After divorce, I can hear the voice of the future

Chapter 752 Becoming a Major Shareholder in the New World
"It was Lu Liang's doing."

Soon after, sources revealed that Tianxing subscribed for US$300 billion, equivalent to HK$2340 billion, at the first opportunity.

Without Tianxing Financial's $300 billion, the subscription amount in the first five minutes would only be HK$280 billion.

The news sparked heated discussions in the market.

After all, spending a whopping $300 billion right from the start clearly indicates a hostile and aggressive approach.

Now it remains to be seen whether HSBC will accept the challenge or be intimidated by Lu Liang's extravagant spending and surrender without a fight.

As bystanders and opportunists, they naturally hope that HSBC can launch a direct counterattack.

If the situation becomes one-sided, then the so-called buying frenzy will cease to exist.

As people discussed the event, 9:10 arrived, and HSBC did not disappoint the market's expectations.

The subscription funds of 2620.23 billion yuan have doubled again.

HK$5232.55 billion, a multiplier of 12.51.

HSBC also subscribed for $300 billion.

"Is this what they call a battle of gods?"

The onlookers were thrilled, having seen so many cases of power outages and money trees being killed by overwatering, that they hadn't witnessed such a pure business battle in a long time.

High-end business warfare should be like this: you put in tens of billions, I put in tens of billions, and we engage in a financial battle, instead of spitting at each other like thugs.

"Mr. Lu, do you still want to subscribe?"

Wen Chao informed Lu Liang that they had already used half of their working capital, leaving $321 billion in the account.

“An additional $100 billion,” Lu Liang said in a deep voice.

Clearly, his plan did not work, or as Lao Xu said, the Zheng family staked Chow Tai Fook to make HSBC willing to take on more risk.

But no matter what, they cannot back down now. If HSBC discovers that the funds for the ABS have not been fully received, they may seize the last chance to turn the tables.

The $2700 billion in ABS funding has not yet been fully received, so HSBC currently has 2-3 times more available funds than them.

If HSBC had the courage to go all in and empty its coffers, it could very well have helped the Zheng family achieve a 50.1% stake today.

It's like playing Texas Hold'em right now. Lu Liang is playing dirty, stalling for time. As long as he can get through today, and the funds arrive in full next week, HSBC will be nothing but a chicken and a dog.

He bet HSBC didn't have the courage to go all in.

At 9:15 a.m., subscription funds increased again, reaching HK$612 billion, with a subscription multiple of 14.6 times.

"Is this Tianxing's doing again?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be."

"They came with ill intentions and came with great force."

Meanwhile, at the HSBC Building.

An investment manager asked softly, "Mr. Qi, should we add more funds to our subscription?"

Although Chow Tai Fook has pledged 62% of its shares, their current market value is only HK$930 billion.

They have already invested $300 billion in the subscription of new shares through private placement. If they can ultimately help the Zheng family retain New World, it can be considered a strategic loss. If they can't, it will be a double loss.

"Do you think the ABS issued yesterday will all be credited to our accounts today?" Qi Yaonian suddenly asked.

The manager shook his head and said, "Theoretically, it's impossible for the funds to arrive so quickly, but if they don't arrive, Tianxing Financial won't be able to come up with $400 billion for the subscription."

"Theoretically?" Qi Yaonian chuckled in astonishment. Lu Liang was the kind of person who couldn't be predicted by common sense.

He thought for a long time and said, "Tell Mr. Zheng that we have done our best, and now it is up to them to do it themselves."

Qi Yaonian suspected that the funds from Tianxing Financial's ABS had not yet arrived, or that only a small portion of the funds had arrived, but he dared not gamble.

Although the subscription failed and the funds will be returned, they have already spent $300 billion for the Zheng family, which is $200 billion more than the value of the collateral.

"Let's see how things go after today's subscription period ends."

Qi Yaonian sighed. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had to admit that at this moment, he felt a desire to back down.

With the support of the mainland market and a market value of 5000 billion yuan, Hengtai can recoup its costs no matter how much money Tianxing invests; it just takes some time.

On the other hand, although the Cheng family has staked their money on Chow Tai Fook, how much is Chow Tai Fook and New World Development combined?

Even if all of it were given to HSBC, it wouldn't be enough to compensate for the price HSBC paid for the Zheng family.

Although this battle may determine who will be the leader of the next era, it is only a possibility, not a certainty.

Just two years ago, the USS Reagan's massive army pressed in, threatening the south, but in the end, it retreated without hesitation.

Two years have passed, and the United States still holds the position of global hegemon, with little apparent impact.

"Okay, Mr. Qi." The manager hesitated, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Perseverance is difficult; it requires conviction.
But if you want to give up, you'll find a million reasons.

"thanks, thanks."

Zheng Jiachun did not blame Qi Yaonian.

HSBC's willingness to pay them $300 billion is already an exceptionally generous gesture.

From now on, they can only rely on themselves.

9:20 AM, fourth update.

