In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Yang Guangming stood alone in Qiming Capital's spacious office on the 38th floor of Pacific Place, where huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered an unobstructed view of the magnificent Victoria Harbour.

The afternoon sun, like molten gold, spilled onto the shimmering sea, casting the passing ferries and small boats into moving silhouettes. They trailed long white wakes, like an invisible paintbrush, painting the bustling waterways of this international city on a deep blue canvas.

In the distance, the skyscrapers along the north shore of Hong Kong Island stand side by side, their glass curtain walls casting a cool yet dazzling halo under the sunlight.

He gazed silently at the scene, but his thoughts had already taken flight.

With over forty million US dollars in capital already safely in place and quietly lying in the designated account, he had ample confidence to shake up the future market.

However, money itself does not appreciate in value; it requires an invisible yet powerful hand to drive it and transform it into wealth that grows exponentially.

These hands represent a highly efficient, professional, and absolutely loyal team—a financial engine capable of precisely executing his will.

Therefore, forming the company's core management team, especially finalizing the positions of president and investment director, which are considered the company's "heart" and "sharpest weapon," became the core task of his trip to Hong Kong.

Based on Liang Botao's rigorous screening and preliminary interviews, Yang Guangming personally took charge of the final rounds of intense and almost demanding in-depth interviews over the past week.

What he needs to discern is not just the impressive academic qualifications and resume on the resume, but also the real abilities, personality traits, management philosophy, risk preferences, and most importantly, whether they match the grand, even somewhat radical, future strategic blueprint in his mind.

Just as he had calmly envisioned, he did not aspire to the position of president.

He doesn't need a genius with a groundbreaking, disruptive strategic vision.

Such figures are extremely rare, and they are often unconventional and difficult to manage.

More importantly, given that he possesses the absolute core competitiveness of future information advantage, he must firmly grasp the helm of the company's strategic decision-making.

What he needs is an experienced, composed, and sophisticated "chief steward" who is proficient in all the tactical details of the financial battlefield, an outstanding operations manager and strategic executor.

This CEO needs to be able to deeply understand his sometimes "unconventional" strategic intentions and break them down into clear, actionable, and monitorable tactical steps, leading the entire team to translate his strategic intentions into tangible results while effectively controlling risks.

He needs to ensure that the company's daily operations are efficient, standardized, and stable, and that it can withstand the inevitable and potentially exacerbated volatility in the future financial market due to his "butterfly" influence.

After several rounds of rigorous evaluation and in-depth, sometimes stress-test-like, conversations, an applicant named Shen Hanlin gradually entered the final consideration range of Sunshine Ming.

Shen Hanlin, 44 years old, is in the prime of his managerial career. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a highly prestigious degree that is a valuable asset in the financial world.

His career began in the corporate finance division of American Express, where he received rigorous training in international business, before serving as CEO for eight years at a large regional investment bank in Singapore.

During this period, he successfully led numerous cross-border mergers and acquisitions and complex capital operations, and managed a diversified team of more than 200 people. His resume is filled with solid and traceable management performance and a stable investment record that has withstood the test of the market.

During the interview, he impressed people with his extremely rigorous logic, meticulous thinking, and eloquent and insightful speech, but he was never boastful or self-aggrandizing.

When Yang Guangming raised hypothetical questions about risk control in extreme market conditions, the challenges of motivating cross-cultural teams, and how to maintain team execution in rapidly changing or even chaotic markets, Shen Hanlin's answers were clear, logical, and well-structured.

They can draw upon mature management theories and combine them with their own experience in the Asian market to provide practical and detailed solutions.

His personal abilities are clearly demonstrated by his meticulous optimization and iron-clad execution within a predetermined strategic direction, rather than by his wildly imaginative and unproven new ideas.

This quality aligns perfectly with Yang Guangming's vision for the CEO position.

