Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

"Also, try not to use my name during the acquisition process. You can use an offshore company or an agent. You're the expert in the specifics. I don't want to be exposed to the public too early, especially under the noses of HSBC and Standard Chartered."

Lawrence nodded solemnly. "Understood, Mr. He. I will set up several shell companies to operate, ensuring that the source of funds and the information of the ultimate controller are kept hidden."

After seeing Lawrence off, He Damin returned to his study and stood by the window for a long time.

Chen Xueru walked in gently and placed a freshly brewed cup of tea beside him.

"Are you done talking?"

"Um."

Chen Xueru didn't ask any further questions. She simply stood beside him, watching the increasingly bustling harbor outside the window. She knew He Damin's personality; he would say what he wanted to say.

After a while, she asked softly, "Why acquire the bank? Aren't our businesses doing just fine?"

He Damin turned around and looked at her.

"For the future," he said. "In Hong Kong, finance is the lifeblood. With our own bank, we can better control our wealth and do more. Think about it, whether we're in real estate or trade, which of these doesn't require a lot of capital? Keeping money in other people's banks not only means paying interest, but at crucial moments, they might even withdraw it. With our own bank, we have our own 'money bag'."

He paused, a hint of barely perceptible pride in his voice: "Moreover, banks are not just places to deposit and withdraw money. They can invest, lend, and support our own people and businesses. With banks, we have leverage to move this city, allowing us to go further and more steadily in the future."

Chen Xueru nodded thoughtfully. Although she didn't fully understand the complexities of finance, she trusted He Damin's judgment.

"So... is there anything we can do to help?"

He Damin smiled.

"Of course," he said. "After the bank is acquired, you're good with numbers and meticulous, so you'll probably be the first person to sit on the board of directors and keep an eye on things for me."

Chen Xueru was slightly taken aback, then smiled. "Me? Can I do it?"

"Why can't you do it?" He Damin encouraged, "You'll learn with more practice. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"Then I need to quickly learn English and Cantonese, otherwise I won't be able to understand anything in meetings," Chen Xueru said earnestly.

Outside the window, the sunlight over Victoria Harbour grew brighter, spilling across the shimmering water like a layer of shattered gold. Gazing at this bustling scene, He Damin's mind drifted to the dramatic changes that would unfold over the next few decades.

In 1961, a bank run occurred at Liao Chuang Hsing Bank, and Liao Baoshan died suddenly.

In 1965, during the Hong Kong banking crisis, Hang Seng Bank was forced to sell its controlling stake to HSBC.

That year, HSBC acquired a 51% stake in Hang Seng Bank for only HK$5100 million.

He possessed one billion taels of silver and one million two hundred thousand taels of gold. Converted to Hong Kong dollars, this was an astronomical sum.

He has plenty of time and patience.

Wait until that day.

Lawrence was highly efficient. The day after accepting the commission, he connected with the Kwok family of Wing On Bank through several intermediaries. The key figures in the Kwok family were the siblings Kwok Chuen and Kwok Lin-shan, who were the heads of Wing On Department Store.

The initial contact did not go smoothly. The Guo family was wary of Lawrence, this "suddenly appearing" representative. Although Lawrence claimed to have "powerful overseas investors" behind him, the Guo family was more concerned about his true identity and acquisition intentions.

"Attorney Lawrence, it's not that we don't trust you," Guo Linshan said politely but distantly in her office on the top floor of Yong'an Department Store, sipping her English afternoon tea. "Yong'an Bank is part of our Guo family's business. Although it's not large, it has been operating for many years. It's not something just anyone can buy."

Lawrence was prepared. He smiled and replied, "Ms. Guo, I fully understand your concerns. My client greatly respects the Guo family's contributions to Wing On Bank. His idea is to inject capital to help the bank expand, rather than take over completely and start from scratch. The management will still be led by the Guo family."

"Oh?" Guo Quan put down his teacup, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. "Just injecting capital? Then why not choose to take a stake, or borrow money? Why insist on buying a controlling stake?"

This is the core issue. Lawrence replied calmly, "Mr. Guo, my client believes that to get things done, one must have sufficient say. He is optimistic about the future of the banking industry and the foundation of Wing On Bank, but he hopes the bank can operate in a more modern and efficient manner. Of course, this requires the cooperation of the Guo family."

The first meeting was merely a preliminary assessment, with no substantial progress. The Guo family stated they needed time to consider, but in reality, they were secretly investigating Lawrence and his "mystery client."

The following week, Lawrence encountered significant resistance. There also seemed to be divisions within the Guo family. Some believed the bank was indeed a burden and that it would be better to cash out and invest in the more familiar department store business; others felt the bank represented the family's image and should not be sold easily.

