Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 118 Fortresses are most easily breached from within.

Having received Henry Williams's promise, Larry sat down directly next to him and handed him a cigar.

Henry Williams was a little unaccustomed to such politeness. He hesitated for a few seconds, but still accepted the cigar.

Larry then took out cigar cutters and matches, and with a warm smile on his face, lit his cigar himself, then asked with concern,
"Mr. Williams, would you like some black tea? I can get you a cup."

Henry Williams quickly waved his hand, "You're too kind, there's no need for you to do anything for me."

Larry still smiled and took a cup of black tea from the waiter, placing it in front of Mr. Williams.

Henry Williams was overwhelmed with gratitude. He quickly put his cigar aside, accepted the tea with both hands, and thanked Larry profusely.

Larry's efforts in offering cigars and tea were not in vain. Before Larry had even finished his tea, Mr. Williams was already very polite to him. With a cigar in his mouth, he handed the teacup to his left hand and deliberately used his right hand to pat Larry on the back, promising, "If there are any good stocks in the future, I will definitely not forget you!"

Larry smiled and nodded.

After their close encounter, Larry's attention remained focused on Henry Williams's clothing and appearance.

Henry Williams's style of dress was completely at odds with his image as a "Metropolitan Buster," "High Roller," and "Sales Manager." After a few encounters, Larry could see that the shirt under his coat was faded from washing, and the collar and cuffs were worn.

This is more like a personal style of being meticulous and frugal in daily life.

The betting market opened at 10 a.m., and as the atmosphere in the Metropolitan Casino's trading hall became increasingly heated, the casino's customers also began to get excited.

People watch as the information conveyed by the price quote tape is filled into the price quote board, and then turn that price into a number on their own transaction order. They then watch as that transaction order is either cashed in dollars or becomes a worthless piece of paper.

Larry didn't even look at the price list; instead, he focused his attention on Henry Williams.

Mr. Williams made no move whatsoever, and Larry couldn't discern from his eyes any particular interest he showed in any particular stock on the quote board. He sat there motionless, like a flintlock pistol awaiting a signal to fire at any moment.

At around 10:26, the quotation machine roared and then spat out a paper strip.

The clerk watching the price quote machine held the three-inch-long strip of paper in his hand and suddenly shouted, "15 and three-eighths dollars, New York Commercial District!"

Henry Williams suddenly looked up and focused his gaze on the price list...

Larry's mind raced, and he followed Henry Williams' gaze, focusing his attention on the New York Commercial Port stock.

Larry was very familiar with this stock. The name New York Commercial Port might sound like a department store in the heart of Manhattan's business district to the average person, but Larry knew that this stock was just a small-cap stock that controlled several large warehouses for fast-moving cargo at the Port of New York.

This is a typical cyclical stock. During the peak trading season in the second half of the year, the company's warehouses will be fully rented, and profits will be high.

In the first half of the year, as winter turns to spring, the company's stock price often remains stagnant because the company earns almost no excess profits.

This is a small-cap stock, and the other is a cyclical stock. With just a little money, it's easy to control the stock!

Larry quickly came to a conclusion.

Henry Williams stared at the stock for a full two minutes, seemingly receiving some kind of hint, before standing up, rushing to the counter, buying 300 shares for $300, and shouting loudly to the person behind the counter while waving the transaction slip in his hand.

"I'm back!! Today I'm going to take back all the money you took from my pocket, just you wait!"

The clerk behind the counter gave him a disgusted look but didn't make a sound.

However, Henry Williams's flamboyance was met with laughter from his longtime customers, who were already used to his exaggerated performances.

After Henry Willis walked back to his seat with an arrogant look on his face, Larry hurriedly asked, "Mr. Williams, may I... may I accompany you to buy some goods in the New York market?"

Henry Williams, still bearing the exaggerated expression of mockery he had just displayed at the counter, paused for a moment upon hearing Larry's question, and murmured, "You...you want to buy something too?"

"Of course, sir! As you just promised, if you find any good stocks and are willing to tell me so I can also make a little money, I will give you one-third of the profits."

“Oh, right! Of course, I remember saying that… But wait a moment, my brother, let me check again…”

Henry Williams gave an apologetic smile and sat back down next to Larry.

Larry's face showed a look of doubt.

Henry Williams pretended not to see Larry's expression, turned around and grabbed the half-smoked cigar from the ashtray on the small table. He suddenly realized that the cigar was also a gift from Larry, and his face became even more unnatural.

However, he still didn't say anything, and Larry sat back down in his seat.

Five minutes later, Henry Williams suddenly turned to Larry and said, "You can buy it now, New York Commercial Port!"

