Chapter 333: Absolute Control

"Boss, the stocks from those three shareholders have all been acquired. Additionally, we bought another 2.2% of the stocks from several smaller shareholders and investment institutions. In total, we have 20.5%, amounting to 12.3 million shares!"

"The total expenditure is 124 million HKD, with an average price of 10.08 HKD per share, which is about a 20% premium."

"Well done!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu couldn't help but cheer, his eyes filled with admiration.

Although the stocks were bought at a 20% premium, this is within the normal range for acquisitions. Buying stocks at market price is extremely difficult.

Acquiring 12.3 million shares with a 20% premium shows Wang Qi's high efficiency!

At this time, speed is crucial. Once stock acquisitions start, information is likely to leak.

If news of Xia Yu's actions towards the Yi He Insurance Consulting Group were to leak, it would undoubtedly cause a rise in the stock price.

Given the precedent set by Yi He Air Cargo Station, the stock price of Yi He Insurance Consulting Group would certainly soar.

When that happens, the stock price could easily surpass 10 HKD, and reaching 20 HKD would not be a problem.

If Xia Yu wants to acquire more, the difficulty will increase tenfold, and the cost will double!

So, it is better to act quickly and acquire the stocks before the news leaks. This saves Xia Yu at least hundreds of millions of dollars.

Saving money is just like making money! Wang Qi deserves praise!

"Thank you for the praise, boss. It's mainly because of our company's reputation. The shareholders were easy to talk to because of that."

Wang Qi said modestly, though his smile revealed his inner satisfaction.

"Haha, no need to be modest. If I say it's your achievement, then it's your achievement!"

Xia Yu said affirmatively.

Xia Yu knew what Wang Qi meant. Of course, he was aware!

The shareholders holding Yi He Insurance Consulting Group shares weren't fools. When Wang Qi approached them for acquisition, they must have guessed something.

Could they have harbored any ulterior motives?

Absolutely!

For example, they could refuse Xia Yu's acquisition, leak the news, and then raise the price. That way, they could make a substantial profit.

But why did no one do that? Instead, they sold the stocks to Jiuding Securities Company amicably?

It's not because they lacked intelligence. They knew that while such tactics could make some money, they would severely offend Xia Yu, leading to certain retaliation, which would be more damaging.

Jiuding Media Company's influence could pose a major threat to their business, and Jiuding Securities Company and Xia Yu represented a more direct threat.

If Jiuding Securities Company targeted a company, buying low and selling high repeatedly, it would severely damage the company and destroy investor confidence.

When investors lose confidence in the company or are scared of Jiuding Securities' power, they wouldn't dare to buy the stock, regardless of how good the financial reports are.

At that point, the company could be severely or even completely crippled.

If they don't offend Xia Yu and Jiuding Securities Company, they wouldn't lose their integrity, and Xia Yu and Jiuding Securities Company wouldn't go to such extremes. Destroying a company without a valid reason is not worth it for Xia Yu and might provoke others to unite against him.

Thinking about it, the risk of offending Xia Yu and the potential profit from a quick gain are not proportional. Hence, they dared not entertain such thoughts and chose to sell the stocks to Xia Yu amicably, fostering good relations and mutual benefit.

---

Afterward, Xia Yu pondered for a moment.

He originally had 6% of Yi He Insurance Consulting Group's shares, given to him by Wu Hongyi's grandfather.

The Galaxy Fund's two secret purchases totalled 16.32 million shares, accounting for 27.2%.

Now, Wang Qi had acquired another 12.3 million shares from those shareholders, totaling 20.5%.

So, in total, Xia Yu now holds 32.22 million shares, accounting for 53.7% of the total stock! This grants him absolute control!

The actual cost was for the remaining 47.7% of the shares, amounting to 259 million HKD!

"With 53.7% of the shares, it's time to act!"

"I can't let the ship king take all the glory. My reputation needs to be established!"

"However, before that, I should call Wu Hongyi and inform him."

With this thought, Xia Yu asked Wang Qi to wait a little longer, then picked up the phone to make an international call.

---

Far away in London, England, Wu Hongyi was sleeping at home when suddenly the bedroom phone rang. He groggily woke up, checked the time, and saw it was just after 2 AM. He frowned and muttered, "Who is calling me at this late hour?"

He noticed the number was an unfamiliar international long-distance call, and he snapped to attention as he answered, "Hello, who is this?"

"Hongyi, it's me, Xia Yu. Oh, you're sleeping? Sorry, I forgot to account for the time difference. I didn't realize it was the middle of the night…"

Xia Yu's voice came through the phone, and Wu Hongyi instantly woke up, his excitement evident as he replied, "No problem, no problem! Haha, Xia Yu, I didn't expect your call. I'm so happy!"

"Is there something you need to discuss?"

"What?"

Hearing Xia Yu's words, Wu Hongyi was stunned, exclaiming, "You own 53.7% of Yi He Insurance? You've become the largest shareholder? My God!"

Wu Hongyi was astonished by Xia Yu's achievement!

It had only been a short time since Xia Yu left Xiangjiang, and he had quietly acquired 53.7% of Yi He Insurance Consulting Group's shares, becoming the actual largest shareholder. It was hard to believe!

"Exactly, Hongyi. The reason I called is to inform you that the Kessick family still holds 30% of the shares. I am about to announce the shareholding publicly and convene a board meeting to apply for delisting and privatization. I need your support!"

"Don't worry, your shares won't be affected. After privatization, the final result will be that only you and I will be the shareholders!"

Xia Yu's calm and steady voice over the phone made Wu Hongyi's emotions surge once more.

"Hmm!"

Wu Hongyi took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and said, "Xia Yu, do whatever you need to do. I will definitely support you. I will instruct my people to delegate my 10% voting rights to you."