The unparalleled talent of the country started from Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 293 Buy One Get One Free Donation (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

January 1, 1986, was New Year's Day.

In Finland, in Northern Europe, Nokia has launched its latest product, the Nokia S100 mobile phone, in multiple stores across Europe.

Consumers were incredulous when they saw the price of the phone, as it cost two thousand US dollars.

Nokia didn't follow the example of companies like Huaxin and Motorola, which focused on fancy pricing. A price of two thousand US dollars was just right and easy to calculate.

Schoumburg, Illinois, USA: Executive meeting room at Motorola headquarters.

They all already knew Nokia's offer, and their expressions turned serious.

The $2,000 price tag indicates that Nokia's cost was definitely less than $1,500, or even lower.

But what gives them the right?

In some less developed regions such as India, South America, and the Middle East, the Motorola 8000X is priced at over two thousand US dollars, and in some places, it even reaches three thousand US dollars.

The price of $3995 was their initial price, but the sudden emergence of Huaxin Company meant that this price ultimately only existed on paper in the conference room.

In economically developed markets such as the United States, Europe, and Japan, they did not sell at the price of $3995, resulting in significant losses for them.

The market has now been ruined by CEFC, and even Nokia, a pioneer in mobile communications, has maintained a price of around $2,000.

So it seems that choosing to establish a factory in China was indeed a correct choice.

But is the cost of manufacturing mobile phones in Finland really that low?

It's truly unbelievable, but that must be the truth.

So what should we do next?
Price reduction?

Or should we continue developing new products?

However, new products are never that simple.

They all knew that adding new functions to mobile phones, such as receiving text messages, was necessary, but this technology was not so simple. In addition, the base stations they built were all analog mobile communication technology, not digital communication technology.

The development of digital communication technology actually emerged quite some time ago, but this technology is not yet a reality due to certain difficulties.

First, the cost is too high; second, the technology is not mature enough for commercial operation.

"Let's collaborate with Qualcomm to see if we can solve this technical problem. We must develop the next generation of mobile phones before Huaxin does."

In the end, Motorola had no choice but to make the decision.

On the other side, in the administration building of Harbin Institute of Technology, is the secretary's office.

Wang Duoyu yawned and listened listlessly as Liu Deben and the others introduced how Lotte Group made profits during this wave of yen appreciation, earning more than six billion US dollars, reaching six billion US dollars.

It's quite impressive that such a large sum of money was able to escape successfully.

As we all know, the foreign exchange market sees a large volume of transactions every year because of the extensive trade between the United States and Japan. Simply put, the United States uses its greenbacks to buy large quantities of Japanese goods.

Japan earns tens of billions of US dollars from the United States every year, and in 1985, it even approached 100 billion US dollars.

In 1984, Japan's GDP was 1.35 trillion US dollars, a large portion of which was earned from the United States, right?
Whether it is true or not is no longer important.

This also shows that there are a large number of transactions between the United States and Japan every year.

High trading volume also means huge volatility in the foreign exchange market.

However, a profit of $6.8 billion also means that the underlying capital costs will be even greater.

For example, Wang Jianchao earned more than 27 million US dollars, but the cost had already reached 80 billion yen, which is about 500 million US dollars.

Lotte Group's profit from this wave is $6.8 billion. Although it has not yet sold off all its holdings, it has already made a profit.

After all, the yen will continue to appreciate, or at least maintain its current level, because it's impossible for the Americans to be satisfied in just a few months.

If the dollar appreciates and the yen depreciates after just a few months, then US exports will certainly lose competitiveness in the international market.

Therefore, Lotte Group is shipping its goods slowly, not in a hurry to clear out all the money at once.

The reason Wang Jianchao and his group were in such a hurry to liquidate their positions was because they had leveraged their investments and were afraid of being liquidated.

After all, if you get liquidated, you'll lose everything.

The reason Wang Duoyu felt bored at this moment was because the 6.8 billion US dollars was really not much.

If they were bold enough, the income wouldn't be like this.

Of course, Lotte Group has a lot of money, so it's normal for them to play it safe.

Finally, after Liu Deben and the others finished discussing the revenue, they started talking about Nokia's pricing.

