Chapter 105: Signs of the Oil Crisis
Lin Wanan was decisive in action.
Over the following days, he swiftly completed the meticulous division of the family assets between Lin Haoran and Lin Haoning.
Among these assets, the 12.6% stake in Qingzhou Cement Company was officially placed under the name of Huanyu Investment Company, under Lin Haoran's control.
At the same time, Lin Haoran began following Lin Wanan daily to learn the essence of corporate management.
Although 49.99% of Wanan Group's shares had already been formally transferred to his name, he did not rush to take full control.
Instead, he chose to start as the Vice Chairman of Wanan Group — building a solid foundation step by step.
Lin Wanan understood the importance of nurturing a successor.
He was patiently waiting for Lin Haoran to meet the standards he had in mind, at which point he would naturally hand over the position of Chairman.
For Lin Haoran, the title was merely a label.
What mattered most was absorbing the precious management knowledge and real-world business experience from Lin Wanan.
Lin Wanan's cautious and profound business acumen —
especially his strategic corporate planning and decision-making wisdom —
greatly benefited Lin Haoran.
The real-life business cases, as well as Lin Wanan's personal experience navigating critical moments,
were like vivid, living textbooks that allowed Lin Haoran to feel as if he were personally witnessing key events that determined corporate destiny.
Through Lin Wanan's careful guidance,
he learned countless practical business skills that no textbook could offer.
Of course, Lin Haoran didn't spend all his time at Wanan Group.
Besides Wanan, he also had Qingzhou Cement —
an even stronger listed company —
and his small investment firm, Huanyu Investment Company.
To facilitate management, Lin Haoran had already relocated Huanyu Investment's office to Wanan Group's building.
The Wanan Group Building, located in Causeway Bay, was not far from Central District.
Although slightly less prestigious than Central, it wasn't a significant gap.
The building had 13 floors, and with excess office space,
over half the floor area was rented out.
Thus, Huanyu Investment simply set up a new office there —
allowing Lin Haoran to easily work either at Wanan Group or Qingzhou Cement.
Meanwhile, the old office at Hengfeng Building was undergoing renovations by Wanan Group's construction team.
The plan was to convert it from a commercial office into a private apartment —
a three-bedroom, two-living-room layout with a dedicated tea room.
Since the purchase had cost less than HK$1 million,
even if left vacant, it wasn't a big loss.
Moreover, after the asset division, Lin Haoran didn't plan to live at the Deep Water Bay villa anymore.
This new flat would serve as a temporary home —
until he could afford to buy a proper villa on Mid-Levels near Central.
After receiving the HK$10 million in cash from his father,
Lin Haoran's financial situation greatly improved.
Previously, he only had about HK$3 million left —
barely enough for daily operations and emergencies.
Now, with HK$13 million in liquidity,
he could breathe much easier.
It wasn't a massive sum —
but at least his investment team at Huanyu wouldn't be left idle.
Ever since Lin Haoran took over Qingzhou Cement,
its stock price had indeed enjoyed a brief surge, climbing above HK$6 per share.
However, this rally was largely fueled by retail investors blindly chasing the news —
without solid fundamentals.
As Qingzhou Cement came fully under Lin Haoran's control,
big investors and stock manipulators quickly lost interest.
They knew that once a company had a dominant shareholder,
there was no longer any chance of hostile takeovers —
and thus little chance of speculative price spikes.
Moreover, outside of acquiring Qingzhou Cement,
Lin Haoran had yet to build a strong reputation.
Investors remained skeptical of his ability to manage a major corporation.
His youth further fueled doubts.
Though he had won admiration for being the first Chinese to successfully acquire an English-owned listed company,
the market remained cautious.
As the initial excitement faded,
those who had impulsively bought Qingzhou Cement shares found themselves trapped.
Rumors and skepticism spread rapidly,
causing panic.
Many investors, unable to bear the pressure,
sold at losses.
Thus, after a month of turbulence,
Qingzhou Cement's stock price fell back to around HK$4.10 —
even lower than during Halier Centurion's era.
After all, under Halier, the company, despite questionable investments and frequent losses,
still managed to offer consistent dividends —
keeping shareholders relatively calm.
Now, under Lin Haoran's leadership,
the future seemed uncertain.
From the market's perspective,
holding onto Qingzhou Cement shares meant little hope for dividends,
and it wasn't clear if losses could be contained.
However, for Lin Haoran,
the stock price drop was excellent news.
After all, he planned to privatize Qingzhou Cement.
Once privatized,
he could relocate the factory,
apply to rezone the land for commercial use,
and fully capitalize on its prime real estate value.
A low acquisition cost meant more pure profit.
Thus, Lin Haoran quietly deployed Huanyu Investment's team to keep buying shares —
patiently accumulating at low prices.
He strictly controlled the buying price around HK$4.10,
avoiding sudden market surges.
Even if daily volumes were tiny —
just a few thousand or tens of thousands of shares —
his team remained steady.
Thanks to the skilled leadership of Su Zhixue,
who had 100% loyalty and rich trading experience,
the team's operations were highly effective.
December arrived silently.
Every day, Lin Haoran closely monitored the situation in Iran —
reading international news every morning.
Since early 1978, Iran's Pahlavi dynasty had been caught in a whirlwind of revolution.
The unrest had dragged on for months, attracting global attention.
However, despite constant reports of strikes and protests,
Iran's oil exports had remained largely unaffected —
and oil prices stayed stable.
Just a few days ago,
oil had inched up to US$13.12 per barrel —
only slightly higher than when Lin Haoran had purchased his crude oil.
Standing by the window at sunrise,
Lin Haoran pondered:
"It's already December 3rd.
When will oil prices finally soar?"
While eating breakfast, he casually flipped through the morning papers.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he read a headline in the international section of Oriental Daily:
"On December 2nd, during the Islamic month of Muharram,
more than two million protesters gathered in Tehran's Azadi Square,
demanding the King's abdication."
The massive demonstration had brought Tehran to a standstill.
Seeing this, Lin Haoran felt a jolt of excitement.
The oil crisis was near!
In his previous life, he remembered clearly:
Iran's massive nationwide strikes began with Tehran —
spreading like wildfire —
causing oil production to grind to a halt.
Once Iran stopped oil exports,
the global supply-demand balance would shatter —
sending prices skyrocketing.
He knew it was just a matter of time now.
And when it happened —
for most, it would be a catastrophe.
But for him?
It would be the opportunity of a lifetime.
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