Chapter 625: Starry Company’s Press Conference!

Hong Kong Island. The Emperor Hotel!

At the very moment those Westerners were discussing how to thwart Li Yi at the Castle Manor, a highly anticipated event was about to begin in the ballroom of Hong Kong’s most luxurious hotel.

The event was hosted by the renowned Starry Company, and its purpose was to present the company’s financial statements for the first three months to investors.

Preparations for this event had been underway for several days, and the media had all been invited.

Every media outlet and investor in Hong Kong was closely watching this event.

After all, the media had been consistently casting doubt on Starry Company and its CEO, Li Yi, so everyone was eager to see just how much profit the company—which had been in operation for only three months—could generate for investors.

Consequently, in addition to select media outlets, many of Star Company’s clients were also in attendance at today’s event.

At 10:00 a.m., as the event began, Star Company’s Chief Financial Officer, Zhao Xinlan, led several members of the company’s management team into the venue and took their seats on stage.

Following that, Ding Can, the Office Manager and PR Manager, was the first to rise and speak: “Good morning, members of the press and Star Company clients. It is a pleasure to have you all here today to attend our company’s press conference despite your busy schedules. On behalf of the company…”

After a rather uninspiring opening statement, Ding Can invited Chief Financial Officer Zhao Xinlan to announce the company’s financial results for August through October on behalf of the company.

Zhao Xinlan didn’t beat around the bush. Ever the efficient professional, she got straight to the point: “Ladies and gentlemen, as of October 30, Star Company has raised a total of 8.5 billion Hong Kong dollars over the past three months. Of this, 7.2 billion was allocated to early-stage investments. Currently, the company’s profits stand at 6.8 billion yuan, with a return on investment of 94.4%.”

“Additionally, the company’s investment team predicted the appreciation of the U.S. dollar well in advance and invested a significant amount in U.S. dollar-denominated assets. We currently hold 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in time deposits. At the current exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar and the U.S. dollar, this 1.4 billion U.S. dollars is equivalent to 10.6 billion Hong Kong dollars, yielding a return of over 50%.”

“Consequently, according to the company’s financial department’s calculations, clients who invested in Star Company before mid-September will see a return on their investment of 144% over the first three months…”

“A buzz…”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.

Although everyone had anticipated that Star Company’s investment performance would be impressive—after all, such a high-profile press conference wouldn’t be held to announce losses, unless the company was about to go out of business—

Since they were releasing the company’s financial data, it was clear that these figures were worth sharing—that their performance was something to be proud of.

But no one had anticipated that Star Company’s three-month return on investment would be so staggering.

144%—that’s equivalent to me giving you one dollar, and you returning two dollars and forty-four cents in principal and interest. Such a return on investment is simply off the charts.

Keep in mind that for other investment firms in the market, an average annual return of 20% is already considered quite good; a 50% return would place them among the top-tier companies.

Who could have imagined that Star Company, a newly established firm, would deliver such spectacular results in just three months? It’s simply unbelievable.

What’s more, it’s only been three months!

If this were a full year’s performance, no one would dare to imagine the results…

After announcing the company’s investment results, Ding Can stood up again and said, “Next, our company will be raising funds once more. If you are satisfied with our performance, we ask for your continued support of Star Company… Now we’ll move on to the Q&A session. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask the heads of our various departments!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a male reporter was the first to raise his hand.

Ding Can immediately gestured for him to proceed.

“I’m Zhu Mingguang, a reporter from the Nanhua Evening News. First, congratulations on your company’s outstanding investment performance. However, I’m curious about the specific projects your company has invested in to achieve such a high return on investment. Could you share this with the public?”

“Let’s have our investment advisor, Pang Feiyan, answer that question for you!” Ding Can said.

Pang Feiyan remained composed and, following her prepared script, said directly, “Normally, this would be a trade secret that cannot be disclosed, but now that the project has concluded, I can certainly share some details with everyone!”

