Chapter 511: A Complete Mess

Cloud Peak No. 1. Study!

Ignoring Li Yunbao, who was sulking as he worked on the contract, Li Yi addressed the Chief Secretary directly: “Spit it out. What exactly are the instructions—or the objective—behind your Governor sending you here?”

Pang Baiteng was about to speak, but instinctively glanced at Li Yunbao standing nearby—the implication was clear!

“Don’t worry about him—he’s 100% trustworthy!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Yunbao froze for a moment, his eyes filled with astonishment.

He really wanted to step forward and feel Li Yi’s forehead—had this guy’s brain short-circuited? How else could he have said something like that?

Pang Baiteng was equally surprised. He had recognized Li Yunbao the moment he walked in; after all, who in Hong Kong didn’t know the name of the Li family’s eldest son?

What surprised him even more was that Li Yi trusted Li Yunbao so completely. When he considered that the Li family had helped organize tonight’s dinner, and that Li Yi was currently living in the Li family’s Cloud Peak No. 1—a mansion reportedly worth over 100 million that had already been transferred to his name—

All signs pointed to the fact that the Li family and the man standing before him shared a special relationship!

After a moment’s thought, Secretary Pang immediately said, “First, I’ve brought the Governor to you…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi interjected calmly, “Secretary Pang, as you can see, I have quite a few guests waiting for me. Just stick to the important points—skip the trivial details.”

“Uh…”

Secretary Pang Baiteng was instantly left speechless by Li Yi’s remark. How could he possibly omit the Governor’s message?

But the man before him clearly had no patience; if he angered him, he’d likely be kicked out on the spot.

After much deliberation, he decided to handle the matter the Governor had entrusted to him first; the rest could wait.

After all, this was Hong Kong Island—he’d have plenty of opportunities later to deal with this young man.

So, suppressing his inner rage, he gathered his thoughts and spoke: “Mr. Li, Mr. Mak asked me to inquire: in what capacity have you come to Hong Kong?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yi’s eyes narrowed instantly.

Interesting. Clearly, the Governor had misunderstood; he must have assumed that Li Yi had official connections.

With that in mind, Li Yi replied calmly, “As a businessman and investor.”

“And will you be taking the money you earn here back to the mainland?”

“Whether I take it back or not is my own business. Does the Governor’s Office or the British Hong Kong government intend to stop me? If you dare to interfere, the consequences will be more than you can handle!” Li Yi said coldly.

Secretary Pang and Li Yunbao, standing nearby, were both startled by Li Yi’s words. This man was incredibly bold—he actually dared to directly threaten the British Hong Kong government and the Governor!

But upon closer reflection, if this man was truly a representative sent from the mainland, then he did indeed have the confidence to do so.

Don’t be fooled by the British Hong Kong government’s daily posturing on the island—in reality, they wouldn’t dare to cross swords with the other side. After all, back in the day, the other side had the audacity to directly shell their own mother country’s “Amber” warship.

For a time, troops had even been stationed across the strait, provoking the other side—and who knows, they might actually launch an attack.

However, they had completely misunderstood Li Yi’s intentions.

Li Yi’s true intention was that Hong Kong was already the world’s third-largest financial center; if the British Hong Kong government recklessly blocked him from bringing his money back to the mainland, it would inevitably have a massive negative impact on Hong Kong’s financial security.

Compounded by the severe stock market crisis currently plaguing Hong Kong, the cumulative negative effects could lead to extremely serious consequences.

Consequently, the expressions on the faces of the two men, who had been at odds with each other, shifted once again as they looked at Li Yi.

It took a while before Secretary Pang snapped out of it and said, “Mr. Li, please don’t misunderstand. As long as your funds were earned legally, we would absolutely never stand in your way!”

“That’s good!”

However, Li Yi quickly changed the subject and added, “But you can tell Mr. Mai that I remain very optimistic about the prospects of the Hong Kong market. I won’t be taking the money I’ve earned from the stock market back to the mainland; instead, I’ll inject it all into my new company and continue investing in Hong Kong!”

“Really?”

“I, Li Yi, never tell lies!”

“Very well, I will convey your message to the Governor!”

Secretary Pang then added, “Additionally, the Governor has asked me to convey his gratitude to you for showing restraint toward the Hong Kong stock market. Otherwise, the current situation might have been even worse!”

“I’ve received the Governor’s message. I have other guests here, so I won’t keep you any longer, Secretary Pang. Please go ahead!” Li Yi said calmly.

“Then I shall take my leave!”

With that, Pang Baiteng turned and left Li Yi’s study!

………

No sooner had Secretary Pang left than Li Yunbao fixed his gaze on Li Yi and said, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll make things difficult for you? These people have absolutely no scruples when it comes to what they do!”

Li Yi replied calmly, “Haha, this isn’t Hong Kong Island from a hundred years ago, and they aren’t the British Empire of a century past!”

“You really are…”

Before Li Yunbao could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “We’ll deal with all this nonsense later. Have you finished that contract yet?”

“It’s done!”

“Good. Grab the contract and come downstairs with me!” Li Yi said.

“What for?”

“To meet your old man and the others!”

“I’m not going…”

“You have no right to say no to me, unless you quit my company and end up with the reputation of a scoundrel!” Li Yi said coolly.

“You’re the scoundrel!”

With that, Li Yunbao immediately put away the contract he’d just finished drafting and followed Li Yi downstairs.

As Li Yi approached, he could hear people in the reception room discussing his identity from a distance.

Although he couldn’t make out the details clearly, he still caught a few hints of something unusual.

Recalling Secretary Pang’s strange expression and unusual words from earlier, Li Yi began to form some suspicions.

Since the door to the small reception room was open, Li Futiao and the others easily spotted Li Yi and Li Yunbao.

When everyone saw that Li Yi had actually walked in with Li Fuzhao’s son, they were all somewhat shocked.

Everyone knew what kind of personality this “Young Master Li” had—he was a figure who even gave his own father a headache.

Now, to see him trailing after Li Yi like a henchman was a rather bizarre sight.

After Li Yi and Li Yunbao entered the reception room, Li Yi immediately instructed the bodyguards at the door to close it.

After taking his seat at the head of the table, Li Yi looked around and said, “I’m sorry to have kept you all waiting!”

“It’s all right. Did that Secretary Pang give you any trouble?” Li Futao asked immediately.

“No, he just expressed the Governor’s gratitude to me on his behalf—that’s all!” Li Yi replied.

Li Futiao, Li Mingji, He Guangdong, and the others naturally knew why the Governor had thanked Li Yi. After exchanging glances, He Guangdong spoke up: “Mr. Li, from what you just said, it sounds like you plan to develop your business in Hong Kong for the long term. Am I correct in my understanding?”

“That’s right. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I’ll be developing my business here for a long time to come, though I myself won’t necessarily be here every moment!” Li Yi said.

At that moment, Li Mingji also spoke up: “Mr. Li, I’m wondering if your Starry Sky Company accepts investments. I’d like to acquire a 10% stake—how much capital would that require?”

“Mr. Li, I’d also like to invest in your company. I don’t need much—just 5%!”

“Mr. Li, I want 5% too. I’ll pay whatever it takes…”

Li Yi raised his hand to signal for silence.

Then, clearing his throat, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for your trust in me, but my investment firm is not accepting investments at this time!”

However, just as everyone was deeply disappointed, Li Yi spoke again: “Although we cannot accept your investments, we can still collaborate in another way—one that will allow everyone to make money as well!”

Hearing this, everyone’s attention turned back to Li Yi!

With a series of heavy footsteps, a middle-aged man in his fifties with graying hair soon walked in from outside, accompanied by a foreign woman in her twenties.

Both the older man and the younger woman held their heads high, like two proud roosters!

No, it was more like an old rooster leading a young hen!

This haughty little display made Li Yi frown. The world had witnessed the decline of the British Empire; they only dared to act this way in Hong Kong. Anywhere else, such audacity would get them beaten up in a heartbeat!

Clearly, Secretary Pang knew who Li Yi was—he’d even seen his photo. In short, he recognized him.

He walked straight up to Li Yi with his female companion, staring him down and sizing him up from head to toe.

Such rude behavior immediately annoyed Li Yi, and he silently decided to find an opportunity to teach this jerk a lesson.

No matter what this guy was here for, the fact that he was so contemptuous of ordinary people just because he was backed by a foreign boss meant he wasn’t a good person.

At that moment, Li Yi stared right back without a hint of fear!

This silent standoff had everyone present secretly holding their breath for Li Yi—after all, he was facing the Governor’s Office’s chief secretary.

Moreover, the lady standing beside Pang Boten was no ordinary figure either; she was rumored to be the Governor’s granddaughter.

If Li Yi really offended these two, he would likely face endless trouble.

But they had all underestimated Li Yi’s courage. Not only did he dare to hold the Chief Secretary’s gaze, but his expression grew increasingly cold, to the point where everyone feared he might explode at any moment.

Before the Chief Secretary could speak, the foreign “little hen” couldn’t stand Li Yi’s overwhelming presence and spoke up first: “Sir, it’s rude to look at a lady like this!”

Although Li Yi understood what she meant—that it was impolite for him to stare at a woman like that—he paid her no mind.

She was just a woman with no manners—not worth getting angry over.

Seeing that she was being ignored, the foreign woman was about to lose her temper. She had never been treated with such contempt by these yellow-skinned people before; it was a complete humiliation.

But before she could speak, Secretary Pang, standing nearby, immediately fired off a string of English: “Hello, Mr. Li. I’m the secretary of the Governor’s Office…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Sir, please speak Mandarin or Cantonese!”

At that moment, the woman standing next to Secretary Pang suddenly spoke up again in English: “English is the most widely used and undisputed language in the world. You can’t, can you?”

“Madam, whether English is the most widely used and most beautiful language in the world has nothing to do with me. If you insist on being unreasonable in front of me, I’ll have no choice but to ask you to leave!” Li Yi said coldly.

The moment he spoke, the entire banquet hall fell instantly silent.

Originally, some people had harbored doubts about Li Yi’s identity. After all, few wealthy families had the resources to investigate the connection between Li Yi and the Jiang family; most had merely heard rumors and knew very little.

However, when everyone witnessed Li Yi confronting the Governor’s Office with such force, all doubts were dispelled.

After all, in Hong Kong, the only people who dared to show such disregard for the Governor’s Office’s prestige were the ones sitting right across from them!

“Sir, are you challenging the authority of the British Empire…”

Before the foreign woman could finish, Li Yi coldly snapped, “Get out. You’re not welcome here!”

Instantly, the entire banquet hall fell completely silent.

Li Yi’s domineering demeanor startled everyone—both the members of the wealthy families and the two representatives from the Governor’s Office were taken aback!

Seeing this, Li Fu hurried forward to smooth things over, saying to Pang Baiteng, “Secretary Pang, Mr. Li Yi is from the mainland; it’s only natural he doesn’t understand English. Besides, shouldn’t you have conveyed the Governor’s regards to Mr. Li first?”

