The Liao family's luxurious residence, located on the hillside, was a three-story villa with a built-up area of over 5,000 square feet. It had a huge swimming pool in the backyard, and from the balcony, one could see the beautiful Victoria Harbour, with the sea breeze gently blowing, making one feel refreshed and at ease.
Including the front and back yards, the total area was even over 10,000 square feet, a typical place for the rich to live. Liao Chengde spent tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars to buy this place, and the whole family lived there.
However, to entertain Zhong Shi and others, Liao Chengde sent his wife and son to the old house in Causeway Bay. The large house was now only for entertaining Zhong Shi and his brother Zhong Yi.
"Master Shi, Master says we can leave now."
A man in white shirt and black pants, wearing cloth shoes, walked to three meters behind Zhong Shi and reminded him in a low voice.
Zhong Shi recognized him; he was the head butler of the Liao family mansion, surnamed Lin. It was said that he had served in this mansion for many years. The "departure" the butler mentioned referred to going to the Far East Financial Center, and today would be a big day!
"Spring breeze and swift horses, one day to see all the flowers of Hong Kong!"
Zhong Shi stretched lazily, leaped out of bed with a kip, and gazed at the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling window, humming a couple of adapted lines of poetry.
The butler Lin had a blank expression. Seeing Zhong Shi get up, he quietly left. The first rule of being a butler was to be tight-lipped and observant, not to see what shouldn't be seen and not to hear what shouldn't be heard. Lin was undoubtedly well-versed in this principle.
Liao Chengde, who had been waiting outside the door, saw Zhong Shi's calm and composed attitude and couldn't help but smile bitterly. At this moment, his feelings were undoubtedly complex.
Just in the middle of the night, while they were still asleep, the futures company's broker Andrew called very "inappropriately." In the call, he was shouting excitedly, and the surprise and joy in his words could be felt even by Liao Chengde, who didn't understand what he was saying. Zhong Shi, however, calmly took the call, gave a few low instructions, and hung up. When Liao Chengde asked, Zhong Shi replied indifferently, "Nothing much, just a few times the profit."
A few times the profit? Zhong Shi said it lightly, but Liao Chengde felt a "boom" in his head, which left him stunned on the spot.
Ten million Hong Kong dollars in principal, a few times the profit, that was tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars! In just a few days, Zhong Shi's wealth was about to surpass what Liao Chengde had accumulated in his entire life. How could Liao Chengde not feel both envious and regretful?
"Can we go?"
Zhong Shi walked to the Rolls-Royce and looked at Liao Chengde, who seemed lost in thought, and asked in confusion.
"Of course, of course!"
Liao Chengde snapped out of his reverie, personally opened the car door for Zhong Shi, then ran a few steps and got into the other side of the car, and then instructed the driver to start the car.
As the car in front started, a Mercedes-Benz behind it also started, following the Rolls-Royce at a steady pace. Inside were Zhong Yi and Lu Hu, as well as a driver and bodyguard.
Although Lu Hu was recruited by Zhong Shi, Zhong Shi currently had no assets in Hong Kong and couldn't properly accommodate him, so he temporarily arranged for him to stay at the Liao family mansion. Since Zhong Shi promised to take care of his parents on the mainland, Lu Hu was completely devoted to following Zhong Shi, which was one of Zhong Shi's major gains in coming to Hong Kong.
As for Zhong Yi, he was still unclear about the current situation. He had been touring the Hong Kong islands with a tour group, but on the previous Saturday, a middle-aged man who was supposedly the tour leader suddenly called him over and told him to follow a man in a suit and sunglasses. Fortunately, the man in sunglasses said it was Zhong Shi's arrangement, so he followed.
Zhong Shi went with Liao Chengde as soon as he cleared customs, which surprised everyone, as the person in charge of the tour group didn't say anything. Before leaving, Zhong Shi asked Zhong Yi to help take care of his parents, as it was their first time in Hong Kong, and it would be a pity if they didn't see around.
Not only Zhong Jianjun and Liu Lan, but even Zhong Yi himself had a great time. Before coming to Hong Kong, he had thoroughly studied Hong Kong, but "what is learned from books is shallow." When he arrived in the skyscraper-filled, bustling Hong Kong, he realized that the Hong Kong in the propaganda and the real Hong Kong were vastly different.
Zhong Yi, who was having a great time, was suddenly summoned by Zhong Shi, and he was initially a bit dissatisfied. However, when Zhong Shi said it was about his future business, Zhong Yi was taken aback and threw away his small dissatisfaction, treating it seriously.
When he arrived at the Liao family mansion, he was surprised by the luxury of Hong Kong's rich. Not to mention the exquisite decoration and lavish furniture, just the sight of a dozen neatly dressed servants lined up, all calling out "Master Yi!" in unison, left him stunned. This kind of grandeur was nowhere to be seen on the mainland. This old-fashioned feudal product was... really great!
