King of Capital

Magic City, The Bund.

Wang Shi pushed the door open and went down to the workshop. He looked up at the unfinished sign high up on the glass exterior wall of the office building in front of him. He straightened his shoulders, straightened his clothes, and strode towards the headquarters of Jingxing Investment Group.

The accompanying assistant had a solemn expression on his face and almost ran into the single-family "building" which was only twelve stories high.

"There is an appointment. Wang Shi, Chairman of Vanke Group, has an appointment with Zhan Yunping, Manager of the Securities Department of Jingxing Group."

The lobby has a nine-meter high ceiling, creating an extremely luxurious feeling of space.

The many visitors and job applicants in the reception area could not hear what the person who came straight to the front desk said in a low voice, but they could see his hurried state and Wang Shi who was then surrounded and escorted in.

The Chairman of Vanke Group came to visit in person but there was no special reception?
The onlookers were all stunned, and then instantly thought of the Wanbao battle which was gradually entering the final moment. Some people quietly took out their mobile phones and turned on the camera, while others moved closer and pricked up their ears without making a sound.

"You mean Mr. Zhan, the investment manager of our securities department? I found the appointment. Please register first. Since the appointment time has not yet arrived, I will help you confirm whether he is available now."

From a department manager to an investment manager in the department, the accompanying assistant ignored the unintentional correction of the girl at the front desk, picked up the pen to register and said that he had called Mr. Zhan to confirm!

While his subordinates were trying their best to preserve their own reputation, Wang Shi stood a few steps away, quietly feeling the strange and inquiring gazes coming from all around the lobby.

"Hello, Mr. Wang. I am Zhan Yunping from the Securities Department of Jingxing Group. I am very sorry for the delay of waiting for the elevator for a few minutes."

There was no need to wait. As soon as I finished registering, a young man with a shy smile came to greet me and apologized sincerely.

Wang Shi did not take it as an offense and took the initiative to shake hands and greet each other. The two took the elevator upstairs side by side and calmly left the sight of onlookers.

That’s right, this visit to Jingxing Group is related to the so-called "Wanbao dispute", and the industry term is called - canvassing for votes.

The nature of the circulating shares of listed companies usually leads to professional institutional investors such as securities firms and public funds holding a large number of shares in a company. They usually do not intervene in the management and operation of the company and only make pure financial investments.

At critical moments, the voting rights of stocks cannot be ignored. If the management team wants to pass major business matters, they need to visit major institutional shareholders to explain the situation and seek voting support.

"The situation Vanke is facing right now is a typical Yao-style scheme!"

After sitting down in the conference room, Wang Shi got straight to the point and said, "Last year, Yao Zhenhua led the Baoneng Group to acquire 5% of Vanke's shares in the secondary market. Many people reminded me to be careful because this person had bad intentions."

"At that time, I even posted a Weibo post to speak for him publicly. Vanke and Baoneng are both Shenzhen companies, and I welcome him to invest in Vanke."

He said with certainty: "Then things started to get weird. Where did Baoneng get so much money to bid for 23% of Vanke's shares? There was something wrong with the source of its funds. They were all leveraged funds with very high interest rates, and the high interest rates could not be covered by Vanke's normal profit dividends!"

Yao Zhenhua wants to continue to acquire Vanke shares to reach the 30% shareholding relative to the actual control line, so that he can sell Vanke's high-quality assets and put them into Baoneng's own pocket to fill the leveraged capital hole.

It is equivalent to using Vanke’s money to acquire Vanke!
Wang Shi wore a slim white shirt with a black suit vest today. He had a lean figure and bright eyes, which showed his passion and determination to never forgive Yao Zhenhua's evil deeds.

It was hard to imagine that this was a 65-year-old man, Zhan Yunping was secretly surprised.

"I have already discussed with most shareholders that we should advance and retreat together to resist the barbarians. We will never allow such a thing that harms the interests of all shareholders and is tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs for Vanke to happen. I hope your company can support us." Wang Shi clasped his hands together with the utmost sincerity.

"Mr. Wang, please drink some water."

Zhan Yunping quickly stood up, bent down and stretched out his arm to hand over the water. His body movements were a disguised way of avoiding receiving gifts and easing the tense atmosphere.

Wang Shi wanted to buy two plots of land from Shenzhen Metro Group and use the issuance of new shares to pay for it, making Shenzhen Metro a major shareholder of Vanke.

In this case, the Baoneng Group would naturally resolutely reject the transaction to avoid dilution of its own 23% stake. Why would other shareholders who are also facing share dilution agree?

The introduction of Shenzhen Metro is a defensive operation led by the management itself for the actual control of the company. It is not an obvious positive, but of course there is no harm in it either.

But on the other hand, Baoneng's massive acquisition of stocks in the secondary market has actually pushed up the stock price. The group's proprietary business bought Vanke during the stock market crash last year. The average cost price of around 15 yuan has risen to 24 yuan, and the floating profit of the holding is 60%.

In fact, Vanke suspended trading at the end of last year, and the resumption has been delayed again and again until now. The floating profits have been locked in and the company can only wait.

