Chapter 457 The Monkey That Was Pushed Out: I Dared Not Reach Out

On Tuesday, November 4th, Yang Tao attended a funeral in California. This was the only funeral he attended since leaving the country, and also the only Christian funeral he ever attended in his life.

If it were any other time, and the deceased were someone else, she would definitely have carefully observed the entire funeral from beginning to end, trying not to miss any details. After all, insight into the ways of the world is a form of learning.

But she wasn't in the mood today.

Because the deceased was Anderson Lee, the 27-year-old stockbroker ABC's cousin.

On Sunday night, November 2nd, he jumped from the top floor of the securities company where he worked.

The next morning, people walking their dogs nearby discovered his body lying on the concrete behind the bushes amidst their dogs' barking.

Once the incident was exposed, it instantly sparked a public outcry. Almost everyone believed that his death was a mockery of the police by Asian revenge groups.

Just hours earlier, the police department had held a press conference, confidently asserting to television viewers that the stockbroker who was shot had died in a crime of passion.

Now that another one has died, what kind of lies are you police officers planning to fabricate?

The pastor in front of them had a solemn expression and was still praying earnestly.

Yang Tao was distracted and had no patience to listen.

She subconsciously glanced at Zhou Liang, who had just arrived in California. On one hand, he was there to help her check the financial situation of the tech companies she was looking at; on the other hand, with the US stock market falling sharply, he needed to assess the market situation and see if he could take the opportunity to buy at the bottom.

Finally, the long prayers came to an end, and the funeral drew to a close.

As they were leaving, Yang Tao finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice, "Manager Zhou, do you think there really is such a revenge organization?"

She knew that in the summer, Manager Zhou went to Thailand to help President Tang assess whether it was necessary to take over those unfinished buildings in Thailand.

She should know Thai people better.

Zhou Liang turned to look at him, his expression strange: "Why would you ask that?"

"What a coincidence," Yang Tao sighed. "One thing after another, it's just too much of a coincidence."

It's often said that if too many accidents happen, they're no longer accidents, but rather the result of careful planning.

Zhou Liang wanted a cigarette, so he took out his cigarette case and gave a cryptic smirk: "Which stock market crash doesn't kill a few people and drive a few people crazy?"

On November 22, 1987, Michael Bateman, vice president and general partner of Kidd Peabody & Co., a long-established investment bank on Wall Street, jumped from his luxury apartment on New York’s Upper East Side because he could not bear the huge losses caused by the stock market crash in October.

Such cases are all too common during stock market crashes.

He was unsure whether the "Asian Avengers Alliance," which was repeatedly mentioned on the forum, was an actual organization, just something netizens were casually talking about, or a carefully crafted rumor.

All he knew was that this claim, even if it was just a baseless legend, could no longer be clarified.

With the stock market experiencing a week-long plunge, accumulating a drop of 21%, it wouldn't be surprising if a few more fund managers and stockbrokers jumped off the stock market, or if someone couldn't handle the shock and went insane.

Given the current situation, the former will be seen as a result of the Avengers' pursuit, while the latter will be seen as suffering from a curse from the ancient and mysterious East against the bandits.

Who can stand up and clarify that these claims are completely unfounded?

At most, you can prove that you didn't do these things, but can you prove that others didn't either?

Even if the police investigate and find out the truth, they can't emphasize in their announcement that "everyone should shut up! They all committed suicide because they couldn't stand the stock market crash."

If we emphasize this so loudly, every year the investment groups, major funds, and securities companies would want to kill the police station.

Are you kidding me? Can't you police officers open your eyes and take a look at what the stock market is like now?

By issuing this announcement, aren't you essentially telling shareholders: it's all over, fund managers and stockbrokers are already in despair, powerless, and have no choice but to give up?

What will stock market investors think? What else can panicked investors do besides frantically selling their shares to minimize their losses?

Thinking of this, Zhou Liang couldn't help but rub his face.

