Chapter 949: A cup of tea and a chat, and the deal was done

Deng Zhaojian calmed down and smiled lightly, 'Flowers don't bloom for a hundred days. In fact, after the Hong Kong government imposed the profit limit in 1975, the future of the bus industry was already doomed.'

After a moment of emotion, Tang Siu-kin suddenly asked in return, 'Yes, Mr. Ha, since you are guiding the bus industry to a poor future, why do you still want to step into this quagmire?'

'Are you trying to get the land owned by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company?'

Tang Siu-kin thought that the only thing worth anything about the Kowloon Motor Bus Company was its huge land, and this was the reason why Lui Gok-kwan had always cared about the Kowloon Motor Bus Company, in order to repeatedly encroach on the Kowloon Motor Bus Company's land in the name of joint development or transformation and replacement.

The reason why he turned a blind eye was not because he had no objections or was in cahoots with him, but because Lui was considered his nephew, and he had also watched Lui grow up and take over the Lui family business, so as long as Lui didn't go too far and affect the normal operation of Kowloon Motor Bus, he didn't bother to conflict with him.

Unexpectedly, Xia Yu shook his head in his puzzled gaze and said frankly, 'I'm not after the Kowloon Motor Bus land, I just want to enter the bus industry.'

'Most people run companies to make money, but I'm different, I want to enrich the industry chain.'

'Sir Tang should know that I have a Jiuding Transport Group under my banner, and you generously sold me part of your Yaumatei Ferry shares at the time.'

'That was a long time ago!'

'And it was just normal business dealings, so it can't be considered generous.'

Upon hearing this, Tang Siu Kin smiled and nodded.

It was true that this had happened, and it was precisely because of the transfer of the Yaumati Ferry's shares that he had a greater intersection with Xia Yu, and they later became friends.

Later, he also heard that the Yaumati Ferry had merged with the Star Ferry to dominate the short-distance ferry market in Hong Kong.

'You have done me a great favour, and I will always remember it in my heart,'

Xia Yu smiled and said, making Deng Zhaojian smile even wider.

Xia Yu went on to explain: 'In addition to the Star Ferry, which is part of my Jiuding Transport Group, there is also a Hong Kong Tramways company under the group, which also has a certain market share in the land transport passenger transport market. If I can add Kowloon Motor Bus to the group, then I will dominate the land transport passenger transport market, and at the same time, I can reduce competition and save costs through internal coordination.'

'And Kowloon Motor Bus can also provide some supplementary benefits to my other industries.'

'It is precisely for this reason that KMB is of even greater value to me, and not just in terms of operating profits.'

Tang Zhaojian was impressed and believed in Xia Yu's reasoning.

He thought for a moment and said, 'Since KMB has such an effect on you, I think you will also manage KMB with all your heart.'

'I am getting old, and my son and grandson are not interested in KMB either. I don't have any other requests, I just hope that you can bring new vitality to KMB.'

'To be honest, I feel very guilty after the accident the other day. Although there were many causes, we cannot deny that there was negligence on our part.'

'I visited the injured, it was so tragic, I feel so guilty towards them...'

Seeing Sir Tang Zhaojian's self-blame, Xia Yu comforted him, saying, 'Sir Tang, you don't have to blame yourself so much. No one wants to see an accident happen, but since it has, we can only try to remedy the situation as much as possible. Besides, I've seen the cause of the accident, which was mainly the driver going gambling at night and driving tiredly during the day, which led to the accident. There's nothing we can do about it.'

Tang Zhaojian shook his head with a wry smile, then perked up again and said, 'Forget it, let's not talk about it, it's already happened.'

'Please wait a moment, I'll go upstairs for a bit.'

'Okay!'

Xia Yu replied, then watched Deng Zhaojian go upstairs.

In a moment, Deng Zhaojian came back down again, holding some documents in his hands. Xia Yu guessed that they should be the proof of equity of Kowloon Motor Bus and the like.

Sure enough, Deng Zhaojian handed Xia Yu the proof of equity and said, 'Mr. Xia, you can take a look. This is the proof of equity of 89.7 million Kowloon Motor Bus shares under my name.'

Xia Yu took it and returned it to Deng Zhaojian after just a quick glance. After all, before the cooperation was officially reached, this thing did not belong to him.

Even though Deng Zhaojian had clearly been willing to transfer the equity to him.

Xia Yu's face became solemn and he said, 'Sir Deng, I need all of these equity interests. Please name your price!'

Deng Zhaojian thought for a moment and said, 'I also know that the share price of Kowloon Motor Bus is plummeting right now, but in my opinion, this plunge is somewhat irrational. Kowloon Motor Bus has the exclusive franchise for bus services in the New Territories and Kowloon. This is an exclusive business, and no matter how bad the reputation is, the public still have to take the bus.'

'The most immediate problem now is the compensation for the dead and injured. A sum of money needs to be paid, but there is a limit, and it will only affect this year's earnings.'

'So in terms of price, I agree that it cannot be lower than the previous price, but it cannot be too low.'

'What do you think, Mr Xia?'

Xia Yu nodded with a smile, 'That's the way it is. I understand what you mean.'

