Davis ultimately chose to confront the bulls head-on, and he indeed succeeded, successfully repelling the bulls' attack in the final moments of the trading day.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Davis couldn't help but complain, "Damn it, what the hell are those Japanese thinking? Oh God!"
For the entire afternoon, the Japanese, who held a massive short position, made no move at all, and Davis couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with these "allies."
As the saying goes, "I'm not afraid of a god-like opponent, but I am afraid of a pig-like teammate."
Davis had invested over a hundred million dollars to push back the bulls, which was the upper limit of the funds he could use. The wealthy Japanese, however, had only invested a few million dollars throughout the afternoon.
To hedge their bets, Japanese conglomerates had invested a huge amount of money in the U.S. capital market to maintain the current exchange rate of the yen and prevent appreciation from harming their exports. It was precisely because of the involvement of these Japanese that the space capital had dared to establish such a large short position.
"Miller, go and find out what the Japanese did this afternoon," Davis, regaining his composure, felt a shadow of doubt. At this moment, he recalled the rumor from the afternoon. Could it be true?
Miller, who was cleaning up the battlefield, quickly put down his work and called a Japanese agent he knew.
The Japanese on the phone spoke in broken and difficult-to-understand English, laughing and chatting with Miller about the recent weather in Chicago and New York, but not answering Miller's questions directly. In the end, the Japanese vaguely said, "The situation has changed!"
Miller detested this Eastern style of conversation and couldn't understand what it meant.
"What did you say?" After hearing Miller's report, Davis's brows furrowed deeply. After a moment, he seemed to remember something and shouted at Miller, "Check today's bulls, find out who took our short positions!"
He recalled a possibility and became extremely agitated. If his suspicions were confirmed, this would be a huge loss for space capital!
Sure enough, the information Miller brought back confirmed his suspicions. The Japanese had built the largest bull positions in the afternoon. It seemed the rumor was true, and the Japanese had abandoned him.
"Oh, God! Damn the Japanese, damn the Japanese government, damn it all..." Davis clutched his head and let out a painful moan. This was a huge loss!
He looked at the bewildered Miller and couldn't help but vent his anger on this newcomer, "What the hell are you doing? Didn't you know you should report this situation? This is all your fault, you're fired!"
Miller, who had suffered as a result, was also furious. He swept everything off the table and pointed at Davis, shouting, "I can't take it anymore, you son of a bitch! Get ready to go bankrupt, you bastard!" Then he turned and left, leaving Davis staring in shock.
Leaving the building, Miller dialed the SEC's number and pinched his voice, saying, "Is this the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)? I want to report..."
Davis, still cleaning up the mess, was thinking about how to operate tomorrow to minimize the losses. He didn't realize that his outburst had put both space capital and himself in a dire situation.
...
"Zhong Shi, are you really going to let it go?"
Liao Chengde, stepping out of the futures company, couldn't wait to ask. He still had some common sense and knew that overnight positions carried significant risks. If there wasn't absolute confidence, it was best to close the positions on the same day, after all, money in hand was real.
"You, you're just too cautious!"
Zhong Shi yawned and got into the Mercedes parked downstairs. In the 1980s, a Mercedes was a symbol of luxury. Liao Chengde, seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, sighed and followed Zhong Shi into the car.
"I'm hungry, let's go eat seafood at Sai Kung!"
"What? What time is it now?" Liao Chengde was stunned, not believing what he heard.
Thanks to his gains in the stock market, Liao Chengde had bought a villa in the Mid-Levels, a place where many wealthy people lived, close to Central and a prime location. Sai Kung, on the other hand, was in the New Territories, requiring a trip across Victoria Harbor, Kowloon, and Clearwater Bay, which was quite far.
"Hehe, just kidding!"
Zhong Shi laughed, but he couldn't help but be a bit alert. He had brought some habits from the future into the present and had unconsciously spoken them. In the future, he would often end his work late at night and drive a speedboat to Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung for late-night snacks, where the seafood suited his taste.
"Let's go to Sham Shui Po for late-night snacks, then!"
Liao Chengde, seeing that Zhong Shi was in high spirits, suggested. Sham Shui Po was a relatively underdeveloped area in Hong Kong, akin to a slum. The British colonial government had built the first public housing here, where the residents were mostly from the lower and middle classes. Many young people here grew up in triad or gang circles, so there were many gangsters.
