Chapter 487: The Sky Won’t Fall!

July 28, the 27th day of the sixth lunar month—an auspicious day for all undertakings!

Early in the morning, Li Yi woke up feeling refreshed and alert!

It had rained across the entire island of Hong Kong last night. A steady drizzle throughout the night had finally dispelled the stifling heat of the past few days, allowing Li Yi to enjoy a rare, restful night’s sleep.

When he reached the first floor, Lan Xinyi and the others had already finished getting ready, and everyone was sitting in the living room.

Seeing Li Yi come downstairs, everyone stood up!

Without saying much, Li Yi simply waved his hand and led the group out of the Mid-Levels villa.

After a quick breakfast in the city, the group arrived at the Far East Stock Exchange.

Once they arrived at the VIP lounge, Lan Xinyi turned to Li Yi and asked, “Mr. Li, what are our plans for today?”

“No plans for the morning—just sit back and watch!” Li Yi replied casually.

“Yes!”

“Oh, right. Later, go to the trading floor for me and keep an eye out to see if anyone is dumping a large number of shares today. While you’re at it, see if it’s anyone from your Far East group!” Li Yi added.

“Mr. Li…”

“Don’t ask any more questions about the rest!”

“Yes!”

Soon, the opening bell rang!

Shortly after, Lan Xinyi left the VIP lounge with several team members.

However, less than five minutes later, Lan Xinyi walked back in, looking rather grim.

“Mr. Li, the Hang Seng Index has surged. We’ve lost over 100 million Hong Kong dollars. Should we cut our losses and exit?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “No need. Short-term fluctuations don’t mean much—don’t worry about it!”

“Yes!”

Lan Xinyi continued, “Also, regarding the matter you asked us to monitor—as soon as the market opened, we saw many colleagues selling off their shares. Although the volume per transaction wasn’t large, there were quite a few of them. Almost everyone from the brokerage and investment departments has mobilized, so the total volume of shares being sold must be substantial!”

The corners of Li Yi’s mouth turned up slightly. It seemed Chairman Li was quite receptive to advice after all.

Indeed, it looked like not only would he avoid a loss this time, but he’d also make a hefty profit!

After all, he had bought those shares at rock-bottom prices just a few days ago.

By comparison, the current price was already at a high point.

If he’d listed them for sale this afternoon, it wasn’t certain anyone would have taken them off his hands, but now? That shouldn’t be a problem!

“Got it. Keep an eye on it!”

“Yes!”

For the entire morning, the Hong Kong stock market remained steady with a slight uptick, just as it had in the previous days, with trading volume reaching astonishing levels.

By the time the market closed at noon, the Hang Seng Index had climbed to 1,738 points, and by then, Li Yi had already lost over 135 million Hong Kong dollars.

This not only left Lan Xinyi and the others deeply anxious, but even Huang Lixing was getting restless. He took advantage of his lunch break to rush over.

……..

Hong Kong Island. Yuan’s Restaurant!

In the private dining room, watching Li Yi tuck into his roast pork, Huang Lixing felt somewhat restless.

After a long while, he couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Li Yi, I heard that Chairman Li sold off a massive amount of his stocks this morning. Do you know anything about this?”

“I know,” Li Yi replied casually.

“The stock market seems to have gone up!”

“Right, it went up this morning!”

“Aren’t you… aren’t you worried?”

“Worried about what? Losing money?”

“That doesn’t really matter. We didn’t invest much to begin with, so even if we lost it all, we could handle it. I’m worried about Chairman Li…”

Huang Lixing truly hadn’t expected Li Futiao to actually believe Li Yi’s words and dump all those stocks.

Man, if the stock market surges, Far East Group’s losses won’t be just a little bit!

With a portfolio of that size, we’re talking hundreds of millions—even billions—at a time.

If he were to pin the blame on Li Yi later, that would be a real headache.

He knew full well the Li family’s clout in Hong Kong—they had influence in both the legitimate and underworld spheres. Even he, Huang Lixing, was nothing more than a lowly nobody in their eyes.

If the Li family came after Li Yi, he certainly wouldn’t be able to protect him.

However, Li Yi just smiled and said, “It’s not even close. I’m not afraid of you, Old Huang—why should I be?”

Huang Lixing gave a wry smile and said, “But that’s the Li family we’re talking about. How could I not be worried?”

Li Yi shook his head, choosing not to dwell on the matter. Instead, he turned to Tie Ying standing nearby and said, “Bro, turn on the TV!”

Tie Ying fiddled with the TV remote and asked, “Mr. Li, which channel would you like to watch? ATV or…”

“The news. Whichever channel has the news, that’s the one!”

“Mr. Li, ATV’s midday news starts in 10 minutes. Why don’t we wait and watch that?” Tie Ying suggested.

“Sure!”

Seeing that Li Yi didn’t seem to care at all about the Li family selling off their shares, Huang Lixing couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. To him, the Li family was simply an irresistible colossus.

“Brother Li Yi…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Old Huang, take it easy—the sky isn’t falling!”

“Sigh…”

Meanwhile, Lan Xinyi and the others standing nearby grew increasingly shocked as they listened. No wonder Li Yi had asked them earlier to keep an eye on the trading floor today, watching for any large-scale stock dumping by the Far East Association—it turned out the chairman’s decision was related to Li Sheng.

They never would have imagined that Li Sheng had any connection to the Chairman, let alone that his words could influence him.

Since the matter involved so many secrets, they all kept their heads bowed, focusing on their meals and not daring to utter a single word.

For a moment, the entire private room fell into an eerie silence, and the atmosphere felt incredibly heavy!

Just then, Tie Ying turned on the TV.

Since it was midday, none of Hong Kong’s major TV stations were airing soap operas; instead, the screen was filled with commercials and other programs.

Although Li Yi found these programs rather dull, he still patiently watched them.

A few minutes later, the noon news finally began, and Li Yi put down his bowl and chopsticks to watch intently.

Although Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, and the others didn’t know why Li Yi had suddenly decided to watch the news, they all settled down and watched intently.

The first few stories were all about the British Hong Kong government—talk of all-out efforts to rescue the market, strategic agreements reached with certain regions, and so on.

In short, it was all good news!

With every news report, the expressions on the faces of Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, and the others grew increasingly grim. After all, while these reports were indeed good news for the Hong Kong stock market, they were far from favorable for them.

Li Yi, however, remained unfazed. Although these reports were unfavorable for his investments, their impact had already passed.

After all, these reports were merely rehashing yesterday’s old news. The slight rise in the stock market that morning was due to these positive developments, and he had lost over 50 million Hong Kong dollars as a result.

What he was truly waiting for was the latest news!

Of course, this news might not be released at this exact moment, nor would it necessarily come via television.

But he was certain of one thing: it would definitely be released before the market opened in the afternoon.

At 1:00 p.m., just as the noon news was about to wrap up, the attractive female anchor suddenly said: ““Breaking news: We’ve just received word from the airport that the ‘Young Talents Delegation’ that traveled to the mainland last week has returned to Hong Kong. According to Mr. Li Pengfei, the head of the delegation, although they were warmly received on the mainland, their proposals regarding the future of Hong Kong Island were rejected. The mainland authorities stated that sovereignty over Hong Kong Island must be fully restored, at any cost…”

Upon hearing this news, the corners of Li Yi’s mouth instantly turned upward, while Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, and the others were completely dumbfounded…

………

After leaving the Li family estate, Huang Lixing looked thoroughly puzzled.

Once in the car, he said impatiently, “Brother Li Yi, what exactly was Chairman Li’s intention in summoning us? I’m a bit confused.”

Huang Lixing had assumed that since Chairman Li Fuqiao had taken the initiative to meet with them, there must be something important to discuss.

But he never would have imagined that Chairman Li would just ramble on about this and that with Li Yi for ages, and then simply let them leave after the two of them made a bet.

However, Li Yi, sitting beside him, remarked coolly, “Hmph, he was just trying to test me!”

“Why would he test you?”

“Heh, don’t forget we’ve heavily shorted the Hang Seng Index!”

“What does that have to do with anything? We’re just one of Far East Club’s clients. Whether we make a profit or a loss doesn’t really affect them, does it?” Huang Lixing asked, puzzled.

“It certainly doesn’t have much impact on the Far East Club as a brokerage firm, but Old Huang, don’t forget—this market rescue isn’t just the British Hong Kong government’s doing. The vast majority of Hong Kong’s listed companies and the families behind them are involved. In other words, they’ve all placed heavy bets on the British Hong Kong government!” Li Yi said.

After hearing Li Yi’s analysis, Huang Lixing swallowed hard.

Now he began to understand: Li Futao had placed a heavy bet on the British Hong Kong government, and Li Yi’s short position on the Hang Seng Index clearly indicated he didn’t have much faith in the Hong Kong stock market.

Therefore, he wanted to test Li Yi to see if he was truly acting with a clear strategy, or if today was merely a bad investment call!

“So… did he believe you?”

“I don’t know. A man like him isn’t so easy to read, but we’ll find out by watching Far East’s moves tomorrow!” Li Yi said.

In his previous life, during this stock market crash, Li Futao—known as the “Godfather of the Stock Market”—suffered massive losses.

But since he’s taken notice of me this time, I hope he doesn’t repeat the same mistakes.

But Li Yi didn’t really care about that. After all, the Li family had deep pockets; even losing a billion or two wouldn’t be a major blow to them.

He was just a small fry whose net worth had only just surpassed 100 million; there was no need to worry about a mega-family with assets exceeding 10 billion.

“Brother Li Yi, I still can’t quite figure it out. Why did you make that bet with Chairman Li, and why did he agree to it?”

It was no wonder Huang Lixing had this question. After all, the prize Li Yi had offered was a property on Victoria Peak.

That area is essentially a gathering place for Hong Kong Island’s top elite; any property there is worth at least tens of millions, and it’s not uncommon for them to exceed 100 million.

If Li Yi won, Li Futao would have to gift him a luxury mansion worth hundreds of millions.

Conversely, if Li Yi lost, all he’d have to do was cast a fortune for Li Fuzhao.

If Li Fuzhao knew Li Yi’s true abilities, this would certainly be a bargain.

But clearly, Li Fuzhao had no way of knowing Li Yi’s identity or abilities, which made the whole situation seem rather peculiar.

Yet, Li Yi made a startling remark: “This isn’t a wager at all—it’s the consultation fee he’s paying me!”

“Consulting fee?”

“Exactly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been wasting my time chatting with him for so long!” Li Yi said nonchalantly.

“Well…”

Huang Lixing was even more baffled by Li Yi’s words. For someone like him, it was indeed hard to figure out exactly what kind of secret game Li Yi and Li Futao were playing!

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll find out in a few days,” Li Yi said.

“Alright…”

………..

Li Family Manor. Living Room!

Li Futao was still staring out the window, a cigarette still clamped between his fingers.

Yet he simply let it burn on its own, without taking a single puff!

After a long while, he snapped out of his trance and turned to Assistant Zhou beside him, saying, “Xinghua, what do you think of this young man?”

“I… I can’t quite figure him out. From what we’ve gathered, he doesn’t seem to know much about stocks, but there’s something off about him!”

