Chapter 347 Money Money Money: Money Never Sleeps

If you were to ask Wang Xiao what her biggest feeling about the Spring Festival was, it would definitely be spending money.

It's not that visiting a leader costs money.

The level of the leaders she met was far beyond the scope of bribes; what they valued was how many development opportunities she could bring to the local economy.

But during the Chinese New Year, business owners definitely have to spend money.

As is customary, we have to give out welfare benefits and holiday allowances during the Chinese New Year. Well, holiday allowances and year-end bonuses are not the same thing, but both are given out.

These have been in place since 1991. As usual, there's not much to say.

If we're talking about new expenditures, then it has to be research funding.

Whether it's Professor Zheng who works on lithography machines, Zheng Gongcheng who just returned from studying in Japan and finally assembled a team to work on OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes), or the former Soviet team still struggling with ECM commercial technology; after less than three polite words with the boss, the next three hundred words all revolve around money.

What does it mean to be a spendthrift? It means that all your spending on cars, bags, and jewelry combined can't compare to your spending on high technology.

No wonder world wars are always phases of technological breakthroughs, because only at that time, under the oppression of the shadow of war, can those who are spending money temporarily ignore the fact that they are spending real money.

What can you do? Just hold your nose and keep paying.

Since she hasn't discovered any embezzlement of research funds so far, she will naturally continue to provide her full support.

Compared to Kuku's money-burning high-tech ventures, traditional brick-and-mortar retail is simply her sweetheart.

So well-behaved.

These kids are all quiet and hardworking, making money without any fuss.

Besides the commercial city, Wuzhou International Shopping Mall, and clothing stores in office buildings, even the pedestrian street has started to make money.

Wang Xiao had originally thought that the construction of the pedestrian street would continue to be funded by the commercial city.

She was incredibly fortunate to have lived in such a wonderful era, an era where the real economy reigned supreme.

That's why she's such a worry-free boss.

As for LCD screen factories and chip factories, well, they're under construction.

This isn't a residential building; even with the most impressive infrastructure projects, the construction period would still be around eighteen months.

Wang Xiao has no intention of being a exploitative person; he'll pay what's due and wait as he pleases.

After finishing her role as a mascot and spending a lot of money, she went to Shanghai.

There weren't any special arrangements; we just checked out the construction progress and then went to eat bear paws.

Or you could reverse the order of these two things: eating bear paws is the main purpose, and checking the construction site is just a side effect.

Don't ask her why she suddenly wants to eat bear paws again, since she's never really been a fan of them before; the answer is that she just suddenly had a whim and wanted to eat them.

The restaurant, known for its delicacies from the mountains and seas, was packed with people in the twelfth lunar month.

Ever since Michael Jackson came here for a meal, it has become a must-visit spot for celebrities when they come to Shanghai for events.

The celebrity effect is amazing. Even though it's almost the end of the year, the store is packed with people, and there are long queues outside waiting for tables to be turned over.

Although it was the coldest time of winter, no one felt cold. Even without the hotel's warm heating, the guests' lively discussion was enough to make everyone's faces glow.

The moment the glass door opened and closed, the rich aroma of bear paws and the salty freshness of seafood, along with the bustling sounds of people, rushed in.

Boiling along with the pot and cauldron was the desire of Shanghai's bustling metropolis.

The lobby was already packed. Under the glow of the crystal chandelier, elegantly dressed men and women huddled in small spaces covered with snow-white tablecloths, clinking glasses and discussing not the bear paws and seafood flown in from the air, but land and financial securities.

On the left table near the entrance, a middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle like Chow Yun-fat exclaimed excitedly, "The central bank branch building on that plot of land in Lujiazui has just been completed, and Mayor Zhao personally delivered the 'leading sheep' there! Have you caught the wind?"

The fashionable woman sitting across from him laughed: "What's the wind blowing?"

The man with the slicked-back hair said with disdain, "They've even renamed Lannidu Road to 'Yincheng Middle Road'! What a lucky name! If we don't grab the financial licenses in Pudong now, when will we ever get another chance?"

