The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

Faced with the enormous promises made by Lloyd, Ling Yun remained unmoved, a flash of disdain crossing his eyes.

After Lewis finished speaking, he smiled and gently shook his head.

"Thank you Goldman Sachs and Mr. Lloyd for your recognition. I am deeply honored. The terms offered by Goldman Sachs are very attractive, and I am quite tempted."

"But I have plans for my future development, so I had to decline Goldman Sachs' offer. I am not officially joining Goldman Sachs."

"It has nothing to do with how much money I make. I once made a rule for myself that I would never work for anyone again, and Goldman Sachs is no exception."

"Joining Goldman Sachs would only restrict me and offer no real benefits. I can earn what Goldman Sachs can provide on my own, so why bother joining?"

Upon hearing this answer, Lewis and Jimmy's faces immediately darkened.

Lewis had considered this outcome, but he never imagined that Ling Yun would refuse so decisively, leaving no room for negotiation!

Unlike him, Jimmy's eyes were filled with disbelief.

He was offered a job with compensation comparable to that of the CEO of Goldman Sachs, and could even earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but he was flatly rejected to his face!

Is this amazing kid on the other side crazy, or has the world gone mad?

The two lawyers were also taken aback, turning their heads in unison to stare at Ling Yun in astonishment.

Annual salaries can be hundreds of millions of dollars!

To discard it like trash, isn't this young master a bit too confident?

Just then, the waiter knocked on the door and entered the private room, bringing Lewis and Jimmy the coffee they had ordered.

Lewis, who was about to speak, had to stop talking for the time being.

Ling Yun smiled calmly and poured himself and the two lawyers each a glass of Da Hong Pao tea.

As the mellow, amber-colored tea liquor flowed out and was poured into the exquisite teacup, a refreshing aroma immediately filled the room, creating a delicate fragrance.

"Lawyer Wu, Lawyer Chen, have some tea. This top-grade Da Hong Pao tea is not available on the market."

Lingyun picked up his teacup and gestured to the two lawyers.

The two lawyers quickly composed themselves, exchanged a smile, and then picked up their teacups to begin sipping tea.

Meanwhile, the waiter had already placed the coffee in front of Lewis and Jimmy's noodles.

In such an upscale teahouse setting, and given that Lewis and his group are foreigners, it all seems rather incongruous that they're drinking coffee!

After placing the coffee down, the waiter immediately turned and left the private room.

As soon as the door closed, Lewis, his face darkening, pressed on with a question:

"Are you really going to turn down Goldman Sachs' offer, Mr. Ling? Have you really thought this through, or is it just a momentary impulse?"

"With your abilities in the financial investment field, if you didn't join Goldman Sachs, you would very likely become its competitor!"

"Since we're rivals, Goldman Sachs will show no mercy when facing you in the financial markets in the future. Do you understand that?"

Ling Yun put down his teacup, smiled at the scumbag, but his eyes revealed a hint of disdain!

Without the slightest hesitation or fear, he gave his answer decisively.

"Is this a threat? Even if it is, it doesn't matter. I've thought it through very clearly. I will never join Goldman Sachs. I'll only be my own boss!"

"If Goldman Sachs considers me an opponent, then I am very honored. As long as it's within the rules, I'll play along with whatever Goldman Sachs wants!"

"If Goldman Sachs goes against the rules and resorts to underhanded tactics, then don't blame me for going against the rules in return and launching an even more intense retaliation."

Lewis and Jimmy were stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

They would never have imagined that someone would dare to threaten Goldman Sachs. Was this person simply ignorant of their own limitations, or did they have a death wish?

Even if you are an unparalleled investment genius, Goldman Sachs crushing you is no more troublesome than stepping on an ant!

Before Lewis could retort, Ling Yun's tone suddenly turned much colder.

"There's an old saying: 'Those who have nothing to lose aren't afraid of those who have something to lose.' I'm just an individual investor; at worst, I'll go bankrupt and live an ordinary life. But Goldman Sachs is a financial empire!"

"Goldman Sachs has countless subsidiaries and employees, and its influence extends to the lives and fortunes of countless people. More importantly, it concerns the security of the assets of certain wealthy families."

