Chapter 668: The Green Brothers Company Pulls Out!

The impact of the Fed’s rate hike was massive, and its effect on the gold futures market was nothing short of catastrophic!

By the close of trading on the 23rd, the price of futures contracts on the New York gold futures market had plummeted to $32,000 per contract, equivalent to $320 per ounce.

This represented a drop of over fifty dollars from the opening price that morning.

The downward trend in prices did not come as a surprise to Li Yi, but what did surprise him was that Reggie Green—who had long been planning to cut his losses and pull out—actually held his ground in the face of such low prices.

In Li Yi’s view, once the gold price hit $320 per ounce, Reggie Green’s personality suggested he would almost certainly pull out.

However, although the guy was itching to act, he ultimately held back—which really made Li Yi look at him with newfound respect.

At this stage, Reggie Green’s performance had already left Zhou Yang quite satisfied.

He could now entrust the company to his management with peace of mind.

If he’d kept a closer eye on things, perhaps the Green Brothers Company wouldn’t have followed in the footsteps of its predecessor and gone bankrupt.

But Li Yi knew it was still too early to dwell on that.

The immediate priority was to successfully complete this investment and secure those billions of dollars in profits!

The next day, the impact of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike continued to be felt!

On the New York gold futures market, prices fell steadily from the moment trading opened this morning.

Although the rate of decline was much slower than yesterday’s, by 2:00 p.m., the price had still fallen to $302.

Just as Li Yi was waiting for the price to officially break below the $300 mark, Reggie Green approached him with the idea of closing out the position.

Li Yi didn’t say much in response, but told him to decide for himself!

Although closing out the position now might result in significant losses, Li Yi didn’t stop Reggie Green, because he knew full well that the future of the Green Brothers Company depended on Reggie Green, not him.

He could stop him this time, but what about next time?

He couldn’t stay in New York every moment, so Reggie Green would be the one making decisions most of the time; taking a small loss now might not be a bad thing.

Besides, in Li Yi’s view, it was already remarkable that Reggie Green had managed to get this far—after all, not everyone shared his insight into the broader trends and the inevitable outcome.

Seeing that Li Yi didn’t intervene, Reggie Green immediately ordered his team to begin quietly buying up futures contracts on the market.

As Green Brothers increased the volume of their futures contract purchases, the market finally caught on. When they bought 150,000 contracts at $30,200, the price of the futures contracts—which had been falling—finally stopped its decline!

Immediately afterward, the price began to rise slowly.

By the time the New York market closed that afternoon, the price of futures contracts had recovered to $30,800 per contract.

By this point, the Green Brothers had purchased 210,000 futures contracts, still more than halfway short of the 456,000 contracts they needed to return to the institutions.

On the morning of December 25, Green Brothers suspended the purchase of futures contracts!

This was because Reggie Green had received word the previous afternoon that prices in Chicago had fallen below the $300-per-ounce threshold.

The reason prices in New York had rebounded against the trend was entirely due to his company’s actions.

Therefore, he immediately ordered his team to suspend the acquisition plan to gauge the market’s reaction.

Sure enough, without Green Brothers as a disruptive force, futures contracts on the New York gold futures market began to decline slowly once again.

However, some traders remained on the sidelines, so the price did not fall rapidly.

Yet, as the morning wore on, no one made any large-scale purchases of these futures contracts. When the afternoon session opened, the price of gold futures contracts plummeted once again.

By around 3:00 p.m., the price of a 100-ounce gold futures contract had fallen to $30,000.

Seeing this, Reggie Green immediately ordered his team to strike again, buying up these futures contracts on a massive scale.

In less than an hour, the Green Brothers Company had once again swept up 200,000 futures contracts from the market.

At this point, they were just over 40,000 contracts short of the 456,000 contracts needed for delivery.

However, as a result of their actions, the price of gold futures contracts on the New York market rebounded to $30,500 per contract.

Meanwhile, over 1,200 kilometers away in Chicago, the price of gold futures contracts had plummeted to $28,600 per contract.

If futures contracts from the Chicago gold futures market could be delivered in New York, Reggie Green would have considered buying them up in Chicago.

Fortunately, only a few tens of thousands of contracts remained—regardless of the price, there weren’t many left!

So, as soon as the market opened on December 26, Reggie Green issued an order to continue buying gold futures contracts, filling the remaining 40,000-plus contracts so they could be delivered.

With the Green Brothers’ aggressive intervention, the New York gold futures market saw a small rally early in the morning, with prices soaring all the way to $30,900 per contract.

However, once the Green Brothers had acquired all the futures contracts needed for delivery, there were no other major buyers in the market, and the price began to fall slowly again.

By the time the market closed in the afternoon, the price had fallen back to $30,400 per contract!

Meanwhile, gold prices in Chicago continued to fall today, with the price of a 100-ounce gold futures contract dropping to $28,000 per contract.

………

Wall Street. Green Brothers Headquarters!

In the large conference room, all of the company’s executives gathered once again.

Although it was already past quitting time, not a single person complained about the company encroaching on their personal time; everyone’s faces were beaming with excitement.

“Thump, thump…”

The sound of leather shoes hitting the floor echoed through the room, and then the conference room door swung open.

In walked the company’s president, Reggie Green, along with Vice President Li Yi and China Unicom’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Marshall.

Seeing this, the employees who had been whispering to one another just moments ago tactfully fell silent!

Reggie Green, Li Yi, and the others made their way to the conference table and took their seats.

Reggie Green then spoke up: “Ladies and gentlemen, we successfully completed the settlement this afternoon. For this short position on gold, we invested a total of $2.084 billion, utilized 10x leverage, borrowed 456,000 gold futures contracts, and sold them at $44,800 per contract.”

“And today, we purchased the same number of gold futures contracts at $30,600 per contract and successfully settled the trade. After deducting exchange fees, transaction costs, and institutional funding fees, this investment yielded a total profit of $6.168 billion…”

“Clap, clap, clap…”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the entire conference room erupted in thunderous applause!

As the applause died down, Reggie Green spoke again: “Ladies and gentlemen, the success of this investment is owed to one person: our Vice President, Mr. Li Yi. Without his support, we might have missed this rare opportunity. Please give our dear Li a round of the warmest applause!”

“Clap, clap, clap…”

The conference room erupted in enthusiastic applause once more!

After delivering these formal remarks, Reggie Green began discussing profit distribution and employee incentives with the group.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the conference room grew electric…

………

December 23rd. The atmosphere on Wall Street today was somewhat somber and oppressive.

This was because the Federal Reserve had announced yesterday that it would make a major policy adjustment this morning.

In fact, for well-connected financial groups, it was already common knowledge what policy the Fed intended to adjust.

And for those familiar with the Fed’s operations, the answer was not hard to deduce.

After all, the Fed’s policy adjustments boil down to either raising or lowering interest rates to inject liquidity. Given the current persistently high inflation, a rate cut to inject liquidity was clearly unlikely, leaving a rate hike as the only option.

Consequently, even before today’s press conference has begun, a sense of unease has already gripped Wall Street.

For ordinary people, whether the Fed raises or lowers interest rates has little impact; in fact, most people are actually happy to see a rate hike.

This is because a Fed rate hike not only increases interest income on people’s savings but also effectively curbs high inflation and lowers the cost of living.

However, for financial institutions, a Fed rate hike spells a harsh winter—or even a disaster.

After all, when deposit and loan interest rates rise, it not only means their cost of capital increases significantly, but also that more people will prefer to deposit their money in banks to earn interest rather than invest it in financial markets.

With fewer “small investors” around, those who prey on them naturally panic!

All this negative news has been reflected in the stock and futures markets.

As soon as the market opened today, major indices such as the Nasdaq, the Dow Jones, and the futures market all saw a general decline, with most stock prices falling—albeit to varying degrees.

No one is naive. The Federal Reserve has already completed two rounds of interest rate hikes. Although the current benchmark rate isn’t particularly high, continued increases will inevitably affect the market’s overall outlook.

To avoid losses or simply out of fear of being trapped in losing positions, there are quite a few investors looking to cash out.

It was against this chaotic and unfavorable backdrop that the Federal Reserve’s press conference officially began at 10:00 a.m.

Under the gaze of hundreds of media outlets, Federal Reserve Chairman Volcker said with a stern expression, “Following the decision of the Federal Open Market Committee, the federal funds rate is hereby raised effective immediately. The target range is raised by 25 basis points to between 5.75% and 6.0%…”

As Volcker’s words were broadcast live on television, they instantly shattered any remaining hopes among investors.

However, what was even more unexpected was that when reporters at the scene asked Volcker the routine question, “Will this be the Federal Reserve’s last rate hike?” his response sent the entire market into a panic.

“Given the resilience of the domestic economy in the first half of the year and the stickiness of inflation, the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility of raising rates at two consecutive meetings, with the earliest potential resumption of rate hikes coming as early as January next year…”

As soon as this news broke, Wall Street was hit like a hurricane. Major indices were in shambles, with the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all plummeting sharply.

This is actually easy to understand: all investors enter the stock market for the same reason—to make money.

But with deposit interest rates so high right now, why invest in the stock market at all? It’s much safer to just put the money in the bank.

With fewer people participating, the entire market has shrunk—so of course the various metrics are going to drop!

Of course, not everyone is crying in the bathroom; there’s a small group of people who are actually happier the worse the market gets.

Take Li Yi, for example, or Reggie Green!

………

New York. The gold futures market!

In the luxurious VIP lounge, all the executives from the Green Brothers Company were present; anyone unaware might have thought the company had moved its headquarters to the futures market.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room was still somewhat tense.

Although international gold prices had dropped by two dollars at the opening of the market today, this slight decline had little impact on the overall market.

After all, over the past few days, international gold prices had not only stopped falling but had actually risen significantly against the trend—reaching as high as $378—due to the withdrawal of a large number of short-selling institutions.

No one could guarantee that gold prices wouldn’t rise again in the next moment.

Just then, the door to the VIP room swung open.

