Chapter 63: Making a fortune
October 8, 1987, Thursday.
Hong Kong stocks opened sharply lower by 6%, with Yip Ching Tong, which had previously risen much more, falling 15% and Soo Man Jewellery falling 13%, both more severe than the overall market decline.
After Chen Jincai informed Ye Qizu of the situation, Ye Qingtang Group's think tank was quickly summoned.
Everyone agreed that there was no point in trying to prop up the market now, because the entire market was falling.
After the market opened in the afternoon, the decline slowed down as retail investors rushed in to try and buy at bargain prices, and the market subsequently rebounded.
Just when everyone thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, the rebound was followed by a massive sell-off by large funds, ultimately resulting in a closing drop of over 15%.
This resulted in the largest drop in the history of Hong Kong stocks.
When the stock market rebounded at noon, Ye Huaizhang called Ye Baoling and reminded her, "Don't rush in to buy at the bottom. Now is not the time to try and find bargains."
"I'm not that stupid." Ye Baoling was leisurely sipping tea in her office when she asked, "When can I find a bargain?"
Ye Huaizhang: "It depends on whose bargain you want to pick up."
Ye Baoling said half-jokingly, "I'm picking up the scraps from your Gangtong Industrial."
Ye Huaizhang frankly advised: "The drop in Hong Kong Stock Connect Industrial Holdings is not that severe; you should look for bargains in stocks that have fallen sharply."
“That’s true.” Ye Baoling laughed and mocked them: “I bought 1 million HKD worth of Hong Kong Tong Industrial shares and only made 280,000 HKD. You didn’t see much growth in the early stages, so you’re probably not going to suffer a huge drop now.”
Ye Huaizhang laughed and said, "You're pretty good. You think 28% is too little? Do you know that a 10% increase in a year is already very impressive?"
"That's normal. The stock market was so crazy a while ago, and your stocks were the only ones that rose slowly," Ye Baoling teased. "I made a bad investment."
Despite being disliked by minority shareholders, Ye Huaizhang remained confident: "Those who complained that we didn't rise enough before are now thanking us for being more stable than the market."
Ye Huaizhang asked her if she wanted to go to the movies together that night.
Being photographed while eating together is fine, but being photographed while watching a movie together is a problem.
Which family members, a single man and a single woman, would go to the movies together?
Ye Baoling didn't want to cause trouble for herself: "I'm not going. If you want to watch a movie, you can rent a DVD and watch it in my room."
After dinner, Ye Baoling stayed in her room listening to the radio and keeping track of the opening of the stock market in the United States.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the news of the sharp drop at the opening.
Her leverage of 300 million yuan is tenfold, and she's in good shape.
Liu Haonan, who was working overtime at the securities company monitoring the market, called excitedly. Although he had been excited all day, nothing could compare to the news of the US stock market decline that thrilled him.
The current situation is that as long as the stocks they buy drop by 10%, they can make 300 million.
In the face of a stock market crash, it is possible for individual stocks to fall by more than 30%, or even more.
Liu Haonan laughed and said, "Congratulations, boss, you're sure to make a fortune this time."
Ye Baoling smiled and instructed, "I'll have to keep a close eye on things today. I'm worried that there might be a rebound in the US market around noon or in the afternoon, in case some stocks break through the margin requirements."
Liu Haonan said he would follow the whole process closely.
Just after I hung up the phone, Ye Huaizhang came over with several videotapes.
Ye Baoling thought that a man who seemed to be of "high quality" would choose some high-quality art films, but that wasn't the case.
Three videotapes, two ghost movies, and one pornographic film.
Would you rather watch a thrilling horror movie or a smutty film that's even more exciting in some way?
This is a profound philosophical question.
“You choose,” he said.
Ye Baoling laughed and pulled out the pornographic film, saying, "We're all afraid of ghosts, so let's watch an adult film instead."
Adult films?
Ye Huaizhang was amused by her: "Your description is brilliant."