"Since they've already announced a price of two thousand US dollars, let's lower our price too."

In Wang Duoyu's strategy, Huaxin Company first lowered prices, whether it was for PHS phones or cordless phones, in order to clear inventory.

Or rather, it's about expanding market share.

The old PHS (Personal Handyphone System) mobile phone used to cost $1,984. What if it were now sold for buy one get one free?
It's very simple. You can buy two PHS phones for $1,984. Wouldn't consumers love that?

It's safe to say that with this marketing strategy, many consumers will be happy to buy.

Despite the fact that many PHS phones were sold in 1984 and 1985, a year and a half after their launch, there are still many people around the world who want to buy them but cannot afford them.

Even with a buy-one-get-one-free offer, it's still very expensive.

So let's not worry about anything else for now, let's just seize the market first.

As for why not just price it at around nine hundred US dollars a unit, wouldn't that be better?

Of course, if that were the case, sales wouldn't increase so easily.

If someone really wants to buy a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) phone and their budget is 1,000 yuan, and Huaxin Company directly reduces the price to over 900 US dollars, then they will definitely buy it immediately.

But if it's a buy-one-get-one-free offer, he'll definitely go to his friends and discuss buying such a phone together.

Perhaps his friend was only interested in the phone but had no intention of buying it.

Now, however, it was because of the persuasion of friends that I finally couldn't resist the temptation and their nagging, and I still went and bought it.

Then sales will increase.

Therefore, there is a significant difference between direct price reductions and buy-one-get-one-free marketing strategies.

On the other hand, although the cordless phone was offered as a free gift with a prepaid phone plan, the price remained at $799.

If cordless phones were no longer included in the promotion of giving away phones with prepaid phone credit, and were instead sold directly for $200, would sales skyrocket?

Many families would definitely be happy to buy it.

It's worth noting that back in 1982, the cost of a cordless phone had already been reduced to 300 RMB per unit.

It's now 1985, no, it's January 1986.

The cost of producing a cordless phone has already been reduced to 260 yuan.

The cost can continue to decrease as time goes on.

The cost of 260 RMB, plus transportation and other costs, will definitely not exceed 300 RMB.

At a price of $200, and with the current exchange rate of RMB to USD (one USD equals 3.5 RMB), Huaxin Company can make a lot of money.

Two hundred US dollars is equivalent to seven hundred yuan, so Huaxin Company can make a lot of money.

However, in the United States, many families would still be willing to switch to a cordless phone if they could buy one for just $200, even if it was limited to the home and yard and could not be used more than 300 meters away.

After listening to Wang Duoyu's strategy, Liu Deben, Lü Gongliang, Chen Baoxi and others all nodded in agreement.

No one would be foolish enough to ask why we didn't just announce the second generation of the PHS phone first.
It will definitely be announced, but not now. It will take at least six months, nine months, or even a year.

It remains to be seen how long Wang Duoyu's strategy of buying one PHS phone and getting one free, and reducing the price of cordless phones to $200, will remain effective.

The meeting is now almost over.

But just a few days later, Xia Huarong and Zhang Yuebin flew over from Shanghai.

"Professor Wang, thank you so much. I know you really like aged baijiu. Here's a 100-liter jar of Zhuyeqing, which has been aged for 22 years and is very well preserved."

The Zhuyeqing liquor, aged for twenty-two years, is a very good liquor, even though it can't compare to Wuliangye in terms of quality.

This means that the wine was produced in 1964. Everyone knows what time that was, because the three years of natural disasters had only been over for two years. It is highly likely that not many people bought these Zhuyeqing wines, so they were eventually sealed and stored away.

But the fact that it has been preserved to this day is truly amazing.

"No, no, it's too valuable, I can't accept it!"

Wang Duoyu immediately refused upon seeing it.

A 100-liter jar is certainly not small.

Xia Huarong and his team had their staff use trolleys to push the vehicle, which must have made the entire transportation process very troublesome.

After all, 100 liters of wine is quite heavy.

"Professor Wang, compared to the advice you gave us that earned us so much foreign exchange, this jar of wine is nothing."

Zhang Yuebin immediately offered his advice, and at the same time, he signaled to his staff to deliver the jar of wine directly to Wang Duoyu's home.

