Chapter 883: We’re Back!
Over the next two days, since the investment plan had wrapped up perfectly, the group shifted their focus to sightseeing.
Not only did they explore all the fun spots around New York, but Li Yi even took the time to take Jiang Xue on a trip to the capital of the Beautiful Lighthouse.
It wasn’t until Green Reggie notified them that all the funds had been settled that the group began making preparations for their return trip.
Although they had been busy sightseeing these past few days, Li Yi and Jiang Xue had remained closely attuned to stock market fluctuations, particularly the performance of their own company.
Just as Li Yi had predicted, when Green Brothers’ stock reached a high of $79, it finally couldn’t hold up.
By this point, JPMorgan Chase and other investment institutions had already begun quietly offloading their shares. Once these institutions had sold off most of their holdings, speculative retail investors in the market also sensed something was amiss and rushed to exit en masse.
This quickly triggered an avalanche in the company’s stock price, which plummeted in an instant!
Fortunately, Green Brothers’ performance was solid. Although the stock price fell sharply, it was merely shedding its own bubble—it wasn’t sliding all the way into the abyss of junk stocks.
When the stock price hit $42, the decline finally stopped.
Just then, institutional investors entered the market and began buying up Green Brothers’ shares, causing the stock price to rebound slightly, though the increase was not substantial.
From then on, Green Brothers’ stock price stabilized around $44, and the company’s market capitalization settled at roughly $35 billion!
Relatively speaking, Li Yi not only raked in a massive $4.6 billion from this move, but the value of the Green Brothers shares he controlled also soared to $10 billion—truly a windfall!
With matters here concluded, Li Yi and his team set off on their return journey—after all, investment returns from Hong Kong and London were still waiting for him to settle…
……..
On August 20, after two days of turmoil, Li Yi and his team finally returned to Hong Kong Island!
Outside Kai Tak Airport, Li Fu sat in the car, his eyes fixed intently on the airport exit.
He hadn’t gone to the exit to greet Li Yi—not because he didn’t want to, but because Li Yi wouldn’t let him.
Not only did he forbid him from making an appearance, but Li Yi also specifically instructed him not to tell anyone else about his return.
In Li Yi’s words, his friends on Hong Kong Island were simply too enthusiastic; every time he returned, the heads of the major clans would come to greet him in person—it was too high-profile, and he didn’t like it.
Li Futao understood Li Yi’s personality and knew he wasn’t the type to seek the spotlight, so this time he hadn’t notified anyone else in the Chamber of Commerce; he’d simply brought a few cars to pick him up himself.
To avoid attracting the attention of the media, Li Fuzhao decided not to get out of the car himself!
Just as Li Fuzhao was deep in thought, he saw Li Yi, flanked by several bodyguards, walking toward the car.
Seeing this, Li Futao immediately stepped out of the car!
As soon as they met, Li Futiao said cheerfully, “Hahaha, welcome home, Brother Li Yi!”
“Old Li, you already know?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“I do. I’ve never looked up to anyone in my life, Old Li, but when it comes to you, I’m truly in awe!” Li Futiao said with a look of deep emotion.
He had already learned of Li Yi’s achievements in New York from his son, Li Yunbao.
Upon learning that Li Yi had practically made a fortune out of thin air—raking in a staggering 4.6 billion US dollars in New York—Li Futiao didn’t even know how to describe his feelings.
Everyone knew Li Yi made money easily, but no one had imagined it could be this easy.
Good heavens! He left with just over 50 million and returned with 4.6 billion—Li Futiao felt completely numb!
“Hahaha, Old Li, you’re exaggerating. Besides, everyone made a profit this time. Just give me a moment to catch my breath, and I’ll settle up with everyone!” Li Yi said with a laugh.
“Alright, everyone’s waiting for you right now!”
“Alright, let’s head back first!”