The woman, however, shook her enormous earrings, indicating her refusal: "Rob? What are we going to rob! There's talk of foreign banks piloting RMB business, but the barriers to entry are terrifyingly high. Why not keep an eye on B-shares—I heard there's an electronics stock in Shenzhen that's trading at almost a 50% discount! With a bit of leverage, turning a profit in six months isn't a dream!"

Wang Xiao walked around the food carts, and at the next table, people were also discussing stocks, but their attitude was dismissive: "B shares? Small fry! If you ask me, US Treasury bonds are the real deal! The Fed will definitely cut interest rates again this year. Leverage five times and buy futures, then you can sit back and count your money!"

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were amazed by what they heard.

Good heavens! This is high-end! At a time when more than 80% of the general public in China still don't understand what stocks are, people in Shanghai are already trading US Treasury futures.

Shanghai truly is a trendsetter of the times.

Listen to what they're saying at the table near the stairwell. This time they're not talking about going to America, they're talking about Treasury bonds, specifically the 327 Treasury bond.

Those with their backs to them said they would definitely add it, while those facing them were spitting as they said they definitely wouldn't.

As for what was added, Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao didn't understand either.

But this incomprehension did not diminish their deep emotions.

People from Shanghai are truly from Shanghai; they no longer care about going to work and earning a salary, all they think about is making money.

They stepped forward and knocked on the door of the private room. As soon as the door opened, a voice floated out from inside: "I just don't understand, this place is simply unreasonable!"

It was Tang Yicheng's voice.

Wang Xiao walked into the private room with a smile: "Who would dare to offend our CEO Tang?"

Tang Yicheng, who was speaking with righteous indignation, was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stood up: "Oh, boss, you...you're here."

I'm starting to ramble a bit.

Xiang Dong and Zhang Junfei, who were standing on either side of him, were also in a fluster, especially the latter, who looked annoyed: "Oh dear, boss, I misread the time and forgot to go downstairs."

Xiang Dong chimed in, "Oh dear, we're all confused."

Wang Xiao shook her head with a smile as she untied the scarf around her neck: "It's not like I don't know the way, what's the point of picking me up?"

A boss is a boss; her subordinates should just focus on making money for the company. She has no interest in being a slave owner.

The boss, simply out of curiosity, took off his scarf and walked towards the head seat, not forgetting to inquire, "What were you all talking about just now? It was so lively! Who was so blind as to dare to mess with our CEO, Mr. Tang?"

Zhang Junfei, being the youngest, couldn't hold back and grinned at his boss, saying, "It's nothing, it's just that our Brother Tang and his wife had a falling out."

Wang Xiao raised his eyebrows high, turned his head to look at Tang Yicheng who pulled out a chair for him, and revealed a playful smile: "Oh, spring hasn't even arrived yet, but our CEO Tang's love life has already blossomed? Where are the flowers from?"

Before Tang Yicheng could answer, Zhang Junfei blurted out, "From Hong Kong."

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao, who were listening intently to the gossip, immediately exclaimed upon hearing the sound, "Brother Tang, you're amazing!"

"Get out! Get out!" Tang Yicheng glared at Zhang Junfei angrily. "You talk too much."

Zhang Junfei chuckled and readily agreed, "I'll go to the kitchen and watch the dishes being served."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately slipped away.

Wang Xiao's curiosity had been piqued, and even though Tang Yicheng had been eagerly offering her the kumquats, he couldn't shut her up.

"Tell me! What kind of romantic story is it?"

She herself isn't particularly interested in love, but that doesn't stop her from having a burning desire to gossip.

"What nonsense about romance." Tang Yicheng waved his hand and denied it outright. "It's okay now, it's been over for a long time."

Wang Xiao clicked her tongue and looked him up and down incredulously: "Oh, really? Our CEO Tang has both a great figure and good looks, he's very popular."

She wasn't just bragging when she said that.

How would you describe Tang Yicheng?

To be fair, he doesn't have the kind of looks that's popular now, like those of the Little Tigers, Jimmy Lin, or Takeshi Kaneshiro.

