Guangzhou, Lianhua Pier!
Although it was already around five or six in the afternoon, the port here was still bustling with activity, and ships were coming and going in a steady stream.
At that moment, a passenger ship slowly entered the harbor and docked alongside the pier.
Immediately afterward, escorted by a squad of bodyguards in black, Li Yi stepped off the ship.
That’s right—Li Yi had returned to Yangcheng.
Upon learning there was another ferry bound for Yangcheng at 5:00 p.m., Li Yi headed straight for the port after his meeting, without even stopping by the Yunding Villa District.
The reason he was in such a hurry to return to Yangcheng was not only to see his wife and child but also because he had very important matters to attend to.
After leaving the port, Li Yi immediately had two taxis hailed, then headed straight for the provincial committee compound where his father-in-law resided.
Just as Li Yi and his group arrived, Jiang Shiying had just returned home.
Exhausted, he had just taken off his coat when he heard a commotion in the courtyard. Looking closely, he saw his son-in-law Li Yi leading Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and others as they walked in from outside.
Seeing this, Jiang Shiying immediately went out to greet them.
As soon as they met, Jiang Shiying said cheerfully, “When did you get back from there? Why didn’t you give me a heads-up?”
“I just flew back to Hong Kong this morning, so I came back this afternoon!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“I had a bite to eat before leaving, so I’m not really hungry!”
Then, as they walked and chatted, they soon arrived at the house.
Once inside, Li Yi immediately turned to Zhang Ziqiang and said, “Go contact Comrade Zhou Rui right now and tell him to come over as soon as possible!”
“Yes, sir!”
After Zhang Ziqiang left, Jiang Shiying promptly called Li Yi up to the study on the second floor, while Zhou Wen and the others tactfully remained in the living room on the first floor.
As soon as they entered the study, Jiang Shiying couldn’t wait to ask, “I read in the newspaper that you made four or five billion dollars working for Thief Eagle. Is that true?”
“You know about this too, Dad?”
“I did, but I can’t quite believe it’s true. Money isn’t that easy to make…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi cut in, “It’s true, but it’s more than that!”
“More than what… Do you mean more than four or fifty billion dollars?”
“That’s right. This time, we made a good sixty-plus billion US dollars over there with the Thieves’ Eagle!” Li Yi said.
“Whoa! That much? How did you pull it off? That’s absolutely mind-blowing!”
Li Yi smiled and immediately began telling his father-in-law about the gold futures short-selling operation.
It took nearly an hour, but he finally finished explaining the whole story.
After listening to Li Yi’s account, Jiang Shiying was utterly stunned.
He had always thought his son-in-law was capable of making waves in Hong Kong, and that his abilities were already quite formidable, but he never imagined that he could even navigate the waters of a superpower like the United States with such ease.
After a long pause, Jiang Shiying finally spoke up: “So, out of those more than 6 billion US dollars in profits, how much did you actually get?”
Li Yi thought for a moment and replied, “I’ll end up with about 3 billion.”
Li Yi had already done a rough calculation of how much he stood to make from this trip to New York. The over 800 million US dollars earned from the Green Brothers firm, plus the 180 million made on the NASDAQ stock market—neither of which involved the company—were undoubtedly his to keep.
That single source of income alone totaled over 1 billion US dollars.
Then there was the 510 million commission from Huang Lixing and Li Futiao—that was his as well, with no need to share it with anyone.
Of the remaining 3.78 billion, 962 million belongs to the state—that money has nothing to do with him—while the remaining 2.8 billion belongs to the company and all the investors.
After distributing the proceeds to other investors according to their respective shares, Li Yi stands to receive approximately 1.5 billion. Therefore, he will claim roughly half of the 6 billion USD in net profit generated by this New York venture.
As for whether it’s exactly half or slightly more—that depends on the final calculations!
“3 billion… dollars!”
To be honest, Jiang Shiying really didn’t know how to describe the shock he felt inside.
At that moment, he couldn’t help but recall the statistical report submitted by Guangdong Province’s statistics department not long ago: the province had generated a GDP of 30 billion yuan over the past year—equivalent to roughly 15 billion US dollars—representing a year-on-year increase of 25%.