Just as Wang Shi said, everyone in the market knows that Yao Zhenhua cannot stop and must continue to buy stocks to reach the relative actual control line in order to cover the cost of leveraged funds.

From this, it can be expected that the stock price will continue to rise after the resumption of trading.

So why bother fighting with each other? It would be much better if everyone could make money in harmony. Let’s resume trading quickly and let the share price rise to July. By then, the group’s shares will have passed the restricted sale period, and selling off all the shares will bring billions in profit!

As for what your life or death, Wang Shi, has to do with me, out of respect for the passion and struggle of our old seniors, I can call you Mr. Wang, but if you try to stop us young people from making money, then I can only call you Old Wang.

The old guy makes tens of millions of dollars a year and climbs Mount Everest, and then goes to study at a famous foreign university with a young girl. Damn it, I don’t even have a girlfriend!

Zhan Yunping held the mineral water bottle and drank it in big gulps. He hated the current uncertainty.

"Boss Zhan, I'm older than you, so I'll be able to speak to you from the bottom of my heart."

Wang Shi said that the young man in front of him was still unmoved, and he could not help but feel annoyed and depressed: "Jingxing Group is a top-level institution with great influence in the industry, and it serves as a role model for the market and society."

"At this time, your company can stand with small and medium shareholders, maintain market order and fight for our own interests. Not only I and the Vanke management team are grateful, but the entire industry will be grateful to you."

He leaned forward, resting his palms on the edge of the table, and said emotionally, "I think if Mr. Xie were sitting here today, he would definitely support Vanke in fighting the barbarians who are destroying the market to the end!"

"Mr. Wang, I can understand your feelings very well. In theory, our company has always been happy to promote the healthy development of the market. So other shareholders are in favor of introducing Shenzhen Metro, and our company absolutely supports your vote in favor!"

Zhan Yunping smiled and stood up to see the guest off: "Sorry, I'm going to the bathroom, please wait."

If others invest, I will invest too. This is the most universal sentence for polite refusal in the financial industry. If other shareholders agree, why should I be humble here?
Baoneng holds 23% of the shares, China Resources holds 15% of the shares, Jingxing Group holds 7% of the shares, and Anbang Insurance holds 5% of the shares, with a total shareholding of just 50%. The remaining half of the shares are scattered among thousands of small and medium-sized investors.

By getting the approval votes from Jingxing Group, Wang Shi will be able to leverage Anbang Insurance, which is also a financial investor, and thus drive small and medium-sized investors. At least he will not be outdone at the shareholding level, and he will be confident of control at the board level.

But why can't I figure it out?
Seeing the boy's cold face, Wang Shi took a deep breath with his chest heaving, leaning back in his chair: "Mr. Zhan, if your company and China Resources form a joint action party, please notify Vanke directly."

"... Mr. Wang, there is no need for any under-the-table transactions in our company. Your suspicion is unreasonable."

Zhan Yunping walked to the door of the conference room and suddenly looked back, his confusion and daze showed a serious warning.

Wang Shi spread his hands and said: "Since the founding of Vanke Group in 1984, it has gone through more than 6000 years of ups and downs. The history of this enterprise with billion assets is complicated. You may not know some things when you are young, but your boss knows them."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, I don't understand what you mean." Zhan Yunping frowned. Wang Shi smiled and suggested calmly: "I think you should report to your boss and then come back to talk. Go ahead, I'll wait for you."

"Please wait."

Zhan Yunping replied politely, left the meeting room, turned the corner of the corridor and stopped, hesitating and lost in thought.

A joint action agreement is not something surprising. Shareholders can sign it casually to maintain unity in voting on major company matters.

The key is to make it known to all shareholders. If some shareholders secretly reach a joint action agreement in private, it will constitute a regulatory violation.

The risk control department within the group has always been notorious for the East Factory, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Mr. Xie's loyalty to the dog chain. Besides, there is no benefit in doing such a thing, so Zhan Yunping was confused.

What does it mean that Wang Shi did not mention the protagonist Baoneng Group, but only questioned China Resources?
Zhan Yunping leaned against the wall with his hands on his hips, looking up at the ceiling with a puzzled and witty look in his eyes. His thoughts wandered and he suddenly recalled the experience two years ago when Mr. Xie took him, Wan Xue and Ji Zhiqiang to hype up a ten-fold monster stock.

At that time, everyone ate and lived together. Xiao Wan, as a girl, had the advantage of gender, and occasionally gossiped about Mr. Xie's personal affairs. It seems that she said something scattered...

Zhan Yunping sighed thoughtfully. Now he has been rapidly promoted from a trader with a monthly salary of 7000 yuan who counted on his fingers in anticipation of his year-end bonus to an investment manager with an annual salary of one million yuan.

Xiao Wan was transferred internally to the commodity futures trading group, and is still doing the work of a trader and holding position rights. She said that she was leveling up and fighting monsters, and that futures are much more fun than stocks.

Ji Zhiqiang felt that the company was under too much pressure, so he switched to CICC with Xiyou's work experience and lived a good life there. However, in just two or three years, everything had changed in the blink of an eye.

