r18novel Chapter 24: £8 in hand, a fortune made!
Chapter 24: £8 in hand, a fortune made!
On December 9, the news of the US oil embargo against Japan (reducing it by 30%) arrived as expected, immediately causing a huge uproar in foreign-language newspapers and stock exchanges in Shanghai!
The stock price of "Nanyang Petroleum" soared in response, like a rocket. The stock exchange was bustling with noise, a cacophony of exclamations, cheers, and sighs of regret.
Han Zhenhua stood in the VIP room on the second floor of the exchange, looking calmly at the frenzied crowd below through the glass window.
His agent, looking on with admiration and excitement, exclaimed, "Mr. Han, you're amazing! When did we sell? The profits this time are incredible!" His fingers trembled as he calculated the rapidly increasing numbers in Han Zhenhua's account.
Meanwhile, at the Bund dock, Captain Wayne Holt stood on the deck of his gunboat, the Scarab, listening to the ship's chief purser rushing over and excitedly reporting the astonishing profits, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
Just as the information on the phone indicated, from December 9th to December 15th, in just six days, Nanyang Petroleum's stock price rose from 1.8 francs per share to 5.99 francs per share, more than tripling!
Having deeply understood the principle of "never trying to earn the last penny," Han Zhenhua decisively sold all his stocks above 5.6 yuan. His initial capital of 4 pounds had grown to an astonishing 11.8 pounds. After repaying the 3.6 pounds of "margin financing" from the exchange and generously paying the 2000 pounds brokerage commission, he ended up with 8 pounds of "Standard Chartered Bank drafts"!
Based on the current exchange rate of 1:16 between the British pound and the French pound, this is equivalent to earning a huge sum of 124 million silver dollars!
Of course, he knew that the fiat currency was about to plummet, so there was no way he could exchange the pounds for fiat currency!
On the Huangpu River, the salty, damp wind blew across the slightly worn deck of the "Scarab".
Captain Wayne Holt stared at the detailed account statement handed to him by the chief purser, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement. He could hardly believe his eyes.
"My God... this... this is simply turning lead into gold!" he murmured to himself, his face beaming with unbelievable joy. In just a few days, the nearly 3000 pounds he and the entire crew had scraped together had, under Han Zhenhua's guidance, grown into almost 9000 pounds! After deducting the principal, they made a net profit of nearly 6000 pounds! For the crew of an inland river gunboat, this was undoubtedly a windfall.
After the patrol mission ended and he went ashore, he immediately picked up the phone and connected to the number of Han Zhenhua's villa.
"My dear friend, Mr. Cole!" Wayne's voice trembled with excitement through the receiver. "We did it! The entire ship is cheering your name!"
You must grant me this honor and allow me to treat you to a truly authentic French meal tonight at the Cathay Hotel on the Bund! You absolutely cannot refuse! On behalf of all 68 officers and crew members of the "Scarab," I extend my deepest gratitude to you!
Unable to refuse such a kind offer, Han Zhenhua smiled and agreed. He also wanted to finalize the matter of hiring bodyguards.
Inside the Cathay Hotel's restaurant, crystal chandeliers cast a soft glow, and silver cutlery gleamed. Wayne, now dressed in a brand-new navy tuxedo, looked even more dashing.
He personally poured champagne for Han Zhenhua, and the smile on his face never left.
"Cole, my dear friend, do you know? Now, aboard our ship, you are the 'Solomon of the East,' the embodiment of wisdom!" Wayne raised his glass. "To you, King Solomon! To wealth! To friendship!"
Han Zhenhua clinked glasses with him and smiled, "Wien, my friend, you're exaggerating."
"It was just good luck that I got some accurate inside information."
"No, this is not just news, but a precise grasp of timing!"
"We escaped unscathed from almost the highest point, which is an extraordinary talent in itself!" Wayne exclaimed sincerely, then lowered his voice and leaned forward, "Well then, my dear King Solomon, regarding the 'guards' you mentioned earlier... my lads now worship you to the skies."
£10 a day! Good heavens, they're fighting tooth and nail for it! How many do you need? Just name your price!
Han Zhenhua pondered for a moment and said, "At present, four people a day should be enough. The requirements are that they are skilled, alert, and reliable, and preferably during their rest periods so as not to interfere with the normal duties of the ship."
The main purpose was to provide some "conspicuous" protection when I went out, especially when I was active in the Chinese-controlled areas, the International Settlement, and the French Concession.
"Absolutely no problem! Protecting the citizens of the British Empire is the duty of our Royal Navy's Yangtze River Fleet!" Wayne patted his chest and assured them, "I will personally select the best young men!"
Starting tomorrow, no, the day after, the first group of four will arrive at your villa on time! They will be dressed in civilian clothes, but will bring the necessary 'gadgets' (referring to weapons), and everyone will know that you, Mr. Zhenhua Cole, are a friend of the Royal Navy of the British Empire! This statement is undoubtedly a powerful shield.
Just as Han Zhenhua and Captain Wayne were enjoying drinks together, the Lin Mansion extended an invitation to him.
This time, it was Lin Xiaowen who called personally, her voice filled with excitement and a hint of barely perceptible shyness: "Teacher Han, my father... he would like to invite you to our home for a casual meal tomorrow. I wonder if that would be convenient for you?"
The following evening, Han Zhenhua arrived on time for the appointment. The Lin Mansion was located in a quiet garden villa area in the French Concession, grand yet elegant.
The dishes at the restaurant were more refined and plentiful than those at the Western restaurant last time, but the atmosphere was more homey.
Lin Yaodong personally stood up to greet him, his smile more than ten times more genuine than when he was at the stock exchange.
"Teacher Han, please have a seat! Wow, what a young hero! I'm truly impressed!"
Lin Yaodong personally poured wine for Han Zhenhua, saying, "To be honest, I followed your lead and invested 10,000 pounds, making a net profit of over 20,000! This return on investment is the greatest I've ever seen in my twenty years in the industry, almost rivaling the rubber stocks of the early Republic of China!"
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Lin Yaodong finally couldn't contain his curiosity and tentatively asked, "Teacher Han, the timing of your operation this time was so precise, it was simply miraculous."
Not only were the entry points precise, but the exit points were also timed so perfectly, almost exiting unscathed at the highest point... This is something that cannot be achieved simply by relying on insider information.
Could it be that Professor Han is not just a physicist, but also has profound knowledge of the financial market? He was amazed that Han Zhenhua could know the exact time of the US policy release in advance, and admired his accurate "top-selling" skills. Having worked in the industry for 20 years, he knew that "top-selling" was the most difficult part of the entire operation.
Han Zhenhua put down his chopsticks, smiled slightly, and used the same old excuse: "Chairman Lin, you flatter me. It was just a combination of some information, plus a bit of luck and intuition. The financial market is ever-changing; there are no truly invincible generals. This time it was just a fluke."
Seeing that the young man was tight-lipped, Lin Yaodong knew he wouldn't get any information out of him, so he didn't press the issue. Instead, he felt even more that this young man was unfathomable. He exclaimed, "Intuition? Your intuition is more accurate than what we old guys analyze for ages! Truly formidable, truly formidable!"
Lin Xiaowen listened from the side, her gaze towards Han Zhenhua growing increasingly bright, filled with admiration and curiosity. She frequently served Han Zhenhua food, carefully explaining the characteristics of each dish, her cheeks often flushing slightly.