Chapter 261: Acquisition
After a brief meeting with Jiang Sizhe and a preliminary discussion about the possibility of a loan, Li Tang received a positive answer. He had lunch at Li Xinqi's house and then hurried back to the office.
The next day, during regular business hours, he was scheduled to formally negotiate the specifics of the loan with Jiang, so he needed to prepare a full set of documents quickly.
Typically, preparations like this took a long time, but circumstances didn't allow it.
That morning, Jiang had promised that given Li Tang Shengshi Holdings' outstanding contribution to national economic development, the bank would give him special treatment.
Not only would the approval process be personally overseen by Jiang himself, but the funds would be released at the fastest possible speed.
Li Tang knew this kind of promise was largely thanks to Zhou Zhihan's influence, but that didn't mean they could be sloppy. At the very least, their documentation had to be impeccable.
The entire company received an emergency notice to return to the Yunding Tower office and work overtime.
Ren Qinqin came too. When she walked into Li Tang's office, she looked puzzled. "Did something go wrong with the Talego Copper-Gold project?"
She was the Deputy Director of Wukuang Group's Finance Department and had been temporarily seconded to help Zhongcheng Mining with the Talego project.
"I had to call everyone back because we're all rookies here—we really lack experience," Li Tang said a bit embarrassed. "We're planning to apply for a 500-million-yuan loan from Huaxia Bank, and we need to prepare standardized financial documents quickly. Time's too tight to do it slowly, so I had to ask for your help."
"I see," Ren said, nodding thoughtfully.
"Of course, if you're too busy or it's too much trouble, I completely understand."
Li Tang didn't want to pressure anyone. "Our company will allocate a bonus for this loan application task. Once it's done, everyone will receive a share. As a professional we've brought in, your bonus will be higher."
"Bonuses aren't important," Ren said cheerfully. "The Talego project is far from over. Right now, I'm also part of Zhongcheng. You're the GM—whatever you need, just say it. Don't worry. I'll do everything I can."
"I'm lucky to have friends like you."
Li Tang was genuinely grateful. "You'll be in charge of making sure all financial documents meet banking standards."
"I've helped with a lot of loans at Wukuang. This is my area of expertise," she said confidently.
"Perfect!"
Just then, Qin Jianshe came rushing in. He'd already heard about the loan plan over the phone and had agreed right away.
He had plenty of experience compiling technical documentation.
Seeing Ren, he smiled. "Minister Ren is here too."
"You've got quite the crew!" Ren glanced outside and noticed that many core technical staff from Wukuang were present.
"Li Tang said time was tight, so I brought everyone," Qin explained, pointing outside. "They're seasoned veterans. They've done this before and can get up to speed fast."
Li Tang was touched. "You've all been working hard in those tough conditions in Mongolia, and now you're barely back before I'm asking you to work overtime again. I really appreciate it."
"No need to say that," Qin replied warmly. "Where's your company's project documentation? We don't know your assets, so we'll need your people to cooperate closely."
"They're in the archive room."
Li Tang took him outside and found He Runqi. "Help Minister Qin with whatever they need for the technical files. Give them whatever they ask for."
"No problem."
He Runqi was a little nervous working with the senior Qin Jianshe.
"We'll be burning the midnight oil," Qin said, patting him on the shoulder. "You've got more people under you than I do now. Not bad."
"We've hired a lot of new graduates, most with little experience. We still need to train them before they can be truly useful," He Runqi admitted. The more people he managed, the more pressure he felt.
"Take your time."
Qin and He headed to the archive room. "Aside from Talego, you've got two other mineral rights, right? Gongcun Copper-Gold and Shazhai Molybdenum?"
"Yes. We'll be using those two as collateral," He confirmed.
"That makes things easier. Your company hasn't been around long—probably not a lot of documentation."
Li Tang didn't get involved in the work directly. Instead, he coordinated with Dai Yingchi and the restaurant downstairs to order extra food—maybe even whole roasted lambs—to treat the team working late.