Lu Hu, on the other hand, maintained a wooden expression. He had seen gun battles and bloodbaths, so the scenery before him wouldn't move him in the slightest.
Zhong Yi had always wanted to know how Zhong Shi reacted when he first saw this scene. He had even asked Liao Chengde privately, but the nearly fifty-year-old man just smiled bitterly and refused to reveal a word.
Little did he know that when Zhong Shi first saw it, he only said three words lightly: "Not bad!" which left Liao Chengde, who was beaming with pride, quite deflated.
By the time they reached Central, it was already dusk. Not only Andrew but also the futures company's manager, Victor Hammer, was waiting at the door. When Zhong Shi and the others entered, the waiting people burst into a round of enthusiastic applause, which startled Liao Chengde and Zhong Yi.
"Mr. Zhong, hello. I am the manager of our company, Victor Hammer."
After the applause, a tall, well-dressed white man with a red tie extended his hand warmly to Zhong Shi. It seemed that Andrew had already reported the whole story to him.
"British?"
Zhong Shi shook the large hand and asked tentatively.
"Yes, Mr. Zhong is truly a natural genius!"
For a client who had made a fortune in his company, Hammer was naturally delighted to see him. He was originally a client manager of a British company, recruited by this American company to open up the local market, but with little success, which troubled him greatly. Now, with a client making astronomical profits, it would not only help him quickly open up the market but also gain a good reputation.
"Gentlemen, the U.S. market is about to open. Let's go to the trading room first!"
After a few pleasantries, Andrew walked over and reminded them in a low voice.
Zhong Shi led the way, with Liao Chengde closely following. Zhong Yi, still confused, blindly followed into the trading room. Lu Hu, who was behind them, scanned the surroundings and then nodded, also entering the room.
As soon as they entered the trading room, Zhong Shi lay down on the sofa, took a sip of the prepared black coffee, and instructed Andrew, "Hey, Andrew, tell everyone what's going on. I'm a bit sleepy and want to find a place to rest. Is that okay?"
"Happy to serve you, sir!"
Andrew bowed politely and said with a smile. Then a blonde woman came over and led Zhong Shi to the rest room, and Lu Hu, who had just entered the trading room, quietly followed.
"What's going on?"
Zhong Yi was taken aback, scratching his head, and seemed to understand a bit. He had recently studied financial knowledge and had some understanding of futures. He guessed that Zhong Shi must have traded in this futures company, but he didn't know the current situation.
"Gentlemen, yesterday, the finance ministers of the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France jointly issued a statement in New York, agreeing to an orderly devaluation of the U.S. dollar. This is a major event that will shake the world economy!"
Andrew's face was full of excitement. Anyone with a basic understanding of economics would understand the significant implications and the opportunities in the capital market. However, there were still people in the trading room who didn't understand.
"What does that mean? What does it have to do with the yen futures?"
After the translation, Liao Chengde looked puzzled, frowning at the excited crowd, not understanding what they were so happy about.
The futures company was considerate. Since Liao Chengde clearly didn't understand English the last time he came, they specially hired a translator this time. This meticulous service attitude helped these foreign futures companies quickly establish themselves in Hong Kong.
"The devaluation of the U.S. dollar will first affect the strong yen and the mark..."
After listening for a while, Zhong Yi couldn't help but raise his hand and speak. For certain habits, he couldn't change them immediately, like raising his hand. Everyone in the room looked at him with strange expressions, and Zhong Yi was taken aback, slowly lowering his raised hand.
"Absolutely correct, that's exactly it! Mr. Zhong's futures have made a fortune!"
Andrew slapped his thigh and said excitedly. For the current long position in yen futures, this was undoubtedly a huge piece of good news.
"How much exactly?"
Liao Chengde didn't understand the relationship, and he didn't care about the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the yen. He only cared about how much Zhong Shi had made.
"We don't know yet, but we need to see the opening and the day's trend. A conservative estimate is no less than 5%."
Andrew looked pleased, as if the money was his own. For such a big client, the gains were not only a good reputation for a top broker but also a steady stream of new clients.
"Five percent..."
Liao Chengde muttered to himself, calculating the specific amount. Like Liao Chengde, Zhong Yi was also a bit confused. With the experience from last time, he didn't dare to ask again.
When the Chicago market opened, the yen futures rose across the board, significantly higher than the previous trading day's settlement price. Together with the profits from the previous two trading days, the amount in Zhong Shi's account soared, leaving Liao Chengde and Zhong Yi staring in amazement. By the time the trading was about to end, the account balance had reached over 40 million Hong Kong dollars.
In just three trading days, the return on investment was a terrifying 300%!
"Close all positions, buy two-year yen options! Regardless of the current exchange rate, buy all, establishing a total position of one billion dollars!"
While everyone in the trading room was still in shock, the awakened Zhong Shi walked in and issued an order that left everyone even more stunned. (The recent plot hasn't been very exciting, but the first climax of the book will come soon, followed by more climaxes. I hope everyone can collect and recommend more. Thank you.)