AWB Chapter 128 Taking Over RTV
Chapter 128 Taking Over RTV
In July, the scorching sun beats down on the island city of Hong Kong. The palm trees in front of the RTV headquarters have leaves curled up from the heat.
Secretary Chen's car was parked in the shadows not far from the RTV station. The briefcase in the back seat was stuffed full, containing the fruits of her labor over the past three days.
Stacks of signed share transfer agreements and shareholding certificates issued by the notary office.
She glanced at her watch; it was just past 3 p.m., exactly a few minutes after she had completed the transaction with the last minority shareholder who agreed to transfer his shares. She locked her car and went to a public phone booth.
"Mr. Lin, everything is settled." Secretary Chen reported the good news to Lin Zhou on the other end of the phone, her voice very low but unable to hide her excitement.
"Those TV station minority shareholders collectively hold 15% of the shares. Adding our previous 18.2%, our total shareholding has reached 33.2%, making us the largest shareholder."
On the other end of the phone, Lin Zhou was sitting in his office on the top floor of Zhonghua Group, his fingertips stroking the armrest of the boss's chair.
Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on his lips, but his eyes remained completely unmoved, just as he had expected.
"Thank you for your hard work, Secretary Chen. Pass the word that a car should be prepared to go to ATV first thing tomorrow morning."
In addition, a letter was sent to the board of directors of RTV (Rediffusion Television), requesting an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to be held at 10:00 AM next Monday in the television station's conference room. The agenda item is to reorganize the board of directors and take over the day-to-day operations of the television station.
"Understood." Secretary Chen replied and hung up the phone, her fingers tightening slightly as she gripped the receiver.
With Secretary Chen's notification, the news of this extraordinary general meeting of shareholders caused a stir among the shareholders of RTV (Rediffusion Television) like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
Most of the long-standing shareholders who have been entrenched on the board of directors for many years are either backed by their fathers or entered the market through speculation in their early years. They usually only care about receiving dividends and enjoying themselves, and have never seen such a scene before.
When they received the letter, they were either watching horse races at the racecourse or having afternoon tea at their villas. They were completely dumbfounded when they saw the words "Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders" and "Reorganization of the Board of Directors".
"What's going on? Why the sudden need for a shareholders' meeting?"
"Who initiated this? Is the letter signed by Zhonghua Group?"
"Zhonghua Group...is that Lin Zhou who makes game consoles and newspapers? How does he have shares in our Lihwa?"
Moreover, the news spread from private residences to golf courses, from the tables of lavish dinner parties to the offices of stockbrokers.
If it weren't the weekend, the stock price would definitely fluctuate as well.
People in Hong Kong's investment circles only know that this young man from the mainland has been making waves in Hong Kong in recent years, expanding into many industries.
But no one expected that he would extend his reach to the hot potato that is RTV (Rediffusion Television).
Time flies, and it's Monday already.
As dawn broke and the sun shone brightly, Lin Zhou finished his breakfast. He chose a dark gray, custom-made suit, tied a tie, and it made his figure appear even more upright.
The tie was dark blue with delicate subtle patterns, exuding a calm yet sharp air.
At 8:00 AM sharp, a black luxury sedan slowly drove out of Zhonghua Group's garage, with Lin Zhou driving behind in a separate car.
In the car ahead, Secretary Chen sat in the passenger seat, holding a file bag in her hand. Three lawyers from the legal department sat in the back seat, each with a solemn expression and clutching thick files.
At 9:50, the car came to a smooth stop in front of the RTV headquarters building.
Lin Zhou pushed open the car door, his leather shoes making a crisp sound as they stepped onto the polished marble floor.
He looked up and saw the five gilded characters "RTV" embedded in the glass curtain wall above the main entrance of the building, shining with a golden light under the sunlight.
"Mr. Lin, it's hot outside." Secretary Chen quickly stepped forward and pushed open the heavy glass door.
Conference Room No. 1 is on the third floor, and it was already full of people.
The shareholders gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves, their brows furrowed with anxiety and doubt.
Seated in the main seat is Zhou Jingtang (a fictional character's name), the current chairman of the board of directors of RTV and formerly the largest shareholder.