"Besides, Professor Wang, we've already delivered them. How you handle them is your own business; we certainly won't take them back."

After some polite refusals, Liu Deben finally agreed on Wang Duoyu's behalf, so that everyone could save face.

More than ten minutes later, the group went to the secretary's office in the administration building to chat. Wang Duoyu originally did not want to come, but he was still persuaded by everyone to come and sit down for a while.

"This time, Shanghai invested a total of 500 million US dollars. At first, we were quite conservative, but later, with the signing of the Plaza Accord, we became full of confidence."

According to Xia Huarong and his group, this time Shanghai Chengtou went directly to Hong Kong Island and invested in the Hong Kong foreign exchange market.

However, the market here is still not big enough.

Finally, Xia Huarong and his team made the decision to have Shanghai Chengtou register multiple companies in Japan, change their identities, and then re-enter the Japanese foreign exchange market.

This time, they directly sought financing from Japanese banks or financial institutions.

By November, their leverage had reached tenfold.

As the yen continued to appreciate, Shanghai Chengtou also increased its leverage. By December, during the last wave of appreciation, their leverage had reached twenty times.

For a company to achieve such leverage is quite insane.

Increased leverage and continuous buying and selling led to Shanghai Chengtou's final profit exceeding US$1.5 billion.

They took out 500 million US dollars and ended up making 1.5 billion US dollars, so Xia Huarong and his team were naturally very happy.

If they weren't afraid of making mistakes, Xia Huarong and the others would have given Wang Duoyu a big red envelope.

After listening, Wang Duoyu raised his eyebrows in surprise, and then said:
"To be honest, it's beyond my expectations that you two leaders have made so much money, but it has little to do with me."

"On the contrary, the management of your Shanghai Chengtou Group, specifically the leader in charge of foreign exchange investment this time, is indeed a very capable financial talent."

This wasn't just Wang Duoyu praising someone randomly; the other person was genuinely incredibly impressive.

The fact that the other party was able to grow so large and powerful in such a short period of time with such a small amount of capital and leverage requires considerable strength, courage, and luck. Even if they did make so much profit, they might not have been able to escape smoothly.

International capital is not blind, especially those financial institutions in Japan.

If others really collude and do something haphazardly, causing Shanghai Chengtou to go bankrupt, that would be quite interesting.

Therefore, if Shanghai Chengtou wants to avoid being liquidated, it must ensure that it has sufficient margin and not easily reveal its hand.

This requires a great deal of investment wisdom.

"Yes, you guys are really amazing," Liu Deben said, offering his congratulations against his will.

Lu Gongliang, standing to the side, also looked somewhat strained.

Because Lotte Group had planned for many years and invested tens of billions of US dollars, it only earned 6.8 billion US dollars in the end.

Although this is just the beginning, because real estate and stock markets will definitely continue to rise, this wave of market activity can still generate huge profits.

However, regardless of the circumstances, Lotte Group failed to maximize its profits during this wave of yen appreciation, which can be attributed to their overly conservative approach.

Shanghai Chengtou only put up 500 million US dollars, but eventually made back 1.5 billion US dollars. This deal is worth writing about.

After chatting for a while, everyone went to a hotel for dinner that evening, because Xia Huarong and his team had specially purchased a batch of very good ingredients from abroad to celebrate this bumper harvest.

It's all thanks to Wang Duoyu that Shanghai was able to make so much money this time.

At the dinner table, Wang Duoyu suddenly asked curiously, "How will Shanghai use this money?"
"Professor Wang, what suggestions do you have?"

Zhang Yuebin asked with great respect, and Xia Huarong and the others also cast curious glances at him. Wang Duoyu, however, shook his head and said:

"No, I have no advice. Spending money is none of my business. I'm just curious. You can talk about it if you want, or if you don't want to or need to keep it a secret, then don't. I don't have any particular thoughts about it."

To be honest, when it comes to spending money, few people can compare to Wang Duoyu.

After all, if Xia Huarong and his group want to spend money, it's mainly on urban infrastructure and other aspects, which requires a lot of funds.

But if it were Wang Duoyu, it would not only cost a lot of money, but also require a lot of professional talent and a long time.