Immediately, George rushed in from outside and, looking excited, exclaimed to Reggie Green and Li Yi, “Boss, the Fed raised rates—international gold prices have plummeted!”

As soon as he said this, everyone in the room erupted in a deafening cheer!

As company employees, everyone knew they were all in the same boat—their fortunes were inextricably linked.

If the company’s investment failed this time, not only would the bosses, Reggie Green and Li Yi, be in trouble, but they wouldn’t fare well either.

At best, they’d face pay cuts; at worst, the company would go bankrupt, and they’d have to look for new jobs.

Reggie Green was equally excited. He stood up and asked, “George, what’s the current international gold price?”

“$375 per ounce!”

George continued, “And some market participants have already adjusted the price of futures contracts to $36,800 per contract!”

Hearing this, everyone erupted in cheers once more.

Reggie Green could hardly contain his excitement. He hurried over to Li Yi and said with a trembling voice, “Dear Li, we bet right… we won…”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Green, calm down. You’re the company president—you need to keep a clear head no matter how big the stakes are!”

“You’re right, but I can’t help myself…”

“No, you must stay calm, because this is just the beginning. Barring any surprises, the gold price today will likely drop to around $320!”

“Whoa!”

Hearing this, Reggie Green forced himself to stay calm; he understood what Li Yi meant.

If the international gold price really did drop to $320, he would have to seriously consider whether to cut his losses and pull out.

After all, that price was already low enough—it was practically at rock bottom!

“Li, if the gold price drops to $320 per ounce, will you pull out?” Reggie Green asked in a low voice.

“No!” Li Yi said with absolute certainty.

“That’s $320, you know. Aren’t you afraid the price might rebound?”

“I told you a few days ago—my target range is $270 to $300. I won’t close my positions until the international gold price drops below $300!” Li Yi said.

“Li, you really are a crazy investor!” Reggie Green said with a look of admiration.

Having been in the investment world for so many years, Reggie Green had seen plenty of crazy investors, but most of them only went crazy after losing money.

But Li Yi was different. He wasn’t the kind of gambler who went mad after losing; he was genuinely crazy!

Li Yi smiled but said nothing!

He knew that to outsiders, his behavior did indeed look crazy—it was pure gambler’s logic, and the all-in kind at that.

But Li Yi didn’t see it that way. As he’d told you before, not knowing the outcome is gambling; knowing the outcome is investing!

Since he knew the outcome, what was there left to hesitate about?

In any case, he had already decided to wait it out; now it was up to Reggie Green to see if he had the guts to stick with it.

Of course, if the international gold price really did drop to $320 per ounce and Reggie Green decided not to follow through and wanted to pull out, Li Yi wouldn’t stop him.

They say the master leads you to the door, but it’s up to you to walk through it.

He’s made his position perfectly clear. If Reggie Green still doesn’t have the guts to stick with it, he has no one but himself to blame…

……….

Watching Reggie Green walk away, Li Yi fell deep in thought!

As expected, the Federal Reserve’s third round of interest rate hikes would begin in three days.

Following the Fed’s rate hike, international gold prices would plummet over the next few days, breaking through the $300 mark in just a short span and eventually settling around $275.

This price level marked the true bottom, and it would remain there for several years before recovering to around $300.

So Li Yi decided that as soon as the international gold price fell below $280, he would immediately close out his positions.

Now it all depends on what Reggie Green chooses to do!

If he follows my advice, there’s nothing more to say—he’ll certainly make an extra few billion dollars.

But if Reggie Green insists on his own way and wants to close out his positions immediately to cash out, Li Yi won’t stand in his way.

Although this would cost him a fortune, Li Yi believed it would teach Reggie Green a lesson, showing him just how severe the consequences of ignoring his advice could be.

Li Yi believes that after this painful lesson, Reggie Green will be much more cautious about his own decisions in the future.

In Li Yi’s view, this might be even more valuable and meaningful than making an extra few billion dollars.

This isn’t Li Yi being overly sentimental; rather, he knows that in the future, under Reggie Green’s leadership, the Green Brothers will overcome every obstacle and grow the company’s market value to $800 billion in less than 20 years.

Based on his shareholding percentage, by that time, Li Yi’s net worth from this single investment alone would exceed $260 billion.

Unfortunately, however, the company ultimately collapsed spectacularly in 2008.

All of this stemmed from Reggie Green’s own highly risky investment strategies. If this experience taught him some lessons, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for the company’s future development—it might even help prevent the company from going bankrupt.

For this very reason, Li Yi’s stance on the matter was clear: “I’ll only offer advice; as for the final decision, it’s entirely up to Reggie Green!”

With that in mind, Li Yi stopped dwelling on the matter and began planning his return home.

Calculating the time, he estimated it would take about another week to wrap up the operation.

Once the settlement is finalized, he’ll be heading back to Hong Kong Island!

However, before leaving, he had two things to take care of. The first was to pay Davis and the others the fees for the equity transfer.

He just wondered what kind of expressions Davis and the others would have when they found out that the money he was paying them came from the Green Brothers Company’s investment this time.

The second task was placing an order for the color television production line. After all, this concerned the future of the Yanjing Television Factory, so he couldn’t afford to be careless.

Therefore, before he left, he had to finalize the agreement with Corning.

After all, traveling from China to New York was such a hassle; he certainly didn’t want to make another trip.

……..

The next morning!

Li Yi had just gotten out of bed when he received a call from Reggie Green, who told him that Corning’s CEO, Pinos, was already on his way and was expected to arrive on Wall Street around 10:00 a.m. Reggie Green asked Li Yi to come to the company headquarters at that time to meet with Pinos.

After receiving Reggie Green’s call, Li Yi immediately had Li Yunbao and the others adjust their plans: they wouldn’t be going to the NASDAQ Stock Exchange today, but would instead head to the meeting with Corning’s representatives first.

After breakfast, the group left the Manhattan estate by car and headed straight for the headquarters of Green Brothers.

By the time they arrived at the company, it was already 9:00 a.m. Reggie Green was already there, holding a meeting with senior management in the conference room.

Li Yi didn’t interrupt them but instead led Li Yunbao and the others to his own office.

That’s right—his very own office!

Just three days after Li Yi signed the share transfer agreement with Davis and the others, Green Brothers held a shareholders’ meeting chaired by Reggie Green.

At the shareholders’ meeting, with Li Yi’s full support, Reggie Green was re-elected as the company’s chairman and continued to lead Green Brothers.

In return for Li Yi’s support, Reggie Green nominated him as an independent shareholder and vice chairman of the company.

Although he rarely came to the office or got involved in day-to-day operations, the company headquarters had specially prepared a luxurious office for him.

After spending a short while in the office, Li Yi saw Reggie Green walk in through the door!

“Li, I’m truly sorry—I was in a meeting just now and didn’t realize you were here!”

“No problem, go ahead with your work. Anyway, I mainly came here today to meet with the people from Corning!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Reggie Green nodded and said, “Li, we just reached a consensus on when to close the deal. We’ve decided to wait until after the Fed’s third rate hike before pulling out!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Green, congratulations on making the right decision!”

Reggie Green shook his head and said, “Li, actually, you and I are cut from the same cloth. We’re both extremely adventurous; when it comes to investing, we’re used to maximizing profits, even when we know there’s a huge risk involved!”

“Green, I understand what you mean, but I don’t agree!”

Li Yi continued, “We do have a spirit of adventure, but we’re not gamblers!”

“Isn’t that so?”

“Of course not. Gambling is betting money on an uncertain outcome while hoping for the best. But betting after knowing the outcome—that’s called investing!” Li Yi said.

Reggie Green said thoughtfully, “So, you’ve already figured out the outcome of this gold short?”

“Pretty much,” Li Yi replied vaguely.

“Then at what price do you think it would be appropriate to close the position?” Reggie Green asked.

“I think somewhere between $270 and $300 would be about right. Anyway, just follow my lead whenever I’m ready to close the position!” Li Yi said.

Since Reggie Green was so cooperative, Li Yi didn’t mind giving them a hand.

“Alright…”

Just then, Reggie Green’s secretary came in to report that the people from Corning had arrived.

Upon hearing this, Reggie Green and Li Yi immediately stood up from their chairs and went out to greet them!

There were more than a dozen representatives from Corning. In addition to the company’s president, Pinos, senior executives including Vice President Bob and Marketing Manager Curry were all present.

This alone showed just how seriously Corning took this meeting.

It was understandable, though. Corning wasn’t the only company in the U.S. with color TV production technology—there were at least twenty, if not thirty, companies across the country that possessed it.

Most importantly, everyone’s technical capabilities were roughly on par; there was no generational gap whatsoever.

In other words, whether Li Yi purchased Corning’s production line and technology or those of another brand, there wasn’t much difference—it was clearly a buyer’s market at the moment.

But for Corning, whether Li Yi buys their production line or not makes a world of difference.

Therefore, the initiative in this transaction lies entirely in Li Yi’s hands.

That said, Li Yi didn’t press the issue too hard, as this wasn’t a one-time transaction—if this collaboration went smoothly, there might be more opportunities for cooperation in the future.

Consequently, after more than an hour of talks, the two sides finally reached a consensus on key issues, including price, transportation, installation, and production commissioning.

Immediately afterward, the lawyers from both sides began drafting the agreement!

After verifying that everything was in order, Li Yi and Pinos simultaneously signed their names on the cooperation agreement…

………

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed!

Over the past month, international gold prices have continued to decline.

As of December 20, the international gold price had fallen to $376 per ounce.

This price represented a further drop of about $100 compared to a month earlier.

The continuous decline in international gold prices has allowed investors who shorted gold to make a fortune.

Not to mention early entrants like Li Yi—even latecomers like the Green Brothers Company have raked in a massive profit.

For a time, the New York gold futures market had completely become a playground for the big short sellers!

Manhattan. The Green Estate!

Li Yi had just returned from the NASDAQ stock exchange when he was informed that Reggie Green had arrived and was waiting for him in the living room!

Without delay, Li Yi hurried into the estate’s reception room.