The scene that followed was predictable.
Inside the television set, intense activity was taking place; outside, weapons were being sharpened and the sound of water was deafening—the battle was even more fierce than before.
He performed all the high-difficulty stunts mentioned in the film.
The key point is that, even after a period of inactivity, he is more tireless than the male actors on television.
Ring ring ring!
Her mobile phone rang.
Who's so inconsiderate late at night?
He held down her hands, preventing her from answering the phone: "Ignore it."
At this critical juncture, Ye Baoling originally didn't want to get involved, but today was an exception.
Both Liu Haonan and Lisa might call her; her career is more important than fleeting happiness.
She said, "Stop for a moment, I'm afraid I have an important call."
She placed her mobile phone on the desk next to the sofa.
Ye Baoling took the remote control and turned the TV volume down.
Ye Huaizhang then picked her up and carried her around without stopping. When she reached for the phone, he placed her on the desk at just the right height.
"Hello!"
Lisa's voice came from the other end of the phone, "My dear Ling, something terrible has happened."
"Lisa! What's wrong?" Ye Baoling quickly pressed Ye Huaizhang down and made a "shh" gesture to him.
That's one good thing about Ye Huaizhang; if she tells him not to move, he really won't move.
Americans exaggerate when they talk: "The fortune teller's prophecy came true! The stock market crashed today, and Daniel's stocks have already lost almost five million dollars. Honey, what do you think we should do?"
Five million US dollars is roughly forty million Hong Kong dollars.
The market dropped so much right after opening; that's quite a drop.
Ye Baoling deliberately emphasized that she had tried her best to help her, "Darling, I called you the day before yesterday to remind you, but unfortunately you didn't listen."
After a sigh, Lisa said quickly, "It's all Daniel's fault. I warned him. What do you think we should do now?"
Judging from her tone, Lisa was very anxious.
Ye Baoling: "Calm down first. Our stock market has also plummeted. But when the market opened this afternoon, it rose first and then fell. Wait and see if it rebounds this afternoon. If it does, sell everything."
Lisa immediately said to her husband next to her, "God wants you to sell when the price rebounds this afternoon."
Ye Baoling could hear Lisa's husband asking what would happen if it didn't rebound.
Before Lisa could relay her message, Ye Baoling replied, "Even if it doesn't rebound, sell it. Because it will continue to fall sharply tomorrow and the day after."
According to the script's world description, the US stock market rebounded the fastest, but it only began to recover after a week of sharp decline.
But she can't say much to Lisa right now.
Lisa asked, "When should we buy it? Can you ask the fortune teller for me?"
Ye Baoling kept everyone in suspense: "Okay, I'll ask her for you tomorrow and see what she says."
Lisa: "OK, OK, thank you, darling. Tell the fortune teller we'll definitely thank her."
Ye Baoling smiled and said, "Of course. If she helps you fulfill your wishes, you must come back in person to express your gratitude. Your intentions are very important."
"Oh, I understand. I'll wait for your good news tomorrow, darling. Hopefully, the stock market will rebound this afternoon."
Ye Baoling reiterated, "Whether it rebounds or not depends on fate. But regardless of whether it rebounds or not, you must sell it this afternoon."
Lisa agreed.
After hanging up the phone, she realized that he was still inside.
She was about to tease him, wondering if he could endure a whole night if she talked on the phone all night, when suddenly he launched an offensive, crashing into her with force, hitting the mark every time, venting all the pent-up heat before finally stopping.
After cleaning up, he asked her, "Why are you still directing Lisa and her husband to trade stocks?"
Ye Baoling replied dismissively, "The Hong Kong stock market crashed today, and I guessed the US stock market would definitely crash too. I didn't expect I was right. I lied to her that the fortune teller taught me."
But her conversation with Lisa just now didn't seem to be entirely like that. Ye Huaizhang hadn't heard it all clearly, so he didn't delve into it. He only reminded her, "It's best to avoid doing something as thankless as teaching people how to trade stocks."