From the Mach 5 fighter jet project to the Dawning supercomputing project, and then to the large optical telescope project, each project is not simple, because they all require a lot of money, talent and time.

In other words, the Mach 5 fighter jet project is a key national project, with funding allocated from higher authorities. Harbin Institute of Technology is also responsible for a portion of the funding, but thankfully, it's not a large amount.

Upon hearing this, Xia Huarong immediately stated frankly that the money would be used to import large quantities of steel, oil, talent, and technical equipment from abroad, and how to spend it was already under discussion.

The development of Shanghai is inseparable from support in areas such as talent.

In order to grow bigger and stronger as much as possible, Shanghai needs to make better plans for this round and not waste this 1.5 billion US dollars.

For example, Shanghai has already made progress in areas such as the construction of a deep-water port terminal and urban infrastructure projects such as bridges, all of which require raw materials such as steel.

"It's great. This deep-water port, bridge, and other facilities are really impressive. If you want to get rich, build roads first."

Wang Duoyu immediately smiled and nodded in agreement.

I enjoyed the meal tonight.

However, the next day, Xia Huarong and his group were still there. It was said that they had gone to chat with Tong Jianwei and his group.

Wang Duoyu didn't know the answer to this either, but he didn't think much of it after Liu Deben and the others mentioned it casually.

So, on the 9th, Wang Jun'an's birthday, Xia Huarong and the others showed up.

Upon seeing this, Wang Duoyu's face darkened, and he quickly pulled them aside.

"Distinguished leaders, I'm very happy that you've come to celebrate my son's birthday, but you don't know, my eldest son just had his birthday last month, and it wasn't nearly as lively as it is today. Compared to today, I'll have to give my eldest son a good pampering tonight."

"So, take all the gifts you brought later. Don't give them to the children, or they'll be upset."

"Also, your intentions are enough, but please don't bring gifts. In fact, I suggest you don't come to this kind of event next time. Otherwise, you might achieve your goal, but I'll be the one suffering."

"Most importantly, I can't let my children learn these unhealthy habits like comparing themselves to others from a young age, so please understand!"

These heartfelt words filled Xia Huarong and the others with shame.

To be honest, they didn't really think that much about it.

If they had known this would happen, they should have asked beforehand instead of throwing this kind of surprise.

Often, this kind of sudden surprise is not a surprise, but a shock.

Tong Jianwei, Kang Yumin, Zhao Guobin, and others apologized repeatedly before quickly leaving.

Qi Xingbang, Yuan Youlan, and others who came from Kunming, Guangzhou, and other places also apologized somewhat awkwardly and left behind Xia Huarong and the others. The birthday banquet, which had been quite lively, became relatively quiet after Xia Huarong and the others left.

"Dad, didn't you get off work? Why are you still working?"

After Wang Duoyu saw off Yuan Youlan and the other leaders, the Wang brothers, Junhong and Junan, were already standing behind him.

"Yes, they just came to see me about something, it's nothing serious, don't worry. Come on, let's go celebrate your birthday."

Upon hearing this, Wang Duoyu breathed a sigh of relief and echoed the little guy's words.

The following birthday party was nothing out of the ordinary. Wang Duoyu didn't give the little guy any extraordinary gift; it was just a model airplane, albeit one that was already assembled.

"Dad, why is my brother's model airplane assembled, while mine is just a collection of pieces?"

“You’re the older brother, and you’re already five years old. Your younger brother is only two, so he doesn’t quite understand these things yet. But next time, I’ll buy you a model, and you two brothers can assemble it together, okay?”

Although two-year-old Wang Jun'an could also assemble this airplane model, Wang Duoyu felt it was unnecessary.

Since it's a gift, let's just give one directly.

If they like it, we can buy it then.

Anyway, the Magic Child Toy Factory has already started operations, so there will be no shortage of these high-end toy models.

Plastic toys are considered low-end.

Copper alloy metal toy models are high-end toys, and selling these toys also yields higher profits.

"Yay, thank you Dad!"

The two brothers cheered happily, and Wang Duoyu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly diverted their attention.

After celebrating his birthday, Wang Duoyu finally had a detailed chat with Zheng Baoyin and the others the next morning.