Reggie Green, who was sipping coffee in the living room, stood up the moment he saw Li Yi and said warmly, “Li, you’re finally back!”

“Green, after wrapping up the deal today, I had Billy show me around Wall Street, so I got back a bit late. Sorry to keep you waiting!” Li Yi said with a hint of apology.

“Oh, my friend, you don’t need to apologize for that—besides, I just got here myself!”

Reggie Green continued, “I heard you’ve been making a series of moves on the Nasdaq and scored some impressive wins. Congratulations!”

“Haha, just small-time stuff—nothing to write home about!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Li, you Chinese are great in every way, but you’re just too modest!”

Reggie Green continued, “You went from $15 million to $160 million in just over a month. Even across all of Wall Street, few can match that kind of investment performance—how could that possibly be ‘nothing to write home about’?”

Li Yi smiled and didn’t dwell on the matter, instead changing the subject: “Green, what brings you here today? Is there something on your mind?”

In Reggie Green’s view, what Li Yi had just said was merely modesty—after all, such a track record was truly impressive.

But in Li Yi’s eyes, it really wasn’t that impressive.

His investments on the Nasdaq weren’t really about making money; they were about familiarizing himself with the rules of the U.S. stock market—preparing for future investments there.

There was no other choice; currently, there weren’t many places in the world where stock trading was available. The only markets Li Yi considered promising were Hong Kong stocks, U.S. stocks, and Japanese stocks.

But the Hong Kong market was currently sluggish, and the Japanese market was a mess; only the U.S. market was suitable for Li Yi to trade.

Therefore, he was really just learning and getting some practice in.

Otherwise, given his personality, how could he possibly be content to be a small retail investor? He would have been running the show as a market maker long ago.

However, he didn’t want to explain any of this to Reggie Green. Some things were best kept to himself; there was no need to voice them.

Reggie Green didn’t say much either. After hearing Li Yi’s question, the smile on his face faded slightly as he said, “Li, I came over today mainly to ask you: when are we going to close the deal and settle up?”

“You want to close the deal?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.

Reggie Green paused briefly, then said, “I’ve been thinking about this. With international gold prices showing signs of recovery, I’m worried that if this continues, prices might suddenly rebound!”

In fact, quite a few people in the market share this view. With international gold prices breaking below the $400 mark, many believe the price has already hit bottom. Even if it were to fall further, they don’t think it would drop much more—surely it won’t break below the $300 mark!

Consequently, a significant number of more cautious investors began closing out their positions.

As these investors settled a large number of contracts, gold prices have not only halted their downward trend in recent days but have even shown signs of rising.

Under these circumstances, Reggie Green has also begun to waver!

“Green, do you think gold has bottomed out?” Li Yi asked in return.

“Probably not yet. After all, the Fed hasn’t even started its third round of rate hikes!”

Changing the subject, Reggie Green added, “But even if the Fed does raise rates, causing international gold prices to fall further, the drop won’t be significant. It’ll likely bottom out at $350 at most. We’ve already made a decent profit, so it’s better to lock in our gains!”

It was no wonder Reggie Green thought this way. After all, even at current gold prices, they had already made nearly $8,000 per contract, and 456,000 contracts amounted to $3.6 billion.

After deducting various fees, the net profit would be over $3.5 billion.

This performance had far exceeded Reggie Green’s expectations. With this capital, they could not only recoup all their previous investment losses but also deliver a satisfactory return to their investors—which, in his view, was more than enough.

So, he was eager to settle the trade as soon as possible.

Li Yi paused briefly, then said, “Green, you’re the CEO of the company. I don’t interfere with your normal investment decisions, and this time is no exception!”

“However, I’m not going to cash out this early—at least not before the Fed’s third rate hike. As for what the company does, that’s entirely up to you!”

Upon hearing this, Reggie Green fell silent.

Li Yi’s meaning was clear: he believed international gold prices would continue to fall, so he had no intention of pulling out.

He didn’t want the company to pull out so hastily either, but out of respect for Li Yi as the company’s head, he would only offer advice and not insist.

After a long pause, Reggie Green finally said, “Li, I’ll go back and discuss this with the company’s operations team. I’ll get back to you with an answer, okay?”

“Of course!”

“Thanks!”

Reggie Green then asked, “By the way, Li, Corning called me. They’re willing to lower their price by another $8 million on top of the original offer. If you agree, they’ll send someone over immediately to sign the agreement!”

Hearing this, the corners of Li Yi’s mouth turned up slightly, revealing a faint smile.

Half a month ago, through Reggie Green’s introduction, Li Yi had made contact with Corning—currently the largest color television manufacturer in the U.S.—to negotiate the introduction of a color television production line.

Upon learning that Li Yi wanted to import their color TVs, Corning was very enthusiastic, immediately offering a discounted price of $73 million, which also included installation.

However, Li Yi immediately slashed the price by 30%, offering only 50 million US dollars, and the two sides immediately began negotiations over this figure.

After two weeks of negotiations, the two sides still could not reach an agreement on price. Li Yi’s side was willing to go as high as $55 million, while Corning insisted on a “bottom line” of $63 million. Neither side was willing to budge, and the talks reached an impasse.

Seeing that the other side showed no signs of yielding, Li Yi immediately terminated the negotiations and instead sent representatives to approach VIZIO, the second-largest color TV manufacturer in the U.S.

Li Yi wasn’t using his contact with VIZIO to pressure Corning; he was genuinely shopping around. If VIZIO’s quality and price were right, he might very well have entered into a partnership with them.

Seeing that Li Yi was serious, Corning immediately grew anxious. After all, the U.S. was currently suffering from severe overcapacity, and the economy had been in a state of stagflation for over a decade.

It wasn’t just Corning; virtually every manufacturer was scrambling to find a way out. Therefore, they couldn’t possibly hand over a major client like Li Yi to a competitor.

Consequently, Corning’s CEO reached out to Reggie Green once more, expressing a willingness to accept the price Li Yi had proposed and asking him to facilitate the deal.

Seeing that the other party had agreed to his terms, Li Yi naturally saw no need to hold back. He immediately said, “In that case, have them come over. Let’s sign the agreement as soon as possible!”

“Alright!”

“Tell them to hurry up. I don’t think I’ll be here much longer!” Li Yi said meaningfully.

“Alright!”

After saying that, Reggie Green stood up to take his leave and departed from the estate!

The Green Brothers’ decision to short gold had a significant impact on the New York gold futures market.

No one could have imagined that, with gold prices having already plummeted nearly $150 from their peak, anyone would dare to short the market at this time.

What’s more, the scale of the Green Brothers’ operation this time was truly staggering!

Starting on November 8, they dumped massive quantities of gold futures contracts onto the market every day—from 11,000 contracts on the first day, to 30,000, then 50,000, with the volume increasing day by day.

At the height of the frenzy, they sold nearly 200,000 futures contracts in a single day, worth nearly $8 billion.

Such reckless trading left every investor in the New York gold futures market stunned.

To onlookers, this all-or-nothing, gambler-style investment strategy was certainly thrilling, but if their judgment were wrong, the Green Brothers—an investment firm with nearly a century of history—could be reduced to ashes in an instant!

However, Reggie Green, having made up his mind, paid no heed to others’ opinions. Once he entered the market, he executed his pre-planned strategy with meticulous precision.

After nearly a week of trading, Reggie Green and his team finally sold off the 456,000 gold futures contracts they had borrowed.

On November 17, after liquidating every single futures contract in their portfolio, Reggie Green hosted a small victory celebration at his Manhattan estate.

That’s right—a victory party!

Although the final settlement hadn’t yet taken place, their frenzied selling had sent the price of gold futures contracts on the New York futures market plummeting once again.

The price per contract has now fallen to $40,500, equivalent to $405 per ounce.

The average selling price for the Green Brothers firm was around $44,500 per contract, meaning that so far, they have made a profit of about $4,000 per contract—totaling $1.82 billion for 456,000 contracts.

Of course, there is a difference between paper profits and actual settlement funds.

After all, if they were to settle, they would have to repay all the futures contracts borrowed from financial institutions, which would require them to purchase gold futures contracts on the market.

Such a massive purchase volume would inevitably drive up the price of gold futures contracts, so the actual profit would not reach as high as $1.82 billion.

Nevertheless, this short position on gold can be considered an initial victory; the next step depends on the trend of international gold prices.

If international gold prices continue to slide, the Green Brothers will undoubtedly make a fortune; but if prices rise against the trend, the outcome is anyone’s guess.

Under these circumstances, a small celebration is certainly in order!

In the days that followed, Reggie Green visited the futures market almost every day, closely monitoring the fluctuations in gold prices and standing ready to close out his positions at any moment.

In contrast, Li Yi seemed completely unconcerned about a potential rise in gold prices. After helping Reggie Green liquidate all his futures contracts, he took Billy, Li Yunbao, Zhou Xinghua, and the others straight to the Nasdaq.

Li Yi’s initial capital was only $15 million, but on the Nasdaq, he operated as if he had $150 million. No matter which stock he set his sights on, he immediately applied financial leverage and struck with force.

Moreover, his eye for opportunities was exceptional; every move he made was bound to yield a profit.

In just a few short days, his $15 million had ballooned to $45 million—more than tripling in value.

The speed at which he made money left Billy and the others speechless.

It’s important to note that the Nasdaq market is entirely different from the futures market. While financial leverage is also used here, stock price fluctuations aren’t as extreme as in futures trading; daily gains or losses are typically only a few percentage points.

As a result, the potential for profit or loss in the stock market is relatively modest, unlike the futures market where one can become a millionaire or lose everything overnight.

Consequently, there is a consensus in the investment world: conservative investors play the stock market, while risk-takers gamble on futures.

But Li Yi was now doing both—playing the stock market and gambling on futures—and he was excelling at both. This left Zhou Xinghua, Billy, George, and the others not only stunned but also increasingly impressed by him.

Before they knew it, Li Yi’s standing within the team had grown significantly…

………

Beijing. Eastern Suburbs!

