In the VIP trading room of Aifurei Futures Brokerage Company, three large hot pot stoves were set up in the center of the room, surrounded by Liao Chengde, Zhong Shi, Zhong Yi, and others, who were all staring blankly at the bubbling broth.
To retain these clients with assets worth hundreds of millions, Aifurei Company spared no effort to provide a spacious room specifically for Zhong Yi's account. At this moment, Andrew was also smiling and sitting at the table, idly waiting.
After a period of inverted sleep schedules, everyone had already adjusted their biological clocks. To pass the time before the market opened, Liao Chengde suggested having a hot pot in the trading room, which was immediately agreed upon by everyone.
Saying and doing, Andrew personally drove to a hot pot restaurant dozens of miles away, buying three sets of hot pot utensils at several times the market price. He then hurriedly transported them back and installed them in the trading room. The staff from the hot pot restaurant also followed, holding the soup base and carefully serving beside them.
"These rich people are really bored. It only takes a few minutes to drive to Shengji, but they insist on buying several hot pots and having them here!" The young man with a pale face and no beard thought expressionlessly, his disdain not daring to show, only to be secretly resentful in his heart.
"Here! Here!"
The door to the trading room was suddenly pushed open, and Lu Hu, drenched in sweat, rushed in with two large bags of ingredients, apologizing as he walked, "I'm really sorry, many convenience stores are closed now. I had to go to Causeway Bay to get everything, so I'm a bit late!"
From Central to Causeway Bay, crossing the sea, naturally took some time. Everyone looked at the sweating Lu Hu and thanked him repeatedly. Andrew, understandingly, took the convenience bags from Lu Hu and carefully sorted them out.
"Hmph!" Only Liao Chengde's son, Liao Xiaohua, dissatisfied, snorted through his nose. Although the sound was small, it was still noticed by Liao Chengde, who gave him a sharp look, full of warning. Liao Xiaohua's heart tightened, and he dared not show any dissatisfaction.
Liao Xiaohua had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, having eaten countless delicacies from a young age. Liao Chengde, who had him at the age of thirty, naturally treated him like a treasure. In Liao Xiaohua's view, such a casual gathering was not up to standard. At this moment, he was thinking about the melt-in-your-mouth foie gras and caviar, the rich and fragrant red wine, the romantic candles, and the sparkling cutlery, which he believed were the proper way to entertain guests.
Originally, Liao Xiaohua had a date with a minor celebrity today, hoping to enjoy a grand meal and a "social" interaction. The minor celebrity, who he had finally managed to connect with, had happily agreed to the date. Just as things were about to come to fruition, his father called him, not only ruining his plans but also forcing him to eat this low-grade hot pot.
Liao Xiaohua, full of grievances, dared not say anything to Liao Chengde or show any dissatisfaction to the Zhong brothers. He could only vent his anger on Lu Hu, who used to be their family's bodyguard.
Since Zhong Yi arrived in Hong Kong, Lu Hu had moved to the Zhong family's mansion, while Zhao Xingyun and others continued to stay at the Liao family's residence.
Looking at the thick-armed lobsters and still steaming meat patties, Andrew was somewhat dazed. These ingredients were not something that could be collected from one place. It seemed that Lu Hu had run to many places in just half an hour.
"Let's start! I'm starving!" Zhong Shi, touching his flat stomach, said weakly, but in fact, he had eaten quite a bit for "breakfast." However, being in his growing years, he had a large appetite and was easily hungry.
Following Zhong Shi's order, Lu Hu, without wiping the sweat from his face, helped Andrew sort the ingredients. Soon, they were categorized, with seafood including Australian lobsters, crab sticks, squid flowers, moon snails, clams, silver cod, sea cucumbers, and burdock.
Besides these, there were also high-quality fresh mutton, beef, cured meat, German sausages, frozen chicken, tendon, ham, and other common hot pot ingredients.
Next to these meat ingredients were various fresh vegetables such as mushrooms, coriander, tofu, ox tripe, sweet potato noodles, cabbage, potato slices, dried golden needle mushrooms, and winter bamboo shoots.
These items filled the entire table, and it was unknown how Lu Hu managed to gather so many ingredients in such a short time. In addition to these, Lu Hu took out a bag filled with large chunks of meat. When Liao Chengde saw this, his eyes lit up with joy, and he hurriedly called out, "Come, come, Little Lu, put this here!"
"This is Old Liao's favorite!" Zhong Shi glanced at it and turned his eyes to the hot pot, where the ingredients were constantly floating, and said indistinctly.
Not long after, a fragrant aroma filled the entire trading room, and even outside, the enticing smell could be faintly detected. Some clients who were watching the night market tried to inquire from the brokers walking around in the hall, but the answer was that the big clients were having a hot pot inside, making them drool with hunger, but they could do nothing about it, as the big clients had substantial funds and enjoyed various privileges!
"Old Liao, is this your son?" Zhong Shi, with a lobster claw in his mouth, looked at Liao Xiaohua, who had not touched his chopsticks, and said indistinctly to Liao Chengde.