In a crucial one-on-one interview, Yang Guangming posed a question that went straight to the heart of the matter:

"Mr. Shen, let's say—and I'm just saying—at a critical moment, the company's strategic direction deviates significantly from general market expectations, and may even lead to huge short-term losses and pressure from criticism. As president, how would you ensure that the core team and all employees deeply understand and maintain efficient, uncompromising execution?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Hanlin did not answer immediately. Instead, he gently pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and pondered for about ten seconds, as if he were quickly sorting out the logical chain in his mind.

Then, he raised his head, his gaze calm and firm as he met Yang Guangming's stare, and answered with composure:
"Mr. Yang, this is a typical real-world problem."

I believe that in this situation, the CEO's primary responsibility is not to question the board's strategic decisions, but rather to first understand and believe in the underlying logic behind those decisions, especially when things seem to be going against the grain and under pressure.

My job is to build a strong communication bridge, using my professional knowledge and experience to clearly and thoroughly explain to the core management team and all employees the long-term considerations behind the strategy, the risk-reward ratio analysis, and the contingency plans we have prepared for it.

At the same time, through sound process management, strict risk budgeting and hedging mechanisms, the impact of short-term market fluctuations is strictly controlled within the company's tolerance range.

Most importantly, it is essential to maintain morale and ensure that the team's spirits are not disturbed by external noise, and that their execution is as firm as iron.

Since you're in the CEO position, you must align yourself with the company's core strategy; this is professional ethics and a manager's duty.

His answer was calm and powerful, with precise wording. There were no grand words, but it demonstrated a firmness and responsibility based on profound professional competence and rich management experience.

Yang Guangming saw in him the qualities of an executor who could maintain course even in a storm, and nodded inwardly.

For the position of investment department head, Yang Guangming's requirements are completely different, focusing more on pure professional ability, almost instinctive market acumen, and ruthless trading execution.

This position doesn't require a manager who is good at everything; rather, it requires a "cheetah" with a keen sense of smell, quick reflexes, and fierce attacks, capable of accurately capturing the first signs of market trends and executing the established trading strategy without hesitation or compromise.

The final candidate selected from among many candidates is Cheng Yonghui, 38 years old, a local of Hong Kong Island, who holds a Master of Finance degree from Cambridge University.

He is a typical "market animal".

His career began in the derivatives trading division of Lehman Brothers, where he spent five years immersed in the world's most complex financial products, a job known for its aggressive and innovative approach.

He then returned to Hong Kong Island and became the Asia trading head of a US-based hedge fund, responsible for long and short strategies in stocks, futures, and foreign exchange. His performance records show that the annualized returns of the funds he managed in the past easily outperformed the benchmark. He was especially known in the industry for his extreme sensitivity to numbers, decisive execution of orders, and ability to remain calm under extreme pressure.

During the interview, Yang Guangming discussed with him in depth the basis trading of spot and futures gold, the term structure arbitrage opportunities of crude oil futures with different expiration dates, and some obscure and difficult professional issues in interest rate swaps.

Cheng Yonghui answered fluently and quickly, but his thinking was clear.

He not only analyzed the current market microstructure and the possible psychology of major participants, but also offered his unique quantitative insights into the potential risks, capital requirements, and profit/loss ratios of different trading strategies.

Although he is young, his words and actions reveal the calmness and confidence of a top trader, a confidence built on countless real-money battles and the validation of complex models.

Yang Guangming decided to put him under pressure: "Mr. Cheng, suppose that after research, the company decides to establish a large-scale long position in gold within the next week, with a total expected size of 50 million US dollars."

Faced with such a massive order, how would you plan the specific pace and operational strategy for building a position to minimize the impact on the market while avoiding prematurely revealing our intentions?

Cheng Yonghui answered almost without hesitation, his answer like a well-prepared battle plan: "Mr. Yang, this needs to be dynamically adjusted based on the real-time market depth, volatility, and the performance of related assets at the time of order placement."

Ideally, I would primarily choose the New York session with the highest liquidity, and break down the total order into hundreds or even thousands of small and medium-sized orders through at least three major brokerage firms. I would then use a combination of intelligent algorithmic trading strategies, such as iceberg order placement, VWAP (volume-weighted average price), and TWAP (time-weighted average price), to enter the market in batches and covertly.

