Lu Hu tightly held the money in his hand, not without worry, as he spoke to Zhong Shi. The money in his hand was the salary he had saved up over a year. Lu Hu usually spent little, and the money he received was all deposited in the bank. Liao Chengde had suggested several times that he invest the money in the stock market, but Lu Hu just smiled. He fundamentally did not trust such risky ventures.
It was now 1986, a year since Zhong Shi had last come to Hong Kong.
Since Zhong Shi had made a fortune in the futures market, he had invested all his cash in the Japanese stock market. As expected, Japan's fiscal and monetary policies developed as Zhong Shi had predicted. A large amount of international capital flowed into Japan, and after a brief downturn, Japan's capital market quickly recovered. The real estate market also showed a thriving trend, with property prices in Tokyo reaching new highs.
Zhong Shi and Liao Chengde's investments in the Japanese stock market also yielded substantial returns, and with the appreciation of the yen, both saw their investments double. This made Liao Chengde even more convinced of Zhong Shi's ability to make money.
The manager, Luo, who had a mission, wandered around Hong Kong for over half a month, learning about Liao Chengde's reputation and wealth from various financial magazines. He then clearly understood Liao Chengde's status among Hong Kong businessmen. What puzzled him was why such a prominent figure as Liao Chengde would show such respect to a child from a small inland county, even going so far as to personally welcome him.
However, these matters were no longer important. Since Liao Chengde had made a name for himself in Jiangzhong Province and visited various investment sites, the provincial leaders were reassured. His old classmate, Secretary Liang, also gained significant exposure among the top officials and was reportedly being considered for a deputy position in a prefecture-level city in Jiangzhong Province.
As the saying goes, "When one rises, all rise; when one falls, all fall." Given the classmate relationship between Luo Zhiqiang and Secretary Liang, it was difficult not to associate Luo with this faction.
After a year of preparation, Zhong Shi's family returned to Hong Kong. Having done it once, things were much easier this time. It was also summer vacation, so even Zhong Xiaohui came along. However, Zhong Yi remained in Beijing, busy with various procedures. After a year of preparation, he had completed his studies with excellent grades and successfully applied for a master's program at the University of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong universities had already started admitting mainland postgraduates in the 1980s, but undergraduate admissions would not begin until 20 years later.
Zhong Xiaohui had successfully passed the county high school entrance exam, which made the Zhong couple very happy. Zhong Yi had also attended the county high school before entering Beijing University.
Zhong Jianjun vaguely knew that his younger son had made a lot of money, though he was not sure how much. However, being able to visit Hong Kong twice in less than a year was clearly not something an ordinary person could do.
This time, Zhong Shi came to bet on football and also to visit Macau.
Last year, he had promised Liao Chengde that he would take on the bank's 20 million debt. He had the confidence to say this because 1986 was the year of the World Cup.
The 1986 World Cup was held in Mexico, South America. Thirty-two teams from around the world competed in the group stage, and the best teams advanced to the knockout rounds, ultimately determining the world champion.
In this World Cup, the South American team Argentina overcame numerous challenges and defeated West Germany in the final, winning the country's second World Cup trophy.
Diego Maradona shone in this World Cup, scoring the famous "Hand of God" and the goal where he dribbled past six defenders against England, solidifying his status as the king of football.
In the final, Argentina narrowly defeated West Germany 3-2, and England's Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot with six goals.
Zhong Shi naturally knew the outcome, but he did not dare to tell Lu Hu. He felt a bit guilty towards Lu Hu, who had been a dedicated soldier and had followed Liao Chengde with great responsibility. Lu Hu had quickly adapted to driving on the left in Hong Kong and had even saved Liao Chengde's life by shielding him from a bullet during a jewelry store robbery. Fortunately, the robbers, who were part of the "Big Circle" gang, were old acquaintances of Lu Hu and spared their lives.
Liao Chengde had initially been unhappy with Zhong Shi hiring Lu Hu for no apparent reason and was even more dissatisfied with having him around. However, after this life-and-death experience, he realized Lu Hu's importance. Liao Chengde privately asked Zhong Shi to transfer Lu Hu to him, but Zhong Shi politely refused.