The next day, he went with Qin, He, and Ren to meet with Jiang Sizhe and discuss the loan application process and required documents.
The meeting wasn't long. Most of the work would come later in preparing and approving the documents.
Hearing that Li Tang wanted things done fast, Zhou Zhihan—perhaps too bored in retirement—came to Yunding Tower himself, wandering the halls.
Everyone knew he used to work at Huaxia Bank. If they didn't understand something, they'd simply ask him.
Since they were committed to acquiring Lianying Mining, Alice had already finalized the commission structure with Goldman Sachs and signed a service agreement.
She was also working overtime with her team, drafting an acquisition plan.
She stepped into Li Tang's office with a file in hand. "We have two plans. First, without getting the board's consent, we can purchase Lianying shares directly from the secondary market on the Australian Stock Exchange. Once we hit the trigger threshold, we can continue until we gain control."
"This approach ignores the board's wishes," Li Tang said, nodding.
"It might offend them," Alice admitted. "Also, buying from the open market will drive up the price. We might end up paying a hefty premium."
"What's the second option?"
"Negotiate directly with Kent, the founder and majority shareholder. If we get his support, the acquisition will be much easier."
"I prefer the second one," she added. "It's more respectful and avoids price inflation."
"What's Kent's attitude?"
"Not sure yet." Alice shook her head. "When we were gathering intel, they probably realized we've marked them as a target. We'll need to meet with Kent to find out."
"Arrange the meeting," Li Tang said. "If he won't talk, we go with option one."
"Understood." Alice accepted the instruction.
"No matter what—it's imperative that we acquire Lianying," Li Tang said firmly.
Alice couldn't understand it.
To her, Lianying didn't have any assets worth coveting.
Not just her—the entire Australian capital market ignored the company, or else it wouldn't be struggling in obscurity.
With a simple plan in place, Li Tang and Alice flew to Perth in Western Australia, where Lianying was headquartered, like many other iron ore firms.
The office wasn't large. Located in a modest building with narrow hallways, it had only a few rooms.
Kent didn't look like a business elite. He wore a work shirt instead of a suit, his blond beard thick and unruly, and his frame was large and rugged.
He knew his company had caught someone's eye—become prey.
But what he hadn't expected was that the interested party wasn't a famous iron ore producer or trader, but a Chinese firm.
Still, he was willing to talk. "I don't know what your intentions are."
"We're interested in you, Mr. Kent."
Li Tang had studied Kent's profile. "You're a top graduate in mining exploration from South Australia University, and a registered engineer. We believe you have the ability to lead a professional team and achieve breakthroughs in exploration here in Australia."
Kent was surprised, though his beard helped hide his expression. "You want me to lead your projects in Australia?"
With little capital of their own, his firm sometimes partnered with others to stay afloat.
"Yes." Li Tang nodded. "We need your team."
"What kind of project?"
Kent was starting to lower his guard. "And how much are you planning to invest?"
If this was a major project, Kent and his company stood to gain significantly by participating.
"It will be a massive project. The total investment may exceed one hundred million Australian dollars."
There's no tax on talking big, so Li Tang threw out an eye-catching number.
A hundred million AUD—what kind of concept was that?
Last year, all of Australia's mineral exploration spending combined barely topped six hundred million AUD.
Compared to the mining boom seven or eight years ago—when exploration spending exceeded 1.2 billion AUD—the post-1998 industry had been in steady decline.
The capital market's enthusiasm for mineral exploration had fallen to historic lows.
And now, someone was claiming they'd invest 100 million AUD into exploration? It sounded almost insane.
And it certainly made people question the credibility of the offer.
"That's a significant investment—possibly the largest project this year," Kent said, his words cautious but his alertness clearly rising. "I'm surprised you've come to me for something so big."
"We're not focused on Lianying Mining alone."
Li Tang wasn't about to make Kent feel irreplaceable. He wanted to create a sense of competition. "Australia has a well-developed exploration industry and some of the world's top mining professionals. There are plenty of junior exploration firms. We're in discussions with several."
