The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 785 Humiliation
As the first financial company to invest before the project even started, the bank took on a lot of risks and therefore also sought higher returns.

For the same amount of money invested, there will be a higher bonus.

For example, for a company valued at $10 billion, a bank can only get 5000% of the shares by investing $5 million, but with a bonus, it can usually get 8% or even 10% of the shares.

This is natural for the financial giants present here.

This is the industry rule and no one will refuse them.

But for Chen Zhengwei, this is totally untrue.

"Tell me, what are the risks? Do you think I will be killed? Who wants to kill me? Is it you who wants to kill me? Then you deserve to die!" Chen Zhengwei kept staring at JP Morgan with a bad look on his face.

By the end of his speech, Chen Zhengwei's face was filled with murderous intent, as if he believed in his own reasoning.

JP Morgan was a little confused. He could not understand Chen Zhengwei's way of thinking and reasoning at all.

But he knew the situation was not good.

"Chen, don't be so excited. This is a set of risk calculation methods used by financial institutions, including geopolitics. Britain and France may interfere with the construction of this canal, and there are risks in the construction of the canal itself... You can't deny this!" William Rockefeller spoke up to smooth things over.

"I am very calm, otherwise you would only see a dead body now!" Chen Zhengwei spread his hands and glanced at William Rockefeller: "But I think you are not very respectful to me. You actually said that I was excited..."

"I apologize! Chen, forgive my recklessness!" William Rockefeller said immediately.

Chen Zhengwei waved to William Rockefeller.

William Rockefeller hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward.

"Closer!" Chen Zhengwei continued.

William Rockefeller took a deep breath and walked to Chen Zhengwei.

Chen Zhengwei grabbed William Rockefeller's balls.

William Rockefeller's face first turned blue, then red. He staggered and fell to his knees on the ground, his eyes wide open and his forehead covered with sweat.

Chen Zhengwei withdrew his hand and waved to the side: "Bring a towel over here!"

Taking the towel, Chen Zhengwei wiped his hands and said, "For John's sake, I forgive your recklessness! But only this time!"

The gentlemen who had been watching this place from a distance were all shocked when they saw this scene.

For a man like William Rockefeller, this situation was a great humiliation.

This matter will spread throughout New York's upper social circles tonight, without the need for tomorrow.

"Did you remember?" Chen Zhengwei threw the towel on the ground, turned his head to look at William Rockefeller who was lying on the ground with his legs tightened, and stared at his expression.

"Or should I finish you off now?"

"Remember...remember..." William Rockefeller said with difficulty.

"Say thank you! I rarely give people chances!" Chen Zhengwei continued to look at him.

William Rockefeller gritted his teeth and said after a while: "Thank you, it's my fault!"

Chen Zhengwei stared at him for a moment, then retracted his gaze and said to the others, "I originally wanted to discuss this matter with you in a more calm manner."

"But you seem to have forgotten your own identities, and also my identity?"

"Have I been too soft-hearted in the past two years?" Chen Zhengwei looked at them with amusement.

"Mr. Chen, this is a misunderstanding!" others said immediately.

"It's not a misunderstanding!" Chen Zhengwei waved his hands, with a look of sarcasm on his face: "Do you think I don't know what you are thinking?"

"I just don't want to eat alone! I'm the one giving you the chance! Not you giving me the chance!"

"Then you talk to me about risks and markups?" Chen Zhengwei's gaze returned to JP Morgan.

"What's going on in your head?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen!" JP Morgan felt the hairs on his body stand up under Chen Zhengwei's gaze.

That familiar feeling.

The feeling when I first dealt with Chen Zhengwei.

It was like being stared at by a wild beast.

“I don’t really like people apologizing to me…”

Chen Zhengwei turned his gaze to the other people: "What about you?"

"Mr. Chen, we didn't say anything."

"The problem is that you didn't say anything!" Chen Zhengwei sneered.

"I'm sorry too, Mr. Chen!" George F. Baker from the Bank of New York spoke first, followed by others.

"I've said before, I don't like people apologizing to me. Do you have any creative ways of expressing it?" Chen Zhengwei looked at a few people for a moment, lowered his head and used his fingernails to pick up the invisible dust from under another person's fingernails.

Now that he had finished beating him, he didn't plan to pursue the matter any further.

"Why don't you help Mr. Rockefeller up? What will others think if they see this?"

The few people then breathed a sigh of relief and quickly helped William Rockefeller up.

"Since you can't speak, let me speak!" Chen Zhengwei picked at his nails and said slowly, "7500 million US dollars for 6% of the shares! This is fair."

"How to distribute it is your problem."

"I am fair in what I do, you should know that."

"Also, $100 million worth of government-guaranteed bonds will be issued next!"

