Chapter 106 Bank Manager (Completed)...
Rumors have recently circulated in Vladimir that a third auction of state-owned enterprises will be held.
It is said that at this auction, those high-ranking state-owned enterprises were finally served up.
He Changyi was very tempted, but she was facing an awkward problem—she had already used up all the vouchers she had collected.
The basement used to be filled with boxes of vouchers, leaving no room to even step. Now, the boxes are empty, and not a single missing voucher can be found.
Are we just going to watch this feast slip away?
He Changyi summoned her accountant and bank manager and asked bluntly, "Is there any way for me to collect enough vouchers in a short period of time?"
Ms. Tagyan bluntly stated, "I do not recommend that you acquire warrants now. The market has completely gone mad, and the price of each warrant has even been driven up to twenty-five dollars! The cost is too high, and our profit margin will be greatly reduced."
He Changyi listened without saying anything, and tapped the table in annoyance.
This is indeed a problem.
Due to persistent hyperinflation, most people were eager to convert their vouchers into cash, exchanging them for tangible banknotes or goods before they became worthless. Voucher prices plummeted, and at their cheapest, they could be exchanged for a bottle of vodka or a pack of cigarettes.
During that period, Friendship Store received tens of thousands of vouchers, each worth no more than five dollars.
However, as the auctions for the privatization of state-owned enterprises progressed, the market price of the warrants also soared, increasing fivefold in a short period of time, and there was still no market for them.
This is similar to the stock market or the housing market. When prices fall, everyone is eager to sell off their holdings and leave the market, fearing they'll be trapped if they sell too late. But once prices rise, people turn around and hoard their properties, afraid of selling too cheaply and unwilling to make a move.
That's how the warrant market is now.
When prices fall, there are people everywhere selling warrants; when prices rise, there are people everywhere buying warrants.
Even if one is willing to spend a large sum of money to acquire warrants, one must first be able to buy the warrants. Those who used to stand at the crossroads holding signs that read "Warrants for Sale" disappeared overnight, replaced by new faces with signs that read "Warrants for Purchase" around their necks.
Everyone saw the huge price difference between the vouchers and the state-owned enterprise shares they received in return.
Assuming the warrant is worth ten dollars and each share of the state-owned enterprise is worth one hundred dollars, then the person who bids for the state-owned enterprise is essentially exchanging a warrant for an asset worth ninety dollars.
The return on investment is as high as 900%, which is faster than robbing a bank, and more importantly, it's legal.
For the vast majority of Ecuadorians, getting rich overnight and then immigrating to the United States is the real Ecuadorian dream.
...There are just too many people dreaming these days.
As soon as the knocking stopped, He Changyi suddenly looked at the young man sitting next to Ms. Tagiana and asked, "Roman, do you have any suggestions?"
The new manager stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with the boss, and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Perhaps, I mean perhaps, we could set up a fund..."
His voice grew softer and softer, and he slid down from the chair, almost sliding under the desk.
He looks exactly like a high school student being called on by a teacher!
Ms. Tagyana gave a look of exasperation, roughly grabbed the new manager by the collar, pulled him back into his chair, and, like any disapproving grandmother, shouted, "Roman, sit up straight! You're not a block of jelly!"
Manager Roman nodded obsequiously, but still shrank back, not daring to look at his boss.
He Changyi spoke softly and gently, like a kind old wolf in sheep's clothing:
"Manager Roman, could you please explain how the fund will operate in detail?"
Roman stammered, "No, no need for that... You're too kind... No, I mean, I'm very grateful... Uh, yes, thank you, you're a kind boss..."
He Changyi lost her patience and slammed her hand on the table.
Get to the point!
Roman shuddered, as if his meridians had been opened, and said in a very fast voice:
"It involves setting up a warrant fund to attract people to entrust their warrants to the fund for investment. We can manage the warrants entrusted by the clients, promising a certain rate of return on investment. This way, we can raise enough warrants, and the initial costs are relatively low..."
He Changyi was multitasking, observing the fund's operations while also taking stock of her bank manager.
Despite wearing a full bespoke suit, Roman looked like a high school student who had stolen his parents' clothes, constantly tugging at his tie unnaturally. His poor suit was full of wrinkles, enough to make any tailor scream.
Roman, however, was completely unaware of this.
His medium-length curly hair hung down messily, obscuring his eyes. He would occasionally peek at people through his bangs, and when caught, he would hurriedly look away, wishing he could shrink his head into his chest.
He Changyi raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Ms. Tajiyanna.
Roman, a down-on-his-luck genius.
The region of Oros is indeed remarkable, excelling in both arts and sciences. It not only produces poets but also mathematicians, and consequently, economists.
—Of course, economists in the Kremlin don't count.
Ironically, He Changyi met Luo Man not through a headhunter, nor by personally presenting his resume, but by finding him on the street.
Yes, I found it, like picking up a kitten or puppy on a whim, although, given Roman's personality, it was more like finding a little mouse.
That day, He Changyi went to Moscow on business. While waiting at a red light at an intersection, his jeep was suddenly rear-ended.
The loud noise and tremors instantly put the two bodyguards in front into combat mode. One stayed behind to protect He Changyi, while the other rushed out with a gun in hand to see which audacious individual was trying to kidnap Zhong Guo, the wealthy businessman.
Lermontov, spouting profanities, roughly yanked the driver out of the taxi that had rear-ended him. The driver, trembling, raised his hands, too frightened to utter a word, his legs sliding like noodles to the ground.