“Go on,” Li Futiao said indifferently.

“The first time he shorted the Hang Seng Index, he put the money in and left. He didn’t come back to the exchange for several days afterward, as if he didn’t care at all about those tens of millions of dollars!”

Assistant Zhou continued, “But it was during those very days that the Hong Kong stock market took a severe hit. Both stocks and futures indices plummeted, and this young man raked in 180 million in just a few short days!”

“The second time he appeared in the market, he suddenly went long on the Hang Seng Index and raked in 190 million in a single day—his execution was flawless…”

At that moment, Li Futao suddenly interrupted his assistant and said, “This young man isn’t ignorant of the stock market—he knows it all too well!”

“Are you suggesting the market is going to crash again?”

“Barring any surprises, that’s exactly what will happen!” Li Futao said in a grave tone.

Hearing this, Assistant Zhou felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew full well how many shares the company had acquired in order to coordinate with the British Hong Kong government to prop up the market; if stock prices plummeted, the company would inevitably suffer massive losses.

At the very least, it would be three to five hundred million; at worst, it could very well bring the company down.

“So… what should we do?”

Li Futao was silent for a long moment, then said in a grave tone, “Immediately summon the managers of the Investment Department and all the traders. Have them report to the company and stand by!”

“First thing tomorrow morning, you go to the office in person and convey my orders: sell off all the low-priced shares the company has acquired. Set the asking price low—you must sell every last share before other companies catch on!”

“Yes!”

“Until then, do not reveal this to anyone—not even the traders!” Li Futao urged once more.

“Rest assured, Chairman. This information will not be leaked before tomorrow!”

“Hmm. Also, go to Cloudtop No. 9 tomorrow at noon and have someone tidy the place up. Wait for my further instructions!”

Upon hearing this, Assistant Zhou’s face immediately betrayed a look of shock, and he cautiously asked, “Chairman, you aren’t planning to give Unit 1 of Cloud Peak to that young man, are you?”

“Yes!”

“Your stake and his aren’t even close to being equal—why did you take that bet with him?” Assistant Zhou asked, looking completely baffled.

“Heh, Xinghua, your thinking is too superficial. Do you really think we’re just making a bet?” Li Fu said with a smile.

“Well… isn’t that exactly what it is?”

“Of course not. That kid is just openly asking me for a house!”

“Why?”

“Because he saved me from losing billions. I should give him a token of my gratitude!”

“But… what if his guess was wrong? After all, he lost tens of millions today!” Assistant Zhou said.

“That shouldn’t happen. If he didn’t have absolute certainty, he wouldn’t have made that bet with me—unless he never wants to set foot on Hong Kong Island again!” Li Fu said.

“That young man is incredibly bold!” Assistant Zhou remarked with a sigh.

“Young men like that are often upstarts who love to climb the ladder by stepping on local power players. Until we’ve figured out his true nature, we’d best not provoke him!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Go get ready. A storm is coming!”

“Yes…”

……..

After quickly changing his clothes, Li Yi left the Mid-Hill Villa with Huang Lixing and headed straight for their agreed-upon meeting place!

Half an hour later, the car finally pulled up in front of a luxurious yet dignified estate.

After getting out of the car, Huang Lixing told Tie Ying and the others to wait outside the estate, while he walked over with only Li Yi and A Biao.

Just as they reached the entrance, they were stopped by a guard.

Huang Lixing immediately stepped forward and said, “Please announce that Huang Lixing of the Qinglong Gang has come to pay a visit to Chairman Li!”

The two bodyguards at the gate scrutinized Huang Lixing and recognized him almost immediately.

However, they did not let him through. Instead, they said to Huang Lixing, “Mr. Huang, please wait a moment. I’ll make a call to confirm right away!”

“Alright!”

Soon, one of the bodyguards turned and went into the nearby guardhouse to make a call, while the other continued to keep a close watch on Li Yi and his group, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Less than a minute later, the bodyguard who had made the call returned.

“Mr. Huang, we’ve verified it. Mr. Li invites you inside, but your bodyguards must stay outside!”

Hearing the bodyguard’s words, Li Yi nodded to himself.

True to their reputation as Hong Kong’s most prominent family, they certainly knew how to get things done with decisiveness.

Even when dealing with someone like Huang Lixing, a man from the underworld, they remained this uncompromising.

If they say you can bring a certain number of people, that’s it—not a single extra person is allowed inside.

To dare to do this requires not only formidable strength and confidence but also the backing of a family with deep-rooted heritage. Otherwise, in Hong Kong—a place teeming with ruthless tyrants—no one would give a damn about you!

Huang Lixing seemed to be used to this by now. He turned directly to Ah Biao behind him and said, “You wait outside too!”

“Yes!”

Then, led by the Li family’s bodyguards, Huang Lixing and Li Yi entered the estate.

Once inside the estate, Li Yi was secretly taken aback.

The estate was unexpectedly vast. The grounds not only featured lawns and rockeries but even a massive swimming pool. Excluding the house itself, the landscaping and other outdoor facilities alone covered at least seven or eight hundred square meters—a little over an acre.

A courtyard like this wouldn’t be anything special on the mainland—after all, we’re not short on space there.

But this was Hong Kong, where every inch of land was precious!

Here, property isn’t measured in square meters but in square feet; a so-called “thousand-square-foot mansion” would translate to less than 100 square meters of living space on the mainland.

To own such an estate in a place like this reflects far more than just the owner’s financial clout; it also signifies connections, prestige, and much more!

You have to understand that Hong Kong Island is a melting pot of all kinds of people—it’s a hotbed for major criminals and ruthless bandits, who particularly target the wealthy. Every year, there are reports of wealthy Hong Kong businessmen being kidnapped or murdered.

So here, having money isn’t enough—it’s about having the courage to flaunt it and the ability to protect it that truly defines one’s strength!

After walking along the cobblestone path for about five or six minutes, Li Yi and Huang Lixing finally reached the entrance to the estate’s living room.

Catching their eye were two bodyguards dressed entirely in black; the bulges at their waists made it clear they were professionals.

Beyond that, Li Yi keenly sensed that there were quite a few more people lurking around the house.

It was safe to say that if the owner gave the order, the two of them wouldn’t last even half a minute.

This was the true depth of a Hong Kong elite family—truly extraordinary!

Just as they reached the doorway, a middle-aged man in his forties emerged from the house.

“Mr. Huang, Mr. Li, please come in. The chairman is waiting for you in the living room!”

“Assistant Zhou, please come in!”

Following Assistant Zhou into the house, Li Yi spotted a slender middle-aged man standing by the living room window from a distance.

He was holding a lit cigarette between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the outside, though it was unclear what exactly he was looking at.

Of course, it wasn’t necessarily because the view outside was particularly beautiful; perhaps he was just trying to show off!

Assistant Zhou walked quietly up to the man and whispered, “Chairman, Mr. Huang and Mr. Li are here!”

Seeing this, Huang Lixing immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, “Mr. Li…”

Before he could finish, the middle-aged man turned around.

He looked at Huang Lixing for a moment, but his gaze eventually settled on Li Yi.

“Hall Master Huang, aren’t you going to introduce this young man to me?”

Huang Lixing hurriedly replied, “Mr. Li, this is my good brother from the mainland, Li Yi—he’s also my savior!”

Just as Huang Lixing was about to introduce Chairman Li to Li Yi, Li Yi unexpectedly stepped forward on his own.

“I’ve long heard of Chairman Li’s reputation. It’s a great honor to meet you today!”

Li Yi knew quite a bit about Chairman Li’s life; after all, as the first chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, there was hardly anyone in the stock market who didn’t know him.

In fact, when he passed away, Li Yi had even been invited to attend his funeral.

Of course, by the time Li Yi had entered the Hong Kong market, Chairman Li had already passed away, so Li Yi hadn’t had much interaction with him personally. Instead, it was another key figure in the Li family with whom Li Yi had a close relationship.

Li Futao hadn’t expected Li Yi to be so bold. He looked at him with interest and said, “A young bull fears no tiger. Young man, you’re quite bold!”

“Why do you say that, Chairman Li?”

“I hear you shorted the Hang Seng Index a few days ago and made hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars. Do you know where that money came from?” Chairman Li said with a smirk.

“The citizens of Hong Kong Island and the British Hong Kong government!” Li Yi replied calmly.

The biggest sucker that allowed him to rake in so much money in such a short time was the British Hong Kong government.

“Since you know that, aren’t you afraid those British officials will come after you?”

“Haha, why should I be afraid? Instead of fretting over the small amount of money I’ve made from the stock market, they should be thinking about how to protect the Hong Kong stock market—their very foundation!”

“Hahaha, interesting. I hear you’ve gone all-in shorting the Hang Seng Index again. Are you really that pessimistic about the British Hong Kong government’s market rescue measures?”

“What do you think?” Li Yi asked calmly in return.

At that time, Hong Kong’s stock market was primarily propped up by real estate, yet the property market and land prices had completely lost touch with reality. The massive bubble that had long formed was ready to burst at the slightest touch.

The British Hong Kong government’s so-called market rescue measures, though dazzling on the surface, were nothing more than superficial Band-Aid solutions—they failed to address the root of the problem.

Li Fu looked at Li Yi and said again, “Young man, as far as I know, you seem to have lost quite a bit of money today!”

“Did I?”

Li Yi then turned to Huang Lixing and asked, “What’s the Hang Seng Index at now?”

Huang Lixing replied with a wry smile, “It had already climbed to 17,320 points by the close!”

Li Futiao immediately chimed in, “As far as I know, the listed price when you placed your order was 86,150 per lot. Right now, it’s already up to 86,600 per lot. In just one afternoon, you’ve lost 81 million Hong Kong dollars!”

However, Li Yi’s reaction took everyone by surprise.

He simply smiled and said, “Chairman Li, have you heard of Rune’s Law?”

“That in a race, the fastest doesn’t always win, and in a fight, the weakest doesn’t always lose?”

“You forgot to mention the most important part: he who laughs last laughs best,” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Hahaha, you’re the most confident young man I’ve ever met, but I have more faith in the Hong Kong-British government. I’m afraid you’re going to lose your entire investment this time!” Li Fu said with a sneer.

Li Yi smiled and said, “In that case, why don’t we make a little bet?”

“How do we bet?”

“Let’s bet on whether the Hang Seng Index goes up or down. We’ll set a three-day limit—if it goes up, I lose; if it goes down, you lose!” Li Yi said.

“What are we betting?”

“I’ve heard Chairman Li owns quite a few properties on Victoria Peak. I just happen to be looking for a place to stay on Hong Kong Island—let’s wager a property!”

“Interesting. If I lose, I’ll give you a property. But what if you lose?”

“I’ll cast a divination for you!”

At those words, Li Futao and his assistant were all dumbfounded, while only Huang Lixing’s eyes were filled with envy!

PS: I’ll try to get another chapter out before midnight!

Half-Mountain Villa. Second-floor bedroom!

Li Yi had just woken up and glanced at his watch—it was already 3:30.

