My teacher is Bruce Lee, who dominated Hollywood.

Chapter 170 Super Account

Richard Cross has an extremely accurate "human valuation system".

Although the customer didn't look very old, the Patek Philippe on his wrist was enough to show that he was someone who could afford to spend money.

These young scions of wealthy families often like to open an account in a financial center and buy some blue-chip stocks to demonstrate that they have the maturity to take over the family business.

Richard has a standard procedure for dealing with these kinds of people: pour them a good cup of coffee, offer a few well-placed compliments, and then take control of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in their pockets, steadily extracting a hefty commission every year.

"Mr. Qin, it's a pleasure that you chose Merrill Lynch." Richard maintained a perfect professional smile. "May I ask your name?"

Qin Han took out his business card, smiled without saying a word, and handed it to Richard.

The title on the business card has no lengthy embellishments:

Han Studio

Founder, independent producer.

Exclusive agent for Elvis Presley (Elvis Presley).

Richard felt as if his heart had been struck hard by a sledgehammer. As an elite on Wall Street, he read a lot of newspapers and industry reports every day.

How could he not know about the "eye of the storm" that has recently turned Hollywood upside down on the West Coast?

That mysterious tycoon who used an unprecedented "package deal" to integrate major film studios, successfully rescued the King of Music, and even had intricate connections with the Pentagon!

What's more, "Fist of Fury" is currently printing money like crazy in theaters across the United States, and the person behind this movie is sitting right in front of him right now!

This isn't some rich foreign kid with pocket money to experience life; he's an independent Hollywood producer, seen by Wall Street as a walking money-printing machine.

Richard's gaze changed instantly; the politeness that had previously carried a hint of superiority was naturally stripped away, replaced by a warm and attentive demeanor.

He strode over to the coffee pot and personally poured Qin Han a cup of still-steaming coffee.

"Mr. Qin, please forgive my earlier rudeness. The miracles you have created in Hollywood have even reached us on the East Coast. Han's Films is simply the brightest new star in the American business world this year."

Richard sat down again, intentionally moving closer to Qin Han to shorten the distance between them.

What will he bring me? A trust of millions of dollars? Or the establishment of a large position in high-quality stocks?

Regardless of the reason, as long as this "God of Wealth" stays with Merrill Lynch, their performance this year will be unparalleled.

"Regarding your asset allocation, Merrill Lynch has the top analysis team on Wall Street. Whether it's safe-haven government bonds, a portfolio of stable-dividend blue-chip stocks, or finding high-growth potential technology stocks, we can tailor a safe wealth growth plan for you."

"How much are you planning to deposit today? We can immediately open the highest-level VIP fast track for you." His speech quickened unconsciously, and his eyes gleamed with undisguised anticipation.

Qin Han leaned back quietly on the sofa, admiring the textbook-level "face-changing" art of this Wall Street elite.

He raised his right hand, picked up the cup of coffee, and took a sip: "I don't need any financial products, nor do I need your team of analysts to teach me how to buy stocks."

Richard's smile faltered for a moment, but he maintained his forward-leaning listening posture.

"I'm here today for one thing: to open an independent trading account for me with the highest trading privileges."

"This account must be able to operate seamlessly across platforms, covering not only US stocks but also accessing the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for crude oil futures trading. Furthermore, I do not accept any delays in trading orders."

Richard was stunned: This was not a typical wealth management client; this was a gambler's asset allocation needs.

High-leverage short selling and cross-platform futures trading are among the most brutal meat grinders in the financial markets.

But he quickly adjusted his mindset. As long as clients were willing to bring in huge sums of cash to burn, he could make a fortune just by collecting transaction commissions and spreads.

"Absolutely no problem, Mr. Qin. Although your requirements are extremely professional, they are a piece of cake for Merrill Lynch."

We have dedicated seating available to meet your needs.

Richard rubbed his hands together as he quickly pulled open a drawer, pulling out a thick stack of account opening documents and the highest-level deposit authorization form, ready to take a bite out of this lucrative opportunity: "So, to activate the various permissions of this super account, how much initial capital are you planning to deposit today? One million? Or more?"

"Today we're only going through the account opening process. Right now, not a single penny will be deposited into this account."

These words struck Richard like a blow to the back of the head.

His hand holding the gold pen froze in mid-air, and his previously beaming face visibly stiffened.

"—Not a single penny in?" Richard thought there might be something wrong with his hearing, and subconsciously repeated it, trying to find a trace of joking on Qin Han's face.