Zheng Baoyin and his group were not originally going to return to China so soon, but Wang Jianchao actually made more than 27 million US dollars in the last ten days of December, which greatly stimulated Zheng Baoyin and his group.

A group of people reprimanded Wang Jianchao, after all, such behavior was too much like a gambler's and should not be tolerated.

The two sides debated, and then a dispute arose.

In the end, Wang Duoyu found out about this and summoned them back with an urgent telegram from him.

Inside the chairman's office at the Want Want Group headquarters.

Wang Duoyu rarely comes to this office, but someone cleans it every day.

At this moment, Wang Duoyu sat expressionlessly in the office, while Wang Jianchao and the others standing in front of him dared not even breathe.

"You guys are really something, aren't you? You're all so bold, and you even think you're right, right?"

After a while, Wang Duoyu finally spoke.

Upon hearing his words, Zheng Baoyin and the others did not show any change in expression, but they breathed a sigh of relief.

It's not that I'm afraid Wang Duoyu will get angry, it's that I'm afraid he'll stay silent. The fact that he's still willing to curse at this point means he's not too angry and there's still room for maneuver.

"You've earned nearly 30 million US dollars in just over six months, and you, you earned 27 million US dollars in just ten days. How about that? Don't you think you're awesome?"

Zheng Baoyin and the others quickly shook their heads, indicating that they did not.

Snapped!
Wang Duoyu slammed his fist on the table and shouted:

"No? You guys seem really capable, incredibly skilled. You're all financial experts, arguing and debating in New York offices, pulling these kinds of stunts on Wall Street, making a fortune!"

"If you guys are so capable, why don't you quit your jobs and hire someone to trade stocks and forex? You're always abroad anyway, so I can't control you. Besides, Wall Street is a place where wealth legends gather, and you can all thrive there."

Upon hearing Wang Duoyu's words, Zheng Baoyin and the others could only shake their heads.

In this matter, they did indeed do something wrong.

But this is a rare opportunity, so why not give it a try?

Although leveraging is extremely risky, they all managed to get through it unscathed in the end.

"None of you are quitting, right?"

Wei Ruolai, Wang Jianchao, Qu Haiping, Zheng Baoyin, and Liang Shengzhi all hurriedly shook their heads, indicating that they would not resign.

Upon seeing this, Wang Duoyu immediately said:
"Alright, in that case, I plan to build a high-speed asphalt road from Bingcheng to Dahonggou Village. You can each donate 60% of the amount proportionally, is that alright?"

what?
The five people were stunned. This ratio was too high!

For example, Wei Ruolai currently has a total of 2.93 million US dollars. If we take a 60% percentage, that would be 17.58 million US dollars.

After the donation, he only had $11.72 million left.

While he wouldn't be back to square one overnight, his fortune, which was almost over 30 million US dollars, has now dwindled to a mere 11.72 million US dollars, which is far too little.

"Not willing?" Wang Duoyu frowned immediately.

Zheng Baoyin asked awkwardly:
"Uncle, how about fifty percent?"

"Not good. Since you're haggling with me, then you'll have to hand over 70%. It's settled then."

what?
After letting out a cry of surprise, Zheng Baoyin quickly said:

"No, Uncle, I don't have much money! Seventy percent is too much!"

"Oh, since you think it's too much, why don't you quit your job?"

Resign?

As soon as those two words appeared, Zheng Baoyin immediately shook his head.

After all, he would rather hand over 70% than resign.

There's no other reason than that if he resigns, although he won't completely fall out with his uncle, he might not be able to get such a lucrative opportunity again.

As for the meager salary from Yuma Clothing, Zheng Baoyin no longer cares much about it.

He has already tasted the sweetness of this investment in the appreciation of the yen.

From now on, as long as he plays it a little more cautiously and keeps things more discreet, he won't have to worry about being discovered by his uncle.

In the future, he could also become a billionaire by taking advantage of these opportunities to make money through his uncle.

However, he still felt very pained if he had to hand over 70%.

He wanted to continue haggling, but Wang Duoyu didn't want to waste any more words with him.

"This is a lesson. Although your donation wasn't much, it taught you a valuable lesson: know when to stop!"

