Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 253 - Chapter 253 Chapter 242 Two Deposits

Chapter 253: Chapter 242 Two Deposits Chapter 253: Chapter 242 Two Deposits Over a month later, Su Heyuan called Lu Jiaxin to tell her that the batch of antiques had all been sold, totaling 6.98 million Hong Kong Dollars.

Lu Jiaxin was greatly startled, “That much?”

Antiques from the Mainland sold in Hong Kong would easily see an increase of five to six times in value, with particularly rare pieces fetching twenty times their price. However, Jiaxin had not only kept the treasures and jade for herself but also picked out six other items she liked. Since the payment was calculated based on the price from the Forty-nine City, the quantity was relatively large. After deducting the ones she kept for herself, there were thirty-two items left.

Su Heyuan said with a laugh, “There was a Yongzheng Reign Period famille rose ‘prosperity and longevity’ large plate that was supposedly used by the emperor, and it sold for one hundred and eighty-eight million. Indeed, it was a huge profit; it’s made me consider getting into the antique business.”

Lu Jiaxin replied, “Dealing in antiques can be very lucrative, but we’re outsiders and it’s easy to get conned. Moreover, some antiques of unclear provenance might be stolen goods, which could be troublesome to acquire and then resell.”

She would not engage in the antique business, at most collecting pieces she liked. This time she had been lucky–the three men had obtained their collections cheaply and were generous when using them to settle accounts, allowing her to pick up a great bargain.

Su Heyuan laughed, “I was just joking. Even if I were interested, my aunt would never agree; firstly, because I don’t understand it, and secondly, it’s rather sensitive.”

Lu Jiaxin remarked, “Big Brother Su, you helped me find buyers to liquidate the assets, and then you transported them to Hong Kong and found buyers again. According to the rules, I should give you a ten percent commission, and the rest you can transfer to Hang Seng Bank.”

“Didn’t we agree previously that you would call me ‘Brother’?”

Lu Jiaxin admitted that she found it hard to change her ways at once and would do so later. She felt that calling him ‘Brother’ was too intimate, and they weren’t at that stage yet.

Su Heyuan was also joking and, seeing that she was not used to it, didn’t insist, “Jiaxin, you let me make over 9 million with the jeans and clothing factory deal. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have made that much money. This was just a slight effort on my part–how could I take a commission from you? What would that make me?”

He wouldn’t have gone to such lengths for anyone else, but Lu Jiaxin was an exception. Doing business with her had earned him more in half a year than two years’ profits from the appliance factory.

Lu Jiaxin insisted, “Big Brother Su, let’s keep matters separate. If you don’t take the money, I won’t feel comfortable asking for your help in the future.”

Su Heyuan knew her temperament and replied with a smile, “Ten percent is too much. Five percent will do, which is the going rate in Hong Kong.”

Lu Jiaxin didn’t want to keep going back and forth over it, “Fine, that’s three hundred and fifty thousand. After my exam, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Su Heyuan knew this was an important time for her, not only did he not invite her out for a meal again, but he also stopped nagging her about company affairs.

Lu Jiaxin wasn’t going to just leave the money sitting in her account; once it was deposited, she called Sun Wushuang to help her buy stocks. The Hong Kong Government had recently auctioned off a ‘king of plots’, signaling a resurgence in the property market. Indeed, property stock prices had been slowly rising for the past two months. This time, instead of buying bank stocks, she instructed Sun Wushuang to purchase property stocks.

After Sun Wushuang agreed, he said with a beam, “Miss Lu, Hongzhong’s shares are now at 1.2 Hong Kong Dollars apiece. I heard the Liang Family will be injecting one hundred million in funds, and at that time, the stock price will surge even higher.”

Lu Jiaxin knew that with the two million Hongzhong shares she held, which originally cost her twelve million, she had already made a profit of over ten million. And this stock seemed poised to rise even further, netting a huge windfall.

Lu Jiaxin acknowledged with a sound, “With the property market recovery and such a positive big environment, plus with Director Liang planning to inject capital, the stocks will keep going up.”