Still not giving up, Liao Chengde tried to recruit Lu Hu's former comrades. Over the past year, he managed to recruit three of Lu Hu's former comrades, forming the "Four Great Diamonds" with Lu Hu.
"I've noticed a pattern: whenever the World Cup is held in South America, a South American team always wins. If it's held in Europe, a European team wins!" Zhong Shi felt a bit guilty for not visiting Lu Hu's hometown, Sichuan, despite sending him money. This time, since there was an opportunity to make money, he decided to bring Lu Hu along.
"Then what?"
Lu Hu scratched his head, puzzled.
"From what we can see, the only South American teams that can win are Brazil and Argentina. We just need to bet on these two teams, and we have a 50% chance of winning."
Zhong Shi was not angry and patiently explained. For a sure thing in the future, he needed a reasonable explanation, which was difficult.
"But which one, Brazil or Argentina?"
Lu Hu still looked skeptical. Betting on football seemed even less reliable to him than playing the stock market.
"It involves a bit of luck! I noticed that Argentina fought a war with England in 1982, the Falklands War, and lost. The country's luck is not good!"
"Besides, Argentina has had internal conflicts. The president of the Argentine Football Association, Grondona, is reportedly unhappy with the coach, Bilardo, and wants him to step down. Do you know what this means?"
Zhong Shi's eyes twinkled as he quietly told Lu Hu.
"Internal conflicts? Discord before a major battle? This is a big no-no in military strategy! It seems we shouldn't bet on Argentina winning!"
Lu Hu frowned, speaking to himself.
"You're such a blockhead!" Zhong Shi slapped his forehead, feeling helpless.
"On the contrary, in ancient China, it's said that a team in distress will surely win. Think about it: Argentina's national team is full of stars, all in their prime. The players who play in Europe are reportedly very dissatisfied with the Argentine Football Association and Grondona. Isn't this a prerequisite for winning the cup?"
"But..."
"There's no 'but'! I've decided to bet 10 million on Argentina. The odds for Argentina are the most favorable, around 7 to 1. The other top teams are only slightly less favorable. How you bet is up to you!"
After explaining for a while, seeing that Lu Hu still didn't get it, Zhong Shi became a bit angry and spoke less politely.
"But... if Argentina doesn't win, then this money..."
Lu Hu looked worried, carefully asking Zhong Shi, who could sense his dissatisfaction.
"Come on, no 'ifs'! If we lose, I'll cover the loss myself!" Zhong Shi snatched the money from Lu Hu's hand, somewhat disdainfully.
Seeing no way out, Lu Hu stopped worrying and took a betting slip, filling it out carefully.
They were placing bets on the underground market, where football is called "bo" in Hong Kong. Although illegal, betting on football was popular among the locals, influenced by British culture. With Macau, one of the world's three major gambling cities, just across the sea, betting on football was even more prevalent.
The gambling industry in Southeast Asia was highly developed. In Hong Kong, the only legal forms of gambling were "Mark Six" and horse racing. In Macau, gambling was a major industry, and it was easy to place bets with European bookmakers from Hong Kong.
However, the bookmakers were surprised to receive a bet of over 10 million Hong Kong dollars. Generally, gamblers would spread their bets across different teams to minimize risk. This gambler was either young and impulsive or inexperienced. Manipulating the outcome of the World Cup was as difficult as assassinating the President of the United States!
In the days leading up to the World Cup, large sums of money flowed in from Southeast Asia. The bookmakers, while making substantial profits, carefully adjusted the odds to ensure they would win in the end.
...
Zhong Shi never told Liao Chengde about his betting. For a shrewd old man like Liao Chengde, the less he knew, the safer he was. Liao Chengde would not simply think that Zhong Shi was a once-in-a-lifetime genius.
Moreover, Zhong Shi had his own considerations. Besides tying Liao Chengde to his own cause, he needed to maintain a sense of mystery to prevent Liao Chengde from having second thoughts. As the saying goes, "One should not have the heart to harm others, but one must have the heart to guard against them."
As expected, after more than a month of competition, Argentina won the World Cup without any doubt, allowing Zhong Shi to make nearly 80 million Hong Kong dollars. (If you like this book, please recommend it and add it to your collection. Thank you.)