Pang Baiteng immediately recalled what the Governor had instructed him to do upon their arrival, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

He then addressed Li Yi directly in Cantonese: “I’m sorry, Mr. Li. I was rude just now, and Miss Su Li meant no harm either. Please forgive us!”

Li Yi replied calmly, “Ignorance is no excuse. Let’s leave it at that.”

Having said that, he paid no further attention to the two people in front of him, but turned to Li Futiao and asked, “Chairman Li, is everyone here? If so, let’s get started!”

Li Futiao glanced around and saw that representatives from various business factions had mostly arrived. He immediately replied, “Almost everyone is here. I think we can begin!”

Just then, Lan Xinyi promptly handed the microphone to Li Yi.

Taking the microphone, Li Yi immediately addressed everyone in the banquet hall in a loud voice: “Hello, friends of Hong Kong’s business community. I am Li Yi, from across the water in Hong Kong. I’ve hosted this banquet for Hong Kong’s prominent families and elite today primarily to get to know you all and make some friends!”

“And by the way, I’d like to say hello to my friends here in Hong Kong: I, Li Yi, have arrived!”

It was the first time Hong Kong’s elite had heard such an unconventional opening speech, and everyone couldn’t help but wonder what Li Yi meant by it!

Everyone understood the part about making friends, but this way of saying hello was rather unusual—it almost sounded like a declaration!

Just as everyone was pondering this, Li Yi spoke again: “Additionally, I have one more announcement to make today: I have established a company in Hong Kong Island called Star International Investment. Our office is located on the 17th floor of Yuanhua Tower in the central business district. The company officially opens tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., and I cordially invite you all to attend!”

“Now that the formalities are out of the way, you’re all free to mingle. I hope you all have a great time today!”

Banquets in Hong Kong aren’t as formal as those on the mainland. Instead of large tables seating a dozen or so people, everyone gathered around a big round table to drink and chat as the event began.

The gatherings here are more like parties; all the food and drinks are laid out on long tables along both sides of the hall, and everyone helps themselves to whatever they like.

Moreover, the banquet hall and courtyard were furnished with rented round tables and sofas, providing spots for guests to rest and chat.

Once Li Yi had officially declared the banquet open, these business elites immediately began moving about freely. Some would grab some desserts and find a quiet spot to chat with acquaintances; others would take a slow dance with friends in the center of the dance floor; still others would discuss business partnerships with colleagues…

As for Li Yi, he had barely announced the start of the banquet when he was intercepted by Li Futiao.

Li Futi then informed Li Yi that several business tycoons wished to speak with him!

Since Li Yi had already established a company on Hong Kong Island, he naturally wouldn’t refuse to connect with these business tycoons. He immediately prepared to take them to the small reception room on the second floor for a chat.

However, just as they were about to head upstairs, they were called to a halt.

“Mr. Li, on behalf of the Governor’s Office, there are some matters I’d like to discuss with you!”

Looking at the senior secretary from the Governor’s Office standing before him, Li Yi nodded. He, too, was curious to know why the British Hong Kong government had sent this guy over!

He immediately instructed Huang Lixing to take Li Futao and the others to the second-floor reception room, while he led Secretary Pang to the study on the fourth floor.

Hong Kong. Victoria Peak!

Just before 4:00 p.m., a squad of motorcycle patrol officers arrived at the mid-slope of Victoria Peak and began setting up checkpoints to inspect passing pedestrians and vehicles.

At the same time, several SWAT armored vehicles began arriving at the Cloudtop Villa District, and a large contingent of heavily armed SWAT officers began setting up a perimeter around the villas.

There was no choice—everyone attending tonight’s banquet here came from the city’s most prominent and wealthy families, and if anything were to happen to any one of them, it would be major news.

Consequently, the police headquarters had received a series of orders from higher-ups that afternoon, directing them to deploy additional forces to maintain order at the Peak tonight.

Fortunately, the military and police personnel on Hong Kong Island were already accustomed to such orders, and most were quite willing to participate in these missions, as they could always count on receiving some sort of bonus upon completion.

As for who provides these bonuses, that goes without saying…

At 6:00 p.m., people began arriving at Cloudtop No. 1 in a steady stream after passing through multiple security checkpoints.

However, since none of them were particularly high-ranking, and Li Yi was busy upstairs, Huang Lixing handled the reception.

However, after 6:30, the visitors’ status began to rise significantly, and Huang Lixing found himself struggling to keep up.

With no other choice, he had to send Lan Xinyi upstairs to report the situation to Li Yi.

In the study on the fourth floor, Li Yi was drafting a contract with Li Yunbao when a sudden, urgent knock sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

As the door swung open, Lan Xinyi rushed in and said, “Boss, quite a few distinguished guests have arrived, and Chairman Li and Miss Li are here as well. Should you go downstairs to greet them…?”

Li Yi glanced at Li Yunbao, then asked with a smile, “Your dad and the others are here. Do you want to go down and see them?”

Li Yunbao glanced at the thick stack of contracts on the table and frowned. “If you don’t need them right now, I don’t mind!”

“Then you’d better just stick to your work here. As for your old man, I’ll be sure to say hello for you!”

Li Yunbao clenched his teeth and said, “Are you really from the mainland?”

“What’s the matter?”

“I’ve heard that on the mainland, they have a particular hatred for capitalists—especially those unscrupulous ones. Did you come to Hong Kong because you couldn’t make it there anymore?”

Hearing Li Yunbao mock him as a heartless capitalist, Li Yi grinned and said, “I just remembered—there’s another training contract I need to draft. It’s due tomorrow!”

With that, Li Yi turned and, with Lan Xinyi by his side, headed downstairs.

Watching Li Yi’s retreating figure, Li Yunbao really wanted to go up and pin this heartless boss to the ground for a good beating.

This guy was definitely a heartless boss—and the kind who was rotten to the core.

Earlier that afternoon, when Li Yi had asked him to draft a contract, Li Yunbao had thought it was no big deal. For a professional lawyer like him, it was something he could whip up in no time—after all, most contracts have templates.

To his utter surprise, however, after he finished the employee’s labor contract, Li Yi asked him to draft a service contract as well.

And that wasn’t all—he was then asked to draft a confidentiality agreement and a non-compete agreement.

Just when he thought he was finally done, Li Yi assigned him another person to draft a private equity fund partnership agreement, and even added a bunch of clauses that sounded downright absurd.

Since the contract covered such a vast scope of content, Li Yunbao even had a friend deliver contract templates and professional reference books.

But even so, the contract still wasn’t finished.

Li Yi could see the resentment in Li Yunbao’s heart, but he didn’t take it to heart at all.

This kid had been spoiled rotten by Li Futiao; he wasn’t a bad person at heart, just far too full of himself.

And if things went as expected, he’d soon be kidnapped anyway—there was no need for Li Yi to play the villain himself. Soon enough, someone else would give him a taste of society’s harsh reality!

When he reached the lobby, Li Yi spotted Li Fuzhao and Li Yunling from a distance. Standing beside them was a figure he recognized: Li Chao-ren from Cheung Kong.

Besides these few, Li Yi also spotted several other super-elite figures he knew from his past life—all of them with fortunes exceeding 100 billion.

Although these individuals were currently just rising stars—not yet the kind who could make Hong Kong tremble with a single stomp—Li Yi was still somewhat surprised to see them at his banquet.

As Li Yi descended the stairs, all eyes downstairs turned to him.

No one knew who started the applause first, but the others soon followed suit.

In an instant, thunderous applause filled the entire hall!

Li Yi was a bit dazed by the scene before him. Why did he have the strange feeling that he was actually the most formidable figure among them all?

That didn’t make sense!

Fortunately, he was no stranger to the limelight and wasn’t intimidated by the crowd; he continued walking down the stairs with steady steps.

As Li Yi stepped down the final stair, Li Fu, accompanied by several truly powerful figures, came forward to greet him.

The scene left Li Yi feeling somewhat flattered.

Upon reaching Li Yi, Li Futiao immediately said, “Mr. Li Yi, since you haven’t been in Hong Kong for very long, you may not be familiar with our business colleagues. Let me introduce everyone here to you!”

“I’d be delighted. I’d appreciate it if you could do me the honor, Chairman Li!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“It’s no trouble at all! This is Li Mingji from Hongji Group. His company is one of the most powerful real estate firms in Hong Kong right now!”

“I’ve long heard of Mr. Li Mingji’s reputation on the mainland. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Li Yi said with a humble demeanor.

Li Mingji quickly added, “Mr. Li, you’ve made a name for yourself in a single battle—I’m truly impressed!”

Li Futao pointed again to a middle-aged, heavyset man standing nearby and said, “This is He Guangdong of the He family. His family is a century-old dynasty in Hong Kong!”

“I’m well aware of the He family’s reputation in Hong Kong. I’ll be sure to pay them a visit when I have the chance!” Li Yi replied with confidence and composure.

“Hahaha, the He family would be delighted to have Mr. Li as our guest!”

Just a few simple exchanges were enough to make these tycoons realize Li Yi’s extraordinary nature.

Wealth can be accumulated over time, and knowledge can be gained through study, but poise is something one is born with.

Most of the people here had had some contact with those across the strait, and in their view, the vast majority of ordinary people there were tight-fisted.

Especially when meeting people like them, they tended to act particularly stiff and reserved—a trait that was especially evident among their officials.

In contrast, this young man before them remained composed throughout their conversation, neither servile nor arrogant, speaking with courtesy and restraint—truly the bearing of a gentleman.

Though he stood alone, he seemed to have an army behind him; his presence was in no way inferior to theirs—if anything, it was even slightly superior!

“Who is this…”

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from outside: “Mr. Pang Baiteng has arrived!”

This somewhat abrupt announcement disrupted Li Futiao’s introduction, and everyone present fell silent. The atmosphere in the vast banquet hall grew instantly still.

Even Li Yi could sense a hint of oppressive tension in the air!

Although he didn’t know exactly who this Pang Bote was, he surmised he wasn’t an ordinary person—otherwise, he wouldn’t be exerting such immense pressure on them.

At that moment, Li Futiao whispered in Li Yi’s ear, “Pang Bote is from the Governor’s Office. He currently serves as the Governor’s secretary and is essentially authorized to represent Mr. Mai in public!”

Li Yi nodded, and it all made sense to him.

So it was someone from the British Hong Kong government—no wonder he had such a commanding presence.

He just didn’t quite understand why someone from the Governor’s Office would come to his place—he hoped they weren’t here to cause trouble!

With that thought, he stood tall, chest out, eyes fixed straight ahead, quietly awaiting the arrival of this imposing secretary…

……….

Tai Ping Shan. Cloud Peak No. 1!

By the time Li Yi and the others returned from the new company, it was already past 1:00 PM.

Just a short while ago, they had visited the temporary office of Star International Investment to check on the renovation progress.

It must be said that the professional renovation team here was highly efficient; in less than a week, the over 200-square-meter office space had already been completely refurbished.

After inspecting the site, Li Yi instructed Lan Xinyi to notify all company employees to report to work on time tomorrow morning and attend the company’s grand opening ceremony.

After taking care of these matters, Li Yi led the group back to Cloudtop No. 1.

