After hearing Zhongshi's words, Liao Chengde finally felt relieved.
He had personally witnessed how Zhongshi had made his fortune; in the past, he would have been called a "man who rose with the dragon." Over the past two years, under Zhongshi's guidance, his net worth had increased several times, and he was now almost at the threshold of 100 million.
However, compared to Zhongshi, these achievements were insignificant. Without mentioning where Zhongshi had earned this huge sum this time, just the large Japanese yen option fee he had in the options market was enough to match Liao Chengde's current net worth.
What Liao Chengde didn't know was that if the Japanese yen did not rise to 190 yen to the dollar within the next year, Zhongshi's 80 million Hong Kong dollar option fee would instantly become worthless.
That's how options work: if the agreed price is not reached, you choose not to exercise the option, and the only loss is the option fee. However, once the agreed price is exceeded, you can choose to exercise the option and profit from the difference between the market price and the agreed price.
In simple terms, an option is a legal betting agreement.
"Mr. Zhong, I've made an appointment with the most famous real estate agent on Hong Kong Island. What do you think...?" Liao Chengde asked cautiously, implying that Zhongshi should go early to avoid being impolite. Although he was now a wealthy man, he still maintained a cautious and meticulous nature, and would not offend anyone unless absolutely necessary.
"Is it in the Mid-Levels? Why do we need to go so early? Did you tell him my requirements?"
Zhongshi got up lazily and asked casually. Zhongyi, who had rushed over on the weekend, was leisurely drinking coffee in the hall. This stuff was too bitter; he couldn't understand why people liked it so much. A bit of sugar would be nice. Zhongyi frowned and thought to himself.
When Zhongyi received a call from Zhongshi in Hong Kong, saying he wanted to buy a house on Hong Kong Island under his name, he was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped. What? Buy a house on Hong Kong Island, and in the wealthy Mid-Levels?
With a nervous heart, Zhongyi brought his documents and rushed to Hong Kong as quickly as possible. Who would have thought that Zhongshi was still in bed, wasting Zhongyi's efforts of traveling for over ten hours.
"I've already said, there are a few properties nearby, priced around 20 million Hong Kong dollars, not much worse than my villa!"
In the 1980s, a 20 million Hong Kong dollar mansion was considered a sky-high price. Even after 20 years, the property prices here had only reached a few hundred million, not to mention the inflation over the years.
"What? A 20 million Hong Kong dollar mansion?" Zhongyi sprayed his coffee on the colorful Persian carpet, leaving a noticeable stain. The butler, Lin, quickly brought a clean towel to clean his face, ignoring the obvious stain on the carpet.
"Why are you making such a fuss? How will you manage a fund worth billions of dollars in the future?" Zhongshi, who had just finished dressing, saw this and frowned, saying bluntly.
"Billions of dollars? Fund?" Zhongyi quickly covered his mouth, afraid of spraying more coffee.
"Fund?"
Liao Chengde's eyes twinkled, and he understood. "Mr. Zhong, do you plan to set up a fund? Can I join in?" He was shrewd and quickly figured out how to climb aboard Zhongshi's bandwagon.
"Don't worry, you won't be left out!" Zhongshi took a sip of the perfectly warm coffee and gave a meaningful look to the two people standing in the hall. "Let's go, what are you waiting for?"
...
After visiting several places, Zhongshi finally chose a mansion on Repulse Bay Road, covering about 20,000 square feet, for 30 million Hong Kong dollars. At that time, Hong Kong's real estate market was recovering from the collapse in 1982, and even the high-end residences in the South Bay area of Hong Kong Island had only just started to recover in 1985.
The mansion was surrounded by trees and close to the sea, with a swimming pool and tennis court. The three-story villa had a terrace in each room, offering a wide view. It had 15 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 4 kitchens, and a large basement.
Liao Chengde wandered around inside for a long time and came out, exclaiming, "This is truly a top-notch mansion. Compared to this, my place is just a child's toy."
The real estate agent was beaming, as this large transaction earned him a substantial commission. The buyer was generous and didn't even flinch when discussing the price, clearly a big spender.
On the way back, Zhongshi asked the excited Zhongyi, "Do you want to buy a car for commuting? You'll be coming to Hong Kong for school soon, and without a car, it will be difficult."
The University of Hong Kong is on Hong Kong Island, but it's quite a distance from Repulse Bay. If he had to commute daily, it would be tight on time.