But he himself is a veteran, and his subordinates are either veterans or active-duty soldiers, so he has a natural aura of a young and promising soldier, almost like a colonel.

She's still quite popular with both young and old girls.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Wang Xiao volunteered to act as a strategist. "Maybe I can give you some advice."

Tang Yicheng remained silent no matter what, but Wang Xiao didn't let him off the hook. He turned to Xiang Dong and demanded, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Xiang Dong was holding back his laughter so hard he could barely breathe. Hearing this, he waved his hands repeatedly and said, "It's nothing, it's just that the lesbians in Hong Kong are a bit strange."

He knew more than Zhang Junfei because he went to Hong Kong last December for the Hong Kong Coliseum concert featuring the "Magic Rock Three Heroes." After filming the concert movie, he did post-production work in Hong Kong and also discussed the other two Hong Kong singers' concerts in mainland China this year.

It wasn't until yesterday that he flew back to Shanghai with Tang Yicheng.

In other words, he personally witnessed Tang Yicheng's breakup with his Hong Kong girlfriend.

Xiang Dong covered his face, tilted his head back, and kept making excuses: "There's nothing special about it."

It certainly wasn't anything dramatic, nor was it a matter of life and death.

Tang Yi had to stay in Hong Kong frequently to facilitate the transfer of scientists from CIS countries to work there.

After staying there for a while, I met a girl I clicked with. Things were going well between us, but then, for no apparent reason, we started arguing, and the arguments just escalated.

Tang Yicheng was still indignant: "I don't understand at all, what did I do wrong to her? She's just making trouble for no reason."

Zhang Junfei personally brought over the plates to serve the leaders, and upon hearing this, he casually remarked, "Hey, Brother Tang, to be honest, just put it down. She's clearly a gold digger, not someone who's going to live a decent life."

What woman who lives a frugal life would spend tens of thousands of dollars on clothes today, bags tomorrow, and cosmetics the day after? Even with high incomes in Hong Kong, people wouldn't spend money like that.

Wang Xiao looked at the crystal shrimp served on the table, picked one up, and retorted with a smile, "Hey, don't just casually slander gold diggers. Gold diggers are a group with very high professional ethics. As long as the money is right, they will give you plenty of emotional value and will never make the boss unhappy. Moreover, gold diggers are experienced and play the long game to catch big fish."

She turned to look at Tang Yicheng's antics, "Did you buy her a house and a car?"

"Rented! Rented!"

Tang Yicheng nearly jumped up, immediately clarifying that he wasn't an idiot. As a senior executive at Wuzhou, although his salary, bonuses, and profit sharing over the past few years had brought his net worth to over ten million, his money didn't come from thin air.

He quickly emphasized, "The car lease is up, and the house lease is also up this month."

Wang Xiao spread his hands: "See? See? Just a few bags and some clothes. Oh, and a diamond necklace, right? Did you give her the receipts and invoices when you gave them to her?"

Tang Yicheng was completely confused: "No. Why would you give her this? She has nowhere to get reimbursed."

Wang Xiao chuckled: "Then she's really at a disadvantage this time. It was indeed quite expensive when she bought it, but these things are practically worthless when you turn them into cash. If she were a real gold digger, she would at least have a car to drive and a house in her own name."

"I just don't understand what she's trying to do!" Tang Yicheng couldn't hold back his anger. "If she were really materialistic, that would be normal. But what's with all this drama?"

Wang Xiao accepted the pork tripe and chicken soup that Zhang Junfei had personally served her. While gently stirring the soup with a spoon, she smiled and said, "So what you're angry about is that you were supposed to be a long-term choice, a good candidate to be a husband, but you were chosen for a short-term one."

This was the first time Tang Yicheng had ever heard of the so-called long-term or short-term choice, but fortunately, it didn't prevent him from understanding its meaning immediately and denying it right away: "It was me who broke up with her."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Because you didn't feel like you were being chosen."

Tang Yicheng also took the soup and stirred it with a spoon, making a clinking sound, answering in silence.

Xiang Dong comforted him from the side: "She's just a young girl, she's naive and has no taste. Let's see what kind of man she can find in the future."