"Yes, yes, that's my son!" Liao Chengde quickly put down a piece of just-cooked meat, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and respectfully said.
"Hey, Old Liao, we're all friends here. Why are you always so cautious, as if I'm a devil who eats people!" Zhong Shi swallowed the shrimp and wiped the sweat from his forehead, slightly dissatisfied.
"You're not a devil, you're an angel, you're God!" Liao Chengde, momentarily speechless, glared at Liao Xiaohua and then said, "Hehe, Mr. Zhong, you're a great talent, I'm just afraid you won't take me along to make money!"
"How could I leave you behind? The opportunity to make money is coming soon, it's up to you to seize it!" Zhong Shi swallowed the shrimp in his mouth and reached for a piece of beef that had been cooked to a pale white.
"Really? Mr. Zhong, I... I..." Liao Chengde couldn't sit still, and the half-chewed meat in his mouth wouldn't go down. He hurriedly stood up, raised a beer, and raised it to Zhong Shi, then tilted his head and drank the beer in large gulps, excited to finish it in one go.
"Hehe, Old Liao, you're not calm again. There will be many more opportunities to make money in the future!" Zhong Shi also raised his drink, took a light sip, and continued to battle with the meat in the hot pot.
Seeing his father's loss of composure, Liao Xiaohua also couldn't sit still. He raised the can in front of him and said to Zhong Shi with resentment, "Mr. Zhong, I also toast to you!"
"Master Hua!" Lu Hu, seeing Liao Xiaohua's unfriendly expression, immediately understood his thoughts and quickly blocked Zhong Shi, placing his hand on Liao Xiaohua's arm.
"What are you doing, let go!" Liao Xiaohua, furious, tried to pull his arm away from Lu Hu, but to his surprise, Lu Hu didn't budge. His anger intensified, and he tried to pull harder, but he couldn't free his arm.
"Enough, don't take it out on a kid! Come, I'll drink with you!" Zhong Shi stopped the glaring Lu Hu, raised his glass, and lightly touched it with Liao Xiaohua's, then drank the drink in one go.
With Zhong Yi by his side, he dared not smoke or drink, for fear that if it got to his parents' ears, he would be in trouble. Moreover, smoking and drinking were extremely detrimental to his physical development, and he didn't want to end up as a dwarf.
Looking at the calm Lu Hu, Liao Xiaohua angrily drank the beer in one go and sat back down heavily. He was dissatisfied with his father's low profile and with Lu Hu's boldness in daring to touch him. The beer made his stomach feel empty, and he couldn't help but reach for the boiling hot pot, picking up a piece of fragrant meat and savoring it.
"Shouldn't you say something?" Zhong Shi nudged Zhong Yi, who was buried in his food, and gestured with his eyes.
"What should I say?" Zhong Yi, puzzled, looked up. In front of him was a pile of "broken limbs," and in his bowl lay a freshly dismembered lobster. Zhong Yi glanced at the others who were still fighting and mumbled, "Everyone, eat, don't be shy!" before continuing to focus on the seafood.
Zhong Shi was both amused and exasperated.
"Mr. Zhong, are we not operating today?" As the market opening time approached, Andrew put down his food, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and asked with a questioning look.
"For the time being, we will follow the strategy we set earlier. Don't actively expose our positions to avoid attracting opponents and revealing our intentions. After all, our funds are too small!" Zhong Shi said without raising his head, still a bit fearful of the previous experience.
Originally, he thought that with the advantage of rebirth, he would have a smooth ride in the capital market, invincible. However, he didn't expect that his funds, in the international financial market, were nothing compared to the big sharks, who could wipe him out in just a few minutes.
After the market opened, Andrew focused on buying short positions at high prices. Not long after, he completed the predetermined quantity and, after finishing everything, sat back down to continue eating and drinking.
"What kind of meat is this? It's so delicious!" Andrew picked up a piece of meat, which was the same kind Liao Chengde had placed in front of him. He first sniffed it, then carefully tasted it, and immediately felt the lingering fragrance, which greatly stimulated his appetite, and he began to chew it without hesitation.
"It's fragrant meat!" Liao Xiaohua, swallowing the meat in his mouth, said with difficulty. At this moment, he was enjoying the hot pot, no longer showing any reluctance.
"What is fragrant meat?" Andrew picked up another piece, and for someone who had lived in Hong Kong for so long, using chopsticks was not difficult.
"..." After waiting for a long time, no one answered him. He could only shake his head in self-mockery and continue to chew.
Everyone present knew the dietary taboos of Westerners. If Andrew knew he was eating dog meat, he would surely vomit everything he had eaten, and no one would be able to eat in peace!
"Shh, big funds are entering the market!"
Zhong Shi, staring at the constantly scrolling screen, his pupils suddenly constricted. A short position of 15,000 contracts appeared in the October contract, forming a stark contrast to the long positions that had been accumulating previously.