In the conference room, Yang Qian saw everyone’s eyes on her and immediately stood up.
She took a deep breath and shared her assessment: “I believe this surge in international gold prices will last at least three months, and the peak won’t stop at $400—it should reach at least $550, or even higher!”
“Whoosh!”
The moment she spoke, it sparked a flurry of discussion among the other employees in the conference room.
Mainly because Yang Qian’s idea was simply too unbelievable. According to her, that meant the price of gold would double within three months—how could that be possible!
“Tell us your reasoning!” Lan Xinyi said.
Yang Qian replied immediately, “I have two reasons. First, I don’t believe the current surge in international gold prices is entirely due to people’s fears of currency devaluation—that’s just one factor. The other, more significant reason is concern over the international situation…”
“Wait, what exactly do you mean by ‘concerns about the international situation’?” Lan Xinyi asked.
Yang Qian didn’t answer Lan Xinyi’s question; instead, she asked one of her own: “Does anyone here remember what the peak price of gold was last year?”
“$790 per ounce!”
“Do you all remember how that peak was reached?”
Before anyone could answer, Yang Qian continued, “Last year’s gold price peak occurred three months after the Bear Alliance’s massive military exercises. It was precisely because, upon learning of those exercises, everyone in the West became deeply concerned about the international situation—which is why they rushed to invest in gold, causing the price to skyrocket.”
“Now, relations between the US and the Bear Alliance are growing increasingly tense, especially in recent months, with both sides on the brink of conflict. This is another reason for the soaring gold prices.”
Lan Xinyi nodded and said, “Go on!”
“Price fluctuations in commodities caused by the international situation usually subside as the situation stabilizes, so it’s inevitable that gold prices will fall again. However, this process generally takes time—it won’t happen in just ten days or a couple of weeks.”
Yang Qian continued, “As for inflation, although this is a cyclical fluctuation in the Thief Eagle’s domestic economy, they’ve become quite adept at handling such situations—it’s second nature to them.”
“But you must understand that the operation of a national economy isn’t as immediate as household decision-making; it doesn’t yield instant results. It usually involves a process. So, all things considered, this gold price rally will last at least three months!”
As a key staff member of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Yang Qian’s competence was beyond question.
After all, the SAFE monitors the U.S. dollar and gold on a daily basis, so they pay close attention to fluctuations in gold prices and have their own assessments.
After hearing Yang Qian’s analysis, Lan Xinyi was deeply impressed. She was genuinely surprised that this employee, who exuded such a modest demeanor, possessed such insight.
No wonder her brother had told her to pay special attention to this woman, even mentioning that she was someone the boss had personally requested be hired—she certainly had some real talent.
“Do you think the price of gold will reach $550 an ounce?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“Gold’s intrinsic value is far higher than its current low price; it should be between five and six hundred dollars. The reason for the decline isn’t market forces, but the result of the ‘Eagle’ using its power to intervene,” Yang Qian replied.
In fact, the surge in gold prices can be traced back to the late 1970s. In 1978, crude oil prices soared to $30 per barrel, and the price of gold rose from $130 to $244; just one year later, it skyrocketed again to $500.
At the same time, inflation in the U.S. had surged past 12%. By the first two trading days of January 1980, the price of gold had skyrocketed to $634 per ounce.
In response, then-Treasury Secretary Miller announced that the Treasury would cease selling gold. Within 30 minutes, the price surged by $30 to $715, and on January 21, it hit a new high of $850.
The sky-high gold price had already impacted the U.S.’s financial security and undermined the dollar’s status.
Left with no choice, President Carter was forced to step in to suppress the gold market, stating that he would do whatever it took to maintain the United States’ global standing.
By the close of trading on the day of his speech, gold prices had fallen by $50, and within just a few days, they had plummeted by $145, marking the end of the first major gold bull market of the modern era.
Lan Xinyi nodded in satisfaction and clapped her hands enthusiastically!
Seeing this, the others immediately joined in.
For a moment, thunderous applause filled the conference room.
As the applause subsided, Lan Xinyi spoke again: “Now that everyone agrees that gold prices will continue to rise in the short term, from this moment on, all newly raised funds will be invested in the gold market. As for when to pull out, we’ll discuss that later. Meeting adjourned!”
After the meeting, Lan Xinyi returned to her office and dialed Huang Lixing’s number…
………
The city lights began to twinkle as night fell!
When Li Yi woke up, it was already 9:00 p.m.
The room was pitch-black and empty, but from next door came the faint sounds of adults chatting and children crying.
Shaking his throbbing, aching head, Li Yi couldn’t help but let out a wry smile; he had known this would happen even before going to the restaurant.
And that was only because Old Liang, Wang Anguo, and Li Gang had gone easy on him—while others drank full cups, they’d let him take just a tiny sip.
But even so, he was the first to pass out—he didn’t even know when he’d gotten home!
He turned on the light, took off his sweat-soaked shirt and undershirt, and was just about to head out when he saw Zhang Ziqiang push the door open and walk in.
“There’s rice in the pot. Want some?”
Li Yi nodded and immediately went to the kitchen, lifting the lid off the pot.
He saw a small pot of hot congee and a few white flour pancakes; there was nothing else.
But for Li Yi, who had just woken up from a hangover, millet porridge was the best thing—it was gentle on the stomach!
He grabbed a large bowl, filled it with porridge, and crouched down by the stove to eat!
Watching Li Yi eat so ungracefully, Zhang Ziqiang couldn’t help but smile.
Who would have believed that the man standing before him was a billionaire worth a fortune? He looked every bit the spirited young man from the countryside!
Before long, Li Yi had polished off nearly half the pot of millet porridge.
But just as he was about to head to the next room to spend some time with his parents and family, a blinding beam of light suddenly shone through the front gate, followed by the roar of a car engine.
In no time, a jeep pulled up right in front of his house.
Seeing this, Li Yi immediately stepped out of the house with Zhang Ziqiang. Just as they reached the center of the courtyard, they saw a figure rushing in.
In the light streaming from the house, Li Yi recognized the figure as Li Gang.
Seeing that Li Yi was already awake, Li Gang breathed a slight sigh of relief. He knew Li Yi’s drinking capacity all too well and had genuinely worried that the guy might still be drunk when he arrived—that would have been a real hassle.
“Hey, why are you running over here in the middle of the night?” Li Yi asked, somewhat surprised.
“Do you think I wanted to come? It’s all because of you!”
Li Gang continued, “Half an hour ago, I suddenly got a call from Director Jiang in Beijing, telling me to come here immediately and tell you to call your father-in-law right away!”
Hearing this, Li Yi froze for a moment, then hurriedly asked, “Did he say what it was about?”
“He didn’t say, but he sounded pretty urgent!”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Alright, hold on a moment. I’ll let my family know, and then we’ll head to the county seat!”
“Okay…”
……….?