At the same time, I will closely monitor the gold futures-spot price spread, arbitrage opportunities between exchanges, and structural changes in the forward curve, looking for times and contracts with relatively abundant liquidity or relatively distorted pricing to prioritize establishing positions.

When necessary, in order to optimize the risk-reward ratio of the overall position, I will also make use of the options market, such as buying out-of-the-money put options to construct a call position with controllable risk, or using option combinations to reduce volatility risk during the position building period.

In summary, the core principles are: conceal your intentions, diversify your impact, utilize tools, and control risk.

His answers were professional, detailed, and highly practical. Every step demonstrated the pragmatic and precise style characteristic of a frontline trader, which is exactly what Yang Guangming hoped to see in the head of the investment department.

After careful consideration, Yang Guangming made the final decision and officially issued offer letters to Shen Hanlin and Cheng Yonghui, with the positions of President and Investment Director of Qiming Capital (Hong Kong Island) Limited, respectively.

At the same time, he quickly identified several other key executives, including a finance director with a senior financial management position at HSBC and a legal compliance officer with a background in top international law firms and expertise in cross-border financial regulation.

With this, the core management structure of Qiming Capital was finally completed.

Under Yang Guangming's leadership, Qiming Capital held its first formal senior management team meeting in a brand-new conference room.

Seated around the oval conference table were the newly promoted management team, led by Shen Hanlin and Cheng Yonghui.

Yang Guangming sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping steadily over each attendee, clearly and unambiguously explaining the company's short-term goals and their respective core responsibilities.

He emphasized that Shen Hanlin, as president, is fully responsible for the company's overall management and daily operations, ensuring a stable company structure, strong logistical support, and smooth operation of various systems and processes; while Cheng Yonghui, as the head of the investment department, needs to immediately set up a lean trading team, build a real-time and efficient risk monitoring system, and make all necessary technical and personnel preparations for the upcoming global investment activities.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Qiming Capital was born in this era full of unlimited opportunities."

Yang Guangming's tone was calm, but contained a firm strength: "We have ample capital, which is certainly an important starting point."

But in my view, what's even more important is that we need to have insights that surpass the market average, absolutely professional execution capabilities, and ironclad risk discipline.

I hope everyone can quickly gel, build mutual trust, and collaborate closely so that this sophisticated machine of a company can start operating efficiently as soon as possible.

The enormous financial advantage demonstrated by Yangguangming, along with the strong confidence exuded by its founder and absolute core, instilled a strong sense of confidence and expectation in the newly formed management team.

Under Shen Hanlin's methodical and meticulous coordination and Cheng Yonghui's decisive and forceful drive, Qiming Capital's various businesses quickly got on track.

The office area was rationally planned into a trading area, a research area, an operations support area, and management offices; a multi-level risk management system was established; and back-office support departments such as administration, finance, and legal affairs were also in place, beginning to formulate and improve their respective rules and regulations.

Within the company, a professional, efficient, and slightly tense atmosphere is taking shape.

Yang Guangming was not blinded by his initial success; he had a clear understanding of the cruelty of the financial market.

He did not rush to invest all his funds into the market at once, but followed the principle of diversifying risks and laying out multiple lines of investment, and clearly defined the channels for using the funds.

The $16 million from the collaboration with Goldman Sachs will continue to be professionally managed through Goldman Sachs' global platform, primarily focusing on gold, silver, crude oil futures, and US Treasury bond-related operations, which he will directly control remotely.

The US$25 million that Qiming Capital just received through the monetization of pearls and gold will be managed by Qiming Capital's own investment department, with him personally formulating the plan and Cheng Yonghui leading the execution.

We have begun seeking other suitable top-tier international financial institutions as partners to diversify our global asset allocation, with some of the funds potentially being used to capture investment opportunities unique to the Asia-Pacific region.

