The sunlight was bright by the sea, and the slightly salty sea breeze brought a hint of artistic atmosphere into the air. Zhong Shi was leisurely strolling on the beach, gazing at the vast, blue sea and the birds occasionally skimming the surface. He felt a wave of comfort, and even the matters he had been pondering over recently seemed to fade away.
Laughter echoed from the beach, and girls in bikinis occasionally passed by Zhong Shi, most of them giving him seductive glances, while the bolder ones even blew him kisses.
"The girls here are really热情啊!" Andrew, who was following Zhong Shi, sighed. Since they arrived at the beach, his eyes had not left the women's bodies. The girls here did not mind the men's gazes; on the contrary, they took pride in being able to attract their attention.
This was Italy, a paradise of cuisine, beauty, fashion, sports cars, football, yachts, and the mafia.
To be more specific, Italy was a country of enjoyment. It had the most dazzling handsome men in the world, fiery and passionate girls, Milan, the world's fashion capital, world-renowned sports cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani, and half of the top ten luxury yacht brands in the world.
Zhong Shi had come here to buy a yacht.
In his previous life, he had been passionate about yachts and had once sailed around the world in his own yacht. Now, he had about two billion dollars in funds, and he had been considering how to manage them. After all, it was the most foolish way to keep the money in the bank, as the extremely low interest rates could not even keep up with inflation, which would only lead to a gradual loss of value.
Andrew was also in high spirits. Two years ago, he had made a substantial profit in the Nikkei futures market with Zhong Shi, increasing his wealth tenfold. Later, under Zhong Shi's guidance, he had made another significant profit in the U.S. crude oil market during the Gulf War. Now, his wealth, in Hong Kong dollars, exceeded nine figures.
"Mr. Bassani, when do you think my yacht will be delivered?" Zhong Shi, looking at the small sailboats occasionally drifting on the distant sea, felt an itch in his heart and couldn't help but ask the middle-aged man in a suit beside him.
"Mr. Zhong, according to our estimates, it is expected to be launched by the end of the year, and you can cruise with your yacht next summer," Bassani bowed slightly, speaking with unusual humility.
He was filled with gratitude for this young man. At the beginning of the year, the Bassani family decided to establish their own yacht company and produce a luxury yacht called Wally. They aimed to combine speed and comfort to create a unique high-speed luxury yacht in the world.
It was difficult for a new brand to gain a foothold in a short time. At this moment, an order came from the distant East, for a 120-foot luxury yacht. Even renowned luxury yacht manufacturers like Azimut and Princess only received a few such orders a year, but Wally, a newly established brand, had already received one.
This was the first order for the Wally brand and the first from the Far East. If they could handle it well, it would greatly help them open up the market for wealthy people in the Far East. Therefore, the entire Bassani family treated Zhong Shi as a distinguished guest, fully accepting his requirements and strictly implementing them during construction.
After all, this was a six million dollar deal.
The yacht under construction had three decks, eight cabins, and a panoramic living room. It was equipped with two engines, with a cruising speed of 20 knots and a maximum speed of 25 knots. The aft deck had a relaxation area and an open-air restaurant, while the top deck had a sunbathing area and a large massage tub, as well as a bar and coffee tables.
The leather used in the interior came from a factory that specialized in making interiors for Azimut, all handmade. Each cabin included a bathroom, a mini-bar, a sofa, an intercom system, and entertainment equipment. The floor was made of peach wood, and the bathrooms and corridors were lined with marble.
In addition to these, the yacht, to be named "Reborn," also had a six-meter tender and water scooters for guests to enjoy, and a small helicopter landing pad on the top deck for emergency evacuation.
This yacht was comparable to the one Zhong Shi had in his previous life. Although it might not match up in some technological aspects, Zhong Shi did not plan to use it for a world cruise; at most, he would take his family for leisurely trips around the waters near Hong Kong.
Normally, it would take at least two years from customizing to delivering a yacht of this size, but since Wally was a new company with few orders, they had allocated most of their resources to this yacht, so Bassani said it would take about a year and a half.