"My California International Bank is the lead underwriter, and you are the co-underwriter. The underwriting fee I give you is 1.5%."

"That's the situation. Does anyone have a different opinion?" Chen Zhengwei finally stopped fiddling with his nails and looked up at the others. "No objection. Let's follow your arrangement, Mr. Chen!" everyone said.

In fact, 7500 million US dollars and 7.5% of the shares are reasonable, but Chen Zhengwei is too strong...no one wants to oppose him at this time.

Moreover, when underwriting bonds, they are usually the lead underwriters. Even if they are co-underwriters, the underwriting fee is 2.5-3%.

Chen Zhengwei wiped half of it as soon as he opened his mouth.

But still no one would object.

Chen Zhengwei hadn't been back to New York for two years. When he came back, it was clear that he was still the same Chen Zhengwei, still so vicious and powerful.

In fact, Chen Zhengwei has become much more restrained. After having a child, his personality has become much calmer and more stable.

If it had happened two years ago, at least one of JP Morgan and William Rockefeller would have died.

Chen Zhengwei's dominance was also noticed by other guests attending the banquet.

Although I don’t know what is being said here, I can tell from the expressions and situations of the people.

Ouyang Ming stood in the corner holding a wine glass, and sighed in his heart at Chen Zhengwei's dominance, but he still held the same view that being too strong will lead to failure.

William Rockefeller was a big shot on Wall Street in the United States. How could he swallow such humiliation?
He is not a small person who is incapable of revenge.

Although Chen Zhengwei had been unscrupulous in the past, he had never treated a Wall Street giant like this in public.

Not far from him, the new British Minister, Lionel West, had been keeping an eye on the situation over there since these people went to a distant corner, his eyes constantly flashing.

The scene before him gave him a lot of thoughts.

"Since there is no problem, we should enjoy this banquet!" Chen Zhengwei nodded and glanced at William Rockefeller when he stood up and left.

The other party lowered his head slightly.

Chen Zhengwei then withdrew his gaze and walked towards Cicely.

"What happened over there just now?" On the dance floor, Cicely leaned on Chen Zhengwei's shoulder and asked in a low voice.

"A little problem..."

"This is no small problem..." Cicely Dupont reminded.

Although she is very simple and has no ambition, she has seen a lot of things since she was a child due to the influence of her surroundings.

What Chen Zhengwei did did not seem to have done anything to William Rockefeller, but it was actually very serious.

Gilded Age financiers were generally intolerant of humiliation.

Especially when such an incident happened in public, his economic, political influence and social status would be greatly affected, which is the core of their power.

They must retaliate to deter.

And…the financial giants of this era all believe in Social Darwinism, or survival of the fittest.

They firmly believe that their success is part of talent, hard work, and superiority, and they also see their authority as part of the "natural order."

Although Cicely DuPont could not fully understand all of this, she instinctively understood that this was by no means a small problem as Chen Zhengwei mentioned.

"That's great!" Chen Zhengwei said meaningfully.

After dancing, Chen Zhengwei chatted with several railway company giants for a while, and this time things went much more smoothly.

He always has to remind these people from time to time that he is the king.

What's more, he was looking for a partner to build a railway in Mexico.

Today, there is fierce competition among railroad companies in the United States, especially in the West and South, and Chen Zhengwei has great influence.

The two sides hit it off and soon reached a preliminary intention.

It was still his old acquaintance, the Pacific Railroad Company.

Chen Zhengwei will use his influence to help the Pacific Railroad expand in the West and Texas, and the Pacific Railroad will help Chen Zhengwei build the Mexican railway.

After the banquet, when Xu Yan went back home in the evening, he wanted to talk about the small conflict at the banquet, but he didn't find a chance.

It was not until the next day, when Chen Zhengwei got up and had morning tea, that Xu Yan had the chance to find Chen Zhengwei.

"Brother Wei, why did the conflict happen last night?"

"That guy takes himself too seriously. I don't like his tone. It's also a reminder to others what attitude they should have when facing me!" Chen Zhengwei said nonchalantly.

"I'm afraid that guy won't give up. Should we arrange an accident?" Xu Yan asked.

"Not necessary for now! We just need to give others some chances and let them pay attention to him!" Chen Zhengwei said meaningfully.

It would have been fine if William Rockefeller had just taken this loss quietly.

If he is unwilling...

That's really great.

Even Chen Zhengwei cannot kill a Wall Street tycoon at will now, as it will inevitably lead to hatred and hostility from others.

The influence of these Wall Street tycoons is considerable.

But if William Rockefeller took revenge out of resentment... then no one else could say anything.

The most important thing is that Chen Zhengwei will be able to take action against another person at that time.

His partner, John Rockefeller.

And his Standard Oil!

After all, if someone put Standard Oil in front of him, he would not refuse it.

(End of this chapter)