"Sure!" At the mention of a car, Zhongyi became even more excited and nodded eagerly.
"Let's go to the Porsche dealership!"
Zhongshi instructed the driver of the Land Rover. For Zhongyi, who was being pushed to the forefront, Zhongshi didn't mind packaging him as a playboy, as long as Zhongshi himself remained hidden.
"Mr. Zhong, are you going to buy a car?"
Liao Chengde was surprised. The driving habits in Hong Kong were different from those on the mainland, influenced by British driving customs. In Hong Kong, cars generally drive on the left side, and the steering wheels of cars sold in Hong Kong are on the left.
"Hmm." Zhongshi grunted and stared out the window, looking at the scenery with interest.
Seeing that Zhongshi had no intention of speaking, Liao Chengde wisely kept quiet and closed his eyes to rest. He was increasingly puzzled by Zhongshi's plans.
At the flagship Porsche dealership in Hong Kong, a slender saleswoman was patiently explaining the various features of the Porsche sports cars. She was very professional, reciting the performance parameters fluently, indicating that she had put a lot of effort into her work.
"Can you accept a pre-order for the 959?"
Zhongshi, looking at the dazzling array of sports cars, slightly frowned and asked in a voice only the saleswoman could hear.
"959? It's a new model, and we can accept pre-orders, but the price..."
The saleswoman looked troubled.
In the 1980s, the world of sports cars was dominated by Italian brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini, but the German Porsche was already well-known. What it lacked was a flagship model to surpass the two super giants, and the Porsche 959 was born to fill this gap.
The Porsche 959 is a two-seater sports car with a rear-mounted 2.8L twin-turbo air-cooled flat-6 engine, producing a maximum power of 311kW (450PS) at 6500rpm and a maximum torque of 500Nm at 5500rpm. It has a top speed of 317 km/h and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds. Between 1987 and 1989, only 283 units of the Porsche 959 were produced, making it a limited edition supercar.
There's an interesting fact about the Porsche 959: Microsoft's founders, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, each owned one. However, due to the 959's emissions not meeting U.S. standards and the lack of a collision safety rating, the car was banned from driving on California roads. It wasn't until nearly 10 years later that President Clinton signed a federal law allowing Gates to legally drive his 959. There's even a rumor that Gates and Allen developed a program to simulate collision tests to obtain the crucial collision rating.
This car is one of the few supercars that has consistently appreciated in value. At the time, it cost about $225,000, equivalent to 1.75 million Hong Kong dollars. With tariffs and luxury taxes, the price in Hong Kong was around 3 million. By the 2000s, this car could be worth up to 15 million Hong Kong dollars in the hands of collectors.
On March 13, 1986, Microsoft went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, raising $65 million in its initial public offering. On the first day of trading, the stock price rose by 39%. However, before the release of Windows 95, Microsoft was still just a promising IT company.
This was also why Zhongshi did not invest in it, as making money in the futures market was much easier than in the stock market.
"The 959 has only three slots in Hong Kong, and this is the last one. Would you like to pre-order it now?"
Seeing that Zhongshi was determined, the saleswoman urged him. For her, selling a luxury car meant a significant commission.
"Sure, I'll pre-order it now." Zhongshi took out his bank card and asked without turning around, "Where do I swipe it?"
"Wait a minute, I saw this car first. We should follow the rule of first come, first served, right?"
At this moment, a young man in his twenties walked over, dressed in a flashy manner, with a thick gold chain around his neck, clearly not a good person.
Behind him were three or four other young men, also dressed in a flashy manner, looking at Zhongshi with unfriendly expressions, ready to start a fight at any moment.
"Who is this?" Zhongyi, sensing the tension, stepped in front of Zhongshi and looked around for a quick escape route. His understanding of Hong Kong at this time was largely from Hong Kong movies, where gangsters in sunglasses and trench coats sprayed bullets recklessly, creating scenes of blood and fire.
"Scumbag, do you have the money to buy a luxury car? Do you know who my father is?" The flashy young man said disdainfully. Hearing that these people spoke Mandarin, he felt a sense of superiority.
"You little punk, you show off on the streets, but you're spending my money!"
Before the flashy young man could finish his sentence, he was hit hard on the forehead, making him see stars. The force of the blow left the young man and his companions stunned.