He Changyi got out of the car, took a look, and then ordered, "Let it go."
Lermontov said, "But he crashed into our car!"
He Changyi retorted, "Does he look like someone who can afford to lose money?"
The taxi was dilapidated, with a leather jacket hanging on the windshield, partly to cover the holes in the window and partly to solicit customers.
He Changyi glanced at it and said, "It's an old-style leather jacket from two years ago."
She then turned to the taxi driver and said, "Can't sell it, huh? That's to be expected. You dare to sell unsold goods for 10,000 rubles?"
The taxi driver finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "But theoretically, the Mosk market should be able to accommodate more leather jackets, and a price of 10,000 rubles should be in line with market pricing principles..."
He Changyi said with pity, "Mosk does need more leather jackets, but not yours. There are cheaper new leather jackets everywhere."
The taxi driver murmured, unable to speak. He Changyi shook his head and said, "Let's go."
The Jeep has a thick skin, so the damage wasn't too serious. In fact, it didn't even leave any dents after the impact, only some scratches.
But the taxis fared much worse. Their front ends were badly dented, making their already poor condition even worse. They looked more like they should be taken to a scrapyard than left swaying on the road.
Lermontov reluctantly let go, and before leaving, he threateningly waved his fist at the driver.
"Kid, you're lucky!"
The taxi driver, having regained his senses, suddenly rushed in front of the jeep that was about to start, and placed his hands on the hood.
Xie Xuejun hesitated and asked, "...Should we ram it?"
Lermontov said decisively: "Ram!"
He Changyi had no choice but to shout, "Hey, I don't want to see Moscow's police."
Lermontov reluctantly stuck his head out of the car window and asked irritably, "Hey kid, what are you up to now?"
His act of lunging at the jeep seemed to have exhausted all his courage, and the taxi driver reverted to his cowardly demeanor, stammering:
"The rear-end collision was my fault... I... I... I should pay compensation..."
Lermontov was taken aback and turned to look at He Changyi.
He Changyi chuckled, rolled down the car window, and asked him, "Can you afford to pay for it? Do you have the money?"
The driver shuffled over, head bowed, and said, "I can write an IOU..."
He Changyi said lazily, "Forget it, I'm not your Tsar, I have no interest in robbing the poor."
The driver stubbornly said, "But..."
He Changyi suddenly said, "Take a step back."
The driver, not understanding what was going on, took a step back as she instructed.
He Changyi checked the distance and said with satisfaction, "Lermontov, drive."
By the time the driver realized what was happening, the jeep had already sped off the intersection and quickly disappeared into the traffic.
He Changyi quickly put this little incident behind her.
Unexpectedly, when she finished her business and was about to leave Mosk, she ran into the taxi driver again.
The unfortunate man was cornered on the roadside by several gangsters, looking utterly miserable.
He Changyi originally didn't intend to meddle, as she had seen too many taxis being extorted by gangsters. However, she happened to have just received her banking license that day and was in a great mood, so she decided to do a good deed and ask Lermontov to drive the gang away.
Lermontov went there cursing and swearing, and was mistaken by the gangsters for a business rival.
The taxi driver, bruised and battered, came to thank him. He Changyi, impatient with his stammering, was about to tell him to drive away when the driver carefully took out a stack of crumpled rubles from his inner pocket.
"This...this is all the money I earned today...I'm giving it to you..."
He Changyi was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why didn't you give the money to the gangsters? If you had given them the money, they wouldn't have beaten you up."
The driver didn't dare look up at her, and stubbornly whispered, "I promised... I'd pay you back..."
Lermontov was shocked to hear this.
"Hey, taxi driver, are you an idiot? Our boss said she doesn't need your compensation!"
He glanced at the dilapidated taxi with disdain.
"Keep it for car repairs! For God's sake, I hope your junk doesn't fall apart halfway through the drive!"
The taxi driver stammered, "No, no... Theoretically, this car hasn't reached its scrap age yet... It still has at least three weeks left..."
Lermontov said categorically, "You must have been tricked! I guarantee this car is much older than your grandfather!"
The taxi driver whispered, "No, no, my grandfather isn't that old..."
He Changyi didn't want his money, but this stubborn man drove after the jeep, insisting on paying compensation.
Fortunately, there weren't many cars on the road at that time, so the taxi was able to stay far behind.
Lermontov glanced at the dilapidated taxi in the rearview mirror and grumbled, "I've said it before, Mosk's mental hospital should be expanded, instead of letting mental patients roam around!"
Xie Xuejun: "...Then your president should be locked up first."
Lermontov pondered for a moment, then readily agreed, "You're right, all the officials should be imprisoned!"
He Changyi suddenly shouted, "Stop the car!"
Lermontov instinctively slammed on the brakes, and before the jeep had come to a complete stop, He Changyi had already jumped out of the car and hurriedly walked towards the back.
Xie Xuejun hurriedly chased after him, but was stunned when he saw the situation.
—There were no taxis left, only parts scattered all over the ground and a lone tire rolling around aimlessly.
Lermontov walked over to Xie Xuejun and was stunned by what he saw.
Xie Xuejun turned to look at him with mixed feelings, a thousand words unspoken.
Lermontov: ...!
Lermontov shouted in a panic, "I was just kidding! Who would have thought this wrecked car would actually fall apart halfway through the drive?!"
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