Hong Kong in July was unbearably hot, and since air conditioning wasn’t common here at the time, Li Yi—being from the north—couldn’t stand the stifling heat inside the house.

After much deliberation, Li Yi decided to go out for a walk!

But just as he finished getting dressed and came downstairs, he saw Huang Lixing sitting on the sofa, holding a cigar as thick as a thumb, looking every bit the gangster boss.

Seeing Li Yi come downstairs, Huang Lixing immediately tucked the cigar away. He knew Li Yi didn’t smoke and was worried the acrid smell might bother him.

“Go ahead and smoke. I don’t smoke myself, but I don’t mind the smell!”

“Heh, that’s good to hear!”

“Old Huang, what brings you over here? Is it about the investment?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“No, I told you I don’t get involved in the stock market. Whatever you do, I won’t stand in your way!” Huang Lixing said.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll lose all my money?”

“So what if I do? There’s no such thing as a sure thing in the stock market!”

“Heh, don’t worry, I won’t lose a dime!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Hmm, I actually came over to talk to you about two things!”

“What are they?”

“First, I’ve already registered the two companies you asked me to set up. One is Honglong Jindun Security Company, and the other is Honglu Investment Company!”

As he spoke, Huang Lixing took a stack of documents from a briefcase beside him and handed them to Li Yi.

Li Yi picked up the documents and examined them carefully. When he saw the equity structure of the two companies, he immediately frowned.

“Old Huang, something doesn’t seem quite right with these shares. Your stake is a bit too small!”

Huang Lixing smiled and said, “Bro, I know my place. You want to help me make money and give me a big break, but I can’t be too greedy—a 30% stake is already more than enough!”

That was indeed Huang Lixing’s truest inner thought!

At first, when Li Yi said he’d give him a windfall, he didn’t think much of it.

But a few days ago, Li Yi pulled off a spectacular performance, raking in 370 million Hong Kong dollars from the stock market in just a few short days. This made him realize that Li Yi’s promise of a windfall was no empty talk.

Although he wasn’t yet sure what Li Yi intended to do with these two companies, his intuition told him their future was extraordinary. After all, with an investment genius like Li Yi at the helm, making money was a certainty.

As a result, holding a 49% stake began to feel like a hot potato to him.

After all, if there were any changes in equity ownership in the future, Li Yi’s stake could fall below 50%, which would certainly pose a risk.

After much deliberation, he finally decided to reduce his stake to 30%, leaving the remaining 70% entirely to Li Yi.

Li Yi was silent for a moment, then said, “Let’s go with that!”

Huang Lixing smiled and said, “Bro, I’ve got a feeling I’ve come out ahead on this one.”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Let’s not talk about that. The security company needs a facility—somewhere we can conduct business and hold daily training sessions. Do you know of any suitable places?”

“Not at the moment, but I’ll put some effort into looking…”

“Hmm, if you can find one, great. If not, we’ll just buy a plot of land and build it ourselves!” Li Yi said.

“Building it ourselves would probably cost a pretty penny, wouldn’t it?”

Land in Hong Kong is incredibly expensive—even a single square foot of floor space costs 400 to 500 Hong Kong dollars, and land is even pricier, often running into tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. Add construction costs to that, and it’ll be even more.

“Don’t worry about the cost—we’re not short on money!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll get started on this right away!”

“Mm-hmm. I’ve got my eye on a plot over in Kowloon. Tie Ying knows the details. Have your people keep an eye on it—as long as the price is under thirty million, snap it up immediately!” Li Yi said.

Huang Lixing glanced at Tie Ying beside him and asked, “The plot Brother Li Yi mentioned?”

Tie Ying thought for a moment, then turned to Li Yi and said, “Mr. Li, you aren’t referring to that plot near the Kowloon Wharf, are you?”

“That’s right!”

Tie Ying exclaimed in surprise, “Mr. Li, that plot is worth at least 100 million. How could it have dropped to just a few tens of millions?”

Huang Lixing thought for a moment and said, “Could it be the plot that Jianing Company bought at auction for 150 million a while back?”

Tie Ying nodded and said, “That’s the one!”

“Brother Li Yi, are you saying that plot’s price is going to drop?”

“Haha, not a price drop—a crash!”

Li Yi clearly remembered that the plot had fetched a record 150 million at auction in early 1981, only to crash to 15 million by early 1982—a 90% loss in value.

He didn’t want to wait until the absolute bottom to buy; he could snap it up for 20 or 30 million. After all, it wouldn’t be long before land prices in Hong Kong soared again.

More importantly, this was one of the few years when there was still a chance to buy such a large parcel of land. In a few years’ time, even with money, it would be difficult to acquire such a vast tract of land.

“I’ll keep an eye out!” Huang Lixing said.

“Right. Also, starting now, recruit a large number of capable people—preferably veterans or mercenaries. But be sure to vet their backgrounds thoroughly; it’s better to have none than to settle for the wrong ones!”

“Got it!”

“As for the investment company, just help me hire a few finance staff for now. Don’t worry about the rest—I’ll handle that personally later!” Li Yi said.

“Got it!”

At that moment, Huang Lixing spoke up again: “There’s one more thing. I’d like to ask your opinion on something.”

“What is it?”

“That guy from the Far East Association called me out of the blue this morning, saying he’d like to meet with you!”

“The Far East Association—are you talking about Chairman Li?”

“Right. The call came from his assistant, but I didn’t agree right away. If you’re interested, go ahead and meet him; if not, just forget it!”

Previously, Huang Lixing had always wanted to make a name for himself in Hong Kong, so he was eager to curry favor with Chairman Li.

But now he no longer had the same ambition; he was more focused on a simple family life—a warm bed, a wife, and children—and had even considered retiring from the business entirely. Consequently, he no longer felt the need to curry favor with him.

Li Yi smiled and said, “I’ll meet him. Why not?”

“You really want to meet him?”

“Yeah, since they’ve already called you, it’d be rude not to meet them!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Since Brother Li Yi is interested, let’s meet them then!”

As he spoke, Huang Lixing let out a slight sigh of relief.

Don’t let his earlier indifference fool you—he’d been under considerable pressure. After all, Chairman Li was truly not someone like him to mess with.

When it comes to Hong Kong’s top elite families, many might think of the Four Great Families. In reality, within Hong Kong’s elite circles, while these four families are indeed wealthy, they are not the true, long-established families.

There are even more established elite families in Hong Kong, and they are the ones who truly hold the real power.

Take the Ho family, for example—the family of the “Gambling King”—which has been wealthy for over a century and has produced a steady stream of talented individuals.

The only family that can be mentioned in the same breath as the Ho Tung family is the Li family behind Chairman Li.

It’s safe to say that with just a flick of their fingers, they could make life impossible for him on Hong Kong Island.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, it’s best to treat such powerful families with deference.

By agreeing to meet with Chairman Li, Li Yi avoided the risk of snubbing the Li family.

Immediately, Huang Lixing picked up the villa’s phone and called Chairman Li’s assistant. After agreeing on a time and place to meet, they ended the call on good terms.

Since the meeting was scheduled for 6:00 p.m. that evening, and it was already nearly 4:00 p.m., the two immediately began making preparations…

……..

Far East Club. VIP Lounge!

Upon hearing that Li Yi had actually ordered the team to prepare to short the Hang Seng Index, Lan Xinyi and the others were stunned once again.

With the market looking so strong right now, shorting the Hang Seng Index is just reckless, isn’t it?

Although the Hang Seng Index’s gains over the past two days hadn’t been as sharp as in the days before, it had already rebounded to 1,725 points.

No one could guarantee that it wouldn’t surge another few dozen points at any moment—after all, the Hang Seng Index had previously reached as high as 1,810 points.

Although they had already developed a certain admiration for Li Yi, Lan Xinyi couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Li, how much margin capital should we invest?”

If it were just a small-scale short position, that would be fine. After all, Li Yi currently had 420 million Hong Kong dollars in available funds in his account, so setting aside a small portion to short the Hang Seng Index would be acceptable.

However, Li Yi’s answer left Lan Xinyi and the others completely dumbfounded!

“All of it. Put every single cent into it!”

Lan Xinyi wanted to try to dissuade Li Yi, but when she saw his piercing gaze and recalled his investment style, the words on the tip of her tongue ultimately boiled down to a single word: “Yes!”

Just then, the opening bell rang.

Li Yi glanced at Lan Xinyi and the others and said, “Go on. I’ll be here waiting for your good news!”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s order, Lan Xinyi and the others immediately left the VIP room under the watchful eyes of Tie Ying and the others.

Soon, Lan Xinyi personally approached an internal agency of the Far East Club. Using all the funds in her account as margin, she borrowed 120,580 futures contracts at a price of 86,250 Hong Kong dollars per contract.

After obtaining the contracts, Lan Xinyi and the others rushed straight to the trading floor and, following Li Yi’s orders, began selling at a price 3 points below the Hang Seng Index.

The market had just opened, and the Hang Seng Index had risen slightly to 1,726 points, meaning the price per futures contract was HK$86,300.

However, the price Lan Xinyi and her team had listed was only 86,150 HKD, which was 150 HKD lower than the market price per contract.

In other words, simply buying these futures contracts now and reselling them immediately would yield a profit.

Consequently, as soon as these contracts hit the market, they were snapped up in a frenzy.

However, since they held a total of 120,000 contracts, Lan Xinyi and her team listed them for sale in batches. By the time they had sold all the contracts, two hours had passed.

Once all 120,000-plus futures contracts had been sold, Lan Xinyi immediately returned to the VIP lounge with her team members.

“Mr. Li, the task you assigned has been completed!” Lan Xinyi said respectfully.

“Good. Let’s pack up and head home!” Li Yi said casually.

“Go… home?”

Everyone was once again baffled by Li Yi’s move. They had just sold the contracts—weren’t they supposed to wait and see how the market moved?

After all, this was 120,000 contracts—every single point the Hang Seng Index moved meant a gain or loss of 6 million Hong Kong dollars for Li Yi.

Such a staggering margin of fluctuation would make any normal person nervous. Who would be like Li Yi—throwing money in and then just walking away? No one plays the futures market like that!

Li Yi paid no attention to Lan Xinyi and the others, didn’t even pause, and strode out of the VIP lounge with a cold, indifferent air.

Seeing this, Lan Xinyi and the others had no choice but to follow him reluctantly.

In truth, it wasn’t that Li Yi didn’t care; he simply felt there was no point in staying. As expected, today’s futures index was likely to rise slightly.

In other words, even if he stayed, he wouldn’t be getting any good news.

But starting tomorrow, news would break that would send shockwaves through the entire island of Hong Kong. Anxiety and panic would spread across the city, inevitably affecting the stock market.

At that point, investor confidence would suffer another severe blow, and the fragile stability the British Hong Kong government had managed to maintain would collapse once again.

Of course, the main reason Li Yi dared to leave so boldly and without worry was his substantial financial resources.

With such a large margin deposit, as long as the Hang Seng Index’s rise did not exceed 80 points, Li Yi would not have to worry about a forced liquidation.

And 80 points is already the highest value the Hang Seng Index has ever reached—clearly, that is impossible!