"Delivered by next summer, I can't wait!" Andrew, excited, translated Bassani's words.
Bassani did not speak English, so his words were translated by Andrew. Speaking of which, Andrew was a linguistic genius, fluent in several European languages, though this was not surprising as most European languages were derived from Latin and were quite similar in many ways.
Zhong Shi and Andrew were invited to visit the construction progress of the yacht. A few days earlier, they had seen the yacht with its keel already laid, and the basic shape was visible. Zhong Shi was very satisfied.
This European trip also reminded him of a very important financial event that was about to happen: the 1992 European currency crisis.
This reminded him of the next target for his funds.
Since moving to Hong Kong, Zhong Shi's family had gradually adapted to life there. Grandpa Zhong Fangzhuo alternated between living with Zhong Shi and Zhong Yi, as the two families were not far apart and both had large mansions.
Zhong Yi had completed her master's degree at the University of Hong Kong last year. After consulting with Zhong Shi and with strong recommendations from her mentor, she went to Princeton University in the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in economics.
Liao Xiaohua was devoted to following Liao Chengde, focusing on managing the trading company, as there was still a lot of legitimate business to handle.
After making a substantial profit at the Singapore Exchange in September 1990, Andrew resigned from his position at Afore and dedicated himself to helping Zhong Shi manage his assets. Andrew was indeed a financial talent. At the beginning of 1991, when the Gulf War broke out, he敏锐地察觉到美国本土的原油市场将出现大幅的波动，恰时地进入其中赚了一笔，然后在战争结束前及时抽身离场。
He had a good grasp of the timing, which naturally benefited from Zhong Shi's guidance. At the end of 1990, due to Iraq's sudden invasion of Kuwait, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange plummeted. Andrew promptly entered the market and made a profit of over 300% in January, and then exited with substantial profits in February, avoiding the subsequent loss caused by the rapid end of the war and the rise in oil prices.
With this single operation, Zhong Shi's wealth increased by several hundred million dollars, and Andrew also earned over ten million dollars in profit.
Now, Andrew was already well-known in Hong Kong's financial circles, known as a "genius trader." Zhong Shi naturally scoffed at these titles but did not object to Andrew frequently giving interviews to financial magazines. In fact, Zhong Shi often read these magazines and used the anecdotes to tease Andrew.
"Another issue is about the payment. Can I pay in lire?" After listening to Andrew's enthusiastic remarks, Zhong Shi suddenly thought of an important question.
Six million dollars, at the current exchange rate, was nearly 4 billion lire. This was not a problem, but Zhong Shi knew that the lire would soon depreciate. By the time of delivery, the amount might not be 4 billion lire but 5 billion or more.
This would result in a difference of 1 billion lire, which, at the current exchange rate, would be worth several million dollars. With this money, he could buy more things.
"Mr. Zhong, no problem!" Bassani agreed without hesitation. He had some basic knowledge of foreign exchange and knew there was a risk over such a long period. However, they could hedge this risk through foreign exchange futures. He also believed that after joining the European Monetary System, the value of the Italian lire would be protected by other currencies, so there would not be significant fluctuations.
Moreover, since Mr. Zhong was the first customer of Wally, this small issue was not a problem, so they made an exception and agreed.
Seeing Bassani agree, Zhong Shi smiled and continued to enjoy the seaside scenery.
Two days later, Zhong Shi signed the revised contract. The new contract stipulated that the payment for the yacht would be made in Italian lire at the time of delivery, amounting to 3.8 billion lire, with a small helicopter included (the official exchange rate at the time was approximately 625).
After staying in southern Italy for a few more days, Zhong Shi and Andrew set off for their next destination in Italy, Bologna. Bologna was a transportation hub in northern Italy and a historic city, but Zhong Shi's destination was not Bologna but the nearby city of Modena.
Modena was one of the safest tourist destinations and most important cultural cities in Italy. It was also one of the cities with the best ecological protection, highest per capita income, and highest per capita education level. However, what made it known worldwide was that it was the headquarters of many famous sports car brands, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati, earning it the title of "Capital of the World's Engines."