Hong Kong. Far East Stock Exchange!
“Ding!”
As the bell rang, the stock market—which had been temporarily suspended—finally reopened amid great anticipation.
However, unlike the morning’s across-the-board gains, the market descended into chaos from the very start of the afternoon session.
The sudden return of the “Young Elite Group” brought news that struck like a thunderbolt, catching everyone on Hong Kong Island completely off guard.
Such negative news immediately alerted the more perceptive institutions to something amiss.
Compounded by the example set by the Far East Stock Exchange, these institutions and wealthy families were eager to cut their losses and exit the market before retail investors could even react.
No one is a fool; in such a situation, even a slight delay in exiting would mean being buried alongside a stock market destined to collapse.
Unlike brick-and-mortar businesses, where there’s at least a floor even if you lose money,
But once the stock market collapses, there is truly no place to bury the dead; real money vanishes in the blink of an eye, leaving not even a crumb behind.
Suddenly, the market was flooded with institutions placing massive sell orders.
With so many people selling off their shares, and desperate to find buyers, these institutions set their asking prices lower and lower.
This abnormal situation left all investors bewildered, and they all sensed that something was wrong.
The stock market is inherently a place where investors chase rising prices and sell on dips; the more this happens, the fewer buyers there are.
In the blink of an eye, the stock prices of major listed companies plummeted in a rare three-day freefall, yet few dared to step in and buy. Major institutions and wealthy families found themselves trapped in their positions.
The stock market’s violent fluctuations left the entire Hong Kong Island in a state of utter despair, and the plummeting share prices inflicted heavy losses on all institutions and investors.
Those holding real estate company stocks, in particular, were left utterly devastated.
Just a few days earlier, they had taken advantage of the British Hong Kong government’s market rescue efforts to aggressively buy the dip, purchasing these shares at rock-bottom prices, hoping to make a killing.
But no one could have imagined that just a few days later, the market would collapse without warning, with stock prices plummeting at a visible pace.
To make matters even worse, the Hong Kong stock market had no daily price limit mechanism; in principle, prices could fall all the way down to the issue price or even below it.
Suddenly, every investor on Hong Kong Island realized a terrifying truth—a stock market crash was upon them. And this wasn’t limited to the Far East Stock Exchange; the same was happening at the Gold and Silver Stock Exchange, the Kowloon Stock Exchange, and others.
It truly proved the old saying: “If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact!”
At the same time, the Hang Seng Index was inevitably dragged down, plummeting relentlessly!
At 1:30 p.m., just after the market opened, the Hang Seng Index stood at 1,736 points, but by 2:00 p.m., it had dropped to 1,702 points—a staggering plunge of 34 points in just half an hour!
And that was just the beginning. By 4:00 p.m., the Hang Seng Index had fallen another 37 points, dropping to 1,665!
Just when everyone thought it had bottomed out, the index plunged another 20 points right before the market closed.
By the time the market closed that afternoon, the Hang Seng Index had fallen to 1,645 points—a full 68 points lower than when Li Yi had bought in.
At HK$9 million per point, Li Yi had raked in a staggering 600 million in just one afternoon.
……..
Wan Chai Pier. Qinglong Society!
Huang Lixing had only just returned to the headquarters when he received a call from an informant at the stock exchange.
Upon learning that the Hang Seng Index had fallen, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Although he had known things were settled when he saw the news while eating, it wasn’t until he actually received the confirmation that he felt completely at ease.
On one hand, the money he and Li Yi had invested in the stock market was safe; on the other, President Li’s situation was also under control. Having managed to cut his losses in time, he likely wouldn’t cause trouble for him and Li Yi anymore.
Who knows, he might even use this opportunity to curry favor with this big shot.
If that were to happen, he’d be able to walk all over Hong Kong Island from then on.
However, what Huang Lixing hadn’t expected was that, just as the market was about to close that afternoon, he actually received a call from Li Futiao.
“Ring, ring, ring…”
Hearing the phone ring, Huang Lixing answered immediately.
“Huang Lixing of the Qinglong Hall speaking. Who’s this?”
“Mr. Huang, this is Zhou Xinghua. The Chairman wants to speak with you!”
Hearing the voice on the other end, Huang Lixing immediately stiffened and hurriedly replied, “Alright!”
Then, Chairman Li’s cool yet slightly authoritative voice came through the line: “Hall Master Huang, I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“No… no, Mr. Li, please just tell me what you need!” Huang Lixing replied respectfully.
“It’s hardly an order. I heard that Mr. Li Yi didn’t go to the exchange this afternoon, so I wanted to ask about the situation.”
Huang Lixing quickly replied, “To be honest, my brother trades stocks differently from others. As for when he plans to make a move or when he intends to close out his positions, I have absolutely no idea.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, then Chairman Li spoke again: “Then do you know what the Hang Seng Index is at right now?”
“Well… I’m not entirely sure!”
“It’s already dropped to 1,645 points. That means you’ve made 600 million in just one afternoon. Why don’t you give Mr. Li Yi a heads-up?”
Huang Lixing’s mouth fell open; he was genuinely stunned by the news.
Earning 600 million in a single afternoon!
Good grief, the fortune he’d built up over a lifetime of risking his neck on Hong Kong Island wasn’t even as much as what this guy had made in half a day!
It took Huang Lixing quite a while to come to his senses, and he finally said, “Mr. Li, my brother is quite reliable when it comes to business. He doesn’t need me to remind him!”
“Master Huang, I’d like to know the identity of this Mr. Li Yi. Would you be so kind as to share a few details?”
Hearing Li Futao’s words, Huang Lixing fell silent.
After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Li.”
Li Futiao was no fool; he immediately understood what Huang Lixing meant. He, too, fell silent.
The two sat there on opposite ends of the phone line, neither speaking, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.
After a long while, Li Futiao’s voice came through the phone again: “Hall Master Huang, is that Mr. Li Yi really worth all this trouble?”
“You know very well that if the Li family so desires, not only would a mere Hall Master like you be wiped out, but the entire Qinglong Society could be reduced to ashes overnight!”
“It’s worth it! Brother Li Yi saved my life, my wife’s life, and my daughter’s life. I cannot betray him!” Huang Lixing said with unwavering resolve.
“Very well, Hall Master Huang, you’ve truly impressed me. Rest assured, I have no intention of targeting Mr. Li Yi, much less you!”
Hearing this, Huang Lixing felt a slight sense of relief.
He believed that a man of Chairman Li’s stature wouldn’t deceive him over something like this.
Just then, Li Futiao’s voice came through the receiver again: “Please pass a message to Mr. Li Yi for me: I’m inviting him to the Li family estate tomorrow evening. Hall Master Huang, you’re welcome to join us as well!”
“Alright, I’ll pass the message on to Brother Li Yi!”
“Hmm, then I’ll look forward to welcoming you and Mr. Li tomorrow!”
“Alright!”
After hanging up the phone, Huang Lixing realized his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
Facing off against a heavyweight like Chairman Li was simply too much pressure.
He slumped in his chair and took a long moment to catch his breath before calling out toward the door, “Ah Biao, get the car ready immediately. We’re heading to the Mid-Hill Villa!”
“Yes!”
………..
PS: I had to go to the hospital today, so things ran a bit late. Please forgive the delay!