Chapter 140: Meeting Li Chaoren

Before long, an employee rushed in to report, "Boss, Manager, an old gentleman named Simpson is here to visit. He says he has an appointment with the manager."

Wang Qi and Summer Yu exchanged a glance. When Summer Yu nodded, Wang Qi stood up and led the employee outside. He also closed the door behind him to prevent Simpson from seeing Summer Yu inside.

As time passed, Summer Yu leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, remaining completely unperturbed.

He wasn't interested in what Wang Qi and Simpson were discussing next door. The tone of the conversation had already been set, and no matter how long Simpson talked, it would be in vain unless Li Chaoren willingly gave up the opportunity.

At that moment, the employee came in again to report that Li Chaoren had arrived. Summer Yu straightened up and immediately asked him to bring Li Chaoren in.

Summer Yu adjusted his posture, waiting for Li Chaoren's arrival.

Soon, the door opened again, and a familiar yet unfamiliar face appeared before Summer Yu.

Summer Yu quickly stood up, smiling as he shook hands with Li Chaoren.

"Mr. Li, hello!"

"Mr. Xia, hello!"

"Please, have a seat!"

Only Li Chaoren entered the room. After Summer Yu had the employee close the door, he personally made tea for Li Chaoren, showing him the utmost respect in terms of etiquette.

Watching Summer Yu make the tea, Li Chaoren sat with a smile, waiting quietly.

"Mr. Li, please have some tea!" Summer Yu placed a cup of tea in front of Li Chaoren and gestured for him to enjoy it.

"Thank you!" Li Chaoren said as he took the tea cup with both hands.

As he sipped the tea, the steam rising before him, Summer Yu observed Li Chaoren.

In the previous life, Li Chaoren had occupied the position of the richest Chinese for a long time. Even though his ranking was surpassed later due to asset concealment and transferring wealth to his son, he still remained high on the list.

Li Chaoren's news frequently appeared in major media, especially on internet platforms. Despite his reputation suffering due to withdrawing investments and moving to Britain at a critical moment, his actions had not been well received.

Summer Yu had once resented Li Chaoren's behavior, but in this life, after integrating memories of many prominent figures, Summer Yu had come to understand the essence of the world.

Compared to other tycoons in Hong Kong, such as Bao Yugang and Huo Yingdong, who were patriotic Chinese, Li Chaoren was naturally less impressive.

It can only be said that as a capitalist, Li Chaoren was very competent.

However, he was not a competent patriotic Chinese. Therefore, although his business was larger than that of other tycoons, his reputation fell short.

You win some, you lose some!

It was only natural that someone like Summer Yu, from the mainland, would have had higher expectations for Li Chaoren based on the standards for other patriotic overseas Chinese. Unfortunately, higher expectations also led to greater disappointment.

In reality, Li Chaoren's nationality was Canadian, making him a foreigner. He should be viewed as a foreign businessman doing business in the mainland. Unfortunately, some local governments had not recognized this issue and had failed to understand his true nature.

Of course, it cannot be denied that he had indeed helped the mainland, so his contributions were a mixed bag!

Enough of this idle talk. Let's move on.

When Summer Yu had last seen Li Chaoren online, he was already quite old. However, now that Li Chaoren appeared before Summer Yu, he looked vibrant and youthful.

Summer Yu remembered this was the second time he had seen Li Chaoren. The first time was at a HSBC Securities party where he had only seen him from a distance. This time, it could be considered their first official meeting.

As Summer Yu assessed Li Chaoren, Li Chaoren was also evaluating Summer Yu. The more he looked, the more he felt that Summer Yu was remarkable. The mature and composed demeanor Summer Yu exhibited was rare even among middle-aged individuals. It was surprising to see such maturity in someone so young. Li Chaoren secretly admired Summer Yu for his extraordinary qualities.

Feeling that the atmosphere was right, Li Chaoren decided to initiate the conversation.

"Mr. Xia, your keen insight has allowed you to recognize the value of Qingzhou Yingni Company before me. I must admit I'm inferior in this regard! May I ask how you discovered that our Cheung Kong Holdings is acquiring Qingzhou Yingni Company?"

Li Chaoren set down his tea cup after taking a sip, politely asking. However, a flash of sharpness in his eyes revealed his inner unease.

Summer Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he focused on the matter at hand.

With a humble smile, Summer Yu replied, "It was mostly luck. My newspaper company publishes the 'Economic' magazine, which required creating rankings. We spent a long time gathering information on major companies in Hong Kong and, during the analysis, happened to find that Qingzhou Yingni Company's stock price was severely undervalued."

"At that time, the stock price was still quite low. During the acquisition, we suddenly found that someone else was involved. I could never figure out who it was until an accident happened. A shareholder from Qingzhou Yingni Company let it slip, and I realized it was you. You're acquiring Qingzhou Yingni Company for Cheung Kong Holdings, aren't you?"

Li Chaoren nodded with a smile, thanking Summer Yu for his response. However, he was internally unsettled. Could it really be that Summer Yu had discovered this before him? Which Qingzhou Yingni shareholder had let the information slip? Or was there an insider in their company?

Li Chaoren sensed something was off but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Every answer from Summer Yu was logical, but was it really such a coincidence?

Disappointed not to get the answer he sought, Li Chaoren decided not to press further. Summer Yu had already provided an answer, and asking more would imply distrust. Since Li Chaoren needed Summer Yu's favor, he naturally wouldn't make such a foolish move as to upset him.

Since the matter was settled and he couldn't get more details, there was no need to let it affect the next steps. He would accept what Summer Yu had said as true and hope that their company didn't have an insider.

"Mr. Xia, I'll be straightforward. I want to buy the 26% stake you hold. What conditions do you have?" 

Li Chaoren cut to the chase, looking directly at Summer Yu with a serious expression.

Summer Yu smiled and shook his head slightly. As he noticed a change in Li Chaoren's expression, he said, "No need to rush. Let's wait a bit longer until the people next door have finished their discussion."

"Next door?" Li Chaoren furrowed his brows in question.

Then his expression softened, and a hint of realization crossed his face. He asked, "Is it the Keynes family?"

Summer Yu nodded and said, "Yes, it's the head of the Keynes family, Simpson Keynes, being attended to by my subordinate."

Li Chaoren gave Summer Yu a grateful smile. Regardless of how things turned out, Summer Yu had personally received him, rather than Simpson who arrived earlier. This difference in treatment significantly enhanced Li Chaoren's favorable impression of Summer Yu.

At the same time, Li Chaoren's mood improved somewhat, as it indicated that Summer Yu was inclined towards him. This attitude was highly beneficial to him.

However, Li Chaoren did not lose his composure. Summer Yu's reluctance to immediately discuss conditions and insistence on waiting for the Keynes family's discussion indicated that while Summer Yu favored him, it was not absolute. Ultimately, it would depend on the terms.

This mix of kindness and pressure made Li Chaoren feel a sense of caution. Summer Yu's tactics were sharp and seasoned, far beyond what one would expect from someone so young. Li Chaoren realized that Summer Yu was a shrewd opponent, akin to a seasoned fox in business.

Thus, although Li Chaoren's expression remained unchanged, his internal vigilance heightened, and he considered his own offer carefully to ensure he seized this opportunity without letting it slip away.

If the negotiations here failed, his chances would become very slim!