Just as Li Yi was going on a rampage in the New York stock market, An Hong, Jiang Longcheng, Ye Jianhua, and others in Beijing were also swamped with work.

After Li Yi left, they began preparing for the industrial products trade fair according to their pre-established plan.

To ensure the success of the fair, An Hong withdrew 100,000 yuan from Jiang Xue to fund the venue renovation and subsequent promotional efforts.

While the venue was being renovated, An Hong and her team conducted on-site inspections of the industrial manufacturers invited to exhibit. Only those that passed their evaluation were eligible to participate in the exhibition.

After more than a month of preparation and evaluation, a total of 121 large state-owned factories had now passed An Hong and her team’s review and become official exhibitors.

After finalizing the list of exhibitors, An Hong, following Li Yi’s instructions, immediately launched a comprehensive publicity campaign for the exhibition.

They made full use of promotional platforms such as newspapers and magazines, and through Jiang Longyin’s connections, they even ran a television advertisement on CCTV.

To distinguish this fair from others, An Hong and her team directly added the words “Fine Products” to the title during their promotional efforts, highlighting the event’s product positioning.

Thanks to their tireless promotional efforts, the National Light Industry Premium Products Exhibition had already generated significant buzz even before it began.

On November 20, after a month and a half of preparation, the fair officially began!

On the opening day, thanks to Jiang Longcheng’s connections, they not only invited Jiang Longyin, the district leader, but also brought in a large contingent of media outlets—including CCTV and Beijing Television—to bolster the event’s prestige.

The results were immediately apparent: on the opening day alone, over 50,000 people visited the fairgrounds to browse and shop.

Once these ordinary citizens arrived at the fairgrounds, they realized that this event was indeed completely different from any other trade fair they had attended before.

First of all, the exhibition halls were unique; not only had they been renovated inside and out, but they also gave off a high-end, grand atmosphere.

More importantly, each participating company had its own booth, which not only displayed the products for sale but also provided detailed company profiles.

The company’s name, its province of origin, product specifications, and achievements were all clearly outlined.

In addition, to ensure the success of this exhibition, An Hong had temporarily borrowed 200 sales staff from the Second National Cotton Mill and the Yanjing Television Factory.

These salespeople, all uniformly dressed, were active throughout the exhibition, enthusiastically welcoming every visitor and providing exceptional service.

Citizens, who were accustomed to clearance sales for surplus inventory, had never seen anything like this before and were stunned by this novel approach.

Combined with the fact that the quality of the products on display was truly impeccable and the prices were quite favorable, visitors rushed to place orders.

On the very first day alone, the 121 participating companies generated 9.66 million yuan in sales, marking a spectacular start…

………

New York Gold Futures Market!

As the closing bell rang, Reggie Green and his entire team breathed a sigh of relief.

Just moments ago, they had successfully sold off all 11,000 futures contracts in their portfolio; now, all that remained was to see how low the market price had dropped.

Soon, George, who had been overseeing operations, strode in and reported to Reggie Green: “Boss, the price of futures contracts on the market has dropped to $44,860 per contract.”

Upon hearing George’s words, the VIP lounge—which had been filled with a somewhat tense atmosphere—instantly erupted in thunderous cheers.

After all, the futures contracts they had just dumped onto the market had all been purchased at $46,000 per contract, yet the average selling price was less than $45,000.

If today’s gold futures contract price hadn’t dropped below $45,000, they would have made a loss just for the sake of making a splash.

Although the price of $44,860 per contract was barely enough to break even, at least they hadn’t lost money, which finally put everyone’s minds at ease.

More importantly, the goal of today’s test run has been achieved, and the results were quite positive.

From the 11,000 futures contracts sold off, it was clear that current investors have limited confidence in gold futures contracts—which is good news for those looking to short gold.

Amid the cheers of his staff, Reggie Green took a deep breath and said to Li Yi, “Li, your judgment was correct. The market really isn’t very bullish on gold futures after all!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I have confidence in my judgment. Besides, Mr. Green, you’ve staked your entire fortune and the company’s future on this—how could I possibly let you down?”

“Li, you’re an excellent investor and a truly trustworthy partner!” Reggie Green said happily.

“Thank you for your praise, Mr. Green!”

“Li, to welcome you as an official member of Green Brothers, I’ve arranged a reception at the Hilton Hotel. You must attend!” Reggie Green said.

“Alright, I’ll be there on time!”

Although Li Yi didn’t particularly enjoy attending such receptions, he knew he couldn’t decline this one.

After all, Reggie Green had organized this reception specifically for him; failing to attend would be a major snub.

Seeing that Li Yi had agreed, Reggie Green immediately gave him the detailed time and location of the reception, and then the group left the VIP lounge at the futures exchange.

Although Li Yi and his group had left, the impact of the Green Brothers entering the market to short gold was slowly taking hold.

A move of this magnitude by the Green Brothers’ firm naturally could not be hidden from the well-connected institutions and investment firms.

Compounded by the fact that the firm’s key personnel had spent the entire afternoon signing contracts with brokers, it was virtually impossible to keep the news under wraps.

Soon, the news of the Green Brothers’ short position in gold spread like wildfire, quickly sweeping through the entire New York investment community.

Upon hearing the news, Wall Street investors were stunned by Reggie Green’s move.

After all, just that morning, Green Brothers had completed a share transfer and welcomed a new major shareholder.

Logically, the arrival of a new shareholder would inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions, and Green Brothers should have been busy dealing with internal issues in the days that followed.

But no one could have imagined that they would make such a big splash that very afternoon—it was simply baffling.

Overnight, Wall Street investors were abuzz with speculation about Green Brothers’ investment. Most were not optimistic, believing the company was highly likely to suffer losses this time.

The reason was simple: in their view, Green Brothers had entered the market far too late.

If they had entered the market when gold was at $600 per ounce, they would have made a killing.

But now that the international gold price had fallen below $500, entering the market at this point was not only risky, but even if the price were to continue falling, how much lower could it possibly go at this level?

In the eyes of most people, $400 is the absolute bottom—it simply can’t go any lower.

After all, this is only the Fed’s second rate hike, so its impact isn’t that significant.

If the international gold price can already break below $400 now, then when the Fed raises rates for the third or even the nth time, won’t the gold price crash back to where it was ten years ago?

Neither Reggie Green nor Li Yi has directly addressed the outside speculation and rumors.

In any case, in the financial markets, what people say doesn’t really matter; in the end, everyone looks at their own investment performance.

……….

The next morning!

Li Yi got up early. After a quick wash, he strolled into the living room.

Downstairs, he saw that Lan Xinyi, Cai Bingyan, and Zhou Xinghua had all arrived—but Li Yunbao was nowhere to be seen.

Li Yi turned to Zhou Xinghua and asked, “Where’s Yunbao? Why isn’t he here?”

Zhou Xinghua grinned and said, “He had a bit too much to drink last night. He hasn’t woken up yet!”

“If he’s had too much to drink, let him sleep in. We’ll head over to the exchange first, and Yunbao can come on his own once he wakes up!” Li Yi said.

As he spoke, a flicker of gratitude crossed Li Yi’s face.

The reason Li Yunbao had gotten himself into such a sorry state was to take the brunt of the drinking for him.

Last night’s cocktail party had been held specifically to welcome Li Yi to Green Brothers, so he was the undisputed star of the event.

To show their welcome, the employees of Green Brothers Company came up one after another to toast him, showing great enthusiasm.

But Li Yi knew that the over 11,000 futures contracts traded this afternoon were merely a test.

If things went as expected, tomorrow would be the real battle!

So, on his way to the reception, he had already decided that no matter what, he couldn’t drink today, lest it interfere with business.

But faced with such enthusiastic employees, he couldn’t very well come across as unapproachable as a new shareholder, so Li Yunbao stepped in to act as his personal “drink-blocker.”

By the end of the reception, Li Yi hadn’t touched a drop, but Li Yunbao had already blacked out.

Afterward, the group had breakfast at the estate and then drove to the futures market!

By the time Li Yi and the others arrived at the futures market, Reggie Green, George, and the others were already there.

Before trading began, Reggie Green briefly briefed Li Yi on the company’s preparations.

Thanks to their efforts yesterday afternoon and evening, they had already secured 80,000 lots of gold futures contracts through interbank borrowing, with over 350,000 lots still in the process of being secured.

If all went as planned, all 440,000 futures contracts would be secured within three days.

After hearing what Reggie Green had to say, Li Yi couldn’t help but be astonished by the efficiency of the New York gold futures market.

These 440,000 futures contracts were worth 20 billion US dollars, and the Green Brothers firm could complete the borrowing in just three days—a speed that was simply unbelievable.

But then again, this was New York—the world’s financial center, a place where capital creates miracles.

And since the New York gold futures market is the world’s largest, it is not impossible to complete the lending of 440,000 gold futures contracts within three days.

Reggie Green’s team has now completed the borrowing of the futures contracts; the real challenge lies in how to sell them off.

With that in mind, Li Yi began discussing the matter with Reggie Green and the others!

……..

“Invest it all? Li, are you serious?”

Reggie Green was genuinely stunned by Li Yi’s words, staring at him in disbelief as he spoke.

It was no wonder he reacted this way; Li Yi’s idea was simply too outrageous.

The funds Reggie Green had just mentioned totaled over two billion US dollars. Setting aside the use of financial leverage, investing such a massive sum alone could have a significant impact on the sluggish gold market.

But that was secondary. The most critical point was that this money was essentially all the Green Brothers Company had left.

If they were to invest it all, they would essentially be gambling away the future of the Green Brothers Company.

If they made a profit, everyone would be happy, but if they lost, they’d be facing bankruptcy—there would be no other way out!

However, Li Yi’s subsequent reaction once again made Reggie Green feel just how reckless he was.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table a few times, then said with a serious expression, “Mr. Green, I never joke about investments. If you entrust this investment to me, I will invest every last cent of the funds we can raise—not a single penny will be left out!”

