The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

Around 3 PM, Ling Yun drove to the CIC headquarters to clock in.

Just like the previous two days, he was just going through the motions today.

As soon as he entered the office, General Manager Chen and his team knocked on the door and came in to report on the relevant situation in the international financial market.

"Half an hour ago, the American Savings Board announced that it had taken over Washington Mutual Bank. As soon as the news was announced, it immediately triggered a run on the bank."

"Washington Mutual Bank had assets of over $300 billion, which, excluding the failed investment banks, represents the largest bank failure in American history."

"Another major piece of news: more than 120 economists in the United States have jointly opposed the US government's large-scale bailout of the market, and opposition from Congress is growing louder."

"With expectations for a bailout package cooling, European financial markets reacted immediately, falling first. The situation in the US stock market, which opens tonight, isn't much better!"

"Goldman Sachs, which is facing a liquidity crisis, has reached an agreement with Buffett. Buffett has decided to inject capital into Goldman Sachs, and its stock price may surge tonight..."

While reporting the situation, General Manager Chen and the others were all beaming with joy.

Everyone had a gloating expression on their face, and they couldn't hide it no matter how hard they tried!

The United Securities investment team is aggressively shorting the international financial market. The more turbulent and dismal the international financial market becomes, the happier everyone is!

After listening to their report, Ling Yun nodded with a smile.

"Clearly, the risks in global financial institutions have begun to surface in a concentrated manner, and the collapse of Washington Mutual is the most direct proof of this!"

"The risk of a bank run it triggered is spreading rapidly, and today's European and American financial markets are still unable to escape the fate of decline."

"The financial sector, in particular, saw another sharp drop, but we don't need to rush to sell and reap the rewards yet; it's not the best time to do so..."

Mr. Chen and the others exchanged a glance and responded with smiles.

"Understood. Everyone, please be patient and wait for the best opportunity!"

"Given the current situation, the US government's bailout plan is unlikely to pass Congress. If it is rejected, things will get interesting!"

A dozen minutes later, Mr. Chen and his team left the office and went to their respective work.

Ling Yun turned on his computer, went online to check the situation in the international financial market and the crude oil futures market, and browsed some international financial news!

At this time, the international financial market was in an uproar, as lively as a boiling pot.

This is exactly the situation Ling Yun wanted to see. Only in this way could he take advantage of his foresight to snatch chestnuts from the fire and make a fortune!

After waiting downstairs for about an hour, Ling Yun got up and left the office, heading upstairs to the joint investment team's office area!

International oil prices continued their downward trend today, without even a decent rebound.

International oil prices have plummeted from their recent high of $130 to below $105 in just a few days!

Since the joint investment team has adjusted its investment strategy to focus on medium- to long-term investments, everyone has basically nothing to do and is chatting and laughing at their workstations.

Ling Yun quickly joined in, chatting and joking around with everyone!

Unlike others, no matter how eloquently he boasts, people will still think it's reasonable!

At 9:30 p.m., the US stock market opened on time.

As Lingyun previously stated, European and American stock markets continued to decline, with the financial sector experiencing widespread devastation and bloodshed!

The situation in the international crude oil futures market is almost identical, with no signs of reversal whatsoever!

Seeing this, Ling Yun left the CIC headquarters with satisfaction and went home to spend the weekend with several sexy beauties!

That being said, he was still quite busy over the weekend.

Still busy as a spinning top, only able to rest early at night and enjoy some gentle moments!

Having just become a member of the Financial Stability and Development Committee, he quickly adapted to his role and began preparing proposals for the National Financial Work Conference to be held at the end of October.

As before, he will continue to advise senior officials in the fields of economics and financial investment, and serve as their senior advisor in this area!

As for reporting work and investment results to superiors, that is naturally indispensable!

In addition, the acquisition of the fashion magazine officially began this weekend!

Although Ling Yun did not personally participate in the acquisition negotiations and always stayed behind the scenes, he still had to spend a lot of time and energy communicating with Attorney Zhang and the acquisition team!

Not only will the fashion magazine hold talks with the vice president of Hearst Group, but the talks will also take place this weekend.

Two financial investment companies located in Beijing have also come into Lingyun's sights, and he plans to choose one of them to acquire!

Across the ocean, in New York.

Around 7 p.m., at Goldman Sachs headquarters.

The suffocatingly tense week was finally over, and Lauder let out a long sigh of relief, stretching out his arms and yawning.

Then he got up from his office chair, packed his things, and prepared to leave the office to go home and rest for two days.

Just then, U.S. Treasury Secretary Paulson suddenly called.

Upon seeing that it was a call from his old friend, Lloyd immediately pressed the answer button on his phone.

The next moment, Paulson's excited voice came from the phone.

"Good evening, Lourdes. I have good news for you. After most of the day's negotiations, and after making some concessions, the two parties have reached a principled consensus!"

"My proposed bailout plan incorporates regulatory and transparency provisions through negotiation, which essentially ensures its passage through Congress!"

"Tomorrow we will discuss the details of the bailout plan and prepare for the House vote next Monday. Once the bailout plan is passed, the financial markets will surely be jubilant!..."

As Paulson explained, a bright smile quickly spread across Lauder's face.

From Goldman Sachs' perspective, he certainly hopes that the bailout plan will be passed on Capitol Hill, giving Goldman Sachs a breathing space!

It's worth noting that Goldman Sachs also played a part in the development of this bailout plan!

Putting aside everything else, almost all of Paulson's close confidants and advisors came from Goldman Sachs!

To a certain extent, this $7000 billion bailout plan bears the indelible mark of Goldman Sachs!

Paulson had barely finished speaking when Lauder immediately responded.

"Great, Henry! Once this bailout plan is passed by Congress, it will greatly alleviate panic, and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief!"

"By injecting timely funds through bailout plans, we can prevent the chain reaction of bankruptcies, making this financial crisis truly controllable rather than allowing it to spread unchecked!..."

Paulson then described the discussions in Congress that day, as well as some compromises reached with members of both parties.

They chatted for about ten minutes before ending the call with a smile.

The next moment, without thinking, Lauder dialed Lewis's number, without even considering the time difference between Hong Kong Island and New York.

The phone rang for ages before Lewis finally answered.

"What can I do for you, boss? It's still early morning here, isn't it...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Lauder interrupted him directly.

"Forget about sleeping. Once you've earned enough money, you can enjoy life however you want."

"Get up right now and go find Irwin to discuss the bet on US stock index options with Yuanda Group!"

"What happened? Headquarters completed the risk assessment so quickly? That can't be!"

Lewis asked in surprise.

"Given the current situation, risk assessment is no longer important; the most important thing is to seize this opportunity."

Lauder responded firmly and then went on to explain the situation.

"Paulson's $7000 billion bailout plan has made significant progress in Congress and is likely to be voted on and passed next Monday!"

"Once the bailout plan is approved, global financial markets will definitely surge across the board. We must hurry and finalize this betting agreement!"

"It's no exaggeration to say that Yuanda Group is practically handing us money. Is there anything better? We absolutely cannot miss this golden opportunity!"

Upon hearing this good news, Lewis was so excited he almost took off.

"Great, boss, I'll get up right away and go find that guy Erwin!"

"You're right, those idiots at Yuanda Group are just throwing money away. Only a moron would miss such a golden opportunity!"