But as soon as he walked in, Li Yi spotted a familiar face sitting in the villa’s grand living room—none other than Li Yunbao, the eldest son of the Li family!

“What are you doing here?”

Li Yunbao looked at Li Yi with a somewhat complicated expression, then said, “I’ve resigned. Where is your company? When do I start?”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, and the others standing nearby were all taken aback.

They had assumed it was just a joke, but they never expected the Li family’s eldest son to actually honor that wager and come work at their small company.

The expressions of the young women nearby, however, were entirely different. Hearing that they would be working in the same company as Li Yunbao, they all seemed eager to get started, and the looks they cast at him were tinged with a hint of passion.

They say those closest to the water get the moon first—this was the eldest son of the Li family, after all. Just being associated with him would guarantee a life of luxury.

Even if they couldn’t marry into the Li family, it would guarantee a life of comfort and security for the rest of their days!

The only concern now was whether the boss would dare to take on this young master of the Li family. For a moment, everyone’s gaze in the lobby was fixed on Li Yi.

However, Li Yi paid no attention to any of this. With a calm expression, he said, “The company is still in its early stages; we’re not planning to open until tomorrow. Miss Lan will give you the address later!”

Li Yunbao’s eyes widened, and he frowned. “So you’re telling me you don’t even have a proper company yet, and you’ve just lured me here?”

Li Yi grinned and said, “Don’t put it that way. I didn’t trick you here—I earned you!”

Li Yunbao: #￥%……%￥#

After a long pause, Li Yunbao spoke again: “I see. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Of course there’s something. Head to the study now and draft a contract for me!”

“Alright!”

Although Li Yunbao had a bit of a fiery temper, he was a man of his word and highly capable at his job.

Since he had decided to honor the wager, he quickly got down to business and followed Li Yi upstairs.

Meanwhile, Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, and the others weren’t idle either; they were all downstairs, helping Li Yi make arrangements for the evening banquet to host the tycoons of Hong Kong’s elite families.

Since today’s guests were a different crowd—all bigwigs from Hong Kong’s elite families and CEOs of major corporations, the absolute cream of the crop—no one dared to take it lightly.

To ensure Li Yi’s reputation remained intact, Huang Lixing not only brought in the professional culinary team from the Emperor Hotel but also specially selected over 100 capable young members from the Qinglong Society to assist.

Consequently, even before the banquet had begun, the number of staff on hand had already reached over two hundred—a truly impressive display.

……..

However, just as Huang Lixing and his team were busy preparing for the banquet, rumors were already swirling throughout Hong Kong’s high society.

All the rumors centered on a single question: the true identity of Li Yi, this investment genius who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Some claimed that this investment genius, who was making waves in the stock market, had a special background—not only was he a direct descendant of a prominent “red family” from the mainland, but he was also backed by a mysterious and powerful force, and was likely a civilian representative sent to Hong Kong by the mainland.

Wow, even the term “civilian representative” has come up—how terrifying is that!

Others claim that his ability to sweep through the Hong Kong stock market with such lightning speed was entirely the work of the other side, intended as a show of force against the British Hong Kong government.

As for why Li Yi pulled back in time—choosing not to wipe out the market completely—it was also because he received instructions from the other side.

Otherwise, given how favorable his position was at the time, he could have easily waited a little longer.

If he’d waited until today to close the net, he could have made at least another 300 million.

Li Yi really didn’t dare tell them the truth: he didn’t pull back because someone ordered him to, but because he was afraid someone would have him quietly eliminated!

Some also say that Li Yi is hosting a banquet tonight at Genting No. 1 for the elite bigwigs of the upper crust. It’s not just about meeting everyone; more importantly, it’s to convey certain messages from the other side.

Li Yi really hadn’t thought that far ahead; he simply wanted to meet with the bigwigs from Hong Kong’s wealthy families, get to know them, and build some goodwill—that was all!

But others didn’t see it that way!

In short, within Hong Kong’s elite circles, different versions of rumors about Li Yi were circulating constantly.

Although every one of these rumors sounded far-fetched, few people questioned them. Everyone tacitly agreed that Li Yi must have intricate connections with the capital.

On one hand, regarding Li Yi’s background, many wealthy families and clans had sent people to investigate him long ago, and the findings revealed that Li Yi indeed had extraordinary ties to families in Beijing such as the Jiangs, the Yees, and the Lins.

On the other hand, no one believed that a young man in his twenties could dominate the entire Hong Kong stock market without the backing of state power.

Consequently, these rumors led to a situation where every family of any standing in Hong Kong Island wanted to attend this dinner.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Hong Kong is currently under British rule; anyone with a modicum of foresight could see that the mainland would never back down on this issue.

At this juncture, it was still quite necessary to forge ties with the “friendly envoy” from the mainland.

Moreover, given that the other side had just swept through the Hong Kong stock market and was sitting on tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars in cash, a partnership would be all the better.

However, since no formal invitations were sent out for tonight’s dinner—only a message relayed by Li Futiao—the major families had no choice but to call him directly to seek his advice.

After receiving more than twenty calls in a row, Li Futao realized something was amiss.

Especially after receiving a call from the Governor’s Office, he knew things were about to take a turn for the worse.

After making a few inquiries, he discovered that an unexpectedly large number of people were eager to attend the banquet.

Li Futao hadn’t anticipated things would escalate to this point. With no other choice, he had to call Li Yi.

Upon receiving Li Futiao’s call, Li Yi was completely taken aback!

He had no idea about the wild rumors circulating in Hong Kong’s high society, so he didn’t understand why these people were showing him such deference. Could it be because he’d been hyped up as the “Stock Market Guru”?

Although he wasn’t privy to the details, Li Yi knew exactly what his home could handle!

If so many people flooded into his home all at once, it would be absolutely packed to the brim.

After all, these Hong Kong socialites had a habit of bringing their entire families to parties, which is why the major newspapers were often filled with reports of high-society gatherings featuring wealthy matrons and their daughters-in-law.

No matter how large or well-prepared Cloud Peak No. 1 was, it simply couldn’t accommodate that many people.

After some thought, Li Yi asked Li Futi to help screen the guests, ideally keeping the number to within a hundred or two.

After hanging up, Li Futiao fell into deep thought. He knew Li Yi was placing his trust in him by asking for his help in managing the guest list.

But Li Futiao also knew this was a task that would inevitably offend people; after all, those who were turned down would inevitably be displeased.

After much deliberation, Li Futiao decided to follow Li Yi’s instructions and distribute the 200 spots evenly among the bigwigs of various business factions, allowing them to submit their own names.

They say where there are people, there is a “underworld,” and where there is an “underworld,” there are factions—and Hong Kong Island is no exception.

Don’t let the small size of the place fool you—there are quite a few factions here. In the business world alone, there are four major factions: the Chaoshan faction, the Shanghai faction, the Cantonese faction, and the Taishan faction.

Each of these factions has two or three prominent figures, such as Li Ka-shing of the Chaoshan faction and Bao Yugang of the Shanghai faction.

Rather than agonizing over who to invite and who to turn down, why not let these bigwigs deal with the headache themselves?

Immediately, Li Futiao called the bigwigs of each faction in Hong Kong’s business community, instructing them to each recommend 10 guests—each of whom could bring a companion—and to report the final list to him once confirmed.

Thanks to Li Futiao’s maneuvering, coupled with the fueling of various rumors, what was originally a very ordinary banquet suddenly took on an air of unattainable grandeur.

And all of this was quietly brewing without Li Yi having the slightest clue…

……..

Hong Kong Island. Far East Stock Exchange!

Just as Li Futiao and the others were silently speculating about Li Yi’s background, Li Yi and his team had already completed the fund settlement.

Thanks to Li Futao’s personal intervention, the brokerage was more than willing to cooperate. A total of over 4.02 billion yuan was smoothly transferred from Huang Lixing’s stock account into Li Yi’s personal account.

However, no sooner had Li Yi and his group completed the settlement than they saw General Manager Xie of the exchange approaching them with a middle-aged man.

Upon reaching them, Xie Huatian said respectfully, “Hello, Mr. Li. Would you mind if I spoke with you for a moment?”

“Of course. What’s on your mind?” Li Yi replied.

Li Yi actually had a favorable impression of General Manager Xie; after all, it was he who had authorized the loan of 1.68 billion yuan, enabling Li Yi to complete this epic investment.

Xie Huatian immediately pointed to the middle-aged man beside him and said, “This is Xie Yukun, Deputy General Manager of Hang Seng Bank and my cousin. He’d like to discuss a potential partnership with you. I wonder if you’d be interested?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the middle-aged man beside him extended his hand. “Mr. Li, I’m Xie Yukun. It’s a pleasure to meet an investment genius like you!”

This was the first bank executive Li Yi had met on Hong Kong Island. The fact that the man had sought him out so quickly clearly indicated he was no ordinary figure.

Li Yi immediately extended his hand as well and said, “Manager Xie, you’re very well-connected!”

Xie Yukun hurriedly explained, “Mr. Li, please don’t misunderstand. I actually called Chairman Li before coming here—it wasn’t Tianhua who tipped me off!”

Li Yi didn’t dwell on the matter. Whether it was Xie Huatian who tipped him off or Li Futiao who sent him, it made no difference to Li Yi.

“I wonder what kind of cooperation Manager Xie has in mind?”

In truth, Li Yi knew full well what this meant.

Bankers approaching him had only two possible motives: first, to attract deposits; second, to extend loans.

Currently, with tens of billions in funds at his disposal, he naturally had no need for a loan, so Manager Xie’s visit was undoubtedly to solicit deposits.

“Mr. Li, this isn’t the place for a conversation. If you have time, we can find a quiet spot to talk in detail,” said Xie Yukun.

Li Yi glanced at his watch; it was still early, so he nodded and said, “Let’s find a VIP lounge to talk.”

“Great!” Xie Yukun said excitedly.

Having risen to the position of Deputy General Manager at Hang Seng Bank, his emotional intelligence was naturally quite high.

Since Li Yi had agreed to talk with him, it meant there was a willingness to cooperate—proof that his risky decision to call Li Futiao today had paid off.

Shortly after, led by Xie Huatian, the group arrived at a high-end VIP lounge.

………

In the VIP lounge, Li Yi, Huang Lixing, and Xie Yukun took their seats across a round table.

Since the upcoming discussion involved trade secrets, no one else was allowed in besides the three of them.

Once everyone was seated, Li Yi cut straight to the chase: “Manager Xie, let’s be upfront about this—just tell me what you’re after!”

“I’ll be straightforward then. I’d like to invite Mr. Li to become a premium client of Hang Seng Bank!”

“You want me to deposit my money with your bank?” Li Yi asked immediately.

“Yes. Hang Seng Bank is one of the top five banks on Hong Kong Island, with substantial financial strength…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi replied calmly, “Manager Xie, we’re well aware of Hang Seng Bank’s standing. Let’s get down to business.”

Although Li Yi had thrown him off balance, Xie Yukun quickly regained his composure and replied, “Mr. Li, if you’re willing to deposit your funds with us, we’ll offer you an interest rate 20% higher than the benchmark rate.”