“Alright…”
One by one, the group boarded the Li family’s motorcade and headed straight for Cloud Peak No. 1…
In the car, Li Yi glanced at Li Fu and asked, “Old Li, how have things been on Hong Kong Island while I was away?”
“Brother Li Yi, what specific matters are you asking about?”
“The British-owned conglomerates and the stock market!” Li Yi said.
“The British-owned conglomerates haven’t made much of a stir, but it seems they knew the pound was going to appreciate, so they’ve poured a lot of money into it. They must have made a tidy profit!”
Li Futao continued, “As for the stock market, it’s still the same old story—stagnant and lackluster. Real estate companies, in particular, are having a really tough time. Just in the past month, two more real estate firms have gone bankrupt!”
At this point, Li Futiao couldn’t help but sigh, his face filled with gloom.
As a godfather-level titan of Hong Kong’s securities industry, he was well aware that if this situation persisted, it would inevitably lead to unimaginable consequences.
But he was powerless to do anything about it; after all, it was a problem with the broader economic environment.
“Don’t worry, things will turn around soon!” Li Yi said with a smile, trying to reassure him.
“A turnaround?”
Li Futao then asked excitedly, “Brother Li Yi, are you saying that Hong Kong’s stock market is about to bottom out and rebound?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s not just the stock market—every industry, including real estate and manufacturing, is about to see a recovery!”
“Brother Li Yi, what’s the basis for your prediction?” Li Futiao asked in surprise.
“Of course I have a basis, but I can’t say!”
Li Yi certainly couldn’t tell him that in just one month, the Iron Lady of the British Empire would be visiting China to negotiate with the Chinese side regarding the issue of Hong Kong.
Although these negotiations didn’t yield any concrete results, they demonstrated to the outside world both sides’ willingness to resolve the issue. At the very least, unlike in the Falklands, neither side would resort to war to decide Hong Kong’s future.
This outcome was exactly what capitalists wanted to see. After all, hadn’t Hong Kong’s economy been in a steady decline over the past two years precisely because of political instability and an uncertain future?
Now that the possibility of war was negligible, the adverse factors constraining or affecting economic development had been completely eliminated, and an economic recovery was entirely to be expected.
However, he clearly couldn’t discuss such matters with Li Futao, and he was confident Li would understand.
Sure enough, Li Futiao, mindful of Li Yi’s special status, did not press the matter further. Instead, he said cheerfully, “If that’s the case, that’s truly wonderful. If the slump continues, many companies won’t be able to survive!”
“That won’t happen. Once this round of funding is settled, I’ll set aside a portion of the proceeds to provide financial assistance to companies in difficulty. I hope this will help them!” Li Yi said.
“Count me in!” Li Futiao said.
“Alright, let’s discuss this further when we get back!”
“Alright!”
Li Futao then added, “By the way, while you were away, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce approved membership applications from 14 families and companies. We now have 46 members, and there are another 55 candidates under review!”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Leave that up to you guys. Our principle is to err on the side of quality over quantity!”
“Right. Also, there’s been a real surge of interest in investing across the strait within the Chamber lately. Every single member currently has investment projects there, and even quite a few non-members have invested over there!”
Li Futiao continued, “Even quite a few people from the British-funded group have followed suit. Isn’t that strange?”
Li Yi thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “Dawson is a smart guy. He’s someone worth dealing with.”
“Dawson… playing to their interests?” Li Futiao said thoughtfully.
“Right. He knows what I’m after. Those few people were just a test.”
“A test?”
“Hmm. If I give them a positive response, the British-funded group might eventually follow the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s lead and invest heavily in the mainland!” Li Yi said.
“Then what should we do?”
“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’? I’ve said it before: our goal isn’t to destroy them, but to maintain the prosperity of Hong Kong’s economy. Everything else is secondary!” Li Yi said.
“I see…”
Just as they were speaking, the car suddenly slowed down!
Li Yi looked out the car window and realized they had arrived at the Yunding Villa District—they were home!