Now was the time to push through, selling off would be a loss. Of course, she would have to sell in a few months when she needed the money, even knowing that the prices were rising.

As Sun Wushuang predicted, when Hongzhong Real Estate announced the one hundred million capital injection, the stock saw another boost, rising to 1.51 Hong Kong Dollars per share.

Two days later, Lu Jiaxin received a call from Nie Zhan, who said someone was interested in buying the stocks she held.

Lu Jiaxin flat out refused. The real estate market is heating up, and I’ve looked over Hongzhong’s financial report from last year–it’s developing quite well. Selling now would be foolish.

Nie Zhan said with a smile, “Jiaxin, it’s not possible to buy at the current price. The other party wants to pay a premium for the acquisition, a 30% premium.”

Having said that, Nie Zhan continued to discuss with her, “Real estate is heating up, and Hongzhong’s shares will surely rise, but under the Liang Family, Hongzhong can’t develop into a large real estate company. Selling at a 30% premium and then using that money to invest elsewhere would be better.”

He felt that Hongzhong’s development prospects were limited, and that selling it now at a premium was a good deal.

“You don’t have a high opinion of Hongzhong Real Estate?”

Nie Zhan patiently explained, “Liang Yonghao is forty-nine this year. Perhaps due to his age, he tends to be more conservative. The advantage of this is stability, but the drawback is a lack of ambition and drive.”

“Jiaxin, why do you think their company failed to go public three times? It’s not just bad luck; it’s also because the helmsman hesitated and missed the best opportunities.”

After thinking it over, Lu Jiaxin said, “From last month to now, Hongzhong Real Estate has nearly increased by twenty percent. Selling at a 30% premium still seems like a loss.”

“That’s because the stock rose so much on the back of good news. Hongzhong has no major projects and hasn’t been involved in large-scale commercial construction. The growth will slow down after this.”

After listening to his explanation, Lu Jiaxin felt that selling at a 30% premium might be acceptable. With that money, she could buy some real estate stocks, hold on to them, and then sell in July or August to potentially make a ten to twenty percent profit.

After doing the math in her head, Lu Jiaxin said, “Each share at 2.1 Hong Kong Dollars; if they agree, I’ll sell. If not, let it be. I don’t have any better investment projects right now anyway, so letting the stock slowly appreciate is also fine.”

This price represented a 40% premium, but since the share price wasn’t high, it would only be about two million more than expected. Nie Zhan thought that since the other party was so determined, they would buy even at above the expected price.

An hour later, Nie Zhan called back, saying the other party agreed to buy at 2.1 Hong Kong Dollars per share, but they hoped to sign the contract the next day.

Seeing the other party’s eagerness, Lu Jiaxin asked, “Nie Zhan, are they in such a rush because there’s insider information we don’t know about? I don’t want to sell my shares only for their price to skyrocket right after.”

That loss could amount to several millions or even tens of millions. That would be a huge loss.

Nie Zhan said with a laugh, “No, there’s a lot of complexity involved here. I’ll explain it when we meet. But rest assured, you definitely won’t suffer a loss by selling.”

After some contemplation, Lu Jiaxin replied, “Alright, I trust you.”

If this time he caused her to lose money, they should probably cease future dealings. While business naturally had its ups and downs, if she still incurred a loss after he had guaranteed a profit, it would either be due to his lack of professional ability or a clash between them.

Nie Zhan then inquired, “Tomorrow afternoon–I’ll bring someone to your place to sign the contract?”

Lu Jiaxin didn’t agree, saying, “That’s too rushed, and it’s also inconvenient at my home. After I get off school, find a safe place nearby.”

Nie Zhan was taken aback. Normally, signing the contract at her home would have been fine, but choosing an external location clearly indicated some wariness. Nie Zhan was well aware of Lu Jiaxin’s social connections, aside from some conflicts with bullies, she hadn’t made enemies. But those bullies were just lower-class citizens, hardly worth Lu Jiaxin’s caution.

After hanging up, Nie Zhan gave it some thought and then made a call, “Can you check for me if the He Family has someone keeping watch over Miss Lu?”

“Alright.”