Chapter 232: The New Chairman of Kowloon Motor Bus and the Mysterious Source of Funds
When Lin Haoran appeared, everyone's eyes instinctively turned toward him. Lin Haoran, the most talked-about rising star among Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong over the past two years, had, in less than twenty-four months, rapidly risen to prominence, successfully acquiring multiple renowned listed companies. In terms of acquisition ability, he was even comparable to British giants like Jardines. What caught even more attention was his extraordinarily young age — only twenty-six. Apart from a few lucky heirs who inherited vast fortunes, most of Hong Kong's top businessmen were middle-aged or even elderly figures in their fifties, sixties, or older.
They had all heard of Lin Haoran before. However, none of them had imagined that one day this rising tycoon would become directly connected to them. Yet now, the Kowloon Motor Bus company they valued had been quietly acquired by this very man — without the slightest warning.
"Mr. Lin, nice to meet you," said Tang Siu Kin, reacting quickly as he stepped forward to greet Lin Haoran with a handshake and a smile. At this moment, with the change of ownership a fait accompli, there was no point in resisting. "Mr. Tang, it's a pleasure. I've long heard of your distinguished reputation. I look forward to learning from you in the future at Kowloon Motor Bus," Lin Haoran replied, smiling with sincere respect toward the elder.
He then turned his gaze toward Lui Che-woo, extending his hand even before Lui could speak. "You must be Mr. Lui," he said warmly.
Though they hadn't formally met through the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Lin Haoran recognized Lui from frequent media appearances. "Mr. Lin, you are truly young and accomplished. I sincerely admire you," Lui said with genuine feeling.
"Not at all. I've just been lucky," Lin Haoran answered modestly, though everyone present knew that luck alone could never have brought such success. Only with immense financial strength and strategic brilliance could one take over so many listed companies so smoothly. Even Lui Che-woo, with all his resources, had never dared dream of acquiring giants like Hongkong Electric or Hong Kong and China Gas.
The atmosphere at the scene remained polite and cordial on the surface. No one dared offend Lin Haoran — they simply didn't have the strength to oppose him.
"It's about time. Let's move to the conference room," Tang Siu Kin said after glancing at his watch.
They proceeded to a conference room on the third floor of the building. The meeting's core agenda was straightforward: Lin Haoran would officially assume the position of chairman of Kowloon Motor Bus, while Burton and Tang would serve as vice-chairmen. Other board members would retain their current positions.
Lui Che-woo, the former largest shareholder and now second-largest, would continue as an ordinary board member without any executive role.
Although Lin Haoran was now the chairman, he would delegate daily operations to Burton. With his overwhelming shareholding and strength, Lin Haoran's proposals easily passed with near-unanimous support. Even those with dissenting thoughts dared not oppose him.
Moreover, under Hong Kong's "one share, one vote" system, having the majority stake meant having true authority.
Meanwhile, the announcement of Kowloon Motor Bus's trading suspension had spread like wildfire across Hong Kong. Major media outlets — TVB, Rediffusion, Hong Kong Commercial Radio, Oriental Daily, South China Morning Post, Sing Tao Daily, Wah Kiu Yat Po, Hong Kong Economic Journal, and others — all sent reporters to Kowloon Motor Bus headquarters, eager for news.
By the time the board meeting concluded, dozens of journalists had gathered downstairs.
When the meeting room door opened, a staffer rushed in to inform the former chairman, Tang Siu Kin. "Since they're here, let them in," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
"This is Mr. Lin Haoran, who is now the chairman of Kowloon Motor Bus," Tang instructed the staff member.
The employees, still reeling from the news, hurried to organize the impromptu press conference.
Within ten minutes, a vacant office was cleaned and set up: a simple stage with a long table and chairs, and the Kowloon Motor Bus logo behind.
Soon, dozens of journalists were led inside. Lin Haoran, Tang Siu Kin, and Burton sat at the table, with Lin Haoran in the center. Lui Che-woo, feeling it inappropriate for a regular board member to share the stage, stayed aside.
"I know why you're all here," Tang Siu Kin began. "Indeed, Mr. Lin Haoran is now the largest shareholder of Kowloon Motor Bus. In the board meeting just concluded, he was officially appointed as chairman. Mr. Burton and I will serve as vice-chairmen."
Cameras flashed furiously as journalists captured this historic moment. For nearly fifty years, Kowloon Motor Bus had been controlled by its founding families. Today marked the end of an era.
The spotlight now belonged to Lin Haoran.
"Mr. Lin, what inspired you to acquire Kowloon Motor Bus?" a reporter from Oriental Daily asked.
"For the past year, I have been studying Kowloon Motor Bus very carefully," Lin Haoran said with a bright smile. "I carefully considered its investment potential. It's a very high-quality listed company, which caught my attention. So when the opportunity arose, I did not hesitate to act."
"What drives your continuous acquisition of listed companies?" asked a reporter from TVB.
"I'm particularly interested in companies with valuable assets," Lin Haoran explained. "Over the past two years, I've spent about half of my working time planning future investments, closely monitoring opportunities in Hong Kong and overseas. I have a clear picture of the asset situations of many Hong Kong listed companies. When I saw Kowloon Motor Bus's low trading volume, its reasonable price, and the fact that no shareholder held an overwhelming number of shares, I knew it was an opportunity. So I acted decisively — and fortunately, succeeded."
"Mr. Lin, given your constant acquisitions and seemingly endless funding, some suspect that your financial backing comes from foreign capital. How do you respond?" a Hong Kong Commercial Daily reporter asked sharply.
Lin Haoran's meteoric rise had indeed sparked endless speculation. Some in the top business circles even believed he might be an agent for Citibank, given his unusually close financial dealings with them, far exceeding those with local banks like HSBC.
Few believed a lone young entrepreneur could accumulate billions of dollars in just two years. His brief tenure at a small cement factory in Yuen Long was thoroughly investigated — if he had been rich all along, why would he have spent months in obscurity there?
Thus, the source of Lin Haoran's wealth remained an unsolved mystery. By posing the question, the journalist hoped to get a direct answer.
However, Lin Haoran had no intention of revealing his financial origins.
In his view, maintaining an air of mystery worked to his advantage.
Total transparency would not serve his interests.
Burton and Tang Siu Kin also looked at him curiously — even they wondered about the truth.
Only Su Zhixue, sitting quietly among the staff, knew the full story.
From buying oil futures to investing in gold contracts, Su Zhixue had witnessed every step of Lin Haoran's stunning ascent from a wealthy second-generation youth to a financial powerhouse.
But as a man completely loyal to Lin Haoran, he would never reveal anything.
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