“But that’s far too risky. If the gold market rebounds, our losses will be beyond imagination…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Mr. Green, investing is inherently a gamble—and a zero-sum game at that. Either you lose and I win, or I lose and you win; there’s no such thing as a win-win!”

“Therefore, in a game like this, once a sure opportunity presents itself, there can be no hesitation—once missed, it may never come again!”

Reggie Green fell silent; he couldn’t deny that there was some truth to what Li Yi was saying.

But as an investment firm, the one thing they must avoid at all costs is this kind of gambler’s mentality. If a mistake were to occur, the company could vanish into thin air in an instant.

Reggie Green thought he was already the madman of the Wall Street investment world, but he never imagined that his partner would be even crazier than him.

Originally, he’d been thinking about how to convince Li Yi to join him in his madness, but now he felt it was necessary to stop him from going too far—after all, there’s a price to pay for going too far.

With that in mind, Reggie Green said in a low voice, “Li, this idea of yours is too crazy. I think we should play it safe—for example, by investing five hundred million dollars first. That would be a safer bet…”

However, just as Reggie Green was rambling on, trying to persuade Li Yi, he heard Li Yi suddenly blurt out these words: “Gold prices will drop below $300!”

“Uh…”

Reggie Green’s voice cut off abruptly, and he looked at him again with a stunned expression.

“Li… are you sure… are you sure the price of gold will drop below $300?” Reggie Green’s voice trembled slightly.

If anyone else had said that, he would have just listened and not taken it seriously.

But coming from Li Yi, he had no choice but to take it seriously.

After all, Li Yi and his team had come to New York specifically to short gold. The fact that he dared to do this showed that Li Yi had considerable confidence in the fluctuations of the international gold price—a confidence that had been evident over the past month or so.

After all, compared to when Li Yi entered the market a month ago, the price of gold had already fallen by more than $130 per ounce—a drop that most people would consider significant.

If he were the type to lose his cool, he might have closed his position long ago.

But Li Yi remained completely unfazed, sticking to his strategy all the way through, and shows no signs of closing out his positions even now.

And his persistence has paid off handsomely. In just over a month, Li Yi and his team have raked in over $2 billion in the gold futures market—equivalent to the entire revenue of the Green Brothers Company in a single month.

So, Li Yi’s assessment of international gold prices wasn’t without merit. Now it all comes down to whether he’s willing to take this huge gamble with him.

Just as Reggie Green was wavering internally, Li Yi spoke again: “Mr. Green, you’re so eager for me to acquire a stake in Green Brothers—even going so far as to use your own assets as collateral—isn’t that precisely because Davis won’t let you short gold?”

“He doesn’t support you, but I do—so why are you backing down now?”

Upon hearing this, Reggie Green paused for a moment, then took a deep breath, stood up, and said, “Li, you’re right. Investing is a gamble in itself, and I have no reason to back down!”

A faint smile appeared on Li Yi’s face as he said directly, “Mr. Green, congratulations on making the right choice!”

“Li, what level of financial leverage would be appropriate?” Reggie Green asked again.

“No less than 10 times!”

“Whoa…”

Having already gained some understanding of Li Yi’s character, Reggie Green didn’t say much more. Instead, he nodded and said, “All right, let’s use ten times the financial leverage!”

“Mr. Green, if you’ve made up your mind to short gold, you should enter the market as soon as possible. The later we wait, the less we’ll earn!” Li Yi said.

Reggie Green glanced at his watch and realized it was almost time for the mid-morning trading halt.

He replied immediately, “Li, I’ll have my team get everything ready right away. We’ll aim to enter the market this afternoon!”

“Alright…”

……….

Originally, according to Reggie Green’s plans, after signing the share transfer agreement today, he was going to host a luncheon for Li Yi to welcome him to Green Brothers.

But with time running short, the reception was canceled, and they even had to eat lunch at the office.

After more than two hours of preparation, Green Brothers first deposited $50 million as margin and then borrowed over 11,000 gold futures contracts from brokerage firms at a price of $46,000 per contract.

Of course, these 11,000-plus futures contracts were merely borrowed temporarily by Reggie Green to test the waters that afternoon.

At the same time, the core team at Green Brothers mobilized en masse, heading to brokerage firms across Wall Street to sign financial service agreements, preparing to enter the market in force to short gold.

At 1:30 p.m., as the temporarily closed futures market resumed trading, Reggie Green—now fully prepared—finally made his move!

At that moment, due to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike, trading in the entire New York gold futures market was sluggish. After all, with the current market situation unclear, no one dared to make any major moves.

However, just as investors were beginning to think that today would pass as uneventfully as the previous few days, the market suddenly stirred.

To everyone’s surprise, someone had placed an order for gold futures contracts at $45,000 per lot—equivalent to $450 per ounce—and the volume was a staggering 1,000 lots.

It’s worth noting that the current international gold price stands at $467 per ounce, while the normal price for a gold futures contract in the futures market is $46,500 per lot (each lot being 100 ounces). A price of $45,000 represents a $15 per ounce discount.

This is a significant discount, and it was quite attractive to some people.

Consequently, these 1,000 futures contracts were snapped up the moment they appeared on the market!

Seeing this, Reggie Green immediately ordered the traders to continue placing orders at this price.

Soon, investors snapped up another 5,000-plus contracts.

As they continuously dumped futures contracts into the market at low prices, some holders who had been gritting their teeth to hold on could no longer withstand the pressure. Those who had lost confidence in a price rebound also followed suit, lowering their prices and selling off their contracts.

In an instant, the entire New York gold futures market was thrown into turmoil, and the situation became unpredictable!

PS: Another chapter coming before 12:00!

Reggie Green moved quickly; in just two days, he had all the paperwork for the equity transfer ready.

During this time, Li Yi was invited to meet with Davis, the second-largest shareholder of Green Brothers and the other key player in this equity deal.

The two sides engaged in detailed discussions regarding the share transfer, with the core issues naturally being the price and the terms of the transaction!

After all, this equity transfer was unlike other transactions; Li Yi simply didn’t have that much cash on hand right now, so it amounted to buying on credit and paying later.

Although his profits from the futures market and Reggie Green’s net worth served as collateral, there was still a certain degree of risk for Davis.

The only thing that swayed Davis was the price Li Yi offered, which was quite attractive—$32 per share was already a high offer.

After mutual negotiations, Li Yi ultimately decided to acquire all 12.5 million shares of Green Brothers held by Davis for a total of $400 million, at a face value of $32 per share.

Furthermore, through the mediation of Reggie Green and Davis, the company’s other 38 shareholders were also willing to transfer their nearly 8.5 million shares to Li Yi at the same price.

However, since all of Li Yi’s funds were tied up in the futures market and could not be withdrawn immediately, the two parties reached a special agreement regarding the transaction method:

First, this transaction follows a “delivery before payment” arrangement. Within two months of the signing of the share transfer agreement, Li Yi will pay the full transaction amount of 673 million yuan to all shareholders, large and small, at which point the transaction will be considered successfully completed.

If Li Yi fails to complete the payment within two months, the transaction will be automatically canceled, and Li Yi will be required to pay a penalty equal to 20% of the total contract price.

To safeguard the interests of both parties, Reggie Green has provided a full guarantee using all of his personal assets.

Should Li Yi fail to continue fulfilling the contract, Reggie Green will share liability for breach of contract with Li Yi.

Furthermore, until all transaction funds have been delivered to the original shareholders, Li Yi has no right to dispose of the acquired shares, including through sale, mortgage, or other means.

After reaching a consensus, the signing of the contract was put on the agenda.

On the morning of November 6, Li Yi, Davis, and others formally signed the share transfer agreement at the Green Brothers headquarters.

Thus, Li Yi acquired 29% of the shares in Green Brothers for $672 million, instantly becoming the company’s largest individual shareholder.

Of course, due to company regulations and the fact that Li Yi’s shareholding did not meet the threshold for a controlling stake,

Therefore, even though Li Yi is now the company’s largest individual shareholder, he still cannot replace Reggie Green’s position within the company.

Fortunately, Li Yi had no intention of replacing Reggie Green!

For one thing, his roots aren’t here, and it would be impractical for him to travel such a great distance to serve as the company’s CEO.

On the other hand, compared to him as an outsider, Reggie Green, a local insider, was clearly better suited for the CEO position.

Although he did not hold control of the company, once the agreement was signed, Li Yi officially became a shareholder of the Green Brothers’ company—and it was precisely this entitlement to profit dividends that Li Yi valued.

After the agreement was signed, the news quickly spread throughout Wall Street.

Upon learning that the Green Brothers’ largest shareholder had changed hands—and that the transaction had been structured as a deferred payment with a guarantee—Wall Street’s elite were stunned.

Some said that Davis and his team were taking too great a risk, while others claimed that Li Yi had taken a huge loss and would surely regret it later.

In short, opinions ran the gamut!

However, while the outside world buzzed with speculation, both the buyer and seller remained low-key.

Neither Li Yi nor Davis and his associates, who had sold their shares, came forward to address the matter. It seemed as if nothing had happened, yet it also felt as though they were biding their time, preparing a major move!

……..

Wall Street. Green Brothers!

After signing the share transfer agreement, Li Yi was asked to stay behind by Reggie Green, who said he had something to discuss with him.

Li Yi knew this guy was definitely going to bring up shorting gold, so he was quite eager to discuss it. He and Li Yunbao then followed Reggie Green to his office.

Returning to Reggie Green’s office, Li Yi’s mindset was completely different.

He recalled that when he had been here a month ago, he had been a guest, but now he was the host.

The magnitude of this shift in status even made someone as worldly as Li Yi feel a pang of emotion.

After the three of them sat down around a small round table, Reggie Green immediately said cheerfully, “Li, congratulations on becoming a shareholder of Green Brothers. I hope we can work together to build this company into the greatest firm on all of Wall Street!”

Before Li Yunbao could translate, Li Yi spoke directly: “I can’t guarantee that Green Brothers will become the greatest company on Wall Street, but I can assure you that in the future, Green Brothers will undoubtedly become the company with the highest market capitalization on Wall Street—and indeed, in the entire United States!”

