Chapter 337: Enthusiasm and Indifference

After Charles Keswick hurriedly left, Old John's eyes gleamed coldly as he made another phone call, instructing his subordinates to speed up the investigation into the newly emerged Galaxy Fund.

To win a hundred battles, one must know both oneself and the enemy. Galaxy Fund was clearly a shell company for Xia Yu, but without understanding the details of Galaxy Fund—such as its actual financial strength—Old John's heart was always in suspense, unable to rest easy.

At the same time, as Jiuding Securities Company announced the news, the already noisy world seemed to be hit by an atomic bomb, making public opinion even more lively.

Everyone, from top-tier wealthy politicians to ordinary citizens and stock investors, was shocked by Jiuding Securities' actions.

"It's incredible! Two core companies of the Yi He Group changed hands in one day!"

"I thought the Ship King was more powerful, but the Stock God bowed under pressure. Who knew that the Stock God was truly formidable? He doesn't bow under pressure, and when he acts, he does so decisively and ruthlessly!"

"It's a pity Yi He Insurance Consulting Group is suspended. Otherwise, its stock price would have soared."

"How strong is Galaxy Fund? To simultaneously target two companies with a market value of over 500 million Hong Kong dollars!"

As the news continued to spread, not only were the onlookers discussing fervently, but even the wealthy were invigorated. Many people were eager, realizing that the long-awaited opportunity might have arrived.

With the Ship King and the Stock God already in the spotlight, they could secretly seek acquisition targets. If they managed to acquire a company, their power would surely surge.

Of course, some were also eyeing Galaxy Fund, hoping to find an opportunity to ask if Galaxy Fund accepted acquisition commissions.

With the impressive track record of Yi He Air Cargo Company and Yi He Insurance Consulting Group, Galaxy Fund's acquisition capabilities had been demonstrated.

Others thought further ahead, knowing that the ability to acquire was not dependent on whether it was a fund or a securities company, but on Xia Yu himself. Thus, they aimed directly at Jiuding Securities Company, hoping to commission it for acquisition services.

It was anticipated that Jiuding Securities' acquisition business would rise strongly in the future.

While the outside world was in an uproar, Yi He Insurance Consulting Group's board meeting was held on schedule, unaffected by Charles Keswick's absence.

With absolute decision-making power, the process of cleaning house was quite simple. Yi He Insurance Consulting Group was rebranded from Keswick to Xia.

According to Xia Yu's wishes, a delisting application was submitted to the securities regulatory commission, and the delisting process was officially started. It was expected to be completed soon, as there were very few shares in circulation and they could be easily repurchased.

"Keswick family isn't coming? Haha!"

Sitting in his office, Xia Yu played with his teacup and chuckled.

"At this point, they still want to regain the initiative? How naive!"

Charles Keswick didn't understand Old John's intentions, but Xia Yu saw through it.

Old John knew that Xia Yu would propose buying their shares. If he or Charles Keswick attended the board meeting, they would be at a disadvantage and would be asked to sell their shares, which would embarrass the Keswick family.

However, if they did not attend, Xia Yu would have to actively approach them if he wanted to buy the shares. This way, the Keswick family could retain some initiative and act more conveniently.

Although Xia Yu guessed Old John's thoughts, he was not concerned.

Holding more than 50% of the shares gave him the maximum initiative. Old John thought he could regain some initiative by making Xia Yu come to him, but Xia Yu still had cards to play. Even if the Keswick family was unwilling to sell their shares, Xia Yu had ways to force them to do so.

Let's not forget, Yi He Machinery Group was the third target!

It would be best if they agreed to sell the shares, but if they refused?

Then Xia Yu would force the Keswick family to exchange shares. To protect Yi He Machinery Group, they would need to exchange shares with Yi He Insurance Consulting Group!

Other than that, there was no other possibility!

If they had the ability, they could watch Yi He Machinery Group follow the same path as Yi He Air Cargo Company!

However, Xia Yu estimated that the Keswick family would definitely yield. He was confident of this!

But Xia Yu did not know that Old John had already become vigilant and was arranging for people to check other companies' stock market transaction records. With the data from Yi He Air Cargo Company and Yi He Insurance Consulting Group, if they found Yi He Machinery Group, even though Galaxy Fund used hidden methods, similar tactics and trends could not be completely concealed and might be discovered.

The situation seemed to be shifting towards an unfavorable direction for Xia Yu…

---

In London, at the Wu family's mansion, in the courtyard of Wu Chengde.

Wu Chengde sat in a wicker chair, quietly listening to Wu Hongyi's report, while the old butler, A Fu, stood silently beside them.

"Grandfather, this is what I have learned."

After a long time, Wu Hongyi finally finished speaking, and Butler A Fu immediately brought a cup of tea for Wu Hongyi to soothe his throat.

