The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

Just as Ling Yun was catching up on sleep at home and quickly drifting off to sleep, the weekend bailout negotiations to save Lehman Brothers officially began.

Executives from dozens of large financial institutions in Europe and the United States set off one after another, each with their own ulterior motives and calculations, to New York to discuss a plan to save Lehman Brothers.

This was the last and largest attempt; if it failed, Lehman Brothers would have to go out of business!

As for the outcome of the discussion, there's no need to ask!

Before we knew it, it was already around five o'clock in the afternoon.

Lingyun drove Yanzi to his own courtyard house in Houhai, ready to have dinner with Uncle Fang's family.

Seeing the two of them come together, Mom and Dad immediately felt a headache coming on.

The elderly couple were young once too; the father was a middle school teacher, so they've long since developed a keen eye for preventing students from dating too early.

They could see very clearly that Lingyun and Yanzi's relationship was no longer ambiguous, but rather the kind of relationship where they had done everything that was appropriate and inappropriate!

However, because Uncle Fang's family was present, his parents couldn't arrest Lingyun for questioning.

Once Uncle Fang and his family leave, a joint trial by three judges is inevitable!

The Fang family had no time to pay attention to this gossip; their focus was entirely on Ling Yun, and they were extremely grateful to him.

Serena Williams, in particular, was extremely grateful.

After exchanging greetings, the young man immediately asked curiously:

"Brother Yun, did you know that after I passed the interview at the headquarters of AVIC the day before yesterday, the HR director actually let me choose the job and department myself?"

"What right do I, a fresh graduate, have to enjoy this treatment? I know the high-ranking officials at AVIC are only doing this because of you."

"Brother, I am extremely grateful. If you ever need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as it is within my power, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

As he spoke, the young man clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Seeing his江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) demeanor, Ling Yun couldn't help but chuckle.

He casually patted the kid on the shoulder and teased him with a smile:

"Don't give me that crap. It's so sour it makes my teeth ache. It's just a small favor, nothing to make you go through fire and water for me."

"Now that you've successfully passed the interview at AVIC headquarters, keep up the good work. It's a state-owned enterprise at the vice-ministerial level. As long as you don't mess things up, your future is definitely bright."

"At AVIC headquarters, and even throughout the entire civil aviation system, as long as you have outstanding work performance, your career will be smooth sailing..."

He suddenly stopped talking at this point and did not continue.

Serena Williams was stunned for a moment and didn't react immediately.

His parents, standing to the side, instantly understood the hidden meaning in Ling Yun's words.

My silly boy has hooked up with a super powerful backer; he'll benefit immensely from this in the future, and may even rise to great heights!

In the blink of an eye, the shrewd Little Wei also realized what was happening.

As a result, the family of three immediately became even more enthusiastic.

As we were talking, the dinner my mom had ordered from a well-known restaurant nearby was delivered.

Everyone then went into the restaurant, where they enjoyed the food and chatted about everyday matters, filling the restaurant with laughter and joy.

Lingyun's phone suddenly rang halfway through the meal.

He took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, greeted everyone, got up and left the restaurant to go to his study to answer the call.

As he entered the study and pressed the answer button, Chairman Zhao's excited voice immediately came through.

"Good news, Lingyun. The general manager of Merrill Lynch's Hong Kong branch just called Yuanda Group's Hong Kong branch and has decided to accept our offer and sell the branch to Yuanda Group."

"The general manager of Yuanda Hong Kong Island branch did not immediately agree to the other party's request. Instead, he said he needed to report to the head office before replying. Then he called me and explained the situation."

"That's why I called you. I wanted to discuss this with you and then convene a meeting with senior management. To be honest, I really didn't expect Merrill Lynch to accept such a low offer; they've completely abandoned any pretense of decency!"

Hearing this good news, Ling Yun was naturally very happy.

He chuckled coldly and retorted dismissively:

"As expected, there's a lot of anxiety at Merrill Lynch right now. Many people, including most of the top management, probably think the company might go bankrupt next week, and they'll lose their jobs as well."

"In this situation, it's natural to see the trees fall and the monkeys scatter. Those with a little power are probably all trying to grab some benefits for themselves before Merrill Lynch goes bankrupt."

"As a result, Merrill Lynch experienced a wave of asset sell-offs, especially its more independent subsidiaries, which began to sell off their assets at low prices, allowing us to pick up a huge bargain."

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject.

"When you sign the acquisition agreement with Merrill Lynch tomorrow, you must secure all the financial licenses for Merrill Lynch's Hong Kong Island branch; that's Merrill Lynch's most valuable asset."

Merrill Lynch's Hong Kong branch holds almost all types of financial licenses in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the European financial markets. The value of these licenses alone is at least five or six hundred million US dollars.

"We can't keep any of the other non-performing assets related to subprime mortgages. Merrill Lynch's Hong Kong branch must be required to divest them. Given the greed of those foreign devils who want to make a quick buck and run away, they'll definitely agree to this condition..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chairman Zhao burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I got it. Don't worry, we'll make those damn foreigners cry their eyes out during tomorrow morning's negotiations."

"You really have these damn foreigners completely under your thumb. They're incredibly unlucky to have run into someone like you!"

Next, they continued discussions and finalized many details of the acquisition.

As the discussion was drawing to a close, Chairman Zhao suddenly posed a very tempting question.

"Lingyun, have you considered taking this opportunity to establish your own financial investment company in Hong Kong? Or you could partner with our group and start an investment company together?"

"I can see that you have chosen the international financial market, not the domestic financial market. Only in the international financial market can you maximize your talents and methods."

"Hong Kong's financial market is highly open, directly facing the entire international financial market with virtually no restrictions. Given that, why don't you set up your own financial investment company in Hong Kong?"

"Both Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch's Hong Kong Island branches hold all the necessary financial licenses, making this an excellent opportunity. If you'd like to work with either one, we have no problem with that."

Ling Yun did not respond immediately, but fell silent.

After a moment's thought, he responded in a low voice.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy for me to establish my own financial investment company in Hong Kong Island and then use it as a base to directly dominate the international financial market!"

"What I'm doing now requires not only the approval of the financial regulatory authorities, but also the approval of several SZ (state-owned enterprises) before I can take a huge sum of money overseas."

"Personally, I currently enjoy the feeling of working behind the scenes. It feels really great, and I'm not in a rush to step into the spotlight."

Chairman Zhao paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Haha, you're addicted to being the mastermind behind things. But that's fine, at least you don't have to worry about management and can focus on investing."

"If you ever want to start your own financial investment company, just give me a heads-up, and I'll keep all the financial licenses from Lehman Brothers' Hong Kong branch for you."

They chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.

Ling Yun put away her phone, turned around and went back to the restaurant to continue eating dinner.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.

As dawn broke, a doomsday judgment that gripped the entire international financial market officially began!