Hearing Li Yi speak with a perfect London accent, Reggie Green was completely dumbfounded.

After a long moment of silence, he finally said, looking utterly astonished, “Li, you… you speak English?”

“Of course!”

“Then why do you have an interpreter with you?” Reggie Green asked, puzzled.

As soon as the question left his lips, Reggie Green regretted it—mainly because it was such a stupid question.

The answer was all too obvious: clearly, the man in front of him was doing this on purpose, with the aim of lulling people into a false sense of security.

After all, an investor who couldn’t understand or speak English was far too easy to overlook.

Take himself, for example—hadn’t he approached Li Yi precisely because he thought Li Yi didn’t understand English, figuring he’d be an easy target as a company shareholder?

Although that wasn’t the only reason, it was certainly a factor.

But he never imagined that the other party not only understood English but was also so fluent in it—this sent a shiver down Reggie Green’s spine.

The other party had hidden his true nature far too well. Bringing such a calculating individual into the company—he didn’t know whether it was a blessing or a curse.

Li Yi glanced at Reggie Green, then smiled and said, “Mr. Green, don’t you think it’s pretty cool to have a professional lawyer as your interpreter?”

Reggie Green shook his head and said, “Li, you didn’t hire him as your interpreter just to look cool, did you? As you Chinese say, this is called ‘feigning weakness to the enemy’… ‘hiding one’s true intentions’… ‘playing the fool to catch the tiger’…”

“I didn’t expect Mr. Green to be familiar with our ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ strategy,” Li Yi said with a smile.

“I’ve read your *Thirty-Six Stratagems*, but I’ve only read it—and yet you’ve put it into practice. Now I’m not even sure if approaching you was the right decision!” Reggie Green said with a wry smile.

“Mr. Green, before long, you’ll be proud and honored by the choice you made today. I promise!” Li Yi said.

“I hope so!”

Reggie Green took a deep breath and continued, “Li, now that you’re the company’s largest shareholder, may I ask you a question?”

“You want to know if there’s still an opportunity to short gold?”

“Yes!”

Reggie Green continued, “A while back, due to the disagreement between me and Davis, the company lost a significant amount of money on an investment. With the end of the year fast approaching, if we can’t recoup those losses quickly, next year’s financial report is going to look terrible!”

Li Yi paused briefly, then said with a serious expression, “We can go short.”

“Then how much capital do you think we should commit?” Reggie Green asked again.

“How much capital can the company allocate right now?”

“We currently have $1.2 billion on the books. Additionally, we can recoup another $400 million in the short term by selling shares and other means. Plus, our company has an excellent credit standing with the banks and can secure a loan of up to $500 million at any time!” Reggie Green replied.

“Put it all in!” Li Yi said, startling everyone.

At those words, Reggie Green was completely dumbfounded!

When they learned that Li Yi was actually planning to invest in the Green Brothers Company—and intended to acquire 20 million shares in one fell swoop—everyone, including Zhou Xinghua, Lan Xinyi, and Cai Bingyan, was stunned.

Setting aside the immense risk involved, simply securing the massive sum of 600 to 700 million dollars was a major problem in itself.

After all, Li Yi had poured nearly all their money into the gold short-selling scheme; currently, their total available funds amounted to less than 20 million US dollars.

Moreover, this money wasn’t readily accessible, as Li Yi had also invested it in various stocks listed on the NASDAQ.

“Boss, are you really going to invest in Green Brothers?” Lan Xinyi asked.

“Yes, we’ve reached a preliminary agreement. Barring any surprises, we’ll sign the share transfer agreement within this week!” Li Yi replied.

“But… but we don’t have that much money,” Lan Xinyi said.

“This acquisition will be secured by our profits from the futures market, along with Mr. Green’s guarantee. We don’t need to pay the purchase price upfront—we just need to transfer the funds to them within two months!” Li Yi explained.

“But… aren’t they worried we might lose money?” Cai Bingyan asked.

“So what if we do? If they don’t get their money, the contract automatically becomes void, and we’ll have to pay them a penalty. In the end, the only ones who lose out are us!” Li Yi said.

“Even so, they’re being a bit too trusting. Do they really believe we won’t default?” Cai Bingyan asked.

“Haha, it’s not that they’re being overconfident—it’s just that this price is too tempting for them!” Li Yi said casually.

Green Brothers’ stock was indeed trading around $32 per share—Reggie Green hadn’t lied about that—but what he hadn’t mentioned was that the price wasn’t very stable.

Although $32 per share wasn’t the all-time high for Green Brothers’ stock, it was definitely the highest it had been in the past two years.

Especially now, with the Federal Reserve raising interest rates, the stock market here had been affected as well. The share prices of major companies were all falling, and Green Brothers was naturally no exception.

And this is only the second round of rate hikes; by the time the third—or even a potential fourth or fifth—round comes around, one can only imagine how much the stock price will have plummeted.

More importantly, for any publicly traded company, a major shareholder selling off shares to cash out will trigger a plunge in the stock price—the only difference is the magnitude of the drop.

If a key executive like Davis were to publicly sell off his shares, it would inevitably cause the company’s stock price to plummet. Therefore, no matter what they do, it will be difficult for them to sell at the high price of $32.

So, selling the shares this way at this point is truly a win-win.

“Boss, that may be true, but the terms they’re offering are simply too generous. We wouldn’t have to spend a single penny to acquire such a large stake in the company. Could this… could this be a trap?” Lan Xinyi cautioned.

Li Yi’s lips curled slightly upward. He gave Lan Xinyi a satisfied look and said with a smile, “Xinyi, your sense of caution is still quite sharp!”

“I just know there’s no such thing as a free lunch!” Lan Xinyi said.

“That’s exactly the right mindset!”

Then Li Yi changed the subject abruptly, making a startling remark: “That’s right. The Green Brothers Company is indeed facing bankruptcy right now, which is why they’ve had no choice but to seek outside help!”

As a future titan of the investment world, Li Yi was well-versed in the Green Brothers Company’s history. On its path to the top, the company had faced four bankruptcy crises.

The first crisis occurred during the Great Depression of 1929. When the stock market crashed, Green Brothers, like nearly every other publicly traded company, was dealt a devastating blow.

The second crisis occurred in 1973, when the company suffered massive losses from interest rate bets, triggering a chain reaction that nearly wiped it out!

The third crisis occurred in the 1980s, primarily due to major internal disagreements and severe internal strife. Although this crisis was eventually quelled by outside intervention, it ultimately led to the company being acquired by American Express, resulting in the loss of its operational autonomy.

The fourth bankruptcy crisis occurred in 1994, when the newly independent Green Brothers faced a cash crunch and a wave of debt defaults. This sparked investor panic, sent the stock price plummeting, and brought the company to the brink of bankruptcy.

Now that Reggie Green has sought me out, it suggests the company is currently facing its third bankruptcy crisis, and the rift between Reggie Green and Davis is clearly not as trivial as he makes it out to be.

If things hadn’t truly reached a point where a clean break was necessary, why would Reggie Green have put up his own assets as collateral for him?

Li Yi saw this through clearly, but since he had his own ulterior motives, he chose not to call him out on it.

“Boss, since you know they’re facing such serious problems, why would you still…”

Before Lan Xinyi could finish, Li Yi cut her off and said, “Because I need the Green Brothers Company. If they weren’t facing such a severe crisis right now, we wouldn’t have a chance to acquire their shares!”

At that moment, Zhou Xinghua suddenly spoke up: “Mr. Li, the price they’re asking is a bit inflated. If we negotiate hard, we could knock at least ten percent off—maybe even more!”

“No need,” Li Yi said coolly.

“???”

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone’s faces, Li Yi offered no explanation. Instead, he said again, “Alright, I’ve got this figured out. Don’t worry about it. You all go back to your own business!”

With that, Li Yi stood up and left the hall, returning to his room, leaving Lan Xinyi, Zhou Xinghua, and the others in the living room staring at each other in bewilderment!

It wasn’t that Li Yi didn’t know the price was inflated, nor that he didn’t know he could negotiate a lower price, but he simply didn’t see the point!

Because… he never intended to pay that acquisition price in the first place!

That’s right—this time, he planned to make a killing without spending a dime!

Reggie Green wanted to make a killing by shorting gold while simultaneously resolving the company’s crisis.

Clearly, this guy wasn’t just after the money in his hands; he was also eyeing Li Yi’s investment acumen, hoping to kill two birds with one stone.

So it was entirely predictable that, once this equity deal was finalized, the guy would raise funds to go all-in on shorting gold.

His plan was cunning, but Li Yi wasn’t stupid. While Reggie Green wanted to use him to escape the crisis and make a fortune, Li Yi had his own ideas.

Li Yi knew exactly how lucrative shorting gold could be; a $200-per-ounce spread was enough to make any bold company a fortune.

More importantly, Green Brothers was a brokerage firm itself, so he could easily use 10x or even 20x leverage to short gold.

With Li Yi providing guidance on the sidelines, this venture was bound to be a massive success.

If executed well, the profit share from this single operation alone would be enough to offset the hundreds of millions in equity acquisition costs.

In other words, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he could very well acquire these shares in Green Brothers without spending a single penny.

It’s practically a free gift—why haggle over a few pennies? That’s just petty!

Green Manor!

The atmosphere in the second-floor reception room was somewhat tense!

As Li Yi pondered, neither Reggie Green nor Li Yunbao spoke; each was lost in their own thoughts, yet neither took their eyes off Li Yi.

Suddenly, Li Yi looked up at Reggie Green and said in fluent English, “Mr. Green, I’m willing to invest in your company, but only if you meet my three conditions!”

Reggie Green hurriedly asked, “What are the conditions?”

“The first condition is that I can take over the shares currently held by Davis, but you must stay on, because I don’t trust anyone else but you!” Li Yi said.

“Agreed. Davis and I have already reached an agreement—either of us can step down, as long as you guarantee our shares won’t be undervalued!” Reggie Green replied.