"We're trying to identify the best possible partner," Alice added, understanding Li Tang's strategy. "The most important thing is that the company has a strong technical team."
Kent never doubted his own technical ability. What he doubted—more and more—was the true intention of the people in front of him. "You're a mining company from China?"
"Yes," Li Tang nodded.
"I've never worked with a Chinese firm before. To be honest, I have no experience." His distrust was written all over his face.
"To make you more comfortable working with us, we're prepared to acquire your company outright," Li Tang said, locking eyes with him.
"That way, you can cooperate with us without any reservations."
"You want to acquire our company?" Kent was stunned.
"I'm willing to spend a bit more money to show our sincerity and strength."
Li Tang smiled slightly. "Whether you seize this opportunity depends on your determination, Mr. Kent."
"Our time is limited. We'll be negotiating with other companies as well. Ultimately, who we work with depends not on us—but on your willingness to cooperate," Alice added.
Kent had considered selling shares before—he just never found a buyer.
Now, he was seriously thinking it over.
"We can acquire your shares at the current market price," Li Tang said, revealing part of his true intentions. "We're aware your company has a bank loan of about five million AUD due soon. Given your financials, it'll be difficult to repay."
"We don't owe five million. It's four-point-three million, and only one million of that is due this year," Kent corrected her. "We're currently negotiating with the bank for an extension on that one million."
Alice looked slightly embarrassed but pressed on. "Your company owns vast land parcels. In Australia, land taxes are high. I imagine your annual tax payments are a heavy burden."
At the mention of property taxes, Kent's expression shifted visibly.
In Australia, private land ownership is easy enough. But holding that land long-term incurs significant taxes.
"I'll need to think it over," Kent said. "This company isn't mine alone. It's publicly listed. I have to call a board meeting and get their input."
"Of course. We understand," Li Tang nodded. "But please decide quickly—we're on a tight schedule. If your board delays, we'll have to move on to other targets."
"Three days—max," Kent replied. He understood the urgency.
After Li Tang's team left, Kent immediately called in one of the interns.
"Zhu Yanxi, you're from China. Look into this 'Li Tang Shengshi Holdings.' It's a company from Yanjing."
Zhu Yanxi, still a student at the University of South Australia, was interning with Lianying during summer break.
He was surprised the company's founder had called on him personally.
"A company from Yanjing?"
He took the document from Kent, glanced at it—and his eyes went wide. "Li Tang Shengshi Holdings?!"
"You've heard of it?" Kent asked, surprised by the reaction. Maybe this intern knew something valuable.
"If that's really the name—then this is an incredible company!"
Zhu wasn't just familiar with the name. He had deep admiration for it. "It's a newly established firm, but already one of the most famous in China's mining sector—no, globally, it's one of the greatest junior exploration companies in the world!"
"Really?" Kent looked baffled.
"My dream is to work for them after I graduate!" Zhu said, nearly shouting in excitement—then quickly caught himself. Praising another company in front of your boss wasn't very smart, even if you were just an intern.
"You've definitely heard of them," he insisted.
"I haven't." Kent looked even more confused.
Zhu was almost speechless. "Maybe you haven't heard of the company—but you've definitely heard of the Talego Copper-Gold Mine, right?"
"Oh—"
That finally clicked. "You mean they're the owners of the Talego Copper-Gold deposit?"
"Exactly!" Zhu nodded enthusiastically. "The Talego mining rights belong to Nanhuang Resources. Nanhuang is wholly owned by Zhongcheng Mining. And this Li Tang Shengshi company is the actual controlling shareholder of Zhongcheng!"
"Unbelievable. That's insane."
Kent finally understood.
There had been massive media coverage about Talego—the biggest discovery in decades, according to many.
Australia had buzzed with the news, especially since the exploration rights originally belonged to BHP.
For some mysterious reason, BHP had offloaded the rights for a laughably low price.
The backlash had been fierce—accusations, ridicule, and second-guessing. All of it underscored how valuable the asset was.