"You've all been living abroad for so long, you must be used to the outside world, right? Come on, everyone, tell me, who's willing to donate this time, and who's not? Step forward now."

Hearing Wang Duoyu's words, Qu Haiping and the others were still struggling, but Wang Jianchao had already made his choice.

He has the most money, because he currently has a total of over 43 million US dollars, which, at 60%, is 25.8 million US dollars.

How much is this money?
Of course, there are many, but he has to donate; he can't refuse, and he needs to be the first to donate.

Since his ninth uncle said so, there must be a reason behind it.

Moreover, this is his ninth uncle, and the money was used for the road from Bingcheng to Dahonggou Village, which is an asphalt road.

As we all know, asphalt roads are expensive, and the distance from Harbin to Dahonggou Village is more than 400 kilometers, which is quite far.

If the entire length is paved with asphalt, then they will also benefit from it.

Most importantly, the incident of his uncle's stroke last year is still fresh in his mind. If his father also needs emergency medical treatment in the future, then building this road will make things much more convenient and reduce many accidents.

"Not bad, not bad. They didn't bring shame to the Wang family. I'll handle this matter later, and then all the funds will be used to buy grain, oil, and steel bars."

Seeing this, Wang Duoyu nodded and said.

My third uncle's nephew isn't stupid; he knows how to make choices.

"Once this highway is completed, I will arrange for someone to erect a monument for you. It will clearly state who donated how much money."

hiss!
Hearing this, Wang Jianchao was even happier, because this would make him famous in both Harbin and his hometown.

There's a saying: "To return home in glory is like wearing fine clothes at night."

It's definitely a great thing that Wang Jianchao is on the donation list.

"Uncle Jiu, just record five million US dollars for my father and five million for my mother, and I'll keep fifteen million eight hundred thousand US dollars for myself."

"Great! I was just about to remind you, but I didn't expect you to have thought of that yourself. Good, you know what's good for you!" Wang Duoyu immediately gave his nephew a thumbs up.
"By doing this, you're not only being filial, but you also won't stand out too much. You haven't lost your humility during these years abroad, though you've become a bit short-tempered; you should work on that."

"Okay, Uncle Jiu, I understand!"

The conversation between the uncle and nephew reached the ears of Zheng Baoyin and the others, leaving them all in a daze.

Wen Shixuan was thrilled to hear this, but unfortunately he wasn't abroad, otherwise he could have caught this wave of money-making opportunities.

On the contrary, Facebook CEO Tong Zhigang, Maple Capital CEO Hela O'Brien, and Moto Toys CEO Qiao Hanliang were relatively calm.

Although Tong Zhigang had only been with the team for a short time, he had already earned a little money, not much, just a few hundred thousand US dollars, but he was already very content.

Needless to say, Hela O'Brien didn't make any investments personally, because he was in charge of the financial business segment, and that's just how the industry is, there's nothing he can do about it.

But it's okay, when the company makes money, his money won't be less either.

"Professor, I'm willing to donate too."

Wei Ruolai quickly echoed, and Zheng Baoyin, Qu Haiping, and Liang Shengzhi also nodded, indicating their willingness to donate money.

They've come this far; they have no choice but to comply.

Moreover, the conversation between Wang Duoyu and his nephew had just made them realize that although donating money was painful, it wasn't entirely without reward.

"Are you really willing? This is no small amount of money. Think it over carefully before you speak. Anyway, I've already given you a choice: besides donating money, you can also choose to resign!"

Upon hearing Wang Duoyu's words, everyone immediately shook their heads, indicating their willingness to donate money and not resign.

Anyone who quits is an idiot.

Although they were extremely reluctant to donate the money, Wang Duoyu was not joking and forced them to donate it.

Besides, Wang Duoyu has already clearly explained the purpose of the money, so how could they say no?

There's absolutely no room for negotiation, so it's better to just make things quick.

"Okay, since you're all willing to donate, thank you all for your generosity."

Wang Duoyu immediately laughed, then changed the subject and his tone:

"I know you're all feeling pretty bad. If I were in your shoes, and suddenly had so much money taken from me, I definitely wouldn't be happy either."

"But you must understand what it means to have a steady, long-term relationship, and what the wisdom of letting go is."