“The reason our company has achieved such outstanding results is mainly due to our recent investment in gold. When we entered the market, the average price of gold was between $250 and $270 per ounce, but we sold it at $603 per ounce. From this single investment alone, our company made nearly 7 billion Hong Kong dollars!”

“Whoa!”

The crowd gasped in awe once again. Wow, nearly 7 billion from a single investment—no wonder the return on investment was so high.

“Gold investment has been booming in Hong Kong recently. As a professional investment firm, do you have any advice for investors?” the male reporter asked again.

“According to our company’s analysis, international gold prices have reached their peak. We’re likely to see significant price volatility in the near future. While we can’t rule out the possibility of a temporary rise, the overall trend is definitely downward—it could even crash!”

Pang Feiyan continued, “Therefore, I’d like to warn all investors: it’s best to stay away from gold right now. Those who’ve already invested should sell their holdings and exit the market as soon as possible!”

“Your company says gold prices are going to fall. Do you have any basis for that?” another reporter stood up and asked.

“The fact that our company has liquidated all our physical gold and futures positions is the evidence. Of course, we’re merely offering a suggestion; what investors ultimately decide to do is entirely up to them!” Pang Feiyan replied flawlessly.

“Your company…”

The press conference lasted a full hour, and later that day, during the noon news broadcast, Starry Sky Company’s press conference made it onto television!

As soon as the news broke, the entire Hong Kong investment community was in an uproar.

Although Starry Sky had only been in business for a short time, it had already made quite a name for itself in Hong Kong.

For one thing, the company offered exceptionally high salaries; even the cleaning staff earned 2,000 Hong Kong dollars a month.

For investment positions, the pay was even more staggering—it represented the ceiling of salaries in Hong Kong’s financial industry and made the company one of the most coveted employers among professionals in the sector.

On the other hand, British-owned conglomerates have been relentlessly smearing the company in recent times. They have mobilized the media to constantly attack Starry Company and its CEO, Li Yi, claiming that this so-called investment genius is nothing more than a “fake” manufactured by the mainland—lacking any real talent and merely a figurehead.

They also claimed that Starry Company had suffered massive losses in real estate investments, and that Li Yi had used investors’ money to plug the holes in the real estate business, causing many prospective investors to back out.

Although the British-owned group’s smear campaign did indeed have a significant impact on Starry Company—resulting in the company raising nearly half as much capital in October as in the previous two months—it also served to spread the fame of both Starry Company and Li Yi.

Hong Kong Island is a small place—even a fart can be smelled by everyone, let alone a smear campaign that’s been going on nonstop for so long.

It’s safe to say that, thanks to the British Capital Group’s relentless attacks and smear campaign, everyone on Hong Kong Island now knows there’s a Star Company in Yuanhua Tower—and that the company’s boss is from the mainland.

Naturally, under the smear campaign waged by the British-owned conglomerate and its associates, Starry Company and Li Yi himself weren’t exactly being hunted down by the public, but their reputations certainly took a hit.

Everyone understands the saying: “Three men make a tiger,” and that “constant slander can destroy a person’s reputation.”

If someone were to constantly whisper slander about you in others’ ears, even if you were blameless, over time people would inevitably change their opinion of you—and even distance themselves from you.

But what no one could have anticipated was that Star Company suddenly released its financial reports.

Wow, it was like dropping a depth charge into calm waters, instantly sending fish, turtles, shrimp, and crabs scattering everywhere.

In an instant, some questioned whether Star Company’s 144% return on investment could possibly be real, claiming it was all just a gimmick to attract attention.

Others were relieved they’d chosen Star Company from the start, while some regretted not acting decisively earlier and missing out on the chance to make a fortune.

Of course, there was also a group of savvy individuals who, upon seeing the report, immediately grabbed their money and rushed to Star Company!

Consequently, that very afternoon, a long line formed outside Star Company, all people coming to entrust the company with the management of their funds…

………