For Kent, BHP's mistake wasn't the issue. What intrigued him was that someone had discovered a world-class deposit.
For guys like him—junior explorers, geological risk-takers—that was the dream.
To find a world-class mine was to secure lifelong honor—and immeasurable wealth.
They had talked about Talego in private, always with envy. But it had felt so far removed from their own lives.
Now, the one who discovered it had come knocking.
It was like your idol showing up at your door.
"They didn't just find Talego!"
Zhu couldn't contain himself. "They've made multiple big discoveries in China. They're incredible! I study exploration, and my dream is to join a company like this."
"They've found other deposits besides Talego?"
Kent's interest deepened significantly.
"If I listed them all, your jaw would drop," Zhu said, shaking his head in admiration. "Some of their discoveries just didn't make international news."
"Seems like this company is truly something special," Kent murmured. "Our top priority now is to verify their identity. If they're the real deal, this partnership will be worth pursuing. I want to see just how powerful their team really is."
"They want to work with us?" Zhu was practically trembling. "Their founder is a legend—his name is Li Tang. Was he here?"
"Yes. His name is Li Tang."
Kent found the name tricky to pronounce, but memorable. "And they don't just want to work with us—they want to acquire our company."
"Let them acquire us. With their capabilities, if they really launch a project here, there'll definitely be major discoveries!"
Zhu Yanxi blurted out his excitement, then looked at Kent's rugged face and realized he might have overstepped—he shouldn't be commenting on company decisions. He fell silent, though his excitement was still written all over his face. "This is a rare opportunity to work with them."
"Maybe you're right, but this still has to go through the board."
From this intern, Kent had gleaned valuable information.
These visitors from the distant northern hemisphere weren't scammers or speculators—they were serious about investing in exploration projects.
Verifying their identity wouldn't be difficult. The next step was to call a board meeting.
Kent held 38% of the company's shares, so his voice carried weight. With his implicit consent to the acquisition, none of the other directors raised objections.
After all, the company was practically on life support. If someone was willing to buy, it was better to sell now, recoup some investments, and maybe even turn a small profit.
After work, Zhu Yanxi returned to his student dorm.
His university offered priority housing for international students, with options ranging from shared rooms to private apartments depending on financial needs.
Zhu wasn't well-off, and with steep tuition costs, he had chosen a double room with bunk beds.
His roommate was an Australian named Toby.
"Toby!"
He burst into the room, tossed his backpack on the bed, and shouted excitedly.
"What'd you do—find money on the street?" Toby asked, lounging with a book in bed.
"I've found a way to get rich. I swear, this will make us a fortune!" Zhu was practically shaking with enthusiasm.
He needed to share the moment with someone—and Toby was his best friend here.
"Lottery win?"
Toby sat up. "Or did you snag yourself a sugar mama?"
"No! I'm talking stocks. Trust me—this is a guaranteed win!"
"You've got money to invest?"
"Not much, sadly. But listen, this is a solid bet. Lianying Mining's stock is going to soar!"
"You mean that company you're interning at? Didn't you say they have no real projects and pay you the lowest intern wage in all of Western Australia? Only someone like you would intern there."
"Everything's changed. Believe me—someone's going to acquire Lianying Mining. And it's happening soon!"
"If someone really does buy them out, yeah, the stock would spike. Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely. The boss himself told me. And the buyer is from my hometown—he's even my idol!"
"Well then… we should buy. Do you have a trading account?"
"I don't."
"I do. But I don't have much cash." Toby dug into his pockets and pulled out a little over a hundred dollars. "I've got about two thousand AUD in my bank—that's my living money."
"I've got around three thousand from my parents too," Zhu said without hesitation. "I'm all in. I'm using every cent to buy Lianying stock!"
"So you'll be a homeless guy next week?" Toby joked.
"I'll find a job. I'll survive." Zhu was resolute. "Toby, I say you join me. That company is amazing. I swear, this investment will go up tenfold!"
"Tenfold?" Toby was skeptical. "If a buyout happens, maybe a 20% premium—50% if we're lucky. That's already huge!"