“Additionally, if you become a client of Hang Seng Bank, we will assign a dedicated representative to handle your business with priority. Furthermore…”

“What if I want a loan? Are there any special offers?” Li Yi asked, surprising everyone.

“A loan? Why would you need a loan?”

Li Yi replied calmly, “Manager Xie, in business, there are bound to be times when funds are tight. And I’m not saying I need a loan right now!”

Xie Yukun immediately realized his question had been a bit amateurish and hurriedly said, “Mr. Li, if you need working capital, I can lower the loan interest rate to 4.5% within the scope of my authority!”

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn’t help but nod to himself; it was clear that Manager Xie was being quite sincere.

He had already done his research recently; currently, loan interest rates at major banks in Hong Kong were generally between 5% and 5.25%, so 4.5% was already quite low by comparison.

“What about the loan amount? How much authority do you have over that?” Li Yi asked again.

“If there’s collateral, the loan amount isn’t an issue. But without collateral, my decision-making authority is limited—Mr. Li might not find the offer acceptable!”

Although Xie Yukun was implying that their bank required collateral—and that without it, they couldn’t approve much of a loan—Li Yi didn’t seem to mind at all.

He simply smiled and said to Xie Yukun, “Manager Xie, given that you are the first bank executive to proactively approach me for a partnership, and given your attitude and sincerity, I have decided to open our company’s account at your Hang Seng Bank!”

“Additionally, I’ll be opening my personal account with your bank as well. I look forward to your continued support, Manager Xie, and that of your bank!”

Xie Yukun’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, “Thank you, Mr. Li, thank you…”

“All right, Manager Xie, I have other matters to attend to today. I’ll have someone from the company come over tomorrow to handle the account opening. Let’s call it a day for today!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, let me see you out!”

“Please don’t trouble yourself—I wouldn’t dare accept such an honor!”

After that, Li Yi and Huang Lixing left the stock exchange with Lan Xinyi and the others.

As soon as they got back in the car, Huang Lixing looked at Li Yi and said, “Bro, are you really planning to open the company account at Hang Seng Bank?”

“What’s the matter? Is there a problem?”

“It’s not that there’s a problem, but Hang Seng Bank’s strength can’t compare to HSBC, Citibank, or Standard Chartered. Plus, Hang Lung Bank and Hong Kong Bank are on par with Hang Seng—their ranking as one of the top five in Hong Kong is a bit inflated!” Huang Lixing said.

“Haha, so what if it’s inflated? I never planned on depositing much money with them anyway!”

Suddenly, Li Yi remembered something and immediately said to Huang Lixing, “Old Huang, I noticed earlier that your money seems to be deposited at Hang Lung Bank, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“Transfer it out later!”

“Withdraw… withdraw it to where?”

“Citibank!”

Huang Lixing looked at Li Yi. Seeing how serious he was, he didn’t ask any further questions. He simply nodded and said, “I’ll take care of it tomorrow!”

“Alright!”

“By the way, Li Yi, are you really planning to transfer all this money into the company account?” Huang Lixing asked again for confirmation.

“Yeah, I’m going to need it soon!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, “Brother Li Yi, are you planning to make another move?”

“That’s the plan!”

Li Yi had already mapped out his next investment project, but he still needed to carefully study the specifics of how to execute it.

After all, with this investment, he wasn’t just aiming to make money—he also wanted to secure the friendship of Hong Kong’s elite.

Huang Lixing hurriedly said, “Don’t forget about your old buddy!”

Investing in the stock market alongside Li Yi this time had been an unforgettable experience for Huang Lixing—it was simply too thrilling.

“Let’s head to the office first and see how the renovations are coming along. We’ll talk about the investment later!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

………

It took quite a while before the group finally finished reading the document in front of them.

After a brief silence, He Guangdong looked at Li Futao and asked, “Third Master, is this information accurate? Does that ‘Big Circle Guy’… no, Mr. Li really have ties to a ‘red family’?”

Li Futao nodded. “The information is definitely accurate. It took my people over half a month to dig this up. Mr. Li’s father-in-law is a high-ranking official with real power in Guangdong Province across the border, and their family still has two elder figures alive today!”

“Judging by this, Mr. Li really is a formidable force—a tiger unleashed from its cage!” Li Mingji exclaimed in astonishment.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Hong Kong Island is currently under the administration of the British Hong Kong government and has no direct ties to the mainland.

However, given that Hong Kong’s future remains uncertain, no one dares to ignore the attitude of the mainland.

If we could establish a connection with a young man with a Communist background, it would be nothing but beneficial.

At that moment, Li Futao spoke again: “If this Mr. Li’s family has a ‘red’ background, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But all signs point to the fact that he is very likely a representative sent over from the other side!”

“Third Master, are you saying that Mr. Li represents the will of the other side?” He Guangdong asked, looking utterly shocked.

“That can’t be. He’s so young—how could he possibly represent them?”

“That shouldn’t be possible, and there’s no evidence to prove it either…”

Before he could finish, Li Futiao said in a deep voice, “Who says there’s no evidence to prove it!”

“Third Master, is there really evidence?”

“Yes. You must surely be aware of Mr. Li’s astonishing moves in the stock market this time—that is the evidence!” Li Futiao said.

“But… how can that count as evidence?”

Li Futiao immediately replied, “According to our investigation, this Mr. Li crossed the border from Guangdong Province with Huang Lixing on July 15th. Just one day later, they entered the stock market with 43 million Hong Kong dollars and, despite the market being stable, shorted the Hang Seng Index with five times leverage. I ask you, who among you has the guts to do that?”

Before anyone could answer, Li Futao continued, “What’s even more shocking is that the very next day after they aggressively shorted the Hang Seng Index, the index plummeted due to a bank rate hike—the timing was perfect!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than He Guangdong frowned and said, “That doesn’t make sense. Even if the mainland places great importance on Hong Kong, it couldn’t possibly influence the banks here not to raise interest rates, could it?”

Li Futiao shook his head and said, “Whether they influence them or not is irrelevant. For this Mr. Li to short the Hang Seng Index with such confidence, he must have conducted extremely rigorous analysis beforehand. To know with such precision that the Hong Kong Bankers’ Association would raise interest rates—and to predict that the Hang Seng Index would plummet as a result—is something no individual or company could possibly achieve without state backing!”

“Furthermore, what truly led me to this conclusion was his subsequent moves!”

As soon as he said this, the group in the study once again turned their attention to Li Futiao.

Everyone’s expressions betrayed three parts gravity and seven parts curiosity; they all wanted to know exactly what Mr. Li had done to make Third Master Li so certain that he was the representative on the other side.

Li Futao didn’t keep them waiting long. He cut straight to the point: “After his first successful short-selling move, he didn’t stop there. Instead, he immediately switched to going long on the Hang Seng Index, raking in a staggering 370 million Hong Kong dollars in just four days.”

“But what was truly unexpected was that just as we were working with the British Hong Kong government to rescue the market—and the stock market was soaring with everything looking promising—he struck again, shorting the Hang Seng Index. And just as before, he poured all his available capital into the position at once, once again using five times leverage.”

“Just the day after he re-entered the market, the mainland rejected the ‘Youth Elite Group’s’ proposal and issued its strongest-ever statement. As a result, the stock market completely crashed—everything fell into place perfectly.”

Everyone thought about it carefully—and realized it was exactly as he said!

“Third Master, are you suggesting they’re working with him?”

Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but shudder.

Good heavens, coordinating national policy with his actions here—that’s truly chilling when you think about it.

“Whether they’re coordinating or not remains uncertain for now, but one thing is certain: he knows about this. Otherwise, the timing wouldn’t have been so precise!” Li Fu said.

“If that’s the case, then this Mr. Li is definitely not someone we can afford to mess with!” He Guangdong said solemnly.

Li Mingji agreed, “Exactly. This man’s background is truly staggering. Provoking him could very well mean provoking the other side!”

“No wonder he so decisively turned down everyone’s invitation yesterday. It turns out he wasn’t being arrogant—he actually had the power and confidence to refuse us!”

“Hmm, thanks for the heads-up, Third Master. Otherwise, we might’ve really made a huge mistake!”

“Thank you, Third Master…”

Li Futao cleared his throat, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

Then he continued, “Yesterday I went to see that Mr. Li. His attitude was quite intriguing. He turned you all down, yet invited everyone to his home tonight. I suspect tonight might be about more than just a simple meeting.”

“Third Master, are you saying he might have ulterior motives tonight?”

“Yes! That’s why I’m inviting you all to come along. This could be an opportunity for us!” Li Futiao said.

“What kind of opportunity?”

“An opportunity to surpass the British interests!” Li Futiao said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn’t help but breathe more rapidly.

For nearly a century, Hong Kong Island has been a British colony; the British established the Governor’s Residence here and seized most of the power over this land.

Although they publicly claim not to take a single penny from Hong Kong Island, they have used their privileges on the island to control nearly all of its livelihood-related businesses and have reaped massive profits through their monopolistic position.

To their knowledge, Jardine Matheson and the port operations they control alone generate at least 50 billion Hong Kong dollars in annual revenue from Hong Kong Island, all of which is legally transferred to the British Isles.

To amass even greater wealth and profits, British-owned enterprises ruthlessly suppressed Chinese capital; in fact, there were many businesses here that Chinese people were simply barred from entering, a situation that deeply angered Hong Kong Island’s Chinese entrepreneurs.

Everyone hoped that one day they could surpass the British-owned enterprises, reclaim the power that rightfully belonged to them, or at the very least, stand on equal footing with them.

But many years have passed, and Hong Kong Island remains the same. British-owned enterprises are still as arrogant and domineering as ever, while Chinese-owned enterprises continue to face harassment and oppression at every turn.

If there were truly an opportunity to surpass British-owned enterprises, who wouldn’t welcome it!

“Third Master, tell us what to do. We’re willing to stand with you through thick and thin!”

“That’s right, we’re willing to stand with the Li family through thick and thin…”

Li Futao shook his head and said, “We still don’t know what Mr. Li has in mind. For now, we just need to attend the dinner he’s hosting with a clear mind. As for the rest, let’s wait and see how things unfold!”

“Alright!”

“By the way, Third Master, where does that Mr. Li Yi live?” He Guangdong asked again.

“Cloud Peak No. 1!”

“Cloud Peak No. 1?”

He Guangdong exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t that the dowry you prepared for your eldest niece? How did it end up in that Mr. Li’s hands? You aren’t planning to recruit him as a son-in-law, are you?”

“Nonsense! Mr. Li Yi is a married man. I simply lost a bet with him, so I had to hand over Cloud Peak No. 1 to him!” Li Fu said.

“Using Cloud Peak No. 1 as a wager? You guys are playing for such high stakes?”

Li Futao smiled and proceeded to recount the epic wager between him and Li Yi to the crowd.

After hearing Li Fuzhao’s account of the events, everyone looked at him with envy.

Wow, that wasn’t just losing a bet—that was clearly a massive win…

……..

Victoria Peak, Cloudtop No. 1!

