Chapter 75: Identity Exposed
With Lin Haoran's appointment as Vice Chairman of Qingzhou Cement, the news was quickly made public by the company.
The next day, the Hong Kong Business Daily carried an announcement about Qingzhou Cement's new vice chairman.
However, the news didn't attract much attention.
Although Qingzhou Cement was a long-established British-owned enterprise and held a firm position within the industry, compared to well-known giants like Jardine Matheson, Hutchison Whampoa, and Hongkong Land, its influence and brand recognition were still significantly weaker.
At the Chairman's office of Wanan Group—
After finishing some paperwork, Lin Wanan casually picked up a copy of the Hong Kong Business Daily.
Reading newspapers had been his long-standing habit, allowing him to stay informed about the latest business developments and industry trends.
In addition to Hong Kong Business Daily, he also regularly read Oriental Daily, Sing Tao Daily, and other mainstream Hong Kong newspapers.
"Announcement on the New Vice Chairman of Qingzhou Cement," the headline read.
Though relatively low-key, this news piqued Lin Wanan's interest given that Qingzhou Cement had once been a business partner.
After establishing Huafeng Cement, their cooperation had ended.
The article stated clearly: "Mr. Ziegler has officially resigned from his position as Vice Chairman of the Board at Qingzhou Cement, while retaining his role as General Manager."
It continued: "Mr. Lin Haoran has officially joined the Board of Qingzhou Cement and has been appointed Vice Chairman."
The accompanying biography of Lin Haoran was vague.
Reading this, Lin Wanan was stunned.
"Lin Haoran… isn't that my son? How could he possibly become the Vice Chairman of Qingzhou Cement?"
Although the biography was ambiguous, the key details — 24 years old, graduate of London Business School, and the familiar name — matched his son perfectly.
Still, he struggled to comprehend it.
How could his son, seemingly without warning, become the second-in-command of a company more powerful than Wanan Group?
Although the title was only Vice Chairman, Lin Wanan knew very well the significance behind it.
At that moment, a complex storm of emotions welled up inside him — confusion, shock, worry, and even pride.
A man who had weathered countless storms in the business world, Lin Wanan usually faced challenges with calm and rationality.
But today, faced with what was almost certainly his son's name in the newspaper, he found himself deeply unsettled.
It felt like a stone had been thrown into the calm lake of his heart, sending ripples across its surface.
He was proud yet suspicious — what hidden risks or unknown battles lay behind this sudden "success"?
Urgently needing to confirm the truth, he tried to calm himself, then quickly dialed Lin Haoran's pager.
At that time, pagers were among the most advanced personal communication tools.
Since he didn't know where Lin Haoran was — the boy hadn't been home for some time — this was the only way to reach him.
At Qingzhou Cement, sitting in his new office, Lin Haoran was gazing through the large window at the bustling factory area below.
It was his second day officially as Vice Chairman.
With Huanyu Investment running smoothly under Su Zhixue's leadership and no pressing investment goals at the moment, Lin Haoran now spent more time focusing on Qingzhou Cement.
Halier Centurion had at least shown him some respect by giving him an office right next to the chairman's.
Located on the eighth floor of the building, his office offered a sweeping view of the factory and across Victoria Harbour to the skyscrapers of Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, and Central.
It was sparsely furnished — a desk, a chair, a bookshelf, and a telephone.
Earlier, Lin Haoran had tried to request financial documents from the CFO, only to be politely declined on the grounds that no authorization had been given by the chairman.
He could only review the publicly available financial reports, but they were so meticulously doctored that he couldn't detect anything unusual yet.
Just then, his pager buzzed urgently.
Lin Haoran glanced at the screen and promptly dialed back.
"Haoran, where are you?" his father's familiar, slightly anxious voice came through.
"I'm over in Kowloon, Dad. What's up?" Lin Haoran answered casually.
"Oh, nothing serious..." Lin Wanan said, sounding hesitant. "Just… are you free tonight? Could you come home? I have something I want to ask you."
"Sure, I'll come home tonight," Lin Haoran agreed after a moment's thought.
Hanging up, Lin Haoran felt a ripple of emotion. He could easily guess why his father had called.
Most likely, Lin Wanan had seen the news and realized that his son had been hiding things from him.
But Lin Haoran had long prepared for this moment.
From the time he decided to walk a different path, he knew he would one day have to face such scrutiny — whether from dealing with tycoons like Bao Yugang, Li Jiacheng, Shen Bi, Ho Sin Hang, or now serving as Vice Chairman of Qingzhou Cement.
Perhaps it was time to reveal some of his cards to his father.
Initially, he had hidden the truth about his loans and investments, worried about his father's reaction.
But now, standing as the Vice Chairman of Qingzhou Cement, ready to seize control, he no longer feared being exposed.
Lin Haoran had built up real strength — enough to stand on his own.
Still, he would not reveal everything; maintaining a certain level of mystery was crucial in the volatile business world.
Unable to dig deeper today at Qingzhou Cement, Lin Haoran decided not to waste time and left the office.
It was October 20th — a Friday.
Back at Huanyu Investment, he arrived just as the stock market was closing.
Over the past three days, from the 18th to the 20th, under Su Zhixue's leadership, Huanyu had once again demonstrated outstanding trading skill.
They had acquired another 2.486 million shares of Qingzhou Cement at an average price of HK$5.43 per share.
Adding the shares bought from Li Jiacheng, Lin Haoran now held an impressive 17.86 million shares — 35.7% of Qingzhou Cement.
He was getting closer to the crucial 40% mark.
At that point, he would become the undisputed controlling shareholder, with influence far surpassing the rest of the board.
Even if they banded together, they could not shake his dominance.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work this week. Have a great weekend!" Lin Haoran said warmly as the clock struck six, smiling and nodding as employees passed by.
"Goodbye, Mr. Lin!" several employees called out cheerfully.
After the last employee left, Lin Haoran finally turned and exited Hengfeng Building with his two bodyguards.
"Take us back to Deep Water Bay," Lin Haoran instructed, settling into the car.
"Yes, boss," Li Weiguo replied smoothly as he pulled into traffic.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived back at the family villa.
Standing in the open-air garage, Lin Haoran looked up at the familiar, elegant house.
It had been half a month since he'd last been back, caught up in the whirlwind around Qingzhou Cement.
"Haoran, you're back!" Hearing the car, his mother rushed out, her face lighting up with joy.
"Yes, Mom, I came home to see you," Lin Haoran said warmly, taking her hand.
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