Reborn Tycoon: Hong Kong's Entertainment Godfather

Chapter 9 of the Analects, Chapter 2: Shen Bi's Decision!

Facing on-site interviews from reporters, Gu Zhenguo did not stop what he was doing. Instead, he continued to increase his holdings of Wharf Holdings shares, and his shareholding ratio quickly rose to 25%.

Jardine Matheson also simultaneously increased its stock purchases.

Wharf Holdings' share price also gradually rose to HK$78 per share.

To be fair, the Gu family has basically exhausted its available capital. Of the 1 billion yuan loaned from HSBC, 900 million yuan has already been invested, leaving Gu Zhenguo with only 100 million yuan left.

To put it bluntly...

The Gu family no longer has the resources to increase its holdings of Wharf Holdings shares.

In addition, Shen Bi also took the initiative to meet with Gu Zhenguo.

Jardine Matheson ultimately approached Sir Michael Sandberg, hoping he could persuade Gu Zhenguo to abandon the acquisition of Wharf Holdings. Sandberg had only just taken the position of chairman of HSBC last year, and his influence was not yet secure, so he naturally had a thorough discussion with Gu Zhenguo.

only……

Gu Yuhan ultimately achieved his true goal.

Wharf Holdings is too large a company for them to swallow entirely, but selling their shares for an astronomical price is perfectly feasible.

At this time, the shipping magnate also returned to Hong Kong.

At the same time, a formal invitation was extended to the father and son to attend the banquet.

……

……

The shipping magnate Bao and Li Ka-shing were not from the same faction. Bao belonged to the Ningbo gang and was originally from Ningbo, while Li Ka-shing was a native of Chaoshan.

The factional barriers between the two sides have always been very clear.

The shipping magnate looked much more prosperous than Li Ka-shing.

"Ah Yang, please have a seat!"

Bao, the shipping magnate, gestured for him to sit down and said with a smile, "You've been making quite a splash lately, determined to take over Kowloon Wharf. You've stirred up a storm throughout the entire Jardine Matheson firm!"

"It makes these foreign devils unhappy, and I'm naturally very happy too!" Gu Zhenguo smiled slightly and looked at the shipping magnate, saying, "Shipping magnate, let's talk business. I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you!"

The shipping magnate looked at Gu Zhenguo and asked, "Oh? What kind of business does A-Yang want to discuss?"

"It's not any other business, it's just Wharf Holdings!" Gu Zhenguo said unhurriedly, "I want to sell all of my Wharf Holdings shares to you, Shipping Magnate. I wonder if you're interested? I currently hold 25% of Wharf Holdings' shares. I wonder, Shipping Magnate, are you interested?"

The shipping magnate's eyes widened instantly, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "You're really willing to give up this much!"

In the 1970s, Wharf Holdings launched a series of acquisitions, bringing Harbour Enterprises Limited, Hong Kong Tramway Company Limited, and Star Ferry Company Limited into its portfolio.

Wharf Holdings itself also owns a large-scale pier. After receiving financial support from the Hong Kong government, it rebuilt the original Pier No. 1 into the Ocean Terminal, a four-story building that became a rare landmark building at the time that simultaneously encompassed the functions of a shopping mall and a cruise terminal.

In 1965, part of the Kowloon Wharf site was redeveloped into the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel and Ocean Terminal. In the 1970s, with the official opening of the Kwai Chung Container Terminal, the shipping status of Kowloon Wharf was completely replaced, and the original wharf site was demolished and rebuilt, eventually developing into the Harbour City complex, which integrates commercial buildings, hotels and shopping malls.

It is no exaggeration to say that Wharf Holdings' actual value has already exceeded 10 billion, and for the shipping magnate, what he values ​​even more is Wharf Holdings' future development potential.

"I know in my heart that my strength is limited, and I simply cannot swallow up the entire Wharf Holdings!" Gu Zhenguo said with a smile, "I wonder if you, the shipping magnate, would be interested?"

The shipping magnate looked at Gu Zhenguo and said, "Just name a price!" Gu Zhenguo laughed loudly, then calmly replied, "Based on the current market conditions, I can easily ask for 2.3 billion!"

The shipowner stared intently at Gu Zhenguo.

