Chapter 39: Heroes Emerge in Troubled Times!

"That's why I told you so!"
Just as everyone was getting excited, Li Huilin said triumphantly, "Following our manager is definitely the right choice! You didn't believe me back then!"
"Hey, Huilin, I've always been really curious!" Liang Haiyuan's eyes lit up, his face beaming with a gossipy smile:
"What was our manager like before...? Was his investment acumen already this incredible back then?"
"Of course! Otherwise, why would he have been promoted to manager so quickly, like a rocket?"
Li Huilin's smugness deepened.
"Wow! I'm so curious too! Sister Huilin, tell us about it!"
The others immediately swarmed around like a flock of eager chicks, their ears perked up and eyes sparkling.
"Hehe, speaking of our manager... he's really... incredibly capable! Hmm~ let me think, where should I begin?"
Surrounded by everyone like a star, Li Huilin's vanity was greatly satisfied. She smiled mysteriously, whetting everyone's appetite before slowly beginning:
"Right! Let's talk about his first time trading on a demo account! Back then, he was just a newbie who hadn't been with the company long, and then, he suddenly went all in on a worthless stock called 'ST Zhongrun'! Everyone thought he was crazy..."
Listening to Li Huilin vividly recount Su Hao's past "heroic deeds" that seemed to have superpowers,
the members of Trading Department Seven listened intently, their eyes wide with admiration.
As the ancients said, troubled times produce heroes.
Perhaps, in this turbulent, bloody, and financially chaotic world where one wrong move can lead to ruin, Su Hao truly is, in the eyes of these small fry…
the one who appeared out of nowhere, turned the tide, and led them to financial freedom… a great hero!
***
At the same time, in the chairman's office of Fanghuan Investment.
Huang Fengwen rubbed his aching neck, feeling the veins throbbing in his temples, his blood pressure threatening to spike again.
Damn it! My right eyelid has been twitching since I woke up this morning; I have a feeling some treacherous subject is trying to harm me.
And sure enough! It came true!
And it's terrible news right off the bat!
"Are you sure? There wasn't a single hint? Not even the slightest indication of a policy change?"
Huang Fengwen frowned, his tone icy, like a Siberian chill that made the secretary-general shiver:
"We've deployed so many intelligence networks over there! So many informants! So much money spent! Were they all just sitting around doing nothing?"
"Yes, Chairman. We've checked repeatedly. Absolutely... without any warning."
The secretary-general lowered his head, fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead, and answered cautiously:
"Even... based on some indirect information we've received, it's highly suspicious that the regulatory authorities made this decision... on a whim, very suddenly."
This is too abnormal!
Completely illogical!
If they truly began planning and preparing this major regulatory policy weeks, even days, in advance, given Fanghuan Investment's intelligence capabilities, it's impossible they wouldn't have caught a single whisper of it!
Yet, they didn't!
This can only mean either the regulators' secrecy was impeccable.
Or… they themselves realized that this stock market bubble had inflated far too wildly.
It had grown so large that even they were alarmed, fearing that without intervention, it would completely spiral out of control, triggering an irreversible systemic collapse!
So… they gritted their teeth, decided to act quickly, and decided that a short, sharp pain was better than a long, drawn-out one!
Let's strike first!
“Even if it was a last-minute decision, there should have been some leaks! Wait! Could it be… that our intelligence channels are malfunctioning?”
Huang Fengwen tapped his fingers impatiently on the expensive mahogany desk, making a dull thud.
“Or perhaps we don’t know, but other financial companies… could they have already received a tip and made preparations? Have you heard anything?”
In the financial industry, especially for top-tier private equity firms like theirs, having access to inside information is crucial.
Each firm has its own secretly constructed intelligence network, intricate and powerful, penetrating every corner.
"Based on the information we've gathered so far, many... many of the smaller private equity firms that leveraged heavily to bet on this one-sided upward trend have already been liquidated."
The Secretary-General reported, his voice somewhat hoarse:
"Other slightly larger peers have also suffered heavy losses, their businesses severely damaged. They're probably crying and wailing in their offices."
Hearing that his peers were also unlucky, Huang Fengwen felt a little better:
"Hmm... that's understandable. Even a leader like Fanghuan Investment, which claims to have the 'most well-informed channels in the industry,' was kept in the dark. Where could they have gotten advance intelligence?"
"Yes, Chairman, theoretically that's how it is. But..."
The Secretary-General hesitated, seemingly choosing his words carefully, but ultimately decided to report the truth:
"Right now, there is indeed a... very strange rumor circulating quietly in the market."
"A strange rumor? What rumor?"
Huang Fengwen's eyelids twitched, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
"It's said... just three days before this major crash! A mysterious institution started a buying frenzy in the market!
Buying massive amounts of put options! And... specifically, they bought put options on stock indices!
It's said they didn't care about expiration dates, didn't consider costs, bought as many as they could, practically sweeping up every related option they could find on the market!"