………

Wan Chai Pier. The Green Dragon Society!

Just after meeting with a few gang bosses who were united in name only, Huang Lixing was pondering his next business move when a frantic knock sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

A-Biao then rushed in and approached Huang Lixing’s desk, saying, “We’ve got news from Iron Eagle!”

“Oh? What’s the scoop? Is Brother Li Yi up to something big again?” Huang Lixing asked urgently.

“Yes, Mr. Li is shorting the Hang Seng Index again…”

“Shorting?”

“That’s right, and this time he’s invested a whopping 2 billion!”

“What? 2 billion?”

Huang Lixing was also taken aback by Li Yi’s bold move!

After all, his total net worth amounted to just over 300 million Hong Kong dollars, and most of that was tied up in inventory and real estate—his actual liquid capital was extremely limited.

Forget an investment worth 2 billion—he didn’t even have 100 million to spare.

“It really is 2 billion. Right now, the Hang Seng Index hasn’t moved an inch, and you and Mr. Li are already set to lose 6 million!”

“So is the Hang Seng Index up or down right now?”

“It’s up 3 points!”

“So that means I’ve already lost 18 million?”

“Theoretically, yes!”

“So what’s Brother Li Yi’s reaction?” Huang Lixing asked again.

“Mr. Li… he… he’s gone back to the Mid-Levels Villa!”

Upon hearing this, Huang Lixing—who had been slightly tense just moments ago—actually let out a huge sigh of relief. Then, with a calm expression, he said, “I see. Call the people at Yuan’s Restaurant right now and tell them to send a banquet to the Half-Mountain Villa for both lunch and dinner. I’ll settle the bill with them later!”

“Yes!”

As soon as Ah Biao turned and left, Huang Lixing fell deep into thought.

To be honest, he was genuinely startled by Li Yi’s investment method, which was borderline reckless.

After all, this approach was pure gambler’s logic—going all-in on every single bet.

It was either rake in a fortune or lose everything—even someone like him, who’d been in the underworld for years, didn’t have that kind of guts.

He couldn’t fathom how Li Yi managed to stay so calm!

Just as he was deep in thought, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.

Without hesitation, Huang Lixing picked up the receiver and said, “Hello?”

“Mr. Huang, this is Mr. Li’s assistant from the Far East Club. We met at the Jockey Club earlier—I wonder if you remember me, Mr. Huang!”

Huang Lixing was taken aback at first, then hurriedly replied, “Of course I remember. What brings you to call me, Assistant Zhou?”

“Well, Mr. Li would like to meet with you!”

Huang Lixing’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked, “Just me?”

Chairman Li of the Far East Association was a true heavyweight. Huang had previously gone to great lengths to curry favor with him.

But in the end, the chairman had never even given him a second glance, dismissing him as someone of humble origins.

Now, out of the blue, he’s calling to say he wants to meet him—there must be a reason behind this.

“Mr. Li also wants to meet the young man Mr. Huang brought over from the mainland!”

Sure enough, the other party’s target wasn’t him at all—it was Li Yi.

After a moment’s thought, Huang Lixing replied, “Assistant Zhou, I can’t give you a definite answer on this just yet. I need to check with my brother first!”

The person on the other end of the line hadn’t expected Huang Lixing to react this way. He paused for a moment, then said, “All right, I’ll wait for your good news!”

“Alright…”

………..

PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!

Hong Kong Island. Mid-Levels Villa!

Li Yi, who had just returned from an outing, came back to Huang Lixing’s villa surrounded by Tie Ying and the others.

Going out for fun should have been a good thing, but now, with the exception of Li Yi, everyone’s expressions were a mix of exhaustion and discomfort.

Today they had gone to Victoria Harbour in Kowloon, where they’d been out from morning until past five in the afternoon.

Although they drove there, once they arrived, Li Yi led the group on a walking tour. Over the course of the day, they had practically walked the entire circumference of the Kowloon Peninsula.

Good grief, the whole group looked like fools, marching briskly along the outer boulevards of Victoria Harbour under the scorching sun, covering dozens of kilometers.

To be honest, it wasn’t just Lan Xinyi and the other women who were struggling—even Tie Ying and the others were starting to have enough.

Everyone was completely baffled by Li Yi’s behavior!

This wasn’t a fun outing—it was a test of endurance, or perhaps even a punishment.

Sure enough, as soon as they got back to the villa, Lan Xinyi and the others were completely wiped out!

“Mr. Li, can we discuss something with you?” Cai Bingyan, the youngest member of the team, asked with a grim expression.

Li Yi knew what the young girl wanted to say, but he asked, “What’s on your mind?”

“Can we please skip the walking tour tomorrow? It’s just too exhausting!”

“Yeah, Mr. Li, walking dozens of kilometers a day—we girls really can’t take it!” the plump girl Pang Qiaoling chimed in.

Worried that her friends might anger Li Yi, Lan Xinyi hurriedly interjected, “Stop it, everyone. Just do as Mr. Li says!”

Sitting on the sofa, Li Yi listened to the women chattering away. He cleared his throat and said, “Alright, since everyone’s been playing hard these past few days, let’s get to work tomorrow!”

Hearing this, everyone in the room froze!

Then, a burst of cheers erupted throughout the villa!

To be honest, they’d been going stir-crazy these past few days!

Starting on July 21, the already teetering Hong Kong stock market experienced a major turnaround.

As the British Hong Kong government stepped in forcefully to rescue the market, trading volume across Hong Kong’s exchanges rose steadily, and stock prices—which had nearly been halved—quickly rebounded.

In tandem with this, the Hang Seng Index continued to climb, breaking through the 1,700-point mark on the morning of the 21st and briefly reaching 1,715 points.

The market’s strong momentum made it seem as though every industry in Hong Kong had forgotten the terrifying stock market crash of the previous days, as if everything were already behind them.

Under these circumstances, as long as one avoided betting on stocks that were fundamentally rotten, it was basically possible to make a profit.

However, Li Yi, who was at the center of the storm, left everyone somewhat baffled.

Just as Huang Lixing, Lan Xinyi, Lan Xinming, and others were waiting for him to make his next move, Li Yi suddenly announced he was going to take a stroll around Hong Kong Island.

He said it, and he did it.

Apart from a visit to Far East Securities with Lan Xinyi and others on the 22nd for the settlement of funds,

the rest of the time, Li Yi spent sightseeing with Tie Ying, Lan Xinyi, and the others.

They visited Hong Kong Island’s busiest commercial district, Victoria Harbor, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and even an underground casino on the island, having a blast.

Man, if it weren’t for the over 400 million Hong Kong dollars from the settlement still sitting in his account, everyone would’ve thought he was calling it quits!

Although hanging out with Li Yi meant they had plenty to eat, drink, and do—especially when shopping, where Li Yi would even treat them to all sorts of things, including designer clothes they couldn’t normally afford—

But after all, they were traders at a securities firm. Not going to the office or trading stocks for several days in a row just felt like something was missing!

Especially since, although Li Yi hadn’t allowed them to interact with outsiders these past few days, he hadn’t restricted them from reading newspapers or listening to the radio to stay informed about what was happening outside.

Upon learning that the stock market was currently booming, they all started to get restless.

After all, while managing others’ portfolios, they also invested in the stock market themselves. If they’d been able to trade as they usually do, they would have made a tidy profit these past few days.

Unfortunately, they didn’t even have the chance to go to the office, which was somewhat frustrating.

Now that this near-confinement was finally coming to an end, the girls were naturally overjoyed.

Li Yi watched their excited expressions and couldn’t help but smile. He reminded them to get some rest early, as they had to be there early tomorrow.

Then, he went up to the second floor alone…

………

Early the next morning, Li Yi got up!

As soon as he reached the living room, he found Lan Xinyi, Cai Bingyan, Lan Xinming, and the others already waiting for him.

Upon seeing Li Yi, Lan Xinyi and the others all stood up from their seats and said respectfully, “Mr. Li!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Since everyone is ready, let’s get going!”

“Yes!”

Everyone then followed Li Yi out of the villa and, escorted by Tie Ying and the others, headed straight for the city center!

Since the market wouldn’t open for another two hours, Li Yi first had Tie Ying take everyone to find a place for breakfast. Only after finishing breakfast did they head to the Far East Association’s stock exchange.

Upon arriving at the exchange, Li Yi didn’t immediately assign tasks; instead, he had Lan Xinyi summon the portly manager first.

When Zhang Qiusheng was summoned by Lan Xinyi, his heart was filled with excitement.

Although Li Yi’s recent rampage on the stock market had been kept under wraps, as Li Yi’s account manager, such matters naturally couldn’t be hidden from him.

It was a trading day, and the fact that Li Yi had summoned him so early in the morning clearly meant he wanted to collaborate with him again.

Upon entering, Zhang Qiusheng said with a hint of flattery, “Mr. Li, you wanted to see me?”

“Manager Zhang, let’s be frank. For the funds in my account with five times leverage, what’s your lowest commission rate?” Li Yi asked.

Hearing this, Zhang Qiusheng’s heart skipped a beat.

He knew full well that Li Yi’s account held a whopping 420 million yuan; with five times leverage, that would amount to 2 billion yuan—far exceeding the funding limit a low-level manager like him could authorize.

“Mr. Li, the amount you’re requesting is simply too large—I don’t have the authority to approve it!”

Li Yi glanced at his watch and then asked, “Then get someone who can make that decision over here!”

“Please wait a moment!”

With that, Zhang Qiusheng turned and left the VIP lounge!

Less than five minutes later, a lean, middle-aged man hurried in, accompanied by Zhang Qiusheng.

As soon as he entered, the man extended his hand and said, “Mr. Li, I’m Xiao Yingcheng, Deputy General Manager of the Far East Association. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“General Manager Xiao, Chairman Li’s right-hand man—I’ve long admired your reputation!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Mr. Li, I heard from Qiusheng that you’re looking to borrow 1.68 billion?”

“That’s right!”

“According to industry standards…”

Before Xiao Yingcheng could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “General Manager Xiao, if I were following industry conventions, there would be no need to invite you here, would there?”

“So what do you mean, Mr. Li?”

“A flat fee: five million in commission!”

“Mr. Li, three million is too low…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off again: “Mr. Xiao, you should know what I do. In reality, your funds are completely risk-free. Under such risk-free conditions, 3 million is already a substantial amount!”

“If the Far East Club doesn’t agree, then I’ll have no choice but to transfer the funds to the Kowloon Club or the Elite Club. I’m sure they’d be delighted to welcome a major client like me!”

Xiao Yingcheng already knew that Li Yi had over 400 million Hong Kong dollars in his account—a major client, no doubt. If he were to actually transfer that money to a competitor, it would indeed be a huge loss.

After much hesitation, he immediately said, “Four million. That’s the lowest I can go!”

“Deal!”

Shortly after, both parties swiftly signed the contract!

Once the funds were in place, Li Yi immediately issued an order to Lan Xinyi and the others that left everyone speechless…

………

Nothing happened that night!

Early the next morning, Li Yi crawled out of bed with a hangover and a heavy heart.