The Next Day!

When Li Yi opened his eyes, he found the scene before him was somewhat blurry. His head felt a little dizzy, and his throat burned like fire.

More importantly, the strong smell on his body made him feel like he was going to gag as he lay in bed.

Li Yi couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile; this post-hangover feeling was truly awful.

But there was nothing he could do about it. Everyone had been far too hospitable last night; everyone, including Old Huang, had been relentlessly toasting him.

Even though Li Yi had only taken small sips of red wine each time, by the end he had inevitably blacked out—he didn’t even know how he’d made it back.

After lying in bed for a while to recover, he finally sat up from the soft, large bed.

Feeling the warm sunlight streaming in, Li Yi instinctively picked up the watch on the nightstand and glanced at it, only to find it was already 10:00 a.m.

He walked to the window, pulled back the curtains, and looked outside. The fountain at the villa’s entrance was already running.

Moreover, there were already people in the massive swimming pool on the rooftop.

Upon closer inspection, he recognized Lan Xinyi and her friends.

The young girls, dressed in swimsuits, were splashing and playing below—a pleasant sight in itself—but Li Yi merely glanced at them before turning away from the window.

Having lived two lifetimes, how could he fail to see what these young girls were up to?

But Li Yi couldn’t muster the slightest interest in them; his heart was filled only with the one woman and two girls—there was no room for anyone else.

If it weren’t for a few unfinished matters here, he would have gone back long ago!

Back in the bathroom, after a quick shower, Li Yi changed into a clean set of clothes and headed downstairs.

In the living room on the first floor, Old Huang, dressed in a suit and tie, saw Li Yi in his short-sleeved shirt and shorts and immediately said with a smile, “Brother Li Yi, you’re finally awake. If you hadn’t come downstairs, I was about to go up and call for you!”

“You were in such a hurry to find me—is this about business?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Yes, I just got a call from Chairman Li. He said the funds have been settled, and we can go over there to collect the money anytime!” Huang Lixing said, sounding a bit excited.

“That fast?”

“Heh, it is a bit fast, but mainly because they’re doing it for your sake!”

Huang Lixing continued, “Believe it or not, if it were anyone else, with such a large sum, they’d drag it out for at least a few days!”

“Hmm, so what do you suggest, Old Huang? Should we go settle the funds right now?” Li Yi asked.

“Exactly. With this much money, it’s only reassuring to have it in our own account!” Huang Lixing replied.

Li Yi thought about it and agreed, saying immediately, “Alright, let’s go get the money!”

Huang Lixing nodded, then turned to Tie Ying standing nearby and said, “Yingzi, go tell Miss Lan and the others to gather up—it’s time to get to work!”

“Got it!”

While they were waiting for Lan Xinyi and the others, Huang Lixing suddenly asked, “By the way, brother, didn’t you say you were going to host a banquet for those bigwigs tonight? Shouldn’t we start preparing now?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “There must be hotels or event planning teams in Hong Kong that specialize in hosting this kind of banquet. Find someone to help me contact one—make sure it’s a team with strong capabilities and a good reputation!”

“Got it!”

Don’t let this seem like a simple matter—as if all it takes is money—but in reality, it’s far from it.

Especially for a high-level banquet like this, where the guests are all prominent figures, security is paramount—you can’t just hire any old team off the street.

Just as the two were chatting, Lan Xinyi and the others arrived one after another.

Once everyone had arrived, Li Yi and Huang Lixing led them to the Far East Securities Exchange Center to withdraw their stock market profits.

………

Li Mansion. Study!

At the very moment Li Yi and the others were heading to the securities trading center in high spirits to withdraw the funds, Li Futiao was meeting with guests at the Li Family Manor.

In the study, aside from Li Fuzhao, four middle-aged men were seated on the sofa beside him.

Each of them was either backed by a mega-powerhouse family or was the founder of a major conglomerate; they were all bigwigs on the same level as Li Fuzhao—the kind of figures whose every move could send shockwaves through Hong Kong.

“Third Master, you didn’t call us all here today just to have us show up at that big shot’s party tonight, did you?”

Li Futiao was the third son in his family, so everyone on the island called him “Third Master.”

As soon as someone spoke up, another chimed in: “Third Master, I heard on my way over that you called that traitor Old Zhou and that fatso Liu last night, telling them to head over to that Mainlander’s place tonight!”

“Third Master, that kid was acting like a total jerk yesterday. If we go support him again tonight, how are we ever going to save face on Hong Kong Island?”

“Right, that kid is getting way too cocky. He doesn’t even give a damn about saving face for all of us…”

………

As the men chimed in with their opinions, Li Futao remained impassive, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Only after the last man had finished speaking did he say calmly, “Are you all done? If so, let me say a few words.”

“You’re right. I invited you all over to DXMBang precisely to deliver an invitation on behalf of Mr. Li Yi, inviting you to tonight’s banquet!”

“Of course, I’m merely delivering the invitation on his behalf. As for whether you choose to attend or not, that’s entirely up to you!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Mingji, the head of Hongji Real Estate, said in a deep voice, “Third Master, let me state my position first: I will definitely be attending tonight’s banquet!”

“But let me make one thing clear: I’m not going because of that mainland kid, but because of the lifelong friendship we’ve shared!”

Then, He Guangdong of Xinshi Group chimed in, “Third Master, though the brothers don’t think much of that mainland kid, since you’ve put your faith in him, we’ll still give you that face!”

“Third Master, we’ll definitely be there tonight, but if that mainland kid is still as arrogant as he’s been, we certainly won’t be giving him a warm welcome…”

Li Futao tapped the table lightly, then looked at the few old friends sitting before him.

After a long moment, he said calmly, “It is precisely because we’ve known each other for most of our lives that I specifically called you all here today. My intention isn’t for you to save face by praising that young man, but rather for you to build a good relationship with him!”

“A good relationship?”

Hearing Li Futiao’s words, everyone present was stunned.

A “good connection” isn’t something just anyone can form at will; only those with exceptional ability are worthy of such a bond.

In other words, in Li Fuzhao’s eyes, this young man from the mainland was no ordinary person—he was someone worth cultivating a genuine relationship with.

If such words had come from an ordinary person, He Guangdong, Li Mingji, and the others wouldn’t have paid them any mind. But coming from Li Futiao, it was a different story.

“Third Master, is this young man really worth our time?”

Li Futiao nodded and said, “You’ve been in the game for most of your lives. You must have heard the saying: ‘Only a fierce dragon dares cross the river; only a vicious tiger dares climb the mountain!’”

A fierce dragon, a vicious tiger!

That this was Li Futiao’s assessment of the young man left He Guangdong and the others dumbfounded.

“Third Master, could you tell us what kind of background that mainland kid has?”

Li Futao said nothing more, but simply stood up and walked over to the desk beside him.

He picked up a thin file from the desk and tossed it right in front of Li Mingji, He Guangdong, and the others.

As the group gathered around to read the document, their faces filled with deep confusion. But after just the opening lines, they were so shocked they jumped to their feet…

……..

PS: Chapter 2 might be a bit late!

After leaving the Far East Stock Exchange, everyone felt a bit incredulous.

They could hardly believe that Li Yi had actually refused this Far East Association bigwig so bluntly, and yet the man hadn’t even gotten angry.

This was the godfather of the stock market, a core member of Hong Kong’s most powerful family.

Given his status in Hong Kong, even the Governor would have to show him some deference. It was truly baffling what gave Li Yi the confidence to refuse him outright!

Once they got into the car, it was just Huang Lixing and Li Yi, plus Ah Biao behind the wheel!

Huang Lixing didn’t let Ah Biao drive; instead, he looked at Li Yi and said, “Bro, you shouldn’t have turned down Chairman Li just now!”

“You mean the people behind him?”

“Yeah, Chairman Li made it very clear just now—he was inviting you on behalf of Hong Kong Island’s elite families. By turning them down like that, you’re just not giving them any face!”

Then Huang Lixing pointed to a convoy of cars in the rear right corner of the parking lot and said, “See that convoy over there? That’s the Ho family’s fleet—they’re the second-most powerful family after the Lis.”

“And that convoy over there? That’s the Lo Man-kam family’s fleet. The Lo family ranks fourth on Hong Kong Island, but their true strength is in no way inferior to the Li or Ho families. Plus, people from Cheung Kong Holdings, Jardine Matheson, Chinese Estates, and the Governor’s Residence are all here. Acting like this will easily piss them off!”

However, Li Yi’s reaction took Huang Lixing completely by surprise. He simply said indifferently, “So what?”

“Um…”

Just as Huang Lixing was at a loss for words, Li Yi spoke again: “Actually, I understand what you just said, but I simply don’t want to see any of them right now!”

“Brother Li Yi, you… you did that on purpose?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Yes, I did it on purpose. Because now isn’t the best time to meet them, and the way we’re meeting isn’t right either!”

“???”

Seeing Huang Lixing’s bewildered expression, Li Yi immediately explained, “Think about what kind of day today is. We just wiped out the Hong Kong stock market and raked in billions—we’re riding high right now.”

“Now look at those Hong Kong tycoons—most of them have suffered massive losses in this stock market crash. If we go over there now, it won’t just come across as us flaunting our success; it’ll also stir up jealousy, envy, and resentment from certain people!”

Huang Lixing was completely taken aback; he really hadn’t thought that deeply about it.

Having spent most of his life in Hong Kong, he believed in avoiding conflict with these wealthy families at all costs. With so many people inviting them over, his first instinct was to worry that declining the invitation might upset them—he hadn’t considered whether going would actually make them happy.

“So you’re saying that no matter whether we go or not, someone’s going to be unhappy?”

“Exactly. So we’ll just decide based on how we feel. Why should we have to go just because they asked us to?”

Then Li Yi said boldly, “If they want to see me, they can come over themselves tomorrow!”

“But… what if no one shows up tomorrow?”

“Haha, that won’t happen. Even without Li Futiao stepping in, most of them would come anyway—not to mention the Li family’s reputation is on the line!” Li Yi said.

“Why is that?” Huang Lixing asked, puzzled.

“Because they want to see if I, Li Yi, am a true rising star or just some young upstart who got lucky. More than anything, they want to know what I’ll do now that I’ve made such a huge fortune!” Li Yi said.

“Hmm, then we’d better figure out how to entertain those people. We can’t let anyone say we’re too stingy!” Huang Lixing said.

“Let’s head back to Cloud Peak No. 1 first. We’ll figure it out when we get there. By the way, I have something else I need to discuss with you!”

“Alright!”

……..

They returned to Cloud Peak No. 1 just before five o’clock!

Li Yi asked Lan Xinyi and the others to rest downstairs for a while and head to the Emperor Hotel at seven o’clock when it got a little darker, while he and Huang Lixing went up to the study.

After sitting down across from each other at a small round table, Li Yi spoke first: “Old Huang, this investment is officially wrapped up. As you just heard, we made a total profit of 4.02637 billion yuan on an initial investment of 43 million.”

