Chapter 628 Meeting with the Rothschilds

"I see.'

After listening to Wang Qi's report, Xia Yu thought expressionlessly.

Wang Qi reported to him that he had gone to see Dick Kersek and Phil Kersek twice each. The latter was fine, but he kept being vague, and it was very likely that he wanted to sell at a high price.

On the contrary, Dick Keswick, on the first occasion, politely declined, but on the second, he said resolutely and directly that he would not sell his shares.

Wang Qi was not sure of the situation, but Xia Yu, who was constantly monitoring the Keswick family, could not be unaware.

Phil Keswick just wanted to get a high price, but Dick Keswick was completely resisting, determined to fight him to the end, and was prepared to sell his shares to Rothschild & Sons Ltd, to cause him trouble.

After the Keske family hit a wall, Wang Qi then approached Rothschild & Sons Ltd. to sound them out, but the latter proposed to talk to Xia Yu instead.

Wang Qi, who had no authority to make decisions, could only come back and report to Xia Yu.

This unusual behaviour made Xia Yu realise that something was wrong. His intuition told him that Rothschild & Sons Ltd.'s sudden and unusual acquisition of shares in Hongkong Land was aimed at him.

However, Swire Pacific and the Kadoorie family already owned a stake in each other, and if they wanted to take Dick Keswick's stake, they would have to cooperate with Rothschild & Sons.

Therefore, Xia Yu could not avoid this trip, unless he no longer wanted the stake in Hongkong Land.

Moreover, nowadays he had already become a major figure in Hong Kong, and even if the Rothschild family came from across the sea, he was confident that he could tell them that in Hong Kong, even the dragon had to bow to him!

'Wang Qi, you go and tell them, this afternoon at 4 o'clock, to come to the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel for a chat,'

Xia Yu said decisively to Wang Qi.

No matter what ideas Rothschild & Sons Ltd. had in mind, he was not afraid, but the initiative was now in the other party's hands, and he was not without a response.

Didn't Rothschild & Sons want to talk to him in person? Then he would set the tone by directly setting the time and place.

'Very well, Chairman, I'll go now.'

After saying this, Wang Qi immediately went to contact the other party.

At 4pm, in the top-class private room of the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Xia Yu led Wang Qi to take a seat, observing the Rothschilds sitting opposite them. The Rothschilds were likewise looking at Xia Yu, while Wang Qi was simply ignored.

'Mr Charles, this is the first time we've met, isn't it disappointing that you've been looking at me for so long?'

Xia Yu smiled faintly and said, looking at Charles Lochiel with calm eyes.

Charles Lochiel at this time looked like an amiable old man, giving the impression of being harmless to everyone. He smiled and shook his head, saying, 'I have always heard your name, but if we are to formally meet, this is the first time.'

'Disappointment definitely does not exist. To be honest, even though I was prepared, I was still shocked when I met you.'

Xia Yu's mouth curved up in a slight arc, as if he were talking to himself, and he said, 'Oh? I always thought I was very ordinary.'

After saying this, without waiting for an answer, Xia Yu instantly gathered his smile and looked at Charles Lochiel seriously, saying, 'Mr Charles, let's get down to business first. Wang Qi told me this morning that I needed to talk to you personally. Now that I'm here, I'm not sure what advice you have for me?'

Saying this, Xia Yu made a gesture of invitation and then looked at Charles Locher quietly.

He had no intention of wasting time with Locher and his son. The initiative was in the other party's hands. In order to negotiate in his favour, he had been creating the atmosphere step by step since before Locher and his son arrived. Now he was getting straight to the point, trying to control the pace.

Charles Rothschild is also an old hand at this, and naturally senses Xia Yu's movements.

He has long known what kind of person Xia Yu is, and this time he has come to impress Xia Yu and lay the groundwork for achieving his short-term and long-term goals, so he pretends not to notice.

Charles Rothschild says with a smile, 'Mr Xia, the main reason for meeting you is to get to know you.'