Wang Xiao asked curiously, "President Tang, what do you see in her?"

Tang Yicheng didn't want to answer the question because he felt ashamed.

It's one thing to complain to Xiang Dong and Zhang Junfei, one is his brother and the other is his underling, both are men.

But Wang Xiao is a woman, and also his boss, so he definitely has to be careful what he says.

Wang Xiao then tempted him, saying, "Tell me about it, and I'll tell you why she did that."

Tang Yicheng could swear to God that he truly didn't have any particular attachment to her. He was still resentful, mainly because he couldn't save face; his self-esteem had been severely hurt.

Why should he? He just wanted to find out.

"Young, beautiful, with a great figure, fashionable, and has a sweet tongue."

Tang Yicheng is very realistic. He has a lot of work to do every day and is very busy. He is not like the rich second-generation in TV dramas who have nothing better to do and spend a lot of time pursuing and pleasing his girlfriend.

So from the very beginning, he knew what he wanted.

He considered himself realistic and rational, but his boss knocked him out with just one sentence.

"Aren't there young, beautiful, fashionable girls with sweet words and good conversation skills in mainland China?"

Wang Xiao asked curiously, "If you like people who speak Cantonese, girls in Guangdong also speak Cantonese, so why didn't you look for someone in Guangdong?"

Tang Yicheng was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer the question.

When it comes to fashion, urban women in the 1990s, whether from Shanghai or Guangdong, were incredibly stylish. You could easily find three or five of them taking photos for calendars and posters just by walking around the streets.

Wang Xiao finally started drinking the soup. Hmm, the pork tripe and chicken soup was indeed quite delicious when cooked well.

"You want to know what she's so arrogant about? She's spending your money, and without you, she'd be living in a village house with her family. Yet, even though she's spending your money, she's still finding fault with you."

Holding a soup spoon in her hand, she smiled slightly: "Her pride comes from what you value. She's from Hong Kong, a fashionable Hong Kong woman."

People are all the same. No matter what you do, if you break through your existing social class and social circle and try to reach out to others, you will inevitably be looked down upon.

For example, she does business in Moscow. Originally, she didn't want to deal with government officials much, but business required it, so she had no choice but to go along with it, even though she was still very angry.

Tang Yicheng has his own arrogance: "Are Hong Kong people so great? They even act like they're different from everyone else."

Wang Xiao smiled without saying a word.

What people say is not important; what they do is.

Like I said before, if you really think there's no difference, why have you been single for so many years and only found a girlfriend after coming to Hong Kong?

She glanced at Xiang Dong out of the corner of her eye and thought to herself that he really knew how to handle people.

He knew perfectly well what the crux of the matter was, but he refused to mention it, offering only a few perfunctory words of comfort from the sidelines.

When he was dating Zhang Yan, he was a self-employed individual from a rural area, and his situation was actually similar to that of Tang Yicheng when he dated his Hong Kong girlfriend.

No matter how rich you are, some clueless people can still look down on you even while spending your money.

These people have forgotten that kings and nobles are not born with a special destiny.

Tang Yicheng's life has been too smooth.

Not long after he started doing business with her, he became President Tang. He was capable enough that even in Hong Kong, all sorts of people had to give him face.

Therefore, he finds it difficult to realize that his identity as a mainland Chinese will be discriminated against.

At least in his view, as the one who paid, he shouldn't be looked down upon by his girlfriend.

But they were proven wrong.

Wang Xiao sighed, "That's the problem. You both think you're backward compatible and need the other to provide more emotional value. The supply and demand are unbalanced, which makes the contradiction irreconcilable."

For once, she showed kindness and comforted Tang Yicheng: "So you're not just a naive fool; you also have your own desires. We didn't reach the same conclusion, so we parted ways amicably."

Don't be fooled by men's tendency to act like pure-hearted warriors in front of women; in reality, they look down on pure love. To them, it's tantamount to calling a man a loser.

Tang Yicheng kept muttering "Holy crap!", his expression a mix of emotions, as if he'd stumbled upon someone with keen observation skills and good writing ability who could write him a two-hundred-word essay.