He personally reviewed and approved the preliminary list of partner institutions submitted by Cheng Yonghui, which included several top investment banks and institutions such as Morgan Stanley, Salomon Brothers, UBS, and Deutsche Bank. He also asked Cheng Yonghui to immediately begin contacting and evaluating the service capabilities and cooperation terms of these institutions.

After about a week of overseeing the company, Yang Guangming saw that under Shen Hanlin's excellent management, all business operations were running smoothly and the core team demonstrated good professionalism and a positive spirit of cooperation.

A successful leader does not need to, and cannot, do everything personally and get bogged down in the minutiae of daily management.

For him, the important thing is to grasp the direction, formulate strategies, use people properly, and make decisions at critical moments.

Therefore, he decided to entrust Shen Hanlin with the company's daily operations and routine decision-making, while he himself would step back and focus his energy on more macro-level strategic planning, analysis of global market trends, and some "unspeakable" special matters.

Right now, there is a "special matter" that urgently needs to be dealt with—it's time to find a reliable way to monetize the batch of precious medicinal herbs that have been piling up in the safe of the villa and the residence in Shanghai.

That morning, Yang Guangming once again summoned Liang Botao to the study of his villa in Repulse Bay.

Unlike the usual discussions about financial matters, this time the central desk in the study did not contain financial statements or business plans, but rather a pile of items that faintly exuded the scent of medicine:
Ginseng with distinct beard, rhinoceros horn slices with unique textures, golden bezoar, deer antler covered with dense hair, dark red saffron, cordyceps that resembles a combination of cordyceps and caterpillar fungus, dendrobium officinale curled into a ball, and a bottle of amber-colored liquid labeled "Tiger Whip Wine".

These are all physical samples of various precious medicinal herbs that are refreshed daily in the refrigerator space; one of each has been prepared.

"Botao, I have another important and highly specialized task for you today."

Liang Botao's gaze quickly swept over the obviously valuable medicinal herbs on the table, and he already knew that this unfathomable boss had another new and equally amazing "surprise" to deliver to him, following gold and pearls.

He nodded calmly, adopting a posture of attentive listening: "Boss, please give your instructions."

Instead of immediately assigning specific tasks, Yang Guangming picked up each medicinal herb and gave him a brief introduction:
"These are all precious Chinese medicinal herbs that are currently in high demand in the market."

This is ginseng grown in the forest for 41 years, this is top-grade Asian rhinoceros horn slices, this is natural bezoar, this is deer antler, this is saffron, this is cordyceps, this is dendrobium officinale, and this bottle contains prepared tiger penis wine.

From today onwards, you need to have a basic understanding of these precious Chinese medicinal herbs that will soon be sold.

He paused, then calmly delivered the more crucial information: "These on the table are merely samples to give you a visual understanding."

In fact, I still have a considerable amount of inventory, and more importantly, I will have a stable and continuous supply of goods in the future.

Liang Botao was slightly shaken again. Although he was mentally prepared, the powerful energy revealed by his boss's casual words once again exceeded his expectations.

After gold and pearls, there is still such a large and continuous supply of precious medicinal materials!

He quickly composed himself, suppressing irrelevant speculations and focusing on the mission itself.

"I plan to establish a company specifically responsible for selling these precious medicinal herbs." Yang Guangming cut straight to the point, his tone decisive. "There are currently two alternative plans."

Firstly, if there are suitable, readily available medicinal herb companies in the market that possess the relevant licenses and channels, we can consider acquiring them at a premium. This would allow us to obtain operating qualifications, sales networks, and a team with professional experience as quickly as possible.

Secondly, if acquisition is not feasible, or there are no suitable acquisition targets in the market, then we will have to settle for second best and start from scratch, recruiting professionals, applying for relevant licenses, and building a completely new company.

His gaze fell on Liang Botao. He had limited time and could not do it himself, so the task inevitably fell to his capable assistant.

"Your task is to immediately begin market research, comprehensively assess the feasibility of directly acquiring an established pharmaceutical company, and identify potential acquisition targets, making initial contact and conducting value assessments."