'We also think that the Hongkong Land Group is undervalued, so we have made a plan to acquire the Hongkong Land Group. We originally had no intention of selling our shares in the Hongkong Land Group.'

'Who knew that the Hongkong Land Group was so attractive that not only we were interested, but also you, Bao Yugang, and Huo Yingdong. What's more, you have pulled a huge gap with us, casting a shadow over our company's acquisition plan. Just as Mr. Wang Qi sent us a request to acquire, I planned to meet with you to decide how to handle it.'

Upon hearing this, and looking at Charles Locher's sincere expression, Xia Yu sneered repeatedly. He could tell that Charles Locher was just saying things to increase his advantageous position, and none of it was true!

He was just saying this to increase the initiative and add more bargaining chips for the next formal negotiations.

But Xia Yu would not let him have his way.

'Oh? Mr Charles, this is a big surprise to me. I always thought that Rothschild & Sons Limited only engaged in two businesses: corporate mergers and acquisitions consulting and investment. When did your company start to engage in management and operations?'

Xia Yu asked doubtfully, but the playful smile on his face and the tone of his voice were a reminder to Charles Rothschild that he was not stupid and that he could not be fooled by his words.

But very often, people pretend to be ignorant when they know exactly what is going on. As long as there is no evidence, they can just make things up and talk big. Charles Rothschild seemed to be unaware of this and said with a smile, 'The company has just adjusted its strategic positioning, and the Hongkong Land Group is the target of our new business. Unfortunately, it is obvious that we have encountered you, and our strategy has hit a snag.'

'Mr. Charles, you are overestimating me. There is still some time before the outcome is decided. Your company might as well continue. Perhaps Hongkong Land Group will eventually belong to you.'

After Xia Yu finished speaking, he lifted his teacup to release the heat and took a light sip.

Xia Yu's attitude made Sean Lochiel frown, and ignoring his father's order to keep a low profile and think more when he came, he interrupted directly and said, 'Mr. Xia, it turns out that your attitude in asking for help is so bad. We'll meet again in the business world, and I think you'll see a surprise.'

Xia Yu's eyebrows slightly raised, and he looked at Sean Lochiel with a meaningful smile and said, 'I'm looking forward to it!'

Charles Lochiel frowned slightly and gave his son a warning look to stop him from continuing to speak. His son was still too young and impatient, and was actually provoked by Xia Yu, interrupting him rashly. Not only did he not gain an advantage, but he also broke the favourable situation that he had worked hard to maintain.

He didn't come here to clash with Xia Yu!

Charles Lochiel sighed inwardly, understanding that it was useless to play games with Xia Yu.

He understood the family's plan. Trying to outwit someone as highly vigilant and full of thorns as Xia Yu was a long-term task that would take a lot of time and effort.

The first step was to lower Xia Yu's vigilance. It would be best to become good friends with him and slowly meddle in his business from a helpful perspective. Finally, when Xia Yu lost his vigilance, they would find the right opportunity to strike and take over his business.

Over the years since the Rothschild family rose to power, they have encountered many people similar to Xia Yu, and in the end, they have all perished one after the other, becoming the fuel for the Rothschild family's rise.

This time, however, the Rothschild family is destined to miscalculate, because what they are miscalculating is a reborn person who knows them inside and out and clearly understands their malicious nature.

Charles Rothschild spoke up and said, 'Mr. Xia, my son has been in a bad mood these past two days, and it is inevitable that his thinking will go to extremes. Please forgive him.'

After apologising, the atmosphere eased, and Xia Yu shook his head and laughed, saying that he didn't care.

Then Charles Rothschild continued, 'Mr Xia, you have a great advantage. If we compete with you head-on, we don't stand a good chance of winning. You Chinese have a saying called "harmony brings wealth", and I like this saying very much, so here I am.'

'It's fine to transfer the shares to you, as long as your price is reasonable.'