The waiter finally brought out the main dish, the braised bear paw, with its rich and overpowering aroma that instantly filled the nostrils of everyone in the private room.

Wang Xiao reached out and picked up a chopstick, putting it into her own bowl. She continued to comfort Tang Yicheng, who was still feeling uneasy and had a lump in his throat: "Besides, even when you can't see her, she is also under pressure from all sides."

She took a bite of the bear paw, and indeed, the meat was succulent and had a delicate texture. There's a reason why delicacies are delicacies.

Tang Yicheng had little appetite and didn't seem to care: "What pressure is she under?"

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "The pressure from relatives and friends, my uncles, aunts and cousins, and my girlfriends are either stupid and can't tell the difference between big and small, or they're vicious. They're afraid that she'll leave her original social class and live a good life. They all say that she's talented and beautiful, and that dating a mainland guy will lower her status."

Tang Yicheng was so angry he laughed: "So, she suffered a great injustice, and I should understand and feel sorry for her, and go apologize and make up with her?"

It's like a table full of delicacies that's making my chest feel so full.

"Are you crazy?" Wang Xiao's eyes widened. "Why are you apologizing to her? What did you do wrong?"

Xiang Dong laughed heartily from the side: "Boss, I thought you would advise our little Tang to bear with it."

"Endure what?!" Wang Xiao asked, puzzled. "Does our CEO Tang think marrying her will grant him entry into high society, or does he absolutely need her to obtain Hong Kong residency? If that's the case, we'll have to grit our teeth and bear it; we can't afford to jeopardize our CEO Tang's future. But if he doesn't rely on either of those things, then what's there to endure?"

Xiang Dong's laughter grew louder.

He thought of Wu Haoyu.

In fact, when Michael Jackson held a concert in Shanghai last October, Wu Haoyu also came and greeted him, clearly hoping to meet Wang Xiao through him.

However, Xiang Dong didn't respond to his comment.

If he were the Chairman's son, Xiang Dong might be willing to play matchmaker. But he was just the youngest son of the Jiangdong Provincial Party Secretary, and Xiang Dong felt it was unnecessary to get involved in such a trivial matter.

Wang Xiao had long since forgotten about this person.

Now I'm thinking about two high-ranking officials in Moscow, Punonin and Yura.

To this day, she has tolerated this pair of brilliant but eccentric individuals. Is it because they are Russian?

No, no, no, she's not a Russian fan.

She endured it because the other party genuinely held real power, and their family could provide assistance; she had something in return.

Zhang Junfei chimed in from the side, "Yeah, why should we put up with her? Who does she think she is?"

She's spending her brother Tang's money on fancy clothes, looking down on everyone, and really thinks she's some kind of rich heiress.

If you don't have enough bone mass, you won't know how to get used to things!

Wang Xiao chuckled: "No way, if this is your Brother Tang's true love, one of a kind, then we've offended someone terribly today."

Tang Yicheng quickly denied it: "What true love? That's not true."

He's already been humiliated and disgraced; he can't afford to lose face like that!

Wang Xiao laughed out loud: "You said it yourself, just don't regret it later."

Zhang Junfei vouched for his brother Tang: "She's the one who should regret it, not my brother Tang."

Wang Xiao smiled but didn't say anything.

After all, Zhang Junfei is right; it's highly likely that the woman will regret it.

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Once people have enjoyed the life within their economic sphere, they are easily like the rural children in remote areas in the reality show "Transformation," finding it difficult to cope with the stark contrast between heaven and earth.

The door opened, and a waiter came into the private room to serve snacks.

Along with the tray came a man's loud laughter: "What, even our Boss Zhang is regretting it? Let me tell you, if you don't short bonds now, you'll really regret it to death."

A man with a flushed face appeared at the door of the private room. He was clearly drunk and his eyes were blurry. He was still slurring his words as he approached Zhang Junfei, saying, "Boss Zhang, let me tell you, if we don't act now, when will we?"

In public, Zhang Junfei is Boss Zhang, but in this private room, he's just Junior Zhang, only there to serve the bosses and leaders.