Last night, after dinner, Huang Lixing brought two bottles of top-tier Romanée-Conti red wine upstairs to chat with him.

So the two of them drank and chatted, and in the end, Li Yi didn’t even know how he’d fallen asleep!

Crawling out of bed, Li Yi checked his clothes and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It was still the same outfit from last night!

He didn’t like women changing his clothes for him, nor did he like men touching him.

Fortunately, Old Huang knew his temperament and didn’t pull any of those messy stunts.

Unlike the Hong Kong bosses he’d known in his previous life, who loved to provide beautiful women—or even female celebrities—when entertaining guests!

Little did Li Yi know that Old Huang wasn’t actually catering to his temperament—he was simply worried about facing repercussions from his father-in-law later on.

That man was no ordinary person; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had connections everywhere. There was no telling if the things Old Huang was doing in Hong Kong might not be traced back to him.

If he found out that Old Huang was letting Li Yi run wild, and if he got angry, there would be no place for their family to live on the mainland anymore.

Of course, another reason was his wife’s reminder.

Chen Chuhong knew the habits of Hong Kong’s wealthy tycoons, and since she was on good terms with Jiang Xue, she also knew the two of them were very close.

So before the two of them set off for Hong Kong, Chen Chuhong warned Huang Lixing not to take Li Yi to any seedy places, and certainly not to set him up with any loose women.

Li Yi, who was completely unaware of all this, got out of bed and realized it was almost ten o’clock.

After a quick wash, he headed downstairs!

In the living room, Lan Xinyi and the others were waiting for him.

Upon hearing the thudding footsteps, they all stopped immediately, and everyone’s gaze turned toward the staircase.

Through their collaboration over the past few days, they had completely changed their opinion of Li Yi.

At first, they thought Li Yi was just a rich fool who didn’t know anything but dared to throw wads of cash into the stock market—and into futures contracts, no less, with five times leverage.

Later, seeing that he wouldn’t listen to advice or warnings and acted like a dictator, they came to view him as arrogant and stubborn.

Yet it was precisely this man who, in just a few short days, raked in 370 million Hong Kong dollars on the stock market, creating a miracle.

At that point, even Lan Xinming—who usually lacked the sharpest insight—realized that this man wasn’t just a fool with deep pockets, nor was he arrogant; rather, he possessed unwavering confidence in his own vision and judgment.

So now, the look in their eyes as they gazed at Li Yi was one of admiration!

“Everyone’s here!”

After coming downstairs, Li Yi said with a smile.

“Mr. Li, are we heading to the office today, or staying home?”

“Neither the office nor home—take me for a stroll around the city!” Li Yi said.

“Yes!”

Naturally, Lan Xinyi and the others had no objections to Li Yi’s decision.

After a quick tidy-up, the group left the Half-Mountain Villa under the guidance of Tie Ying and the others, heading straight for downtown Hong Kong.

The reason Li Yi was in the mood for a stroll wasn’t because his investment venture had concluded, but simply because he hadn’t had the chance in recent days.

Although the British Hong Kong government’s market rescue efforts ultimately ended in failure, they did have some effect—at the very least, they kept the market stable for a week.

Over the next week, the Hong Kong stock market remained relatively stable, with the Hang Seng Index hovering around 1,700 points without significant fluctuations.

It wasn’t until a week later, as bad news came pouring in one after another, that investor confidence was finally shattered, and the Hong Kong stock market plunged once again.

This crash plunged the entire Hong Kong market into a deep abyss, from which it would not recover for several years.

That’s precisely why he hasn’t had many opportunities lately.

Of course, there were a few stocks he could have traded, but their price movements were minimal, and Li Yi had little interest in them.

After all, he was now a small-time financial shark with hundreds of millions in capital at his disposal; investing small amounts wouldn’t yield much profit.

On the other hand, investing too much would have a significant impact on the stock price; one misstep could turn him into a major shareholder, leaving him stuck with a large position.

After much deliberation, Li Yi finally decided to take a few days off and wait a few days before making his next move!

………

Beijing. The Jiang Family Mansion!

After Li Yi headed south to Hong Kong, Jiang Xue returned to the Jiang family’s ancestral home with her child and Juanzi.

Partly because her mother wanted to be nearby to look after her and the child, and partly for safety’s sake.

With Li Yi away and no man in the house, she and Juanzi—just two women—felt uneasy guarding such a large estate.

For some reason, starting this year, public safety in the city had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.

It was common to see people fighting on the streets—sometimes even in large brawls, with two groups wielding large knives and slashing at each other. It was truly terrifying.

On top of that, petty thieves had become more common; she often heard stories of homes being broken into or robbed.

Given the situation, after much deliberation, Jiang Xue decided to return to the old family home to be with her mother and grandfather.

Today is definitely a day Jiang Xue will remember, because today is the day she submits her college applications.

For Jiang Xue, who had just finished her college entrance exams, this was undoubtedly a major event.

In the west wing, Jiang Xue looked at the documents on the table, feeling quite nervous.

The document clearly bore the words “Beijing 1981 Unified College Admissions Candidate File Cover (Application Form)”—it was, without a doubt, the college application form.

“Mom, how do I fill this out? I… I’ve never done this before!”

Ye Lingyun smiled and said, “You weren’t this nervous when you took the exam. Why are you suddenly so nervous now?”

“He was home during the college entrance exam, so I really wasn’t nervous. But now that he’s not here, I’m a little panicked!”

Jiang Xue continued, “Mom, I heard that college applications are based on estimated scores, so there’s a pretty big risk!”

Ye Lingyun nodded and said, “It is a bit risky. Generally, top-tier universities don’t accept second-choice applicants. If you aren’t admitted to your first-choice school, even if your score meets the requirements for your second choice, there’s still a very high chance you won’t be admitted.”

“Well… then which school should I apply to?”

Ye Lingyun stroked her daughter’s hair and said with a smile, “No matter which school you apply to, it mainly depends on your actual score. As long as you choose a school based on your score, you’ll be fine!”

“I scored around 450 points, give or take 10 points!” Jiang Xue said.

“If that’s the case, you can basically apply to schools in all nine tiers!” Ye Lingyun said.

“Nine tiers?”

“The first tier includes Shuimu University and Jingcheng University. The second tier consists of National Key Universities. Below that are Ministry-affiliated undergraduate universities, provincial undergraduate universities, Ministry-affiliated junior colleges, provincial junior colleges, and so on. You only need to consider universities in the first and second tiers!”

“Mom, what do you think about me applying to Capital University and becoming your student?” Jiang Xue asked earnestly.

“Of course you can, but the major I studied is a bit niche. I suggest you study economics, applied chemistry, journalism and communication, or something like that—or maybe choose a business administration major!” said Ye Lingyun.

“What does business administration involve? Why do you want me to study that, Mom?”

“Business administration majors mainly include finance, accounting, marketing, and so on. Xiao Yi is determined to go into business, and most of his family members aren’t very educated. If you study these subjects, you might be able to help him in the future!” Ye Lingyun explained.

After hearing her mother’s words, Jiang Xue thought for a while, then said earnestly, “Mom, I’ve decided. I’m going to apply for the accounting program at Capital University. After I graduate, I’ll manage his finances!”

“Alright, dxmbang, Mom supports you!”

“Then I’ll put that down!”

After saying that, Jiang Xue leaned over the table and began filling out her college application form with great care.

Meanwhile, far away in Hong Kong, Li Yi suddenly sneezed twice in quick succession, and a sense of foreboding welled up inside him…

Hong Kong. Far East Stock Exchange!

In the VIP lounge, where trading volumes exceeded ten million, Lan Xinyi and the others stared at Li Yi in utter shock.

Just moments ago, Li Yi had suddenly issued an order that left everyone dumbfounded: he instructed everyone to immediately list all their futures contracts for sale, setting the asking price at 84,500 per contract!

Keep in mind that the Hang Seng Index had already reached 16,950 at that moment. Under normal circumstances, the price per contract should have been 84,750 Hong Kong dollars!

In other words, if he listed them at this price, Li Yi would lose 250 Hong Kong dollars per contract.

If it were just one or two contracts, the impact wouldn’t be significant, but Li Yi currently held a whopping 19,206 contracts.

If he were to list all of them for sale at this price, he would lose at least 4.8 million.

That’s 4.8 million!

More importantly, the broader market is currently showing tremendous strength, looking poised to shake off its slump and return to its previous peak.

Based on the futures contracts Li Yi holds, every single point the Hang Seng Index rises would net him 960,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Selling these contracts at a discount right now is simply incomprehensible!

For a moment, all the traders in the VIP room were left somewhat at a loss by Li Yi’s order.

But Lan Xinyi once again demonstrated the decisiveness of a team leader and quickly regained her composure.

Before Li Yi could say a word, she shouted, “Stop standing there! Follow Mr. Li’s orders. The market closes in half an hour—hurry up!”

At Lan Xinyi’s command, the others finally snapped out of it and rushed to the trading floor!

At that moment, the market was surging. Investor confidence had been boosted by a series of moves from the British Hong Kong government—after all, the government had poured in massive amounts of real money, not just empty promises.

If the market collapsed, their money would certainly go down the drain.

So, as if clinging to a last shred of hope, investors began to stir!

Compounded by three consecutive days of frenzied declines, the share prices of many companies and the prices of futures contracts had plummeted to extremely low levels, prompting many to consider buying the dip while prices were still low.

Consequently, trading volume surged in the final half-hour of the session.

Before long, the over 19,000 contracts Li Yi had dumped were snapped up by frenzied investors and the Hong Kong-British government!

Upon hearing the news, the corners of Li Yi’s mouth turned up slightly, and his spirits soared!

He had acquired these 19,000 contracts at an average price of around 74,000, and sold them at 84,500—a net profit of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars per contract.

In other words, in just a few short hours, he had made 190 million.

Combined with the 180 million he had earned a few days earlier, plus his 42 million in principal, Li Yi now had 410 million Hong Kong dollars at his disposal.

A net profit of 370 million in just four days—even Li Yi found this quite shocking.

This wasn’t just making money—it was robbing the market!

Just as Li Yi was feeling elated, Lan Xinyi, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: “Mr. Li, what should we do now? Should we wait for the funds to settle, or…”

“No need to wait. Let’s go home!”

Hearing this, Lan Xinyi knew that Li Yi’s investment wasn’t over yet.

For some reason, she actually felt a quiet sense of relief.

To be honest, just moments ago, Lan Xinyi had felt a pang of regret that Li Yi had suddenly sold off all his futures contracts at a low price. But when she saw that all the contracts had been snapped up, she suddenly remembered something: Li Yi had just made another 190 million Hong Kong dollars on this investment.

Regardless of how the Hang Seng Index performs tomorrow, at the very least, as of now, this Mr. Li has already raked in a full 370 million Hong Kong dollars on the Hong Kong stock market—and it’s already safely in the bag!

A person like this can no longer be described as an investment master—he should be called the God of Investment. How could little fish like them possibly question him!

It was at that very moment that she suddenly began to worry: surely Mr. Li wouldn’t just stop there? That would be such a shame!