If this was a meticulously planned scheme, he could only admire the shrewdness and ruthlessness of the schemer.

He even suspected that his boss was involved, because his boss was extremely good at using others' strength against him.

However, he was only responsible for the financial part of the US stock market operations. He didn't get involved in online public opinion and so on, so he naturally didn't understand how it worked.

So what can he say?

He simply sighed: "The stock market crash is like a plague."

Yang Tao raised her eyebrows in surprise, then suddenly realized, but with a hint of doubt, asked, "So it was just a coincidence?"

Before she could say anything more, Anderson Lee's cousin, the owner of the tech company he had been hoping to secure investment for, beckoned them over: "Come here, this way."

Where to go?

We went to a restaurant to eat tofu rice.

Indeed, Anderson Lee, a second-generation immigrant of Asian descent, converted to Christianity, spoke Mandarin but never spoke it to anyone, and lived entirely according to the standards of American Christians during his lifetime.

However, his parents and older relatives still adhere to their cultural traditions, and serving tofu at funerals is a must.

Yang Tao had to admit that this tofu meal was the most satisfying meal she had eaten since coming to the United States. It was authentic and not the kind of sweet and sour dish that had been modified to suit American tastes.

But the food on the table was steaming hot and the aroma was enticing, so everyone just buried their heads in their food, which was nothing like the lively atmosphere of a funeral banquet in China.

Yes, Yang Tao has attended at least eight or ten funerals since she was a child.

A real funeral is not the stereotypical image of overwhelming grief. Apart from family members, and only a portion of them, most relatives and friends will just sigh a few times, eat and drink as usual, brag as usual, chat about everyday matters, and occasionally discuss the chef's skills.

It would never be so lifeless.

But it's understandable, given that Anderson Lee died so suddenly and at such a young age.

He was only 27 years old when he left this world in such a tragic way.

Footsteps sounded at the restaurant entrance, and reporters carrying cameras and microphones entered, clearly looking to conduct interviews and chase news.

Yang Tao looked up in surprise, while Zhou Liang instinctively frowned, wanting to stand up and stop the reporters.

Is profiting from human suffering really that appealing? Don't you see how much pain the family members are in?

The deceased's mother's eyes were swollen like walnuts.

The tech company boss quickly grabbed Zhou Liang and whispered, "Manager Zhou, my aunt is willing to be interviewed. They'd love for as many reporters as possible to come."

Why? Because his aunt's family couldn't accept that his cousin had committed suicide; they preferred to believe he had been murdered.

Anderson Lee's mother was sobbing into the microphone, telling everyone how filial and obedient her son was, and how honest and sincere he was.

She voiced her accusations as a mother: "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. If you're going to target someone, you should target Soros, not my son! He's just an honest, hard-working man! You're being unreasonable, you're practically Nazis! What right do you have to harm him?"

However, before she could finish speaking, a young man in his early twenties in the group of relatives and friends eating tofu suddenly stood up and said, "What you said is wrong. According to you, Nazis were all people who went to work and received military pay, and war criminals were all people who followed orders from their superiors. Does that mean they didn't commit war crimes? Are they innocent?"

The people at the table where he was sitting were probably his elders, who were desperately reaching out to pull him away, but he simply shook off their hands and said righteously, "Even the guards of the Berlin Wall should have raised their guns five centimeters higher at the escapees, instead of aiming and shooting them out."

The restaurant instantly descended into chaos, and a perfectly good tofu feast was completely ruined.

Yang Tao and Zhou Liang exchanged a glance, then stood up without hesitation to say goodbye: "We're sorry, we'll be leaving now. Please accept our condolences."

The tech company owner was in a hurry to help and didn't have time to think about them, so he could only wave and apologize.

These troublesome bastards, their brains are all broken, how could they say such things today?

When Yang Tao and Zhou Liang stepped out of the restaurant, it was already completely dark. The cold November wind blowing against their faces finally gave them a chance to breathe.