Yet his son-in-law had earned 3 billion US dollars in just two short months—equivalent to one-fifth of the province’s annual GDP.
More importantly, the country was currently in desperate need of foreign exchange. On the black market, one US dollar could easily be exchanged for 10 yuan.
Therefore, the 3 billion US dollars earned by his son-in-law is no less valuable than the 30 billion yuan generated domestically.
In other words, just one of their sons-in-law, accompanied by a few team members, made a quick trip to the U.S. and brought back a sum equivalent to what tens of millions of people in Guangdong Province earn through a year of hard work!
Is there anything in the world more staggering than this?
Perhaps there is, but Jiang Shiying couldn’t think of anything!
“With all this money, how do you plan to spend it?” Jiang Shiying asked.
“I haven’t decided exactly how to spend it yet, but most likely I’ll bring it back to invest in China!” Li Yi replied.
“Investing back home is a good thing. By the way, aren’t you going back over there this time?”
Li Yi wasn’t sure if his father-in-law was referring to the U.S. or Hong Kong, so he replied, “I won’t be going to the U.S. for now, but I still need to make a trip to Hong Kong!”
“You have to go there? So, this time you’re back…”
Before his father-in-law could finish his question, Li Yi cut in: “I’m back mainly for two reasons. First, to get in touch with the higher-ups and hand over the profits from this deal.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiying’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, “How much will the state get this time?”
“The profit is around 960 million. Including the principal, it’s roughly 1.3 to 1.4 billion!”
“In US dollars?”
“That’s right!”
“That’s quite an achievement! It looks like your second uncle has a chance to move up this time!” Jiang Shiying said.
Li Yi smiled and said, “It would take over a billion US dollars just to get my second uncle promoted one rank—that’s a huge loss for us!”
Jiang Shiying shook his head and said, “You’re the one who earned this merit. The government certainly won’t attribute all of it to the Jiang family. Your eldest uncle and second uncle are just tagging along. I’m sure the government won’t shortchange you!”
“Dad, there’s no need to say more about this—we all understand!”
Then Li Yi continued, “The second reason I’ve come back this time is to take Xiaoxue and the kids to Hong Kong!”
“To Hong Kong? Are you planning to have them settle there?”
“No. Last time I was back, I made plans with Xiaoxue to take her to Hong Kong for a visit once she’s on vacation, so she can see the world!” Li Yi replied.
“A short trip is fine, but if you plan to send Xiaoxue and the kids to live abroad long-term, you’ll need permission from the higher-ups!” Jiang Shiying said.
“Dad, we’re not doing that whole ‘make money and then run off overseas’ thing. Taking Xiaoxue and the kids over there is mainly to broaden their horizons, and to give Xiaoxue a chance to learn about the family business!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Alright. Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to explain the situation to the higher-ups?”
“No need. I’ll talk to Director Zhou when he arrives. Since they’re part of the National Security Department, this kind of matter falls under their jurisdiction—it’s more appropriate for them to handle it than for you to get involved,” Li Yi said.
“That does make sense!”
Then Jiang Shiying added, “Should you give Xiaoxue a call so they can make some preparations in advance?”
“There’s no rush to call. I was thinking of asking Xiao Xue to bring my older sister and my mother along when she comes this time. What do you think?”
“It’s up to you. I have no objections,” Jiang Shiying replied.
“In that case, should I have Xiao Xue notify my mother, or should you, Dad, give her a call?”
Jiang Shiying was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Li Yi and asked, “When you say ‘my mother,’ are you referring to Yun’er, not Grandma Yunrui?”
Li Yi immediately realized his father-in-law had misunderstood. He smiled and said, “I mean her maternal grandmother. My mother and my second sister are staying in Beijing to help prepare for my third sister’s wedding, so they won’t be coming over!”
“Then I’ll ask Yun’er and see if she’d like to come!”
“Alright…”
Just as they were speaking, a rush of footsteps came from downstairs, followed by Zhang Ziqiang’s voice calling from outside the door: “Brother Yi, Zhou Chu is here!”
“Got it, I’ll be right down!”
With that, the father-in-law and son-in-law brought their conversation to a close…
………