You don't understand.
She's not that kind-hearted; she's just trying to expand into the American market.
Explaining the roundabout, indirect approach to achieving one's goals to him was futile. She didn't want to explain it either.
Ye Baoling lay comfortably on the bed, stretching out her whole body. What a wonderful life, a wonderful day where she could hear the sound of money.
Ring ring ring ring!
Her cell phone rang again.
Ye Huaizhang happened to come out of the restroom and handed her the mobile phone, saying, "You're very busy!"
"Shh, don't talk," Ye Baoling reminded her, then pressed the answer button. "Hello."
It was Liu Haonan calling.
Liu Haonan asked, "I forgot to ask earlier, what should we do if the US stock market rebounds this afternoon? I was afraid you'd be asleep in the middle of the night and we wouldn't have time to communicate."
Ye Baoling: "If the afternoon rebound reaches the opening price, that would be good. It's unlikely that all stocks will rebound to more than 7% of our cost price. If some stocks rebound sharply, you should replenish your funds according to our original plan."
Liu Haonan is now completely convinced by Ye Baoling. She might have inside information in the Hong Kong stock market, but where would she get inside information in the US stock market?
That's the stock market guru!
He's just a lackey of the stock market guru!
He smiled and replied, "Okay, I understand. I'll talk to you again tomorrow. Good night."
"Good night." Ye Baoling said after hanging up the phone.
Ye Huaizhang roughly guessed, "You're trading US stocks?"
"Yes."
The broker had to call her in the middle of the night, so he must have bought a lot.
Ye Huaizhang asked, "You told Lisa to clear out her stocks today, but why didn't you have your stockbroker clear out his own?"
Ye Baoling smiled and said, "I cleared out my stocks a long time ago. I'm shorting US stocks."
"You're shorting US stocks?" Ye Huaizhang was stunned. He was very surprised. He thought that even if his wife wasn't a complete novice at stock trading, she was just a beginner stock trader who had just learned how to trade. When did she become so advanced?
Ye Baoling didn't hide anything, since she might need to cooperate with him later, so it was better to let him know her plans sooner rather than later.
“I predicted beforehand that the US stock market might fall, so I raised some funds to short US stocks. So, should I stay put now? Wait until the price drops even further and stops falling before buying back the stocks and returning them to the brokerage?”
Ye Huaizhang asked curiously, "Who taught you to trade stocks?"
Fortunately, he wasn't gossipy enough and didn't ask her how much she bought, otherwise it would have been hard to explain how she made hundreds of millions in a short period of time.
"Didn't you see I'm studying economics? If I didn't have some talent, I wouldn't be studying it."
Ye Huaizhang believed she was indeed a natural talent, but he cautioned her, "Better safe than sorry; shorting can easily lead to utter ruin."
"Can't you speak properly?!"
"Tell me if you ever need funds."
Ye Baoling lay on the pillow and asked with a smile, "I need funds, will you give me some money?"
"I can give you the money, but you have to give me the Ugly King's Jade." He had his own plans.
Ye Baoling kicked him: "I knew you had no good intentions. Don't worry, I won't ask you for anything."
Ye Huaizhang grabbed her foot to stop her from moving. "Go to sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, you'll make even more money. You money-grubber."
He never believed she didn't love money.
She loved, deeply loved.
When Ye Baoling woke up in the morning, she had just finished brushing her teeth when she received a thank-you call from Lisa.
As Ye Baoling predicted, US stocks rebounded briefly after the market opened in the afternoon, before continuing to decline.
Taking advantage of the rebound, Lisa and her husband sold all their stocks, managing to reduce their losses by more than $1 million.
*
On Friday, October 9, Hong Kong stocks fell sharply after opening due to the global stock market crash, dropping even more than the previous day.
The entire stock market was in utter chaos.