He was dressed in a Tang suit, toying with a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
"Who exactly is behind this?" Zhou Jingtang asked the vice president beside him in a low voice. "Have you found out? Just how many shares does Lin Zhou of Zhonghua Group hold?"
The vice president wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "We can't find anything. His shares were acquired in a scattered manner, and no one noticed the scattered shares held by minority shareholders."
Zhou Jingtang snorted coldly, but he was unsure of himself.
He had been running Lihwa for over a decade, relying on winning over minority shareholders to secure his position as chairman of the board. Now that Lin Zhou had suddenly appeared, how could he not panic?
Just then, the conference room door was pushed open.
Lin Zhou walked at the front, his posture upright and his steps composed.
Secretary Chen and three lawyers followed closely behind. The group, dressed in matching suits, exuded an imposing aura that instantly drew everyone's attention.
The once noisy conference room suddenly fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.
The shareholders' eyes all fell on Lin Zhou, filled with curiosity, inquiry, wariness, and a hint of disbelief.
They simply couldn't reconcile the fact that this man, who was quite famous in Hong Kong, was the "largest shareholder of RTV."
Zhou Jingtang narrowed his eyes, sizing up Lin Zhou, his tone laced with arrogance: "This must be Mr. Lin from Zhonghua Group? May I ask what brings you here today?"
Lin Zhou ignored his provocation and walked straight to the empty seat at the front of the conference room.
His gaze swept over everyone present, his voice not loud, but clear and forceful: "Gentlemen, I'm sure you've all received notice of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders."
"I've gathered you all here today for only one thing—I, Lin Zhou, representing Zhonghua Group, hereby formally announce that, as of today, we collectively hold 33.2% of the shares of RTV (Rediffusion Television), making us the largest shareholder of RTV."
As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room erupted in uproar.
"What? 33.2%? That's impossible!"
"How could he possibly have bought so many shares? Why would those minority shareholders be willing to sell?"
Zhou Jingtang suddenly stood up, his Buddhist prayer beads creaking as he gripped them tightly: "Mr. Lin, words are meaningless. You say you hold 33.2% of the shares, what evidence do you have?"
Lin Zhou glanced at him indifferently and gestured with his chin toward the lawyer beside him.
The lawyer immediately stepped forward and opened the file in his hand.
First, they presented a shareholding certificate issued by the Hong Kong Island Securities Registry, which clearly showed the name of Zhonghua Group, the number of shares held, and the percentage of shares held, with a prominent red seal.
He then distributed a thick stack of share transfer agreements to the shareholders present. Each agreement bore the transferor's signature and fingerprint, as well as the notary office's seal.
The shareholders picked up the agreement and began to read it, their faces growing paler with each page.
The names on these agreements are all small shareholders they know well; some of them were even having tea together just yesterday.
But they never expected that these people would quietly sell all their shares to Lin Zhou!
"This...this is real?" someone murmured, their voice filled with shock.
"No wonder...no wonder people have been asking about the minority shareholder's shares lately, it's him!"
"33.2%... Chairman Zhou only holds 28% of the shares, he has truly become the largest shareholder!"
The discussions resumed, but they lacked their previous confidence and were replaced by panic.
Zhou Jingtang held the shareholding certificate, his fingers trembling. His face turned from ashen to deathly pale. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat too dry to make a sound.
He knew that the situation was hopeless.
Lin Zhou looked at the scene before him, his smile still faint.
This was the moment he had been waiting for, the moment when these people went from arrogance to shock, and then to panic.
"Everyone," Lin Zhou spoke again, his voice drowning out all the other discussions.
According to the articles of association of Rediffusion Television, the largest shareholder has the right to propose a reorganization of the board of directors and nominate a new chairman of the board.
I hereby formally propose that Mr. Zhou Jingtang be removed from his position as Chairman of the Board, and that Zhonghua Group take over the daily operations of RTV.
His words were like a bombshell, shattering the last shred of hope in the conference room.
Zhou Jingtang staggered back a step, grabbing the chair behind him to steady himself.
Looking at Lin Zhou's young yet sharp face, he finally understood that the empire he had painstakingly built over more than a decade had, in the end, changed hands.