"Let's go." Zhou Liang hailed a taxi and called to Yang Tao, "Let's go back to the hotel."

He had no desire to stay there any longer; death was always unpleasant, and he had absolutely no interest in hearing anything related to it.

Yang Tao nodded. After she arrived in the United States, everyone warned her not to linger outside at night, otherwise she could easily run into danger.

She asked curiously, "How's Seoul? Is it safe? I mean, how's it lately?"

China and South Korea only established diplomatic relations in 1992. She had never been to South Korea and her impressions of South Korea were basically based on a TV series she watched on CCTV this summer called "What is Love".

But the show aired in the morning, so she didn't get to see much of it.

Zhou Liang nodded: "The public security is quite good. The stock market has fallen sharply, but there has been no social unrest for the time being."

Yang Tao sighed: "They're all falling. I see stock markets all over the world are falling. When will this fall stop?"

Zhou Liang said meaningfully, "It will probably stop when the US can't handle the fall."

We are now in the era of dollar hegemony. If the US sneezes, the whole world trembles. Any slight movement in the US market can easily affect the global economic situation.

The taxi turned the corner at the intersection ahead and stopped in front of them. Zhou Liang called to Yang Tao again, "Let's go."

He didn't want to continue the topic.

However, the taxi's radio was on, and Zhou Liang, who spoke excellent English, could clearly hear what the news was saying.

The story is still about the death of a stockbroker.

This incident has caused such a huge uproar that it has even alarmed the Thai government. The newly appointed prime minister emphasized that the Thai government absolutely does not have any similar revenge assassination organizations, and to his knowledge, he has not heard of any Thai tycoons organizing similar institutions.

When asked by reporters whether Thais had hidden a lot of gold at home, the new prime minister responded cautiously, stating that Thailand respects individual privacy regarding property and would never go to a citizen's home to inventory their assets. He added that he himself came from a poor background and had never hidden any gold in his home.

In addition to him, the reporter also interviewed other Thai tycoons who had previously appeared on television.

The other party also denied organizing assassination attempts, repeatedly emphasizing that they are law-abiding citizens of Earth, and that their investment behavior is in accordance with market rules, and they have never resorted to violence.

As for how the two stockbrokers died, he neither knew nor cared.

Well, both sides have distanced themselves from each other.

The Black driver smirked and struck up a conversation with the two Asian men in the car: "Hey bro! Are you Asians particularly rich? Do you all have tons of gold hidden in your houses?"

Zhou Liang glanced at him and said calmly, "I don't know, but there are quite a few Jackie Chans."

The Black driver chuckled, "I was just asking, wondering if I could go to Asia to strike it rich?"

Zhou Liang didn't answer his question again, and just stared at the road outside.

Fortunately, the driver was probably just joking; he didn't take detours or deliberately drive through dark alleys, but took them to the hotel via the main road.

After getting off the bus, Yang Tao complained, "Why do you only clarify the 'revenge organization' but not 'gold everywhere'? It's like Asians are all easy targets."

Zhou Liang continued walking forward without stopping, head down, and said softly, "Why did he need to clarify? Doesn't everyone think that Thailand is rich and that's a good thing?"

Yang Tao paused for a moment, then nodded: "That makes sense. Money always flows to places that don't lack money."

Just like in Beijing, many people are actually dirt poor, but an imported car, a set of designer clothes, a pair of designer shoes, and a genuine leather briefcase are indispensable.

Because people are all like needles, with their eyes on their backsides, they respect clothes before they respect people.

The financial crisis in Thailand, to put it bluntly, was caused by investors believing that Thailand was short of money and fearing that their money would be tied up in the crisis, so they quickly withdrew their funds, which led to the collapse.

If people believe that Thailand is a land of gold and has plenty of money, then they will naturally be willing to take their money back to Thailand to make their money grow.

Thinking of this, she suddenly realized: "Brilliant!"

The idea that Southeast Asia is a land of gold may seem absurd, but it is actually quite effective.