“Even brothers should keep their accounts clear. Now, let’s calculate how to split this money according to the distribution plan we agreed on earlier!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huang Lixing immediately replied, “Brother Li Yi, whatever you decide to give your old brother, I’ll accept it without a word of complaint…”

“Old Huang, you know my temperament. I’m not one to take advantage of others, especially not my own brother. Let’s stick to what we agreed upon from the start!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

With that, Li Yi took out a pen and paper and began calculating. After a short while, he was done.

“After deducting the principal, there’s 3.98337 billion left. Of that, I invested 6 million Hong Kong dollars myself, so I can take 555.81 million for myself. The remaining 3.42755 billion, we’ll split evenly as we agreed—each of us gets 1.71377 billion!”

No sooner had Li Yi finished speaking than Huang Lixing said, sounding somewhat excited, “So, that means I’ll get a total of 1.75 billion, including both principal and interest?”

“That’s right!”

“That’s too much, really too much. How about…”

Knowing exactly what this guy was about to say, Li Yi immediately cut him off, saying, “Hold on, I know exactly what I’m entitled to!”

“Alright then, I’ve really taken a huge advantage of you this time, old buddy!” Huang Lixing said.

“Not at all. Without your 37 million in principal and your unconditional trust, I wouldn’t have been able to make this much money either. This is a win-win situation!” Li Yigang said.

“Right, right, exactly—a win-win situation! Hahaha!”

After settling the profit-sharing, Li Yi spoke again: “Old Huang, Miss Lan’s team and Tie Ying put in a lot of effort on this investment. We have to show our appreciation. How about you and I each chip in 1 million to reward them?”

“That’s only fair. But isn’t a million a bit too little for each person?”

“It’s plenty!”

Two million divided among twenty-some people—that’s an average of 100,000 per person!

In Hong Kong today, the average monthly salary is around 2,000 Hong Kong dollars, and even for high earners, it’s only 4,000 to 5,000. 100,000 Hong Kong dollars is enough for many people to live on—without spending a penny on food or other expenses—for four or five years.

Moreover, in Hong Kong’s most bustling districts, property prices are only around 500 to 600 Hong Kong dollars per square foot. With 100,000 Hong Kong dollars, one could easily purchase a small 200-square-foot apartment in the city center.

“Alright, let’s do it your way!” Huang Lixing said.

Li Yi nodded and said, “Old Huang, the small place we rented in the city has been renovated, and the new company is ready to open. I plan to inject all the funds into the new company once the settlement from the stock market comes through!”

“All of it?”

“Right. Anyway, bringing this money back to the mainland won’t do much good—it’s better to keep it in the new company for further investment!”

Li Yi continued, “I’m not telling you this to get you to invest all your funds into the new company like I am. You just need to contribute 30% based on your shareholding percentage!”

“Alright! I’ll also put another 30% of the remaining funds into the security company to cover operating expenses!” Huang Lixing said.

“Alright…”

The two talked from a little past five until seven o’clock. Only after the sky had grown slightly dark did they head downstairs, then took Lan Xinyi and the others straight to the Emperor Hotel!

Far East Stock Exchange. VIP Lounge!

As Lan Xinyi accompanied her brother, Lan Xinming, to the institution to return the futures contracts, everyone—including Huang Lixing—was on edge.

The VIP lounge was unusually quiet; everyone could even hear the heavy sound of each other’s breathing.

“Creak!”

As the VIP room door swung open, the Lan siblings walked in together.

Instantly, all eyes turned to the siblings.

Huang Lixing couldn’t wait to ask, “Well? Did you manage to get it done?”

Lan Xinyi replied immediately, “Boss, Mr. Huang, we’ve returned all the futures contracts to the institution, and they’ve accepted them. The entire settlement process went very smoothly!”

“Great! Hahaha!!!”

Upon hearing the news that the settlement with the institution had been officially completed, everyone’s hearts finally settled.

Immediately afterward, following a brief moment of silence, the entire room erupted in a deafening cheer.

However, according to Hong Kong’s relevant policies, completing the settlement does not mean the funds will be available immediately.

It would take at least two days to actually receive the funds.

However, once the closing was complete, receiving the funds was a certainty.

In other words, their investment had been successfully completed.

The crowd cheered for several full minutes before finally calming down. It was then that Li Yi cleared his throat and asked, “How much did the institution settle with us in total?”

At that, everyone fell silent, and all eyes turned once again to Lan Xinyi!

Although most of those present were in the financial industry, based on their professional knowledge, they already had a rough idea of the profit amount.

However, the exact settlement amount would depend on the official statement from the institution.

Lan Xinyi suppressed her excitement and announced, “According to the institution’s statement, after deducting various taxes and fees as well as the exchange’s funding costs, our total settlement comes to 4,026,373,245 yuan!”

“After deducting our own principal of 420 million yuan, this investment has yielded a profit of over 3.62 billion yuan!”

Upon hearing the final profit figure, everyone erupted into cheers once more.

It was truly exhilarating—they had created a legend in the Hong Kong stock market, an achievement absolutely unprecedented!

Li Yi was also deeply moved. After working so hard for so long, they had finally achieved a perfect outcome—and he could finally go home!

Thinking about how he’d been away for over twenty days, he realized that, barring any surprises, his wife must have already submitted her college applications and received her scores. He wondered which school she’d applied to and whether she’d been accepted.

He desperately wanted his wife to appear before him right now so he could tell her the good news that he’d made hundreds of millions. He also wanted to see her adorable, stunned reaction upon hearing the news.

But unfortunately, he couldn’t go back today, and she couldn’t come to him either!

In fact, due to the special circumstances between the two sides of the strait, he couldn’t even reach Jiang Xue by phone.

At the same time, Li Yi missed Yun Rui and Yun Jin. If he went back this time, the two little ones would probably be crawling by now!

Would they be just like he was as a child, tied to the kang with a rope by their mother…

At this thought, his mind wandered off to the far reaches of the sky!

Just as Li Yi was thinking about his wife and children at home, Huang Lixing slammed his fist on the table and declared, “No one is leaving tonight. Let’s head to the Emperor Hotel—I’m treating everyone to a victory celebration!”

“Mr. Huang, you’re the man…”

Hearing that they’d get to experience Hong Kong Island’s most luxurious hotel, the Emperor Hotel, that very night, the room erupted once again in thunderous cheers!

The deafening noise snapped Li Yi back to reality. Once everyone’s excitement had calmed down a bit, he said, “Alright, our business here is done. Let’s head out…”

Before he could finish, a knock sounded at the door!

“Come in!”

As soon as Li Yi spoke, Tie Ying pushed the door open and walked in!

He strode up to the group and said respectfully to Huang Lixing and Li Yi, “Boss, Mr. Li, Chairman Li of the Far East Association is here!”

Upon hearing this, Huang Lixing jumped straight up from his seat and said, “Why didn’t you invite him in?”

Tie Ying instinctively glanced at Li Yi but said nothing!

“I ordered him—no one but our own people is allowed in!”

Then Li Yi added, “Please invite Chairman Li in!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huang Lixing immediately replied, “Never mind, I’ll go out and greet him myself!”

Just then, a cheerful voice came from outside the door: “No need!”

Then, the door to the VIP room swung open once more, and Li Futiao walked in, accompanied by his assistant and two bodyguards.

Li Yi and Huang Lixing both stood up; facing a heavyweight like Li Futao, they naturally showed him the respect he deserved.

Li Fuzhao was no ordinary tycoon. His current status stemmed not merely from his wealth or his connection to the Li family, but primarily from his standing in Hong Kong’s stock market.

After founding the Far East Stock Exchange, he helped a large number of outstanding Chinese-owned enterprises go public, including Li Ka-shing’s Cheung Kong Holdings, Kwok Tak-seng’s Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Cheng Yu-tung’s New World Development, among others.

After these companies went public, they successfully raised capital and achieved tremendous growth, earning him the title of “Godfather of Hong Kong’s Stock Market.”

Before either of them could speak, Li Futao spoke up: “Congratulations, Mr. Li Yi, on single-handedly sweeping the entire Hong Kong stock market and achieving legendary status in a single battle!”

Li Yi quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare claim to have achieved legendary status in a single battle—it was just a bit of good luck!”

“Mr. Li Yi, you’re being too modest!”

Having spent so many years in the stock market, Li Futiao naturally understood how difficult it was to make money there; small gains relied on luck, while big gains depended on fate.

Since the Hong Kong stock market began, the largest profit from a single investment had never exceeded 200 million Hong Kong dollars. Yet the young man before him had raked in 4 billion Hong Kong dollars in a single move—a feat that relied not merely on luck, but more on personal insight and boldness.

But regardless, this young man before him certainly deserved his special attention and the utmost respect!

Li Yi knew that Li Futao’s visit at this critical juncture was certainly not just to offer congratulations. He immediately asked, “Chairman Li, the reason for your visit today is…”

Before he could finish, Li Futao replied with a smile, “Today, my humble exchange has gathered over a dozen billionaire tycoons from Hong Kong Island. Everyone is here to witness the miracle created by Mr. Li Yi. Now that the matter is settled, everyone would like to meet you, the investment genius. I wonder if you have time?”

Li Yi paused to consider for a moment, then replied, “Chairman Li, let’s skip it for today. I’ve already promised to take my team out to celebrate.”

“However, tomorrow night I’ll be hosting a ball at Cloudtop No. 1 to formally introduce myself to our friends here in Hong Kong. Please let everyone know, Chairman Li, that I, Li Yi, will be waiting for them tomorrow night.”

“Of course, if there are any like-minded friends, Chairman Li, you’re welcome to invite them along as well!”

Hearing Li Yi emphasize the words “like-minded friends” so strongly, Li Futao’s heart stirred instantly. He immediately replied, “Hahaha, then see you tomorrow night!”

“See you tomorrow night!”

“In that case, I won’t keep you any longer!”

With that, Li Fu turned and left the VIP lounge.

Li Yi didn’t linger either; he immediately led Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, and the others out as well.

Hong Kong Island. Far East Stock Exchange!

Just as the bigwigs from major families and conglomerates had gathered at the Far East Exchange to witness a miracle, the Governor’s Office suddenly announced news that sent a chill down everyone’s spine: The British Hong Kong government had abandoned its market rescue efforts!

Although the series of measures taken by the British Hong Kong government since the stock market crash had not yielded significant results—at best, they had only managed to stabilize the market for a single week—

But their stance was clear, and investors had at least seen their efforts to rescue the market, which gave them a glimmer of hope.

After the stock market’s second plunge, although the British Hong Kong government had taken no further action, it had not directly announced that it was giving up on the bailout, so everyone still clung to a sliver of hope.

After all, Hong Kong is currently under British rule. Even if the Hong Kong government lacks the capacity, as long as London does not abandon Hong Kong, the stock market still has a chance, and people might be able to salvage some of their hard-earned money.

More importantly, a few days ago, the British Hong Kong government publicly announced that they were seeking assistance from London and were awaiting a response from Downing Street.

And this would be the last shred of hope for all investors!

Just moments ago, the official reply from London arrived!

However, it wasn’t the full-scale bailout Hong Kong Islanders had hoped for—it was a rejection. They’ve been abandoned!

