Hu Zhifeng received a call from the investment advisor, who said that Iwamoto Yasu was willing to buy his shares, but at a ten percent discount.
Hu Zhifeng said, "No, it can only be five percent below market price at most. If that’s acceptable, I can go over tomorrow to sign the contract. If not, we’ll continue looking for other buyers."
That afternoon, the investment advisor called back, saying that Iwamoto Yasu accepted the offer. Upon hearing this, Hu Zhifeng immediately said, "I’ll take the morning flight and have a face-to-face meeting in the afternoon."
Actually, the deal was already settled; he was just going to sign the contract. Because Lu Jiaxin and Nie Zhan had already withdrawn, he wanted to sell quickly, worried that delays might cause changes.
Going to Little Days meant he’d definitely need a passport and other things, so Hu Zhifeng returned home that evening. Zong Shimeng didn’t go back, planning to be with Lu Jiaxin.
On the third day in Dahao, Nie Zhan and his group, including Lu Jiaxin, were having a barbecue by the sea. All the ingredients and barbecue tools were prepared by others, so they just needed to cook. Lu Jiaxin wasn’t good at it and often burnt the food, while Nie Zhan was patient, grilling the meat to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender inside.
Zong Shimeng apologetically said, "Jiaxin, Zhifeng told me yesterday that Nie Zhan warned him a week ago. It’s just that at the time, Xiang Qing called him asking for money, they had a fight and he wasn’t in a good mood, so he didn’t listen carefully to what Nie Zhan said."
Lu Jiaxin didn’t believe it at all: "Sister-in-law, he’s thirty-six, not sixty-six. His memory can’t be that bad. I think he just believes in the economic strength of Little Days."
Zong Shimeng smiled wryly and said, "I won’t lie to you, his memory has indeed worsened a lot. He forgets what he promised the kids and needs reminders from me or his secretary."
"Has he been checked at the hospital?"
Zong Shimeng shook her head and said, "No, he says his father was also at his age, it’s not a big problem. When there’s a chance, the whole family will go for a check-up to have a thorough examination."
After saying that, she laughed, "As it turns out, his memory decline has made me some money. He promised me ten million, and if Little Days’ economy truly has a big hit, he’d reward me with thirty million."
Her current assets were less than a hundred million, and she didn’t expect to make forty million from this matter. Even if Jiaxin’s prediction fails, she would still get ten million.
Lu Jiaxin smiled, "That’s not bad. From now on, if there’s any news, don’t let Nie Zhan tell her, just tell you, and we can get more money from him."
Zong Shimeng was more than willing, "Whenever you have time, we can go shopping, and I’ll buy whatever you like."
Lu Jiaxin didn’t refuse, "I’ve been busy lately, let’s go together at the end of the year."
Before evening came, after the barbecue, everyone went their separate ways home by midnight. On the way back, Lu Jiaxin talked about Hu Zhifeng’s bold moves.
Nie Zhan smiled and said, "Hearing you say that, it seems like a good thing."
He knew why Hu Zhifeng was being so generous. Zong Shimeng didn’t spend money recklessly; she bought luxury goods just to keep up appearances for the Hu Family. Giving her more money, as long as it’s not lost in investments, would eventually benefit their children.
Lu Jiaxin pouted and said, "You call Sister Shimeng ’sister-in-law,’ and I call her ’sister,’ which doesn’t sound right. We should unify our way of addressing her!"
Nie Zhan thought it was just a way of addressing, not a big deal: "It’s been so many years, I’m already used to calling Brother Feng, I can’t change it all at once. You’re also used to it, so let’s not change it. I believe Brother Feng and sister-in-law won’t mind."
"Then let’s just keep it that way."
Hu Zhifeng stayed in Little Days for ten days before coming back. Not only did he sell all the shares, but he also transferred five out of the six investment projects.
Zong Shimeng, after learning this, asked, "Why didn’t you transfer the remaining project?"
Hu Zhifeng replied, "The remaining project is car manufacturing. Little Days is doing quite well in this field, and even if the stock market crashes, it will only be a short-term dip, and it will rebound soon."
Since Zong Shimeng wasn’t knowledgeable about this, she didn’t pursue the matter further after hearing his logical explanation.
Having spent so much time running around Little Days, Hu Zhifeng felt a bit tired, so he decided to rest at home for a day before returning to work.
After ten days away, some matters had piled up, and as soon as Hu Zhifeng got to the office, he began dealing with them. While handing a document to a subordinate to redo, someone knocked at the door outside.
The visitor was his investment advisor, who, upon seeing Hu Zhifeng, said, "Boss, the Nikkei Index has plummeted, and at this rate, it might be worse than our stock disaster three years ago."
Hu Zhifeng was startled and, regaining his composure, immediately sent his subordinate out before having an in-depth discussion with the investment advisor.
On January 12, 1990, this day was a nightmare for the people of Little Days. Within the day, stocks plunged by 70%.
After the market closed, Lu Jiaxin called her stockbroker, and hearing the magnitude of the drop, she was stunned. She knew it would fall but didn’t expect it to be so terrifying. Three years ago, Hong Kong’s 40% drop was the most severe in its history. A 70% drop meant that many people’s savings over the years would vanish, turning billionaires into street wanderers overnight.
Returning home, Lu Jiaxin still felt scared. Seeing Nie Zhan, she couldn’t help saying, "How could it drop by 70%? No country’s stock market drops that severely in one day."
According to her estimations, the worst would be similar to Hong Kong three years ago, dropping about 40%, but no one expected it to be more than half.
Nie Zhan, with a serious face, led Lu Jiaxin into the study. Once the door closed, he changed his expression and said with a smile, "According to your request, I used 800 million greenbacks of capital with tenfold leverage to short."
Out of the 800 million capital, 600 million was transferred by Lu Jiaxin to him, and he managed 200 million himself. Then, with Jiaxin’s 400 million capital through an offshore company, they shorted the Nikkei Index in America and Star City.
With 1.2 billion of capital and tenfold leverage, the Nikkei 225 Index fell by 70%, meaning Jiaxin earned 8.4 billion greenbacks in a single day. All his years of work still couldn’t compare to Jiaxin’s single trade.
Nie Zhan stared at her intently.
Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Lu Jiaxin took a step back and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Nie Zhan flashed a big smile and said, "I think Su Heyuan was right, you’re the God of Wealth’s own daughter."
Lu Jiaxin jokingly replied, "If I’m the God of Wealth’s daughter, then you’re the God of Wealth’s son-in-law, getting rich alongside."
Though said in jest, without Nie Zhan, she wouldn’t have earned so much. Several times of shorting the Nikkei Index, if not for Nie Zhan helping her distribute the investment, she would’ve been exposed due to large amounts. But now that they’re a married couple, there’s no need to fret over who helped whom.
Nie Zhan chuckled; now everyone in Hong Kong knew he had a wife who brought him luck. Previously, Hu Zhifeng and Tao Yong would comment on Jiaxin’s temper, but now they only praised her.
Lu Jiaxin was also in a great mood. This time, with the massive profit from shorting the Nikkei Index, she now had ample funds, allowing her to make purchases once the USSR disintegrated in two years.