eurekapd Chapter 945: Threading the Needle
Chapter 945: Threading the Needle
Li Zihong put down his teacup, his eyes burning with anger: "Xiao Zhou, are you and Dinghua planning to set up a trap for the provincial government?"
Zhou Qi tapped the sandalwood tabletop with his fingertips: "It's a conspiracy to exchange resources. Although the land allocated to Dinghua accounts for one-fifth of the project, do you know that the provincial government suffered a setback in the auction of the development rights of South Bank last year?"
He observed several business leaders leaning forward slightly. "We originally wanted to use Hualong Teng'ao to boost the economy, but it ended up being held back. Now even the approval of the cross-river bridge project depends on their attitude."
Seeing that everyone seemed to be thinking about something, Zhou Qi continued, "The provincial government has learned to be smart in developing the North Shore. It needs Dinghua to act as a balancer. This is why Director Wang of the Planning Bureau specifically met with the vice president of Dinghua last week."
He changed the subject: "But if our Hualong Teng'ao is absent from the North Shore, I am afraid we will be accused of 'hindering the regional economy'."
Xiang Huaqiang stroked his jade ring and suddenly interrupted, "I heard that Ding Huaxin has won over the Hong Kong-funded Rongchang Group?"
This seemingly casual question made several southern businessmen present look slightly.
"Mr. Xiang is well-informed."
Zhou Qi smiled knowingly: "So at tomorrow's closed-door meeting, we need to let the provincial government see our true sincerity."
He deliberately emphasized the last four words: "According to reliable information, Dinghua has prepared three alternative plans..."
The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall lit up at the right moment, and the waiter bowed and pushed the door open.
Du Bowen stood up to smooth things over: "Everyone, if the secret Buddha Jumps Over the Wall goes uneaten, it will ruin the reputation of our hotel."
There was a knowing laugh at the table.
As the wine flowed, Li Zihong approached Zhou Qi and whispered, "The matter about the Bai family..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhou Qi raised his glass and said loudly: "This is a toast to the provincial government for its foresight!"
Amid the crisp sound of glass colliding, Xiang Huaqiang nodded slightly across the dining table.
The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall cast a soft glow, and everyone was chatting and laughing in low voices, holding red wine glasses.
These business giants, who are usually scattered in different fields in Hong Kong Island, gather together at the same pearwood round table. Even the air is filled with a subtle atmosphere of gaming.
Li Zihong gently swirled the Bordeaux red wine in his glass and glanced at the guests.
Although these familiar faces often meet at Chamber of Commerce dinners, the opportunities for them to take off their masks and have a deep conversation are only a handful.
At this moment, there are no spotlights chasing us, and we don't need to pose in front of the cameras. The conversation in Cantonese mixed with English actually creates a sense of relaxation like meeting old friends again.
When Zhou Qi walked towards the center of Yongsheng Pictures with the cup in hand, the originally scattered gazes gradually gathered.
The moment Xiang Huaqiang stood up to greet him, the clear sound of the crystal glasses clinking together made the whole room quiet for a beat.
"Thank you for your presence, Mr. Xiang. This cup is in your honor." Zhou Qi deliberately lowered the rim of the cup by three inches.
"Mr. Zhou, you're too polite. The development project of that prime location on the North Shore..."
Xiang Huaqiang stroked the cup's foot with his fingertips, his eyes flashing with brilliance: "I heard that the three major financial groups have invested heavily?"
The invitation over the overseas phone call three days ago was originally only due to the favor of the Li family.
But when he reviewed the project information overnight, the planning drawings of the Binhai New Area clearly outlined a microcosm of Hong Kong Island's economy in the next 20 years.
At this moment, looking at the gold-embossed document handed to me by Secretary Lin, I was surprised to realize that I had inadvertently grasped the pulse of the times.
Amid the rustling sound of parchment flipping, the Huo family representative calmly adjusted his sitting position.
These old money people who usually keep a safe distance from the film and television tycoons are now waiting for the contents of the agreement.
They were well aware of the complexities behind the Xiang Group's business landscape, and they understood that the equity swap meant that Zhou Qi wanted to tie this giant ship to his own chariot.
"Mr. Zhou's sincerity..."
Xiang Huaqiang scanned the anti-counterfeiting watermark at the end of the terms and suddenly laughed out loud: "It reminds me of the first cinema contract I signed in Mong Kok 20 years ago."
Undercurrents quietly surged amid the laughter. When the agreement was finally signed, everyone present knew that the chess game of Hong Kong's business community had to be re-arranged.
The Bao and Zheng families, who are quite influential in the business community of Hong Kong Island, Li Zhaoji of the Li family and Yang Cheng, the actual controller of the Yang family, jointly hold cross-shareholdings in four multinational groups.
It is worth noting that Zhou Qi acquired an important share of Li Zhaoji’s financial holding platform through capital operations.
When the equity swap plan surfaced, what really triggered the undercurrent was Xiang Huaqiang's entry.
Through the exchange of specific rights and interests, the entertainment tycoon directly opened up a channel to this closed capital circle.
The originally stable interest map began to shift subtly. Although the business celebrities present still maintained their decent smiles, the glances they exchanged with each other clearly flashed with the gleam of recalculation.
When the signing ceremony was held in the banquet hall of the Peninsula Hotel, Zhou Qi always remained calm and in control of the overall situation.
When Xiang Huaqiang put his seal on the gilded agreement, the air in the entire trading hall seemed to freeze for three seconds.
The handshake between the two people when exchanging documents was precisely focused on by dozens of eyes and became a historic moment.
"Mr. Zhou, I wish us a win-win situation together." Xiang Huaqiang was the first to break the silence.
"Brother Qiang's professional team will definitely make the project even better."
Zhou Qi raised his glass and turned to the bigwigs present: "To be honest, my entertainment territory is paving a dual-city channel - the film and television bases in Beijing and Shanghai, plus the production center in Hong Kong, and I need a strategic partner like Mr. Xiang."
This seemingly nonchalant statement actually contains hidden meanings.
By limiting the equity swap to the entertainment industry, Zhou Qi not only avoided touching the core interests of other shareholders, but also cleverly weaved a new network of relationships.
The capital giants present here all know very well that this matchmaking action is equivalent to installing an expandable interface for the existing alliance.
Amid the crisp sound of crystal glasses clinking, Xiang Huaqiang suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "I heard that the project encountered some technical obstacles?"
Zhou Qi chuckled as he swirled his champagne: "Brother Qiang is always so well-informed."
Their eyes glanced at the document that had just been signed, and the two of them clinked their glasses tacitly.
In this carefully designed capital game, every participant knows that the real game has just begun.
As dusk deepens, neon lights flicker outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Peninsula Hotel.
Xiang Huaqiang took a sip from the blue and white porcelain teacup and glanced across the table: "Mr. Zhou, do you have any new information about Dinghua's movements?"
Zhou Qi tapped the edge of the sandalwood table twice with his fingertips: "No progress for now, but President Xiang should know that our relationship with Dinghua on the project is a bit complicated."
The light and shadow of the crystal chandelier flowed across his lenses, crushing the unfinished meaning of the second half of the sentence in the light and shadow.
This implicit statement caused the atmosphere at the table to stagnate. Xiang Huaqiang nodded thoughtfully and stopped the topic at the right time.
As the glasses of wine flowed, the three-hour business banquet was coming to an end.
When the waiter removed the last course of refreshments, the Du siblings were the first to stand up and say goodbye. Lin Xindie followed the crowd to the elevator with a briefcase in her arms, but stopped on the seventh floor.
Zhou Qi's instructive look told her to go into her executive suite.