He was at his wit's end. He quickly put down the soup spoon in his hand, ran to the door, and pushed the person out: "Hey, Mr. Sun, Mr. Sun, this way, this way."

After finally getting the drunken man to the private room diagonally opposite, he turned around and explained to the boss, "They're all like this now, trying to short on one side and long on the other, they're all holding each other back."

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were incredibly curious: "Bonds aren't like stocks, so you can't go long or short, right?"

Don't be fooled by the gourmets gathered at the restaurant; eight out of ten are involved in financial investment. Zhang Junfei, the person in charge of the Shanghai region, also has to oversee the construction of thousands of acres of land and can't possibly stay in the restaurant every day to listen to their investment stories.

Besides, he himself wasn't very interested in these things.

So even now, he still only has a vague understanding.

Fortunately, he was stationed in Shanghai, and he recruited many professionals to his team.

He then waved towards the door: "Come on, Zhou Liang, over here."

Another young man, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old and wearing glasses, appeared at the door.

Zhang Junfei proudly introduced Zhou Liang to the boss and leaders: "This is Zhou Liang, a top student from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. He graduated with a master's degree this year and is the finance manager I just hired."

He told the person to come over for dinner after finishing overtime, just so he could introduce the person to the boss.

Wang Xiao nodded to him, which was taken as approval.

Last year she asked Zhang Junfei to recruit more financial talent, and it seems he remembered it.

Tang Yicheng and Xiang Dong also greeted the people and invited him to sit in the private room and have a bite to eat together.

Zhang Junfei explained to his boss, "There's a lot going on at the end of the year, and he's been working overtime until now."

Wang Xiao joked, "Then, Mr. Zhang, you'd better give people more bonuses."

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao couldn't wait any longer. As soon as Zhou Liang sat down, they asked him, "Manager Zhou, can you tell us how to go long or short on these bonds?"

Zhou Liang subconsciously looked at Zhang Junfei, who was his direct supervisor.

Zhang Junfei laughed and said, "Hey, Lao Sun, Boss Sun, you're eyeing the 327 Treasury bond, ready to make a big bet."

Zhou Liang finally understood. Although he didn't know who Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were, he still answered the question politely: "Because government bonds are meant to maintain their value and provide interest subsidies, there is uncertainty."

Why do we need interest subsidies? Because inflation is very serious. In 35 major and medium-sized cities across the country, the cost of living index has risen by 19%, and in June it rose by 20%.

This means that even though three-year government bonds offer a 9.5% interest rate, the actual purchasing power of money decreases by 30% due to inflation. In this case, those who buy government bonds still lose money.

There's also the issue of bank interest rates. When the 327 Treasury bond was issued in 1992, the interest rate was fixed at 9.5%.

But later, in order to curb inflation and control overheated investment, banks raised interest rates again, with deposit interest rates reaching 12.24%, much higher than the three-year national interest rate.

Therefore, in order to encourage ordinary people to invest in government bonds, the government provides interest subsidies to maintain the value of government bonds.

This policy subsequently led to uncertainty in the national rate of return, creating room for speculation. After all, even the Ministry of Finance cannot be certain how much the interest subsidy will actually be.

Tang Yicheng, fearing his boss might get bored and gossip about his love life, quickly pressed for an answer: "So how exactly did you stick it?"

“I don’t think the premium will be high,” Zhou Liang explained to his superiors from a professional perspective. “Because the main task this year is to suppress inflation, and the inflation rate had already come down at the end of last year, a high premium is not in line with market rules. So I am optimistic about short selling.”

Actually, Tang Yicheng didn't fully understand. He wasn't particularly interested in stocks when he was in Hong Kong.

He was now trying to change the subject by actively stating, "Okay, then I trust the top students from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. I'll put up 100,000 yuan to buy them out."

Wang Xiao wasn't interested in dwelling on his relationship problems; she heard something even more provocative—the 327 Treasury bond.

This is a major event in the history of Chinese finance; just hearing about it makes your adrenaline surge.

Wang Xiao felt a long-lost restlessness; the pent-up frustration he had endured in the Moscow winter had finally turned into agitation.