He did the math: 20% in a few months would be a few hundred bucks—enough for a vacation. If needed, he could always ask his parents for more.
Decision made, he stood up. "Let's go use the campus computers and buy Lianying stock now!"
"Toby, can you buy the stock for me? I'll transfer the money."
"No problem. Let's go!"
Word spread quickly. Thanks to Toby's big mouth, half their class heard about the investment.
"If the buyout happens, the stock will shoot up!"
"Toby, thanks for the tip! You saved us!"
"I'm buying Lianying stock too. Gotta strike it rich!"
Trading wasn't new to some of them—many had started investing in high school.
Some of the richer students had computers or even expensive laptops in their apartments.
A few went all in, buying tens of thousands of dollars' worth of Lianying stock.
Suddenly, the entire class was abuzz with talk of Lianying's stock price.
With the new semester starting, most students had a fresh influx of living expenses.
Now, everyone was eagerly hoping the acquisition would go public soon.
They were counting on that announcement to send prices soaring and make them a tidy profit.
For a student, turning a few hundred or even a thousand AUD from pocket money was a huge deal.
Toby began to worry—several classmates, like him and Zhu, had invested everything.
Hearing all the stock chatter, he kept reminding people, "Stay calm. What if the buyout doesn't go through?"
Still, the flurry of trades from this small group didn't significantly impact Lianying's stock price.
Back at Lianying's modest office, Li Tang and Alice returned after receiving Kent's request for a second meeting.
"Our board agrees to negotiate," Kent said. "But if you base your offer on the current market price, it's too low."
As the largest shareholder, Kent had the most to gain or lose from the acquisition price.
Naturally, he hoped for the highest valuation possible.
"What price do you think your stock is worth?"
Li Tang didn't beat around the bush now that interest was confirmed.
"Well, since it's you who initiated the offer, let's hear your bid first." Kent sat comfortably. "The board's willingness to cooperate depends on a compelling offer."
A "compelling offer"?
Li Tang didn't want to overpay.
The market had little faith in the stock—Lianying's price had been stagnant for months. Even now, selling at market price would be difficult.
"I'll offer a 5% premium over current value."
"That won't pass a board vote," Kent replied flatly.
"What price would you consider fair?" Li Tang asked.
"Fifty percent premium."
"You're dreaming. Ten percent is my best offer."
Li Tang was clear and firm. "But I have one condition—you must retain your core technical team, especially the engineers."
"For staffing, you'll need to negotiate with the union."
"I heard most of the team was recruited by you. Your decision affects theirs."
"True. Some are former classmates and close friends," Kent admitted.
"Even after the buyout, I want you to stay."
Li Tang understood that operating a project in Australia required local leadership.
Many M&A failures happened because of culture clashes or losing key personnel.
"I'll accept the 10% premium—and I'll stay," Kent said, "but only if I can keep 10% equity. I'm most motivated when I work for myself."
"We'll allow you to keep 5%."
Li Tang made a swift call. "If your board approves our offer and we launch a full tender, we'll likely hit the threshold for delisting. At that point, your remaining shares will be hard to sell."
"I know."
Kent understood the implications.
Lianying was small. Once the acquisition launched, most shareholders would sell—leading to delisting.
He wanted to keep a piece just in case this Chinese company really struck it big.
Selling most of his shares now would finally repay years of sunk costs.
It would also reward his family for years of support.
"Then it's settled."
Li Tang shook Kent's hand.
Alice and the Goldman Sachs team quickly drafted a non-binding offer—10% over market price.
The board approved it, and the offer was published. A shareholder meeting was scheduled to formally launch the acquisition.
Next came the binding offer and regulatory filings.
The securities regulators approved it swiftly.
But the Foreign Investment Review Board's process would take longer—since it was a Chinese company, scrutiny would be tighter.
Even so, the law stipulated a 30-day maximum.
The loan and the acquisition—both were well underway.
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on March 2, 2026.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Johanssen