Chapter 37: A Rival Appears

At the agency, Lin Haoran clearly articulated his specific requirements to the agent, who then carefully selected several properties for his consideration.

This agency, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Land Group, relied on the immense strength and stellar reputation of its parent company. Every transaction contract came with a guarantee: all recommended properties had undergone rigorous screening and verification to ensure they were free of any potential risks, including but not limited to mortgage issues. Should any situation arise that failed to meet these promises, the company would take full responsibility until the matter was resolved satisfactorily. Lin Haoran felt quite reassured by this.

Given his current financial situation and practical needs, Lin focused his search on properties with a total price under one million Hong Kong dollars. He knew that he might not find an exceptionally spacious office within this budget, but he remained open-minded, viewing it as a pragmatic choice for his current stage. He reasoned that once his economic situation improved in the future, it would not be too late to upgrade to a larger workspace.

After careful browsing and comparison, Lin Haoran quickly found a target. It was a property located in the bustling commercial district surrounding the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in a building called the Hengfeng Building. This majestic 21-story structure stood tall, and the office for sale occupied a prime floor—the 19th—offering not only an expansive view but also proximity to the beautiful Victoria Harbour.

In the Central district, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, many commercial buildings are held by large conglomerates and are rarely sold in individual units. However, there are exceptions; the building Lin was inspecting had once been the exclusive property of a renowned British-owned firm. The stock market crash of 1973 had dealt a devastating blow to the company, and in order to survive and restructure, they had been forced to tearfully partition half of the floors in this iconic building into independent property units for sale.

The office Lin favored, while relatively compact at approximately 1,620 square feet (about 150 square meters), was well-laid out with high utility. Considering its superior location, convenient transportation, and the charming sea view from the window, the owner's asking price of 1 million Hong Kong dollars seemed quite reasonable and attractive.

Seeing that it was still early, Lin Haoran decided to strike while the iron was hot and commissioned the agent to lead him to inspect the property in person.

Upon stepping into the room, he was captivated by its exquisite layout and brand-new renovation. The overall environment far exceeded his expectations and could be put to use immediately without any modifications—a great blessing for someone who valued efficiency as much as he did.

Lin Haoran was a man of action. Satisfied, he immediately instructed the agent to arrange a meeting with the owner. Soon after, a middle-aged Chinese owner arrived as scheduled. He revealed that he was planning to move his entire family to Canada, which was why he was reluctantly putting this property, which doubled as an office and residence, on the market.

The negotiation was exceptionally smooth. Based on a mutual recognition of the property's value and their shared sincerity and respect, they finalized the deal at 950,000 Hong Kong dollars. Both parties were decisive, and with the agent’s assistance, they successfully completed the transfer formalities before the 6:00 PM closing time. With the final signature, Lin Haoran finally owned his first piece of property in the bustling heart of Central.

After settling the matter, Lin took Li Weiguo and Li Weidong back to the space that now belonged to him. The unit had previously been leased to a small business that had cleverly utilized the space to create a fully functional office area, including a general manager’s office, a finance office, and a departmental office. The main hall had been partitioned into several workstations to accommodate the needs of different teams. The office could easily house fifteen to twenty people.

For Lin Haoran, the property was highly practical and ready for immediate move-in. He was particularly pleased with the design; in a space of about 30 square meters, the living and office areas were cleverly separated, allowing Lin to even stay there overnight if needed. Walking through the spacious hall, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside lay a breathtaking sight: the sparkling waters of Victoria Harbour were in full view, and the silhouette of the Kowloon Peninsula on the opposite shore stood out clearly against the sunset, like a moving painting unfolding before him.

Nearby, towering over twenty stories, stood another commercial building—the headquarters of the Cheung Kong Group.

At that very moment, in a conference room at the Cheung Kong headquarters, Li Jiacheng sat at the head of the table, engaged in a high-stakes strategic meeting with his team of advisors.

"In Hong Kong, British-listed companies are as numerous as stars, and many are of high quality. Currently, we have abundant capital. Although we missed the opportunity with Wharf, new battlefields await us. Hutchison Whampoa is our next major target, but the time is not yet ripe. Mr. Wu, have you or your team identified any other potential stocks worth our pursuit during this period?" Li Jiacheng asked the head of his think tank with his characteristic elegance.

Li Jiacheng’s failed acquisition of Wharf had left many feeling regretful on his behalf, but he had his own considerations. By doing so, he avoided a direct confrontation with Jardine Matheson while also doing a favor for HSBC and Pao Yue-kong, paving the way for Cheung Kong’s future leap—a strategy of "killing three birds with one stone."

Mr. Wu quickly organized his thoughts and replied steadily, "Mr. Li, after days of in-depth research and analysis by our team, we have unanimously concluded that the Green Island Cement Company in the Hung Hom district of Kowloon is currently a highly attractive acquisition target. Its stock price is currently stable at around five Hong Kong dollars per share, and its total market capitalization is a mere 250 million Hong Kong dollars, which appears significantly undervalued. It is worth noting that while trading volume has increased over the past few months and the stock price has risen, we cannot ascertain the reason for this volume; however, our research suggests that this masks the fact that its true value is being underestimated by the market. Green Island Cement not only has a solid business foundation but also holds 800,000 square feet of prime waterfront land in Hung Hom, the value of which far exceeds its current market cap. Therefore, we firmly believe that if we can successfully acquire Green Island Cement and thereby secure the development rights for the Hung Hom plot, it will have an immeasurable positive impact on the future development of the Cheung Kong Group. This is our detailed research report; please review it, Mr. Li."

With that, Mr. Wu respectfully presented a heavy report to Li Jiacheng with both hands.

Lin Haoran’s acquisition of Green Island Cement shares had been extremely covert, so even Li Jiacheng’s team of advisors had not discovered that someone had already secretly targeted the company.

Li Jiacheng nodded slightly, took the report, and began reading it carefully in the conference room. His expression shifted as he delved into the content—sometimes frowning in deep thought over key issues, and at other times revealing a satisfied smile, clearly appreciative of certain points in the report.

"Good, let this be our next target!" After a long while, Li Jiacheng declared decisively.