"Boss Lisa, can you help me find... Assistant Chen, uh, help me find Boss Liu?"

Zhan Yunping used his work badge to take the elevator up to the top floor, the 12th floor. Not being very familiar with the place, he asked along the way and found the manager of the president's office.

The other party was a short old lady, standing in front of the conference room door like a door god, wearing high heels, and whispered, "Don't you know what's going on in there?"

"It's really an emergency. Vanke's Chairman Wang Shi is waiting downstairs." Zhan Yunping asked for help in a weak voice.

The older sister rolled her eyes and said, "What day is it today? Just let him wait."

"Sister Lisa, please help me. Our boss is on a business trip for research, and I really don't have the authority to handle it." Zhan Yunping insisted with a stiff smile.

There is no way. The secondary market department is not as eloquent as those slutty bitches in the primary market. The more the colleagues from the self-operated and grapefruit lick these administrative sisters, the more it seems that their department and General Zheng Zhe have low emotional intelligence and are unpopular.

The elder sister pursed her lips in embarrassment and said, "Looking for Mr. Liu, right? If it's nothing important, don't tell me that I'll come back to settle accounts with your boss."

"Our boss has long said that he wants to treat you to a meal. When he comes back from his business trip, our two departments can get together!" Zhan Yunping patted his chest and promised.

The older sister looked around, picked up a folder and held it in her arms, looking serious. She used her slender arms to push the huge, majestic and deep solid wooden door open a crack, and then she moved in quickly and carefully.

Through the crack in the door, Mr. Xie's figure sitting at the head of the long table suddenly appeared. The person who was always accompanying him had long been replaced by Assistant Chen from Assistant Song, and they were no longer familiar with each other and it was difficult to approach him.

This office building on the Bund is the group's real headquarters. The twelve-story lobby occupies three floors, and floors 2 to 6 belong to the Jichun Bank's capital operation center. It will take some time before it opens.

Floors 7 to 9 were allocated to the group. President Liu moved in with the administrative and secondary market departments. President Xie preferred to stay in his office in Lujiazui, which was jokingly called "Courtyard 99" by his peers. I haven't seen him for a long time.

The situation today is special. Zhan Yunping knows what kind of meeting is being held inside. It is the big day of the group's financing signing ceremony.

After today, we will move forward again, setting an unprecedented precedent. The road is ahead of us, and a symbolic ceremony needs to be held at the group headquarters.

The heavy wooden door slowly opened, and Liu Qiming appeared with a relaxed smile on his face. He waved at him without saying anything.

"I wish you had an explanation."

Zhan Yunping followed behind him, grinning and talking silently to himself.

…………

"July 5."

The conference room, decorated with simple and bright lines, is unobstructed and the midday sun shines freely, reflecting the Huangpu River and the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, casting sparkling light.

Wang Shi felt a little dazzled, so he raised his arms to shield his eyes and looked at the perpetual calendar time on his watch.

Joint investigation teams from multiple regulatory agencies have entered Vanke and Baoneng respectively. There have been calls for amending the suspension period regulations in response to Vanke's repeated delays in normal market transactions. He doesn't have much time left.

"What role do you play?"

Wang Shi narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the thick fog that obscured his vision.

Vanke, a private real estate giant with assets of 6000 billion yuan, has an unprecedented degree of dispersed equity, which can be traced back to the historical legacy of the share reform in the late s.

This attracted the attention of hungry wolves in the 1990s. Juntai Securities and other shareholders launched a malicious takeover, but fortunately they failed in the end.

Afterwards, Vanke considered introducing a suitable major shareholder, and Millennium China Resources Group entered the market and became the largest shareholder with a 15% stake.

This low shareholding ratio is not enough to support the effect of actual control and protection. On the contrary, it is precisely because of the low shareholding ratio that Wang Shi can serve as chairman of the board as an employee and firmly hold on to Vanke as his private property and take whatever he wants from it.

Until the Baoneng Group launched a brazen sneak attack, he was the emperor of Vanke who had the final say. Having had no noise in his ears for a long time, he was not on guard against Yao Zhenhua, and regarded this bastard's investment as another good report card to show to the shareholders.

When faced with requests for help, China Resources Group made all kinds of prevarications and refused to take any action, allowing Baoneng to raise its placard several times in a row.

Wang Shi slowly realized that this seemingly harmless major shareholder, who had been enjoying the profits he created for more than ten years, had rebelled!
The tacit understanding helper can distract him from looking for other opportunities to survive.

Wang Shi simply couldn't believe that China Resources Group was acting so evilly, and he began to have deep doubts about Jingxing Group, which had raised its stake in Vanke at the same time as Baoneng.

Xie Jingxing, an industry leader who always talked about morality and justice, didn't even dare to show his face at the critical moment, and ordered a kid who didn't know the truth to deal with him.

How independent is this pretty boy who made his fortune by drinking his wife's foot washing water, from his personality to his career?

Wang Shi closed his eyes, his heart was filled with hesitation and ferocity. He would fight with all his might no matter what. (End of this chapter)