Fortunately, she was overthinking it. After receiving Li Yi’s order to head home, Lan Xinyi, in high spirits, immediately led the rest of the team to follow Li Yi out of the Far East Club!

……….

Wan Chai Pier. Qinglong Society!

Huang Lixing, who had already become numb, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving another call from Iron Eagle!

All day long, his heart had been on a roller coaster—plummeting to the depths one moment, soaring to the heights the next. The constant ups and downs were truly unbearable.

Now that Li Yi had sold off all the futures contracts, although he felt a bit of regret, he also acknowledged the wisdom of Li Yi’s decision.

After all, the stock market was just like the casinos he ran—until you’d cashed out your chips, no matter how many you had, they were worthless.

The stock market is all about securing your gains—only money that’s actually in your pocket counts as profit!

What excited him even more was that Li Yi had arrived on Hong Kong Island on the 15th, entered the stock market on the 16th, and in just four or five days, had raked in 370 million—a sum nearly equal to the fortune he’d accumulated over most of his life.

That pace of making money completely blew his mind!

At this point, his feelings toward Li Yi had gone beyond mere trust—they had turned into outright admiration!

After laughing wildly in his office for quite a while, Huang Lixing turned to Ah Biao and asked, “Where have Brother Li Yi and the others gone now?”

“Iron Eagle said Mr. Li and the others are on their way back to the Mid-Levels villa!”

“Hmm, go to Yuan’s Restaurant immediately… no, go to the Emperor Hotel and book a banquet. Have them deliver it to the Mid-Levels Villa—and make sure it’s done quickly!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t forget to have them send over two bottles of the most expensive red wine!”

“Got it!”

“Also, let Ma Laosan know that tonight’s meeting is canceled. We’ll head to the Half-Mountain Villa too!” Huang Lixing said.

“Yes!”

By the time Li Yi and the others returned to the Half-Mountain Villa, it was already past six in the afternoon.

As soon as they walked in, they saw that Huang Lixing was actually at home.

Even more surprising was that the villa’s grand dining room was already filled with an array of exquisite dishes.

In addition, several people in matching uniforms were bustling about in the kitchen next door—clearly hired specifically by Huang Lixing.

Upon seeing Li Yi, Huang Lixing immediately stood up and walked over, smiling as he said, “Welcome home, Brother Li Yi. I’ve prepared a victory banquet for you all. Please, come in!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Judging by the setup, Old Huang, you’ve really gone all out again!”

“Hahaha, we’ve earned so much—it’s only right to treat everyone!”

Li Yi then turned to Lan Xinyi and the others behind him and said, “Since Old Huang is being so generous, don’t be shy—please, take your seats!”

“Thank you, Mr. Li! Thank you, Mr. Huang!” Lan Xinyi hurriedly said.

After everyone had taken their seats, Huang Lixing said happily, “I reserved this specially from the Emperor International Hotel. Many of the ingredients were airlifted in from Australia and Southeast Asia, and even this brandy is a top-grade import from France. Everyone, please have a taste!”

Hearing Huang Lixing’s introduction, Lan Xinyi and the others were all stunned.

The Emperor International Hotel was, after all, the most luxurious hotel on the entire island of Hong Kong, where even a casual meal could cost several thousand to tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. Yet Huang Lixing had actually had it brought to his villa—the expense was even more staggering.

And look at the liquor—it was none other than the world-famous “Louis XIII.” Rumor had it that a single bottle cost several thousand Hong Kong dollars.

And there were six bottles of it here. By a conservative estimate, this meal would easily cost at least seventy or eighty thousand Hong Kong dollars.

For a moment, everyone was stunned by Huang Lixing’s extravagance.

But Li Yi remained unfazed. Whether Huang Lixing was describing the ingredients from Australia or the French-imported brandy, his expression didn’t flicker in the slightest.

This composure only added to his air of mystery.

Combined with his impressive feat of raking in 370 million in just four days, the looks people gave him now held a touch of surprise, a hint of curiosity, and a great deal of admiration…

………

PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!

July 20th, the fourth day since the Hong Kong stock market crash began. As soon as the market opened today, the Hang Seng Index continued its downward slide, just as it had for the previous three days.

The entire market followed suit, with every listed company’s stock price falling. Not a single company bucked the trend; even the stock with the smallest decline dropped by 5%. The entire stock market was in turmoil!

In reality, the Hong Kong stock market had become severely detached from economic and corporate fundamentals in recent years. Many companies traded at price-to-earnings ratios exceeding 200 times, creating a massive bubble fueled by financial leverage.

Previously, thanks to strong investor confidence and Hong Kong’s solid economic fundamentals, no major issues had arisen.

However, as more and more people borrowed money to speculate in real estate, banks became overwhelmed and were forced to raise interest rates to control the situation.

Yet every rate hike dealt a heavy blow to the already overburdened property market and the stock market, which relies on it for support. Eventually, the system could no longer withstand the pressure, culminating in a full-blown stock market crash.

The three-day plunge dealt another severe blow to investor confidence. Many sought to cut their losses to preserve capital, and a large number of investors began dumping their stocks.

This, in turn, caused stock prices to plummet once more, plunging the entire Hong Kong stock market into a vicious cycle!

That morning, investors across all four major exchanges on Hong Kong Island were gripped by unprecedented panic.

But even under these circumstances, Li Yi instructed Lan Xinyi and others to buy up massive amounts of futures contracts!

By 11:00 a.m., the over 1.4 billion Hong Kong dollars previously obtained from selling futures contracts had been entirely converted into new futures contracts.

By this time, the Hang Seng Index had fallen to 1,496 points, a drop of 14 points from when they first entered the market.

In other words, in less than an hour, Li Yi had lost nearly 14 million Hong Kong dollars.

More importantly, had he continued shorting, he could have made an additional 18 million Hong Kong dollars that morning alone—a combined total of over 32 million Hong Kong dollars.

Consequently, everyone—including Lan Xinyi—looked at Li Yi with a touch of regret.

However, Li Yi didn’t care in the slightest. Upon learning that all contracts had been fully acquired, he immediately ordered everyone to pack up and leave the exchange.

Just as everyone assumed Li Yi would take them straight back to the Mid-Levels villa as he had done the previous days, they were surprised to find him leading them to the city’s most luxurious restaurant, Yuan’s.

Then, as everyone stared in astonishment, Li Yi ordered three tables full of high-end dishes—choosing whatever was most expensive—without the slightest sense that he had lost over 30 million.

Seeing Li Yi’s calm and composed expression, Lan Xinyi and the others—for some reason—felt their hearts, which had been in their throats, slowly settle.

They followed Li Yi’s lead and began to feast heartily on the table full of delicacies!

However, just as Li Yi and the others were enjoying the feast, Huang Lixing at Wan Chai Pier was on the verge of being driven mad!

He had learned early that morning that Li Yi and his group had gone to the exchange, and upon arriving, they had immediately ordered a full-scale buyout of futures contracts—which had filled him with excitement.

Once the acquisition of 16,000 contracts is completed and successfully returned to the institution, the profit of 180 million will be in hand.

Even if, as agreed, more than half of that 180 million had to be split with Li Yi, he would still walk away with over 80 million.

In just a few short days, 37 million had turned into 80 million. Huang Lixing had never imagined money could be so easy to make. He even sat with Ah Biao and the others in the headquarters, reminiscing about the good old days—talking about his glorious past when he used to carry heavy bags at the Wan Chai Pier and how he’d earned his first fortune…

But… but what he never could have imagined was that the news that came back from Tie Ying and the others nearly blew his mind.

Not only had Li Yi failed to return the 16,000 contracts he’d acquired to the institutions, but he’d also used every last cent in his account to buy more contracts—he was going long on the Hang Seng Index.

What really made his heart bleed was that the Hang Seng Index had already plummeted from 1,528 to 1,496, and the downward trend was very clear.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he’d lose all the money he’d made just a few days ago—he might even lose his entire investment.

It really was a matter of one thought leading to heaven, and another to hell!

However, just as Ah Biao asked if they should consult Li Yi, Huang Lixing decisively refused.

He recalled what Li Yi had said yesterday; clearly, all of this had been planned in advance by Li Yi, not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Therefore, going over now wouldn’t make Li Yi stop; on the contrary, it would leave a bad impression.

Besides, they’d already made so much money—there was no rush!

Just as Li Yi had said, there was no need to rush—let the dust settle for a while…

However, the situation in the stock market that afternoon took everyone by surprise.

By 1:00 PM, Lan Xinyi and the others at Yuanji Restaurant had finished their meal; in fact, they’d even enjoyed two large pots of tea in the luxurious private room and taken a short break.

Just as everyone thought they were about to head back to the Mid-Levels villa to rest, Li Yi once again took everyone by surprise by having Tie Ying and the others take them back to the Far East Stock Exchange.

By the time they returned to the exchange, the bell signaling the afternoon session had already rung.

By then, the Hang Seng Index had dropped another 3 points since they’d left, reaching 1,493 points.

In other words, while they were having a meal, Li Yi had lost another 3 million!

Everyone on the team felt heartbroken for Li Yi!

That’s 3 million dollars—even with Hong Kong’s current high property prices, that could buy a nice house of over 6,000 square feet in a decent neighborhood.

But there they were, watching it vanish into thin air right before their eyes!

Yet, in less than ten minutes, the situation outside took a dramatic turn.

For some reason, a massive influx of capital suddenly poured into the stock market, with investors aggressively buying up stocks and futures contracts, clearly aiming to buy at the bottom.

Bolstered by such massive capital, the stocks and futures—which had been plummeting—suddenly pulled back from the brink and stopped falling!

Then, as everyone watched in stunned silence, stock prices began to rebound.

The Hang Seng Index soared just as rapidly!

Upon learning of this turn of events, everyone—including Lan Xinyi—was dumbfounded, while Li Yi’s smile grew even broader.

He knew the British Hong Kong government had stepped in to rescue the market!

Three consecutive days of market crashes had already inflicted heavy losses on all listed companies; many had seen their stock prices plummet by a third, severely denting investors’ confidence.

Under these circumstances, Hong Kong’s Chinese capital and British-owned enterprises, led by Jardine Matheson, had—in a rare show of unity—joined forces to demand that the British Hong Kong government intervene to save the market, lest the situation spiral out of control.

Under immense pressure from these groups, the British Hong Kong government had no choice but to step in and collaborate with these capitalists to rescue the market.

And that is how we arrived at the current situation.

In addition to raising substantial funds to rescue the market, the British Hong Kong government also announced a number of favorable policies, which provided significant encouragement and stimulus to a stock market that had previously lacked confidence.

And so, throughout the afternoon, the Hong Kong stock market shook off its earlier slump; trading volume surged across the four major exchanges, and the broader market began to soar at full speed!

By 2:00 p.m., the Hang Seng Index had risen to 1,530 points!

Just one hour later, it broke through the 1,600 mark and surged strongly toward 1,650 points.

By 4:00 p.m., the index had reached 1,695 points. The outlook was extremely promising, and investor confidence had been restored!

But just then, Li Yi made his move again…

……..

The next day, early morning!

