Cheung Kong Holdings mean? The response is so slow." Bai Jinyan said in confusion.

"This proves that the news is not groundless. Cheung Kong Industries wants to use this illusion to raise the stock price." Luo Qihong smiled and said, "What is the reaction of the Keswick family?"

"Since the Keswick family's investment focus has shifted to overseas, they don't have much cash on hand and are still raising funds. They are only buying a small amount of Jardine Matheson shares," Bai Jinyan reported.

"The share price of Jardine Matheson may break through 40 yuan. I have to say that Li Jiacheng's feint was very powerful. It scared the Keswick family into quickly saving Jardine Matheson." Luo Qihong laughed.

The tycoon eats the meat, and Zhaoan Real Estate Company just has to drink the soup. He is not greedy.

"Then should we wait until the stock price breaks through 40 yuan before selling the remaining Jardine Matheson shares?" Bai Jinyan is also a greedy person, but he forgot the danger behind it.

Luo Qihong refused, saying, "Even if it can break through 40 yuan, it won't last long. It's safer to sell everything tomorrow. There's no need to take risks for a little profit."

Mid-Levels Garden Residences

As soon as he entered the house, Luo Qihong saw Zhang Kuisheng coming again, and the atmosphere of the conversation did not seem as harmonious as last time.

"Ah Hong is off work." Zhang Kuisheng greeted him with a slight smile, but there was a hint of difficulty in his smile.

"I heard that your Siu On Real Estate Company is doing very well and acquired a commercial building worth 6 million in Central. That's amazing. I told you at the beginning, Hong, that you can definitely become a tycoon in Hong Kong."

Luo Qihong maintained a polite smile in response to Zhang Kuisheng's compliments. He had long been immune to these compliments, after all, he had heard them countless times.

"Uncle Zhang, you're too kind. It's just luck." Luo Qihong replied indifferently.

Soon, Luo Qihong understood Zhang Kuisheng's purpose, which was to sell Fujia Newspaper.

Apparently due to Zhang Kuisheng's poor management and fierce competition from peers, Fujia Newspaper is now in serious debt, accounting for 56% of total assets.

Zhang Kuisheng knew that he was unable to reverse the loss situation, so he decided to cash out and leave, and the Luo family was his first and best choice.

"How much do you want to sell Uncle Zhang's 60% stake for?" Luo Qihong typeset.

Luo Qihong didn't know much about running a newspaper. It was true that he had read magazines like "Men's Gang" in his previous life, but he only remembered some of the pages. He didn't remember many of the others and didn't know how to arrange the content.

However, he still wanted to buy a newspaper to allow the family business to form a preliminary closure, which would increase the family company's resistance to risks and make it less likely to go bankrupt.

Luo Zegui and Luo Qixing were both slightly surprised. They never thought that Luo Qihong would want to acquire Fujia Newspaper Company. Could it be that Ah Hong knew how to run a business?
Neither the father nor the son said anything to stop him, because they thought there must be a reason why Luo Qihong did this, and they wouldn't worry too much.

Over the past year or so, the Luo family has developed a dependence on Luo Qihong and has complete trust in him.

"How about 1 million?" Zhang Kuisheng raised a finger with a slight smile on his lips.

Luo Qihong looked at Luo Zegui and Luo Qixing and asked, "Dad, big brother, what do you think?"

In fact, this is a symbolic inquiry, and the decision must be made by Luo Qihong himself.

"This price is not expensive. You are shareholders of Fujia Newspaper and should be aware of its situation. Although it is in some trouble now, the sales of other magazines will not be a big problem." Zhang Kuisheng seized the opportunity to interfere with them verbally before Luo Zegui and Luo Qixing could speak.

Luo Qihong glared at Zhang Kuisheng and signaled this guy to shut up.

At Luo Zegui's reminder, Luo Qixing began to tell what he knew about the business situation of Fujia Newspaper.

In fact, Fujia Newspaper Company's magazine sales have entered a low period. The current sales volume is only 4% of the peak period this year. The monthly profit can only pay the employees' wages and the interest of banks and financial companies.

The situation of Fujia Newspaper Company was very critical. The 60% equity was not worth 1 million yuan, not even 50 yuan.

Luo Qihong smiled slightly and said, "Uncle Zhang, I think I need to read all the information about Fujia Newspaper Company and let a professional appraisal company get involved before we can discuss the price."

Hearing this, Zhang Kuisheng panicked. "We are all acquaintances now. There is no need for me to keep it a secret from you. How about this? 50 yuan for 60% of the shares?"

Luo Qihong knew that Zhang Kuisheng must have other problems for lowering the price in such a panic, and the problems were not small, so he shook his head and said, "40 yuan at most. If Uncle Zhang thinks it is not worth it, we can wait for the appraisal report of the appraisal company to come out before discussing it."

Zhang Kuisheng glanced at Luo Qihong, feeling somewhat unwilling, but wanting to get rid of this trouble as soon as possible, "Okay, 40 is 40."

"Well, let's go to the law firm to sign the contract tomorrow." Luo Qihong said.

However, after Zhang Kuisheng left, Luo Qihong immediately called the company's legal team and asked them to help check whether there was any problem with Zhang Kuisheng's 60% stake in Fujia Newspaper Company.

(End of this chapter)