Chapter 42: Fishing in Troubled Waters

Seeing the loyalty of his team members steadily rise above 70, Lin Haoran felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and relief. He understood perfectly that such loyalty meant they would never easily betray him unless he initiated the termination of their contracts himself. Looking toward the future with newfound confidence, Lin felt full of expectation and certainty regarding his upcoming strategic deployments.

"Since Zhixue has already detailed our current work status, I will now outline the specific tasks for this week." He scanned the five people present and continued, "This week, our operations will undergo a major transformation. Shi, after last week’s trading, I believe you have gained a comprehensive and deep understanding of our various business lines. Therefore, I have decided to entrust you with the full responsibility for acquiring Green Island Cement shares this week. This is both a recognition of your ability and a testament to my trust in your sense of responsibility. As for the rest of you, you must follow Zhixue’s lead closely, focusing your firepower and going all out on Wharf Holdings stock. In other words, Wharf Holdings will become the absolute priority of our work moving forward. As for when to increase investment and when to stop, I will provide clear instructions based on market dynamics and our strategic needs. Please rest assured that I will personally oversee the entire process to ensure every step is precise and error-free."

After these words, Lin Haoran paused to gauge the reactions of everyone in the room. He currently carried a debt of 100 million Hong Kong dollars on his shoulders; every decision affected his future, so he had to give his all, not daring to be the least bit negligent. In his mind, this opportunity with Wharf Holdings was like a crucial battle that had to be capitalized on; he had to seize the momentum and make a significant profit. If he missed this chance, he might never encounter such an opportunity again, and it could even jeopardize his layout for the promising Green Island Cement.

Of course, Lin Haoran also dreamed of one day hiring a top-tier corporate manager, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief and become a relatively relaxed "hands-off boss." But his reason told him it was not yet the time. The company was at a critical stage of development, requiring his personal oversight at every turn, without the slightest room for slack or carelessness.

"The revolution is not yet successful; comrades must still work hard!" Lin reminded himself silently.

"Is everyone clear?" Lin scanned each person, confirming once more.

"Understood!" they replied in unison.

"Very well. Zhixue, as the soul of the team, the upcoming work is now fully in your hands. Especially regarding the acquisition of Wharf Holdings, we must step up our efforts today. Do not fear the scrutiny of our competitors; we must push forward with thunderous momentum." Lin looked up at the clock on the wall; it was nearly 9:30 AM, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was about to welcome a new day of trading fervor.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lin. I know what to do," Su Zhixue replied with confidence. After working closely with Lin for a period, he knew he only needed to firmly execute his boss's decisions without questioning the strategic considerations behind them. With the company's expansion and the infusion of fresh talent, Lin, a boss without a formal background in finance, had successfully transformed into a strategic commander. He no longer needed to participate directly in daily stock trading due to a lack of manpower, instead dedicating his energy to analyzing market dynamics and formulating strategic decisions.

As the clock struck 9:30, the noise and vitality of the stock market were instantly ignited, and the day's trading drama officially began. Given the consistently cautious nature of Li Jiacheng’s camp, they were unlikely to take overly aggressive actions in the short term. However, Lin knew that letting Li’s team dominate the trend of Green Island Cement was not the best strategy. Therefore, he skillfully laid his plans, deciding to send Dai Shi as a flexible pawn to intervene in the battle at the right moment.

Dai Shi’s task was not to buy up large quantities of Green Island Cement—that was not the primary goal for now. Lin’s strategy was more profound: he hoped that through Dai’s trading maneuvers, he could create a series of illusions that would make Li Jiacheng’s team unable to grasp his true intentions. This would not only effectively disrupt Li’s layout but also weaken his market influence to some extent. Simply put, Lin did not want an immediate victory; he wanted to lead Li’s team into a fog through Dai’s clever maneuvering, buying time and space for his subsequent, larger plans.

Today, the number of sell orders for Green Island Cement was significantly lower than last week, perhaps because two teams were secretly buying them up. For Lin, fewer sell orders were actually good news, as it meant it would be increasingly difficult for Li Jiacheng’s team to accumulate shares from the market. Soon, he shifted his focus to the Wharf Holdings market. Recently, trading in Wharf Holdings had been exceptionally active, with volume rising steadily, making it a focal point for some investors.

In the previous trading week, the closing price of Wharf Holdings stood at 27.69 HKD per share. As the market opened today, the price surged like a wild horse, quickly climbing to 27.92 HKD, with very heated trading activity. Although the market environment had become complex, the team now had four people dedicated to this stock, which allowed Su Zhixue to manage and coordinate more efficiently, greatly increasing their success rate in capturing low-price buying opportunities.

By the time the market closed for lunch, in just two and a half hours from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM, Su Zhixue and his team had successfully purchased 156,000 shares of Wharf Holdings. This volume was so massive that it exceeded their usual daily total. Such a rapid offensive undoubtedly dropped a bombshell in the market. However, this also brought an obvious side effect: the price of Wharf Holdings was pushed to about 29 HKD per share due to their aggressive buying—a rise rarely seen in the past.

Yet, Lin Haoran was quite broad-minded about this; he was no longer overly concerned with keeping the price of Wharf Holdings low. Including this morning's harvest, his personal holding of Wharf Holdings had soared to 1.113 million shares. This meant his stake now exceeded 1% of the company's total equity. This milestone achievement laid a solid foundation for his subsequent operations.

For lunch, Lin had Zhao Lin pick up boxed meals. After eating, he summoned Su Zhixue, and the two walked into Lin’s private office.

"Zhixue, I authorize you to go all out to push up the price of Wharf Holdings with a budget of up to 20 million HKD. Our goal is to drive the price above 40 HKD if possible, but in actual operation, we should try to keep our acquisition price under 35 HKD per share. We only need to act as a catalyst. Can you do this?" Lin asked seriously.

He understood that if this strategy succeeded, it would not only effectively raise the stock price but also control costs to some extent, avoiding the risks of buying at too high a price. More importantly, he intended to use this opportunity to completely stir up the market, making it difficult for competitors to discern his true intentions, thereby creating favorable conditions for him to "fish in troubled waters" later.