Lan Xinyi and the others were still asleep inside the villa halfway up the mountain when they suddenly heard frantic knocking at the door, followed immediately by the henchmen shouting for them to wake up.

When the eight of them hurriedly got dressed and came out of their rooms, they were surprised to find Li Yi—who had been “in seclusion” for three straight days—standing there.

More importantly, he was fully dressed and waiting for them in the living room.

Seeing this, Lan Xinyi’s eyes lit up, and she hurriedly asked, “Mr. Li, are we heading to the company?”

“You have five minutes. We’re leaving in five minutes!”

“Yes!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lan Xinyi responded and immediately went back inside, put on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and returned to the living room.

The others followed suit, and they were all assembled in no time.

Li Yi was very pleased with their performance.

Right then, he led Lan Xinyi and the others out of the hillside villa, and with Iron Eagle and the others providing escort, they headed straight for the city center.

Once in the city, Li Yi first took them to a nice restaurant for breakfast before heading to the Far East Association’s stock exchange.

Once they arrived at the stock exchange, Li Yi informed them of the changes in the Hang Seng Index over the past few days.

When Lan Xinyi and the others learned that the Hang Seng Index had plummeted to just over 1,500 points, they were all stunned!

As professional traders, they naturally understood what this meant.

In other words, in just these three short days—without this man even needing to set foot in the exchange—he had made 160 million Hong Kong dollars.

To them, this was simply too surreal!

This wasn’t just any stock—it was shorting a futures index. Was there even such a thing as a long-term strategy for this?

At the very least, they’d never seen anything like this before—this was truly an eye-opening experience!

After a long silence, Lan Xinyi couldn’t contain the countless questions swirling in her mind any longer. Summoning her courage, she asked, “Mr. Li, could you tell me how you did it?”

“Of course… I can’t!”

Then, Li Yi added, “Don’t dwell on the past. Just follow my instructions now. As soon as the market opens, start buying up contracts with everything you’ve got!”

“What price should we set?” Lan Xinyi asked immediately.

“76,000 per contract!”

Hearing this, the rest of the team immediately began to murmur among themselves. Lan Xinyi’s older brother, Lan Xinming, stepped forward and said, “Mr. Li, I think…”

Before he could finish, Lan Xinyi grabbed him and pulled him aside, then turned directly to Li Yi and said, “Mr. Li, we’ll go get ready right away!”

Immediately afterward, she gathered the entire team in front of Li Yi and said sternly, “We promised Mr. Li that we’d follow his orders. I don’t want anyone questioning his decisions anymore. Anyone who does so again will face the consequences!”

Lan Xinyi was undoubtedly the core of the entire team. Upon hearing her words, everyone immediately nodded in understanding.

Seeing this, Li Yi nodded in satisfaction.

It seemed that leaving them on the sidelines for the past few days had been quite effective.

He had chosen Lan Xinyi’s team in the first place because he felt this woman was highly perceptive and knew exactly where she stood.

As far as Li Yi was concerned, he could tolerate team members who lacked ability, but he could not tolerate disobedience.

Clearly, Lan Xinyi met his requirements better than Zhang Jianxi.

However, judging from their collaboration on the first day, although these people were relatively obedient, they still considered themselves the experts and were full of resentment.

Especially Lan Xinyi’s older brother—he actually thought he could tell him what to do!

Li Yi naturally wouldn’t tolerate this kind of behavior, so he kept them on the sidelines for the next few days.

Li Yi knew full well that with such rebellious or self-righteous people, reasoning with them was pointless.

The most direct approach was to defeat them in the very field they excelled at; that way, they would submit to him.

And that was exactly how Li Yi intended to show Lan Xinyi and the others: in his presence, their so-called professional skills, work experience, and achievements were worthless!

Even without heeding their advice, he could still work miracles!

Clearly, Lan Xinyi got the message!

At Li Yi’s command, Lan Xinyi and the others immediately changed into their work uniforms and began preparing in a hurry.

………

At 9:30 a.m., the four major exchanges opened simultaneously!

As the opening bell rang, all staff members sprang into action.

Meanwhile, Lan Xinyi and the others, who had already been waiting in line, immediately followed Li Yi’s instructions and posted all the contract orders.

At the same time, the exchange displayed the latest Hang Seng Index reading—1,518!

In other words, right at the opening, the Hang Seng Index had dropped by 10 points from yesterday’s closing level.

Based on this current figure, the value of a single contract was now just under 75,900.

Lan Xinyi and her team had listed a buy price of 76,000, exactly 100 Hong Kong dollars higher than the contract’s value.

Seeing that someone was actually buying futures contracts, investors who had watched the Hang Seng Index breach their psychological support levels for several days in a row didn’t hesitate. They rushed to list their own contracts.

Lan Xinyi and her team, of course, accepted every offer, and soon secured 16,000 contracts!

After securing 16,000 contracts, Lan Xinyi immediately returned to the VIP room to report back!

“Mr. Li, we’ve completed the acquisition of 16,000 contracts. Should we continue buying, or should we settle with the company?”

As mentioned earlier, shorting futures essentially involves borrowing contracts from an institution, selling them at a high price, and then buying them back at a lower price to return them to the institution.

On the 17th, Li Yi borrowed 16,000 futures contracts at a cost of 210 million HKD and sold them all at 90,510 HKD per contract, netting 1.448 billion HKD.

And just moments ago, they repurchased 16,000 futures contracts at HK$76,000 per contract, spending HK$1.216 billion.

Now, all they need to do is return these 16,000 contracts to the institutions. The 230 million HKD profit margin represents the money earned over the past few days. After deducting their initial investment, various taxes, and commissions, the net profit is at least 180 million HKD!

But just as everyone was eagerly awaiting Li Yi’s order to settle the positions, he fixed his gaze on Lan Xinyi and said, “Miss Lan, repeat my order!”

Lan Xinyi was taken aback for a moment, then replied, “Acquire the contracts with full force!”

“What do you mean by ‘full force’? Full force means pouring every last cent of your available funds into this!” Li Yi said in a deep, stern voice.

Hearing this, Lan Xinyi and the others were once again stunned by Li Yi’s recklessness.

Even though they had just poured so much capital into buying futures contracts, it still hadn’t stopped the Hang Seng Index from falling.

Although the rate of decline had slowed, it had still fallen to 1,508 points—a further drop of 10 points from the opening price.

If they were to go all-in on buying futures contracts, their investment strategy would shift from shorting to going long.

Theoretically, they currently had HK$1.448 billion in available capital; if they went all-in, they could purchase 19,206 contracts.

This meant that for every single point the Hang Seng Index fell, they would lose 960,000 Hong Kong dollars!

Such terrifying profit-and-loss figures were something even a top-tier trader like Lan Xinyi had never seen before; for a moment, she was completely stunned.

Fortunately, Lan Xinyi possessed exceptional mental fortitude. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she regained her composure and immediately said to Li Yi, “Mr. Li, I know exactly what to do!”

With that, Lan Xinyi hurriedly led her team members to the trading floor ahead!

Watching Lan Xinyi and the others walk away, a faint smile touched the corner of Li Yi’s lips…

………

Hong Kong. Mid-Levels Villa!

When Huang Lixing arrived, Lan Xinyi and the others were sitting in the living room, sighing and looking gloomy; all eight of them had worried expressions on their faces.

In all their years in the business, they’d dealt with all kinds of difficult clients, but they’d never encountered one who’d barred them from the stock exchange for days on end.

If they hadn’t seen Li Yi invest tens of millions into the stock market with their own eyes, they would have thought they’d been kidnapped!

Seeing Huang Lixing walk in with several bodyguards, everyone in the room jumped in surprise and stood up.

The more timid female team members were trembling with fear, their eyes filled with dread as they looked at Huang Lixing, terrified that he had come to cause trouble.

However, Huang Lixing’s subsequent behavior took them completely by surprise.

Far from losing his temper, Huang Lixing brought them a table full of delicious food.

Judging by the packaging, it was all from the renowned Yuen’s Restaurant.

This restaurant’s dishes were particularly famous throughout Hong Kong Island; even a simple dish cost several hundred Hong Kong dollars, and if you wanted to order one of their signature dishes, it would set you back over a thousand Hong Kong dollars.

A table full of dishes like this would easily cost five or six thousand Hong Kong dollars.

On top of that, Huang Lixing also brought them plenty of fruit, including varieties they could never afford to buy on their own.

This gesture left Lan Xinyi and the others feeling a bit at a loss!

However, as the team leader, Lan Xinyi, upon seeing this unimaginably lavish hospitality, began to harbor a faint suspicion.

After much hesitation, she couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and asked Huang Lixing, “Mr. Huang, could you tell us what’s happening out there? What’s the Hang Seng Index at right now?”

Huang Lixing was well aware of Lan Xinyi and the others’ situation.

Although he didn’t know exactly what Li Yi was up to or why he was withholding information from Lan Xinyi and the others, he knew there must be a reason behind it.

So, after a moment’s thought, he said, “I can’t give you the exact figure, but I can tell you this: the Hang Seng Index has dropped!”

“It… it really has fallen?”

“Yes!”

Hearing this, everyone—including Lan Xinyi—let out a sigh of relief.

As long as it had fallen, they hadn’t lost their principal—which was far better than they’d expected.

“Mr. Huang, when should we go to the company?”

“As for that, just wait for Mr. Li’s instructions!”

With that, Huang Lixing paid them no further attention and headed upstairs, carrying a large bag filled with even more exquisite food boxes!

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Li Yi, who had just stepped out of the bathroom, heard the knock and immediately came over to open the door.

Seeing it was Huang Lixing, he smiled and said, “Not bad—a little later than I expected!”

“Brother Li Yi, you knew I was coming!”

“I figured you’d come before the market closed today, but you didn’t. Instead, you came after the market closed. I’m very pleased!”

Li Yi was indeed very pleased with Huang Lixing. The fact that he hadn’t shown up at all these past few days was a sign of absolute trust in Li Yi.

If anyone else had come, even if they’d clearly seen the Hang Seng Index plummet, they might not have dared to let him take such a huge gamble.

After all, the stock market is just like gambling on jade: one cut can send you to heaven, the next to hell. It can plummet 100 points overnight, just as it can surge 300 points overnight.

That’s why very few people trading futures indices dare to wait three whole days.

But Huang Lixing did it. Not only did he not show up during those three days, he didn’t even make a single phone call. That level of trust truly pleased Li Yi.

Yet Huang Lixing grimaced and said, “Bro, you have no idea how I’ve been living these past three days. Every single day I’ve been on pins and needles, terrified that one morning I’d wake up to find our stock market profits gone down the drain!”

Li Yi glanced at his two huge dark circles under his eyes and said with a smile, “Insomnia?”

“Yeah, I haven’t slept well for two nights in a row!” Huang Lixing admitted.

“Can’t take it anymore? Thinking of selling?” Li Yi asked again.

“Not exactly. I just want to know what your bottom line is, brother. Otherwise, I’m left in the dark!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Go get some good sleep. I’ll place a sell order first thing tomorrow morning when the market opens!”

“Really?” Huang Lixing asked, his face lighting up with surprise.