If the acquisition path fails, or if the targets found do not meet the requirements, then the backup plan should be activated immediately. This involves quickly identifying professionals in medicinal herb identification, procurement, sales, and company management, and preparing for all matters related to the establishment of the new company.

Yang Guangming emphasized the urgency of the situation: "I need to go back to Shanghai soon to handle some personal matters, and I expect to be away from Hong Kong Island for about a week."

When I return, this work must have a clear progress and preliminary conclusions.

Furthermore, before I return to the United States, regardless of the chosen approach, the establishment of this pharmaceutical company must be finalized, at least requiring the completion of its legal entity registration and the formation of its core team.

Liang Botao clearly felt the weight of the task and the pressure of time.

He knew that the medicinal herb industry was very complex and highly specialized, far more so than standardized commodities like gold and pearls.

This involves many complex factors, such as authenticity identification, quality grading, origin tracing, efficacy evaluation, market fluctuations, and even legal and regulatory restrictions.

But he knew even better that what the boss needed were people who could solve problems, not people who raised difficulties.

He took a deep breath and solemnly replied, "Boss, I understand the importance of this task. Although it is a relatively unfamiliar area for me, the core is business operations and company formation. I will learn and understand the relevant industry knowledge as soon as possible and do my best to promote the progress of the work."

"Great, that's the kind of attitude I need."

Yang Guangming nodded in satisfaction and pointed to the samples on the table. "The professionalism you mentioned is indeed one of the core challenges of this work."

So your first step is to take one of each of these samples back to your office.

Over the next week, you will need to actively learn and master the basic knowledge of these medicinal materials, mainstream market conditions, approximate price ranges, and most importantly, the key points for distinguishing genuine from fake by comparing them with these actual items.

I don't expect you to become an expert, but at least you should be able to understand industry jargon when contacting potential acquisition targets or interviewing professional candidates, so you won't be easily misled by their technical terms and can make basic judgments.

"Yes, boss. I will familiarize myself with these samples as soon as possible, and consult relevant materials and industry professionals."

Liang Botao stood up and opened the portable briefcase that Yang Guangming had prepared in advance, which had a soft velvet lining inside. He began to carefully and gently tidy up the samples on the table.

He knew that the value of any single item in that small box could exceed the salary of an ordinary Hong Kong Island employee for several months.

Watching Liang Botao carefully place the samples into the box one by one and fasten the locks, Yang Guangming silently began to make plans in his mind.

Through previous consultations and research through public channels, he had already made a rough estimate of the value of the batch of medicinal herbs in his possession.

A wild ginseng like the one in his hand, which is close in quality to wild ginseng and is 41 years old, would be priced between HK$10,000 and HK$15,000 per piece in the high-end health supplement market and some Chinese medicine shops on Hong Kong Island.

The total number of ginseng roots stored in safes in his Shanghai residence and villa exceeded 3,500.

This alone amounts to a huge fortune of between HK$35 million and HK$50 million!
The price of top-grade rhinoceros horn slices is even more astonishing. Due to strict restrictions on international trade, prices through a few authorized channels have soared, far exceeding those of gold.

Natural bezoar is also more expensive than gold, and the supply cannot meet the demand. The price of high-quality bezoar has been hovering at a high level for a long time.

In addition, other precious medicinal materials, such as deer antler, cordyceps, saffron, and dendrobium officinale, are also quite expensive.

After a rough but conservative estimate, even excluding the most valuable ginseng, the total market value of the other precious medicinal materials he had accumulated was at least HK$100 million.

This means that the total value of all the precious medicinal materials he possesses is close to, or even very likely to exceed, HK$150 million, which is approximately US$30 million at the current exchange rate.

This figure is slightly higher than the total value of the gold and pearls he just successfully cashed out!
However, unlike gold and pearls, which are global hard currencies and assets that are easy to convert into cash quickly, the market demand for precious medicinal materials is relatively specific and limited, and the sales channels are more professional and narrow.

Unless they are willing to drastically reduce prices and dump their products, it is simply impossible to act quickly and on a large scale in a short period of time without causing a violent shock and drawing attention to the entire market price system.