Subscription funds surged to HK$7231 billion, with an oversubscription rate of 17.29 times.

At this moment, Lu Liang received a call from Chen Jiebin: "The Zheng family has misappropriated Chow Tai Fook's funds. Lu, please resolve this matter as soon as possible and get the market back on track."

"Received, thank you."

Lu Liang's lips curled up, revealing a smile.

After ending the call with Chen Jiebin, he summoned Wen Chao: "HSBC has temporarily given up. Only the Zheng family is struggling to hold on. Add another $100 billion to completely crush them."

"Roger that!"

9:25 AM, fifth update.

Subscription funds surged to HK$8102 billion, with an oversubscription rate of 19.38 times.

"It's Lu Liang's doing again. Does this guy really not care about money?"

Based on the previous four updates, even without insiders revealing anything, the general public can now guess when Lu Liang was behind it.

As the one who goes first, Lu Liang's offensive will become even more ferocious once he launches a counterattack.

As a war hero once said: Not only did the enemy not surrender, but they also dared to fight back!

The enemy will face an even fiercer offensive.

Just when people were expecting HSBC or the Zheng family to take countermeasures.

The sixth update has arrived as scheduled.

HK$8308 billion, although it's HK$206 billion more than the previous five minutes, it's clear to everyone that no large funds have entered the market.

In this pre-battle warm-up exercise, it seemed that Lu Liang's Tianxing team had emerged victorious.

"The Zheng family chickened out? HSBC chickened out?"

"I don't think so. You should know that the Zheng family is supported by HSBC, one of the three major settlement banks in Hong Kong."

So? How many divisions does HSBC have?

"They're trying to conserve their strength. There are still more than five hours left today. Who would use up all their chips in the first hour?"

"Hot fact: Tianxing Financial currently holds $300 billion in cash flow, and the more than HK$800 billion it subscribed to is only a little over $100 billion."

"Stop bragging about your British assets. It's an indisputable fact that Tianxing completely crushes the combined forces of HSBC and the Zheng family."

As a British-owned conglomerate, HSBC holds a position in the hearts of some Hong Kong residents that is no less significant than the attitude of those old-timers on the mainland towards the Qing Dynasty.

They couldn't accept that HSBC, once invincible and dominating Hong Kong's capital markets for years, even holding its own against the Bank of China, would instead operate in its area of ​​expertise.
They were defeated by Lu Liang and Tian Xing, the outsider.

It felt like a school beauty who usually presents herself as pure and innocent was suddenly seen getting into a Mercedes and being groped and abused by a lewd old man.

At this moment, the phrase "the heart of the Dao is shattered" would be most fitting to describe it.

At 9:35, the seventh update showed that although the subscription funds had increased, the increase was not significant, indicating that no large funds had entered the market.

The eighth and ninth updates followed the same pattern for the next five hours, and by the third hour, it had surpassed one trillion Hong Kong dollars.

At 3 p.m., the six-hour subscription period ended, with subscription funds reaching HK$1.38 trillion, exceeding the subscription amount by 33.01 times.

Taking 100 shares as one lot, which requires an investment of HKD 5575, as an example, theoretically, one needs HKD 184,000 to win one lot.

"Mr. Lu, our total subscription amount is HK$3900 billion, and theoretically we will be able to win 2.12 million shares, accounting for 8.49% of the circulating shares."

At 3:10 p.m., Wen Chao came to Lu Liang’s office to report on his work, noting that there were too many retail investors and speculative funds taking advantage of the situation.

This led them to spend $50 billion in one go, almost enough to buy two New World Groups, but ultimately only to acquire 8.49% of the outstanding shares.

"Let's wait for the lottery results to be announced before we take another look." Lu Liang frowned; the subscription amount of 1.38 trillion yuan was indeed beyond expectations.

Although there was prior discussion that the subscription amount was guaranteed to be at least one trillion yuan and aimed for two trillion yuan.

But the person who said that clearly doesn't know how many zeros are in a trillion.

It's important to understand that this subscription is limited to Hong Kong only, and it's a private placement, unlike IPOs which involve roadshows.

Lu Liang believed that 1.38 trillion yuan was not only beyond his expectations, but also far beyond the Zheng family's expectations.

They invested HK$3900 billion and acquired 8.49% of the circulating shares; Cheng Ka-fai and HSBC will only get less.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
It was exactly 5 p.m.

Countless people, like playing cards, opened their securities software, covered the screen with one hand, and moved slowly.

Upon seeing the numbers, I was overjoyed.
Upon seeing the gray text, he immediately began to curse.

"A total of 2.1 million shares were successfully subscribed, accounting for 28% of the newly issued shares and 8.4% of the total circulating shares."

Wen Chao sighed. He had won 2.12 million shares, but theoretically, they were clearly below the average.

Including the 31.108% previously held by Hengtai, it now only holds 39.508%, which is 10.592% away from absolute control of 50.1%.

"How much is the Zheng family now?" Lu Liang asked.

