Chapter 72: Youth Is the Best Disguise
Lin Haoran had always been very cautious in his stock investment strategy. He had acquired shares of Qingzhou Cement through multiple accounts to ensure that his holdings would not be easily traced by outsiders.
Unless he disclosed it himself, it was nearly impossible for others to accurately determine the true amount of Qingzhou Cement stock he held.
Facing Halier Centurion's probing questions, Lin Haoran didn't hesitate and answered directly, "Mr. Halier, I currently control 13.7% of Qingzhou Cement's stock. With the funds I have on hand, I could soon hold up to 15%. As for my purpose, I'm still young and have no intention of contending for the chairman's position. However, I do hope to become the vice chairman of the board to learn more about business operations. Given my status as the largest shareholder, there shouldn't be any issue with me holding that position, right?"
As he spoke, to reinforce his statement, Lin Haoran handed Halier Centurion a copy of his 13.7% shareholding certificates.
At Hang Seng Bank, he had pledged a total of 17% of Qingzhou Cement's shares for two rounds of loans, so the 13.7% he now displayed was all he could openly claim at the moment.
Of course, if necessary, he could temporarily retrieve certificates from Hang Seng Bank — but there was no need.
At this stage, Lin Haoran wasn't planning to seize full control of Qingzhou Cement yet — first, he needed to enter the board.
Halier Centurion had ruled Qingzhou Cement for over a decade; Lin Haoran understood that to truly take over, he would have to eliminate Halier's influence completely. Keeping a sly old fox like him around would only create hidden threats for the future.
"13.7%? As far as I know, the trading volume of Qingzhou Cement shares over the past month has exceeded 30%," Halier continued probing.
His words revealed his keen awareness of the recent stock market activity.
"Mr. Halier, about ten days ago, another group started competing in the stock market for Qingzhou Cement, causing the price to climb from below HK$5 to its current level. At first, I thought it was you increasing your holdings. It wasn't you?" Lin Haoran asked, feigning surprise.
About ten days ago, Li Jiacheng's team had indeed started absorbing Qingzhou Cement shares, significantly boosting trading volume.
Halier Centurion naturally knew this very well.
"Someone else targeting Qingzhou Cement?" Halier was momentarily stunned.
To dispel his doubts, Lin Haoran added, "Mr. Halier, you might not know my background — I'm the youngest son of Lin Wanan from Wanan Group."
Hearing this, Halier's suspicion toward Lin Haoran faded — but a new concern arose.
He was familiar with Wanan Group, a real estate company whose market value was lower than that of Qingzhou Cement.
Before founding Huafeng Cement, Lin Wanan's Wanan Group had been one of Qingzhou Cement's clients.
Thus, Halier had some understanding of Wanan Group.
Because of this knowledge, he immediately suspected that Lin Haoran must have been acting under Lin Wanan's instructions.
Otherwise, how could such a young man acquire such a large sum to absorb Qingzhou Cement's shares?
The 13.7% share certificates were real, and by Lin Haoran's own admission, he could soon reach 15%. Even valuing each share at HK$5 meant an investment of HK$37.5 million.
If necessary, Lin Wanan could easily raise such funds.
Thus, Halier speculated that the true force behind these acquisitions might be Lin Wanan.
At this point, Lin Haoran's mention of another force in the market was no longer his main concern.
Compared to facing Lin Wanan, he would much prefer the shareholder to be the inexperienced Lin Haoran.
If Lin Wanan truly intended to control Qingzhou Cement, it would be extremely dangerous for Halier.
"Mr. Lin, why didn't your father come himself? Why send you?" Halier asked directly.
"My father? This investment was my personal decision. It's my own private property. Why would my father be involved?" Lin Haoran smiled, seeing through Halier's concern.
"Your own private property? Impossible! With Wanan Group's scale, it's easy to gather a few tens of millions. But you?" Halier was skeptical.
"Mr. Halier, if you investigate Wanan Group's current situation, you'll see they are busy raising funds for a new property project in North Point. They have no extra resources. Also, my father has always avoided taking out bank loans — this is well known.
What you may not know is that I graduated from London Business School three months ago. During the World Cup held in Argentina in June, I made several lucky bets and won several million pounds. After returning to Hong Kong, I didn't tell my father. Instead, I started researching local businesses and found Qingzhou Cement extremely promising.
Thus, I decided to invest. This is my money. Although my father is Lin Wanan, our finances are separate — especially when we're talking about tens of millions," Lin Haoran explained with a calm smile.
Creating a plausible backstory to allay Halier's concerns wasn't difficult.
At this time, Britain's betting culture was very mature — winning a few million pounds during the World Cup was believable, and that would indeed convert into tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.
Moreover, Wanan Group's ongoing North Point project was publicly known — anyone could verify it easily.
Hearing this, Halier began to believe Lin Haoran's story.
He planned to verify it later, but if true, then Lin Haoran posed much less of a threat.
After all, Lin Haoran, still so young, wouldn't have the strength to continue aggressively buying more shares.
Even if Lin Haoran controlled 15%, Halier wasn't worried. What he feared was if the shares eventually ended up under Lin Wanan's control.
Now, his attention turned toward another problem: the unknown second force absorbing Qingzhou Cement shares.
"Why had Qingzhou Cement remained unnoticed for so long, only to attract two forces at once?" Halier wondered, but he said nothing aloud.
"Mr. Lin, in principle, I support your ambition to become the vice chairman. However, this requires a board vote, as it would replace the current vice chairman. But rest assured, I will vote in your favor. I love working with talented young people!" Halier said seriously.
For now, he was willing to set aside his worries about Lin Haoran — but the other hidden competitor made him uneasy.
Thus, he decided to ally himself with Lin Haoran.
If he could secure Lin Haoran's support and rally the other shareholders, he would no longer have to fear the unknown force.
"In that case, I'm very reassured. With your support, Mr. Halier, I believe I can successfully become vice chairman," Lin Haoran said, beaming with excitement.
Seeing Lin Haoran's youthful and energetic face, Halier thought, "Still so young — so easily satisfied with just a vice-chairmanship."
Lin Haoran's apparent innocence reassured Halier greatly, and he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
Even if Lin Haoran's shareholding slightly surpassed his own, with the other British shareholders' support, Halier believed he could still maintain control.
Even if Lin Wanan himself took over, while it would be more troublesome, he believed he had enough influence to resist — after all, this was still his stronghold.
Watching Halier's expression, Lin Haoran knew that his first step into Qingzhou Cement's board was basically secured.
His youthful appearance was his best disguise — it made others lower their guard and trust him.
Once he entered the board, he could familiarize himself with the company, secretly investigate the real financial situation, and continue acquiring more shares behind the scenes.
Once his holdings surpassed 40%, Halier Centurion would no longer pose a threat, and Lin Haoran could naturally take full control of Qingzhou Cement.
"Mr. Halier, when will the board meeting be held?" Lin Haoran asked eagerly.
Seeing Lin Haoran's enthusiasm, Halier relaxed even more.
"The board meeting must be scheduled at least a day in advance to allow all members time to prepare. Don't worry, Mr. Lin — I'll call the other members this evening. We can have the meeting as soon as tomorrow," Halier said with a smile.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Mr. Halier," Lin Haoran nodded.
"Once the time is confirmed, I'll call you," Halier promised.
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