The scent of money flowed silently through her veins, yet her heart raced and her blood boiled.

She even had to hold the wine glass, take a sip of freshly squeezed corn juice, and then smile and say, "Mr. Tang, once you've made some money, you must remember to treat us to a meal."

Tang Yicheng patted his chest and assured him, "No problem."

Then he started egging him on, "How about it, boss, why don't you put in a few bets? Just like playing mahjong during the New Year."

In his view, investing in finance and securities is really no different from playing mahjong.

All theories are just fluff, and technology is just so-so. It all comes down to luck, and the main thing is to have fun.

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded, casually tossing out a sentence: "Okay, then I'll go long."

Zhou Liang suspected he had misheard and quickly emphasized again, "Boss, the Ministry of Finance's announcement only mentioned inflation subsidies; it didn't mention raising interest rates at all. So the final redemption price won't go up."

He simply took out his notebook, wrote out the equations, and showed them to his boss: "The maturity price of this three-year treasury bond should be 100 + 9.5 * 3 + 8 * 2 = 145 yuan, and it shouldn't exceed this price."

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were even more confused. So what if it's not higher than 145 yuan? What does that have to do with going long or short?

The atmosphere in the private room was quite pleasant, so they naturally asked questions out of curiosity.

Zhou Liang had to patiently explain: "According to the bulls' predictions, the later price should be 100 + 9.5 + 12.24 * 2 + 10 * 2 = 155."

The two bodyguards blinked. Oh, a difference of ten dollars. That's definitely not a small amount.

After all, if you invest 100,000 yuan, the difference in interest can be as much as 10,000 yuan.

Zhou Liang was speechless for a moment.

Wang Xiao asked with a smile, "What is the margin ratio for Shanghai Stock Exchange treasury bond futures?"

Zhou Liang was instantly filled with relief. Thank goodness, at least some of these bosses knew their stuff.

He immediately replied, "2.5%."

Wang Xiao turned to his two bodyguards and explained, "In other words, for a 100-yuan face value government bond, if the price fluctuates by 2.5 yuan, one side, either the short or long side, will be liquidated. A difference of 10 yuan is enough to liquidate them several times over."

This math problem is so simple that even elementary school students can do it mentally.

Xiao Zhao spoke first: "Four times, four times of margin calls."

What does it mean when the person who bets wrong gets wiped out? It means the person who bets right makes a fortune.

Wang Xiao nodded: "That's right, those who bet correctly can earn at least 400%."

Everyone in the private room, except for Zhou Liang, a genuine professional, gasped in shock.

Good heavens!

Everyone says that reselling goods is incredibly lucrative, but these days, a 50% profit margin is considered very good. It can't compare to futures trading, where a single trade can yield a 400% profit. No wonder the restaurant patrons are all so excited!

Wang Xiao then asked with a smile, "What's the current futures price?"

Zhou Liang subconsciously pursed his lips: "148 yuan."

This price is neither high nor low, which clearly displeases both the bears and the bulls.

This is why both sides are trying to recruit people and raise funds to join their respective camps.

They can only make big money by defeating their opponent.

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded, then added, "Then I'll go long."

Zhou Liang genuinely suspected that the heating in the private room was too strong, the bear paws smelled too good, and all sorts of delicacies had made people dizzy.

So all the boss asked was for nothing; she actually wanted to go long. This doesn't conform to market rules.

"Boss, um..."

“I’m going long,” Wang Xiao repeated with a smile. “I’m going long.”

Everyone else simply needs to carry out her decisions.

————————

I suspect I might be positive again, so I'm incredibly tired. But I felt the plot was progressing fairly smoothly, so I started writing. I should be able to update with a chapter tomorrow, but I can't be sure of the exact time because I get tired so easily. It's kind of funny, actually; when I'm not so tired, the plot gets incredibly difficult. And then, just when I finally get the plot flowing smoothly, I feel extremely tired again. Anyway, happy Dragon Boat Festival everyone in advance! I've already started eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) today, and I'll continue eating them like rice dumplings tomorrow. [Let me see...]