“The second condition is that I can delegate full shareholder authority to you, giving you absolute power within the company. However, I reserve the right to be informed of any major investments, and if I object, you must terminate the project unconditionally!” Li Yi said.

“Li, that’s a bit much. That’s a veto power…”

Before Reggie Green could finish, Li Yi cut him off and said, “It is a veto power, that’s true, but I won’t abuse it. I’ll use it no more than three times a year—we can put that in the contract!”

The reason Li Yi made this demand was primarily because, after reaching its peak in the year 2000, the Green Brothers Company had embarked on a series of impractical and reckless moves, resulting in unimaginably massive losses—which ultimately laid the groundwork for the company’s bankruptcy.

Therefore, Li Yi must have the power and means to rein in Reggie Green.

This thing is like a mushroom bomb—having a sword in your hand and not using it when you have it are two completely different matters!

Reggie Green was silent for quite a while before finally saying, “Alright, I’ll agree to your condition, but you can use it no more than three times within a year—not a single time more!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “I hope this veto power will never have to be used!”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking!”

Li Yi smiled and added, “My third condition isn’t mandatory, but I hope that when I need it, the Green Brothers Company can assist me with my investments in your country!”

Reggie Green secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately replied, “As a shareholder of the company, you have the right to utilize most of the company’s resources, as long as it doesn’t harm the company’s interests!”

“Since we’ve reached an agreement on the key issues, let’s discuss the details of the equity transfer—such as the share allocation and price. I need to know whether this investment is worth it!” Li Yi said.

Reggie Green replied immediately, “Davis holds 12.5 million shares of the company, accounting for about 20% of the total shares. Currently, the stock price is stable at around $32. Without a premium, you’ll need to invest at least $400 million!”

“In addition, there are dozens of shareholders in Davis’s faction, and they collectively hold roughly 8 million shares. If you’re interested, you can acquire those as well!”

“So, to acquire these 20 million-plus shares, I’ll need at least $650 million?” Li Yi asked.

“About that!”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “I can accept the price, but as you know, Mr. Green, most of my capital is tied up in the futures market and can’t be withdrawn quickly. So I’d like to postpone this share transfer until two months from now. What do you think?”

“Li, are you suggesting that international gold prices will hit bottom in two months?”

Reggie Green was a man of great acumen; he immediately grasped the implication behind those words.

“It may not necessarily hit bottom, but it will at least reach a relatively stable range. Given the cost of capital for financial institutions, that should be the right time to close the deal!” Li Yi said.

He wasn’t worried about revealing too much; after all, the Federal Reserve had already completed two rounds of rate hikes, so the overall situation was essentially settled.

Even if others knew that international gold prices would bottom out in two months, it wouldn’t matter.

Besides, Li Yi wasn’t telling the whole truth. In reality, there were only about twenty days left until New Year’s Day, at which point the Federal Reserve would implement its third rate hike.

This rate hike would trigger a sharp plunge in international gold prices, which would plummet to around $270 within just a few days.

So Li Yi’s plan to close the deal isn’t in two months, but in just over a month.

Reggie Green paused briefly, then said, “So, it’s still not too late to short gold, is it?”

“It’s certainly not too late, but are you really prepared to enter the market, Mr. Green?” Li Yi asked, looking at him with a half-smile.

Currently, the international gold price stands at $475 per ounce. With nearly a $200 gap between the current price and the bottom, entering the market now could still yield a massive profit.

Of course, Li Yi understood the market trend, so as long as he had the funds, he wasn’t afraid to jump in.

But for others, entering the market at this point is a true test of both courage and resolve for investors.

The reason is simple: with the Fed raising interest rates, a decline in international gold prices is inevitable—this is no secret. So, the bet now isn’t whether gold prices will fall, but by how much.

Consequently, if you try to sell the borrowed futures contracts at $475, you certainly won’t find any suckers willing to take them off your hands.

Unless… you slash the price significantly!

In other words, if Reggie Green wants to enter the market now, his only option is to borrow gold futures contracts from institutions at $475 per ounce and then sell them at a price far below that—say, $450 per ounce, or even lower.

Only at such a low price could he attract speculators to take on these futures contracts.

In that case, the Green Brothers would have to absorb significant losses upfront.

If the international gold price doesn’t fall to the price at which they sold the futures contracts, their short position will fail, so entering the market at this point truly tests an investor’s courage and resolve.

Reggie Green hesitated briefly, then suddenly smiled: “If you use your profits from the futures market as collateral, would you be willing to acquire the shares held by Davis and the others in advance?”

“Oh, is that an option? Would Davis agree to transfer his shares to me without receiving any money up front?” Li Yi asked in surprise.

“Under normal circumstances, of course not. But if I use my own assets as collateral, then it’s no problem!” Reggie Green said.

“You’re using your own assets as collateral? Why? What’s in it for you?”

“Yes, because I need you to become a shareholder of the company as soon as possible. Only then will you help me wholeheartedly!”

Hearing this, Li Yi immediately understood.

Clearly, Reggie Green also knew he’d left himself some wiggle room in his earlier statement—the so-called “two-month window” was likely inflated. Given the uncertainty, he certainly wouldn’t rashly jump in to short gold.

So, being the smart guy he was, he didn’t press further about the exact price at which Reggie planned to close the position; instead, he aimed to bring him on board early.

By then, he would already be a shareholder in the company, and he would have a share of the profits. There was no way he wouldn’t do his utmost to help them.

As for this so-called guarantee, while it appeared risky, Reggie Green—as George’s boss—clearly knew they had already made nearly $2 billion in the futures market.

As long as he wasn’t too greedy, he could still make a fortune by cashing out promptly if international gold prices fluctuated, so the default risk he was taking on was actually very low.

It must be said that Reggie Green was indeed a shrewd and bold man.

With that in mind, Li Yi immediately said, “Mr. Green, your boldness is truly admirable. Since you’ve been so gracious, I have no choice but to accept your offer. I look forward to a fruitful partnership!”

As he spoke, Li Yi extended his hand toward Reggie Green!

Reggie Green immediately clasped Li Yi’s hand and said excitedly, “Looking forward to working with you!”

……….

Manhattan Island. Green Manor!

Li Yi, who was in the middle of a meeting, heard that Reggie Green had arrived and immediately adjourned the meeting, heading to the estate’s living room.

On the sofa in the living room, Reggie Green was looking anxiously toward the staircase.

When he saw Li Yi and the others coming down the stairs, Reggie Green immediately stood up and went to greet them.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Reggie Green asked to speak with Li Yi privately. Li Yi naturally agreed; he was deeply grateful for the assistance his white friend, Li Fuzhao, had provided them over the past period.

Without Reggie Green’s help, Li Yi could still have successfully shorted gold, but it certainly wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did.

In particular, Sharp Corporation—which Reggie Green introduced to them—not only provided Li Yi with affordable, high-quality services during this major battle to short gold, but also stood the test when Legendary William targeted them.

Li Yi kept all of this in mind.

The two of them, along with Li Yunbao acting as an interpreter, then proceeded to a meeting room on the second floor.

After taking their seats, Li Yi cut straight to the chase: “Mr. Green, you didn’t come all this way in such a hurry just to catch up. If there’s something on your mind, please speak plainly!”

Upon hearing Li Yunbao’s translation, Reggie Green immediately sat up straight and said, “Li, I’m truly sorry to disturb you. Actually, the main reason I’m here is to ask if you have any plans to make a long-term investment here?”

“Long-term investment?”

“Yes. Actually, I wanted to ask you, Li, if you’d be interested in investing in our Green Brothers company?”

Li Yi didn’t answer Reggie Green’s question directly. Instead, he looked at him and said, “Mr. Green, has your company encountered any issues affecting its operations?”

Reggie Green paused to think for a moment, then nodded and said, “We’re actually facing a huge problem!”

“Would you mind sharing what it is?”

Reggie Green sighed and said, “Actually, our company’s operations aren’t the problem—it’s that the management team has fallen into internal strife due to serious disagreements!”

“Internal strife?”

“Yes. Aside from the 30% of shares held in public circulation, the remaining 70% is held collectively by over a hundred shareholders of varying sizes. I personally hold 28%, making me the company’s largest individual shareholder, while Davis holds 20%, making him the second-largest individual shareholder. The remaining shareholders align with one of us, so two factions have formed within the company!”

Reggie Green continued, “Over the past few years, Davis and I have worked together fairly well. Although there were some minor friction, it didn’t affect the company’s decision-making.”

“However, over the past year, our differences on certain matters have grown increasingly pronounced, leading to intensifying internal conflicts within the company. These have reached a point of near irreconcilability, severely impacting the company’s operations and development…”

After listening to Reggie Green’s brief account of the situation, Li Yi looked at him again and said, “Mr. Green, from what you’re saying, it sounds like you want me to invest in your company to help you take down Davis?”

“No… no… no… you’ve misunderstood me, sir. I have no intention of asking you to help me take down Davis!” Reggie Green hurriedly replied.

“Then what do you mean?”

“I’d like you to take over the shares held by either me or Davis, to prevent our serious disagreements from harming the company and the shareholders’ interests!” Reggie Green said earnestly.

Hearing this, Li Yi seemed to understand!

Reggie Green’s point was that either he or Davis would be leaving Green Brothers Investment permanently, and he was now asking Li Yi to step in as a buyer to take over the shares of the departing party.

“Why me? Given Green Brothers’ track record, I’m sure there are plenty of people on Wall Street who’d be happy to join your firm!”

Although Green Brothers wasn’t yet as formidable as it would be a decade or so later—and wasn’t one of the “Big Four” investment firms—the company’s growth trajectory was still impressive.

Looking across all of Wall Street, there were certainly no more than twenty firms performing as well as Green Brothers. In the eyes of those financial titans, this was undoubtedly a prime target worth acquiring at a premium.

Reggie Green knew he had to explain this clearly; otherwise, Li Yi would never invest. After all, as a foreigner in a strange land, he would never dare to invest such a large sum in a company he knew nothing about.