Qin Han's expression was very serious, and he didn't seem to be joking at all. He simply added, "The funds are still going through the process, but don't worry, the first payment will be transferred soon."

Richard slowly placed the gold pen back on the table, the flame that had just ignited in his heart instantly doused with cold water.

What the hell? A top Hollywood producer, in the heart of Manhattan's financial district, walked into Merrill Lynch's most exclusive VIP room, demanding to open a super cross-border account with the highest privileges, only to be told that today's deposit was zero?

For someone in this position, shouldn't signing a check for hundreds of thousands of US dollars as the initial capital for opening an account be as easy as eating a hamburger?

Richard was tired of hearing the phrase "funds will arrive soon" on Wall Street.

Every year, countless well-dressed con artists, bankrupt businessmen with broken capital chains, and even desperate politicians sit in front of him, making grand promises and trying to obtain Merrill Lynch's credit endorsement and insider trading seats.

Business cards can be printed, titles can be boasted, but on Wall Street, the only language that can prove your identity is the US dollar!

"I understand, Mr. Qin. Cash flow takes time, which is perfectly reasonable in business operations."

Richard's tone had completely lost its previous warmth. "However, our super accounts with the highest privileges have a strict internal review mechanism."

"Without initial activation funds, many cross-platform derivatives trading interfaces cannot be reserved for you. You can sign the basic account opening documents first, and then we can discuss the upgrade of permissions after your funds actually arrive in Merrill Lynch's account. Is this arrangement acceptable to you?"

Richard deliberately emphasized the word "truly".

He had already blacklisted the young man in front of him as someone "impersonating a popular Hollywood producer".

At this moment, Qin Han was not paying any attention to this insignificant account manager; instead, he was conducting a deduction.

According to the previous revenue-sharing agreement with Universal Pictures, today is the settlement day for the North American box office revenue sharing of "Fist of Fury".

This kung fu blockbuster, which directly ignited the entire United States by leveraging anti-terrorism sentiment and patriotic fervor, saw its box office performance soar like a runaway horse.

Following closely behind were Bruce Lee's self-written and directed film "Enter the Dragon," and his all-in investment film "American Graffiti," directed by George Lucas.

As long as these waves of quick cash are returned on time, Hans Films' corporate account will quickly accumulate a massive cash flow of over one million US dollars.

Of this money, he must set aside a portion to maintain the operation and personnel expansion of Han's Security.

Furthermore, the research and development sponsorship given to the "Teapot" research group at the University of Utah's School of Computer Science must be deducted—a crucial step in his early planning for the Hollywood industrial special effects crown, which absolutely cannot be touched.

Even after deducting these fixed expenses, he can still easily extract at least $50 in net cash from Hans Films' books.

This is the first financial weapon he is about to fire on Wall Street.

Five hundred thousand US dollars might not even be enough to fill a tooth for a large institution, but when combined with high leverage, it becomes the fulcrum that can move the earth.

Going long on crude oil futures is as easy as bending down to pick up money from the ground, given this certain historical trend.

But this is only the first layer of the Qin-Han plan.

He knew that when the oil crisis fully erupted, the price of spot crude oil would take off dramatically.

At that time, those holding long futures contracts will face an extremely awkward dead end: the short sellers simply cannot deliver physical crude oil.

No matter how much wealth is on paper, without actual black liquid, it's just a pile of waste paper. Severe spot delivery defaults will sweep across global exchanges.

What Qin Han wanted to do was to launch a devastating attack: he wanted to build a floating crude oil spot warehouse on the high seas, which would be outside the sovereignty and customs supervision of any country!

This is precisely the ultimate weapon, the shadow fleet, used by sanctioned energy powers in the 21st century to evade Western strangulation and secretly provide them with resources.

In the early stages of the crisis, they used profits earned from the futures market to aggressively acquire cheap crude oil in the Middle East and Latin America.

Then, they bought old, single-hull oil tankers that were about to be decommissioned or whose hulls were already rusted at low prices.

Without employing regular seamen or flying the American or European flags, this "shadow fleet" made of scrap metal will be fully loaded with millions of barrels of black gold, silently sailing into unregulated high seas and anchoring to wait.

When the strategic reserves of European and American countries run out and spot prices are driven to the sky, and energy giants in various countries are in despair like ants on a hot plate, his shadow fleet will appear in the trading market like a savior.

Controlling the spot market for energy is tantamount to holding those politicians by the throat.

Then let's see how those little devils can still cause trouble!

However, the navigation technology, satellite communications, and tanker tonnage of the 1970s were far inferior to those of the 21st century.

