“Mr. Lin, my name is Henry Keswick. Regarding matters concerning Jardine Matheson, we need to arrange a suitable time and place to sit down and have a detailed discussion. Are you free tomorrow? If it is convenient, we can arrange to meet in the conference room of Jardine House for an in-depth discussion.” Henry Keswick said directly on the phone.

“tomorrow?”

Lin Haoran did not show any surprise, as he already knew that these British financial groups were unwilling to drag the matter on for too long.

As long as he does not give up his controlling stake in Jardine Matheson, these British shareholders will not be able to truly exercise management rights even if they still hold shares.

“Okay, then you guys decide on the time, I’ll go over there tomorrow!” Lin Haoran replied indifferently.

After all, the initiative is in his hands, so he doesn’t care even if time is a little tight.

As long as these British financial groups cannot meet his minimum conditions, don’t expect him to give up his controlling stake in Jardine Matheson.

“In that case, let’s set the date at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. How about we meet then?” Henry Keswick continued.

“No problem, see you at ten o’clock tomorrow morning.” Lin Haoran agreed readily.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Haoran recalled that Niu Bijian’s loyalty had declined. How could he not understand the reason?
It must be that these British financial groups have successfully persuaded Niu Bijian to stand on the side of the British financial groups again.

However, Lin Haoran didn’t care much about Niu Bijian’s whereabouts, and it didn’t matter to him what personal decision he made.

Even if he had no intention of giving up Jardine Matheson, he would find an opportunity to kick Niu Bijian out in the future.

What’s more, even if he really gave up Jardine Matheson, who would be the helmsman of Jardine Matheson in the future and what would it have to do with him?
After hanging up the phone, Lin Haoran began to think carefully about what his bottom line was when dealing with the British consortium.

After stretching, Lin Haoran picked up the phone again and called Huo Jianning.

Since these British financial groups are so eager to negotiate, it is obvious that they have already united internally and negotiated their conditions.

As for Lin Haoran, it is natural that he should also talk to Huo Jianning about the bottom line of the negotiations.

He told Huo Jianning that after get off work, he did not need to come to the Jardine Matheson Group, but to go directly to the Joy Lai Restaurant.

Huo Jianning lives in Kowloon, and Joy Lai Restaurant is in Tsim Sha Tsui, so it was convenient for him to drive back.

At the same time, Lin Haoran also called Chen Shoulin and told him that he would temporarily requisition Huo Jianning for a period of time. As for the negotiation, Lin Haoran estimated that it would not be possible to conclude it in a short time.

Because of the conditions and bottom line he had thought of this afternoon, it was unlikely that the people from the British financial group would agree to them so easily.

Chen Shoulin naturally had no objection and said that he would arrange paid leave for Huo Jianning.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already six o’clock in the evening.

At the headquarters of the Jardine Matheson Group, many employees have already left work.

Lin Haoran also left Kangle Building with a document and many bodyguards.

The convoy went directly to Tsim Sha Tsui. Although the distance was not far, due to the heavy traffic in the Hung Hom Cross-Harbour Tunnel, it took more than twenty minutes for Lin Haoran’s convoy to successfully arrive at the Joy Lai Restaurant.

When we entered the hotel lobby, it was already crowded with people and there were no empty tables.

Even a private room is not available during lunch time.

However, as the big boss behind Xiyuelai Restaurant, Lin Haoran had already called the general manager of Xiyuelai Restaurant in advance and asked him to reserve a quiet box.

Under the guidance of the manager, Lin Haoran soon arrived at a large private box.

This box has an inner room and an outer hall, which is perfect for bodyguards to enjoy dinner in the outer hall.

Li Weidong and Li Weiguo first conducted several detailed inspections in the inner room, and only left after confirming that no eavesdropping devices were installed.

Although Joy Lai Restaurant, as a high-end dining venue under the Hong Kong Land Group, is now part of Lin Haoran’s business portfolio, it was once managed by Jardine Matheson.

Therefore, Lin Haoran could not be sure whether the British consortium had secretly arranged people to monitor him here, so each of these preventive measures was indispensable.

He would never allow his British financial group rivals to see through his bottom line in advance and adopt targeted strategies.

Just ten minutes after Lin Haoran arrived at the Xiyuelai Restaurant, Huo Jianning was led into the private room.

“Boss!” Seeing Lin Haoran, Huo Jianning greeted him politely and respectfully.

“Well, come and sit down. I have already ordered the dishes. We will eat and talk later. The British will come to negotiate with me tomorrow, so you have to be fully prepared. Although Jardine Matheson is now controlled by me, there is nothing I can do if I don’t agree to it. However, considering that we are all in Hong Kong and I don’t attach much importance to Jardine Matheson, there is no need to make the relationship with them too stiff.

Therefore, this negotiation is extremely critical. We must not only meet my conditions, but also make them agree wholeheartedly. Your task is not easy.” Lin Haoran said with a smile.

“Okay boss, I got it!”

“This is some information I carefully prepared this afternoon. You must read it carefully when you go back. Remember, it is best to read it alone in your personal room. Keep it confidential. These are the core business secrets of the company!” Lin Haoran said solemnly.