In the battle between bulls and bears in the US stock market, once everyone accepts the concept of Southeast Asia's hidden wealth, they naturally assume that the bears are incredibly powerful.

A powerful enemy is always a source of fear.

Investors in US stocks are no different in essence from investors in Hong Kong stocks or any other market in the world.

They are also unwilling to confront a powerful enemy, especially one that has specifically targeted Soros and short sellers in Southeast Asia.

In this way, in this battle between the bears and the bulls, the latter have already disappeared in large numbers without the former taking any action.

Throughout this process, the officials of Southeast Asian countries will not undermine the efforts at all.

Like Thailand, they are eager to be misunderstood in this way so that they can attract more investment and revive their severely damaged economy.

As she analyzed the situation, she sought Zhou Liang's support: "Don't you think that's how it is?"

Zhou Liang remained silent, though his heart was already pounding with excitement.

This is another typical example of leveraging resources, where the other party will proactively offer assistance without any prior communication.

He was almost certain that this was the boss's doing.

She can use anyone at her beck and call, without them even realizing it.

He wasn't in the mood to talk to Yang Tao much, and simply said, "I'm going to rest now, goodnight."

He closed his bedroom door, smoked a cigarette, and then opened his computer browser. The forum was already in an uproar.

Many people were overjoyed: "I told you, Southeast Asia is a land of gold." In ancient times, gold and spices were readily available to them.

Then the topic on the forum started to go off-topic, with everyone dividing into several factions and arguing about which country had the most gold.

Some say it's Thailand, because Thai temples are all glittering with gold.

Some say it's Vietnam, as Hanoi was once known as the "Little Paris of the East."

But soon someone jumped out and mocked their ignorance, saying that when it comes to having more gold, it has to be China.

Don't forget, Marco Polo clearly stated in his travelogue that China is a land of gold.

However, some people familiar with history have spoken out to refute this, saying that those were all things of the past, and that Mr. Chiang had already taken all the gold with him when he went to Taiwan.

Then someone countered: At that time, his army had suffered a crushing defeat; he was a defeated fugitive. How much gold could he possibly take with him? Just a drop in the ocean. In fact, a vast amount of gold and treasure remained on the Chinese mainland. They cleared the riverbeds and, with just a couple of shovelfuls of soil, unearthed several large jars of gold.

Back in her room, Yang Tao was also browsing the forum, staring in disbelief.

No, no, that's all ancient history. In the end, for such a long river channel and such a huge project, it seems that only five jars were dug in total.

It certainly doesn't meet the standard of being covered in gold, does it?

People will only believe what they want to believe. The forum was in an uproar, with everyone agreeing that China definitely had a large amount of gold hidden inside.

Some people even seriously analyzed that it is precisely because of its deep pockets that Beijing is so confident that it will do everything in its power to protect the Hong Kong dollar.

On the contrary, Taiwan withdrew without a fight because it was too weak and lacked the confidence to fight.

This completes the logical loop. It means that Soros didn't gain anything in Hong Kong at all; in fact, he suffered significant losses.

He's stuck with his investments and can't withdraw the money to salvage his investments in the US.

Slowly, he will be completely hanged.

But this outcome is clearly not what everyone wants to see. At least the victims of the pound crisis, the Mexican financial crisis, and the Asian financial crisis do not have the patience to wait.

They would rather Soros die sooner and be free from suffering.

Andre Lee's family has publicly appealed to Soros to step forward and take responsibility, and not to implicate other innocent people.

This call surprisingly garnered considerable public support.

Almost overnight, protesters appeared on the streets, holding banners and shouting: "Cowards, stand up!"

The Thai tycoon, who has been quite active recently, also publicly stated that what they hate most is Soros, who stirs up trouble for no reason, and that Soros has always been the one they want to deal with.

Soros became the target of public criticism.

It's as if the crisis in the US stock market won't pass unless he steps forward to take responsibility.

Watching the situation unfold, Yang Tao couldn't help but stroke her chin and ask Zhou Liang, "Do you think Soros will step forward?"

