Chapter 138: Control in Hand

The next day, the Keynes family directly addressed Cheung Kong Holdings, claiming that with the support of the Swire Group, they now held 49% of the shares. They asserted that Cheung Kong Holdings would never be able to acquire Qingzhou Yingni Company and that this acquisition battle was doomed to fail!

When this news broke, the stock price, which should have risen at the market open, instead experienced a slight dip. This caused panic among some investors, who quickly sold off their stocks.

The arrival of the Swire Group, a giant player, to assist Qingzhou Yingni Company meant that Cheung Kong Holdings was struggling to keep up!

The momentum of the attack and defense could very well reverse!

Some investors, however, held out hope and decided to wait for Cheung Kong Holdings' response before making any decisions, betting that Li Chaoren would not easily give up!

"Boss, what should we do? Is the Keynes family really bluffing us? Did the Swire Group really step in to help?"

At the office of the Evergreen Fund Management Company, Wu Lei looked at Li Chaoren with a serious expression and asked.

He didn't believe that the Keynes family could have increased their share from 32% to 49% in just a few days. Even with the Swire Group's help, which only accounted for 8% of the shares, the Keynes family would have only 40%. The remaining shareholders had already sold their stocks, making it nearly impossible for the Keynes family to acquire another 9% in the market!

After the Keynes family's reaction, they had only managed to secure 2.9% from the market. Wu Lei did not believe that the Keynes family could acquire three times that amount, even with the Swire Group's assistance!

Li Chaoren shared these doubts and suspected that the Keynes family might be bluffing him.

Li Chaoren's face was grim as he asked, "How many shares do we currently hold?"

"24.8%. We are just 0.2% short of 25%. We should be able to reach the target today," Wu Lei immediately responded.

Despite the fact that they were close to their target, Li Chaoren felt no joy. Acquiring 25% of the shares was not his ultimate goal. His only objective was to fully acquire Qingzhou Yingni Company.

The 25% share acquisition was merely a stepping stone due to the difficulty of achieving absolute control in one go. To increase the likelihood of success, the plan was divided into two stages, with 25% being a key threshold.

However, if the Keynes family had indeed secured 51% of the shares, even if Li Chaoren acquired 25%, it would be meaningless.

As long as the Keynes family refused to release their shares, Qingzhou Yingni Company could never be absorbed by Cheung Kong Holdings.

Although selling the shares and withdrawing could still yield a profit of 50-60 million, which could be considered a victory, Li Chaoren's vision was not so limited!

In his view, the calculations were not that simple!

If Qingzhou Yingni Company were absorbed by Cheung Kong Holdings, the stock price of Cheung Kong Holdings would definitely soar. Even though they were still in the midst of the battle, they had already gained 60 million. If the acquisition succeeded, the value could increase by at least 100-200 million.

Moreover, the development value of the vast land would also bring in billions in profits for Cheung Kong Holdings in the future.

Compared to these potential benefits, making 50-60 million from selling stocks was insignificant!

Thus, at this moment, Li Chaoren decided to push for absolute control over Qingzhou Yingni Company. If he didn't act decisively now, he might never get another chance!

When plans change too quickly, adjustments must be made!

Furthermore, with the public opinion manipulated by the "Nine Ding Daily," the consequences of a failed acquisition were severe. The stock price of Cheung Kong Holdings would definitely fall, and his reputation would be affected. He had no choice but to proceed with the acquisition!

Although he currently held only 24.8% of the shares, still far from the 51% needed for absolute control.

Li Chaoren had not forgotten that there was an unknown party that had been acquiring Qingzhou Yingni Company's shares before him and was also competing for other shareholders' stocks. This unknown party undoubtedly held a significant amount of shares!

As long as he could secure the shares held by this unknown party, his chances of success would be greatly improved!

However, this unknown party was deeply hidden, and Li Chaoren had yet to uncover their identity, which made him anxious.

Summer Yu did not let Li Chaoren stay anxious for long. Early the next morning, "Nine Ding Daily" published another news item, one that sent shockwaves through Hong Kong.

Jiu Ding Securities announced that it held 26% of Qingzhou Yingni Company's shares, a total of 26 million shares.

This news was like a deep-water bomb, shaking everyone involved in the acquisition battle of Qingzhou Yingni Company.

An unexpected player, Jiu Ding Securities, now held 26% of Qingzhou Yingni Company's shares, a stake that could significantly influence the outcome of the acquisition.

Whether it was the Keynes family or Cheung Kong Holdings, whoever acquired this 26% stake would likely determine the victor!

Given the current stock price, this 26% stake was worth nearly 100 million Hong Kong dollars, held by a previously unheard-of company, Jiu Ding Securities.

The name "Jiu Ding Securities" led to much speculation, especially since the news was released by "Nine Ding Daily." Many began to associate the two and suspected that the rumored "Summer Stock God" might be behind it.

Summer Yu personally intervened in the acquisition battle of Qingzhou Yingni Company, playing a significant role. This news excited many investors, making them feel like they had been given a boost.

Typically, the emergence of a decisive player would lead to a drop in Qingzhou Yingni Company's stock price, as many retail investors would see their stocks as less valuable and would sell off to cash in.

However, the sudden appearance of Summer Yu as a key player changed things. It indicated that Summer Yu also believed in Qingzhou Yingni Company's potential.

As a result, some retail investors who initially planned to sell their stocks chose to hold onto them, leading to a continued rise in Qingzhou Yingni Company's stock price due to the ongoing acquisition battle.

...

"Father, this is bad. Jiu Ding Securities has suddenly announced they hold 26% of the shares," Apten reported to his father, Simpson, with a pale face.

Simpson grabbed the newspaper from his son's hand, and upon seeing the news, his face changed dramatically. He couldn't help but curse.

"Damn it!"

Simpson knew that trouble was brewing!

Although he had claimed yesterday to hold 49% of the shares, that was just a smokescreen intended to scare off Cheung Kong Holdings. In reality, he only held 45%, and with the Swire Group's help, he had only acquired 3% of the shares.

Unexpectedly, Jiu Ding Securities had appeared out of nowhere with 26% of the shares. The timing of this announcement was clearly intended to challenge both him and Li Chaoren, making it an overt scheme!

If Cheung Kong Holdings acquired this 26% stake, it would likely achieve absolute control!

Realizing this potential outcome, Simpson panicked.

"We need to contact Jiu Ding Securities immediately. If we delay, it will be too late! We don't need the full 26%, just 6% would be enough. I hope they are willing to sell. If necessary, I'll offer a 50% premium or even double the price! If that doesn't work, I might have to buy the whole lot. Norman should help me with that…" Simpson thought, and then quickly took action.