Gu Zhenguo then continued slowly and deliberately, "However, if it were you, the shipping magnate, who were to take over, then I would be willing to complete this deal for two billion!"

Upon hearing this, Bao, the shipping magnate, couldn't help but smile. He slowly said, "Ah Yang, don't you think you're making an outrageous demand?"

"I'm just calculating based on current market prices!" Gu Zhenguo said with a smile, looking at the shipping magnate. "Shipping magnate, two billion is absolutely a fair market price!"

"But the problem is!"

The shipping magnate looked directly at Gu Zhenguo: "The current share price of Wharf Holdings is entirely driven up by you and Jardine Matheson. Your initial investment in acquiring Wharf Holdings should not have exceeded one billion. Now you're asking for double the profit. Don't you think that's going too far?"

"not to mention!"

At this point, Bao, the shipping magnate, shifted into a more relaxed posture, leaning back in his chair, and said slowly, "Why do I have to acquire Wharf Holdings?"

Gu Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly.

He was about to speak when Gu Yuhan suddenly laughed, "Shipping magnate, if that's what you say, then we don't really care. For us, Wharf Holdings simply presents two choices: one is to make a fortune, and the other is to make a smaller profit!"

Having said that, Gu Yuhan spread his hands and continued, "If you, the shipping magnate, don't take over, there are only two things we can do: first, cash out all the shares and leave; second, we can still sell the Wharf Holdings shares to Jardine Matheson!"

The shipping magnate slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Even if we can't make a huge profit, we can still make a small fortune. The best option is simply to cash out a portion and leave, and resell the rest to Wharf Holdings!" Gu Yuhan said slowly and deliberately. "Once Wharf Holdings falls back into the hands of Jardine Matheson, it won't be so easy for you, Shipping King, to get your hands on Wharf Holdings again!"

The shipping magnate's gaze fell on Gu Yuhan: "Are you so certain that I must take over the Wharf Holdings Group?"

Gu Yuhan simply smiled faintly: "Shipping magnate, the shipping business must be a bit tough lately, right?"

The shipping magnate looked at Gu Yuhan with a face full of surprise, while Gu Yuhan continued to speak slowly and deliberately: "Since 1973, global oil prices have skyrocketed, and shipping costs have increased significantly. So, I imagine your profits must have shrunk considerably, right?"

"Times have changed!"

Gu Yuhan spoke slowly and deliberately: "The reason why Hong Kong's docks can handle such a large volume of cargo is entirely due to Hong Kong's special geographical location. In my opinion, it won't be long before the policies of the mainland undergo a radical change. Sooner or later, the mainland will completely replace Hong Kong's core position in shipping. Shipping magnate, do you think you can still hold onto your position as shipping magnate at that time?"

The shipping magnate fell into deep thought. This was precisely the question he had been pondering repeatedly. Not long ago, he had just visited Beijing. He knew all too well that the success of his shipping empire was entirely due to Hong Kong's special status during a particular historical period.

Asia needs such a freight transit hub.

Once the mainland's policies undergo a fundamental shift, Hong Kong's special status during that particular historical period will naturally vanish.

Deep down, the shipping magnate had long harbored the idea of ​​abandoning shipboard, going ashore, and transforming into a real business.

Gu Yuhan continued, "Shipping King, the risks you face now are enormous. First, no one can guarantee that oil prices won't continue to skyrocket. Second, Hong Kong's shipping dominance is destined to be completely replaced by the mainland. In my opinion, the best thing you should do now is abandon ship and go ashore!"

The shipping magnate looked at Gu Yuhan with great interest: "Then tell me, what should I do?"

"Wharf Holdings is the perfect springboard!" Gu Yuhan smiled. "Now, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is right in front of you, Shipping Magnate. I really can't understand why you would refuse it!"

These words were spoken entirely from the perspective of the shipping magnate.

"The only difference for us is how much more or less we earn!" Gu Yuhan smiled and continued, "But for you, Shipping King, this is the most crucial step in abandoning ship and going ashore. You can fully weigh the pros and cons of this matter yourself!"

"Two billion? I can't come up with that much right now!" The shipping magnate hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can only give you a maximum of eighteen billion!"

"1.8 billion?"

This offer far exceeded the expectations of the father and son. In fact, both Gu Yuhan and Gu Zhenguo had a bottom line of 1.5 billion.

