Chapter 316 A Cat in Tiger's Skin
Hearing Lin Haoran agree, Chen Songqing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The price of HKD 1.1 billion was indeed a bit high, and he would still need to further absorb Aimeigao Company's shares from the market to truly gain controlling power.
But thinking about the future profits he could reap through Aimeigao Company, he felt the cost was well worth it.
After all, Karson Group had started just three years ago with only a few million in investment.
And now it stood as one of Hong Kong's real estate giants.
Even more absurd, the company had originally sold pesticides!
Chen Songqing was extremely confident in his methods.
If he could gain control of Aimeigao Company, he was confident he could leverage it to secure even more loans, propelling Karson Group to new heights — truly among Hong Kong's top corporations.
He was a master at using complicated commercial maneuvers and financial tricks — even bordering on fraud and embezzlement — to inflate Karson's perceived strength.
Thinking of this, Chen was elated.
On his way here, he had worried someone else might beat him to Lin Haoran's Aimeigao shares, given that all Hong Kong now knew about the opportunity.
Now, with Lin Haoran's agreement, he could finally relax.
"Mr. Lin, it's a pleasure doing business!"
Chen Songqing said with a beaming smile.
"Mr. Chen, I can transfer the Aimeigao shares to you, but the condition is that you must deliver the funds within three days.
If not — and if someone else offers during that time — I reserve the right to reconsider.
As you know, I urgently need liquidity for my Jardines Matheson project,"
Lin Haoran said bluntly.
"Three days? No problem, Mr. Lin.
You have my word," Chen replied without hesitation.
"I'll sign the contract today and guarantee the funds will be ready within three days."
He was confident he could persuade Yang Changdao at Yumin Finance to grant him the necessary loans.
They had colluded many times before.
Thus, a deal worth HKD 1.1 billion was struck in just a few minutes.
Under the guidance of Wanching Group's legal counsel and Karson Group's lawyers, they quickly finalized an intent agreement.
The shares would officially transfer only after the money arrived.
Lin Haoran was well aware that Chen Songqing was highly adept at trickery.
Thus, no cash — no shares.
Chen Songqing left Wanching Tower in high spirits.
His next priority was to gather the necessary funds.
Meanwhile, at around 3 p.m., Lin Haoran received an unexpected message urging him to turn on the television.
Finding a lounge with a TV, he tuned in to RTV's live broadcast.
To his surprise, there was a live interview underway —
and today's guest was none other than Chen Songqing.
"I am honored to announce that Karson Group has reached an agreement with Mr. Lin Haoran to acquire his entire stake in Aimeigao Company.
This acquisition marks a major milestone for Karson Group as we expand into manufacturing and international trade."
Chen Songqing boasted at length, describing Aimeigao's impressive trade networks across North America and Europe, and vowing to make Karson one of Hong Kong's top five conglomerates within three years.
To an uninformed viewer, it would have seemed Aimeigao was already fully under Karson's control.
Watching this, Lin Haoran shook his head.
The deal wasn't even finalized yet — and Chen was already publicly celebrating?
Typical.
He didn't bother calling Chen Songqing to reprimand him.
If the funds didn't materialize, Lin Haoran would simply announce through the Oriental Daily and TVB that no deal had been finalized.
Meanwhile, Liu Luanzhong had also caught wind of the interview.
Despite not having his own intelligence network, as chairman of Aimeigao,
someone quickly informed him.
"Haoran, we only met this morning, and by afternoon you've already struck a deal?
This Chen Songqing shows up in the media more often than I do.
Are you sure I can still pull off the plan — to profit through Karson and reclaim Aimeigao later?"
Liu asked nervously when he called Lin.
"Relax, Ah Xiong.
Karson Group is just a cat wearing tiger skin.
It's nowhere near as powerful as it looks,"
Lin Haoran said reassuringly.
Behind its façade, Karson was drowning in debts and shady loans — a house of cards ready to collapse.
Liu's concerns were unnecessary.
"Alright then. I'll trust you,"
Liu said.
"There are already reporters downstairs at Aimeigao wanting interviews.
I'm still deciding whether to talk to them."
"Of course, meet them!
Tell them you'll fight to retain control of Aimeigao —
make it look like you're resisting Karson's takeover."
Lin Haoran laughed.
Chen Songqing clearly intended to hype Aimeigao's value to squeeze more money out later.
But Lin could already see the flaws in his plans.
Aimeigao's true core value lay almost entirely in its one lucky break with the fan industry during the oil crisis.
Without it, the company was just another mid-sized manufacturer.
In fact, even Aimeigao's current HKD 20+ billion valuation was grossly inflated.
At Aimeigao's headquarters in Kwun Tong, Liu Luanzhong prepared to meet the press.
Following Lin Haoran's advice, he vowed publicly to fight for control of Aimeigao,
even if he was outmatched financially.
He needed to put on a convincing show.
Despite appearances that Aimeigao's expansion was all his doing,
Liu knew privately how critical Lin Haoran's mentorship had been —
including the shrewd advice to invest early profits into real estate, which had already doubled and tripled.
Without Lin, Aimeigao would still be a struggling little fan factory.
Thus, Liu trusted Lin Haoran completely.
The next morning, the Hong Kong stock market opened as usual.
But the scene was chaotic.
Previously, everyone had focused on Jardines Matheson.
Now, after the news of Karson Group's acquisition attempt and Liu's vow to resist,
Aimeigao's stock became the new darling of speculators.
Stock market turnover exploded, shattering historical records.
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