"Wh-what?"
Huang Fengwen jumped up from his chair, his eyes wide like saucers, his body leaning forward slightly in shock. An incredulous horror and anger instantly overwhelmed him!
"Three days ago? Wasn't that when the market was at its most frenzied, when the surge was most dramatic, when everyone was rushing in like they were on steroids?"
He practically roared, his voice trembling with excitement:
"At that critical juncture... someone actually went against the grain? And it was put options, no less? And they were buying them up regardless of cost?"
"Yes, Chairman. Judging from the scale and method of the transactions, it's highly likely to be the work of one institution. But which institution it is, due to the extremely secretive nature of their operations, is currently... still unidentified."
This is too strange!
Too abnormal!
Too damn bizarre!
At the height of the bull market frenzy, when market sentiment was at its most euphoric, when everyone was blindly making money,
someone actually acted like a spendthrift, throwing tens of millions of dollars into a frenzy to buy up put options that, at the time, seemed like worthless pieces of paper and nobody wanted?
This only means one thing!
Something that sent chills down Huang Fengwen's spine!
"—Those sons of bitches! They knew all along!"
Huang Fengwen practically spat out the words through clenched teeth, his eyes instantly turning icy and sharp, filled with murderous intent.
Unless they had prior knowledge of top-secret insider information capable of upending the market, it was simply impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
To pull off such a crazy move!
So precise!
Such an incredible maneuver!
"Are you sure? Confirm with me one hundred percent again!"
Huang Fengwen stared intently at the secretary-general, his voice low and menacing:
"Really! No information! No leaks beforehand?"
"Yes, Chairman! I've repeatedly confirmed through the highest-level channels! Absolutely not!"
The secretary-general shuddered, but still forced a firm reply:
"According to all the information we've been able to access, the regulatory decision was indeed made on the spot and immediately announced! Even many within their ranks only found out at the last minute!"
"Then... what the hell is going on with those guys who were sweeping up 'worthless options' on such a massive scale?"
Huang Fengwen felt his intelligence had been insulted and challenged like never before; he could barely contain his anger:
"Could they be prophetic? Or did they consult a shaman or a feng shui master to predict the stock market crash?"
"This... I really don't know... This is indeed... beyond reason."
The secretary-general was equally bewildered, cold sweat already soaking his shirt collar.
Someone must be there!
Someone, or some mysterious force, must have somehow obtained this top-secret information—enough to shake up the market—through some unknown channel!
Otherwise, it's inexplicable!
That incredibly skillful, textbook-perfect, precise bottom-fishing and short-selling operation!
“You remember this!! In this circle! In this ruthless capital market! Intelligence! It's the lifeline! It's everything! At Fanghuan Investment, our information network must be at its absolute best!!”
Huang Fengwen slammed his fist on the table with a loud thud, his voice trembling slightly—a mixture of extreme anger and…fear.
"This is the foundation of our unwavering position as the industry leader! It's our core competitiveness! But now... we've been... utterly left behind in the most crucial intelligence battle?"
"..."
The Secretary-General fell silent, not daring to even breathe.
Huang Fengwen's sensitivity, even his apparent loss of composure, stemmed from a profound reason.
Because this was the first time Fanghuan Investment had ever experienced this since it fought its way to the top of the private equity industry!
The first time in history!
In such a significant event, one that could reshape the market landscape, they were outmatched in information!
Although everyone talks about "value investing," "long-term holding," and "no insider trading," who in this circle doesn't understand?
To survive in the brutal capital market, and thrive, to become a apex predator, what ultimately matters?
Information!
Leading intelligence!
Whose information is faster, more accurate, and more crucial!
"Search every inch of the place! At all costs! Dig out this rat hiding in the shadows!!"
A cold glint flashed in Huang Fengwen's eyes, like a venomous snake about to pounce:
"I want to see who this bastard is! Daring to mess with me, Huang Fengwen! Daring to touch Fanghuan Investment's cheese!"
"Yes, Chairman! I'll take care of it right away!" The secretary-general, relieved, quickly responded and withdrew.
Only Huang Fengwen remained in the office. He slowly sat back in his chair, wearily rubbing his temples.
The stock market plummeted.
Well, although this was sudden, it was ultimately part of market risk. While it hurt, it was within the foreseeable range of risk.
The losses were certainly substantial, but Fanghuan Investment was a large and powerful company, and had always implemented risk hedging and management, so it wouldn't be crippling.
But!
What's more terrifying than losing money?
It was the kind of fear that comes from being surpassed, manipulated, and completely oblivious, like a fool!
Especially being defeated in the core battlefield of information!
Huang Fengwen, a seasoned veteran of the financial markets, a veteran of countless storms.
For the first time in many, many years, he felt a chilling coldness, like a venomous snake, silently creeping up his spine and straight to the top of his head!
Beneath this seemingly calm surface, a truly terrifying storm was brewing!