What he feared most was that HSBC would feign one thing while secretly doing another, releasing false information that the Cheng family had misappropriated Chow Tai Fook funds, while actually making a quiet purchase.

Despite their large-scale subscriptions in the morning, totaling $500 billion in just half an hour, they only have $621 billion in available funds.

In order to be a real man for those five seconds, they used nearly 85% of their funds, which is why they remained inactive for the next five hours.

"The Zheng family and HSBC only invested US$410 billion and won 1.7 million shares, accounting for 22.7% of the newly issued shares and 6.81% of the total circulating shares."

Wen Chao replied that the Zheng family holds 41.194% of New World's shares, while they hold 39.508%.

The gap is only 1.686%, a gap that can be completely closed or even caught up in the secondary market.

Lu Liang pondered. If possible, he didn't want to start a bidding war, since there were far too many opportunists trying to take advantage of the situation.

Suddenly, he shifted his gaze to Old Xu.

Lu Liang smiled maliciously: "President Xu, didn't many people welcome us last night? They even said that if we need any help, just let me know."

"Yes, that's true." Xu Jiayin nodded, her expression strange. "President Lu, are you asking me to contact them?"

“Tianxing is fine with me, but I’m worried that President Xu will be under too much pressure in the future.” Lu Liang smiled, his eyes narrowing.

At least 2.9 million more shares are needed for Hengtai to reach the 50.1% absolute control threshold.

But now one share has been driven up to 89.5 yuan.

Monday's recap suggests prices will only go higher.

If Hengtai is willing to accept such a high price, Lu Liang has no objection; if Xu Jiayin wants to appropriately reduce costs, Lu Liang also has no objection.

Everything is done according to Mr. Xu's wishes.

"Okay, I'll contact them."

Old Xu looked reluctant, but he still agreed.

Lu Liang was unwilling to do this kind of thing, so he had to do it himself, since he was now at the mercy of others.

He, the esteemed richest man in Dongda University, who was destined for the throne, has gradually become worthless in his recent interactions with Lu Liang.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. The more I think about it, the more heartbroken I get. At least the acquisition of New World is just one stroke away from being finalized.

As long as Hengtai fully enters the Hong Kong real estate market, it can change its situation of slow death.

5:30 p.m.
The shareholding ratios of the two companies were also made public.

Zhengjia 41.194%, Hengtai 39.508%.

"That feels good, the exciting part is about to begin."

"If I win a lottery for 2000 shares, how much money could I make if I knew what I was doing?"

"Brother, you're going to make a fortune! At 55.75 yuan per share, you're going to at least double your money."

"Damn it, seeing you guys make money makes me feel worse than if I were losing money myself."

"Damn it, who actually won the lottery? 30 yuan isn't even enough for one round?"

A stalemate is the common desire of all those who try to profit from the chaos.

If one side completely dominates the other, then the second wave of bidding war they are looking forward to will come to nothing.

That evening, all the newspapers in Hong Kong ran headlines with the eye-catching headline: "Super Week, still going strong, see you Monday!"

As night falls, the entire 82nd floor of Phase 2 of the Plaza Building is brightly lit, as bright as day.

Lu Liang remained calm and composed, drinking tea and scrolling through his phone.

He completely disregarded the conditions Xu Jiayin made in front of him.

After Lao Xu put away his phone, Lu Liang smiled and handed him a cup of tea: "Mr. Xu, it's been a long afternoon, have a cup of tea to soothe your throat."

Xu Jiayin sighed, her face full of melancholy: "We contacted seven companies, but the total is only 1.82%."

Last night, they all spoke better than they sang, saying that if there was anything they needed, they should just say so, and that they would definitely do their best to help Hengtai acquire New World.

Ultimately, it depends on the individual.

If Lu Liang were to call personally, they would absolutely hand over the stock without hesitation, even without asking for a premium.

On the other hand, when he makes the call, the situation is quite different. The most common line is: Ah Zheng is a friend they've known for over fifty years, a childhood playmate...

In short, you'll have to pay extra.

If money could solve the problem, Xu Jiayin might not be so distressed. The problem is that money can't solve it.

One by one, people were subtly and overtly reminding him that New World had hoarded a lot of undeveloped land. Even if Hengtai were to come in through a shell company later, the waters of Hong Kong were too deep for him to handle.

Xu Jiayin had no choice but to grit her teeth and promise that they would develop the project together in the future.

It can be said that the new world has not yet been taken over, but the future benefits have already been clearly divided up.

"Having more friends means having more options, which is a good thing."

Lu Liang smiled and said, "In this way, Hengtai's shareholding will surpass that of the Zheng family, making it the largest shareholder of New World?"

“If Zheng didn’t take any other measures, then that should be the case.” Xu Jiayin nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Today, Hengtai Group's stock price rose another 12%, bringing its market capitalization to HK$5651 billion.

If it weren't for this tangible benefit, he wouldn't have been able to continue being such a sucker.

(End of this chapter)