Chapter 465 Simon Comes to Visit
In Hong Kong, there weren't many conglomerates that could easily come up with six hundred million dollars. There were only a handful.
Li Jiacheng behind Cheung Kong Holdings, after completely taking over Hutchison Whampoa, saw a massive surge in cash flow. Like Lin Haoran, he frequently made headlines with acquisitions.
However, every enterprise that Li Jiacheng acquired shared a common trait—they owned vast amounts of prime land.
Jardines Securities obviously did not fit that category.
The high market value of Jardines Securities came mainly from its financial performance.
In Hong Kong's securities market, three giants shared dominance: Jardines Securities, Wardley, and Bao Yuan Investments.
With Jardines Matheson's powerful backing, Jardines Securities had performed exceptionally well.
But without Jardines Matheson's support, who could say how it would perform in the future?
Thus, Simon Keswick knew that if he wanted to sell Jardines Securities, real estate tycoons like Li Jiacheng would have little interest.
The same went for Kwok Tak-seng, Lee Siu-kee, Chen Songqing, and Cheng Yu-tung.
They were all famed property magnates whose fortunes had been built on Hong Kong's booming real estate sector.
They were focused on real estate, not finance.
Bao Yugang, after seizing control of Wharf Holdings, had been lying low, recovering his strength.
He certainly wasn't going to spend six hundred million to buy a securities firm.
As for Wardley Bank, they had their own securities company, and even if they bought Jardines Securities, it wouldn't greatly expand their market share—so they had no interest either.
There were other Chinese firms involved in finance too, including Sun Hung Kai Securities, but none of them would easily fork over six hundred million Hong Kong dollars.
Their main investments were still focused on property development.
In this real estate boom, who would divert that much money into the financial sector?
Lin Haoran, however, had a reputation for aggressive acquisitions.
He had already bought many powerful listed companies across all sectors.
Though his financial group, Huanyu Investment, was still small, his asset base was massive.
Even with debts from various acquisitions, six hundred million Hong Kong dollars would hardly cripple him.
Considering all these factors, Simon Keswick concluded that Lin Haoran was the most likely candidate to buy Jardines Securities.
After hearing Simon's analysis, Henry Keswick fell into deep thought.
The relationship between Jardines Matheson and Lin Haoran was beyond strained—almost irreparably hostile.
In almost every confrontation, Jardines Matheson had been on the losing end.
Now, because of Lin Haoran, they were being forced out of Hong Kong altogether.
And yet, their arch-rival was their best chance of unloading Jardines Securities.
Henry Keswick couldn't help but feel a wave of conflicting emotions.
However, he was a seasoned businessman and quickly composed himself.
He nodded solemnly.
"Very well. Approach Lin Haoran privately and sound him out.
If he's interested, we'll consider selling—but try to negotiate the highest possible price.
Seven to eight hundred million would be ideal."
Privately, of course.
Selling shares publicly would trigger mandatory disclosure under Hong Kong securities law, likely causing panic and crashing Jardines Securities' stock price.
That was not an outcome they could afford.
Thus, they would quietly seek a buyer through private negotiations.
That same day, at 3 PM, inside Connaught Centre, in the general manager's office of Jardines Matheson—
Lin Haoran sat calmly in his chair as Ma Shimin updated him on the negotiations between Motorola and Hong Kong Telephone Company.
Two days ago, Motorola's technical and negotiation teams had arrived in Hong Kong.
Immediately, the well-prepared Hong Kong Telephone Company team engaged them in detailed discussions.
While Lin Haoran had already hammered out a broad agreement with Motorola's CEO, Robert Galvin, in the U.S.,
the finer points—technology transfer, market access, profit sharing—still needed thorough negotiation to avoid future disputes.
As Ma Shimin diligently reported the progress, the office phone suddenly rang urgently.
Ma Shimin paused, quickly picked up the phone, and after a few seconds, his expression changed to surprise.
"Boss, Simon Keswick from Jardines Matheson wishes to meet with you.
He offered to come pick you up himself. Should we agree?" Ma Shimin asked, puzzled.
Lin Haoran was equally surprised but quickly made a decision.
"Tell him I'm at Connaught Centre.
If he really wants to meet, let him come here."
Ma Shimin nodded and relayed the message.
After hanging up, he muttered,
"Given our bad blood with Jardines Matheson, why would he suddenly want to meet—and offer to personally pick you up?"
Lin Haoran smiled faintly and asked,
"Shimin, what do you think is Simon's motive?"
"It's definitely suspicious.
The Governor's Office just punished Jardines Matheson this morning, and now he's eager to meet you.
It can't be anything but seeking cooperation.
But given our history, cooperation seems unlikely," Ma Shimin said, scratching his head.
Lin Haoran nodded.
"We'll find out soon enough.
For now, let's finish what we were discussing."
Half an hour later, Simon Keswick arrived, led by a Connaught Centre staff member.
Despite their adversarial relationship, both sides put on polite, insincere smiles.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Ma, sorry for the unannounced visit.
I hope I'm not disturbing you," Simon said smoothly, as if the fierce battles and massive losses of the past few months had never happened.
Lin Haoran rose politely and said,
"Mr. Simon, you honor us by coming. Please, have a seat."
Once seated, Lin Haoran asked bluntly,
"So, Mr. Simon, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
Simon hesitated, glancing at Ma Shimin.
Clearly, he preferred a private conversation.
But Lin Haoran made no move to excuse Ma Shimin.
Seeing no choice, Simon gave up on asking for privacy.
Ma Shimin even cheerfully poured him a cup of tea before sitting back down with an innocent smile, pretending not to notice Simon's discomfort.
After a brief pause, Simon set down his teacup and said formally:
"Mr. Lin, I'll be straightforward.
Are you interested in Jardines Securities Company?"
"Jardines Securities?" Lin Haoran raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Even Ma Shimin looked astonished.
Jardines Securities was the number one securities firm in Hong Kong—thanks to its stellar financial performance.
Even Wardley Bank was slightly behind.
Why would Jardines Matheson want to sell such a goldmine?
But Lin Haoran quickly deduced the reason.
Jardines Matheson had not only made enemies of Lin Haoran but also alienated the Governor's Office.
They had already announced plans to move their headquarters to London.
In such a situation, perhaps they really intended to fully withdraw from Hong Kong.
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