What should he do if he steps forward? It shouldn't amount to compensating the victims for their losses.

That's practically impossible. If he could just come up with that much money right now, he wouldn't be stuck in the market.

Zhou Liang shook his head: "Whether he stands up or not is no longer important. What's important is that he has already been pushed out."

Yang Tao asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Where was he pushed?"

Zhou Liang kept his eyes glued to the stock market charts, not directly answering her question. Instead, he casually asked, "Are there any monkey brain restaurants in Beijing? You mean those places where they just smash monkey brains?"

Yang Tao looked reluctant to watch the animated film "Havoc in Heaven" when she was a child. Because of this love for the film, she felt a sense of familiarity with the monkeys.

Of course, there are places in Beijing that serve monkey brains; the powerful and wealthy are always the ones who know how to enjoy life the most. But unless the other party specifically names it, she never goes to monkey brain restaurants when she's entertaining guests.

Zhou Liang seemed to be talking to himself: "As soon as one monkey is chosen by a customer at the restaurant, the other monkeys will rush to push it out. Even if they were huddled together for warmth just a second ago, trying to resist the customer."

Yang Tao felt a chill run down her spine.

Is this the market's choice?

With an 11-hour time difference, Moscow in November is really cold. Even with the heating on inside, the chill still seems to envelop the entire villa.

Wang Xiao sat on a single sofa, legs crossed, with a small panda on each of her two arms.

She sighed slowly, "The Federal Reserve will definitely encourage banks to lend to stimulate the market. But not everyone can get a loan. Banks will conduct risk assessments, and those they deem high-risk and likely unable to repay their loans will be turned away."

Lyuba secretly added to herself: "I guess banks don't dare to get involved with them now, for fear that by lending money to Soros, they will be seen as his accomplices and become the new target of the legendary Asian revenge organization."

The fear brought about by a threat to one's life is the most real and profound, and no one would easily challenge it.

Anyway, it doesn't matter who gets the loan, banks have no shortage of borrowers these days.

Xiao Gao pressed further, "Then Mr. Soros won't get the loan?"

Oh my god, given the current situation, he's facing enemies on both sides in Hong Kong and the United States, and he's burning through money like crazy every day.

If he can't get a loan, his cash flow will dry up, and he'll be finished!

Xiao Zhao wondered, "He wouldn't really commit suicide to atone for his sins, would he?"

It's terrifying to even think about.

Besides, if we're really talking about short selling, the boss was short selling in Southeast Asia for a month.

Wang Xiao looked out the window, calm and composed: "These days, as long as you can handle it, even if everyone points fingers at you, you won't die so easily."

Is it really that big of a deal that he's going to die? If Soros were that fragile, he wouldn't be the financial tycoon he is today.

At worst, the Quantum Fund will not receive external assistance or loans, and like Long-Term Capital Management in history, it will go bankrupt.

But so what if they go bankrupt? There are plenty of stories of business giants making a comeback.

Especially for those in finance, as long as they have a keen eye and make the right bet, they can turn their fortunes around in no time.

A poor boy can become rich overnight, creating a stock market prodigy myth. Why can't a down-on-his-luck old man do the same?

However, the process of building something from scratch is always difficult, and this tycoon will most likely have to endure some hardship.

Xiao Gao secretly watched the boss.

He knew he wasn't the brightest, so even though the bodyguards were practically inseparable from their boss, the assistants knew far less about him than they did. But she still couldn't figure out what the boss had done, or why he was targeting Soros.

The so-called revenge for Asia is nothing more than an attractive slogan on computer forums.

The boss himself is a shell company, and he has swindled a lot of money from Southeast Asian countries.

If she were to truly seek revenge, wouldn't she turn her revenge on herself?

But if Soros offended her, and she disliked him, so she casually took action against him and gave him a hard time, then that would be too much of a show of force.

Besides, all told, the boss had only met Soros twice, and they had only exchanged casual greetings and pleasantries. They had never actually had a conversation. Where did she get the enmity?