Deng Zhaojian continued with a smile, 'I'm not an unreasonable person. Mr Xia, name your price. As long as the price is right, I'll have someone bring the contract over to sign it directly.'

Deng Zhaojian's generosity made Xia Yu feel very good. He thought about it for a moment, looked at Deng Zhaojian, and said sincerely, 'Sir Deng, at the end of last weekend, the market value of Kowloon Motor Bus was about 310 million Hong Kong dollars.'

'At the end of this morning, the market value of Kowloon Motor Bus was about 280 million Hong Kong dollars. When trading opened in the afternoon, it also opened lower.'

Deng Zhaojian remained calm and listened quietly to Xia Yu's account.

He had thought that Xia Yu would use this to lower the price.

Unexpectedly, Xia Yu's next words surprised him again.

'But Sir Tang, as you said, the capital market is sometimes irrational, and investors vote with their feet and follow the herd.'

'So my idea is to determine that the market value of Kowloon Motor Bus is 360 million Hong Kong dollars, and I will acquire your 8.97 million shares at a price of 35.1 million Hong Kong dollars.'

'What do you think?'

Looking at Xia Yu's sincere smile, Deng Zhaojian laughed out loud and said, 'Mr. Xia, you are taking a big loss!'

Xia Yu shook his head and said with a smile, 'I don't feel like I've lost out!'

Deng Zhaojian laughed and suddenly asked, "Mr Xia, can I know the base amount at which you acquired the shares of the Tan and Lin families?'

Xia Yu pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest with you, it was the closing price last Friday.'

Deng Zhaojian was stunned, and then suddenly realised, 'It turned out to be 310 million Hong Kong dollars.'

'I didn't expect Mr Xia to do me such a favour, I really feel undeserving of it!'

Xia Yu shook his head and said, 'They are theirs, you are yours. Even if it is the same thing, it still has to be different for different people. If you let me succeed, I can't let you suffer either. After all, apart from business, we also have a personal friendship, and I can't take advantage of you!'

'Sir Tang, do you think I should let my lawyer come or what?'

Deng Zhaojian smiled and said, 'In that case, I will be grateful. I will call the lawyer. My family lawyer is nearby. I will give him a call and he will be here soon.'

'Okay! It's all up to you!'

Xia Yu nodded.

Deng Zhaojian then made a phone call, during which he explained to the lawyer what to prepare and the terms of the transaction.

About half an hour later, while Xia Yu and Deng Zhaojian were chatting, the doorbell rang. After the servant opened the door, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, Deng Zhaojian's family lawyer, walked in.

The contract for this transaction was relatively simple, with the number of shares and price clearly stated, and there were no hidden traps.

After reading it, Xia Yu signed it directly. Subsequently, the contract was made in triplicate, with Xia Yu and Deng Zhaojian each getting a copy and the lawyer keeping the other.

'Mr. Xia, it's yours now!'

Deng Zhaojian said, taking the equity certificate on the table and handing it to Xia Yu. There was an inexplicable look in his eyes, as if he were reluctant, as if he were gratified, and as if he were disheartened.

Xia Yu understood Deng Zhaojian's feelings. After all, Deng Zhaojian had served as the chairman of the board of directors of Kowloon Motor Bus for nearly 50 years. People are all flesh and blood, and Kowloon Motor Bus should be like another child to Deng Zhaojian.

He solemnly accepted the share certificate and promised Sir Tang, 'Sir Tang, thank you for your trust in me. Please rest assured that I will do my best to run KMB. As soon as I take over, I will replace the vehicles with at least 500 brand new ones!'

As for the brand of the buses, there is no doubt that it will be Leland. Xia Yu is the brand of the Leland Motor Group, which is part of the Rolls-Royce Motor Group in the UK. The best water still flows in its own field.

Deng Zhaojian said happily, 'Mr Xia is really generous. I am more convinced than ever that it was the wisest choice to hand over Kowloon Motor Bus to you!'

Xia Yu smiled and said, "That's right, Sir Deng. As the saying goes, "A family with an elderly person is like having a treasure. Although you sold your shares to me, Kowloon Motor Bus is still your child. I hope you can serve as Kowloon Motor Bus's permanent honorary executive director, so that you can remind them when they go astray.'

'Very well, thank you, Mr Xia...'

'Sir Tang, I will transfer the money into your account by tomorrow...'

...

In the end, when Xia Yu left the Tang family, the happy-go-lucky Tang Shiu Kin even saw Xia Yu to the door himself, until he got into the car.

Before Xia Yu's car was about to leave, Deng Zhaojian said to Xia Yu, 'Mr. Xia, I won't tell Lei Juekun and the Ng family, but if you need me to step in, I'd be happy to. After you've acquired enough shares, call me and I'll go with you to take over Kowloon Motor Bus.'

'Okay, thank you, Sir!'

'You're welcome, it's the least I can do!'

'It's getting late, let's talk again next time we have time. Have a safe trip!'

'I'll take your kind words to heart. Goodbye!'

After leaving the Tang family, Xia Yu went directly to Jiuding Securities, as it was not yet time to go home.

I wonder how much equity Wang Qi had acquired after a busy day, and how much was still needed to reach 50% with the equity he had already acquired from Tang Zhaojian?