Chapter 133: Responses from All Sides

Before Li Chaoren and Simpson could react, Xia Yu also arrived at HSBC Securities' Kowloon branch shortly after leaving Jiuding Securities Company, looking for Liu Tianci.

"Good morning, Liu!" Xia Yu greeted Liu Tianci with a smile and a handshake.

"Good morning, Xia!" Liu Tianci responded.

"I haven't seen you for a while. Your business has been booming, congratulations! Jiuding Media is now the leading media company, and other newspapers even refer to you as a media tycoon!" Liu Tianci said with a touch of emotion as he looked at Xia Yu.

In the past two weeks, Jiuding Media had made tremendous strides in the print media industry, breaking record after record and creating a sensation throughout Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

Especially the "Economy" magazine, which Xia Yu had promptly sent him a copy of. Liu Tianci had spent two full days reading it and found it very rewarding. He had also subscribed to it in bulk.

As he marveled at Jiuding Media's achievements, Liu Tianci reflected on the past and realized that Xia Yu had only risen to prominence in just over a month. Yet in this short time, Xia Yu had achieved what most people would never accomplish in a lifetime, rapidly rising and aiming for the top in media.

This gave Liu Tianci a surreal feeling!

But Xia Yu's rise was witnessed by Liu Tianci himself, so it couldn't be fake. Liu could only marvel at how Xia Yu was a unique individual, probably one in a hundred years in Hong Kong, someone born to accomplish great things.

"Tycoon? It's just the newspapers exaggerating. Don't take it too seriously," Xia Yu said with a helpless smile, waving his hand.

Liu Tianci smiled slightly and didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he asked, "Xia, did you come to see me about something?"

"Yes, I do have a matter to discuss with you."

"I'd like to ask you to help me acquire shares of Qingzhou Yingni. You know, my Jiuding Securities Company has just been established and lacks connections. It's quite difficult to make this acquisition," Xia Yu explained his purpose for coming.

Liu Tianci raised an eyebrow, knowing Xia Yu's character and capabilities. He realized that someone was in trouble, as Xia Yu's serious approach meant the action would be substantial.

Given that Jiuding Securities was newly established, they indeed needed a victory to make a name for themselves.

Moreover, Liu Tianci had heard about Qingzhou Yingni, with a market value of around 80-90 million HKD. Any slight move could easily push it to over 100 million HKD. Since Xia Yu had over 200 million HKD in funds, this would not be a small-scale operation.

The stock market battle was bound to be fierce, far more intense than the battle with Dafang Real Estate.

Now that Xia Yu wanted his help, leveraging HSBC Securities' capabilities to handle the acquisition of Qingzhou Yingni's shares, Liu Tianci naturally wouldn't refuse. HSBC Securities also had this business, which came with a fee, so Xia Yu was actually creating revenue for him.

Liu Tianci nodded without hesitation, "No problem, I'll take care of it."

"Liu, please speed up the process. A premium within 30% is acceptable, but the lower, the better. However, please act quickly. I'm concerned that others might also be acquiring shares. And please keep this confidential—don't let it leak that our company is involved," Xia Yu instructed solemnly.

It was not yet time to expose the operation. Xia Yu preferred to maintain the initiative and reveal himself only when it was time to reap the rewards.

Premature exposure would not only disrupt his plans but also cause unnecessary trouble.

"Rest assured, Xia. There won't be any problems on my end!" Liu Tianci assured with determination.

"Thank you. By the way, Liu, here's the list of Qingzhou Yingni's shareholders I've gathered. Please start as soon as possible!"

"I'll send people out right away." After taking the list from Xia Yu, Liu Tianci quickly scanned it and said.

Seeing Liu Tianci take action, Xia Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

…

The next day, when Xia Yu inquired about the acquisition progress from Wang Qi, he learned that they had managed to acquire 1.2% of the shares from two minor shareholders and another 0.7% from the market, totaling 1.9%. This had cost 2 million HKD.

Jiuding Securities was facing difficulties with the acquisition, but Liu Tianci brought Xia Yu good news.

HSBC Securities, being a giant in Hong Kong's securities industry, proved to be highly effective.

In less than a day, with the list provided by Xia Yu, HSBC Securities successfully acquired 4.9% of the shares from eight minor shareholders. The lowest premium was only 10%, and the highest was 15%, demonstrating impressive efficiency.

Unfortunately, they were unable to acquire shares from the larger shareholders. Even though Liu Tianci's team offered a 30% premium, those shareholders remained noncommittal and appeared very indifferent. It was unclear whether they had sold their shares or were unwilling to sell. If these shares had been acquired, the total would have exceeded 4.9%.

But since they weren't for sale, there was nothing that could be done!

After the acquisition, Liu Tianci directly transferred the shares to Xia Yu.

At the same time, Liu Tianci informed Xia Yu that during the acquisition process, he learned that several minor shareholders had already sold their shares, and this happened shortly before his team's contact.

However, when asked who had acquired the shares, none of the minor shareholders revealed the buyer. Liu Tianci speculated that the buyer had significant resources and efficiency, not inferior to HSBC Securities. He thought this information might be useful to Xia Yu, so he shared it when transferring the shares.

Xia Yu had already anticipated this and assured Liu Tianci not to worry.

Seeing Xia Yu's nonchalant attitude, Liu Tianci knew Xia Yu was well-prepared and said no more.

…

Besides Xia Yu and Liu Tianci, who were involved in the acquisition, Li Chaoren was also quick to respond, continuously purchasing shares to increase his stake.

"Wu Lei, how is the acquisition going?" Li Chaoren asked as he appeared again at Evergreen Fund Management Co., Ltd.

"Boss, yesterday we raised prices and competed for shares in the stock market. So far, we have acquired an additional 2.2% of the shares. Combined with the original 13%, we now hold 15.2% of the shares."

"Yesterday afternoon, the competition was very fierce. It seems another institution has entered the market to compete. We haven't identified them yet, but it's likely the Keynes family has come in. As for whether the original competitor has withdrawn, it's unclear, and we haven't identified them."

"Due to the fierce competition, the stock price has risen to 1.04 HKD per share. The 2.2 million newly acquired shares cost us 2.22 million HKD in total."

Wu Lei reported everything in one breath and stood quietly beside Li Chaoren, waiting for further instructions.