However, Sham Shui Po was also famous for its food. There were many well-known tea houses, and local specialties like char siu bao, fish balls, and siu mai were particularly delicious. Many Hong Kongers enjoyed gathering a few friends at midnight, ordering dishes like egg-baked fish intestines, stir-fried beef with water spinach, and clay pot dishes, and drinking cold beer, making it a very pleasant night.
Liao Chengde, now worth half a billion, still liked to eat in Sham Shui Po. When he first came to Hong Kong from the mainland, he had lived in a public housing unit in Sham Shui Po, working hard during the day and enjoying a beer and street food at night as the best reward.
People often liked to "return home in glory." Liao Chengde couldn't show off much in the mainland, so he would go to Sham Shui Po to show off to his old friends and visit his regular shops.
"Alright, are you not afraid of the triads there?"
Zhong Shi thought for a moment and nodded, but his next words made Liao Chengde's heart leap to his throat.
Liao Chengde had heard of the triads (gangs) and had often seen large-scale fights at night in the past. But since moving to Hong Kong Island, such incidents had disappeared. Now, unlike his penniless days when he had nothing to lose, he was wealthy and feared being targeted by the triads, which would make him unable to eat or sleep.
The triads in Hong Kong originated in 1949 when the mainland and Taiwan were in opposition, and Hong Kong became a place for both sides to secretly interact and compete. Both sides sent large numbers of agents to Hong Kong, and people from various walks of life from the mainland mixed in, naturally forming triads.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the triads in Hong Kong reached their peak. At a time when Hong Kong's future was uncertain and people were anxious, the triads, supported by both sides, expanded rapidly. It wasn't until 1997 that the triads were truly suppressed. Notable figures like Zhang Ziqiang and Ye Jihuan were arrested, with Zhang Ziqiang even sentenced to death, which greatly shocked the Hong Kong underworld and made them realize that the mainland government's attitude toward the triads was different from that of the British colonial government.
"This... this... let's just find a place for late-night snacks, okay?"
Liao Chengde, regaining his composure, was still afraid and looked at Zhong Shi uncertainly, speaking in a broken voice.
"Ha ha, what are you afraid of? Even if it's a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, I want to see it! It's just a matter of money, don't worry, they won't care about you!"
Zhong Shi, unperturbed, laughed and told the driver to head across the harbor.
The driver, seeing Liao Chengde nod helplessly in the rearview mirror, stepped on the gas, and the Mercedes accelerated, heading straight for the tunnel.
...
Liao Chengde, restless, lit a cigarette and couldn't help but glance at the seven young men at another table, all with dragon tattoos. Thanks to Zhong Shi's earlier warning, he now felt that everyone was a triad member and that everyone was out to get him, making the seafood in his mouth less tasty.
"What's wrong, Lao Liao? Eat, look, this lobster is so fresh!"
Zhong Shi, seeing Liao Chengde's uneasy face, deliberately picked up a lobster the size of an arm and offered it to him.
Liao Chengde, taking the lobster with a grim face, chewed absentmindedly. At this moment, even the meat of a dragon from the sky would be tasteless.
"You won't be able to eat anything in a few days!"
Zhong Shi, suppressing his laughter, casually pointed out.
"Zhong Shi, why are you here?"
Liao Chengde wasn't stupid. After a moment's thought, he understood. Since meeting Zhong Shi, he had known that this young man was extraordinary and that every move he made had deep significance.
"Why am I here? Didn't you ask me to come?"
After taking a big sip of cola, Zhong Shi couldn't help but stare at the cigarettes on the table. Liao Chengde, understanding, quickly lit one and handed it to Zhong Shi. Zhong Shi took it without hesitation, took a satisfying puff, and then motioned for Liao Chengde to lean in. "I plan to start a private equity fund in the next few years, targeting both the black and white markets. What do you think?"
"What? You plan to buy off the governor?"
Liao Chengde was shocked and couldn't help but exclaim.
His sudden outburst immediately drew the attention of people at nearby tables. They all looked over, and some even showed signs of dissatisfaction. Fortunately, Liao Chengde had spoken in Mandarin, or it would have caused a huge stir if reported to the newspapers.
"How can you be so jumpy, you don't act like an adult!"
Zhong Shi put down his water glass heavily and glared at Liao Chengde, clearly displeased with his overreaction.