Although many had long suspected this outcome, hearing the British Hong Kong government publicly announce London’s response still left them feeling a deep sense of helplessness and anger.

Hong Kong is known as the last shining jewel in the Queen’s crown, and every year, London takes away tens of billions of dollars from Hong Kong.

Of course, London’s methods of taking money are very covert; it is not done through taxation. They publicly claim they have never taken a single penny from Hong Kong.

However, they have virtually monopolized all resource-based industries on Hong Kong Island—such as electricity, energy, and transportation—essentially cornering every profitable business.

Furthermore, they control all of Hong Kong Island’s infrastructure. The new Hong Kong International Airport alone has netted London hundreds of billions of dollars. Despite Hong Kong Island’s relatively small size, it generates tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars in wealth for London every year.

Precisely for this reason, many Hong Kong Islanders believe that even to safeguard sustainable interests, 10 Downing Street would never give up Hong Kong Island.

However, they still overestimated Hong Kong’s standing in the eyes of the colonizers. Under the influence of colonialist thinking, how could those British officials possibly dip into their own pockets to bail out a mere colony?

So, when Hong Kong Island truly needed London’s help, they chose to turn a blind eye—and Hong Kong Island was ruthlessly abandoned!

Soon, the news spread like wildfire across the entire island!

And this was the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Upon learning that London would not invest even a single pound in Hong Kong’s stock market, investors’ last shred of hope was shattered.

Everyone was in despair, desperate to get out as quickly as possible!

And so, the stock market—already in free fall—collapsed completely…

……..

By the time the market was temporarily closed at noon, the Hang Seng Index had plummeted to 1,229 points, just 29 points away from breaking the 1,200-point threshold.

Everyone knew the Hong Kong stock market was finished!

Even Li Yunbao, who had been waiting in the VIP lounge to watch Li Yi’s humiliation, panicked. When trading was suspended at noon, he used the excuse of going to lunch to drag the reluctant Li Yunling out of the stock exchange.

Although Li Yi knew the kid was scared, he didn’t call him out on it.

Knowing Li Yunbao as he did, he realized that while the guy was a bit stubborn, he was also a man of his word and would never go back on his promises.

All he had to do was wait for things to wrap up here and then have him come to the company to start work.

At 1:30 p.m., the opening bell rang again right on time.

However, just like in the morning, the market began sliding toward a low from the very start.

The Hang Seng Index also suffered a relentless collapse, breaking through the 1,200-point threshold in less than an hour, with no signs of stopping!

Inside the Far East Stock Exchange, all the bigwigs fell silent.

They knew that Hong Kong’s economy was effectively ruined for the time being; such a severe stock market crash would inevitably result in the entire population footing the bill.

Under these circumstances, whether or not people traded stocks, they would all suffer heavy losses!

Not only would the crash instantly wipe out the wealth accumulated in the stock market, but it would also deal a severe blow to investor confidence.

Barring any surprises, after this crash, people will be terrified of the stock market, and their investment mindset will take a long time to recover.

Moreover, a stock market crisis, a banking crisis, and a crisis in the entire economic system form a vicious cycle that feeds on itself. For example, after a stock market crash, investors suffer heavy losses.

When investors run out of money, consumer demand plummets, which in turn leads to a severe backlog of unsold goods.

At the same time, crises in the stock market and banking sector prevent companies from securing financing, leading to sluggish production, which in turn exacerbates the crises in the stock market and banking sector, further worsening the national economy.

The inevitable outcome is mass unemployment, countless people left homeless, the hard-earned social wealth lost, production at a standstill, and all industries in decline…

However, just as everyone was scrambling to sell off their stocks and futures contracts, someone in the trading floor suddenly began buying up futures contracts on a massive scale—Li Yi had made his move!

By this point, the Hang Seng Index had plummeted to 1,125 points, with no sign of stopping.

Consequently, almost everyone assumed Li Yi wouldn’t act today—after all, with every point the index dropped, he stood to make millions of Hong Kong dollars; only a fool would stop buying at a time like this.

Even Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, and the others believed Li Yi would wait until the market closed, or until the Hang Seng Index stabilized somewhat in the next day or two before launching his buyout.

But at 3:00 PM, Li Yi directly ordered Lan Xinyi and the others, who were standing by, to buy futures contracts, setting the price at a high of 56,300 per contract—just slightly above the Hang Seng Index’s current level.

This counter-trend move to buy futures contracts quickly caught the attention of everyone in the trading floor.

Those holding futures contracts, as if seeing a glimmer of hope, rushed to sell their contracts to Lan Xinyi and her team.

Even more astonishing was that Lan Xinyi and her team absorbed nearly every contract that investors sold.

10,000 contracts… 20,000 contracts… 30,000 contracts…

Amid their frenzied buying spree, the plummeting Hang Seng Index actually began to slow its descent, and miraculously halted its decline just before 4:00 p.m.

But that was as far as it went, because the 120,000 futures contracts Li Yi needed had already been secured!

After receiving Lan Xinyi’s report, Li Yi immediately ordered her to return all the futures contracts to the institutions and prepare for settlement.

Naturally, Li Yi’s actions drew the close attention of the big players. Upon learning that the investment prodigy from the mainland had returned all the futures contracts to the institutions, everyone’s feelings were mixed.

Some envied him, some admired him, and there was no shortage of those who were jealous!

For these bigwigs, the price at which Li Yi had gone short was no secret to them. After all, many were shareholders of the stock exchange themselves; if they wanted to investigate such matters, who would dare refuse them?

Consequently, nearly all the bigwigs knew that Li Yi had shorted the Hang Seng Index at its peak of HK$86,150 per contract, and that he had now covered his positions at around HK$56,300 per contract—a profit of nearly HK$30,000 per contract.

At the same time, everyone also knew that he had traded over 120,000 futures contracts using 5x leverage. In other words, by a conservative estimate, that mainland guy raked in a massive profit of 3.6 billion Hong Kong dollars from the stock market.

Add that to the 370 million he made previously, and it means he raked in nearly 4 billion Hong Kong dollars from this investment alone.

And this is just a conservative estimate; his actual profits could be even higher.

After roughly calculating Li Yi’s profits, all the bigwigs at the Far East Stock Exchange were stunned!

In less than a month, this young man had turned his initial 40 million into 4 billion, snowballing his capital. Without a doubt, he was Hong Kong’s stock market god!

At that moment, they had all witnessed a miracle—and history itself!?

Hong Kong. Far East Stock Exchange!

“Ding!”

Amid everyone’s tense anticipation, the opening bell finally rang.

At the same time, all staff took their positions, and a new day began on the Hong Kong stock market.

However, today’s situation was almost identical to yesterday’s: as soon as the market opened, the wave of sell-offs once again drove prices down sharply.

Especially those who hadn’t broken even yesterday—they were ready to cut their losses today, with their stock prices plummeting to rock-bottom levels.

Judging by the scene, it was clear this would be another day of sharp declines.

However, just as the trading floor was filled with despair, convoys of luxury cars began arriving one after another at the Far East Stock Exchange.

At first, people didn’t notice anything unusual—after all, this is a stock exchange, and luxury cars are a common sight here.

But people soon realized something was amiss when the head of the Li family’s car appeared in the Far East Exchange parking lot.

Soon after, the motorcades of the Ho family, the Lee Hysan family, and the Lo family also arrived. These four families are collectively known as the “Four Great Families of Hong Kong Island,” and it was indeed rare to see their vehicles gathered simultaneously at a single stock exchange.

As for how ordinary people knew which cars belonged to the heads of these families, the answer was simple: this was Hong Kong Island, after all!

In this tiny place, basic information about the wealthy and powerful families isn’t exactly a secret; the tabloids are full of scoops about them every day.

Over time, just by seeing the license plates of those luxury cars, ordinary people could tell which family’s motorcade it was.

The heads of the Four Great Families suddenly gathering at the Far East Club—this is no small matter; something big is definitely about to happen!

In an instant, everyone was buzzing with speculation!

However, just as everyone was speculating whether the Hong Kong government was about to bail out the market again, the heads of major conglomerates like Cheung Kong, Jardine Matheson, and Wharf Holdings began arriving one after another at the Far East Stock Exchange.

By 10 o’clock, even the Governor’s Office had sent representatives!

Goodness, I doubt the Governor could gather this many heads of major families even at a charity gala.

With so many people in attendance, every VIP lounge at the Far East Club was completely filled—not a single seat was left empty.

Under normal circumstances, most of these VIP lounges at the stock exchange sit empty; a 25% occupancy rate is considered decent.

A scene like this, with every seat taken, had never happened before.

Given this, some of the families who arrived later either gathered together in a VIP lounge, chatting among themselves.

Or they went straight to Li Futiao’s office to catch up with this stock market heavyweight.

These bigwigs were all on the same page; upon arriving, none of them made any grand gestures, acting as if they were simply there to have tea and a chat.

In reality, everyone understood the unspoken truth: they had come today to witness the investment genius from across the strait and see how he single-handedly wiped out the entire Hong Kong stock market!

……..

In VIP Room 9, Li Yi was completely oblivious to the commotion outside; at that moment, his full attention was fixed on the Hang Seng Index!

Of course, given his personality, he wouldn’t have cared even if he had known.

If those British bastards dared to play dirty and strike him from behind, he wouldn’t let them off easy—at worst, it would be a case of mutual destruction.

Besides, he was confident that as long as he didn’t intend to drain the Hong Kong stock market dry, those hypocrites were highly unlikely to take action against him.

At the very least, it was unlikely to happen openly—after all, money lost could be earned back, but once credibility was gone, there was no saving it.

The stock market is just like a casino—you can’t let people lose but not win. If you renege when they win, who would dare to go there in the future?

While Li Yi sat calmly in his seat, the stock market was already in turmoil!

Just past 10 o’clock, the Hang Seng Index had already fallen to 1,300 points, on the verge of breaking through that threshold.

At that moment, everyone in the VIP lounge was on edge.

In the mere eight days since the 27th of last month, they had witnessed the Hang Seng Index plummet from a high of over 1,700 points to below 1,300.

Even if they bought futures contracts at the current price and returned them to the institutions, their net profit would still be around 3.7 to 3.8 billion Hong Kong dollars.

This was undoubtedly the most profitable single investment in the history of Hong Kong stock trading.

Just then, Lan Xinming, who had been monitoring the market outside, suddenly burst through the door and exclaimed excitedly, “Boss, 1,299 points—the Hang Seng Index has broken below 1,300!”

Hearing his report, the others grew even more excited.

“Boss, can we make our move now?” Lan Xinyi asked immediately.

“No rush. Let’s wait a bit longer. It won’t be too late to act once it drops below 1,200 points!”

“Yes!”

But Huang Lixing, sitting nearby, couldn’t sit still any longer. He immediately asked, “Brother Li Yi, do you think the Hang Seng Index will drop below 1,200 points today? That’s a full 100 points!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I know you’re anxious, but even if it doesn’t drop below 1,200 points today, I’ll still close out my positions!”