They are destined to flow into the market slowly and orderly through conventional and stable business channels, gradually realizing their value and slowly recovering their funds.

For a "prophet" like him, who is about to use his information advantage to reap ten times or even higher returns in the financial market, the strategic significance and urgency of this wealth, which takes a long time to fully recover, have been greatly reduced.

Yang Guangming predicts that a year from now, the wealth he directly controls will conservatively exceed HK$2 billion, or even more.

At that time, the total value of these medicinal herbs, which are destined to be realized only slowly, will become negligible in his vast and rapidly growing asset portfolio.

Despite its diminished strategic significance, this is still a huge asset totaling tens of millions of dollars. If it is stored in a residence for a long time, the efficacy of some medicinal herbs may gradually decrease over time, affecting the final selling price.

Therefore, it remains necessary to cash out these assets as soon as possible and revitalize this portion of existing assets.

In this era, Hong Kong Island, with its prosperous economy, wealthy residents, and deep influence from traditional Chinese culture, is undoubtedly one of the most important and high-end markets for these precious medicinal materials.

Establishing a professional and reputable medicinal herb sales company and systematically and gradually promoting these herbs to high-end clients and experienced pharmacies through formal channels is the safest and most profitable option.

Liang Botao carefully placed the last medicinal herb into the specially designed shockproof compartment of the box, fastened the lock, then lifted the box and reassured Yang Guangming, his tone firm:

"Boss, please rest assured, I will start working on this immediately. Before you return from Shanghai, I will definitely provide a clear plan and a substantial progress report."

Yang Guangming nodded, his tone softening: "Thank you for your hard work. Go ahead and get back to work. Contact me anytime if there are any key developments."

Liang Botao, carrying the heavy suitcase, bowed slightly and turned to leave the villa's study.

The study returned to silence, with only the faint cries of seagulls coming from outside the window.

Yang Guangming strolled to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the magnificent view where the sea and sky met in the distance, and his thoughts gradually calmed down.

The main objectives of the trip to Hong Kong Island have been largely achieved, and could even be said to have been exceeded.

Qiming Capital was successfully established and is on track; the gold and pearls were successfully monetized, providing ample start-up capital; the plan for the medicinal materials company has also been launched and entrusted to the trustworthy Liang Botao to advance it.

Calculating the time, there are about ten days left before the one-month leave he requested from the organization.

He plans to use this time to go back to Shanghai.

Having been away from home for nearly four months, his longing for his parents, wife, and children quietly became clearer and stronger after his busy schedule came to a temporary halt, and a warm feeling of wanting to return home surged in his heart.

In addition, he had another idea: to open a personal account at a domestic bank and transfer one million US dollars back to China from the proceeds of this sale.

After being transferred back to China, the money still legally belongs entirely to him. However, according to the country's current strict foreign exchange control policy, once it is transferred into a domestic bank account, it will be forcibly converted into RMB at the official exchange rate.

This is equivalent to him personally contributing one million US dollars in valuable foreign exchange earnings directly to the country.

In the early stages of reform and opening up in a country with extremely scarce foreign exchange reserves and desperately seeking to generate foreign exchange, this was undoubtedly a substantial and significant contribution. Its political significance and social benefits far outweighed the economic value of one million US dollars itself.

With this legitimate and honorable reason of "generating foreign exchange for the country," he applied to the organization for a short-term trip back to China to visit relatives. He thought he would not encounter any resistance and might even be welcomed.

Making phone calls between Hong Kong Island and San Francisco is very convenient.

He walked to the mahogany desk, picked up the classic ivory-white telephone receiver, and skillfully dialed the dedicated number for Counselor Liu's office.

The call was answered quickly, and Counselor Liu's familiar and steady voice came through.

"Counselor Liu, hello, I am Yang Guangming," Yang Guangming said in a clear voice.

"Comrade Guangming, hello. How is your work in Hong Kong going?" Counselor Liu's tone sounded quite friendly, carrying the concern of an elder for an outstanding junior.