Suman Jewelry's stock price plummeted by 30%, while Ye Qingtang's stock price even fell below its issue price.
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is calling on companies to contribute funds to rescue the market.
Ye Qizu, who made over a billion yuan from the listing of Ye Qingtang, was reluctant to spend a large sum of money and ultimately only spent less than 100 million yuan to repurchase the shares.
Investing less than 100 million Hong Kong dollars into a stock market experiencing a panic sell-off is like pouring a glass of wine into the ocean—better than nothing.
Ye Qizu angrily berated the traders for their incompetence: "I can hear a thud when I throw a coin on the road, but when you throw in a hundred million, there's not even a splash! A bunch of useless good-for-nothings!"
He was unwilling to spend any more money to bail out the market, and could only let the stock price fall.
Other members of the Ye family also speculated in stocks, with Ye Kaimin being the most aggressive, and therefore also the one who lost the most money.
After spending most of the day frowning and sighing, he watched his youngest son sunbathe on the balcony in the afternoon.
I couldn't help but sigh with gratitude. Fortunately, I have a son. With a son, I have everything I need.
During dinner that evening, the Ye brothers, Kaimin and Kaisi, had been experiencing a significant increase in conflict lately, and the two hadn't had a proper conversation in a long time.
Ye Kais had a good memory, and he deliberately brought up the topic, "Baoling, your fund must have suffered huge losses, right?"
The funds suffered huge losses?!
She's making money like crazy.
Oh, she remembered.
To prevent her from withdrawing the money, her father had signed an agreement with her for a closed-end fund.
Ye Kais was a witness.
She later secretly withdrew the money through Lü Tianyou, but her father never knew about it.
Ye Baoling said with a bitter face, "Don't even mention it. We're in a dilemma now. If we withdraw the money, we'll lose too much. If we don't withdraw it, we're worried that the price will continue to fall tomorrow."
Ye Kais asserted, "I think the market will continue to fall tomorrow. This is a global stock market crash, not just a Hong Kong stock market issue. It's best to withdraw your funds as soon as possible; whatever you can keep is what you need."
"Second Uncle, what you said makes sense."
Ye Kaisi realized that even after he had reminded her to this extent, Ye Baoling still wouldn't take the bait. Could she have really forgotten the bet between father and daughter?
He had no choice but to remind you, "It's okay if you lose money. Didn't your father promise that if you don't make any money, he'll compensate you with double your principal? I acted as your guarantor, have you forgotten?"
Ye Baoling seemed to suddenly remember: "Oh right! My dad promised to pay me back double the principal! I almost forgot."
Ye Kaimin pretended not to hear and tried to put down his chopsticks and leave.
His younger brother stopped him, "Big brother, you're not trying to renege on your debt, are you?"
Sitting at the head of the table, Ye Qizu asked, "What's going on?"
Ye Baoling explained: "I have more than four million yuan in my bank account. My dad bought me a closed-end fund managed by Lü Tianyou. I don't trust Lü Tianyou's abilities and wanted to withdraw it, but my dad wouldn't let me. He said that if I lost money, he would compensate me with double the principal."
Upon hearing Lü Tianyou's name, Ye Qizu flew into a rage. He berated Ye Kaimin: "Ridiculous! Instead of saving Bao Ling's allowance properly, you're buying a closed-end fund to guarantee its principal!"
Ye Kaisi didn't forget to kick him while he was down: "Baoling wanted to take it out, but he wouldn't let her. I don't know why my brother trusted that bastard Lü Tianyou so much. He even signed an agreement guaranteeing that he would definitely make money. If he didn't make money, he would not only have to compensate Baoling with double the principal, but he would also have to kneel in the ancestral hall and admit to the ancestors that he was a piece of char siu."
"Damn it!" Ye Qizu was so angry he almost smashed the bowl. "What kind of things are in your head? That father and son surnamed Lü, Lü Dexiang caused a stock market crash in Hong Kong, causing us to lose at least several hundred million! Lü Tianyou... Lü Tianyou is even worse, he... he made Baoling lose money."