"I wouldn't dare say I can beat Goldman Sachs, but I'm somewhat confident I can cause them some trouble. If that trouble touches on someone's interests, I might not be the one who suffers the most."

"So I want you to pass on a few words to Lloyd: if I become adversary with Goldman Sachs, I hope everyone can abide by the basic rules and compete on their own merits in the financial markets."

"Aside from competition, I don't rule out the possibility of various collaborations with Goldman Sachs. The international financial market is so vast; there's no end to the money to be made. There's no need for a life-or-death struggle…!"

After he finished speaking, the private room fell silent.

Lewis, who was just about to speak out in retaliation, is now silent.

Ling Yun's sharp yet humble words were completely unexpected!

He asked himself, if he were in that position, even if he were a rare investment genius, he wouldn't dare to mess with Goldman Sachs, the financial empire; that would be tantamount to courting death!

But Ling Yun did just that, without the slightest fear!

But he wasn't just a reckless brute who knew how to fight head-on; his last few words about starting a cooperative relationship during the struggle were undoubtedly very clever!

Thinking about this, Lewis's opinion of Ling Yun rose even higher.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded in response.

"No problem, Mr. Ling, I will pass on your words to Lold!"

"Whether Goldman Sachs will treat you as a competitor or a partner in the future, I believe Lloyd will make the judgment!"

"But I'd like to add one more thing: if you join Goldman Sachs, you're standing on the shoulders of giants, and your future achievements will be many times greater than those gained through individual effort!"

Ling Yun smiled and shook his head, without saying anything more.

But his stance couldn't be clearer: he would never join Goldman Sachs, no matter how attractive the offer was!

Seeing this situation, Lewis had no choice but to stop recruiting.

Since this path is not feasible, we can only change our tactics, which happen to be Lewis's area of ​​expertise!

After chatting for a while, Lewis steered the conversation to what he cared about most.

"Mr. Ling, did you orchestrate the deal behind Yuanda's Hong Kong branch approaching Goldman Sachs and Barclays to bet on US stock index options?"

"The stock index option betting scheme presented by Far Eastern Group's Hong Kong Island branch is almost flawless. Goldman Sachs' expert team analyzed it carefully and praised it highly."

"Yuanda's Hong Kong Island branch had never engaged in stock index options betting before; this was their first time, yet the betting plan they presented was almost perfect, clearly indicating they had expert guidance!"

As before, Ling Yun did not respond.

He simply held his teacup, sipping his tea while smiling at Lewis.

Seeing him like this, Lewis felt a tickle in his teeth.

This cunning little rascal, how could he be such a tough nut to crack? Would it kill him to admit he's the mastermind behind it all?

Lewis cursed under his breath, but could only continue asking questions.

"Since you're unwilling to admit it, let's change the subject. What's your opinion on the US Senate passing the $7000 billion bailout package?"

What are your thoughts on the second round of voting in the House of Representatives on the 3rd? Do you think the vote will pass?

"If the vote passes and the $7000 billion bailout plan officially takes effect, what will happen to the US stock market and international financial markets? Can you share your thoughts?"

This time, Ling Yun responded with a smile, but it was just a few meaningless words.

"My perspective isn't important; what matters most is how the financial market views it. What determines price movements is the market, not my personal opinion..."

Listening to this nonsense, Lewis was so frustrated he wanted to punch someone.

The meeting ended around 11:30 a.m.

Lewis and Jimmy were the first to leave the Fairy Tale Forest Tea House and walk toward their car parked by the roadside.

As soon as he got into the car, Lewis gritted his teeth and said:

"Speed ​​up the intelligence gathering! This bastard clearly wants to live as a reclusive millionaire; let's expose his astonishing wealth!"

"With his astonishing wealth, he must be surrounded by many beautiful women. Let a private investigator dig them up and ruin his reputation and image..."

He really is a scumbag; the rumors were absolutely true!

Jimmy muttered to himself, then immediately followed up with the question:

"No problem, when do we start?"

Lewis thought for a moment, then gave his answer.

"It would be more appropriate to launch the bet next week after Goldman Sachs and Yuanda Group have settled their stake in stock index options!"