Wu Chengde showed a look of deep contemplation and said, "The fresh calf is not afraid of tigers!"

"To dare to target and successfully acquire Yi He Group's enterprises, making a profit of 400 million Hong Kong dollars in one battle, and even pulling in a powerful ally, swallowing Yi He Insurance Consulting Group in one gulp, it's unbelievable!"

The scene of confronting Xia Yu was still vivid in memory, as if it were yesterday. He didn't expect that not long after, Xia Yu would create such a storm, significantly increasing his power.

At this rate, surpassing the Wu family's wealth was only a matter of time, and he understood how to leverage his advantages and opportunities to build a network, compensating for his lack of foundation.

"A prodigy!"

Wu Chengde finally expressed his boundless admiration.

"Hongyi, has Xia Yu moved against your shares?"

Wu Chengde asked.

"No, he told me he would privatize the company but wouldn't target my shares. In the end, the company will only have him and me as shareholders," Wu Hongyi quickly replied.

Wu Chengde smiled, realizing that Xia Yu indeed understood his intentions and knew how to conduct himself. He hadn't misjudged him.

"Strengthen your connection with him. After this storm, the Hong Kong business community will become chaotic, and the conflict between British and Chinese capital will intensify rapidly. Opportunities will increase. See if you can get a piece of the pie. As long as he's willing to involve you, it will be stable."

Wu Chengde pondered for a moment and instructed Wu Hongyi.

Wu Hongyi nodded in agreement, "Grandfather, I understand!"

---

Meanwhile, in the Ho family in Macau.

They also received the news promptly. When Ho Youguang heard about Xia Yu's strong acquisition of Yi He Insurance Consulting Group, he was completely incredulous.

Not only Ho Youguang, but even Ho Hongshen was taken aback.

At noon, the father and son discussed the matter at home.

Just then, He Zhaoqiong came back from school, greeted her father and brother, then went to the bookshelf to pick up a few newspapers before heading to her room.

Seeing his daughter's actions, Ho Hongshen raised an eyebrow but did not say anything.

He Zhaoqiong had never had the habit of reading newspapers, but recently, she started doing it. Every day after school, she would take newspapers into her room to read.

Both Ho Hongshen and Ho Youguang knew why she had changed her behavior: it was to learn about Xia Yu from the newspapers.

It was unrealistic to stop her. Even if the family prohibited it, she could buy newspapers outside with her own money.

Moreover, reading newspapers was beneficial for broadening horizons and knowledge, and was helpful for developing thinking and understanding of social and business aspects, so Ho Hongshen simply chose not to interfere.

He was just concerned that his daughter might get more deeply involved.

"Father, his power has grown again. At this rate, he might become the richest person in Hong Kong in the future," Ho Youguang said with a serious expression.

"Showing off and directly challenging the Yi He Group, things won't be that simple. The Keswick family is not an easy opponent. If they are pushed to the limit, Xia Yu may not be able to handle it," Ho Hongshen said.

"One must remember, having money also means having a life to spend it!"

Ho Hongshen said meaningfully.

A family that has stood for over a hundred years, rising from the Opium War era, surviving wars and hardships, and growing stronger, cannot be simple.

The British, despite promoting their gentlemanly image, are fundamentally still wolves. Even if they wear sheep's clothing for a long time, they remain wolves at heart.

When rules are effective, they use them against you. But when rules fail, they resort to unscrupulous means.

With Ho Hongshen's understanding of the Yi He Group, the Keswick family's hands were already tainted. In this cruel and chaotic society, if they were not corrupt, they would not be able to stand strong and continue to grow.

Hearing this, Ho Youguang was startled and anxiously asked, "Can Xia Yu handle it?"

"That depends on him. If he can't recognize this and dares to keep plucking the tiger's teeth, he will not survive this round, and he may not make it to the next," Ho Hongshen said calmly.

"And we…"

Ho Youguang hesitated for a moment, thinking of his sister

. He started to speak.

But before he could finish, Ho Hongshen interrupted coldly: "There's no need to help, and we can't help. We only need to watch. Others have already warned him. If no one warned him, it's his own fault for not having the right people around him. This matter is not for us to intervene!"

"Don't bother with reminders! Reminding him is useless!"

Ho Hongshen advised his son.

If the Ho family were to remind Xia Yu, what would it be? It would only add to the estrangement caused by He Zhaoqiong's issues, which the Ho family itself had set up. Now, suddenly offering a reminder to Xia Yu would only make Ho Hongshen feel like he's slapping his own face.

Moreover, at this point, even if a reminder was given, if Xia Yu wasn't prepared, it might be too late.

If he falls, his company will still be there, and someone will want to see that happen.

Many people are interested in quality companies.