Moreover, building even the most rudimentary tanker fleet requires not only navigating extremely complex maritime hurdles but also paving the way with massive amounts of funding.

These days, let alone buying an oil tanker, even buying a huge anchor for a second-hand 100,000-ton oil tanker would probably require him to consider the pressure on his cash flow.

Therefore, a tall building rises from the ground.

He had to first accumulate this crucial first pot of gold through the financial markets, by licking the blood off the knife with high leverage.

Richard saw Qin Han deep in thought and assumed that the other man was embarrassed about raising funds.

He sneered inwardly, preparing to find an excuse to end this time-wasting meeting.

Just then, Qin Han raised his left arm, his gaze falling on the Patek Philippe watch face.

The clock hands pointed steadily to noon in New York.

Subtracting the three-hour time difference, it's 9:00 AM in Los Angeles, California. Time to get to work in Hollywood.

Qin Han put away the grand fleet blueprint in his mind and refocused his gaze on Richard's face with a perfunctory smile, pointing to the telephone next to him.

"Could you please use the long-distance bus line?"

Richard frowned slightly, but still gestured for him to proceed.

Qin Han skillfully dialed the number, which connected directly to the vice president's hotline at Universal Pictures headquarters in Hollywood, California: "Good morning, Sidney!"

Soon, Sidney Sinberg's roar came through the receiver.

"My God! Is that you, Qin? I was just about to call you! Do you have magic powers?"

"The first box office results for 'Fist of Fury' have just been finalized, and your analysis was completely spot on. The audience doesn't care about logic at all; they just want to vent! They just want Chen Zhen's kick!"

"After deducting all miscellaneous expenses, the first installment is $967,000! I rounded it up to one million! Ten minutes ago, I already had the CFO go to Chase Bank to make the wire transfer!"

Richard, who was sitting across from the desk, had an indifferent expression, but when he clearly heard the words "one million US dollars," "financial director," and "telegraphic transfer," his back instantly straightened.

He finally matched the "Sidney" on the phone with the image in his mind.

Sidney Sinberg! The number two powerful figure at Universal Pictures! He's a super WIP who's treated like royalty at Merrill Lynch's New York headquarters!

And this young man in front of me could talk to Sidney on the phone in such a casual tone, and the other party was even rushing to give him a million dollars in cash!

Richard realized he had made a fatal mistake: he had neglected Sidney's best friend!

"Very good, Sidney, it's been a pleasure working with you. The upcoming 'Jaws' will show you what a real box office black hole looks like." Qin Han hung up the phone calmly.

He pressed the cut-off button on the telephone and immediately dialed a second number.

"Michael, it's me."

On the other end of the phone, CEO Michael Ovitz immediately got to work: "Boss, everything's normal. Also, Global Finance just informed us that the one million dollar revenue share has arrived."

"Listen up, Michael, I need you to perform these three steps immediately, and quickly."

"The first step is to immediately allocate 800,000 yuan to pay off the previous high-interest bridge loan in full."

"The second step is to use the remaining cash as collateral to secure a long-term commercial loan of at least 1.5 million. Tell them that we want to enjoy the lowest market benchmark interest rate."

"The third step is to immediately transfer one million US dollars to me after you receive the cash from the exchange. Do you understand?"

"Understood, boss! I'll get right on it!" Michael hung up the phone immediately.

Richard's eyes widened little by little, blood vessels began to spread in the whites of his eyes, and finally turned into an extremely greedy green light.

One million US dollars! If I don't deposit a portion of this money into my Merrill Lynch account before I leave work today, I'll have failed miserably.

"Mr. Qin—" Richard held the account opening documents with both hands and respectfully handed them to Qin Han.

"This is the highest-level super account agreement. I guarantee that I will personally oversee the back-end engineers to ensure everything is optimized for you before your funds are credited!"

"Don't get too excited, Mr. Cross. I'll only put $500,000 in the account as an initial position."

Five hundred thousand US dollars is still a huge sum of money. Richard nodded repeatedly: "Of course, of course. Do you intend to entrust this five hundred thousand position entirely to our Merrill Lynch elite trading team for quantitative operations, or—"

"This is the second point I want to emphasize, and it's also the most important one."

"Without my phone instructions, not a single cent in this account may be touched."

"Richard, listen carefully. I don't need any of your advice, nor do I need your money management services. I just need an absolutely obedient execution channel."

"If you or your team act on your own initiative without my authorization—"

"Believe me, Hollywood's best legal team will make you lose everything on Wall Street!"