“Li, it’s true—there are plenty of people on Wall Street waving checks, eager to become shareholders of Green Brothers, preferably controlling shareholders. But neither Davis nor I like people like that!”

Reggie Green continued, “The fact that two of us, who were once such close friends, have come to this point is entirely due to a clash of business philosophies. Bringing in someone else from Wall Street wouldn’t make much of a difference. Neither of us wants to replace one of us and keep fighting—that’s not in our best interest, nor is it in the best interest of the company or the shareholders!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Mr. Green, you still haven’t answered the most crucial question: why does that investor have to be me?”

“There are two main reasons for choosing you. First, you have the financial strength to take over the shares held by me or Davis.”

Reggie Green continued, “Although our firm isn’t a top-tier investment firm—we can’t compare to JPMorgan or Sharp—our market capitalization still exceeds $2 billion. A 20% stake is worth four to five hundred million dollars; that’s not something just anyone can come up with!”

“Go on,” Li Yi said.

Reggie Green immediately replied, “Furthermore, as a foreigner, you cannot remain in New York for an extended period! If you were to invest in Green Brothers, you likely wouldn’t take an executive role within the company but would instead delegate all shareholder rights to a proxy.”

“In that case, whether I or Davis remains with the company, we can manage it according to our own business philosophy. This is the best way to ensure the company’s healthy development!”

After hearing Reggie Green’s explanation, Li Yi fell into deep thought.

To be honest, Reggie Green’s proposal was indeed very tempting to him.

It’s important to note that while Green Brothers Holdings is currently only moderately well-known in New York, in a decade or so, the company will become the fourth-largest investment firm in the United States, with operations spanning capital markets, investment banking, and asset management, among others.

At its peak, Green Brothers’ market capitalization exceeded 800 billion, whereas its current market cap is just over 2 billion dollars.

In other words, investing in this company now would yield a staggering 400-fold return on investment in the future.

Although the company eventually went bankrupt due to a series of issues, including investment missteps, Li Yi had countless opportunities to cash out before the bankruptcy. This investment is undoubtedly a massive windfall.

Furthermore, as New York is a global economic hub, Li Yi will undoubtedly visit frequently in the future to invest in the stock or futures markets.

After all, there are plenty of money-making opportunities here in the future, and Li Yi certainly wouldn’t want to miss out on them.

Therefore, he needs a reliable ally to assist him.

But in the capital markets, no one is absolutely reliable—unless they’re one of your own.

Consequently, before coming here, Li Yi had considered whether he should set up his own investment firm—a company he founded himself would undoubtedly be trustworthy.

But setting up a company from scratch takes too long and is too energy-consuming. Since there’s a ready-made company available, why go through the trouble of starting a new one?

After all, it’s all about using someone else’s resources to achieve his goals—why should he worry about whose resources he’s using?

With that in mind, Li Yi made up his mind on the spot…

……….

New York International Airport!

As the plane touched down gently on the runway, Li Yi took a deep breath and prepared to disembark.

Two days earlier, after spending a day in Guangzhou, Li Yi had returned to Hong Kong Island, and then flown to San Francisco again with Li Yunbao and the others.

However, unlike last time—when his sole purpose in coming to New York was to invest and make money—this time he had another important mission: to purchase a color television production line.

Thanks to Jiang Longyin’s mediation, coupled with his father-in-law personally calling Wang Tianrong, the State-owned Assets Department responded swiftly and launched an investigation into the matter.

The results revealed that, just as his father-in-law had analyzed, someone was sabotaging the deal.

Although the investigation is still ongoing, it is essentially certain that the Du family is involved.

Clearly, after lying low for over half a year, they felt they were ready to strike again.

Upon learning of the situation, Wang Tianrong personally stepped in to communicate with key leaders at both the municipal and district levels in Beijing. They soon reached a decision: to fully accept the terms proposed by Li Yi.

Subsequently, Wang Tianrong spoke with Li Yi by phone. After explaining the situation, the two engaged in detailed discussions regarding the financing of the Yanjing Television Factory.

Based on the outcome of their discussions, the Ministry of State-Owned Assets and the Beijing Municipal Government decided to sell a 49% stake in the Yanjing Television Factory for 100 million yuan.

Regarding management and operational rights, both parties agreed that Hong Kong Island Star Investment Company would have the right to manage and operate the Yanjing Television Factory, but it must be subject to the supervision of the factory’s Party Committee, and the factory’s Party branch must not be dissolved!

In addition, the Beijing Municipal Government offered significant tax incentives. Although they did not agree to Li Yi’s request for “three years of tax exemption followed by three years of half-rate taxation,” they did agree to a two-year tax exemption.

After reaching a consensus, Li Yi and Wang Tianrong agreed that Huang Lixing would represent Star Investment in Beijing to negotiate the specific details of the financing.

As for himself, he would continue on to New York to continue shorting gold while also seeking to acquire a color television production line to complete the industrial upgrade of the Yanjing Television Factory.

Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, the aircraft door slowly opened, and the crew began guiding passengers off the plane.

Li Yi and Li Yunbao grabbed their luggage, quickly disembarked, and headed toward the airport exit.

By the time they emerged from the terminal, Zhou Xinghua and the others were already waiting for them at the exit…

New York International Airport was not far from the Green Brothers’ estate, and before long, the car pulled into the estate.

Knowing that Li Yi was coming today, Lan Xinyi, Cai Bingyan, George, Billy, and the others were all waiting for him at the estate.

As soon as Li Yi walked through the door, enthusiastic applause filled the estate’s living room, as everyone welcomed his return in this way.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Yi gathered everyone in the temporary conference room!

Taking his seat at the head of the table, Li Yi cleared his throat and said, “Everyone has worked hard while I was away. I know how much you’ve all put in. When this investment is complete, your efforts will be richly rewarded—I promise!”

“Clap, clap, clap!!!”

Hearing this, the conference room erupted in enthusiastic applause that lasted for quite some time.

After a while, as the applause died down, Li Yi spoke again: “Who can tell me what the current situation is in the New York gold futures market? How significant has the Federal Reserve’s second rate hike been in affecting international gold prices?”

After Li Yunbao finished translating, Bill, the lead trader, stood up immediately and said, “Boss, the Fed’s second rate hike has had a massive impact on the gold futures market. In just five days, international gold prices have dropped by 10% compared to before the hike, and the rate of decline is accelerating!”

“What is the current international gold price in US dollars?” Li Yi asked again.

“It’s at $475. According to forecasts from relevant institutions, international gold prices might fall below $400 by the end of the month, before the Fed’s third rate hike. So we recommend that you close out your positions after the Fed’s third rate hike!” Bill said.

Perhaps worried that Li Yi didn’t fully grasp Bill’s meaning, George, standing nearby, immediately added, “Based on our understanding of the Fed’s consistent approach, they raise rates solely to curb inflation. Once they achieve some results, they’ll opt to cut rates and ease monetary policy. At that point, gold prices will likely rebound rapidly. We must wrap up this investment before the Fed eases its policy!”

“So what price do you think is most appropriate?” Li Yi asked.

“$380!”

“$360!”

The first answer came from George, while the second was Billy’s suggestion.

Li Yi didn’t comment on their answers but shifted his gaze to Lan Xinyi, Cai Bingyan, and the others, asking, “What about you? Do you think that price is suitable for the buyback contract?”

Cai Bingyan immediately replied, “$320!”

“Between $270 and $300!”

Hearing Lan Xinyi’s answer, everyone in the room froze, staring at her in disbelief.

After all, if the international gold price were to drop to $320 per ounce, it would mean the price had fallen by more than half from this year’s peak—something completely impossible given the current global economic climate.

After hearing everyone’s answers, Li Yi gave Lan Xinyi a satisfied look.

He knew full well that after the Federal Reserve’s third rate hike, the international gold price had plummeted below $300, and at that time, the entire gold futures market had been in utter chaos.

Although futures trading offers opportunities to profit whether you’re long or short, it’s the same as in any industry: only when the overall market conditions are favorable can the majority of people make money.

If prices are falling across the board and the overall market conditions are poor, then only a tiny handful of people stand a chance of making money; for the vast majority of investors, it’s actually very difficult to turn a profit.

Clearly, as one of the top performers among that select few who profit, Li Yi is extremely satisfied with the current trends in the New York gold futures market.

“When to buy back the contracts and exit the market—that’s entirely up to me!”

Li Yi then turned to Billy and asked, “Has there been any movement on William’s end lately?”

Li Yi still took this man—who had once tried to force him into a margin call—very seriously.

Of course, the reason Li Yi was keeping an eye on him wasn’t just because he feared the guy might be lying in wait to ambush him again—Li Yi also wanted to teach him a lesson.

It would be rude not to return the favor—he wasn’t the type to take a beating without fighting back!

“Nothing yet, but knowing Legendary William as we do, after taking such a huge hit last time, he’s bound to make a move!” Billy said in a low voice.

“No problem. I’m actually hoping he does come!” Li Yi said casually.

“Boss, what should we do next?” Billy asked.

“We don’t need to worry about the futures market for now. We’ll deal with it once the international gold price drops to $350 per ounce!”

Li Yi continued, “Right now, we have two things to do. First, keep investing in stocks on the NASDAQ. Second, help me get in touch with Corning. Tell them I have a big business deal to propose!”

Billy replied immediately, “Boss, Corning is a partner of our Sharp Company. If you’re interested in collaborating with them, I’d be more than happy to facilitate the connection!”

“Then I’ll leave that to you!” Li Yi said.

“The customer is always right—it’s our duty…”

Just then, a young man gently pushed open the door and walked over to Zhou Xinghua, whispering a few words to him.

Zhou Xinghua immediately stood up and said to Li Yi, “Mr. Li, Mr. Gray is here. He says he needs to see you about something!”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, “Alright, let’s wrap up today’s meeting here. Dismissed!”

After saying that, Li Yi led Zhou Xinghua, Li Yunbao, and the others toward the estate’s living room…

………