To make matters worse, the news somehow leaked out, and rumors began circulating that Wing On Bank was poorly managed and was going to be acquired by an "unknown conglomerate." This caused concern among some depositors, and although the scale was small, it had already affected the bank's daily operations.

"Mr. He, the situation is a bit tricky," Lawrence reported to He Damin over the phone. "The Guo family's attitude is wavering, and there are rumors circulating outside. I suspect that HSBC has caught wind of this and is putting pressure on us behind the scenes. They don't want to see a new Chinese-owned bank rise, and they certainly don't want to see capital outside their control enter the banking industry."

He Damin frowned. He had expected HSBC's reaction, but he hadn't anticipated it would come so quickly.

"Tell the Guo family that we can raise the price a bit more, to 3500 million for 51% of the shares," He Damin said thoughtfully. "At the same time, have them come forward to clarify the rumors and stabilize depositors' confidence. Tell them that this is beneficial to both of us. As for HSBC, we don't need to pay attention to them for now. They don't know our strengths and weaknesses yet, so they won't dare to go too far."

Lawrence relayed He Damin's message to the Guo family. The price of 3500 million was 500 million higher than the Guo family's internally estimated maximum price, causing many previously hesitant family members to consider selling. After all, the department store business was their foundation, and using this huge sum to expand their department store empire was clearly more in the family's best interest.

Guo Quan and his sister Guo Linshan finally agreed to negotiate. However, they also put forward conditions: in addition to retaining control of the operation, their board seats must be guaranteed, and the bank's core management, such as the general manager and chief financial officer, must be nominated by the Guo family.

This was within He Damin's expectations. He instructed Lawrence: "We can agree to their conditions. Give them the management rights, but our people must be involved in finance and risk control. We want a majority of seats on the board of directors, and we will appoint someone to be the chairman."

The subsequent negotiations entered a substantive phase, mainly focusing on contract details and the method of fund transfer. The Guo family preferred a one-time cash payment, while Lawrence, representing He Damin, proposed an initial payment of 60%, with the remaining 40% to be paid within one month of the equity transfer completion. This was to prevent unforeseen circumstances during the transaction.

The two sides remained deadlocked for two days. The Guo family, fearing complications, insisted on full payment. Lawrence, however, remained adamant, emphasizing that this was standard practice in international mergers and acquisitions and protected both parties.

Ultimately, He Damin conceded, agreeing to pay in full, but demanding that the Guo family provide a detailed list of assets and liabilities, to be audited by an independent third-party accounting firm. If the audit results differed significantly from the data provided by the Guo family, the acquisition price would be renegotiated, or the deal could be cancelled.

This request was reasonable, and the Guo family could not refuse. They were also eager to get rid of the business, so they agreed.

The audit process took nearly two more weeks. During this time, some minor issues were indeed discovered, such as the overvaluation of collateral for several long-term loans and the insufficient disclosure of the recovery risks of some accounts receivable. Based on this, Lawrence lowered the price by another HK$100 million, ultimately settling on HK$3400 million.

Although the Guo family felt the pinch, they knew they were in the wrong and ultimately accepted the price.

Just as negotiations with Wing On Bank reached a stalemate, Union Bank also began its own operations. Compared to the long-established and family-run Wing On Bank, Union Bank's acquisition process appeared "simpler," but it also had its own unique challenges.

The main founders of Union Bank were all overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia: Mr. Lim from Malaysia, Mr. Chen from Singapore, and Mr. Huang from Thailand. They founded Union Bank primarily to facilitate remittances from overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and to serve their compatriots in Hong Kong. As a new bank, its shareholding structure was relatively clear, but precisely because of this, the opinions of the shareholders were crucial; any opposition from any one party could cause the acquisition to fail.

Lawrence first contacted Mr. Lim, who held the largest shareholding. Mr. Lim had numerous rubber plantations and tin mines in Malaysia and was not particularly knowledgeable about banking. His initial investment in Union Bank was largely driven by hometown sentiment and following the trend. In recent years, the situation in Southeast Asia had become somewhat unstable, and he was looking to repatriate some funds to consolidate his businesses in Malaysia.

When Lawrence subtly suggested that a "big boss" wanted to acquire a stake in Union Bank, Mr. Lin showed great interest. "Lawyer Lawrence, to be honest, the bank has been doing quite well these past few years, but I've invested too much effort and the returns haven't been as good as what I do in my old profession. If the price is right, I'd be willing to consider selling."

The initial contact went smoothly; Mr. Lin agreed to sell his 25% stake and expressed his willingness to help persuade the other shareholders. This gave Lawrence a lot of confidence.

However, things weren't as simple as they seemed. The second person they contacted, Mr. Chen, was not so easy to talk to. Mr. Chen ran a sizable trading company in Singapore. He was optimistic about Hong Kong's development prospects and believed that Union Bank had great potential, so he was unwilling to sell it easily.