"Hela, please give a detailed report on the foreign exchange investment you were in charge of this time, and what risks you encountered."

Upon hearing this, Hela O'Brien immediately began her report.

Maple Capital has two investment departments: Investment Department 1 and Investment Department 2.

The investment department is the same department that Andy Slick worked in before. Their department is very relaxed because all the shares have been locked up.

All investments were completed more than half a year ago and then locked up without any action. The analysts and traders in this department were all in a state of silence.

This is also the main reason why the analyst named Henry Dale left Maple Capital.

Hela O'Brien personally oversaw the second investment division, and instead of working at Maple Tree Capital's offices, she rented an entire floor of offices on Long Island, New York, and set up a safe house for investment.

The office on this floor contained a lot of supplies such as water and food, as well as beds and game consoles.

Everyone, including Hela O'Brien, was not allowed to leave this office building after entering it in early September.

Every day, someone specifically assigned to deliver meals to them is Hela O'Brien's parents.

Even when delivering meals, Hela O'Brien was not allowed to see his parents, let alone speak with them.

The specific method was that his parents first put the packed food boxes in a box, and then used a trolley to pull them to the storage room at the entrance of the office.

After they leave, O'Brien will personally come over, open the storage room, and take the food inside.

That's roughly the process.

Even so, some people still came to cause trouble, almost making Hela O'Brien angry.

Because this floor of offices was renovated six months in advance, and there are CCTV cameras everywhere.

If any CCTV camera footage malfunctions, it will trigger an alarm for security personnel.

Hela O'Brien didn't know if Wang Duoyu would see these images, but she knew that these CCTV programs used Huashun Company's memory products.

These storage devices have a considerable capacity and can easily store a lot of video content.

Under such circumstances, Hela O'Brien was naturally afraid that these video materials would be randomly selected and discovered later.

After all, Maple Capital does not have an auditing department, but Maple Holdings has acquired an accounting firm.

Others might not know what an accounting firm does, but how could Hela O'Brien, a professional in the financial industry, not know?

Therefore, O'Brien would not do such a thing.

From September to the last day of December, over the past four months, Hela O'Brien and her Investment Department II team have experienced numerous dangers.

Someone from Goldman Sachs actually tracked them down, wanting to figure out how Hela O'Brien and her team made so much money.

There are no secrets on Wall Street.

When Maple Capital used its funds for leveraged financing, it already attracted attention. Moreover, starting in October, Hela O'Brien and his team repeatedly made profits exceeding 30 million US dollars.

Such profits are certainly not small.

After all, even the investment departments of many Wall Street giants like Goldman Sachs, First Citibank, and Morgan Stanley might not be able to achieve such profitability, especially within just a few days or a week.

They almost always timed the yen's appreciation with remarkable precision.

The appreciation of the yen is not a continuous process; there will be unexpected situations such as technical corrections.

Because many people, upon seeing the unfavorable market trend, immediately liquidated their positions and left the market. Additionally, export companies in the United States and Japan also held foreign exchange reserves and promptly sold off some of them.

The market is very complex and volatile.

When someone flees with a large amount of capital, it will inevitably curb the upward trend of the yen.

For example, Wall Street giants such as Goldman Sachs, after learning about the Plaza Hotel agreement, continued to make decisions to enter the USD/JPY foreign exchange market.

Besides the hungry wolves on Wall Street, financial companies in many other places, such as Tokyo, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Frankfurt, also pay close attention to fluctuations in the foreign exchange market.

After all, the foreign exchange market is open 24 hours a day, unlike the stock market, which is closed for two days on weekends and only open for a short period of time each day from Monday to Friday.

"On one occasion, we invested $300 million with a leverage of 10, totaling $3 billion, but we encountered significant volatility. When we bought in, the USD/JPY exchange rate was 199, and we thought it would continue to rise, but unexpectedly it suddenly dropped to 204 within two days."

"We almost went bankrupt, but luckily we still had $580 million on hand and didn't sell it all."

After hearing Hela O'Brien's words, Wang Jianchao and the others were secretly alarmed.

Especially Qu Haiping and his group, although they have very little capital, this makes them more vulnerable to being liquidated.

"By the way, Hela, how much did you guys actually make in the end?"

(End of this chapter)