A full 1.8 billion!

This was a completely unexpected and huge surprise.

Gu Yuhan nodded: "That's no problem at all. However, I remember that you, Shipping King, also hold shares in Hutchison Whampoa, along with 1.8 billion in cash. What do you think about adding those Hutchison Whampoa shares to your portfolio?"

After a moment's hesitation, the shipping magnate nodded immediately: "Alright, deal!"

At this point, Bao, the shipping magnate, gave Gu Yuhan a meaningful look, then smiled and said, "Ah Yang, your son is truly remarkable!" "You flatter me, you flatter me!"

Although Gu Zhenguo was polite in his words, his eyes were full of undisguised pride when he looked at his son.

Having such an outstanding son really makes life so much easier.

That's a whopping 1.8 billion, while my initial investment was only 900 million.

The return rate doubled.

Just a short time ago, Gu Yuhan told himself that as long as he earned 300 million yuan, it would be enough for him to drop out of school and start a business.

Now, it's just 1.8 billion in cash, plus the shares of Hutchison Whampoa held by the shipping magnate.

It's at least three times the originally agreed-upon amount.

It would be absolutely impossible for Gu Zhen not to feel even a little bit proud.

A few people sat together drinking tea and chatting. Gu Yuhan had lost interest in what they were talking about afterward. What he was thinking about at the moment was to quickly acquire Hutchison Whampoa's shares from HSBC.

In the original historical trajectory, Li Ka-shing only used 20 million to take control of Hutchison Whampoa, which had a market value of nearly 6-7 billion.

In any case, one's own father can't be worse than Li Ka-shing, right?

Dinner ended

Gu Zhenguo exclaimed excitedly, "Son, this deal is finally done! 1.8 billion! Haha, that's a net profit of 800 million Hong Kong dollars! We've really struck it rich!"

"I don't think so!"

Gu Yuhan glanced at his father, then smiled and said, "In my opinion, we still have a long way to go!"

Gu Zhenguo looked at Gu Yuhan: "Far behind?"

Shrugging, Gu Yuhan smiled and said, "We're still far behind the shipping magnate. If we had enough capital, we could easily take over the entire Wharf Holdings Group, a massive conglomerate with a market value of tens of billions!"

Gu Zhen sighed deeply: "If I had entered the industry ten years earlier, I definitely wouldn't be much worse than Bao Chuanwang!"

"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future!"

Gu Yuhan glanced at Gu Zhenguo and said with a smile, "Dad, in my opinion, the policies on the mainland will change drastically sooner or later, and British capital in Hong Kong will inevitably decline. This is our opportunity. As long as we do well, we will be the absolute leader in Hong Kong in the future!"

Gu Zhenguo's eyes lit up with excitement, and he nodded, saying, "Yes, this is the best opportunity for the rise of Chinese capital!"

"The most important thing right now is for us to talk to Shen Bi again as soon as possible!" Gu Yuhan's thinking was very clear: "Dad, we've earned eight hundred million this time, I think we shouldn't let it sit idle, let's just take out one hundred million and give it to Shen Bi!"

"A gift for Shen Bi?" Gu Zhenguo gasped, his generosity growing increasingly extravagant. He nodded immediately and said, "The second copy of the Analects is ready. When shall we go?"

"I think the sooner the better!" Gu Yuhan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "How about going tomorrow?"

Gu Zhenguo immediately nodded: "Okay, tomorrow!"

……

Jockey Club

Shen Bi was engrossed in reading the Analects in his hands; this was the second chapter.

The second chapter, "On Governance," discusses the principles and strategies for governing a country.

Shen Bi couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Governing with virtue is like the North Star, which remains in its place while all the other stars revolve around it."

Sitting to the side, Gu Yuhan smiled and said, "This means that governing with moral education is like the North Star, which stays in its fixed position while all the stars in the sky revolve around it."

"Oh?" Shen Bi said with a smile, "That's quite interesting. Did the ancients already know about the North Star in Confucius's time?"

"That's why Chinese culture has always been profound and extensive!" Gu Yuhan said with a smile. "Uncle Shen, do you like this book?"

Shen Bi lowered his head, his gaze falling on the check tucked between the pages of the book.