“Really? Sir!” Larry glanced at the price chart instinctively. Due to the extremely low trading activity of this stock, the current price was still $15 and three-eighths.

"Yes, yes, go quickly!" Henry Williams urged.

Larry didn't hesitate any longer. He walked to the trading counter, placed a bid for $150, and received a transaction slip that read, "Buy 150 shares of New York Commercial Port for $15 and three-eighths."

Back in his seat, Henry Williams glanced at Larry's transaction record before nodding and saying nothing more. A full fifteen minutes later, the latest prices for the New York commercial district appeared.

"New York Commercial District, $16!"

Henry Williams sat there without moving, as if he hadn't heard the offer.

Larry leaned closer and asked, "Sir, I've made a profit. Should I close my position?"

Henry Williams waved his hand without speaking, gesturing for Larry to wait a moment.

Five minutes later, Henry Williams suddenly straightened up as if he had risen from the dead, grabbed Larry and said, "Don't rush to close the position, wait a little longer!"

After speaking with Larry, Henry Williams stood up again and exaggeratedly demonstrated his order to everyone, then began loudly proclaiming that he had already made a profit of 62 cents per share…

Larry knew perfectly well that Henry Williams must have received some unseen signal that prevented him from closing his position.

Then, around 11:25 a.m., the New York Commercial Centre suddenly saw a $1 jump, climbing from $16.25 to $17.25!

Upon hearing this price, the customers in the sales hall who had been watching Henry Williams's order placement exclaimed in surprise and all turned to look at him.

But Mr. Williams didn't rush to the counter to cash it. Instead, he nudged Larry and whispered,
"Hey, go close out your positions first, and remember to close them all out."

Larry nodded, said nothing more, and went straight to the counter to cash in his profits. He earned $1.875 per share, and $281.25 for 150 shares.

After Larry returned to his seat, Henry Williams went to the counter to cash in his profits.

After he sat back down next to Larry, Larry had already quietly slipped $93.75 into Henry Williams' pocket as promised, and said in a low voice,

“Sir, this is what you deserve. As I said, I will give you one-third of the profits as your reward.”

At this moment, Henry Williams did not look like a winner who had just made $750 at all. He hurriedly put the $93 that Larry handed him into his pocket while looking around.

After the morning trading session ended, Henry Williams muttered something to Larry.
"Good bro, there'll be another chance this afternoon. Remember to come after lunch!"

Larry smiled and nodded, then followed the crowd out of the Metropolitan Casino.

At 1 p.m. sharp, Larry arrived at the Metropolitan Casino and sat down next to Henry Williams.

Six minutes later, Mr. K slowly strolled into the betting shop. He took a beer, stood idly by the window, and stared intently at the price board.

A while later, Henry Williams quietly signaled Larry to buy a small-cap stock. After Larry bought 200 shares, he went to the counter and sold 400 shares instead.

Naturally, Henry Williams couldn't resist a barrage of boasting and recommendations...

Mr. K scratched his nose, put down his beer glass, and walked out of the Metropolitan Casino.

Turning into a quiet alley, Mr. K found four Italian lads, around seventeen or eighteen years old. He handed each of them $100, whispered the name of the stock, and told them to cash in as soon as they made a 2% profit…

The four young men nodded and hurriedly ran out according to their assigned betting parties.

Thirty minutes later, the stock jumped $2.50, and Mr. Williams signaled to Larry to close his position.

Larry made another $500 from this deal and, as agreed, paid Henry Williams $167, one-third of the profit.

By the end of Tuesday's trading day, Mr. Henry Williams had seemingly lost all the money he had made that day, and even suffered an additional loss of $15, but no one could see the slightest regret or resentment on his face.

Even when someone joked that Henry Williams had bad luck that day, he didn't get angry. Instead, he simply explained, "I really did have bad luck today!"

In fact, he already had three profit-sharing payments totaling $341 that Larry had given him in his pocket.

Larry also had a good day, earning $682 from Henry Williams' trading recommendations alone, which is equivalent to his annual salary...

Mr. K was even happier, as he earned $1340 from just two orders in the afternoon.

After deducting the $20 tips given to each of the four young men, I made a net profit of $1260 today.

Mr. K counted his thick stack of bills, a look of joy appearing on his face...

He thought to himself, "Mr. Livingston is really capable. I can make a lot of money by following him!"

　I've been busy during the day these past few days, and I just started placing orders yesterday, so I'm posting late. Please forgive me.

　　But I should still be able to maintain a daily update rate of 10,000 words, haha.

　　I haven't traded in a long time, but recently I saw a long-term opportunity and couldn't resist making a few trades to hold for the long term.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)