Xiao Gao was completely baffled and could only shake his head: Never mind, maybe the boss is playing a much bigger game?

Everyone can be a pawn.

The sound of a car could be heard outside the window, and soon, an assistant came over to announce, "Boss, Mr. Berezovsky and Mr. Gusinsky have arrived."

Wang Xiao immediately raised his voice: "Come in, come in, gentlemen, thank you so much for making this trip."

When the guests entered the living room, she gave a wry smile. "I'm so sorry, my friends, my cat is pinning me down and won't let me get up."

Berezovsky took off his hat and bowed to her: "It's alright, madam, the kitten is always the most important."

She called him and Gusinski, saying that she was coughing and that the cough was worse when exposed to wind. The doctor did not allow her to go out, so she asked him to come over.

In fact, the two media moguls didn't care at all whether she was actually coughing or not.

I'll make the trip; it's perfect, they all want to hear her advice.

The stock market is currently experiencing a sharp decline, and the global financial markets are shrouded in gloom, making them feel uneasy as well.

Gusinski, however, was more concerned about one thing: "Miss Wang, are you really not planning to buy back 10% of the power company's shares?"

He heard that Potanin had approached her yesterday, but she rejected him, which seemed very unusual.

When she sold her shares in the power company, she was taking a significant loss.

Wang Xiao shook his head: "Yes, I won't buy it."

Berezovsky also became puzzled: "Why?"

Although Russian stocks are also falling, and have already dropped by 30%, even worse than US stocks, the shares of power companies should still be considered high-quality stocks, and are very worthwhile to hold.

Wang Xiao said seriously, "I'm afraid those are Soros's stocks. If I take them over and give him cash to tide me over, what if the Southeast Asian revenge organizations come after me? You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days!"

Berezovsky and Gusinsky exchanged bewildered glances. When did Miss Wang become so timid? They had never seen her afraid of anyone before!

Wang Xiao said in a serious tone: "You guys don't know about the evil arts in Southeast Asia. Have you ever heard of black magic? There are many celebrities in Hong Kong and Taiwan who suddenly went crazy. I heard that they were cursed and didn't even know how they were bewitched."

She shook her head as she spoke, "You Europeans don't understand. We Asians would never easily break such taboos."

The two were skeptical, mainly because they felt the contrast was too great.

But then they thought again, since they weren't God's people, the beliefs of pagans were all strange and unusual, and they were trying to gain access to high society.

It doesn't seem impossible.

Gusinski pressed Wang Xiao, asking, "Are you sure you're not going to take it? Then I'll take it, and you can't have any objections."

Wang Xiao said meaningfully, "Anyway, I won't touch it. Whoever wants to touch it can touch it themselves. I will absolutely not interfere."

Her words made Gusinski feel uneasy.

Is it really that strange? She's always been fearless and incredibly brave.

Wang Xiao took a sip of tea and emphasized seriously, "I didn't say anything. Whether you buy or not is your business. Don't blame me later for delaying your good opportunity to make money. Alright, let's not talk about this now. I invited you two here so that we can all agree on our message and determine the direction of our promotion."

Gusinski frowned subconsciously, unable to hide his dissatisfaction: "Miss Wang, as journalists, we should respect the principle of freedom of the press. There is no need for a unified statement."

Wang Xiao said seriously, "No, sir, we must cooperate. Global stock markets are in turmoil, and a financial crisis is imminent. If we cannot alleviate the panic among the Russian people, the economy may collapse. Malaysia's economy was originally performing well, but it has plummeted due to the panic."

Her gaze swept over the two men's faces. "Gentlemen, we must learn from this terrible lesson and help the government stabilize the market. Otherwise, if the economy collapses, we will be the first to suffer."

Gusinski's brows furrowed more and more. He felt like he was being held hostage by an invisible force, and the freedom of the press he longed for seemed to be getting further and further away from him.

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Let me see.