Although some of this information is publicly available through the company’s annual financial statements, some of it is core and sensitive information that should not be disclosed.

Lin Haoran would not easily let other people take the information away, but he trusted Huo Jianning’s loyalty very much. In addition, time was tight, so he simply let him take it back and read it slowly.

At the same time, this also sends a signal to Huo Jianning that I, as your boss, trust you very much!
“I understand, boss. After reading this, I will destroy these materials immediately and will not let anyone see them. Also, boss, I am not living in my parents’ house now. In order to facilitate my work, I rented a house in a community in Causeway Bay several months ago.” Huo Jianning respectfully took the information with both hands, put it carefully into his bag, and explained.

“I thought you still lived in Yau Ma Tei, so I chose this place specifically, hoping that you could go home on your way, but I didn’t expect it to be a misunderstanding.” Lin Haoran smiled awkwardly.

During this period, he indeed paid little attention to Huo Jianning’s personal situation.

Ever since he transferred Ho Kin Ning from Ching Chau Cement Company to Hong Kong Electric Group for training, he has not asked too much about Ho Kin Ning’s work and life matters, so it is normal that he does not know.

There are many elegant and quiet restaurants in Central. If he had known that Ho Kin Ning lived on Hong Kong Island, he might have chosen to meet in Central and there would be no need to come to Kowloon City.

“It’s okay. I don’t have anything to do after get off work anyway. By the way, boss, when will the negotiation take place tomorrow?” Huo Jianning asked.

“Come to Jardine House around 9:50 tomorrow morning. I’ll be waiting for you in the manager’s office of Jardine Matheson!” Lin Haoran replied.

Huo Jianning nodded.

The two were not in a hurry to get to the point. They did not start the formal discussion until all five dishes ordered by Lin Haoran were served.

“Jianning, I’m going to explain to you some of my core principles and bottom lines regarding giving up the controlling stake in Jardine Matheson. These are all very important. The responsibility of the negotiation will be handed over to you. I’m leaving it to you!”

Lin Haoran picked up a piece of roast goose and tasted it, then gently wiped the oil stains from the corners of his mouth with a tissue, looked up and said to Huo Jianning.

Facing the negotiation experts from the British financial consortium, although Lin Haoran had a clear bottom line in mind, he might not be able to gain the upper hand in terms of eloquence and negotiation skills, which could easily put him in a passive position.

Huo Jianning showed extraordinary talent in negotiation. He was in charge of the negotiations while Lin Haoran was in charge personally. In this way, they were not afraid of the other party’s large numbers and could control the negotiation situation more effectively.

Although Joy Lai Restaurant was founded by the Hong Kong Land Group, which was originally a British-owned company, it is a Chinese restaurant that mainly serves Hong Kong cuisine.

The dishes here are indeed delicious and tasty. Even someone like Lin Haoran, who has tried all kinds of food, can’t stop praising the dishes of Xiyuelai Restaurant.

This explains why Joy Lai Restaurant is so popular among Hong Kong’s middle and upper classes.

After taking over the Hong Kong Land Development, Lin Haoran read the financial report of the Joy Lai Restaurant. Last year, the restaurant’s turnover reached more than 130 million Hong Kong dollars, and its profit reached more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars.

It’s a pity that Xiyuelai Restaurant currently only has one store. In Lin Haoran’s eyes, it has the potential to develop into a restaurant chain group!
In the future, he plans to find an opportunity to discuss this possibility with Ma Shiming.

However, all of this will have to wait until the Jardine Matheson matter is settled. There is no rush now.

“Boss, please go ahead!” Huo Jianning also put down his chopsticks and prepared to listen attentively to Lin Haoran’s instructions.

“Before discussing with them about my giving up the controlling stake in Jardine Matheson, there is a prerequisite that must be resolved, and that is the issue of mutual control between Jardine Matheson and Hutchison Whampoa. I require that Jardine Matheson and Hutchison Whampoa make an equal exchange of the shares held by each other. Only if they agree to this condition will I be willing to continue the talks,” Lin Haoran said in a firm tone.

The current situation is that Jardine Matheson holds 30.2% of the shares of Hutchison Whampoa, while Hutchison Whampoa holds 30.1% of the shares of Jardine Matheson. The proportions of shares held by both parties are almost the same, with only a slight difference.

However, there is a difference in the market capitalization of Jardine Matheson and Hong Kong Land Development. Hong Kong Land Development has a higher market capitalization, currently around HK$102 billion.

As for Jardine Matheson, since the market generally believed in the early stage that Lin Haoran would directly take over Jardine Matheson and might engage in a fierce battle with the British financial consortium, the share price of Jardine Matheson soared at one point, and the total market value reached more than 9 billion Hong Kong dollars at its peak.

However, after Lin Haoran successfully acquired indirect control of Jardine Matheson through the Hong Kong Land Group, the market value of Jardine Matheson did decline to a certain extent.

Despite this, Jardine Matheson’s market value remains stable at around HK$84 billion.

If the plan proposed by Lin Haoran is implemented, the market value of Jardine Matheson and Swire Properties will achieve a certain degree of parity, which may not be easily accepted by the British investors.

After all, the shares of Hong Kong Land held by Jardine Matheson are worth more, and by a lot more. (End of this chapter)