I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 762 A Thrilling Day

"Miss Chen is very interested in this matter?"

"It's not just me, the whole of Hong Kong is talking about this."

“Alright,” Fang Qingye picked up her teacup, took a sip, and smiled slightly in the rising steam. “My personal prediction is that Brexit will succeed.”

"why?"

“Because the silent majority often speaks out only at the last minute.” He gently put down his teacup. “When the elite are indulging in the euphoria of ‘political correctness,’ the anger of the workers forgotten by globalization, the citizens troubled by immigration policies, and the taxpayers disappointed with the bureaucratic system will eventually erupt like magma surging from the ground.”

He walked to the window and looked down at the bustling crowd below: "Look at Victoria Harbour. It looks calm on the surface, but there are turbulent undercurrents. London's elites are too confident in their own judgment, but they have forgotten to listen to the real voices of the people on the streets."

"So you think..."

"So this wasn't a rational choice, but an emotional outburst." Fang Qingye turned around, her tone calm yet insightful. "When people express their dissatisfaction with their votes, the results often surprise everyone. At this time tomorrow, we may be witnessing history being rewritten."

"Ms. Chen, please don't publish these last words in the newspaper," Fang Qingye instructed.

"I see."

Fang Qingye then called Qin Feng, Guo Charlie, and others, briefly explaining the details of his meeting with Chen Delin, mainly focusing on the discussion of A/B shares. With his affairs in Hong Kong settled, he prepared to return to Nanxin.

"What, aren't you staying in Hong Kong to see the UK referendum results?" Qin Feng asked in surprise on the other end of the phone. "I heard the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has activated its emergency plan, and all major financial institutions are operating through the night tonight."

"What does this have to do with me?" Fang Qingye laughed.

"Hey, don't stay out of it, predict the referendum results tomorrow!"

Hey……

These past few days in Hong Kong, almost every acquaintance I meet inevitably asks this question, just as naturally as mainlanders greeting each other with "Have you eaten?"

"It's about 50/50, right? Maybe... I can pass?"

"why?"

"Don't ask why, just go with your gut feeling."

Fang Qingye boarded a plane back to Shanghai at noon the next day, arriving at Pudong Airport at 2 PM. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the UK, the Brexit referendum voting officially began.

He wasn't in a hurry to return to Nanxin, planning to stay in Shanghai for another day to spend with his wife and children before heading back on Sunday.

In the evening, he and Bai Ou strolled leisurely through the villa complex, pushing a stroller together, and went to sleep as usual at 11 p.m.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Fang Qingye got up and set off to go fishing at Dianshan Lake. He had been itching to fish for more than ten days in Hong Kong.

The weather forecast says there will be light rain today, but fishing in the rain on a summer day like this has its own unique charm.

He sat by the lake with an umbrella, a bottle of mineral water at his feet, and his phone on silent—no one should disturb him now.

The float bobbed gently twice in the water. He didn't rush to lift the rod, letting his thoughts drift away. Suddenly, he remembered the line: "Wearing a green bamboo hat and a green raincoat, he doesn't need to go home in the slanting wind and fine rain."

It's interesting to think about. Zhang Zhihe from the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago and I at this moment must have had similar feelings, right?
The quantity of fish caught is not important; what matters is the peace and tranquility of being alone without anyone rushing you.

It was late at night in London, and although the referendum was over, the tense atmosphere grew even heavier.

London time 22:00 on June 23 (Beijing time 05:00 on June 24)

As the polling stations closed, the bells rang throughout the British Isles, traders in the City of London put down their dinners, bankers in Manhattan, New York, paused their lunch meetings, and the trading center in Central, Hong Kong, welcomed the first rays of dawn.

Financial markets in three time zones held their breath at that moment.

London time 22:55 on June 23 (Beijing time 05:55 on June 24)

The lights in the BBC studio suddenly came on, and the anchor picked up a freshly published investigative report, solemnly announcing to the nation:
"According to the exit polls we commissioned in conjunction with ITV and Sky—which are real-time surveys of voters at the polling station exits—the pro-Brexit camp is leading with 52% of the vote!"

In the London trading hall, a half-finished glass of red wine was spilled on the carpet; in the Hong Kong trading center, a freshly heated sandwich slipped off its plate.
In the New York trading room, a tie was violently ripped off and thrown in front of the monitor.

The pound sterling plummeted 200 points in five minutes, and alarms sounded simultaneously in trading floors across three locations. Asian traders instinctively clutched their amulets, London traders trembled as they reached for their stomach medicine, and New York fund managers silently removed their wedding rings.

London time 00:15 on June 24 (Beijing time 07:15 on June 24)

Firstly, the vote count in Sunderland, a major industrial city in the UK, showed that the Brexit camp won 61% of the vote, far exceeding expectations.

In the morning light of Hong Kong, a young short-selling trader bowed deeply to his profit figures;

In the dead of night in London, a seasoned fund manager puts the family photo from his desk into his briefcase;

As dusk fell in New York, a white-haired analyst repeatedly splashed cold water on his face in the bathroom.

The entire global financial market began to experience a chain reaction—

Stop-loss orders in Singapore surged like an avalanche;

Hedging orders in Tokyo instantly overwhelmed the trading system;
Gold prices in Frankfurt experienced a dramatic gap down.
Night shift traders in Shanghai have received their 28th urgent transoceanic call.

London time 06:45 on June 24 (Beijing time 13:45 on June 24)

The UK Electoral Commission has officially announced the final vote count: Brexit: 17176006 votes (51.89%)

Remain: 15952444 votes (48.11%); voter turnout: 72.2%.

The referendum was valid, and Brexit was approved.

British Prime Minister David Cameron immediately announced his resignation;
The Hong Kong trader silently wiped away the spilled coffee stains;

London cleaners began picking up the scattered transaction documents.

New York security guards watched as distraught figures emerged from the elevator;
Mumbai's call centers are inundated with overseas inquiries;

A large influx of safe-haven funds has entered the Dubai gold market;

A sushi restaurant in Tokyo cut an extra slice of tuna for its customer.

Sydney joggers carefully avoid the littered financial newspapers.

London time 08:00 on June 24 (Beijing time 15:00 on June 24)

As London welcomes a new day:
At the entrance of a bank in Hong Kong, an intern carried a cardboard box and left with his head down.

Inside the London Underground, analysts close their eyes under the cover of the morning paper;

In a New York apartment, a medicine bottle rolled off the bedside table and onto the floor.

At this moment, Fang Qingye also finished fishing for the day.

The rain has stopped, but it's too hot. I promised Bai'ou last night that I would come back early to avoid getting too tanned or suffering from heatstroke.

Anyway, today's catch was pretty good. I caught 3 crucian carp, 5 grass carp, and a snakehead that struggled with the bottom for a long time before I finally pulled it up—this kind of fierce fish in the water is a pure and unexpected surprise.

Yue Kai helped pack up the fishing gear, and the two took a car back to the city.

Aoba then turned on his silent phone above the car and found more than twenty missed calls, most of which were from Hong Kong.

It is estimated to be related to the results of the UK referendum.

Fang Qingye first called Ouyang Shaoqiang back. The other party's voice, though trying to remain calm, couldn't contain his excitement: "As you predicted, the referendum ended, Brexit passed, and the pound plummeted by more than 1700 points, a drop of over 11%, marking the largest single-day drop since the pound adopted a floating exchange rate system! We made a net profit of $32.6 billion!"

(End of this chapter)