"Very smoothly, Counselor Liu. Thank you for the organization's concern. The initial establishment of the company and the preliminary investment plan have been successfully completed, and we are currently proceeding step by step."

Yang Guangming briefly reported the basic situation, and then smoothly got to the point, "I'm calling today because I have a personal matter I'd like to ask you about."

I've been away from home studying in the US for quite some time now, and I miss my family very much.

I'd like to take some time soon to visit my parents and child in Shanghai, and also to take care of some personal financial matters. I plan to stay for about a week. Would that be convenient for you to approve?

“Going back to China to visit relatives is only natural and completely understandable.” Counselor Liu did not answer immediately, but instead asked for details as usual, which was his duty. “Could you elaborate on the personal financial matters you just mentioned? If you need assistance in coordinating with domestic banks, please feel free to ask.”

"That's right, Counselor Liu."

Yang Guangming spoke sincerely and frankly: "I plan to open a personal account at the Bank of China or ICBC when I go back this time, and then transfer one million US dollars back to China from some of the funds I have obtained from my overseas operations."

Due to various concerns, my superiors do not allow me to make direct donations at this stage, but I can always transfer some of my foreign exchange back to China.

According to regulations, after this money is converted into RMB, it can be considered my personal contribution—as a student educated by the country and studying abroad—to the nation's foreign exchange reserves and economic development while I am able to do so.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

Even for Counselor Liu, who is well-informed and frequently handles large-scale economic and trade affairs, the figure of "one million US dollars" represents a huge value and political significance in this specific historical period, which is enough for him to digest and weigh for a while.

That's a million dollars!

For a country that urgently needs foreign exchange to purchase advanced equipment from abroad to promote modernization, this is a considerable sum of money.

Immediately, Counselor Liu's voice came again, this time with undisguised praise and satisfaction:

"Great! Excellent! Comrade Guangming, your idea is superb! Very timely!"

The country is at a critical stage of reform and opening up and vigorous economic development. Foreign exchange reserves are extremely scarce, and it can be said that we are tightening our belts to carry out construction.

Your donation is truly a timely help, a real and tangible contribution!
This demonstrates your deep patriotism and determination to serve your country!

On behalf of the organization and the nation, I thank you for your selfless dedication and generous contribution!

He paused, then his tone became unusually certain and supportive: "Returning home to visit relatives, plus handling this beneficial matter for the country and its people, is perfectly reasonable and there is absolutely no problem with it!"
I can approve this small matter myself; there's no need to ask my superiors for special permission.

Just arrange your trip and be careful on the road. When you get back, please give my regards to your family and thank them for raising such an outstanding talent for the country!

"Thank you for your understanding and support, Counselor Liu!"

As Yang Guangming had predicted, the symbolic meaning and practical value of the money successfully paved the way for his return home.

"By the way," Counselor Liu added as usual, his tone becoming more serious, "after you return, the people and environments you encounter will be relatively complex. You must be careful about your words and actions, keep a low profile, and abide by the country's laws, regulations, and confidentiality rules."

"Please rest assured, you and the organization, I understand the implications and will definitely be careful," Yang Guangming solemnly assured them.

After ending the call with Counselor Liu, Yang Guangming felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

He immediately called Liang Botao and asked him to book a first-class ticket for him on a Cathay Pacific flight to Shanghai for the next morning.

Thinking about seeing his parents and his innocent and lively children whom he hadn't seen for months, even Yang Guangming, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. A warm and eager sense of anticipation filled his heart.

No matter how much wealth you have outside, home is always the warmest harbor.

With the itinerary set, he glanced at his watch; it was just past 10 a.m.

He decided to use his free time to go on a big shopping spree at high-end department stores such as Landmark and Lane Crawford in Central.

Since we haven't seen each other for so long, I must carefully prepare a gift that expresses my feelings for each of my family members.

With that in mind, he didn't delay any longer. He took a thin, casual suit jacket from the walk-in closet, and cheerfully went out to begin his shopping spree. (End of Chapter)