He also caused Ye Baoshun to lose her virginity. This was what the old man cared about most.
Ye Baoling pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh.
Ye Kaimin retorted, "Back then, when Lü Dexiang helped Ye Qingtang go public, Dad, you yourself asked me to win him over. And Lü Tianyou, you even said he was a talented elite who returned from studying abroad, and that Bao Ling wasn't good enough for him!"
These words completely enraged Ye Qizu, who slammed the spoon into the soup bowl with a "bang".
He ignored Ye Kaimin and only asked Ye Baoling, "How much money does your father owe you?"
"4.3 million in principal, double that would be 8.6 million." Ye Baoling didn't quite remember the exact amount of principal, so she just gave a rough estimate.
Ye Qizu pointed at Ye Kaimin: "Give Baoling 8.6 million within three days. If you don't, I'll take two of your shops on Huayang Street and change them to Baoling's name."
Two large commercial properties on Huayang Street are worth far more than 8.6 million.
Ye Baoling hoped her father would be firm and not give her any money.
She wants a shop.
Ye Kaimin dared not argue further, "I have to go out for a while."
He said that and left first.
Ye Kaisi called out to him, "Brother, when are you going to kneel in the ancestral hall? If you don't go, I'll remind you every day."
Liang Meiyun had been holding back her laughter for so many days, and the couple were finally in a good mood.
After dinner, while waiting for the old man to go upstairs, Liang Meiyun reminded Ye Baoling, "Take the street-front shops, not cash. Your mother was the one who decided to buy the Huayang Street shops. They're five such big shops, and that vixen Zheng Junni is just getting a free ride and she's getting rent every month."
Ye Baoling asked, "Which two rooms do you want?"
Seeing that her niece was so understanding, Liang Meiyun analyzed for her: "Of course, the one closer to Huanzhong Road is better."
"Okay. Thank you, Auntie."
That evening, Lisa called right on time to ask her what the fortune teller had to say.
Ye Baoling replied, "The fortune teller suggested that you wait at least a week before picking up some worthwhile stocks. There will be a period of low prices and sideways movement for more than six months. During this time, buy on dips and wait for the market to improve. You will definitely make back the money you lost, or even more."
US stocks continued to plummet today, and Lisa was in a good mood. They now have funds on hand, so they can slowly pick up some bargains.
“That’s great. The fortune teller’s idea is exactly what we planned, but with God’s guidance, we will be even more determined.”
After the conversation, Lisa learned that Ye Baoling was being so nice to her because she wanted her husband's company to become the American distributor for Ye Qingtang. She very tactfully said, "I will try my best to persuade Daniel to distribute your products."
Ye Baoling smiled and said, "Thank you, Lisa. You really knew what I was thinking. However, if possible, I would like to invite you to come to Hong Kong first, to visit our factory and learn more about our jasmine iced tea, and also to visit the fortune teller to fulfill your vow."
When asked about fulfilling her vow, Lisa quickly said, "I will definitely arrange it as soon as possible."
*
Zheng Junni walked out of the nursery and happened to meet Ye Baoxin returning from outside.
She hurriedly ordered someone to bring up a bowl of braised chicken soup with fish maw, and then personally carried it to her daughter's room.
"Did you go on a date with Fang Shanxing today?"
"He lost money in the stock market and was in a bad mood, so I watched a comedy movie with him."
"Come and have some soup to soothe your nerves." Zheng Junni sighed, "Your dad is the same. He lost at least 20 or 30 million, and he still has to compensate Ye Baoling more than 8 million. He was so angry that he didn't eat dinner."
Ye Baoxin asked in surprise, "Why do we have to compensate Ye Baoling more than 8 million?"
Zheng Junni recounted how Ye Kaisi had instigated her and her father to make a bet, saying, "It just so happened that we ran into the old man when he was in a bad mood. If he didn't give us 8 million, he would have to give Ye Baoling two shops on Huayang Street."
