The next morning!
When Li Yi woke up in the guest room, he realized it was already past eight o’clock.
Realizing he had things to do today, he immediately got dressed and got out of bed.
However, just as he was about to head to the bathroom with his hair still a mess, he stepped out of the guest room and saw three people—two men and a woman—sitting in the living room.
Upon seeing them, Li Yi realized they must be the people his father-in-law had mentioned the night before.
He hadn’t expected them to arrive so early, which made him feel a bit awkward.
“I’m really sorry for the inconvenience—I overslept!”
Then Li Yi added, “Please wait a moment, I’ll just wash my face and be right with you!”
Seeing Li Yi like this, the group couldn’t help but smile.
They had assumed that someone who had caused such a stir on Hong Kong Island must be a young prodigy with a cold demeanor and a serious, unsmiling air.
They never expected him to be such an ordinary young man—it was truly beyond their expectations.
Soon, Li Yi finished washing up and returned to the living room.
He sat down directly on the sofa opposite them and, before they could speak, said, “I’m Li Yi. I’m sure you’ve all seen my background information. Please introduce yourselves so I know which departments you’re from!”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was secretly taken aback.
What an impressive young man—he’d taken the initiative right off the bat. No wonder he’d been such a force to be reckoned with on the field; he was truly extraordinary.
A middle-aged man at the head of the group spoke first: “Hello, Comrade Li Yi. My name is Zhou Rui, and I’m a division chief at the Security Bureau!”
“Hello, Director Zhou!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the middle-aged man to his side spoke up: “Hello, Comrade Li Yi. My name is Xu Xinmao, and I’m a section chief at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. This is my assistant, Yang Qian!”
Li Yi nodded and said, “My father-in-law mentioned the purpose of your visit in general terms, but since he isn’t a professional in finance or accounting, his explanation wasn’t very clear. I’d appreciate it if you could explain your purpose in more detail.”
Zhou Rui immediately replied, “Comrade Li Yi, our people happened to notice your investment activities on Hong Kong Island. Upon learning that you’re from our country, they passed the information back. After investigating, we discovered that you’re actually an investment genius…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi said calmly, “Comrade Zhou, please don’t flatter me. Let’s be straightforward—what exactly is your purpose in seeking me out?”
Zhou Rui paused briefly, then said, “The country is short on foreign exchange. We hope you can lend a hand!”
“How do you want me to help?” Li Yi asked.
Zhou Rui replied immediately, “Actually, our initial plan was to have you convert all the money you earned in Hong Kong into US dollars and deposit it into an account we specify, and we would then give you the equivalent amount in RMB. But Secretary Jiang rejected that idea, saying it would be unfair to you!”
“So now we’d like to discuss with you whether you could help the country manage a sum of funds. You can name your terms!”
Li Yi never imagined the higher-ups had actually considered such a plan before. On the surface, it might seem like no big deal—just exchanging money with the state.
But in reality, it was far from that. Everyone in the country knew just how tight foreign exchange reserves were right now.
Officially, the exchange rate for RMB to USD is 1:1.53, but on the black market, one US dollar can easily fetch 10 yuan.
However, if the government were to exchange the funds in his possession, they certainly wouldn’t calculate the value based on the black market rate.
More importantly, given the current business climate in the country, what could he possibly do with tens of billions of yuan in his hands?
Apart from putting himself and the entire Jiang family in danger, there is absolutely no benefit to be had.
Fortunately, his father-in-law was a sensible man and flatly refused this unreasonable demand on his behalf.
“How much capital did the higher-ups ask me to invest on their behalf?” Li Yi asked in a low voice.
At that moment, Xu Xinmao, who had remained silent until then, replied, “10 million!”
“US dollars, Hong Kong dollars, or our own money?”
“Our money!”
Li Yi looked at him and said, “So you’re saying this money comes from your Foreign Exchange Bureau, and then I’ll be in charge of managing it—is that right?”
“Yes!”
Li Yi paused briefly, then said, “First, I want to clarify one thing: exactly which department do you represent—the Security Bureau, the Foreign Exchange Bureau, or perhaps an even higher authority?”
“Does it matter?” Zhou Rui asked, puzzled.
“Of course it makes a difference. If you’re only representing your respective departments, then I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”
“Why?”
“The lie is that investing carries risks, so proceed with caution; my capabilities are limited, and I cannot shoulder such a heavy responsibility!” Li Yi said calmly.
Zhou Rui asked with interest, “And what’s the truth?”
“Your vision is too narrow. A ten-million-yuan investment isn’t worth my time,” Li Yi said.
Zhou Rui smiled and said, “So how much would you consider a ‘big enough scale’ to be worth your time?”
Li Yi glanced at Xu Xinmao beside him and said, “Director Xu, how much foreign exchange does your bureau currently hold?”
“That… that’s a state secret. I’m afraid I can’t disclose that!” Xu Xinmao said, looking slightly awkward.
“Actually, even without you saying, I can guess pretty accurately. It’s between 10 and 15 billion US dollars at most, with 12 or 13 billion being the most likely!” Li Yi said.
Li Yi wasn’t just making this up off the top of his head. As far as he knew, the country’s foreign exchange reserves in 1980 were only 1.24 billion.
In fact, throughout the entire 1980s, the country’s foreign exchange reserves never exceeded 10 billion US dollars.
To encourage foreign exchange earnings, China still implemented a system of retaining a portion of foreign exchange from both trade and non-trade activities.
Under this system, local governments, departments, and enterprises that generated foreign exchange were allowed to retain a certain percentage of their earnings to import the materials and technology needed for production and operations. In his previous life, Li Yi had certainly taken full advantage of this loophole.
So, judging by the current situation, the country’s foreign exchange reserves are likely at this level—not much more.
Xu Xinmao hadn’t expected Li Yi to be so spot-on with his guess; for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
Zhou Rui understood the implication from Xu Xinmao’s expression and immediately said, “Comrade Li Yi, just come out and say it—how much would it take to get you to step in?”
“I won’t make things difficult for you. If you want me to step in, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange needs to put up 200 million US dollars. Without that, I’m not interested!” Li Yi said.
“Whoa!”
Hearing this, everyone present couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
Wow, this young man really has some nerve.
That’s 200 million US dollars—equivalent to one-sixth of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange’s foreign exchange reserves. If something went wrong, who knows how many heads would roll.
“Comrade Li Yi, will you really only step in for 200 million US dollars?”
“Yes!”
“Then how can you guarantee the safety of those two hundred million dollars?”
“If you’re so timid and indecisive, why even bother asking me?”
Then, Li Yi sighed and said, “Fine. I guess that’s what comes with being a patriotic young man. Tell the higher-ups: if this two hundred million is lost or goes bad, I, Li Yi, will personally cover the losses—but I have conditions!”
“What conditions? Please state them.”
“First, the management contract must not exceed three years. After three years, we’ll renegotiate the terms!”
Li Yi continued, “Second, I won’t take a single cent of the profits generated by this investment. However, once policies allow it, I intend to do business domestically, and the higher-ups must provide me with the necessary support!”
Zhou Rui replied immediately, “We’ll need to consult our superiors on this matter!”
“Fine, but you don’t have much time. My investment initiative has already begun—if you wait any longer, you’ll miss out on the opportunity!” Li Yi said.
“How about we give you an answer within three days?”
“I’ll give you one day at most!” Li Yi said.
“Alright! We won’t keep you any longer!”
With that, Zhou Rui, Xu Xinmao, and the others stood up and headed for the door!