“Of course it’s true—would I lie to you?”

“Hahaha, then I’ve basically pocketed that 160 million!” Huang Lixing exclaimed excitedly.

“That profit alone won’t be enough to buy you a villa on the mountaintop!” Li Yi said.

“Bro, you don’t have any other ideas, do you?”

“Heh, you’ll find out tomorrow!”

“Forget it, I won’t ask. If I do, I won’t be able to sleep tonight!”

With that, Huang Lixing set the food boxes he’d brought onto the table and opened them one by one.

He then uncorked a bottle of premium red wine and poured a glass for both himself and Li Yi.

“Bro, no need for words. Here’s to you!”

Li Yi gently clinked glasses with him, took a small sip, and said, “Fine wine!”

“Do you like red wine, Li Yi?”

“It’s not bad!”

Li Yi couldn’t exactly say he was a big fan of alcohol, but he did prefer red wine slightly more than other types.

The reason was simple: he just couldn’t handle baijiu—one glass and he’d be out cold.

Red wine was a bit better, though he couldn’t drink much of it either.

However, it does help him sleep, and since he often suffered from insomnia in his previous life, he developed the habit of drinking red wine.

“If you like it, I can get you a batch of top-notch stuff. It’s not expensive overseas anyway!” Huang Lixing said.

Hearing this, Li Yi’s interest was suddenly piqued, and he asked, “Old Huang, do you have a source for red wine?”

“Although we mainly deal in home appliances, just because we don’t handle other things doesn’t mean we can’t get them—and red wine is no exception. As long as you want it, brother, whether it’s from the U.S., Australia, or France, I can get it for you!” Huang Lixing said.

“Alright then, get me a batch of red wine later. I’ll let you know which specific winery I want!”

Li Yi thought of the world-famous 1982 Lafite Rothschild. This wine was undoubtedly the most valuable investment in red wine of the century—bar none.

In just thirty short years, the value of this wine had skyrocketed over 200-fold—a single bottle could even fetch 3,500 yuan (enough to buy two bottles of standard-priced Moutai).

In terms of return on investment, this far outperforms making money in the stock market.

More importantly, setting aside the return on investment, the quality of the 1982 Lafite itself is truly stunning.

It is said that the climate in the Bordeaux region that year was perfect, with the longest hours of sunshine on record. The year was marked by high temperatures and very little rain, resulting in high sugar content in the grapes and record-high levels of other components. This led to a historic harvest in both quantity and quality, producing a wine of astonishing quality and potential…

But regardless, this wine has truly become a legend.

And now, with no one aware of Lafite’s true value, Li Yi certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity to snag a bargain.

Even if he didn’t sell it, keeping it for his own enjoyment would be a fine choice.

Huang Lixing had no idea what was on Li Yi’s mind; he simply assumed Li Yi had this idea because he loved wine.

“Don’t worry, brother. As long as it’s on the market, I’ll get it for you!”

“Alright!”

“By the way, Li Yi, why are you keeping this a secret from those girls downstairs? Don’t you trust them?” Huang Lixing asked again.

“No, I just think they have a lot of potential, and I want to make sure they’re truly working for me!”

“Uh… well, that’s certainly an unconventional approach!”

Li Yi didn’t offer much explanation; he just smiled and said, “You’ll see the results in a few days!”

“Alright, old buddy, here’s another one to you!”

“Alright…”

………

Wan Chai Pier. The Green Dragon Society!

Huang Lixing had just finished handling a shipment of home appliances. Before he even had a chance to catch his breath, he received a discreet call from Tie Ying.

Learning that Li Yi hadn’t even gone to the brokerage firm this morning, he was immediately taken aback.

Although his main businesses were casinos and smuggling, he had dabbled in the stock market and naturally understood the strategy behind Li Yi’s short-selling of the Hang Seng Index.

You could say Li Yi was taking a massive gamble!

Putting tens of millions of dollars on the line meant massive profits if he won, but if he lost, he could lose everything.

More importantly, Li Yi was using five times leverage, which made a margin call even more likely.

At this thought, his first instinct was to rush back to the villa on Mid-Levels to check on Li Yi.

But just as he stood up, he paused.

Recalling Li Yi’s unpredictable tactics, he paused to think for a moment, then turned to Ah Biao and said, “Call the Far East Club right away and ask what the Hang Seng Index is today!”

“Yes!”

Just a few minutes later, Ah Biao walked in, his face pale with shock.

Before A-Biao could speak, Huang Lixing asked urgently, “Well? Did it go up or down?”

“It’s down!”

Huang Lixing immediately breathed a sigh of relief. With short selling, you only make money when the market drops.

No matter how much it dropped, at least he’d broken even.

Relieved, Huang Lixing sat back down in his chair and asked, “How much did it drop?”

“82 points…”

“How… much?”

Stunned, Huang Lixing jumped back to his feet.

“The Hang Seng Index closed at 1,820 points yesterday, but as soon as the market opened today, it plummeted. It dropped dozens of points in just a few minutes. By the time I called the Far East Club, it had fallen to 1,738 points—and it hasn’t stopped falling yet!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing was completely stunned!

He already knew that Li Yi had bought in at 1,810 points. Now that it was at 1,738 points, that meant it had dropped by 72 points.

And for every point the Hang Seng Index dropped, he and Li Yi stood to make 580,000 yuan—so 72 points meant 41.76 million yuan!

In other words, overnight, the money they’d invested in the stock market had doubled!

“You… you didn’t hear wrong? Are you sure it’s 1,738 points?”

“Boss, there’s no mistake—I checked it three times!” A-Biao said earnestly.

“Hahaha, Master Li really lives up to his reputation—I’m impressed!” Huang Lixing said excitedly.

After a long moment, A-Biao suddenly said, “Boss, it’s already dropped this much. Shouldn’t we give Mr. Li a heads-up? After all, it’s best to lock in profits in the stock market!”

Huang Lixing shook his head and said, “No need. We have to trust Brother Li Yi—he knows what he’s doing!”

“Yes!”

“By the way, do you know why the Hang Seng Index dropped so suddenly?” Huang Lixing asked again.

“According to the Far East Club, it’s because the Bankers’ Association announced another interest rate hike, triggering a chain reaction!” Ah Biao replied.

“The banks raised rates. By how much?”

“One basis point!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

He had assumed that the inside information Li Yi mentioned would be something of immense policy significance, but he never expected it to be a rate hike by banks on Hong Kong Island.

That doesn’t make sense!

After all, bank rate hikes are incredibly common on Hong Kong Island, especially in recent years—banks raise rates every few days.

Although each rate hike might affect the Hang Seng Index, it certainly wouldn’t cause such a steep drop—unless there were deeper underlying reasons.

He pondered it for a while but still couldn’t figure out the reason, so he eventually stopped thinking about it.

As long as he hadn’t lost any money, that was all that mattered. He’d leave the rest to Li Yi to handle!

“Have you sent it over to Inspector Liu yet?” Huang Lixing asked again.

“It’s been delivered, and Mrs. Liu has already received it!”

“Good. Keep a close eye on Inspector Liu’s end. If all goes as expected, he’ll contact us soon. Be sure to notify me immediately when that happens!” Huang Lixing said.

“Yes!”

“Any word from Ma Laosan?”

“Yes. Third Master received a shipment this morning—not the one ship that was reported, but three!” said A-Biao.

“Hmph. Ma Laosan is showing me less and less respect as his boss. He wants to use my connections and channels but refuses to pay his dues according to the rules!” Huang Lixing said coldly.

“Boss, should I go and—”

“No need. We’ll deal with Ma Laosan and his crew later. Right now, the most important thing is to take care of those two tasks Brother Li Yi assigned us!” Huang Lixing said in a deep voice.

“Yes!”

………

Ever since learning that the Hang Seng Index had dropped, Huang Lixing had put his mind at ease and turned his full attention to other matters.

However, what happened next took him completely by surprise!

Starting on July 17th, Li Yi stayed at the Mid-Levels villa for the next three days, not even stepping outside, let alone going to the brokerage firm.

During those three days, he went downstairs for two meals on the first day, but for the next two days, he didn’t even come down the stairs; all his meals were delivered to his second-floor room by Tie Ying and the others.

The one thing that never changed was his daily demand that Tie Ying and the others buy him newspapers!

In addition to the major newspapers, he didn’t overlook the third-rate entertainment tabloids—he wanted them all.

As for the money in the stock market, it was as if he had completely forgotten about it; he hadn’t mentioned it once since.

His attitude left Lan Xinyi and her entire team completely baffled!

Stuck in the villa compound, they couldn’t get any news from the outside world. Li Yi wouldn’t let them go to the brokerage firm, nor would he tell them about the current state of the Hang Seng Index. The eight of them were like the blind and the deaf, completely unaware whether that money was a profit or a loss.

Lan Xinyi went upstairs to find Li Yi several times, hoping to talk to him, but Li Yi would only say, “Let the dust settle!”

This was driving Lan Xinyi to the brink of a mental breakdown!

Although the money wasn’t hers, and she wouldn’t bear any responsibility if they lost it,

But the problem was that Li Yi was now her client. If he suffered a margin call, it would inevitably severely damage their team’s reputation—and could even cause them to plummet from a top-tier team to a third-rate one.

More importantly, Lan Xinyi knew that most of this money belonged to Huang Lixing—and she knew exactly what kind of person he was.

If they lost all those tens of millions, she wasn’t sure if someone like Huang Lixing would stuff the eight of them into sacks and dump them in the river!

So, over the past few days, Lan Xinyi and the others have been on edge!

Huang Lixing was just as nervous!

At the close on the 17th, the Hang Seng Index had dropped to 1,701 points—a full 99-point decline from when Li Yi had bought in—and their profits had reached 57.42 million Hong Kong dollars.

Li Yi didn’t list the shares for sale that day. Although Huang Lixing was a bit worried, he didn’t say much.

By the close of trading on the afternoon of the 18th, the Hang Seng Index had dropped to 1,633 points, and their profits had reached 96.86 million Hong Kong dollars.

But Li Yi still showed no intention of listing the shares for sale; he hadn’t even left the house.

Huang Lixing had wanted to rush over to the Mid-Levels villa to talk to Li Yi several times—after all, this was nearly 100 million in profits. If they waited until the Hang Seng Index rebounded, it would all go down the drain.

But out of trust in Li Yi, he held back!

He lay awake all night!

Fortunately, when the market opened on the morning of the 19th, the Hang Seng Index continued its freefall just as it had the previous two days, causing Huang Lixing to silently breathe a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness he hadn’t let Li Yi put the property up for sale yesterday; otherwise, he would have made a lot less money today.

But by the time the market closed that afternoon, the Hang Seng Index had fallen to 1,528 points—a drop of 282.2 points from when Li Yi had entered the market—and their profits had reached a staggering 163.67 million Hong Kong dollars.

Yet, even at this point, Li Yi still showed no intention of cashing out!

By this point, Huang Li was getting a bit restless. He had never before witnessed a deal involving profits and losses in the hundreds of millions—it was just too damn thrilling.

So, he decided to have a serious talk with Li Yi…

……..

PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!