Ye Baoxin knew that her mother had always collected rent from these shops, so she asked, "Then what should we do?"
"What can I do? It gives me a headache just thinking about it. There's no way I could give her such a prime street-front shop."
"Haven't heard anything from the private investigator yet?"
Zheng Junni said irritably, "I've been keeping an eye on Ye Baoling for so many days, and I haven't found any connection between her and Ye Huaizhang. You go to work, and she goes to work too. You're diligent and hardworking, never daring to be late, and even working overtime at night, afraid that someone might say something bad to the old man. But she's so carefree! The private investigator said that she only comes to the company for two or three hours every day, and the rest of the time, she's either shopping or meeting people for dinner. She's living a very carefree life. Oh, and she went to the Lihua Building twice, I wonder what she was doing there."
"Lihua Building?" Ye Baoxin thought for a moment. "There are many financial companies there. What would she be doing at a financial company? Opening an account at Lihua Securities to buy stocks?"
Zheng Junni was uncertain: "The private investigator said it was inconvenient to follow her too closely. I saw her go up to the 18th floor once, but the 18th floor is full of small companies. The most likely reason is that she went to see a friend. The woman who came with her before works on the 18th floor of the Lihua Building."
"Which woman?"
Zheng Junni described her to her: "She's a rather robust girl. She's come to our house with Ye Baoling at least two or three times. Your dad even suspected she was with that girl before and specifically investigated her. Her surname is Chen, and she's the granddaughter of Ye Baoling's maternal grandmother's neighbor."
Ye Baoxin recalled the rumors about Ye Baoling liking girls, "Could Ye Baoling really be bisexual?"
These words amused Zheng Junni. She remembered that Ye Baoshun liked men and couldn't help but say, "It's a tradition in the Ye family."
"If we can find out that she's bisexual, Mommy, you've got it all figured out."
“That’s right!” Zheng Junni laughed, “This is a new direction too. Even if you’re not involved, I still want to talk to you more. You young people have a lot of ideas.”
Ye Baoxin smiled and took a sip of soup. "The soup is delicious today."
"I specially made this for you. I'll make it another day, and you can give it to Fang Shanxing to drink. Go to bed early tonight, don't stay up late." She needed to quickly have someone communicate with the private investigator about new directions.
If Ye Baoling is found to be having an ambiguous relationship with a woman, photos should be taken.
*
A week later, Ye Baoling judged that the US stock market had basically bottomed out, and she instructed Liu Haonan to start buying the stocks that had been shorted earlier at low prices.
It took three days to return all the shorted stocks.
In addition to the principal of 400 million, the net profit was 1.69 billion.
Including the more than 70 million in her bank account, she is now a wealthy woman with more than 2 billion Hong Kong dollars.
After Liu Haonan reported the results to her, the office was quiet for a few minutes.
With 2 billion in capital, she was confident she could get her hands on the ugly jade pendant and the company from her grandfather!
She smiled at Liu Haonan and said, "Congratulations, you've struck it rich too."
Liu Haonan had been working day and night, constantly monitoring the US stock market, afraid of making a mistake. When he heard his boss congratulate him on his fortune, a bright smile finally appeared on his tired face.
With over ten million in commissions in hand, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life without ever having to work again.
"What's the next step?" Liu Haonan asked.
"Go home and get a good night's sleep. Next, we'll keep some funds in the US stock market to prepare for a 5x leveraged long position, and withdraw the rest..."
They're planning to take down Ye Qingtang.
Ye Qingtang's stock price isn't low enough right now. She needs to find a way to drive Ye Qingtang's stock price down to its lowest point, down to rock bottom, before she can make her move.
-----------------------
Author's note: Ye Huaizhang: My wife is more than just a little bit amazing.
Ye Baoling: Shh. Keep it low-key. [Winking emoji]
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