“Don’t worry about that. Don’t take my words to heart—you’re the one in charge of the investment…”

Just then, the door to the VIP room suddenly swung open, and two people Li Yi hadn’t expected to see appeared in the doorway.

Li Yunbao, noticing the slight look of surprise on Li Yi’s face, said smugly, “You didn’t expect me to show up here, did you?”

“Are you here to settle our bet?”

“No, I’m here to see how you lose!”

Li Yunling, standing nearby, immediately tugged at her brother’s sleeve, signaling him not to be so confrontational!

“I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. There’s a high probability I won’t lose. Have you prepared to start your new job yet?” Li Yi said with a smirk.

“You’re just being stubborn. I just checked—the Hang Seng Index is at 1,300 points, a full 100 points above the 1,200 we agreed on. And with only a few hours left before the market closes, there’s no way it’ll plummet 100 points!”

Li Yunbao was brimming with confidence about this wager. Although the stock market had indeed been plummeting over the past few days just as that big shot had predicted, the likelihood of a drop of over 120 points in a single day was still slim.

Judging by the situation over the past few days, the Hang Seng Index had been falling by about 50 to 60 points daily.

If that “Big Circle Guy” had pushed the deadline back by just one day, Li Yunbao would have been the one to lose.

But right now, Li Yunbao felt certain he’d win!

Yet Li Yi’s reaction left him feeling a bit frustrated. Li Yi said calmly, “Young man, don’t be so sure of yourself—anything is possible!”

“Big Guy, who are you calling ‘young man’? You might not even be as old as me—what gives you the right to call me that?” Li Yunbao snapped angrily.

“Brother, if you’re going to act like this, I’m starting to regret asking you to come over!” Li Yunling said, frowning.

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, realizing that what he’d just said was indeed a bit inappropriate.

After all, in terms of actual age, he was indeed younger than Li Yunbao, and calling the other party “young man” would certainly give the impression of looking down on him.

But apologizing to Li Yunbao was out of the question—at least not until he’d taught this kid a lesson!

Li Yi’s lips curled up slightly as he said calmly, “Being older doesn’t necessarily mean you’re mature. Even if you’re a year or two older than me, in my eyes, you’re still just an immature little kid!”

“Mr. Li, who are you calling a little kid…”

“Look at you right now—jumping around all over the place, unable to keep your cool. Isn’t that exactly what immaturity looks like?”

Li Yunbao was instantly dumbfounded. This guy was truly shameless, but upon closer reflection, what this big guy was saying did make some sense.

If he lost his temper with this annoying guy right in front of him, he’d indeed look like an immature kid who couldn’t handle a little provocation.

But if he just swallowed his anger, he’d feel a bit resentful.

For a moment, the Li family’s billionaire heir could only glare at Li Yi, puffed up with anger like an angry pufferfish.

However, just as Li Yi and the Li siblings were chatting inside, the situation outside took another earth-shattering turn…

………

Early the next morning, Li Yi got up very early!

But when he came down from the fourth floor, he realized he was the last one to get up.

Not to mention Lan Xinyi and the others, who were staying temporarily at Cloudtop No. 1, but even Huang Lixing and his group, who lived at the Half-Mountain Villa, had already arrived.

Everyone was waiting quietly for him in the first-floor lobby, and it seemed they’d been waiting for quite some time—the pile of cigarette butts in the ashtray in front of Huang Lixing was the best proof of that.

But come to think of it, it makes sense—after all, today might be the day the final accounts are settled, so everyone is excited.

Needless to say, once the settlement is complete, Huang Lixing’s net worth is bound to skyrocket.

Lan Xinyi, Lan Xinming, Cai Bingyan, and the others were equally thrilled. Setting aside the substantial bonus they were sure to receive once this trade was closed, what mattered most was that they would be creating a miracle alongside Li Yi.

An investment yielding tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars in a single go—this is a first in the Hong Kong stock market. They are about to make history.

Regardless of whether they ever experience such a moment of glory again, this achievement alone would be enough for them to brag about for the rest of their lives.

When they saw Li Yi coming downstairs, everyone instinctively stood up from the sofas, their eyes all fixed on him.

“Brother Li Yi, are we ready to go?”

Glancing at the obvious dark circles under Huang Lixing’s eyes and the faint red veins in them, Li Yi smiled and said, “Old Huang, you didn’t stay up all night last night, did you?”

Huang Lixing replied with a touch of embarrassment, “I dozed off for a bit just before dawn!”

Li Yi chuckled. “You’re a billionaire, for crying out loud. Is this really necessary?”

“Is it that serious…? Of course it is! We’re talking about tens of billions in potential profits here. Who could sleep soundly until it’s safely in the bank?”

As he spoke, Huang Lixing gestured toward Lan Xinyi and the others standing nearby. “Just look at them—every single one of them is just like me!”

Li Yi glanced at Lan Xinyi and the others. Just as Huang Lixing had said, although they all looked somewhat excited, the exhaustion in their eyes was impossible to hide.

Lan Xinyi hurried forward and said, “Boss, we’re just so excited that we haven’t been able to sleep, but we promise it won’t affect our work!”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have told you yesterday!”

Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, Lan Xinming, and the others shared an awkward smile, yet their excitement remained evident.

“Alright, let’s go!”

However, when Li Yi led the group out of the villa, they were stunned by the scene before them.

A row of cars was parked at the entrance to the villa—no fewer than twenty of them.

Apart from the five or six luxury sedans at the front, the rest were all minivans.

More importantly, looking through the windows, Li Yi saw that the vans were all packed with people.

Good grief, even if there were just six or seven people in each van, that would add up to over a hundred people in all those vehicles.

“Old Huang, we’re going to the stock exchange to make an investment—why does this look like we’re heading into a brawl?” Li Yi asked in astonishment.

“Bro, who knows how many people are watching you, both openly and covertly. And since today’s situation is a bit special, it can’t hurt to bring a few extra people along!”

Li Yi was about to argue, but considering the current state of public safety in Hong Kong, he ultimately kept his mouth shut.

After all, Old Huang was the local big shot here; he knew the situation better than Li Yi did, so there must be a good reason for his decision.

Li Yi nodded and got into a car.

Immediately afterward, the massive convoy set off in a grand procession toward the city center…

………

August 4th—the second trading day of August on Hong Kong Island!

As the largest stock exchange on Hong Kong Island with the highest daily trading volume, the Far East Stock Exchange was once again packed to the brim today.

Although the recent stock market crash had everyone on edge, the more anxious people felt, the more people flocked to the exchange.

The reason is simple: when the market is doing well, some people are naturally happy to hold onto certain high-performing stocks for the long term, sometimes not visiting the exchange for a month or two.

But now that the market is in a slump, with stock prices plummeting, no one dares to hold onto their shares for the long term.

With everyone looking to cut their losses and exit the market, it’s only natural that more people are flocking to the exchange.

When Li Yi and his entourage arrived at the Far East Club, they naturally attracted a lot of attention; after all, with such a large entourage, it was impossible to keep a low profile.

Fortunately, they had a private VIP lounge, so they didn’t have to wait outside like retail investors.

Upon entering the VIP lounge, Li Yi told Huang Lixing to take a seat nearby, while he set about assigning tasks to Lan Xinyi and the others.

What Li Yi didn’t know, however, was that the moment he appeared at the Far East Stock Exchange, nearly half of Hong Kong Island’s elite families had already received word.

At the Li Mansion, Li Futao was having breakfast with his daughter, Li Yunling, in the dining room when his assistant, Zhou Xinghua, rushed in and said, “Chairman, Mr. Li Yi has made a move!”

Li Futao immediately put down his cutlery and asked in a grave tone, “Has he gone to the exchange?”

“Yes, we just received a report from the company stating that Mr. Huang and Mr. Li arrived at our exchange five minutes ago. Moreover, Mr. Huang brought over a hundred people with him today—it’s quite a show of force!” Assistant Zhou replied.

“It seems that young man is preparing to close his positions and exit the market!” Li Futiao said in a low voice.

Zhou Xinghua said with some surprise, “Chairman, didn’t Mr. Li predict that the Hang Seng Index would drop to around 700 points? Isn’t he giving up tens of billions in potential profits by exiting now?”

Li Futiao shook his head and said, “You don’t understand—that’s precisely where that young man’s brilliance lies!”

“Brilliant?”

Li Futiao didn’t offer further explanation but asked in return, “Xinghua, if we really wait until the Hang Seng Index drops to 700 points, do the math—how much do you think Brother Li Yi will make?”

Zhou Xinghua had already done the math and replied immediately, “Around ten billion!”

Hearing this figure, Li Yunling, who was eating nearby, looked stunned—so much so that she didn’t even notice the piece of bread she was holding had fallen to the floor.

As a top-tier second-generation heiress—no, make that an Nth-generation heiress—she didn’t pay much attention to the family business, but she knew exactly what 10 billion Hong Kong dollars meant.

Don’t let the fact that the Li family was revered as Hong Kong Island’s premier dynasty and the head of the Four Great Families fool you—the total assets of the entire family amounted to just over 10 billion.

As for the other families on Hong Kong Island, only three or four—such as the He and Lo families—could be considered on par with hers; the rest were far behind.

If Li Yi could really rake in over ten billion in a single go, he would instantly become one of the wealthiest people on Hong Kong Island—a thought that sparked a renewed curiosity in Li Yunling.

Li Futao didn’t notice his daughter’s unease and cut straight to the point: “Think about how much the total market capitalization of the entire Hong Kong stock market is left. If he were to siphon off 10 billion in one fell swoop, what do you think would happen?”

“The stock market would completely crash!” Zhou Xinghua said with some difficulty.

“Neither the Governor’s Office nor the families counting on the stock market for financing and wealth would stand idly by and let this happen. If Li Yi insists on doing this, his fate will inevitably be to be quietly eliminated by these forces!”

Li Futiao continued, “Yet this young man knows when to advance and when to retreat. He didn’t seek to exterminate his opponents completely; by leaving others a way out, he also secured a path for himself. Who knows, the Governor’s Office might even end up owing him a favor. Don’t you think that’s brilliant?”

“It is indeed brilliant!” Zhou Xinghua said sincerely.

“As the saying goes, ‘Men die for wealth, birds die for food.’ The greatest enemy of life is greed. I can’t believe someone so young could see things so clearly!” Li Futiao remarked.

“Chairman, what should we do now?”

“Today will undoubtedly be the most significant day in the history of Hong Kong Island Securities. Since Brother Li Yi is set to make history, we must at least be there to witness it!”

Li Futiao then added, “Get the car ready. We’re heading to the company!”

“Yes!”

Just as Zhou Xinghua turned to leave, he saw Li Yunling look up and say, “Daddy, I’d like to go to the company too. Is that okay?”

Li Futiao had no idea what his daughter was thinking, but he didn’t stop her. Instead, he smiled and said, “Sure, let’s all go together!”

“Thank you, Daddy. You’re the best…”

Similar scenes were unfolding simultaneously in other wealthy and influential families. Before they knew it, the attention of Hong Kong’s elite had all converged on Li Yi!

………