Chapter 78: Acquiring Another Building

Qin Huali had already stayed in the country for over a week, and with his affairs here largely settled, he was preparing to return to Malaysia within the next couple of days. Before leaving, he hoped to finalize the matter of obtaining the safety talisman, so he paid another visit to Xiao Yao.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Huali said, “Mr. Xiao, I’ll be heading back to Malaysia tomorrow or the day after, so I’ve come today to bid you farewell.”

“So soon? If you’re not in too much of a rush, how about I host a farewell dinner for you tonight? I’ll invite Ding Songqing and the others as well. It’ll be a proper send-off in your honor,” Xiao Yao offered. Having benefited greatly from Qin Huali, and given the man’s age and distinguished service, Xiao Yao treated him with considerable respect.

Qin Huali, about to leave, surely had many matters to attend to, but since Xiao Yao had extended the invitation, he could not refuse. No matter how pressing his other affairs, they would have to wait.

“My business here is more or less wrapped up. Since you’re inviting me, of course I’ll attend. Meeting with old friends tonight will be the perfect way to relax,” Qin Huali agreed readily.

“Very well, then. I’ll pick a good restaurant for tonight, and bring a few fine bottles of wine. We’ll make it a proper gathering,” Xiao Yao replied. Though they had met twice before with their circle of friends, this was the first time Xiao Yao himself was hosting.

After chatting about various matters, Qin Huali turned to the main topic, “After our last gathering, Chen Guangzhi mentioned that his control over the group had weakened. He implied he wanted to reclaim the shares of Hanguang Group in my possession. He arranged to meet with me recently, and so I transferred all my shares to him.”

Xiao Yao knew Qin Huali wouldn’t bring up something unrelated, so he replied casually, “Since Chairman Chen is eager to recover the shares and secure his controlling interest, I imagine he must have shown considerable sincerity.”

“He was indeed very sincere,” Qin Huali explained in detail. “He transferred Hanguang Tower to me, valued at three billion. Since he was so forthcoming, I didn’t press too hard. The 6% of Hanguang Supermarket and 5% of Hanguang Real Estate that I held were transferred at their current market value, without any premium—those shares are worth a total of 2.3 billion. I also held shares in an overseas company that Mr. Chen had been eager to acquire after several discussions, and I included those as well. Once the paperwork is complete, Hanguang Tower will be under my name.”

It was clear Qin Huali mentioned this for a reason—he wanted to see if Xiao Yao was interested in Hanguang Tower.

Although Xiao Yao had already agreed to craft another safety talisman for Qin Huali, that would be done in a month’s time, and the terms of exchange had yet to be settled. Evidently, Qin Huali was hoping to finalize the matter before departing.

Since he had learned to craft various talismans, Xiao Yao had become interested in acquiring real assets. He was curious to see how his businesses would fare with the help of wealth-gathering and feng shui talismans.

“I’ve heard of Hanguang Tower, but all I know is that it’s in a prime city-center location; I’m not familiar with the details,” Xiao Yao said, clearly expressing interest.

Qin Huali elaborated, “Hanguang Tower occupies 1.3 hectares, with a total floor area of 120,000 square meters. It was just completed and put into use last year. Because Hanguang Real Estate acquired the land early on, the construction cost wasn’t high—less than three billion in total.”

“Mr. Xiao, you haven’t invested in any local properties yet. I wonder if you might be interested in this building? If so, I can transfer ownership to you at the same price of three billion.”

Although the construction cost was only three billion due to early land acquisition, and there was no markup on the shares transferred, the real reason behind the favorable price was likely the overseas company shares Qin Huali had relinquished to Chen Guangzhi.

Clearly, Qin Huali had made considerable concessions on the share price; otherwise, Chen Guangzhi would never have transferred Hanguang Tower for such a sum.

Situated in a prime downtown location, a Grade-A office building of 120,000 square meters would fetch at least five billion if sold on the open market today. If Xiao Yao acquired it for three billion, he could make two billion in profit simply by flipping it.

While the long-term returns from Hanguang Tower would not match those of the Yuanhang Tower on Financial Street, the short-term gains would be similar if sold immediately.

To secure a stable investment project with over two billion in immediate profit, it was clear Qin Huali had matched the price to the value of the first safety talisman he’d requested.

To seek two talismans in succession, with the first one expedited, Qin Huali had paid a considerable price.

Seeing Xiao Yao remain silent, Qin Huali added, “Time is tight, and my investments here are limited. For now, this is the best arrangement I can offer. If you’re not interested in domestic properties, I do have some holdings in Hong Kong—would you be interested in those?”

“I am, after all, a native of Han City. It’s only fitting that I have some local investments. Let’s use Hanguang Tower as the exchange for the second safety talisman—no need to consider any other arrangements.” Having spent some time with Qin Huali, Xiao Yao’s impression of him had improved, and he no longer intended to make things difficult.

“Since you agree, I’ll expedite the transfer process,” Qin Huali said, finally relieved to have Xiao Yao’s consent.

“Now you’ve become my biggest creditor, Mr. Qin. I already owe you a staggering fifteen billion; the pressure is immense,” Xiao Yao said half in jest.

“I know funds are tight. The three billion for Hanguang Tower can be settled in the same way as for Yuanhang Tower on Financial Street—over the course of three years,” Qin Huali responded considerately.

“I appreciate your understanding, but there’s no need for three years. One year will suffice—I’ll settle the payment within that time.” This time, Xiao Yao was much more agreeable.

The three-year term for Yuanhang Tower had been set because Xiao Yao was displeased and wanted to make things difficult. Now that their relationship was cordial again, there was no need to be so exacting.